The Leader said:

“Thank you Mr Mayor and good evening, one and all I will commence this evening by echoing Mr Mayors words and offering my congratulations and welcome to Councillor Kieran Mishchuk who was successful in being elected at the recent Milton Regis by-election.

Can I now beg your indulgence whilst I turn to Mr Mayor and wish him a very happy birthday indeed, what better way to spend it than chairing a Swale Full Council meeting.

As you will all be aware the Council coalition administration has ceased  and it would be remiss of me not to thank all of those colleagues who were a part of it for the valuable contribution that they all gave to it. And to that end I am hoping that going forward the representation of those that we serve will be framed in an even more inclusive way through a wider participation and collaboration of all groups and members.

This is of particular significance as, we as a council face interesting times ahead with emerging issues like devolution and local government reform on the horizon and one thing that is certain is that this will present a range of challenges for us all. But so often it’s the challenges in life that provide the opportunities and it is important that where there are opportunities that we cease them when we can.

What I will say is, that going forward it is imperative that we have clarity on the Government’s proposed devolution and reorganisation timelines, in both the short and longer term to assist in shaping and informing our direction and decision making. I am of course anticipating that much of this will be resolved in writing by the Government later this week together with the decision on whether Kent will be on the Devolution priority programme.

Furthermore it would also be helpful for us to have firm assurances amid genuine concerns on some of the proposals, but more specifically around local government reorganisation, which will undoubtedly be an emotive and polarising issue for many members and Towns, Parishes and residents.

From a personal perspective I would want to see decisions being made based on robust data and evidence and whilst there are diverging views on some of the many questions that are evolving, our collective weight and voice remain our most powerful tool in seeking positive change for our residents and ensuring that proposed reforms will bring benefits for our all of our communities across Swale.

That is why I have committed to setting up regular meetings with all group leaders specifically to provide a collaborative and consensual approach to our aspirations. As we strive to ensure that this council has the foundation to secure the devolution and reorganisation deal that works best for our local economies and of course our residents.

Whilst clearly the group leaders will be bringing forward their respective views it is equally important that all 47 councillors are afforded the opportunity to feed into that discussion in an informed and inclusive way.

In the best traditions of the post festive month that is January we are subjected to a whole plethora of advertisements on how we may improve our health ranging from dry January to wonder diets and dance yourself fitter programs. I therefore thought it appropriate to highlight some of the things that we are doing as a council to address health issues in Swale.

Firstly we are working with Kent County Council to deliver a series of Smoke Free Public Spaces across the borough. The initiative aims to reduce second-hand smoke exposure by restricting smoking in public spaces and educating smokers about the harm caused to both themselves and those around them when they smoke. Ultimately the goal is to improve public health whilst supporting and encouraging both smokers and non-smokers to live healthier lives.

One of the drivers for this initiative is that In 2023 the number of smokers in the over 18 group in Swale were identified as being higher than the national average, as was the respiratory disease mortality rate  with the Borough.  Furthermore pregnant women in Swale who were smoking at the time of delivery were also identified as being higher than the national average.

Part of the ongoing work is to consult on where smoke free spaces are most needed, for example play areas, train stations, bus stops, outside libraries, schools and hospitals.

The smoke free area project will also promote KCC’s, Kent Stop Smoking Service which supports around 3,000 people a year to quit smoking.

Plans to improve access to health and leisure facilities in Sheerness have also been approved by the council’s planning committee.

The project in Beachfields is a key component of the council's £20 million Sheerness Revival programme which aims to improve the health and wellbeing, education and leisure facilities on the Island and create new employment and training opportunities for local people.

GP facilities will be improved and modernised and the surgery will be relocated to the ground floor to improve access to this important healthcare provision.

There will also be improved leisure facilities within the centre and Sheppey Matters, health and well-being charity will have a purpose-built space to help them continue providing their valuable and important services to locals.

Elderly, vulnerable or disabled residents can get help to repair, adapt or improve their homes through our Staying Put team.

The team provide health and safety checks in the home, identifying any repairs or adaptations that people may need and assisting them in completing grant applications. They address issues that may lead to falls, injuries or even hospitalisation through their fall and hospital admission prevention programme.

