Present:
| Members | Present | Apologies | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair: Cllr C Barnes | ✓ | ||
| Deputy Chair: Cllr S Durden | ✓ | ||
| Cllr P Darrington | ✓ | ||
| Cllr L Dyball | ✓ | ||
| Cllr J Knight | ✓ | ||
| Cllr C Prestedge | ✓ | Work Commitments | |
| Cllr N Scott | ✓ | ||
| Cllr R Wood | ✓ | Absent |
Officers:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ryan Hayman
Senior Executive Assistant (HR) – Tracey Bayliss
Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) – Stephen Innes
Venues Manager – Kerina Hunt
Gateway Manager – Claire Cormack
Senior Executive Assistant (Events) – Adele Farrier
Public: None present.
MEETING COMMENCED: 19:00
12311 – APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr C Morgan
Cllr N Scott (Absent)
12312 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
NONE
12313 – MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 24th April 2024.
APPROVED AND SIGNED
12314 – GATEWAY MANAGER REPORT – APPENDIX A
To receive and comment on the report.
NOTED
The Gateway Manager mentioned in addition to her report that the Community Minibus hire had commenced and that there were currently five confirmed bookings with another booking being processed currently. Swanley Link now have a Kent County Council (KCC) Helping Hand Citizens Advice kiosk. The tablet is set up in the building with a direct link to Citizens Advice so that people can come in and speak to someone from Citizens Advice face to face using the tablet. If in the event that they require a personal meeting, they will be invited to an appointment at the Citizens Advice premises. A lot of enquiries are received by Swanley Link staff regarding Citizens Advice so this will help with referring those enquiries directly to Citizens Advice.
The first order has been placed today with the same supplier as Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) for the new Swanley Town Council (STC) black refuse sacks that will be sold after stocks of the SDC have been depleted. STC will be able to continue selling the same quality black refuse sacks moving forward. The new rolls will have more sacks so pricing will increase slightly.
Compliments were given to the Knit & Natter Groups for the fantastic post box topper outside of Swanley Link. It is currently being repaired but will back up on the post box shortly.
Claire was thanked for her report.
12315 – VENUES MANAGER REPORT – APPENDIX B
To receive and comment on the report.
NOTED
The decking has all been completed and looks great. It also now has gates to the bowling green which stops any children from accessing the bowls green.
The school proms season was very busy and has all finished now without any incident. May and June have been record months for events. The Venues are now heading into weddings and lot of sit-down meals. Trends are changing and we are seeing more sit-down bookings.
It was asked if the same schools were booking the proms. It was said that it was the same schools but different year groups. The pandemic affected school proms, but it seems to be picking up again and more schools are booking again.
It was noted that the income was up for the Venues. It was asked if that was because of a change in pricing strategy or increase in business. It was confirmed it was due to an increase in bookings and that bar pricing has not been increased since the pandemic. Supplier pricing has increased so it will need to be reviewed.
It was mentioned that the snooker was doing well, and it was asked if there was room for an additional table. It was confirmed that this has been monitored and no customers have been turned away due to lack of tables. The space where a table could be placed currently has a dart board which people hire out in addition to the snooker tables.
Kerina was thanked for her report.
12316 – PARKS AND OPEN SPACES MANAGER REPORT – APPENDIX C
To receive and comment on the report.
NOTED
It was mentioned that the judging for South & South East In Bloom (SSEIB) took place in June and the results are due in September. The judges are looking for more community involvement, it is not only about the planting, flowers and tidiness of the town. It is about what happens in our community. The judge was very interested in the walking group at the park and how the community was involved in what we have locally. When the judges are shown around the town, they are introduced to the various community groups including Swanley Wildlife Group, NB Tennis, Swanley’s Shed and various others.
It was asked if the town could get the gold award this year. CEO mentioned that it was hoped that we would win gold for the park and wildlife area, but it is very difficult to get gold for the town due to the mixture of agencies involved with the town centre. Feedback is always received from the judges which will be reviewed to see where we can improve.
It was mentioned that litter bags had been left around the park and bags ripped open with rubbish being blown about the park. It was asked if the park rangers could pick up the litter first thing in the morning. The CEO confirmed that this is usually the first task that the park rangers have at around 8-8:30am. The bins are emptied several times and day and evening and sometimes people use the park after the park rangers have left and leave bags of rubbish by the bin. It was asked if staff were able to do different hours to address the rubbish first thing in the morning or later on in the evening. The staff currently cover very long days. The CEO confirmed he would speak to the Parks and Open Spaces Manager to see if it could be incorporated into the rotas to cover the extra hours.
It was asked if the dog park usage had dropped. CEO confirmed that he did not have any figures on the attendance but has not had any negative feedback from the tenant regarding usage.
George was thanked for his report.
12317 – NEIGHBOURHOOD OPERATIVE REPORT – APPENDIX D
To receive and comment on the report.
NOTED
The CEO mentioned that the there has been a notable difference in the area since the Neighbourhood Operative has been reporting any issues he has noticed. He mentioned that West Kent Housing Association (WKHA) have a 21-day turnaround time for fly tipping, but this has not been the case and fly tipping has been left for longer periods which means that more fly tipping has occurred in the same areas. The CEO spoke to WKHA CEO and managed to have the area cleared, but the same evening the same areas were fly tipped again. The CEO mentioned that WKHA subcontract out their fly tipping clearance, he has offered to take over the contract but feels that WKHA give the 21 day period due to the multiple times the same areas are fly tipped and the cost of multiple collections.
It was reported that WKHA were investigating purchasing a lorry with a cage to enable them to drive round and collect rubbish and to communicate with residents who have larger items to be removed to see if they can take it away. It is suggested that this solution would lower some of the fly tipping in the area if they move forward with this option.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING – Wednesday 16th October 2024
MEETING CLOSED AT: 19:28
SIGNED: 16/10/2024
Cllr C Barnes
Chair of Estates and Facilities
