downsmail.co.uk WHAT is the biggest issue currently


worrying the people ofMaidstone and area? Brexit, of course, is amain contender.


Population growth biggest issue MailMarks


But there is an even bigger talking point – the severe deterioration in quality of our lives brought about by themassive growth in housing and population. Politically, I suspect these two have very close links. All this is behind the anger of a


Maidstone Council commi�ee agreeing to consider substantial further growth (more than 7,000 houses) behind closed doors. The big picture comes before commercial confidentiality (which must be respected, normally at the end of a meeting). UrbanMaidstone is beyond saturation


point and ourMPs and elected councillorsmust get this across to Government and somehowmake it listen and respond. Electorate pressure is now beyond doubt. Amain problemused to be traffic


congestion approachingMaidstone centre, and at that time theremay have been somemerit in the local LibDems’ desire tomake us bus, cycle orwalk to town (so calledModal Shift). But nowserious traffic congestion


occurs all over the place aswe try to get towork, schools, health services, shops and to places of leisure, family and friends. Life just cannot be planned – a journey traditionally taking 15minutes can stretch to 30minutes or verymuch longer. To a degree I have given up, and to


avoid these nightmares I try to reserve my visits to and through urban Maidstone to an occasional half day and suffer the anger and frustrations in one hit. Significant road structures in and


aroundMaidstone have largely been ignored for decades, and as the urban area hasmassively grown, just about all possibilities have nowclosed. In Kent, Maidstone’s situation looks uniquely


No raing fromMay


ANNWiddecombe, the county town’s former stout-heartedwarrior queen,may be right that the PrimeMinister is Britain’s worst leader since SirAnthony Eden, but at least TheresaMay, a quiet remainer during the referendum, has not shamelessly jumped ship –which Churchill, never one tomincewords, called “ra�ing”. Thiswas an issue onwhich he could


speakwith authority since as he once admi�ed “I ra�ed not once, but twice”. Early in her career,MrsMay told a


stony-faced Tory conference thatmuch of the public sawthemas “the nasty party”. Whatever her failings and limitations,


34 Malling June 2019


DENNISFOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


bad.On top of that, theGovernment is very slowprovidingmeaningful infrastructure to back up itsmonumental housing demands. It does not stop at roads, of course.Our


health and care services are stretched by population growth to dangerous limits andwe lose vital professionals due to unfair strains.Our number of localGPs contracts at a timewhenwe needmore. Hospital and ambulanceNHS targets are seriouslymissed,mostworryingly on cancer investigations and treatments. We cannot build newschools fast


enough and sites are increasingly difficult to find.My sympathy iswith residents around Eclipse Park/NewCut with the added traffic chaos theywill face. Maidstone Council has to respond to


Government demands for extra houses and to avoid trying further to fit a quart in to urbanMaidstone’s pint pot looks to our larger villages to take the strains. There are nowrural rebellions. In the currentGovernment-approved


Local Plan, villages such as Lenham, Harrietsham,Marden, Staplehurst and Headcornwere designated for growth – and the extent is nowemerging. Somuch for Kent – theGarden of England! UnlessGovernment relents, I cannot


see an alternative.Marden has just gone on themarch to protest against 2,000 more houses. Perhaps itwill achieve something of a reprieve, but in the longer termit seems this ba�le cannot bewon. Lenham(in particular) and


Harrietshamface even bigger challenges. Both villages are close to theM20 and A20 and are served by stations on the London-Kent coast rail line. Surely


hasn’t she, too, fallen victimto the very condition she identified and, in particular, to the over-entitled ex-public school boys, nowbusy jockeying for position,who privately cling to traditional ideas about the role ofwomen? Mrs Thatcher said that early on in the


leadership of the party some of her senior colleagues treated her like shewas the cleaning lady. Maywas dealt a ro�en handwhen


Cameron left to spendmore time in his shepherd’s hut, but, that said, one she has played badly. Instead ofwooing hardliners,who


would probably only be happy leaving the EUwithout a deal, she ought to have appealed to the largermainstream


pressurewill arise for a newLenham junction to theM20 if amuch-extended village or newcentre of population mooted at 2,500/5,000 houses is imposed on this area. There are proposals formassive


developments around Kingswood (helping to financewhatwas once called the Leeds/Langley bypass) and a big new village at the top ofDetlingHill, although the designation of anArea of Outstanding Beautymay thwart this. All this goes onwhen lack of national


and local funding is impacting so heavily on our services and infrastructure.How many nominations are there for theworst road surface in the area; the greatest diminution of health and care services; lack of school places of parental choice; themost ill-lit streets at night?





The Brexit county I have crossed swordswith several


who claimMaidstone has changed its mind after voting 58%in favour of Brexit. They have no evidence – and the European Parliament elections now almost certainly indicateMaidstone still strongly favours Brexit. There can be no denying the viewof


20,475who voted for the Brexit Party and 1,062 forUKIP. They alone outnumber the combined totalwho voted for Labour,Green, LibDems and ChangeUK – and among these therewill be Brexit supporterswhowill always vote party loyalty first. The Conservatives polled only 4,697 – the loyal fewwho did not join the protest vote. All Kent’s 13 areas sawthe Brexit Party


top the poll – even TunbridgeWells, the only Kent area to vote against Brexit about three years ago. APrimeMinisterwhomade somany


mistakes and sawher surrender of a withdrawal agreement defeated three times by Parliament has nowbeen forced to resign.MPs are having to listen to the people. But no one can yet see howthis is going to end.


elements in all parties, and accepted the softerNorway-style deal offered soon after negotiations started. ReesMoggites, Faragestes andMr Fowle


would have been incandescentwith rage, but itwould have been the least disruptive departure fromthe EU, and couldwell havewon amajority in the Commons. KGBanks,Maidstone


What is people’s vote?


BEFOREDavid Cameron departed for his last visit to the EU, he stated that if his demandswere notmet, therewould be an in/out indisputable referendum. Itwas obvious that he and themajority


ofMPs,whowanted to remain, had no idea of public feeling. Thosewho voted to


Comment


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