News MP welcomes plan for longer trains
THEdecision to extend the number of carriages on trains serving the Maid- stone East line on Saturdays has been welcomed by Malling MP Tom Tu- gendhat. However, Mr Tugendhat is continu-
ing to urge the rail minister Claire Perry to increase the size ofweek-day trains on the commuter line, which serves Bearsted, Hollingbourne, Harri- etsham and Lenham. This latest decision will see the num-
ber of carriages increased fromfour to eight on the Southeastern services on Saturdays from May 1, which should help alleviate the problem of over- crowding until Bromley South. Mr Tugendhat said: “This will be a
welcome relief to those using the serv- ice at weekends. I have been consis- tent inmy calls for a better service.” The MP said the line still did not
offer commuters a good enough serv- ice to and fromLondon.
Hesaid: “All too often as the service
approaches London Victoria many commuters are standing. Further- more, it is not uncommon for passen- gers to have an intolerable commute home –with many standing to Brom- ley South and sometimes beyond.” Saturday services currently offer
four or six carriages, which will be in- creased to eight. TheMPwould like to see 12 carriages serving the line dur- ing theweek.
KCC facing division shake-up
THE writing could be on the wall for Kent County Council if five local authorities press ahead with plans to join forces. Canterbury, Dover, Thanet, Ash-
ford and Shepway are considering combining to form a unitary au- thority, delivering all their own services without recourse to KCC. It has also been revealed that Maidstone is in talks with Med- way, Dartford and Gravesham councils about how they can pro- vide more cost-effective solutions, while Tonbridge and Malling Council is speaking directly with
KCC to avoid duplication of its functions. Council leader Nicolas Heslop
said: "I am working closely with the other two west Kent districts, the county council and others in- cluding the police and health serv- ices to seek opportunities for how we can deliver a more cost-effec- tive way of delivering local serv- ices so thatwe drive up standards, minimise duplication and deliver best value. “The borough council is in dis- cussion with the county council on a ‘district deal’, which would seek
opportunities for more local serv- ice delivery and better use of prop- erty assets. “Secondly, along with fellow
west Kent district councils, discus- sions are being held on the devel- opment of a closer working relationship with the county coun- cil to improve the co-ordination of services to our communities.” KCC leader Paul Carter believes
the division of Kent would be dis- astrous for the county and a huge waste of time, during a period when resources are already being stretched.
He said: “The great counties of
this country should not be broken up. County governance, working with other public sector partners and boroughs and districts, has the ability to deliver transformation.” The county council currently manages most of the education functions in Kent, but the govern- ment has announced it wants all schools to become academies by 2020 – free of local authority inter- vention. It is just one part of the govern- ment’s plans aimed at giving more power to local people.
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