downsmail.co.uk Continued from page 34


that SouthernWaterworks had been completedwith very li�le disruption. Li�erAn email had been received froma parishioner complaining about the appalling state of the LenhamRoad. Issues of clearing li�er on roadswith speed limits of over 30mphwere discussed. The chairman asked the clerk to contactMBC about a parish liaisonmeeting to discuss the ma�er. Community Transport The clerk had been in contactwith a local community transport company,WealdenWheels, andwas investigatingwhether the KCC grantwould allowthe parish council to participate in a community scheme. May Fair The use of the village hall car park had been confirmed and the installation of an external point for electricity andwater at DaysGreen Store had been approved. Itwas hoped to have it installed before the fair. WarmemorialWork had been delayed by thewinterweather, butwould be completed as soon as possible.A£50 donation had been received fromthe FleurDe Lis lodge.A le�er of thanks had been sent. Ba�le’sOver guide Thework by the clerk continued but the signswere very encouraging.Ameetingwas to be arranged for those involved. Church Lane parking The detailwaswith the clerk and CllrD’Urso and thema�er was ongoing. FootpathKH602 Correspondence had been received fromKCC advising that part of the footpathwas to be closed due to an unsafe bridge over the River Beult. The bridgewas to be replacedwithin the scheduled six months. Tong FarmAn email had been received fromthe landowner concerning trespass and shooting on his land. Thema�erwas discussedwith the PCSOand the clerk contacted the landownerwith a suggestion. The landownerwas already takingmost of these steps but thanked the clerk for her support.Allma�ers had been reported to the police. Natural burial ground The chair said a landowner had approached the parish council tomake a gift of 4.5 acres of land behind a house onMillbank, on the provisio that it remained a green space in perpetuity, and that the parish council cover the cost of transfer and themaintenance costs. Itwas suggested that the land could be a natural burial ground (NBG). In themeantime, land known as Redhill Stables on the Lenham Roadwas nowproposed as anNBG. There was concern that the parish councilwould have to employ an outside body tomanage the ground. S106 reviewTherewere funds due to the parish council totalling some £357,000.A total of £165,413 of thiswas used to fund the project at the children’s play areas onDays Green andHoggs BridgeGreen. The balance could be used to fund other projects in and aroundHeadcorn.HoweverMBC had allocated a proportion of these funds for facilities atHoggs BridgeGreen,whichwas thought to be an inappropriate use of funding. The clerk asked if she could approach thosewho could find away to get these funds re-allocated. Speedwatch The police had assessed the site


36 Maidstone Weald June 2018


and the groupwas nowwaiting for training sessions.


Langley


Co-option Following a paper vote, Kim Chaplin and Roger Chaplinwere elected to fill the two vacancies. Signpost The fallen signpost at the junction ofHorseshoes Lane andHeath Road had been re-erected. Defibrillator Thiswas due to be installed at the VillageHall on Friday,May 25. TreeworkWorks identified in the recent survey had been completed. GDPR Itwas resolved to update the clerk’s computer package tomeet the new requirements and to appoint Satswana as data protection officer for one year. Noticeboard Itwas agreed to buy a new noticeboard for outside the doctor’s surgery. Play area Themonthly report fromMBC raised no newitems of concern. The clerk said she had beenmade aware of the plastic slide ge�ing very hot inwarmweather. It was agreed to reviewsignage and the slide.


Loose


Outbuildings Communitywarden Liz Lova� spoke about the risks of thefts from sheds, allotments and garages. She gave a number of tips for residents to reduce the danger and also to ensure that if property is stolen it can be recovered. She alsowarned that technology items in cars, such as dashcams and sat-navs are often forgo�en aboutwhen cars are locked up, despite being expensive items and provided advice on preventing crimes like these. Cllr Tony Oliver also advised of a scamcarried out on the Loose Roadwith a neighbour of his, and councillors asked if thewarden could visit the victim. Pavilion kitchen The door hingeswere agreed as per the round robin sent the previousmonth,while Cllr Luckhurst reported on an email fromthe contractor which confirmed thework on the kitchen would be completed betweenMay 26 and June 3; that the old kitchen and other rubbishwould be disposed of by the council and that decoration is not included in the quote andwould be an extra £280. The councillors agreed to decorate the kitchen themselves once the units had been installed. Neighbourhood PlanMBC had commented on theNeighbourhood Plan and these commentswere sent to experts Feria Urbanism,who felt some of themwere unnecessary but generallymostwould strengthen the plan.Ameetingwas arranged to go through the recommendations. SMART update Cllr Rigby reported that manyward councillorswere unhappy that the Joint Transport Boardmeeting had been cancelled andwere considering a legal challenge to the authority of the transport commi�ee. Cllr Rigby had also a�ended a regional Speedwatch conference,where new innovationswere shown off. Itwas hoped that the Loose teamwould be out by the middle ofMay andwas also reported that Kent is leading thewaywith the scheme,


and that other counties are in the process of adopting Speedwatch. Brooks Field The LooseAmenities Associationwas in consultationwithMBC ahead of the planning application for Brooks Field being formally put in. Utilities The council agreed to gowith Pozitive Energy to provide the gas and electric for the pavilion on a fixed rate for 36 months. The contractwas signed andwill startwith effect fromAugust 1. Expenditure Itwas agreed to set up dedicated @loose-pc.gov.uk email addresses for all councillors at a cost of £25 for initial set-up and £15 per year thereafter. The contract for the defibrillatorwas also ratified, aswas the contract for street lightingmaintenance. CommunicationsAnne Rigby, the council’s media and communications clerk,went over the details of a circulated report about the website and advised that changes had been made theword package used on thewebsite and that colours could nowbe used.A request had been received froma local swimming club to have their details on the website but thiswas rejected as advertising frombusinesses is not allowed on the website.


Marden


Communitywarden Fly-tipping had been reported along Copper Lane andMBC Community Protection Teamhad been contacted about buildingwaste on land next to one of the public footpaths. Crime update There had been five crimes since the lastmeeting; two thefts, one burglary froma dwelling; one burglary other than a dwelling and criminal damage to vehicleswith a catapult. Twomen had been arrested in connection to the damage to vehicles and catapults had been seized. There had been several reports of anti-social behaviourwhichwere being investigated. Flood group Cllr Tippen had a�ended the Joint Parishes FloodGroupmeeting. Cllr Adamasked that the itemregarding Leigh Flood Barrier be raised at the nextmeeting. GDPR The clerk had contacted five companies about a data protection officer and three responses had been received. It was proposed to offer the contract toGDPR- Info for one year and then reviewit. The clerkwould contact the company to ascertainwhether joint training could be undertakenwith PaddockWood to cut costs. Pathway name Redrowhad agreed to name one of the footpaths at the Parsonage development Simmons Path after the late Trevor Simmons. The company had also suggested amemorial bench,which the familywas discussing. Parking consultation The chairman had produced a report based on the consultation which had been circulated to councillors before themeeting. CllrAdamasked if an itemon pavement parking could be added. Thiswas agreed, togetherwith the remained of the report. Itwas proposed that the report be submi�ed to the next Joint Transportation Board. Marden in BloomAn email had been received asking permission forMarden in


downsmail.co.uk


Bloomto install awater bu� at the public conveniences. Concernwas raised about the water bu� being used to climb on to the roof so councillors didn’t feel thiswas the best solution. Cllr Stevens suggested adding a tamper-free tap on the outside of the public conveniences and the clerkwas to investigate costs. DonationAle�er of thanks for the donation had been received fromHospice in the Weald. FootpathAresident had reported that a stile had been erected on the PROWKM144 whichwas allegedly difficult to climb over and not accessible for pushchairs etc. The PROWofficer had been informed. Public transportAle�er had been received fromCllr EricHotson saying that he had wri�en toDavid Statham.MPHelenGrant said she had raised the concernswith the Secretary of State for Transport, alongwith the concerns about the capacity atMarden Station.


Ne�lestead


NewcouncillorOne residentwas interested in filling the vacancy on the parish council. Itwas agreed to co-opt EdwardWalter on to the parish council.All the relevant forms were signed andMrWalterwaswelcomed to the parish council. NeighbourhoodWatch Cllr Salter reported that a property had been broken in to along Maidstone Road. Property had been stolen and horseswere allowed towander into the road. Groundsmaintenance The newcontractor had carried out the second cut of the season at the KingGeorge V field and the council was happywith thework. The contractor would also empty the bin.Acut had been carried out at the church and other smaller areas in the parish. Cllr Salter asked if the piece of ground opposite the Railway Pub


AV-REGgreen Land RoverDefenderwas stolen fromPark Lane, Boughton Monchelsea. Awindowwas broken at a social club in


Lyngs Close, Yalding. The camping area at a park in Boughton


Lane, BoughtonMonchelsea,was vandalised. Afarmgatewas stolen fromNewBarn


Road, SuttonValence. Equipment for feeding sheepwas stolen


froma field inAtkinsHill, Boughton Monchelsea. Adinghywas stolen froma garden in


Priory Close, East Farleigh. The driver’s side rear light clusterwas


stolen fromaNissanNavara parked in a car park inHeath Road, Coxheath. Acar parked inWillowCrescent,


Staplehurst,was keyed. Avehicle parked in a garage block in


Duke of YorkWay, Coxheath,was broken into. Ashed at a house inDean Street, East


Farleighwas broken into, but nothing appeared to have been taken. Avehiclewas damaged in South Lane,


