downsmail.co.uk
Better healthcare at the heart of recovery
WE’VE made a huge amount of progress in bringing Coronavirus under control. Thanks to the work of our local vaccination centres, more than a million people in Kent have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. This is a truly impressive achievement, made possible by the hard work of our NHS staff and volunteers. While our vaccine rollout has put us on the road to recovery, we are not out of the woods yet. Variants of concern have been reported locally and we know only too well how quickly new variants can spread. These next few weeks will be crucial in keeping the virus under control and keeping our recovery on track. With restrictions easing, it’s even more important that people take up the offer to get vaccinated. I’m pleased that people aged 30 or over are now being called to get their vaccination.
Keeping the virus under control is not only important for easing the restrictions, but also for giving the NHS time and space to recover. This is so important for people waiting for a hip or knee replacement, nding it difficult to get an appointment to see their GP in person, or waiting for mental health treatment. From my work as a health minister, I know that the Government has a huge focus on how we can get these waiting lists down again. It's not easy because many of the doctors and
By Helen Whately MP for
Faversham and Mid-Kent
nurses needed for this have worked at out through the pandemic. More support is on the way. We’re committed to having 20,000 more doctors and 50,000 more nurses working in our NHS by the end of this Parliament. Last week, I visited the new medical school in Canterbury. Getting a medical school for Kent was one of the rst things I campaigned for when I was elected as an MP in 2015, and it was fantastic to see those plans turned into reality, helping us to train more doctors and nurses.
This month, I’ll meet our local Clinical Commissioning Group to look at how we can improve primary care in Maidstone, particularly in Parkwood where I know there are problems accessing GP appointments. I’m determined to make sure local healthcare is at the heart of our recovery from COVID-19.
Working for a better borough
MAIDSTONE is a great place. I attended local schools, spent 40 years building a business and raised children here. Maidstone has been good to us. But it could be so much better. There are many challenges. Not least, it is a
victim of its own desirability. Every year, more and more families are moving here. Government has set us targets to build extra homes and we’ll be punished if we do not meet them. I accept we need housing, but the levels thrust upon us ex- ceed reasonable expectation and we must con- tinue to push back when the essential infrastructure doesn’t keep pace. Infrastructure - the road improvements, med-
ical centres, water and sewage capacity, choices to use public transport, footpaths and cycle paths and schools need to be delivered. Even when funding is available, the improvements take so long that it seems like they will never come. The Conservative team at Maidstone will redouble efforts to get infrastructure delivered. We will lead a plan to bring town centre in-
vestment and renewal. Shopping habits have changed and the high street retail offering needs help to adapt. We’ll support regeneration pro- jects to eliminate substandard social housing. By strengthening landscape protection policies, we will work hard to protect rural communities and
By David Burton Conservative leader of
Maidstone Borough Council
ensure our countryside continues to be the vital food-producing region we all depend upon. For Conservatives in Maidstone the environ-
ment, climate change and biodiversity will not be a separate agenda. It will be every agenda. If we are tackling congestion on our roads, it will be about air quality. If we are granting permis- sion for development, it’ll be about tree-plant- ing, open spaces and energy efficiency. If we are renewing the contract for getting the bins emp- tied, it will be about improving recycling. Antisocial behaviour, flytipping, planning en-
forcement and littering are in our sights. The message will be simple. Behave, be responsible, do not expect someone else to clear your rubbish up. If not, then face the consequences. Yet all good things come at a price so we will
make sure that every penny of your council tax is put to work on your priorities. We are committed to keeping council tax low. There is much to do.
Opinion
V
HE great secret that was Bearsted Parish Council’s “Project B” turned out to be some allotments and a couple of tennis courts. A resident goes all Basil Fawlty, exclaiming: “You’d think they’d bought Sydney Opera House or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon!” Perhaps not, but what about herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the extended car park?
T W
RITER Nick Hornby once described following football as “entertainment as pain”, and guitar- strumming vicar Rev Mark Pavey knows this only too well. The Liverpool supporter has watched his team underperform this season but declares: “I completely believe we will be back where we belong next season! I say ‘we’…I mean I’ve never actually scored a goal for Liverpool or won a tackle or actually played for them.”
EW Leeds Castle boss Helen Bonser- Wilton took over as Coronavirus ripped through the tourism industry. Weeks after taking charge there was a new “plague” to deal with – avian u. Thankfully, having followed national guidelines, the castle’s black swans and raptors survive.
N T
O Leeds and the launch of the Inspired Villages’ retirement home, where national treasure and Loose Women star Gloria Hunniford (80) tells the story of an encounter with a 91-year-old fan of the show in Dublin. When Gloria quizzed her why she was an admirer of LW, she replied: “Because you talk about sex and we were never allowed to.”
T F
OR Bearsted’s new Methodist minister, Slovakian Robert Zachar, the posting has been a revelation. He tells the parish mag: “What I have learned so far in Bearsted is that we, as a family, are not good at Zoom quizzes!”
Chin chin! 47
HE intro to a press release from a London PR company reads: “Some light-hearted news to end the week - celebrities Jacqueline Jossa and Olivia Bowen have given people a sneak peak (sic) of their new, sparkling bathrooms while doing the #BlooDancingCleans TikTok dance challenge ft ‘Talk Dirty’ by Jason Derulo.” Nor me. Bin.
ICAR of Bearsted, Canon John Corbyn, loves to swim, but this post- lockdown joy did betray a Church of England trait. He tells his parish magazine: "I looked forward to my return … with both excitement and nerves. Booking the swim was a bit tricky – they had changed the website. As a C of E vicar, I don't do change!"
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