There’s not a huge amount to report on this month in terms of what’s been going on at KCC – at least not in terms of meetings. There has only been one meeting so far, the annual general meeting, which took place as scheduled on 22nd May. At that meeting the new administration voted in their chosen leader. As was to be expected given the change of leadership at the council, the meeting was fairly light on issues which required decisions. Following the election of specific roles, such as the leader, and leader of the opposition, some debate took place about flags and a couple of other issues which Reform’s (now former) chairman had seemingly prioritised on behalf of the elected councillors by putting out posts on social media.
Since then we’ve been in the slightly odd position of seeing meetings cancelled, and then more, and then more. We’ve now reached the point where all of the committee meetings which were due to take place in June have either been cancelled or postponed by the new leader and cabinet. Without any meetings taking place, it’s very difficult (nigh on impossible) for opposition councillors to scrutinise any decisions which are being taken. It’s also incredibly bad for transparency, as the vast majority of the items discussed at committee meetings are published online, and the meetings are webcast for anyone to watch live, or at any time during the year following the meeting.
What we did get a couple of weeks ago in place of meetings, was an announcement of a ‘DOGE’. (Department Of Government Efficiency). The name ‘doge’ was chosen in the US by Elon Musk,as he is a fan of an online meme of the same name featuring a photo of a shiba inu dog. The fact that the same name was chosen by Reform UK was surprising, given the abject failure of the project in the US. Over there it set out to reduce the federal budget by $2trn, and ended up saving only a tiny percentage of that amount (and prompting a number of lawsuits against the US government in the process).
Whilst I completely agree with the goal of looking for inefficiencies and aiming to reduce the amount the council is spending, the way this was conducted felt more like a circus than a serious attempt to identify savings. The chair of Reform UK put out a tweet on the Sunday evening, turned up to a meeting at County Hall the following morning, conducted interviews in the council chamber, and then left. Three days later he had resigned from his role (although he has since returned).
The results so far appear to be very limited, which is perhaps unsurprising given that KCC has been making cuts for 14 consecutive years. The only items of ‘waste’ which have been made public so far were either already identified in previous years, or are items of miniscule monetary value when viewed in the context of an annual budget of £1.8bn. (In one case a press release went out for something which was the equivalent of 0.001% of the annual budget.)
Swale Borough Council – Community Involvement
Swale Borough Council is currently seeking your views on its Draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). This important document outlines how the council plans to engage local residents and partners in shaping future planning policies and decisions, including the preparation of local plan documents and the assessment of planning applications. Your input will help ensure that the voices of the community are heard in these vital processes.
Residents are encouraged to read the Draft SCI and share their feedback through the council’s online consultation portal at https://swale-consult.objective.co.uk/kse. For those who prefer a paper copy, the draft document can be viewed at council offices and libraries throughout Swale. Comments can also be submitted via email to Lpcomments@swale.gov.uk or by post to the Planning Policy team at Swale House, East Street, Sittingbourne, ME10 3HT.
The consultation period is open until 5pm on Wednesday, 2 July.
Cycle-Re-Cycle
In other news, Swale Borough Council (in partnership with KCC) has expanded the popular Cycle-Re-Cycle scheme. Residents can now donate unwanted bicycles at the Faversham Household Waste Recycling Centre. These bikes are then transported to HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, where they are refurbished by inmates and sold to the public for just £10. This initiative not only promotes recycling and supports rehabilitation but also helps make cycling more accessible to everyone in our community.
Rich Lehmann
rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk
