downsmail.co.uk Six refugees welcome
MAIDSTONE Council is throw- ing open its doors to Syrian refugees – but only if they are sin- gle and male.
The policy and resources com- mittee voted to take part in the Government’s Vulnerable Persons’ Scheme to help Syrian refugees, de- spite facing financial cutbacks and a housing crisis of its own. To minimise the impact on hous- ing needed for families already liv- ing in the borough, members accepted an officer’s recommenda- tion to make provision initially for just six single men, over a five-year period. However, the council will review the situation each year, to see if more can be done.
Most members agreed that the
council had a “moral duty” to help with the refugee crisis – although neighbouring Medway has refused to take part in the scheme. Cllr Annabelle Blackmore said:
“If we choose not to, what message does it send out from a humanitar- ian point of view?”
Housing chief John Littlemore said the council already had a num- ber of families living in temporary accommodation and for whom they were struggling to find per- manent accommodation. He said: “We have much more success in housing single males which is the reason for our recom- mendation; we can offer help with- out reducing the opportunities for our own homeless families.”
Lia’s a memorable winner
EVER worry your short-term memory needs a boost? A student from Invicta Grammar has won a top award after doing just that. Lia-Yolanda Freeman (pictured),
a year 7 student, is the new UK Schools Memory Champion after attending four workshops that focused on techniques to remember and recall information such as key dates. At the end of the
workshops, Lia sat a memory paper that was marked externally. The
competition was created in the UK in 2008 and
Late licence for gay pub
A LATE night licence has been granted to Maidstone’s only gay pub, de- spite neighbours’ objections.
Maidstone Council’s licensing sub-committee agreed that the pub in Sittingbourne Road could stay open, play music and serve alcohol until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights, closing its doors to customers at 3.30am. Previously, the pub had closed at 1.30am during the week, with entertainment ending at 11.30pm. Owner Admiral Taverns Ltd suc- cessfully applied to vary the prem- ises licence of the pub. More than 25 local residents objected to the application, citing public nuisance and potential crime and disorder. There are 50 retired and elderly residents in nearby Friars Court in Queen Anne Road, most of whom signed a petition opposing the change.
Landlord of the pub since January has been Ron Hall, but it emerged at the meeting that the brewery has taken the licence away from Mr Hall and his business partner, Terry Farrell, offering it solely to Mr Farrell. However, regulars have signed a petition in support of Mr Hall and hope he can be reinstated. The Queen Anne has DJ nights, karaoke, live music, drag acts and its
own version of the X Factor – The Q Factor. Regulars were looking for- ward to Christmas celebrations and a New Year’s Eve prom. Business development manager Cathy Button said: “Our focus is on ensuring a sustainable future for the Queen Anne as a pub at the heart of its community. "We thank Ron for the work he has put into the Queen Anne and hope that the local community will continue to support Terry.”
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Officers are looking at possibili- ties in the private rental sector and also properties with a long lease to avoid the capital outlay of purchas- ing a designated property. There are 12.2 million people in Syria in need of humanitarian as- sistance and the UK Government plans to resettle 20,000 of them be- tween now and 2020 – several hun- dred per month.
Each local authority is responsi- ble for all aspects of resettlement, including housing, education, health and interpretation services. Maidstone currently has 95 households in temporary accom- modation and the number has been rising due to lack of available ac- commodation.
saw entries from schools all over the country. Karen Brewster, curriculum administrator at the secondary school in Vinters Park, said: “It is a difficult challenge as there was a lot of information to recall. “This year there was extremely stiff competition from other candidates and Lia was required to train her brain to memorise a huge amount of information. It was a fantastic achievement.”
News Charity ball
THE next Parenta Trust Ball will take place at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone on Feb- ruary 27 to raise money for schools in East Africa. The trust, in partnership with Christian charity Fields of Life, commissioned the build of its fourth pre-school in Uganda this year. It will educate 150 orphaned and disadvantaged children, each of whom will be given one meal a day, a uniform, school supplies and a present at Christmas. Tickets for the ball are £49 each –
go to
www.parenta.com/parenta- trust-annual-charity-ball for more information.
Walk for health VOLUNTEERS with a love of the outdoors are needed to lead health walks, part of a project run by Kent Community Health NHS Founda- tion Trust. The walks start on January 15.
For more information, contact Julia Wells on 01304 828713 or email
Julia.wells@kentcht.nhs.uk. The graded walks are open to anyone whowants to make friends and improve their fitness. Taking part is free – for details of
the walks call 0300 123 1220, email
kcht.healthwalks@nhs.net or go to
www.kenthealthandwellbeing to find out more.
Town looking for adventure
A NEW survey suggests that peo- ple from Maidstone have an ad- venturous streak.
The highest number of views on day-trip website
www.intothe-
blue.co.uk from 2012 to 2015 were for spa breaks (52), while tank driving came a close second, with 47, followed by Segway riding (43),
a visit to the Shard (35), skydiving at 23 and walking with wolves at 22.
At fifth – prompting 24 searches each – were driving days, gliding, photoshoots, wing-walking, and a session on a zip wire, with more sedate choices, such as afternoon tea, prompting 12.
Recycling total goes up
MAIDSTONE residents are recycling more and wasting less.
The amount of rubbish that house- holds do not recycle has dropped by almost 20kg from 443kg in 2014 to 424kg in 2015. This has moved the council from 74th to 52nd place out of the 229 English councils responsi- ble for waste collection. The percentage of all household
recycling is up from 46.56% in 2014 to 49.1% this year, moving the bor- ough up 16 places from 78th to 62nd place in the country.
The annual amount of waste per person in a household has reduced from 352.22kg in 2014 to 351.6kg which means the borough has gone from 81st to 75th place nationally. The latest official figures come
from the Government and relate to the year ending March 31, 2015.
Cllr Marion Ring, chair of Maid- stone Council’s environment com- mittee, said: “It is excellent to see residents recycling more. We hope the Big Maidstone Food Waste Challenge will improve this further.” The challenge is designed to cut down on the amount of food waste. Households who sign up will be en-
tered into a quarterly draw for shop- ping vouchers and family swimming vouchers. To sign up, go to
www.maid-
stone.gov.uk/foodwastechallenge or send your name, address and phone number to: The Big Maidstone Food Waste Challenge, Maidstone Council, Bircholt Road, Parkwood, Maidstone, ME15 9XY.
The scheme is funded by a grant
from the Department for Communi- ties and Local Government.
Maidstone East January 2016 23
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