Maidstone Borough Council

Update
Borough

Town, February 2016

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Maidstone Borough Council

Did You Know?

On 18 November, we joined councils across the
country for #OurDay, a 24 hour tweetathon to
showcase a day in the life of local government.
The day was a chance to find out more about some
of the dozens of
services that we
We sweep 20,000 miles
deliver, from parks
of road each year
and planning to
housing and recycling,
and we had some great
feedback from residents
on the day. You can
follow us on
Twitter at @maidstonebc

We collected 80 stray
dogs in 3 months over
the summer - almost
one a day

Our rubbish trucks

visit more than
60,000 properties
every week

We dealt with 180

reports of fly-tipping
between July and
September 2015

There are more than 7000 visits to our website every

day, and more than 700 calls to the contact centre

Dog Watch

Introducing Digby!

Our RK9 mascot finally

has a name! We've been
asking residents to
submit their ideas, and
are delighted to
announce that Dawn
Ramsey's suggestion
"Digby" has been
chosen! Digby will be out
and about in the borough
promoting and
celebrating responsible
dog ownership, and you
can keep up with him
and the RK9:
Responsible Canine
Ownership campaign, on
the Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/
Responsiblek9s

Changes to Dog Microchipping Law

From 6 April 2016, the law is changing and you must have your dog
microchipped. Get advice on microchipping from your vet, or from
organisations including Dogs Trust and the RSPCA.

We've been working with residents

to tackle dog fouling in Maidstone,
and it's having a marked impact!
Our Dog Watch campaign asks
residents to report dog fouling to
us so that we can spot patterns
and target our resources most
effectively. We send enforcement
officers to hotspots to try and
catch the irresponsible few who
don't pick up after their dogs,
using information from residents
about when and where dog fouling
is happening - and sometimes
even descriptions of the culprits
so that we know who to look out
for.
Since we introduced Dog Watch,
we've gone from issuing 3 fines in
2012/13 to issuing 10 since April
2015, which shows how important
the information you provide is.
It's extremely hard to catch and
fine irresponsible dog owners they're far more likely to pick up
after their dogs if there are people
around, and especially if they've
seen an enforcement officer - but
with your support, we're proving
that there is a price to be paid!

Report dog fouling to us at

www.maidstone.gov.uk/report

Maidstone Borough Council

Threads looking bare?

Use our textile recycling service!
Did you know that you can recycle your clothes, textiles
Ple
and shoes from home?
remem ase
will co ber, we
To take part, simply follow these steps:
lle
items ct textile
1. Put your clothes and shoes into a standard sized
on
RECYC your
carrier bag
collec LING
tion d
2. Tie up the bag
ay.
3. Place the bag NEXT to your green recycling bin or
blackbox on your recycling collection day
4. Remember! Please do not put any clothes, textiles or shoes INSIDE your
recycling bin or box they must be kept separate in order to be recycled.
We are unable to collect pillows and duvets, and we are unable to accept any
items bagged in black sacks or charity bags. You can also take good quality
items to local charity shops.

Love
Kent,
Hate
Litter,
4-6
March
2016
Join us from Friday 4 - Sunday 6 March for special clean-up
events, activities and competitions across the borough in
conjunction with Keep Britain Tidy, Love Kent, Hate Litter
and Clean for the Queen.
Keep Britain Tidy has recently launched a Clean for The Queen campaign
(www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk) to help celebrate Her Majesty's forthcoming
90th birthday. The campaign encourages people to get involved with the UKs
biggest ever clean-up, designed to make the places we live more beautiful.
Food packaging, plastic bottles, takeaway meals and cigarette butts have all
contributed to a growing menace that affects our wildlife, streets and
countryside. To coincide with the national project and to add to our civic pride,
Maidstone Borough Council is hoping to arrange a number of special clean up
events, activities and competitions in conjunction with local community groups
over the special weekend in March.
Were looking for community groups who would like to get involved by hosting
their own events or providing a small army of volunteers. We will provide
support and guidance to help organise the event and where possible, will
provide equipment such as litter pickers and bags. Were also looking for
businesses who can help in a number of ways including sponsoring an activity
or donating a prize for our competitions.
To get involved, contact Martyn Jeynes, Operations Manager,
at martynjeynes@maidstone.gov.uk or on 01622 602110.

