The meeting will receive updates and make decisions about the upcoming Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s (LGBCE)¹ electoral review and on the location of polling places across the district.

Electoral Review

The Electoral Review - Consultation on Warding Patterns report sets out the next steps in the LGBCE’s review of Sevenoaks electoral wards.

The LGBCE has proposed that the number of Sevenoaks district Councillors is reduced from 54 to 48. As a result, the District must be divided into a new set of wards so that each Councillor represents approximately the same number of people. In October, the LGBCE opened a public consultation on the new ward boundaries, which closes on 20 January 2025. The report pack includes information on the criteria the LGBCE will use to decide on the new ward boundaries: electoral equality, community identity and interests, and convenient and effective local government. The report states that “The most effective consultation responses are supported by information and evidence about the strength of community identity in the ward or wards being proposed”.

The report pack suggests that Sevenoaks Council will be asked to approve a proposed ward pattern for submission to the LGBCE. If the Council does not propose a ward pattern, individual Councillors and groups of Councillors will be able to make their own submissions.

Polling Places

The PDR2024 - Polling District Review - Report report proposes that the Council approves a new set of polling places across the District. Sevenoaks District Council is required by law to review its polling districts and polling places every 5 years. The last review took place in 2019. The report pack contains an assessment of the existing polling places, taking into account their accessibility for disabled voters and whether the facilities are suitable for the needs of voters and staff.

The report pack indicates that the Council consulted on the new polling places with Sevenoaks’ two MPs, all Parish, District and County Councillors, Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, and various disability rights groups. During the consultation, 10 responses were received from members of the public. The report pack states that the Council is legally required to publish the responses received during the consultation, along with a summary of the responses and any comments the Council wishes to make.

The report pack includes responses from Swanley Town Council. The Town Council has proposed alternative polling places in Swanley Village, Swanley Lane, and St Mary's Road. The report pack indicates that the Council is open to the suggestion of using The Red Lion in Swanley Village as a polling place and is currently assessing the suitability of St Mary’s Church Hall on St Mary’s Road. The Council has indicated that it prefers to keep the polling place on Swanley Lane at the ACF Centre, which is inside the polling district, rather than moving it to Five Wents Hall, which is outside the polling district.

The report pack also includes a response from a member of the public who is unhappy that the polling place for Sevenoaks Common is currently outside of the ward. They propose that the polling place is moved to the Kippington Centre. The report pack suggests that the Council will not be moving the Sevenoaks Common polling place to the Kippington Centre.

The report pack indicates that the Council is proposing no changes to the existing polling districts in the Sevenoaks District.

Chairman’s Agenda Item

The report pack contains a Chairmans Agenda Item indicating that the Chairman of the Council called an extraordinary meeting to discuss a motion about the Labour Government’s recently announced changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).²

The motion states that the recently announced changes to the NPPF will increase Sevenoaks’ annual housing target by 58%, to 1,113 homes per year. The report notes that this is a higher target than many other Kent Councils, including Ashford, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone, Gravesham, Swale, Tonbridge & Malling, and Tunbridge Wells. The motion argues that this increase will lead to “unacceptable urban sprawl”, that the Government’s decision to reduce housing targets in London is inconsistent, and that the Council already grants many planning permissions, but developers are not building the homes they are permitted to build. The motion requests that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State to ask her to rescind the 58% increase and requests that the Council be given powers to incentivise developers to build the homes they are granted permission to build.