News


downsmail.co.uk Farmworkers plan ‘too small’


FARMERS have questioned whether a new government plan to attract fruit pickers to Kent will be enough to halt the decline in seasonalworkers coming to the UK fromabroad.


Between spring 2019 and Decem-


ber 2020, the scheme aims to helpre- duce labour shortages during peak production periods by allowing six- month visas for up to 2,500workers a year. Some workers are now being de-


terred by the high cost of living in the UK, while the agricultural sec- tors in parts of eastern Europe are starting to thrive. The Seasonal AgriculturalWork-


ers’ Scheme,whichwas launched in early September, is supported by MPHelen Whately. But James Smith, of Loddington Farms in Lin- ton, said: “It’s encouraging to see, but in terms or numbers it’s too small for what the industry needs. It’s difficult to get the number of workers thatwe need, andwhenwe do it is even harder to keep them.” Terry Gilham, of Winterwood


Farms in Chart Sutton, which em- ploys 45-50 seasonal pickers and250 full-timers in the pack houses, said: “It is not really enough, since the in-


Youthworker


Nich’smission A NEWchildren and youthminis- ter has been appointed at Holy Cross Church, in Bearsted. Nich Hill, who originally comes


from Tunbridge Wells, recently graduated with a degree in theol- ogy fromtheMoorlands Theologi- cal College in Dorset. She said: “I have been involved


with children and youth work for the past nine years. I intended to do a degree in schools’work.How- ever on my gap year with the church, I really felt God was push- ingme towards a different path.” She added: “I enjoy teaching


themabout our creator, reading the Bible to themand finding newand creativeways to teach them. “I look forward to getting to


know the village and all that is happening in it and getting as stuck in as I can.”


Cricket funds


ACHARITY cricketmatch held on The Green in Bearsted has raised £1,883. The total raised over the past 14


years is a “staggering” £22,000, ac- cording to organiser Guy Pollak. The game was originally sched-


uled to take place on the August bank holiday Monday but was staged in early September instead.


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been harderover the last fewyears to recruit, especially over the last two years, because the EU is pumping money into agricultural projects and work in the countries most of our employees come from. “It doesn’tmake sense for themto


come to England if there is already work at home. We’re very worried aboutnextyear, aswe already have a lot of people saying they have been offered jobs back home. “We expect about 60% of people


to have come back this year, but next year we fear the number will be much lower. The pilot scheme will help, but it’s just at the starting point.” MP Helen Whately said: “We’ve


dustry needs between 80-100,000 each year.Only about one in 100 on- line applications comes from local people. “There is awhole range of factors and I don’t think Brexit is entirely to


blame, either. According to what we’re hearing, there are recruitment problems in Spain, Germany, Hol- land and Portugal, too.” Robert Pascall, of Clock House Farms in Coxheath, said: “It has


MP could lose seat if changes agreed


FAVERSHAM and Mid Kent MP HelenWhately is facing theprospect of losingherparliamentary seat after proposed boundary changes were passed. Her constituency, which she has


represented since 2015, is to be split into three, with other areas taking up its constituent parts. The change is part of government plans to cut the number ofMPs from650 to 600, but the plans could come in for fierce opposition from Labour and campaignerswho feel it is unfair. The Boundary Commission for


England said its final report on Sep- tember 10 took account ofmore than 35,000 comments fromthe public. A spokesman for Mrs Whately


(pictured) said: “The Favershamand Mid Kent constituency will be di- vided into three under the current plans. But these are still only plans andnothing has yet beendecided. It would have to go to a vote in parlia- ment and that is not necessarily going to happen either.” The Canterbury constituency


would be re-cast as Favershamand Canterbury,


represented by


Labour’s Rosie Duffield. If selected, MrsWhately could contest the seat at the 2022 general election.


Maidstone East October 2018 Oxford-educated Mrs Whately


was recently given the vice-chair of theConservative Partywith respon- sibility forwomen. If the commission’s plans are


passed, Jeremy Corbyn would see his Islington North patch split up and former Brexit minister David Davis’ Haltemprice and Howden constituency phased out. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson might see his Uxbridge and Ruislip constituency slipinto amoreLabour leaning district. The shadow cabinet office minis-


ter, Cat Smith, said the final recom- mendations amounted to “an undemocratic power grab”.


been arguing for two years that labour shortages are holding back Kent’s thriving fruit industry. The pilot will provide just a small pro- portion of the seasonal workforce needed, but it should lay the foun- dations for a more substantial scheme in future.”


KCC plan for


a cycle route KENT County Council (KCC) is consulting on plans to improve a cycle route intoMaidstone. Workingwith another authority,


KCC says the route would run from the entrance atMote Avenue to the junction of the A249 and King Street, and would link with existing cycle routes. KCC’s proposals includewiden-


ing the footpath and resurfacing the pavement along the southern side ofMoteAvenue. The route will link up to the


pavement on Mote Road, leading to the existing signalised crossing. The path at either end of the cross- ing will be widened to accommo- date a shared use facility,while the existing crossing will become a Toucan crossing.


Birthday fun


DOZENS of friends, family and parishioners have got together to celebrate the 60th birthday ofHoly Cross vicar, Canon Rev John Cor- byn. Mr Corbyn’s wife Virginia laid


on an afternoon tea in the garden at the vicarage while guests were asked to guess the dates of pictures of Rev Corbyn, from the pram to the pulpit.


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