Vocational centre plans Charlton opening


KCC WANTS to establish a vo- cational training centre for the hospitality industry at Oak- wood House, Oakwood Park, Tonbridge Road,Maidstone. A planning statement said:


“The vocational training would complement the existing use and particularly support the weddings and public events at theweekend while allowing for training at other times. “This would give trainees real


life experience in a work envi- ronment. The range of catering from hospitality, buffets and


Solar boats to ferry workers


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the provision of cycles for rides along the towpath and nature trail and safety awareness proj- ects for local schools. Maidstone MP Helen Grant,


who is patron of the River Users Association, has backed the scheme, which Mr Bailey be- lieves could be a major boon to employment and tourism. More than 20 years ago, Mr


Baileywas instrumental in creat- ing the artists’ quarters around London’s Brick Lane and he has developed a riverside art fair which he hopes to expand in the summer. Hesaid: “Art is a greatplatform


for regeneration and I would like to see more people using the riverbank and the Lockmeadow amphitheatre. There is no reason why Maidstone cannot become the next Left Bank of Paris, or Hyde Park.” The river project will complete


a three-pronged business portfo- lio for Mr Bailey. As well as op- erating The Barge, he has just signed a 10-year lease to run the café and a new Kentish deli- catessen at the refurbished Maid- stone Museum.


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last two years and included 11 practices, with 98,500 patients, aimed at meeting the Govern- ment's original targets. The other 18 Maidstone area practices were already part of the West Kent Group.


Chairman Dr GarySingh,ofthe Northumberland Road practice, said his group was planning wisely to work within its notional 2013 budget. But he said this group had to


bow to SHA pressure to merge with the larger group. The SHA told Maidstone itdid not consider its geographical areawas satisfac- tory or it was financially risk-free. Maidstone fought hard, but lost. When the Maidstone patients'


group met, there was high emo- tion about the loss of more NHS services. Members were furious that Maidstone was again being deprived. Individual Maidstone area sur-


6 East


breakfast through to silver serv- ice dinners and weddings will provide opportunities that are not readily available at any other vocational centre. “Kent County Council will


work with the new service provider – yet to be appointed and contingent upon planning consent – to ensure that training activities complement the busi- ness and match or exceed the service that is provided to Oak- wood House customers. “This programme will enable business development and in-


come generation to run in par- allel with a day-release, full- time or residential apprentice- ship training programme and will allow young people to gain accredited qualification in a real and demanding workplace environment.” The centre will link with


other vocational centres, such as MidKent College. “Training facilities of this na-


ture will be the first of its kind in the country,” added the sup- porting statement. KCC will de- cide on the application


Soccer academy’s Spanish title A MAIDSTONE-based youth soccer academy has been crowned the cream of the crop in the European Youth Tour- nament in Valencia, Spain. Soccer Elite FA, which runs scholar-


ships at Swadelands school in Lenham, took 11 teams to Valencia and secured the “Best Academy” award in a contest, which saw them compete against teams from Brazil, Portugal, Switzer- land, Egypt, Italy and Spain. Soccer Elite FA sides won places in


four semi-finals, had one runner-up team and one champion side. The winning side saw Jacob Gilbert, from Maidstone, captain the


U10s to a 3-0 victory over a talented Madrid academy. Joshua Clements (pictured), also fromMaidstone, won the man of


the match award when he scored twice in the final. Academy director Lee Spiller said the memorieswould staywith players “for a lifetime”. In theU12s section, a 3-0 semi-final win overBrazil set them up for


a final against Spanish side UD Bordillo, which they lost 4-2. The U14s and another U10 team secured semi-final places.


