Protests fail to stop bank’s part-closure
PRESSURE from MP Tracey Crouch, Snod- land Town Council, the chamber of com- merce and local residents caused the NatWest Bank to defer its decision to close its branch at Snodland High Street by two days a week. However, the reprieve was only tempo-
rary. It had been planned to close the doors on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from April 9, but after the uproar, the date was put back by three months. Nobody knew if NatWest was reconsidering its decision or just delaying the part closure. Ms Crouch wrote to Stephen Hester, chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is a part, inviting him to Snodland so he could understand how important the branch was to the local community. “This decision has been taken without any local stakeholder engagement or con-
School on its way to ‘good’
Ofsted rating AYLESFORD School – Sports College narrowly missed out on getting a good grade in its latest Ofsted report. Instead it was rated grade 3
– requires improvement. The secondary school in
Teapot Lane was awarded a grade 2 (good) for quality of teaching, behaviour and safety of pupils and leader- ship and management, but the achievement of pupils was deemed to require im- provement, dragging the overall grade down. The head teacher, senior leadership team, governing body and teachers were praised for working hard to get the standards of teaching to “good” and the sixth form was complimented for the progress pupils make, partic- ularly in vocational subjects. Inspectors wrote: “Students
are proud of their school. It provides a safe environment for learning and students be- have well. They speak highly of the staff who work with them and are very supportive of their learning.” Although GCSE results at
the school are improving, pupils do not make as much progress as they should, par- ticularly in English and maths, and children with special educational needs are not catered for aswell as they could be. To get a good grade on the
next inspection, inspectors have advised the school to improve the quality of teach- ing even further by tailoring lessons to pupils’ individual abilities and providing more opportunities for extended writing, so that all pupils can make good progress, regard- less of their abilities.
10 Malling
sultation, despite the bank’s importance to the local community,” she wrote. “Furthermore, the decision to reduce the
level of service offered at the branch has been taken at a time when the Snodland area is significantly expanding and would, in fact, benefit from being upgraded, rather than downsized.” A meeting was due to take place between
NatWest, the MP, the town council and the chamber of commerce on May 17 to discuss the changes, but chamber chairman, Alan Totham, told Downs Mail: “We have had a letter, dated April 24, to
say that despite all our protestations the partial closure will go ahead in about 10 weeks time.” The letter said: “To be clear on the previ-
ous correspondence issued to your localMP dated April 4, this gave an assurance that the complaint regarding the partial closure of the NatWest Snodland branch would re-
ceive a thorough investigation. “The details surrounding the closure have
now been re-considered and, having made a further evaluation of the situation, the Bank cannot justify the branch remaining open on a five-day basis. Snodland Town Council chairman Anne Moloney said: “RBS seems to have decided it will partially close our bank, regardless of local opposition. The fear is that within a couple of years it will close completely. “Snodland needs banking facilities open
five days a week. It should be fully com- puterised, not downgraded. Maybe this is an opportunity for another bank to come into Snodland and take advantage of the growing business opportunities in the town and surrounding areas. “Local councillors, the chamber of com-
merce and the member of parliament will continue to urge RBS to reverse their deci- sion to part-close the bank.”
Ditton man in world snooker final
A DITTON snooker playermade it into the final of an international competition, only losing out to the “best player in the world”. Barry Hawkins (34) faced reigning champion Ronnie O’Sul- livan in the World Championship final at the famous Crucible in Sheffield. It was the first time world number 14 Mr Hawkins had made it past the second round in the tournament. Thematchwaswatched by mil-
lions on television and Mr Hawkins’ 12-18 defeat would have been made less disappoint- ing by the £125,000 runner up prize money – more than three times the size of his previous biggest winner’s cheque. Speaking to BBC Sport after
the match, Mr Hawkins said of his opponent: “He is unbeliev- able. The way he makes it look so easy is frightening for most players, so I am glad I made a game of it and pushed him a bit. “I tried my hardest, but I just made a few more mistakes than
A PAIR of brass plaques which had been fixed to a church floor for five centuries have been ripped out by metal thieves. St Michael’s Church in East Peckham is left open daily for members of the public to visit. ButonMarch 30,at 1pm, a keyholder to the building noticed the two large images of a man and woman had vanished. They had been set
into the floor of the nave of the church in the 1500s and were around 18 inches long. Police investigating the theft,
have asked the public to help return the plaques to their right- ful place. It is thought they could be worth a few hundred pounds, but are much more
Ronnie and you cannot afford to do that against him. It is a shame I lost, but Ronnie is by far the best player in the world.” Left-handed Mr Hawkins gained international respect for his performance. The Independ- ent reported: “Itwas comfortably the biggest match of his life, and he met the challenge head-on,” adding that Mr Hawkins had earned the respect of “his oppo- nent and the watching millions”. Born in April 1979, Mr Hawkins
began playing snooker profes- sionally in 1996, but only be-
Church plaques snatched
valuable to the village for their local significance. It is thought the images show
William and Margaret Wheten- hall, dating from 1539, although local historian Philip Lawrence said: “They could have been of a family called the Caisers, who farmed in East Peckham in the 1500s.” Anyone who has
been offered the plaques for sale, or who has any informa- tion, is asked to call
Kent Police on 101, quoting crime reference YY/6028/13. A £1,000 reward has been of- fered by Terry Shead, of Brook- side Garden Centre, East Peckham, for the return of the brasses or information leading to a conviction.
Db snooker player Barry Hawkins, who was beaten in theWorld
championship final by Ronnie O’Sullivan Picture: DerHexer
came a household name in the 2004/05 season when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship, the quarter-fi- nals of the 2004 British Open, and the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open. His highest world ranking to date has been 12, and he won his first ranking title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open. Mr Hawkins, who was born in
Dartford, married his partner Tara in June 2012, and they have a son, Harrison, who was born in 2009.
Villagers ‘worst
speed offenders’ SPEEDWATCH volunteers at Teston got a shock when the data they had collected on ve- hicles speeding through their village was analysed. It emerged that most of the cul-
prits breaking the 30mph limit were residents or lived nearby. A small group of villagers, backed up by PCSO Frank Woollett, regularly monitor speeds along Tonbridge Road and Malling Road at the junc- tion with Livesey Street. Volunteer Cate Whitlock said: “From police and Speedwatch records, the data shows the vast majority – over 70% of people caught speeding through Teston – actually live in Teston or within a four-mile radius. She said: “They need to show greater consideration for the local community.”
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