The Leader said:

“I’m delighted to begin tonight with some excellent news for Sheppey East. Our community has been awarded up to £20 million over the next ten years through the Government’s Pride in Place programme. This makes Sheppey East one of only 169 areas across the country to benefit from this long-term investment. The funding will provide up to £2 million each year, for the next ten years.

The key principle of this funding aims to ensure that local people will be at the heart of decision-making. To ensure, that, we will be establishing a new Neighbourhood Board by next summer, bringing together residents, businesses, and community leaders to shape the vision and oversee delivery. This is a golden opportunity to deliver real and positive change for our communities, building on the successes we’ve already achieved through the Sheerness Revival project and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

In addition to this decade-long commitment, Swale will also receive an immediate share of £150 million in capital funding to help kick-start improvements in our borough.

Having highlighted the Sheerness revival project it would be remiss of me at this point to let the opportunity pass without highlighting what an outstanding success our new Beachfields adventure golf course has proven to be.

Since opening eight weeks ago figures show more that more than 4,900 people have visited the heritage themed course after it was officially opened at the end of July.

Another example of investment in our community is the refurbishment of Sheppey Sea Cadets facility at Barton’s Point. With this council’s support, the facilities have been modernised with new classrooms, upgraded equipment, and even a ship simulator. This centre now supports over seventy young cadets, giving them skills, confidence, and opportunities for the future. It is an investment not just in those young people, but in the community they are proud to serve.

Turning to another area where local action can make a real difference, I reflect on September’s National Recycling Week when called on residents to help tackle contamination in our recycling bins. Every time a lorry load of recycling is rejected it costs around two thousand pounds. All too often this is caused by food, textiles, sanitary items, or black bags being placed in the recycling. It is also worthy of note that Food waste collections will become compulsory Nationally by April 2026 and as a reminder, food waste caddies are already available to our residents to assist. In short by recycling responsibly, we can save money, protect our environment, and make a real difference for Swale.

On a much more sombre note I feel that I must make mention of the recent vandalism of the Baby Memorial Garden in King George’s Playing Field in Sittingbourne.

This garden was created with the East Kent Baby Memorial Garden Charity to provide a place of reflection for families touched by pregnancy and baby loss. It is deeply upsetting that such a special place has been defaced.

While the personalised tiles remain undamaged, the plaque and site were marked with graffiti. We have worked quickly with contractors to restore the garden, so it can once again provide peace and comfort for those who visit.

My thoughts are with all the families who use this space and who must be absolutely dismayed by this mindless vandalism.

Looking ahead, as we are all aware, the ensuing weeks and months will see the government’s proposals for the biggest shake-up of local government in fifty years bringing changes to our borough. For Swale, this is a significant moment in our history and it is vital that we strive to get the best for our residents. We will be consulting with them and key stakeholders to make sure that their views are reflected and help shape our response to this reorganisation.

Whilst planning for the future, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that we are also safeguarding our heritage. To that end a consultation is now open on three conservation areas close to Faversham,i.e. Graveney Bridge, Graveney Church, and Goodnestone. These areas are rich with history, from the remains of medieval farming and churches, to the discovery of England’s most well-preserved Viking ship, to signs of the once-thriving hop industry. We want to protect these areas from inappropriate development and ensure that their character is preserved and enhanced for generations to come. Local knowledge of course will be vital in shaping that work going forward.

Finally, I want to reflect on the Nationally significant Baton of Hope relay event that we were proud to host. I had the honour and absolute privilege of carrying the baton on its last leg of the relay This is the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative, and the baton relay, along with the charity village, brought together organisations, campaigners, and residents to raise awareness and support. This was not just a symbolic gesture, it was a call to action. Suicide is still surrounded by stigma, but by opening conversations and making support more visible, we can show that no one in Swale has to face these challenges alone. Together we can build a community where compassion replaces silence, where hope is rooted and every life is valued.

To close whether it is investing in Sheppey East, recycling responsibly, supporting young people, protecting places of remembrance, shaping the future of local government, safeguarding our heritage, or tackling mental health stigma, all of these efforts point in the same direction. Together, we can build a stronger, more caring, and more sustainable Swale.”

In response, the Leader of the Conservative Group welcomed the news of the £20million funding for the Isle of Sheppey, but reminded Members that other parts of Swale would also benefit from funding and it was only 0.4% of the total grant money awarded. He praised the work of those that helped achieve the funding, paying particular praise to Councillor Lee-Anne Moore. The Leader of the Conservative Group urged caution that with improvements,  housing developers may be attracted to build in the area. Referring to Recycling Week, he said it was positive that residents were picking up on information.  The Leader of the Conservative Group endorsed the Leader’s comments on the vandalism of the Baby Memorial Garden and said there had been an increase of instances of public places being vandalised for no reason.

