Conservatives set out for another year 


SO the Tories have another


year at least in power to imple- ment their Maidstone Council plans and had good cause to cel- ebrate at the election count where their overall majority in- creased from one to five. There were so many factors


this time, making predictions al- most impossible. It was the slump in the national Lib Dem vote that was key. After years in the doldrums, Labour will be encouraged by some signs of a local resurgence – but not enough to give them a single seat. The political cycle will change things for Labour andmanywill welcome a return of sensible socialist comments to the local scene. But nationally they still suffer


from appalling handling of the economy by former Prime Min- ister Gordon and his cabinet –


MailMarks


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


leaving us all very deep in the Brown stuff. His profligate use of credit


card UKmeans we shall all pay a very heavy price for years. I can never forgive him. It takes a brave, dedicated per-


son to be a councillor with eco- nomic problems dictating so much. But the localTories seem ambitious and confident andwe must all wish them well.


Enjoying hidden lake APOLITICAL row inMaid-


 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Bad postal service Dear Sir-Iwas interested in reading your comments on the Royal Mail deliveries in the April edition of Downs Mail and to make you feel better you might like to know of our ap- palling service. Up to approximately two months agowe had an excellent service, but then Royal Mail re- arranged all the rounds and changed the staff. Since that date we are contin-


ually missing post and on con- tacting senders we are assured that it has been sent but clearly not delivered. As a result, I have kept a


check on deliveries and dis- cover thatwe now only get a de- livery every other day. We have tried to contact Royal


Mail, but if you can make head or tail of their website you will understand why we have been unsuccessful.


Bryan Dewar Spot Lane Bearsted


Paying for doormen Dear Sir - I read with some in- terest the report regarding the Babylon nightclub and the trou- ble that occured there, although I was surprised to hear it was the Gurkhas, usually a very po- lite and courteous set of people. Indeed, it is the English (British) residents of Maidstone and surrounding areas that pour into Maidstone every Saturday evening, who should be blamed for most of the trouble. Almost every nightclub and


bar now has a group of security doormen at the entrance and in- side. I should know, I amone of them! Now why should clubs and bars feel the need to employ us? If you seriously don't know,


28 South


then please visit Maidstone one Saturday evening and watch and listen. It is rare that there is no trouble of one kind or an- other.


Abusive and aggressive cus- tomers are not rare, overly in- toxicated customers are commonplace and although ac- tual fights are not happening all of the time, the frequency is in- creasing. Often, the first line of defence


are the doormen, all of whom have been trained, passed strin- gent checks and paid a lot of money for their licences so that they can keep the customers safe.


What is their reward? Door-


men are often threatened, occa- sionally ganged up on and generally abused as they carry out their duties. Most of the time they attempt to carry out their duties in good humour, and attempt to be courteous and polite to customers upon enter- ing and leaving the bar or club where they are stationed. For this they are very poorly


paid, mostly between £10- £12.50 an hour, which may sound reasonable. However, take into consideration that they do suffer the abuses mentioned above and are very occasionally the targets of violent assault, then the wages they receive pale into insignificance! Surely they should receive a


better renumeration than they currently do? Name and address supplied


Pheasant madness Dear Sir - What on earth is going on in Kent Highways? What simpleton would decide to close a narrow lane half way along it without putting notices at the entrance warning mo- torists that it was a 'no through road'?


stone is bringing to prominence one of the town’smost beautiful


hidden gems. It is the magnificent lake on


the Mote Park boundary of the privately-owned Turkey Mill complex. Many will not even know it exists. The lake itself is owned by Maidstone Council with a long lease to Turkey Mill and is seen as part of the waterway system for Mote Park. Historically the council de-


cided to retain ownership of the lake and a move now by the controlling Tories to raise sub- stantial funds for the council in these grim economic times by selling it to Turkey Court is being challenged by the Lib- Dems.


Whatever the outcome I hope


the public will be encouraged more to visit and enjoy a stun- ning part of Maidstone I found by chance. On a press visit to an event


staged in The Orangery at Turkey Mill I slipped out to view the magnificent grounds and this led to a walk around the lake with its impressive stone boathouse and dramatic waterfall. I could not believe what I had


found – it was quite magical. That is an experience I hope many more can enjoy.


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


That is precisely what KCC


have done to Pheasant Lane which runs from Sutton Road to Boughton Lane inMaidstone. A lorry, which was delivering a package to a house in Pheasant Lane, came to this dead end and there was no way it could turn around and had to reverse the whole length of the lane to get out.


What would happen if an emergency vehicle had to use this route in an emergency? Malcolm Luxton Address supplied


Hospital concern Dear Sir - I have returned from spending the winter in Aus- tralia with my midwife daugh- ter and have been reading back copies of Downs Mail. I have al- ready emailed Health Secretary Andrew Lansley but will not re- ceive a response as I am not a constituent of his. I would like to know on what


basis he has gone against the ad- vice and wishes of hospital staff, consultants, obstetricians, local MPs, GPs, andmany of the general public. How will he feel when the


first mother facing a dangerous traumatic confinement dies in the ambulance on route from Maidstone to Pembury? Or will themother just be kept in Maid- stone and be allowed to die there? I am 82 and cynical. Is there


any connection between Rose Gibb, the failed chief executive, pushing for the new hospital in Pembury, the transfer of spe- cialist services from Maidstone, and the new private hospital to be sited in Grove Green? I have not included Andrew Lansley in that group.


John Ireland High Street Lenham


Regeneration boost tDear Sir - Following mprove- ments carried out in the last two years to the part of Maidstone upstream of the gyratory, past Archbishops Palace and All Saints Church towards Millen- nium Bridge, a group from the Campaign to Protect Rural Eng- land (CPRE) went on a walka- bout with Councillor Malcolm Greer, Maidstone Council’s cab- inet member for regeneration. We were very impressed by


the work that had been done to enhance the green spaces and the heritage walls, including: The sluice on the River Len -


a fascinating and rather hidden part of the town; The small park behind the CarriageHouse Museum - now a very attractive and tranquil area yet so close to the heavily traf- ficked road system; The opened vista between


the Archbishops Palace and All Saints, so that the grandeur of the church can be better appre- ciated; The riverside walk area


along the River Medway. Maidstone needs no “funny photography” to extol the at- tractiveness of this significant heritage area, which can be en- joyed by those who live, work and visit the town. CPRE Protect Kent, Maid-


stone, would like to acknowl- edge the significance of the programme of improvements that the borough council has in- stigated for the benefit of the people of Maidstone. It would seem to be money


well invested for the future and incorporates modern elements, in the form of the Millennium Bridge.


Felicity Simpson


Chairman, CPRE Protect Kent Maidstone Committee


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


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