Do not shackle small businesses MailMarks
local businesses are feeling the pain of these harsh economic times – and they increasingly question the Government’s be- lief that they will employ many from the public sector now doomed to lose their jobs. Levels of current business among local companies sug- gest many will do well to con- tinue to employ as many as they do now, especially with VAT due to increase to 20% shortly. What a time for the Govern-
SIGNS grow that many
DENNIS FOWLE - President Kent Campaigning Journalist of the Year 2001 email:
dfowle2011@aol.com
Cobtree gem IT TOOK me so long to
ment to increase the National Insurance charge on busi- nesses and introduce compul- sory pension schemes for small firms – let alone the move to extend costly mater- nity benefits. The Government needs these businesses to help save the country from the perilous fi- nancial legacy left by ap- palling mismanagement of the Labour Government. Businesses need help and sympathy from Government – not extra financial shackles which will help kill off many. It is a perilous situation.
discover the delights of Cob- tree Park, the gem of a legacy from former Mayor Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake to Maidstone. I have liked the golf course
for years but the piece-de- resistance is the park itself, with its imposing newgates off Forstal Road, Aylesford. It is such a peaceful and beautiful haven of open space and magnificent trees freely open to all – just as Sir Garrard wished. The Cobtree Charity Trust
and Maidstone Council now work in much closer harmony to make improvements. An energetic and enthusias-
tic ranger is now on site and other additions should see a children’s play area soon.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Power solution Dear Sir – Once again, I am amazed and dismayed at the opposition to a wind turbine (Downs Mail, November). I can only assume this is based on people’s ignorance of the chronic power generation prob- lems we will all face in a few years.
There is a black hole in our
future electricity supply as age- ing power stations are decom- missioned and not replaced. Yes, this is a failure of Govern- ment, but we will all feel the repercussions. Reducing demand is an obvi-
ous step to take and should be applauded, not opposed. Even the Greens have admitted their opposition to nuclear power was wrong, resulting in more carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere. We could embrace green tech- nologies and sell them to China, or sit in the dark and freeze.
A Maynard (via e-mail)
Balancedview Dear Sir – I would like to thank you for the positive reporting with regard to the proposed wind turbine on our farm. It has been very pleasant to
read the articles in the paper which I feel have given a very balanced view of our project. We are very disappointed that our neighbors are unable to see the value in what we are trying to do. We had hoped that the com-
24 South
I would like to see more in- formation and signs for visitors to help them find the treasures and understand better the his- tory of this magnificent gift to Maidstone. My personal memories go
back to childhood visits to the private zoo Sir Garrard once operated on this land with a narrow-gauge rail track from the Chatham Road entrance. There are still a few significant reminders today.
Oh Ann! I HAVE many fond memo-
ries of Ann Widdecombe as our MP – but they are not being enhanced by her pranc- ing on TV dancing. I appreciate it’s all a bit of a
laugh – but many enjoy laugh- ing with her, not at her.
A baby dies… DETAILS are still emerging
of the death of a baby in Maid- stone Hospital when Pembury Hospital maternity was on di- vert . This begs yet more ques- tions over the appalling plan to close Maidstone’s women’s and children’s wards. Big maternity departments,
such as that proposed for the new Pembury Hospital, have a track record of more clo- sures/diverts than small units. When this happens next au-
tumn, if Maidstone closes, where do these patients go? The nearest now is Maidstone. By then it could be Hastings, Eastbourne, Ashford, Med- way… How many Maidstone women in labour will have an hour’s 18-mile journey to Pem- bury, find it’s on divert and have a 28-mile journey back to Medway. The whole thing would take only about two- and-a-half hours….. This Ton- bridge baby may have been still-born in any circum- stances. But the death has set the NHS trust thinking yet again.
You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, BearstedGreen Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail:
info@downsmail.co.uk
munity would benefit from the proposal and that this would be some compensation for the peo- ple who don't like the look of them. The planned annual pay- ment to the parish council could be very important given the cuts that are likely to come. We are a very small farm com- peting in a very tough business which is increasingly being dominated by very large com- panies. If we are to survive as a small fruit-producing unit we have to achieve a point of dif- ference. If the project is successful we
hope to combine the energy produced by the wind turbine with energy produced from a large solar panel array to grow fruit in a truly sustainable way. Recent data has also sug- gested that fruit trees sequest an enormous amount of CO 2 from the atmosphere so it is very im- portant that our beautiful Kent orchards remain for the sake of future generations. Unfortu- nately we will have to put up with the odd small wind tur- bine. Our own view is that it is a small price to pay. Peter Checkley
andWendy Johnson
Castle Farm, Heath Road, East Farleigh.
Oh Neil! Dear Sir – Neil Harris has a
cracking sense of humour, and a lot of councillors have done their bit to have a poke at him since this story broke (Downs Mail, October). Of course, the irony is that no-
body has donemore to increase public accountability and open up Maidstone Borough Council than Neil Harris, our Demo- cratic Services Manager, who has led the process of rolling out our webcast system (allow- ing members of the public to tune in to council meetings from the comfort of their living rooms) among other measures to improve public accountabil- ity. I will say well done to the Downs Mail for keeping such a close eye on what’s happening in the council chamber. Nation- ally, in these austere times, not many publications maintain such a vigilant watch over their town halls!
Cllr Stephen Paine, Councillor for FantWard
Mobility issue Dear Sir – On the subject of A- boards in the town centre, yes I feel sorry for blind people, but I would also like Cllr Ian Chit- tenden to get on a mobility scooter and try to negotiate the obstacles, not only in Week Street but on Gabriels Hill. He could also try going on the footpath fromthe back entrance of the shopping centre towards the former Granada Cinema. Can we get near to shop win- dows? No. In addition our county town
needs more dropped kerbs; I cringe with pain in my spine every time I go shopping.. M.Woodger,
Mote Park, Maidstone. Visit Downs Mail’s website —
downsmail.co.uk
Concurrent grants Dear Sir – Your paper states that cash for playgrounds, vil- lage halls and play areas is being slashed by the borough coucil’s proposed withdrawal of the concurrent function grants. In fact, that money has al-
ready been withdrawn from the parish council grant payments in previous years along with one-off bids that supported the smaller parishes. Concurrent functions are not
being slashed – they are being removed along with all the es- sential services they provide under an agreed contract that replicates services carried out by the Maidstone Council in the non-parished areas. To retain these services, parishes will have no alterna- tive but to increase their pre- cepts and the decision to scrap concurrent functions was made in advance of any constructive discussion or evaluation of the effects this would have on the community and how it would impact on people mainly in the rural villages of the borough. One expects to look at all op-
tions to save money. More clus- tering and shared provision would aid the belt-tightening that parishes would want to be a part of, but to tear up such arrangements embedded in the Parish Charter will remove any incentive to devolve more pow- ers to the parishes. Cllr. Mike Fitzgerald (Ind) Chart Sutton
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