To receive an oral report at the meeting from the Leader (and Cabinet) on the business of the Executive or on any topic or subject that it is felt should be brought to the attention of the Council.
(Up to fifteen minutes is allowed for the Report of the Leader (and Cabinet), up to ten minutes is allowed for the Leader of the Major Opposition Group (or his nominee) to respond, up to five minutes is allowed for the Leader of any other Opposition Group (or his nominee) to respond. The Leader is allowed up to five minutes as a Right of Reply or 25% of the time given to the Opposition Group Leaders, whichever is the greatest.)
Minutes:
The Leader of the Council, Councillor P A Watkins, included the following matters in his report:
(a) That Councillor N S Kenton was at the 6th Annual Improvement and Efficiency Awards where Dover District Council was nominated for an award for Transformation in Waste and Environment.
(b) That a decision had been made by the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to approve the Council’s Compulsory Purchase Order for the Dover Town Investment Zone (DTIZ).
There would be surveys undertaken in preparation for the demolition and construction required on the site. The first item of demolition would be the multi-storey car park.
The risk of falling glass from Burlington House meant that St James’ Street had been temporarily closed until it could be made safe.
There would continue to be meetings with key local stakeholders over how regeneration could continue to deliver in Dover post-DTIZ.
(c) The three work streams of the Kent Resilience Group in respect of the effects of Operation Stack – (i) Freight, (ii) Lorry Park, and (iii) Traffic Management Issues arising from the volume of traffic – and how to deal with the impact on the local economy and the physical impact on Aycliffe residents. In addition, the Council was waiting on the Highways Agency for the dates set aside for highway verge maintenance (such as litter picking) which required lane closures of the M20 and A20.
(d) That the Land Trust had taken over the Fort Burgoyne site with the potential for heritage skills apprentices in the future.
The Leader of the Opposition Group, Councillor M R Eddy, included the following matters in his report:
(a) To welcome the news on the Council’s recycling performance.
(b) To welcome the progress on the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) progress for the Dover Town Investment Zone (DTIZ) and emphasise the importance of seeing the project to completion.
(c) To join the Leader in expressing concern over the impact of Operation Stack and welcome the opportunity presented for the district by the appointment of a new Kent County Council Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Councillor M Balfour.
(d) To express support for local firms having access to the Port of Dover without having to travel to Maidstone to join the end of the queue for Operation Stack.
(e) To suggest that the opportunity presented by Operation Stack to maintain the M20 / A20 verges as lanes were already closed be explored.
(f) That with architectural conservation skills in great demand across the UK and Europe there was the potential for the district, which was first in Kent for heritage assets, to develop such a skill base locally.
In response the Leader of the Council stated:
(a) That he welcomed the appointment of Councillor Balfour as the Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport.
(b) That English Heritage was in a good position to develop heritage skills at Burgoyne Heights.
(c) The importance of maintaining the momentum at Kent County Council level in addressing the traffic and economy issues arising from Operation Stack locally in the district.
(d) The discussions taking place with NHS England over health and social care integration in Kent.