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Staplehurst Council Path cleared


THE CLERK said the caretaker had cleared the path in front of the disused toilets near the li- brary. A temporary caretaker would be undertaking duties until December. Chairman John Perry had re- ceived a traffic regulation order regarding Clapper Farm Lane. He advised members of the pro- posed siting of barriers, observ- ing that the western barrier was some distance east of Battle Lane and proposed to comment that it should be moved to the Battle Lane junction. This was agreed. Cllr Rory Silkin said the dam-


age to the churchyard wall would be covered by insurance. Councillors agreed to pay the maintenance expenditure in- stalment due in October. Cllr Tom Burnham said the re- sponse to the consultation re- garding the Southeastern Franchise had been prepared with and agreed by Headcorn, Marden and Pluckley parish councils and thanked Cllr Simon Green for his contribu- tion. Cllr Paul Butcher said Maid-


stone Council was trying to reach agreement with the own- ers of Duckhurst Farm on the use of the property for mo- tocross. Almost all residents’ comments opposed any in- creased use. Cllr Stephen Paine had agreed


to attend a parish council meet- ing to discuss gypsy issues on November 19. He highlighted that new government proposals would give local councils more freedom to use temporary stop notices. Cllr Perry said the KALC meeting had been a success, with members standing behind the KALC position on the parish services scheme.The collection of signatures was continuing, with good support from residents. The clerk said the playscheme review meeting with PlayPlace had been rescheduled. Cllr Perry had received a


reply from Maidstone Council to his letter about the state of The Parade, saying the con- cerns were being investigated by the environmental enforce- ment team. Cllr Burnham agreed to arrange next year’s litter pick on a date to be confirmed in spring. The clerk was to contact the borough council about in- surance, stock and related mat- ters.


Cllr Peter Spearink said a rededication service for theme- morial had been set for March 23. A quote for £435 had been received from Martin Franklin to make a new shelf, and this was accepted.


Cllr Spearink had identified a suitable frame for medals, esti- mated cost £60-£70. Cllr Butcher had investigated


the cost of running a commu- nity mini-bus service, and it amounted to amaximum of £80 per day. Itwas decided to gauge interest before commitment. Cllr Joan Buller had com- pleted instructions for the pro- duction of the next village update,which would hopefully include news about the super- market applications and a health centre meeting. Cllr Butcher asked that prices


be obtained for filling new salt bins and topping up existing ones. Cllr Kelly said enhance- ments to Bell Lane toilets were complete, apart from the instal- lation of replacementwindows. Councillors reviewed a traffic regulation order regarding dou- ble yellow lines at the junction of Pinnock Lane and Hanmer Way and in South Bank. They also noted a response to the pro- posal by a resident that ques- tioned whether the lines at the junction were a good use of public money. Councillors agreed that the measure would be unlikely to achieve any real improvement and a meeting with KCC would be suggested. Cllr Perry said the chairman


of the Rural Settlement Group had visited Harrietsham Parish Council to discuss their experi- ence of preparing a neighbour- hood plan using a consultant. The clerk advised that the caretaker had marked up a salt bin to check the effectiveness of the paint andwould be marking the remaining ones. He would also check the salt levels. Regarding the health centre,


the associate director for pri- mary care had telephoned re- garding Cllr Perry’s letter about a public meeting and would be unable to attend. Cllr Burnham and Cllr Spearink had met a representa- tive of the Royal British Legion at the library surgery. He pro- posed a donation of £100 in re- spect of a Remembrance Day wreath be made to RBL, which was agreed by councillors. Councillors agreed that the Speedwatch equipment could be made available to Marden council at a cost of £50 per day or £100 per week, plus return- able damage deposit of £125.


Skateboard plan


Sutton Valence Council


COMMUNITY support warden Dawn Riach Brown updated the meeting on her activities, in- cluding seeking funds for the skateboard project. A letter from a parishioner in- forming the parish council of the possibility of an application


being submitted to build on agricultural land in Chartway Street was noted. Aflyer explaining the concur-


rent functions grant petition was to be delivered to every household by post. Petitions would be placed in the post of- fice, Warmlake Nurseries, doc- tors and pubs. Councillors would also knock on doors to obtain signatures. A donation from Cllr Paulina Stockell for the Queens Head Oddfellows Fund (QHOF) pram race came from the KCC Com- munity Grant. The two allotment holders


who were asked to bring their plots back under cultivation haddonesoand wouldbein- formed that they could remain. Regarding the parish mainte-


nance, Cllr Phil Taylor had met the contractor to discuss and agree timescales. The cost of £10 to secure a donated bench at Bowhalls was agreed. The Grasscrete was completed


at the War Memorial playing field. The goal repairs were still outstanding at the Harbour play area and field. The parish council agreed to support an initiative to start up a youth club in the parish. A vote of thanks was given to


the editor of the newsletter for the jubilee edition. The QHOF had sourced a Christmas tree for the village green and would arrange for it to be erected and lit in time for Carols on the Green. TheQHOF would be happy to


make a one-off contribution of £100 towards the skateboard initiative, provided one or more youths from Sutton Valence or the three Suttons enrolled on the course. The fund would also be happy to make a similar con- tribution to the proposed youth club in Sutton Valence. The QHOF had recently arranged a donation to a local youth, who was experiencing problems getting back on his feet. Two crimes were reported in


the previous month – criminal damage at North Street and theft in Babylon Lane. A jubilee thank-you drinks


party was to be held for volun- teers on November 2. A youth Christmas outing


was being considered and an Easter egg hunt for the elderly would be held next March. A May fair was proposed but it was agreed that if there was no support from the major societies in the parish, it would not go ahead


Accident figures


West Farleigh Council


REGARDING road safety at the Thatched House, the chairman reported that a Freedom of In-


formation request had been sub- mitted to Kent Police. It was suggested that a further request be made to Kent Highway Serv- ices to find out the number of accidents that had occurred due to the bollard. County Cllr Paulina Stockell


said that impact signage could be beneficial, and this could be looked into. The possibility of commis- sioning an independent safety report was discussed, as KCC would then be duty-bound to look into the problem. Aresident mentioned the pos- sibility of using the land oppo- site to form a slight lay-by or creating a small tapered pave- ment, which would naturally lead vehicles away from his property. There had been three crimes


since the last meeting – two thefts and a burglary.Acouncil- lor knew of another burglary where chainsaws and leaf blow- ers had been taken. Cllr Stockell reported the lack


of PCSOs had been discussed in a recent meeting. The chairman commented that the workload for the village PCSO was exces- sive, resulting in her being un- able to attend meetings. The chairman had received complaints at the weekend about the parking on Charlton Lane for the football sessions and 46 cars had been counted on the pavement. The road and pavement were due for major repairs and this money would be wasted if vehicles parked on the kerb again. It was unaccept- able that residents, particularly people with prams, had to walk in the road. Councillors were saddened


that money had been spent on building new changing rooms at the football club but none had been used on parking. The clerk was asked to inform


the club of the repairs and ad- vise them that alternative park- ing must be found. The new parish services scheme could result in the parish’s funding for the forth- coming year being reduced by about £3,000, members heard. The new council tax benefit scheme would result in there being a lower number of band D properties on which to base the precept for the coming year. The parish would need to increase the annual precept per band D property from £53.14 to £54.01 to receive the same funding as last year. An application was consid-


ered for change of use of agri- cultural land in St Helen’s Lane to mixed use for camp site, fish- ing and the keeping of horses. The parish council said the site was unsuitable for development and asked for the application to be reported to Maidstone Coun- cil’s planning committee.


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