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part-time workers, it was in- creasingly difficult to ensure there was a minimum of two members of staff in the office.It was accepted that lone working might occur and a procedure should be in place for this. The clerk was to draft this.


Awards winners


East Peckham Council


WINNERS of the village’s 2012 Billy Can awards, Keith John- son and Stuart Boyle, were con- gratulated and presented with a bottle of wine each. The skate park project was ex- plained and it was hoped young people would help to raise funds. The twinning with Chereng would be formalised at Holy Trinity on June 4, after the Ju- bilee fun day. There would be an exchange of trees and the in- stallation of new village signs. Celebrations for the Jubilee


andOlympics included the bea- con ceremony and fun day. The playing fields had been selected to become one of the 2,012 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Ju- bilee Fields. A commemorative plaque would be erected. Children at East Peckham Pri-


mary School would receive commemorative medals,and subject to funding, picnic benches would be installed on the playing fields. The planning inspectorate


had upheld the borough coun- cil’s enforcement decisions to remove the mobile home at Branbridges Road, but had in- creased the time allowed for re- instatement of the land from three to 18 months. It was reported that Cllr Louise Picknett had resigned and that TMBC had not yet ad- vised whether the vacancy could be filled by co-option. A reponse had been received


from Gala about the Christmas lights, who were perturbed about the decision to reduce the invoice by 50%. It was decided to advise Gala that the council was not prepared to pay more. A delegation of 55 people


from Chereng town council and twinning committee visited East Peckham. Hot cross buns and hot drinks were provided before a walking tour of the vil- lage. There was a short break at the Bush, Blackbird and Thrush before a buffet lunch at the vil- lage hall. After lunch the guests visited the churches of Holy Trinity and St Michael before their return journey. Plans for the Jubilee events on


June 6 were progressing well. There will be a street snooker event, fun dog show, food wag- ons, outdoor theatre, bouncy castle, and mobile skate park. Village organisations had started to book stalls for the day. The council had received a £500 grant from Tonbridge and


Malling council for the Jubilee Beacon, and an order had been placed for a church tower beacon. A quotation for picnic benches was awaited, and was likely to be £200 each. A total of 250 commemora-


tive coins had been ordered – 200 for the primary school and 50 for sale or as prizes at the Ju- bilee event. A letter of appreciation had


been received from East Peck- ham school for the grant which had enabled 40 pupils to attend the Classical Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Some street lights could be fit-


ted with eco lamps at a cost of £145 each. It was resolved to in- stall five lights in 2013, with a view to phasing the system in. The community centre sports


hall was booked for more than 75% of its available time during theweek. TMBC had unblocked the toilets but more substantial repairs might be needed. Once the Fields in Trust deed


of dedication had been ap- proved, the council would re- ceive a plaque indicating the playing field’s new status. Enquiries for use of the foot-


ball pitch had been received from two teams. It was resolved that use of the pitch should be offered to Yalding provided their schedules did not clash with East Peckham juniors. Out of 92 places on the trip to Chereng carnival, 80 were paid for and 75 people travelled with the council. East Peckham brought back the trophy for the best carnival float. Cllr Colin Silver said arrange-


ments were being made for the official twinning ceremony. Cllr Jenny Macdonald said


she had abandoned the idea of a weekly chat room for village teenagers as insufficient volun- teers had come forward. It was resolved to make a do- nation of £50 to the 2012 Try Angle awards.


Kings Hill Council Awards winners


THE PCSOs continue to patrol the Emerald Walk playground, but there were no further issues. Problems with Blaise Farm composting facility were dis- cussed. The odour problems had not affected Kings Hill badly. An update on the sports and leisure facilities at Heath Farm was reported. Negotiations were continuing with LPT about the lease and the pavilion design. The minutes of the Liberty Property Trust quarterly meet- ing were discussed. It was de- cided Kings Hill Residential Estate Management should buy the speed indicator device. Plans for remodelling of West Malling station were to be dis- played at the Farmers’ Market. They would be discussed at the next planning and transportation


meeting. It was agreed to provide fi- nancial support for the Tiddlers and Toddlers group in 2012/13 up to £525.


