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Passionate support for Brexit MailMarks
NOTHING in the almost 20-year history
of Downs Mail has aroused Maidstone pas- sions more than EU referendum since I rea- soned in March why I would vote Brexit. This is our last chance to reflect reader views before the big vote on June 23.
OUR family too was inspired by the Downs Mail to discuss Brexit and all three generations agreed we must vote Leave. We all suffer in Maidstone by massive population growth and serious deterioration in services and lack of in- frastructure. We too have an infant denied a place in three schools of choice and facing a nightmare and costly P.B., Maidstone
journey.
THE Government has broken its green belt pledges and insisted on appalling urban sprawl. Much of this is down to uncontrolled immigration. The impact on our lovelyMaid- stone area and pressure on services are im- mense. And if we vote to Remain in the EU it will get much worse. The National Trust is on the ball – and so must be all of us. Mrs B. Chalmers, Maidstone
IT SEEMS to me only voters (and foreigners) whowant us to remain in Europe are the priv- ileged protecting personal or business interests. They are protected from the awful impacts of the EU so damaging to the lives of the rest of us. I meet hardly a Maidstone resident who will vote to Remain and I trust the rest in
Beach access for all
IAMthe founder of the disability awareness campaign Changing Impressions and have started a petition to enable disabled access to the beach and sea at a minimum of one beach per coastal county in England. As a special educational needs teacher
and twin to a brother with cerebral palsy, I am aware that individuals with mobility difficulties can miss opportunities in many aspects of life because of their needs. However, I do not feel that something as simple as going to the beach should be one of these. Poor access can be a problem during
family holidays as it can split up the family group when it is time to go to the beach. I don't feel that someone should have to miss out of this because of a mobility need. Many locations abroad are beginning to provide these services and I feel that in England they should become a more regular feature. As the petition stands at present, just
under 2,000 signatures have been gained since the end of February when it was started. However, a further 8,000 signatures are required by the end of August in order to make the government respond to the petition. There is still a long
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Simon Finlay Editor
simon.finlay@
downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231
30 Maidstone Town June 2016 Diane Nicholls
Assistant editor
diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232
Jane Shotliff
Journalist
jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
Dawn Kingsford
Journalist
dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
Britain are with us. I have a feeling they are. M, Reed,Walderslade
I USED to travel out of rush hours to do my business in Maidstone. NowI despair because the jams so often last most of the day. And ex- perts warn me with all the housing planned Maidstone will just grind to a halt. It is almost impossible to fix timed business appointments in town. And yesterday I requested a doctor’s appointment and it is fourweeks away. What will happen formy children and grandchildren ifwe stay in the EU? Brian Coe – by email
THE Prime Minister cannot frighten us in to continuing with the frightening consequences of remaining in the EU. We have to leave to stand a real chance of regaining the Britainwe want and avoid a growth in the horrorswe cur- rently endure. We know they will get much worse by retaining membership of this unde- mocratic, expensive and troubled club. T Patel , Maidstone
I AGREE with readers in May Downs Mail – leaving the awful EU does not mean we are leaving our many European friends and will
way to go. To sign the petition, please go to
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/ 122392 Leanne Burgess, Maidstone
Great care at hospital
DUE to all the bad press Maidstone Hospital gets, I would just like to tell you what fantastic care I received at Maidstone Hospital in the cardiac unit and Culpepper ward after I had a heart aack recently. The care I received whilst in hospital,
and at home, by the cardiac nurses could not have been beered anywhere else. JillWellbelove, via email
Schools under pressure
MAIDSTONE has recently witnessed huge changes in its population growth and forecasts indicate this will continue due to ongoing trends for inward migration and an increasing local birth rate. As a result, the growth in demand for primary school places will continue to put pressure on all our local schools. Over the last three years, KCC has seen significant demand for school places arising from new housing developments in Maidstone. In the absence of a revised Local Plan, it is difficult for county to
not work and co-operate with them on signifi- cant issues. And all countries willwant to con- tinue to trade on sensible terms. I love Europe but not the ramifications of an anti-democratic organisation which tries to control us at im- mense financial and cultural cost. Mrs. J. Russell, Tonbridge
MYpassions for Brexit grow stronger by the day. I see June 23 as our Independence Day.
Unpredictable to the end
MAIDSTONE Borough Council elections remained predictably unpredictable until the very last vote was counted in Coxheath and Huntonward – giving LibDems’ Emily Fermor (23) a single vote victory over Conservatives’ Ron Leagas. The Lib Dems, UKIP and Labour ended the
day with smiles. The Tories needed probably to gain one seat for overall control. By losing two to the Lib Dems (22 seats) they remain the largest party (23 of the 55 councillors) but their influence on the council is diminished. Once again, Maidstone Lib Dems punched
above theirweight, but politicians from all par- ties offered other reasons. They said the EU vote dominated on the doorsteps and felt the vicious split in the Conservative party nation- ally, plus a loss of popularity for Prime Minis- ter David Cameron helped both UKIP and Lib Dems locally.
adequately plan for additional school places that might be required. Maidstone’s previous Local Plan, adopted in 2000, identified 7,400 new homes; this compares against a revised housing need of 18,560 dwellings through until 2035. It is of prime importance that new housing developments mitigate their educational impact through developer’s financial contributions, enabling the expansion of existing schools, the establishment of new free schools and, where appropriate, the development of new academies. Hence, development proposals should
only be supported where adequate provision can be provided, which clearly extends to wider aspects of infrastructure provision than just education. It is not just the densely-populated areas
of urban Maidstone, but the rural fringes too which are facing similar pressure on primary places. Headcorn, Marden and Harrietsham/Lenham have been identified for expansion. However, in a number of these locations,
the expansion of existing primary schools would be extremely difficult due to lack of space on the school site or planning constraints. KCC is currently exploring a number of options for school expansions right across
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