downsmail.co.uk


Don’t let bad apples change way we live


THE age-old idiom “one bad apple can spoil the barrel” is as true today as it has ever been. It is one that we are continually having to manage in society, to counter those who seek to disrupt, damage and negatively inuence those around them.


In Maidstone and The Weald, we have urban and rural environments, presenting equally important and difficult challenges. Last week, alongside parish councillors, I


convened a multi-agency meeting to address a growing catalogue of criminal damage and antisocial behaviour incidents in the Weald. Catapult and ball bearing damage to a bus- stop or streetlight might appear minor issues in isolation, but when the perpetrator is not challenged, the rot spreads to others. Strength in numbers creates a new threat and people can become fearful of reporting incidents and uncomfortable about where they live. That must not be allowed to happen. In Maidstone, an anti-social behaviour hot spot is Brenchley Gardens, which is one of the loveliest public spaces in our county town. Bored youths aged 14 to 20 are causing the problems, exacerbated by pandemic-related starvation of normal social interactions. Drinking, bad language, possession of


knives, and youths swerving around pedestrians on e-scooters are the main issues.


By Helen Grant MP for


Maidstone & the Weald


Kent Police have been dealing with this with high visibility policing as well as non- uniformed outreach workers, problem solving ASB task forces and community meetings. Police in Maidstone have also been issuing community protection warnings, and these appear to reduce repeat offences. Surely we could use fantastic spaces like Brenchley Gardens more imaginatively, for events and entertainment, and supplant the negative optics of the area? I am aware of some ideas “cooking” in that direction. We must also continue to tackle the root causes of ASB, which often relate to issues such as family breakdown, debt and addiction. For more about ASB go to the Kent Police


website at https://tinyurl.com/45zezh88 and report all incidents you see. You can make anonymous reports at www.Crimestoppers- uk.org.


A testing time for families


REGISTRATION for the Kent Test this year has now closed, with many families wondering what contingency plans will be put in place to manage the expected rise in COVID-19 cases among young people by the test date on September 9. Sadly, no allowances were made for the edu-


cation lost over the previous year. The then KCC education cabinet member said the authority would address all forms of disadvantage. The Ed- ucation Secretary made a similar promise. But nothing was done, apart from a delay in testing. As a result, the proportion of children in receipt


of “pupil premium” and those in east and Mid Kent who passed the Kent Test plummeted and passes for children from west Kent, private schools and out of county increased. Maidstone Grammar School had 14 vacancies


on allocation in March, whereas it was previously heavily oversubscribed. Oakwood Park had 32 vacancies. In contrast,


12 first choice girls were turned away from In- victa Grammar after not filling last year, whilst Maidstone Girls had 23 vacancies. Following ap- peals, MGS will have filled, whilst Maidstone Girls and Oakwood will have been very generous,. So what of 2022? Social mobility, damaged by


By Peter Read Independent


education advisor


tutoring and private cramming schools, will take another knock, unless the education department changes its attitudes. Shellina Prendergast, KCC’s new education


cabinet member is aware of local issues, and Christine Innes, Director of Education brings fresh ideas, so the opportunity is there. Unless there are changes in the assessment


procedure we shall see another betrayal of Kent children looking for a grammar school place. Last year, KCC officers and politicians argued


there were just two models of selection available to them, – the Kent Test followed by headteacher assessments, or assessment by headteachers without a test. I came up with a third, which over- came some of the problems. I am sure there are others, but the refusal to contemplate any alter- natives led directly to the present failure.


Opinion


F


ORMER Maidstone borough councillor Matt Boughton, aged 28, is a man with a lot on his plate. Not only does he have a demanding boss in MP Tom Tugendhat, he has just been appointed the leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and become engaged to the lovely Amanda, who is now in the throes of wedding planning. Of the latter, he condes: “That might well be a life sentence. And if you’re going to have a life sentence, you might as well start it now! Joking.”


OMIC Andrew Lawrence has suffered cancelled dates across the country - including the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone - after an untimely Twitter message about three black England footballers who missed penalties in the Euro 2020 nal. Well, he got a taste of his own medicine when locals remarked, in social media posts, that they had never heard of him.


C


S regular readers know, this is not the place for tittle-tattle but I am sent an intriguing cartoon purporting to caricature two parish councillors in a verdant corner of the borough. It features a tiger being ridden by a bearded chap who enquires of the animal how he can get off. Apparently, this is something of a metaphor. But what can it all mean?


A A A


URTAIN-twitchers in Harrietsham were scrambling for their monoculars twith the unscheduled appearance of an HM Coastguard helicopter shining searchlights on the village. The truth is somewhat less interesting – it was a training exercise.


C


Penenden Heath who has been ordained a deacon in the Church of England’s Ministers in Secular Employment scheme. A “fringe benece”, maybe?


C Chin chin! Agree or disagree, have your say by writing to the editor – see our letters pages p45-46 47


ONGRATULATIONS to Anthea Mitchell, a hairdresser from


POSTROPHE corner. Maidstone United FC published an online ad for the new season with the excellent but, sadly, punctuation-free slogan: “Youre coming home.” Thankfully, someone at the Gallagher Stadium spotted the howler and the lost apostrophe was restored.


FTER more than a year of virtual meetings, borough councillors are back in the room, albeit at Maidstone Leisure Centre with well-spaced chairs and tables in lines. But former mayor Cllr Marion Ring complained she could not recognise most members from the back of their heads. But I understand that a return to the town hall is some way off .


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