Booking system to stay at HWRCs

Following our biggest public consultation for many years, KCC has decided to continue with use of the booking system at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

In the consultation, which ran from 19 August until 30 September, some 10,705 people responded, far in excess of those who have taken part in other consultations such as those on our budget. Opinion was fairly evenly divided, with 5,152 (51.9% of those who expressed a preference) in favour of the system and 4,778 (48.1%) unfavourable. Furthermore, the most favoured option for improving the existing system (including among those who were opposed to it) was to have the scope for same day booking. This has been trialed in two sites and will now be made available across all 18 HWRCs.

Any decision in this area will always be controversial, given the fairly even split in opinion. However, the booking system has evolved significantly since its introduction as an emergency measure to reopen the HWRCs in May 2020, and has (as we saw from resident comments in the consultation) won quite a number of converts once used; the ability to secure a slot, and not be stuck in long and unpredictable queues has proved very popular. The system has proved to be efficient and cost effective.

Following the conclusion of the consultation, its findings were debated in both KCC's Cabinet and elsewhere, followed by a formal report yesterday (18 January) to the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee, which voted decisively to recommend maintaining the booking system. The formal decision to do so was then taken by Susan Carey, Cabinet Member for Environment. KCC’s press release can be found here.

Councils and residents - catching fly-tippers

A recent fly-tipping conviction has provided a good example of councils - and residents -  coming together to combat this anti-social behaviour.

Shane Walker of Swanley pleaded guilty to fly-tipping crimes at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court last week (5 January) and was fined £2,530. He had been investigated by Sevenoaks District Council's Environmental Enforcement Team, and was charged with four fly-tipping offences in:

- South Ash Road, near West Kingsdown (3 November 2020)

- Crockenhill Lane, Eynsford (on or before 9 November 2020)

- Chelsfield Lane, Shoreham (27 March 2021)

- Rabbits Road/ Canada Farm Road, South Darenth (also 27 March 2021)

As SDC's press release makes clear, their investigation work (which included tracing paperwork in the fly tipping to businesses who had paid for their waste to be disposed of) was assisted by a KCC employee observing and recording the registration of the (hired) vehicle used in the first incident and by observations of local residents in the final incident. 

In the case of Chelsfield Lane, this was recorded on a KCC-installed CCTV camera following a number of fly tipping incidents.

District Councils lead on the response to fly tipping, but KCC works with them in a number of ways (ranging from camera deployment to county-wide campaigns to increase householders' and businesses' awareness of their responsibility for disposal of their waste), and this case is a good example. 

Given the severe incidence of fly tipping in rural areas such as Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, I have on a number of occasions sought to work with SDC and KCC officers, and there is a strong and effective working relationship between them. I hope to be able to report on other examples of successful cooperation in future.

Kemsing Library to reopen on 17 January

KCC contractors have been working since late October to put in new windows, gutters and roof in Kemsing Library. The works were originally due to be completed in early December, but delayed because the damage to the windows in the upper part of the building was discovered to be more extensive than anticipated. 

The revised reopening date was to be tomorrow (4 January) but there has been a further delay and reopening will now be on Monday 17 January. Clearly any further delay is disappointing but I hear that the building is looking good and hopefully residents should see a significant improvement when it does reopen.

Looking towards 2022

As 2021 ends, Covid - in particular, through the Omicron variant - remains a major factor in our lives. Yet we are, through the vaccination and booster programmes, in much better circumstances than was the case a year ago. The coming weeks will, I suspect, show conflicting trends that are hard to interpret. Omicron’s high transmissibility appears to be offset by its lesser severity, whether as a a result of its inherent characteristics or the impact of high levels of vaccination. Yet hospital admissions are rising, and come at a time of year when health services are under pressure for other reasons, compounded by a backlog and staff sickness. So the next few weeks may be tough.

Yet it is important to look to 2022 beyond these immediate pressures, and that is what I have sought to do in a New Year message published this morning. The County Council will be bringing forward its longer term plans, delayed and issued in interim form during the pandemic, with publication of our Strategic Plan in the spring. 

