Parish Councils


downsmail.co.uk


proposed that the Langley service be changed from a weekly Friday morning to fortnightly on a Saturday, stopping at ShepherdsWay from 10.35am to 11.15am and the village hall from 11.20am to 11.50am. It was noted that this would probably be a better day and allow more residents to use the service. Play area The play area report had been received from Maidstone Council. It was resolved that a quote be accepted from the borough council for the weekly emptying of litter bins. Highways Issues to be reported were: a street nameplate wasmissing for Leeds Road (opposite Horseshoes Lane); the village hall sign opposite the Crown and Horseshoes public house had been bent; a give way sign had been knocked over in Pitt Road.


Loose


Trees Loose had been awarded a highly commended certificate in the Kent Men of the Trees village competition 2015. Rita Hood was thanked for her help in taking judges through the parish. BikeA mountain bike had been left at the King George V playing field some time ago. It was agreed the bike could be re- housed if it was not claimed by the next meeting. Bank Information was received on the new online bank account with Unity Trust and a transfer of £50,000 was authorised from Barclays into the new account so that future payments could be made online. The Barclays account would remain open until all direct debits and payment authorisations had been transferred. McAlpine Works to the vegetation on the ragstone wall had been completed.


Marden


Police matters There had been four crimes since the last meeting – two criminal damage, one theft and one theft from a motor vehicle. PCSO Nicola Morris had received numerous reports of young males riding off-road vehicles in the village and throwing wet mud balls at vehicles and the CCTV had been looked at outside Church Green shops. Persons had been identified regarding all these reports, spoken to and where necessary, visits had been made to parents.Appointments had been made for joint visits with Golding Homes to various addresses.A surgery had been held atMarden station. Southeastern railway enforcement also attended due to reports of cannabis being smoked at the train station and recent damage/nuisance. The PCSO was following up with reports of cold callers. She had heard that several lampposts had been hit along Stanley Road but no formal reports had been made. Parish liaison officer Yasmin Gordine fromMaidstone Council spoke about her new role as parish liaison officer. A229 An email had been received from a resident regarding recent accidents on the A229. The clerk would forward this to KCC Cllr Paulina Stockell and the parish council would support any investigations into causes of accidents and any remedial measures which needed to be taken. Pattenden Lane No action had been taken regarding recent flooding under the


railway bridge and it was understood that residents had been informed that KCC would not be taking any further action due to lack of funding. The clerk was asked to continually log this on Kent Highway Services’ website and follow up and lobby Cllr Stockell. Public forumA member of the public raised concerns over parking at Marden station. It was not easy to get a season ticket and some who had them were finding it difficult to find parking spaces at the station. Goudhurst residents realised that Marden residents did not like parking outside their houses and some vandalism had occurred. Cllr Adam advised that Marden Parish Council had been discussing extending the car park with Network Rail and Southeastern. It was suggested that borough councillors of Maidstone and TunbridgeWells engage together to discuss this further. The clerk was asked to liaise with the Goudhurst clerk. PreceptA precept of £112,000 for 2016/17 was agreed. This equated to £71.35 a year or £5.94 a month (an increase of £8.35 a year or 69p per month) per band D property. Post office There were rumours in the village that the post office was to close. This was not due to happen. The current postmaster would not retire until another location was found or a manager was put in to run it.


Staplehurst


Parish surgery Councillors agreed on a trial basis for six months and subject to agreement from the library, to hold parish surgeries every week rather than every month, from the start of March. Public forum Representatives of the East Kent Schoolboy Scramble Club (EKSSC) discussed plans for a charity weekend at Duckhurst Farm inMay. This would be one of four events which the club wished to organise in Staplehurst during 2016. It was explained that the parish council had no jurisdiction over such events but it had acted as intermediary between EKSSC and residents when local concerns had arisen and for the sharing of information. The parish office had asked the club for details of all proposed Staplehurst dates for 2016. Liaison Yasmin Gordine introduced herself as the parish liaison officer at Maidstone Council and discussed her role, working with 41 parishes. Youth club The community warden had secured funding for refurbishing the youth club and was looking at further funds for a Men’s Shed project to be discussed at the next parish council meeting.


Sutton Valence


Community support Community warden Dawn Riach-Brown reported the youth club was going well and asked about the possibility of adding a youth club on to the side of the pavilion. Defibrillator The grant request was unsuccessful as the parish council could not offer training. Since the form was completed, John Davis had offered to take the training.A new grant application would be open in April and the clerk would apply then.


Open spaces Regarding dog mess in Captains Close, the clerk had asked for a clean-up squad, for the dog warden to attend and signage. KCC had confirmed that the dog bin at the car park would be reinstated. Litter clearance Mr Apps, who used to litter pick the play areas and fields, had confirmed that he was retiring. The parish council accepted a quote from Maidstone Council to empty the bins or £217.08 for the year, £18.09 monthly. Trees It was reported that a nearby landowner was going to cut back the trees over the church path. Telephone boxes The telephone boxes at Warmlake crossroads and South Lane had been adopted in 2014 by Community Heartbeat Trust who had been holding them until the council decided what it would like to do with them. It was resolved to ask the trust to remove both boxes. Rabbit fencing Sutton Valence Independent School had agreed to look at the possibility of the students getting involved with putting in rabbit fencing at theWar Memorial PlayArea. Crime figures There had been two reported crimes – theft from a vehicle in North Street and fuel theft from Braemar Service Station. PCSO Ed Money reported on the car dumped on the pavement in Headcorn Road. Village hall The clerk had requested the £2,800 which had been ring-fenced for the car park. Resigned The village hall chairman had resigned and a meeting had been arranged to appoint a new one. The clerk had written to thank he outgoing chairman for all his hard work. Toilets The light outside was permanently on. The clerk had arranged for this to be fixed.


Ulcombe


Precept It was agreed to increase the precept by 1.5% in 2016/17. Mobile library KCC proposed that the Ulcombe service be changed from weekly Monday afternoons to fortnightly Saturdays between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. Recreation ground Owners were reminded that no dogs are allowed on the field.


Annual meeting This takes place at the village hall at 7.45pm on Thursday,April 21.


Clerk Elizabeth Rice had resigned but HelenAnderson had agreed to take over. She worked for Headcorn Parish Council for more than 12 years up to 2014. She also currently works for Langley Parish Council and is editor of Headcorn parish magazine. She can be contacted on ulcombepc@outlook.com or 01622 891945. Queen’s 90th birthday The parish council would like to hear from any residents or groups willing to help host a village party on Saturday, June 11. Contact the clerk or chair Peter Titchener on pjt888@hotmail.com Elections Parish council elections are held every four years. The council is keen to hear from residents who may want to stand. Further details are on the parish website.


Maidstone South March 2016 47


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