County Council Questions

At each meeting of the County Council, there is 30 minutes allowed for Councillor's to ask questions of the KCC Leader, Cabinet Members or Committee Chairman. Any Member (or Councillor) can ask one question.

Question must not:

• Ask for information already in the Member's possession or which has been published to Members either in a Committee report or otherwise.

• Be about something that is outside the responsibilities or powers of the Council.

• Criticise the motives or personal character of the other Members or any employee of the Council.

The KCC Lib Dem Group will post on this webpage ALL of the questions they have submitted and the FULL written answers recieved to those questions.

This page will be updated after every County Council meeting and will have the most recent questions / answers listed first.

Dates of 2010 County Council meetings:

• 18 February 2010 - Budget

• 1 April 2010

• 13 May 2010

• 22 July 2010

• 2 September 2010

• click here for County Council Agenda & Additional Documentation - including list of questions .

Lib Dem Questions 2009:

• Why 28.5% of children in the year 6 cohort entered grammar schools in Kent in September 2009 in comparison with county norm of 25%?

• Opportunity offered by next year's break clause of the contract between Kent Highways Services and Jacobs to fully investigate all options on how to deliver Highways Services in future to a high standard and the lowest cost to KCC?

• When this Council will have the opportunity to debate the review of Kent TV and vote on the continuation of the internet TV channel?

• How many people and what value has this Council offered an exit package to avoid the possibility of an unfair dismissal claim?

• When will the process of appointing a new Chief Executive commence?

• What action he has taken or is to take to plead the need for continuing SEEDA Cultural Grant support?

• List of the Academy projects under serious discussion in the county; explain the criteria adopted by the CFE Directorate for deciding whether or not it will support an Academy project?

• List of

• 1. the weekly allowance KCC paid to foster carers,

• 2. the weekly allowance KCC paid to kinship (family & friends)

• 3. the Government-recommended minimum allowances?

• Ensure the input into the strategic highways and transportation planning decision making process of the views of Local Members, Borough Council Members and members of the public?

• The process of the review of Kent TV conducted by external consultants, including who is being invited to give their views, and will he say when the review will be available to all Members?

• What resources the County Council is able to make available to assist in the clean-up of our rivers?

• Give an assurance that Kent County Council will resolve to use the Act by submitting proposals by 31st July 2009?

• Give the Council the reasons why Kent's schools carry out the greatest number of exclusions?

• Explain how this fits with the clear picture created in the Kent Regeneration Framework document that the KCC is leader and district councils followers in the areas of planning and housing, which are primarily district functions?

• Proceed to appoint a Flood Risk Officer , at a senior level, to coordinate and drive forward the actions required of KCC to provide the best possible safeguarding against flood risk and impact?

• Confirm when further initiatives will be announced specifically targeted to reduce deaths and injuries on Maidstone's roads?

Submit comments to the current Application for 1,500 acres of polytunnels currently with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, and to work with Kent Planning Officers to produce Kent wide Supplementary Planning Guidance on the use of polytunnels?

Give an assurance to the Governors of More Park Roman Catholic Primary School, West Malling that compensation will be paid to meet the costs of the flooding on 10 February 2009?

Find the resources to repeat last April's intensive blitz on potholes?

Ebbsfleet Landmark Competition - how much, if any, of the £1m shortfall KCC plans to donate?

How much is in the budget for the Children Centre for South Willesborough?

Lib Dem Question 2008:

• The cost of the animated advertisement for the recruitment for the post of Managing Director of Children, Families and Education?

• Review of the maximum caseload per Social Worker ?

• Explain whether bus journeys taken between 9.00 and 9.30am by over 60s and people with disabilities in Kent will be paid for in full by KCC or not?

• Why there has been a 3 month delay in the completion of the Newtown bridge project in Ashford?

• What level of savings the County Council would need to make from the Budget next year in order to achieve no increase in the Council Tax?

• Stree light and roundabout advertising - why there is a need to further distract drivers attention?

• How much funding is allocated for the backlog of road and footpath repairs in Kent?

• Astor Hever School Farm - plan has effectively been buried and that the mitigation for the loss of the school farm was not much more than a means of stifling local opposition?

• How many Youth Service posts have been discontinued?

• Why the first areas to receive the Kent Freedom Pass were areas of low deprivation with the lowest numbers of families in financial need?

• Please assure me that the two recent prolonged shut-downs at the Allington Incinerator due to serious and expensive engineering failures will not ultimately result in increased gate fees?

• Update members on progress following the motion in County Council on 25 May 2006 with regard to agreeing a common code of practice for our own staff who carry out home visits?

• What assistance is KCC able to offer the residents of Aylesford village to secure a village centre location for its Post Office?

• Will the Leader of the Conservative Group and the Leader of the Opposition Labour Group join the Liberal Democrats in supporting the Bill in the House of Lords to give Ghurkha soldiers serving before 1997 rights to stay in this country and pensions equal to those of British soldiers?

• How much will be allocated for footpath repairs?

• Confirm that a survey of highway drains in Kent in 2006 identified an annual need for investment in road drainage of £12.208 million?

Lib Dem Questions: 2007

• Processes in place to ensure collection of recyclables within schools and the engagement of children in the recycling message in the County's schools?

• The cost so far for the reconfiguration of the Ashford Ring Road and if its within the budgeted sum?

• When PFI contractors will finally vacate the site of Aylesford School Sports College, any future working operations will be in accordance with planning permissions granted in order to protect local residents quality of life and students learning?

