Agenda item

               1.            Why should the residents pay for a permit?

               2.            The Council should repay ALL the payments to the residents since the scheme was introduced.

 



          ANSWER:



 



          Thank
you Mr Rogers for your question. 



 



The 2 hour waiting
restrictions in Radnor Cliff and Radnor Cliff Crescent are being enforced daily
by officers. Our records show from the 1st June- 16th
July this year, 1098 non-permit holder vehicles have been logged. The vast
majority of vehicles logged were in compliance of the waiting restriction. Only
26 penalty charge notices were issued during this period.



 



The expectation of many
residents is that immediate enforcement action is taken on vehicles deemed to
belong to non-permit holders. This is not possible as by definition, parking is
allowed for two hours plus an additional 10 minutes stipulated in the
regulations. Officers must have logged the vehicles, and then return after 2
hours and 10 minutes before a penalty charge can be issued. Due to the
increasing number of vehicles in the area that officers have to deal with, it
is perfectly possible for a vehicle to have already been parked for a length of
time before it is logged.



 



In residential areas
where demand for parking is high, and swift enforcement action is required,
‘permit holders only’ parking is usually recommended. However the result of the
recent consultation relating to Radnor Cliff and Cliff Crescent determined that
the majority of the residents are not supportive of a ‘permit holders only’
scheme, and they are happy to keep this 2 hour limit. Officers will continue to
patrol and enforce the 2 hour limit as best as possible.



 



3.      From Ms C Abbott to
Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council



 



How can the Council
justify a pay rise of £40 k to the Chief Executive in these exceptional
economic downturn times?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank
you Ms Abbott for your question. 



 



On
13th June 2019, a report was presented to the Personnel Committee as
an exempt item as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local
Government Act 1972 – ‘information relating to any individual’.



 



The
report entitled ‘senior management pay and grading’ presented to members of the
committee a review of the council’s current pay and grading arrangements along
with a proposal to ensure that the council is positioned to remain competitive
in attracting and retaining talented officers now and in future years.



 



A
benchmarking exercise was undertaken by South East Employers looking at senior
manager salaries across councils in the south east region. The wider area was
chosen for the review, rather than the immediate local area, as should we be in
a position to recruit externally for any senior roles it is entirely feasible
that we would be seeking to attract candidates from across the wider area and
therefore needed to be able to position ourselves competitively with our pay
and reward package which was last reviewed in 2015. The comparator councils
were either district or borough councils in East & West Sussex, Hampshire,
Kent and Surrey.



 



Members
of the Committee voted unanimously to adopt new pay scales for both the
Directors and the Chief Executive, effective from 14th June 2020.



 



Whilst
this did increase the annual salary paid to the Chief Executive it was not a
£40,000 increase as is being referred to in this question, which I am presuming
has come from the public inspection of the statutory accounts for 2019/2020.



 



The
total remuneration including pension contributions column under section 15
(page 52) of the accounts does show a difference of £40,490 between the
£125,479 paid in 2018/2019 and £165,969 paid in 2019/2020.



 



However,
it should be noted that the Chief Executive also receives remuneration for
acting as the Returning Officer for any elections held locally, regionally or
nationally. During 2019/2020 there was a district & parish election, EU
election and a general election. The remuneration for these 3 elections is also
included in the quoted figures.



 



4.      From Mrs R Severn (Litter
Picking Watch) to Councillor Mrs Hollingsbee, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member
for Communities



 



We are a volunteer charity group who remove
so much litter from our streets and countryside in Kent. Despite this FHDC will
not allow us any bags for litter picking. 



 



We used to have them but they were stopped.
I would like to know why this is, as we are doing a volunteer service for the
FHDC by collecting the waste. Other county councils gladly supply their litter
pickers with bags. 



 



We are organised, health and safety aware at
all times, risk assessments are carried out before doing any area, hi viz is
worn and signs put out. 



