cuts affect other groups instead of just our own. Then let us spread the message of ex- actly how we dealt with a much greater debt after the lastwar whenwe promoted growth not today’s savage cuts which enable the rich to get richer on the backs of the rest of us.


So golden oldies let’s stop allowing our-


selves to be sidelined and patronised. In- stead let us use our wealth of experience to tell the country exactly how it is before it is too late for all of us and, what’s more, we will wish to heaven we had. Joan Langrick,Maidstone Coalition


Against the Cuts, Titchfield Close, Senacre


Make your voice heard Dear Sir - I attended a meeting at County Hall in Maidstone in order to listen to the debate on proposals for cuts in youth serv- ices throughout Kent. It may be dressed up as “improvements” but the reality is that many youth centres will be closing. The report was extremely detailed while


being completely vague. How many actual jobs are to be cut? How did they decide which centres to keep and which to cut? How can a privately commissioned organi- sation be more effective than what is in place already? If a private company actually wanted to get involved in youth work, and there was no evidence to support this, surely they would only do this to make a profit. Most concerning to me was a flow chart on page 33. It showed what would happen to centres that were not able to be farmed out to private organisations and vol- untary groups. They would be sold. I don’t think anyone appearing who op-


posed the cuts had any doubt that voluntary organisations do a great job. However, they need support from experienced and trained KCC staff. Members of the committee stated constantly that the service was superb so why spoil it? Kent is one of the lowest funded councils


in the country for youth services so why cut any more? I havemet a few young people in the last few weekswho have benefited from the centres. The one thing they all shared was a passion for the service and stories of how they have been helped. These are peo- ple who could easily have gone the wrong way and cost fortunes more to deal with later. Youth workers are paid for maybe eight hours, but in reality can do 20. They would seem to be excellent value for money and


COUNCILLORS narrowly failed to prevent further expansion of the Newnham Court Shopping Village near M20 J7. Aproposalfora20m x20m storage building on the eastern side of the site, next to Pennies Day Nursery, was only given permission through planning committee chairman Cllr Richard Lusty’s casting vote. Committee members Ian Chit- tenden and Tony Harwood had called for the proposal, on land classified as open countryside, to be refused, to send out a clear message. He said: “Local resi- dents have fought long and hard to protect this area. The fact that we have gone from selling a few potatoes in a barn to an out-of- town shopping complex due to our policies being undermined by non-elected planning in- spectors is neither here nor there.


clearly carewith a passion about the young. I would urge as many people as go to meetings and make your voices heard. It is clear that the members have already de- cided on the future of young people in Kent. Two of them said as much today. It surely can’t be allowed to happen. We are talking about cutting £1m. It is a drop in the ocean. The council has a surplus fund of £30m. In- vest it wisely for a change and it could save the youth services; or maybe they just don’t want to. email


Tony Frost, by


Allington has enough issues Dear Sir - I have complete sympathy with Tim Knowles (Town, August) because he has to put up with all the hassles of the re- cycling centre and, yes I do think it could be in a better place. But doesn't he think that the people of Allington have enough problems with the traffic coming from the motorwaywhenever there's a hold up on the M20, and the fact that we have been lumbered with the un- known risk factor of the incinerator? J. Lodge, Allington


Try living near incinerator Dear Sir - What a pity Cllr Denise Joy finds the incinerator so smelly (Town, August). Perhaps she can now sympathise with resi- dents of Allington and district who have to put up with the odours every time the wind is in the north east. The incinerator is in the wrong place and


is being badly managed. With proper man- agement there should be very little smell. KCC advised uswewould not see it, smell it or hear it. What a joke.


Alfred King, by email


Lashings of cricket Dear Sir – Further to your article (Town, August) The Mote Cricket Club has already instigated and held a recent meeting with Lashings Cricket Club to encourage addi- tional attractive cricket to this magnificent ground. Our aim now is to improve facilities and


one hope is this will encourage a return of Kent cricket and the annual Maidstone fes- tival. Work on renovating the iconic 100-year-


old Tabernacle should be completed this year (Mail, August) and we liaise closely with Maidstone Council over a small en- abling residential development on the site


Shed plan divides council “I have real concerns that we


are setting a precedent for fur- ther undermining of protected landscape in the borough. Resi- dents feel there is one law for Newnham Court and one law for the rest of the borough.” Cllr Chittenden made refer-


ence to the medical centre set to be built nearby within the next year. “I can’t think of a better time to put down a marker.” But development control manager Rob Jarman stressed that a refusal would be difficult to defend at appeal because the shed is a small structure within an existing retail park and would cause little harm to the character of the land. This was taken on board by


six members of the committee, who negated the six councillors who voted against ,with Cllr Lusty’s vote proving decisive in granting planning permission.


Allington primary pupils Sarah Collyer and Grace Sayers Mc- Gowan with (from left) Nick Cole, Hornby operations director; Roland Earl, British Toy and Hobby Association director gen- eral; Mark Geeadah, head teacher at Allington, and Ian Treacher, KCC’s head of trading standards


Pupils’ bright ideas win toy competition TWOpupils fromAllington Primary School have designed the win- ning entry in the national 2011 Playsafe competition. Playsafe is a competition to design a safe and fun toy for chil-


dren,which is run by trading standards teams across the country in association with the British Toy and Hobby Association. Sarah Collyer and and Grace SayersMcGowan (both 11), received


a certificate and £100 vouchers at a special event held at the Hornby Visitor Centre, Margate.


Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735 Town 35


to fund a brand new pavilion roughly on the footprint of the 100-year-old pavilion now past its sell-by date. Funding in the current climate is a major challenge. Dennis Fowle, Chairman,Mote CC development committee


Thanks for great festival Dear Sir - On behalf of the organisers of the Hospital Radio Maidstone Soundstage at the 32nd Maidstone River Festival I would like to thank the following all of the invalu- able contributions to a very successful event. This includes our sponsors, our backstage


team of volunteers, the sound engineering team, the River Festival chairman Martin Cox, the superb bands. But the biggest thanks of allmust go to the festival goers, many of whom stayed with us throughout to cheer us on, afternoon and evening.


Martin Haskell, stage manager, HRM Soundstage


Remembering war past Dear Sir-Amemorial to theWomen’s Aux- iliary Air Force Association (WAAF) was re- cently unveiled and dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum, Stafford- shire. The memorial will stand as a lasting memory to colleagues, past and present, and is a reminder of the invaluable contri- bution made to this country during WWII. I imagine there are a large number of ex-


WAAF and ex-RAF in and around Maid- stone. The recognition of our service days so long ago are well deserved. The National WAF Association still ex-


ists. To join, contact me on 01622 727740. Iris Sheppard, Pine Lodge, Tonbridge Road, Maidstone


Looking for Mr Gribble Dear Sir - I am trying to get in contact with Mr Don Gribble, who was at one time the di- rector of the Electric Vehicle Association and lived in Kent. I am setting up my own website on elec-


tric vehicle training and would like to in- corporate historical information on electric vehicles. My details are: 01889 578464 / rjones26@


sky.com. Raymond Jones, Etchinghill, Staffs


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