HMRC checks move to Maidstone
HM REVENUE & Customs (HMRC) has an- nounced an extension of its business records checks programme into Maidstone. The programme involves checks on the adequacy of small and medium-sized enter- prises’ business records andwas piloted ear- lier this year in eight large towns and cities. The pilots found that around 44% of busi- nesses visited had issues with their record- keeping, while around 12% of those visited
had seriously inadequate records. HMRC has now extended this activity to
cover a number of other areas across the UK, including: Maidstone, Brighton and Woking. As part of this, the number of full- time staff employed on the programme will rise from 30 to 120. HMRC plans to complete up to 12,000 business record checks by the end of the current financial year, with 20,000 provi-
Vulnerable man saved by anti-litter patrollers
TWOanti-litter patrol officers saved aman threatening to kill himself in a Maidstone street. The officers, Jade Hooper and Danny Herbert, were patrolling in Station Road, when a member of public told them about a man cutting himself with a ripped drinks can. The officers rushed to the scene and found aman standing in the road attempting to self-
harm. Jade calmed down the man, in his mid-20s, while Danny controlled the growing crowd
until paramedics and police officers arrived. The man was taken in an ambulance to hos- pital for treatment. Jade and Danny, who work for local authority support provider XFOR Group, issue fixed penalty notices to anyone dropping litter or not controlling their dogs. Maidstone Council’s environmental operationsmanager,Martyn Jeynes, said: “I just hap-
pened to be speaking to Jade and Danny when they were approached about the incident. They immediately went and took charge of the situation. I do not know what the young man would have done to himself had Jade and Danny not stepped in. Their manage- ment of the situation was fantastic.”
Litter patrol officers DannyHerbert and Jade Hooper
Flats plan withdrawn THE latest proposal to extend 31 Brewer Street, Maidstone, has been withdrawn. In June, Maidstone Council refused a
plan to rebuild a rear extension to enable the creation of an additional flat. The applicant has now withdrawn an ap- plication to convert the three flats into six.
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sionally planned for 2012/13. HMRC is in- creasing the number of visits, so it can re- fine the process, before final decisions on a national roll-out are taken in the New Year. Initially, HMRC will only levy a record- keeping penalty in the most extreme cases of poor record-keeping. In the longer term, HMRC intends to issue penalties of up to £3,000 for serious inadequacies in record- keeping.
Cost of museum delay Continued from page one
we are considering our exposure to that. “It was supposed to be finished in April.
But there was a problem with the survey and an extension of 11 weeks was given by the administrator. The official date for the contract completion was then July 5.” There have been four elements to the fur-
ther hold-up – connection of power, duct- ing, the lift and a number of design issues. Cllr Garland said: “The contractor says
there should be an extension of time and our architects, who are also the contract ad- ministrators, want to see evidence to sup- port that.” He added: “We have pulled in additional officers to make sure the contract is com- pleted.” The council, which has contributed £400,000 to the scheme, secured a £1.7m Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the project but has struggled to attract further monies during the recession. Major efforts have been made to woo Japanese culture and finance bodies to part- sponsor the project because of the mu- seum's high-quality Japanese collection.
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