• Type of provider chosen to run the nursery in existing Children's Centres; and in each case the charge made to parents, and by how much, if at all, this exceeds the value of the Government Voucher?

• Consider the introduction of signage across the KCC Highway network?

• What arrangements are made with developers or records taken of highways prior to developments taking place to ensure that the costs incurred as a result of damage to highways and footways?

• Identify the parishes in Kent where standard access to Broadband is not available, and give the Council the combined population figure for these parishes?

• How many Kent residents' cheques have been cashed in advance of the crossover installation works, why has the stated agreement to hold cheques until the work is "in hand" been over-ridden and whether KCC intends to compensate these residents?

• Why the scheme to improve safety by extending the existing 20mph zone into Hilary Road in Maidstone to include St Paul's School, under the Safer Routes to School' scheme, has been withdrawn?

• Please state whether there has been an increase in domiciliary care protection cases or complaints from clients, explain the current system of checks on home care assistants and advise if there are any plans to strengthen those checks?

• Percentage of pupils in Kent grammar schools who are recognised as having an educational difficulty or disability and the total percentage of their pupils who are entitled to Free School Meals?

• Clarify what Kent's Conservative administration plan to do about Kent Grammar Schools?

• It would be reprehensible for this County Council to encourage advertising on lamp posts purely as a revenue-earner?

• Confirm which authorities outside Kent are using the Allington Incinerator for domestic waste disposal and what progress made in making arrangements for the disposal of domestic waste from East Kent?

• What is the frequency of clearance of Highways drains, are residents asked to remove parked vehicles in advance of clearance work; and what plans to increase the frequency of drain clearance?

• What is being done to address local concerns about lane marking, signage and traffic light phasing connected with the Leybourne - West Malling Bypass/junction 4 scheme?

• Support those users of Junction 10 of the M20 who have signed a petition?

• Identified any ways in which KCC can help to ameliorate the problem of the shortfall in uniformed officers patrolling our streets?

• With regard to street and public footpaths lighting in the Borough of Ashford:

• 1) the current budget allocated to street lighting maintenance

• 2) how many lights are currently not working

• 3) how many have been out for over a month

Lib Dem Questions: 2006

• KCC's policy on the use of fingerprint systems in Kent schools?

• Setting up a Select Committee on Kent's Youth Provision?

• Daily return service by Eurostar between Ashford International?

• Percentage of the total A Level passes (A-C) in Kent schools were in Modern Foreign Languages?

• New Kent Police protocol for responding to reports from schools of intruders?

• Mainstream primary schools are equipped to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act?

• The cost of implementing each proposal in the "Towards 2010" document?

• Implementation of the recommendations of the white paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say"?

• Has Conservative Administration adopted a policy which is uniquely hostile to small schools?

• Tackling bullying by production and distribution of anti-bullying cards?

• Why the NHS 'Health Profile for Kent 2006' states that Kent's older population is less well supported to live at home compared to England?

• Development and implementation of the Local Compact between KCC, voluntary and community organisations?

• What progress for Horticultural Vocational Centre at Astor of Hever School?

• Delayed publication of the report of the Select Committee on Gypsy and Travellers Sites?

• How many pupils currently have places in Kent secondary schools as a result of passing a non-PESE entrance test?

• Number of young people presently receiving a second chance education through Alternative Curriculum Project?

• Removal of Members Smoking Room, which also contravenes the KCC Smoking Policy introduced in 1994?

Lib Dem Questions: May - December 2005

The Lib Dem Councillors asked 8 questions at County Council meetings during this period:

• Update on the Discovery Centre in Ashford as regard to funding and completion date?

• Identify the present problems associated with poor delivery of highway services?

• Cancellation by Kent Adult Education Services of all non-statutory learning courses for adults with learning difficulties?

• Confirm that the Administration to spend extra money in the budget for the Youth Service for 2005/06 on 'new projects' and not on much-needed strengthening existing services?

• How many children did not obtain a place for September 2005 at the secondary schools in Canterbury which their parent had chosen?

• Current situation on the establishment of vocational centre?

• How many 3 year old children in the Canterbury District are not in pre-school provision?

• Any traffic management measures to ameliorate the problems of congestion and gridlock?

Lib Dem Questions November 2004 - April 2005

The Lib Dem Councillors asked 16 questions at County Council meetings during this period:

• Why it is necessary for the County to propose changes to the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards?

• The action being taken to address the 'Black Hole' in the KCC Pension Fund.

• The lorry parking strategy for Kent.

• The river bank at the Old Bridge Gardens, Aylesford.

• The insufficient places for children wishing to attend St Marks School in Eccles.

• The number of Kent's children, attending Primary or Secondary School, whose results are below the national average.

• The number of street lights in Kent which are not working.

• KCC Superannuation Fund underfunding.

• County Council's policy with regard to 20mph zones outside schools.

• What is KCC doing to encourage lifts in blocks of flats?

• Will East Malling be supported with a dedicated youth facility?

• Will the impact of the 'management action' be absorbed by the Schools Advisory Service?

• The future of Astor of Hever School?

• Malling & Maidstone, are these areas for further development?

• Will the retained Joint Transport Boards mean local councillors can have their say on Highways matters?

• Can KCC help alleviate the execessive noise & vibration levels for the residents of Blue Bell Hill & Kits Coty?

If you would like details of the full question & answer to any of the questions listed above, please email the Lib Dem Group, quoting the question(s) you are interested in: libdem@kent.gov.uk