Minutes for the Meeting of the Council held Wednesday 19 November 2025

1 – Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Lees and Cllr Canham.

Relevant Legislation: Local Government Act 1972, s 85.

2 – Disclosure of Pecuniary Interests

There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest.

Relevant Legislation: Localism Act 2011, s 31.

3 – Public Participation

No member of the public wished to speak at the meeting.

Relevant Legislation: Local Government Act, s 100.

4 – Approval of Minutes

The Minutes for the Meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 29 October 2025 were approved.

Relevant Legislation: Local Government Act 1972, Sch 12, para 41 (1).

5 – Reports from outside organisation and agencies

Kent County Council

Kent County Councillor Ryan Waters provided a short update for members regarding local issues. It was noted by members that the Blue Star Roundabout was due to be resurfaced in January. Discussion took place around the parking issues on Hayes Road caused by the school traffic. Members noted that the increased capacity for the school had affected the parking situation greatly. The KCC members advised that Active Travel were in contact with the school to discuss.

Councillor Ben Fryer confirmed that Stone had been successful in securing funding through the KCC Members grant which would go towards the Seniors of Stone Christmas lunch and the Christmas Lights switch on event at Stone Recreation Ground.

Members thanked Councillor Waters and Councillor Fryer and resolved to note their reports.

Dartford Borough Council

Cllr David Mote informed members of the upcoming Cabinet meeting where Dartford Borough Council’s official response to the Government on their preferred options for Local Government Reorganisation would be ratified. It was expected that confirmation of the next steps would be communicated in May 2026, meaning that it was possible that the local elections of 2027 would be postponed for a year to allow shadowing by a new authority.

Cllr Mote told members about the upcoming Christmas Lights event and Santa on Tour, confirming that there were many seasonal events planned for this year.

Members thanked Cllr Mote and resolved to note his report.

6 – Award for Recognition of Services to the Community

Since 2015, the council has had a Recognition Policy to recognise exceptional or longstanding service to the community. Since 2015, awards have been made to former councillors and employees, community volunteers, and employees of local business.

At the previous Council Meeting, members resolved to award The Coxedge Family for Recognition of their Longstanding Service to the Community. The recipients were in attendance to accept the award.

The Mayor announced to members that after 59 years, J Coxedge Fish and Chips had stopped frying and passed on the shop to new owners. The business had been an enduring part of the Stone community for nearly six decades and was operated continuously by the Coxedge family. Throughout that time, the business provided excellent service, quality food, and a welcoming presence to generations of residents and visitors alike. The Mayor thanked Cindy, Paul and the whole Coxedge family for their tireless years of service in the community and presented them with an award on behalf of the Council.

Cindy Coxedge thanked the members for the award on behalf of the family, informing the members that it was an honour for their hard work to be recognised like this.

7 – London Road Green Corridor Scheme Update

Members were presented with an update on the London Road Green Corridor project.

Officers had recently attended an online meeting regarding the London Road Green Corridor project for which funding had been obtained by KCC for detailed designs. The meeting was also attended by KCC and DBC officers.

The London Road Green Corridor project was originally identified as part of the Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan in a bid to improve the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) through proposed greening and redesign of the road to support improved travel on foot or by bicycle. The scheme was picked up as part of the Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan by Dartford Borough Council as one of the key corridors connecting parts of the Borough. It was then identified and adopted by KCC as part of the Kent Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (KCWIP) as part of a proposed walking/cycle route.

The project was undergoing a review by the KCC Active Travel Schemes Project Manager and Designer, Alan Osuoha, who was leading the project through to detailed design stage, including carrying out junction modelling. This piece of work had been delayed to recent construction works at the Knights Reach development, but was expected to be conducted by the end of the year.

Discussion had taken place at the meeting regarding the potential for TROs to be required for certain elements of the scheme, including the proposal to reduce the speed from 40mph to 30mph. Officers were informed that the intention was to achieve final designs to be ready by the end of the financial year to enable inclusion in 2026 tranche delivery funding programmes.

The next update meeting was expected to be in January.

The Mayor confirmed it was pleasing to see the progress being made and very positive that it is hoped to be included in the first tranche of funding next year.

Members resolved to note the update regarding the London Road Green Corridor Scheme.

8 – Finance

8.1 – 2026/27 Budget Considerations

Members were presented with a report outlining the potential factors that could influence the preparation of the Council’s 2026/27 budget and proposed holding a Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Workshop in January. The purpose of the workshop would be to allow sufficient discussion between members and officers regarding the budget ahead of the setting of the budget and precept at the Council meeting on 21^st January to allow sufficient time and discussion on the subject.

