downsmail.co.uk
visitors from Templeuve upon their arrival. Thiswas approved and a £250 chequewas raised from the unspent fete surplus of £1,100 from 2013 and 2014. TreeAtree requiring work along Greenway Court Road had been trimmed. Waterside Park Cllrs Alan Benne and John Cobbe would prepare the parish council’s case for theWaterside Park public inquiry in May.
Chairman’s report Cllr Lee Vallins had handed in his resignation, and despite being asked to reconsider by at least four fellow councillors, had declined to reconsider his position. The chairman had also subsequently tried to persuade Mr Vallins to review his decision to leave the council and his post as fete coordinator. The likely reasons for his resignationwere considered and the chairman requested that members treat each other with courtesy. Documents Up-to-date governance and protocol documentswere distributed to the councillors. Cllr David Ardleywas thanked for preparing them. War memorial Memberswere given details of possible improvements for thewar memorial which could be funded by a previous financial offer from Network Rail to mark the centenary of the start of World War I. The clerk would forward the list to the contact at Network Rail. Police report PCSO RyanWaring reported that most crimes had occurred in the railway station car park during the month and that it was uncertain whether theywere linked. There had been several instances of nuisance vehicles in Hospital Lane and various drivers had been stopped. The traffic police would also patrol the area whenever possible. The problemwas also prevalent around the Mercure Great Danes Hotel and on the Ashford Road towards Lenham. There had also been reports of poaching in the area. School parking The PCSOs visited the school to address parking issues. Therewas a lack of parking for parents dropping off and collecting children and a lot of schools have a similar problem. The PCSOs liaise with the Maidstone Council trafficwardens regarding this
issue.Awalking bus would be suggested to the school. Pavilion The heating at the Cardwell Pavilion had now been
repaired.An asbestos survey had been carried out. There was a low risk of asbestos in the ceilings. No drilling or removing paint off thewalls should take place andwarning posters about this would be
placed.Aleer to this effect would be sent to the regular hirers of the hall. The clerk would arrange for electrical devices and extinguishers to be checked.A major spring clean would be arranged for theweek before the fete. Help from the councillors and cleaner would be required. BonfiresAprivate property behind the village had been having bonfires throughout the day and itwas reported that some villagers had been affected by the smoke and smell. Cllr Benne would investigate. TrafficAlot of complaints had been received aboutHGVs travelling through the village and occasionally damaging parked cars. The entrance to the village had had problems with an incident of a young woman and a pushchair being pushed into a hedge by a vehicle passing. The footpathwas too narrow for posts to be installed to stop vehicles mounting the pavement. For this to work, the posts had to be 45cm away from
the kerb. If theywere in place nobody would be able towalk along the pavement safely. The clerk would write to Kent Highway Services for its recommendations to improve this maer. Fete Cllrs Mike Bedwell andAdamWard would jointly replace Mr Vallins as fete coordinators. The band for the fete had been booked. They would be able to play 1960s music to reflect the theme of the fete. The parish council would hire the same PA system this year. The choir from Templeuve would require the use of the PAsystem but the band would bring its own. Local TV celebrity ShaunWilliamson (Barry from “EastEnders”) would be approached to open the fete. Off-road Cllr Alan Benne reported that only a small aempt had been made to comply with the enforcement notice served on the club last year, with the requirement to restore the site to its original condition before October 31, 2014. Dates for this year’s meetingwere already being given on the club’s social media pages. Maidstone Council had confirmed it would be enforcing its notice. Peoplewere reported at the site recently chopping down trees and erecting scaffolding poles to close gaps in the fence along Hospital Road, Greenway Court Road. Concernwas expressed that these could cause serious injuries to horse riders or pedestrians if they fell on them. Cllr Daphne Parvin would re-contact the enforcement officer. Kindness The retirement of the priest-in- charge, the Rev Nigel Fry and his wife Jan, was noted. Itwas formally recorded they would be much missed with their kindness and support for the village Assembly The parish assembly would be on April 21, following the parish meeting which would start at 7pm. The annual meeting of the parish council would be on May 11.
Leeds
In memoriam The councilwas sad to report the passing of two eminent members of the community. Peter Parvin had served as Leedsward councillor for 20 years. Hewas elected mayor of Maidstone in 2009. He had been married to Daphne for more than 60 years andwas set to retire asward councillor at the election in May. Norman Dabbs acted as curate of Leeds and Hollingbourne benefice with special responsibility for St Nicholas’s Church. Hewas an active member of Lads and performed in many village pantomimes. Hewas vice-chairman of the local British Legion. Both men would be sorely missed and the council sent its condolences to their families and friends. Highway issues The parish council had prepared a leer to send to the Downs Mail and Kent Messenger to make its position clear about a suggested relief road around the village. The council believed that the road would not just be of benefit to Leeds but to the wider community. Special constable The police had confirmed that the village had a special constable. He had started the training programme andwas due to start his probationary period. Recycling It had been noted that therewas a lot of mess around the recycling bins in the church car park. The council had spent more than £100 clearing the car park, only to find more rubbish dumped. If the situation continued, the council would have to consider doing away with recycling.
SpeedWatch Ian Bowles had been speaking to Community SpeedWatch Support aswell as the Community Safety Unit at Kent Police. Both supported the seing up of a SpeedWatch group in the village. The councilwas also hoping to start up Lorry Watch again. Villagewebsite Thewebsitewas up and running and had lots of local information. Residents could sign up for the parish council newsleer or make comments on the forum page. Playing fields The parish council had received numerous complaints regarding dog mess on the playing field, particularly around the children’s play area. Dog owners were reminded that they had a legal duty to clean up after their dog, or risk a fine. Lier Thiswas said to be an escalating problem. Most of the lierwas thrown out of cars travelling through the village. Residentswere asked to pick up any lier they saw in the village. Warden Chris Brace had retired and the villagewas looking for a newwarden. The job entailed cuing grass, trimming hedges, looking after the flower beds and dealing with low key maintenance. Thiswas a part- time job with flexible hours. Anyone interestedwas asked to contact the clerk.
Otham
Ditch KCC Cllr Gary Cooke would investigate why the White Horse Lane ditch was not cleaned before Christmas as originally agreed. Potholes had been filled in Otham but itwas noted therewere still several in Church Road. Schools Cllr Cooke reported that in Kent, key stages 2 and 4were above national average. Unfortunately, the five schools nearest to Otham did not reach a “good” level, he said. FinanceArise of 1.99% in the parish precept was agreed for 2015/16. Neighbourhood plan The questionnaire was just about complete but timewas needed to decide exactly what Otham Parish Council would like to get out of it.
Ulcombe
Crime report There had been a burglary at a property in The Street. There had also been two reports of anti-social behaviour regarding youths on the field behind houses. Communitywarden Dawn Riach-Brown said a visit had been made to the school after recent reports of dog fouling outside the school. Leafletswere given to the school to be handed out to parents and stickerswere placed along the road. Pavement stencilling would be carried out once theweather improved and the situation would be monitored. The clerk said she had received reports of dogs on the recreation ground before school pick-up time and she would report this to Maidstone Council. The Street Correspondence had been received from KCC Transport Integration about a southbound bus stop pole in The Street at the southern end of the village. Local properties had been advised. The parish council agreed to KCC’s proposal. Annual parish meeting This would be on April 21, starting at 7.30pm. Invitations would be sent out in due course. Invitees would be asked to read a report on their annual
activities.Refreshments would be available.
Maidstone East April 2015 55
Parish Councils
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56