We worked with over 1,200 people in Swale last year to give them advice and practical assistance, helping them regain their independence, confidence and dignity with life changing adaptations. A number of those of course were helped to return home from hospital more quickly as their discharge was expedited by those adaptations providing a safe and healthy environment in which they can live.”

In response, the Leader of the Swale Independent Alliance (SIA) Group spoke of his disappointment that he found out about the end of the coalition administration via a phone call with no discussion beforehand.  He referred to messages from the Labour Group on Facebook that they wanted to ‘broaden the church’, he asked was it the case that if Members wanted to know what was happening at Swale Council they should look at the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Labour Facebook page?  With regard to devolution, he said he hoped that Kent would not be part of the ‘fast-track’ to devolution, as the Leader had not discussed the way forward with other Members.  He was aware that the Leader had met with the Leader of Medway Council, and he hoped their discussions would be shared with other Members.  The Leader of the SIA Group referred to the ‘Smoke Free Public Spaces’ initiative and considered the money could have gone to so many other better causes such as health or the pensioners fuel allowance.

The Leader of the Conservative Group welcomed Councillor Mishchuk.  He also welcomed the Smoke Free Public Spaces initiative and spoke about the harm it caused to non-smokers.  Referring to devolution he reminded Members that they still had a job to do and to remain focused in supporting the residents of Swale.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group said the lack of ‘clarity’ around devolution was frustrating for Members and staff.  She agreed that robust data and evidence was needed but that also the Council needed to collect qualitive data from residents about how they considered themselves to be represented.   The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the Smoke Free Public Spaces initiative and that it was good to protect others from passive smoking.  She said that Staying-Put was crucial and noted that the Disabled Facilities Grant was often underspent and that it was incumbent on Members to ensure residents were able to access the grant.  She welcomed Councillor Mishchuk.

The Leader of the Green Party welcomed Councillor Mishchuk.  He explained that he had just attended a Kent County Council (KCC) meeting which had agreed to reconsider the decision to withdraw the contract with the Seashells Children’s Centre, Sheerness at their next Full Council meeting.  He referred to devolution and raised concern that to-date the government had not held any public meetings about it which was disappointing.  He raised concern that local government reorganisation would have on Faversham and the surrounding villages and cause a split between the social and healthcare provisions.  Advice from the ministry was that new unitary authorities would be based on the current district boundaries.  The Leader of the Green Party said that smoking needed to be discouraged, but that it was easy to focus on the individual factors for health, whilst ignoring the health problems caused by car dependency and inequality.

Other Members were invited to speak and made points which included:

·         Raised concern about the amount of cigarette butts found at school gates and in play areas and asked that this was better enforced by the Council;

·         the staying-put team provided a valuable service, and asked that if Members were aware of reliable tradespeople to let the relevant officers know so that their details could be added to the portal on the Council’s website;

·         asked that the Leader considered inviting a Member from the Isle of Sheppey to sit on the Group Leaders Devolution Working Group;

·         welcomed Councillor Mishchuk and hoped, as the other ward member for Milton Regis, that they could work together on ward issues;

·         considered that smoking should be illegal;

·         believed that passive smoking was more harmful than smoking;

·         welcomed the desperately needed £20 million from the Sheerness Revival programme and Beachfields project;

·         welcomed the improved leisure facilities and health care at Beachfields but wondered how they would cope with the amount of housing proposed for the Isle of Sheppey; and

·         welcomed the improvements to the GP facilities at Beachfields but considered this was ‘pointless’ if there were no GPs and what was the Leader doing to improve this?

In response, the Leader noted the comments from the Leader of the SIA Group and agreed that the Labour Group did want to ‘broaden the church’, and that they had not been the ones to exclude a group from a Working Party.  He said that the Leader of the SIA Group had also attended meetings regarding devolution and that he had had discussions with several Leaders from Kent.  He emphasised that he had no executive powers in relation to devolution, but that it was for the 47 Members of the Council to decide what direction to go.  The Leader agreed there had been a lack of clarity from Government about devolution and that robust evidence to support it was needed.  He agreed to consider the request that a Member from the Isle of Sheppey attend the Group Leaders meeting on devolution.  He reminded members that they had a responsibility to lobby government about attracting GPs to Swale.

The Leader of the SIA Group raised a point of information.  He said the decision to exclude the Conservative Group from the Working Group had been made by the administration members at an informal Waste Group meeting.