Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial arrangements and contractual agreements exist with the owners of Lydden Hill Race Circuit and the former Folkestone Racecourse concerning the management of possible traffic congestion in Kent resulting from the EU Entry Exit System.

As part of preparations to mitigate the risk of potential disruption during Summer 2026, the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) identified the need to have contingency sites available to provide welfare facilities to passenger vehicles in the case of severe disruption. These sites support the Forum's wider traffic management plans to maintain traffic flow and minimise disruption on Kent's road network. The sites used were at Lydden Hill Race Circuit and Folkstone Racecourse.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has worked closely with the KMRF to support their preparations, although the use and deployment of these sites by KMRF is operationally independent from the Department. DfT has put in place agreements with the owners of Lydden Hill and Folkstone Racecourse to enable these sites to be used as contingency sites over the summer period.