SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO FOLLOW
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 January 2022 IN THE WINTER HALL, ST ANDREWS CHURCH, MAIDSTONE ROAD AT 7.45 PM
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 any member of the public wishes to ask a question or make a statement in respect of the business on the agenda these should be submitted in advance. You can do this either in writing to or by telephoning the town council office two working days before the meeting. This will allow the relevant information to be gathered.
Where you are not able to submit questions in respect of business on the agenda 2 days in advance, in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Chairman, you may be permitted to ask the question at the meeting. In this event a written or oral response will be provided later.
(Please see the Protocol for the public attending Town Council and Committee meetings, which can be found on the website.)
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:
C77 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
C78 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
Minutes of previous meetings are available on the Council website
(a) To APPROVE the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 15th November 2021 & 29th November 2021.
(b) To NOTE the minutes of the Planning & Environment Committee meeting held on the 15th November & 6th December 2021
(c) To Note the minutes of the Finance Meeting held on the 6th December 2021 & 10th January 2022.
(d) To Note the minutes of the Estates Meeting held on 13th December 2021
C79 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
(a) C68b – a one off garden waste collection has been carried out in Paddock Wood. Further collections are planned from the 10th January 2022. The borough council will notify residents.
(b) C68(c) – A response had been received from TWBC regarding the risk assessment for the closure of the HWA. The response had been forwarded to members.
C80 FINANCE
If any member has any queries regarding the financial transactions, would they please contact the office prior to the meeting.
- a) To APPROVE the budget of £523,620 for 2022/23
- b) To APPROVE the precept of £500,977 which is an increase of 3.6%
- c) To APPROVE the payments list.
- d) To NOTE the receipts list
(c) To consider grant request from the Community Car Service. Application, accounts, and notes provided to members. (Application was considered previously but members required more information-now provided) There is a total of £2600 remaining in the grant fund.
C81 COMMUNITY CENTRE
To receive an update on the current position.
C82 MASCALLS GRANGE
The Town Council has been approached by Persimmon Homes asking if the Council would accept the transfer of land along the border of Green Lane spinney. Members are asked if, subject to a legal agreement they would agree to the transfer. The strip of land is shown on the attached plan. This would tidy up the boundary and place the ditch on Town Council owned land.
C83 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN
Update from Chairman
C84 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
- a) The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 6th April 2022. The event is normally held in the Day Centre and must be held by the 1st June each year.
Members are asked to consider if they would prefer to defer the meeting due to the ongoing concerns about the Covid 19 pandemic. With regards to alternative venues the Winter Hall at St Andrews has a regular booking on Wednesday evenings, as does the large hall at Mascalls Academy. There is some availability at the primary school, however, it will depend on the availability of a facilitator.
- b) At the meeting in November the following topics for a speaker were put forward.
- a) Climate Change – Trying to Achieve Net Zero
- b) The Changing Face of Primary Health Care
C85 FUTURE COUNCIL MEETINGS
Due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic member are asked to consider the format of meetings going forward. The government has not re-instated the legislation that allows for online meetings therefore the council can only meet in person to make decisions.
The following options are put forward for discussion.
- a) Carry on as normal
- b) Try to book church hall for full council meetings going forward and use the Day Centre for Committee meetings only. All non-council (e.g., Neighbourhood Plan, Community Centre) meetings to be held via Zoom where possible. (RECOMMENDED)
- c) “Downgrade” committee meetings to working party meetings to be held via zoom and decisions ratified by full council
- d) Cancel all council meetings for the foreseeable future and delegate to officers (NOT RECOMMENDED)
C86 ELECTORAL REVIEW
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is carrying out a review of the ward boundaries for TWBC.
This is a public consultation, and they are seeking comments from individuals and organisations across Tunbridge Wells on where they think new ward boundaries should be drawn.
The borough is considering recommending that thirty-nine councillors should be elected to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in the future. This is nine fewer than the current number of councillors.
In drawing up new electoral wards, there are three legal criteria to consider:
- to deliver electoral equality: where each councillor represents the same number of electors as others across the borough.
- that the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities.
- that the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government.
Full detail of the consultation can be found at https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/. The consultation closes on the 21st March 2022.
It is recommended that a working party of councillors should review the proposals and bring a draft response to the full council at its meeting on the 21st February 2022.
C87 REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
(a) Chairman’s meeting.
(b) Paddock Wood Business Association
(c) Bereko Committee
(d) KALC – AGM took place on the 13th November 2021.
(e) Medway Valley Line
(f) Hop Pickers Line
(g) Youth Council – minutes/meeting notes have been uploaded onto the website
(h) Putlands Leisure Centre Liaison meeting
(i) Liaison Meeting with developers
(j) Strategic Sites Meeting & Future Development Plans
(k) Royal British Legion
C88 TRAINING
The following training courses have been undertaken.
| Date | Course | Attendee | Run by |
| October 2021 | Dynamic Councillor | Cllr H Atkins | KALC |
| November 2021 | Making Rural Housing Affordable | Cllr D Kent | NALC |
| December 2021 | Future Communities | Cllr D Kent | NALC |
| December 2021 | Climate Change Conference | Cllr M Flashman
Cllr R Moon |
KALC |
| January 2022 | Planning Training | Cllr C Williams
Cllr A Mackie Cllr R Moon
|
TWBC |
Under section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 the following item may be exempt from the press and public. Members will take a vote.
(Advise has been sought from the Kent Association of Local councils on this matter and they have advised “All complaints will be in closed session…….. but any decision as ever goes into the minutes in the usual way.”)
C89 COMPLAINT FROM LOCAL RESIDENT
To consider the attached complaint and agree a response.
C90 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on Monday 21st February 2022
Nichola Reay
Clerk to the Council
11th January 2022
