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Residents called to rally for relief road proposals


A RALLY in support of the proposed relief road in south Maidstone will be held in the first week of November.


It is being organised by county


councillors Gary Cooke and Paul Cooper and will be held at the Mer- cure Maidstone (Great Danes) Hotel in a large function hall on November 2 at 6.30pm. Among the audience will be resi-


dents, pressure groups such as WILLact, representatives of parish councils and landowners, as well as locally-elected members of the bor- ough council, council officers and local MP Helen Whately. It will be chaired by independent


local businessman Geoff Miles, who is chairman at The Maidstone Stu- dios at Grove Green. Cllr Cooke, who has campaigned


for eight years to get the relief road on the agenda once more, said: “We’re looking at a hall with a ca- pacity of about 400 to 500 to accom- modate a pretty big attendance. “This is an important issue, and


one that has gained significant mo- mentum in the past year, not least by parish councils and the work of Jenny Sutton and her WILLact cam- paign in Willington Street.


Pro-relief road supporters John Garner (74), left, and Clive Baker (68) will attend the rally at the Mecure Maidstone (Great Danes) Hotel


“We want to update people where


Kent County Council is in its work on the relief road.” The rally is a non-political show of


strength by local people. It is likely to attract residents from Leeds, Sut-


ton Road, Willington Street, Shep- way,


Otham, Broomfield,


Kingswood and Langley. But in the run-up to the next tranche of Maid- stone Borough Council elections in May 2018, when 18 seats are up for


grabs, the issue of Maidstone’s hous- ing numbers and its impact on roads and the need for a relief road are likely to be significant in key battle- grounds. Cllr Cooke was hoping for greater


co-operation between the county council and the borough authority after a unanimous agreement in the summer by the joint transportation board to work on a relief road pro- posal. But he expressed disappointment


that the Lib Dem faction at MBC de- cided to invest developer contribution cash (section 106 money) not into the relief road fund but into walking, cy- cling and bus lanes as part of the council’s controversial “modal shift” strategy to get drivers off the road. Chairman of Maidstone’s cross-


party joint transportation board (JTB) David Burton said: “There is a tremendous amount of work going on to progress the many schemes for junction improvements, road up- grades and the Leeds Langley Relief road to improve congestion in Maid- stone.”


Sex offender’s 23-year stretch


A RAPIST who carried out a series of sex attacks against females – some in the Maidstone area - has been jailed. Jamie Tay-


lor (42), right, was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being found guilty of a string


of


physical and emotional at- tacks spanning 11 years. After a trial at Canterbury Crown


Entente cordiale is music to choir’s ears


MAIDSTONE Choral Union has been providing music to the ears of our French counterparts in the county’s twin town of Beauvais. The choir earned a standing


ovation fromFrenchmusic fans at St Peter’s – the highest vaulted cathedral in Europe at 48metres. Led by Marion Weller, their


concert includedwork by English composers Elgar,MalcomArcher, John Stainer and Howard


Goodall, with a little Mozart added for good measure. The choir then teamed up with their French colleagues to performJohn Lennon’s Imagine. Afterwards, Cllr David Pickett,


chorister and president of Maid- stone Choral Union, said: “I very much hope that this visitwill pave the way for further cultural ex- changes between the twin towns.” The choir then performed


Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy TheMikado atMote Hall Leisure Centre in aid of Voices for Hos- pices in October. Tickets and details of all future are


events available at


www.maidstonechoralunion.org. uk.  The choral union was formed in 1902. The link between Maid- stone and Beauvais twinning as- sociations goes back to 1961.


Court, which heard Taylor com- mitted multiple counts of rape and sexual assault, along with other crimes including making threats to kill, false imprisonment, possessing a firearm and perverting the course of justice. Taylor, previously of Flimwell,


East Sussex, was sentenced on Sep- tember 22 for the offences, carried out between 2006 and this year. Detective Sergeant Michelle


Burgess of Kent Police said: “I hope this lengthy sentence sends a strong message to other victims of sexual abuse that you do not need to suffer in silence.”


Maidstone Weald November 2017 27


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