Agenda and draft minutes

The Leader welcomed the six new Deputy Lieutenants appointed during the current week, in particular Simon Dean OBE and Dr Gill Farghar with their links to Medway. He also recognised the re-accreditation of journalism through KMTV for the new London and South East University Group and reminded Cabinet colleagues the statutory consultation on Local Government Re-organisation would close on 26 March 2026.

There were none.

The record of the meeting held on 10 February 2026 was agreed by the Cabinet and signed by the Leader as a correct record.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

Councillor Mahil declared an interest in agenda item No.10 (Articles on the Highway Policy) as he was a holder of a Pavement Licence holder relating to a property that would be affected by the Policy. Councillor Mahil left the room during discussion and voting on this item.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

A period of 20 minutes is set aside for questions received.  

6 public questions and 2 Member questions had been received and were taken in the order set out in Appendix 1 to the report. Where Members were absent, the Leader advised that questions would receive a written response so that the questions from those present could be addressed within the allotted time.

Responses

It was noted that all question responses would be reported for information at the next meeting.

Background:

This report presented Medway Council’s refreshed Adult Social Care Strategy 2025 – 2028. The Strategy had been developed in response to increasing demand, rising complexity of need, and financial pressures. It set out a clear goal and mission to help people live safely, stay independent, and be treated with dignity and respect.

The Strategy was shaped by extensive consultation and aligned with statutory duties and wider system priorities. It outlined five strategic commitments and a phased delivery plan, supported by the Adult Social Care Transformation and Improvement Programme. It would guide future commissioning, investment, and service development, ensuring Adult Social Care remained responsive, inclusive, and sustainable.

The Strategy supported the One Medway Council Plan, the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the work that the Council undertook with partner organisations, as well as supporting the Government’s NHS Ten Year Plan vision of shifting from reactive hospital based care to community led and preventative models of care.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken in relation to the proposed Strategy and was set out at Appendix C to the report.

The report had previously been considered by the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 15 January 2026, the comments of which were set out at section 7 of the report.

Reasons:

This report is an update to the previously published Adult Social Care Strategy 2021 - 2025 document. This updated strategy document considers local demographic changes, increased service demand and financial pressures within Adult Social Care, proposing aims and objectives to be delivered by the service to meet this increased demand, whilst maintaining quality of service.

Background:

The report provided details of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). This was a new three?year national scheme (1 April 2026 - 31 March 2029) providing grant funding to local authorities in England to deliver preventative financial support and direct crisis assistance to residents. It replaced the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, creating a single framework for crisis and resilience.

The report set out the spending plans for Medway Council’s allocation for the financial year 2026/27. Medway’s allocation was £4.590m and was contained within the final Local Government settlement.

Resilience Services would be provided by the Council. Medway’s Voluntary and Community Services was designed to increase team capacity to provide support and development of skills to improve employment opportunities. A Community Supermarket would be opening that would provide an alternative to foodbanks and encourage financial independence.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken in relation to the Crisis and Resilience Fund and was set out at Appendix 4 to the report.

Reasons:

Due to the short timescales, it has not been possible to fully develop every aspect of the fund’s spend in time for 1 April 2026. The spend and activities will require additional refinement which can be achieved with the appropriate delegations.

The delivery plan is due back to the DWP by 1 July 2026, which will be approved by the Leader and Chief Operating Officer (under S.151 duties).

The Cabinet will see the cumulative effect of the Crisis and Resilience Funding presented in Summer 2026 within the Cost-of-Living Crisis Response Plan.

Background:

The report explained that local authorities were encouraged by Government and Historic England to produce lists of locally important heritage assets which did not meet the strict criteria for inclusion on a national list or register. Such lists could include a broad range of heritage asset types, including those which may represent intangible heritage as an important part of Medway’s cultural heritage.

The submission of the Medway Local Plan included a commitment to the production of a local heritage asset list as part of the Council’s required positive strategy for heritage in the Plan.

This report sought to summarise the project being undertaken by the Planning Service to create a list, to request approval for adoption of the draft selection criteria unique to Medway’s heritage, and the publication of a first draft of the list along with the selection criteria on the Council’s website.

