News | Sponsored parish council Boxley Parish Mail
CHAIRMAN:Bob Hinder CLERK: Pauline BowderyASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU
Tel: 01634 861237 email:
clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website:
www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained fromthe parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website Whowe are and what we do
IN times of financial cutbacks, principal authorities (Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council) are looking to other sources of funding and partner- ship working and are increasingly approaching parish councils for support. Parish councillors are volunteers
who live in or close to the parish and so experience all the same problems as residents. The parish council is non-political
and so each councillor votes as they feel fit. Residents can ask for some- thing to be looked at or discussed and can even address the meeting directly by contacting a parish
Empty homes
MAIDSTONE Council’s housing and health department is asking res- idents to help them locate vacant properties in order to try to bring them back into the housing market. Maidstone council will then con-
tact the property owner and advise them of the availability of loans etc. and will support them to come to a decision to either repair and rent the property out or to sell it. Maidstone can undertake repairs
and charge this to the property owner to force them to deal with the property. Residents can report properties that have been empty for over six months to housingand-
health@maidstone.gov.uk.
Local support
BOXLEY parish councillors have again shown their willingness to support local groups.
They have awarded £264 towards the purchase of a defibrillator for Weavering Village Hall and £1,000 towards redecorating and window replacement at Grove Green Hall. Chairman Bob Hinder said “it is
vitally important that the parish’s grass roots organisations, which are often run by volunteers, are finan- cially supported.”
Next meeting
Meetings of Boxley Parish Council are open to the public. The next one will take place at 7.30pm on Mon- day, August 8, at Beechen Hall, Walderslade.
36 Maidstone East August 2016
Police help for nature reserve Volunteers at work on Vinters Valley Nature Reserve
VINTERS Valley Nature Reserve has received £500 from the Kent Police property fund. The 90-acre reserve between the Vinters Park and Grove Green housing estates provides an important habitat for wildlife and is a popular place for residents to visit. The money has been raised from the sale of items seized during police
operations and unclaimed property. It is then distributed among charities that provide a service for the people of Kent. SuperintendentMat Newton said: “I am delighted we can support this wonderful natural location that is used by so many residents and schools.” Boxley Parish Cllr Vic Davies, who is chairman of the Vinters Valley Park
Trust, said: “The reserve is run and managed by dedicated volunteers and depends on donations. These funds will help to pay for repairs following damage and erosion caused by recent poorweather.We are very grateful to Kent Police for their financial support.”
Noticeboard wardens
COUNCILLORS have volunteered to help keep parishioners in- formed of the council’s work by keeping noticeboards up to date. Because of time factors, staff could only visit each of the parish’s 10 noticeboards once a month when the notice of the council meeting went up. However, members have offered to collect material when they are at Beechen Hall and update the boards.
councillor or the parish office. You can also directly lobby the council- lors.
Decisions are made at public meetings and meetings are held at five venues throughout the parish, so the meetings come to you. Boxley ParishCouncil works with
other organisations to attract money into the parish. It also has extended powers to undertake other responsibilities (called a Power of Competence) so that it can be flexible to meet future and currently unforeseen needs. Amap of the parish boundaries is
available on the council’s website,
www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk.
Who do I contact? Report a problem on roads and pavements—KCC. You can go online to
www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem where you can re- port issues. In an emergency (something which can cause an injury or accident) you can call 03000 41 81 81. Bins, recycling and litter – For all bins and recycling enquiries you can contact Maidstone Borough Council. You can go online to
www.maid-
stone.gov.uk/residents/binsandrecycling. 01622 602162. Police community support officer – For non-urgent policing issues call 101 for the PCSO. Messages can be forwarded from the parish office. Community alerts – Boxley Parish Council. The parish council operates a community alert system. Please send your email address to
enquiry@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk and tell us the area you live within the parish and we will email community updates to you regarding your area.
Park run plan
MEMBERS discussed a suggestion that the parish council has a park run for children at the Weavering Diamond Jubilee Orchard. The ideawas brought forward by
Cllr Kaz Macklin following a visit to Grove Green Scouts. After receiving a detailed report
from parish clerk Pauline Bowdery, it was concluded that the orchard would be too small. To accommodate a 2km run
would put a severe strain on the site as this would require numer- ous circuits. If many children turned up, there could be damage to the grass paths and trees. It was suggested thatWeavering
Heath could be a suitable venue and agreed that the parish council offer help and support to the Scouts.
Civic regalia
A SUGGESTION that the council could commission a badge of office, hung on a cloth collar, was consid- ered as a parish council chairman is often invited to events and towear their civic regalia. Adecisionwas deferred pending
more information being obtained by the parish clerk on costs.
Beechen Hall
MEMBERS were notified of recent compliments from hirers viewing the hall about how impressed they were with the cleanliness, decora- tion and facilities at Beechen Hall.
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