PADDOCKWOOD TOWN COUNCIL
The Podmore Building, St Andrews Field, St Andrews Road
Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6HT
Telephone: 01892 837373
www.paddockwood-tc.gov.uk
NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF PADDOCK WOOD TOWN COUNCIL TO BE HELD ON Monday 20th May 2024 at 7.45 pm in The Day Centre, Commercial Road, Paddock Wood
Residents do not need to attend a meeting to ask a question of the Council. Questions can be sent at any time to the Council offices using the details above.
Prior to the start of the meeting representatives from Putlands Leisure Centre will attend to address the Council.
QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS (15 minutes)
If you wish to speak to the Council about any item on the agenda, please see the updated Protocol for the Public attending Town Council and Committee meetings, which can be found on the website or can be obtained from the Town Council offices.
BOROUGH & COUNTY COUNCILLORS UPDATE (10 minutes)
Town Councillors should submit questions a week in advance, if possible, to the Borough/County Councillor concerned (copied to the Town Clerk).
APOLOGIES: Cllr N Maari
C1 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
C2 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN FOR THE YEAR 2024 – 2025.
Cllr Thompson has proposed, Cllr Hamilton seconded:
That Cllr Atkins should be elected Chairman of the Council.
C3 ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIRMAN FOR THE YEAR 2024 – 2025.
Cllr Kent proposed, Cllr Munday seconded:
That Cllr Hamilton be elected Vice Chairman of the Council.
C4 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
(a) To APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 15th April 2024
(b) To NOTE the minutes of the Planning Environment Committee meeting held on the 15th April 2024 & 7th May 2024.
(c) To NOTE the minutes of the Estates Committee meeting on the 13th May 2024.
(d) The minutes of the Annual Town Meeting held on Wednesday 15th May 2024
will be put before the June meeting.
C5 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
(a) C146 – Wesley Centre. Borough Councillor Warne has advised that the Wesley Centre remains on the remains on the list of potential assets for disposal in the Asset Management Plan for 2024/25. However, she has also advised that the Wesely Centre is not currently under review. Extracts from the relevant Borough documents are attached.
(b) C153 – Town Guide. The new Town Guide has been distributed.
C6 COUNCIL POLICIES
Members are advised that these documents have not been reviewed by the Governance committee as it was unable to meet in April.
To APPROVE the following policies.
(a) Standing Orders – The only SO order to be amended is SO18.
(b) Terms of Reference – only two members have asked to sit on the Governance Committee and members are asked to consider whether this should become a working group which can review the documents and submit recommendations to the Council.
(c) Financial Regulations – NALC issued revised Financial Regulations on the 9th April 2024. These have been substantially altered and need detailed review. The Internal Auditor has recommended that the Council adopts the existing Regulations for now and the new Regulations are reviewed and presented to Council in the summer.
(e) Health and Safety Policy – note the Town Council retains the services of Croner Ltd who provide compliant H & S Policies. This will be reviewed in July by Croner.
Members should also resolve that the Chairman signs the Health and Safety Statement
(f) Data Protection Policy – Note: The Town Council retains the services of GDPR Ltd, who supply compliant policies
(g) Complaints procedure
(h) Freedom of Information Document retention policy and publication scheme.
(i) Press & Media Policy
C7 EMPLOYMENT POLICIES
The Staff Handbook which contains all employment policies is put forward for APPROVAL by the Council.
Note: The Town Council retains the services of Croner who provide compliant policies. The Personnel Committee has reviewed the document and will submit its comments to Croner when they review the document in July.
C8 OTHER DOCUMENTS
(a) To review the list of Subscriptions & Licences
(b) To review the list of agreements with TWBC & other not for profit bodies and businesses.
(c) To review the Inventory and assets list.
C9 MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES AND OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS
To APPROVE the committee membership for 2024/25.
C10 MEETING DATES 2023/2024
To APPROVE the attached meeting dates for the year 2024/25.
