Angry councillors at a joint transportation board meeting last night (October 12) are refusing to approve any more Kent County Council road schemes until an officer turns up at meetings.
The board is a forum for county and district councillors to discuss highway issues. But since the covid pandemic there has been no attendance from county council officers.
Last night members were due to approve a public consultation over measures to be taken in Northdown Road which include parking bay changes, enlarged footpath with a new pedestrian crossing and other alterations to improve pedestrian safety.
During the past ten years, up until March 2021, there were 49 collisions in the area reported to the police where a pedestrian was injured.
The KCC proposal is to make improvements aimed to reduce risks caused by the road and path layout.
But members on the board last night said it was impossible to move forward with no county council officer present to answer questions about the scheme.
Chairman Mave Saunders said: “It stems from covid (but) we are all here, why officers can’t be here I don’t understand.”
Cllr Linda Wright, who is a member for KCC, suggested an upgrade to Thanet council’s system to allow officers to attend remotely.
However, members were told Thanet could not live stream for the public and host a stream for remote attendance at the same time and any upgrade would come at “substantial” cost.
There was also confusion over whether officers had a choice to attend or whether KCC Cabinet member for transport, David Brazier, had told them not to.
Cllr Barry Lewis, who is county council member, said: “The Cabinet member does not want to instruct members to come to the meeting. It is nothing to do with the individuals, they have been instructed not to come.”
Cllr Trevor Shonk, a Conservative KCC member, said: “The committee sitting here and residents deserve to be listened to. It is appalling that the Cabinet member of my own party is not in the real world.
“We all come and try and get issues resolved and we are just hitting a brick wall.”
Cllr Saunders said she could see no reason for the continued non-attendance, saying: “Why can’t they come? We are all sitting here. Covid? We are not sitting here with masks on. This is a joint transportation meeting and they should be here. We are all upset and annoyed and do not seem to be able to do anything about it.”
Cllr Derek Crow-Brown said one reason given was the time needed to travel but it was pointed out the KCC officer in question lived just “three miles up the road.”
Cllr Rob Yates suggested making a complaint about the continued non-attendance and Cllr Phil Fellows moved a decision for the committee to agree “not to progress any KCC items on the agenda if no-one wants to come and talk about it.”
Committee members agreed to defer, with reservations, the remaining items at the meeting including the Northdown Road consultation and to make the KCC Cabinet member and KCC leader Roger Gough aware of why that decision was taken.
It will mean the Northdown Road safety improvements are delayed until a county council officer attends a Joint Transportation Board meeting.
