Agenda item

(1)     In December 2010 KCC launched Growth without Gridlock (GwG), its 20 year transport delivery plan.  In the intervening 3 years significant progress had been made despite the financial challenges facing the country. Given the Government’s intention to create the Single Local Growth Fund and with it a major opportunity to fund transport interventions, as well as the development of the Kent and Medway economic strategy Unlocking the Potential: Going for Growth, it was an appropriate time to refresh and update GwG.

(2)      The schemes proposed within GwG in Kent and Medway would, for the most part, be funded through a significant element of Single Local Growth Fund (SLGF), which was a devolved funding stream from government to the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for transport, housing and skills and was available from April 2015.  Government had committed £2 billion per year, for 6 years, nationally to the fund and would announce its distribution across all thirty nine LEP’s in July 2014.  In order to be in a position to take forward and deliver on the substantial transport delivery programme set out in GwG in Kent and Medway, KCC would need to invest resource in developing a number of the schemes in the programme prior to the SLGF becoming available in April 2015.  The forward funding could be capitalised and therefore would be “repaid” through the SLGF. 

(3)     Growth without Gridlock formed the basis of Bold Steps for Transport in the Council’s Medium Term Financial plan ‘Bold Steps for Kent’. The proposed document was aligned to the Council’s Local Transport Plan and fully supported the Kent and Medway economic strategy Unlocking the Potential: Going for Growth.

(4)     There had been significant change in the context in which local government operated.  LEPs had been established of which Kent was part of the largest LEP in the country: the South East LEP.  Within the South East LEP the current governance approach was to operate in a “federated” way with Kent and Medway forming one part of the federation.  It meant that the SLGF which would be allocated to LEPs, would potentially be administered at the federated level.  It was therefore appropriate to widen out GwG to include Medway. 

(5)     Collaboration had taken place with Medway Council in producing the draft document.  The schemes presented for delivery between 2015 and 2021 formed the Kent and Medway transport element of the South East LEP’s bid to government for SLGF.  The document provided a picture of the longer term transport priorities beyond 2021.  In devising the Kent element of the update, collaboration had taken place with the district and borough councils to ensure the schemes put forward were the priorities required to deliver the growth set out in their Local Plans. 

(6)     The report set out why it was opportune to currently update GwG and widen its content to include Medway.  A draft document had been produced which set out the achievements over the last 3 years and looked forward to the delivery priorities from 2015 to 2021 making the maximum of the SLGF devolved funding to come through the LEP.   It would also help to deliver the transport aspects of the Kent and Medway economic strategy.

(7)     RESOLVED that the draft update of Growth without Gridlock in Kent and Medway be noted.