Agenda and minutes

Resolved:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on the 30^th May 2023 be approved and confirmed as a correct record.

During this item His Worshipful the Mayor will present Past Service Certificates to former Members of the Council.

Resolved:

That    (i)         the Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on the 30^th           March 2023 be received and noted with the exception of      Minute Nos. 363 and 367

            (ii)        Minute Nos. 363 and 367 be approved and adopted.

Resolved:

That    (i)         the Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on the 29^th           June 2023 be received and noted with the exception of      Minute Nos. 49 and 50.

            (ii)        Minute Nos. 49 and 50 be approved and adopted.

Resolved:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the 13^th June 2023 be approved and adopted.

Resolved:

That    (i)         the Minutes of the Meeting of the Selection and Constitutional Review Committee held on the 13^th July 2023 be approved and adopted, with the exception of the nomination for Chair of the Standards Committee.

            (ii)        Councillor Mrs Bell be appointed as Chair of the Standards      Committee.

Resolved:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Audit Committee held on the 20^th June 2023 be received and noted.

Resolved:

That the report be received and accepted.

Resolved:

That   (i)         the Council undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of the decision to close The Moat to fishing, and the likely negative impact on all local residents and users.

            (ii)        the Council re-consider all options for the health and sustainability of The Moat, as put forward to ABC’s Management Team in Autumn 2021, with a view to selecting the best option for the sustainability of The Moat at the earliest opportunity.

            (iii)       the outcome of the full review, including the impact on all residents and users and any costs associated, must come back to Full Council for any future decision.

            (iv)      the Council acknowledge that The Moat is owned by ABC and is an ABC asset and the Council’s responsibility to maintain it and commit to set aside funds to undertake de-silting at regular intervals if deemed appropriate.

            (v)       a report come back to Cabinet on a future options appraisal for The Moat.

Resolved:

That   (i)         the Council commits to identifying a community facility solution for the residents surrounding Bockhanger Square.

            (ii)        the Council provides support to Kennington Community Council to facilitate access to appropriate funding streams.

(iii)       the above support must be considered responsibly, within the resources available and within the limitations on revenue and capital budgets, including the impact upon corporate priorities.

            (iv)      a report will be taken through the Cabinet as soon as practicable.

(v)       the facility is designed to be as sustainable as possible, incorporating technologies including solar panels, rainwater recycling, ground source heat pumps, high levels of insulation, and uses sustainable construction materials, for example is designed as a mass-timber structure.

(vi)      the Council work with local stakeholders including residents, businesses, community groups, Kennington Community Council, and others, to ensure the long-term successful operation of the new community facilities helping to establish strong governance and operational arrangements, potentially including the establishment of a trust to operate the facilities.

NOTE: - If debate on any item included within this Agenda gives rise to the need to exclude the press and public due to the likelihood of Exempt or Confidential information being disclosed, the following resolution may be proposed and seconded and if carried, the press and public will be requested to leave the meeting for the duration of the debate.

That pursuant to Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of this item as it is likely that in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure of exempt information hereinafter specified by reference to the appropriate paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Act, where in the circumstances the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Resolved:

That the following nominees be conferred with the title of Honorary Alderman of Ashford Borough Council in accordance with Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972: -

Mr Michael Burgess;

Mr Gerald Clarkson CBE;

Mr Paul Clokie OBE;

Mr William Howard;

Mr. Neil Shorter.