STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-2024 - Stone Parish Council
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STRATEGIC PL AN 2021-2024
S TO N E PA R I S H C O U N C I L
1
STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4 2
C ONTE NTS
INTRODUCTION 5
VISION & VALUES 6
CONTEXT 9
OUR APPROACH 15
KEY FOCUS AREAS 17
OUR PLANS 19
SERVICE AREAS 27
FINANCIAL STRATEGY 31
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 37
CONCLUSION 39
APPENDICES 40
STONE PARISH COUNCIL
Stone Pavilion
Hayes Road, Stone
Kent DA9 9DS
t. +44 01322 384400
clerk@stoneparishcouncil.com
www.stoneparishcouncil.com
facebook.com/stone.council
instagram.com/stone_pc
twitter.com/StonePC
© 2021 Stone Parish Council
Photo credit: Neil Homewood
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4
INTRODUCTION
This document sets out the strategic plans of the
council for the next three years.
The objectives in the plan correspond to both the
needs and demands of the local area and the wider
context.
This plan aims to provide insight into the aspirations
for the parish within which the community, other
tiers of authority, local organisations and volunteer
groups, and local businesses can engage with us
over the next three years.
The strategy is designed to be sufficiently
detailed to enable us to plan both financially and
from a resource perspective to ensure we can achieve
our goals, while retaining a degree of flexibility to
respond as necessary to prevailing circumstances.
We look forward to a positive and productive three
years to deliver this vision and re-establish a vibrant
and connected community.
5
STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
The council’s vision for the next three years is to:
“SUPPORT,
PROTECT AND
ENHANCE STONE
PARISH IN A
PROACTIVE,
ETHICAL WAY THAT
MEANS RESIDENTS
FEEL WELL
REPRESENTED AND
SERVED”.
6
V I S I O N & VA L U E S
This vision statement is derived from the following expanded aims:
• To provide support to the parish community to be resilient to issues that create
disadvantages or most affect quality of life.
• To protect the environment from detrimental impact or worsening of issues
such as air quality and loss of local green space
• To enhance the parish environment through improving the public realm and
valuable green spaces and providing facilities that enable the community to
thrive and prosper
• To be proactive in identifying opportunities for innovation, collaboration and
community benefit
• To operate ethically in a way that demonstrates we are a good employer, an
effective service provider, embrace equality and diversity and are committed to
minimising the impact of our operations on the environment
• To achieve a high level of engagement with the community to encourage
participation in ideas and decisions so we can be clear what our residents want
and expect from us and they feel well represented
• To take a fair and balanced approach to our financial strategy to minimise the
burden to the taxpayer and achieve optimum value for money so taxpayers
feel well served.
The vision is supported by the values we have identified that best describes our
organisation and workforce.
Namely, that we are Adaptable, Collaborative,
Forward-thinking, Resourceful and have Integrity.
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8
C O N T E XT
N AT I O N A L
We are living in changeable and unpredictable will be vast political, economic, social
times, witnessing divisions in society - technological, legal and environmental
exemplified by debates concerning Brexit, consequences that will last many decades.
the COVid-19 pandemic and the Climate
Crisis. There is also suggestion the pandemic may
lead to a ‘social recession’; a collapse in
The National Government has set social contact that is particularly hard on the
legally binding targets for net zero emissions populations most vulnerable to isolation and
by 2050. Parliament, Kent County Council, loneliness – older adults and people with
Dartford Borough Council and some local disabilities or pre-existing health conditions.
councils in Kent have already declared a By the middle of the plan, we want to know
Climate Emergency. and be able to contact our elderly and most
vulnerable.
The population is living longer, with
increasingly complex needs. One in four Even prior to COVid-19, rates of loneliness in
adults will experience a common mental the UK were increasing. Between April and
illness during their lifetime and one in six May 2020, 6.3% or 1.5 million adults in the UK
adults in England has a mental health and said they felt lonely often or always. Lonely
wellbeing issue at any given time. Mental individuals are more likely to visit their GP
illness is the largest single cause of disability more frequently than needed, have higher
in the UK and represents 23% of the national use of medication, and undergo early entry
disease burden in the UK. into social care settings.
