Issue - meetings

(1)          The Leader updated the Council on events since the previous meeting.

(2)          Mr Carter stated that his report would focus on East Kent Hospital and subsidised bus services. 

(3)          Mr Carter referred to the proposed options for reconfiguration of Accident and Emergency (A&E) services in East Kent and expressed the view that there should be a third option for a new hospital for Canterbury alongside the proposals for hospitals in Margate and Ashford. He disputed the claim that Canterbury did not fulfil the Keogh criteria for A&E or consultant A&E services as Canterbury’s current population was 240,000 and by 2030 it would be 280,000.   This third option was also supported by the Leader of Canterbury City Council.

(4)          Mr Carter highlighted the points publicised in the letter from Kent MPs concerning potential diminution in the budget and delivery of subsidised bus routes in Kent. He stated that KCC had not removed any subsidises for bus routes in the last 12 months, however, the bus operators had chosen to change scheduled services. He stated that KCC’s budget had remained constant for 2017/18 at £7.5 million.

(5)          Mr Carter confirmed that he planned to meet Arriva and Stagecoach in advance of the public consultation.  He would attempt to persuade them to keep a significant number of the unsubsidised routes. He would also be meeting other smaller bus operators to discuss the routes at risk to establish how they might be able to potentially reduce the impact if the bigger companies chose to remove some of their services.  There would also be meetings with a number of taxi operators across the County on the development of the click and ride taxi share scheme to support rural communities alongside expanding community bus services and the Kent Carrier bus services. He confirmed that an indicative budget had been set for this purpose.

(6)          Mr Carter stated that these actions demonstrated a commitment to passengers on some very marginal routes, but he also referred to the commitment and duty to tax payers who may question if a subsidy of £18.50 per bus ride was the best way to use public money.

(7)          Mr Carter emphasised that in addition to the pressure from Government in reducing KCC’s budget, there was the additional pressure of an above inflation price increase in the coming financial year of 3.5% proposed by both Arriva and Stagecoach. He expressed the hope that it would be possible to negotiate a lower settlement with the bus companies.

(8)          Mr Carter stated that other Local Authorities had already, or were proposing to, significantly reduce or end bus subsidies for socially necessary routes. This was due to the financial pressures that many County areas were under to maintain vital statutory services. 

(9)          Mr Bird, the Leader of the Opposition, welcomed the Leader’s comment in support of a vibrant and viable hospital in Canterbury and emphasised that this hospital had to be backed up by the delivery of trained medical staff.

(10)       Mr  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43