Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the following Members:

Councillor Lodge Pritchard substituted by Councillor Pat Moore;

Councillor Day substituted by Councillor M. Saunders.

To receive any declarations of interest.  Members are advised to consider the extract from the Standard Board Code of Conduct for Members, which forms part of the Declaration of Interest Form at the back of this Agenda.  If a Member declares an interest, they should complete that Form and hand it to the Officer clerking the meeting.

Councillor Watkins declared a personal interest in relation to agenda item 4 (Presentation by RNLI Representatives on the relocation of RNLI Lifeboat Station, Margate).

To approve the Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 25 October 2011, copy attached.

Councillor Wiltshire said that EKO should read Eurokent Business Park. Members agreed the amendment.

The minutes were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

The presentation would comment on the relocation of the RNLI Lifeboat house from The Rendezvous to the Main Sands as desirable and preferable to remaining at the current location.

Mr Alan Head, Regional Training Divisional Inspector, gave an overview of the operations of the RNLI Lifeboat Station at Margate. He said that there were plans to develop the current facility in order to accommodate a new larger boat in 2017 which would replace the current 13 year old lifeboat. Mr Head said that the development of the station would be linked to the regeneration of Margate.

Mr Paul Hodson, Margate Lifeboat Operations Manager said that the current launching operations at the Margate sea front were hampered by inconsiderate car parking by visitors to the Turner Contemporary which restricted access to the slipway. Discussions between Thanet District Council, Kent County Council and RNLI Lifeboat Station representatives had taken place, but no resolution had been achieved.

Members expressed concern about the launching problems faced by the Lifeboat Station. Councillor King, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel reminded Members against making comments that might be regarded as predetermination, should they be involved in taking any decisions regarding planning applications relating to any proposed new lifeboat Station being considered by the Planning Committee.

Councillor D. Green proposed, Councillor Campbell seconded and Members unanimously agreed the following:

1. That the relevant Cabinet Member engages with Kent County Council, Turner Contemporary and RNLI with a view to urgently resolving the parking and signage issues affecting the launching of the Lifeboat at the Margate sea front, and that the resolution to the issue be reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

This includes the following:

1.  Its constitution;

2.  Business Plan;

3.  Accounts;

4.  Risk to Thanet District Council

5.  Expenditure to date

6.  Its performance

Would Members please note that Mr Matt Hyland from East Kent Opportunities would be making a presentation in relation to this item.

Mr Matt Hyland, Executive Officer for East Kent Opportunities (EKO) introduced the item. He said that the organisation was established on 27 August 2008 and briefly explained the structure of EKO. Mr Hyland said that EKO’s business activities were land and property development, which was mainly made up of the Eurokent site and Manston Business Park.

Mr Hyland said that the business plan for EKO was produced in 2010 and hence required updating. He said that the main challenge for EKO was to draft a viable business plan which would attract businesses and create employment for Thanet. However the business plan was dependent on the planning application for the Eurokent site which is being submitted to TDC. The current economic situation had added to the problems faced by EKO. Some Members suggested that Kent County Council could help improve the business prospects of EKO by moving some of its staff offices to Eurokent.

Members asked that the following information be provided to the Panel:

1.  Information on new businesses and employment created as a result of EKO activities;

2.  Past EKO Accounts.

Mr Hyland said that the Eurokent site was more suited to mixed use that included housing, retailing and commercial activities. Members said that there was a need to consider development of social housing at the site. They were concerned that the investment appeared not to have been good value.

Mr Hyland said that EKO was currently in negotiation with an organisation for the purchase of land to develop a factory. This would potentially create between 80 and 100 jobs.

Councillor Driver proposed, Councillor Campbell seconded and Members agreed the following:

1.  To ask Cabinet representatives on the EKO Board to request a review of the EKO Business Plan as a matter of urgency;

2.  To include in the business plan an exit strategy which maximises the Council’s returns from the EKO partnership with KCC;

3.  To lobby local MPs to ask the Government to expand the Pfizer Enterprise Corridor to include the Eurokent and Manston business parks;

4.  To engage KCC in discussion to bring forward an urgent review of the EKO Members Agreement.

Some Members suggested that the exempt documents for this item should be made public because the information was of public interest. Mr Harvey Patterson, Corporate & Regulatory Services Manager advised that the information in question concerned Thanet District Council and an external organisation, Kent County Council and should therefore remain exempt unless both Councils gave their consent to make public the information in question.

