The council’s changing faces


WE can expect to see several new faces at Maidstone's first council meeting after the May elections. There may even be a different party in control - but that's very


much in the balance. About a third of the council's seats will be up for grabs, and some


well-established members will not be seeking re-election. They in- clude cabinetmember Ben Sherreard (Con, Loose); John Horne (Con, Detling/Thurnham); and Colin Parr (Lib Dem, Coxheath/Hunton). Meanwhile, the popularity of several senior Torieswill be gauged


at the May 5 ballot. They include deputy group leader Malcolm Greer (Boxley), last year's mayor Peter Parvin (Leeds), cabinetmem- ber Marion Ring (Shepway North) and planning chairman Richard Lusty (Staplehurst). Lib Dem leader FranWilson will also be among those aiming to woo the voters.


Proud of borough’s renaissance By Cllr Chris Garland, leader of the Conservatives


MAIDSTONEBorough Council hasnowbeen run by the Conservative Party for the past three years, the longest any single party has done so in the past 30 years. In that time, Maidstone has gone from strength to strength and is now being head- lined as one of the top destinations for people to live, and businesses to invest and trade in. During these three years, despite the reces-


sion, Maidstone borough - both urban and rural - has gone through something of a ren- aissance. I am proud to have been a part of that change withmyConservative colleagues. This means that Maid- stone will prosper and grow for the benefit of the children in the bor- ough and for future generations. Maidstone council must change rapidly over the next few years as


the spending cuts begin to come through following the difficult task of clearing up Labour’s financial mess. But I believe that, painful though this will be in some areas of the council’s work, it will produce a council more in tune with what the residents of Maidstone want. Under Conservative administration, it will be even more efficient in the delivery of those services you rightly expect and depend upon. Maidstone council must now accept that it cannot do everything it


used to do and must be honest about this. Conservatives are deter- mined that Maidstone council continues to make the most of each pound of ratepayer’s money in the delivery of key services, facilitat- ing economic prosperity through regeneration and protecting Maid- stone’s rich historical and environmental heritage.


THE aim of an Independent coun- cillor is to safeguard and promote the interests of the local commu- nity, both individually and collec- tively without being dictated to by any particular political party. They are free to ask difficult ques-


tions and keep asking them until they get a proper answer and dur- ing the past year the Independent councillors have done just that. They have challenged and called in deci-


sions, including calling an extraordinary meeting of the council to seek justice for


LastMay's election, also involving a third of council seats, left the


Lib Dems still one short of threatening the Conservatives' overall majority. There are currently 27 Tories, 22 Lib Dems, four Inde- pendents and two vacancies - one caused by the death of Heather Langley (Con, Bearsted) and the other through the ill-health retire- ment of Patrick Sellar (Lib Dem, East ward). So, there is everything to play for. Labour, unrepresented at the Town Hall for several years, and the


Conservatives are both contesting all 18 seats. The Lib Dems are fielding candidates in 13 wards, the Greens in 12 wards, UKInde- pendence Party in three and the British National Party in one, Shep- way North. The DownsMail asked each of the main parties to state why their candidates should get a cross against their name on May 5.


‘Greenest borough in a decade’ By Cllr FranWilson, leader of the Liberal Democrats


IN these challenging times any administration running Maidstone Council will have to make tough choices. This is a local election and must be decided


on local issues. Maidstone’s Liberal Democrats have


worked hard over the past year to be a re- sponsible opposition to the current Conserva- tive administration. We have been proved right over the multi- million pound High Street re-paving project. The Conservatives have finally been forced to admit that doing the scheme in its entirety is unaffordable without plunging the council into debt. If you choose the LiberalDemocrats you will get a united team ded-


icated to ruthless cutting of council waste. Wewill not take the coun- cil into debt with vanity projects and we believe in prudent housekeeping. Emphasis will always be placed on keeping council tax down and providing excellent front-line services: street cleaning, waste collec- tion, recycling, sports facilities, parks and play areas. It is our intention to make Maidstone the greenest borough in the country within a decade.We believe this makes good economic as well as environmental sense. We will ensure our planning policies deliver affordable high-qual-


ity homes, protect our beautiful countryside and wildlife, and create the conditions to protect and broaden the job market for local people. Despite these tough times we believe if our council works with resi- dents and businesses it can deliver excellent and affordable services.


‘We are the only alternative’ By Cllr Mike FitzGerald, spokesperson for the Independents


parish councils. They have challenged the ro- bustness of any CCTV move, and objected to the cut in children’s playground funding and sought a phasing of the High Street im- provement to progress at a pace that would not take us all into debt. All these actions resulted in some change or amendment.


We are passionate about road safety, a seri-


ous health inequality in Maidstone and con- tinue to fight for ‘safer speed makes safer


roads’. We give an independent voice to local res-


idents and champion the protection of local countryside and putting people first. We have an important role to play as pub-


lic health and NHS changes provide new commitment for the council, and we have to challenge changes in police reforms particu- larly where they impact on anti social be- haviour. Most people, 99% in fact, aren’t members


of a political party and are independent. I ask you to come out and vote Independent, the only alternative at this year’s elections.


Boosting transport, arts, environment By Paul Harper, campaign officer for Labour Onthe environment,wewill (1)


LABOURwill campaign to increase and support affordable and social housing. On transport, we will campaign


for better bus services; lower speed limits; future railway station sites at Tovil and Teston; and we will sup- port the free bus pass scheme. Hazlitt Theatre and Maidstone Museumare a great resource.Work- ing in partnership we will ensure their future and put on programmes to widen cultural engagement and promote awareness of minority cultures.


14 Town


resist the building of further flats in central Maidstone, (2)maintain vibrant town and village centres, (3) discourage out-of-town retail developments, (4) oppose propos- als to build on urban green space, (5) look at temporary use of derelict areas for community ben- efit pending their permanent de- velopment, and (6) review parks


and playgrounds across the borough, identify areas of deficiency and plan for new facili- ties.


We will also improve the physical envi- ronment by local tree-planting schemes and encourage environmental awareness; review and improve the borough’s biodiversity with the Kent Wildlife Trust; set up an environ- mental forum to bring together the borough and community groups to provide a forumin which these issues are addressed; and create neighbourhood wildlife areas to improve the environment for biodiversity. Labour supports annual elections and will


set up Neighbourhood Forums across Maid- stone town, engaging communities in local issues.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail—info@downsmail.co.uk


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