News | Sponsored parish council Boxley ParishMail


CHAIRMAN: BobHinderCLERK: Pauline BowderyASSTCLERK:Melanie Fooks ParishOffice, BeechenHall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade,ME5 9RU


Tel: 01634 861237 email: clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website: www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained fromthe parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website Another busy year in the parish


Another year has flown by, and inmy last annual report I couldn’t imagine it getting any busier for the parish, but it promptly did, and shows no signs of abating in the near future.


The Planning and the Environ-


ment Committee, chaired by Wendy Hinder, has again under- taken sterlingwork to represent the parish council, local communities and residents. The parish council made strong


representations concerning the pro- posed school atNewCut Road and will continue to do so at the public inquiry. The important issue for all the residents is the traffic and park- ing that will be generated, and the parish council will ensure that the need forRoad TrafficOrders to stop commuter and school parking is made totally clear. The parish council objectedto two


additional houses on the edge of Boxley village and this has also gone to appeal. Imust acknowledge and thank all parish councillors who undertake additional work by attending public appeals or helping residents to make their views known at the right time.


Newwoods THIS yearWalderslade community might finally get a properly-fi- nanced community woodland, but there is also the threat of more de- velopment just beyond the parish boundary, so your parish council will remain vigilant. Wewill also keep pushing for im-


provements to the M2 junction 3 andA229 highway infrastructure. It has involved the four MPs and hopes to keep pressure on High- ways England and KCC.


Hello, goodbye WITH elections andchanges inper- sonal circumstances there is always some turnover and in January we welcomed Ann Brindle as a parish councillor. We say goodbye to Maureen


Waller and Pat Brooks, who each served for over 25 years. They will bemissed. Borough CllrDerek But- ler decided not to stand in the elec- tion.His service is acknowledged.


28 Maidstone East June 2018 The parish council was unsuc-


cessful, due to safety issues, in get- ting an improved pedestrian crossing at Grovewood Drive North, but has paid for pedestrian crossing signs to be erected byKCC. The Estates Committee, ably


chaired byVicDavies, has also been extremely busy on the planned im- provements for BeechenHall, look- ing after Dove Hill Allotments, the burial ground andWeavering Dia- mond JubileeOrchard. This coming year it will take on


responsibility for Franklin Drive Open Space and itwould be remiss ofme not to acknowledge thework of Borough CouncillorWendyHin- der and the large donation received fromGallaghers,which has paid for additional play equipment. Beechen Hall Extension Work-


ing Group, Vic Davies, Lynn Clarke, Ivor Davies, Paul Dengate, Kaz Macklin, Pat Sullivan, Pauline Bowdery and Melanie Fooks, have


worked extremely hard to ensure that the project is a success,with no increase in the precept. It will use £90,000 of council reserves and for the first time ever, the parish coun- cil has applied for a Public Works Loan of £90,000 which will be re- paid from the hall hire fees. This time next year I hope to be report- ing the successful completion of the work. This year, after 20 years of service,


one of our caretakers Maggie left and it is right to acknowledge her long service and the hard work of the Beechen Hall staff who keep it in excellent condition and who are also representatives of the parish councilwhen theymeet hirers of the hall. Our third committee, Finance &


General Purposes, under the watchful eye of its chairman Ivor Davies, has ensured that the parish councilworks prudently and that it also supports local organisations


Thanks to all our volunteers


BOXLEY Parish is large and hasmany halls, beautiful areas and habitats which all needmaintenance. For many years volunteers have


given up time, money and effort to keep these facilities and areas open and safe for visitors. This is not with- out problems, especially in theNorth Ward with off-road bikers, and, of course, with the financial situation and the cut in services. The pool of volunteers also seems


to be getting smaller, so I am ap- pealing formore volunteers. The parish council financially sup-


portsmany of these organisations as it recognises thatwithout all the vol- unteered hours, our parish and com- munities would be a poorer place. Thanks go to:


Vinters ValleyNature Reserve WaldersladeWoodlands Group Friends of BoxleyWarren Sandling Village Social Hall Weavering Street Hall Grove Green Hall


The parish council also welcomes


a new group, Friends of Weavering Heath andWoodlands, to this list. Individuals often contribute to the


wellness of our parish and communi- ties by litter picking, reporting pot- holes, litter and flytipping and these are important contributions. Special thanks go to our clerk


Pauline,who arms herselfwith sacks and a litter-picker to keep Walder- sladeWoods Road free of litter. Numerous other groups including


the Scouts, Brownies, PTAs, commu- nity groups etc add to the rich tap- estry that is a community and it gives me much pleasure to be able to thank everyone for their hard work.  We have a very dedicated coun- cillor in ourmidst who, in all winds andweather has deliveredmonthly a copy of the DownsMail tomany residents in Walderslade. My sin- cere thanks go to Ivor Davies for carrying out this task.


with grants, ranging fromhundreds to thousands of pounds. The committee plays a vital role


in ensuring that the parish council works in an open and accountable way and that by the use of policies and procedures, residents can, by accessing thewebsite and attending meetings, see this for themselves. It is this professional approach


which has enabled the parish coun- cil tomanage its reserves and is now able to release money without in- creasing the precept, which is still one of the lowest inMaidstone. Without the diligence and hard


work of councillors this parish council would not be able to oper- ate.Not all battles arewon but resi- dents appear to appreciate the fact that not only are their concerns and views taken on board but where possible the parish council tries to get action to alleviate any issues. BobHinder Chairman Boxley Parish Council


Your privacy THE arrival of the General Data Protection Regulations has put the parish council in a bit of a spin. It has resulted in an enormous in-


crease of work and a complete re- viewof all the systems.Themajority of thework has fallen on staff,with councillors offering help and views. After years of building up com-


munity alert e-mail lists, there had been a worry that residents might choose not to opt in, but I am de- lightedto say thatmost residents see the value of this system. The new laws build on what we


already do to give your personal in- formation the respect it deserves.


Office thanks MY thanks and that of the council- lors go to the office staff Pauline Bowdery,Melanie Fooks andAngie Candy,who ensure thatwe allmeet on the same day, have the relevant paperwork to read and that resi- dents’ questions are answered.


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