The cold morning on Wednesday saw serious problems on Bower Lane, Eynsford, near the junction with the High Street. Conditions on much of the road (for most of the way down from the East Hill end) were reasonable, but on the more northerly sections approaching Eynsford there was a buildup of ice. Several vehicles skidded into ditches, and a van overturned and blocked the road. There were no serious injuries, but the blockage of the road - starting at the time for travel to work and the school run - lasted for several hours.
Bower Lane is currently a secondary route, and these were not treated on Wednesday morning; to use Kent Highways' formulation, secondary routes are "only treated during prolonged periods of ice and snow." It has been argued that Bower Lane should be treated as a primary route, but this is most unlikely to be agreed; this designation is reserved for major strategic routes such as the A225. Nonetheless, there is a clear need to avoid a repetition of what happened on Wednesday. I will therefore be looking at installing at least one salt bin, paid for from my Member Highway Fund. Highways officers will also be looking at other issues, such as water runoff from the nearby fields. This latter situation has improved greatly since the severe flooding of a little over a year ago, but it may be possible to do more.
Welcome to my website. I am proud to represent Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, one of the loveliest parts of Kent, on the County Council. The Division is made up of a number of communities: Crockenhill, Eynsford (including Lullingstone), Farningham, Horton Kirby, Kemsing, Otford, Seal, Seal Chart, Shoreham, South Darenth, Southdowns, Swanley Village, Underriver and Well Hill. Since October 2019, I have served as the Leader of Kent County Council. This blog reflects both roles.
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Sunday, 15 December 2013
Friday, 13 December 2013
Sevenoaks grammar annexe: the DfE's verdict
The Department for Education has, after many months of consideration (post of 1 December), turned down the two applications from Invicta Grammar School and the Weald of Kent grammar school to establish a Sevenoaks grammar annexe.
The DfE argued that the proposals "do not represent an expansion of the existing schools and therefore cannot be approved." In other words, the DfE considered that both proposals amounted to the creation of new grammar schools, which is against the law. Among the key issues of concern to the Department were the fact that both proposals required separate Published Admission Numbers (PAN) at each site rather than one for the school as a whole. In addition - and there is some relationship between the two issues - the fact that the grammar annexes would be co-educational while the schools themselves are single-sex was seen as being in contravention of the Code.
At the same time, the DfE noted that, in the case of the Weald of Kent, "The proportion of students on roll currently travelling from Sevenoaks can be regarded as a factor in favour of the proposal being an expansion of the school within its current catchment area." In both cases, the DfE stated that "we remain open to considering further proposals in the future."
There is no denying that this is a setback and a disappointment. The whole drive to create a Sevenoaks grammar annexe was built on strong public demand and support - seen in the petition that triggered the County Council debate and vote of March 2012, and the strong response to consultation on the proposals from parents across the Sevenoaks area. There is a clearly demonstrated need for more selective school places in West Kent over the next few years. And it remains an absurd anomaly that so many young people travel out of Sevenoaks District for their secondary education every day. We need to be able to solve the Sevenoaks problem and the West Kent problem together.
However, the DfE's response leaves the door open to further applications. This was also clear from a meeting yesterday between Education Secretary Michael Gove, Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon an KCC Leader Paul Carter. What we at KCC and the schools must now do is to examine the issues raised by the DfE and see what can be done to address them. As the Department put it, "We will need to assess any future proposals against the factors we have highlighted." We will not walk away from the issue.
You can find further coverage of today's developments in the Telegraph and the Kent Messenger.
The DfE argued that the proposals "do not represent an expansion of the existing schools and therefore cannot be approved." In other words, the DfE considered that both proposals amounted to the creation of new grammar schools, which is against the law. Among the key issues of concern to the Department were the fact that both proposals required separate Published Admission Numbers (PAN) at each site rather than one for the school as a whole. In addition - and there is some relationship between the two issues - the fact that the grammar annexes would be co-educational while the schools themselves are single-sex was seen as being in contravention of the Code.
At the same time, the DfE noted that, in the case of the Weald of Kent, "The proportion of students on roll currently travelling from Sevenoaks can be regarded as a factor in favour of the proposal being an expansion of the school within its current catchment area." In both cases, the DfE stated that "we remain open to considering further proposals in the future."
