Shepway Liberal Democrats

News from Kent County Council Liberal Democrats

• May 20, 2013:
  • Question to Kent County Council, 23 May 2013: Gagging Clauses and Kent County Council
    Question by Mrs Dean To The Leader of the Council Will the Leader of the Council please say whether in view of public concern regarding so-call 'gagging clauses' within severance agreements with staff, he is willing to cease the use of such clauses by Kent County Council? Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council, 23 May 2013: Maidstone Ofsted ratings
    Question by Rob Bird to Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform Of 150 councils whose primary schools are inspected by Ofsted, Kent was ranked tenth from the bottom and for the fourth year in succession 45% of our primary schools were judged to be under-performing. I am sure all members will welcome the recent improvement in the Ofsted ratings of Kent's primary schools and will join me in congratulating all the schools that have received improved Ofsted reports. Unfortunately, this improvement has not been seen here in the County Town of Maidstone. At the beginning of 2012 48% of our infant and junior schools were rated as either "Outstanding" or "Good"; that figure has now fallen to 44%. No one doubts the hard work and commitment of our teaching staff but clearly there is a deeper problem. This is now urgent and critical. Will the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform please advise what steps are being taken now to ensure that primary schools in Maidstone give our children the education they need? Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council, 23 May 2013: Canterbury Traffic Review
    Question by Martin Vye to David Brazier, Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment Will the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment give his assurance that in the course of the impending review of traffic management in the City of Canterbury, the County and District Councillors for Canterbury City, and representatives of local residents and businesses will be engaged right from the start in consideration of possible options, and in the drafting of firm proposals? Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council, 23 May 2013: Recycling Centre Safety
    Question by George Koowaree to David Brazier, Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment Recently I witnessed a site employee at the temporary Ashford Household Waste Recycling facility getting into the metal recycling container to rearrange items to maximise the space for additional metal waste apparently because there was no crusher fitted. Will the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment confirm that the current site expansion and development of the main Ashford Household Waste Recycling Centre includes mechanised crusher systems on all appropriate containers to ensure site staff will not have to enter containers to maximise space; and will he ensure this practice ceases at all KCC recycling centre sites before someone is seriously injured? Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council, 23 May 2013: Sutton and Loose Road Bus Lanes
    Question by Brian Clark to David Brazier, Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment Prior to the last Joint Transport Board (JTB) meeting I submitted a large petition objecting to the bus lane proposal along the Sutton and Loose Roads. During the meeting, the Chairman categorically stated that the plan would not go ahead (to confirm this point a letter from Bryan Sweetland, former Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste was read, which only referred to the Loose Road section). Given that the JTB meeting was held shortly after planning permission was passed for two schools in Boughton Lane, where the developer followed KCC highways guidance and agreed to contribute to the bus lane in order to overcome substantial traffic concerns. Could the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment please confirm KCC's position on the issue of the whole bus lane scheme? Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 2, 2013:
  • Vye: The Kent Conservative Kent in the last 4 years: Losing Focus, Inadequate Service Judgements and playing Catch-Up
    At the County Council meeting on Thursday 28th March Martin Vye, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats at KCC, took the Conservative Leader of the Council to task for his rosy view of what his administration has achieved over the last 4 years. Martin said: "This administration had big ideas back in 2009. It has aspirations to lead local government in Kent. It has aspirations to be enterprising, to branch out into commercial enterprises of several kinds. "In other words a very business-focussed administration - although its lavish generosity to departing senior executives would not go down well in the boardrooms of well-run private enterprises." Martin continued: "Unfortunately the Conservative leadership lost its focus on major services it provides. As a result Ofsted have judged KCC's Children's Safeguarding, adoption and youth offending services to be inadequate. Also Kent is near the bottom of the national league tables in key areas of school performance. "I know there are other authorities that are streets ahead in what they achieve in services for children, young people & families. Kent is still playing catch-up because of earlier failures." Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 25, 2013:
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 28 March 2013: Kent Park and Ride
