Agenda item
Leaders Report
To receive a report from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.4.
Minutes:
The Leader, Councillor Everitt, presented his report to Council, covering the following key points:
· The Leader had been to the Overview and Scrutiny Panel in September to discuss the progress which the Council had made toward the corporate priorities which had been adopted earlier in 2024.
· Complaints received by the council from residents had been considered lower than previous years, particularly addressing coastal bin management and resilience issues. Improvements had been noted, with plans for further changes.
· The Council had a keen focus on expanding graffiti removal efforts, tracking the number of removals.
· Cabinet's actions on climate change had gone beyond discussions, and action was being taken in relevant departments to help the Council reach net zero.
· The Council had progressed with its housing plans, including building 400 council homes and 11 homes for temporary accommodation.
· There had been previous concerns over housing registers and distressing stories from temporary accommodation.
· National policy, successive governments, and the Council’s considerations post Grenfell fire were discussed, highlighting the weaknesses in the planning system.
· Updates on the Sealink project, Minster Marshes planning permissions, and a 5,000-response parking review draft had been received and were under review.
· The process for the Winter Gardens continued, there would be an update come the end of 2024 regarding this.
· The withdrawal of the new PSPO (Public Space Protection Order) had taken place in the summer of 2024.
Councillor Pugh, as Leader of the Conservative Group, made the following points:
· Thanks was expressed to the leader for sharing updates beforehand.
· Praise was given for recent improvements, but it was noted that further work needed, such as addressing bin pile-ups and a rave at Botany Bay.
· It was agreed that tourism continued to thrive, but keeping beaches clean and enforcement remained a challenge. Questions were raised about delays in addressing these issues.
· There had been positive feedback on the council's electric vehicle initiatives, which had broad support from councillors.
· Emphasis was put on the council's action plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.
· Overall fire safety changes were welcomed.
· The overall updates on devolution were noted positively, and this was considered an exciting time for local authorities.
· Appreciation for the council’s overall responses in meetings, though some disappointments, including the summer 2024 PSPO, were mentioned.
The Leader responded to Councillor Pugh’s comments with the following points:
· There were some challenges present, which had been addressed, which the Council was committed to.
· The Council could not interfere in procurement processes.
Councillor Garner, as Leader of the Green Group, made the following points:
· Thanks were extended to the leader.
· Litter remained an issue, although complaints have reduced. There were suggestions to increase bins at the start of summer, and to hire additional agency staff for large events.
· Botany Bay's ongoing issues were highlighted within the Questions from Councillors in the meeting, these concerns had spanned across several years.
· Progress regarding temporary accommodation progress was welcomed.
· However, there was a heavy reliance on developers to build council homes.
· Concerns were raised about devolution proposals, advocating for East Kent to gain more control by devolving county council powers to a unitary authority.
· Emphasis was placed on long-term strategic thinking within the Council and the need for increased funding.
The Leader responded to Councillor Garner’s comments with the following points:
· Meeting with residents, having a dialogue and getting feedback was always useful.
· The government needed to sort out local government funding.
· There was to be more debates regarding devolution in the future.
Councillor Worrow, the Leader of Thanet Independents, was not present at this part of the meeting to ask any questions to the Leader.
Supporting documents: