PADDOCK WOOD 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 A MEETING OF PADDOCK WOOD TOWN COUNCIL TO BE HELD ON Monday 17th April 2023 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.
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:
C140 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
C141 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
Copies of draft minutes can be found on the Town Council website.
(a) To APPROVE the minutes from the meeting held on 20th March 2023
(b) To NOTE the minutes from the Planning & Environment Committee meeting held on 20th March 2023. There was no meeting on the 3rd April 2023.
(c) To NOTE the minutes from the Estates Committee held on 11th April 2023
C142 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES NOT INCLUDED ELSEWHERE ON THE AGENDA
QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS: The following questions were asked at the previous meeting. A response has been sent as follows –
When will the Memorial car park re-open to the public? This will be considered by the Council at this meeting later the agenda.
As a member of the working party the resident would like to know where the additional funding for the fit out had come from? This was more to do with cash flow than shortage of funds. Once the project manager had made his report to members then an update would be published.
It had been noted that the town council element of the council tax bill had increased by 41%. How were residents supposed to find out about the town council activities as the noticeboards in the town centre were not up to date? It was acknowledged that due to staff shortages the noticeboards had not been kept as up to date as they should have been. The Estates Committee would be asked for permission to remove the Public Rights of Way Board by the car park as this was not a formal noticeboard and impractical to use on a regular basis.
C143 COMMUNITY CENTRE
It is proposed to hold a confidential session at the end of the meeting with the project manager to receive an update on the current financial position and the leases.
a) To consider the position of the project board and whether is it still required. (Governance document previously circulated) There has been no meeting since the last Council meeting.
b) Car Park – To consider whether to open the car park to the public whilst the temporary fencing is still in place. See attached plan.
c) The centre manager has now been appointed and will start work on the 24th April 2023.
d) Fit out – to receive a report from the directors on the current position.
C144 WESLEY CENTRE
The paperwork to register the building as an asset of community value is being completed.
C145 FINANCE
- a) To APPROVE the attached payments list voucher nos: 1055 – 1139
- b) To NOTE the attached receipts list 268 – 310.
C146 CORONATION
- a) Paul Smith from the House of Portmerion has offered to source the mugs at cost price for the Town Council. This will be the Spode mug which is of far better quality than the council could obtain elsewhere. There are sufficient funds in the budget to allow for one mug for every pupil at Paddock Wood Primary School.
- b) The Estates committee will consider the location of the coronation bench at its meeting on 11th
C147 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
The ATM was well attended with 50 residents in attendance. The draft minutes will be forwarded to members as soon as possible.
C148 CO-OPTION PROCEDURE
To Approve the revised procedure. (to follow)
C149 ELECTIONS
The nominations for the forthcoming town council elections have been announced and can be found on the website. They have also been posted on the noticeboard.
There were only 4 candidates for the West Ward therefore they are elected un-opposed.
Co-option will be required to fill the remaining two spaces.
There are 9 candidates for the East Ward so there will be an election for the 7 seats.
Existing councillors remain in post until the 8th May 2023, the new councillors take up office on the 9th May 2023.
The Chairman will remain as Chairman of the Council until the election of the new chairman at the Annual meeting of the Town Council on the 15th May 2023.
C150 REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
(a) Chairman’s meeting – No meeting has taken place.
(b) Paddock Wood Business Association – next meeting 23rd March.
(c) Bereko Committee – the chairman of Bereko Town Council has sadly died. The Chairman has sent a letter of condolence via the Bereko Committee.
(d) KALC – meeting will take place on 14th March 2023
(e) Medway Valley Line
(f) Hop Pickers Line
(g) Youth Council
(h) Putlands Leisure Centre
(i) Royal British Legion
(j) Highways Improvement Plan
(k) Any other meetings attended on behalf of the Town Council
Under section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 the following items are exempt from the press and public due to legal privilege & commercial confidentiality.
C151 COMMUNITY CENTRE
- a) Current financial position – to receive an update from the Project Manager
- b) Leases – to receive an update from the company directors.
C152 DATE OF NEXT MEETING:
The next meeting will take place on Monday 15th May 2023, at 7.45 pm in The Day Centre, Commercial Road.
NICHOLA REAY
CLERK TO THE COUNCIL
11th April 2023
