The Mayor’s Chaplain led the Council in prayer.

To receive declarations of interest from Members including the terms(s) of the Grant of Dispensation (if any) by the Audit Board or the Chief Officer & Director of Corporate Services.

The Chief Officer & Director of Corporate Services declared a personal interest on behalf of all Officers present at the meeting in staffing matters referred to in Agenda item 7, Revenue and Capital Budgets 2025/26.

The Chief Officer & Director of Corporate Services in the exercise of her delegated authority, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, granted a dispensation to all Councillors to speak and vote on Agenda item 7, Revenue and Capital Budgets 2025/26, in respect of their receipt of Members’ Allowances paid by the Council on the ground that, without the dispensation, the number of persons prohibited from participating in the discussion and voting on Members’ Allowances would be so great a proportion of the body transacting the business as to impede the transaction of business (see agenda item 8).

Members declared the following interests:

Councillor R M Currans declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as she is a trustee of the Dartford Almshouse charity which receive grants/funding from the Council.

Councillor C A Gale declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as she is a trustee of Citizens Advice North & West Kent and as a director of Ingress Park (Greenhithe) Management Limited.

Councillor J A Kite MBE declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as he is a director of Dartford Football Club which receives grant funding from the Council.

Councillor D J Mote declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 in respect of the following:

·       as he is a trustee of the Greenhithe Community Association which is a tenant of the Council;

·       as a trustee of the Ebbsfleet Garden City Trust;

·       as a trustee of MCK Kent;

·       as Chairman of Stone (Dartford) Scout Group and Treasurer of the Greenhithe branch of the Royal British Legion;

 all of which receive grants/funding from the Council; and

·       as a member of the Darenth Valley Hospital Charity Management Board.

He also declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Appendices H(i),(ii) and (iii) of Agenda item 7 as his wife is an employee of Darenth Parish Council

Councillor E L H Ben Moussa declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as she is a trustee of the Dartford Almshouse charity which receive grants/funding from the Council.

Councillor Mrs J A Ozog declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as she is a trustee of the Dartford Almshouse charity which receive grants/funding from the Council.

Councillor M I Peters declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as she is a trustee of the Dartford Almshouse charity which receive grants/funding from the Council.

Councillor A S Sandhu MBE declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda item 7 as he is a trustee of Kent Cohesion Council, and as a trustee of Dartford Lions Club as they receive grants/funding from the Council.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Akinwamide-Akintomide, Anne, Canham, Edie, Nicklen, Oliver, Pearce, Reynolds, Stealey and Thurlow.

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Council which took place on 9 December 2024.

Members considered the minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Council held on 9 December 2024.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite MBE, proposed the adoption of the minutes, which was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor C J Shippam, and it was …

            RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Council held on 9 December 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record.

·       Former Councillor Bill Cook

The Mayor informed Members of the sad death of former Councillor Bill Cook in December 2024. Bill Cook had also been a former Deputy Leader of the Council. He sent his condolences to Bill’s family.

·       Iris Gutteridge

The Mayor also informed Members that he had recently attended a presentation to Iris Gutteridge in recognition of her 50 years’ service as a Parish Councillor on Darenth Parish Council, and 16 years as the Chairman of the Parish Council. In addition, she had also served on the Parish and Town Council Forum and other Dartford Borough Council bodies.

·       Charity Dinner and Dance

The Mayor remined Members of his forthcoming Charity Dinner and Dance on 25^th April and encouraged Members to attend and support this event.

·       Engagement of Councillor Jeremy Kite and Maria Berry

The Mayor congratulated the Leader of the Council, Jeremy Kite, on his engagement to Maria on Valentine’s Day.  He wished them every happiness in their future lives together.

Finally, he reminded Members that they could follow his Mayoral engagements on the Mayor’s social media blog.

There were no urgent items.

To set the overall level of General Fund and Housing Revenue Account revenue and capital expenditure for Dartford Borough Council for 2025/26, to agree the level of Council Tax for Dartford Borough in its parished and unparished areas for 2025/26, to approve the Pay Policy Statement and to determine sundry related matters.

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report and appendices setting out the proposed Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2025-26, including recommendations on setting the overall level of General Fund and Housing Revenue Account revenue and capital expenditure for Dartford Borough Council for 2025/26,  the level of Council Tax for Dartford Borough in its parished and unparished areas for 2025/26 and fees and charges for 2025/26, and  approving the Pay Policy Statement and sundry related matters. The report also set out the proposed increases for rents relating to the HRA properties and pitches at Claywood Lane caravan site, Bean.

