Cap’n Jack sails into school
‘Council must help rural Maidstone’
AN initiative to “bankroll” rural busi- nesses is being exploredby Maidstone Council. It is one of the actions to emerge from
a top-level analysis of the borough’s rural economy by the council’s pros- perity scrutiny committee. Chairman Stephen Paine saidMaid-
stone has a thriving rural economy with “untappedpotential for further growth”. He toldthe cabinet that 30% of the borough’s businesses are basedin the countryside. But in the past there was a feeling that council policies tended to have an urban focus. But that is about to change, accord-
AHOY there! Captain Jack Sparrow visited the young landlubbers at Sutton Valence Primary School after hearing they had been designing flags for his ship ‘The Black Pearl’. The pirate chief arrived in a black stretch
limo, complete withthe skull and crossbones, and was greeted by Maidstone deputy mayor Cllr Rodd Nelson-Gracie. After joining in a staged sword fight between teachers and pupils, Jack visited each class to pick a winning flag. School librarian Debbie Gale organised the
day to coincide withthe fifth‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and to link withthe novel ‘On Stranger Tides’. Thanks went to Oasis Limos in Maidstone, Pi-
rate Cove in Bluewater and Rumwood Nurseries for helping to make the day a success.
ing to Cllr Chris Garland, leader of the Tory-ruledcouncil. He hadjust heardCllr Paine outlin-
ing concerns his team hadencountered during its survey and tour of rural Maidstone. These included transport, planning
andrenewable energy issues. Another big impediment to busines-
ses is access to high-speed broadband, which Cllr Paine saidis “incredibly poor” in rural areas. Maidstone ranks 10th in a table of 13
Coxheath office change PLANNING permission has been grantedto replace a barn with a two-storey office to the rear of Westerhill inWesterhill Road, Coxheath.
HAMILTON K I T C H E N S
local authorities in Kent for broadband access. Significant areas cannot even access 1Mb, including Boughton Monchelsea, Marden, Coxheath, Detling and Thurnham, he added. The report listedareas that can re-
ceive 5Mb or more, including Harriet- sham, Lenham, Staplehurst, Sutton Valence, Bearsted, Headcorn plus town wards such as Fant, High Street and Shepway North. Meanwhile, moves are being made
to help fledgling rural businesses get their hands on start-up funds. KCC runs a Leader Programme that provides grants of up to £50,000 to match up- front funding required from the appli- cant.
“Not a lot of businesses have £50,000 in their back pocket,” saidCllr Paine. But his report highlightedCornwall council’s “bankroll” service that pro- vides the upfront funding on 0% inter- est – provided the local authority receives it back within two months. Cabinet agreedto pursue the idea. Cllr Paine was congratulatedfor a “superb presentation”. Regeneration cabinet member Cllr Malcolm Greed said it wouldbe stupidnot to take its recommendations on board. Leader Cllr Garland said the council
has been accusedin recent years of being “town-centric”. He disagreed but saidthis year he wantedthe council to pay a “lot more attention” to develop- ing policies for rural areas.
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