More on return to school

I have set out in previous posts the steps that KCC, and in particular our public transport team, have been taking to support the coming week's return to school. This is now incorporated in a 'back to school' page on the KCC website, which includes a video to advise school students what to expect when travelling on buses under current conditions. You can also find an updated statement from the Cabinet Members for Transport (Michael Payne) and Education (Richard Long) here.

As I've described before, the Public Transport team has worked closely with operators to plan for the return to school. The latest figures that I have seen suggest that applications for the Kent Travel Saver are running at about 55% of previous years' levels. Buses will, of course, be operating at less than full capacity, though where they are designated (as an increased number are) as 'school only' buses it will be possible to make use of all the forward facing seats and so run at about two-thirds capacity rather than half. Nonetheless, the reduced numbers using the services will to a significant degree offset this. In addition, over a hundred additional vehicles will be running this week. 

Clearly this will be a difficult and stressful time for parents and students, and the coming week is likely to see a fast-changing situation. Even in a 'normal' year, transport in the early weeks of the autumn term can be difficult (which is a natural concern of parents of Year 7 students, just starting their secondary education, in particular) and there can be no guarantees as to what the experience will be in each and every part of the county. But a great deal of preparation has been undertaken in a short time. As a parent as well as a politician, I am hoping for the very best possible experience for students returning to school.

 

 

Exams: KCC supporting Kent schools, students and families

In Kent and elsewhere, Thursday's announcement of A-Level and other post-16 results has been met with deep and growing concern from students, their families and their schools. Even where the aggregate outcomes have broadly matched schools' expectations (and that has not always been the case), there are reports of huge individual variation and unfairness. As Richard Long, KCC's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills has put it: "in many cases the grades appear to bear little resemblance to student ability or to the Centre Assessed Grades (CAG) awarded by schools."

As Leader of the Council (and having previously had responsibility for the County Council's role in Education), I have been contacted by head teachers and chairs of governors to express their alarm and incredulity at what has happened. They have also expressed their apprehension over what this means for this week's GCSEs.

KCC stands ready to support schools, students and families and, in an announcement on Friday, made clear our course of action. The County Council will collate information from Kent schools to be able to present a coherent picture to government of the issues and concerns in the County, and to urge the Education Secretary to investigate and redress the problem with rapid effect. The future prospects of many of our young people depend on it.

You can find the KCC statement here.

 

School transport for September

In my previous post, I tried to address the concerns of many parents over the decisions they face regarding their child's transport to school in September. The application 'window' for the Kent Travel Saver (KTS) expires tomorrow, though this is only to guarantee the pass being available before the start of term; KCC will seek to process applications received subsequent to that date as quickly as possible.

With that in mind, Kent County Council has issued a further statement to make the current position as clear as possible. This has been delayed somewhat by the wait for further government guidance, which has yet to be issued. In this, Michael Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation) and Richard Long (Cabinet Member for Education and Skills) set out the current position on capacity and the extensive work that has taken place between KCC and bus operators to prepare for the return to school and to ensure the maximum safety of children while travelling.

You can find the KCC statement here.

Getting Building Fund: £37 million for Kent and Medway

In mid-June, I like other Council Leaders and Chairs of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)received a letter from the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, inviting us to bring forward 'shovel-ready' projects that government could support through a new Fund to boost economic recovery. These were to be put forward to government through the LEPs, in our case the South East LEP (SELEP), of which I am a Director. The scheme would in time become known as the Getting Building Fund. 

Turnaround times were extraordinarily quick, with a meeting of Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP), the 'federated area' sub-division of the LEP (which embraces Essex and associated unitary councils, along with East Sussex, Kent and Medway)on 9 July and SELEP's Board a week later to confirm our submissions. 

 SELEP secured £85 million from the Fund, the largest sum awarded to any LEP in the country, with £37 million within that awarded to Kent and Medway. Yesterday government announced the detailed awards of the £900 million Getting Building Fund. There were eight successful projects in Kent and Medway, three of them (the first three listed below) led by KCC:

- Connecting Rural Kent and Medway - rollout of full fibre broadband in remote and rural parts of the county 

- Thanet Parkway Railway Station - a new railway station serving Thanet and North Dover, close to Discovery Park 

-  Javelin Way Development, Ashford - educational and industrial facilities 

-  First and Second Floors, Building 500, Discovery Park (Sandwich) - upgrade of laboratory space, supporting life sciences companies based in the Enterprise Zone 

- The Meeting Place, Swanley - new business space and homes in the High Street - a key project for Sevenoaks District Council 

- Britton Farm Redevelopment, Medway - a learning and skills hub for adult retraining 

- Performing and Production Digital Arts Facility, North Kent College - industry-leading training facilities linked to the Thames Estuary Production Corridor for creative industries 

-  Romney Marsh Employment Hub - employment and business space in an area affected by the rundown of Dungeness nuclear power station 

This is excellent news for the county, with schemes from areas ranging from Dartford and Swanley to Romney Marsh. Further progress on broadband is vital, while the Thanet Parkway scheme is a long-running project which the County Council has championed (and which I inherited as an important but challenging scheme when I became Leader) and which can now be brought forward with a range of funding sources.

You can find the government announcement (which makes a particular mention of Thanet Parkway) here.