There is no denying that this is a setback and a disappointment. The whole drive to create a Sevenoaks grammar annexe was built on strong public demand and support - seen in the petition that triggered the County Council debate and vote of March 2012, and the strong response to consultation on the proposals from parents across the Sevenoaks area. There is a clearly demonstrated need for more selective school places in West Kent over the next few years. And it remains an absurd anomaly that so many young people travel out of Sevenoaks District for their secondary education every day. We need to be able to solve the Sevenoaks problem and the West Kent problem together.
However, the DfE's response leaves the door open to further applications. This was also clear from a meeting yesterday between Education Secretary Michael Gove, Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon an KCC Leader Paul Carter. What we at KCC and the schools must now do is to examine the issues raised by the DfE and see what can be done to address them. As the Department put it, "We will need to assess any future proposals against the factors we have highlighted." We will not walk away from the issue.
You can find further coverage of today's developments in the Telegraph and the Kent Messenger.
Monday, 9 December 2013
Works in progress
A number of projects are now being taken forward in different parts of Darent Valley.
As mentioned before (post of 21 October), safety measures were due to be installed on the A225 Dartford Road, on the Farningham-Horton Kirby border. New signage is now in place. Road markings have still to be refreshed, but this should be carried out shortly, with a comprehensive programme from the Farningham Road Station bridge to the junction with the A20.
Secondly, the reduction in the speed limit on the Orpington by-pass in Badgers Mount has met no objections, and so will not even need to be considered (though it may be noted) at Wednesday's meeting of the Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board. An order has been sealed for early in the New Year, and speed limit signs should be brought forward around the same time. Works are starting on the traffic island and short section of footway in Old London Road, though I understand that there have been concerns expressed by some local residents as to the degree to which they were consulted and the impact of the measures on them. I will pick up this issue.
Finally, new salt bins, paid for from my Member Highway Fund, have been installed in New Road, South Darenth (near The Queen pub) and on the corner of West View Road and Southview Close in Swanley. More are on the way, once we have sorted out the precise best location.
As mentioned before (post of 21 October), safety measures were due to be installed on the A225 Dartford Road, on the Farningham-Horton Kirby border. New signage is now in place. Road markings have still to be refreshed, but this should be carried out shortly, with a comprehensive programme from the Farningham Road Station bridge to the junction with the A20.
Secondly, the reduction in the speed limit on the Orpington by-pass in Badgers Mount has met no objections, and so will not even need to be considered (though it may be noted) at Wednesday's meeting of the Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board. An order has been sealed for early in the New Year, and speed limit signs should be brought forward around the same time. Works are starting on the traffic island and short section of footway in Old London Road, though I understand that there have been concerns expressed by some local residents as to the degree to which they were consulted and the impact of the measures on them. I will pick up this issue.
Finally, new salt bins, paid for from my Member Highway Fund, have been installed in New Road, South Darenth (near The Queen pub) and on the corner of West View Road and Southview Close in Swanley. More are on the way, once we have sorted out the precise best location.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Safe and sensible street lighting
Kent County Council has been reviewing its street lighting services. Our present provision of lighting costs £5.8 million (rising to £6.4 million next year) and emits 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. A significant part of what is provided would not be installed under current guidelines. 'Safe and sensible street lighting' is an initiative to rationalise street lighting provision to save costs and reduce carbon emissions while continuing to provide the service where and when it is truly needed.
The initiative will take two forms. Firstly, there will be a trial complete switch-off of lights in certain areas where it is judged safe to do this. In the case of Sevenoaks, this was discussed at our Joint Transportation Board in March. As the record shows, I asked for some proposed areas to be excluded from the switch-off, and this was agreed; nonetheless, some areas in Darent Valley, such as Main Road near Farningham and Goldsel Road approaching Crockenhill, are included.
Secondly, there will be a shift to 'part-night lighting' in many areas; lights will be switched off between midnight and 5:30am. This follows a consultation in the summer, in which 75% of respondents supported the proposals. Lights will be considered suitable for this unless they are in areas such as major traffic routes, sites of housing for vulnerable people, sites at risk of increased crime and the like. (The full list of criteria can be found in Kent County Council's press release). This is being implemented in a rolling programme across Kent; in the case of Sevenoaks District, it will take effect in just over 10 days' time, on 16 December.
