Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Brown, Jones and Maddison.

To receive declarations of interest from Members including the terms(s) of the Grant of Dispensation (if any) by the Audit Board or Managing Director.

The Strategic Director (Internal Services) and the Head of Legal Services declared an interest in agenda item 11, Restructure of Directorates and Appointment to Statutory Officer Posts.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Council held on 27 July 2020 as an accurate record.

            RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Council held on 27 July 2020 be confirmed as an accurate record..

To receive announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor did not make any announcements:

The Leader of the Council congratulated the Lead Member for Equalities, Cohesion & Society, Councillor McLean, for his work on the ‘One Dartford’ equalities project which was progressing well.

The Shadow Leader of the Council submitted the following questions in accordance with Standing Order 14:

Question 1

Parking, especially around schools. It’s becoming worse and more dangerous. The enforcement manager said it takes almost all his team to cover one school. That means little or no enforcement at the other schools. Will the Leader now agree, seven enforcement officers is not enough to cover all of Dartford?

Question 2

How is the council working with KCC in order to try and reduce the traffic problems we have here in Dartford?

Question 3

The council has done some very positive work in accommodating victims of Domestic Abuse. Does the leader of the council back calls for the Domestic Abuse Bill to ensure councils fund specialist refuges in the future?

In accordance with Standing Order 14 the questions and answers, including any supplementary questions and answers, are recoded in a book kept for this purpose in the Members’ Area.

To consider the following motions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 10:

(1)  Motion submitted by the Deputy Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor K J Grehan:

‘This Council recognises that:

As an employer, Dartford Borough Council wishes to employ the very best people.

Even the most accepting people can be influenced by thoughts and feelings they’re not aware they have.

We all wish to prevent discrimination and unconscious bias during each stage of recruitment.

Name-anonymous application processes are a proven method for preventing employment discrimination in the early stages of recruitment

Name anonymous recruitment assists in reducing both gender and racial bias in initial recruitment stages and has been effectively implemented in numerous organisations, including the UK Civil Service and UCAS.

This Council resolves:

To adopt a name anonymous recruitment policy in order to reduce unconscious

bias during the recruitment process.’

(2)  Motion submitted by the Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor S Gosine

‘This council is very disappointed to note that Ebbsfleet, Dartford is included in a list of 28 areas where the Government have legislated to give permission for a lorry park to be built, without any consultation with either our council or our community.

That this Council resolves:

To write to the relevant Secretaries of State to make clear that to have legislated in this way is unacceptable and shows complete disregard for local government and local communities.’

(3)  Motion submitted by Councillor A J Oakley-Dow

The pandemic emergency and even the recent economic recession can make it harder to think beyond the present or immediate future, as we cope as best we can for ourselves and our neighbours in these unpredictable circumstances.

However, it is a recognised fact that increasingly severe weather events now occur throughout the seasons across this country – 2020 in the UK has seen the hottest week since records began, whilst as recently as August, Storm Francis provided winds of 78mph in the south of England. The year has also been characterised by continued widespread flooding across the country caused by frequent unprecedented rainfall events, from March through to August, culminating in loss of life in the recent train derailment tragedy. Harm to humans is not caused uniquely by low temperature in Winter.

In the context of the recent cross-party project to urgently address the global climate emergency in practical and effective strategies for the people of Dartford, is it not time to reappraise the criteria by which the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol is engaged? In the same way that this Council responded so well to the pandemic emergency, can we not extend this thinking to a more appropriate response to the welfare of rough sleepers as victims of the climate emergency as well? Will the Council once again set an excellent example of compassion and care for all?

That this Council resolves to

- Revisit the criteria by which SWEP is applied in the Borough of Dartford to better reflect the variety of severe weather which we all  ...  view the full agenda text for item 100.

The Mayor advised the General Assembly of the Council that three motions had originally been submitted under Standing Order 10 and had been included in the published agenda for the meeting. However, since publication, the Shadow Leader of the Council had given notice of his wish to withdraw the motion that he had submitted (the second motion listed in the agenda). The Shadow Leader of the Council confirmed his wish to withdraw the motion and this was agreed by the Council without discussion.