    Question by Dan Daley to Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste Park and Ride services have become the established norm for large conurbations throughout England. In Kent, only Maidstone and Canterbury run such services regularly on weekdays at frequent intervals. These services allow mass parking at the edges of the urban areas and go a long way in preventing inner town traffic gridlock. Benefit of this facility is enjoyed by a far wider group than those who live in the immediate areas and yet the cost of the provision of such services is borne alone by the local taxpayer through Council Tax. In the event that there may be an operational financial shortfall, then the burden of the loss is felt entirely by the local taxpayer. If it can be argued that these services are used by many who are not local but do contribute to the economic benefit of business in the served towns, then is it not time to consider that the provision of such services should become a Strategic rather than a Local one. Could the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste agree that perhaps now is the time to acknowledge this greater benefit to the County as a whole and that these services should ideally be taken over by the County Council as a part of a County Integrated Transport Strategy; and will he institute a study to consider this suggestion in greater depth? Answer I fully recognise the significant benefits which Park and Ride has brought to Canterbury and Maidstone and would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that the County Council contributed significantly in both cases by funding and implementing some of the associated access arrangements and accompanying bus priority measures. I would also point out that both Maidstone Borough and Canterbury City Councils use substantial revenue generated by parking enforcement, which is a Highway Authority power delegated to the districts, to help fund their operation. Because of this last point, I do not agree with the Member for Maidstone Central that KCC should take over these services, but I do accept that the County Council should consider taking a greater role in the provision of these facilities and services, particularly in Maidstone, and I have therefore asked the Director of Highways and Transportation to take this forward as part of the work he is doing with the Borough Council on their Local Development Framework Core Strategy Integrated Transport Plan. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 28 March 2013: Highway Litter and Dumping
    Question by Martin Vye to Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste Will the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste tell the Council what measures KCC will put in place to ensure that all relevant partners act as a matter of urgency to deal effectively with the disgusting plague of rubbish and litter that increasingly disfigures the sides of our roads in Kent, presenting such a poor image of the County? Answer Thank you for your question Mr Vye, I hope you agree that I have provided my view on this matter in my earlier response to Mr Manion. Question by Steve Manion to Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste Now that the winter storms and heavy snows have passed (hopefully) one cannot help but notice the state of the verges and central reservations of Kent's highways. These pass through some of the most beautiful countryside of these islands. A situation which is even worse on the motorways - which are of course are the Highways Authority's and it is up to them to clean them up. My question is to Bryan Sweetland, which is, just when can the residents of Kent expect to see some major clean up work taking place on these routes? Answer The winter weather has taken its toll on our highway networks and this is particularly evident along our major routes where dirt, salt and litter gets washed up along our verges and central reservations. Highway cleansing, including sweeping and litter-picking, is the responsibility of the Borough and District Councils. However, our highways and transportation teams are working closely with their District Council partners to make sure our roads are kept clean and tidy. We will shortly be starting the first of two scheduled rounds of our high speed road maintenance programme. This involves carefully coordinated multi-agency maintenance activity under a single lane closure, where litter is cleared, lines are painted, street lights are repaired, gullies are emptied, grass is cut and litter is picked up. In addition to our programmed maintenance activity, Members can choose to commission community gangs to carry out additional local action from their Members Highway Fund. This year we are also considering how we can utilise voluntary "community payback" support by working with the probation service. With regard to the Highways Agency's motorway and trunk road network, I agree that these are in a very poor state and I have recently written to the relevant senior Director demanding urgent remedial action. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 28 March 2013: Kent Primary School Place Provision
    Question by Rob Bird to Mike Whiting, Cabinet Member for Education, Learning & Skills I am sure all councillors will agree that good primary school education is crucial to a young person's development. People across the country are alarmed by the latest National Audit Office (NAO) report pointing to the failure in recent years to respond to clear demographic evidence of increasing need for primary school provision. We have a mixed picture here in Kent with the NAO predicting "severe" shortfalls projected in Ashford and Swale Districts and "high" shortfalls projected in many other areas. In my own division residents are particularly concerned that there has been significant new housing built in the old Oakwood Hospital site over the past 10 years without any significant expansion of local primary school provision. Further new housing is already in the pipeline yet KCC have recently released the site which had previously been earmarked for a primary school despite the local school being full. No viable alternative site appears to have been identified. Would the Cabinet Member for Education, Learning & Skills kindly advise what steps are being taken by KCC to remedy this situation before it becomes a crisis? Answer I am pleased to be given this opportunity to demonstrate that KCC are not only well aware of the