Councillor Marion Ring, Chairman of the

Communities, Housing and Environment
Committee, gets ready for The Big
Maidstone Food Waste Challenge.

Resolve to
reduce your
waste!
Each year, many of us resolve to lose
weight, floss more and better
ourselves in some way but this year,
why not resolve to be kinder and
gentler to our planet? You may find
its much easier (and more
sustainable) than other resolutions
you might have made!
If you arent already, why not try
recycling your food waste with our
weekly food waste collection service?
Simply collect food waste scraps and
dispose of them in your small kitchen
caddy then once full, empty it into
your external food waste bin ready
for weekly collection. The food will
actually spend less time in your
kitchen compared to using a larger
kitchen bin! If you need a food waste
bin, these can be ordered online at
www.maidstone.gov.uk or by calling
our customer contact centre on
01622 602600.
Dont forget to sign up to The Big
Maidstone Food Waste Challenge,
which promotes using the food waste
bin rather than simply putting food
waste into the rubbish bin. Find out
more at
www.maidstone.gov.uk/foodwastechal
lenge including how you could win
tickets to Maidstone Leisure Centre
or a gift voucher for the Mall
Chequers shopping centre.

Maidstone Borough Council

Our Plan for

Maidstone
Borough
Thousands commented on and helped
develop the Maidstone Borough Local
Plan - our plan for homes, jobs, shopping,
leisure and the environment, as well as
infrastructure such as roads, up to 2031. As we begin the final
stage of consultation, this feature sets out the facts so far.

developments outside those that are not

suitable for our communities. Our Local
Plan proposes that less than 1% of our
countryside is allocated for
development.
We give priority to brownfield (previously
developed) sites and have been very
successful in developing them - in the
six years to 2014/15, nearly 84% of
housing development was on brownfield
sites. This means that there aren't many
left now available for development, but
we will keep an eye on the situation to
make sure that the Local Plan is kept
up-to-date as new sites come up.
Policies will protect and improve open
spaces and the countryside and
woodlands that we cherish, with their
huge range of flora, fauna and other

Homes
We must plan for the housing needs of
current and future Maidstone
residents, providing enough homes for
all ages, needs and incomes.
Maidstone's objectively-assessed
housing need - the number of homes
required for our future population as
identified, reviewed and agreed by
independent experts - for the twenty
years up to 2031 is 18,560 new homes.
More than 9,000 of those have already
been built or have planning
permission. A further 3,500 are in
broad locations in Maidstone town
centre, Maidstone Barracks and
Lenham - these sites are for potential
future development after 2026.
The Local Plan identifies locations for
the remaining 6,000 homes needed for
residents by 2031. We refer to these
locations as "allocated sites" and they
are where we would allow housing
development. There is a policy for each
individual site which includes things
like the acceptable housing density on
the site, where access would be from,

and required community infrastructure

and open space; any planning
application would need to meet the
policy to be approved.
The Plan includes policies to provide
affordable homes, and plans to provide
960 care and nursing bed spaces for
the elderly by 2031 - some of which
have already been provided.

Countryside and Open

Spaces
The best way to protect our
countryside is to allocate specific sites
for development, so that we can fight
wildlife. Developers will be expected to
pay towards things like play areas,
public open spaces and sports pitches.
The Environment Agency assesses the
flood risk for all sites, and it has not
objected to any of those that made it into
the draft plan - many other sites were
rejected. Before any houses are built,
there will be a full assessment and
schemes prepared to prevent flooding
as part of the planning application
process.

Maidstone Borough Council

Employment and
Economic Development
A strong local economy, with the
opportunity for businesses to expand
and develop, is important if we are to
maintain and create jobs for Maidstone
residents.
We want to create 14,400 jobs by 2031
by helping new start-ups and
encouraging existing businesses to
expand. We will attract new firms to the
area as well as stimulating the town
centre economy, and have allocated
sites for employment within the Plan to
help support the growing population.