Councillor K J Grehan moved the following motion of which she had given notice in accordance with Standing Order 10:

‘This Council recognises that:

As an employer, Dartford Borough Council wishes to employ the very best people.

Even the most accepting people can be influenced by thoughts and feelings they’re not aware they have.

We all wish to prevent discrimination and unconscious bias during each stage of recruitment.

Name-anonymous application processes are a proven method for preventing employment discrimination in the early stages of recruitment

Name anonymous recruitment assists in reducing both gender and racial bias in initial recruitment stages and has been effectively implemented in numerous organisations, including the UK Civil Service and UCAS.

This Council resolves:

To adopt a name anonymous recruitment policy in order to reduce unconscious bias during the recruitment process.’

In introducing the motion Councillor Grehan said that the Council’s policies on equalities stated that the Council was devoted to diversity and equality of opportunity to ensure that the Council recruited the right people for each job and that this was done fairly. However some studies had shown that even where such principles were in place there could be an element of unconscious bias that impacted upon the recruitment process and for this reason many companies and organisations, including the Civil Service, BBC, HSBC, Deloittes and KPMG, were implementing anonymous recruitment policies. She urged the Council to follow suit and to adopt a name anonymous recruitment policy.

The motion was seconded by Councillor S Gosine and opened for debate.

In supporting the motion Councillor Gosine said that knowledge of an applicant’s identity, race, age or gender should not influence the outcome of a job application and that research had shown that where anonymous recruitment was followed this resulted in less bias and greater diversity of the workforce. This was becoming more popular as employers sought to open up employment opportunities and recruit the best people. He questioned whether the Council’s current processes were as fair as they could be and felt that all applications should be anonymous. 

Responding to the motion, the Leader of the Council suggested to Councillor Grehan that there was no easy way to inform her but the Council already did exactly what she was suggesting and had done so for several years.

He went on to say that her motion was ill-advised and if she had taken the trouble to find out she would have realised that the list of organisations already implementing anonymous recruitment included Dartford Borough  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100.

The Mayor will announce his decision as to whether there are any urgent items.

There were no urgent items.

It was moved by the Mayor, Councillor R S L Perfitt, seconded by Councillor J A Kite and

RESOLVED:

That in accordance with Standing Order 11(13) the General Assembly of the Council go into Committee and the rules of Procedures for Committees do apply.

THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL, COUNCILLOR J A KITE MBE, IN THE

CHAIR

There were no references from other committees.

To consider and agree the restoration of committee seats as agreed at the last Annual Council meeting on 22 May 2019 and any changes to the memberships of committees, sub-committees, boards and panels notified by Group Leaders..

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report which reviewed the governance arrangements put in place to ensure that democratic processes could continue to function during the height of the coronavirus epidemic whilst meeting Government requirements on social distancing. This had included arranging for all formal meetings to be held remotely and in order to facilitate this some of the larger council committees and boards had been reduced in size, whilst maintain political balance, whilst the necessary infrastructure had been put in place. An extraordinary meeting of the full Council had been successfully held on 27 July 2020 using Zoom and, whilst not ideal, had demonstrated that the platform could successfully be used to hold larger meetings. It was therefore proposed to revert to the original memberships for those committees that had temporarily been reduced in size. Whilst carrying out the review of governance the political groups had also been given the opportunity to amend their appointments to the membership of any committee, board or panel by notifying any changes to the Democratic Services Manager. Any changes duly notified would take effect from 12 midnight 2020 for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

        RESOLVED:

1.    That, for the reasons outlined in para. 3.7 of the report, the allocation of seats on the following committees, be fully reinstated to the number of seats agreed at the Annual Meeting [22 May 2019 [Min.No.19]]:

·     Development Control Board (17 Members);

·     Licensing Committee (15 Members);

·     Policy and Overview Committee (17 Members); and

·     Scrutiny Committee (17 Members); and

2. That any amendments to the appointments as to membership of the committees, boards or panels referred to above and memberships to other committees, boards and/or panels, notified to the Democratic Services Manager, in writing by the Group Leaders, by 5.00pm on Monday 12 October 2020 take effect from midnight on that day.

To consider proposals to restructure directorates and to approve appointments to Statutory Officer posts.