 



As head of FHDC can you tell us why bags are
not available to us and what are you able to do to change this for us and
resolve this problem?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you for your question. In Councillor
Peall’s absence, I will answer this question on his behalf. 



 



The Council is always keen to support
community litter picks and appreciates the efforts of the many volunteers who
regularly get involved in these activities. Last year, the Council supported 81
separate events equating to 2820 volunteer hours. We supported Community Litter
Picks by providing litter pickers, bags, staff via the Area Officers and publicising
events. Community Litter Picks are beneficial as they often take place on
recreational land or land away from the regular cleansing routes.



 



When organising events we do request
volunteers check they firstly have the permission of the landowner and that
they act safely at all times. For this reason we discourage groups from working
on or near fast roads.



 



If Mrs Severn is able to give details of her
group and where they plan to work then the council can look at what support can
be offered.



 



5.      From Ms M Burgon-Miller to Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council



 



Why am I, and my
neighbours carefully sorting all the recyclable rubbish into separate bins?
Every week when the collectors come from Veolia, the men just tip all the
newspapers into the bins containing plastic and metal waste. All the operatives
do the same thing and it has happened now for more than a year.  It is pointless for the public to follow the
guidelines when the collectors don’t seem to care and consistently mix it all
into one container.  Perhaps an
undercover view of these practices would reveal the extent of this charade.



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you for your question, which I will
respond to in place of Councillor Peall who is unable to join us tonight. We
occasionally get comments from residents about refuse crews mixing loads. This
often relates to the use of loading bins attached to the rear of the vehicle,
which can give impression that loads are being mixed. I can reassure Mrs
Burgon-Miller that the quality of recyclate material is monitored when each
load is tipped at the waste transfer station. If crews were persistently mixing
recycling materials then we would expect it to have been identified.



 



Improving local recycling rates is an
important objective for the council and if Mrs Burgon-Miller is able to give
any more information and confirm her address we will certainly investigate
further.



 



6.      From
Ms C Cooper to Councillor Mrs Hollingsbee, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for
Communities



 



What will happen to the Community Hubs after the end of July and how
will vulnerable older people on the Romney Marsh access help with collecting
prescriptions and shopping?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you for your question Ms Cooper.



 



The future of the community hubs was the
subject of a report that was heard at a Cabinet meeting on 22nd July 2020. This
talks about the council involvement in the Community Hubs and sets out an
action plan to achieve this.



 



Fundamental to the Council’s future role is to transition Hubs out of
the emergency response to a sustainable, community developed and led approach
based on local need.



 



Cabinet agreed the recommendations which
included support for the ongoing volunteering effort and partnership working to
enable the hubs for example to signpost people to appropriate sources of
help.  Our Health, Wellbeing &
Partnerships Senior Specialist has been working with the Hubs on external
funding and the positive progress re Sport
England bids.  The Magnox grant to New
Romney and earlier grants accessed by Hythe/Age UK demonstrate that funding is
available i.e. there are definitely grant funding opportunities to support the
move to a self -sustaining model.



 



In the meantime the government has ended
support to the shielded population. This means people can carry on doing their
own shopping and collecting prescriptions as they did before lockdown. If for
any reason they are required to self-isolate and need help, the hubs still have
volunteers attached to them and can still carry out support.  The
Hubs and the district council’s dedicated Covid-19 telephone line can signpost
residents to appropriate agencies as required.



 



Pharmacies can now sort out prescription
deliveries so residents requiring this service are encouraged to contact their
pharmacy.



 



The government advice on how vulnerable
populations will be supported is changing constantly and the council will keep
an eye on this and provide updates as appropriate.



 



7.      From
Ms I Yerburgh to Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council



 



Given that on
11/12 July there were several lit BBQs in the Lower Leas Coastal Park, and the
one park warden stated that he had no powers to intervene, who has the
authority and responsibility to issue fines for any anti-social misdemeanours
in the park?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you Miss
Yerburgh for your question.



