Tim Prater

Feb

2023

Sandgate Community Garden: Update 12 February 2023

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 12th February: The huge Saga quandary.

It was with great sadness that we heard this week that Saga is to close their office and children’s nursery at Enbrook Park with effect from 17^th March. With our main garden being on site, it meant that we were in a quandary as to what this would mean for us and the Community Garden – do we bother to sow any seeds from now on? Do we need to take up some of the plants straight away, as right now would be the best time to move them. It left us with many questions, let alone the thought of how much work we had put into the garden over the years, to have to leave it behind us.

Later that day we had a message from Saga:

“As you have already seen, today we announced to colleagues that we have taken the decision to close Enbrook Park, our head office. The building will be mothballed while we consider options for the site, which will be closed from 17^th March.

“I would like to reassure you and the rest of the community garden volunteers that the grounds will remain open and maintained as usual and we will continue to keep you updated with developments as they progress.”

So it was that we decided as a group to carry on and grow as normal for the spring, and sow seeds for the summer. With no fixed date in sight, we shall have to take a gamble and see what happens. Not an ideal scenario, but also to remember that some people will be losing their jobs with this decision.

As for the public access to the grounds, as long as Saga owns the property, we can all still enjoy the wooded area, the various paths and lawns. After that we do not know. Who or what sort of company would be able to buy such a site in a prime location there in Sandgate? It has to be said that Sandgate’s green areas are rapidly disappearing to accommodate more housing. Just this week there was an invitation from a housing company to view the proposal to build eight houses on an open space in the Golden Valley area. The Government is telling us that we need our green spaces, but how does that fit with the pressure of building yet more and more homes? Just how big will that green space be that is left? It will probably not be big enough for a community garden.

What’s next?

Start to sow the very first seeds of the season

Water the pots now that warmer weather has appeared

Cut back the goji berries

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Feb

2023

Folkestone Rowing Club Hosts Rowing Championship

On the 16^th of September 2023, Folkestone Rowing Club are hosting the 66^th South Coast Championship. This prestigious event will bring 800 – 1,000 people together on the beach at Sandgate to take part in the most important regatta in the coastal rowing season.

The Championship, which includes races for young people and for adults, will see rowers from Herne Bay to Plymouth come together in Sandgate for a weekend of fierce competition and sportsmanship.

Most crews will arrive in Sandgate on Friday 15^th September. On 16^th September, clubs and crews will arrive at Sandgate beach from 6am onwards. Racing will start at 9:30 and continue throughout the day until 5pm.

After the regatta finishes, Folkestone Rowing Club will host the prizegiving and an evening of celebration.

The Rowing Club will encourage visitors to use our local businesses and amenities throughout the day. The club are also offering local businesses the chance to sponsor the Championship. Tiered sponsorship packages give businesses the flexibility to advertise their company to the rowing community and support the event.

Sponsorship opportunities start from just £100 for programme advertising ranging up to £1000 for a Platinum level sponsor. To find out more, visit https://folkestonesouthcoastchamps.co.uk/sponsors or contact sponsorship@folkestonesouthcoastchamps.co.uk .

The 66th South Coast Championship Regatta and 17th U16 Rowing Championships will be hosted by CARA at Sandgate beach, Folkestone on Saturday 16th September 2023.

There is more information on the Folkestone SCC Facebook page.

Feb

2023

Parish Council Meeting Agenda 21-02-2023

The agenda for the Sandgate Parish Council Full Parish Council meeting, to held on Tuesday 21st February 2023, in Sandgate Library at 6.30pm.

Agenda-council-meeting-21-02-.23

The Council meeting is open to press and public. If you would like to attend this meeting, please notify clerk@sandgatepc.org.uk in advance. Letting us know allows us to make sure we have sufficient seats for you and allow reasonable spacing.

We keep a full list of previous Sandgate Parish Council Meeting Agenda and Minutes on this website. We publish those agendas a few days before each meeting, and will also post draft minutes in the week after a meeting.

Most of our meetings are broadcast live on our Facebook page. We’ll then leave those recordings on Facebook for a few months after the meeting so you can watch them back later.

Minimum Notice

We issue agenda’s at least three clear days before a meeting. We display them on the noticeboard in the library, Parish noticeboards on the Village Green and by Enbrook Valley shops, and on our website.

The minimum three clear days for notice of a meeting does not include:

the day of issue of the agenda, or;

the day of the meeting, or;

a Sunday, or;

a day of the Christmas break, or;

a day of the Easter break, or;

of a bank holiday, or;

a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning.

