downsmail.co.uk


Councillor not guilty of assault


ABOROUGHcouncillor has been cleared of assaulting a 12-year-old boy during a ball game. Postman Richard Webb (43) lost


the LiberalDemocratwhip andwas suspended from the party while his case went to court. The allegation


stemmed froman incident at Cox- heath village hall, where he was a


volunteer, inNovember last year. CllrWebb, a popularmember (for


Coxheath) of Maidstone Borough Council, told Downs Mail at the time he vigorously denied the accu- sations levelled against him. He had been volunteering at the


hall when there was an altercation during a ball game. We understand the child reported it to a parentwho then notified police. LibDemcolleague Emily Fermor,


who also representsCoxheath, said: “The localLibDems aredelightedto have Richard back in the fold.


“Whenwe’re out canvassing, peo-


ple have been asking after him. He is not only a very hard-working councillor but a really decentman.” Cllr Gill Fort, the Conservative


member for Leeds, said at the time of his arrest: “Most people find this pretty hard to believe – he’s really well-likedbymembers of allparties. He comes across as a very dedi- cated, hard-working guy.” Cllr Webb had to scale back his


public duties while his court case, which was heard beforeMaidstone magistrates,was pending. He told a news outlet after his ac-


quittal: “I want to return to my life before November. There were defi- nite black times and my mind has been all over the place.” Cllr Webb, of Clock House Rise,


will be under pressure to hold onto his seat, having secured only a nar- row margin of 53 votes over the Conservatives in 2015. HisLibDemcolleagueBrianMor-


timer lost his seat to the Tories this year and Coxheath & Hunton is on the list of Tory targets inMay 2019.


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News Flying flag with Pride


FORMER Invicta Grammar School pupil Cllr Emily Fermor has been burst- ing with pride after the rainbow flag was flown over the town hall. Nowthe LibDemborough councillor is hoping to engagewith the LGBT


community for PrideWeek in 2019. The Oxford graduate (pic-


tured) said: “We're looking into putting on more of a celebra- tion next year for PrideWeek in Maidstone. I’d really like to reach out to the LGBT commu- nity in Maidstone to try and make this happen, so hopefully this will help. “I was over the moon that


Maidstone Borough Council is flying the Pride flag above the town hall for the first time this year. The flag celebrates our LGBT community and sends the message loud and clear that love is love. “If it brightens just one per-


son's day, then we have suc- ceeded.” The flag-flying received cross-party support, although therewere some


“grumbles” fromthe Tory ranks, she claimed. Cllr Fermor, who lives in Coxheath, added: “This was a great demon-


stration of councillors putting their political differences aside in the in- terests of residents of the borough. “It was very disappointing to hear some opposing grumbles from the


Conservative benches, but I don't like to think that the fewwhowere neg- ative about Pride spoke for their group as a whole.”


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