Here is a summary of the scheduled discussions for the Operational Services Cabinet Committee meeting on 11 September 2025. The agenda included a review of taxi tariffs, a proposal for charging for the removal of abandoned shopping trolleys, a corporate performance report, and a review of the corporate register of partnerships.

Charging for Removal and Return of Abandoned Shopping Trolleys

The committee was scheduled to discuss a proposal to introduce a charge for the removal and return of abandoned shopping trolleys. According to the report pack, across the borough, there are several retailers who provide trolleys for their customers to use, and the usage of trolleys is being abused by the customers, with the trolleys being left on street corners after they have taken their shopping home. It was noted that abandoned trolleys create a visual impact, attract anti-social behaviour, and divert Street Cleansing Operatives from delivering key services.

The council can adopt statutory powers that would enable it to collect abandoned shopping trolleys and luggage trolleys from land open to the public, return them to the owner and to recover the council's reasonable costs of doing so. It was proposed that the council introduces a charge for the removal and return of shopping trollies. The aim of the proposal is to encourage local retailers to develop systems to recover their own trolleys within a reasonable timescale, however where this cannot be achieved, the proposal will add an additional income stream for the council and improve the cleanliness and aesthetic of the street scene within the Borough.

The council would be required to conduct a formal 90-day consultation with persons and representatives of persons who appear to the council to be affected by the schedule. Letters would be sent to all local supermarkets and their head offices, to other outlets which may use trolleys and to representative bodies, the British Retail Consortium, Association of Town Centre Management and the Association of Convenience stores. Other stakeholders will include local residents, local police and the Environment Agency.

The report pack outlined a proposed procedure:

It is proposed that a workpack be created on the Bartec system for the reporting of abandoned shopping trolleys. As Street Cleansing crews identify shopping trolleys on their regular routes, or in response to street cleansing requests by members of the public, they will stop and raise a service request on their hand-held tablets. This will include the location of the trolley(s), the supermarket they have come from and a time-stamped photos showing the location of the trolley(s).

The report pack also mentioned a voluntary scheme, whereby all local retailers who provide shopping trolleys would be invited to provide their contact details. Retailers would then be notified where their abandoned shopping trolley had been found and would be asked to remove it by 5pm the next working day, notifying the council once they have collected it. Any retailers who decide not to join the voluntary scheme, or who didn't remove their abandoned trolley by the deadline, would be charged in-line with our policy, under the relevant national legislation.

The report pack included a draft consultation letter and draft consultation questions.

Review of Taxi Tariff

The Operational Services Cabinet Committee was scheduled to discuss a review of the taxi tariff. The council has the authority to set a tariff for licensed hackney carriages¹ operating within the borough, but it is not obligated to do so. The setting of fares applies only to hackney carriage drivers and not to private hire drivers, who can charge their own rates as statute allows.

The taxi tariff was last reviewed in September/October 2023. The report pack stated that there are two primary elements which affect the fare: 'the flag' which is the amount shown on the meter at the start of a journey, and 'the yardage' which dictates the rate at which the fare increases with distance. It was agreed in 2019 to alternate between consulting on the flag and the yardage only. The yardage was amended in 2023, so this year the flag was scheduled for review.

The proposals for the flag rate were:

• Stay the same £3.00
• Increase to £3.20
• Increase to £3.40
• Increase to £3.60
• Decrease to £2.80

The above proposal was shared with the Gravesend Taxi Association, who responded saying they didn't have any other proposals, but they believed with the cost of living crisis; including a rise in the cost of insurance, the way work has declined and Gravesham's electric vehicle requirement, the drivers would prefer the £3.60 flag increase.

The licensing team proposed to consult the Hackney Carriage drivers over a four week period commencing no later than 15 September 2025 and ask what their preferred option/s are from those shown above, via a Microsoft Forms survey.

The current tariff was included in the report pack.

Corporate Performance Report: Q1 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to receive an update against the Performance Management Framework, as introduced within the council's Corporate Plan, for Quarter One 2025-26 (April to June 2025). The report pack included an appendix providing an overview of the council's performance against the Corporate Plan.

Some highlights from the report were:

• The Licensing team issued 95% of valid taxi and private hire licence applications within the targeted 10 working days in Q1.
• The Commercial (Food & Safety) Team had completed 26.1% (100) of the 383 inspections due this year, whilst the number of compliant food businesses has remained constant at 95%.
• During Q1 of 2025-26, an additional 112 GBC flats received a weekly food waste collection - 39.1% of GBC flats now have a food waste collection in place.
• In June 2025, the Waste Management Team engaged in a food waste campaign in Gravesham in conjunction with Kent County Council.
• In Q1 of 2025-26, 16 projects have been completed by the Probation Service, resulting in the removal of 81 tonne bags of waste & vegetation and 22 sacks of litter.
• There are currently 727 Street Champions who have pledged to adopt 418 streets, pathways, alleyways, and open spaces.
• The 2025-26 quarter one period saw 73 Community Protection Warnings issued, 4 Community Protection Notices, 16 Fixed Penalties – Fly tipping /Duty of care, 8 Fixed Penalty – Littering, 6 Fixed Penalty – Other, and 7 cases submitted for prosecution.
• The council has begun scoping upgrades to play sites across the borough, with a focus on delivering improvements at the top 10 priority locations.

Corporate Register of Partnerships

The committee was scheduled to be informed of the council's involvement in partnerships that are within the remit of the committee. The council has a Corporate Register of Partnerships and Shared Working Arrangements which provides a central record of partnerships in which the council is involved. The register provides a general overview of the partnership, along with details of the main aims and objectives of the partnership and how the joint-working approach contributes and supports the delivery of council objectives.

The current partnerships and joint working arrangements that most directly relate to the work of the Operational Services Cabinet Committee are as follows:

• Kent Resource Partnership
• Natural Nature Reserve
• Licensing Shared Service
• Kent & Medway Air Quality Partnership