population and demographic changes in Kent - locality by locality but we also have a well thought out strategic plan for expanding the provision of school places. The Kent Education Commissioning Plan published in 2012 contains a detailed analysis of the changing pupil numbers, forecasts for future numbers and a five year plan for school expansions, school by school, and district by district. I have also been building stronger links with the Locality Boards to consolidate information sharing and joint planning between Districts and KCC to ensure we deliver sufficient school places in the right locations for Kent children. We currently have about fifty schools in the expansion programme - mostly primary schools because that is where the main pressures lie until 2016/17. I am very grateful for the hard work and commitment of Headteachers, school Governors and staff in supporting the programme and managing the challenges of these changes. Finding the capital funding to deliver the expansion programme remains a significant challenge. Our capital funding allocation for the DfE is intended to provide 80% of the funding required so the gap is being bridged through creative and cost-effective building solutions and by maximising developer contributions. In relation to the specific area in question, I can give the following reassurance. The school site in Oakwood Hospital was made available to the County Council via the developer, but it was returned in 2005 in line with the section 106 agreement as the County Council had not built a school upon the site. More recently, the County Council has confirmed that it does not wish to purchase the site. This site would only support a 1FE school, and is not well located for the proposed housing developments in Maidstone. Maidstone Borough Council has indicated that significant numbers of new homes might be permitted in the Hermitage Lane area. The current Local Plan makes provision for a school site East of Hermitage Lane. This is expected to transfer into the new Local Plan. The County Council has informed Maidstone Borough Council that we would be seeking a 2FE school site within the proposed housing development, and a financial contribution towards the building of a new school, in order to serve the community. St Francis Roman Catholic Primary School has been provided with two additional class bases to enable it to organise on a 2FE structure, and add 77 places in the locality. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council, 28 March 2013: Pothole Repairs
    Question by Ian Chittenden to Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Waste The headline in 'Kentnews' on the 15th March was 'Nightmare on Kent's roads set to continue due to cold snap'. For many years questions have been raised in relation to the quality of repairs to potholes. The average pothole is never properly prepared which is why most fail repeatedly, as demonstrated by the short 'freeze-thaw' cold spells in February and March, when many hundreds of temporary repaired potholes have failed and will cost millions of pounds to repair yet again. Will the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste confirm that this year all potholes will be permanently repaired for good and will he inform the Council and the tax payers of Kent what assurances he has sought from the contractor to break this cycle of pothole repair failure. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 14, 2013:
  • Olympic Legacy or Olympic Leftovers?
    KCC's Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Plan has been been cut by £200,000 in the Sports Development and £220,000 in the Arts Development budgets from April. The Kent Liberal Democrats opposed the cuts to the Sports Development budget, and spokesman Cllr Rob Rird explains why. "Far from 'Keeping the Flame Alive' KCC's Legacy plans with no significant benefits will soon be forgotten and a great opportunity lost" fears Rob. "KCC Lib Dems believe that the Plan still needs greater emphasis to deliver major improvements in certain priority areas: KCC should ensure that a greater number of primary school teachers are given adequate specialist training in sport & PE. KCC should investigate the possibility of taking on a new cohort of apprentices trained in school sports and PE. KCC should establish a personal attainment scheme to be adopted by all schools in the county for a broad range of sports and physical activities. KCC needs to give greater priority to making our country parks and public rights of way network more accessible to disabled users. There should be specific targets for promoting and developing specialist facilities for disabled sports which are readily accessible across the county. Further steps should be taken to make leisure centre and other local authority run facilities more accessible to disabled users. Locality boards should be given some budget responsibility for Sports, Arts and Culture so issues can be properly addressed and decided at a local level where appropriate." The Kent Liberal Democrats have put together a series of detailed comments on the County Council Legacy Plan, as below. Kent County Council Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Plan: Comments from the Liberal Democrat Group This Plan has been drawn up against a harsh economic background with the Council having agreed to cuts of £200,000 in the Sports Development budget for 2013-14 and £220,000 from the Arts Development budget. Although much has been achieved in the past, it is not clear what significant tangible benefits are being proposed for the future. In all likelihood this document will soon be archived and forgotten. We believe that greater emphasis should be given on delivering significant improvements in a number of priority areas, notably: 1) School Sports & PE The need for sports and physical recreation to be included in the school agenda, particularly at an early age, is well understood. But are these activities well enough run to encourage and embrace all children of all ages and abilities? a) Many