downsmail.co.uk


Adam and Lucy. Shona said: “Mickwas a true liberal who could always see both sides of an argument and be completely fair. “He had achieved a lot outside of politics, including many years as a highly successful salesman in the greetings card industry where he came close to achieving the highest sales of anyone in his company, nationally, for a number of years. “Politicswas a passion for him and he


took a degree at South Bank University as a mature student, after which most of his working lifewas dedicated to local politics.” Mick leaves his wife, children, step- children and six grandchildren.


Trevor Scholes


TREVOR Scholes (92)was Maidstone’s last town clerk, from 1958 to 1974. He took early retirement at 53 andwas made a Freeman of the Borough. Since then Maidstone Council has appointed chief executives. Trevor, of Sportsfield, Maidstone passed legal exams in 1941 but was called up for wartime service in the Army. As a lieutenant with the Royal Signals hewas awarded the Military


Cross for bravery at Oedenrode, Holland in 1944. As Regimental Signals Officer he dashed to a post hit by German shells and extricated the wireless set to re-establish


vital communications so that fire power could be maintained during a critical period. Later he gained a law degree and served


with four local authorities before moving to Maidstone. He held top posts in professional bodies. Trevor, a bachelor, joined the Rotary


Club of Maidstone in 1958 and his 50 years’ servicewere marked with a dinner and presentations. Hewas awarded Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellowship for services to the community in 2010.


Brian Gibbons


ARTHUR Brian Gibbons (89), whowas known as Brian, lived in Loose for 30 years andwas previously a resident of Penenden Heath from 1967 to 1985.


“Hewas also active in local life. Hewas a member of Maidstone Sailing Club from 1971 to 1989, serving as secretary for three years. Hewas active in the Loose Amenities Association andwas a church warden in Loose from 1990 to 1994, where he used his professional skills to help with the re-roofing of the church. “He lovedwalking and he and my mother had covered lots of local footpaths. He also travelled abroad and to Scotland and the Lake District. “Hewas very loving and close to all his family.” Brian, whowas widowed in 2003, leaves children Barbara and Peter; daughter Helen pre-deceased him. He also leaves granddaughters Michelle and Natalie and great-grandchildren Louis and Grace.


Born in Upminster, Paul Garner


Essex, Brian trained as a quantity surveyor and spent a substantial part of his working life with KCC. His previous appointments included spells with


Bracknell Development Corporation and work with a private company in Bath. Brianwas married to Loe for 53 years


andwas father to Barbara, Peter and Helen. Peter said: “My father was a gentleman in the old-fashioned sense of the word. He was reserved, polite and cared about doing things properly.


FATHER-of-two Paul Garner (53), from Maidstone,was killed when a lorry collided with his motorcycle on the M25.


Friends and family


paid tribute to Paul, recalling his love of cars and motorcycles, his abilities in the kitchen and his love of reading. They also remembered his


wicked sense of humour. Paul, who worked all over Kent, leaves his wife and two children.


There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email nlnxn@aol.com


Call for views on lighting plan


RESIDENTS and businesses are being asked for their views on street lighting across Kent. KCC has secured funding to con-


vert the county’s 118,000 street lights to light emitting diode (LED) technology, which would save £5.2m every year. The street lights will incorporate


a central management system (CMS) that monitors energy use, detects faults, dims lights and con- trols the time that lights turn on and off.


Following a number of com- plaints from communities about the night-time switch off, the coun- cil has launched a 10-week consul- tation to help them form a new street lighting policy. Matthew Balfour, KCC cabinet member for environment, said: “Improvements in LED technology and reductions in prices mean that LED lights are now the first choice for street lighting. “We are aware that some people


have concerns about part-night lighting, in particular that it may


lead to an increase in crime or the fear of crime.” KCC already uses LED lights


when replacing old or failed street lights. The council has also been working closely with Kent Police, who says it has found no correla- tion with crime rates and changes to street lighting. Between December 2013 and au-


tumn 2014, KCC converted about half its street lights to part-night operation, saving about £1m each year. But Cllr Balfour said: “With the flexibility offered by the new tech- nology we have an opportunity to review the way that we provide street lighting.” People are being asked if they


want to keep the current level of service, saving about £5.2m per year, or to revert to all night light- ing, which would save £4.8m once all are converted to LED – and to respond by visiting the website www.kent.gov.uk/streetlights. The deadline for all responses is Sunday, November 29.


Curry is hot favourite


A YALDING restaurant has been shortlisted as a regional finalist in the fifth Asian CurryAwards. Zarda, in the village High


Street, has already been awarded a TripAdvisor certificate of ex- cellence for 2015 and the presti- gious Good Food Award for both 2014 and 2015, based on ex- ceptional levels of food quality, service and value. Zarda is up against several


other high-flyers in the county, including Turmeric Gold in Tudely, the Prince of India in Faversham, The Ambrette in Canterbury and the Everest Inn, Ashford.


The 10 regional awards are among a long list of national awards contested by restaurants that have been trading for at least 12 months and have a min- imum 4-star hygiene rating. They are a joint initiative from


the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers (FoBC) and the Asian Caterers Federation (ACF). Regional winners will receive


their awards at a ceremony in London on Sunday, November 15.


A panel of judges will visit all


the leading restaurants unan- nounced before coming to their decision.


M20 to get ‘smart’ upgrade


A SECTION of the M20 near Maidstone is to become a “smart” motor- way as part of a £2.2 billion plan to upgrade roads in the South East. Up to £100m has been set aside for improvements between junctions 3


and 5 (Wrotham toAylesford), designed to ease traffic flows during peak periods, while a further £80m is being budgeted for changes to junction 10a at Ashford. The M20 schemes are among a package of 24 major improvement schemes announced in the region. The investment, announced by Highways England, will see improve-


ments and repairs on motorways andA roads in the next five years. Smart motorways use technology to open the hard shoulder at times of


peak demand or, in some cases, the hard shoulder is permanently con- verted to a traffic lane.


Maidstone South October 2015 37


Obituaries


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