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Sponsored parish council | News Boxley Parish Mail
CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline BowderyASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU
Tel: 01634 861237 email:
clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website:
www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained from the parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website MPjoins discussion at meeting
OURconstituency MP, Helen Whately, discussed awide range of local issues with members when she attended the November meeting of Boxley Parish Council.
These included Operation Stack, road-side lorry parking, local trans- port infrastructure and future hous- ing numbers. After speaking about her wide- ranging work for the constituency since election to Parliament in May, Mrs Whately said that government announcementswere expected soon on a proposed lorry park to provide relief for Operation Stack on theM20 and on the favoured location for the Lower Thames Crossing, whichwas likely to be one of the eastern sites feeding into the A2/M2. Commenting on Operation Stack,
parish and borough Cllr Tony Har- wood doubted that Operation Stack could be solved “by a few thousand
Concern over Gateway plan
IN its formal response to a public consultation on the future of KCC services at Maidstone Gateway, the parish council expressed concern that, in trying to save money, KCC would shoehorn services into any space that is available and this would have an adverse impact on service provision. Members agreed that any move
of the facility away from the Maid- stone Council-owned site in King Street would be regrettable. This of- fered both excellent accommoda- tion and was readily accessible by public transport and from the adja- cent car park. Members felt strongly that if a
move was inevitable, any alterna- tive location should provide simi- lar space and accessibility. In its response the parish council
also said: “Of the five KCC com- missions offered at the Maidstone Gateway, four cater for vulnerable groups. It is essential that these in- dividuals receive as much support and encouragement as possible and that they are not marginalised to save on rent. It would also seem sensible to ensure that commis- sions such as Age UK and Deaf Services remain together.” The consultation, which closes on December 13, can be accessed via the KCCwebsite.
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MP Helen Whately (front row, second from left) with members of Boxley Parish Council at their meeting
spaces in a car park”. He said long- term solutionswere necessary, such as investment in alternative ports in-
stead of allowing ferry traffic to be concentrated at Dover. Other members commented on
Keeping roads clear of ice
WHILE at the time of writing there has been a mild start to winter, this maywell not continue. The parish council would there-
fore like to thank in advance resi- dents who put grit from the salt bins on the road when snow has fallen or ice has formed. Thanks also go to residents who
clear snow from the pavement in front of their houses, which is quite permissible, despite rumours to the contrary. As salt bins are placed where
there are gradients or other safety issues in badweather, residents are
asked to use the contents only on the road/public footpath, not on private drives. Supplies of salt and/or grit for personal use are readily available from DIY stores, garages, etc. The salt should be scattered on
the road only when and where you know traffic will be able to force it down to melt the ice or snow and stop it re-freezing. Due to cutbacks, salt bins are no
longer automatically refilled. Resi- dents are asked to telephone KCC on 03000 418181 when one needs refilling.
Options on KCC’s draft budget
The parish council has responded to the KCC consultation on its draft budget for 2016/17 in which the county council says it will need to find £80m of savings on top of the £433m made over the last five years. Of the three options offered by KCC, members’ preferencewas to accept
a small increase. This would avoid an expensive referendum and a 1.99% rise would mean an increase in KCC’s charge on a band C property of £19.36 per year or 37p a week. The other alternatives were for a larger rise, which would require a ref-
erendum but would reduce the savings needed, or for no increase – likely to result in a further £11m of cutbacks on top of the £80m already needed.
Silent tribute to late councillor
THE parish council observed a minute’s silence to honour the late Cllr Alan Springate who passed away on October 7, having served as a coun- cillor for 15 years. Chairman Ivor Davies said he had been a valued col- league and friend who had done much for the community. Council meetings would not be the same without him.
Maidstone East December 2015
the already severe peak-hour traffic problems around the A249 junction with the M20 and the A229 junction with the M2. These could only worsen with the large housing de- velopments in progress and pro- posed, unless there was a serious investment in infrastructure. Turning to Maidstone Council’s
local plan consultation, councillors expressed concern that the borough had only allowed four weeks for a response. This had caused difficul- ties because of the parish council’s monthly meeting cycle. Mrs Whately said that, having received similar comments from other parishes, she had written to the bor- ough council.
Funding bid
for orchard MEMBERS welcomed a possi- ble funding opportunity for a community project at the Weavering Diamond Jubilee Orchard. The Mid Kent Downs/Or- chards for Everyone Project has identified a possible funding source for a scheme that could involve local school children learning about the fruit-grow- ing heritage of the area and helping to create homes for wildlife in the orchard. Councillors agreed in princi-
ple to support the grant appli- cation and suggested that, if successful, the project could possibly be linked to the Queen’s 90th birthday celebra- tions next year. The bid, for between £8- 12,000, is to be submitted by November 27.
Next meeting
THE next meeting of the Parish Council will be at St John’s School, Provender Way, Grove Green at 7.30pm on Monday, De- cember 7. Members of the public are verywelcome to attend.
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