The Growth, Economic Development and Communities Cabinet Committee met to discuss a range of issues, including the Kent and Medway Business Fund, infrastructure, and community safety. The committee agreed to endorse a proposal to allocate up to £6 million from the Kent and Medway Business Loan Fund to the No Use Empty Commercial scheme, and also agreed to reallocate Getting Building Funding to the A249 Bearsted Road Project. The committee also noted updates on infrastructure projects, the Active Kent and Medway programme, and the work of the Community Protection team.

No Use Empty Scheme

The committee endorsed a proposal to allocate up to £6 million from the Kent and Medway Business Loan Fund (KMBF) to the No Use Empty (NUE) Commercial scheme. This will allow NUE to administer short-term secured loans for projects that provide wider economic and employment opportunities, as well as generating income through interest payments. The value of individual loans is expected to be up to £2 million per project.

Councillor Mike Sole raised concerns that the No Use Empty scheme should focus on bringing empty buildings back to life, rather than new builds. He sought reassurance that the funding would not be primarily spent on new projects when there are empty commercial units that could be redeveloped. Steve Grimshaw, Strategic Programme Manager, clarified that the funding is separate from existing schemes and will create additional workspace. Councillor Paul Thomas, Chair of the Growth, Economic Development and Communities Cabinet Committee, added that there is a process to identify suitable empty properties, and the scheme is not an either-or situation.

Reallocation of Getting Building Funding

The committee agreed to reallocate £300,000 of Getting Building Funding (GBF) from the Maidstone Business Suite Phase 2 project to the A249 Bearsted Road Project. The Maidstone Business Suite Phase 2 project experienced unforeseen delays, making it unable to meet the funding deadline. The A249 Bearsted Road Project, which aims to improve highway capacity and unlock development at the Kent Medical Campus Enterprise Zone, is able to utilise the funding within the required timeframe.

Kent and Medway Economic Framework

The committee noted a report on the implementation of Ambition 3 of the Kent and Medway Economic Framework (KMEF), which focuses on securing resilient infrastructure for planned, sustainable growth. Sarah Nurden, KMEP Manager & KCC Economy Lead, highlighted work on:

• Bringing back Eurostar services to Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International railway stations. > Sarah Nurden said that the aim at the moment is to try and obviously work with Eurostar to encourage them to return, but also to ask whether potentially other competitors could join the markets.
• Lobbying for the Lower Thames Crossing project.
• Supporting the maritime sector and coastal regeneration, including working with the Port of Dover on their green shipping project.
• Creating an investible infrastructure pipeline.

Councillor Harry Rayner raised concerns about the price of electricity for the Port of Dover's green shipping project, questioning whether it would be economically viable for ferry companies to use shoreside power.

Councillor Paul Stepto asked about the possibility of amalgamating the Bring Back Eurostar and Bring Back Eurotrains campaigns. He also enquired about projects to bring back freight to HS1.

Active Kent and Medway

The committee noted a report on Active Kent and Medway, a hosted service that promotes physical activity across the county. Councillor Paul Webb, Cabinet Member for Community & Regulatory Services, highlighted that Active Kent and Medway had secured initial investment for two places within Kent, Gravesham and Thanet, with further applications under consideration.

Protecting the Communities and Economy of Kent

The committee noted a report on the work of the Growth and Communities Division to protect residents and businesses from harm. Mark Rolfe, Head of Community Protection, highlighted the work of the Trading Standards team, the Innovation and Business Intelligence team, and the Community Safety team.

Councillor Paul Chamberlain raised concerns about the increase of illegal vaping, and asked what was being done to tackle it. Councillor Webb responded that Trading Standards have a dedicated vape unit that is looking into the issue.

Councillor Mike Sole raised concerns about antisocial behaviour, particularly the erection of flags on lampposts. He also asked about the community safety team's response to protests around facilities for unaccompanied asylum seekers. The Chair clarified that the issue of asylum-seeking facilities did not fall under the remit of the committee.

Lower Thames Crossing

The committee noted a report on the economic impact of the Lower Thames Crossing. Steve Samson, Head of Economy, outlined the opportunities for investment, supply chain involvement, and skills and employment that the project would bring to Kent.

Councillor Robert Ford asked about the potential damage to the bridge from the high volume of vehicles, while Councillor Stepto questioned whether the project would actually reduce congestion, given the concept of induced traffic¹. Councillor Connie Nolan stressed the importance of ensuring that local people are employed on the project, learning from the experience of the Channel Tunnel².

Performance Dashboard

The committee reviewed the performance dashboard for Quarter 1 of 2025/26. Matthew Wagner, Chief Analyst, reported that 23 of the 30 KPIs were rated green, and 5 were rated amber. There were no KPIs rated red.

One amber KPI was the number of homes brought back to market through No Use Empty, which was below target. Mr Wagner assured the committee that there was a strong pipeline of projects due for completion this year.

Another amber KPI was the number of residents attending safeguarding from financial abuse presentation meetings, which was under target due to the team focusing on doorstep crime awareness during the quarter.

Kent and Medway Business Fund Monitoring

The committee reviewed the Kent and Medway Business Fund (KMBF) monitoring report for Quarter 4 of 2024/25. The report showed that the fund had created and monitored 5,552.72 jobs since 2012, and had received £41,266,851 in loan repayments. Jamie Sell, KCC Councillor, asked how the fund would operate after the creation of single unitary authorities³ in Kent.

Councillor Nolan asked how Canterbury had achieved a high number of jobs created with a relatively low level of funding.