Agenda item

Neil Baker, Cabinet Member for Transport and Robert Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment, presented their updates. Haroona Chughtai, Director of Highways was also in attendance.

1. Mr. Baker stated that on the 28th November, Louise Hague, the former Secretary of State for Transport, launched a call for ideas for the new integrated National Transport Strategy. This was to be a new transport strategy for England that aimed to achieve an coherent and integrated network to give people choice to meet their needs and underpin economic growth and planning. The Transport Strategy team had drafted a response with input from across Highways and Transportation, Public Rights of Way, which sat under Mrs. Bell, and Public Health under Mr. Watkins, as well as from members through the all-member briefing that was held on the 8th January. The draft response was to be finalised, and Mr. Baker’s approval was to be sought before submitting it by the deadline, which was the 30th January.

2. From the 10th December to the 7th March, Transport for the Southeast was running a public consultation to help inform its new draft transport strategy. The new draft transport strategy set out its vision for the Southeast region, highlighting plans to use transport to grow the economy and connect communities for the decades ahead. The draft strategy included five missions to make life better for everyone: strategic connectivity, resilience, inclusion and integration, decarbonisation, and sustainable growth. It included plans to improve key railways and roads across the Southeast, as well as local public transport and access to major ports and airports. The transport strategy team was preparing a response and was seeking input from members in the coming weeks.

3. Public transport was entering a busy time of year, when the team would be processing the renewal of 20,000 expiring Older People with Disabilities passes between January and the end of March. A process of smart renewal had been in place and used for the past seven years.

4. BSIP funding had been used to defer the need to reintroduce the membership fee on Kent Karrier. Officers were writing to members to advise them of this. Members of the scheme were to be asked to confirm their details, but the charge would not be introduced again for the upcoming year, as had been first suggested. The £2 fare cap was to be retained on the Kent Thameside fast track until the introduction of their electric fleet in April 2025. This reflected the interim nature of the service at that time.

5. The Rennie Drive bus priority scheme for Kent Thameside had been operational. Mr. Baker officially opened it, and it was already showing that journey time reliability had improved. The interim service on Dover fast track had been launched, currently using specially branded low-emission Euro 6 diesel buses. Development work continued regarding the introduction of electric charging buses, which were expected in late 2025 and were developing on schedule.

6. Mr Baker noted that in response to a poor safety record, officers had been working closely with the county member and parish council representatives and had completed the installation of safety cameras at three sites along the A20 main road and in Farningham, Sevenoaks to enforce the 40-mile-an-hour limit. Since the cameras went live on the 18th November and the 6th December, Kent police had issued 231 notices of intended prosecution, and a reduction in post-scheme speeds of around five miles an hour was being observed, which was notable in terms of safety and risk.

7. The permanent traffic signals at the Sandwich toll bridge had recently been refurbished using wireless technology. A control cabinet had been installed on each side of the river to coordinate the traffic movements without the need for cables across the riverbed, which were a large maintenance liability. While this was new to Kent, the arrangement had been used elsewhere in the UK, and thanks were given to the expertise of the maintenance contractor for delivering this scheme, which could be very beneficial.

8. There had been two staff awards. The Kent Safer Road Users team had been recognised with the 2024 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. The award was for the team's work in boosting road safety awareness among young drivers and passengers. Mr. Baker added his personal congratulations to Ross Dorman in the Highways and Transport Strategic Resilience team for being awarded the King's Police Medal in the New Year's honours. This was very well deserved for Ross' dedication to keeping Kent moving during times of disruption over many years. Ross had played a key role in helping prepare the county for the impact of the new border controls following the UK's exit from the European Union and in helping partner agencies respond to new rules on freight drivers being introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of the French border in December 2020. Mr Dorman was considered by many partner agencies responsible for highways management as a national expert.

9.    Mr Baker and Ms Chughtai responded to questions of detail and noted comments, which included the following:

10.Mr. Thomas started his update by commenting on the passing of Matthew Balfour, who had been the chairman of the Kent Nature Partnership and a former Member at KCC. He paid his condolences to his friends and family. KCC continued to work hard with the Kent Nature Partnership to ensure that it was a supportive initiative for our environment agenda in Kent.

11. In regard to waste and recycling, there had been changes in the way that soft furnishings with Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) were managed for Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). There were three HWRCs that were unable to accept POPs: Tovil, Dartford, and Sittingbourne Church Marshes. The situation at both Tovil and Sittingbourne was temporary, and once necessary work was completed, these sites would be compliant and able to accept soft furnishings. This was a result of changes nationally.

12. Concerning the textiles and shoe recycling contract, KCC had recently re-procured this contract, and despite the significant downturn in the global market for textiles, KCC achieved a good outcome with a two-year contract with SAIT Recycling, a world-reputed textile recycling company based in Queenborough. SAIT Recycling specialised in the reuse and recycling of textiles, footwear, and accessories, ensuring that 100% of textile waste they handled was diverted from landfills. They worked with Kent-based charities, schools, and clubs from around the Southeast.

13. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) zero-cost contract was due to be extended from April 2025 for a further 12 months, to ensure that KCC had a collection off-taker in place to take waste electrical and electronic equipment from HWRCs across the County. REPIC was a leading non-profit organisation that helped KCC comply with WEEE regulations. They provided collection, treatment, and recycling solutions for electronic waste, ensuring KCC could meet its environmental responsibilities efficiently.

14. In regard to updates on the environment, the recent weather and flooding incidences in the County led to the River Medway flooding its banks on the 6th January, causing the car park at Teston Bridge Country Park to be closed for one day before reopening to the public. The flood water backed up the pipes in the toilets, causing the pump to fail. The toilets remained closed to the public while repairs were organised, he apologised to the public for any inconvenience.

15. The public consultation on the draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy was soon to be launched, running for eight weeks until 12th March. This was a consultation with Kent and Medway residents and other stakeholders, giving them the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft strategy. The responses to the consultation were to be analysed, and a consultation report outlining the feedback received would be published. The feedback would be used to help finalise the strategy, prior to publication in summer 2025.

16.A member suggested the electric waste collections scheme be promoted more widely and Mr Thomas welcomed ideas on ways to achieve this.

RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.