The report considered National and external factors which were yet to be confirmed and operational and service-related factors which required further consideration following the completion of some of the Council’s long-term projects.

It was suggested that the Budget Workshop be held on Monday 12^th January.

Members resolved to:

Note the range of potential factors that may influence the development of the 2026/27 Council Budget; and
To hold a Budget and CIL Workshop on 12 January 2026 to provide focused discussion and early engagement with the budget‐setting process.

8.2 – Allotment Pricing structure

Members were presented with a report and recommendation from the Performance & People Committee regarding the Kirby Road Allotments. At the recent Performance & People Committee meeting, members had reviewed options for making the 14 clear plots at the north end of the site more accessible and financially sustainable. Having considered the trend across the country towards smaller, more manageable plots sizes, it had been proposed that these plots be divided into quarter-sized units and offered on a monthly subscription basis. This approach would create 56 smaller, more manageable plots—particularly suitable for newer or inexperienced allotment tenants.

It had been suggested that these plots be rented on a monthly basis, rather than a yearly renewal to allow faster turnaround for new tenants and help to cover the level of subsidy being provided by the council.

Members felt that the proposal for smaller, more manageable plots was a good idea and noted that it would be important to market these new plots once available.

Members resolved to ratify the decision by the Performance and People Committee and undertake amendments to the Allotment structure at Kirby Road Allotments as proposed.

9 – Planning Applications

Members were presented with the details of Major Planning Applications affecting the parish.

25/01220/FUL – 18 Chichester Road Stone Kent DA9 9JT
Demolition of existing bungalow and erection of a 2-storey new dwelling house with associated landscaping ,refuse and parking provisions

Members resolved to provide no objection to the application.

25/01241/FUL – 3 & 3A Carlton Avenue Horns Cross Greenhithe Kent DA9 9DR
Erection of front infill extension and raising of roof of both properties to create rooms in the roof with front and rear dormers with associated soft and hard landscaping.

Members resolved to provide no objection to the application.

10 – Exclusion of Press & Public

To resolve, pursuant to section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, that because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, the public and the press were requested to leave the meeting during consideration of the following items.

11 – ANPR Car Park Proposal

Members were presented with a proposal by Countrywide Parking Management for the introduction of an automated and managed parking enforcement system across the Stone Pavilion and Stone Recreation Ground car parks. The proposal aimed to address the ongoing misuse of the car park(s), to improve safety for park and pavilion users and staff and to ensure availability for legitimate users of the Council’s services.

The Clerk clarified that there were some amendments to be made to the proposal, including the length of stay for customers of Lizzies Café and when the restrictions would be in effect.

Members felt that the issues currently being experienced when parking at these sites warranted action and this scheme would be a fair compromise that would allow Pavilion and café users to park safely and ensure that any misuse of parking would be addressed.

Members resolved to approve the introduction of an ANPR parking management scheme at Stone Recreation Ground and Stone Pavilion.

12 – CCTV Monitoring Proposal for Stone Pavilion and Stone Recreation Ground

Members were presented with two proposals for monitoring of the CCTV systems at Stone Recreation Ground. The two proposals presented offered different models for monitoring, scope, and levels of support.

As part of the Stone Recreation Ground improvement scheme, the Council has invested in an extensive external CCTV system to cover the site ensuring any issues or incidents are recorded to provide evidence for further action. These proposals sought to extend this provision into active monitoring. retrospective

Members discussed the two proposals and felt that the cost of the monitoring with Provider 1 was too expensive to be viable and raised concerns over Provider 2 charging for this service as a local authority. It was recommended that further dialogue take place with Provider 2 to query the basis for charging as this extension of camera coverage would enhance their responsibilities around Community Safety.

Members were in support of the proposal by Dartford Borough Council to monitor the system but felt that further discussion was needed around the cost.

Members resolved to defer this item pending further discussion.

13 – Workforce Structure & Budget Proposals for 2026-27

Members were presented with a report and recommendation by the Performance & People Committee regarding the proposed Workforce Structure for implementation from April 2026. The recommendation was for the Full Council to ratify the Committee’s resolution to support the indicative proposals subject to the formal budget-setting process for 2026-27.

The report laid out an indicative workforce structure to be implemented from April 2026. The proposals put forward a rebalanced, modernised staffing model across Strategic Administration, Estate Maintenance, and Hospitality & Venues, reflecting organisational learning, venue redevelopment, and anticipated service growth.

The Committee resolved to support these indicative proposals in principle, acknowledging that implementation would be dependent on the outcomes of the 2026–27 budget setting process.