Maidstone Borough Council 7


Getting our priorities right


Maidstone Borough Council is planning its budgets and priorities for the next five years. The cabinet is reviewing the council’s strategic plan to make sure that Maidstone remains an attractive place with a successful economy. It is considering a number of priority actions and wants to know which ones matter most to local people.


The cabinet is also developing its budget for 2015-16, and planning for the five years up to 2019-20. The resources that Maidstone can expect from the government in these years will reduce significantly so the council has a strategy to increase its income sources by £1m by 2019-20.


If council tax levels continue to increase by 2% a year the


council will need to save £3.4m over the next five years to maintain current spending on statutory and important services.


The cabinet is seeking views from residents about its


strategic plan and the budget. It wants to know which of these areas are most important to local people:


z Respecting Maidstone Borough


Including - listening to our communities, a local plan and neighbourhood plans, and maintaining the character of the borough.


z Enhancing Maidstone town centre


Including - new homes from empty offices, more regeneration schemes like the High Street.


z Encouraging good health Including – support for dementia friendly communities, food safety inspections, and working with partners to tackle food and fuel poverty.


z A clean and safe environment Including - waste and recycling services, improving air quality and work with partners to reduce domestic violence and anti-social behaviour.


z Promoting employment and skills


Including – help for people Not in Employment, Education or Training, and support for businesses through employment sites and a business advice centre.


z Good leisure and cultural attractions Including – parks and open spaces, new festivals, events and attractions and encouraging tourism.


z Planning for sufficient homes to meet the borough’s needs Including a local plan, providing affordable homes, and helping homeless people.


z Transport improvements Including – Maidstone town centre bridge improve- ments, new cycle paths and work with Kent County Council on an integrated transport strategy.


The final decisions on the council’s strategic plan and next year’s budget will be made in March 2015. If you would like to take part in these consultations look out for the council’s road shows throughout October, visit our website or write to FREEPOST RRXT-HRHX- LKAS, Communications, Maidstone Borough Council, Maidstone House, King Street, Kent, ME15 6JQ.


Maidstone’s local plan


Listening to communities


More than 2,000 people took part in the consultation on the draft Maidstone Local Plan. All of the comments will be considered carefully before the council publishes the next draft of the local plan next summer.


David Burton, Cabinet Member for Planning,


Transport and Development says the council is in listening mode in the meantime: “We really appreciate the time and energy people, parish councils, Kent County Council, residents’ groups, and the political groups on Maidstone Borough Council, have invested in giving us their responses and the valuable insight this provides. We have heard what people have said about the draft plan and will be talking to parish councils and communities throughout the borough to see what we can do to ease some of their concerns about their areas.”


Further call for sites


Before the council publishes its next draft local plan it will consult on the results of a further call for sites held earlier this year. More than 100 housing sites and one gypsy and traveller site were submitted by landowners for inclusion in the plan.


Not all of them will end up in the revised local plan. The council is talking to its partners, including Kent County Council and other infrastructure providers. Each site will be rigorously judged against a range of national and local planning criteria, including factors such as landscape, flooding and ecology.


Housing numbers


Based on the latest population figures for the borough Maidstone’s objectively assessed housing need is 18,600 homes. It’s the number of new homes the borough should aim to provide in the local plan in the twenty years up to 2031. Of this number, around 2,000 are already built, and planning permission has been granted for over 3,000. The focus is now on seeing whether suitable locations can be found for the remaining 13,000 homes.


“It is important to remember that the objectively


assessed need figure is not a housing target. No target has been set - that will take account of site availability and roads and other infrastructure” said Cllr Burton.


Care homes spaces


New figures have also been calculated for the number of care beds needed during the local plan period. The borough will need some 960 additional care/nursing bed spaces by 2031.


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