Councillor D. Green proposed and Councillor Harrison seconded the following:

That Cabinet be asked to arrange a joint agreement with Kent County Council to release the current EKO Business plan.

When put to vote the proposal was lost.

Councillor Everitt to present on the Council Draft Budget - 2012/13

The presentation would also review the performance of the 2011/12 Budget.

Councillor Everitt, Cabinet Member responsible for the Financial Services portfolio made a presentation on the Council draft budget for 2012/13. He said that this draft budget was going to be considered by Members at the Extraordinary Council meeting on 19 January 2012. Councillor Everitt said that there were significant grant reductions which Cabinet had to consider in drafting the budget. Council would experience further reductions over the next four years. In response Council would ensure that the budget growth was kept to a minimum.

There was a funding gap in the proposed budget which is being plugged through funding from the reserves. Councillor Everitt said that this was in order to reduce tax the burden on residents.

Members of the Panel were concerned that the Overview and Scrutiny Panel had not been involved in reviewing the draft budget before it went before Council for finalising. Some Members were concerned that the amount allocated for funding Events and Floral Displays should be reconsidered. They said that a number of families were facing more hardships because of the current economic situation and more effort by the Council should be put to direct resources to assist such families. Councillor Everitt said that there was a need to support initiatives like the events that increase tourist visitors to Thanet.

Councillor Driver proposed, Councillor Gideon seconded and Members agreed by a majority vote to the following

1.  To ask Cabinet to reconsider the decision to spend £185,000 from the New Homes Bonus on Events and Floral Displays.

Councillor Campbell proposed, Councillor Watkins seconded to the formation of a working party.

Councillor Gideon proposed and Councillor Hornus seconded an amendment to the size of the working party which Councillor Campbell accepted.

Members agreed:

1.  To establish an Electoral Registration Process Review Working Party with the draft terms of reference set out  in Annex 1 to the agenda report;

2.  That political representation would be 2 Labour; 2 Conservative; 1 Independent and the names of Members to serve on the Electoral Registration Process Review Working Party would be forwarded to Mr Glenn Back, Democratic Services & Scrutiny within three days of the Panel meeting;

3.  To receive the recommendations of the Working Party at the Panel meeting on 1 May 2012.

Members said that it would be helpful if the criteria for making some of the Council decisions urgent were made clearer than was currently the situation.

Councillor Gideon proposed, Councillor D. Green seconded and Members agreed:

1.  That Mr Harvey Patterson, Corporate & Regulatory Services Manager, produces a comprehensive report to the Panel on possible improvements to the individual Cabinet Member delegated decision making procedure, and to determine whether to establish a Working Party at the future meeting that receives the report.

Councillor King, Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Panel said that a meeting as agreed by Cabinet on 17 November 2011 was held on 4 January 2012 to consider future scrutiny arrangements. Mr Glenn Back was asked to produce an options paper that would comment on the role of the Overview & Scrutiny Panel in pre-decision scrutiny.

The report was noted.

Mr Patterson said that the issue regarding the RNLI Lifeboat Station may be subject to a future planning application.

Members agreed not to set up a working party on the RNLI Lifeboat Station issue.

The report was noted.

Members were concerned that the work on drafting the Ramsgate Port & Harbour Master Plan was impacting on the ability of the Ramsgate Port & Marina Working Party meeting. Mr Harvey Patterson said that there was a potential for an overlap of work and responsibilities between the OSP Working Party and the Cabinet Advisory Group on the Port Master Plan. There was a need to look into the issue and get the view of the new Cabinet on the matter.

Councillor D. Green proposed, Councillor Campbell seconded and Members agreed that Councillor C. Hart, the Leader of Council be invited to make a presentation on the Forward Plan at the next scheduled meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Panel.

The Forward Plan was noted.

The Chairman altered the running order of items to include in discussion the exempt items soon after the presentation by Mr Hyland. Members of the Panel did not exclude the Press and Public as there was no more need to do so. This is because the Panel was able to engage Mr Matt Hyland in discussion without getting into the details of the exempt documents.

This item was considered in conjunction with minute number 215.

This item was considered in conjunction with minute number 215.

This item was considered in conjunction with minute number 215.