Coping with snow - secondary routes to be treated tomorrow morning

With today's heavy snowfall, I have been contacted by constituents as to what is happening in terms of gritting.

Kent Highways divides up the network into primary routes (the main arteries that are a priority to keep open - the A225 through the centre of Darent Valley is a good example), secondary routes which get attention after that, and the rest. You can find a map of the gritting routes, and whether you live on a primary, secondary or other route, here

With the heavy and continuing snowfall through today, Kent Highways has been focused on keeping the primary routes open - though in places even this has been a struggle. (It is apparently a similar story on the motorways, which are the responsibility of the Highways Agency). As a result, secondary routes, which have had treatment in recent days, have not been touched today. This can be seen in my road, as the picture shows.

In the next few hours, this is likely to remain the case - the snow that has been falling through the day will not clear Kent until around midnight. However, Kent Highways tell me that they plan to work on the secondary routes before 6:30 tomorrow morning, hopefully improving them in time for the morning rush hour.

KCC confirms preferred site for Sevenoaks grammar annexes

Kent County Council has today confirmed that the former Wildernesse School site is its preferred option for two new grammar school annexes in Sevenoaks.

Last year, Sevenoaks parents Andrew and Sarah Shilling launched an e-petition urging KCC to establish new grammar school provision in the town. The e-petition quickly gathered 2,600 signatures and was debated at the County Council in March. A motion supporting the call for grammar school provision, which I seconded, was passed overwhelmingly.

Since that time, my colleague Mike Whiting (Cabinet Member for Education) and officers have been working hard to make this proposal a reality. Today's announcement is an important step and offers the prospect of relief to young people and families having to make the long journey to schools in Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and elsewhere. And with rising numbers of children coming through primary schools, the pressure on secondary school places, and grammar school places in particular in West Kent will only increase.

For Darent Valley residents, this is likely to be of particular importance in the south and centre of the Division (such as Shoreham, Badgers Mount and Eynsford). Further north, many young people are more likely to go to the Dartford and Wilmington schools. Nonetheless, this is an important development for families across the Darent Valley.

You can find KCC's announcement here and an article in the Sevenoaks Chronicle here. Further announcements are likely in the coming weeks.

Make Dilnot happen by 2015 e-petition

Do you think that the amount families have to pay for adult social care should be capped at £35,000 per individual?

If so, you should sign the e-petition launched recently by Kent County Council leader Paul Carter on the 10 Downing Street website. It urges the government to implement the proposals of Andrew Dilnot's review of social care funding by 2015. Mr Dilnot's review - commissioned by the present government - set out plans for funding social care, with the £35,000 cap a key element. If adopted, it would reduce the horrendous costs and huge uncertainties that many families face over the costs of care in old age.

Governments of all parties have fudged this issue for many years. Kent County Council recently debated Dilnot and the e-petition follows on from that debate. I'm one of more than 400 people who have so far signed the petition; if you want to support it, you can sign it here. You can also find more details of KCC's view here.