DownsMail In touch with your parish


Bearsted Council Thieves about


RESIDENTS were given a re- minder to keep sheds locked and avoid leaving items on view in their cars following shed and car crimes.


Following the transfer of Com- munity Warden Dawn Riach- Brown, the parish was being covered by the Maidstone team.A new warden would not be re- cruited until the spring. Changes to the policing struc-


ture would be taking place this month. PC Lee Tallon is leaving theneighbourhood policing team. SgtHatcher will be responsible for overseeing Bearsted and the sur- rounding parishes. It was noted that the parish council’s recommendations re- gardingplanning applications are largely in line with those of the borough with only a small pro- portion of recommendations going against those of the parish. Discussions have taken place for


a working party to clear vegetation at the medical surgery car park. Residents were invited to join


the working party to plant the fruit hedge,meeting on Saturday, December 3 at 9.30am at the Church car park. A new noticeboard has been erected at Church Landway to as- sist with thepromotion of the var- ious organisations and amenities within the area. The committee chairmen were


to prepare their budgets for sub- mission at the next financemeet- ing on December 20. Thefarmers marketandChrist-


mas and craft fair will be on De- cember 18. This will be a larger market offering a wide range of Christmas goods and gifts and be held on Bearsted Green from 10am to 1pm. There was positive feedback


from the fireworks evening de- spite the bad weather. As a result, takings were 50% of those from last year.The committeewill look to changing the day the event is held in future years. The parish council said its long-


term aim was to relocate the parish office in Madginford Hall – currently closed for operational reasons – to amore prominentpo- sition in Bearsted. This may take some time, so the clerk will con- tinue to work from home but can be contacted on 07817 624 278 or email clerk@bearstedparishcoun- cil.gov.uk. If anybody requires a meetingwith the clerk, it can eas- ily be arranged.


Detling Council Solar cash blow


THE plan to install solar panels generating free electricity, as well as revenue, has met a setback. Panels on the roof of the village hallwould create enough electric- ity to heat the building and pro- vide a surplus to be fed back into the National Grid. The village


46 East


would be paid for this surplus. But due to the popularity of the scheme the Government has re- duced the price from 43p per unit for every kWh generated to just 21p. The new lower tariff will be introduced on December 12, a deadline Cllr Mike Denny be- lieves the parish would not be able to meet as the project is still in the development stage. Cllr Denny went on to say renewable energy would still be worthwhile with an annual income estimated at £2,000.Under the original tariff the village would have received an estimated £4,000. The new layout of the road at


the junction of Hockers Lane and The Street was discussed. One memberof the public said cars “go round the new kerb and end up on the wrong side of the road”. It was agreed the new layout was a cause for concern. KCC would be requested to in-


stall stop lines as soon as possible and remove the now redundant and unsightly Armco barrier. It was explained the new kerb


was only phase one of two, the second being the installation of chicanes along Church Lane to slow vehicles entering the village. Anew vacancy for a parish councillor has emerged following the resignation of Cllr John Clay- ton. Citing work commitments, Cllr Claytonwas unable to attend the previous six meetings, contra- vening the rules of attendance. A message was received from


MP Hugh Robertson expressing concern over cuts to the parish’s budget, andthe impact this could have on parish elections. Maid- stone Council currently funds parish elections, but this is set to change as all levels of government continue to tighten belts. The an- nual cost of holding parish elec- tions is £750, butwith concurrent functions, amajor source of funds, posibly withdrawn in the next two years, the parish may not have themoney to hold elections. Mr Robertson said he was very happy to put this to the borough council. This year’s budget of around £18,500 will see a marginal in- crease next year to £19.074. The parish currently receives £4,200 in a concurrent functions grant. Funding for additional services, such as beautification projects, provided by the parish council will now be raised by individual grants. To further balance the budget, council tax will increase from £1.60 to £1.90 per week on band D households. The parish council has decided to cut train- ing forparish councillors and will not appoint tree and pond war- dens for the village. The next an- nual report will be published on thewebsite to eliminate the cost of paper and printing. Councillors Cosgrove and Housden, along with the village clerk, have worked out a long-term budget of four years to better anticipate


