Maidstone Borough Council 3 New garden waste service
Maidstone’s gardeners are being asked to convert to garden waste bins and the council is offering two sizes to suit most properties – a 240 litre wheelie bin costing £30 a year or a 140 litre wheelie bin costing £27 a year.
The move spells the end of compostable bags for most people, with residents being asked to use up their stocks of compostable bags by the end of June 2013. The bags will soon disappear from general sale.
The council will only supply bags to properties which are not suitable for wheelie bins. They will cost £30 for up to 52 bags a year, which is less than it would currently cost for a similar number of bags at £3.50 for five.
The council introduced compostable bags, made from potato starch, in 2010 to replace plastic sacks because they don’t have to be thrown away and can be recycled into compost. Unfortunately some residents have found them difficult to get along with because they have started to compost too quickly.
Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Marion Ring said: “It is important that we offer a reliable, convenient service for our residents. We have looked at services across the country and wheeled bins are by far the best method for collecting garden waste.”
If you would like to order a garden waste bin or subscribe to garden sack collections please call 01622 602600 or visit
www.maidstone.gov.uk
COMPOST BIN OFFER
Maidstone council has teamed up with
Getcomposting.com to provide compost bins with a recommended retail price of £39 for just £16 plus delivery. And if you buy one you can get another one half price.
Every gardener should consider investing in a water butt too. On average 85,000 litres of rainwater falls on the average house roof. Collect it in a water butt for use in the garden and if you are on a water meter it will save you money. Water butt kits are available from £28.95 and come complete with a stand, tap and rain diverter kit. The buy- one-get-one- half-price offer is also available on water butts.
To order or for more information on compost bins and water butts, call 0844 571 4444 or visit
www.maidstone.getcomposting.com.
New code of conduct for councillors in England.
Maidstone council has adopted the Kent Code of Conduct which aims to introduce common standards across all tiers of local government in the county.
Cllr Eric Hotson, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, said: "It sets out comprehensive and transparent standards of behaviour for all councillors, and new procedures for dealing with any complaints about breaches of the code.”
The Kent code was established after the Government abolished the national Standards Board regime and the model code of conduct for all council members
In its drive for localism, the government has established a new policy on codes of conduct which gives responsibility for establishing a new code and the procedure for monitoring compliance with it, to each local authority.
The Kent code has been adopted by most councils in Kent, including some parish councils in Maidstone Borough.
“As the code and its associated procedures settle in, they will be reviewed regularly and, as appropriate, improved and developed;” said Cllr Hotson.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64