Infrastructure
For certain major applications,
developers are required to contribute
to the cost of infrastructure
improvements necessary to mitigate
the impact of that particular
development. These include:
Roads - KCC Highways and MBC are
working on a joint Integrated
Transport Strategy to improve roads,
public transport and walking and
cycling provision.

February 2016 Consultation

Nearly 3,000 people took part in our public consultations in 2014 and 2015
which focussed on getting the content of the plan right - from which sites
should be allocated for development, to what the policies that guide planning
applications should contain.
The next consultation - "Regulation 19" - is to check the draft plan meets the
four tests required by government guidance:
T Have we planned for the borough's housing, employment and infrastructure
needs?
T Is the plan based on sound evidence?
T Can it be delivered by 2031?
T Is it consistent with national policy, and does it enable sustainable
development?
This means the consultation will be checking that the plan is sound - rather
than revisiting the site allocations or policies, which have been consulted on
and agreed.
The consultation will run for six weeks from 5 February and is open to everyone
- whether you've commented before or not. Visit
www.maidstone.gov.uk/consultation to take part. You can also view the
documents at the Gateway on King Street and at all libraries, and send
comments to ldf@maidstone.gov.uk or to the Spatial Policy Team, Maidstone
House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ.

Next Steps
The consultation responses will be considered by councillors in April and, if no
major changes are needed, the Plan will be submitted for the Examination in
Public. If the Planning Inspector agrees, after this process, that the Plan is
sound and appropriate, it will be put before the Full Council of 55 Maidstone
Borough Councillors for adoption.

Schools - we are working with Kent

County Council to meet future demand,
including making sure policies for
particular sites include provision for
new or extended schools.
Sewerage capacity - all new homes will
need adequate water and sewerage
capacity, and Southern Water has not
objected to any of the sites in the draft
plan to indicate that this wouldn't be
possible. Separately to this process, we
have been working with MPs, Southern
Water and other agencies to find
solutions to existing problems.

News from the MUSEUM

The Magic of Masks and Puppets

If you havent yet visited our free exhibition, The Magic
of Masks and Puppets, do come in and enjoy the
range of puppets from around the world, and act out a
nursery rhyme on our beautiful stage with the masks
and props provided. The show closes on 20 February.
Ever wanted to create your own puppet and bring it to
life? Nationally renowned puppet company,
Strangeface, will be at the museum on 30 January to
help you do just that, in an all day workshop from
10:30-16:30 - ideal for those interested in puppetry
and keen to discover new techniques and materials!
Places are limited (40.00 per person) and you must
be 14 or over.

Woman
of
Genius
From 5 March
our new
exhibition is
Woman of Genius.
Highlighting the female
artists who have quietly
proved the quote "A
woman of genius does
not exist; if she
does, she must be
a man quite wrong,
this exhibition features objects from the 16th Century
onwards from the museums collections alongside
original artwork by Vicki Cooke. In celebration of this
new exhibition and International Women's Day,
costume historian Lee Ault will show and talk about
how womens garments have constrained them
through time, on 12 March from 14:00-15:00.
Tickets are 5/4 concessions.

Easter Holidays
Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt around
the museum - solve the clues,
collect the answers, then collect
your prize! 50p per child.
There will be colouring
sheets and a
selection of
trails available
around the
museum, and
don't forget
our Spike iPad
trail.

Museum
Lates
Our Museum Lates take place
on the last Thursday of each
month (except February), when
were open till 9pm. On 28
January were enabling you to
Get a New Face! - our
curators will take you on a tour
of the weird and wonderful
masks we hold in our
collections and youll be able
to create your own mask from
materials provided. In March our Museum Late is Material
Girls, when well be looking at the women explorers,
collectors and donors who have contributed to the museums
collections over the last 150 years.

February Half Term

Activities
There are four one-hour sessions between 10:30
and 15:00 each day book your childs place on the day!
The following cost 3 per child or 2 for 5:
Monday Nature
Wednesday Superheroes
Thursday Mystery
Friday Japanese
Tuesday is a special activity - be inspired by the
museum and design a t-shirt to wear away with you!
3.50 per child or 2 for 6.

More information on all upcoming exhibitions and events can be found at www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Bookings via 01622 602838.

