downsmail.co.uk 


local sports facilities reports (DownsMail, August) commissioned and nowbeing considered byMaidstone Council. Very sadly, the council’smeaningful


financial support for local sport in recent years has been grim, and it has always been pushed to the back of the queue – or banished fromthe queue altogether. I amnot sayingMaidstone Council is


unsympathetic to local sport.As an officer of TheMote Cricket Club, I have good reason to value encouragement in several ways. But these newreports call for serious capital contributions and there has been no sign of this by the council in recent years. Demands on councilmoney are


immense, of course, and cuts in grants by national government havemade financial life very tough for local authorities. But government does see the need to


support local sport and puts pressure on councils to produce and update a strategy, especially as part of Local Plans. Maidstone has reacted to that pressure


and two years ago commissioned froma specialist company twomajor and detailed reports nowbefore council commi�ees for consideration, consultation and approval so that an action plan is completed by next summer. TheGovernmentwants to see the plans


regularly reviewed – so therewill be li�le opportunity for back sliding. Is there a local need? You bet there is.


Participation in sport and physical activities is higher in the borough than county and regional averages and almost 27%of residents aremembers of sports clubs (national average 22%). That need


Smallmajority not enough


I ENTIRELY agreewith the sentiments expressed by K G Banks in theAugust issue of DownsMail. I amsick to death of hearing that as far


as leaving the EU, the “British people have spoken”. Some of themdid and of those who did therewas a smallmajority in favour of leaving. Many of the British people did not speak


andmay verywell come to seriously regret not speaking, bearing inmind that a great many of themwere the younger generationwhowill bear the serious consequences of leaving the EU. Any vote on such a serious and


potentially damaging change to the status quo should have required a vote of at least 66%in favour, as opposed to the 37-38%of the eligible to votewho actually supported withdrawal. Thiswholemess can be a�ributed to


perennial infighting amongst one political party over the issue of Europe, resulting in the decision by its then leader and prime ministerwho decided to abrogate responsibility by passing the decision to a largely uninformed electorate.


46 Maidstone September 2018


Opening eyes to sport’s needs MailMarks


HOW Maidstone needs the twomajor


DENNISFOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


will growasMaidstone’s population rises bymore than 22,000 by 2031. The reports just published are


substantial and very detailed. The Sports Facilities Strategy runs to about 100 pages and the Playing Pitch Strategy to 150 pages. The authors have investigated many local sports and clubs in great detail to assesswhat they provide and need. Volunteerswho run ourmany local clubs would dowell to read them– and try to influence the council going forward. It seems fitness facilities and swimming


topMaidstone preferences, and these activities, plus football, cricket, rugby, sports halls, rugby league, hockey and lacrosse are currently seen as needing money spent on them. The reports are detailed onwhat is


needed, eg a four-lane swimming pool, 187 fitness equipment stations, 17 newfootball pitches, four sports halls, three cricket pitches, three rugby union/rugby league pitches and so on. The costs quoted in the reports are high,


and the big question nowis,what can realistically be achieved? The reportwants the council to allocate developer planning contributions (S106/Community Infrastructure Levy) and also ensure as many improvements as possible qualify for grants fromnational sporting bodies. I suspect the reportswillworry


misinformation and probably lies by those seeking to promote their causes and very li�le in theway of hard facts. I daresay thatmany people voted on the


councillors (and officers) inMaidstone Council. They can see all kinds of infrastructure needs inMaidstone and it has suited themto turn a blind eye to sport. But those eyes have nowbeen opened andGovernmentwill demand they do not close again. Some local sports suffer considerably


because they cannot provide or find the facilities and pitches tomeetmodern needs. Probably the best example is at The Mote,where our top cricket and rugby clubs have been ba�ling for 20 years or so to upgrade this old but so significant site. The clubs and town suffer inmany


ways, including the loss of the annual and very popular Kent cricketweek. Could this be the key to restoringMaidstone’smuch- missed summer sporting event?





Badger bothers I used to think badgerswere adorable


creatures.Nomore.Nowthey are very unwelcome in our garden. This year they have a�acked two


underground bees nests, digging outmuch earth to get at the grubs. The toll on treasured beeswas immense, and damage around the garden considerable. Afewyears ago they demolished a


valued shrub to get at and devour a nest of young blackbirdswe had been following closely. So sad. Badgers have even been digging to


create a home in our garden. Theywill never succeed.We have even bought courtesy lights to frighten themoff at nights. Theymay look cute ...


What followed this decisionwas a diet of We need to work together


basis of a glorious return to the dayswhen we had an empire and I remember one interviewee on a “vox-pop” advocating leave on the basis that “we don’t like the French and they don’t like us”. Howmany of thosewho voted thought


that the EU and the European Customs Union are the same thing? We live in internationalmarkets largely


dominated by international companies and ifmanufacturing bases in the UK become at a competitive disadvantage compared with similar bases in the EU, it is quite obviouswhatwill happen.Waking up to reality at that stagewill be too late. Far toomuch emphasis by Brexiteers has


been placed upon the costs ofmembership and very li�le on the benefits of being part of a larger economic and social community. Far fromenhancing our global presence


wemay verywell end up in inglorious isolation on theworld stage. David Hacke, ParkWay,Maidstone


THE recent headline on Dennis Fowle’s column on Brexit is of course absolutely right –Maidstone needs a real Brexit but then again Royal TunbridgeWells needs to remain in the EU and here rests Britain's predicament. Brexit cannot be aboutwinning a vote


52/48, but everyone singing fromthe same song sheet, and Imean everyone digging in to achieve its aim. Brexiteers such asMr Fowle need to


convince the 48%thatwe need to jump and jump together, but our Houses of Commons and Lords are hopelessly divided; our Cabinet is hopelessly divided and both Tories and Labour parties are hopelessly divided. The nation chews on Brexit over and over again at PM's Question Time aswell as the BBC programme. This has “big boy” implications but our


politicians are playingwith a nation and todaywewake up to caramel, a huge and costly “fudge”. Sowhere isMaidstone in this


international super league? TheMBC suing KCC over a fund to carry out


Comment


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  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48