Early last year I spoke with KCC officers about the lack of pavement between Buckland Hill and Whatman Park. There are steps but these are not heavily used and obviously don’t work for people in wheelchairs or with buggies. Officers thought the cost would be around £30k and on that basis I asked residents whether this was appropriate to spend the local CIL money on – there was a resounding yes.

One year on and now that officers have visited the site, the estimated costs are far higher. Last week I met with local county councillors and officers to discuss options to see if we could fund this through CIL. We can’t.

There are a few options available to use which may bring costs down a little but we will need to find another way if we want better access to the park.


It was great to meet someone who has achieved so much, inspired so many and is a fantastic role model!

Last night she received the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Maidstone. A very well deserved award. May she go on to lead many more victories for England.

Obviously I got the obligatory selfie!

 


Monday: After attending a demo outside KCC to protest about the forthcoming cuts to library services, Green Cllr Stephen Thompson and I were given the chance to visit Loddington Farm and talk with James Smith who is a leader in regenerative farming. James switched his monoculture fruit farm to a diverse farm using regenerative principles, e.g. no till, mixed produce, no chemical, livestock rotations. He doesn’t sell to supermarkets who are significant problem in the food chain. His profits increased significantly and having been to his farm shop, his prices are very competitive. A great model for the future.

Tuesday: Canvassing in Fant and Oakwood with Kimmy – what a great reception we had there! In the evening the Friends of Oaken Wood met to agree our next steps in stopping the quarry expansion.

Wednesday: I was invited to the Oakwood campus of Mid Kent College to meet Chris Hare, one of their directors. He is leading a new program that is training people to retrofit homes. A much needed skill. In the evening we had full Council.

I do love a practical joke, especially when it is done with good intentions… The leader of the council (David Burton) had requested that we don’t do leaders speeches this time, he said the agenda was too big and points could be made elsewhere. I objected as it is the last scheduled council meeting before the election but I lost the argument.

To for go that agenda item, David had to formally propose there would be no speeches. I immediately stuck my hand up. Having berated him for not allowing the opportunity to speak, particularly as this stopped us thanking members who are standing down, I went on to thank members who are standing down including David.

David had previously mentioned in private that leading local government is going to get much harder and that he would rather lead the revolution than face the revolution as story that I was happy to share in public. I figured he needed a gift from us, I couldn’t find a New Model Army costume so I got him a gilet jeune. I think he appreciated it…

 


Last night I voted to remove the decision on the application for a chicken farm in Chainhurst from the planning committee’s agenda. That decision was controversial and while I gave an explanation in the meeting I think it is right that I also put my thoughts down here too.

The application is for a 128,000 chickens to be intensively farmed for eggs in an area beside the River Beult which is a SSSI (a site of special scientific interest). It is on a flood plain, the site has ancient woodland, rare birds such as turtle doves and so on. It is clearly a worrying prospect.

The committee papers that are supposed to advise members on the facts of the application were appalling. Usually I read papers and make a note of one or two questions to ask but in this case I filled a whole sheet with unanswered questions. Usually the officers write good reports, in this case, despite it being a such high importance, they failed.

Not only did they fail to provide answers to the most basic questions on issues such as the impact on the river, they stated that ‘it is still not certain whether there would be significant pollution’ but then went on to recommend that the application be agreed. Their recommendation seemed to be at odds with everything that they did present, let alone what they didn’t put in the papers.

People locally want this application declined. It has sat in the officer’s todo list for three years which is far too long. But, had this been declined last night it would have been almost certainly overturned and agreed at appeal based on the officers report.

I have no idea why the Conservatives voted en-masse to push us down a dangerous path such as this. Even the leader of the council turned up to speak and to ask that the application be decided last night. The Conservative’s stance was reckless at best, destructive at worst. 

I want this application decided quickly but it must be presented to the committee with at least some answers. I am pleased that the motion to withdraw came with a requirement for a new report to be produced quickly so that we can get on with this decision. I will be writing to the head of planning to express my concerns to him and to ask that he give proper oversight.


Last night I got to sit on the Joint Transportation Board for Maidstone (I’m not a member of that committee and I was substituting for a colleague).

I had the chance to raise Coldharbour roundabout and the concerns that have been discussed in this group and emailed to me my residents. The KCC officers in charge were not at the meeting and the KCC councillors at the meeting seemed to take no responsibility, i.e. I am not sure my comments will have much immediate effect which is highly frustrating. Indeed the whole failure of KCC to work with Maidstone on transport is deeply worrying.

However, I had also emailed the KCC officers with concerns and I have had a direct response which I feel I should share with you all:

Wherever possible our highway improvement schemes always seek to retain existing vegetation where is safe to do so and it is in good condition, but in the case of the proposed junction improvement at Coldharbour, it is regrettably not a possibility for the trees on the existing roundabout to be kept and they will all have to be removed.
This is because the new larger roundabout will be located a little further to the north west of the existing roundabout with approximately half of the existing island becoming part of the new circulatory carriageway and the remaining half will be part of the new larger central island. However, the position and proposed levels of the new roundabout island compared to existing and the location of a proposed drainage attenuation tank in the new island mean that it is physically not possible for the existing trees to be retained.
In mitigation however, we are pleased to say that a greater number of replacement trees are proposed to be planted on the new roundabout island than are being removed. Approximately 40 trees are to be removed and these are proposed to be replaced with just under 70 new trees, which will be chosen from a mix of 5 native species. To help further increase the biodiversity from the current roundabout, wildflower and bulb planting has also been proposed for the new island.
We are also aware of the existing drainage issues at the roundabout and the proposals for the new larger roundabout include drainage improvements designed to cope with the increased carriageway areas.


