Agenda and minutes

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Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AU. View directions

Contact: Committee Section 

Items
No. Item

62.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Christina Rolles and Alison Williams.

63.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 234 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 5 December 2023 were signed by the Mayor.  

 

64.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

The Chief Executive advised that, in accordance with advice received from the Council’s Monitoring Officer, Members only needed to declare interests which had not already been listed within their Disclosable Pecuniary Interests form.   

 

Cllr John Burden declared a non-fiduciary, non-prejudicial interest in agenda item 6 - Reserved Minutes as the minute of Cabinet in relation to ‘Acquisition of Land Assets’ had been reserved. Cllr Burden advised that he left the meeting of Cabinet during the discussion and vote of this item as he is a resident of Istead Rise. Therefore, Cllr Burden would leave this meeting whilst the reserved minute was being discussed.    

 

65.

To answer any questions received from members of the public of which notice has been given under Council Procedure Rule 13

Minutes:

No questions had been received.

 

66.

Minutes of Committees pdf icon PDF 142 KB

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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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 Cabinet held on Monday, 18 December 2023;

·         Minutes of the Finance and Audit Committee held on Thursday, 21 December 2023;

·         Minutes of the Overview Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 04 January 2024;

·         Minutes of the Cabinet held on Monday, 29 January 2024;

·         Minutes of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday, 31 January 2024;

·         Minutes of the Overview Scrutiny Committee held on 08 February 2024; and

·         Minutes of the Finance and Audit Committee held on Monday, 12 February 2024.

 

67.

Reserved Minutes

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

Licensing Committee

Overview Scrutiny Committee

Planning Committee

Minutes:

The following minute of Cabinet held on Monday, 29 January 2024 was reserved:-

 

·         Acquisition of Land Assets

 

The minute was ratified and confirmed.

 

Note: Cllr John Burden left the Chamber during consideration of this item.

68.

Council Tax and Budget Setting 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 297 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17.4.1, an extension of time was given to Councillor John Burden and an equal amount of time to Cllr Jordan Meade. 

 

The Chief Executive reminded Members that all individual votes in relation to the budget and any amendments thereto would be recorded as required by legislation. 

 

It was moved by Cllr John Burden and seconded by Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox that:-  

 

the motion before Council as set out in the order paper be approved. 

 

The motion was put to the meeting and declared to be carried by 20 votes to 15:-

 

For the motion

Against the motion

Abstain

The Worshipful the Mayor

Cllrs: Atwal, Burden, D Croxton, L Croxton, Hart, Hayre, King, Larkins, L Milner, Mochrie-Cox, Morley, O’Malley, Rana, L Rolles, Scollard, Sullivan, E Thandi, N Thandi, Wallace.

Cllrs: D Ashenden, H Ashenden, Aslam, Bains, Beattie, A Elliott, E Elliott, Harding, Hills, Meade, Metcalf, Pearton, Ridgers, Sizer, Wardle.

None.

 

Note: Cllrs Dibben and Jassal left part way through the meeting therefore did not vote on this item and the remaining items listed on the agenda.

 

It was therefore resolved that:-

 

1.    it be noted that on 15 January 2024 the Director (Corporate Services) calculated;

 

(a)   the Council Tax Base 2024-25 for the whole Council area as 35,994.62 Band D equivalent properties, in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992 made under Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by Section 74 of the Localism Act 2011.

 

(b)   for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as set out below;

 

Part of the Council's area:

Units

Cobham

Higham

Luddesdown

Meopham

Shorne

Vigo

Gravesham & Northfleet

Total

670.28

1,598.62

108.34 3,091.72

1,165.74

723.50 28,636.42

35,994.62

 

2.    calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council's own purposes for 2024-25 (excluding Parish precepts) is £8,315,840 (£231.03 per Band D Property).

 

3.    that the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2024-25 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by Section 74 of the Localism Act 2011:

 

(a)

£86,940,990

being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils.

 

(b)

£77,999,890

being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.

 

(c)

£8,941,100

being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year.

 

(d)

£248.40

being the amount at 3(c) above , all divided by Item 1a above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts).

 

(e)

£625,260

being the aggregate amount of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

Before proceeding to the next item, the meeting was adjourned in order to provide the Palantypist with an appropriate break.

69.

Treasury Management Strategy and Capital Strategy 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 156 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council was presented with the Treasury Management Strategy and associated Annual Investment Strategy and the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy for 2024/25 along with the Capital Strategy for 2024/25-2028/29. 

 

Resolved that:-

 

1.    the Treasury Management Strategy for 2024/25 as set out in Appendix 1 be approved;

2.    the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) calculation on all new capital expenditure as set out in Section 5 of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement be approved for 2024/25 and beyond in accordance with the Authority’s Capital Programme with delegated authority given to the Director (Corporate Services) to amend as required;

3.    the Annual Investment Strategy for 2024/25 as set out in Section 15 of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement be approved;

4.    the Capital Strategy for 2024/25-2028/29 set out in Appendix 2 be approved;

5.    delegated authority be given to the Director (Corporate Services), in consultation with the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, to amend the prudential and treasury indicators as necessary as a result of the budget approved by Full Council on 20 February 2024; and

6.    delegated authority be given to the Director (Corporate Services), in consultation with the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, to amend the Treasury Management Strategy for 2024/25 and the Capital Strategy for 2024/25 to 2028/29 as required following successful completion of the 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 final accounts process or any process that is put in place by Government to deal with accounts not completed ahead of the backstop date.

                       

70.

Appointment to Outside Body (Henry Pinnocks Charity)

Minutes:

Resolved that Mr Philip Painter be reappointed to the Henry Pinnocks Charity as a representative trustee for a four-year term.

 

71.

To consider questions from Members of the Council of which notice has been given under Council Procedure Rule 14.

Minutes:

No questions had been received.

 

72.

To receive the Mayor's Announcements

Minutes:

The Mayor thanked those that had attended Sunday Lunch at Cobham Hall on Sunday 11 February 2024.

 

The Mayor invited Members to attend the following events:- 

 

·         the Vaisakhi celebrations/procession which would be taking place on 13 April 2024;

·         the Mayor’s Coffee Morning which would be taking place on 17 April 2024; and

·         the Mayor’s retirement Curry Night at The Woodville which would be taking place on Friday 10 May 2024.

 

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