Visitors and members of the public who are unfamiliar with the building and procedures are advised that:

a)    There is no scheduled test of the fire alarm during this meeting. If the alarm does sound, please leave the building quickly without collecting any of your possessions, using the doors signed as fire escapes.

b)    Assemble outside where directed. Await instructions before re-entering the building.

c)     Anyone who requires assistance in evacuating the building, should make themselves known during this agenda item.

The Chair read out the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillors should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families or friends.

The Chair will ask Members if they have any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) or disclosable non-pecuniary interests (DNPIs) to declare in respect of items on the agenda. Members with a DPI in an item must leave the room for that item and may not participate in the debate or vote. 

Aside from disclosable interests, where a fair-minded and informed observer would think there was a real possibility that a Member might be biased or predetermined on an item, the Member should declare this and leave the room while that item is considered.

Members who are in any doubt about interests, bias or predetermination should contact the monitoring officer for advice prior to the meeting.

Councillors Tony Winckless and Kieren Mishchuk declared a non-pecuniary interest as Members of the Milton Regis High Street Society.

Councillor Tony Winckless declared a non-pecuniary interest as a Trustee of Milton Regis Country Park and Milton Court Hall.

The Chief Executive declared a non-pecuniary interest as her son was a driver for public transport in the Sittingbourne area.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2025 (Minute Nos. 97 – 107) as correct records.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 26 June 2025 (Minute Nos 97 – 107) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The Chair welcomed representatives of Chalkwell and Southeastern Railway to the meeting and said they had come along as questions about public transport had been raised at previous meetings.

Roland Eglington, the Managing Director of Chalkwell gave an update which included the following:

·       Chalkwell was a family business which started in Sheerness in 1931;

·       their principle activities included coach hire for schools, businesses and private organisations, special education needs transport, home to school buses and operatation of a local bus network;

·       biggest challenges at the moment included major roadworks and road closures, investment needed for switch to zero emissions, A2 Air Quality Management and funding under threat;

·       costs increased faster than revenue;

·       some services had been reduced or removed;

·       buses were the most popular form of public transport carrying 10.2 million people a day compared to rail which carried 4.8 million people per day;

·       the Government spent £400 million per year supporting the industry;

·       the Better Buses Bill gave local authorities the option for local authorities to run local services themselves;

·       buses took vehicles off the road which reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Buses and coaches caused up to 2% of emissions compared to 52% from private cars;

·       infrastructure changes and funding support from Government was required to move to electric buses; and

·       buses were an investment for growth.

Freya Alder the Integrated Travel Manager and George Paterson the Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Southeastern Railway gave an update which included the following:

·       Southeastern were the first railway network in Great Britain to integrate with Network Rail, meaning that infrastructure and services were run by one integrated organisation. The benefit of this was to deliver more growth and reduce the taxpayer subsidy by £50 million;

·       in December 2025 additional services were planned, some of which had been made acting on customer feedback and the introduction of performance initiatives based on the operation of the May 2025 timetable;

·       more changes were planned for May 2026;

·       an integrated travel strategy was being developed which aimed to create seamless door-to-door journeys for everyone by better integrating rail with active, shared and public transport;

·       the objectives would be achieved by enhancing existing first and last mile options, improving station facilities, improving customer information, promoting sustainable travel and gathering insights and planning for improvement;

·       Station travel plans were being carried out for Sheerness-on-Sea and Sittingbourne by undertaking a strategic study of multi-modal connectivity and station access and carrying out station audits and passenger surveys; and

·       more information could be found at integratedtravel@southeasternrailway.co.uk

The following comments and questions were raised:

·       Were there any plans to increase off-peak services between Sittingbourne and Sheerness-on-Sea?

·       were there plans to move freight from Ridham?;

·       there were concerns about vibration caused by double-decker buses driving through Milton Regis;

·       as there were no ticket barriers at Sheerness-on-Sea, how could passenger figures be calculated?:

·       what revenue protection measures were put in place at Kemsley and Sheerness where there were no ticket barriers?;

·       when carrying out surveys it was important to get the views  ...  view the full minutes text for item 344.

The Active Travel Coordinator, Michelle Anderson, gave a presentation on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) public consultation.

She said that LCWIPs were evidence-led, long-term plans to identify cycling, walking and wheeling improvements. In recent years there had been a growing interest in walking, cycling and wheeling and as a result there was increased emphasis on the importance of high-quality infrastructure. By developing a Swale-wide LCWIP, it would be possible to take a network-based approach to planning and delivering this infrastructure.

