Agenda, decisions and minutes

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Revell and Wilson.

The following Substitute Members were noted:

·  Councillor Perry for Councillor Revell

·  Councillor Cox for Councillor Wilson

The Chairman, in his opinion, agreed to take the report of the Head of Commercial and Economic Development – Update on Public Realm Design Guide and Public Art Policy as an urgent item as it was required to tie in with the Phase 3 Public Realm project.

It was noted that Councillor Ells was in attendance as an observer.

Councillor Newton disclosed that he had an interest in item 12 – Plaques and People Protocol due to his work as a stonemason.

Councillor Pickett disclosed that he had been lobbied with regard to item 12 – Plaques and People Protocol.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 June 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

There were no petitions.

There were no questions or statements from members of the public.

RESOLVED: That the item on part II of the agenda be taken in private as proposed.

RESOLVED: That the Heritage, Culture and Leisure Committee work programme be noted.

Fran Wallis, Local Economy Project Officer, introduced Laura Knight and Louise Francis of FrancisKnight who had been commissioned to produce a public Realm Design Guide for Maidstone Town Centre and a Public Art Policy for the Borough.

Ms Francis and Ms Knight gave a presentation on their findings to date, and explained that key documents had informed the review including the council’s Local Plan, Strategic Plan and Destination Management Plan.

During discussion it was expressed that:

·  During Phases One and Two of the Maidstone Town Centre Public Realm project, street furniture has been implemented in the corporate colours of blue and gold. During Phase Three Members would consider whether to continue using this colour scheme.

·  Stakeholders would be consulted including One Maidstone and Maidstone Area Arts Partnership (MAAP). Consultation with traders would be undertaken at phase three of the Public Realm work.

·  The Public Realm Design Guide would inform the future phases of the development and would be utilised by contractors working on those later stages.

·  Detailed consultation on design and material would come at a later stage.

·  A public art policy would standardise the process, provide a basis for enabling developer contributions and include a policy on decommissioning to remove outdated items.

At Members request Dawn Hudd, the Head of Commercial and Economic Development, agreed to arrange a workshop to further engage Members in the development of the documents discussed.

A Member nominated herself to be the champion for the Public Realm Design Guide and Public Art Policy. This was seconded.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the report be noted.

2.  That the presentation be noted.

For – 9  Against – 0  Abstain - 0

3.  That Councillor Stockell be appointed as the Committee’s champion for the Public Realm Design Guide and Public Art Policy

For – 9  Against – 0  Abstain – 0

1.  That the draft Plaques and People Protocol be noted;

2.  That the matter be taken further and an officer’s report on the item be presented to a future meeting of the Committee.

Councillor Newton, having disclosed a pecuniary interest in the item, indicated that he would not take part in the discussion or vote and left the room.

The Chairman introduced the report proposing a draft Plaques and People Protocol, and gave a presentation outlining the plaques that are currently situated around the borough.

It was stated that:

·  The design of plaques situated in the borough had been ad hoc to date;

·  A standard plaque design was recommended, which consisted of a set size, in slate, with the name of the person or event in gold and other text in white;

·  There was no record of the process by which names had been selected to be painted in the town hall chamber. There were nine spaces left, and so the draft protocol recommended the same process be used to select names for this purpose.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the report be noted;

2.  That the matter of a Plaques and People Protocol be taken further and an officer’s report on the item be presented to a future meeting of the Committee.

For – 8  Against – 0  Abstain – 0

That the Sponsorship and Advertising Policy be adopted for all Maidstone Culture and Leisure (MCL) sponsorship and advertising propositions.

Laura Dickson, MCL Marketing and Sales Manager, presented the report and clarified that the policy related to sponsorship and advertising, which were business exchanges. This was in contrast to fundraising, which did not usually require something in exchange.

It was explained that:

·  The policy set out guidelines that advertising and sponsorship must fall within.

·  The policy relates to assets within the Maidstone Culture and Leisure (MCL) area, such as the museum, events, parks and advertising on buses.

·  Income derived from the advertising or sponsorship would go to meeting existing income targets within the service or directly into supporting other activity such as exhibitions at the museum, which would not otherwise happen.

As per a Member’s suggestion Ms Dickson agreed to amend a sentence on page 23, adding the word ‘significant’ to read:

‘Organisations that will not be considered or approved for sponsorship opportunities include, but are not limited to, those which represent a significant conflict of interest or are connected directly or indirectly with the following…’

RESOLVED: That the Sponsorship and Advertising Policy be adopted for all Maidstone Culture and Leisure (MCL) sponsorship and advertising propositions.

For – 9  Against – 0  Abstain – 0

RESOLVED: That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business because of the likely disclosure of exempt information for the reason specified, having applied the public interest test:-

  Head of Schedule 12 A and

  Brief Description

Minutes (Part II) of the  Para 3 – info re financial/ business

Meeting held on 7 June 2016  affairs

RESOLVED: That the Minutes (Part II) of the meeting held on 7 June 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

6.31 p.m. to 8.10 p.m.