Agenda and draft minutes

The Leader referred to the publication of the Youth Justice Service inspection report, noting that it had recognised the good progress made since the previous inspection. Work would now progress on the 12 recommendations within the report. He thanked officers and partner organisations for their contributions and emphasised the importance of continuing to develop a consistent and effective approach to supporting victims, particularly young victims.

The Portfolio Holder for Children's Services advised that the Youth Justice Service was a multi-agency partnership involving the Council, Police, Probation Service and other organisations and also welcomed the progress recognised in the report whilst acknowledging that further work was required to achieve a higher rating.

The Leader provided an update on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) advising that the Council remained focused on delivering high-quality services for residents while preparing for the new arrangements. He further advised that the 14 Council Leaders of Kent would be writing jointly to the Government to welcome the clarity provided regarding LGR and emphasising the importance of progressing devolution at pace. He was pleased that there was clear support of the establishment of a Foundation Strategic Authority.

Whilst the Government's approach to reorganisation had not been the preferred option of the administration, he noted that there had been consistent support for a four-council model. The Leader also advised that an all Member Briefing on LGR was scheduled to take place on 11 August 2026. The Leader thanked officers and members of the cross-party working group for their ongoing work in this area.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Gurung.

The record of the meeting held on 30 June 2026 was agreed by the Cabinet and signed by the Leader as a correct record.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

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

5 Member’s questions had been received. The questions were taken in the order set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

Responses

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

Background:

The report set out the Council’s arrangements for governance of its Housing Revenue Account (HRA). An annual report was a commitment from the Terms of Reference agreed by the HRA Governance Group.

Reasons:

The report ensures the Cabinet is fully informed about the activity of the HRA Governance Group (the Group) and its impact.

Background:

The report provided an update in respect of performance within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Landlord Services. This was an annual report to the Cabinet, the contents of which were provided on a quarterly basis to the HRA Governance Group.

The Leader of the Council advised that he would write a joint letter with the Chief Executive, thanking staff involved.

Reasons:

The report ensures the Cabinet is fully informed in respect of performance within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Landlord Services.

Background:

The report sought approval to formally commence the proposed Additional Licensing Scheme in the nominated wards (Chatham Central & Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton and Watling) and Selective Licensing Scheme in the recommended wards (Chatham Central & Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton, Strood North & Frindsbury and Watling). This was following the statutory consultation process as outlined in Section 56 (3) (a) for additional licensing and Section 80 (9) of the Housing Act 2004. The expected commencement period was November 2026 following approval. Section 82 (4) required that the date of the selective licensing scheme had to be no earlier than three months after the date on which the designation was confirmed.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken and was attached at Appendix G to the report.

Reasons:

To ensure that Cabinet has considered all options and consultation findings before deciding on whether or not to proceed with (a) new five-year discretionary Licensing Scheme/s.

Background:

The report outlined proposed steps to address the needs for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in Medway. The submission version of the Medway Local Plan 2041 did not meet the full needs of the Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Show People. Published correspondence between the Council and the inspectors, appointed to examine the Plan, had set out actions for the Council to identify a sufficient supply of land to meet needs. The Council had confirmed that it would carry out actions to seek to increase certainty on meeting the identified needs for this specialist accommodation through the Plan. This was critical to the timing and progress of the Local Plan. The Council had reviewed land in its ownership to identify further capacity for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation. It had also held a ‘Call for Sites’ to identify if there was suitable land in other ownership. 

The report presented three options for consideration in relation to this site, with further detail and clarity to enable a formal decision on the way forward. Additional information contained in an addendum report circulated separately in Supplementary Agenda No.2, set out the outcome of the Call for Sites exercise and review of Council owned land in its consideration of the options for the former Wigmore Park and Ride site. The addendum report also sought support for a proposed minor modification to the Local Plan policies map to clarify the existing and consented gypsy and traveller sites to be safeguarded in accordance with policy T10 in the submitted draft Medway Local Plan. The addendum report stated that if the Wigmore site was allocated for gypsy and traveller accommodation, the Planning Service would carry out focused consultation as a proposed main modification to the submitted plan.

It was noted that the capital budget requested did not consider any external funding that could possibly be secured. At this stage funding could not be guaranteed, but officers were confident external funding could be secured which would reduce spend of the capital budget.

