Hosting Lord Deben: Kent and Climate Change

Earlier in the week - and it has been a long and busy one - we at KCC hosted Lord Deben (formerly the Cabinet Minister John Gummer), chairman of the government’s Climate Change Committee, on a visit to Kent. 

The Climate Change Committee performs an advisory and monitoring role in relation to the government’s environmental mitigation and adaptation policies. Lord Deben, members of the Committee and their advisers wanted to see how different parts of the country are developing climate change policies (both to achieve net zero and to mitigate the effects of climate change) and Kent was high on their list. 

Lord Deben and his team spent a very long day in the county, starting with flood prevention and other adaptation initiatives in Margate (including the ‘Cool Towns’ project, which uses tree pits and tree planting to both manage flood risk and cool high temperatures), a discussion with students at Herne Bay High school, meeting local leaders in Kings Hill - and then, I’m pleased to say, a visit to Darent Valley itself. This was at Preston Farm in Shoreham, where with the support of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, flood and drought management schemes on the Darent are also supporting better biodiversity. We ended the day with a discussion with many of the businesses, voluntary groups and others working to address environmental issues at Chatham Dockyard. 

The day was not simply a chance - important as it was - to showcase Kent’s environmental initiatives; a major focus of the day (and a key reason for the Climate Change Committee to get out of London and see work in localities across the country) was to highlight the obstacles to delivery. These included major gaps in the planning system (an important consideration in a county that has seen some of the fastest housing growth in the country), uncertainty over how future initiatives will be funded (an especially important consideration for the AONB, which has historically benefited from EU funding streams) and the challenges, highlighted in an important report for KCC and its partners by the expert consultants Anthesis, of delivering net zero in the household sector. 

The day seems to have been of great value to Lord Deben and his team, and gives us in Kent the chance to build a long-term and valuable working relationship with the Climate Change Committee.

KCC response to the Ukraine crisis

The last few days have seen strong interest in how councils respond to the horrendous events in Ukraine, and to President Putin’s aggression against that country. Over the last weekend, I asked our most senior officers to review all our operations and supply chain, both at the level of KCC and of our companies, to ensure that there was no exposure to Russian entities linked to the current regime. 

There is very little such linkage, but in the case of our energy buying company Laser (which acts on behalf of many public sector organisations) one framework does include the Russian energy giant Gazprom. This has now been suspended from the framework and will not be taking part in future  transactions. 

This review goes alongside a number of measures that we are taking to express our solidarity with Ukraine (the country’s flag now flies over County Hall) and to ensure that the County Council and its services are as protected as possible from the spillover effects of the conflict, ranging from potential cyber attacks to the financial impact of yet higher energy costs. You can find our press release about this here. 

Brompton Bicycle investment: good news for Ashford and for Kent

Brompton Bicycle, the UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer, announced this morning its commitment to a new factory and HQ in Ashford, with investment of £100 million and 4,000 jobs. Ashford overcame strong competition from other parts of the country and demonstrated its appeal - and that of Kent - as a place to invest and do business. 

Brampton’s plans - subject to planning approval by Ashford Borough Council - should take effect in 2027. In addition to its economic impact, the scheme promises major innovation and environmental benefit. Sited on a 100 acre floodplain near the International Station and the Designer Outlet, the factory will enable restoration of wetland and development of a public nature reserve and cycle way.

You can find KCC’s response, including my statement, on Facebook here. We are delighted at this investment, and this reflects the commitment and vision of Brompton and close work between Ashford Borough Council, Kent County Council and inward investment body Locate in Kent. More detail can be found on Ashford For Investment.

SEND transport changes: an apology, and information for families

Kent County Council is introducing changes to the transport arrangements for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) from the start of next week (Monday 21 February). These changes, which will affect routes, transport and travel with other children, reflect the rapid growth in SEND children requiring transport and a severe shortage of drivers.

However, the process of allocating transport to SEND children has taken longer than had originally been anticipated and a significant number of parents were not informed of their child’s new transport arrangements by the promised date of the end of term (last Friday, 11 February). This has, naturally, caused huge anxiety to these families. 

We recognise that this is an utterly unacceptable position for these families to be put in. Councillors and officers have sought this week to secure transport for many of the affected families, and communication has been through email and a dedicated phone line to seek to keep all parents as informed as possible as to the latest position and the arrangements for their child. KCC has also worked with Kent PACT (Parents and Carers Together, the forum for SEND families), who have sought to help and communicate with rightly distressed parents.

This KCC statement sets out the details of how parents can get more information and, quite rightly, apologises fully for the distress and anxiety that families have experienced. We will review in full how this happened, but the immediate priority is to resolve the uncertainty over transport for many SEND families. 

Road closure in Beechenlea Lane

Beechenlea Lane in Swanley Lane will once more be closed at the railway bridge because of Network Rail works between next Monday 7 February and Friday 11 February. The closure will be between 8am and 4pm daily. The signposted diversion route will be via Swanley Village Road, Highlands Hill, Swanley Lane and London Road in Swanley.

These works are intended to conclude the rail bridge replacement works undertaken last October. At the conclusion of the works, Kent Highways will send an inspector to confirm that there is no damage or defect arising from the works - and if there is, the defect will be raised with Network Rail.

Opening the Boys Grammar Annex in Sevenoaks

During the week I attended the formal opening of the Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys (TWGSB) annex in Sevenoaks. The annex had its first year of entry in September. 

I was asked to speak, along with the Chair of Governors, Dr Philip Drew (pictured with me along with the plaque recording the opening of the annex) and Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott. Among those who attended were Sir Michael Fallon and Sir Paul Carter, who as the then MP for Sevenoaks and then Leader of KCC respectively, did an enormous amount to promote and bring forward both the Weald of Kent and TWGSB annexes. So did Andrew and Sarah Shilling, and Ed Walker, who kick started the initial campaign for grammar provision in Sevenoaks. The event ended with a ‘thank you’ from a group of Year 7 students and a tour of the annex.

In my remarks, I commented on the long journey that had got us to this, and emphasised the courage of both Weald of Kent and of TWGSB - and in particular head teacher Amanda Simpson - in making the big commitment to their respective annexes in Sevenoaks. With three schools on this site - Trinity, Weald and TWGSB - along with expansion at Knole, secondary education in Sevenoaks has been transformed over the last decade.

Park Lane Kemsing closure

Some residents of Park Lane Kemsing recently received notification of emergency works by South East Water starting this coming Monday (24 January) requiring a road closure and which could last until 27 January. The notification indicated that residents would not be able to access their properties while the works were taking place.

Under an emergency closure (unlike a planned closure), utility providers do not have to secure a permit from KCC as the highways authority. The utility is required to notify KCC, though only within two hours of starting work.

However, when a Parish Councillor raised the closure with me, I took it up with our Streetworks team, who contacted South East Water. There is some uncertainty over whether the works will go ahead on Monday or not, apparently because of difficulties securing digger drivers. If the works do go ahead, there will be a road closure but access for residents will be maintained, and KCC will send an inspector to ensure that this happens.

It seems that we will not know for certain until Monday morning itself whether or not the works are going ahead; I will post again if and when I know more.