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Lier force suspended after BBC’s Panorama


MAIDSTONE council has sus- pended litter wardens from duty for a second time after a Panorama investigation revealed they were being paid bonuses based on the number of tickets they handed out. The council said itwas aware that employees of Kingdom Security, the company it employs to run its litter warden service, could receive a “dis- cretionary competence allowance”. However, the borough insisted


that this was linked to overall per- formance and not merely the num- ber of tickets issued. The latest suspension follows the


BBC TV airing of Inside the Litter Police, which showed an officer from Kingdom Services claiming that his bonus one month was nearly £1,000. Other officers were filmed hand-


ing out fines for dropped orange peel and poured-away coffee. Panorama sent an undercover re-


porter to work with Kingdom’s en- forcement team in Bexley, where one officer boasted he earned £987 in bonuses while working in Ash- ford.


Viewers saw how one operative explained staff topped up their £9.47 per hour pay with a ticket bonus. The first four fines went to King-


dom and then a bonus of up to £6 each thereafter. Kingdom – which splits the fine


revenues 50-50 with Maidstone Bor- ough Council – claims the scheme is to reward competency and cus- tomer service. The undercover reporterwas told


by a trainer: “Obviously, we are here to make money, I’m not going to not say that to people.” One officer told the reporter that


he often pretended to call the police in order to make people hand over their personal details. Once he had these, he could issue a ticket. Kingdom has about 28 contracts


with local authorities and, last year, saw its profits jump by 30% to £9m. The company said itwas important that members of the public knew what could happen if they are con- victed at court, but any decision to prosecute would be made by the local authority. Kingdom officers returned to


duty in Maidstone last October hav- ing been suspended by the council after one fined a woman for feeding the ducks in Tovil. Jennifer Shepherd, Maidstone council’s head of environment and public realm, said: “In light of the Panorama investigation, we have made the joint decision with King- dom to remove the officers from duty today (May 16). “We are speaking with Kingdom


to review how we can continue to provide the best service to residents and when officers will be rein- stated.”


News Homes plan at


traffic hotspot RESIDENTS have been sent leaflets revealing an 840-homes plan near gridlocked Hermitage Lane. Developer Gladman has delivered


470 pamphlets to homes and busi- nesses outlining a public consulta- tion into their proposal. They promise a new school, doc-


tor’s surgery and improved traffic. Gladman Developments Ltd in-


tends on submitting an outline ap- plication to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council in 2017. The site is a 33.69 hectare field to


east of Hermitage Lane in Ayles- ford. The south east boundary is near Barming station and a large depot to the south, with London Road and Hermitage Lane border- ing the north and west. Residential areas inAylesford and Allington lie to thewest and south east. A new link road from the Poppy


Fields roundabout to Hermitage Lane will alleviate traffic congestion between the Coldharbour Round- about and A20/Hermitage Lane junction. The Poppy Fields roundabout will


also be improved to significantly in- crease current capacity. Congestion at the A20/Hermitage


Lane junction will be reduced by land being safeguarded for Kent County Council’s highway im- provement works, says Gladman.


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