Economic Strategy

We’re committed to Kent’s long term economic development. To help us make the most of future opportunities, we work with the Kent districts and other partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors to understand the county’s economy and plan for the future.

Creating Quality Places

The recent recession and continuing depressed level of economic activity has meant tighter restrictions on investment funding and mortgage lending by banks. Government funding has substantially reduced. Despite some signs of recovery in the housing market sector site viability and demand currently remain fragile.

This consultation document proposes a new framework by which Kent County Council plans to work with partners including Districts and the development industry to help provide housing and deliver the community infrastructure necessary to support new development. Particular emphasis is placed on how need will be met and how infrastructure might be funded. 

Development and Infrastructure - Creating Quality Places (PDF, 550KB)

Development and Infrastructure - Creating Quality Places Consultation Statement July 2012 (PDF, 327k)

Local Enterprise Partnership

Working with business and local government across Kent and Essex, we have put forward an ambitious proposal to Government for a Kent and Greater Essex Local Enterprise Partnership.
 
Replacing existing regional structures, the Kent and Greater Essex Local Enterprise Partnership will be a genuine partnership between business and local government, focused on unlocking infrastructure, skills, investment and business support to lay the foundations for lasting growth.
 
 

Rebalancing Kent?

With deficit reduction a national priority, the next few years will see falls in public sector employment and a need to generate private sector growth. This report looks at Kent's vulnerability and the places likely to be worst hit by public sector job losses. It sets out an analysis of the people likely to be most affected, our ability to grow the private sector and how the economy might change in the future.
 
 

Kent and Medway Economic Assessment

Together with Medway Council, we’re currently producing a comprehensive analysis of the county’s economy to inform future strategy. The Economic Assessment will be produced through a series of topic papers over the coming year. To find out more, read:

Final Scoping Report (PDF, 88k)

Consultation on draft Scoping Report: Analysis of responses (PDF, 70k)

As topic papers and drafts are produced, they will be posted here.

Unlocking Kent’s Potential

In 2009, we published our framework for regeneration setting out the key opportunities and challenges facing the county. A range of further strategies are being developed to support Kent’s future, read more about these:

21st Century Kent (internal link)

Low carbon opportunities for growth

A lower carbon future presents Kent with long term economic opportunities. With Europe’s largest offshore wind resource, the South East’s largest programme of new development and a diverse and dynamic business base, Kent has the potential to be at the leading edge of the lower carbon economy.

Low Carbon Opportunities for Growth (PDF, 189k) looks at the opportunities for Kent and considers how we can support them. This document is currently in draft form and comments are welcome.

Previous economic strategies

In 2007, we published Kent Prospects 2007 to 2012 (PDF, 2.4Mb), an economic development strategy for the county. Work on the Local Economic Assessment will supersede Kent Prospects and will help to inform the county’s future economic strategy.

Latest economic data

Find out about the latest economic data and news about the Kent economy.

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Contact us

Regeneration and Economy Division
Kent County Council
Invicta House
Maidstone ME14 1XX

01622 221866

reinfo@kent.gov.uk