Huge petition forces debate on grants


CRUCIAL grants paid by Maidstone Coun- cil to more than 30 parish councils were the focus of a heated debate at the Town Hall. Under heavy pressure from the parishes,


the borough has reduced its initial demand for the abolition of concurrent functions grants, which total more than £400,000 an- nually.


Suggestions that the grants be phased out completely over three years – 50% in 2011- 12, followed by two further cuts of 25% – have now been reduced to a 30% cut this year plus a comprehensive review of the grants system. A petition signed by more than 2,100


across all parishes led to a full council de- bate on the subject. The case was presented by Cllr Peter


Nursery plan


for office site ANEWchildren’s nursery, pre-school and after- school club could be es- tablished in Boughton Monchelsea. Elizabeth Balfour plans


to set it up at Brishing Court Barn, Brishing Lane, which is currently used for offices. She has not formally ap-


plied for change of use, but has lodged an applica- tion to provide new toilet facilities, changing sta- tions and kitchen in preparation for the chil- dren who would use the facility.


Coulling (Teston), on behalf of the Maid- stone branch of the Kent Association of Local Councils. He acknowledged the bor- ough's "substantial move" away from its original stance but he argued that the cut in grant should be further trimmed as the Gov- ernment was not reducing its local authori- ties' grant by as much as anticipated. But he stressed that, because parishes


have greater knowledge of local priorities, concurrent functions – however they are re- vised in future – should fulfil the original spirit of the Parish Charter so that the bur- den of providing services across the whole borough is shared fairly. Cllr David Marchant, a borough (Downswood & Otham, Ind) and parish councillor, said they knew they had to ac-


ANambulance service call-taker has been praised by her manager for the way she handled a chal- lenging 999 emergency. Ceris Clarke (27), who


works at the Kent control centre in Coxheath, took a 999 call from a deaf person, seeking help for his mother who was potentially suffer- ing from a heart attack or stroke. Ceris, who had com- pleted her training only three weeks before the call, com- municated with the caller through a Text Talk service. She said: “It was a very challeng-


ing call as the caller was obviously very concerned for his mother’s


cept some cuts and that certain things should be financed via the parish precept. But there should not be one rule for the parishes and another for the non-parished areas. "We are doing the jobs that council workers are doing in other areas of the town," he argued. Council leader Chris Garland (Shepway North, Con) said decision-makers are some- times given unenviable decisions to make – and this was one of them. He strongly de- nied the borough would be withdrawing re- sources from parishes, just delivering them in a different way. Cllr Paulina Stockell (Sutton Valence &


Langley, Con) said the borough's long-term, good relationship with parishes was being damaged. Saying concurrent functions


Praise for calm 999 call-taker Ceris


welfare and there were a number of questions which I needed to ask, through the Text Talk operator, to ensure we got the right care to his mother.” Throughout the lengthy


call, Ceris was supported by her manager Roseanne Harvey. She said: “As you can


imagine, trying to estab- lish what was happening and then relaying instruc- tions via the Text Talk op-


erator is a very daunting call for anyone in this job but Ceris, who has only been with us for a short time, remained calm at all times, doing her best to assist the caller with his ill mother.”


should be abolished was a "step too far" and it was about time the borough appreciated the work done by parishes. More applause. Cllr Fran Wilson (High Street, Lib Dem leader) said, as well as failures by the borough, there had also been "some big misconceptions" by parishes. Financial constraints mean concurrent functions grants could not continue in their cur- rent form. "We have to find a fair and equitable way forward for all the resources of the bor- ough," she added. Cllr JohnWilson, the cabinet member responsible for the grants, admitted some regrets but added: "We are where we are.We must go forward."


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