COVid-19 is proving a huge public test Brexit saw the UK leave the European
of governments’ capacity to lead their Union on 31st December 2020 meaning vast
societies through a crisis. The pandemic will changes to many our regulations and
likely change the world permanently and practices. The legacy of this is yet to be
profoundly. Even if the spread of COVid-19 determined, but there could inevitably have
can be controlled in coming months, there some impact during this strategic period.
9
STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
LO C A L
PARISH GROWTH & INCREASED decades fulfilling a large part of the housing
POPULATION quota for the parish.
Housing targets for the Borough, and However, a few are still to be delivered in
therefore parish, are set by Government and the parish, with the most significant of these
implemented through the planning process being a scheme for 260 apartments at
by Dartford Borough Council, who is the Crossways Boulevard and up to 860 dwellings
Local Planning Authority. The parish at St. James Pit.
council has no influence over this and is
unable to prevent delivery of housing Construction and occupation of these
considered acceptable within the planning developments is likely to be well underway
framework. by the end of the plan’s term and will increase
the parish population putting further pressure
A number of housing development schemes on roads, school places, health provision and
at Worcester Park, Waterstone Park, Stone leisure and recreation provision.
House Hospital and St Clements Way have
10 already been constructed over the past two In an attempt to mitigate or at least shapefuture development in the best interests of formally submitted and is awaiting
the parish, the council resolved to develop a independent examination to check
neighbourhood plan in conjunction with local soundness before a public referendum,
residents and community representatives. anticipated in late 2021.
This took five years of hard work and We are already negotiating with the Clinical
dedication and is currently the only Commissioning Group regarding the delivery
neighbourhood plan that has been developed of a new health centre in the Parish and hope
in the borough. The council hopes this goes details of this will be announced soon.
some way to demonstrating how serious
we are about ensuring the parish is well We will also work alongside the other tiers of
served and that any funding derived from authority to secure a site for an additional
development in Stone Parish is re-invested primary school to serve the growing
back into the parish by way of infrastructure population following recent delivery of a
improvements. secondary school. We will also look at library
service provision to ensure the parish is
The Neighbourhood Plan has now been effectively catered for.
11STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
CUTS TO SERVICES AT OTHER TIERS OF vulnerable residents to ensure we are aware
AUTHORITY of the most in need in our community and can
deploy support in the event of extenuating
There are 1.55m people in living in the County circumstances, such as a local emergency,
of Kent. Recent years has seen sizeable cuts significant adverse weather or a future health
to both Kent County Council and Dartford or pandemic situation
Borough Council’s budgets, as well as
the budget of Kent Police, resulting in a AIR QUALITY
corresponding impact to health, social care,
education and emergency services. These The location of Stone Parish, with the north
cuts affect all aspects of society and especially fronting the River Thames including the
the most vulnerable. Dartford Crossing, and the presence of key
destinations such as Bluewater and Crossways
We already provide funding to enhance Business Park, means many people drive in
delivery of youth services and have committed or through the parish.
to maintaining this over the three years. We
provide a number of activities for seniors and As such, we are an area with air quality issues.
will seek to strengthen this during the plan.
The Council responded on behalf of the Parish
We have begun production on a parish to the Lower Thames Crossing consultation to
12 database of lonely, elderly,disabled and support implementation of this in Gravesend,rather than alongside the existing Dartford children to emerging evidence linking fine
Crossing to help alleviate the level of traffic particulate matter to the progression of
that reaches the parish from south-east Kent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In a legal first
and beyond. for the UK, a ruling was made by a coroner in
December 2020 that air pollution was partially
London Road and part of St Clements Way responsible for the death of a nine-year old
are formally designated as an Air Quality girl.
Management Area meaning measurements
exceed regulatory limits requiring constant We hope a permanent move to more flexible
monitoring. working or working from home following
COVid-19 may help to alleviate traffic and
Poor air quality is a major health challenge congestion issues in the parish, but remain
for the UK causing both short and long-term committed to tackling and improving air
effects on health. Data for the Stone House quality within our scope.
and Stone Castle Wards indicates a lower-
than-average life expectancy, with lung- We will engage with local schools in particular
related illnesses representing a high level of regarding travel plans to establish incentives
deaths. that encourage sustainable travel to school
and seek reduction of air pollution around
Long-term exposure to air pollution can school environments.
impact all stages of life, from asthma in
13STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4 14
OUR APPROACH
Our strategic plan was deliberately reduced We uphold complete transparency regarding
to three years instead of five to reflect the our decision-making and financial position
current pace of change – looking forward five and welcome interaction from residents in
years seemed almost impossible given the these processes.
current climate we are in.