 



Throughout
the lockdown period, we have increased the number of officers on patrol within
the district, including Enforcement, Environmental Protection and Community
Safety Officers and we have been very proactive in covering the Coastal Park,
talking to visitors on entry to the park by car and foot, to explain the new
rules around no BBQs on site. It’s a shame we had to introduce it, but it
had been abused. Where some people have gained access and still had BBQs, they
have been advised to put them out or take them to the beach or other areas for
enjoyment.  We have been working to clear
areas of the Coastal Park that allow visitors to hide within wild growing areas
of the park and these have been cut back to allow a better visual aid to
officers who can engage before the BBQs get lit and Community Protection
Warnings have also been served against those offenders who have been
caught.  Whilst the wardens do not have any powers to stop the use of BBQs,
they have been given the officers’ contact numbers so they can call an officer
for help if the visitor does not engage with the Warden, allowing an
Enforcement Officer or Community Safety Officer to issue the warnings
accordingly.



 



8.      From Mr M Hamilton to Councillor Wimble, Cabinet Member for the
District Economy



 



Under
your leadership we have seen huge investment in land and property including the
gas works site, Debenhams and Westenhanger Castle. 



 



The
spend is in excess of £5.5 million.



 



Yet
East Folkestone is one of the most deprived areas in the South East and now
Covid has exaggerated this.



 



What
plans have you to regenerate East Folkestone and over what time scale?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you Mr Hamilton for the question.



 



The council will be bringing forward a COVID recovery plan
for the district and central themes of this will be support for communities and
the local economy. This will build on the council’s investment in key sites and
initiatives in the town centre, as well as working with stakeholders from both
the private and public sectors to increase their investment. This will lead to
more opportunities for local residents, including those in East Folkestone, to
gain employment and support businesses in the area to grow.



 



A significant programme that is underway to support
economic inclusion is the Folkestone Community Works programme. This is a
result of the Council’s successful bid for European Structural and Investment
Funds Growth programme 2014 – 2020 and is one of only three in the South East.
The programme covers the wards of East Folkestone, Central, Harbour and part of
Broadmead, and the areas of highest deprivation are the priority. The programme
will bring £4.9million investment into the local community and is scheduled to
run until December 2022. 



 



The programme is currently funding projects that are
helping residents who are unemployed and economically inactive on their journey
back into the work. Almost £520,000 ESF funds have been invested in two
projects and over one hundred residents have engaged with the provision so far.
By the end of the programme, just under £1 million ESF funds will be used to
help over a thousand residents improve their employability.



 



There is also a focus on strengthening the businesses based
in the area, which will lead to more jobs that residents can access. One
project is delivering business support through 1-2-1 mentoring and workshops to
help businesses, including sole traders, start-ups and potential entrepreneurs,
to establish and grow. A second involves the refurbishment of an empty building
in Bouverie Place to create a business centre, which will support around 24
small business and business start-ups employing potentially 60 employees.
 There is also a grant scheme for SME businesses in the programme area and
a diverse range of businesses have benefited from these including a bakery,
designer, hair dressers, laundry to an engineering company. By the end of the
programme, some £1.5 million ERDF will have been brought into the area to
economic growth in this deprived area of Folkestone. 



 



9.      From
Ms J Spain to Councillor Mrs Hollingsbee, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for
Communities



 



When
will the work start on the café development beside the lower Leas lift and how
are local disabled people of all ages or elderly residents who live here all
year round and who do not have their own transport ,going to be able to access
this facility once completed? The disabled of all ages and elderly have no
Councillor that I am aware of, to monitor services which are vital to their
physical/ mental wellbeing and inclusion and as such, the council appears to
contravene the DDA.



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank
you Ms Spain for your question. 



 



The
Leas lift is not in the ownership or operated by the district council. The
Folkestone Leas Lift Community Interest Company was set up to raise funds to
renovate and reopen the lift and continues to work with this aim. I would
suggest contacting them directly regarding your questions and concerns about
the lift.



