News | Elections


downsmail.co.uk


downsmail.co.uk


News


Site lorries jam village roads


A CATALOGUE of complaints has landed at the borough council’s feet after it approvedplans for a housing development in theWeald,without regard for how the site would be reached. HGVs and concrete lorries have


The Liberal Democrat group is celebrating keeping hold of power, despite losses at the polls


Lib Dems control council after striking aLabourdeal


THE Conservatives have failed in their attempt to wrest back control of Maidstone Borough Council, despite being the largest party at the town hall. The Liberal Democrats resume as


All the results for


borough council Allington Dan Daley (LD) – HOLD Bearsted Mike Cuming (Con) – HOLD Boxley Bob Hinder (Con) – HOLD Bridge Jonathan Purle (Con) – CON GAIN FROMLD Coxheath & Hunton Lottie Parfitt- Reid (Con) – CONGAINFROMLD East Nikki Fissenden (LD) – HOLD Fant Paul Harper (Lab) – HOLD Harrietsham & Lenham Janetta Sams (Ind) – HOLD Headcorn Martin Round (Con) – HOLD Heath Ashleigh Kimmance (LD) – HOLD High Street Clive English (LD) – HOLD Marden & Yalding David Burton (Con) – HOLD North TonyHarwood (LD) –HOLD Park Wood Daniel Rose (Con) – HOLD Shepway North Alan Bartlett – CON GAIN FROMIND Shepway South Malcolm McKay (Lab) – LAB GAIN FROMIND South Derek Mortimer (LD) – HOLD Staplehurst John Perry (Con) – HOLD


4 Maidstone Weald June 2018


the ruling party after elections on May 3 in a coalitionwith theLabour Party and assorted independents. MartinCox is the newleaderwith


independent FayGooch as deputy. Although the Tories are numeri-


cally superior, with 25 seats com- pared to the Lib Dems’ 20, they could only achieve the support of the two-strong Independent Maid- stone group. Two members were unavailable for the vote onMay 19. Even with all the members in


place, the votewouldhave been tied at 27-27, with the Lib Dem mayor given the casting vote. Lib Dem councillor Clive English


said: “Itwas slightlymore comfort- able for us because two Tories weren’t present. “In any case, it would have gone


to the casting vote and we’d have taken it that way. But it just goes to showthat the Tories find it difficult to negotiatewith other parties.” Defeated Tory group leader John


Perry said: “We got stitched up by an inevitable coalition.Wewere two members down, for totally under- standable reasons beyond their con- trol. “Naturally, I amdisappointed, be-


causewe had justwon an election.” Cllr Perry said theMay 2019 elec-


tion campaign “begins immedi- ately”. OnMay 3, the Tories made three


gains while the ruling Liberal De- mocrats dropped two. The Tories picked up Bridge (Lib Dem), Cox-


Cllrs Fay Gooch andMartin Cox


heath & Hunton (Lib Dem) and Shepway North (Independent Maidstone). Most Conservatives agreed that, had theyworked Shep- way South harder, they may have been able to take that seat aswell. Paul Cooper was essentially put


up as a paper candidate andbanked on Independent Maidstone’s John Barned retaining the seat on a large personal vote. However, Labour’s MalcolmMcKaywon the seatwith a majority of 51. Mr Barned said: “I’mnot going to


stand again. I’mnowinmy 70s and it is time to stand aside and let some of the younger ones do it. I’ll still be active in local stuffwhere I can.” Independent Maidstone’s Eddie


Powell said the doorstep feedback towards the mainstream political partieswas “extremely negative, but also extremely real”.His prediction of a low turnout on the day – just


THE NEWCOUNCIL


The composition of Maidstone Borough Council is now: Conservative 25 Liberal Democrat 20 Labour 3 IndependentMaidstone 2 Independents 4 Independent other 1 Source:MBC


31%– favouring the traditional par- ties also proved true. Cllr English, who easily retook


HighStreetward, saidthathismem- berswere “reasonably happy”with some of the results. He added: “There were one or two surprises, but nothing earth- shattering.All the results can be put down to local fac- tors.” The Lib Dems dropped Bridge


andCoxheath&Huntonwards.Cllr English suggested a hard campaign by the Green Party’s Donna Greenan and her team may have squeezed the Lib Dem vote in Bridge ward to let Tory Jonathan Purle in by a handsome 110 votes, at the expense ofDavid Pickett. He added: “In effect, there was a


pincer movement between the Greens andtheTories.Evidentlywe underestimatedthe number of votes theGreenswould get in Bridge.” In Coxheath & Hunton, Lottie


