Minutes:
1. Mr Hill, OBE (Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services) provided an update on the following:
(a) Faversham library was oficially re-opened on 2 July having undergone a major refurbishment which included improved access to changing facilities for those with disabilities as part of the ‘Good Day Programme.’
(b) The ‘Space Chase’ Summer Reading Challenge 2019 hosted by Kent’s libraries encouraged children aged 4 to 11 to read a total of six books over the summer period. The Challenge successfully encouraged 20,000 children to partake with 10,000 children on target to completing the reading challenge. Mr Hill commended the events success and the achievement of the participants.
(c) Mr Hill was invited to attend the Open Golf Tournament at Royal Portrush and commended the events planned and controlled approach. Mr Hill acknowledged Kent County Council’s role in facilitating easy access to the event for the general public attending the Open Golf.
2. Mr Dance (Cabinet Member for Economic Development) provided an update on the following:
(a) Kent County Council (KCC) had commenced work with the Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) team to improve access to faster broadband services. To date, the work had brought superfast broadband to 138,000 homes and businesses which meant that over 95% of properties across Kent and Medway had access to superfast broadband that offered between 25 to 35mbps. Due to the intervention of the National Infrastructure Commission, the Government then changed its approach and opted for Fibre-to-the-premise. As a result, KCC had to amend its approach and work with BDUK and Openreach to ensure that isolated rural homes and businesses with no or slow broadband, had access to fibre-to-the-premise broadband. Mr Dance confirmed that work in rural areas would start in January 2020.
To access information regarding the Broadband Programme, please use the link provided:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/broadband/our-broadband-programme
(b) The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was launched on Tuesday 10 September 2019 which helped those in the hardest-to-connect locations to get faster broadband. Kent residents who were eligible to receive the voucher scheme could therefore benefit from up to £1000 of additional funding per property.
To access information regarding the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, please use the link provided:
3. The Cabinet Members and Director of Economic Development responded to comments and questions as follows:
(a) Mr Dance said that the Government would not fund any further broadband schemes unless it was fibre-to-the-premise. The predominant concern that created frequent issues for Kent’s roads and pavements was new housing estates, as developers often failed to provide adequate future-proof infrastructure to support broadband technology which in turn generated significant fines for companies. However, Mr Dance noted that BT provided the infrastructure at no additional cost, for companies who included them at the right point in the planning process.
(b) Mr Smith (Director of Economic Development) agreed to provide a confidential briefing note to Members of the Committee which would contain a response to Members queries and provide a crib sheet containing key facts and points that could be used by Members to answer queries presented by residents within their wards.
(c) Mr Bowles addressed the Committee in his capacity as Chairman of the Swale Joint Transportation Board and queried the response time from Officers when emailed by elected Members and Parish Councillors. The Chairman agreed to pass the query onto the relevant Cabinet Member and ask that a response be provided in a timely manner.
(d) In response to concerns regarding existing copper BT ducts and whether new infrastructure would need to be built to support fibre-to-the-premise, Mr Dance informed Members that a briefing from the team would take place early in 2020.
(e) The Chairman welcomed Mr Payne to address the Committee who informed Members that an item on Heritage Services including the current priorities and future strategy would be presented at the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee on 10 October 2019. A wider briefing would then be held for Members who wished to attend.
(f) A Member paid tribute to the Heritage Services and the work that had been done to restore the Roman temple in Newington.
4. RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted, with thanks.