An Exempt Appendix C contained the financial appraisal and cash flow modelling.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken and was attached at Appendix D to the report.

(Note: There was a short adjournment for a comfort break, from 8.20pm to 8.31pm.)

Background:

The report was the first annual update on progress against the refreshed Climate Change Action Plan 2025-2028 approved by the Cabinet in August 2025 and highlighted the key achievements in 2025. The aims of the plan were to reduce carbon emissions to achieve net zero by 2050 and increase resilience against the impacts of climate change for both Medway Council and Medway “the Place”.

The report had been previously considered by the Business Support and Digital Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 June 2026, and the Cabinet thanked the Committee for its comments which were set out in section 7 of the report.

Reasons:

Regular monitoring of progress against the Climate Change Action Plan is best practice, providing transparency and accountability and supporting achievement of the aims and objectives of the plan.

Background:

The report sought agreement to amendments to the Crisis and Resilience plan to reflect the ongoing work associated with the delivery of the Crisis and Resilience Fund and the wider prevention work being undertaken.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund was introduced by the UK Government in England from 1 April 2026 to provide a more sustainable and preventative approach to local welfare support. It replaced both the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, bringing different forms of financial assistance into a single framework.

Reasons:

Approving the plan for Medway will continue to help ensure residents are aware of and are encouraged to access all support and services available to support their financial resilience.

Background:

The report presented the results of the first round of the Council’s capital budget monitoring process for 2026/27.

Reasons:

Full Council is responsible for agreeing the capital programme. Cabinet is responsible for ensuring that expenditure remains within the approved programme, including instructing corrective action to prevent any forecast overspend from materialising.

Background:

The report set out the first round of the Council’s 2026/27 revenue budget monitoring following engagement with Budget Holders. The report detailed the Council’s overall forecast position based on actuals up to the 31 May 2026 and highlighted major forecast variances to budget.

The report had been circulated separately to the main agenda as part of Supplementary Agenda No.1. The Cabinet accepted the report as urgent to enable consideration of the matter at the earliest opportunity as timeliness of reporting was important to ensure effective financial management and so that the Cabinet could instruct the Corporate Management Team to implement urgent actions to bring expenditure back within the budget agreed by Full Council without delay.

In addition to the recommendations contained within the main report and addendum report, the Leader moved a further recommendation that the Deputy Leader of the Council, in conjunction with the Chief Operating Officer, and the Director of People & Deputy Chief Executive, would write to the relevant secretaries of state and government ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and His Majesty’s Treasury, to request conversations about solutions to the pressures arising from the cost of Adult Social Care.

Reasons:

Full Council is responsible for agreeing a balanced budget in advance of each financial year. Cabinet is responsible for ensuring that income and expenditure remain within the approved budget, including instructing corrective action to prevent any forecast overspend from materialising.

Background:

The report presented a review of the Council’s One Medway Financial Improvement and Transformation Plan (FIT Plan) monitoring for Quarter 1, which was to be read in conjunction with the Revenue Budget monitoring for this period. 2026/27 was the third iteration of the Council’s FIT Plan, as part of its journey to financial sustainability.

Reasons:

Full Council is responsible for agreeing a balanced budget in advance of each financial year. Cabinet is responsible for ensuring that income and expenditure remain within the approved budget, including instructing transformation activities or corrective action to prevent any forecast overspend from materialising.

The FIT Plan, which is reviewed regularly at CMT, is one of the key tools for ensuring delivery of savings in the current financial year and implementing a range of key actions to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of Medway Council.

Background:

The report presented the annual treasury outturn in compliance with the Council’s Constitution which stated that it should be reported to Cabinet within six months of the close of each financial year.

The report had been previously considered by the Audit Committee on 24 June 2026, and the Cabinet thanked the Committee for its comments which were set out in section 8 of the report.

Reasons:

Section 7.1 (e) of the Council’s Financial Rules state that the Chief Operating Officer shall report to Cabinet and the Audit Committee not later than September on treasury management activities in the previous year.

Background:

The report provided an update on the Medway 2.0 Delivery Plan. The Medway 2.0 Delivery Plan directly supports the implementation of the FIT Plan’s targets by providing dedicated service design and improvement capability, which will enable services to streamline and improve their operations, in particular customer-facing and support service activity.

