News | Sponsored parish council Boxley Parish Mail


CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline Bowdery ASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU


Tel: 01634 861237 email: clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website: www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained fromthe parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website


No parking on verges


COMPLAINTS from residents and councillors about vehicles parking on verges have increased greatly of late.


Many verges are now churned


up and deeply rutted, making them an eyesore.With no spare money in theKCCroad maintenance budget, these verges will not be restored, making grass cutting difficult and leaving scars that will be around for many years. Please park re- sponsibly alongside – not on – the verge. The parish council has asked the


local PCSO to approach the owners of vehicles parked on verges to point out the damage caused. Where vehicles are parked on verges near junctions or crossing points, or otherwise causing prob- lems for other roads users, an of- fence may be committed.


Shrubs to go


AFTER a resident complained about the difficulty of crossing Grovewood Drive South due to ve- hicles being hidden by shrubs on the verge, the parish council asked KCC to replace the bed with grass. However, KCC said the work


was not of significant priority, and it could be years before it reached the top of the “to do” list. The parish council’s environment committee has decided to use some of its street maintenance budget to pay for the work. It was felt this would be a good long-term invest- ment that might even save a life. Work will start as soon as the soil has dried out andKCCwill take on responsibility for mowing the area eight times per year.


Hedge is ‘icing on the cake’ at allotments site


BOXLEY Parish Council joined forces with The Conservation Volunteers to plant a hedgerow alongside its new allotment site in Sandy Lane.


The planting of mixed native de- ciduous trees and shrubs replaces an area of scrub and fern next to a public right of way, which was re- moved to erect a security fence. Not only will the planting soften the im- pact of the metal fencing, but it will also provide an improved wildlife habitat that will enrich and benefit the area. This, and the allotments them-


selves, are considered to be a long- term (80-year) investment for future generations. Cllr Bob Hinder, leader of the parish council’s allotment working


Here to help


BOXLEY Parish Council wishes to extend a warm welcome to all new residents of the parish and re- minds everyone, new or old, that it is here to help you. Details of the role of a parish


council and specifically what Box- ley Parish Council does can be found on the council’s website at www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk. If you would like the informa-


tion in printed form or have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact the parish of- fice, see top of this page.


have their names put on the wait- ing-list for allotments – where they will be at hand to keep an eye on their fledgling hedge. This hedge plantingwas part of a


group, in thanking the conserva- tion volunteers for all their efforts, described the hedgerow as being “the icing on the allotments cake”. After all their hard work, a cou- ple of local TCV members asked to


Welcome wildlife


VINTERS Valley Nature Reserve holds its annual meeting at Vinters Park Community Centre, Aldons Close, at 2pm on Sunday, April 13. Speakers will describe how to


welcome wildlife to your garden. All arewelcome for this free event. Details atwww.vintersvalley.co.uk.


Junction work


KCC will be cutting back some of the shrubs next to junctions in the Bracken Hill area, the environment committeewas informed. Safety issues had been identified


at some junctions and KCC was able to find funding for thework.


Concern over spending red tape


THE Government has opened a consultation on a proposal where the clerk at parish councils, such as Boxley, has the delegated power to spend money within a defined ceil- ing.


The clerkwould have to individ-


ually publicise each decision made under that power and how it was reached. The parish council is likely to respond expressing great con- cern. If implemented, it would mean that every time the clerk orders,


28 Maidstone East March 2014


say, supplies for the Beechen Hall toilets, there would have be a long paper trail that needs to be com- pleted and put on thewebsite. The chairman of the parish coun-


cil and finance and general pur- poses committee Ivor Davies said: “All expenditure is currently cleared by councillors and there is an exhaustive audit trail already in place. The clerk has delegated pow- ers for necessary day-to-day ex- penditure, which is reviewed at full meetings of the council.


“An additional audit and admin- istrative trail is going to create un- necessary and time-consuming work. Clarification will be sought on what is being proposed but surely having to publish a written explanation on why supplies for the hall have been purchased and what other options were consid- ered is a little too much red tape. “The parish council already de-


tails all expenditure and income in its parish council agenda, which is available on ourwebsite.”


five-year Heritage Lottery-funded project to plant new trees and record old trees in Kent. If you are interested in volunteering or help- ing to record heritage trees please contact Jadie on 01233 666519 or singleton@tcv.org.uk or visit www.tcv.org.uk/kentheritage trees. The next (free) surveyor intro- duction course is at Lullingstone Park, Eynsford, on March 22.


Cleaning up


aer dogs DOG-FOULINGof pavements and public footpaths was dis- cussed at a recent meeting of the parish council’s environ- ment committee. It was agreed to buy some lamppost stickers for areas where inconsiderate owners were not cleaning up after their pets. This practice was not just an environmental nui- sance, it was also a health issue. It was also pointed out that, although bags of dog mess should be disposed of with do- mestic refuse or in public waste bins, some pet owners seemed reluctant to do this. Having cleared up after their


pet, they then left the plastic bag on the verge or, even worse, hung it from the nearest tree. Nobody should feel em- barrassed at being seen carry- ing a small bag that might or might not contain dog poo. That said, the parish council


would like to thank the major- ity of pet owners who do clean up, as it encourages other own- ers to follow their example.


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