downsmail.co.uk BoughtonMalherbe


Speedwatch Itwas agreed in principle to lend the Speedwatch equipment to NeighbourhoodWatch providing that there was insurance cover. Highways updates Several issues of ditches, gullies and potholeswere reported by Cllr Allumand the clerkwas to report themto KentHighways. Therewere still issueswith HGVs, so councillorswere tomonitor and lobbywhen appropriate. Cllr Collins had held discussionswith KCC over the bus subsidieswhich could have affected the 59 service, but as the consultation had been placed on hold, existing contracts had been extended until September. Meadows latest Cllr Turner gave feedback on anMBCmeeting about theMeadows Inspection hearing. Itwas agreed that Cllr Galton should place an article inMalherbe Monthly for evidence and experiences to be reported anonymously to the hearing by borough councillors. Donation Each suggestion for the donation fromQuinn Estateswas reviewed and decisionswere taken regarding the next steps for each one.Atotal of 28 optionswere discussed. Itwas decided not to pursue 14 of them,with six othersmarked as possible. The remaining eightwere listed as probable. Thesewere Christmas decorations, car parking at the village hall and village, traffic-calmingmeasures, a “slow” sign in Woodcock Lane nearAsh Tree Farm, imitation gates and name signs at village boundaries, street lights at either end of the footpath beside the KingsHead and the purchase of the village green. Signpost Itwas agreed to erect a PostOffice sign on the village green and for the council tomeet the cost of the post.


Bredhurst


NewcouncillorsAll three vacancies on the council could be filled by co-option. Four applications had been received.One of the fourwas unable to a�end themeeting, but the other threewere invited to speak briefly about themselves. Following a secret ballot, JohnMerrick,MiriamNoble andDavid Till were co-opted to the council. Play equipment Two inspection reports had been received about the play equipment and itwas identified that the aerial slidewas a risk due to the placing of the buffer tyre. It was agreed that Cllr Bowringwould inspect the slide and chain it up in the interim.MBC would be sent a le�er challenging the reports and asking for another inspector to visit and to arrange a possible sitemeeting. Speed limitMedway Councilwas proposing to reduce the speed limit in Maidstone Road at the entrance to the village fromthe national speed limit to 30mph. Itwas agreed that thiswould be a welcome proposal and the clerkwas to respond in favour. Resurfacing The required resurfacing in Hurstwood Roadwould be done and fully funded by KCC Public Rights ofWay.No contributionwas required by the council. Playing field Two requests had beenmade to use the playing field – a children’s sports afternoon onAugust 4,whichwould be instead of the church fete, and the village


32 Maidstone East May 2018


showon September 1. Itwas agreed that the field could be used for both occasions. Village tidy-up The turnout for the Bredhurst Tidy-upwas good and residents were thanked for their efforts. The stretch betweenDunn Street and the crossroads was to be done and thewaste collected. Therewere reports of commercialwaste being regularly dumped in a passing area on theway to Boxley, but evidence of the perpetratorwas needed to take this forward. Village hall Two complaints had been received fromthe village hall. The first regarded the erection of the fence and a responsewas sent,while the second concerned screws protruding fromthe playing field gate. Thiswas rectified by Cllr Hales. TreesMBC had emailed to tell the council that trees covered by Tree ProtectionOrders next to Strawberry Banks had been unlawfully pruned and destroyed and that an enforcement case had been opened. AdvertisingAn email had been received regarding advertising hoardings in Blind Lane and the residentwas advised to contactMBCwith his complaint.


Detling


Ratrun trafficMember of the public John Watson spoke about ratrun traffic in the village.He hadwri�en toHelenWhateley MP,who had suggested he contacted KCC councillor Shellina Prendergast.He had received correspondence fromresidents seeking action to address the problem. The chairman circulated information on the “20 is Plenty” campaign. Cllr Clayton felt that the council had the evidence to put together a plan, and itwas suggested that a group be set up before an independent consultant. Cllr Prendergast felt the issuewas down to enforcement by the police and suggested a meetingwith the Police and Crime Commissioner and a KCCHighways Officer. Fly-tippingAfridge had been dumped in Hockers Lane. Newcouncillor The chairman said an application for the vacancy on the council had been received and the details had been circulated.Applicant CarlaMaynard addressed themeeting and itwas agreed that she be co-opted onto the council. HorishWood Cllr Clayton and CllrHowells hadmetAlisonWainman fromKent Woodland Employment Scheme (KWES), the KentWildlife Trust andMid Kent Downs. Itwas agreed to keepworkingwith KWES, and to hand over themoney from theWoodlandGrant Scheme to them subject to themundertaking the required work in theWoodland. Itwas suggested that a noticeboard be erected to inform residents that thewoodlandwasmanaged by KWES.MrsWainman suggested that some large oaksmay need to be removed to open the canopy andwalks. Play equipment Cllr Zammit hoped the play equipmentwould be in place at theOld School Playing Field byMay. Cllr Bowie suggested a public consultation take place and Cllr Zammit said shewould consider the timescales before doing this. Air pollution CllrHowells had a�ended the


Joint ParishesGroupmeetingwhere itwas stated that any increase in air pollutionwas illegal. CllrHowells suggested that itmight be useful for the parish to invest in its own air qualitymonitoring equipment. Cllr Howells also suggested a collective study be undertakenwith Stockbury and Thurnham Parish Councils and thiswould be raised at the Tri ParishGroupmeeting. Maintenance Tony Taylor reported on the maintenance he had undertaken around the parish, undertaking checks of the defibrillator, cleaning the bus stop, replacing the light andwashing the village planter.He said drains and gullieswere still blocked in The Street, so the clerkwas to report that to KentHighways.Hewas concerned about the stability of the TudorWall and itwas agreed to seek the views of a surveyor. Beacons of Light The chairman had discussed holding the Beacons of Light event at the Kent Showground andwould report further at the nextmeeting.


Downswood


Co-option Two residents,MrNewton and Mr Rajalingam, had expressed an interest in the two vacancies on the council. Both candidateswere co-opted on to the council. BurglariesAresident raised concerns regarding recent burglaries that had taken placewithin the parish. The crime report later showed that there had been burglaries inWillowRise, Frithwood Close, Foxden Drive,HortonDowns and PennineWay. PCSOBoyd agreed to see if leafletswere available that could assistwith crime prevention. Themeetingwas advised that the police are not inactive and detectives are working on incidents, butwere unable to discuss individual cases.Guardcamwere recommended as the best CCTV providers and any footage that shows criminal activity should be sent to police. CllrNewtonwould speak toMBC to see if they could helpwith two cameras on loan. Grit bins KCC CllrGary Cooke apologised that KentHighways had been unable to fill the grit bins, but they had experienced major situationswith theweather and staff wereworking day and night gri�ing the roads to keep themopen. Councillors confirmed they had used the salt spreaders on roads and footpaths, but the salt had been used up very quickly. Residentswere invited to report potholes online. Streetlights Cllr Cheesman said that Highwayswas in the process of erecting newstreetlights onDeringwoodDrive. Play area Issues raised byMr Evere� relating to the FoxdenDrive play area had been passed on toMBC. The broken fencing had been removed,while the parish council’s responsibility for clearing the graffiti fromthe noticeboard had been actioned. CCTVCllrs Fincham,Greenhead and Weekswere to arrangemeetingswith security companies to obtain quotes for CCTV cameras. The use of dummy cameras was discussed and discounted. Steps Thework on the steps on the Public Right ofWaywas completed, but itwas noted that the handrailwas not in an ideal


Continued on page 34


Parish Councils


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