Reasons:

It is important that the Cabinet receives regular progress reports regarding the Medway 2.0 Delivery Plan.

Background:

The report sought approval of a five-year capital programme to refresh Medway Council’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure between 2026 and 2031. A significant proportion of the Council’s current infrastructure was approaching or had reached end-of-life and no longer received vendor support, security updates or patches, which created increasing risks to service continuity, cyber security and operational resilience.

It was noted that in preparation for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in 2028, the ICT service had been engaging with neighbouring borough and district councils to help ensure that infrastructure procured through this programme was interoperable, scalable and capable of being used within the future authority structure. This was intended to future-proof the Council’s infrastructure and reduce the risk of duplicated investment during transition.

Reasons:

The programme will address key technical control areas outlined by the NCSC, including:

•     Firewalls and boundary security: Ensuring all internet-connected devices are protected by properly configured firewalls

•     Secure configuration: Replacing legacy systems with modern, securely configured hardware to reduce vulnerabilities.

•     Access control: Enforcing least-privilege access and identity management across the infrastructure.

•     Malware protection: Ensuring all endpoints and servers are protected with up-to-date anti-malware solutions.

•     Patch management: Refreshing hardware to support timely updates and vendor support, reducing exposure to known exploits.

•     Security Operations Centre (SOC) will provide 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, and incident response capabilities ensuring real-time protection of critical systems and data.

This investment is essential to maintain compliance with national standards, protect sensitive data, and support the Council’s digital transformation and LGR program. Without this refresh, ageing infrastructure will fall short of baseline security expectations, increasing the risk of service disruption, data breaches, and regulatory non-compliance.

Background:

The report sought permission to commence the procurement of Supported Living Services for Adults Aged 18+.

An Exempt Appendix contained the financial analysis of the proposal.

Reasons:

Ensure the Council are able to meet its duties under the Care Act 2014 by commissioning appropriate care and support for individuals with eligible needs.

Supports independence and community-based living, enabling adults aged 18+ with a range of needs (including mental health, learning disabilities, autism, and complex conditions) to live as independently as possible through high-quality supported living services.

Establishes a structured and compliant contract that improves cost control, reduces inefficiencies, and ensures greater oversight of quality and safeguarding standards.

Respond to increasing demand and future pressures, including transitions from children’s services, hospital discharge pathways, and reducing out-of-area placements, by creating a sustainable and flexible supported living market.

Promote alignment and collaboration with Kent County Council, helping to standardise approaches where appropriate, create comparable services across the Kent and Medway footprint, and improve market management while maintaining local flexibility. This alignment will help the new authorities reshape, whilst still delivering services, through Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Background:

The report sought approval to directly appoint a specialist advisor/consultant to support the acquisition of 791 homes from London & Quadrant (L&Q) into the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). The acquisition (c.£45m) had been approved by Full Council in April 2026. Given the scale, complexity and limited market of experienced advisors, a direct award via a compliant framework was proposed.

An Exempt Appendix contained the financial analysis in respect of the procurement project.

Reasons:

The Council is recommended to appoint Savills due to their unique specialist experience in large-scale registered provider to LA stock transfers, their existing knowledge from prior HRA financial modelling, the absence of viable alternative advisors due to conflicts of interest, and the need to ensure robust, low-risk delivery of a complex and strategically significant acquisition.

Background:

The report sought permission to award the procurement for the Supply, Installation, Maintenance and Operation of an on-street Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Contract.

An Exempt Appendix contained the financial analysis.

Reasons:

The procurement process has been undertaken in accordance with the route approved at Gateway 1 and in compliance with Medway Council's Contract Procedure Rules.

The winning Charge Point Operator achieved the highest overall tender score following evaluation of quality and commercial submissions and demonstrated the strongest combination of technical capability, delivery methodology, operational approach, value for money, social value commitments and contract deliverability.

Award of the contract will enable the Council to:

•     Deliver the objectives of the LEVI funded programme.

•     Increase the availability of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure across Medway.

•     Support residents without access to off-street parking.

•     Contribute towards air quality improvement and decarbonisation objectives.

•     Transfer the majority of financial, operational and maintenance risks to the appointed operator.

•     Establish a scalable long-term solution capable of supporting future growth in EV demand.