Inevitably, there will be mixed feelings about these plans. Some communities favour being unlit, believing that it is part of their identity as rural villages and settlements. Other people are concerned at perceived increased risks of crime and traffic accidents. Kent Highways has made clear that safety remains its top priority, and that changes can and will be made if it becomes clear that the shutoff is having a damaging effect. Nonetheless, the overall direction of policy is clearly set, with the aim of delivering significant savings without compromising safety.
The initiative will take two forms. Firstly, there will be a trial complete switch-off of lights in certain areas where it is judged safe to do this. In the case of Sevenoaks, this was discussed at our Joint Transportation Board in March. As the record shows, I asked for some proposed areas to be excluded from the switch-off, and this was agreed; nonetheless, some areas in Darent Valley, such as Main Road near Farningham and Goldsel Road approaching Crockenhill, are included.
Secondly, there will be a shift to 'part-night lighting' in many areas; lights will be switched off between midnight and 5:30am. This follows a consultation in the summer, in which 75% of respondents supported the proposals. Lights will be considered suitable for this unless they are in areas such as major traffic routes, sites of housing for vulnerable people, sites at risk of increased crime and the like. (The full list of criteria can be found in Kent County Council's press release). This is being implemented in a rolling programme across Kent; in the case of Sevenoaks District, it will take effect in just over 10 days' time, on 16 December.
Inevitably, there will be mixed feelings about these plans. Some communities favour being unlit, believing that it is part of their identity as rural villages and settlements. Other people are concerned at perceived increased risks of crime and traffic accidents. Kent Highways has made clear that safety remains its top priority, and that changes can and will be made if it becomes clear that the shutoff is having a damaging effect. Nonetheless, the overall direction of policy is clearly set, with the aim of delivering significant savings without compromising safety.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Sevenoaks grammar annexe: waiting for Mr Gove
Last week saw a flurry of press interest in the Sevenoaks grammar annexe. This was not because anything had changed; the two applications, from Invicta Grammar School and Weald of Kent grammar school, have been with Education Secretary Michael Gove since the second half of July, and he has yet to give his verdict.
Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon wrote to Mr Gove some weeks ago, urging a speedy decision. In his response, Mr Gove emphasised the importance of his establishing whether what was proposed was an expansion of existing schools (which is legal) or a new grammar school (which is not). I also wrote to Mr Gove, arguing that the proposals were indeed expansions and that the case for further selective provision in West Kent, and Sevenoaks in particular, was a very strong one. In his reply to me, Mr Give reiterated the importance of the distinction between a new school and an expanded one, and also expressed his belief that he would be able, on the basis of advice and information from the Education Funding Agency, to reach a decision relatively soon.
The national press has weighed into the issue, with articles in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph argued that Mr Gove should change the law to allow for the creation of new grammar schools. I and others at KCC are, unsurprisingly, sympathetic to this view (KCC Leader Paul Carter argued for it in a Radio Kent interview) but we also strongly believe that the two proposals are expansions under current legislation.
Mr Gove's decision, and the timing of it, are outside KCC's control. Meanwhile, however, we are pressing ahead with those things that we can do. The planning application for the Wildernesse site, covering both the grammar school annexe and the Trinity Free School, is about to be submitted, with the aim and expectation of securing determination by March.
Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon wrote to Mr Gove some weeks ago, urging a speedy decision. In his response, Mr Gove emphasised the importance of his establishing whether what was proposed was an expansion of existing schools (which is legal) or a new grammar school (which is not). I also wrote to Mr Gove, arguing that the proposals were indeed expansions and that the case for further selective provision in West Kent, and Sevenoaks in particular, was a very strong one. In his reply to me, Mr Give reiterated the importance of the distinction between a new school and an expanded one, and also expressed his belief that he would be able, on the basis of advice and information from the Education Funding Agency, to reach a decision relatively soon.
The national press has weighed into the issue, with articles in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph argued that Mr Gove should change the law to allow for the creation of new grammar schools. I and others at KCC are, unsurprisingly, sympathetic to this view (KCC Leader Paul Carter argued for it in a Radio Kent interview) but we also strongly believe that the two proposals are expansions under current legislation.
Mr Gove's decision, and the timing of it, are outside KCC's control. Meanwhile, however, we are pressing ahead with those things that we can do. The planning application for the Wildernesse site, covering both the grammar school annexe and the Trinity Free School, is about to be submitted, with the aim and expectation of securing determination by March.