We will build on some of the most positive outcomes from the county’s response to the pandemic, notably our close work with the voluntary sector and with the NHS. In the latter case, our new partnership - in the form of the Integrated Care System for Kent and Medway - is expected to take shape in the summer. I know from past experience, having chaired the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board for five and a half years, how hard it is to translate good partnership intentions into real change and results on the ground. But if we get right our focus on the health and wellbeing of the entire population, we can make a real difference.

At the time of the May elections, I spoke of the economic, social and environmental recovery of the county. That will be a central focus of our plans for 2022 - whether through our work on skills through the Employment Task Force; our drive not only to achieve net zero (by 2030 for our estate and operations, and for Kent and Medway as a whole by 2050) but also through a strong approach to adaptation; and our work to achieve efficient borders that enable trade and bring benefit to Kent even as we negotiate the implementation of import controls and other changes flowing from Britain’s departure from the EU. 

All of this will have to be done at a time of continuing budget pressure. The financial settlement from government for 2022-23 (and with indications for local government as a whole for the following two years) was at the better end of expectations, but service and demand pressures coming out of the pandemic, especially in adult social care, remain severe. We will be bring forward our draft budget in the early days of the New Year, focused on what is necessary to achieve a sustainable longer-term future for our services. 

With good wishes to everyone in Kent for a 2022 characterised by health and happiness - and by hope.

Lombard Street measures

As in my previous post in mid-November regarding the situation in Lombard Street and in particular around the stud farm, a number of measures are being brought forward to attempt to address it. Not all the issues are within KCC’s remit, but those relating to the highway are. 

I outlined then plans to install black and white posts to provide immediate protection for the verges for some 70 metres from Reynolds Place Cottages, and for the longer term for a consultation on yellow lines on the eastern (stud farm) side of the road up to the junction with Rays Hill. 

The black and white bollards were installed some weeks ago. So far - as we feared might be the case - much of the effect has been to divert parking to elsewhere in the road, and so KCC plans to order more bollards (to go in towards the Mussenden Lane/ Rays Hill end of the road, which is narrower) to be installed, hopefully, towards the end of January.

Meanwhile, consultation on yellow line proposals will begin very early in the New Year, giving  all local residents the chance to set out their views.

Responding to Omicron

The latest data (up to 16 December) for Kent and Medway show a continuing rise in Covid infections. For Kent, the 7 day rate of infections per 100,000 population is 875, up 37.6% in a week. This is above the England average, though (only just) below that of the South East. Dartford (at 1264.7/ 100,000), Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells have the highest levels of infection. As elsewhere in the country, the Omicron variant is playing an increasing part in the spread of the virus.

Hospitalisations are increasing too, though so far at a relatively slow rate and are far below the levels seen in the early part of this year. The degree to which Omicron’s high transmission rate is offset by (possible) lower severity and the benefits of widespread vaccination remains uncertain.

KCC works alongside its partners (NHS, police, fire, district councils and others) in the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) in responding to this latest phase of the pandemic. The KRF’s recent media release sets out the progress in the vaccine booster campaign - with a doubling of vaccinations in the last week and a record number (33,700) of jabs last Saturday, increased sites becoming available and communications to reinforce the need to get vaccinated or boosted (I recorded a video message last week as part of the campaign). Take up appears strong in relation to national trends. Earlier this week our Cabinet reviewed all the actions being taken to ensure that we are supporting the booster drive to the fullest possible extent.

The media release also sets out other areas of work carried out by KCC and Medway Council, including testing sites, contact tracing and the Kent Together advice and support service. It also includes links to vaccination bookings, location of vaccination centres across Kent and Medway and other information.

Counties and Levelling Up

The government is expected to publish its Levelling Up White Paper in the next week or so. Michael Gove now heads a department with Levelling Up in its title and avowed purpose. Widely seen originally as focused on post-industrial towns, chiefly in the north of England, levelling up has both taken on more substance and has been extended to shire counties. 

This was made very clear from the Prime Minister’s speech in July, which launched the concept of ‘county deals’. At KCC we have had a number of discussions with government about what such a deal might entail,though we are not one of the half dozen or so counties in talks over a county deal to be announced along with the White Paper.

I was invited by the website Conservative Home to set out some perspectives on counties and levelling up. In my article, published this morning, I set out a view that, above all, county deals would make sense if they helped build a much longer-term relationship between counties as strategic authorities with government.

You can find the article here