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COVID ‘underspend’ to boost green causes


PART of an unexpected under- spend in council finances will be ploughed into green causes. Maidstone Borough Council feared the Coronavirus crisis would adversely affect its income streams such as parking charges, resulting in proposed cutbacks to save money.


Finance director Mark Green (pictured) said revenues had tum- bled by £4.8m, but costs rose by £1.7m.


The previous administration


had suggested the "mothballing" of the popular Hazlitt Theatre to save cash as one measure, until a massive


public backlash


prompted a U-turn. But a combination of Govern- ment assistance grants of almost £5m has left the council with an underspend of £1.2m. Now the new Conservative


leader of MBC, Cllr David Burton, proposed £140,000 should be allo-


cated to green causes and the rest put into the council's reserves. This was approved by members. Cllr Burton has vowed to put the green agenda at the heart of his administration, in part to mit- igate against the effects of house-


building in the borough. The council's accounts for the


period to March 2021, which were discussed at the policy and re- sources committee last month, have only just been released. Government released £4.86m earlier this year to MBC which was not ringfenced. Mr Green said: "We didn't know


we were going to get that at the start of the year. So, almost in- credibly, we have come in with a £1.2m underspend. "We did face significant finan-


cial pressures ... but what has hap- pened is the Government has become increasingly generous throughout the year, providing us with non-ringfenced grants to the tune of £4.86m." Councillors were warned that


the authority still faces pressures in the years ahead, largely because its usual income streams have yet to return to normal.


News Bike thefts


MAIDSTONE has one of the lowest rates of cycle thefts in the county, according to a new survey. Just 0.7 bikes were taken per 1,000 people in the borough, while Canterbury topped the chart with 1.2 and the lowest was Tunbridge Wells was 0.2. The survey was compiled by a UK insurance provider.


Broken glass


BOTTLES were smashed on the tennis courts in Leeds vil- lage on June 1, but the incident happened out of range of the CCTV cameras.


Members of an exercise club which uses one of the two playing areas swept up and disposed of the mess.


Farm event AN OPEN day will be held at


Knowle Hill Farm in Maid- stone.


The event will run from 2-


5pm on July 17 to 19. Admis- sion is £6.


p21 21


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