Meeting in Public

All meetings of our Council are open to the public, except in limited defined circumstances. We can only decide, by resolution, to meet in private when discussing confidential business or for other special reasons where publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest.

Those reasons might include, for example, discussing the conduct of employees, negotiations of contracts or terms of tender, or the early stages of a legal dispute.

Feb

2023

Planning Committee Agenda 21-02-2023

The agenda for the Sandgate Parish Council Full Parish Council meeting, to held on 21st February 2023, in Sandgate Library at the fall of the Full Council meeting or 7pm, whichever is later.

Planning-Agenda-21-02-23-doc

The Planning Committee meeting is open to press and public. If any member of the public wishes to attend, please can they notify clerk@sandgatepc.org.uk in advance. This allows us to ensure we have sufficient seats and allow reasonable spacing.

Previous Sandgate Parish Council Planning Committee Agenda and Minutes. We publish agendas a few days before a meeting. We then post draft minutes in the week after a meeting.

Most of our meetings will be broadcast live on our Facebook page. Recordings of the meetings will be left on Facebook for a few months after the meeting so they can be watched back later. Comments left on Facebook broadcasts during the meeting are not be monitored and are not a way of feeding back to the Council.

Minimum Notice

We issue agendas at least three clear days before a meeting. We display them on the noticeboard in the library, Parish noticeboards on the Village Green and by Enbrook Valley shops, and on our website.

The minimum three clear days for notice of a meeting does not include:

the day of issue of the agenda, or;

the day of the meeting, or;

a Sunday, or;

a day of the Christmas break, or;

a day of the Easter break, or;

of a bank holiday, or;

a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning.

Meeting in Public

Those reasons might include, for example, discussing the conduct of employees, negotiations of contracts or terms of tender, or the early stages of a legal dispute.

Feb

2023

Kent County Council: Community Services Consultation

Kent County Council (KCC) has launched a public consultation on its Community Services which runs until 26 March 2023.

The consultation proposes changes to the way we use our buildings to deliver some of our community services. We invite your feedback on our proposals as part of this consultation.

Why are we proposing changes?

The Council has experienced big increases in costs and has less money to spend. So we need to look ahead and do things differently to make sure we can still help residents in the years to come. Whilst ensuring effective support for residents who need our services, we need to:

tackle the rising costs of maintaining our many buildings
find savings, so we can balance the budget
reduce our carbon footprint to meet our Net-Zero ambitions.

What services are included in the proposals?

Children’s Centres and Youth Hubs, Public Health Services for Children and Families, Community Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities, Community Learning and Skills, and Gateways.

What are we proposing?

Having fewer permanent buildings, meaning that some of our buildings would close – we want to keep buildings in areas where they are needed the most
co-locating more of our services, meaning more than one service would be available from some of the buildings you might visit
continuing to deliver some services by outreach, which means they do not take place in a dedicated or permanent space, but move around to when and where they are needed
ensuring residents can continue to access services and information online.

Our proposals have been designed by considering where there is greatest need for our services.

Find out more and share your views

Please visit www.kent.gov.uk/communityservicesconsultation to view the consultation document, design handbooks, a video summarising the proposals, and the Equality Impact Assessments. You can respond via the online questionnaire (or download the Word version). You can also join us at a drop-in event where you can ask any questions you may have. Details of the drop-in sessions can be found on our website. If you have any queries, please contact communityservicesfeedback@kent.gov.uk.

Feb

2023

Sandgate Community Garden: Update 5 February 2023

Sandgate Community Garden Team Diary Entry for 5th February: From repotting strawberries to space planning in Singapore.

So now we are into February. The rainfall for January was a mere 63.9mm, something nearer to what we are used to, and the ground is starting to dry out. No frosts this week, and even a day when the temperature was in double figures, however it looks to change to being much colder but brighter next week.

On Monday a small group of volunteers came out from the Napier Barracks to help move compost from the lower wall, up the hill to the community garden. We then all bagged up a few bags of compost to take to the Incredible Edible group at All Soul’s Church in Cheriton to help top up the planters along the High Street where the levels have dropped over the year.

It is that time of year when all manner of ailments seem to be rumbling around amongst our gardeners and garden friends. Luckily not Covid, but everything else that has not made an appearance for some time, has suddenly decided to pop up and remind us they are still around. Somehow a few hours spent outside gardening on a freezing cold dull windy day, when you are feeling under the weather, is not as appealing as it might be on a warm sunny day. That is surely the time to give in and keep warmer indoors.

