Agenda and draft minutes

The Mayor’s Chaplain led the Council in prayer.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Burrell, Holt, Mrs Ozog and Reynolds.

To receive declarations of interest from Members including the terms(s) of the Grant of Dispensation (if any) by the Audit Board or the Chief Officer &  Director of Corporate Services.

There were no declarations of interests.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Annual Council meeting on 24 May 2023.

The General Assembly of the Council considered the minutes of the Annual Council meeting held on 24 May 2023.

            RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Annual Council Meeting held on Wednesday 24 May 2023 be confirmed as an accurate record.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

·         Councillor Marilyn Peters

The Mayor congratulated Councillor Marilyn Peters for her recent birthday and hoped that she had had an enjoyable day.

·         Charitable Events

The Mayor said that events were already taking place to support her chosen charities for this year. There had been a very enjoyable barbeque at the Malt Shovel public house on 30^th June. Members were invited to support forthcoming events including a bowls night at Halls Bowls on 1^st September and afternoon tea at Stone Pavilion on 16^th September.

The Leader of the Council offered his congratulations to Councillor Marilyn Peters on her recent birthday.

The Leader of the Council made the following announcements:

·         Big Day Out/Big Chill Out

The Leader of the Council said that the second Big Day Out had been spectacularly successful and had been a fantastic day from start to finish and had helped to bring the town together. The Council had also hosted a second day, the Big Chill Out, for the first time which had also been very enjoyable and now had a blueprint for future years. He congratulated everyone involved and thanked the organisers for delivering a magnificent event.

·         Dartford Pride

The Leader of the Council reminded Members of the forthcoming Dartford Pride event taking place on 22^nd July at the Orchard Theatre. He said that Dartford was looking forward to holding this event for the second year.

·         Extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by the Mayor of London

The Leader of the Council explained that the date for the extension of the ULEZ across outer London was fast approaching but that Dartford and other Councils continued in their efforts to oppose this, including legal action to prevent the implementation by the Mayor. Dartford had been vigorous in its opposition to a measure which would heavily impact hard working people and have a disproportionate impact on those who could least afford to pay the charge. He recognised that restricting emissions could have a positive impact in busy inner city areas but not in outlying areas. He said that the focus should be on helping people to move to more efficient vehicles and forms of transport and that levying a charge on the people least able to pay made it more difficult for them to buy compliant vehicles.   

The following questions were submitted by the Shadow Leader of the Council:

Question 1

‘Does the Leader of the Council agree that our hard-working waste and refuse crews deserve a pay rise which will not leave them worse off now than they were this time last year?’

Question 2

‘Nuisance motorbikes are an increasing concern for many people in our Borough. Is the Leader of the Council confident this authority is doing everything possible to tackle this problem which is making residents lives a misery?’

Question 3

‘At Annual Council on 24th May, the Leader of the Council announced a review of current committee structures. Since then, we have heard nothing. Can members receive assurance that the terms of the reference for the review be published before the end of July?’

The following question was submitted by the Leader of the Green and Residents’ Association Group:

Question 4

‘Traffic at the blue star roundabout regularly brings Dartford to a standstill, disrupting lives and worsening pollution. The yellow box cameras were only enforced eight days between September 2019 and March 2022. How can the council push for increased monitoring?’

In accordance with Standing Order 14 the questions and answers, including any supplementary questions and answers, are recorded 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 Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor J S Hawkes

Proposed Closure of Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre

This Council Notes that

·         The Conservative leadership of Kent County Council (KCC) are proposing to permanently close, or reduce the opening hours of, Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre.

·         It has been stated by the KCC Cabinet Member for the Environment that closure or reduction of hours are necessary to “balance the books” following budget cuts of £55 million for 2023/24 agreed by Conservative KCC councillors in February 2023.

·         According to KCC figures, Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre has an average of 1,392 visitors per week.

This Council Believes that

·         Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre ensures waste is disposed of in a responsible, convenient, and sustainable way.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre would represent the unjustified and unacceptable loss of an important and well used facility for residents of the Borough.

·         Dartford experienced the second-largest percentage increase in population in England at the last census. This growth indicates a requirement for additional, not fewer, public services.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will result in increased instances of fly-tipping within in Borough, damaging our environment.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will lead to an increase in traffic on the Borough’s roads, potentially adding to road congestion and increased levels of air pollution, contrary to aims and objectives of the Dartford Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan.  

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will discourage and reduce opportunities for Dartford residents to recycle more of their household waste.