A228 accident CHAIRMAN Bob Ulph had asked police for information on an accident on the A228 Castle Way, butthishad notbeen forthcoming. The council was to continue to collate facts about incidents at the junction to as- sist the safety campaign. Five crimes were reported –a


Leybourne Council


theft in London Road, one inci- dent of cannabis possession and three cases of criminal damage at Leybourne Chase. Cllr Ulph welcomed Marcella Whittington as the new assis- tant clerk. She would manage the village hall and cover for the clerk while she was on mater- nity leave. A member of the public re- ported that the fence on Oxley Shaw Lane backing on to Mill- brook was blocking the foot- path. The clerk said the owners were obtaining quotes to repair it. It was agreed that the clerk should investigate whether the council had powers to ensure the fence was repaired. Installation of dog control


order signs were due to be com- pleted. Cllr Ulph said the dog warden was keen to support the dog control order and the PCSOs had the power to enforce it. Consultation was to take place


with residents over the Adi- Zone fitness area near Water- side Court. Trading standards and the po-


lice are required to set up a cold calling area in Leybourne. This was to be arranged. County Cllr Sarah Hohler said


the county had agreed not to in- crease council tax for the coming year. The local member grant will stay at £10,000 and member highway grant at £21,300. She discussed parking issues


on theA20 and said enforcement consultation was to take place. Cllr Hohler said the member highway grant for signs on Cas- tleWay was being processed. She assured members there would be no charge for road clo- sures for the Jubilee celebrations. Cllr Luker said Chalkwell had


been offered parking spaces at West Malling station to alleviate commuter parking issues,but had declined.CllrLuker was con- cerned that parking restrictions on the A20 would result in more cars on the grass verges. The clerk reported that Ben Hilden of KCC was waiting for confirmation from the council on the waiting restrictions.A two-hour restriction for mid to late morning was agreed. Cllr Luker said neighbour-


hood police had dealt with school parking issues.CllrUlph


said school and church parking issues could be alleviated by using pub car parks. The proposed cricket and football pitches at the Grange were discussed as the deadline for the section 106 agreement was approaching. Cllr Ulph said there had been several discussions about the schools admissions policy.He had met the chairman of the school governors and the ad- missions policy was being tight- ened up as it was open to abuse. It was agreed to provide £200


for the weekly raffle of the Walking Bus scheme. Cllr Ulph reported that the


CCTV project was nearly com- plete. The policemonitoring sys- tem was being put in place at no extra charge. Cameras had been upgraded at no extra charge and a free camera had been provided at the village hall. Jubilee celebrations were dis- cussed and the clerk was to fol- low up the council’s application for a beacon. Cllr Luker said lights had


been out on Park Road for some time. He was asked to give the post numbers to the clerk. A new 72X bus service was to commence from Kings Hill along the M20 to Maidstone. It was suggested that it divert through Oxley Shaw Lane and Castle Way. It was suggested that the bus service from Leybourne Chase to West Malling station and to Maidstone via Tesco also went along Oxley Shaw Lane, and that the 151 bus move to Oxley Shaw Lane. Shelters and real time information boards were also discussed. Cllr Luker had met with Paul Lulham and the section 106 agreement funding being spent from the Chase at West Malling station was part of the agree- ments made with all developers. In his annual report, chairman Cllr Bob Ulph said that signifi- cant financial improvements had again been made through the efforts of councillors and parish clerk Julie Pilbeam. Newly-recruited bar manager Louise Webb would be working closely with the assistant clerk to promote the village hall. After withdrawing from the match-funded PCSO scheme, the council had acquired KCC community warden Viv Hick- mott on a part-time basis. The installation of a new dig-


ital CCTV camera network around the village was nearing completion. The system and data would be monitored by the neighbourhood police. Discussions were continuing


with Whitbread PLC and other stakeholders to see Castle Lake woods and lakes turned into a country park, educational, wildlife preservation and fish- ing area for the community. An extension for the village


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