This week has been all about getting the last of those strawberry plants up out of the ground and potted up ready to be replanted in other areas – that certainly took some time. The soft fruit bushes also got a thinning and pruning, and all the plants under the netting got looked at to make sure all was well there. We had four rhubarb roots that needed potting up and protecting until the spring, and we were kindly given three hazel whips which we can use in another one of the gardens.

We have a couple of garden friends (Rita and Eddie) who have been visiting Singapore and sent back some really interesting pictures and information about parks, community gardens and even rooftops filled with trees and herb gardens. It is quite inspirational that Singapore has only 400sq miles with a population of about six million yet from the 1970’s the ‘ministries of environment and development’ have worked hand in hand to create a city garden habitat which has brought nature into residential urban spaces where birds and insects share the same places. All it takes is a little imagination and education.

What’s next?

We need to remove some of the raspberry canes

Cut back some of the shrubs

Little more mulch required around the soft fruit bushes and over the artichokes

Move a plant near the smoke bush

This weeks update from the Sandgate Community Garden Diary.

Feb

2023

PWLB Loan Reserve Report January 2023

Updated PWLB Loan Reserve report for Sandgate Parish Council to January 2023.

Loan Reserve Report

Copy-of-PWLB_tracker_2018_2022-x-3-003

We have previously issued PWLB Reports quarterly alongside committee reports. We will aim to do so from now using this standalone format.

The PWLB loan reserve was formed following our receipt of a loan of £500,000 from the Public Works Loan Board in August 2018 for the purchase of land which then fell through. Despite lobbying Government, the PWLB (a branch of the Treasury) refused to cancel the loan and take the money back from us without requiring a six figure penalty fee. They did, however, confirm the money could be retained and invested by the Council.

The Council has committed that the costs of the loan will not fall on taxpayers through increased Council Tax without a consultation on doing so. We have held no such consultation to date.

As such, we placed the full loan amount in a defined PWLB Loan Reserve.

All payments for that loan (capital repayments, interest payments) come out of that reserve.

All income from that loan (currently interest payments on the loan amount) we put into that reserve. The value of the reserve is published regularly (quarterly).

At this time, while the costs of the loan exceed the income (due to historically low interest rates), the value of our PWLB Loan Reserve is dropping. Although we seek investments with the best return, we want security for the money (so it is all currently in accounts backed by guarantee up to £85,000 per account) and some investments are not open to local authorities, so there are limits on what we can do.

Financial Reporting

Previous Sandgate Parish Council Resources Committee Agendas, Minutes and Financial Reports.

Sandgate Parish Council uses (the excellent) Scribe Accounts to manage our Council accounts and generate reports.

Sandgate Parish Council’s finances are governed by our Financial Regulations and Standing Orders. Every Town and Parish Council has similar rules. Because those rules govern our financial management, we can only amend or vary them by a Council resolution.

Our Council’s Standing Orders require quarterly reporting of receipts, payments and balances. For instance, they say at 17.c:

The Responsible Financial Officer shall supply to each councillor as soon as practicable after 30 June, 30 September and 31 December in each year a statement to summarise:

i. the council’s receipts and payments for each quarter;

ii. the council’s aggregate receipts and payments for the year to date;

iii. the balances held at the end of the quarter being reported

and which includes a comparison with the budget for the financial year and highlights any actual or potential overspends.

Feb

2023

Financial Reports January 2023

Updated financial reports for Sandgate Parish Council for January 2023, and the financial year 2022-23 to date.

Sandgate Parish Council uses (the excellent) Scribe Accounts to manage our Council accounts and generate reports.

Sandgate Parish Council’s finances are governed by our Financial Regulations and Standing Orders. Every Town and Parish Council has similar rules. Those rules govern our financial management, and we can only amend or vary them by a Council resolution.

The Council’s Standing Orders require that we report quarterly on receipts, payments and balances. For instance, they say at 17.c:

The Responsible Financial Officer shall supply to each councillor as soon as practicable after 30 June, 30 September and 31 December in each year a statement to summarise:

i. the council’s receipts and payments for each quarter;

ii. the council’s aggregate receipts and payments for the year to date;

iii. the balances held at the end of the quarter being reported

and which includes a comparison with the budget for the financial year and highlights any actual or potential overspends.

We are now publishing our reports monthly to exceed that requirement. We then consider those reports at the next Parish Council Resources Committee meeting.

