downsmail.co.uk Eric Hubbard


ERIC Hubbard (86) lived on the Senacre Estate for 27 years. Born in Chartham, his police career brought him to Maidstone, where he worked at County Police Headquarters as a driving instructor. He served briefly


as a local constable in Penshurst before coming to Maidstone. Aer 27 years in the police, Eric finished his


career as a ratings officer for Maidstone Council. Ericwas married for more than 45 years


to Doreen, who died 11 years ago. Hewas father to Michael and Amanda.


Michael said: “My father waswell- known locally and had been a keen and successful bowler for years, playing at the Mote, Heather House and Suon Valence. He kept bowling until the end of his life, andwas also regularly out and about walking his dog. Hewas a colourful character who certainly had his own opinions.” Widowed 11 years ago, Eric shared his


love of dogs, bowling, and socialising with his friend Shereen. He leaves her, his children, grandchildren Andrew, Lyndsey and Nicola and great-grandson Ryan.


JohnWilliams


JOHNWilliams (87) lived in Mallings Drive, Bearsted, from 1969 until he moved into a care home a few years ago. Originally from NorthWales, John


pursued a career in tax inspection that took him to London and TunbridgeWells before his move to Bearsted. Johnwas married to Maisie for 50 years andwas known locally from many years of competitive bowling. Nephew DavidWilliams said: “My uncle


had that typicalWelsh quality of appearing reserved, but once you got to know him he had a great sense of humour andwas capable of being the life and soul of the party. “He had lots of bowling trophies and bowled at the Bearsted and Thurnham club for many years. “He also spokeWelsh, whichwas his


first language, throughout his life andwas the last survivor of five siblings. Hewasn’t very tall but had a big personality andwas extremely close to Maisie during their years of marriage. It is only in recent years, since her death, that he has reconnected strongly with the rest of his family.”


Headteacher turnover ‘is modest’


KENT’S cabinet member for education has defended the re- placement of 21 teachers across the county in the past two years as a “modest turnover”. It follows criticism about the suspension of six heads in the Maidstone area, many after damn- ing Ofsted reports. The head of St Peter’s School in


Aylesford, Simon Temple,was one such case. His sudden “disappear- ance” after a poor Ofsted inspec- tion was reported in Downs Mail. He left in April, but with little ex- planation for parents. In an in-depth interview with Downs Mail, the county council’s Roger Gough denied teachers have been sacked and defended the council’s moves to raise stan- dards. He said: “A very small number


have left their posts as a result of disciplinary procedures, or the use of capability procedures when


performance has been a concern. “The very small number of headteachers who have left their posts for other reasons have done so following discussions about their ability to fulfil their roles and responsibilities – either following an Ofsted inspection or where the county council has had ongoing concerns. This is always in discus- sion with the governing body.” Cllr Gough said moves by the county council, in partnership with teachers, governors and Of- sted,were ensuring a significantly improving picture for education standards in the town’s primary schools. He added: “Maidstone has been


a cause of concern for poor school performance, achieving outcomes significantly poorer than other parts of Kent. This situation has begun to improve dramatically as a result of improvements in school leadership.”


above in reading, writing and maths. This year, all but two schools are predicting to be signif- icantly above this benchmark, and the overwhelming majority of pri- mary schools currently judged by Ofsted to require improvement are on track to be good schools at their next inspection.” He said feedback from teachers


Cllr Roger Gough


He said: “In 2013, about 50% of Maidstone primary schools did not perform aswell as schools na- tionally. In 2013, there were 11 local authority schools in Maid- stone in which no more than 65% of pupils achieved a level 4 or


Money incentive for landlords


LANDLORDS in Maidstone are being offered a cash in- centive to provide homes for people on the council’s hous- ing register. The £2,500 one-off incen-


tive is part of the Maidstonce Council’s Maidstone home- finders scheme, which will help to provide good quality homes for families in need across the borough in the private rented sector.


Cllr Marion Ring, Maid-


stone Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “The Maidstone homefind- ers scheme offers landlords a great incentive to work with us to provide housing and help us to ensure that everyone, including our most vulnerable residents, has a decent place to live.” Aswell as the one-off pay- ment, the council arranges a


free inventory, and check in and check out of the tenant. In return, the council has nomination rights for ten- ants in the property, and each tenancy must be for at least 12 months, providing stability for those families offered homes. Interested landlords can


find out more by calling 01622 602440 or email home- finders@maidstone.gov.uk.


Maidstone tops Kent pothole repair list


MAIDSTONE is ‘top of the pots’ when it comes to road repairs in the county. Kent County Council has


fixed 2,598 potholes in the borough so far this year, as


part of its ‘find and fix’ cam- paign, 276 ahead of Sevenoaks. Fewer than 1,000 have been fixed in the Ton- bridge and Malling bor- ough.


In total, KCC has filled


about 21,000 potholes this year – at a cost of around £790,000 – and carried out patching repairs totalling £5.4million.


had, on the whole, been positive, adding: “We support headteach- ers who can make improvements butwe do not accept repeated fail- ure to secure good learning out- comes for children, who only get one chance at education. “No parent would thank us for allowing situations to continue in which their children do not do well at school,” he said.


For the full interview with Cllr Roger Gough, including his views on the growing number of acade- mies in Maidstone, log on to www.downsmail.co.uk.


Mini village vision for Harrietsham


A PLAN for a “mini village” in Harrietsham – com- plete with its own community store – has been re- ceived by Maidstone Council. Ward Homes want to build 117 homes and a 300sqm neighbourhood food store on the former Channel Tunnel Rail Link depot, south of Ashford Road. The 4.8hectare site borders Fairbourne Lane, the


CTRL, Roebuck Business Park and Taylor Close. Nineteen two-bed, 60 three-bed homes and an-


other 10 larger properties, along with 28 flats, are being proposed for the site. The developer says it would create a new public


open space, which will “enhance the existing village green”, although this land is not designated as such. The shop’s opening hours would be 7am- 10pm on weekdays and Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sundays and bank holidays. The site is currently owned by Trinity College Cambridge.


Maidstone East July 2014 39


Obituaries


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