downsmail.co.uk 


increase in council tax fromApril but if our quality of life is not to diminish further, it has to happen. Our local councils (Maidstone,


Tax bullet wemust all bite MailMarks


VERY fewwillwelcome a heftier


Tonbridge &Malling and Kent County plus Kent PoliceAuthority) have been severely restricted by government since 2012 on increases and they have cut back services and expenditure to the bone (and beyond). In addition, they have been starved of


much traditional government funding and expected tomeetmore costs, especially on social care. When theywere limited to only 2%


increases in 2012, councils trimmed off mostly the fatwe hardlymissed. But over the next five years the restrictionswere almost as severe and very significant cuts have beenmade in vital services. Nowcouncilswill be able to raise our


bills by up to 6%but as 2%is ring-fenced to help governmentmeet costs of seriously underfunded local social care, andwith inflation running around 3%, do not expect to see a big improvement in local services. The Local Government Association saysmany councils are at breaking point and the planned increase is nowhere near enough. The UK is reputed to be among the


wealthiest countries in theworld – yet increasingly I get a third-world feeling aboutmany local services, such as quality of our roads, uncleared li�er, hedgerows runningwild, lack of sensible school


EUcheeky to demandmore


RECENT studies showthe EU costs £980m aweek,whilewe’re cu�ing services and the national debt rises to £2 trillion.After all our contributuions to the EU – infrastructure, to its bank, to rescue the EU country’s undermined by the one size doesn’t fit all Euro and so on – they now have the damned cheek to demand billions more, or theywill try towreck our business! Some friends! They’remore like the


Mafia. The EU took 40%of our fishing rights,


decimating ports like Grimsby, Lowestoft and Hull. You don’t hear Remoaners worrying about them, just the EUworkers who have taken the jobs of the 1.6million we pay billions to, to sit doing nothing on the dole, addingmore to ourmassive debt. They’remore concerned about having to


get visas to travel to Europe. Theremay be some drawbacks from


leaving the EU, but it depends howmuch of their greed, arrogance and corruption it really isworth pu�ing upwith, to get minimal returns. They have taken years to do trade deals


around theworld, as it needs only one of the 27 states to have a self-interest against. People think London is remote, imagine


46 Maidstone February 2018


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


places, diminishing library services, reducing rural bus services, lack of council staff, shortage of police.Add to these, deteriorating national services on the likes of the NHS, the nation’s infrastructure, and support for those in greatest need. It is not a happy picture. Those in Band F propertieswill see


council tax bills rise fromaround £2,300 to about £2,450 and Band G fromabout £2,650 to around £2,820. The increases are rightly less for smaller properties. Formany, the increasewill be painful –


but it is a local tax bulletwe nowhave to bite.





Woodcut Farm NOW it has been carefully


considered and accepted by a government inspector as a significant feature ofMaidstone Local Plan, I see no prospect of success for on-going protestors against the business park now scheduled forWoodcut Farmat J8 of the M20. It has themassive advantage of the


easiest-possible access to our key motorway for lorries and cars and this


us totally ruled fromBrussels! Phil Granger,WestMalling


Make roads systemwork


THE le�er published in a recent edition of DownsMail addresses the serious issue that all of uswho live in and use the roads around NewCut Road and Bearsted Road have to dealwith and an issue that worsens asmore development takes place, not only on the TV studios site but also on the nearbymedical campus. Thismust be dealtwith now, and it


seems tomewe shouldmake full use of the roadswe already have. The removal of the barrier fence,which


preventsAverenches Road frombeing used as itwas intended, is urgently required. The roadwas designed to provide access into Grove Green – and no doubt the developmentwas granted planning permission taking that access into account. If traffic could access the area aswas


intended in the design then therewould be a reduction in traffic using the section of Bearsted Road through the narrow section past Gidds Pond co�ages, aswell as a reduction in traffic using the northern section of NewCut Road. Roger Hurst,Maidstone


should keepmost of themoff our overcrowded local roads. It is the type of location businesses demand and I believe itwill quickly prove an economic boom to our town. What I do not buy is that itwill be an


unseemly distraction for our lovely Leeds Castle. They are far enough removed. I also disregard suggestions this should


be linkedwith the huge and successful KIG ba�les. KIGwas a rail/warehouses monstrosity proposed from Hollingbourne through Thurnhamto the centre of Bearsted. Some fear the newbusiness park is just


the first step in KIG No. 2. I see no evidence of this andwelcomeMaidstone Council statements that land between Woodcut Farmand Bearstedwill be safeguarded. The business parkwill require quality


design and good landscaping to ensure that its prominent position viewing from theA20 is not unduly harmful in this se�ing close to anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). I amstill not convinced, however, that


Maidstone Borough Council chose the right site for this park. I preferred the Gallagher proposal on


the opposite side of theA20,with its natural visual shielding. Itwould have also been the starting point for the Leeds/Langley bypass running to Five Wents, Langley,with a good chunk of funding to support the newroad.


No choice overWoodcut


IN LIGHT of the controversial nature of theWoodcut Farmapplication, I thought it worthwhile placing into contextmy decision to frame andmove themotion which sawapproval granted for outline planning permission for up to 45,295m2


of


commercial development on farmland between theA20 andM20, close to J8. A planning commi�eemust determine


all applications in conformitywith the development plan. To stray fromthis quasi-judicial straight-jacket and refuse a policy compliant application invites an expensive planning appeal, an overturn of its decision and hefty costs award. For a big application likeWoodcut Farm,


such an award of costswould totalmany hundreds of thousands of pounds, resulting in further cuts to council services. The planning commi�ee cannotmake or


amend the policies bywhich it is bound. It wasMaidstone council’s strategic planning commi�ee (and the full council) which democratically agreed the Local Plan, including its allocation of 49,000m2


commercial floor space atWoodcut Farm. All responsiblemembers of our


planning commi�ee understood that they had no choice but to permit this application.


of


Comment


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