Kent County Council has put in a very thorough response to the Department for Transport (DfT)'s consultation on the new South Eastern rail franchise, which closes today. The new franchise to run services in the County will come into effect in December next year.
The response is very wide-ranging, covering some matters that are very remote from Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, such as a Thanet Parkway Station, but also some that are very close to home. Overall, KCC emphasises the need for enhanced services, including more space on trains, to meet the needs of the County's rapidly rising population. There is support for a DfT proposal for stock to be transferred from Thameslink (which is itself taking on new stock) to the South Eastern services to enhance capacity.
Otford Station is among those picked out as requiring enhanced connectivity, in particular to Sevenoaks and to Maidstone East. Otford is also highlighted as one of the stations in need of enhanced parking capacity.
KCC has also worked with and promotes the proposals from the Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association, for Sevenoaks to have a special status (similar to that of Watford junction) in relation to the London zonal fares, integrated with them but set by the Train Operating Company rather than by Transport for London. It also urges consideration of including the Darent Valley stations between Sevenoaks and Swanley in the scheme.
You can find a press release summarising KCC's response here, and the full document here.
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
New Cabinet role: some change, and some même chose
Following the County Council elections, KCC Leader Paul Carter has appointed a new Cabinet. I have taken on the role of Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education.
Previously I was the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform. The new post means some continuity - I retain the responsibility for Education that I have had for the last four years - but also change. In particular, and reflecting recent changes to KCC's Directorate structure, I will also take on responsibility for Specialist Children's Services (such as child protection, fostering and adoption), as well as youth services and KCC's role in youth justice. Almost everything that the Council delivers to children and young people will come within the portfolio; its list of responsibilities is very long indeed.
A corollary of this is that I step aside from my work on KCC's relationship with the NHS, including chairing Kent's Health and Wellbeing Board. This is something of a wrench - I have worked at this for much of the last seven years, and have developed knowledge, relationships and engagement with the fascinating and important issues of the health and care system. However, it is perhaps time to move on, and the new portfolio is a much better and more coherent fit. And it is a chance to serve the young people of Kent, including the most vulnerable - a big but exciting responsibility.
The new Cabinet in full is:
Leader of the Council - Paul Carter
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning & Public Health - Peter Oakford
Cabinet Member for Finance - John Simmonds
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care - Graham Gibbens
Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education - Roger Gough
Cabinet Member for Customers, Communications and Performance - Susan Carey
Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport & Waste - Matthew Balfour
Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services - Eric Hotson
Cabinet Member for Economic Development - Mark Dance
Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services - Mike Hill
Previously I was the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform. The new post means some continuity - I retain the responsibility for Education that I have had for the last four years - but also change. In particular, and reflecting recent changes to KCC's Directorate structure, I will also take on responsibility for Specialist Children's Services (such as child protection, fostering and adoption), as well as youth services and KCC's role in youth justice. Almost everything that the Council delivers to children and young people will come within the portfolio; its list of responsibilities is very long indeed.
A corollary of this is that I step aside from my work on KCC's relationship with the NHS, including chairing Kent's Health and Wellbeing Board. This is something of a wrench - I have worked at this for much of the last seven years, and have developed knowledge, relationships and engagement with the fascinating and important issues of the health and care system. However, it is perhaps time to move on, and the new portfolio is a much better and more coherent fit. And it is a chance to serve the young people of Kent, including the most vulnerable - a big but exciting responsibility.
The new Cabinet in full is:
Leader of the Council - Paul Carter
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning & Public Health - Peter Oakford
Cabinet Member for Finance - John Simmonds
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care - Graham Gibbens
Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education - Roger Gough
Cabinet Member for Customers, Communications and Performance - Susan Carey
Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport & Waste - Matthew Balfour
Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services - Eric Hotson
Cabinet Member for Economic Development - Mark Dance
Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services - Mike Hill
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
A20 fatal crash
Many people will have seen the reports of the shocking car crash, in which two young men were killed, on the A20 London Road near Farningham some ten days ago. The collision - invoking three vehicles - took place at around 1:20 am on Saturday 29 April, near the junction with Eglantine Lane. The two young men who lost their lives were both musicians: Mike Crampton, keyboard player with the Dartford band The Pisdicables, and his friend James Montegriffo. Eight other people were injured, one seriously.
I did not post about this at the time - it did not seem right to do so in the midst of an election campaign - but it is clearly important to track any information that emerges from now on as to what happened and why.
A lot of concerns have been raised about safety on the A20, and in particular around the junctions in Farningham - I have attended two site meetings seeking to address the issues in the last eighteen months. Kent Highways has identified the A20 junction with Button Street as having a particular concentration of accidents, and are looking to bring forward measures to address this, but there is less agreement and clarity regarding other potential problems on the A20.
At the time of writing, we have yet to see reports from Kent Police and others, and so it is impossible to draw any conclusions, or to say whether or not the horrific events were caused by features of the road that might be susceptible to highways engineering solutions. Reports indicate that the collision was head on rather than involving a vehicle emerging from a junction.