We saved Tovil Tip, we fought the closure of the Children’s Centres, and now we learn that the branch libraries are under threat after KCC Tory supremo Cllr Peter Oakford let it slip last week. Where will it stop?

Alongside the main library in Maidstone, there are branch libraries in:

  • Allington
  • Bearsted
  • Headcorn
  • Lenham
  • Marden
  • Shepway
  • Yalding

Conservative Councillor Peter Oakford (Deputy Leader of KCC): “Kent has far too many libraries” and “we will bring a proposal forward sometime this year to see where libraries can be sold off” See item 9 here https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/838906

The Conservative Cabinet member then said that they can be sold to parish councils to run but of course there will be no funding from KCC, i.e. they will close.

Libraries are essential services, they are community centres, they should be thriving assets.

We must not lose these seven libraries across our Borough. We must send a clear message to KCC’s Conservatives that we will not accept their closure.

You can sign our petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/kcc-must-not-close-our-libraries/ and you can join the protest outside County Hall on 19th Feb – details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/883192323502282/

See Item 9 here https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/838906 (Harry Rayner and then Peter Oakford) and page 9 of this report https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=122809

I asked where it will stop. I don’t know but this is what the Conservatives are considering…

  • Libraries, Registration and Archives
  • Kent Travel Saver – Supported Buses
  • Household Waste Recycling Centres
  • 16+ Home to School Transport
  • Waste Collection Partnerships
  • Regeneration & Economic Development
  • Services for Schools
  • Schools maintenance
  • Other Community Services

This is Rachel and me outside Allington Library this morning:


Among lots of other work this week, I think the highlight was being invited to the launch of the Kent branch of the Afghan and Central Asian Association on Wednesday evening.

A really impressive charity looking after the interests of people from that region, particularly refugees and with a particular focus on women’s empowerment. We now have two local ESOL Farsi teachers too!

I was invited to give a speech, to meet their founder Dr Nasimi and after the speeches I got to talk to a lot of refugees and to learn about the issues they face.

Plus the food was wonderful! Thank you!


This was the question put to the Housing, Health and Environment Policy Advisory Committee last night. Not at all controversial! The question was put as part of the Conservative governments planning for a ‘cap on safe and legal routes’ – local councils have all been asked to tell the UK Tories “What is your capacity to house and support those coming through safe and legal routes under the cap in calendar year 2025?”

The Conservatives on MBC proposed a figure of zero and Cllr Burton said that we are 900 homes short at this point in time (600 on the housing list and 300 in temporary accomodation). I suspect the consultation was designed to get a ‘zero’ return and thus provide UK Gov with a narrative that says the UK will reduce the number of asylum seekers it allows in to the country. In my head I can hear whoever this weeks Home Secretary is joyfully banning asylum on the basis of those responses.

But the Illegal Migration Act is itself illegal under international law. The UN has described it as a ban on asylum. I argued strongly that if we respond with a figure then we are complicit both in the politicking by the Tory government and in the illegal Illegal Migration Act.

There were some snippets that I thought I would share here. The full debate is recorded and at the end of this post, but here are some comments that I heard [plus my thoughts in brackets]:

Conservatives:

  • Zero… we’re full. [I suggested that someone else long ago was given that message in December…]
  • Face reality…
  • They are illegal…
  • Accommodating 750,000 in one year is irresponsible… [where did that figure come from?]
  • Not enough houses for our own residents
  • But there are local families in need [this isn’t either or!!!]
  • Put British citizens first before we open the floodgates {gulp…]

Lab:

  • “look after our own people first” [!!!]

Lib:

  • It stinks [i.e this council being pushed to support the government]

There is very clearly a housing crisis. That is undoubtable but it is one that the UK has created for itself. There are concerns about the level of migration yet the government choses to pick on the 4% of people who migrated here that are the most vulnerable while choosing to ignore the 96% that have been invited in. There is clearly a problem with health and social care but that is a crisis that the UK has created for itself.

This is not a choice between ‘our own people’ and those seeking asylum here. This is not an either or choice. We are the sixth richest nation in the world – if we can’t cope then there is little hope for the rest of the world.

I therefore proposed that we send in a blank response with the message ‘not playing your game’. It was seconded by Cllr Wilby (Lib Dem).

My motion was voted through 3:2 [Cllr Rose voted with Wilby and me; one Con was a no-show and none of the cabinet wanted to substitute so they only had two members!!!]

Cllr Burton pushed me a few times to give a figure and each time I refused for the reasons above, but as the committee is over can I now give an answer to the question of how many asylum seekers should Maidstone take? Answer: It is as many as necessary.

 

 


This afternoon with many of my Green colleagues, I attended the rally for Palestine in Maidstone.

Firstly, I condemn Hamas’s action in October which has triggered the latest actions by Israel. The appalling response by Israel has resulted in 18,000 deaths so far, 40% of these were children.

80% of the 2.2 million civilians in Gaza have been displaced over the past 8 weeks.

Their health system is collapsing. Most hospitals have stopped functioning. So if there is one thing that you do today, please make it a donation to MAP: Medical Aid for Palestine or to MSF: Medicine Sane Frontiers.

There is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in front of our eyes and even the UN’s General Secretary has called for international voices to call for a ceasefire. I was encouraging to see that so many people turned out today to demand a ceasefire.

This is not a war against terrorists, this is a war against the people in Gaza. A war that must stop. There must be a ceasefire so that a plan for peace can be started.