News


downsmail.co.uk Bale to save rural GP surgery


RESIDENTS at East Peckham are fighting to keep their village GP surgery, which faces an uncertain future.


Doctors at the health centre have written to patients after being told by the NHS that the lease for the premises in Old Road is due to end soon and is unlikely to be renewed. The surgery, which has 2,242 pa-


tients, is operated as a satellite by Paddock Wood-based Woodland Health Centre. Staff from the Pad- dock Wood clinic, which has seven doctors, currently take it in turns to visit the East Peckham site. Closure of the branch – the only


GP surgery in the village – would mean patients having to travel to Paddock Wood for appointments. Concern was raised that for many, this could mean expensive taxi fares or relying on the one bus an hour that serves the village. The medical practice stressed it


Parking fees


to be imposed Continued from page one However, the system was abused


as some drivers entered a number thatwas almost correct on their sec- ond ticket, then claimed this was done in error. The council said it had taken a strong enforcement line with the support of the town’s parking re- view steering group, but had since lost appeals at traffic penalty tri- bunals. “This has resulted in the council having the high costs of running a town centre car park with pay and display machines, but with no in- come to recover the costs and no ef- fective means of applying an appropriate management regime,” councillorswere told. The review also proposed that the nominal £50 annual charge for the town’s Ryarsh Lane car park be tripled to £150 a year. The council said the season ticket charges had been attractive for businesses to buy for staff, but some seemed to retain permits when not required. It was suggested that the increase would encourage a better turnover of spaces and cover operating costs. Some town centre traders raised concerns about the proposals. Amy Barker, of Monks Clothing, said cus- tomers had told her of the pressure for spaces in the car park and she did not think chargeswere the answer. But Tonbridge and Malling Cllr


Sasha Luck, who owns The Old Clock Shop, said she did not think the charges would put anyone off. The fees are part of a raft of pro-


posals expected to increase revenue from car parks and the residents’ permit scheme by £354,000. This would offset investment in ticket machines and safety equipment.


10 Malling January 2016


had no wish to close the East Peck- ham site, but had been advised by NHS England that itwas “not a vi- able financial proposition as the condition of the building, accessi- bility and many other standards are not being met”. A spokesman for the centre said:


“NHS England has told us we are highly unlikely to receive funding, and even ifwe did they would only fund 66% of the cost. “We have no desire to close our


East Peckham branch surgery and have been working very hard to find a way to keep it open. How- ever, if we are unable to procure the funds from NHS England we have no option.” East Peckham Parish Council pledged to do all it can to save the


service and has enlisted support from MP Tom Tughendhat and Tonbridge and Malling councillors Jill Anderson and Howard Rogers. The parish council had asked


NHS England to extend its one- month consultation deadline, and to delay the eventual decision. It has also asked Woodlands for dis- cussions on possible support from the parish council such as funding and use of premises or land and has sent a Freedom of Information request to the NHS on surgery branch closures in rural communi- ties. Parish council chairman Stephanie Watson said: “The parish council is committed to doing all it can to keep the surgery open.Wewill be working together


Festive facts on stage


PASSAMEZZO'S performance of Old Christmas Returnedwas a concert with a difference. The performance in All Saint’s Church, Snodland told the story of Christ-


mas in the 17th century. The group specialises in English Elizabethan and Jacobean repertoire and was a performance of music, dance, singing and comedy. Most mem- bers of the audience were surprised to learn that Christmaswas abol- ished under Oliver Cromwell and returned with the coming of Charles II. Passamezzowas founded in 2001 and has performed at many venues


across the country, including the British and Victoria and Albert Museums, the Globe Theatre and Hampton Court Palace. Pictured fromleft to right are Tamsin Lewis, RichardMackenzie, Alison Kinder, Michael Palmer and Eleanor Cramer.


Community show a hit


SNODLAND and Valley Com- munity Players (SaVCoPs) pre- sented five performances of its production A Kentish Wartime Victorian Christmas at the Devon- shire Rooms, Waghorn Road and Snodland Community Centre, Paddlesworth Road. The show was researched by Freddy Dhombres and Neil Vinall. They both appeared on stage and Neil also compiled, ed- ited and adapted the script. The members of the cast all en-


joyed themselves and the reaction from the audiences was that the presentationwas a success. SaVCoPs was formed last year


for residents in Halling, Cuxton, Ryarsh, Birling, Leybourne, Lark- field, and Aylesford. Wouldham,


Success for


workplace art AN artist who displayed her work in office buildings in Kings Hill sold three pieces within days of display- ing them. Jude Evans, who studied at the Chelsea College of Art,was exhibit- ing a series of seascapes entitled “Sunlight on the Sea: Variations on the Theme” at 35 Kings Hill Av- enue.


Construction specialistRGGroup


Burham and Eccles will also be in- cluded when the bridge over the RiverMedway is opened later this year. For details of the group and its performances, send an email to savcops@gmail.com, call 01634 244933, check the website at snodlandandvalleycommunity- players.com or find them on Face- book and Twitter @savcops.


is based there and Jude’s paintings caught the eye of project manager John Henderson. John (pictured),whobought three pictures, said: “I love the changing artwork when I visit head office at Kings Hill, it brightens up the office and Iwas really drawn to the work of Jude Evans.” A delighted Jude said: “I’m sure having paintings and sculptures in an office environment is beneficial for the people working there aswell as for the artists. Art is an essential element of life, not a luxury.” Exhibiting art in the workplace is


part of a rolling programme,nowin its sixth year. It is organised by Kings Hill developer Liberty Prop- erty trust UK in collaboration with Arts and Business. The works are selected by professional curator and artist June Frickleton and the exhi- bitions change three times a year.


to ask questions and get the an- swers we need to ensure we are able to do all we can to save this local service.” Mr Tughendhat said: “I will be meeting with the GPs and minis- ters to find a solution. “The surgery provides important healthcare to patients in the village, without which they would have to travel far and at greater cost. “The importance of local services


for communities like East Peckham cannot be overestimated. Without them our villages become dormito- ries and lose their character. It would be sad to see this happen to East Peckham.” A final decision was expected to


be made by NHS England by the end of January.


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