We have high regard for equality and diversity
Many of the council’s usual activities and and will be mindful of this in everything we do.
services will continue to be affected by the
pandemic for some time to come. As such, We want to encourage citizen collaboration,
part of our strategy must be to rebuild services where we move from being a provider of
where these have suffered or been lost, as services to the community, to us taking
well as seek to replace popular activities and collective social responsibility and working
events such as Stone Fete, which had to be together for the benefit of the parish.
cancelled and may take some time to return.
We will work in a community-led way and will
We have taken all above factors into encourage residents’ groups to undertake
consideration when formulating our plan and initiatives and activities to benefit the parish,
feel our proposed approach will provide the supplying funding where appropriate to
most effective service to parish residents. enable these.
We regard the parish council as a valuable body We recognise the benefits of having good
to give support to those in need, disseminate relations and working effectively with local
useful information, and provide services organisations, partner agencies and other
and facilities that enable the community to tiers of authority. We will continue to do this
interact, learn, be healthy and happy. to ensure parish needs are acknowledged and
supported.
We feel we have a direct role to play in the
social, economic and environmental wellbeing We aim to build stronger relationships with
of our community. Kent Police, local health providers and schools
to enhance our role in keeping people safe,
We aim to be open and approachable so healthy and well educated.
residents can engage with us in a friendly and
informal manner. We will work closely with Dartford Borough
Council and Kent County Council to identify
We take an entrepreneurial approach to existing or emerging gaps in provision to
running services with an aim to achieve as coordinate the best use of resources to
close to zero net cost as possible to avoid maintain local services.
major taxpayer subsidies.
15STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
W E H AV E
IDENTIFIED THREE
SPECIFIC FOCUS
AREAS ON WHICH
TO C O N C E N T R AT E
O U R E F F O R T S OV E R
T H E D U R AT I O N O F
THIS THREE- YEAR
PLAN
16KEY FOCUS AREAS
A S A F E A N D H E A LT H Y C O M M U N I T Y
This focus area will see us build community resilience,
improve the feeling of safety in the parish through effective
partnership working with Kent Police, Neighbourhood
Watch and other relevant agencies. We will also maintain
our request for a dedicated KCC Community Warden for the
parish to re-establish a link between authorities.
We will increase the feeling of inclusion among local
residents through a vibrant calendar of online and in-
person events that enables social interaction and a feeling
of belonging.
We will continue to provide COVid-19-related support as
necessary, including assisting however possible to address
adverse impact such as job losses or ongoing health effects.
We will also collaborate with the community to establish and
develop local initiatives to enhance our service provision.
A PROTECTED AND ENHANCED ENVIRONMENT
This focus area will see us lead by example on climate
change, improve green spaces, and enhance the
environment through tree planting and public realm
upgrades.
STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
We will declare a climate emergency and back this up with
production of an environmental strategy that sets out how
we’ll strive for carbon neutrality.
We will work closely with Dartford Borough Council
to ensure street cleaning is maintained to a high level,
including continuing our current commitment and support
to remove fly-tip within a 48-hour period to keep the parish
looking clean.
We will work with local agencies to address lorry parking
and problematic pavement parking on parish roads.POSITIVE AND RESPECTED LEADERSHIP
This focus area will see us demonstrate effective leadership
by articulating a strong vision for the parish, uphold high
standards of performance and knowledge, and encourage
a high level of participation from local residents in our
decision-making.
We hope to see the five years of hard work and effort to
produce the Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan supported
by local residents with a ‘Yes’ vote at the anticipated
referendum in 2021, unlocking much-needed additional
investment for the parish to go towards realising the
ambitions in this plan.
We will ensure we keep residents updated regarding
progress on local infrastructure schemes and will continue
to consult with local residents regarding objectives of
the Neighbourhood Plan to ensure they remain ongoing
community aspirations.
