Agenda item

Nikola Floodgate (Schemes, Planning and Delivery Manager) and Tim Read (Head of Transportation) were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Nikola Floodgate introduced the report which provided an update on the Department of Transport’s (DfT) Emergency Active Travel fund. Mr Payne said that on 28 May 2020, the government had announced that Kent could bid for funding to implement active travel schemes and that this funding would be allocated in two tranches. KCC was given 6 days to submit bids for funding from the first tranche (£1.6million) and on 26 June 2020 KCC was advised that funding had been allocated for all the bids submitted. Work was required to start within four weeks of receipt of funding and completed in eight weeks. Mrs Floodgate advised the committee that the DfT had raised its expectation in terms of ambition to secure funding from tranche 2, and bids had to be submitted by 7 August 2020.

1.    Mr Rayner moved, seconded by Mr Whybrow that paragraph 2.4 of the report be amended to read as follows:

In line with the commitment made by the Cabinet Member, shared at the Scrutiny committee, members are welcome to submit further ideas which can help formulate an expansive list for Tranche 2, “and invite parish, town and community councils to also submit projects and schemes that they have developed, or were in the process of developing, that would make road space safer and more accommodating for pedestrians and cyclists. The invitation will be sent via the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) who will collate and collect responses and submit them for consideration for funding in tranche 2.”

2.    In response to Mr Rayner’s proposed amendment, Mr Payne invited Mr Rayner to attend a meeting with Mr John Wilson (KALC) and himself, to discuss Mr Rayner’s concerns.

3.    The chairman welcomed comments and questions from members on the motion:

(a)  In response to members’ wish to involve the parish, town and community councils, Mr Read said the DfT was seeking significant, strategic schemes that fundamentally challenged the status quo of the existing network. As an example, he referred to the cycle superhighways in London and the potential to extend them into metropolitan areas. He also said that a considerable advice from parish and town councils had been received and an extensive database of ideas generated. He also referred the restricted timescale and the limited capacity to consult with all 300 parishes.

4.    Following the debate, the motion was agreed without a formal vote.

(Mr Chittenden requested that his abstention on the motion to amend paragraph 2.4 within the report be recorded in the minutes)

5.    The chairman welcomed comments and questions from members on the substantive item:

(a)  In response to concerns about the proposed Elwick Road Scheme, Mrs Floodgate said the scheme would not proceed because of its potential impact on local business and the inability to complete the design stage of the scheme within the given timescales.

(b)  In response to queries relating to KCC’s ability to achieve the criteria set out by the DfT and gain the full amount of funding for tranche 2, Mr Payne and Mrs Floodgate said there many ambitious schemes to draw on. Mrs Floodgate referred to the work within the Transport and Development Teams, primarily in relation to the Active Travel Strategy and the Cycle Strategy and assured members that regular conversation continued between KCC, KALC and the district councils.

(c)  Mrs Floodgate acknowledged concerns about public access to information, and said it was important that communication with the public was timely and effective. Mr Read said the introduction of the 20mph speed limit was an example of the effective use of press releases to inform the public of policy changes and the effective use of campaigns to advise residents and the school of those changes.

6.    It was RESOLVED that the report be noted, subject to the inclusion of the amendment to paragraph 2.4  to read:

in line with the commitment made by the Cabinet Member, shared at the Scrutiny committee, members are welcome to submit further ideas which can help formulate an expansive list for Tranche 2, “and invite parish, town and community councils to also submit projects and schemes that they have developed, or were in the process of developing, that would make road space safer and more accommodating for pedestrians and cyclists. The invitation will be sent via the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) who will collate and collect responses and submit them for consideration for funding in tranche 2”.