For now, our thoughts must be with the friends and families of the victims of the crash, but as more details emerge I will post further updates, including emerging conclusions as to any possible courses of action.
I did not post about this at the time - it did not seem right to do so in the midst of an election campaign - but it is clearly important to track any information that emerges from now on as to what happened and why.
A lot of concerns have been raised about safety on the A20, and in particular around the junctions in Farningham - I have attended two site meetings seeking to address the issues in the last eighteen months. Kent Highways has identified the A20 junction with Button Street as having a particular concentration of accidents, and are looking to bring forward measures to address this, but there is less agreement and clarity regarding other potential problems on the A20.
At the time of writing, we have yet to see reports from Kent Police and others, and so it is impossible to draw any conclusions, or to say whether or not the horrific events were caused by features of the road that might be susceptible to highways engineering solutions. Reports indicate that the collision was head on rather than involving a vehicle emerging from a junction.
For now, our thoughts must be with the friends and families of the victims of the crash, but as more details emerge I will post further updates, including emerging conclusions as to any possible courses of action.
Sunday, 7 May 2017
Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley
I was delighted to be elected at last Thursday's County Council elections as the Member for the new Division of Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley. The results were:
Roger Gough (Conservative) 3,289 (64.4%)
Theo Michael (Labour) 502 (9.8%)
Krish Shanmuganathan (Lib Dem) 476 (9.3%)
Philip Dodd (Green). 463 (9.1%)
Graham Cushway (UKIP). 374 (7.3%)
Turnout was 32.3% of a large electorate of almost 16,000 voters.
This was a clear and emphatic result. It is not possible to make a comparison with the 2013 results because of boundary changes, but there has clearly been a strong move towards the Conservatives, as was seen across much of the rest of the county and indeed the country. And while there was some variation between polling districts, it was clear that my support came from across the Division.
My twelve years representing the Darent Valley Division expire tomorrow. I will carry forward into the new Division many of the villages and communities that I have represented, but will sadly lose Swanley Christchurch, Swanley High Firs and Badgers Mount. The new communities in the Division (making up around half the electorate) will be the parishes of Otford, Kemsing and Seal (including Seal Chart and Underriver).
As an electoral map of Kent shows, Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley is a large and rather oddly-shaped Division. It borders London, and runs from the North of the District southwards, snaking round to the East and (despite its name) slightly to the South of Sevenoaks Town. I look forward to representing residents from all communities, old and new.
The outcome in the Division reflected the overall picture in Kent. The Conservatives have been returned with 67 out of 81 County Councillors. The Liberal Democrats, with 6 Councillors, are now the opposition party. UKIP, who made up the official opposition in the 2013-17 Council, have been obliterated from the electoral map of Kent (again, this was reflected locally; while they were runners up in Darent Valley in 2013, they came bottom of the poll in the new Division).
Thank you to everyone who voted, and above all to those who gave me their confidence and support. Tomorrow it is back to County Hall for the start of a new Council term.
Roger Gough (Conservative) 3,289 (64.4%)
Theo Michael (Labour) 502 (9.8%)
Krish Shanmuganathan (Lib Dem) 476 (9.3%)
Philip Dodd (Green). 463 (9.1%)
Graham Cushway (UKIP). 374 (7.3%)
Turnout was 32.3% of a large electorate of almost 16,000 voters.
This was a clear and emphatic result. It is not possible to make a comparison with the 2013 results because of boundary changes, but there has clearly been a strong move towards the Conservatives, as was seen across much of the rest of the county and indeed the country. And while there was some variation between polling districts, it was clear that my support came from across the Division.
My twelve years representing the Darent Valley Division expire tomorrow. I will carry forward into the new Division many of the villages and communities that I have represented, but will sadly lose Swanley Christchurch, Swanley High Firs and Badgers Mount. The new communities in the Division (making up around half the electorate) will be the parishes of Otford, Kemsing and Seal (including Seal Chart and Underriver).
As an electoral map of Kent shows, Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley is a large and rather oddly-shaped Division. It borders London, and runs from the North of the District southwards, snaking round to the East and (despite its name) slightly to the South of Sevenoaks Town. I look forward to representing residents from all communities, old and new.
The outcome in the Division reflected the overall picture in Kent. The Conservatives have been returned with 67 out of 81 County Councillors. The Liberal Democrats, with 6 Councillors, are now the opposition party. UKIP, who made up the official opposition in the 2013-17 Council, have been obliterated from the electoral map of Kent (again, this was reflected locally; while they were runners up in Darent Valley in 2013, they came bottom of the poll in the new Division).
Thank you to everyone who voted, and above all to those who gave me their confidence and support. Tomorrow it is back to County Hall for the start of a new Council term.
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Out and about 2017
The establishment of the new Division, created by the Boundary Commission, replaces the current Darent Valley Division. This means, regrettably, an end to my representing Swanley (except for Swanley Village, which comes into the new Division) and Badgers Mount. I attended last Friday's Badgers Mount Annual Parish Meeting and said my goodbyes. I am sad that, whatever happens tomorrow, I will no longer represent either area.