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  • Agenda item
  • Agenda item

    Verbal updates

    To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Members for Environment & Transport, the Cabinet Member for Community Services and the Corporate Director for Growth, Environment & Transport on the following:

     

    ·         Allington EfW (to include invitation to a site visit)

    ·         Minerals and Waste Plan

    ·         Young Persons’ Travel Pass – update on process

    Minutes:

    1.     The Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Mr Balfour, thanked Mr Brazier, his predecessor as Cabinet Member for his hard work and diligence and looked forward to the work ahead in his new role as portfolio holder, he went on to make the following comments and announcements:

    a.    That John Burr had stepped down for six months from his duties as Director of Highways Transportation and Waste to focus on other areas of work and that Roger Wilkin, supported by three others, would be acting up as interim director. 

    b.    That David Hall had recently retired following many years of loyal service and that the gratitude of Members for his hard work should be expressed.

    c.    Members were invited to visit Allington Waste Management Facility in the week commencing 25th May 2015.  A date would be arranged following the meeting.

    d.    The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan would come to examination in public from the 14th April.  Sharon Thompson and her team were thanked for the hard work over many years that had led to this document being produced.  He also thanked Mr Brazier who would continue to oversee work on this important document.

    e.    Statistics had been requested in relation to the Young persons Travel Pass and the current figures for passes issued was as follows:

                                              i.    13,457 full year, full cost passes

                                            ii.    1,267 full year, half price passes

                                           iii.    7,765 second half year, full cost passes

                                           iv.    209 second half year, half price passes

                                            v.    1,349 young carer / local authority child in care full year, no cost passes

                                           vi.    465 carers, full year no cost passes

                                          vii.    24,512 passes in circulation as at 10 march.

    It was agreed that a note would be circulated following the meeting to members containing the details reported.  

    f.     That, as reported at County Council, there were several distinct issues ongoing regarding street lighting:

                                              i.    How the council came to introduce part night lighting and other changes to policy which would be considered by a special meeting of the Scrutiny Committee for that purpose. 

                                            ii.    The need to establish criteria for requests received to turn lights on again which had been turned off as part of the part night lighting exercise and this would be considered at the July meeting of the Cabinet Committee.  Mr Balfour requested that any member with ideas for relevant criteria put them forward for consideration.

                                           iii.    Finally the issue of lighting requirements and criteria in the future should LED lighting be in place would need to be fully considered and agreed and it was likely that a report would be brought before the committee in November.

    g.    That issues related to Border controls had recently been publicised in the media and following work with the tunnel operators and the Dover Port Authority, a mini ‘operation stack’ arrangement had been agreed should it be required. Any further issues would result in full ‘operation stack’ procedures.  He assured members that work continued toward Lorry Park solutions across the county

    2.    The Cabinet Member for Communities, Mr Hill provided updates on the following:

    a.    Community wardens: Following a meeting with KALC a pilot scheme for volunteer wardens was to be established.  These volunteers would be known as Local Warden Support Officers and it was hoped that the pilot would be in place by mid-September 2015.  Should the scheme be successful, full implementation was planned for September 2016. 

    b.    That a new Chief Coroner for England and Wales had been appointed and he and Barbara Cooper had held a positive meeting with him in February.   He hoped that work could now begin to slowly move Kent toward a single full time Coroner for the county. 

     

    The following comments were made by members of the Committee and Cabinet Members:

     

    1.            That should members of the public be confused as to the status of the decision regarding night lighting and any potential ‘switching on’ then members should be clear that a full debate and further consideration would be undertaken before any decision was made.

    2.            That the new arrangements for traffic management at Dover should be monitored to assess their effectiveness.

    3.            That LED lighting had been implemented in some areas with great success and should be welcomed by members.

    4.            That figures on the Young Persons Travel Pass were welcomed and additionally Bus Pass information would be useful to members.

    5.            That the precise duties of those officers undertaking different elements of John Burr’s previous workload under the Interim Director be circulated to members in order that they may direct queries appropriately.

     

    The following comments were made by Cabinet Members and officers in response to questions raised by members of the Committee:

     

    1.            That further consideration would be given to a suggestion that ‘Joint Communities Boards’ might help to facilitate greater District and County Council communication, particularly over issues such as the success or otherwise of the Local Warden Support Officer scheme.  A member of the Committee urged that should this type of Committee be introduced, the officers in attendance should be senior officers.  In addition staffing and resources for any new Board should be made available without impact on existing mechanisms.

    On this matter Barbara Cooper, Director of Growth, Environment and Transport reminded members of the District Deal process that would facilitate closer joint working and priority setting.  Currently signed up to that process were Swale, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge and Malling.