C11 FINANCE
If any member has any queries regarding the payments, please contact the RFO. (Note: the RFO works Tuesday/Wednesday 9am – 3 pm & Thursday 9 am – 12 pm)
(a) To NOTE the receipts 1 – 66.
(b) To approve the payments, list 1 – 73.
(c) Audit – the internal auditor attended the office on the 14th May 2024 & his report is awaited. Mazers as the external auditor have advised that the Annual Return should be received by the 30th June 2024. The Accounts and Annual Return will be presented to the Council at the meeting on the 17th June 2024.
(d) To confirm signatories to the bank account. Currently the following Councillors are signatories to the bank account:
Cllrs Mobbs, Munday, Thompson, Moon, Williams
Subject to the above members being willing to remain as signatories 1 further member is required to replace Henry Atkins, who resigned as a councillor.
Good practice suggests that Councillors authorising the payments should vary throughout the year. A monthly “rota” is drawn up with 2 councillors identified each month to authorise payments. Most banking is done online. The RFO sets up the payments and then notifies councillors that payments are ready for authorisation.
The bank reconciliation also needs to be signed off by a Councillor each month. Again, good practice is that it should not be a bank signatory or the Chairman and should vary monthly.
It is therefore suggested that a rota of the remaining 6 councillors should be drawn up for them to check the bank reconciliation monthly and sign it off.
Members are asked to approve the bank signatories list and agree that the remaining Councillors should sign off the bank reconciliation on a 6 monthly rota.
C12 COUNCILLOR TRAINING
Kent Association of Local Councils run a training course for both Councillors and Clerks. There are currently no physical courses available but there are a number of bitesize courses which can be done in your own time. https://www.kentalc.gov.uk/Bitesize_Training_31970.aspx If any member would like to do any of the courses please contact the Clerk.
C13 LOCAL PLAN UPDATE – Examination-Consultation Responses
As a result of the Inspector’s Initial Findings published in November 2022, there was a pause to the Local Plan Examination. During this pause, the Borough Council carried out work necessary to address soundness issues raised by the Inspector in his Initial Findings. The Council conducted a public consultation on this work that took place between 15 January 2024 and 12 April 2024. There is a dedicated webpage on the Council’s website for the Consultation and any associated documentation. The responses to this consultation have been published. https://tunbridgewells.gov.uk/planning/planning-policy/local-plan/examination-of-the-local-plan
The next stage of hearings will be as follows:
Week 1
18th June AM / PM: Matter 1 (Green Belt Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal and Local Plan Review)
19th June AM / PM: Matter 3 (The Strategy of Tudeley Village)
20th June PM: Matter 8 (Meeting Housing Needs)
Week 2
16th July AM / PM: Matter 4 (The Strategy for Paddock Wood)
17th July AM / PM: Matter 7 (Highways Infrastructure) and Matter 9 (Other Matters)
18th July AM: Matter 9 (Other Matters / Round Up Session and recap on Main Modifications necessary etc)
The Chairman of the Planning Committee and the Deputy Clerk will meet with the Council’s Planning Advisor on Tuesday 14th May 2024. An update will be given at the meeting.
C14 REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
To receive updates from representatives
(a) Chairman’s meeting
(b) Paddock Wood Business Association
(c) Bereko Committee
(d) KALC – no meeting
(e) Medway Valley Line
(f) Hop Pickers Line
(g) Youth Council
(h) Putlands Leisure Centre
(j) Highway Improvement Plan
(k) IAG
C15 COMMUNITY CENTRE
(a) The CC liaison meeting with the directors will take place on the 14th May 2024.
An update will be given at the meeting.
Under section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 the following item should be exempt from the press and public for commercial reasons.
(b) To receive an update on the current position of the FM contract. The clerk & the Council’s FM advisor met with the contractors on Monday 13th May 2024. A report on the outcome of that meeting will follow shortly.
C16 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on Monday 17th June 2023, at 7.45 pm in The Day Centre, Commercial Road
NICHOLA REAY Clerk to the Council
14th May 2024