To consider any questions submitted by Members.  (The deadline for questions is 4.30 pm on the Monday the week before the meeting – please contact Democratic Services by e-mailing democraticservices@swale.gov.uk or call 01795 417360).

The Mayor advised five questions had been received from Members.

Question 1 – Councillor Tara Noe

The closure of the Eastchurch Gap has been a monumental victory for the Isle of Sheppey but there is great concern that the fly tipping that has been happening there has now been displaced to the Warden Bay site.

Can the leader share if the Warden Bay site is being monitored and any measurements taken to determine if the Eastchurch gap closure has had a negative impact elsewhere?

Response – Leader

Can I join you in congratulating all of the agencies that were and remain involved in this operation. Cases like the one we have seen at Eastchurch are complex and involve a huge amount of evidence gathering and consideration. Whilst the operation remains live, we can confirm there has been no further dumping of illegal waste at Third Avenue.

Legislation allows some disposal of material under permitted conditions which is regulated by the Environment Agency. The agencies continue to monitor all sites where we believe there is no permit in place or where conditions are not being met.

Unfortunately, the stopping of illegal activity in one location can end up in movement of the issue elsewhere. This is why it is not always the correct thing to stop the activity immediately. We need to gather evidence so we can make a long lasting legal intervention and prevent it moving elsewhere.

Question 2 – Councillor Lee-Anne Moore

Excluding those who pay council tax on their primary home address in Swale and those who own and run holiday parks in Swale, can The Leader tell me how many holiday-home owners in Swale pay Council Tax to Swale Borough Council?

Response – Leader

Thank you for your question. I understand that this question was also asked at the member finance training in July and the answers shared with members in August and so to confirm the information already circulated the total number of holiday homes/chalets registered for council tax in the borough is 1,400.

Question 3 – Councillor Julien Speed

New night-time parking charges were introduced by your administration earlier in the year. For both Q1/Q2 2022 and for Q1/Q2 2023, what are the total figures for a) parking income b) parking fines, c) cost of enforcement?

Response – Leader

The answers to the questions are set out in the table below. However please note the comments/context around the figures;

*PCN income has no direct relationship to the number of PCNs issued in this period, as income will be collected at different stages of the process and from PCNs issued within an earlier timeframe.

The cost of enforcement rose due to contractual conditions to increase by inflation each year and not due to the fact of needing more enforcement time since the onset of evening charging. Both years purchased 15,000 hours of enforcement and even before evening car park charges, we had patrols across the day and evening.

Supplementary Question

Does the Leader think the income to the local authority justifies the impact on decrease in custom to business and night-time economy?

Response

There was a balance and judgement to consider – some will say it has had an impact, others will say it has not but I will seek the views of the Head of Environment and Leisure for a response.

Question 4 – Councillor Charlie Miller

At a time where there is a clear increase in anti-social behaviour, young people openly telling elected members about the lack of places to go, does the Leader agree with me, the planned KCC cuts to youth clubs across Swale, is not only another example of the austerity obsessed Tories being way out of touch with young people, but also a real blow to our borough as a whole?  

Response – Leader

I am extremely concerned by the proposals by KCC to make cuts to this vital and important service, particularly in the districts with greatest need.   Youth Services during the 2010 austerity measures were significantly reduced and we have seen the impact that this decision has made on the outcomes for our young people in Swale.   These young people have been significantly impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic; they need more support not less.  Not only is anti-social behaviour an issue, but Swale has the second highest level on NEET’s in the county and high levels of Childhood obesity.  It has been evidenced that good quality youth provision can make a positive and significant difference to these outcomes.  Whilst I welcome the introduction of Family Hubs, this should not be at the detriment to other vital services for young people.  As a Council we have submitted a response to the consultation and this has also been followed by a letter to the Cabinet Member from Cllr. Richard Palmer as Chair of Communities Committee.

Question 5 – Councillor Ashley Wise

Would the Leader like to extend an invitation to the recently self-described “pro-motorist” Prime Minister to witness first hand the traffic misery drivers have to endure in Swale, and the poor state of our roads, thanks to Conservative-run KCC, and years of Conservative government failure to invest in vital infrastructure while pushing demanding housing targets on us?

Response – Leader

Thank you Cllr Wise, and can I begin by saying, the Prime Minister would not be at the top of my list for an invite to our wonderful borough.

Were I to have the Prime Minister’s ear, however, I would impress upon him, as you rightly suggest, that the current central government housing targets are more than ‘demanding’, and remind him of how overdue the new NPPF is. But I’d be honest with him - I’m sceptical that whatever comes forward from him will solve the multiple legacy problems of an inadequate national planning system.

You will consider, incidentally, at the next Full Council the next steps in our Local Plan journey.

Going back to our proposed encounter, I would encourage the Prime Minister to read our consultation responses to proposed national planning reforms; to the Lower Thames Crossing proposals - where we are emphatic around the need for investment in the wider road network in Kent; to Kent’s Local Transport Plan 5 where we champion the benefits and potential of increased rail freight, and I’d urge him to work his way through our successful Active Travel bids. I’d highlight that, taken collectively, these seek to direct investment within our borough to a wide range of critical infrastructure. I would talk to him about our commitment to the climate change and ecological emergency, our investment in EV charging points, in car clubs, in a multi-storey car park and in the pedestrianisation of Faversham town centre.

All with a view to showing him the balance we strike with our own budgets in Swale and how committed we are to advocating for the right investment nationally.

On his way back to Downing Street, I might suggest he call by County Hall and have a chat about those potholes.

Supplementary question

If an invitation were to be sent and accepted by the Prime Minister to visit Swale, please could you suggest he brings his car so that he can experience the roads in the Borough?

Leader

Yes, I would.