Reasons:

Adoption of selection criteria, and an initial list of heritage assets with plans for further inclusion, will enable the Council to fulfil its commitment to a positive strategy for the historic environment within the Submission Local Plan, eventually opening up a system for nominations to the public. It will form part of the cross-departmental Heritage Strategy, the consultant brief for which is currently being drafted as part of the Medway Heritage Place programme with the aim of raising the profile of local heritage and engaging with communities.  Assets will be added to the GIS mapping system so that they can be a material consideration when determining planning applications.

Background:

The report set out that the Section 106 (S106) team had collected S106 contributions from developments within Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden parish area towards new or improved community facilities within the area.

The report sought agreement to transfer these funds to Hoo St Werburgh & Chattenden Parish Council (Hoo Parish Council) to support their project to build a replacement community village hall at Pottery Road, Hoo St Werburgh.

Reasons:

There has been a significant number of new developments in and around Hoo St Werburgh in recent years. The existing village hall needs a major refurbishment and in addition it cannot accommodate the pressures of an increase in residents from the new developments using this community facility.

S106 agreements have been agreed and secured for these new developments in the Hoo area with contributions that are specifically to go to community facilities or a replacement community centre near the developments. Some of these developments have been built and the contributions collected and pooled to support the provision of a replacement village hall. There are some developments that have not yet reached the trigger requiring payment of the contributions but these will be collected when they do.

The amount of funding available is over £1m and is above the amount allowed for officer approval under the scheme of delegation. Therefore, this requires Cabinet approval to enable transfer of the funds.

Hoo Parish Council are planning to construct a replacement village hall and demolish the existing hall so the contributions need to be transferred to them to enable the project to proceed. This will ensure the contributions are spent as set out within the S106 agreements.</AI5><AI6>

Background:

This report set out a draft updated guide for the collection of developer contributions to mitigate the impacts of development. This had been informed by work on the evidence base for the new Medway Local Plan. The Guide set out the requirements to enhance services and infrastructure to address the demands arising from new development. This was used in the determination of planning applications.

The Cabinet was requested to approve the publication of the revised guide for consultation prior to adoption as an updated Supplementary Planning Document. It was proposed that the outcomes of the consultation and proposed amendments be reported to the Regeneration, Culture and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee for any comment in advance of the adoption of the final version of the updated Guide.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken in relation to the updated Developer Contributions Guide and was set out at Appendix 2 to the report.

Reasons:

To meet legal requirements in the preparation of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and provide an updated basis for securing infrastructure contributions to address the impacts of development.

To provide oversight of the preparation of the updated policy framework for the collection of developer contributions to infrastructure in Medway.

Background:

This report sought Cabinet approval to commence public consultation on a new Articles on the Highway Policy. The proposed policy would replace the previously agreed, but not implemented, 2016 policy. It also removed references to tables and chairs, which were now governed under the separate Pavement Licensing Policy.

The revised draft policy established a clearer and more consistent framework for the management of A?boards, shopfront displays, and other articles placed on the highway.

It was noted that the report formed part of a wider programme of work to modernise Medway’s highway?related policies. The updated Articles on the Highway Policy would sit alongside a suite of related policies currently under development, covering key areas such as the movement and safety of pedestrians, vehicle parking on the highway, overhanging vegetation and boundary features, and the storage of materials or other items on verges.

Reasons:

To allow the Council to undertake a public consultation on the draft Articles on the Highway Policy, ensuring transparency, stakeholder engagement and legal robustness before the policy is presented for Cabinet approval.

To modernise and clarify the Council’s approach to managing A?boards, shop displays and other articles on the highway, replacing the previously agreed but unimplemented 2016 policy.

To ensure the updated policy aligns with current legislation and Council responsibilities, while complementing the separate Pavement Licensing regime for tables and chairs.

To support Cabinet oversight of corporate risk by ensuring a formal consultation mitigates challenge, improves accessibility considerations, and strengthens the final policy proposal before Cabinet adoption.

Background:

This report sought approval to commence the procurement process for the supply, installation, maintenance and operation of on street electric vehicle charging Infrastructure.

The project would enable the Council to increase access to public charging for residents without off-street parking, support the transition to electric vehicles, improving local air quality and would contribute towards the Council’s climate change and carbon reduction objectives.

Reasons:

Officers recommend approval to commence the procurement of the Supply, Installation, Maintenance and Operation of On-Street Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure in order to support the delivery of Medway Council’s climate change and air quality objectives.

The provision of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure is a key enabler in supporting the transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles, particularly for residents without access to off?street parking. Commencing this procurement will assist the Council in meeting its responsibilities as Highway Authority, contribute to improvements in local air quality, and support the delivery of Medway’s wider climate change commitments.