We remain committed to excellence as an employer and
seek continual development of both staff and councillors
to ensure we perform well.
18OUR
S T R AT E G I C P L A N
PROJECTS
19STONE RECREATION GROUND
MASTERPL AN
We have recently submitted a planning application for a major improvement scheme
for Stone Recreation Ground. This £1.3m upgrade will include a new playground and
relocated basketball court, public toilets, café and community space, new footpaths and
cycle paths, running track, CCTV and lighting and extensive landscaping.
This represents the biggest undertaking by the council since the Recreation Ground was
established in the 1930’s, which we feel is needed to bring the facility up to date and
ensure it is fit for purpose to serve the additional parish growth we will see in coming
years.
We hope to start these improvements by Summer 2021, and it will likely take most of the
duration of the plan to fully complete this work. We will be looking to consult separately
with local families on designs for a new playground and feel this represents a very exciting
new era for the ‘Rec’.
As the work takes place, we will explore requirements to attain Green Flag status to
provide residents with a premium standard facility for many years to come.
20CL AIRE TILTMAN CENTRE
AT COTTON LANE
We anticipate completion of the Claire Tiltman Centre by Summer 2021, which will provide
a fantastic new facility for the Brent 6th Scout Group and Duke of Edinburgh award
activities, community learning and development and resources for wildlife and ecology.
The first half of the plan will be concentrated on establishing the centre, coordinating
new activities and competing external landscaping and wildlife features.
We are delighted to be partnering with the Kent Wildlife Trust to establish a valuable
ecology resource, which can act as a source of education for local young people and the
wider community to promote sustainable living.
As soon as we’re able to, we will begin to deliver smaller community events and
STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
opportunities for local small businesses to promote themselves to the community.
The second half of the plan will build on this foundation to establish volunteer and activity
groups to support the resource and enable further expansion of provision and services.LONDON ROAD GREEN CORRIDOR
London Road (or the A289) is the main trunk road which runs the entire length of the parish
from east to west. The whole stretch of road comprises an0 Air Quality Management Area
due to high pollution levels.
In line with objectives in the Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan to improve air quality and
address pollution from cars, we have identified a series of green enhancements along
London Road that aim to create a buffer between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists to
both improve safety and absorb C02 emitted by exhausts.
Individual projects range in scale from £2.5k to £450k and will be prioritised in order of
impact and available funding and delivered as appropriate over the life of the plan.
These schemes will also improve the appearance of London Road to create a high
standard of environment.
22SUSTAINABLE FOOTPATH & C YCLE
PATH N ETWORK
Objectives in the Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan aim to improve the ability for
residents to travel around the parish on foot or by bicycle to reduce the use of cars to help
lower carbon emissions.
The council is particularly keen to encourage sustainable travel to school as habits are
formed when young, therefore instilling preference for walking or cycling at an early age
will not only help keep residents healthy, but also contribute to improving air quality.
A cohesive footpath and cycle path map was produced as part of the Neighbourhood
Plan, which sets out a series of upgrades and new installations to create new connections
around the parish. Individual schemes range from £23k-£650k, which will be prioritised
for impact and available funding and delivered as appropriate over the life of the plan.
STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
We will evidently not be in a financial position to afford all the projects in both above
schemes. For some smaller projects, we may be able to utilise CIL (Community
Infrastructure Levy) which comes from tax on local development schemes.
More likely, we will rely heavily on supplementary funding, either through collaboration
with Kent Highways or Dartford Borough Council, or through securing grants from
applicable government or public body schemes. However, we feel it was important to do
the work to articulate our vision so a cohesive approach can be taken to this in years to
come, whether by us or other bodies.
We will also look to compliment these physical upgrades with initiatives such as bicycle
repair and recycling, cycle parking and walking groups.BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
In year two of the plan, we will research the basis of any digital divide experienced in the
parish to identify how we can improve this situation.
In year three, we will aim to establish a local digital fund to seek to bridge the divide,
particularly among the elderly and disadvantaged, through grants, training and provision
of infrastructure where appropriate.
We will aim to assist those that lack confidence, encounter difficulties or need technical
advice to remove barriers that enable their use of digital technology, so they are not
disadvantaged in managing daily life, employment or social interactions.
