Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To receive any declarations of interest.  Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest advice attached to this Agenda.  If a Member declares an interest, they should complete the Declaration of Interest Form 

To approve the Minutes of the Constitutional Review Working Party meeting held on 01/09/22, copy attached.

The Chair proposed, Councillor Austin seconded and the Working Party agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 01 September 2022 were a correct record.

Sameera Khan, Interim Head of Legal and Monitoring Officer, introduced the item to get the opinions of the councillors regarding the start times of evening Council meetings.

Members were asked to consider amending the start time of the evening Council meetings from the current start time of 19:00, to either 18:00 or 18:30. The Corporate Management Team had asked Democratic Services to contact the group leaders on this subject. There were no objections in discussing the amendment of start times to evening Council meetings.

During the discussion of the item it was noted that:

·  The start time of 18:00 could be considered to be advantageous to officers and councillor’s alike, finishing meetings and the working day at a more reasonable time.

·  This was countered by other members stating that there was a need to attract more people of working age to run as councillors, the 18:00 would thus be more difficult to attend due to standard working hours.

·  With the rise of flexible working schemes, many councillors would be able to attend earlier meeting times.

·  Starting the evening meetings earlier would entail considerable savings on lighting and heating during the winter months.

It was proposed by Councillor Austin, seconded by Peter Lorenzo and agreed that the recommendation in the report be approved, namely:

‘To keep the start times of evening at 7:00PM.’

Kent County Council’s (KCC) attendance at the Joint Transportation Board Meeting’s was discussed. KCC had stated that they would not be attending in-person to these meetings, but would provide equipment in order for KCC officers to join in a hybrid manner. Members discussed this item, and it was noted as integral to the board that KCC officers were able to present items, and attend in order for board to make decisions. It was agreed by the Chair and Members that Councillor Ashbee, the Leader of the Council, would discuss this further with KCC.