downsmail.co.uk OVER a lifetime, I have valued,
BBC doesn’t deserve licence fee MailMarks
respected, even cherished the BBC. No more. Now I back an end to its licence fee. In the last few years the BBC has lost confidence of so many. I now see it blatantly politically biased
to the Left, arrogantly disrespectful of our elected leaders, a campaigner against democratically-elected Brexit and offering programmes in the 7pm-9pm peak many have no desire towatch. This all came to a head for me after making various complaints to the BBC (all eliciting dismissive in-house responses) with a new complaint against our South East regional political editor Helen Ca and South East News, which I have taken to independent OFCOM. Most unusually, my wife and I shouted
in unison and turned off the TV in anger when at the end of a political piece based on a photo of Hitler cuddling up to supporters she ended with her own comment in noway substantiated by the content. She said of Prime Minister Theresa
May: “The public perception that she is someone who can’t relate to the average man and woman on the street does now seem to be firmly established.” I immediately emailed BBC South East
and formally complained to the BBC. Because Iwas dissatisfied with both
Road investment shame
THIS county town must hold the record for the sheer neglect in and the shameful lack of investment within our road system. An accident on the M20 on July 7 caused
the entire network to burst at the seams. Queues of 14 miles, HGVs and through traffic standing still. Any politician who, for one second,
believes we do not require a relief road for south Maidstone as soon as possible must be treated with the same contempt shown to their voting public. The sheer arrogance of those not prepared to acknowledge this relief road is neededNOWis beyond understanding. Selfish self-interests of a few must not be
allowed to delay the agreements to get the road off the drawing board and into reality. The ‘urban sprawl’ Kent County Council
leader Paul Carter warned of in relation to the possible detrimental effects of a relief road (speaking to the Downs Mail website) is an extremely insulting terminology for tax-payers living within the boundaries of Maidstone. Jenny Suon WILLact
Target rural seats
REFERENCE your recent reports about relief road campaign supporters considering standing in next year’s local elections, I trust you will urge campaigners to stand against Tory, Labour and UKIP councillors in a true measure of people power. With years of neglect for the county town they all have a responsibility for the state
34 Maidstone East August 2017
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
responses on balance and political bias I went to OFCOM for the first time. Iwant to trust television to be fair, independent and balanced. But I now see BBC both selecting and presenting news and comment as it campaigns to damage the Government, Prime Minister and Brexit. I watch to be aware of this highly mischievous behaviour - in a lifetime in journalism I know what goes on - but turn to ITV for a balanced approach. MPs and many others now challenge
the BBC. But the BBC lives behind awall of denials. I believe therewill be repercussions and one
option will be to end the licence fee. Why should a nation be financing an unsatisfac- tory service it increasingly distrusts?
Parking fees anger I HAVE have never seen so much
unanimity of anger as standing in a Fremlin car park payments queue witnessing increased parking charges.
that it is in! The town is neglected and the relief road
is just one part of a complete transport network that just cannot cope. I would suggest all seats should be challenged and specifically the rural seats - held by Tories who always seem to vote against any development that may benefit this sad County Town. Mike Cogger,Weavering
Poll humiliation?
THE debate for some sort of easing of the traffic flows seems to centre around the link between the A274 and the A20. I have heard an argument about creating another junction south of J8 of the M20, somewhere between Leeds Castle and the first Ashford turn off. This is a fudge and if anyone in Maidstone was to seriously propose it, I would hope that it would be laughed out of town. It is undeniable that wherever one proposes to put a new motorway, by-pass or relief road, someone is bound to be upset. What is slightly different about the
Willingston Street action group WILLact and its pals is that they are actually campaigning FOR something. From media reports I have read, there
seems to be a real issue with Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council not communicating or agreeing on the basic principles to get this thing going. People also have to realise that if a relief road/by-pass does ever get the go-ahead, it will be the start of as long and possibly torturous saga of consultations, public inquiries and protests which could last for
This reaction obviously got through
very quickly to management and in less than aweek the panic buonwas pressed and a further review promised. In a maer of a few days of the furore
hiing the front pages of our local newspapers, Idigo - which runs the car park - had capitulated under theweight of public pressure. What happens in the longer term is unclear. The increaseswere incredible and just
about everyonewas vowing never to use this car park again (good news for Maidstone council car parks). Peak-time became the most expensive
retail parking in Kent and clientswere shocked how some charges doubled from £3 to £6. A 30-minute stay on Fridays and Saturdays cost £3.50 – and three hours cost £8 rising to £10 for four hours on any day.
The operator says increases are necessary due to a massive lift in its business rates and rental charges. Every business must achieve its own viability – but there is a limit the public will pay and Fremlin reached it. It cannot be good news for Maidstone
town centre businesses. Theywant customers visiting Maidstone and not driven elsewhere by anger over parking charges.
years before the work even begins in earnest. But, for now, it is in the hands of the politicians and one would hope that consensus will prevail. Do they have to be humiliated at the polling booths in order to bring them to their senses?Well, we shall find out. WPrice, via email
Magazine a waste of money
I HAVE just received my copy of the new magazine issued by Maidstone Borough Council and, in my opinion, it is a waste of tax-payers' money. The previous system had worked well
for 12 years, so why change it? Instead of wasting OUR money like this,
I suggest they get out of their cosy offices and walk down the High Street and surrounding area, where they will find a patchwork on the pavements where repairs have been carried out and not replaced "like for like" - also, the uneven pavements. Considering Maidstone is the county
town, it gives a very poor impression. I have been a council taxpayer in Maidstone for nearly 50 years and am fed up with continual rises and then it being wasted on various schemes. In view of all the publicity about re- cycling, I suppose that by this publication being put in the bin by others as well as me, it will make it look as if the borough council has increased its quota. Finally, we would all like to know how
much this is costing US, especially compared with the previous system. M.A. Jopson, Coxheath, Maidstone
Comment
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