Having previously declared an interest the Strategic Director (Internal Services) and the Head of Legal Services left the meeting for the duration of consideration of this item

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report, which proposed a restructure of directorates and revised appointments to statutory officer posts. Following the sudden death of the Managing Director in June 2020, management of the Council had been split between the Strategic Director (External Services) and the Strategic Director (Internal Services). However due to the significant challenges ahead and the breadth of services delivered by the Council, this arrangement was not sustainable in the longer term and additional resource at this top tier of the organisation was required.

In addition the Strategic Director (External Services) and Monitoring Officer, had announced her intention to retire in Spring 2021. It was acknowledged that this would result in a significant loss of knowledge and experience. It was therefore proposed to establish a new management structure to reflect these changes, to minimise disruption and allow a smooth handover. This also offered an opportunity to introduce a revised restructure to meet the changing needs of a growing population and respond to the lessons learnt from the COVID pandemic and to realign the senior management team to the new and emerging pressures faced by the Council. Once implemented this would also allow the Council to further innovate and improve service delivery and focus on the changing ways the public are interacting with the Council, along with their changing behaviours and needs.

The proposed structure would provide more focus on strengthening the relationships with the community and voluntary sector, helping to protect the more vulnerable residents within the Borough and building sustainable and inclusive communities within the Borough’s new developments. It would also ensure that there is sufficient and appropriate staffing resource to provide more focus on managing the Council’s property assets and encouraging economic development within the Borough. 

The proposed new structure was detailed in the report and its appendices and would result in the creation of two new directors, the assimilation of the existing Strategic Director (Internal Services) to a new Director and Head of Paid Service post, the creation of three new directorates and changes to statutory officer appointments.

The Leader of the Council informed Members that the proposals were designed to deliver a flatter management structure but that since the publication of the report it had become apparent that it would be helpful to identify a single officer as being the Chief Officer for the authority. It was therefore proposed that the new Director of Corporate Services post should also include ‘Chief Officer’ in the job title, which would provide greater clarity for external organisations.

Members expressed their thanks to the current directors for the outstanding work they had done since the incapacity and subsequent death of the Managing Director and during the pandemic. A Member particularly welcomed the creation of a new Directorate for Housing & Public Protection which reflected the importance of these services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.

To consider and note the Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2019/20.

The Council considered the work carried out by the Scrutiny Committee during 2019/20 which was described in its annual report. The Chairman of the Committee informed Members that 2019/20 had been the first year of service for many of his Group and had been a learning experience. Based on this his Group had changed some of their appointments on various committees moving forward.

The Leader of the Council reminded Members that the report detailed the work carried out by the Committee throughout the year and that the meetings had been well conducted and that no issues of concern had emerged to indicate that the Council was not functioning well. He thanked the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and members of the committee for their work.

          RESOLVED:

That the Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2019-20 be noted.

To consider and note the Crime & Disorder (Overview & Scrutiny) Committee Annual Report 2019/20.

The Council considered the work carried out by the Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Committee during 2019/20 which was described in its annual report.

The Chairman of the Committee thanked the Members of the committee and officers for their input during the year and also thanked the Democratic Services Officer, David Hook, for his support for the committee’s work. He also thanked Kent Police and the Community Safety officers for their support and commented on the good working relationship with the Community Safety Partnership. He commended the report to the committee.

          RESOLVED:

That the Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Committee Annual Report 2019-20 be noted.

To consider and agree the General Assembly of the Council Work Plan 2020/21.

The General Assembly of the Council considered its proposed Work Plan for 2020-21.

          RESOLVED:

That the Work Plan, attached at Appendix A to the report, be approved as the General Assembly of the Council’s Work Plan for the 2020-21 Municipal Year.

It was moved by Councillor J A Kite, seconded by Councillor C J Shippam and

RESOLVED:

That in accordance with Standing Order 11(14) the General Assembly of the Council now re-convene.

THE MAYOR, COUNCILLOR R S L PERFITT, IN THE CHAIR

To consider any of the minutes of the following Cabinet meetings reserved in accordance with Standing Order 16;

(a)       for full debate by Political Groups on the Council;

(b)       by Ward Members.

Cabinet

23 January 2020

5 March 2020

28 May 2020

25 June 2020

23 July 2020

24 September 2020

No Cabinet minutes were reserved for debate.