Appendix A to the report set out the Council’s approach to budgeting, outlined the Council’s current financial position and the immediate and future outlook for resources and expenditure demands, and set out the Council’s current approach to managing these within the overall aims and objectives of the Council as set out in the new Corporate Plan. The report also recognised the challenging economic and political conditions, and uncertainties around the Government’s plans for the reorganisation of local government. The report also included three versions of the Medium-Term Financial Plan based on different assumptions, a mid-based estimate, an optimistic estimate and a pessimistic estimate. Once again, the Council was proposing only a limited increase of its own element of the Council Tax to maintain existing levels of service and allow for investment in social infrastructure and would remain the lowest taxing district in Kent.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite thanked Members for their sentiments about his engagement. He then thanked the Council’s directors and Finance Team for their help in developing the budget proposals. He said that the Council benefitted from having a stable financial position in a world that was fast changing for local government, and not necessarily for the better, with many uncertainties for the future.  He said that once again the Council had delivered a budget that would maintain services without cutting them and that whilst there was a proposed increase of 2% in respect of the Dartford Borough Council element of the Council tax this represented the lowest increase in Kent, and he suspected would be one of the lowest in the country. He also thanked the Cabinet Advisory Panel, which had the opportunity to consider the draft budget proposals at its meeting on 17 February, for its endorsement of the proposals. He stressed that the budget was about real people with real lives. He welcomed the ability to award a pay increase of 4% to the Council’s staff and to be able to keep the increase in Council tax to 2% whilst still maintaining services, continuing to invest in critical infrastructure and delivering community services and events. He commended the budget proposals to the Council and proposed the recommendations contained in the report. 

The motion was seconded by Councillor Shippam and opened for debate.

The Shadow Leader of the Council, Councillor J S Hawkes, said that his Group had not endorsed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 106.

To consider a report on major works at the Orchard Theatre.

This report is ‘to follow’.

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report which provided an update on the major works being carried out at the Orchard Theatre since its closure in 2023 for safety reasons which had emerged following a routine inspection of the Reinforced Autoclave Aerated Concrete (RAAC) planks to the Orchard Theatre roof on 4^th September 2023. The Structural Consultant who had carried out the Survey recommended immediate closure of the building due to evidence that RAAC planks installed at the time of the theatre’s construction had deteriorated, and the area could not remain safe for users. The theatre has been closed since that date.

Access made to other parts of the building, arising from both the original roof works and additional refurbishment proposals, had revealed that significant further works were required to meet modern regulations and current health and safety operating standards. The Council was wholly committed to the retention of a modern, safe and efficient Orchard Theatre and to carrying out these essential works.

Whilst it was originally envisaged that the works to the roof would result in a closure of around 12 months, deeper examination of the building identified the need for further significant works, over and above the renewal of the roof. This had been further exacerbated by the scope, breadth and the technical complexity of the works, and to ensure that the theatre meets all modern regulations and will be, to a significant extent, ‘future-proofed’ in terms of standards, safety, access and audience experience. This substantial amount of additional and originally unforeseen work has meant that the original timeframe for completion could not be delivered and that it would not be possible to re-open the main theatre until May 2026. As a result of this additional closure the Council was also seeking to extend the operational capacity of the Orchard West temporary theatre up to April 2026.

In 14 months of its operation Orchard West welcomed over 160,000 guests and presented a total of 257 performances, with the most recent pantomime Sleeping Beauty entertaining over 20,000 people across 38 performances. The main reasons for the Council taking action and providing a temporary venue was to safeguard the local economy (The Orchard Theatre generated an economic impact of £4.6 million in the local economy in 2022/23), to safeguard local employment related to the theatre, to continue the cultural offer for Dartford residents and to continue its obligations to Trafalgar Theatres to provide a useable venue from which to operate. These priorities remained unchanged.  Although the original contract with Trafalgar Entertainment to operate the temporary theatre ended on 3 February 2025 it was proposed to enter into a new contract with them until April 2026.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite MBE, proposed the recommendations contained in the report, which was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor C J Shippam. The motion was opened for debate.

The Shadow Leader of the Council said that his Group had supported the works  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.

To consider the approval of revised Contract Standing Orders.

The General Assembly of the Council considered a report which detailed proposed changes to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders to comply with changes introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 relating to the way that public authorities purchase goods, services and public works.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor J A Kite MBE, proposed the recommendations contained in the report, which was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor C J Shippam and it was …

          RESOLVED:

That, having considered a summary of the amendments as set out in para. 4.7 of the report, the Contract Standing Orders at Appendix A to the report, be adopted.