primary school teachers are required to run PE lessons and sports activities with just a few hours of specialist training. The national School Sports Partnership was abolished by Government 3 years ago. Primary schools are supposed to get outreach sports teaching support and use of facilities from secondary school hubs. Whilst this arrangement may work well in some places, in many others it does not. KCC must ensure that a greater number of primary school teachers are given adequate specialist training in sport & PE.KCC wants to encourage more apprentices being employed at schools. It is recommended that KCC investigates the possibility of taking on a new cohort of apprentices trained in school sports and PE. b) The Kent School Games has been a success and provides competition in a wide range of sports for children with a wide range of abilities. However, there are inevitably a large number of children who do not participate as they are not good enough to compete or are simply not interested in competitive sport. Even though they may appreciate the achievements of our successful Olympians and paralympians, they don't themselves have the ability and ambition to compete with others. In a number of sporting disciplines there are schemes whereby there is formal recognition given to the attainment of certain personal standards which encourages children of all abilities to participate and to strive for personal improvement. KCC should establish a personal attainment scheme to be adopted by all schools in the county for a broad range of sports and physical activities. c) Not all children enjoy sport and PE lessons although it is clear that there are good health and social reasons for getting these children to participate. It is clear that these activities to be made more enjoyable if they are to become more inclusive. Some schools have taken steps in this direction with the introduction of dance classes, etc. There should be more emphasis on physical recreation and less emphasis on traditional organised sports and PE in our schools. 2) The Disabled Community The national press has reported on anecdotal evidence showing that the Paralympics has had a disappointing impact on disability sports. It is clear that Government and local authorities need to do more to promote greater participation in disability sports and physical recreation and provide better access and improved facilities. There is very little in this Legacy Plan that will deliver better opportunities for the disabled community to participate in physical recreation. In particular we believe that: a) KCC needs to give greater priority to making our country parks and public rights of way network more accessible to disabled users. b) There should be specific targets for promoting and developing specialist facilities for disabled sports which are readily accessible across the county. c) Further steps should be taken to make leisure centre and other local authority run facilities more accessible to disabled users. 3) Localisation Although some arts and culture activities and events should be organised on a county-wide basis, many others are promoted at district level. There frequently needs to be a partnership between KCC and the local district council often also incorporating national (eg Arts Council) and commercial funding. KCC and the 12 districts within the county each have their own budget. District authorities also have a key role in the provision of playing fields and sports and leisure facilities The Government has encouraged a more localised approach to decision-making and Kent has responded by the establishment of locality boards which are now operational in most county districts. These locality boards also give the opportunity for key community groups to participate in the decision-making process. Unfortunately, whilst they do not have budget responsibility for significant items, these locality boards can be little more than talking shops. Locality boards should be given some budget responsibility for Sports, Arts and Culture so issues can be properly addressed and decided at a local level where appropriate. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Feb 18, 2013:
  • Lib Dems force review of Grammar School transport cut
    Lib Dem Leader Trudy Dean: "Grammar Schools discriminate against poorer pupils. Removing free school transport can only make that unfairness worse." Kent County Council is to think again about cutting free school transport to grammar and church schools following action by Liberal Democrats at County Hall. Free transport for all new pupils to these schools was removed by KCC last September except for families on maximum Working Tax Credit, and then only to schools within six miles of the pupils' home. In last Thursday's budget setting meeting Lib Dem Leader Trudy Dean renewed lib Dem protest by proposing reinstating free transport. She was supported by some Conservative members who agreed that it was unfair on pupils from poorer families. In rural areas, the six mile rule could mean one child receiving free transport whilst their neighbour did not. Leader Paul Carter agreed to set up a Select Committee to see if pupils were being disadvantaged, and Mike Whiting Cabinet member agreed that the threshold for entitlement for free transport should be re-examined. Trudy said: "We know that Grammar Schools discriminate against poorer pupils. Only 3 per cent of Grammar School pupils are entitled to Free School Meals, compared to 16 per cent in non Grammar schools. Removing free school transport can only make that unfairness worse. "I don't really understand why we need a Select Committee to enquire into this no-brainer, but I welcome the offer to review what was a bad mistake last year." Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Daley: Give Kent Schools a Sporting Chance