24COMMUNITY APP
We were successful in obtaining a grant from Dartford Borough Council to develop a
mobile app to enhance communications within the community. Although the uptake of
digital communication and working has increased exponentially during the COVid-19
pandemic, more and more people are either rejecting or removing themselves from
popular social media channels due to concerns over privacy or abuse. Equally, the way
algorithms for these channels work means it’s increasingly difficult for communications
to be seen, leading to uncertainty regarding local communications reach.
As part of our COVid-19 response, we have seen how important it is, not only to be able
to communicate directly and promptly to disseminate important information, but for
residents to engage with each other and contact us easily if they need assistance. To
avoid any social recession, we will need to create virtual spaces that can sustain us and
help those most vulnerable to combat loneliness.
STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
Development of our community app will take place during year one and we hope to
launch by early 2022. This will enable a cohesive method of community interaction on
the web, phone or tablet that focuses solely on provision of parish-related information.
We hope the app will become a real focus for the community upholding our sharing and
caring aspirations and enabling local groups, organisations and businesses to advertise
for free so we can support both the local economy and community groups.
We will enable mechanisms via the app for local residents to care, share, repair or recycle
among each other to reduce waste, consumption and foster positive community relations.
We will also provide free e-books, learning and short courses to help with money
management, employment and digital skills.MY MUSIC
OUR TREE YEAR PL AN
The UK has just three decades to reach net-zero emissions and tree planting has emerged
as a prominent part of the government’s plan to get there.
Through the life of the plan, we will be taking on a huge challenge to plant 3,000 trees
in three years. This will include utilising council-owned land, collaborating with local
landowners and possibly even providing trees for resident’s gardens, where this is
appropriate.
Tree planting will include establishing fruit and nut trees to create community orchards
where this is feasible.
We will also utilise new hedges instead of trees, where these will help to improve
pedestrian and cyclist safety or contribute to effective absorption of C0² pollution.
26S E RV I C E A R E A S
COUNCIL FACILITIES
We will adopt a policy to become a single-use
plastic free council and prohibit single-use
plastic at all our facilities, providing instead
biodegradable tableware or encouraging use
of china crockery and stainless steel cutlery.
We will review our waste and water processes to
ensure we can recycle as much as possible and
set ongoing targets to reduce non-recyclable
and food waste.
We will also seek to commission an energy
audit and decarbonisation plan to provide us
with data to establish an action plan for green
energy improvements and ongoing monitoring
to assess performance.
We will install electric vehicle charging points at
council facilities and work with local businesses
to support further expansion. We will continue
to pursue green improvements through the life
27
of the planSTONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
PUBLIC REALM We will continue to work closely with Kent
Wildlife Trust, the Allotments Association and
We maintain around 60 acres of parks and Fields in Trust to support our knowledge and
green spaces across the parish and will activities in the public realm.
continue to uphold to high standards as well
as upgrade and improve facilities over the COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND
course of the plan. EVENTS
As well as key projects, we intend to In year one, we will continue to plan a series
implement smaller improvements at Horns of virtual community events until it is safe to
Cross Garden, Alamein Garden, Stone Castle reconvene in larger numbers.
Park and Kirby Road Allotments.
In years two and three (assuming no further
We will review our use of chemicals and restrictions are in place), we will re-introduce
will refrain from using any weed killers that a calendar of community events that promote
contain glyphosates. We will also be creating a inclusion and celebrate the diversity of our
number of bee, butterfly, bird and bat friendly community.
28 areas.We will ensure we effectively welcome new We will remain committed to delivery of residents to the parish and ensure sufficient effective youth services that enable local provision of information regarding local young people to access support, advice and events and services. participate in activities. We will continue to support delivery of ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING bespoke youth services in the parish to target issues of anti-social behaviour, drugs and We will implement a new environmental gang-related activity, working collaboratively strategy by the end of 2021 that will set out with both Kent Police and youth service how we intend to reduce our impact on the organisations. environment. We will expand our annual community This will include reviewing our investments grants programme for local groups and and banking arrangements and adopting organisations, as well as resident groups, to a policy that favours local and ethical apply for funds to support local initiatives, purchasing. hold post-COVid-19 events, and enable innovative ideas to benefit our community. 29
We will work with local partners to look at We will re-introduce a triennial newsletter
improving air quality around schools and to ensure we continue to communicate
air quality hotspots. effectively with any residents that do not
use email or social media.
