Challenges for a worrying New Year MailMarks


ALTHOUGH Maidstone


Council comes out a little bet- ter than most Kent neighbours on cuts in Government grants there are too many signals of a very tough New Year ahead for all – especially for many al- ready in need. The Government, KCC and Maidstone Council make de- termined noises about trying to retain the level of key serv- ices as they make enforced economies in many directions. But quality of life seems sure


to suffer as financial belts sig- nificantly tighten – and for some the outlook is very wor- rying. My main concerns are for


households already finan- cially stretched about to see costs rise, higher taxes and


DENNIS FOWLE - President Kent Campaigning Journalist of the Year 2001 email: dfowle2011@aol.com


National Insurance contribu- tions, smaller benefits and mortgage repayments almost certain to escalate. Then there are the less for- tunate who depend on help and services which seem doomed to disappear or be re- duced.


Charities which provide


vital financial and practical help are preparing for a very difficult year. In Maidstone we have so


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Lack ofsupport Dear Sir - Following Dennis Fowle’s recent comments about the Government not helping local businesses, it would ap- pear, with the forthcoming de- parture of C&H Fabrics, that local government and landlords are not helping either. C&H Fabrics, as you doubt-


less know, is a family-run con- cern and has been in business in Maidstone for 40 years. It is a bastion of quality mer-


chandise and quality personnel who have the expertise re- quired to help customers (a rare virtue these days). Does this mean that there will


be another building standing empty in Week Street, indeed opposite the old A&N building which has lain dormant for seven years? We are particularly outraged


that this store is closing as we patronise it frequently, but in general we are very sad that the so-called “county town” of Kent is being allowed to slide into rows of cheap or empty shops. Yes, we have Fremlins Walk,


but empty shops are appearing there, too, and the High Street is a mess. We know that the council is planning to spend £4m on a re-vamp of the lower end of the High Street, but the question in our minds is “Why?”. Surely Maidstone would be


better served if they used that money to ease the pain of exist- ing businesses and build a solid foundation of good retailers be- fore embarking on a restoration of a part of the town that few people visit. We all know that Bluewater


has been a threat, but we could fight back and encourage shop- pers to try Maidstone first. Ann Jackson (Mrs) (via email)


30 Town


many and most know cuts are coming. KCC, Maidstone Council, the NHS etc give grants and as they divide their smaller cakes there will be many losers. We will feel most keenly the


losses to charities such as Age Concern, Heart of Kent Hos- pice, Demelza House, Citizens Advice Bureau, Kent Air Am- bulance – and many more. Some services they provide free must be charged in future.


There are many support or- ganisations with no firm serv- ice commitments which raise funds for these charities. Their hard task will be to try


to maintain that level of sup- port from a hard-pressed pub- lic. I see wide evidence of a de-


sire to succeed. When my Maidstone Rotary Club organ- ised charity-giving for town centre car parking before Christmas the public was very generous. And as Ivisit many of these


organisations to speak about the Downs Mail story Iam en- couraged by their health and vitality. Who will rise to these chal- lenges in 2011 – and who will suffer most?


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: info@downsmail.co.uk


Patient research Dear Sir – MASH plans to pro- duce a survey of researched journey times from the centre of Maidstone to the three main hospitals Maidstone area women in labour will have to reach later this year for a con- sultant-led child birth. We will record journey times


over the fastest available route from one spot in the centre of Maidstone – outside All Saints Church – to the entrances of Medway, Ashford and Pembury hospitals at different times of the day. The preferred depar- ture times are 8am, noon, 5pm and 9pm. Iwould be pleased to hear


from car drivers who can help supply us with some of this in- formation. We will just need to know the route taken, time of departure and actual journey time and mileage. Information can be emailed to


me: dfowle2011@aol.com MASH will analyse all infor-


mation and publish the results as we continue our fight to keep these services in Maidstone Hospital.


Dennis Fowle, chairman,


Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital.


Housing objections Dear Sir - Ihave read with in- terest your article on the SHLAA (Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment). It identifies the land at the junc- tion of Gatland Lane/Farleigh Lane as a potential site for 300 new homes. Iwould like to know if the


planning consultantswere from the Maidstone area and, more importantly, did they actually visit the site? Anyone in the general area 7am-9am, 12pm-2.00pm or 4pm-7pmwill know how traffic


builds up, because of: single-file hold-ups at Farleigh Bridge, plus regular waiting times for trains; Maidstone Hospital emer- gency traffic and Hermitage Lane local traffic; Traffic lights at the junction of Tonbridge Road/Farleigh Lane; The junction of Glebe Lane/Tonbridge Road; Road calming in Gatland Lane/Fant Lane, so dangerous it defies belief; The bottleneck at the junction of Gatland Lane/Farleigh Lane. Who’s going to pay for the


schools, doctors, dentists, roads and upgrades at Maidstone Hospital? These are just some of the ob-


vious objections to this devel- opment. Iam sure there are more. So bring round the peti- tion again, perhaps you will double the signatures and Maidstone Council will stop and listen to its voters.


Barbara Skinner (via email)


Parcel memories Dear Sir – Iam the president of the Caulfield (in Melbourne, Australia) branch of the Re- turned and Services League (the Australian equivalent of the Royal British Legion). We are in the process of com-


piling a history of the club since its inception in 1916.One of the many aspects Iam exploring is the “parcels for Britain” scheme that one of our members set up in 1944 through to 1950. Icame across a report dated 1949 with the following information: The gift parcels went to scores


of cities, towns and hamlets in Britain and hundreds of letters were received by the branch, from grateful recipients of which the following is a typical example.


ing from Maidstone said: “Your parcel arrived when Iwas puz- zling, so as to make something for the children at Christmas. It will enable me to prepare lot of extra things for their Christmas, which otherwise they would not have had.” Iam writing to ask whether


An ex-serviceman’s wife writ-


any of your older readers have any memories of receiving a similar parcel, and if so write to me with their memories. For those with computers Ican be contacted at robertcharles. larkin@gmail.com or by post at: Caulfield RSL 4 St Georges Rd. Elsternwick Victoria, 3185. Australia. Robert Larkin,


President, Caulfield RSL


Charity appeal Dear Sir – With Christmas be- hind us, and many families clearing space in their cup- boards for new presents, I would like to ask readers to consider donating unwanted items to The Children’s Trust’s charity shops. Our shops would welcome donations of good quality items, including clothing, fash- ion accessories, kitchenware, books, games, toys, DVDs/CDs, bric-a-brac, electrical goods and furniture. Even clothes that are too tatty


to be sold should be put in a bin bag and labelled “rag” as these will also help generate in- come. With regard to donating furniture items, please contact Donna Jarvis on 01622 685112 for an initial discussion. Our charity shop in Maid-


stone is at 20 Gabriel’s Hill. We would also love to hear


from anyone who would like to become one of our volunteers and join our friendly team. Roy Greenslade,


The Children’s Trust Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735


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