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Defibrillator The parish council had applied to the BritishHeart Foundation for a grant towards a community defibrillator. Highways Improvement plan Thiswould be completedwith KentHighways. Priorities included thewestern zebra crossing improvements,white lining and other repairs. Li�er bins The parish council had bought sixmixed use li�er bins fromMBC, to replace the dogwaste bins that had been removed.An installation date had not yet been set. Surgeries The communitywarden,Adam McKinley,would continue to hold surgeries at Coxheath library at 10.30amon Mondays.Aparish councillorwould a�endwhen possible.


East Farleigh


Officers Cllr Glyn Charltonwas elected as chairman and Cllr Peter Beasleywas elected vice-chairman. Co-optionAlexandra Fullwoodwas interviewed and co-opted on to the parish council. Speed indicatorAn email had been received about traffic issues in Dean Street and itwas agreed to notify the resident that themoveable SIDwould be located there.A second SIDwas on order and a grant had been received fromCllr Stockell’smember’s fund, alongwith £1,000 fromthe FeteWorking Party. Defibrillator Cllr Beasleywaswaiting for a quote for the signs for the Gallants Lane phonebox. He and Cllr Charltonwere given delegated powers to pursue this. Flood plan Cllr Beasley said the flood pod could nowbe re-located to the Bull pub. The contentswould be checked. JohnWilsonwas happy to remain as floodwarden. Traffic calming Therewas some dissatisfactionwith the effectiveness of the scheme. Paul Leary, fromKCC agreed that theywould see if tweaks could be made andwould do further traffic surveys, at their expense. Theywould report back in July. In themeantime, the parish councilwaswithholding payment. Dog bins The contractorwho emptied the dog bins had had to stop because of disposal problems and theywere ge�ing very full. The clerk had obtained quotes


TWOheavy duty gateswere stolen and a large amount of rubbishwas dumped on a property in Brishing Lane, Boughton Monchelsea. Acaravanwas broken into in Lower


Road, East Farleigh. Jewellery, cash, and electronicswere among items stolen. The towball lockwas also removed. Four youths broke into school grounds in


Boughton Lane, BoughtonMonchelsea. They caused damage and stole items from a shed and storage container. Flatswere broken into and leadwas


stolen fromthe roof in Stocke� Lane, East Farleigh. Abusinesswas broken into and tools


but thesewere all exorbitant. Thiswould be pursuedwithMBC. Garden competition Cllr Charlton had obtained garden vouchers for prizes.


Langley


Bus scheme Itwas noted that the new number 13 bus pilot scheme seemed to be running, but no information had been received fromKCC about timetables. The clerkwould contact the Big Conversation teamfor further information, aswell as timetables and posters. CCTV upgrade Itwas agreed tomake a financial contribution of £2,500 to the project at the village hall. VE Day 75 Itwas agreed to consider the hosting of a village picnic at the village hall/recreation ground on Friday,May 8, 2020. Play area Corrosion had been identified under a slide fixing, but the risk rating remains as safe. Li�er picks These had been set for August 2 and October 18,meeting at the village hall at 10.30am.


Marden


Police report Six crimes had been reported: two thefts fromvehicles; three burglaries and an a�empted burglary. Therewere also two reports of anti-social behaviour. Socialmedia Thewebsitewas being updated. The Twi�er account had been reactivated and itwas agreed to set up an Instagramaccount.A flyerwould be put in the newsle�er asking for feedback on methods of communication. Parking restrictionsMaidstone Borough Council said that due to the high number of objections for Pa�enden Lane andWest End area the proposed restrictionswould be put to the Joint Transportation Board, butMBCwould be recommending approval. Cllr Tippenwould draft a statement for the JTB. Sheephurst Lane Large lorrieswere taking the soil fromMarden to a development site in Collier Street. The clerkwas asked to check thewording for themanagement plan for the developments at Bentle�s and contact KCC.


Staplehurst


VEDay Cllrs Sharp and Spearing said they would gauge interest inmarking the 75th anniversarywith a community event. Cllr Bowdenwould speak to the bellringers group. Biobli�Office staff had helpedMedway Valley Countryside Partnership set up the Wimpey Field Biobli�,which had been very successful. Maintenance The caretaker had cleaned theNicholsonWalk gate and cleared vegetation; repaired a bench atWimpey Field; and removed a tree stump fromBell Lane Pond. Therewere complaints about constructionmess and out-of-hours activity at sites onMarden Road and Headcorn Road.MBCwas a�ending to a fallen tree at Poyntell Pond. Jubilee Field StaplehurstMonarchs had held an awards event.Aplumbing leak had been fixed and an expansion tank replaced in the pavilion.


West Farleigh


Officers Cllr Sco�was elected chairman and CllrMartinwas elected vice-chairman. HGVs Therewas an increasing issuewith HGVs in Charlton Lane. Itwas agreed that this should be discussed at themeeting with JennieWatson fromKHS. CllrMartin raised concerns about the Teston Bridge area.HGVs seen deviating fromthe correct route should be reported to that company. Lay-by parking The problemwas ge�ing worse,with several cars parking in the lay- by. The possibility of signs saying residents’ parking onlywas discussed. Community centreAsolicitorwas to look in to the lease options and ameeting had been heldwith the landowner.Ameeting had been heldwith a planning officerwho said the parish councilwould need to look into photocells on the roof. Village green Twelve postswere needed at a cost of £114, possiblywith a delivery charge on top. Itwas agreed to approve £150 so that the posts could be ordered. Playground The flooring had been repaired, the buffer on the gate replaced and the by-lawsigns installed. The contractor had recommended anti-wrap swings. CllrMerri� had cleaned and greased the swing.


NeighbourhoodWatch Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police


stolen inGallants Lane, Coxheath. An empty car trailerwas stolen from


Chegworth Road,Ulcombe. Ahousewas broken into inAmsbury


Road, Coxheath.Ahandbagwas stolen and a greyAudi RS3,GC65***,was taken. Storage lockers at a propertywere


broken into inUlcombeHill,Ulcombe.A barbecuewas amongst items stolen. An outbuilding at a commercial property


was broken into in Biddenden Road, Headcorn.Atrailer, tools and a pressure


washerwere stolen. AnAudiQ3 estate parked inWaterside


Mews,Ne�lesteadwas broken into.A push chairwas stolen fromthe boot. Four constructionmachineswere


damaged on a building site inAlbion Road, Marden and about 350 gallons of diesel was stolen. Someone broke into a post office and


tried to steal a safe inNorth Street,Marden. Garden furniturewas stolen froma house in Babylon Lane, Su�onValence.


Maidstone Weald July 2019 29


Parish Councils


Crime reports


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