News
downsmail.co.uk Ramblin’Man a family affair
MAIDSTONE has proved its reputation as a relaxed and trouble-free place for an international rock festival, organisers of the Ramblin’Man Fair have said. With the county town’s Mote
Park playing home for the fourth time to the two-day Ramblin’Man festival, local rock fanswere spared the trouble of travelling out-of- town for a stellar line-up, while hoteliers and airbnbers made hay hosting fans, as the sun shone. An event spokesman said: “It’s
never any trouble here and Maid- stone is such a nice place and an ex- tremely relaxed venue. I’ll be bringingmy family next year.” While much of the audience for
the line-up were aged over 40, many of them took their families, too, for a good natured “lesson from mum and dad in how to rock”. It was a great couple of days in
the summer sun, with the largest crowds on Sunday and only three complaints logged by Maidstone Council. Downs Mail reporter Neil
Firewarning
A BONFIRE can be an easy way to get rid of unwanted gardenwaste – but Kent Fire and Rescue have is- sued a safetywarning. They are reminding people not to
use flammable liquids or burn dan- gerous items, to ensure that the bon- fire is clear of buildings, fences and shrubbery, and to make sure they are kept to amanageable size. KFRS also advise that a bonfire
must not be leftunattendedandthat water is kept close by in case of emergency. Recent hotweather has meant the ground is bone dry and vegetation highly flammable.
Crash delays
A MOTORIST suffered minor in- juries in a multi-vehicle accident which causeddelays for traffic leav- ing theM20 on July 2. One lane of the coastbound exit at
Junction 7 was closed by the acci- dent, which involved several vehi- cles. Traffic was held up to allow access to the scene, which shut the right-hand lane of the slip road for traffic heading intoMaidstone.
Trucker freed
ALORRY driver had to be freed by firefighters after his truck hit a set of traffic lights. The incident happened on Blue
BellHill on June 28, andthe casualty was handedover toparamedics.His injuries are not thought to be seri- ous.
32 Maidstone August 2018 Have a say on local policing
THE public is invited to comment on new guidelines for police chiefs on howthey should deliver, support and develop neighbourhood policing. The document has been produced
by theCollege of Policingin response to criticism from Her Majesty’s In- spectorate of Constabulary in 2016, which found the effectiveness of “on the beat” officerswas being eroded. The guidance sets out core aims
for forces regarding neighbourhood policing that reflect recent demands, changes in society and budgetary cuts. It says officers should be: accessible to, responsible for and accountable to communities; engagewith communities to build trust and understand its needs; collaborate with communities to help solve problems, and take a proactive approach to pre- vent criminal activity. The guidelines offer examples of
the most successful approaches around the country to community is- sues, such as knife crime, and high- light the importance of having the right culture within policing; provid- ing sufficient capability to analyse problems and developing the people carrying it out. Superintendent James Lunn, from
The College of Policing, said: “Neigh- bourhood policing has changed and diversified over the years, and forces willalwayshave the independence to deploy their resources according to their needs. “However, from the start of the
work there was a sense that some focus had been lost. “The guidelines explains those es-
sential elements needed and de- scribes the outcomes and benefits.” Comment
byAugust9atwww.col-
lege.police.uk/neighbourhood-polic- ing
Nixon tracked down festival-goers fromCumbria, SwedenandFinland, awarding the title for the furthest- travelled fans to three from Aus-
tralia, who came from Melbourne and Adelaide, specifically to see Mott The Hoople. The good weather this year saw
many festival fans also take advan- tage of onsite camping opportuni- ties, with staggered arrival and departure times likely to be one rea- sonthe traffic jams of earlier festivals were considerably reduced. Neil said: “Festival organisers
made evenmore effort to reach out to the community, andstaff atMaid- stone Grammar enjoyed guest passes for offering parking. The school has also forgedlinkswith the event through a former pupil, who now works in sound production, andis actively looking to recruit oth- ers.” Ramblin’ Man’s organisers have
confirmed there will be another event
in2019.Two years ago, the fes- tival came in for a hail of criticism and negative headlines over the noise generated by the
event.Many of the issues had been ironed out by 2017.
JTB date off COUNCILLORS are frustratedafter theMaidstone Joint Transportation Board (JTB)was cancelled for a sec- ondtimedue to a “lack of business”. The board of elected members
from Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council, last met in January. April’smeetingwas cancelledand
nowJuly’shas followedsuit,despite councillors in the south of Maid- stone expecting an update on the junction improvements along the A229 aswell as a report on the town centre gyratory system. MBC declined to comment.
Firework date
POPULARMaidstone tourist attrac- tion Kent Lifewill be staging a fire- works spectacular this bonfire season. The display, held this year onNo-
vember 3 and 4, will feature fire- eaters igniting the bonfire before the traditional countdown to the py- rotechnics. There will be viewing points
across the 28-acre site. Kent Life opens at 3pm and the
bonfirewill be lit at 6.15pmfollowed by the fireworks at 6:45pm. Tickets must be pre-booked on-
line, theywill not be available to buy on the gate. For details, call 01622 763936 or
visitwww.kentlife.org.uk Follow Kent Life on Facebook –
/KentLifeFamilyFun and on Twitter @Kent_Life.
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