News
Planning mergerwas a mistake, say authorities
THE merger of Maidstone’s plan- ning service with those of Tun- bridge Wells and Swale has caused teething problems for all three local authorities. Planning deadlines have passed, decisions have been delayed and the backlog of work has seen the new shared service groaning under the pressure. Now, an independent review has branded the entire exercise a mis- take, with some councillors favour- ing a return to the former system. The Mid-Kent Improvement
Partnership was formed in June 2013 and the united planning serv- icewent live inAugust that year. But the Mid-Kent Audit Service
claims the merger merely caused extra work, application backlogs and has resulted in a lack of cus- tomer confidence. The shared schemewas meant to
save about £150,000. Cllr Derek Butler, next year’s deputy mayor, has already been seeking residents’ advice in Boxley ward.
He told the parish council: “This
went ahead when it shouldn’t have done so. It wasn’t really prepared properly.” While he said Maidstone Council
had been critical of the new service, the two other local authoritieswere even less impressed, adding: “The intention may even be to go back to how it was. “It appears that some of the other shared services that have been in- troduced have been quite good. They have saved money. “I am not so sure that the plan-
ning one has saved money at all. It wasn’t thought out properly.” Other shared services include re-
fuse collection, auditing, licensing and legal services. Some of the teething troubles
Office to home APPROVAL was given to con- vert an office into a home at Maidstone Golf Centre in Lang- ley Park, Sutton Road, Langley.
have now been resolved after the appointment of a project sponsor and manager, and Maidstone is hopeful of being back on track soon.
dery believes the new system is more transparent than the previous system, as responses can now be seen online. One problem was that the help
Boxley parish clerk Pauline Bow- James shines
desk had been taken away at the Gateway, so it was harder for peo- ple without a computer to access the system. Parish and borough Cllr Wendy Hinder said another problem was that some of the officers had no local knowledge. A spokesman for Maidstone Council said: “There were a num- ber ofwell-publicised issues during implementation and we apologise to everyone whose applicationwas delayed. Lessons have been learned andwe are looking to improve per- formance.” He said there were currently no plans to revert to the old system.
at squash FORMER Invicta head boy James Evans is making his name on the international squash circuit. The England Junior Interna-
tional, who competes for The Mote Squash Club, left Invicta Grammar School last year to join Trinity College in Connecticut. Since then he has won all 15 of
his team matches and helped the college beat arch rivals Harvard 6- 3. The team laterwent on to beat Princetown 7-2. Trinity College has developed a successful squash programme, aided by the fact that its head coach is the US national coach. James will return to Maidstone
this summer for the Select Gaming Kent Open at TheMote.
downsmail.co.uk
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