DownsMail In touch with your parish


Barming Council Pavilion fund


CLLR Fay Gooch spoke about the contribu- tions made by residents to the refurbish- ment of the pavilion. Confirmation of a grant for £10,000 was awaited from KCC. A resident selling Christmas stationery door to door was donating 10% of her commis- sion. Cllr Gooch was helping Barming Youth Club apply for a possible grant from Kent Community Foundation as a contribu- tion to the pavilion costs. The grey rubbish bin at the entrance to


the parish field had become increasingly overloaded because hirers of the pavilion were not taking their rubbish home with them, and other people were leaving their rubbish sacks there. Members resolved, as an interim measure, to shift the bin once a fortnight on a rota basis. Councillors Doe and Sandra Manser had


yet to look into the grounds maintenance work required at Cedar Drive. Members were concerned that KCC was unlikely to carry out another grass cut before the end of the year and agreed it should be carried out by the parish council as soon as possible. Cllr Gooch reported that Andy Bate had suggested that the next meeting of the Her- mitage Quarry liaison group be postponed until February as there were no issues to be discussed. It was hoped that by February there would be progress with the quarry ex- tension such as the footpath diversion that members could discuss. Cllr Martin Greenwood asked for clarifi- cation of the parish services scheme. The clerk highlighted the few items which were


under review STROKE services are being re- viewed by Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells NHS Trust after it placed the pathway in special measures. Trust managers are working


with clinicians to agree an ac- tion plan after an internal deci- sion that the stroke pathway required improvement. Concerns were expressed by


trust board members that stroke performance had been consis- tently poor, with the percentage of patients spending 90% or more of their time on a stroke ward since January just under the 80% target at 74.8%. How- ever, recent figures showed a drop to 67.3% for September. Patients stay in the stroke


ward before going to a rehabili- tation unit or home. The trust board heard the Tun- bridge Wells site remained the area of focus, with the length of stay remaining high at Tun- bridge Cottage Hospital. The re- view would look atwhat actions could be taken while a consult- ant vacancy was being filled. A recruitment process was unsuc- cessful and a locum had been appointed. The permanent role would be re-advertised. A trust spokesman said: “We


will be working closelywith the clinicians to agree an action plan. A report will be produced looking at the whole pathway.”


36 Town


now covered by the grant and explained which items had to be funded through the precept and other income. Cllr Manser said there was still concern


that Kent Highways would not install traffic lights at the crossing on the A26. Having spoken to a resident it was now to write to MP Helen Grant to see if she could assist. The clerk said she had received an email


from the grounds maintenance contractor to confirm that they were to cut the east side hedge on the parish field, free of charge. Cllr Gooch had received a letter from the Medway Valley Community Rail Partner- ship asking for a donation. Cllr Manser pro- posed a donation of £75 which was agreed.


Play area vandalism Loose Council


PCSO Matt Williams reported that another person had been identified and charged in relation to the vandalised springer in the play area. Members discussed the destruction of the springer. Itwas felt that the level of punish- ment given to people under 18 was ineffec- tive. In Boughton Lane, youngsters in a field


were seen throwing things at cars. What looked like a refrigerated truck had


been seen around the village, which seemed out of the ordinary. It was thought it might have been people looking for scrap metal. Community warden Liz Lovatt was con- tinuing her work with vulnerable people, working with the social services and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. She had also been involved in parking issues in the village and with Boughton Lane matters.


Borough Cllr Sue Grigg reported on ongo-


ing issues in Busbridge Road.An email had been received from a resident raising con- cerns that the work already done had made the road more narrow and dangerous. Traffic problems had been caused by the


new timing of the lights at Linton cross- roads. A letter was received from a resident af-


fected by the incident at Loose pumping station where sewage spilled onto their gar- den.Members felt the pumping station was not adequate at the time and that the pro- posed development of a number of extra houses would only exacerbate the problem. There had been many problems in the past and upgrades had been installed. A letter outlining the council’s objections would be sent to Southern Water who would be in- vited to a public meeting to explain exactly what happened. A copy of the council’s objections would


also be sent to the Environment Agency and other organisations asking for support. It was felt that possible future develop-


ments in Valley Drive should not be granted if the pumping stationwas unsustainable. It was also stated that the smellwas really bad in the whole area. The consultation process on KCC’s pro-


posed closure of the Loose children’s cen- tre closed on October 4. If the closure went ahead the parish council stood to lose more than £9,000 in income and was seeking clar- ification of the contract. Members conveyed their good wishes to


James Etheridge who had resigned from the council. The vacancy could be filled by co- option.


Stroke services Children’s centres axed


CHILDREN’s centres at Loose, Hadlow and Larkfield are among 12 that will be axed by KCC fol- lowing a three-month consulta- tion.


However, there was a glimmer


of hope for Loose andHadlow, as the county council said it was exploring the possibility of re- taining buildings to deliver out- reach services in those areas. The three Maidstone and Malling area sites, along with one at Marden, and 19 others throughout the countywere orig- inally earmarked for closure by KCC in a review of its 97 centres, aimed at saving £1.5m in the next financial year. The Marden centre is one of


the 11 previously proposed for closure which will remain open


although it will have reduced hours. KCC said that after listening to thousands of parents who use the centres, it had come up with ways to run the service, making vital savings and potentially gen- erating income. More than 6,000 people re- sponded to the consultation and KCC cabinet member for special- ist children’s services Jenny Whittle visited each of the cen- tres to see how they served the local communities. She said: “I have listened to parents and seen first-hand the impact these centres have and where they are vital to the com- munity, we have found ways to keep them open. This consulta- tion has never been about reduc-


Helen lights up hockey pitches HELENGrant,Minister for SportandEqualities andMPfor Maidstoneand theWeald, switched on the improved pitch lights at Maidstone Hockey Club. The club was a recipient of £50,000 grant support from SportEngland under its Inspired Facilities programme. Other guests included Han-


nah Blaydon, Sport England’s head of local relationships for the South East; Sally Munday, chief executive of England Hockey and Mayor of Maid- stone Clive English. Theminister, pictured with the ladies team, joined the juniors in amas- ter-class by GB international Dan Fox and club coach Jimmy Christmas.


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


ing services and these will con- tinue to be delivered in alternate buildings where a centre closes. I amconfident that these changes will result in high quality effec- tive children’s centres to support the children and families of Kent into the future.” Cllr Whittle added: “We have


had to take tough decisions but we have sought to save centres from closure where it would have had a substantial impact.” KCC said that the closure of a building did not mean the end of children’s services in that area as outreach services and the use of other community buildingswere being considered. The decision was due to be rat-


ified by KCC councillors as we went to press.


Coffee morning NEW and former students of The Kent College of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy are invited to a Christmas coffee morning at The Seek- ers Trust, West Malling (ME19 5BL) from 10am to noon on December 14. The event is an opportunity


to find out about accredited courses in hypnotherapy. Formore details and infor- mation about courses, go to www.kentcollegecbh.co.uk.


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