To consider the new Kent Environment Strategy and to decide whether it should be adopted by Maidstone Borough Council.

That Maidstone Borough Council commits to supporting the development and implementation of the new Kent Environment Strategy in accordance with the Borough Council’s Corporate Objectives and Strategic Plan.

Kent County Council has produced the new Kent Environment Strategy which aims to help deliver Kent’s Sustainable Community Strategy, the ‘Vision for Kent’. The ‘Vision for Kent’ is currently under review but it is hoped that the Kent Environment Strategy can help to ensure that the future community strategy helps to achieve a ‘high quality Kent environment that is low carbon, resilient to climate change, and has a thriving green economy at its heart’.

Kent County Council has invited each of the Local Authorities in Kent to adopt the Kent Environment Strategy to enable a coordinated approach to delivery through the Kent Partnership.

The Kent Environment Strategy has been in development since mid 2009 and has been through various stages of consultation to ensure that the aims and themes of the strategy meet with local objectives. The consultation has included consultation with the Environmental Quality Delivery Group (a sub-group of the Maidstone LSP) on the 15^th June 2010 and the 29^th November 2010.

The Kent Environment Strategy is a three year strategy that has three broad themes, which will be delivered through 10 priorities which are designed to represent the major challenges and opportunities for Kent. The three broad themes are as follows;

1.  Living ‘well’ within our environmental limits – leading Kent towards consuming resources more efficiently, eliminating waste and maximising the opportunities from the green economy;

2.  Rising to the climate change challenge – working towards a low carbon Kent prepared for and resilient to the impacts of climate change; and,

3.  Valuing our natural, historic and living environment – optimising the real economic and social benefits of high environmental quality while protecting and enhancing the unique natural built in quality of Kent.

In addition to these three main aims, there are two cross-cutting themes which are green jobs and changing behaviour.

The aims of the Kent Environment Strategy link well with this Council’s current strategic plan objectives and those which are proposed for inclusion in the strategic plan for 2011/12. The Strategy will help to deliver on the following proposed strategic priorities and related outcomes for 2011/12;

• For Maidstone to have a growing economy
  • A transport network that supports the local economy.
  • A growing economy with rising employment, catering for a range of skill sets to meet the demands of the local economy;
    
    
• For Maidstone to be a decent place to live
  • Continues to be a clean and attractive environment for people who live in and visit the Borough;
    
    
• Corporate and Customer Excellence
  • The Council will continue to have value for money services that residents are satisfied with.

1.1.1  Maidstone Borough Council has already made significant progress on aspects relating to the three main themes of the Kent Environment Strategy:

1.1.2  Taking the work already being undertaken into consideration, the overall remit of the Kent Environment Strategy fits with a number of Maidstone Borough Council’s current work streams and proposed strategic objectives.  As such the adoption of the main principles of the strategy and the commitment to help develop and implement the strategy in line with this council’s strategic objectives will help to support the delivery of these. Furthermore, due to the proposed partnership nature of the delivery of the strategy the council will be able to draw on best practice from other authorities as well as maximising delivery outcomes.

It could be decided that the Kent Environment Strategy should not be supported,  but this option has not been thought appropriate as the strategy will be an effective vehicle for delivery against several of the Council’s Strategic Plan objectives, the Local Strategic Partnership’s Sustainable Community Strategy priorities and will support the delivery of the ‘Vision for Kent’ which is endorsed by Maidstone Borough Council’s participation in the Kent Partnership.