 



As
the portfolio holder for Communities, I do have an interest in these issues,
and am grateful to Ms Spain for raising this issue with the council. 



 



10.    From
Ms J Darling to Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council



 



"Levelling up" has
featured prominently in Conservative Party policy proposals. Inequalities in
our country have been further exposed during the pandemic.



 



These inequalities are embodied
by the differences in the prospects and resources of the residents of our
borough.



 



What are the council's plans to
alleviate this unacceptably immoral, divisive and disabling situation?



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you Ms Darling for your
question. 



 



The council is committed to delivering more
affordable homes for rent and shared ownership purchase across the district including
in the rural areas of the district to meet the housing needs of the
community.  This will include homes delivered directly by the council
through our new build and acquisition programme and homes delivered by our
Housing Associations.  The council itself has committed to deliver 300
council homes over the 10 year period 2015/16-2025/26.  It will also
deliver a further 1000 council homes over the 10 year period 2025/26-2035/36. 



 



The Council works alongside stakeholders such
as the health sector and KCC on key strategic plans and partnerships and
supports a variety of projects that help address inequalities. Examples of
activities include addressing holiday hunger by supporting provision of meals
through programmes such as the fit and fed hunger project run at The Three
Hills Sports centre for large groups of children and at Folkestone sports
centre for specific cohorts of young people referred in by Family Liaison
Officers (FLOs) at schools. The Covid -19 response to help vulnerable people is
another example of helping the community with access to free food parcels etc.
The question is very wide and covers a range of strategic functions including
population health work. The health sector is reconfiguring itself and the
council works alongside some of these to address issues such as smoking
cessation, healthy eating on low budgets, mental health and substance misuse as
well as wider issues such as addressing inactive lifestyles (a subject very
much in the news recently).



 



The
council acts independently and in partnership with a wide range of
institutions, such as Folkestone College and the voluntary sector, to increase opportunities for local people to develop new
skills and improve employability. 



 



I mentioned earlier the £5m Folkestone
Community Works programme.  Over 100
residents have accessed support to go into either appropriate education/
training to improve their skills or employment. By the end of the programme,
with match funding, the programme will spend some £1.9m helping over a thousand
residents on their journey into work. The programme also supports businesses in
the area to create more employment opportunities locally through business
development grants, business advice and providing new business space by
converting an empty building in Bouverie Place to provide accommodation for 24
small businesses and 60 jobs that will also support the regeneration of the
town centre.  



 



The
Romney Marsh Partnership (RMP) brings together a number of organisations to
develop and deliver a socio-economic plan to mitigate the impact of the closure
of Dungeness A nuclear power station. The RMP brings together providers such as
the Romney Resource Centre, Marsh Academy, East Kent College (Ashford and
Folkestone Colleges) and Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce to develop new skills
development opportunities such as construction skills training;
apprenticeships; and has plans for a new lifelong learning skills centre in
collaboration with Romney Resource Centre. The RMP is now proposing to seek
funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for projects on Romney Marsh
to support levelling up under five main themes of:  quality jobs; support
for our local businesses; improving skills and training; improving
infrastructure; and accessibility. projects including creating a community
transport link from the Marsh to Appledore railway station so residents can
better access education and work in Ashford or Hastings. Proposals are also in
place to create more local employment opportunities through the construction of
business workspace for growing enterprises at Mountfield Road Industrial
Estate, New Romney.    



 



Consequently,
the council has been involved in ‘levelling up’ for some time across the
district and this continues to be the case.



 



11.    From Ms H Jones to
Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council



 



Since the Pride flag was not
flown during June, despite a democratic vote, will the council arrange
mandatory LGBTQ+ training as a matter of urgency for all councillors so that
they may represent their marginalised constituents more fully.



 



ANSWER:



 



Thank you Ms Jones for your
question. 



 



I believe this is a matter
relating to Hythe Town Council. Therefore, this question should be addressed to
them as training for town councillors is a matter for the town council to
organise.  We do in our own council
address this subject.