MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PADDOCK WOOD TOWN COUNCIL held on Monday 16 JANUARY 2023 at 7.45 p.m. in the Day Centre, Commercial Road.
Cllrs Present: H. Atkins, R. Atkins, T. Bisdee, D Boyle, M. Flashman (Chairman), S. Hamilton, D. Kent, A. Mackie, R. Moon, M. Ridger, D. Sargison & R. Turk
Officers Present: K. Bell (Locum Clerk), C. Reily (Deputy Clerk), T. Maxwell (RFO) & C. Smith (Estates Manager)
Also Present: B. Cllrs. M. Bailey & S. Wakeman & 3 members of the public.
Cllr Flashman opened the meeting and welcomed all present.
PUBLIC FORUM: Questions were invited from members of the public. Questions were taken regarding the Community Centre and the future of the Wesley Centre. The Questions were noted. A member of the public presented the Locum Clerk with a written copy of the questions asked.
BOROUGH & COUNTY COUNCILLORS UPDATE
- County Councillor Report: Cllr. Hamilton reported and drew attention to the following
- She and Highways Officers had met with residents from Warrington Road to discuss their highway concerns. The residents had expressed a willingness to contribute towards highway improvements and if PWTC wished to explore this avenue of opportunity then PWTC would collect monies for forwarding to KCC when recharged. Flashman stated that the PW HIP was an item for discussion later in the meeting.
- With the support of PWTC, C. Cllr. Hamilton would like to allocate some of her remaining 2022/2023 Members fund to assist Paddock Wood to acquire a Speed Indication Device.
- KHS were aware of the numerous potholes in Paddock Wood and a works remediation programme would be instigated at the earliest opportunity.
- Borough Councillor Reports
- Cllr. Bailey was welcomed to the meeting; he gave an update on the installation of EV Charging Points within PW.
- Cllr. Wakeman: No report
- Cllr. Moon: No report
C102 APOLOGIES: Cllr. H. Atkins advised that Cllr. R. Atkins would be arriving late. This was noted.
C103 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST / LOBBYING: There were none
C104 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS
C104.1 Minutes from the meeting of the Full Council held on 19 December 2022: Following a discussion, it was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: That the minutes be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record of the proceedings. By Majority (abstentions)
C104.2 Minutes from the Planning & Environment Committee meeting held on 19 December 2022 – NOTED
C104.3 Minutes from the Finance Committee held on 09 January 2023 – NOTED.
C104.4 Minutes from the CC Board Meeting – TO FOLLOW
C105 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES NOT INCLUDED ELSEWHERE ON THE AGENDA
- TWBC had rescheduled the parking meeting to 08 February 2023.
- TWBC had decided against changing the electoral cycle.
C106 2023 / 2024 BUDGET: The Chairman invited the RFO to present the budget. Following which questions were invited. The RFO was thanked for her clear and precise presentation.
Cllr. R Atkins arrived
There then followed a discussion, following which, it was proposed by Cllr. Williams, seconded by Cllr. Turk and:
RESOLVED: That the council set its 2023 / 2024 precept at £757,956 which included budgetary provisions for the opening of the new Paddock Wood Community Centre. By Majority
Councillors requested that the vote be recorded as follows
Those in favour MF, RM, CW, RT, DB, TB, MR, AM, DS
Those against HA, SH, RA, DK
C107 2023 / 2024 HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT PLAN: Cllr. Williams reported that the P & E Committee had commenced discussions in respect of the PW HIP for 2023 / 2024 and that there would be an Open Meeting to discuss Highway Improvements with residents. Members then considered the offer from C. Cllr. Hamilton to fund the cost of a Speed Indication Device from her member’s fund, following which it was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: That a funding application would be submitted By Majority (1 abstention)
C108 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN: It was reported that the independent examiner had read the plan, its supporting documents and the representations submitted during the formal consultation which ended in November. It was noted that the independent examiner had also visited Paddock Wood to understand better the issues raised. It was further noted that a series of questions had been sent to Paddock Wood in early 2023, and a response sent by the NP consultant. It was inevitable that some modifications to the plan would be required, and the independent examiner now had to decide whether a formal hearing would be required as part of the examination process. The documents could be found on the TWBC website.