costs. Cllr Housden said funding for street lighting is now “out of the question”. Cllr Cosgrove said: “In five years time the budgetwill be less than it is today.” The council wasmade aware of


a number of dogs fouling in Hor- ishWood. The council has asked that owners clean up after their dogs and the cost of ‘no fouling’ signswill be investigated. KCC has decided to remove the pedestrian crossing under Jade’s Crossing and install acceleration anddeceleration lanes at Scragged Oak Road. Both projects will be funded from£50,000 allocation by county Cllr JennyWhittle. Plans to develop 11 hectares of


land near the M20 J8 into ware- houses by Maidstone Council were described as “ludicrous” by the Joint Parish Group, which in- cludes Detling.


Downswood Council Family law


THE PCSO’s report included that a mother had reported her son to the police for stealing an item from her property. Borough Cllr Gordon Newton


had been in contact with the po- lice following complaints by resi- dents that Mallards Way footpaths were obstructed when football matches took place in the park. Managers would be re- quested to remind all concerned to use The Orchard Spot’sparking facilities. The use of temporary signage at the top of the zigzag path would be investigated. TheKMtree had died andare- placement had been requested. It was agreed to rent three Christmas lights motifs at £99 each on a three-year hire contract, including maintenance and stor- age.


Subject to agreement with Maidstone Council, it was sug- gested that, initially, three items of outdoor gym equipment be pur- chased for MallardsWay, with fur- ther items considered if they prove popular.


Leeds Council News distribution


THE parish council insertion in the village magazine was dis- cussed.The chairman reported on the finances of this and the agree- ment with the parochial church council to ensure that all villagers received a copy. This was ac- cepted by allmembers and itwas agreed that the parish council wouldcontinue to support the vil- lage magazine. Financial statements for the


parish council and playing fields accounts were presented to coun- cillors. It was agreed to hold an open morning in the village hall to con- sult parishioners about the budget for 2012/13. Councillorswere informed that


all planned highway projects were still progressing as planned. Therewas no police attendance


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


at the meeting.Theclerkwaswrit- ing to the police to seek written crime reports should apolice offi- cer or PCSO be unable to attend.


Lenham Council Diamond effort


PLANS for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations to be held at the Tithe Barn, Lenham, on Mon- day, June 4, 2012, from 11am to 6pmwere progressing well. All would be welcome to be


part of the family-orientated day, which would have a 50s-style ethos. Contact Margo on 01622 859682 or email margo.mcfar- lane@btinternet.com for details. Cotton material was needed for making traditional bunting and any odd cups, saucers and plates would be welcome for the tea party. They would be collected. Old photographs, school reports, wedding pictures, maps, maga- zines or any items that may be of interest for adisplay of village life in the 1950s were requested.


Ulcombe Council


Homes interest MEMBERS agreed by a majority vote of 3:1 that they wished to see an outline application approved for one detached and two semi- detached houses on land adjacent to Ulcombe CE Primary School. The minority view requested


that it be minuted that the propos- als would constitute an overde- velopment of the site, especially in terms of traffic leaving onto a blind bend onthe highway andno allowance had been made for the retention of a rare dawn redwood tree that was covered by a preser- vation order. Itwasagreed the council didnot


wish to have extra housing num- bers allocated toUlcombe as a re- sult of the Core Strategy targets but would continue to consider hous- ing applications as they arose. It was reported that additional


uses for All Saints’ Church and some other money- raising ven- tures had been discussed by the parochial church council. It was agreed that the recreation ground hedges adjacent to Head- corn Road and Eastwood Road should be cut on both sides and the top. The remaining hedges should be cut on the inside and the top, wherever accessible. Eroded verge and missing bol-


lards at William Post Lane had been reported to Kent Highways, who had acknowledged the need for the work and installed tempo- rary protection. Concerns raised by a resident re- garding speeding vehicles though the village were noted. The new gateway was being installed as a traffic calming measure. Members noted their support


for any measure to move the ex- isting 30mph restriction further north onUlcombe Hill, including a petition, as suggested by the res- ident, if he wished to undertake this.


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