The town's councillors
Mar 10, 2011 at 22:15 Tuesday 15th March 6:30pm
Salvation Army Hall, 33 Richmond Street, Herne Bay
Rejoice, dear reader - a special day approaches! Half a dozen or so times a year the chosen few gather together to discuss and vote on things that matter to Herne Bay. On Tuesday, our town councillors will assemble at the Salvation Army Hall, eager to answer your questions. Someone from the Royal Mail will be there to "discuss the concerns" about the experimental system that was inflicted on us before Christmas (and before the snow). The councillors will be deciding where to reinstate the Red Shelter, AKA the Threepenny Bit Shelter; they'll also be neglecting public gardens to save money; considering parish grant applications; discussing No Fishing signs and road re-surfacing; and hearing from the Coastal Towns Manager.
It's an open public meeting.
1. Apologies for absence
2. Disclosures by members and officers
Members and officers are invited to declare any interests and whether the nature of them is prejudicial or personal.
3. Public Question and answer session PDF 54 KB
A written question has been received from Dick Eburne on the existing powers of Parish Councils and the cost to the taxpayer of these Councils. His questions and the officers responses are attached to the agenda.
Additional documents:
4. Public participation
Provided that notification has been given to the Chief Executive by 12.30pm on Monday 14 March 2011, members of the public may speak on any item on the agenda for a maximum of three minutes. The Chairman to report any notification received.
5. Minutes - 1 February 2011 PDF 75 KB
To confirm as a true record.
6. Actions arising from the last meeting not dealt with by separate reports
7. Royal Mail
At the last meeting the Panel AGREED that a representative of Royal Mail be invited to attend the next meeting of the Panel to discuss the concerns regarding the experimental system for postal deliveries in Herne Bay.
Heulyn Davies, Senior External Relations Manager, Andrew Mills, Head of Deliveries for Kent and Martin Woods, Delivery Lead Kent Project will be attending the meeting as Royal Mail's representatives.
8. Forthcoming decision list - 1 March to 30 June 2011 PDF 73 KB
TO REVIEW the list and consider if the Panel should be consulted on any of the decision topics.
9. Kent County Council's Forward Plan
At the present time there are no relevant decisions on Kent County Council's Forward Plan that will affect the Herne Bay area.
10 Green Shelter relocation PDF 81 KB
Jeffrey Hall, the City Councils Asset Inspector, will attend.
11. Parish Councils Capital Grant Applications PDF 87 KB
TO CONSIDER the report of the Head of Community Development and Outdoor Leisure
Additional documents:
12. Changes to planting and maintenance arrangements
Further to the discussions at the last meeting, officers have advised that the specification for some shrubs will be reduced from "ornamental" to "amenity" throughout the district. In practice all this means is that the shrubs will be pruned less frequently and the weeding done less often.
The areas affected are:
- Dane John
- The Three Cemeteries
- War Memorial Park
- Tower and Waltrop Gardens
Three years ago substantial savings were made on bedding plants and the amount of bedding throughout the district was reduced in the less sensitive areas. Officers received very few comments about this and the changes went largely unnoticed. It is thought the same will be true of the changes in shrub maintenance. TO NOTE
13. No fishing signs at the pond , memorial park, Herne Bay
TO DISCUSS, at the request of Councillor Ron Flaherty, the appearance of the above signs. The City Council's Outdoor Leisure Manager has advised that fishing in the boating lake is illegal due to the following byelaw. 10 (iii) "take, injury or destroy, or attempt to take, injury or destroy any fish in any such water, or willfully disturb or worry any waterfowl". Every so often people start fishing in the boating lake and the police / PCSO's and staff ask people to stop due to the byelaw. A review of the open space byelaws was discussed at a Members briefing on 5th January 2011 and it was agreed to defer a review so that the implications of the Localism Bill could be considered.
14. Resurfacing of roads in Herne Bay
To DISCUSS, at the request of Councillor Matthews, the following questions: Can KCC advise why newly re-laid roads are breaking up? Is a lower standard of surfacing being used than in the past? Is there any national standard on resurfacing roads?
15. Progress report of the Coastal Towns Manager PDF 56 KB
TO NOTE the report of the Head of Culture and Enterprise
16. Date of next meeting
It is anticipated that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday 7 June 2011 at 6.30pm in the Salvation Army Hall, 33 Richmond Street, Herne Bay, subject to the annual Council meeting approving this date. Future panel dates, also subject to annual Council meeting approval are as follows
- 19 July 2011
- 13 September 2011
- 8 November 2011
- 3 January 2012
- 13 March 2012
All at 6.30pm in the Salvation Army Hall.
17. Any other urgent business to be dealt with in public
18. Any other urgent business which falls under the exempt provisions of the local government act 1972 or the freedom of information act 2000 or both.
It will be necessary to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public for any business under this item.
Reader Comments (1)
This is merely just another anchor to Herne Bay where the CANTERBURY CITY COUNCIL OFFICERS are concerned. Is also gravely concerning who again I ask who is in charge of the Council and it seems OFFICERS clearly are ruling the roost. The Sins are something to be desired it says and I quote NO FISHING UNLESS GRANTED PERMISSION BY CANTERBURY CITY COUNCIL which makes an absolute mockery of the flawed bylaw that does not exist.
It would however be very interesting to see what happens if a case is taken to Court on the back of a person claiming to have seen a bird tangled up in a persons line. I ask when following Cricket on TV occasionally a bird sitting in the outfield will be struck by a cricket. I ask is it likely then Cricket will be banned because of this happening every so often. Also I ask these Officers are they also going to follow up on all the Memorial Park bylaws which also means no fairs Tents, fencing be erected on the Park, we shall wait and see.
Finally I thought we were trying to promote the Memorial Park for people to use, funny way of going about things stopping them from doing this, that and other. By stopping youngsters from fishing the Park Pond will only do another thing and that is increase Anti Social behaviour also place more police time on dealing with it.
All I can say to that is 'Well done you CCC Officers' for yet another failure to the Community which you are paid for and suppose to help. You clearly must start following other leading Councils like Liverpool and Calderstones Park, Cast in the Park idea and Retired PC Watsons get hooked on fishing whether it be in a lake park pond or stream. I feel sorry for all those hundreds of the Herne Bay Community who have been badly let down by the Council Officers.