    Kent Lib Dems are quoting Dame Kelly Holmes and a government report on PE in schools to back their opposition to £200,000 cut in the Sports Unit work at County Hall. At Thursday's KCC budget setting debate, Dan Daley, member of the KCC Health and overview Committee said: "This will mean a cut in vital work in schools, including in paralympic sports, to address inactivity and obesity." Dan quoted Dame Kelly's tweets reflecting her frustration that Michel Gove was "not listening" to the need to improve sports in schools. On Friday OFSTED published a report pointing to poor quality PE lessons in primary schools. A BBC Radio Kent investigation into Sport revealed that money being given to secondary schools in Kent was not being used to support qualified sports staff going into primary schools as intended. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Feb 11, 2013:
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 14 February 2013: 5,000 Kent Streetlights
    Question by Mr I Chittenden to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste A programme to remove 3,000 street lights in Kent due to start 7 January 2013 was postponed in part due to a motion by the Lib Dems in December 2012 which resulted in a halt to the proposed removal until meaningful discussions could be held. The Medium Term Plan 2013/15 on p.87 states 'Street Light Energy saving through the Part Night approach or removal - This would be achieved through selective turning off streetlights between midnight and 5 am' Will the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste confirm that it is still his intention that up to 5,000 streetlights will be removed by 2015, if so, that all streetlight removals will only proceed following a 12 month disconnection trial which clearly proves safety will not be compromised, and that he will endorse either the Local Member or the District Joint Transport Board recommendations that designated streetlights should be retained and not turned off? Answer My decision was informed by the Environment, Highways and Waste Policy and Overview Scrutiny Committee Member recommendations (agreed by all POSC members including the Liberal Democrat spokesman) held on 22 November 2011. That committee agreed that part night lighting should be introduced in Kent and up to 5000 of the 118,000 street columns should be removed. This will result in a reduction in CO2 emissions by approximately 5,000 tonnes, reduce light pollution and save Kent County Council tax payers just under £1m a year from reduced electricity costs. As I have said on many occasions, Kent Highways engineers will only proceed with the proposals after discussions with Kent Police and District/Parish Council representatives at the relevant Joint Transportation Boards. Part night lighting or column switch off/removal will not be implemented where it is proved that road or community safety could be compromised. I can confirm that under these proposals, no street columns will be removed for at least twelve months. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 14 February 2013: Prompt Payment Code
    Question by Rob Bird to John Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance and Business Support I am sure all Members would agree that the prompt payment of outstanding invoices is crucial for the survival of many businesses, particularly small Kent companies. Would the Cabinet Member for Finance and Business Support confirm that Kent County Council pays all suppliers on time by settling all undisputed invoices within a maximum of 30 days*, that KCC will sign up to the Prompt Payment Code** following the lead of many local authorities who have signed up to the Code, including a quarter of Kent (District/City & Borough) Councils - Shepway, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells Councils, as well as our neighbours at East Sussex and Surrey County Councils, and that he will insist that all KCC contractors sign up to the Code and themselves encourage adoption of the code through their own supply chains; thus ensuring the certainty of cash flow which is critical for many firms but especially for small businesses based in Kent? * Local Authorities are expected to settle undisputed invoices within 30 days. This will be reinforced by the European Directive on combating late payment in commercial transactions which will shortly be enacted. ** The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary agreement to promote good payment practices. Signatories to the Code are expected to: pay suppliers on time and in line with the agreed terms, to have clear processes in place for reimbursing suppliers, to manage and resolve disputes as quickly as possible and to encourage their customers and suppliers to sign up to the Code. Michael Fallon, Sevenoaks MP and Business and Enterprise Minister, wrote to companies last November asking them to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code. Answer I believe we have moved much further forward than the original prompt payments' code envisaged. In 2009, we launched our "Back Kent Businesses Campaign" and moved forward our standard payment terms to 20 days and this is still the case. This was a major commitment for an organisation which handles up to 300,000 invoices in a year, more than 1,200 per working day. We have invested considerably in technology with the introduction of electronic invoicing using a central point for receipt and scanning of invoices and consistent with the restructuring of our procurement operation, the introduction of I procurement as we go out to tender for our requirements. The Corporate Director of Finance and Procurement recently spent several days looking at how we deal with invoices and there is still room for improvement which we believe E invoicing and I procurement will largely solve in ensuring the smooth transition of invoices from directorates to finance. Also our suppliers need to ensure they quote the correct reference/or indeed sometimes any reference which is essential in an organisation our size. January's figures indicate 93% of invoices were paid within 30 days and 83% within 20 days so we know that progress can still be made as a result of our increasingly automated processes. We are also looking through our procurement processes to see how we can require our major suppliers to subscribe to a commitment to paying smaller companies in the supply chain more quickly. Kent is a county of small businesses and with quick payment and a variety of other initiatives we have shown our commitment to this highly important sector of business. Not only have we met the requirements of the code, we have exceeded it. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 14 February 2013: Specialist Children's Services commssioning
