Councillors speak out for housing eviction plan
MAIDSTONE councillors have delivered feedback on plans to make it easier to evict tenants guilty of anti-social behaviour. The Government has proposed that local authorities and hous-
ing associations be able to evict residents found guilty of such con- duct without having to go through the courts, as is currently the case.
Housing consultative board chairman Cllr John Barned works as
a full-time community engagement officer for Hyde Housing and is vice chairman on the board of Golding Homes. He said: “At the moment there is nothing in tenancy agreements that says anti-social behaviour can lead to a mandatory eviction notice. You have to go to court, get a possession order and warrant and this can take a year. “If this goes through, it will be down to the director of a housing association to issue an eviction notice, providing an ASB investi- gator proves the offence. “As a housing professional, I think this is a good thing. If it is to-
tally proven then it should be mandatory. ASB is the biggest prob- lem in housing and takes up 50% of a housing officer’s time. Something like this is the biggest help we can give them. It is a very good thing and long
overdue.Most housing professionals think the same.” Fellow Conservative Cllr Jenefer Gibson said: “We bend over backwards to be kind to people and I am not sure some people re- ally appreciate it. “Making people lose their home is a draconian way, but maybe it
is the only way to do it. Perhaps it will focus people’s minds on their behaviour.” Lib Dem councillor for Fant ward, Stephen Beerling, said: “Most
of my ward work deals with anti-social behaviour. In the last two years I have never seen anything like it.” Maidstone’s head of housing John Littlemorewill incorporate the board’s comments for the cabinet to discuss further before submit- ting the council’s thoughts to the Government.
Seven years for nightclub assault
A PENENDEN Heath man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of an assault in Maid- stone town centre. Andrew Butler (50), of Ban-
nister Road, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court after committing grievous bodily harm, leaving the victim with permanent injuries. On December 17 last year,
Butler was with friends at The Players Club in High Street, Maidstone, when they knocked anotherman’s drink and spilt it. When asked by the victim - a 23 year-old man from Maidstone -
A LAWN mower being used to cut a grass verge burst a gas pipe in the Penenden Heath area. It resulted in scores of resi-
dents being evacuated from their homes as engineers re- paired the damage. The incident, involving a commercial mower, happened onemorning earlier this month in the Downs View Road area, off Sandling Lane. Residents within a 150-metre radius were evacuated as a pre- caution and a 300-metre cordon was put in place for pedestrians while the leak was investigated. Sandling Lanewas closed be-
tween the Running Horse roundabout and its junction withWordsworth Road. Downs View Road and The Hedges were also shut. Insp Jay Allen from Kent Po- lice said: “I'd like to thank
24 Town
if they were going to buy him another one, Butler head-butted him and then hit the victim in the face with a glass. Door staff at the club re- strained Butler, who was promptly arrested and later charged with the offence. The victim suffered a broken nose, required 40 stitches to his face and suffered severed nerves in his left cheek. Upon sentencing, His Honour
JudgeMcDonaldQCsaidthat the victim was lucky to escape with the injuries received, as the intent was much greater than the harm inflicted.
Homes evacuated after gas scare
everyone for their patience and cooperation whilst we dealt with this incident. "Although the road closures caused some inconvenience, they were all implemented to ensure the safety of the public."
KCCHASannounced increased charges for the elderly and vul- nerable to receive care support. The decisionmeansKCCwill:
Charge people who use men- tal health services in the same way as all other people in re- ceipt of services
Include day care and transport as part of the services that can be charged
Raise the amount of available income that is taken into ac- count when working out a per- son’s charge
Nostalgic look at summer of ‘84 TEEN memories of Maidstone in the 1980s are portrayed in a newly published novel called “Long Hot Summer”. Author Ian Snowball, who lives in Penenden Heath, has writ-
ten the story of a teenager growing up in 1984, set in the six- week school holidays. Ian, a KCC youthworker, has fondmemories of the Howard de
Walden youth club, discos at the Trinity Church and Kent Hall, playing football on Penenden Heath or in Ringlestone, and sev- eral pubs such as The Brickmakers, The Rose and The Fishers Arms. He said: “Although fiction, I incudedmany factual references
from Maidstone, with some of the characters I havemet, just dis- guising the real names. Born in Maidstone in 1970, Ian has lived in Shepway and in
Hardy Street, near the prison. He said: “I wanted the book to be full of ‘80s references to fash-
ion – good and bad hair, and the music of the era including Dexy’sMidnight Runners, The Jam, and The Style Council. The title of the book is a Style Council song.” “I hope the book strikes a chord with any teenager who grew
up in the 1980s and experienced discos, youth clubs and the pleasure of strolling down the town and visiting a record shop.” The book is available in paperback
fromwww.heavysoul45s.co.uk priced at £7.50
Care charges raised
Reduce the standard amount allowed for the Disability Re- lated Expenditure Assessment (DREA) from £21 to £17 per week for everyone The measures will raise an
extra £2.9 million for the au- thority. Changes to do with the amount of available income and disability-related expenditure allowance will bemadefirst and newinvoices should be received in mid January 2012. New in- voices for mental health serv- ices, day care and transport will follow in April 2012.
Fatal van crash A VAN driver who died in a crash on Loose Road, Maid- stone, was a 61-year-old from the Gravesend area. Ernie Bailey's van was re- ported to have left the road and hit a tree. No other vehicle was involved. The road was closed for a
time between Armstrong Road and Sheals Crescent while emergency services, including Kent Air Ambulance, attended the scene. The incident happened at 12.15pm on Friday, October 7.
You can e-mail the Downs Mail —
info@downsmail.co.uk
Paper is council’s next recycling aim
MAIDSTONE residents have just got used to recycling food waste in a kitchen caddy - soon they will be expected to separate their waste paper. That is what the council envis-
ages from 2013 when it starts a new refuse and recycling con- tract. A report to cabinet said: “In
order to extract the maximum value…an insert will be provided in the recycling bin to allow the separate storage and collection of waste paper.” Householders will be able to
put glass in the recycling bin al- though bottle banks will still be available. Food waste will still be col-
lected weekly while the two bins for dry recycling and residual waste will continue to be emptied every other fortnight. Garden waste collection will
still be available at a charge. Maidstone is expected to join
Swale and Ashford councils in a Mid Kent ‘waste partnership’. A similar joint project in East Kent produces an annual £900,000 saving to both Dover and Shep- way councils. That figure could be exceeded under tendering competition for the Mid Kent contract, the report added.
Canterbury Council has also ex- pressed a wish to be involved with Mid Kent in the procure- ment exercise.
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