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dozens or low hundreds, mostly youngsters who could probably be educated or taught a lesson by proper enforcement of punishments. Neither of these options will be taken up, as it requires effort and determination. The council’s record on y-tipping is already pitiful. So will this be any different? The wonderfully, ironically- titled multi-agency Maidstone Task Force was launched to some considerable publicity last year and what, so far, has this achieved?
The reason the hedgerows, the grass
verges, the car parks, open spaces and roadsides look so dreadful is because the borough council doesn’t clear them, relying on unpaid volunteers to show some civic pride.
But it all comes down to priorities. This Liberal Democrat leadership has been happy to splurge tens of millions on property it may only have a marginal chance of getting a return from, and was prepared to build over the war memorial in The Broadway to make way for a high- rise block of ats. I am sure everyone wishes the
LitterCam scheme the very best of luck and hopes that it makes a difference. But let’s hope it doesn’t turn out to be another pre-election stunt. J R G Purle, St Peter’s Street, Maidstone
LitterCam might just work
YOUR recent article about litter cameras is the rst piece of good news I’ve read in a while.
Where I live, there is a real problem with packaging from fast food joints being hurled from the windows of cars, mainly driven by young people I am afraid.
If the pilot scheme is to be successful, cameras pointed at potential offenders should be mounted wherever there is a problem of this kind. Providing it is properly enforced and the offenders named and shamed, there will be a marked decrease in the level of offending. We should all wish the council well in its endeavours and hope that this piece of technology will be enough to change attitudes. With a drive to educate youngsters in schools about the damage littering can do, perhaps it might just work.
T Grace, via email Stop foreign aid cuts
I ENCLOSE a recent open letter I have sent to Helen Grant, the Maidstone and the Weald MP, which I am happy to share with Downs Mail readers. Dear Mrs Grant,
Congratulations on your promotion to special envoy on girls’ education, a role supporting girls in the UK and overseas. It is really pleasing to hear you stand up for girls’ education and “12 years of quality education for every girl”. However, concerningly, in last
November’s nancial statement (mini 54
budget), Mr Sunak proposed a massive reduction in foreign aid.
It’s understood the COVID-19 situation has damaged our economy as the fth richest economy in the world. We are all working hard to build things back up including supporting the vulnerable. It is likely to have a far more adverse effect on females in poorer countries. It is concerning that even some of your colleagues, including former government minister Andrew Mitchell (Conservative), stated that your government foreign cuts “will cause 100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children, and one million girls will not be able to go to school”. Good luck, Mrs Grant, in this great opportunity.
I challenge you to join me in a campaign against the chancellor’s nasty cuts to foreign aid your government is pushing through. James Willis, Liberal Democrat candidate, general election 2019
Planners work for taxpayers
I WOULD like to reinforce the comments I made in the last edition of Downs Mail. The fact that planning officers have been told not to indulge in messaging exchanges with planning applicants during virtual meetings hardly restricts them at any other time.
Some “rebuke”, as you describe it in your second paragraph. The officer in question quite clearly referred to the elected members as “they” – but himself and the developer as “we”. Being charitable, it might have been a slip of the ngers on a keyboard or tablet. For the sake of clarity, the officers (who are funded by the council tax- payers/electorate) are meant to advise and guide the democratically-elected members, not the people behind the applicants for planning permission or the developers themselves.
Of course, there has to be some kind of contact between the planners and developers, but it should be formal, not informal. The level of contact between Maidstone Borough Council planners and the people behind the Bellway housing scheme in Otham – 2,500 emails exchanged in just over two years – is truly jaw-dropping. Given the level of development Maidstone faces in the coming decade, the planning officials will be busy people. But surely they should be busy on the tax-payers’ behalf, not the builders. Cllr Eddie Powell, Independent, Maidstone Borough Council
Feeding the community
I AM chair of trustees for the East Malling Centre, which runs a brilliant Community Larder scheme. Since the start of the pandemic, we
have distributed more than 3,300 food parcels to families in the Malling area. These have included fresh food, meat,
bread, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, as well as the usual tins and packets. We have also distributed masks, sanitiser, cleaning products, hygiene products, nappies, pet food, craft kits for children and, at Christmas, gifts for everyone including 150 of our local pensioners.
This has been a huge community effort
and we are now raising funds to set up a volunteer hub to recruit and place volunteers in the Malling area. There isn’t anything like this in the area, and it has received the support of our MP Tom Tugendhat, the cabinet member for communities, from TMBC and a housing association.
Liz Simpson, chair of trustees, East Malling Centre
Easter egg drive is back
THE famous Holmesdale School Easter Egg Drive is back again. Over the last four years, we have collected over 2,000 eggs and delivered them to our local community, care homes and hospitals. This year, the Easter Egg Drive will not be a competition as, during this time, it’s all about pulling together and supporting each other. We have made a few changes to make it COVID-19 compliant. We have set up our own Just Giving page, where you can see Mr Badham and Mrs Ball talk very awkwardly about the event. Donations of any size are welcome, as
every little helps. Donate using our Just Giving page.
There will also be a drop-off box outside the school, which can be used if you are already visiting the school or making a necessary journey. Maybe we can smash our previous record of 810 eggs.
Louise Bates, Holmesdale School
Dementia centre to open I RUN a community dementia day programme in Ditton Community Centre. This has been running for four years and we had over 50 members with carers receiving a much-earned break. Due to COVID-19, we had to close in March 2020, leaving many people with memory problems stuck indoors and carers not having a break for well over a year.
Also, there has been a vast closing across Kent of day centres, which doesn’t help the situation for people who rely on a dementia service. The good news is we are going to be able to open again very soon. We would welcome new members to come and have a sociable day, which has been missing from their lives for far too long . For more details of this service, email
info@braintrainme.co.uk or call 07544 851024.
Alison Manser, via email
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