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Precept may rise to keep lights on
HOLLINGBOURNEParish Coun- cil has warned residents that its council tax precept could have to increase by 50% to keep street- lights on. The rise would mean an extra £20
to £30 on a typical tax bill from this April, which would generate about £8,000 to cover the running costs of the village’s 22 lights on Eyhorne Street and Culpeper Close. The problem arose after Maid-
stone Council withdrew funding for lights in a number of areas, in- cluding Hollingbourne, stating that theywere the responsibility of Kent County Council. The county coun- cil said it would pay the lighting bill if the lights, mostly installed more than 40 years ago,were brought up to its standards. But the work would cost about £50,000 to
£100,000 which the parish, with an annual budget of £25,000, cannot af- ford. Cllr John Cobbett said there was
an argument about whether they were footpath lights, which should be funded by borough council, or street lights, which are the respon- sibility of the county council. The parish council asked resi-
dents for their views after holding a meeting at which councillors said they could see no alternative but to regretfully increase the precept by 50%. Aspokesman wrote on the parish
website: “Unless the matter is re- solved, Hollingbourne faces the prospect of the lights going out over a period of time due to the lack of finance to maintain them or to bring them up to a modern standard.”
Carer David wins award
A FORMER serviceman has been chosen as Bluebird’s CareWorker of the Year for Maidstone and Tonbridge, 2014. DavidTelfer (53), fromOxfordRoad, Shepway, who joined the company just over a year ago, was presented with hisaward by theMayor ofMaid- stone Cllr Richard Thick at Barham Court, Teston. David was nominated because of
his dedication and excellence in the quality of the support he provides, ac- cording to a company spokesman. Helooks after an elderly gentleman
in Maidstone and a member of the family said:“We do not knowwhatwe would do without him. David has an excellent relationship withmy father.” David said: “I lovemy job. I givemy role 100% commitment and enjoy
it greatly. The family arewonderful and make me feel verywelcome.” BluebirdCare (Maidstone andTonbridge) has provided support to the res- idents of Maidstone and Tonbridge for five years.
Planning chaos to be resolved
CHAOSwhich has reigned in Maid- stone Council’s planning depart- ment should be resolved by the next financial year. Council leader Annabelle Black-
more assured the public – including property tycoon Fergus Wilson – that the problems which had beset the department since it merged with Swale and Tunbridge Wells, were now well on the way to being re- solved. All three boroughs had experi-
enced delays in answering letters, carrying out searches and validating applications since the merger – which also coincided with the intro- duction of a new IT system. Many frustrated homeowners
had gone ahead with schemes with- outwaiting for the required permis-
sions; others had taken them to the planning inspectorate for a decision in the absence of anything from the council. In response to Mr Wilson’s re-
quest whether the planning system was fit for purpose, Cllr Blackmore said: “Arobust plan has been imple- mented to put it back on track and we are heading towards a target of processing applications within five days.” By April, Cllr Blackmore said she
hoped it would be down to two days.
Applicants have the right to ap-
peal to the planning inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination if a decision is not reached within the requisite time, which takes the mat- ter out of local authority hands.
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