    Question by Mr M J Vye to the Cabinet Member for Children Services Will the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children's Services inform the Council of the total value of grants made by her department to the voluntary and community sector in the year 2011/12*; and the total value of Specialist Children's services work she is planning to commission from the voluntary and community sector for 2013/14? (* year '2011/12', as there has been changeover from grants to commissioning during the current financial year 2012/13) Answer As Mr Vye notes, the basis that the council supports the voluntary and community sector is changing. This is because we are moving away from providing grants to organisations and towards commissioning services. This not only provides more opportunity for a range of organisations to bid to provide services and greater transparency on what were are spending the money on but, crucially, allows the council to more closely specify and monitor what is being delivered. This will achieve both better outcomes for the people who use these services and better value for council tax payers. To answer Mr Vye's question, in 11/12, Specialist Children's Services gave grants totalling £718k and commissioned services worth £16.7m from the community and voluntary sector, a total of £17.4m. In 13/14, the division predicts it will give grants totalling £616k and commission services worth £20.1m, a total of £20.7m. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Question to Kent County Council [with answer], 14 February 2013: Roundabout Sponsorship
    Question by George Koowaree to Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste Would the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste inform the Council of the management and delivery of the Kent roundabout sponsorship programme by way of completing the following table and providing detail of how the income generated has been spent? 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- 12 2012 - current The number of roundabout sponsorships available How many sponsorships have been 'sold' annually Income generated for KCC Costs incurred Answer The table provided by Mr Koowaree has a number of horizontal and vertical columns which make it virtually impossible for me to read out in the Chamber. However it has been duly completed as Mr Koowaree has requested, and hard copies will be available in the normal way on the table outside. The annual income generated by Commercial Services from the roundabout sponsorship programme is returned to KCC as part of the annual dividend paid back to the authority's bottom line, and this income is not ring fenced. I am therefore unable to provide detail on how this income is spent once returned from Commercial Services. 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- 12 2012 - current The number of roundabout sponsorships available 71 56 63 82 92 How many sponsorships have been 'sold' annually 53 42 43 51 63 Income generated for KCC £26,841 £64,254 £74,213 £53,780 £42,000 (6 months) **Full year estimate - £70,000** Costs incurred £21,848 £36,764 £42,369 £24,477 £19,429 **This relates to the first 6 months only** Answer The table provided by Mr Koowaree has a number of horizontal and vertical columns which make it virtually impossible for me to read out in the Chamber. However it has been duly completed as Mr Koowaree has requested, and hard copies will be available in the normal way on the table outside. The annual income generated by Commercial Services from the roundabout sponsorship programme is returned to KCC as part of the annual dividend paid back to the authority's bottom line, and this income is not ring fenced. I am therefore unable to provide detail on how this income is spent once returned from Commercial Services. 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011- 12 2012 - current The number of roundabout sponsorships available 71 56 63 82 92 How many sponsorships have been 'sold' annually 53 42 43 51 63 Income generated for KCC £26,841 £64,254 £74,213 £53,780 £42,000 (6 months) **Full year estimate - £70,000** Costs incurred £21,848 £36,764 £42,369 £24,477 £19,429 **This relates to the first 6 months only** Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Kent Schools Failing on Progress for the most Disadvantaged Pupils
    Not one Kent school appeared in the list of the national top 100 schools ranked for progress made in English and Maths by disadvantaged pupils between end of primary school, and GCSEs. Kent County Council Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, Martin Vye, expressed his alarm at the news. Martin revealed: "Letters were sent by the Department for Education (DfE) to schools it considers to be the top 400 secondary schools in the country divided over 4 separate categories. Kent is the largest education authority in the country, but only three schools received a letter to celebrate high quality achievement. Regrettably, none were for the category of assisting our most disadvantaged pupils." Bennett Memorial Diocesan School, in Tunbridge Wells was the only Kent school to appear in the top 100 non selective schools nationally ranked by the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs including English and Maths. Two others schools - St George's Church of England Foundation School & The Leigh Technology Academy were in the top 100 schools with the best progress between 2011 and 2012. "Many Kent secondary schools have now become Academies, so their dismal performance is now the immediate concern of the DfE. But, KCC still remains responsible for many other schools." says Martin. "This news shows the damage done by this Conservative Administration taking its eyes off the ball for several years. The government has just announced that education authorities will in future be subjected to OfSTED inspections. The Conservative Cabinet must be looking over its shoulder very anxiously as it waits for the inspector to call." Bennett Memorial Diocesan School was also ranked in top 100 schools for absolute improvement from KS2 to 5 GCSEs including English & maths. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Feb 8, 2013:
