downsmail.co.uk Park noise around clock


Dear Sir – Residents in the Mote Park area will be dismayed to learn that Cllr Malcolm Greer’s commiee, on Maidstone Council, has granted permission for aweekend rock event in Mote Park in July. The last time a similar prolonged assault


on our earswas approved – the Radio 1 Big Weekend in 2008 – not only did residents as far away as Loose have to put up with unacceptable levels of noise, but Iwas told the townwas faced with a bill of about £30,000 to clear up afterwards and re-instate the park. Town traders did not benefit, as local


people stayed away and therewere numerous parking problems. For the Radio 1 event, the council did, at


least, have the courtesy to inform uswell in advance, but this proposed event in July seems to have crept in under the radar. I only hope that when it comes to the next


local election, those whowill suffer in July will remember whowas responsible. David Hacke, ParkWay, Maidstone


Need for homes is simple


Dear Sir – In respect that the housing question is complex (Leers, January, Military solution to homes, your response), I fundamentally disagree with you; house building has never been a complex domestic issue because our own statistics as far back as the 1930s to the 1950s provewe built far more council homes than today even after the crippling financial implications of the twoworldwars. If your home has been flooded in East Farleigh, Yalding, Marden or Tonbridge and you are stuck in a hotel or living with relatives, the lack of housing available might be considered an emergency from the perspective of the families affected. There are thousands of families stuck in expensive bed and breakfasts tonight costing the British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. Amassive expansion in the supply of housing is the onlyway to bring house prices down so that ratio between earnings and mortgage loans is sustainable. Without these new builds our building industry might quickly fall into total collapse. Turnover is everything but so is employment from the Government’s point of view – another factor you don’t touch on in your response. Surely the salaries of the builders help buy the goods in our towns and villages? In Britainwe live on just 10-11% of our


land mass and those fiends in London plan to expand it to 12%. Your claim that these building developments will decimate huge areas of greenfield land is totally false and very misleading. It is all verywell for councillors and, indeed, you to preach thatwe must maintain our green and pleasant land for the few who already enjoy it because their viewsmight be blighted or the traffic slightly increased. Most people had the opportunity to buy


or rent their homes after WorldWar II and up to the end of the 20th century, but today’s generation has got to stay at home indefinitely because Maidstone Council and our “caring” villagers don’t give a stuff. Constant referrals and rejections of these housing developments mean homeowners can enjoy their dogwalks and that air of self- satisfaction that everything will stay the


same. Isn’t it change that keeps our lives full? I amindeed very angry concerning our national and local building policy because we don’t build enough homes. By all means build on all brownfield sites, but given the pathetic numberswe build each year because the planning process is both a financial and emotional disaster, it hardly maers. I amcurrently clearing the shrubbery at


Loose Valley Nursing Home and have saved their ash, sycamore, horse chestnut and holly trees from the deathly ivy. I can assure you as Iwalk to Loose almost every weekend that our caring villagers may say and protest a great deal but actually do sweet nothing to protect our local and wonderful green fields and countryside. Richard Maryan, Coxheath


Great care atA&E


Dear Sir – I recently aended theA&E department at Maidstone Hospital with a knee injury. The service I receivedwas second to none. Although the departmentwas full, the dedication of the staffwas tremendous considering the pressure theywere under. Iwish to extend my thanks to Lorraine at reception, the first member of the nursing staff who interviewed me, Sister Michelle Booth and the gentleman in the X-ray department for the courtesy, patience, professionalism and sympathy I received. The advice and care received from Michelle was beyond the normal kind of care that one would expect. I spent 50 years in Zimbabwewhere I


spent 26 years as chairman of amedical aid society dealing with all sorts of issues. I know the pressures, especially when a member is desperately ill and requires urgent medical aention. I do not know why people complain. They should spend time in a third-world country and see the difference between the two services.


Congratulations to Maidstone Hospital on


a very fine organisation. Alistair Black, councillor for Fantward


We had lile say in plan


Dear Sir –As a long-term resident of Harrietsham, I’d like to reply to what Cllr Dennis Clifton said in February’s Downs Mail about local people helping to produce the neighbourhood plan. I feelwe did not havemuch say in the


plan. Itwas shown to us at a public consultation day, whenwe met the representatives of the different developers showing us how they planned to turn the countryside around the village into urban sprawls. I came out of the hall shocked as did other people, and thatwaswhen Hard (Harrietsham against Reckless Development)was formed. Harrietsham Parish Council gave us feedback forms to say whatwe thought of the plan. The resultwas overwhelmingly against, andwe only know that because Hard obtained a Freedom of Information request to find out. In December 2014, Hard presented a petition to Maidstone Council with 550 signatures, showing that a significant number of the people in the village do not


support the plan and all the housing. Despite this, Harrietsham Parish Council is determined to carry on with its neighbourhood plan. I agree with Cllr Hogg, who said thatwe


have a parish council that does not know what it is doing, and I’d like to thank the scrutiny commiee for highlighting the number of houses planned for Harrietsham. Iwould also thank Cllr Eddie Powell who


has spoken up for Harrietsham. We accept thatwe will have some housing, some plans have been passed. I’m sad about East Street, our conservation area, being destroyed. The plans facing Harrietsham and Lenham are far too much. Paul Hicks,West Street, Harrietsham


What is role of groups?


Dear Sir – I must respond to the Dennis Fowle’s comment “GPs leading NHS revolution” in last month’sDowns Mail. Can I ask if this is the same revolution that


has led to amassive top-down reorganisation of the NHS and further opened it to privatisation when the coalition was given no mandate to do so and the major party actually promised no such action? Iwould very much like to know just how democratic the selection of GPs by their peerswas and who these GPs are accountable to. Apart from the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), part of the new arrangements are patient participation groups (PPGs) and Iwould ask Dennis to explain to readers how the laer groups were formed and what their function is. I believe that originally one of their functionswas to take part in consultations on the local changes being proposed by the CCGs aswell as supporting management at the practice. After aending three meetings of the PPG at my local GP surgery I ended up very confused by what our functionwas and resigned. I understand after speaking to a current member he is similarly confused. Perhaps Dennis can also explain what he


meant in his last paragraph on the subject as I feel it could be at odds with the founding principles of the NHS. I find the wording: “We are at the beginning of a revolution in how many NHS services will be supplied” followed by “If the NHS is to survive as a mostly free service to all,we…”to be potentially quite scary. What do your other readers think or are they not really bothered by what happens to our health service? Tony Monk, Coxheath


Tony, you are correct – these are key issues for the NHS. The GP-led clinical commissioning group (CCG) took over theWest Kent budget about two years ago and its greater empathy with patient needs was soon obvious to me. The 12 GPs were elected by local GPs. They have encouraged all GP practices to form patients’ participation groups and most operate successfully in GP liaison, support and often funding improvements at surgeries. To date, a few services have been put out to tender and private businesses commissioned. Their work is closely and regularly monitored and if shortcomings are not speedily rectified the contract can be terminated. The Government ensures the GPs run a very tight financial ship – and their success will determine if the country can continue to afford an NHS largely free to all. Response by Dennis Fowle


Maidstone East March 2015 37


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