Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Burden and Swale Borough Council Head of Place, Joanne Johnson.

To note the record of the inquorate meeting held on 18 September 2025 and approve the record of the meeting held on 12 June 2025.

The notes of the inquorate meeting on 18 September were noted and the record of the meeting held on 12 June 2025 was agreed and signed by the Chairperson as correct.

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 3.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

The Chairperson will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report.  

There were none.

Councillor Gibson was appointed as Vice Chairperson for the year.

This report summarises the content of agenda item 7 and 8 which, in the opinion of the proper officer, contains exempt information within one of the categories in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. It is a matter for the Committee to determine whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of documents.

The Committee agreed to exclude the press and public for the remainder of the meeting because consideration of agenda items 7 and 8 in public would disclose information falling within one or more of the descriptions of exempt information contained in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, and, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The report updates the Joint Committee on the current forecast for the 2025/2026 financial year and gives details about the progress of the objectives of the Business Plan 2025/2026.

Discussion:

The Director of South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership introduced the report. She highlighted that three surveyors had left the Partnership in the period. In response, there had been a successful recruitment campaign for two posts, however, three vacancies, including one management post remained. Salary remained the principal cause of staff leaving with the private sector able to offer significantly higher salaries and this was experienced by other local authorities as well. The Partnership strategy was to provide a clear career path and structured training for staff which included a dedicated training officer.

The Director added that fee applications had risen by 8.9% and a balanced budget may be achieved. Performance remained strong, with all service standards met. 

The following issues were discussed:

Budgets – The Committee discussed the current budget, the Partnership Director stated that fees had risen 4.6% in the period and a balanced budget or indeed a small surplus remained a possibility. What would be done with the surplus would be a decision for the Committee, however, any surplus would usually be retained by the Partnership as part of a reserve for future years.

The Partnership had received some additional work due to other private firms going into administration during the last quarter. It was a complex process to take over ongoing work so this added to the workload. Some of the work undertaken had been of variable quality which had caused some complaints, so although the additional work was welcome it was not without risk.

Training – it was asked whether the costs of training staff who subsequently left the Partnership were recouped. The Partnership Director confirmed that where the Partnership had paid for specific training courses this was done on a sliding scale, however, much of the training was on the job, the costs of which could not be recouped.

It was asked whether training could be offered to the private sector as a business opportunity. The Partnership Director stated that it would not be a realistic proposition given the additional supervision and mentoring work required.

Staffing – Members discussed ongoing staffing issues across the local government sector, it was agreed that the Chairperson would write to the relevant government minister outlining the difficulties faced by local authorities.

Consultation – The Partnership Director updated the Committee on the ongoing national consultation regarding the future of the industry. She had responded to the consultation highlighting issues regarding salaries and the additional administrative burden placed on the authority including work that authorities were required to undertake but for which, it could not recoup its costs.

Inspection – it was asked whether any lessons could be learned from authority inspections which had taken place prior to an expected inspection of the Partnership in the next year. The Partnership Director stated that recent inspections had found a common theme in the lack of capacity and resources across a number of authorities. Some areas had been required to suspend work for a period this financial year due to a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 535.

The report seeks agreement for the South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership’s Business Plan 2026-2029 (dated 3rd November 2025 Version 4).

Discussion:

The Partnership Director introduced the report which reflected how the Partnership proposed to respond to the challenges in the sector and transform its services. The Business Plan was written in a climate of staff shortages, increased workload and additional administrative burdens such as supervision, mentoring and oversight requirements and competition from the private sector.

Income had fallen in the Partnership due to a lack of development; however, additional administrative burden and increased regulation meant the workload for the Partnership remained broadly in line with previous years. The plan would address the capacity issues by implementing a phased recruitment strategy. Whilst recruitment and retention would remain an issue given the larger salaries offered in the private sector the Partnership would invest in talent and provide a structured training and career pathway to attract staff.

The following issues were discussed:

Salary and recruitment – Members discussed issues regarding recruitment and retention, the Partnership Director stated that the strategy was to improve salaries and provide a positive environment for staff. The levels of work were currently low but the workloads were cyclical and there would be a recovery, the partnership needed to be in a place to have the resources to deal with increasing applications. The building control industry worked around 8 months behind planning, and there had been some increased planning activity in recent months.

A Member commented that the Partnership had to address the biggest issues which were staffing, salaries and resources to meet the workload and the Business Plan with the proposed incremental growth in staffing achieved this in his view.

The Partnership discussed the impact of Local Government Reform, it was agreed that the role of the current Business Plan was to provide a stable footing for the authority as it moved towards Local Government Reform in 2028. The new authorities would be responsible for decisions relating to the future of the partnership and consequently, paragraphs 2.60 and 2.61 of the business plan were not required at this stage.

A Member commented that the draft plan would be considered by Canterbury Council prior to Christmas, officers undertook to let the clerk to the Committee know when this was complete.

Decision:

The Joint Committee approved the Business Plan for 2026–2029, which outlined the strategic objectives, performance targets, and financial arrangements for non-chargeable activities.