·         The projected financial savings forecast by Kent County Council risk being negated by increased costs incurred by Dartford taxpayers due to a requirement for additional instances of fly tipping investigation and increased pressure on our household waste collection service.

·         The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the introduction of a booking system on visitor numbers should be fully assessed ahead of any decision to close or reduce opening hours.

This Council Resolves

·         To oppose any proposal to close or reduce the opening hours of Dartford Household Recycling Centre.

·         To encourage Dartford residents to respond to the KCC consultation on the proposed closure and reduction of opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

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

Commemorating and Celebrating Len Goodman

This council notes

·         The sad passing of Len Goodman at the age of 78 in April of this year. 

·         That Len made an immeasurable contribution to the childhoods of countless Dartford children through his dance school. 

·         That Len was a great ambassador for Dartford throughout the world. 

·         The enormous regard and affection Len is held in by the people of Dartford.   

This council  ...  view the full agenda text for item 34.

The Mayor informed Members that three motions had been submitted in accordance with Standing Order 10:

(1) Motion submitted by the Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor J S Hawkes

Councillor Hawkes proposed the following motion

This Council Notes that

·         The Conservative leadership of Kent County Council (KCC) are proposing to permanently close, or reduce the opening hours of, Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre.

·         It has been stated by the KCC Cabinet Member for the Environment that closure or reduction of hours are necessary to “balance the books” following budget cuts of £55 million for 2023/24 agreed by Conservative KCC councillors in February 2023.

·         According to KCC figures, Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre has an average of 1,392 visitors per week.

This Council Believes that

·         Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre ensures waste is disposed of in a responsible, convenient, and sustainable way.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre would represent the unjustified and unacceptable loss of an important and well used facility for residents of the Borough.

·         Dartford experienced the second-largest percentage increase in population in England at the last census. This growth indicates a requirement for additional, not fewer, public services.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will result in increased instances of fly-tipping within the Borough, damaging our environment.

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will lead to an increase in traffic on the Borough’s roads, potentially adding to road congestion and increased levels of air pollution, contrary to aims and objectives of the Dartford Borough Council Air Quality Action Plan.  

·         Closure or reduction of the opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre will discourage and reduce opportunities for Dartford residents to recycle more of their household waste.

·         The projected financial savings forecast by Kent County Council risk being negated by increased costs incurred by Dartford taxpayers due to a requirement for additional instances of fly tipping investigation and increased pressure on our household waste collection service.

·         The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the introduction of a booking system on visitor numbers should be fully assessed ahead of any decision to close or reduce opening hours.

This Council Resolves

·         To oppose any proposal to close or reduce the opening hours of Dartford Household Recycling Centre.

·         To encourage Dartford residents to respond to the KCC consultation on the proposed closure and reduction of opening hours of Dartford Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

In introducing the motion Councillor Hawkes said that he wished to make a slight alteration to the motion that he had given notice of to delete the reference to the reduction of opening hours of the Household Waste & Recycling Centre (HWRC). This change was accepted by the Council without discussion. He continued to say that he felt that the possible closure of the HWRC was short-sighted and would be hugely damaging for Dartford and an unjustified and unacceptable loss of an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

There were no urgent items.

It was moved by the Mayor, Councillor R M Currans, 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 the Work Plan for the General Assembly of the Council for 2023-24.

The General Assembly of the Council considered its proposed Work Plan for 2023-24.

            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 2023-24 Municipal Year.

To consider sums to be carried forward into the 2023/24 Capital Budget.

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report which detailed the final pre-audit figures for the 2022/23 Capital Programme, the capital resources that were used to fund it and those that remain available to fund future investment, along with a recommendation from the Cabinet, taken under Standing Order 38 delegated authority, to carry forward the capital budget into 2023/24 as set out in Appendix C to the report.

RESOLVED:

That the capital budget be carried forward into 2023/24, as set out in Appendix C to the report, thereby increasing the total capital budget by £3.445M.

To consider the appointment of a new Monitoring Officer and Head of Legal Services following a meeting of the Statutory Officer Advisory Panel.

This item is ‘to follow’.

The Chief Officer & Director of Corporate Services provided an update on progress on the recruitment of a new Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, following the retirement of the previous postholder in March 2023. She explained that, despite a robust recruitment process, it had not been possible to identify a suitable candidate to recommend to Members for appointment to this pivotal post and that the Council was looking at ways to move forward.

            RESOLVED:

That the update on the recruitment of a new Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer be noted.

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 M CURRANS, 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

8 December 2022

26 January 2023

23 February 2023

23 March 2023

8 June 2023

No Cabinet minutes were reserved for debate.