Maidstone Borough Council

Universal Credit
is on its way
Universal Credit is being rolled out in
Maidstone you will be contacted when this
affects you, but its worth being prepared!
Universal credit is the new benefit for all working age people
not pensioners - who are unemployed or on a low income. It
will replace housing benefit, income support (IS), jobseekers
allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA),
child tax credit and working tax credit.
Universal credit will be updated automatically according to
how much you have been paid, and new claimants have to
commit to finding work.

Budgeting monthly
Universal Credit will be paid monthly. For
help on budgeting monthly and other free,
independent money advice visit
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk.

Boot Bank Launched to

Help People Into Work

E-billing
Council tax bills will be sent out in March if youd
rather get yours by email than receive another
paper bill, sign up at
www.maidstone.gov.uk/emailbilling.
This not only means you dont have to store
another hard copy bill somewhere, but its better
for the environment, and it helps us to achieve
some of the savings we have to make following
further Government funding cuts.

Get Ready
1. Universal Credit will be a single monthly payment start
planning your spending monthly, and get advice about
paying outstanding bills or debts.
2. Money will be paid into a bank account so make sure that
you have one. Try Kent Savers (www.kentsavers.co.uk or
0333 321 9050) if youve struggled to get a bank account in
the past.
3. Most people will make and manage their claim online so
you will need an email address. Internet access is
available in the Gateway on King Street, or in your local
library.
Maidstone Bor
Borough
rough
o
Coun
Council

circumstance?
Change in circumstance?
Save time, rreport
eport it online
Save
Makee our servic
servicee suit yyou...
Mak
ou...
wherever
wher
ever you
you are
are and whenever
whenever you
you want.
want.
Its now quicker and easier to report a change which may affect
how much benet you get.
Use your smart phone, tablet or other device to get in touch, 24 hours a day,
at a time that suits you - not just when our offices are open.

To help unemployed people back into work, we have

launched a boot bank to loan people work boots that they
can pay for later. We launched the scheme after we found
that some homeless people were being offered work, but
couldnt afford the equipment needed to take on the job.
Construction company Faithdean kick-started the scheme
with a donation of ten pairs of work boots, and now
whenever someone gets into work and is able to pay us
back for their boots, well use that money to buy new boots
ready to help someone else.
Councillor Marion Ring, Chairman of our Communities,
Housing and Environment Committee, said: Some of the
barriers that people face to get back into work can be very
simple to overcome with just a little innovative thinking,
and the Boot Bank has the potential to really help some of
those in most need in the borough. Were particularly
grateful to Faithdean for their support in launching the
scheme.

ONLINE
FORMS

PROOFS
PROOFS
PR
PROOFS
OOFS

Visit the website:

Fill out the form:

Visit www.maidstone.
gov..uk/benets and
choose the form you
need.

Youll need your benet

reference number
which is on the top right
of the letters we send
you.

Tak
a e and upload
a photo:
Use your smart phone
or device to take and
upload a photo of your
proofs - if you need
them.

An
Anyy place,
place, any
any time that suits you...
you...
hrs
24hrs

Those people using the scheme in the first instance will be

those with a local connection who have been referred by
local support agencies.
If your company is able to donate boots or Personal
Protective Equipment to the scheme, please contact
housingadvice@maidstone.gov.uk

REF. N0.

//day
day

www.maidstone.gov.uk/benets
www.maidstone.gov.uk/benets

Maidstone Borough Council

Adventure Zone
A survey of residents and visitors in
2014 found that people were
interested in paid-for adventure
activities in the park, so councillors
agreed, in February 2015, to create
an Adventure Zone! This will include
high rope courses, climbing walls,

A Sustainable
Future for Mote Park
Maidstone council has been looking at ways to secure the future of
the borough's parks in the face of significant funding cuts. Our
main grant from central Government has been cut by 59% since
2010, and the Government's recent funding announcement means
that not only will that grant be removed completely in 2 years, but
a large proportion of our business rates will be taken away too.
This means that to balance our budget, we have had to consider
either cutting support for the services we're not legally obliged to
provide (like parks), or raising income where we can to protect
them, including through council tax and fees and charges.

