Kent County Council

Helping make travel cleaner, greener and cheaper

2 April 2016 0 Comments

Kent Connected front page imageA new website has launched with the aim of reducing congestion, tackling air pollution, and saving time and money on journeys in Kent.

Kent Connected boasts many features, from advice and tips on changing and improving travel habits, to a journey planner that provides a range of travel options comparing time, costs, CO2, and calories burned.

Ambitions: we all have them

Kent Connected’s is to improve your journey in Kent.

They are passionate about making your journey easier, saving you time and money and reducing congestion. Sound impossible? It’s not! There are so many ways that you can achieve this, all while helping to improve the environment and your health through sustainable or active travel choices. (more…)

Environment, Kent County Council, News, Transport

Review of KCC Funded Bus Services

22 March 2016 0 Comments

Kent County CouncilIntroduction

Bus services across the UK were privatised in 1985.  Since then, many routes in Kent have been run by commercial bus companies, such as Arriva or Stagecoach.

But not all of Kent’s bus services are run on a purely commercial basis.  Kent County Council (KCC) currently spends £6.4 million subsidising some routes which, while not commercially viable, are considered important to the needs of the communities and passengers they serve.

What is being proposed

KCC have worked hard to protect these subsidies, but as central government funds have been reduced we’ve had to make savings.  They have already saved over £1million by working with bus operators to re-plan routes, renegotiating better contracts and through a greater use of Community Transport operators.  However, they still need to reduce our spending further in the next financial year.

To help them do this a series of changes have been identified for 17 subsidised services.  While KCC’s approach seeks to protect those bus services where the impact on passengers is greatest, they understand that any changes may have an adverse impact on existing bus passengers and they need you to tell them how the proposed changes may affect you. (more…)

Consultation, Kent County Council, News, Transport

Child Sexual Exploitation Day

18 March 2016 0 Comments

Today is national child sexual exploitation awareness day. Do you know the signs to look out for? The following guidance is provided by Kent Police

Signs of child sexual exploitation

Op Willow image

Operation Willow is a partnership between Kent Police, Kent County Council, Medway Authority and the NHS to respond to concerns and promote awareness of CSE by working closely with schools, GPs, taxi firms, hotels and pubs.

Children and young people often don’t realise they’re being exploited.

If you’re a parent, you work with young people or you’re just concerned that someone may be at risk of CSE, there are a number of signs you can look out for:

  • Unexplained gifts or expensive items eg clothes, mobiles
  • Drug or alcohol use
  • Bruises or marks on the body
  • Suffering from sexually transmitted infections
  • Going missing or regularly running away
  • Missing school or not taking part in education
  • Getting into or out of different vehicles
  • Changes in behaviour eg aggressive, defensive, mood swings
  • Inappropriate sexual behaviour eg over familiar with strangers, sexting
  • Changes in appearance eg losing weight, malnourished
  • Hanging out with anti-social groups, gangs, known criminals and/or fighting
  • Having older boyfriends, girlfriends or friends
  • Involved in abusive relationships, feeling fearful of certain people.

Are you concerned about a child?

If you’re concerned a child is suffering or is likely to be harmed, you can either call:

More information is available on

Kent Police Child Sexual Exploitation page
http://www.kent.police.uk/advice/victims/abuse_assault/vulnerable_people/vul_child.html

Kent Safeguarding Children Board Child Sexual Exploitation page
http://www.kscb.org.uk/guidance/sexual-abuse-and-exploitation

Children, Crime, Kent County Council, News, Safety

Safer Sleep Week

16 March 2016 0 Comments

Safer Sleep WeekFrom the 14-20 March 2016 The Lullaby Trust and partners aim to make sure parents in the UK know the importance of safer sleep and are aware of how to reduce the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It is not possible for any manufacturer to say that a particular product will prevent SIDS. It is possible, however, to significantly lower the chances of it happening by following this safer sleep guidance.  This advice is based on strong scientific evidence where, unlike many products, safety has been proven. (more…)

Children, Health, Kent County Council, News

Transformation Plan for Young People

11 March 2016 0 Comments

NHS Ashford CCG

 

 

The Kent Transformation Plan for Children, Young People and Young Adults has just been published. The Kent Transformation Plan was developed with children, young people, professionals and partners who have been working locally and across Clinical Commissioning Groups to deal with the challenging issues of mental health and wellbeing.

Local and county-wide needs have been examined and provision and good practice and have developed and designed for a whole-system for Kent which puts children, young people and young adults at the heart of services. (more…)

Health, Kent County Council, News, Wellbeing

Council Tax rise confirmed

26 February 2016 0 Comments

ABC CrestAs expected, Ashford Borough Council have agreed the rise of £ 4.55 in Council Tax recommended by the Cabinet, for a Band D property. ABC is the last of the authorities whose charges contribute to Council Tax in the unparished areas of Ashford to confirm their charges for the 2016/17 financial year.

We published the figures for each authority and the total in our post of 17 February.

Below are the total Council Tax rates for each Band (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Finance, Kent County Council, News

ABC Cabinet recommends £ 4.55 Council Tax increase

17 February 2016 1 Comment

ABC CrestLast Thursday night Ashford Borough Council’s cabinet members considered new options put to them by central government about the level at which council tax can be set for the financial year 2016-17.

Ashford’s element of council tax is the lowest in Kent. Indeed, as it sets one of the lowest precepts in the country, Ashford has been given special dispensation by central government to raise its element of council tax by up to £5 a year for the forthcoming financial year, without triggering a referendum.

The news that the borough council was to have this option came last Monday afternoon, when the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark MP, addressed the House of Commons. He stated that this option was open to “the most economical authorities” which includes Ashford Borough Council.

However, cabinet members took the view that it would not recommend raising council tax by the full £5 but by £4.55 per year. If full council approves this approach on 18th February it means that the average charge for a band D property for the 2016-17 financial year in Ashford will be exactly £150. The average district council tax for Kent is set to be £190.35 for 2016-17. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Finance, Kent County Council, News

Return to all-night lighting

12 February 2016 0 Comments

Streetlights-LEDFollowing the announcement on 5 February, Kent County Council has now agreed to an optimised all-night street lighting policy with the introduction of new energy-efficient LED lights.

At a meeting of the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee this afternoon, members agreed to introducing all-night lighting – with the ability to dim individual lights so that it is right for every street – once work has been completed on installing the new LED lamps. (more…)

Environment, Kent County Council, News, Transport

Watch out, rogue traders about

8 February 2016 0 Comments

Kent Trading Standards Alerts logoKent Trading Standards are warning residents to watch out for rogue traders claiming work needs doing to your home as a result of bad weather.

Rogues often claim that your roof tiles need replacing or that your chimney stack is unsafe.

Don’t wait for a rogue trader to knock at your door, contact Checkatrade
www.checkatrade.com/
for Kent County Council approved traders that you can trust. (more…)

Consumer, Crime, Kent County Council, News