We will continue to make representations
on behalf of the parish on all planning We will ensure the impact on equality
applications having an impact on the and diversity, and the environment is a
parish to ensure community aspirations consideration of every decision we make.
contained in the Neighbourhood Plan are
articulated. We will continue to uphold high
standards as an employer, we are already
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION & a Living Wage employer and will move to
COMMUNICATIONS a position of anonymised applications for
job vacancies to remove potential bias
In year one, we plan to overhaul our IT from applications.
and telecommunications systems to
instate a fit-for-purpose solution that will We also provide free mental health,
provide greater flexibility and seamlessly wellbeing and advice services for all staff.
handle periods of remote working as
necessary with no loss of performance or We will continue to provide valuable
connectivity. training for both staff and councillors to
ensure our skills and knowledge are up
The community app will enhance this to date and enable us to innovate and
capability further. evolve as necessary.
30FINANCIAL
S T R AT E G Y
We must take a pragmatic view with the budget that costs
will increase each year, both due to inflation and increased
resource need due to delivering new services.
We also know that service income will be down in
year one due to the ongoing impact of COVid-19,
which poses further budget challenges.
The primary approach to formulating the three-year budget
that accompanies this strategic plan is to make effective use
of a mix of public borrowing while interest rates are low and
CIL expenditure to maintain delivery of community benefits
while our service income is depleted due
to COVid-19 diminishing our usual revenue spend.
31STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
PARISH TAX
parish portion of council tax for 2021-2022,
We consider our financial impact on local even though this will represent an immediate
taxpayers extremely carefully and always aim budget deficit, to avoid placing any additional
to achieve a fair balance. pressure on local families.
On large projects, we aim to spread the cost Being honest, due to our planned expansion
of any major capital scheme, so all users make of services and new facilities, it will not be
some form of contribution towards the cost possible to achieve the same in subsequent
over the lifetime of the facility. years as each tax freeze effectively represents
a budget cut and we must be balanced about
We strive to balance the budget and uphold the need to avoid taxation and the need to
the standard of our services and facilities in maintain services.
line with local expectations.
However, we will continue to discuss our
We understand that, in year one particularly, finances with the community and will
household finances may be unduly affected. guarantee that any rise in precept will not
32 As such, we are committed to freezing the exceed £5 in either year two or three.COUNCIL RESERVES
of managing risk and expenditure, but also
Reserves are financial resources we have seek where possible to increase the level of
accumulated over time and set aside for a reserves held.
particular purpose as part of an integrated
approach to the successful financial
management of the authority over the short,
medium and long-term.
We hold reserves to ensure future events
outside of our control do not undermine our
overall financial position or impact on service
delivery, as well as plan for the effective use of
resources for a specific purpose.
However, our level of reserves is slightly under
that which is recommended for a local council
and we must both heed this in terms
33STONE PARISH CO UNCIL STRATEGIC P L AN 2 0 2 1- 2 4
COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY replacement, operation or maintenance
of infrastructure or anything else that is
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a form concerned with addressing the demands that
of tax on developments, designed to enable development places on the area.
investment in the local area to mitigate the
impact of local growth. At the time of writing, our CIL balance is
£286k. We have spent approximately £126k
A tariff is applied on each dwelling to in previous years on refurbishments to Stone
contribute to local services and facilities, Pavilion, masterplan documents for the
with 15% of total tax collected passed to the Recreation Ground and Neighbourhood
parish council for developments occurring in Plan, and resurfacing the driveway at stone
the parish. This enables the council to ensure Recreation
the money is invested directly in the parish Ground.
instead of elsewhere in the borough.
As CIL gives us a high degree of flexibility
This percentage will increase to 25% once the regarding expenditure, we propose to utilise
Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan is formally CIL funds over the course of the three-year
adopted. CIL receipts can be used by the plan to supplement revenue expenditure to
34 parish to fund the provision, improvement, ensure we can continue to deliver communitybenefits during a period of reduced service the way that we will approach our forthcoming
income. financial strategy to support these plans.
