downsmail.co.uk
of esteem as estate agents. In other words, you can take what they say with two tons of salt.
In my opinion, far too many of them stand for election just to advance themselves, rather than the issues of the voters they represent. The fact that, on a good day, less than a third of the electorate bother to vote in a local election, indicates that most feel it a waste of time making the effort so to do. Who can blame them? Look at the quality of most of what we get and the consequences as described in your article. Perhaps party politics should be
removed from local elections and all candidates stand as independents and live in the wards they seek to represent. Then we may get far better representation based on what we want, locally, rather than what the central office of a political party wants. David Hackett, Park Way, Maidstone
Punish crime to reduce it
YOUR leading article about Kent Police’s attitude paints a colourful and unfortunately rather accurate portrayal of the public sector attitudes to the taxpayer. As someone with a close association with the police service over the years, although not in Kent, the idea that your average frontline officer views the public with disinterest would be incorrect. Most officers just go where they are sent and deal with whatever jobs assigned to them. Most are as frustrated as the victims when it comes to things like criminal damage, antisocial behaviour or burglary. The victims don’t get a good service from Kent Police, but these are issues that can be prevented by pro-active, community policing. Shepway is crying out for a police
office, for instance, and dedicated officers dealing with crime on the ground. When the criminals see crime is punished, then crime will reduce. Instead, officers, if and when they do
attend, just act as apologists for their masters’ inability to focus on the needs. The service is meant to put “protect and serve” at the heart of policing. Kent Police does neither. Yet the Conservative Matthew Scott, who, inexplicably,was returned as Kent Police and Crime Commissioner in May, keeps banging on and on about having more officers in Kent than ever before. That’s great – where are they? If they are not enough, get some more. Deal with it.
M Gibson, via email
More greennches around I READ your article in edition 294 of Downs Mail about the greennch decline in which you asked if people had seen any in their gardens. I live in Bearsted and was surprised to see this article as this year I have seen a real increase in them in my garden.
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I have at least two lots nesting in my hedge and just yesterday evening there was a small ock of maybe six birds in the tree.
Barbara Ray, Bearsted A pair at our birdfeeder
I SAW your article on the state of the greennch populations locally and wanted to let you know that my husband and I saw a pair at our bird feeder today. We live in Bearsted. In fact, we have seen them a few times recently. Carol Phillips, Bearsted
Bullnch seen in bushes
I WAS reading your interesting article recently about the disappearing greennches in Kent. Yes, I have to agree – I haven’t seen any in my garden (in the Langley area) for at least four or ve years, yet they were once as common as sparrows.
But, interestingly, the much-persecuted but beautiful bullnch has been making an appearance in some of the bushes at the very bottom of the garden most days. I can remember a few years back when these little birds were on the RSPB red list and seeing one was like a thing of wonder. Now their distinctive white tail bar can be seen reasonably regularly on the back roads. C Patterson, via email
Keep an eye on rural votes
MUCH has been made in recent days of how Labour’s red wall continues to crumble. Eleven years into a Tory Government and the Conservatives are winning by- elections in Labour heartlands. It is extraordinary stuff.
But Boris Johnson, and the government he leads, should be keeping a much closer eye on their rural heartlands, where many are wondering if the “levelling up agenda” applies to them. Indeed, if rural communities are once again forgotten, the Prime Minister risks undermining his own “blue wall” for years to come. The lazy stereotype is that rural communities are wealthy and “quaint”, with little need of investment or support. However, the reality is that many of the UK’s poorest regions are predominantly rural.
Due to lack of investment, the rural economy is now 18% less productive than the national average. As a result, hundreds of thousands of jobs have not been created, and the opportunity for prosperity missed entirely. Indeed, righting this productivity imbalance would add £43bn to the national economy.
The fact that the government has no coherent policy to grow the rural economy simply isn’t good enough. Nearly half a million homes and around 125,000 businesses in rural areas have poor broadband, and Ofcom gures show
4G data coverage at 86% in urban areas versus 46% in rural areas. Without strong connectivity, full access to an increasingly digital economy will remain out of reach.
Political ill will must be growing too, at the disconnect between what ministers say about boosting the country’s green credentials, and the action taken to help rural communities play their part. A succession of tree-planting photo ops will do little to provide the incentive needed to power a green revolution. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses, wants to see the Government show some ambition for economic development in rural areas. And at the heart of that ambition should be encouraging entrepreneurship. For example, pubs that have closed due to a lack of viability should be given permitted development rights, allowing the buildings to be used as rural business hubs for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Government should lean on network operators to deliver the much talked-about improved coverage now, not in four years’ time. With the worst of the pandemic hopefully behind us, the Prime Minister needs to make good on his promise to build back better. His desire to level up the country is the right one, but this must work for the countryside as well as industrial centres.
There are jobs to be created, businesses to support and – as far as the Prime Minister is concerned – rural votes still to be earned.
Mark Bridgeman, President of the Country Land and Business Association
Your views on strategy
VIEWS are being sought on a new Maidstone Borough Council Economic Development Strategy and State of the Nation Report.
This sets out the council's vision and ambition for future growth and development of Maidstone borough’s economy.
The draft strategy is looking ahead until 2030 and provides a set of interventions to help grow the local economy and increase productivity and sets a ve-year action plan to support the vision.
As it has been prepared during a period of signicant economic uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to anticipate the full extent of the economic impact. It therefore considers both the support that Maidstone’s economy will need through recovery in the short and medium term, as well as how the areas potential can be enhanced over the longer term. The consultation is open until
Wednesday, July 7 and is available on the MBC website at:
maidstone.gov.uk/ EDSconsultation.
Maidstone Borough Council
Comment
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