Agenda item

Question A – Ralph Allison, of Twydall, submitted the following to the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, Councillor Curry:

 

“Will the Council fund the installation of low level barriers to prevent the incursion of vehicles onto the play park area on Sturry Way, Twydall?”

 

Councillor Curry said he recognised that greenspaces in Medway were subject to unauthorised vehicular access. Medway had over 140 greenspaces, all of which were vulnerable to unauthorised use with physical damage occasionally being used to gain access.

 

Although there were no known reasonable ways or materials to absolutely prevent misuse of any greenspace, physical obstructions could deter individual and groups from particular sites.

 

Councillor Curry had asked Medway Norse colleagues to arrange a site inspection with Council Officers to provide advice on what additional steps could be taken to make the site more secure. This would be reviewed and a decision made on the available resources and priority of the remedial work at the site.

 

No supplementary question was asked as Ralph Allison was not present.

 

Question B – Sabine Strickland, submitted the following to the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Murray:

 

“I’m working as a support worker and do sleep ins too, our minimum wages have been increased through the government but social services in Medway have still not given an answer about the increase for the sleep-in rates, so the question is: Why not!?”

 

Councillor Murray said how much she valued the work of everyone involved in the care sector in Medway and that she had made this clear when she had spoken at the Parliamentary launch of the Fair to Care report on pay.

 

The care sector was experiencing high demand and dealing with increasingly complex clients and Councillor Murray said that little had been done by the previous Government to address the resulting funding crisis, despite the Council and others having made the situation clear to government. The new Government had promised to carry out a review of the sector and Councillor Murray would be working with the three local MPs to ensure that all available information and research was used as part of that work.

 

The Council issued a fee uplift to care providers each year and it was the responsibility of the care provider to determine rates of pay and pay increases for their staff in line with national legislation.

 

Information about working nights, including sleep in shifts could be found on the gov.uk website.

 

Help and advice for employees on rights and obligations at work, including pay and the National Living Wage, could be provided by ACAS and through trade unions.

 

No supplementary question was asked as Sabine Strickland was not present.

 

Question C – Les White, of Wainscott, submitted the following to the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement, Councillor Paterson:

 

“The speed camera on Hollywood Lane has not been working at all for the last three years for, I have been led to believe, cost saving reasons. The road there is fast and schoolchildren with special needs cross the road in wheelchairs.

 

I am a person with slow walking and at times trying to get across the road is so dangerous. If the camera is working it should help the safety on our roads, therefore I ask that you return the speed camera to working condition.”

 

Councillor Paterson said that he shared concerns about those in the community, particularly those who were less able bodied.

 

Safety cameras had an important deterrent and enforcement role to play. It was not the case that the safety camera on Hollywood Lane had been deactivated. Medway Council was responsible for the yellow roadside camera housings, while Kent Police operated the safety cameras inside. For operational reasons, Kent Police may move their cameras around in different locations. All safety camera locations on Medway’s roads were live and any road users exceeding the speed limit risked being detected and issued with a notice by the Police.

 

No supplementary question was asked as Les White was not present.

 

Question D – Ben Pranczke, of Gillingham, submitted the following to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Maple:

 

“I’m sure like me the Leader of the Council is frustrated that both international stations in Kent remain unused for continental travel.

Could Councillor Maple please update on what the latest status is and how this being reopened would benefit Medway?”

 

Councillor Maple said that he had been engaging with a colleague at Ashford Borough Council who had been leading cross party work on the issue.

 

The reinstatement of Eurostar services would create a significant economic opportunity for Medway, Kent and the wider region. The cessation of services  in 2020 had resulted in the combined loss of 30,000 jobs, or the value of 750 million pounds. The re-introduction of these services could unlock substantial employment prospects and economic growth. Opting for international rail travel over short haul air journeys resulted in approximately 85% less environmental impact per passenger, similar comparisons for car travel gave a 90-95% reduction for international rail travel, depending on how many people were in the car.

 

In both economic and environmental terms, the reopening of Ashford and Ebbsfleet would have a huge impact. Councillor Maple highlighted the Bring Back Euro Trains campaign. It had gathered over 57,000 signatures. A upcoming meeting of Kent Leaders would look at transport issues and the EU entry/exit system which would have significant potential impacts on Kent.

 

No supplementary question was asked as Ben Pranczke was not present.

