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Now we rely on hung council MailMarks
IF running Maidstone Council has been
difficult for the past two years it’s about to get even harder now the May elections meanwe have a hung council. We mustwait and see if this will bring
more cohesion in agreeing the vital but very difficult local plan. Responsibility (and blame) is shared more equally. The Conservatives lost five of their 30
seats and finished three short of overall control. But Cllr Annabelle Blackmore (Marden and Yalding), has been elected council leader (with 25 votes at the council annual meeting against 22 for the Lib Dems’FranWilson) and she has appointed five Tory cabinet members (retaining only her deputy Malcolm Greer and environment stalwart Marion Ring). Much of the power is still with the Conservatives, but howwell will they do in crucial votes at full council meetings and planning commiees? No one had confidence predicting the
local council and European election results – and the picture is lile clearer for next year up to May’s general and local elections. The local UKIP votewas much stronger
than expected – broadly reflecting the national trend – and the party’s four council seatswere all at the expense of the Conservatives. UKIP’s four councillors are
even more people with nowhere to go. Stop this madness and vote UKIP. Phil Granger, Alma Road,West Malling
Phil, while your assessment of the national immigration policy may have merit, ruling politicians both locally and nationally are doing all they can to address the perceived housing shortage. The Government has relaxed planning laws
to force local authorities without an adopted local plan to provide a five-year land supply for new housing. Maidstone Council falls into this bracket, and as a result several large new housing developments have been given planning permission. The Government’s Help to Buy scheme has also resulted in 35,000 mortgages since it began more than a year ago. Tonbridge and Malling Council, which is run
by the Conservatives, has begun working on a housing target of 13,000 homes between 2011 and 2031. In Maidstone, which was until the May elections controlled by a majority Conservative administration, this target is 19,600. Even though the opposition Lib Dems have been disputing this figure, they accept that tens of thousands of new homes will be built. Sadly for those of us who want to protect the countryside, all these numbers add up to a situation where, through political will, new
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
reserving their own voting position on all issues and will not form coalitions. Their votes will oen be key. If the Tories
hold the vacant Staplehurst seat and retain support of two of five Independents they can muster 27 votes (one short of control) and the Lib Dems, with the support of two Labour and perhaps three Independents, can look to 24. In the middle are four UKIPs. The result could bring greater council harmony on the local plan, if not improved public support. Both the Tories and Lib Dems say theywant towork beer together and with KCC need to form a triumvirate with commitments on improved infrastructure. All three main parties in Government demand a massive growth in house building, and locallywe must prove the case for a substantial reduction in the 19,600 new homes up to 2031 projected on current evidence. I learn there is new hope that this figure is flawed – beforewe even start the case on infrastructure problems.
homes are being built on a grand scale on local greenfield sites. As for UKIP, the group now has four seats
on Maidstone Council and one of its policies is not to build on greenfield land, but this is a depressing inevitability if the essential housing you are calling for is to be built. Response by Stephen
Roundabout is dangerous
Dear Sir –My concern is about the new road markings on the Running Horse roundabout at M20 Junction 6. Thesewere altered in the firstweek of
April. This roundaboutwas quite dodgy before, but is now even more dangerous. Now the inside lane is signed le only to Maidstone, leaving the right hand lane for all other routes. Most people completely ignore this sign, cuing across the road, usually at speed, and causing the drivers, who are in the correct lane, to brake. There have been some knocks already
and I don’t want a fatality to happen before something is done. We really need traffic lights here; also the
same problem occurs on the other side, coming fromAylesford, le hand only to M20, which is also ignored and people use
So what does the election tell us about
local politics? The big winnerwas UKIP with strong
support in both local and European elections.Were these protest votes? I believe in the main theywere – and UKIP will never repeat such success. But the party has shown that many voterswant major changes in Europe and immigration, and no party can ignore this and win a general election. The local Tories also suffered with big problems on the local plan. The double whammy lost them overall control. The Lib Dems fought the election largely
based on their opposition to local plan policies and once again showed how they are very resilient and can punch above theirweight. They still have 19 councillors. This is a remarkable achievement in the light of poor Lib Dem support in so much of the country. However, they could not reverse the
national slump in the European elections, with their poor showing in Maidstone severely denting the over-confidence of their parliamentary candidate Jasper Gerard. UKIP topped this poll locally as well, but the Tories and MPs Helen Grant and Hugh Robertson will be encouraged about prospects next May.
it to go further round, causing great confusion.
In addition, this right hand lane is restricted by a “keep le” bollard, just outside the Village Hotel, so this then causes a tailback here. If not traffic lights I’m sure a couple of cameras, and a few hundred pounds fine, would help considerably. Shirley Miller, by email
The work was aimed at improving safety because the Running Horse roundabout had been identified as the highest-rated in Kent in terms of its crash record, with 27 injury accidents over a three-year period. This work included creating a new
road-marking scheme on the roundabout and its approaches; replacing and improving the approach road signs; and resurfacing the roundabout and immediate approaches, to completely remove the existing lines and extend the life of the roundabout. The work was to reduce circulating speeds
and reinforce lane discipline on the roundabout and its approaches, to make the roundabout safer and reduce the number of crashes. We will be regularly reviewing the
roundabout with our police colleagues to see whether further changes are necessary. Response by a KCC spokesperson
Hotel hosts its first same-sex marriage
THE Tudor Park Hotel near Bearsted has hosted its first same-sex marriage. The Marrio Hotel and Country Club
was the venue for the wedding of Kim Burgess (51) and Denise Paerson (54). The Rochester couple (pictured) had planned a civil service, but when the same-sex marriage act became legal in
March, they switched their plans to Bearsted.
Denise said: “The change in the law came at the perfect time for us. We are delighted to become a married couple, rather than be in a civil partnership.” It was a double first for the hotel, which staged the ceremony in its new gazebo.
Photograph: Sharon Viner Maidstone East July 2014 35
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