Parfitt-Reid dislodged the popular and respected BrianMortimer after a spirited campaign. See page 12 for an interviewwith her and Brian.


been usingHuntonHill to get to the site in Yalding for a month, even though no formal route has been agreed by the borough council. Hunton Parish councillor Jonny


Goodard said: “Villagers are spend- ing an hour to get from Hunton to Yalding because of lorries negotiat- ing these narrowlanes.” This month’s 11-week closure of


Hunton Hill – the main road through the village – will only add to the problem. In April, Hunton Parish Council


complained that Countryside Prop- erties had not provided a route for constructiontraffic toVicarageLane. However, Maidstone Council’s en- forcement


team described the


breach as “not serious enough for any immediate action”. The parish council now hopes to


get the route amended by working directwith theHighwaysAuthority. Parish councillor Helen Ward


said: “This is a borough council issue, butwe areworkingwithKent County Council (KCC) to sort this mess. The problem ultimately falls at the feet ofMaidstone Council for approving housing on an inaccessi- ble site where none of the bridges can be used, including those at Teston and Farleigh.” Maidstone Borough Council


leader Cllr Martin Cox said he was aware of the concerns of Hunton and Yalding parish councils, and said two management plans – one


Traffic on Hunton Hill


usingYaldingHill –were being con- sidered, but defended the decision not to enforce itsplanning condition. He said: “It is not normal practice


toundertake formal enforcement ac- tion while an application that pro- poses an acceptable scheme isunder consideration.That said,we are very sympathetic to the feelings of the community and have relayed these comments to the developer.” But some argue that batting blame


to the developer is no excuse for the borough council. MPHelen Grant,who lives in the


village, says a better working rela- tionship is needed between the two authorities. She said: “In my sub- mission to the planning committee last year Iwarned that the vehicular activity from this development would create a significant impact. “For some time I have also been


concernedabout the relationshipbe- tween KCC Highways and MBC planning and I have been working with their leaders, and others, to seek a way forward. It is vital that developments have the necessary transport infrastructure.”


Chaoswarning as road closes


MAJOR traffic disruption is ex- pected when work starts to re- place awatermain inHunton. ThemainisonHuntonHill, the


main road in and out of the vil- lage. Itwillbe closedfor 11weeks from June 18, with the road be- tween Amsbury Road and East Street shut until September 3. Traffic lights will operate on


the East Street/West Street junc- tion for two weeks, with Lughorse Lane closed. Traffic will be diverted to the


B2163 Heath Road and Ewell Lane throughWest Farleighto the Tickled Trout, then the B2010


SmithsHill andYaldingHill into Yalding and back alongVicarage Road intoWest Street. Jeremy Dufour, the project


manager from South EastWater, said contractors would work six days aweek to ease disruption A Hunton Parish Council


spokesman said: “There’s con- cern the diversion route will be chaotic and dangerous, with HGVs travelling in both direc- tions, especially with additional construction work in Vicarage Road. Residents are alsoworried about the impact onsmaller lanes as drivers look for shortcuts.”


Where herWhere there’s a Will there’saer s away


Will Your app your children


• Save your family tax you


• Give you peace of mind, a very valuable commodity Just as you take expert advice when buying a new


mind y valuable


house or investment plan, it’s even more important to take expert advice regarding your Will.


If you don’t have a Will – now is the time to discuss your wishes. If you have a Will – does it still reflect your wishes and in a tax efficient way?


To review your curre Will us today.


e evie toda


Canterbury 01227 643266 Maidstone 01622 698051 Tenterden 01580 767540


enter e


Whiteheaitehead Monckton Limite d (no. 08366029), registered i n England & Wales. Registered office 72 King Street, Maidstone, K ME14 1 wwBL. Authw.whitehead-monckton.co.uk Authority under no. 608279.


www.whiteheawhitehead-monc o.


Monc ng d & W Limite DM2016 Maidstone Weald June 2018 5 Ma orised and regulgulated by the Solicitors Regulation ci gul


nckton o.n.c.co.uk one, Kent,


your ent Will at no charge contact charge c s a


o Will can be a very powerfu loved ones. It can:


very powerful too ooll to hel you ou choo help your


• Ensure your assets are left to the people you choose • Protect your family - appoint guardians for


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25