downsmail.co.uk Broomeld and Kingswood


Litter competition Winners Anya Hayes and Brooke Cloke joined the parish meeting the where chair congratulated them and said a certicate and the prize would be delivered to them. Once it was possible to meet in public, an event would be held celebrating the contributions and achievements of residents during lockdown. Sports Field The CCTV was working, and a resident reported that the ship had been vandalised. Cllr Davies would look at this and Cllr Pink would check the CCTV. It would also be reported to the PCSO. The clerk had contacted Playdale about the junior play unit and they had suggested a newer version of the unit, but there were concerns that there would still be the same issue. Cllr Parker agreed to investigate putting rubber matting under the bridge and to source replacement equipment. Crime gures A fence had been damaged at a house in Laurel Grove. CCTV Two quotes had been received and one company had withdrawn. Both quotes were very high. It was agreed that the current system should be waterproofed and further consideration be given to upgrading the system when/if the community building progressed. Co-option It was agreed to co-opt Simon Pearce onto the council. The clerk would advise MBC and book a training session. Action plan The parish council action plan for 2021 was considered and some minor amendments were requested. It was agreed to ask residents if they would like any actions to be put on the plan.


Downswood


Crime report The meeting heard that graffiti had been painted on a fence in Cotswold Gardens. It was noted that a lot of graffiti has appeared in the parish. A request would be put on social media asking that new graffiti is reported. Litter pick About 10 bags collected by the litter picker were still awaiting collection outside the shed. The clerk would make enquiries and ask that notice could be given if there was a problem with collection, so that the bags could be stored in the shed to avoid foxes ripping them open.


Coronavirus The DPC phone line was still available for residents. The previous letter would be republished and circulated to encourage residents to offer help to their neighbours. Schools were providing food for pupils in need, and TV and online lessons were available. Play area Cllr Newton had received correspondence regarding interest in purchasing the Reinden Grove play area.


Hollingbourne


Roadchef services Rob Bracken, site director of the Roadchef, M20 Maidstone Services, attended the meeting. He spoke about the problem with hate crime at the


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services, particularly over visitors not wearing masks on the premises. Mr Bracken believes that the stress of the pandemic has caused people to act more aggressively. Recently, staff looked after three coach loads of European passengers who had been working in the UK, but couldn’t travel back out of the country as they did not have the correct post-Brexit paperwork. The staff removed all alcohol from one of the shops within the services to prevent any problems that could have been caused by the stranded visitors. Cllr Garten asked Rob if similar incidents happened regularly due to travellers not having the necessary travel paperwork, or due to the presence of homeless people around the services. Mr Bracken did not see these matters as an issue. MBC can help in offering the homeless accommodation. With regards to lorry crime, there was a right of way around the services and part of the fence was damaged. Mr Bracken and his staff will look into getting this xed. Last summer, a resident of the village had reported that human waste had been found on the footpaths around the services. Regular checks were now being carried out. In June 2020, there was a report of the illegal selling of puppies from the car park. The RSPCA was informed of the matter, the investigation was ongoing. Police surgeries The clerk had contacted the PCSO with regards to using the Cardwell Pavilion as a base for monthly police surgeries but COVID-19 restrictions had made this impossible. Cllr Marshall thought it would be good to meet with the PCSO via Microsoft Teams and this option would be investigated. Flooding Cllr Ward had received an email from a resident of Hadley Gardens about ooding in their back garden from the Lance Memorial Field. The resident would like the ooding to be inspected by the parish council, as it had been in the past, and a solution proposed. The resident spoke to the clerk and Cllr Ward had visited the homes. Many years back the parish council had been involved in ‘spiking’ the eld behind the gardens. The idea of re-directing rain water into the neighbouring farmer’s eld, to alleviate the problem, would not be legal. Parish website Cllr Domican said the new website worked well and she would like photographs of the parish councillors for it to be really professional. Cllr Domican had also started an Instagram account for the parish council, for information such as the M20 road works. Post office The village post office, which is run on a Wednesday, needs to nd a new place to operate from. The council would be happy to run it from the Cardwell Pavilion, but it is not central for many residents. Space at the shop is limited. The offer of parking spaces behind the pub for shop customers had been withdrawn. The clerk would contact the Post Office. Debrillators Cllr Marshall had checked the machines in the village and they were good for action. The pads would soon need replacing. The clerk would order new ones. Environmental report Cllr Marshall said


the bird boxes had been installed on the Millennium Green. The new trees for the Millennium Green, and for the verge next to the Bourneside Terrace carpark, as previously agreed by Golding Homes, were due to be delivered. Exercise equipment Exercise equipment, which had been discarded by a local school, had been offered to the village. A site meeting would be arranged. Nuisance vehicles Complaints had been made about illegal off-road motorbikes and suspicious vehicles. In particular, 4x4s had been noticed around the Pilgrim’s Way / Upper Street crossroads late at night, which may have been involved in illegal activities such as hare coursing. Incidents should be reported to the police. Parking problems Residents in the Upper Street area had complained about the parking of vehicles around the junction of the Pilgrim’s Way and Upper Street. Yellow cones placed in the area seemed to have stopped the parking. Fete It is proposed that a meeting for the 2021 fete would be held after the COVID- 19 lockdown. Cllr Ardley will check that the acting performances due to take part at the 2021 fete are still available.


Leeds


Council vacancy Three applications for the vacancy had been received, and it was agreed to consider the matter as a condential item at the close of the meeting. All three applicants had joined the meeting and each was invited to speak about why they wished to join the council. They were thanked for their input. Highways Cllr China reported that the PCSO had said a police operation regarding HGV lorries was due to take place in the parish. Cllr Springford spoke about the road closure signs in the parish and said a sign had been in place in Forge Lane since Christmas with no road closure.


Budget 2021/2022 The clerk circulated the draft budget and report. It was proposed by Cllr Fort to keep the band D tax base the same and have no increase to members. This was agreed. The clerk explained that to achieve this the precept gure would be reduced to £34,489. Church clock A request for nancial assistance toward repairs to the church clock was considered. It was agreed to give a donation of £3,000 to the church council. Litter Cllr China suggested that a litter pick should be arranged as soon as it was permitted. Cllr Greeff said a litter bin was needed at Burberry Lane. The clerk was asked to liaise with MBC regarding this. Playing eld The additional CCTV camera had been installed at the playing eld and was now facing the highway as agreed. Church car park There had been concerns about use of the car park during lockdowns. Walkers were using the car park in order to walk to Leeds Castle. Cllr China would liaise with the PCSO regarding the matter.


Parish Councils


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