Decision details

Cabinet Member approval for the establishment of the Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme (SQPS)

How the decision  relates to BS4K and Corporate Objectives:

The SQPS contributes to the BS4K objectives of Helping the Kent Economy to Grow and Tackling Disadvantage. It provides the framework for a comprehensive package of improvements to public transport services in the Snodland, West Malling and Kings Hill areas and along the A20 Corridor to Maidstone. The package has been designed to ensure that the level of bus provision is able to accommodate the ongoing housing and employment growth in the Medway Valley area. It will contribute to improved air quality within three Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and involve the setting of minimum service quality standards, thereby locking in the benefits of investment by all parties and ensuring maximum return on public investment. 

Impact/costs and risks of proposed decision:

The establishment of the SQPS will impose formal duties on Kent County Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Arriva to make available, respectively, the facilities and services specified in the SQPS Agreement. For KCC, this is likely to include traffic signal priority for buses and passenger information and facilities at bus stops.

The Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment has agreed to establish the Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme along A20 London Road