Kent Forum

Kent is known as the ‘Gateway to Europe’. More than half of the UK’s goods pass through Dover and 10,000 foreign lorries travel through Kent per day
Kent benefits from excellent rail connections to the Continent which have been further enhanced with the opening of High Speeed One services in December 2009
Kent is a collection of diverse small towns – there is no big city
Kent has 101 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 2 areas of outstanding natural beauty, 4200 miles of public rights of way, 326 miles of coastline, 18000 listed buildings and 2 World Heritage Sites
Kent has two major growth areas – Ashford and the Thames Gateway. In the Thames Gateway alone there will be 53,000 new homes and 225,000 new jobs in the next 20 years
Kent has a highly diversified and entrepreneurial economy, made up of 50,000 VAT registered businesses, 98% of which have fewer than 100 employees. 71.8% of Kent businesses employ less than 5 people. The sectoral composition of the county is changing, with the greatest increases in employment taking place in construction, retail and services
Kent has low business productivity compared to the rest of the South East based on Gross Value Added per capita – 24.1% lower than the rest of the South East. (For more information about Kent as a place, Kent’s economy and regeneration plans, see Unlocking Kent’s Potential.
The voluntary and community sector currently employs 6% of Kent’s workforce and accounts for over 3% of the Gross Value Added. 95% of Kent’s voluntary and community sector organisations recently reported that they are experiencing increasing demand for their services, whilst at the same time many are experiencing a decrease in income. (For more information about Kent’s voluntary and community sector, visit Kent CAN’s website).

Kent’s diversity is clear to see when we look at the difference between the richest and poorest areas in the county. For example, in Tonbridge and Malling, only 4% of the population is amongst the poorest 20% in Kent, while in Thanet it is 39%. Pockets of deprivation are found across Kent (Indices of Deprivation, CLG, 2010).
Numbers of children achieving the expected level in English and Maths when they leave primary school varies by 20% between the best and worst performing areas, and children from low-income families, those with special educational needs and looked after children are likely to do less well than children who are not in these circumstances. (For more information on children and young people in Kent, see Kent’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-2014 (in development)
From an early age, children from low-income families report that they have less healthy lifestyles and also have less positive attitudes towards healthy living
People living in deprived areas are more likely to have fires or be injured in road accidents
Ashford and Tunbridge Wells have the highest level of internet access, with 77% of people having access to the internet. Access is lowest in Thanet at only 63%
Unemployment rates vary significantly – from 1,141 unemployed people claiming unemployment related benefits in Tunbridge Wells to 4,340 in Thanet (as a shap shot in March 2010). (For more information on employment, see We are the People of Kent and Unlocking Kent’s Potential).
Access to services can be a problem in Kent – just over 30% of Kent scores in the worst 20% of England in terms of access to services. Rural areas are highlighted as suffering the most because they are more remote from main service centres
Whilst life expectancy in Kent is higher than the national average, the difference in life expectancy between the best and worst wards is 17 years. Big differences are seen in smoking, healthy eating, exercise and other lifestyle factors. (For more information on the health of people in Kent and health inequalities, visit The Kent Public Health Observatory).

Gross Disposable Household Income in Kent is on average £15,587, lower than the South East average of £16,792
74% of Kent’s population live in owner occupied accommodation. Areas of Kent have problems with affordability of housing, particularly in rural areas. Approximately 35,000 homes in Kent are deemed ‘unfit’. (For more information on housing in Kent, see the Kent & Medway Housing Strategy).
87% of Kent residents are either fairly satisfied or very satisfied with Kent as a place to live. People think that low levels of crime, clean streets and health services are the most important factors in making somewhere a good place to live. 82% were satisfied with their neighbourhood.
On the whole, people are more satisfied with local public services in Kent than they are dissatisfied and 47% of residents feel either very well or fairly well informed about local public services. (For more information on satisfaction levels, see We are the People of Kent).
Kent has a crime rate of 64 crimes per 1,000 population, which is significantly below the national average. Kent residents are more worried about crime than the average for the South East. (For more information on crime, see We are the People of Kent and Kent Police’s Local Crime Mapping.
The number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents in Kent has reduced by 11% over the past two years
Around 40% of waste is recycled or composted in Kent, above the national average
In 2009/10, 45% of people in Kent attended at least three arts events. (For more information on culture in Kent see Kent’s Cultural Strategy).
50% of adults aged 16+ participate in sport and active recreation at least once a week with just over 20% participating three times a week. However, the cost of inactivity to Kent has been estimated at over £20 million per year.
51% of people in Kent say they are “too busy” to get involved in community activities
In a recent survey of Kent residents, 26% of respondents had been involved with a charity over the last two or three years; 22% had been involved with fundraising; and a further 18% had volunteered.

This is Kent