adventure golf and Segways,

improving the offer at Mote Park by
giving a wider range of activities at
lower prices than many similar
facilities. The current playground will
be upgraded with better free-to-use
equipment at the same time.
A planning application will be
submitted in February for the
construction of the Adventure Zone,
which will be placed near the current
main play area and caf. We're keen

We consider Mote Park to be one of the borough's greatest assets, so we made the
decision to protect it, rather than risk seeing standards there decline. "A
Sustainable Future for Mote Park" is a series of projects, outlined on this page,
intended to raise money at the park to make sure that we can not only maintain
and protect the park, but improve it too.

Caf
Refurbishment
When we surveyed
visitors and residents
about Mote Park in
2014, the message was
clear - our caf facilities
need improving! We
have now brought the
management of the caf
in-house, which means
we have more control
over it and can use the profits to help
look after the park. We've given the caf
a complete makeover, extending and
redecorating the interior, improving the
seating, and adding a new kitchen so
that we can offer a higher quality, more
extensive menu.

Car Parking Charges

You will have seen information in
previous editions of Borough Update

to make sure that it doesn't have a

detrimental impact on the landscape,
so it will not take up more than
0.38% of the park. We've also done a
lot of work to make sure that the
proposed location has the minimum
impact on the heritage and ecology of
the park.
about the introduction of parking
charges in Mote Park - and why we've
made that difficult decision. These
charges come into force on Monday 1
February, and we hope that all of our
residents understand why we've done
this.
The charge starts at 10am, allowing
time for people to walk dogs or go for a
run in the morning without having to
pay, and is 1 for up to six hours. Stays
of more than 6 hours are 12, which is

to deter commuters from parking there.

We've previously kept the gates closed
until 9am to stop commuter parking,
but this new charge means we'll now
open the gates at 8am.
The money raised through parking
charges will help to maintain the park
and make vital improvements to protect
it for future generations, including
looking after some of the oldest trees. It
will also go toward improvements to the
toilets and caf.

There will be more improvements to come, so watch this space!

Maidstone Borough Council

The Queens 90th Birthday Beacons

There is a long tradition in the UK of celebrating Royal jubilees,
weddings, coronations and special birthdays with the lighting of
community beacons. Now there will be an opportunity for
communities to organise and take part in their own celebrations
on Thursday 21 April 2016, when beacons will be lit throughout
the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK
Overseas Territories in celebration of Her Majesty The Queens
90th Birthday. There are three types of beacons that can be used
- the traditional bonfire beacon, a beacon brazier on top of a tall
wooden post that has been previously erected for similar
occasions and a gas-fuelled beacon. If you are interested in
running a beacon event, you can find information and advice on
www.brunopeek.co.uk including how to officially register your
event with the Queens Pageantmaster. Once you have confirmed
your event, you can promote it via the Visit Maidstone website at
www.visitmaidstone.com/whats-on/add-your-event if it is open to
the public.

Sittingbourne Road Park

and Ride Closure
Despite recent improvements to the Park and Ride
service, use of the Sittingbourne Road site has
continued to fall. The council has been faced with
a significant increase in costs and regrettably the
Sittingbourne Road Park and Ride site will close
on Monday 8 February 2016 with the last service
on Saturday 6 February. We are very sorry for any
inconvenience caused by the closure, but
unfortunately the cost to renew the lease was
significantly higher than the council could justify to
make the service financially viable. Park and Ride
season tickets are valid at our other Park and Ride
sites - Willington Street (M20 Junction 8) or London
Road (M20 Junction 5) - or you can contact
parkingservices@maidstone.gov.uk or 01622 602377
for a refund on the remaining portion of your ticket.

Explore Maidstones Parks

For more information, visit

www.maidstone.gov.uk/parks

Brenchley Gardens (Town Centre)

Mote Park

St Faiths Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH

Brenchley Gardens were opened in 1871 as Maidstones first
public park. Situated in the town centre, this picturesque
green space provides an oasis of calm in contrast to
Maidstones bustling shopping streets. Features include a
Victorian band stand, the Royal Engineers statue and the
Cenotaph War Memorial designed by Sir Edward Lutyens,
where remembrance services are held.