SuttonValence. The number plateswere stolen froma


would be cut – the clerkwas to seek clarification. Treework Three quotes had been received forwork to the trees. Itwas agreed to accept the quote fromOakwick for £250. The large ash tree overhanging the B2015was hopefully going to be cut byUK Power Networks at no cost to the parish council. Parking CllrMeredithwas in the process of writing toMBC about parking in Bryant Close.Acouncillor said that two large coaches occasionally used the car park. The clerkwould speak toGoldingHomes about this. Overhanging vegetation The clerkwas to carry out a site visit toNe�lestead and report any overhanging vegetation either to property owners or toMBC or KCC. The clerkwould buy a hi-vis vest for safety purposes. Street lighting SSE Contracting had contacted the clerk saying that they could no longermaintain the contract for the parish council due to re-location of the branch, and theywould like to terminate the contract early. The clerk had spoken to Streetlights of Meopham,which had offered to take over the contract at the same cost of £55.02 per month. Itwas agreed to go aheadwith this. The clerkwould forward a list of all streetlights owned by the parish council to the newcontractor and to allmembers. GDPR Itwas agreed to appointMicroshade VRMas the data protection officer for the parish council at a cost of £295 for the first year and £160 thereafter.


Ulcombe


Warden update CommunitywardenDawn Riach-Brown said she had dealtwith one report of anti-social behaviour. Councillor reports Borough and county councillor Shellina Prendergast provided two separate reports. FromMBC she


reported that enforcementma�ers, fly- tipping, li�er and theMeadows inquiry remain high on the agenda,while froma KCC perspective she said that there had been a further £4mfromcentral government to fix potholes.A‘find and fix’ campaign was being run to encouragemembers of the public to report potholes via the KCC website. Treework Thework on the trees at the recreation ground had been completed and therewere noma�ers outstanding. Socialmedia The parish council’s Facebook page had been set up by Cllr Robinson. GDPR The clerk presented a check list spreadsheet of documents held by the council thatwould formpart of theData Protection Regulation requirements. Itwas resolved that thiswas a correct record and agreed to reviewit on a regular basis. Defibrillator Itwas resolved that a councillor should contactUlcombe Primary School or the PTAto discuss the siting and funding options. Recreation ground CllrMoirwas to carry out the next play area inspection.Abollard wasmissing in the car park and needed to be replaced,while itwas resolved to accept a quote to repair the electricitymeter enclosure on the recreation ground. The electrical installation condition report for the pavilionwas also received and noted. Highways issues The clerkwas to report potholes onUlcombe Road, and individuals were encouraged to report potholes via the KCCwebsite’s report a fault page. Cllr Kenwardwas to explore the possibility of a 20mph zone outside the primary school with KentHighways,while itwas also agreed that Cllr Kenwardwouldmeet Kent Highways regarding the protection of the oak trees at Jubilee Corner,Ulcombe Road. Sign purchaseAquote for the Lenham Road bend sign purchasewas to be agreed at the nextmeeting.


NeighbourhoodWatch Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police


Citroen Berlingo parked in a car park in Forge Lane, East Farleigh. Despite being padlocked, a black and


green Carrera cyclewas stolen froma shed in a communal car park of a residential block in JohnDay Close, Coxheath.An attached phone holderwas also taken. Some jewellery and a china vasewere


stolen froma house in The Street,Ulcombe. Ashed in a field in East Sutton Road, East


Sutton,was broken into. Silver plate items and jewellerywere


stolen in a break-in at a house in Station Road,Headcorn. No accesswas gained in an attempt to


break into a house in TippenWay,Marden. Garden furniturewas stolen and one of a


property’s doorswere screwed shut in ChurchWalk,Headcorn. Part of a fence at a farmin LivertonHill,


GraftyGreen,was damaged. Adead catwas found beheaded in


LenhamRoad,Headcorn,with no evidence of an RTC or an animal atttack.


Abag of toolswas stolenwhen a Ford


Transit van parked in a car park in Loose Road, Loose,was broken into. Two ovenswere stolen froma house that


was being renovated inHowland Road, Marden. An attemptwasmade to steal items from


a barn at a farminMill Lane, Yalding, but nothing appeared to be taken. Apair of sunglasseswere stolenwhen a


VWGolf parked in BridgerWay, Langley. Two road signswere stolen fromthe road


in Battle Lane,Marden. Some drillswere stolen froma garage in


Hampstead Lane, Yalding. Partswere removed froma vehicle parked


inGoudhurst Road,Marden. Avehiclewas takenwithout consent from


Cleavesland, Yalding. Awindowwas smashed at a house in


Chantry Road,Marden. Thewindscreenwipers on a vehicle


parked inHeadcorn Road, Staplehurst, were bent and broken.


Maidstone Weald June 2018 37


Parish Councils


Crime reports


Parish Councils


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