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Actions to improve your quality of life


WHENEVER I speak with people who live, work or travel through the Allington and Barming wards of Maidstone, it is never long before the conversation turns to the overdevelopment around Hermitage Lane. Widespread and wholly legitimate concerns


have been ignored for so long, and as the local MP I nd that to be unacceptable. That is why, earlier this month, my colleague Tracey Crouch and I convened a meeting of key stakeholders to ensure the issues are on the record are recognised, prioritised and properly addressed. Attendees included representatives from: Kent County Council (KCC), Maidstone Borough Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, the Environment Agency, Kent NHS and residents’ groups. We discussed the spate of disruptive and dangerous geological sinkholes in the area, the ever-increasing traffic congestion which blights the north and south sides of Hermitage Lane, and the worries about provision of school places and GP appointments as the local population expands. We also sought to focus what can be done to improve the situation, and a list of tangible action points were agreed as a result. For example, KCC will press ahead with plans to upgrade the A20 north of Hermitage Lane, to reduce queues at peak periods. They will also pursue Government funding


By Helen Grant MP for


Maidstone & the Weald


for a large-scale improvement to the “Fountain” junction at the south side of Hermitage Lane.


In addition, the Kent NHS Clinical Commissioning Group will provide an update on progress with plans for the creation of a GP surgery in the area, and plans will be advanced for two new primary schools. There will be a further meeting of the group in early July to assess progress and to consider what further interventions might be necessary to ensure any development in the West of Maidstone is sustainable. Infrastructural improvements on land around Hermitage Lane are essential for the quality of life for thousands of people who already live and work in the area. They must become a top priority for our local authorities and I am hopeful that this meeting, and the resulting action points, will prove to be an important step toward an easing of justiable local discontent.


LitterCams to deter offenders


LAST year, Maidstone Borough Council spent an eye-watering £1.2m clearing 1,950 tonnes of lit- ter and detritus from our streets. We have an army of volunteer litter pickers across Maidstone, but discarded rubbish has increased by 250% over the last year across the United Kingdom. Catching offenders is costly because we must


have the evidence to issue fines, which involves an enforcement officer to be present at the time of the offence. Many of the worst spots are difficult to clean


regularly and dangerous, so in some cases, roads have to be closed to protect staff. Litter is always a top priority of residents and a long-standing campaign for Liberal Democrat councillors. So we have decided to turn to technology with


"LitterCam" cameras placed at road junctions, roundabouts and litter hotspots. The pilot will start in the next few months and Maidstone will be the first council in the United Kingdom to test the scheme. This initiative is cost neutral, as it will be coming out of the current street cleaning bud- get. The system’s artificial intelligence identifies any object thrown from a vehicle and records the number plate in a five-second time slot. This image is then forwarded to an enforce-


By Derek Mortimer Liberal Democrat borough councillor for South ward


ment officer to decide if an offence has been committed or not. If it is decided an offence has been committed, the registered keeper details are requested from the DVLA. The offender receives a penalty notice in the


post and can view the evidence footage online. The fine is £120, reduced to £90 if paid within 15 days. The revenue is to be ring-fenced within the street-cleaning budget for similar future use. I want the system to be a deterrent as opposed


to handing out fines. We need to tackle the cul- ture of littering to change the mindset of the few that constantly litter our streets. Protocols will be in place the same as all other


public CCTV camera operations, to protect privacy and sharing of information. I am asked about the difference between apple cores and cans, but the advice is to take your litter home. The approach has to be zero tolerance for all litter.


Opinion


different character trait to her two predecessors, Victoria Wallace and Sir David Steel, who would not be easily described as shrinking violets. In a recent online interview, speaking of her role at The Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth during the pandemic, she condes: “Lockdown for me personally has not been a trial – as an introvert, I’ve quite enjoyed it. But clearly, it’s not been that way for all. I’ve had to adjust my style and check in with people more regularly.”


N


T HAS been a frustrating time for Victoria Wallace in her role as the, ahem, Under-Secretary of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, which she started last July, after six years at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Whilst she is itching to start using her grace and favour pied a terre in the heart of the capital, Mrs Wallace remains committed to her roots in the county town. “We still have dogs and cats and things,” she condes. Her husband Sean, a former Leeds parish councillor, has been occupying himself during lockdowns by brushing up on his pottery skills.


I


condence of some of the troops because of an alleged recent tendency to become “increasingly despotic”. I could not possibly comment, but my lips are sealed for now.


I C


ORY leaets due to hit the letterboxes shortly ahead of the May 6 elections will be carrying an embarrassing spelling mistake of the, er, name of the candidate.


AM always happy to hear from my friends in the Green Party, not least Stuart Jeffery who inadvertently lets slip that the Shepway north candidate in the borough council elections, Stephen Muggeridge, goes by the nickname Steve Muggs. Whilst the party will eld a full slate for the election, he warns the list he provides may change. “B****y Greens never do what they say…”, he jests.


T I


Chin chin! 55


ULPEPPEPER always admires a trier. Renegade Tory councillor Jonathan Purle is currently on a diet which allows trips to fast food emporia, not least KFC and McDonald’s. The well-nourished member explains: “Well, it’s the sort of diet where you reduce your carbohydrate intake whilst eating very unhealthily.”


AM sad to report the chair of an inuential local body is losing the


EW Leeds Castle boss Helen Bonser-Wilton comes with a very


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