Feb

2023

Network Railcards and the 09:58 Folkestone West to St Pancras

Many train users locally have raised concerns about the recent Southeastern timetable change. This seemed to mean railcards (like Network Railcards) could no longer be used as before on the post peak trains to London, as the departure time from Folkestone Central and Folkestone West has changed from after 10 am to just before.

This was raised at the White Cliffs Community Rail Partnership meeting with Southeastern on 31st January. The response is below, and the good news is that you CAN use their Network Railcard on the 9.55/9.58 train. However, users need to purchase their ticket at the ticket office or purchase a ticket for the next train (but then travel on the 9.55/9.58) to get the discount applied.

“Special easement for 09.55/09.58 from Folkestone Central/West

“The 09.55 service from Folkestone Central – St Pancras International (09.58 from Folkestone West) had a Super Off-Peak easement added from 11th December due to the timetable changes; previously the train departed at 10.00 / 10.02.

“Network Railcard discounts were not able to be included, but have now been agreed as a special easement for Folkestone; however this will not be reflected in Journey Planner software or online when purchasing. Ticket Office staff can issue tickets for this service with the Network Railcard discount; online purchases (and TVMs) will rely on passengers selecting a later service for travel, but then using the 09.55/09.58 departure.

“We appreciate this may cause confusion for some passengers, but is the only option we can currently offer without refusing the Network Railcards discount entirely.”

Feb

2023

English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) Bus Passes Bulk Renewals March 2023

Background: Kent County Council (KCC) manages the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (often also referred to as Older People’s Bus Passes) for Kent residents on behalf of central government. There are currently approximately 250,000 ENCTS pass-holders in Kent, who qualify either on the basis of age or disability.

Passes are issued for five years with an expiry date at the end of March, regardless of which month in the year the pass was originally issued. As a legacy of the commencement of the scheme, every five years there is a significant peak in renewals.

2023 renewals

In March 2023 there are 140,000 passes that reach their natural expiry.

The approach KCC takes is ‘Intelligent Auto-Renewals’ i.e. not asking all pass holders re-apply but re-issuing a pass automatically if it has been used in the year before expiry.

Where passes have not been used, we write to the pass holder offering them the opportunity to renew their pass through a simple online or free post process.

Passholders who qualify on grounds of disability are asked to re-evidence their entitlement. This is because some passes are issued on the grounds of temporary disability. However, we are updating the process after this renewal so that those with permanent disabilities will not need to do this again once they have re-evidenced this time.

In all cases we will contact passholders directly either with their new pass or with instructions on how to renew. Passholders do not need to do anything prior to receiving their new pass or letter unless they have moved since they received their existing pass. In this case, they need to let us know their new address. Details of how to do this can be found at www.kent.gov.uk/buspass.

The scheme is a statutory scheme which gives eligible passholders access to services across the UK, not just in Kent. As such, the issue of a pass does not take account of changes to local bus services.

Process and timelines

Letters for those whose pass will not automatically renew will be sent in late January and February.

Bus Passes will be sent out in batches by District in February and early March.

Passholders do not need to contact us unless they have moved since they received their existing pass. Details of how to let us know they have moved can be found at www.kent.gov.uk/buspass.

Older person passes used within the previous year:

Automatically renewed – the pass will be sent by post.

Older person passes not used within the previous year:

Passholders will be sent a letter inviting them to renew and giving them a choice of doing so online or by free post.

Disabled person’s passes:

All disabled person passholders with March 2023 expiry will be sent a letter inviting them to renew and giving them a choice of doing so via online or free post.

The approach adopted is well established, understood and well-rehearsed between ourselves and our delivery partners and as such no operational issues are expected.

More information and contact details

For more information about renewals please contact jean.molloy@kent.gov.uk or see the ENCTS web page at www.kent.gov.uk/buspass.

Tim Prater

Sandgate Community Garden: Update 12 February 2023

Folkestone Rowing Club Hosts Rowing Championship

Parish Council Meeting Agenda 21-02-2023

Minimum Notice

Meeting in Public

Planning Committee Agenda 21-02-2023

Minimum Notice

Meeting in Public

Kent County Council: Community Services Consultation

Sandgate Community Garden: Update 5 February 2023

PWLB Loan Reserve Report January 2023

Loan Reserve Report

Financial Reporting

Financial Reports January 2023

Payment and Receipts Summary

Receipts in Month

Payments in Month

Reserve Balances

Bank Reconciliation

VAT Summary

Network Railcards and the 09:58 Folkestone West to St Pancras

English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) Bus Passes Bulk Renewals March 2023

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