 

Question E – Charlotte Williamson, of Rainham, asked the Portfolio Holder for Business Management, Councillor Van Dyke, the following:

 

“The land outside and adjacent to my home in Kenilworth Gardens is being sold (ME8 9DU) by Deadwood Enterprise Limited at auction on 31st July 2024. I would like to ask the Council if they could purchase this land to protect the green space from any potential future development?

 

The space is used regularly by the community and is a vital habitat for local wildlife and can be considered a community asset. It can be used freely by all in the local area.

 

Medway Norse already maintain the area with tree maintenance, grass cutting and emptying the dog waste. The auction is by Auction House London and the starting bid is £1,000.”

 

Councillor Van Dyke said that the online auctioneer, Auction House London, was selling several plots in Medway. This parcel of land was owned by a third party and although it was identified as publicly maintainable grass on the Council’s maps, it appeared on the tree and grass maintenance plans undertaken by Medway Norse. This was not unusual due to the many parcels of land maintained in Medway.

 

Due to financial constraints, the Council was not in the position to acquire this land but officers were exploring all options to maintain the existing trees. The auctioneers would be contacted to remind them of the requirement to inform potential purchasers of any protective action that the Council had invoked before the auction commenced.

 

Some residents believed that they may have been gifted part of the land due to it being referenced in the title documents of their properties and in this case they should seek legal advice if they believed that the land should not be sold.

 

Councillor Van Dyke said that residents were encouraged to act as a community to purchase the land.

 

Charlotte Williamson asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Is it possible if local residents can contribute money to the Council to purchase this land on behalf of residents, with a legal agreement that it can be a protected green space for the community?”

 

Councillor Van Dyke said that the matter could be looked into.

 

Question F – Stuart Bourne, of Rainham, asked the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, Councillor Curry, the following:

 

“During a Council meeting on the 21^st April 2022, the Medway Labour Group proposed a motion calling on Medway Council to halt any future investment in fossil fuel companies in the Council’s Local Government Pension Fund. It also called on the Council to begin the process of divesting its current portfolio of any fossil fuel companies.

 

This motion was vital if we are going to defeat the threat of climate change and had cross-party support from the Medway Lib Dems and Medway Green Party. Sadly it was defeated by the Conservatives, who made some bizarre statements about bringing fracking back and chaos if we ever gave up petrol.

 

Now that Medway Labour have been in charge of the Council for over a year, how much of Medway Council’s pension fund has been divested of fossil fuel companies?”

 

Councillor Curry said that Medway’s pensions were part of the Kent Pension Fund which administered by Kent County Council. The Fund had confirmed that the Superannuation Fund Committee appointed external investment managers tasked with getting the best return for the 301 employers and 152,000 individual members of the fund. The Committee had a clear environmental, social and governance policy but the Fund advised that it would be breaching its responsibilities if it placed ethical restrictions on the external investment managers. Fossil fuel company shares represented a small proportion of the overall investments. In June 2024, the Kent Pension Fund updated its Responsible Investment Strategy which stated the following relating to Climate Risk which detailed three specific actions:

 

1.    Decarbonisation: the Fund had set a clear ambition to reach net zero portfolio emissions by 2050 and to reduce emissions emanating from its equity allocation by 43% by 2030 and 69% by 2040, which was consistent with the latest (2022) decarbonisation targets required by the latest science to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.

2.    Transition alignment: The Fund’s approach was grounded in the recognition that a reduction in the Fund’s portfolio emissions must result from real-world decarbonisation. Investors had an important role to play in driving the transition to a low carbon economy and the Fund would identify opportunities to invest in companies and industries that were aligned with the transition.

3.    Climate solutions: the transition to a low carbon economy also presented opportunities for investors, and the Fund sought to explore the potential to enhance portfolio level risk-adjusted returns through climate solutions. The Fund had set an ambition to invest 15% of its portfolio in sustainable assets by 2030, including climate solutions.

In the latest review and update of the Medway Council Climate Change Action Plan, a new action had been added to “Explore joint working with Kent Human Resources network to influence investment of funds in pension scheme”. This topic would be an agenda item for discussion at the next meeting of that group.

Stuart Bourne asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Since Labour have taken over Medway Council, how much additional investment into fossil fuel companies has the Council done?”

 

Councillor Curry responded that the Council did not have a great deal of investments and that they were at a very low level. He did not have the information to hand but would ensure that it was made available.