Mote Avenue, Maidstone ME15 7SU

With more than a million visitors a year, Mote Park is one
of the biggest parks in the South East. Visitors can enjoy
picturesque lake-side views, outstanding access to nature,
the Mote Park Water Sports Centre, the Mote Park Caf,
walking routes, childrens play areas and special events
throughout the year. Voted the third best park in the UK in
the national Green Flag awards, it offers fantastic days out
for all the family. Car parking charges apply from 1 Feb.

Clare Park
Tonbridge Road, Fant, Maidstone ME16 8SR
Clare Park has been awarded Green Flag status which
recognises the best green spaces in England and Wales.
It boasts numerous facilities including a childrens play
area, a multi-use games court for football, basketball and
netball, tennis courts and a memorial fountain. The park
is also home to a bowls club, open between May and
September, and a Friends group.

Cobtree Park
Forstal Road, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7AE
Cobtree Manor Park is a landscape of diverse character;
part open country park, part woodland and part parkland
garden, all set on a gently sloping hillside with wonderful
views of the North Downs. The park has undergone
extensive improvement works in recent years; highlights
include a new visitor centre and caf serving hot and cold
food, innovative play areas for children, a sculpture trail,
events and picnic tables. Car parking charges apply.

Millennium River Park

Along the banks of the River Medway,
between Teston & Allington
Maidstones Millennium River Park was one of the largest
projects in the South East to mark the new Millennium. It
transformed pedestrian access to the River Medway with
a 10-km path running from Teston Country Park, through
Maidstones historic town centre and on to Allington Lock
perfect for spotting wildlife in and around the river.

Penenden Heath
Penenden Heath Rd, Penenden Heath,
Maidstone ME14 2DQ
Penenden Heath is a large, open space offering football
pitches with changing rooms and tennis courts available
to hire. Other facilities include a childrens play area and
a large recreation ground. The heath also boasts a rich,
colourful history it acted as an execution site for several
hundred years and was a gathering point for Wat Tylers
mob during the Peasants revolt of 1381.

South Park
(North and South Side) Armstrong Road,
Maidstone ME15 6AZ
South Park is a park of two halves the north side and
the south side - divided in the middle by Armstrong Road.
The north side is home to the elegant formal gardens, a
pavilion and a lily pond as well as two tennis courts, a skate
park and all weather floodlit hockey and five-a-side football
pitches (leased to Maidstone Hockey Club). On the south
side youll find a childrens play area and football pitches.
The Friends of South Park volunteer group helps maintain
and improve the park.

Whatman Park
Main entrance: next to the health club at Mill Meadow,
St Peters Street, Maidstone ME16 0SX
Around half a mile from the town centre, the Green Flag
Award winning Whatman Park is at the heart of the
Millennium River Park which runs along the River Medway.

MAKE IT MAIDSTONE
MAKE IT PROSPEROUS

Everything you need to get your business

off the ground
Our Economic Development Unit has launched a new Start-Up
programme, backed by new online resources and more on-site
advisors at its Business Terrace in the town centre. If youre
looking to set up a new business, or are just getting started,
visit www.businessinmaidstone.co.uk/starting for all the advice
you need.
Nearly 50 new businesses have already received advice in the
Business Terrace since it opened in September last year. Our
onsite advisors also have direct links to the Government's
Start Up Loans and other finance. No appointment is needed
to talk to any of our advisors - just drop in for a chat between
9am and 4.30pm. We can also arrange appointments outside
of those times if that suits you better. Call us on 01622 239300
or email info@businessinmaidstone.co.uk
The Business Terrace on King Street has been so successful
that four more offices have been opened, taking the total
number to ten. These are all available on flexible, easy-in,

easy-out terms with no long-term contracts. Desks are

available by the hour to help home-based businesses spend
some time networking and chatting with like-minded people,
or if you just need a quiet space to work, while meeting rooms
can be booked for a professional space to meet clients. A
meeting room for up to four people costs 6 per hour, while
a room for up to eight is 15 per hour. Visit
www.businessinmaidstone.co.uk to find out more or to book.

