Agenda and draft minutes

A formal apology for absence was received from Councillor Butterfill, due to conflicting work committments.

Post Meeting Note: Councillors D T Nicklen and L J Reynolds were unable to join the meeting virtually, despite their repeated efforts to do so, due to circumstances beyond their control.

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.

                              RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Committee meeting held on 15 September be confirmed as accurate.

The Chairman confirmed that there were no urgent items for the Committee to consider.

None.

To consider any issues arising from the Regulation 9 Notice (Forward Plan) for the period 15 October 2020 to 28 February 2021.

The Committee Coordinator confirmed that the Regulation 9 Notice was for Members to note, and that any item listed could be scrutinised by the Committee at a future meeting, via the established draw-down process.

The Chairman encouraged Members to draw-down items from the Forward Plan or on an ad-hoc basis, to supplement standard agenda items [Min. No. 54 refers].

RESOLVED:

1.     That Members note the contents of the Forward Plan [Regulation 9 Notice] for the period 15 October 2020 to 28 February 2021.

The Chairman welcomed Members to the first full complement meeting of the Committee via the Zoom platform, since the first Government lock-down measures were imposed in March 2020 to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. Those measures had initially required larger Committees such as Scrutiny, POC, GAC to meet in a reduced Member format, to ensure that virtual proceedings were of a sufficiently high quality. He welcomed the return to a full Member committee format and expressed the hope that it would continue to be the norm going forward.

He thanked all Scrutiny Members for their support throughout the ongoing municipal cycle, and their robust but positive contributions to debates in the period under review. He also thanked the Committee Coordinator for his continued support of Members. He had intended to formally record his thanks at the first full virtual meeting of the GAC on 12 October, but poor Zoom reception had frustrated those intentions.

The report from the Leisure and Communities Officer (LCO), attached at Appendix A for Members to note, the October 2020 Community Use Update report from Dartford Cricket Club (DCC) in Hesketh Park.

The LCO commended the report to the Committee, and highlighted DCC’s net-sharing initiative with neighbouring cricket clubs, and DCC’s proactive and positive measures to stay embedded in the Dartford community, despite the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and the Government’s subsequent lock-down measures and the inevitable negative impact on grass-roots sport.

The Chairman and Members supported the LCO in his assessment of DCC’s community efforts in the period under review, including during lock-down, and asked that the Minutes record their appreciation.

                    RESOLVED:

1.     That Members note the report and Appendix A from Dartford Cricket Club.

The report from the Committee Coordinator attached an updated Work Plan for the remainder of the 2020-21 municipal cycle (Appendix A to the report refers).

The Lead Member for Equalities, Cohesion & Society proposed an addition to the updated Work Plan for the next meeting of the Committee in February 2021. He advised the Committee that some Members attending the CAP B Committee held on 26 October had expressed concern over the current level of overspent in the Council’s Capital Budget Programme, for the ongoing renovation of the Acacia site in the town centre.

Members agreed that the topic would be considered by the Committee as a draw-down in February 2021, subject to a specific bid from the Vice-Chairman of Scrutiny on behalf of Members from his Group represented on the Committee.

                    RESOLVED:

1.     That Members note the report and the updated Work Plan enclosed at Appendix A;

2.     That Members consider the financial aspects of the ongoing renovation of the Acacia site in the town centre, as part of the Council’s Capital Budget Programme, at the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee scheduled for February 2021; subject to a formal bid from the Vice-Chairman, on behalf of Members of his Group represented on the Committee.