Medical group marks centenary


AN organisation set up to look after the interests of the county’s GPs is celebrating its centenary. The Kent Local Medical Com- mittee (Kent LMC) started in 1912 as a result of PrimeMinis- ter Lloyd George’s National In- surance Act. The group’s annual confer-


ence took place at the Village Hotel, Maidstone, on April 18,


geries had formed their own pa- tient participation groups and a representative from each joined the commissioning group’s new patient reference group. The aim was to inform the GP commis- sioners of user views. Mike Dawe, who represents St


Luke's practice patients, said: "Maidstone patients and profes- sionals have again lost influence. We need to redress the balance and should try to set up a new or- ganisation to get what is best for Maidstone area." Alex Turner, representing the


Vines Surgery, Tonbridge Road, said: "The combined group takes them too far away from Maid- stone and its patients. The West Kent Group does not have an at- tached patient group, sohowwill it communicate with about 600,000 patients?" Dr Singh said he favoured a


new GP/patient organisation for Maidstone which could work ef-


a century to the day since the inaugural meeting. Kent LMC’smedical secretary


Dr Mike Parks said: “In the con- stantly changing world of the NHS, reaching 100 years old is a major achievement for the Kent Local Medical Committee’’ An anniversary dinner will


take place at Turkey Mill, Maid- stone, onWednesday, 27 June.


fectively if the West Kent and WealdGroup approved meaning- ful "locality rights". Former chairman ofMaidstone Division of the BMA, Sutton Va- lence GP Dr Paul Hobday,isa strong opponent of Government NHS reorganisation. He said: "Themerger is an inevitable con- sequence of a terrible mess of leg- islation.


"Maidstone will lose yet more


power, influence and, as a result, services. But this would happen anyway under legislation. Secre- tary of State Andrew Lansley's claim GPs will be 'in charge of budgets' is nonsense. It's a smoke screen for commercialisation."


ADepartment of Health spokes- woman said both GP groups voted for a merger. "This is very much a locally-driven process. There is no national evidence to suggest a right size. It is impor- tant solutions develop from the bottom up."


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MAIDSTONE United’s new sta- dium will be officially opened in a friendly against Charlton Athletic on July 14. As Downs Mail went to press,


about half of the tickets had been sold for the all-ticket clash, which will be the first at the Stones’ new 2,400-capacity sta- dium at James WhatmanWay.


Blooming good sale APLANTand book sale is being held by Maidstone Mencap on Saturday, May 19, at Cobtree Hall, Mote Park. Doors open at 2.30pm. Call Margaret Leeds on 07903 196333.


Nightclub shuts CLUBBERS in Maidstone were all dressed up with nowhere to go after the closure of Liquid & Envy nightclub in Maidstone. Club owners Luminar Group


said they had to close the club when the lease ended on April 1, after failing to agree a lower rent with landlord X Leisure. Luminar Group took over the


club and 65 others across theUK when Luminar Leisure went into administration in December. There are rumours the lease


had been taken over by enter- tainment company No Saints, whose chief executive isStephen Thomas, former Luminar boss. However, landlord X Leisure re- fused to confirm this.


New life for bar THE former River Bar, at The Broadway,Maidstone, which has been empty for more than two years, is to re-open. It will be re-named Bridges,


and is being transformed into a restaurant and bar. Owners John Buckwell,Michael Schembri and David Savin say the work could be finished by June, but the venue should defnitely be open for the arrival of the Olympic Torch on Friday, July 20.


Concern over merger of GPs’ budgeting boards


Dr Bob Bowes, chair of West Kent andWeald, said: "People in Maidstone and Malling have sim- ilar health needs to those inWest Kent and Weald, and they go to Maidstone orTunbridgeWells for the majority of hospital services. "It makes sense for services at


those hospitals to be guided by a single body commissioning healthcare for the whole area. "Doing thatwill enable us to se-


cure a wider range of services than might be possible for either clinical commissioning group on its own, while keeping adminis- trative costs as low as possible." He emphasised a patient refer-


ence group would be set up. The SHA said individual prac-


tices in Maidstone and Malling andGPs from that areawhosit on theWest Kent Group’s governing bodywill now have a strong role in the way health services are commissioned for the people they represent.


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