During the pandemic buses were removed from Cowden. Like many villages, this cut off residents from access to any public transport.
There remain bus services using the B245 Hartfield Road so I’ve been asking operators and Kent County Council whether they can divert via Cowden village.
Sadly, none have agreed to. The Reform UK administration at Kent County Council have said no.
You can see I’ve been arguing for this for many years. I first raised it with the Reform UK KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Peter Osborne, in September 2025. You can see that HERE. I also asked again in April 2026, with the response HERE. Finally I received a further update in July 2026, again with no commitment. You can read that HERE.
It is clear that the Reform UK Councillors at KCC are reluctant to invest what is needed to divert buses through Cowden. It is also clear that its ‘Enhanced Partnership Board’ now controls money which could get this in place very soon.
I want to demonstrate to KCC why this is important. Please fill in the form here so I can make KCC aware of just how much this matters for us.