KCC has responded positively to a call for concessionary bus travel for post-16 stu- dents. Two senior members, Cllr Sarah Hohler
and Cllr Mike Whiting, have met Kent Youth County Council to discuss options. At themoment, pupils aged 11-16 can buy
a Freedom Pass to use at any time on most buses routes in the county. But in April, Maidstone student Jamie Potten, (17), launched an online petition to persuade KCC to extend the age limit to 16 to 20-year- olds. In the past three months it attracted more than 12,000 signatures, enough to trig- ger a full council debate on the subject. But Cllr Hohler, further education cabinet
member, has already signalled KCC's sym- pathy with their cause. “They are really pas-
Optimism in teenage bus pass campaign
sionate that something is needed after changes were made to the Education Main- tenance Allowance. “The young people appreciate that we are
on their side and welcomed our plans for a bus travel concession.” Cllr Hohler recently said she did not want the cost of transport to be a barrier to students pursuing their studies after they had finished GCSEs. Her cabinet deputy Cllr Whiting said: “I
will be meeting youth county councillors again to talk through our ideas in more de- tail. “I am confident we will be able to develop
a proposal which can go for public consul- tation in late summer or early autumn and that a scheme which will be welcomed by learners in post-16 education or training in Kent can be introduced in September 2012.” Youth Cllr Samuel Watkins felt encour-
aged, and added: "While this scheme still has many more hurdles to leap before young people can start to benefit from it, I believe this is a real step forward on the road to bet- ter public transport for post-16 students." Meanwhile, KCC has already decided to
issue the Freedom Pass to nearly 300 young carers in the Maidstone borough, free of charge. From September, the cost of the pass for most 11 to 16-year-olds doubles to £100.
Pub’s future is still in the melting pot
CHART Sutton Parish Council would offer to assist any community bid for the village’s closed pub, the Buffalo’s Head. Chairman Peter Forknall said a sub-com- mittee could be set up to “act as coordina- tor” for people who are interested in contributing to a purchase fund. Admiral Taverns shut the pub last year. Ward councillor Mike FitzGerald sug- gested at last month’s parish council meet- ing that money could be raised through selling shares or obtaining a loan. Revenue could be obtained from the upstairs living accommodation and possibly having a small business such as a shop, cafe or hair-
Sarah Johnson’s ability wowed compe- tition judges.
Lovely surprise
for Sarah, 17 by Dennis Fowle
THE judges sprang a surprise for the au- dience when they announced 17-year- old Sarah Johnson’s technical ability and audience rapport made her the new Maidstone and Mid Kent Young Musi- cian of the Year. Sarah, a pupil of The Judd School,
Tonbridge, who lives in St Mary Platt, took on the challenge of a solo on the horn with Poulenc’s ‘Elegie’. The overall standard of the eight final-
ists was higher than ever and for the judges, the choice between flute, cello, saxophone, recorder, horn, violin, piano and vocal was more like choosing be- tween ‘ice cream and curry’. The popular event at Kent Music, Ast-
ley House, Maidstone, raises funds to help future young musicians and is staged by the Rotary Clubs of Maidstone and Dawn Patrol. Compere was local so- licitor Blair Gulland. The magnificent 20-strong North Kent
Jazz Orchestra nearly beat, during the in- terval, the impending demolishers in blowing the house down! Runner-upwas Thomas Shelbourn (18)
who can almost make a recorder talk. Other finalists were: Bryony Clark (17) of Fort Pitt Grammar, Chatham; Frazer Bowles (17) of Maidstone Grammar; Harriet Barker of Invicta Grammar; Rosie Moore of Invicta Grammar; Katherine Samuelson (17) of Maidstone Girls’ Grammar; and Timothy Ellis of Bethany School, Goudhurst.
OPPOSITION members on Maidstone Council claimed a “really important result for democracy” after a debate about who should chair a key scrutiny committee. But it was a blow to the two Tories who
had proposed that the constitution should be changed to ensure their party picked the chairman. Lib Dems accused the ruling Conservative
group of "squalid party politics". But their leader Cllr Chris Garland questioned how the council could be seen to be democratic
dresser downstairs, members heard. A few months ago, Maidstone Council re-
fused permission to convert the pub into a dwelling. It was “not satisfied a full market- ing exercise had been carried out on finding a proprietor for the pub; or that it had been sufficiently demonstrated that the building is so physically inadequate it could not be adapted to operate a successful business in the public house trade or similar”. The sale is being handled by Porters of Maidstone, specialists in licensed property. The issue was likely to be aired at this month’s parish council meeting on Monday, July 11.
Town Hall scrutiny debate defeat for ruling Tories
if it excluded half of a committee's members from the chance of chairing it. In May, a corporate services scrutiny com-
mittee meeting had ended in chaos when members were unable to elect a chairman. Newcomer Cllr Nick deWiggondene and his seconder, Cllr Stephen Paine, wanted to reverse an existing agreement that the posi- tion should go to someone outside the rul- ing group. When the issue came back to full council in June, the motion was lost 11-20 with several abstentions.
Praise after homes plan cut A PLANNING officer was praised after a developer reduced the number of homes it would build in a new development in Staplehurst. In October 2007, MaidstoneCouncil gaveoutline permission for the construction of up to 14 homes at Parisfield, Headcorn Road. But the full application, which recently came to the planning committee, was only for 12 homes. Case officer Amanda Marks was praised for secur-
ing this reduction. Cllr Clive English said: “It’s fair to say that theofficer has put in a tremendous amount of work and it is a considerably improved application.” Thecommitteevoted unanimously to accept theap- plication.
Vacant pub conversion refused THE proposal to convert TheWild Duck pub near Sta- plehurst has been blocked. Alter Image Property Ltd wanted to turn the vacant
pub, in Pagehurst Road between Marden and Staple- hurst, into two homes. Although Maidstone Council refused the application, it did not object to the princi- ple of the loss of a public house. It ruled that the “the proposed dual pitched roof de-
sign and excessive ridge length of the proposed rear extension and the first floor addition to the existing side extension which would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding coun- tryside”.
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330 Ruling is ‘victory
for small man’ BUY-to-let property investor Ju- dith Wilson was given judge- ment at Maidstone County Court against Urbanpoint Ltd follow- ing a long-running dispute over service charges at a Maidstone development. The company previously man-
aged the freehold of Lesley Place, Buckland Hill, where Mrs Wilson owned 12 flats at the time.
Boughton Monchelsea resident
Mrs Wilson, who was repre- sented at the two-day hearing by her husband, Fergus, was also awarded costs to be assessed and Urbanpoint was instructed to pay back £15,632.64 to her. After the hearing, Mrs Wilson
said: “This is a victory for the small man, or in my case, the small woman. My husband and I decided we had right on our side and we represented ourselves against the might of a City law firm and a barrister specialising in landlord and tenant issues.”
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