Agenda item

Councillor Stuart Piper, Chairman of the Memorials Working party gave an update report and made the following comments:

• The Working Party was asked to consider an appropriate response to matters recently raised regarding memorials around the district;

• The task of the working party is to formulate and recommend to the Panel for onward submission to the Executive, “A draft system, process or criteria for reviewing memorials (e.g. statues, plaques, road-names and similar matters), to help to determine whether (if requested) a decision should be taken to either remove them or carry out some other act;”
• The working group held its inaugural meeting on 30 September 2020 and considered the nature of the work set out for them by the Panel;
• The minutes of that meeting have been published which provide information on the next activities of the group;
• It was agreed that this was a difficult and sensitive matter and that it would be helpful to receive representations from groups which represented persons with characteristics which were protected by the Equality Act 2010;
• There were nearly 100 memorials around in the district;
• The working group agreed that the council did not have the resources to review all such memorials and that the council would respond on a reactive rather than a proactive basis;
• Mr Howes contacted the groups and individuals suggested by Cllr Rawf and Cllr Becky Wing, asking them to provide written representations on the process for considering memorials and he also invited them to attend the next meeting of the working party;
• When responses have been received, the working party hold another meeting to consider those contributions and make further progress;
• All requests for a review of a particular memorial would be considered against the Public Sector Equality Duty. However the judgement of the decision maker should be fully informed.

One Councillor requested for the names of the groups that had been contacted by the working party.

In response Councillor Piper indicated that one of the groups that had been suggested was called, "Calling Time On Racism." That group had since suggested additional groups that could be contacted.

With reference to the rest of the work programme, Councillor Campbell requested for support from the Panel to call-in a cabinet decision made at the meeting on 22 October regarding Ramsgate Market.

Mr Nick Hughes explained that the call request had to be sent to Democratic Services by email, detailing the grounds for call-in.

The Panel Chairman proposed that it would be timely for the Panel to review the impact of covid-19 on Thanet communities, particularly in relation to the business and more so for the individuals already in poverty or close to it. Councillor Campbell seconded the suggestion and indicated that this was more so important considering that the number of covid-19 infections was on the rise again. This review would need to take place as the priority topic ahead of other topics already on the review topics in Annex 2.

Councillor Roper suggested that the Panel could consider the impact of Brexit to the local area. Councillor Bayford agreed that it was an important topic which could be considered after the review of the impact of covid-19 on Thanet.

The Panel agreed to the proposal by the Chairman. 

Mr Hughes advised the meeting that the council’s quarter 1 and quarter 2 corporate performance statistics would be presented to the Panel on 19 January 2021. The Panel would also be considering the proposed new corporate performance reporting format.

The report was noted.