Mayor defends £7,500 spending on gold chain


THE MAYOR of Tonbridge and Malling has de- fended a decision to spend £7,500 on adding gold links to her chain of office. Cllr Sue Murray said this was the only expendi-


ture anticipated on the mayoral chain over a 50-year period which equated to just a few pence a day. The council spent a total of £7,552.81 to pay for


new sections to the regalia to allow more mayors’ names to be engraved up to 2023.


ARRIVAhas altered the times of some bus services in the Maid- stone and Malling areas. The main changes are minor adjustments to the times of Services 6 and 7 to Tunbridge Wells, 58 to West Malling and Trottiscliffe, 77 between Kings Hill and Tunbridge Wells, 85 between Senacre Wood and Maidstone Hospital and 89 to Coxheath. At Kings Hill, Service 72


buses will be extended further along Discovery Drive to serve the new housing development, continuing to provide a half- hourly link toWest Malling and Maidstone during the main part of the day on Mondays to Satur- days. A further extension of the route in that area will be imple- mented when additional roads are opened. A new journey will be pro-


vided at 1705 from Chequers bus station to PalaceWood and Allington on Service 18 to fill a gap left by the earlier with-


But the decision attracted criticism that money


was being spent on “bling” at a time when council budgets throughout the country are being cut. Cllr Murray said: “The decision to modify the


mayoral chainwas taken only after a number of for- mer mayors across political parties had been con- sulted and in the knowledge that we had ‘ring fenced’ money for some considerable time as we knew that the issue would need to be addressed.


Bus timetable changes announced


drawal of Nu-Venture’s service to Palace Wood at that time of day. This journey is being pro- vided on an experimental basis following public requests and its long-term continuation will depend on sufficient use being made of it. Neweditions of timetables for


these services are available from the Arriva Travel Shop in the Chequers Centre, by visiting www.arrivabus.co.uk or by call- ing 0844 800 4411.


Two fined for


illegal driving RICHARD Andrews (22), of Teapot Lane, Aylesford, was fined for allowing someone to drive a black Ford Fiesta with- out a valid licence or insurance. In June, he let Emma Louise


Paula Bishop (21), drive ille- gally near her home at The Beeches, Aylesford. They were each fined £265 with £50 costs. Miss Bishop also incurred six points on her driving licence.


“This is the only mayoral chain expenditure we are anticipating over a 50-year period, which equates to just 4p per day.” Council chief executive David Hughes said: “This modest expen- diture is a one-off that is the first that has been spent on the chain for 30 years and will mean no further expenditure is required for at least the next 13 years. “Unlike most councils, we do not


have mayoral robes and the chain is the only symbol of the office of mayor. “The main element of the cost is


the value of the gold in the new links and the chain will remain as an asset held in trust for residents and future generations.


Cllr Sue Murray with the mayoral chain


Fierce competition for Tesco jobs


THERE were more than six applicants for every part-time job avail- able at the new Tesco Express store now open inWeek Street, Maid- stone. More than 200 people applied to fill the 30 positions. Store man-


ager Tracey Beeson said: “I was overwhelmed by the huge response we received to our recruitment drive. In this time of economic un- certainty, it is great that we are able to create jobs and help get peo- ple back into work.” The store is open between 6am and 11pm, seven days a week.


4 Malling


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