Issue details

WITHDRAWN - The proposed strategy is not consistent with the revised policy direction of the KCC Administration.

Proposed decision

The Leader of the Council to agree to:

1. ENDORSE the new Transport Strategy for the South East prepared by Transport for the South East (TfSE) and support TfSE with its implementation; and

2. DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to take the actions required to support TfSE with the implementation of the strategy, subject to the Council’s decision-making procedures.

3. DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director Growth, Environment and Transport to take other necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision.

Background

The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 amended the Local Transport Act 2008 to allow the creation of Sub-national Transport Bodies (STBs). There are now several shadow STBs in England, with Transport for the North becoming the only statutory STB in April 2018.

Transport for the South East (TfSE) was established in 2017 and is a partnership of 16 Local Transport Authorities. These form the Partnership Board, with representatives also present from district and borough councils, protected landscapes, businesses, Network Rail, National Highways and Transport for London. Its stated purpose is to determine what transport infrastructure is needed to boost the region’s economy.

The first Key Decision was taken by the Leader on 8 December 2018 (16/00120) to agree to KCC’s participation in TfSE as an informal non-statutory body, and to further work to establish TfSE as a statutory STB. It is therefore listed as a voluntary partnership in KCC’s constitution and so decisions pertaining to it are required to be made by the Leader of KCC.

TfSE published a Transport Strategy in 2020, setting out a vision for a better connected, more prosperous and sustainable South East. The Leader took a decision to endorse that original Transport Strategy as part of the Proposal to Government for statutory powers (20/00010). The Proposal was rejected and government confirmed that there was no intention to make further statutory STBs. Therefore TfSE has continued on a voluntary partnership basis, albeit with support from the Department for Transport (DfT) to do so.The Leader took a further decision in March 2022 (22/00023) to continue participating in TfSE as a voluntary partnership. The most recent decision (22/00114) was in January 2023 to endorse and support TfSE with the implementation of its Strategic Investment Plan (SIP). Note that all decisions to date have been made by previous Leaders of KCC.

In December 2024, TfSE published a draft new Transport Strategy given the significant changes in context since 2020, such as the implementation of Brexit, changes in government policy, and changes in travel patterns post-pandemic. This was consulted on for three months. KCC responded broadly positively to the principles of the draft strategy, with it being in accordance with Kent’s recently adopted Local Transport Plan 5. Nevertheless, the response cautioned that there was still much change to come with the English Devolution White Paper and request for Local Government Reorganisation.

TfSE have now refined the Transport Strategy following consideration of the responses received in the public consultation and have put it forward for a vote to adopt it as their new Transport Strategy at the Partnership Board meeting on 27 October 2025. As a named partnership, it is set out in the Council’s constitution that the Leader has responsibility for decisions on TfSE and therefore will need to decide whether to endorse this new Strategy so that KCC’s representative (the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) at the TfSE Partnership Board can vote (aligned with the Leader’s Decision) on its potential adoption by TfSE. Voting on the TfSE Partnership Board is weighted in terms of the population of the constituent authorities. KCC is the largest constituent authority by population and therefore has the largest number of votes by individual member.