I’m not putting money on this result! 


IT’S always difficult to fore-


cast which political party will control closely-fought Maid- stone Council after local elec- tions. This May it is tougher than ever. Currently the Conservatives


have just a one seat majority giving them control over the LibDems and Independents. Eighteen seats will be up for election on Thursday, May 5, with the Tories defending nine, LibDems seven and Inde- pendents two. Most Tory defences appear


to be in rock solid blue seats and it seems the LibDems would have to unseat a well- established cabinet member in Shepway North (Marion Ring) or take Loose to achieve their dream. But they will have to watch


their backs, too, as they defend in two wards (South and Fant) always difficult to read, espe- cially as the Labour Party has high hopes of being repre- sented on Maidstone Council


MailMarks


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


once again. There are so many tea leaves


to read this time both in na- tional and local politics. At a national level how


much damage has joining a coalition Government done among LibDem supporters? And how do voters see the work of the coalition – doing a tough job after a financial mess left by Labour or adopting poli- cies which are making matters worse? On top of that, how powerfully will each party’s supporters turn out at an elec- tion when most of the public- ity will centre around a highly controversial electoral reform proposal?


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


The value of railings Dear Sir – I cannot understand Cllr Malcolm Greer’s logic in the metal railings being scrapped (Town, March), as they were to helpmaintain pub- lic safety in the first place, not to create amore unsafe environ- ment. I think that taking them down


was just a cost saving exercise, so when they are damaged they don’t have to be replaced and they can get recompensed for the scrap metal value they fetch. So wake up Malcolm, we are not all dimwits!


Mr R P Rowe, Upper Road, Maidstone


Link road failure Dear Sir - I refer to the item on the M20 Junction 8 site in your March edition. I note that Cllr Chris Garland has discounted the chance of the link road from Junction 8 to the south of Maid- stone being built in the foresee- able future and probably not until after 2026. This is despite the fact that a clear promisewas made to build the link a number of years ago. This is a long-standing issue


on which the Conservative ad- ministrations of both Maidstone borough and Kent County Council have had a complete blindspot for many years. Both councils have consistently failed to deal with the traffic problems resulting from the ab- sence of a link road, affecting both the town centre and the eastern suburbs of Maidstone, to the detriment of the residents whom they represent. Those re- sponsible clearly have little un-


At a local level all councils


are facing the toughest finan- cial times, and budgeting for the Tories is more difficult than for years. Is their policy on partial


High Street regeneration the right one just now with capital funds so tight? And how are the local Lib-


Dems going to come through heavyweight criticism that they voted to set aside a demo- cratic public vote in favour of elections to be held every four years? They opted instead to retain the current system of three elections in each four- year period, with a one year gap in between.


I have tried to mix all this in


the melting pot – and my belief is the resilient Maidstone Lib- Dems will just miss out again on gaining council control. But I am not putting any of my money on it!


paign hard enough there is al- ways the chance of a result. That has happened in East Far- leigh. A national 60mph speed


Keep right on to the 


limit on the narrow, winding stretch of Lower Road up to Dean Street was ridiculous – and KCC wanted 50mph. The locals knew that was still too fast, said so, and kept saying so with powerful evidence to back their case – but the stale- mate has gone on for years. Now KCC Highways have bowed to pressure – and a pro- posed 40mph limit is being ad- vertised. There is happiness and relief in Farleigh.


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


derstanding of the daily effects on residents of their failure to deal with the problem and I am afraid that Cllr Garland's pro- jected timescale for the possible construction of the link road may well be too late for me and possibly for many others. Cllr Garland is my represen-


tative on Maidstone Borough Council but I am afraid that he and his Conservative colleagues on both the borough council and county council have now lost my trust and support as a result of their complete failure on this matter.


Charles Lucas,


Willington Street, Maidstone


Help stop housing Dear Sir – I want to offer a quick response to the letters of Mr Burgess (March edition) and Ms Skinner (February edition) about the SHLAA (Strategic Housing Land Area Assess- ment) and potential develop- ment in the Medway Valley. I was one of the councillors


who lobbied hard (and sup- ported both petitions) to have Fant Farm and land at Gat- land/Farleigh Lane excluded from the strategic land alloca- tion once it was picked up in the SHLAA. I’m pleased that we’ve been successful and this area has not made it through to the core strategy’s public con- sultation stage. But the battle is not over yet. To really protect this land


once and for all we need to give it status. In February I started a new petition calling on this land to be recognised for its contribution to the landscape, ecology, and the rural gap that


protects Barming and East Far- leigh from being absorbed into urban Maidstone. We are about to enter the age


of localism, and central Govern- ment has made it clear that it wants local communities to take control of ‘place shaping’ their neighbourhood. This petition is a means to that end. I urge anyone interested in saving the Medway Valley from urban sprawl to contact me di- rectly (StephenPaine@maid- stone.gov.uk) so I can register your support. Cllr Stephen Paine (Con) FantWard


Hard work thanks Dear Sir – I am writing to say that over the last 12 months I have led a campaign, as Conser- vative borough council candi- date for Southward, to clean up the Tovil area. Work includes the overgrown


area by Tovil bridge, helping local businesses on Farleigh Hill and getting a new litter bin installed. This shows that if you lead


from the front and clean things up, other people will follow. That is why I must say a big thank you to a few local compa- nies.


CTD has started to clean up


outside its company base in Far- leigh Hill. Lidl has used a contractor,


Glebe Fencing, to install a secu- rity fence around its supermar- ket to reduce youth crime. It is also clearing overgrown weeds and shrubs and was due to re- paint the supermarket building. Lastly, the landlord of the Wharf Road Industrial Estate has decided to cut back over-


grown shrubs and weeds. It just shows that when local


people, companies and political candidates work together, South ward can be a better place to live and work.


Mike Hogg


(Conservative candidate), Tovil


Keep this vital job Dear Sir – I am writing to ex- press my dismay at hearing that Tony Gowers and the post of National Trails Officer on the North DownsWay will be made redundant in the next few weeks. As the former warden of the


SSSI Ranscombe Farm Reserve, former Medway Access Forum secretary and regular walker, I am appalled to learn that the vital support of this post is being withdrawn through lack of funding from the KCC. I believe the majority of the overheads of this post are pro- vided by Natural England and it is therefore a low match-fund- ing cost to the council and a very high gain to the interests of rural tourism and economy. It is so important that people are encouraged to use these historic routes and the stunning coun- tryside of the South East is pre- served. This will be the only nation-


ally important trail without this essential officer support, and access will begin to degrade from the spring onwards – the very season when it is needed most. Once these ancient routes and linear habitats are lost, they are gone forever.


Helen Morley Upper Street, Leeds


26 Town Support YOUR local paper — and we can support YOU - advertise on 01622 630330


end of the road IF ENOUGH people cam-


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