The Leader of the SIA Group welcomed the grant funding and said Sheppey East was in need of attention and revitalisation. He acknowledged Recycling Week. The Leader of the SIA Group questioned what sort of person could vandalise a Baby Memorial Garden? Highlighting the Local Government Review (LGR), he spoke about the consultation and questioned whether Central Government were interested in what the people of Swale, or Kent, thought as residents had previously been ignored and Government were steamrolling ahead. The Leader of the SIA Group raised concerns that it might be a waste of money to consult. Finally, he welcomed the conservation area reviews and drew attention how few were carried out under the previous administration, and he stressed how important they were in making sure that future development was considered with accurate information.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group said it was great news that the funding for Sheppey East was being put towards local communities and she wished success for the initiative. She said that Recycling Week showed that residents in Swale really cared about their environment and contributed to making a difference. Referring to the vandalisation of the Baby Memorial Garden, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group said it was a grim crime and she thanked contractors for looking to fix the damage as quickly as possible and the Police for their investigation into it. The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group said Swale had carried out consultation on the LGR but Central Government seemed to be disinterested in residents’ views. Finally, she spoke about the Baton of Hope, saying it was a really important event for the borough. She highlighted that in addition to suicide being the biggest killer of men under 50, there had been a significant increase in rates of suicide of women under 24 since records began and any support to stop this was welcome.

The Leader of the Reform UK Group echoed what other Members had said about Central Government and the LGR, and said another consultation was not going to achieve much. He acknowledged the recycling information that the Council shared with residents but said some residents were still unclear about what they could or could not recycle and might recycle more. He spoke positively about the grant funding awarded to Sheppey East and said he hoped residents would have their say on how it was spent.

The Deputy Leader of the Green Group welcomed the good news in the Leader’s Statement. Highlighting Recycling Week, he said recycling was good but reduction was even better and residents should be encouraged to minimise their waste, and as much information that could be shared to assist with this was positive. Turning to the Baton of Hope, and suicide prevention, the Deputy Leader of the Green Group said that it started with inequality, community fragmentation, and other input such as social media and these aspects should be looked at from early roots.

The Leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Groups wished the Senior Democratic Services Officer well as he would shortly be leaving Swale Borough Council (SBC).

Other Members were invited to speak and made comments including:

·         Felt devasted at discovering the vandalism of the Baby Memorial Garden and thanked the Head of Environment and Leisure and Green Spaces Manager for their quick action in arranging repairs;

·         autumn planting and a community garden was planned for the Baby Memorial Garden;

·         the Labour Government had promised a named Police officer for every neighbourhood and hoped this would help with anti-social behaviour in the borough;

·         encouraged residents to report anti-social behaviour;

·         noted the high numbers of those who had committed suicide and how important it was to end the stigma around men’s mental health;

·         there needed to be a better doctor-to-patient ratio and access to more meaningful mental health support from an early age;

·         everyone should be rethinking, reducing, reusing and then recycling;

·         simpler recycling was positive;

·         there were contamination issues with different authorities’ rules of recycling;

·         different housing providers and landlords needed to be prepared for residents to recycle food waste and other general waste;

·         thanked the Mayor for starting the Baton of Hope and walking the route;

·         noted the support offered by MenTalk for mental health, and of the many lives the organisation had saved;

·         hoped that MenTalk would be branching out to Faversham and the Isle of Sheppey;

·         stressed the importance of listening to those who struggled with their mental health; and

·         the Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP was in discussion with Safe Havens, who provided support for over 18’s with mental health issues, to look at setting up a group in Sittingbourne.

In response, the Leader thanked everyone for their comments.  He explained that the funding was based upon the depravation matrix and acknowledged there were other areas in Swale that would have benefited from grant money. The Leader thanked Members for their input into the issues faced when recycling. Turning to the Baton of Hope, the Leader explained that one of the initiators of the Baton of Hope, who had lost his own son to suicide, was keen to get the message out that his son did not ‘commit’ suicide, but ‘died by suicide’. The Leader encouraged Members to keep communicating with those suffering from poor mental health.  Finally, turning to the Conservation Area reviews, the Leader recognised Councillor Mike Baldock’s contribution to preserving the heritage of Swale.