The proposed commercial approach allows the Council to facilitate the delivery of EV charging infrastructure without the need for significant capital investment other than the £2.14m LEVI Grant awarded to us, transferring the majority of financial, operational and maintenance risk the successful operator. A long?term contract term reflects the scale of investment required by the market and is necessary to secure sustainable delivery, ongoing maintenance and service resilience.

An Open Procedure is recommended to ensure transparency, fairness and value for money, while encouraging maximum market competition in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This approach is considered proportionate for the scale, longevity and strategic importance of the project.

The proposed approach is to require a single form of contractual security, either a Parent Company Guarantee or a Performance Bond, rather than mandating both. This approach is based on proportionality and informed by market engagement, including review by the Energy Saving Trust, which advised that requiring both a Performance Bond and Parent Company Guarantee in addition to one another could act as a barrier to competition within the specialist on?street EV charging market.

The contract adopts a supplier?funded, concession?style model under which the appointed operator will be responsible for capital investment, operation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure. The Council does not provide a guaranteed revenue stream and is not exposed to material direct financial loss. Accordingly, a single, appropriate form of security is considered sufficient to protect the Council’s interests.

Approval at Gateway 1 will enable officers to progress this strategically important project in a timely manner, manage identified risks effectively, and establish a scalable model that can support future expansion across other Council?owned land and assets, subject to further approvals.

Background:

This report sought the Cabinet’s approval to award a contract for the procurement, installation, and maintenance of twenty-six new real-time information (RTI) bus screens and associated CCTV.

It was noted that the report, as published in the agenda, had incorrectly stated that the number of screens to be installed was 34. The correct number was 26 comprised of 6 at Chatham Bus Station and 20 at other key stops.

The report explained that the current RTI infrastructure across Medway was outdated and increasingly unreliable, with frequent outages and no active maintenance contract in place. This had led to growing inconsistencies in the information provided to passengers, contributing to reduced confidence in the bus network and increased complaints. The new screens would replace the existing outdated system and improve the accuracy, reliability and accessibility of bus information across Medway.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken in relation to the procurement and was set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

Reasons:

A small national market and benchmarking exercise demonstrates that partnership organisation Kyndi provides a high?quality, good?value, and deliverable solution. A direct award ensures the Council can meet BSIP funding timescales and address operational issues with the existing system.

Background:

This report sought permission to award the procurement of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Estate Services and HFIL communal cleaning Contract to Norse Commercial Services Group [Norse], delivered by Medway Norse, following a procurement process.

The report set out that the HRA had a responsibility as a Local Authority landlord to ensure that communal areas that the Council own were kept clean and tidy. Norse had delivered the current communal cleaning contract for the past ten years to the HRA general needs flatted blocks and the last 8 years for the HFIL schemes, through the corporate contract with Norse.

An Exempt Appendix to the report set out financial analysis in relation to the procurement.

Reasons:

The bid received from Norse was most cost effective and was £45,582.38 per annum cheaper than the next nearest competitor. This equates to £217,911.90 over the 5-year contract term.  Additionally, Norse scored the highest across the weighted evaluation questions.

Background:

This report had been circulated separately to the main agenda within Supplementary Agenda No.1. The Cabinet accepted the report as urgent to enable consideration of the matter at the earliest opportunity given that the next scheduled Cabinet meeting was not due to take place until 7 April 2026. As the Grounds Maintenance Service needed to be brought back in-house and be operational from 1 April 2026, further delay in considering the report would risk there being no service provision from that date.

The report requested that the Cabinet agree to rescind a previous decision made by the Cabinet to award the contract for Grounds Maintenance to Canvins Group and instead return provision of the service to in house delivery.

The report set out that following the original decision to award the contract to Canvins Group, it had been assessed by the Facilities Contracts Manager that service delivery should return to Medway Council FM Service Delivery team, following similar Cabinet decisions in relation to Greenspaces service delivery. This would enable better value for money and greater control of service provision.

Reasons:

Transferring the grounds maintenance function to the Council will provide greater oversight of the grounds maintenance work, improving accountability and responsibility of the service delivery over that of 3^rd party services, greater responsiveness and improved financial control and monitoring.

As part of bringing the grounds maintenance contract in house, it will also provide greater flexibility of cross service working between FM Service Delivery and Greenspaces contract provision.