Storm over cost of parish election


A PARISH council by-election in Tovil is expected to have cost residents an esti- mated £4,000 – about £23 per vote. New councillor Abigail Hogg – daughter


of Conservative borough councillor Mike Hogg – and Paula Frith opted for a con- tested election rather than the automatic “election” of a single candidate to deter- mine who should take the mid-term va- cancy left by the resignation of Clare Bush. The bill will come from Maidstone Bor-


ough Council, which organised the elec- tion, but will have to be paid by the parish council. The poll attracted a turnout of just seven per cent. Parish council vice-chairman


No concert hall MUSIC fans will not get a con- cert hall in Maidstone any time soon, the council’s ruling party has warned. Tory leader Chris Garland


was responding to an idea put forward by Lib Dem councillor David Pickett for a performance house at Lockmeadow. Cllr Garland said: “Wewould


be looking at a price tag of some £30million plus and the coun- cil simply hasn’t got that kind of money at this time and, even if it had, there are things far higher on the priority list.” SeeMail Marks – page 42


Privacy fears A PROPOSAL for five flats at 77a Tonbridge Road, Maid- stone, has been refused. Maidstone Council decided


the occupiers of the conversion would suffer a lack of privacy because an external staircase would be too close to awindow serving a first floor bedroom.


Solar panels plan MALCOLM Parsons has ap- plied to erect a free standing solar collection panel compris- ing 16 solar cells in the garden of 95 Glebe Lane,Maidstone.


MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells NHS trust is to apologise to a womanwith terminal cancer for failing her in the care and treatment she received. The ruling of the health serv-


ice ombudsman ends a lengthy battle by the 46-year-old nurse, to highlight the problems she faced after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. DebbieWestwick said she suf-


fered incorrect and delayed treat- ment from Maidstone oncology unit and at East Kent Hospitals’ Kent and Canterbury Hospital. The nurse, from Canterbury,was treated by twoconsultantswork- ing for the two trusts. Martin Pike, deputy director of


health investigations, said de- layed and inappropriate treat- ment had led to “significant injustice” to Ms Westwick. But while lawyers had suggested her poor prognosis was a result of her incorrect treatment, Mr Pike


12 Town


Glyn Charlton said: “Once the election had been requested by 10 electors of the parish, the election process was begun and all electoral administration was then under- taken by MBC, not by Tovil Parish Council. But there has been criticism about a lack


of publicity for the event. In addition, polling cards were not issued, a decision that has been defended by the parish council. Cllr Charlton said: “Issuing polling cards would have cost an additional £1,000 at the minimum. As a decision was needed by MBC in two hours there was no time to call a meeting of the full council to make such an expenditure decision. It was


agreed by telephone and email not to issue polling cards. “Various electoral notices were issued by


MBC and were displayed on all six of the Tovil Parish Council noticeboards as re- quired by the legislation.” As for publicising the election, Cllr Charlton said: “Maidstone Council agreed that the normal procedure would be for the candidates and those who had requested the election to canvas the community for votes. “The normal procedure for filling a va-


cancy for a parish councillor is by co-op- tion and this is an open and democratic process and bears no cost to the parish.”


Students quiz minister at Lib Dem dinner


SIXTH form politics students from Maid- stone grilled schools’ ministerDavid Laws at a fundraising dinner hosted by the town’s Liberal Democrats. Students fromOakwoodPark, StAugus-


tine’sAcademy andSt SimonStock joined guests at the dinner at theWeald of Kent Golf Club, Headcorn, where an auction raised almost £1,000 for party funds. Guest speaker Mr Laws, MP for Yeovil,


said the growth in the popularity of UKIP madeseats suchasMaidstonemuchmore “risky” than of old. Mr Laws is no stranger to Kent, having


Baba Oguntoye (16) from Ditton and Jordan Cochrane (17) from Grove Green with Jasper Gerard (left) and David Laws


MAIDSTONE Riding Club’s fifth annual ride for life event, has raised more then £6,000 for Cancer Research UK. More than 100 riders took


part, taking the total raised by all five events to £30,000. This year the ride was dedicated to riding club member Hilary Jewiss, who lost her battle with cancer this year. Hilary’s horse Cracker was ridden by his new “foster mum”, Ann Moon. All riders wore some pink


said he could not say that had Ms Westwick been treated by other doctors, the outcome of her condition would have been any different. He recommended both trusts apologise and prepare ac- tion plans to address the failings. Maladministration was also


found in the way the trusts dealt with MsWestwick’s complaints. A spokesman for Maidstone


and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust said: “The trust will be writing to Miss Westwick to apologise for the distress that the failings iden- tified by the Ombudsman has caused her. “While the Ombudsman’s re-


view has identified shortfalls in the service Miss Westwick re- ceived, it has also recognised that there have been develop- ments within the oncology serv- ice since the time of Miss Westwick’s complaint and we are preparing a detailed update on these for MissWestwick.”


fought the Folkestone and Hythe seat against long-standing Tory MP Michael Howard.


Ride for Life boosts cancer fund


clothing, from pink tops and pink bras to pyjamas and wigs. Sponsors were Birchalls, The Emporium, Clip Clop, Lillicos and Gillett Cook, who provided vouchers for the pinkest riders. The pinkest group came from Uplands Riding School. Riding club members and a


team of managers from AXA PPP Healthcare spent the Friday before marking up the 10 miles as part of their AXA Hearts in Action volunteer programme.


A LEAFLET encouraging young people to travel by train has won top prize in a national com- munity rail award. The leaflet: Young people’s


guide to travelling by train, pro- duced by the Kent Community Rail Partnership, was designed to help young people feel more confident about travelling by train. It took first place in the In- volving young people category in the Community Rail Awards, hosted by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships and Arriva TrainWales. The leaflet came second in the


Best innovative use of tradi- tionalmethods in the promotion of community rail section. It is aimed at youngsters just finishing primary school who will be travelling to secondary school, and offers advice on reading a timetable, buying tick- ets, and finding information.


More parking THE extension of a town centre car park has been given tempo- rary planning permission. Dashwood Estates’ scheme


for an extra 19 spaces behind 7 Ashford Road will make a total of 69 parking spaces. ButMaid- stone Council says the exten- sion can only remain until September 2018. Astatement says the proposal would provide an alternative to the closed King Street multi- storey car park.


NHS apology for cancer patient Rail leaflet picks up top award “It focuses on the Medway


Valley and Swale rail lines, but will help young people wher- ever they live in Kent,” said CRP chairman Mike FitzGerald. “Many young people reach the


age of 11 and have never trav- elled by train. “Our engagement officer,


Carol Sullivan, is doing a terrific job in local schools such as St Michael’s CofE Junior in Maid- stone and Wateringbury Pri- mary.” The booklets are distributed at presentations in schools and at events. “We know pupils feel more confident about using trains in a safe and appropriate way after they have received a visit, been given a copy of the leaflet and taken for a trip along the Med- way Valley Line,” he added. The partnership is hosted by Action with Communities in Rural Kent.


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