We intend to utilise a mix of funding
PUBLIC WORKS LOAN BORROWING mechanisms over the three years to ensure
we have the funds when we need them to
We are projected to receive sizeable CIL maintain effective progress on our proposed
receipts from housing developments at St outcomes.
Mary’s Road, Crossways and St. James Pit.
However, these payments are likely to be While interest rates are at an all-time low,
received in a piecemeal fashion with some we intend to borrow a sum sufficient to
uncertainty regarding timings as these are complete the recreation ground masterplan
tied to planning matters. so residents can begin to benefit from this as
soon as possible.
We want to be able to proceed with the plans
we have to improve the parish, particularly We will then make decisions over coming
at a time when people are relying heavily on years about how much of the loan balance to
outdoor recreation and green spaces. repay as we receive further CIL and how much
to retain to continue making investments in
As such, we are proposing to be quite bold in the parish. 3536
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
We will formulate a series of performance indicators that will
enable us to undertake annual monitoring of our progress on
stated objectives.
We will incorporate these performance indicators into our
workforce planning and individual performance goals, so all
staff are clear about our priorities and expectations.
We operate an effective coaching-led internal appraisal
programme to develop, rather than discipline staff.
We will publish performance metrics each year in the annual
report, which will be delivered to every household in the
parish, so residents can see how well we’re performing
against our targets.
3738
CONCLUSION
We know 2020 was a very difficult year for many of our
residents and 2021 will continue to endure restrictions,
adaptations and alternative ways of living and working.
However, we are determined to continue to serve the
parish in whatever capacity we can while we’re unable to
deliver our usual activities and services.
We feel tremendous generosity and kindness of local
residents has been demonstrated through the caring and
sharing that’s taken place during the COVid-19 pandemic
and we want to retain this strong feeling of camaraderie
and goodwill.
We are proposing to be bold, in the approach to our
budget, in the approach to our remit and responsibility,
and in the objectives we are setting for ourselves.
We believe the key projects we’ve identified will transform
the parish and provide high quality amenities for the
STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
community to support the rebuilding of our community
spirit when we’re able once again to come together in a
social capacity.
We have been extremely grateful for your feedback
on the proposals outlined in this plan, which has been
overwhelmingly supportive, and which has ensured we
have the support of the community to begin an exciting
phase of the council’s next three years.
We look forward to getting underway with this plan and
hope you will be keen to get involved to help make our
parish proud.COOKIES
APPENDICES
In producing this Strategic Plan, we have taken statistics, drawn inspiration
and aimed to coordinate with a number of strategies of other tiers of
authority, third sector organisations and local government or community-
oriented think tanks to ensure we are effectively utilising our resources on
the issues that will have the most benefit for our community.
Where not already referred to in the body of the text, these are listed below:
1. Climate Change Act 2008, UK Government
2. No Health without Mental Health, Mental Health Strategy for England,
2011, UK Government
3. Chief medical Officer Annual Report, Public Mental Health, 2013
4. Coronavirus and Loneliness, Great Britain 3 April to 3 May 2020, ONS
5. Stone Parish Neighbourhood Plan – Final Submission 2020
6. Kent County Council , Strategic & Revised Strategic Delivery Plan 2020-
2023
7. Dartford Borough Council - Corporate Plan 2017 - 2020
8. Kent & Medway NHS - Transforming health and social care in Kent and
Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan
9. LGA/NALC - Reaching Out: A guide to helping principal and local
councils tackle loneliness
10. The British Psychological Society – Psychological Manifesto
11. NALC – Case Studies: Climate Change
12. Kent Environment Strategy
13. Kent & Medway Energy & Low Emissions Strategy
14. Kent Wildlife Trust – Development Strategy 2019 – 2024
15. Friends of the Earth – 20 Actions Parish & Town Councils can take on
the climate and nature emergency
16. Design Council – Healthy Placemaking
17. New Citizenship Project - This is the Citizen Shift
18. RSA Lab – Move fast and fix things: How to be a public entrepreneur
19. RSA Lab – Breaking the mould: Towards a new kind of local council
20. Public Consultation – Feb-Mar 2021
40STON E PA RI SH C OU NC IL STR ATEG IC P L A N 2 0 21 -2 4
W W W. S TO N E PA R I S H C O U N C I L .C O M
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