There were many benefits to active travel which included improved physical and mental health and environmental and air quality benefits.

Swale already had one agreed LCWIP in place in Faversham, led by Faversham Town Council.  The current open LCWIP public consultation referred to the Faversham LCWIP but largely concentrated on the Isle of Sheppey towns and Sittingbourne. Using data, evidence, and stakeholder engagement, the Swale LCWIP had identified an aspirational high-level network of future walking, wheeling, and cycling corridors across the borough.

A public consultation was launched on 1 September 2025 and would close on 26 October 2025. Anyone could respond via the online link https://swale.gov.uk/consultations. Maps could be viewed and comments and/or photographs could be added to map pins. Paper copies would be available from 15 September 2025 at the three hubs across the borough; Swale House reception (Sittingbourne), The Gateway (Sheerness) and Faversham Town Council (Faversham).

All feedback would be reviewed and a final report would be drafted for councillors to consider.

The following comments were raised:

·       Routes should be safe for mobility scooters to use;

·       there should be better way-finding for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly by Sittingbourne station to locate heritage and leisure sites in town;

·       stop-off points on routes with safe storage for bicycles would be useful; and

·       were there any schemes for young people to purchase affordable bicycles?

The Active Travel Coordinator said that there would be segregated vehicle, cycle and walking routes. Wayfinding was important, she asked if anyone had suggestions for pedestrian signage, could they please add them to the maps as part of the consultation. Stop-off points with cycle storage was not included as part of this LCWIP but it was a possibility for the future. Young people would be able to purchase bicycles for £10 as part of the Swale Borough Council (SBC) Recycle-to-Cycle scheme.

The Service Improvement & Project Manager, Andre Bowen, gave a presentation on the Public Toilets Facilities Consultation.

He said that SBC currently operated 16 public toilet facilities across the borough and the Council were considering options which would help to reach a balanced budget position. The options included delivering all services in-house, outsourcing, closing all toilets, charging for use of SBC public toilet facilities, transferring toilet facilities to Town or Parish Councils and some other appropriate local organisations or the community toilet scheme model.

SBC proposed a mix of the following options:

·       Carrying out formal negotiations to transfer seven public toilet facilities to town and parish councils, or other appropriate local organisations;

·       closure of three public toilets;

·       introducing a community toilet scheme in areas affected by the closures; and

·       continue to operate the remaining six toilets facilities outsourced.

At this stage SBC would like to hear the views of Swale residents, visitors, community groups and businesses and were carrying out a public consultation which closed on Friday 3 October 2025. The information gathered would be carefully considered by councillors before any final decisions were made. SBC were committed to ensuring that the voices of local communities were heard and reflected in the Council’s decision-making.

The following comments were raised:

·       The Forum, Sittingbourne public toilets were in poor condition and fly-tipping often took place outside them;

·       the Library car park toilets, Sittingbourne, were nearby and were in much better condition;

·       the community toilet scheme would enable the public to use toilets in cafes and businesses in Sittingbourne High Street without having to make purchases;

·       elderly people getting off buses may not be able to walk as far as the Library Car Park; and

·       it was important to keep the Milton Regis High Street toilets open, it would encourage visitors to the Court Hall.

Councillor Tony Winckless proposed that the Sittingbourne Area Committee  recommend that the Milton High Street public toilet facilities should remain open. This was seconded by Councillor Karen Watson and on being put to the vote agreed.

Recommendation:

1)    That the Milton High Street public toilet facilities should remain open.

No issues were raised.

The KCC Divisional Member for Sittingbourne North Councillor Chris Palmer said that a free Parent Special Educational Needs (SEND) Information Day was taking place on 16 October 2025 between 10 am and 4 pm at the Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3JF. Places on the workshop and free transport to and from Detling Showground could be booked via the following link: Parent SEND Information Day Choose your workshops.

Councillor Watson gave an update on some events taking place in Sittingbourne, including the unveiling of the Milton Regis sign on 11 October 2025, which she would be attending in her capacity as Mayor of Swale.

The Chair advised that the Kemsley sign would be unveiled on 31 October 2025.

Members noted the update report.

The Minutes of the last Swale Local Bus Forum were noted. The date of the next Forum was 15 October 2025.

No issues were raised.