Issue - meetings

Mr P Osborne - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport presented the item. Tim Read-Head of Transportation and Joseph Ratcliffe-Transport Strategy Manager were also in attendance

1)    Mr Ratcliffe highlighted Kent County Council’s involvement with Transport for the South East (TfSE), which commenced in 2017. Over the years, several key decisions have been made in relation to the partnership’s strategies and policies.

2)    In 2024, TfSE updated its transport strategy (Section 2) and carried out a public consultation from December 2024 to March 2025. The results of the consultation were presented in Section 3

3)    Kent County Council responded to the consultation as a constituent member of the partnership and was satisfied that its comments had been addressed. KCC had recommended endorsing the new Transport Strategy of TfSE, as outlined in the proposed decision

4)    Members queried on how KCC had benefited from the partnership with TfSE. Officers outlined that KCC had made a financial contribution to the partnership of £58,000 a year. The contribution would allow KCC continued access to ongoing research, information and intelligence and additionally access to regional transports models. It was also noted that if KCC choose not to participate in the TfSE partnership, it would be the only county in the country not represented within a sub-national transport body.

5)    The integrity and credibility brought by the TFSE partnership had been instrumental in strengthening bids for external funding, including those submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) and other national bodies. KCC would not have achieved the same level of success without the added weight and authority that the collaboration provided. The partnership lends substance and legitimacy to proposals and reinforced KCC’s strategic intent and operational capability.

6)    Members asked additional questions regarding if similar partnerships were available for Kent County Council (KCC) to explore. Officers indicated that previous suggestions that involved a network of the home counties around London had been considered but ultimately not pursued.

7)    It was observed that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport would represent KCC at the upcoming TfSE Board meeting, scheduled for 27 October. The Board would vote on whether to endorse the proposed strategy.

8)    The vote would be cast in accordance with the decision proposed by the leader of the Council, as outlined in the accompanying documentation. If the decision were not to endorse the strategy the position would then be reflected in KCC’s vote capacity at the TfSE Board meeting.

9)    Voting on the TfSE board was weighted by population and gave KCC the largest share of votes as the most populous county in the partnership. However, KCC does not hold a veto option and if KCC voted against the strategy it may still be adopted if a majority of partner authorities were to vote in its favour.

RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision, namely:

That the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport agree to:

1. ENDORSE the new Transport Strategy for the South East prepared by Transport for the South East (TfSE) and support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30