Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Baljit Hayre, Samir Jassal, Nirmal Khabra, Gurbax Singh and Denise Tiran.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2022 were signed by the Mayor.

No declarations of interest were made.

The following question had been submitted by John Milner (Gravesham and Dartford Extinction Rebellion) and a response was given by Cllr John Burden, Leader of the Council.

Question

If the Council is still in support of the London Resort Scheme, can you explain why? In view of:-

a)    LR withdrawing their DCO application (for now)

b)    BBC and ITV have pulled out

c)    Dartford Council and Buglife are opposed

d)    Save Swanscombe Peninsula Group has 1.6k local residents amongst its numbers

e)    The area is an important SSSI and we are in a biodiversity emergency

f)     There are 3000 existing skilled jobs in the area which will not be surpassed by the suggested 6000 “popcorn selling” jobs

Thanks

Gravesham and Dartford Extinction Rebellion

Response

In principle the Council continues to support London Resort a £2.5 billion project.  This does not mean that the Council is not acutely aware of the challenges posed by the project, many of which would not have become apparent without the due diligence and efforts of LRCH and our own officers.

As with any project of this scale, there will be local people and businesses both for and against the scheme and this is recognised.

Over these past years, I’ve spoken directly to those on both side of the fence about this scheme, and what is clear to me is that everyone wants to see the local area improve to the benefit of local people, and that is at the forefront of this Council’s approach.

The potential economic impact for the local area is considerable, with total direct jobs on site of around 11,000 full-time equivalent and with many thousands more jobs created indirectly, with around 23,000 during construction and more during its operating lifetime.

Businesses, local hotels, retailers and restaurants will also benefit.

These jobs will of course vary in nature between very skilled and less skilled, however we are a diverse community, and we do need a diverse range of jobs for all of our residents.

Unfortunately, proposals like this result in the displacement of existing occupiers.  However, I am reassured by the measures London Resort have to take in compensating existing businesses and working with them under the rules to continue, if that is what they want.  This may mean many of the existing jobs will be displaced to the wider local area, rather than being lost.

The new jobs provided on site, in the local supply chain and wider, are much needed.

We’re in an environment where jobs are increasingly becoming automated, skilled and spread in areas offering large commercial floorplates such as in Dartford and Thurrock.

I make no apologies for thinking about young local residents of the Borough today and wanting to do all that this Council can to ensure that they will have a variety of local job opportunities in the future.

More local jobs, also means less commuting, less congestion and less pollution.

We’re all disappointed that the application has taken such a long time and that it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

To receive and adopt the proceedings, reports and recommendations of the following committees, except those items reserved under Council procedure Rule 5.2 (6) and to ratify and confirm the orders made by them.

Motions that proceedings, reports and recommendations of Committees, except those reserved under Council Procedure 5.2(6) as referred to below be received and adopted and where applicable the Orders made by them be ratified and confirmed were duly proposed, seconded and resolved in each case.

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday, 21 February 2022

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday, 2 March 2022

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Audit Committee held on Tuesday, 8 March 2022

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday, 21 March 2022

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Overview Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 31 March 2022

·         Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday, 6 April 2022

To receive and adopt the proceedings, reports and recommendations of committees contained in the list of items reserved under Council Procedure Rule 5.2(6) and to ratify the orders made by them. They will be dealt with in the following order:-

Cabinet

Finance & Audit Committee

Overview Scrutiny Committee

Planning Committee

It was moved by Cllr John Burden and seconded by Cllr Lee Croxton that:-

·         the reserved Minute of Cabinet (Corporate Performance Update: Quarter Three 2021-22) held on Monday, 21 February 2022 be ratified and confirmed.

The Council paid tribute to the Environmental Enforcement Team for the work being undertaken to tackle fly tipping which had resulted in the Council securing its first conviction. The defendant pleaded guilty to the incident and was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment. The defendant had also previously admitted common assault on one of the Council’s Civil Enforcement Officer. The Council condemned this behaviour.

·         the reserved Minute of Cabinet (Support for energy bills - the Council Tax Rebate 2022/2023) held on Monday, 21 March 2022 be ratified and confirmed.

The Council paid tribute to Emma French, a Council employee, for speaking in an honest and brave way on BBC Panorama ‘Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis’.

The Council received a report which requested approval to re-appoint two of the existing Members and one new Member to the Independent Remuneration Panel for a period of four years. This will enable the 2022 review of the Members’ Allowances Scheme to be carried out in a timely manner.

The motion was put to the meeting and declared to be carried unanimously.

The Council received a report which informed Members of the outcomes from Gravesham Borough Council’s annual risk identification and analysis exercise and presented a copy of the Corporate Risk Register 2022-23 for approval.

The motion was put to the meeting and declared to be carried unanimously.

No questions had been received.

The Mayor invited Members to attend:-

·         her Coffee and Cake morning on 20 April 2022;

·         her Dinner Dance on 6 May 2022; and

·         the St George’s Day Celebrations on 22 April and 24 April 2022.

The Mayor wished a Happy Ramadan, Easter, Vaisakhi and Passover to all who celebrate.

The Mayor stated that this will be the last meeting of the Council to be attended by Mrs Melanie Norris, Director (Communities), who will be retiring at the end of April 2022. On behalf of the Council, the Mayor and each Group Leader paid tribute to Mrs Norris on the work undertaken during her tenure at Gravesham Borough Council.

Mrs Norris in her response thanked Members for the support they had given to her and stated that it had been a privilege to work for Gravesham Borough Council.

The Mayor invited those present to join her in the Parlour for refreshments.