  • Kent County Council Urged to Sign Prompt Payment Code
    "The prompt payment of outstanding invoices is crucial for the survival of many businesses, particularly small Kent companies. This is why I am calling upon Kent County Council (KCC) to sign up to a new Code" says Rob Bird, Lib Dem Member for Maidstone Central. Maidstone Central County Councillor Rob Bird Last November Michael Fallon, Sevenoaks MP and Business and Enterprise Minister, wrote to companies asking them to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code (PPC), a voluntary agreement to promote good payment practices. Many local authorities have signed up to the Code, including a quarter of Kent (District / City & Borough) Councils - Shepway, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells Councils, as well as Kent's neighbours at East Sussex and Surrey County Councils. "So why hasn't KCC?" questions Rob. "At next week's County Council Local (14th February) I will be asking the Cabinet Member for Finance and Business Support not only to sign Kent up to the Prompt Payment Code but to insist that all KCC contractors sign up to the Code and themselves encourage adoption of the code through their own supply chains. "It is all about ensuring cash flow, critical for many firms but especially for small businesses based in Kent? Rob insisted "I hope to convince KCC to sign up next week, and I will be writing to the other councils in Kent, who haven't signed, asking them to sign up and help Kent businesses who are banking on good cash flow through this fragile post-recession recovery period". Signatories to the Prompt Payment Code are expected to: pay suppliers on time and in line with the agreed terms, to have clear processes in place for reimbursing suppliers, to manage and resolve disputes as quickly as possible and to encourage their customers and suppliers to sign up to the Code. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Feb 1, 2013:
  • Kent Schools to benefit from £702,000 to help pupils catch up - Martin Vye
    Kent Schools will get an additional £702,000 to help Year 7 pupils who didn't reach the expected level in literacy and maths when they finished primary school catch up with their classmates who did. Kent is the third largest beneficiary of the extra money, announced by Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg in September at Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference. Schools will this week receive £500 per pupil who didn't reach the expected level to help them through catch-up classes and individual tuition. Evidence shows only five per cent of pupils who don't achieve Level 4 in both English and maths at Key Stage 2 go on to achieve five GCSEs at A* to C, including English and maths. Schools will have freedom to decide how best to use the catch-up premium, but examples could include: Small-group tuition supported by new classroom materials and resources, which could take place at lunchtimes or after school;Holiday support to deliver intensive catch-up over a short period.Additional services and materials to add to those provided by the school, such as tutor services or proven computer-based learning or online support. Commenting, Kent Liberal Democrats Education Spokesman Martin Vye said: "It's great to see this additional funding getting to the Kent schools who need it. Giving the children who need it the extra boost and help they need to catch up with their class mates as soon as they reach secondary school will help the whole school: boosting attainment, progress and reducing disruption in classrooms for all. "This extra money, on top of millions already getting into schools through the Pupil Premium, will make a real difference to the future lives of Kent's children." Commenting further, Nick Clegg said: "Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life. Education is critical to that. "The consequences of a pupil being left behind in the basics when they start secondary school can last for the rest of their education. "The catch-up premium money being handed out to schools today will help pupils catch up with their peers as quickly as possible. Every child should have the chance to succeed and get off on the right foot when they start their new school." In 2012, 13 per cent of pupils in all schools failed to gain a Level 4 in reading and 16 per cent failed to achieve this in maths (109,000 in total in England). Payments to Local Authorities will be made on Thursday 31 January. Payments to Academies and Free Schools will be made on 1 February. Funding for the catch-up premium is a maximum of £500 per pupil. Almost half of the pupils who are matched with funding are also eligible for the Pupil Premium, which is focussed on disadvantaged pupils. Schools are free to determine how best to use the funding, but Ofsted inspectors will consider how schools are using the premium when inspecting schools. They will also monitor how effectively schools report to parents on whether or not students are meeting national expectations. Nick Clegg announced the catch-up premium in September 2012. The press notice can be found here: www.dpm.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/pupils-who-fall-behind-english-and-maths-get-intensive-catch-classes. Published and promoted by Kent Liberal Democrats, Kent County Council, Sessions House, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY