Agenda item

This report sets out activities and progress on work areas within the Portfolio of the Leader of the Council, which all fall within the remit of this Committee. This information is provided in relation to the Leader of the Council being held to account. The report also includes an overview of the Council’s role in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Discussion:

Members considered a report which set out activities and progress on work areas within the Portfolio of the Leader of the Council, which all fell within the remit of this Committee (i.e. strategic leadership of the Council, communications and marketing, and finance. The report also included an overview of the Council’s role in responding to the Covid19 pandemic.

The Leader responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

·       The Council’s response to the pandemic – in terms of how the Council had responded overall to the pandemic and what in hindsight he felt could have been done differently, the Leader replied that he did not feel he that would have done much more differently although it was inevitable that the Council had not been successful in everything it had tried to do. The Council had responded well in an often rapidly changing situation and had supported vulnerable individuals with food parcels etc as well as channelling £70m of grants to businesses and individuals. From the outset, his position had been to aim to maintain services as near to normal as possible for as long as possible. Medway was in the lower quartile of similar councils in terms of the number of infections and he  assured Members that measures had been put in place to prevent a further significant outbreak. He had some concerns about whether the police were doing enough to enforce the Covid regulations, which he would be raising with them.

In terms of  how the Council’s response compared to similar sized councils, the Leader considered that it compared very well.

The cross-party approach in responding to the pandemic was welcomed by Members.

The Leader was asked how he planned to recognise the achievements of staff over the last few months through the performance appraisal system. The Leader commented that it would be very difficult to determine who deserved to be rewarded without rewarding everyone, which would not be possible financially.

·       City of Culture Bid – the Leader confirmed that this bid was still proceeding and agreed with a comment about the importance of how to use outdoor spaces flexibly to deliver cultural events.

·       Climate change emergency – in response to a question about what the Council could do to ensure new homes were as “green” as possible, the Leader commented that addressing climate change remained a priority and wanted to see homes as “green” as possible. However, the Government’s proposals to change the planning system would lead to a state of flux.

·       Remote meetings – the possibility of the Council asking local MPs to lobby the Government to allow remote meetings to continue when the enabling legislation expired was raised. The Leader undertook to discuss this with Medway’s MPs. His preference was to have face to face meetings when this was possible again but accepted there was a place for virtual meetings as well.

·       Festivals – the Leader agreed with a suggestion that pre-purchased cards be made available.

·       Medway Commercial Group (MCG) – in response to a question asking whether the £300,000 MCG charged for acting as a broker represented good value for money, the Leader commented that he did not feel this represented value for money on the face of it but if the business had developed as intended then it would have done so as MCG would have delivered a substantial dividend.

·       Preparations for a “No Deal” Brexit – as to whether the Council was prepared for disruptions in supply chains, the Leader stated that Kent County Council were leading on transport issues such as Operation Brock. The Government had acquired land for lorry parks.

·       Financial support from the Government – noting that unitary authorities had experienced greater financial difficulties due to Covid, the Leader was asked if the Government would reimburse the Council fully for additional expenditure and lost income. The Leader’s view was that there was no sign that the Government would fully reimburse the Council although he would continue to lobby for this. It was likely that there would be a 75% compensation scheme.

·       Use of reserves– reference was made to the drawdown of £15m from reserves to fund Covid related expenditure and the extent to which this sum would be used was queried, given the already low level of reserves. The Leader stated that the use of reserves represented a best estimate in a rapidly changing environment. The collection funds for council tax and business rates were well balanced but estimated collection rates had not been published to maximise collection.

·       Devolution White Paper – the possibility of a cross party discussion on the impact on Medway as a unitary authority of the expected white paper was suggested. The Leader commented that this was a big issue for the Council given the Government’s aim of creating more unitaries with a larger population than was the case in Medway. This could lead to a local government restructuring affecting Medway, but the Leader would wait to see what the White Paper contained before taking a view on the need for cross party discussions.

·       “Sense of arrival” into Chatham – noting the poor visual appearance of the entrance into Chatham from the direction of Gillingham/Luton, the Leader was asked what his vision was for this. The Leader agreed the route needed to be improved, as the other two main routes had been, but there were difficulties in achieving this due the current high risks in another major acquisition in this part of Chatham. The Council was focusing on the western edge of Chatham town centre but would continue to work to attract new retailers and a budget supermarket.

·       Innovation Park Medway (IPM) – the Leader confirmed that representations had been made to the Government about extending the Enterprise Zone status in response to a question about this risk if that did not happen.

·       Housing Infrastructure Bid – the Leader confirmed, in response to a question, that local councillors would be involved in discussions about design.

·       New Learning, Skills and Employment Hub – the Leader confirmed that this presented an opportunity to all ages to learn new skills, which was particularly important when the furlough scheme came to an end.

·       London Resort – in response to a question about how this new project was progressing, the Leader commented that plans were well advanced and looked likely to materialise. This would create jobs for people in Medway, both in construction and operational.

·       Voluntary and Community Sector -  the Leader was asked if plans were in place to deliver services without the support of the VCS in the event of a second wave if the sector was unable to provide the same level of services. The Leader responded that this was why the Voluntary Sector Task Group report had not yet been agreed as he wanted officers to assess the implications of the Group’s recommendations. He was not assuming that the sector would collapse but he wanted there to be a focus on ensuring the VCS was in a good position in the event of a second wave.

·       Pentagon Centre, Chatham – whether the impact of Covid on the retail sector had been carried out was queried, given the Council’s significant investment in this centre. The Leader commented that this work had been done. The Council had renegotiated several rents to avoid tenants leaving. This had led to lower rents but longer-term tenancies. He had asked officers to look at how well businesses fitted with the wider plans for Chatham when requests for a rent renegotiation were received.

·       Social Worker recruitment – in terms of whether the 65 new applications was an improvement on previous years, the Leader undertook to provide the figures but pointed out that the significant increases in the social care budget meant a comparison was difficult. 10 international social workers had been recruited and would start work soon.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to thank the Leader for his attendance and to note the report.

(In accordance with Council Rule 12.6, Councillors Khan, Maple and Murray asked that their votes in favour be recorded.)