To receive verbal updates from the relevant Cabinet Members for this Cabinet Committee.
Minutes:
1. The Cabinet Member for Community Services, Mr Hill, introduced his verbal update advising on three issues:
Emergency Planning
Mr Hill explained the role of the multi-agency response to the 12-hour delays at the Port of Dover on 23 and 24 July 2012 that had been declared a major emergency by Kent Police. The delays were due to heightened security checks at the French borders. KCC had led the delivery of humanitarian welfare to those affected by the delays and issued bottles of water to stranded motorists. The Corporate Management Team would consider lessons learnt from this incident at its next meeting.
Mr Balfour further explained that the UK government had held discussions with the French government who advised that their borders would be properly manned. He said he did not have information about the number of French Border Police/workers on duty but he considered that there were not enough. The UK Border Agency had offered support to deal with the backlog.
Exercise Surge 27 – 29 September
The Exercise Surge was part of the annual Kent Resilience Forum’s programme of activities and its aim was to validate key elements of the Kent Resilience Forums plans, processes and training. The exercise would be led by the Kent Resilience Team and would include the following:
· Kent Police
· Met Office
· Kent Fire and Rescue Service
· Southeast Coast Ambulance Service
· Maritime and Coastguard Agency
· National Health Service
· Kent County Council
· Environment Agency
· Borough and district councils
· Medway Council
· Dungeness (EDF) Nuclear Power Station
· Ministry of Defence (local military assets)
· Kent Voluntary Sector Emergency Group Members
· Utility Providers
Mr Hill said a report on the event would be submitted to a future meeting of this Cabinet Committee.
Volunteer Support Wardens (VSW)
This Cabinet Committee had received a report in March 2016, on the transformation of the Community Warden Service including the possibility of using volunteers within the service. A small number of towns and parishes (Swanscombe & Greenhithe, Lower Halstow, Great Chart with Singleton, Tenterden, Bridge, and Kingsnorth) had taken part in a pilot scheme to test how volunteers might work alongside Community Wardens. Data had been collected from the towns and parishes, the Community Warden Service and the VSW’s to establish the benefits of the scheme and how it might be improved. A formal review of the pilot was taking place in September 2016 and a report would be submitted to this Cabinet Committee in November.
2. Mr Balfour gave his verbal update on the following:
Kent Mineral and Waste
The Minerals and Waste Plan had been agreed at the County Council meeting in July. There have been no legal challenges. Mr Balfour thanked the Head of the Planning Applications Group, Mrs Sharon Thompson, her team and the cross party Member Group for all their hard work. Members noted that this Cabinet Committee would receive a further report to a future meeting.
Pothole Blitz
Mr Balfour said that this year KCC had invested a further £3 million undertaking a Pothole Blitz Find and Fix campaign. £1.4m came from a Government grant and the remainder from KCC. Contracts for the work were procured by Commercial Services Kent Ltd and the work was carried out by 6 local contractors with each contractor working in 2 district council areas. Since 1 June 2016, KCC had spent approximately £1.1m and had carried out repairs to 947 potholes and to 32,193 square metres of roads with multiple and larger potholes. He said the scheme would continue until early Autumn. Mr Balfour reminded Members that potholes should be reported via the KCC website and that the website also gave details about repairs completed at district level.
Kent and Medway Smart Card
On 26th September the Connected Kent and Medway Smartcard KCC would be launched for a trial period in West Kent. Bus passengers would be able to purchase a Pay-As-You-Go card by visiting the Connected Kent website or local libraries and the card could be used on services provided by ASD, Autocar, Chalkwell, County Connect, Farleigh, Go-Coach and, Nu-Venture but it was anticipated that this list would expand once the card became more widely used. Agreement by Arriva was awaited. Funds could be added to the card either by paying the bus driver or via an auto-top up where credit for a pre-determined value was automatically added once the balance fell below £8. Members noted that if they required further information on the project, the KCC contact name was Annette Bonner.
A299 Thanet Way
An investigation was due to be undertaken on the ground movement in the A299 Thanet Way. As a result a 50-mile per hour speed limit would be implemented during this time. Remedial works would follow to address the findings.
Mr Balfour and Mr Wilkin responded to questions by Members as follows:
(a) Mr Balfour said he had not seen the Swale Area Report that referred to defects in Swale highways so could not comment.
(b) Mr Wilkins commented on the shape of the repairs to potholes explaining that manual cutting had to be square which could lead to problems with the corners of the repairs of the potholes but the feedback from local councils was that the quality of the repairs had been high.
(c) Mr Balfour read out the substantive Motion 24 carried at the County Council meeting on 16 July 2016 that set out the County Council’s position regarding Manston and assured Members that there had been no change. He said that officers would prepare a response to a planning application as part of the usual process. Members of the County Council would receive a copy of the response. .
(d) Mr Wilkin said that 50 mile per hour speed limit would be implemented on parts of the Thanet Way because of problems with the road surface, known as undulations, caused by alternating very wet and very dry weather.
(e) Thanks were received for the work carried out at Station Road and Court Road, Deal and roads in Maidstone
(f) In response to traffic delays in Dover this morning, Mr Balfour said delays to traffic in Dover earlier in the morning had been caused by cows on the grass on the A20 towards Dover. Kent Police had been called and they led the cows off the dual carriage way.
3. RESOLVED that:
(a) the information in the verbal updates and the responses to questions by Members be noted;
(b) reports on Kent Minerals and Waste; and Volunteer Support Wardens be submitted to future meetings of this Cabinet Committee; and
(c) Members receive a copy of the response to a planning application at Manston.