Troubleshooters to help hospital


Continued from page one


time the total bill will hit £612m, compared to the £228 million paid to build it. The scheme was agreed with the Treasury in2008 but Maidstone and Tunbridge Wellswas one of seven trusts na- tionwide whose PFI repayments had to be supportedbya£1.6bil- lionGovernment fund inJune this year.


Health Minister Simon Burns announced these trusts would nowalso be supported by a team of PFI experts, who would try to achieve better value for money.


He said: “We want trusts with


PFI schemesto get what theypay for, to not pay for things that they don’t need and to pay a fair price for work done under PFI con- tracts.


“That’s why we are taking ac-


tionandsending specialistteams into hospitals to identify savings and help trusts to manage PFI contracts. These contracts are long and complicated, but we must make sure the NHS gets value for money wherever possi- ble.”


A spokesman for the trustwel-


comed the move, saying: “Work- ing alongside primary care trust colleagues,MTWhasbecomein- creasingly efficient, saving mil- lions of pounds a year through better procurement, reducing its reliance on expensive agency staff and introducing innovation that improves patient careat less cost. This continues as the NHS looks to make further efficiency savings nationally.”


The 512-bed hospital, built by


private contractor Laing O’Rourke, opened in January last year.


police officer KENT Police Authority has ap- pointed Chief Supt Matthew Nix (pictured) as a new tempo- rary Assistant Chief Constable. He has spent


the last two andahalf years as a divi- sional com- mander for the Mid Kent and West Kent areas. He began his police career in Nottinghamshire in 1985, mov- ing to theWest Midlands Police before joining Kent Police 14 years ago. Since then he worked his way up from being a sergeant based in Swale and Medway to specialising in crime investigations, criminal justice, and partnership work with local agencies. With 27 years service in the


police behind him, the 46-year- old father of three from Maid- stone will lead on operational policing in his new role.


8 Town Promotion for


Bridge traffic relief hope


A LONG-standing battle to slow down traffic en- tering East Farleigh and to keep HGVs from dam- aging its historic bridge has emerged victorious from its first attack. Councillors from both sides of the Medway


have held a series ofmeetingswith KentHighway Services officer Ben Hilden, from which it has been agreed that a white weatherboard “gateway” will be erected on the south side of Farleigh Hill, close to the junction with Rectory Lane, to mark the approach to the village. Barming and Teston Cllr Fay Gooch said: “We recognised that we needed to be realistic.We will never be able to prevent ‘white van man’ from using Farleigh bridge and local businesses need to have access. Our main target is HGVs.” The highways department has suggested a sign denoting no access to HGVs be attached to the gateway, as opposed to the usual parish name – as the gateway will technically be in Barming


parish and not East Farleigh. Cllr Gooch said: “These have been used effectively at Harrietsham and on the A20 outward-bound. We all felt this could be effective for deterring access to Farleigh bridge.” Placing the sign near Rectory Lane would give vehicles the opportunity to turn around. Traffic flows over the Grade I listed bridge have been a major concern to residents for many years and have been highlighted as a priority issue in the village plan. Ben Hilden said: “Damage to our ancient bridges is well documented, so I am therefore more than happy to support a gateway on the Barming side of the one at East Farleigh.” The gateway will be funded from Cllr Paulina Stockell’s member’s grant. East Farleigh parish council chairman Glyn Charlton said: “This is re- ally good news.”


Garden terracing ‘an eyesore’


PLANNING officers were ordered to hold talks with the owner of a bungalow in the Loose Valley Conservation Area to improve a rear garden terraced area criticised as being an eyesore. Maidstone Council was un- happy with the hard landscaping at Rhencullen in Bridge Street, Loose, and demanded a planning application to make the area more in keeping with its surroundings. The application, which re- quested the inclusion of an extra step/terrace on one side of central steps between the ragstone wall and timber retaining wall, was slammed for “not going far enough” by Cllr Jim Andrew from Loose Parish Council. Comments from 13 objectors, who included Loose Amenities As- sociation and the Valley Conservation Society, said the amendments did not overcome issues of height, mass and materials. Cllr Tony Harwood, amember of the planning committee, said: “I


am concerned that officers are recommending a fudge and a halfway house that does not tackle engineering problems and will not make the area look any better.” He recommended a deferral for negotiations between officers and the applicant. The committee voted in favour of this.


New role for assistant director


MAIDSTONE’Sassistantdirector SteveGoulettehas added another string to his municipal bow. Mr Goulette is to assist Cllr Malcolm Greer, the cabinet member for economic develop- ment and commercial services, to deliver the council’s top pri- orities of a growing economy with rising employment. Maidstone has the highest employment rate in the county at over 80%, thanks to a pro- active approach to supporting local business and encouraging inward investment. Cllr Greer said: “Steve is an


ROAD safety experts from Maidstone have been helping teach students from around the globe the “three Es” of effective casualty reduction. Education, enforcement and engineering were at the heart of a two-day visit to the county town, where 12 students took part in an international road safety scholarship scheme, arranged by the FIA Founda- tion, a charity supporting activ- ities promoting road safety.


experienced and highly capable senior officer. I amdelighted he will be supporting my portfolio. Mr Goulette, who will also act


as the council’s link with inward investment companies, said he was looking forward to the new role, which he will undertake alongside his responsibilities as assistant director for environ- ment and regulatory services. He said: “Maidstone is the county town of Kent and a great place to do business. We want success for all our businesses, but we recognise we need to con- tinue to attract new ones.”


The 12 students, who came


from countries including Viet- nam, Chile, the Philippines and Moldova, visited SenacreWood Primary School to see education in action and the police traffic depot at Coldharbour. Presentations were given by


KCC, Medway Council, the Highways Agency, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership, and stu- dents took part in a Speedwatch


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330 Fire service doing


well, says survey KENT Fire and Rescue Service has been given the thumbs up in a recent survey on how well it performs during and after an incident. People who had been in- volved in a fire during 2011/12 were asked questions based on how they felt KFRS had deliv- ered its service. Of those who had experienced incidents in their homes, 98% were satis- fied with the overall service and 91% thought that KFRS ar- rived quicker than expected. Key findings from people


who had experienced incidents in non-domestic premises showed similar figures. KFRS chief executive Ann Millington said: “The results are good news for our firefight- ers and control staff, who work really hard to ensure that the people of Kent andMedway are happy with the work that we carry out.”


Big coffee date BEECHWOOD residents are holding a Macmillan Great Big Coffee Morning at the Beech- wood Community Hall, MarigoldWay, Barming, on Sat- urday, September 29. Starting at 10.30am, there


will be tea and coffee and home made cakes for sale, as well as a weight-watchers cake stall and a session being delivered by Musical Playtime for the chil- dren.


Road safety message goes global


demonstration, and display of fire service cutting equipment. Emma MacLennan,of the FIA Foundation road safety scholar- ship programme, said: “The stu- dents were very impressed at the extent of work going on in Maidstone and were keen to take many of the ideas back to their own countries.” Kate McMahon, formerly the


head of road safety for the De- partment for Transport, also at- tended the course.


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