News | Sponsored parish council
downsmail.co.uk
Drain issues
WARD councillor Ian Chittenden will investigate reports of problems caused by the recentwetweather. He heard that the river footpath,
from the end of Millers Wharf to- wards East Farleigh, was getting muddy again and gulleys to take away rainwater at the corner of Al- bert Reed Gardens, at the bottom of Farleigh Hill,were full of silt. Cllr Chittenden said he had been-
led to believe there was a cleaning regime for keeping the gulleys clear. Parish members said this did not
seem to be the case and asked that two silted gulleys in Postley Road be added to those in need of cleaning.
Office keys
COUNCILLORS will discuss the benefits of providing members with keys to the parish office so that they can collect agendas and paperwork out of hours. Currently, councillors collect their
papers when the offices are open on four mornings a week. However, some collections are arranged out- side office hours. Councillors dis- cussed whether a secure postbox should be erected behind the office. Some members felt this could attract unwanted attention. Councillors agreed to discuss get-
ting keys cut for every member and the introduction of a signing-in-and- out register.
Bus services THEparish councilwelcomed news that efforts are being made to arrange a meeting with local bus companies and KCC to resolve is- sues with services in Tovil. Borough councillor Ian Chitten-
den said ward councillors were working to set a date withNewVen- ture, KCC and Arriva.
Meeting times PARISH council meetings will start at 7pm in future – bringing forward the session during which the public can raise concerns. Members agreed to meet 15 min-
utes earlier from their next meeting on October 5.
Progress onYMCAcentre
COUNCILLORS welcomed progress on the new YMCA building, which is taking shape in Courtenay Road.
The parish council, which has
been saving for many years for a community centre, is putting £50,000 towards the project, which is being taken forward by the YMCA and Golding Homes. Councillors also agreed earlier
in the year to give another £5,000 annually for the first three years to help with its running costs. Discussions then turned to an
offer from theYMCAto the parish council to make use of a small of- fice at the site. The clerk is now drawing up a
report outlining the benefits and drawbacks of taking up such an offer.
Some councillors felt the new
office could be useful, while oth- ers were concerned about limited use of its main hall for meetings
Cash towardswork onwall
COUNCILLORS agreed a £750 contribution towardswork to restore a large section of wall on land jointly owned by the community and the Valley Conservation Society (VCS) at Crisbrook Meadow. The money will pay for a professional company and the machinery needed to demolish a sec- tion of more recent block- work and level the area to allow VCS volunteers to continue reinstating the historic ragstone wall. Councillors felt it was
important to complete the work and resolve the re- maining enforcement no- tice served on the land prior to purchase. The first section was lifted following the clearance of cabins and as-
bestos fromthe area. Members also asked the VCS to provide a list of any further work that might be necessary in the short term for discussion and inclusion in its budget, if necessary.
Landscapes to be protected
PARISH councillors were pleased to learn that Maidstone Coun- cil has agreed to lend some protection from development to land- scapes of local value (LLV) in Tovil. Lobbying by the area’s borough and county councillors to get two
fields either side of Cripple Street, near Broadoak Avenue and Westwood Road, included in the Loose Valley LLV protected land- scape area have now been approved by Maidstone’s strategic plan- ning committee. A request for the far edge of the valley from the Godlands Fire
HQ to Loose village to be included in the Loose Valley LLV was also accepted by Maidstone Council prior to the meeting.
because it would be in use most days. The council has recently spent
about £1,200 on new office furni- ture and carpets and ensuring the lighting at its existing offices be- neath Tovil Working Men’s Club are compliant. Members heard the unlimited
use of the main hall for meetings is also included in the rent.
Expense plan
PARISH councillors agreed that the right to claim a small atten- dance allowance for each full coun- cil meeting should continue. Councillors were divided over a
call for a change to the historic vol- untary payment structure, even though none currently makes use of the assistance. It was agreed that help with ex- penses such as babysitting might mean the difference between a per- son choosing to represent the area or not, and that it should remain available for those that needed it. Another long-held tradition of in- terviewing potential co-opted councillors in private will continue. However, councillors agreed that set questions will be put, which candidates will be able to view be- fore the meeting, in addition to top- ical questions on the day. The process will also be carried out as a separate meeting and not as part of a council meeting, owing to the po- tential length of time involved.
Fishing ban
“NOfishing” signs are to be put up by the stream on both sides of the road in Woodbridge Drive and Al- bert Reed Gardens. Councillors were told some an-
glers were using the waterway without a licence.
THIS PAGE IS EDITED BY TOVIL PARISH COUNCIL
CLERK: Alison Chew, Parish Office, Rear of TovilWorking Men’s Club, Tovil Hill, Tovil, ME15 6QS TEL/FAX: 01622 675628 EMAIL:
tovilparishcouncil@btopenworld.com
18 Maidstone Town October 2015
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