Purpose

Proposed
decision

 
The Cabinet Member for Highways
& Transport is asked to give approval to accept the
Consolidated Active Travel Fund (CATF) grant and take the projects
through their various stages of scheme development and
delivery:
 

APPROVE the acceptance of the
Consolidated Active Travel Fund (CATF) Grant award and the
deployment of the grant funding in accordance with the grant
conditions to take the CATF projects through their various stages
of scheme development and delivery.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport in consultation with
the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport and the S151 Officer
to agree to enter into the necessary grant agreements.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport to deploy and manage
the grant allocation funding to take the CATF projects through
their various stages of scheme development and delivery

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport in consultation with
the Cabinet Member and S151 Officer, to accept and deploy future
years funding allocations of the grant, providing it is on similar
terms.

 

DELEGATE authority to Director of
Infrastructure to progress and complete all relevant construction
property and Compulsory Purchase Orders as necessary to deliver the
schemes.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport to take other
necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into
contracts or other legal agreements, as required to implement the
decision. 

 
Reason for the decision
 
A key decision is
required to accept the Capital & Revenue Grant because it is
over the £1m threshold (£4,453,591m Capital &
£1,304,625 Revenue totalling £5,758,216).
 
Background – Provide brief additional context
 
Active Travel
England (an Executive Agency for The Department for Transport) have
awarded Kent County Council £5,758,216 under the Consolidated
Active Travel Fund.  
 
The Consolidated Active Travel Fund has combined
two previous Grants – the Active Travel Fund and the
Capability Fund, both annual awards to support local transport authorities with developing
and implementing walking, wheeling and cycling facilities in
England. 
 

This funding is based on Kent's
population size and its capability rating in delivering active
travel projects, which influences future government funding. The
council's current rating is Level 2, indicating visible local
leadership and an emerging active travel network.
 
Options
Not to accept the
direct grant. KCC would not be able to fund active travel projects
that areshown to have health, environmental,
accessibility, community and economic benefits for Kent
residents.
 
How the
proposed decision supports the
Framing Kent's Future - Our
Council Strategy 2022-2026
Infrastructure for
Communities – The schemes that will be delivered with
the funding are consistent with principles of accelerating the
delivery of key transport infrastructure and enhancing leverage of
external infrastructure investment within the districts and
boroughs from central government. The scheme will also contribute
towards providing viable and attractive travel options that focus
on both road and active travel modes.
 
How the
proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022
-2026:
Securing Kents Future - Budget
Recovery Strategy.pdf
 
The schemes will be
solely funded by the Active Travel Grants, therefore the scheme
will not compromise Objective 1. No funding is required from the
Council’s feasibility reserve which is relevant to Objective
2. The close alignment of the scheme to Framing Kent’s Future
is therefore consistent with Objective 3. 
 
 

Financial Implications
The funding is
ring-fenced and the Council must commit to spend the revenue grant
funding by the end of the funding period, 31 March 2026 and
delivered within 18 months by September 2026).
 
The
capital grant funded schemes should be committed by the end of
March 2026 and all construction schemes should be completed within
two years (by the end of March 2028)
 
The estimated costs of
each scheme will be revisited in line with internal governance and
good project management practices. The detailed costings for
construction schemes will be revisited 
as the projects progress through the various design stages and will
be using the Highway Term Maintenance Contract (evidencing best
value).  The costings include an element
to cover risk and contingency and use of the existing procured
contracts reduces any cost uncertainty to ensure it is affordable
within the funding envelope.
 
All staff costs spent
on bid submission, designs, design reviews and supervision of
construction schemes will be charged to the grants.
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport I
agree to:
 
 

APPROVE the acceptance of the
Consolidated Active Travel Fund (CATF) Grant award and the
deployment of the grant funding in accordance with the grant
conditions to take the CATF activities and projects through their
various stages of scheme development and delivery.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport in consultation with
the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport and the S151 Officer
to agree to enter into the necessary grant agreements.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport to deploy and manage
the grant allocation funding to take the CATF activities and
projects through their various stages of scheme development and
delivery.

 

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate
Director of Growth, Environment and Transport in consultation with
the Cabinet Member and S151 Officer, to accept and deploy future
years funding allocations of the grant, providing it is on similar
terms.

 

DELEGATE authority to Director of
Infrastructure to progress and complete all relevant construction
property and Compulsory Purchase Orders as necessary to deliver the
schemes.

 

6.   
DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment
and Transport to take other necessary actions, including but not
limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as
required to implement the decision.