Cabinet Member decisions

To award a 4 year contract to Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) for the provision of post mortem (PM) facilities at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Pembury for the Mid Kent & Medway coroner area.

As Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, I agree to award a four-year contract to Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) for the provision of post-mortem (PM) facilities at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Pembury for the Mid Kent & Medway coroner area.

To revise and update Kent County Council’s (KCC) Kent Country Parks daily pay and display and annual season ticket parking charges and to delegate authority to the relevant Head of Country Parks, in conjunction with the Member for Community and Regulatory Services, to review and publish annually revised fees and charges subject to the application of a number of key principles.

As Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Service, I agree to:

(a)  increase fees and charges for Pay and Display and Annual Parking Season Ticket fees; and

(b)  delegate authority to the Head of Country Parks to annually review and publish revised fees and charges subject to the application of a number of key principles

Approval is required to take the Fastrack Full Network – Bean Road Tunnels scheme through the next stages of development and delivery including authority to progress statutory approvals and consultation where appropriate, and to enter into funding agreements and construction contracts.

Fastrack is the high-quality Bus Rapid Transit system operating in the Gravesham / Dartford area. The existing Fastrack network has been in place since 2006/07 and provides fast, reliable and efficient transport across Kent Thameside. A programme of Fastrack projects has been identified to deliver infrastructure and operational arrangements to complete delivery of the Fastrack Full Network.

Bean Road Tunnel is a major civils infrastructure scheme to provide a Fastrack busway and a footway/cycleway linking Eastern Quarry and Bluewater. Two haulage tunnels were constructed through the chalk spine supporting B255 Bean Road to facilitate earthworks movements during the construction of Bluewater Shopping Centre during the mid-1990’s. These tunnels still exist and were considered to be used to form a new direct connection. Following feasibility work into the potential use of these tunnels it has been determined that it would be more cost effective to construct a new tunnel for both Fastrack/cycling/walking and leave the existing tunnels as is. The proposed new bore tunnel with combined bus, walking and cycling renders both haulage tunnels redundant. Recent ecological investigation in the construction tunnels has revealed that there is some low-level bat activity and mitigation will be required in the construction of a new tunnel. Whilst one tunnel would be retained for bat conservation, the other would be filled to reduce maintenance and potential risk of exposure to unauthorised access. These works must be delivered to link up with the Fastrack Spine being built across Eastern Quarry by developer Henley Camland.

The Ebbsfleet area is due for significant growth in the coming years and with current levels of traffic congestion considered to be at critical levels already, Fastrack is central to supporting the growth agenda whereby a 40% modal share is assumed between public transport and the car.

As Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste, I agree to:

i) give approval to the progress of the reference design as shown on Drawing No. B2350500-JAC-HA-XX-DR-D-0001 Rev P01 for development control and land charge disclosures;

ii) give approval to progress all statutory approvals or consents required for the scheme including transfer of land and rights;

iii) give approval to carry out consultation on the scheme;

iv) give approval to underwrite and enter into forward funding and investment funding agreement(s) subject to the approval of the Infrastructure Commissioning Board;

v) give approval to enter into a design & build construction contract as necessary for the delivery of the scheme subject to the approval of the Infrastructure Commissioning Board to the recommended procurement strategy; and

vi) give approval for the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations, to take further or other decisions as may be appropriate to deliver the Fastrack Full Network – Bean Road Tunnel scheme in accordance with these recommendations.

Background:

At present, Seal Village Pre-School is located on the site of Seal Church of England Primary School and the majority of their children feed into the school through the KCC admission policy.  The proposal was that the Seal Village Pre-school become part of the school and is run as a maintained pre-school within Seal Church of England Primary School.

The pre-school has access to the grounds, however becoming part of the school would mean they have improved and increased access to all facilities within.

The school offers extensive CPD to staff and would aim to continue to develop the staff within the current pre-school. Through this new arrangement, the children within the pre-school would be given Forest School as part of their Early Years curriculum offer, along with the use of the school’s technology, resources and facilities. There would be greater transition for children from pre-school into Foundation Stage as they would be situated in a classroom next door within the main building.  The pre-school would be located within the new building planned to be built this year and this will give the children more space and a nicer environment in which to thrive.

There is no capital cost to KCC. The Pre-School will be governed by the school’s governing body and members of the current management committee will be invited on to the Governing Body, so the Pre-School are appropriately represented.

This proposal will not create additional provision on site; as such it will not attract additional road traffic to and from the school. The staff will remain the same within the nursery, however they will be employed by the school and contracted to Kent County Council rather than the privately-run pre-school. The existing Pre-School will dissolve its charity and as part of a TUPE process, the staff will transfer over and be part of the school.

Decision:

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education is asked to agree to approve a change to the age range of Seal Church of England Primary School, Zambra Way, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0DJ site to include nursery provision for 2, 3 and 4-year-old children from September 2019.

Reason(s) for decision:

The original build was planned to be phased with the intention being that Phase 1 would provide a 2FE infrastructure core build with 1FE of accommodation for 2018, with the second FE being produced for 2021.  However due to delays through the planning process the first FE will now open in September 2019.

Due to pressures on the CYPE capital budget at the time of agreeing this scheme it was agreed the that scheme would be phased to aid cash flow, whilst recognising that this could ultimately increase the overall cost of the scheme. However, to ensure costs do not escalate further by continuing to delay the production of the second FE, the advice from Gen2 is that it would be more beneficial to the school in terms of reducing disruption to its operation and financially advantageous to build Phase 2 while the construction plant and builders are on site, rather than producing a new build some time further in the future.

There have been significant planning issues:

·      Two ransom strips have been identified, one belonging to Colyer Ferguson Trust and one to Gravesham Borough Council.  Both took some time to be resolved.

·      There have been challenging highways issues with a new access being created off a local residential road.

·      The land has required some grading as the whole site slopes upward to the south.

Decision:

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education is asked to agree to:

1. Allocate £2,500,000 from the Children, Young People & Education Capital Budget to fund any necessary works or variations to accommodation for Phase 2 of the age range expansion project at St George’s Church of England School.

b.    Authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the General Counsel to enter into any necessary contracts/ agreements on behalf of the County Council.

c.    Authorise the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.

Background:

In March 2016, the government announced changes to the delivery of adoption services setting a very clear direction that all local authorities’ adoption services must be delivered on a regionalised basis by 2020.

The proposal is for a new Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) to be created through combining the adoption services for the three authorities of Kent, London Borough of Bexley and Medway.  These agencies wish to build on the success of their existing services to improve performance in meeting the needs of children who require permanence through adoption, by bringing together the best practice from each authority within the RAA.  It is proposed that Kent will be the lead authority and the host for the RAA. 

Reports on the development of an RAA across Kent, Bexley and Medway have previously been presented to Children’s Social Care & Health Cabinet Committee on 6^th September 2016 and to CYPE Cabinet Committee on 7^th September 2017.  CYPE Cabinet Committee was asked to ENDORSE in principle the proposal to enter into formal dialogue with Medway Council and the London Borough of Bexley with a view to establishing a Regional Adoption Agency. 

A report is being presented to CYPE Cabinet Committee on 28^th June 2019 which builds on the formal conversations that have been taking place between the 3 local authorities since September 2017 by moving the project into a detailed design phase with ultimate, final sign off on the model to take place in September 2019.

Decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education:

To develop a Regional Adoption Agency model in collaboration with London Borough of Bexley and Medway Council which will be established in line with the government programme.