C109 WESLEY CENTRE, PADDOCK WOOD: It was reported that TWBC had classified The Wesley Centre as a site to be reviewed for development and sale in their 2023 / 2024 asset management plan. Following a discussion, it was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: That a letter of objection would be sent to TWBC,
Unanimous
It was further
RESOLVED: That a link to the documentation issued by TWBC would be made available on the PWTC website. Unanimous
C110 FINANCE
C110.1 Payments: It was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: To approve payments 841 – 925 and for the listing to be appended to the minutes. Unanimous
C110.2 Receipts: It was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: To note receipts 225 – 235 and for the listings to be appended to the minutes. Unanimous
C110.3 Bank Reconciliation: The bank reconciliation as at 31 December 2022 which had been copied to members was RECEIVED AND NOTED. The reconciliation statement was signed by the Chairman. It was noted that the balances at 31 December 2022 were as follows:
Cambridge Building Society £75,017.26
UT Wages Imprest £14,620.75
UT Liquidity Account £763,843.86
UT Current / Business Account £178,294.39
Less unpresented payments £14,516.55
TOTAL £1,017,259.11
C110.4 Bank Statement: The bank statement at 31 December 2022 which had been copied to members was RECEIVED AND NOTED.
C110.5 Van Acquisition: Following a discussion, it was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: That the recommendation of the Finance Committee be approved in that a suitable vehicle be sourced with a budget of £15,000 spread over 3 years. Unanimous
C111 LOCAL PLAN UPDATE: It was reported that the Local Plan remained a Standing Agenda Item for the P & E Committee and that the council was unable to comment until the Inspectors response had been received and analysed. Cllr. Moon assured council that as a Borough Councillor he would be lobbying TWBC for the best outcomes for Paddock Wood. Cllr. Atkins stated that he had a vote on the TWBC Planning Policy Working Group, and he too would be lobbying for the best outcomes for paddock Wood. Cllr. Moon suggested that PWTC attempt to ascertain from TWBC when the inspector’s submission was expected.
C112 WARM SPACES UPDATE: Cllr Moon reported that he was still undertaking research but noted that there was potential within the new CC when opened for it to become a Warm Space venue.
C113 REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
C113.1 TWBC Chairman’s meeting: Nothing to report
C113.2 Paddock Wood Business Association: Nothing to report
C113.3 Bereko Committee: New fundraising initiatives would commence in the new year including the possibility of Soup Friday during February 2023.
C113.4 KALC Area Committee. No recent meeting.
C113.5 Medway Valley Line: There had not been a recent meeting.
C113.6 Hop Pickers Line: A meeting would be held on 25.01.23.
C113.7 Youth Council: Members had visited the new CC and the young person of the year was in the process of being selected.
C113.8 Putlands Leisure Centre: Nothing to report
C113.9 Royal British Legion: Nothing to report
C113.10 Members who attended any other meeting on behalf of PWTC were invited to report: Some members had attended new year Chinese celebrations at St Andrews Church.
C114 PADDOCK WOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE: Cllr. Flashman reported and drew attention to the following:
- A CC Board Meeting would be taking place on 17 January 2023
- 5 applications had been received via Indeed for the CC Manager position. A formal handover had been scheduled for 03 February 2023
- An Open Day was being planned to take place in Febryar b
- The leases had not been finalised by Minerva.
It was proposed, seconded and:
RESOLVED: Under Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that consideration of the items of business was likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, Access to Information: Exempt Information to the Act (as amended). Unanimous
C115 STAFFING ISSUES
Town Clerk: Update provided
Locum Clerk: The Locum Clerk was due to terminate her contract with PWTC at the end of January 2023, the Deputy Clerk was seeking an alternative locum.
C116 DATE OF NEXT MEETING: Confirmed as Monday 20 February 2023 at 7.45 pm in The Day Centre, Commercial Road
There being no additional business, the meeting concluded at 22.04 hours.
These minutes are not verbatim but a summary of discussions and decisions made at the meeting
Chairman: Date:
