News Homeless help


MORE than £700,000 of Govern- ment money has been ploughed into Maidstone’s Rough Sleeper Initiative, to fund a coordinator and outreachworkers. Newfigures have revealed that


133 people have used the service since it was launched in Septem- ber 2018, slashing the number of rough sleepers in the county town from48 to just five this summer. MBC’s John Littlemore said:


“The improvements delivered by the project have benefited rough sleepers andmade visitingMaid- stone town centre a better experi- ence for everyone.”


GPswarning


ONE in six new doctors joining theMaidstone&TunbridgeWells NHS Trust come from countries where recruitment is restricted. Health trusts have beenwarned


to adhere to guidelines on hiring medics from countries like Bangladesh and Nigeria. NHS figures show that in the


year to January, 18 of the 108 doc- tors recruitedwere fromdevelop- ing nations. The guidelines aimto stop those countries being de- prived of their own talent.


downsmail.co.uk


Asbestos closure threat to group’s garden lifted


A COMMUNITY garden which faced closure after fears of as- bestos contamination will stay open after all. The ShepwayChariots setupthe


green space and allotment on Maidstone Borough Council land to enrich the lives of people living on the town’s largest estate. When the council found evi-


dence of asbestos, they declared the temporary closure of the area. Whilst the initial shutdown


wouldhave lastedfivedays, itwas feared that it would take up to a year to complete theworks. But it left volunteers with a


headache over what to do with sheds, equipment andthe 30 chick- enswhich are kept there. Trustee and local independent


councillor Eddie Powell said he waspleasedthe gardenwill be free of contamination but urged the LiberalDemocrat-ledauthority “to get onwith it”. He added: “The council is insist-


ing there must be the removal of top soil and therefore all the build- ings and livestockmust gowhile it is being carried out. “But the council has a duty of


care to the garden, the volunteers, the fixtures and fittings and the chickenswho live there.” But after a series ofmeetingwith


officials and drafting in their own contractor, the Shepway Chariots' group feels a solution is not far off. Ways to clear the contaminated


ground without a total closure could be achieved, they hope.


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Absestos was in common use in


the building trade in the last cen- tury butwhen broken up into tiny particles and inhaled into the human lung, they can prove fatal. A petition on the group’s web-


site attractedmore than 200 signa- tures in a fewhours. Maidstone Borough Council


(MBC) said: “MBCwas neverplan- ning to close the site. It has to be cleared of asbestos and cannot be accessedduring theworks, but any restricted accesswill be temporary while theworks are carried out.”


www.gboxkent.com 01233 660 099


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