Business Advisors

Enterprise Zone

Lets Do Business Group

The prospect of 9,900 new jobs in Kent

and Medway is now much closer after
the North Kent Innovation Zone (NKIZ)
was granted Enterprise Zone status
by the Government. This means that
any business that locates within the
Zone by 31 March 2022 will receive
business rates discounts for five
years, helping to attract inward
investment and create new jobs for
residents.
The NKIZ includes the Kent Medical
Campus at Junction 7 of the M20.

Business advice, training and access to

finance to help businesses start-up and
grow - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Gullands Solicitors and

RIFT Accounting
Legal and Accounting clinics Thursday afternoons

The Kent Foundation

Specialising in helping people aged up
to 30 years old - Friday

Once complete, the campus will

create more than 2,000 new jobs
and provide 98,000m2 of flexible
accommodation for medical and life
science companies, specialist
residential and rehabilitation care,
as well as higher education training
facilities for the medical and
healthcare professions. The campus
has already attracted interest from
biotech and medtech start-up
businesses, as well as major
healthcare investors.

Maidstone Bridges Gyratory Scheme

Site clearance
work for the
Maidstone
Bridges Gyratory
Scheme will take
place during the
February half-term (13-21 February), when there is a 20%
reduction in traffic volume. Were sorry for any delays caused
by this work, but engineers will be working hard to keep
these to a minimum.
Were working in partnership with Kent County Council on
the scheme, which will see the construction of two additional
northbound lanes (from Tovil in the direction of Junction 6 of
the M20) on the eastern (High Street) side of the River
Medway, with new junctions controlled by traffic signals. This
means that northbound traffic on the A229 will avoid the
gyratory system, and no longer have to cross the river twice
to reach their destination. The scheme will be funded by the
South East Local Growth Fund, with a 1.14 million
contribution from Maidstone Borough Council. Most of the

work on the scheme will take place in the summer holidays

when there is less traffic, and more daylight hours in which
to complete the work. Businesses and residents in the town
centre will be consulted ahead of the works to minimise
disruption.
The scheme is expected to deliver a reduction in peak
journey times of around 25% by increasing overall junction
capacity by 15%. There will also be improvements to
pedestrian areas in the Lower High Street, redesigning of
surface level crossings and landscaping in the area, including
tree planting. The flood gate to the Medway Street subway
will be fixed, and the drainage of the Fairmeadow subway will
be improved. Two subways at the bottom of the Lower High
Street (near Seekers and Drakes pub) will be blocked up, and
capacity at the surface level crossings will be improved. This
is to help protect businesses in the Lower High Street from
flooding like that seen in 2013.
If you have any questions about the scheme, please email
Maidstone.gyratory@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 414141.

Maidstone Borough Council

11

MaidSafe
Our Community Safety Unit has been
working closely with the MaidSafe
Business Crime Partnership, a not for
profit organisation that also works in
partnership with Kent Police, Town
Centre Management, traders and the
CCTV centre to help protect our
residents, visitors and businesses.
Over the festive period, the Town
Centre Management team
coordinated a new initiative designed
to highlight how easy it is for people
to fall victim to pickpockets all with
the help of a little magic!
Magician Paul Fowler was hired to
raise awareness of how easy it is to
get close to people and potentially
pick their pockets. He slipped card
templates of everyday items such as
smartphones, wallets and tablets into
peoples pockets each bearing
messages warning people If
someone can get this into your
pocket, they can also get it out.
Being pick pocketted is something
that can happen to anybody.
MaidSafes Peter Cackett said: At
this time of year, people are
preoccupied and dont pay attention to
their belongings as they should.
Hopefully this will make them aware
of how vulnerable they are.

An easy way to prevent purse theft is to

use a purse chain that connects to your
bag, and to ensure that your bag is
securely done up. You can also record
your mobile IMEI number by keying
*#06# to get your 15 digit number, and
keeping the number safe. More helpful
tips on keeping your belongings safe
are available on
www.kent.police.uk/advice/home/detb
ur.html.
MaidSafe provides support to
businesses via a radio scheme that is
linked to CCTV cameras and the police,

helping to deter crime and prevent anti

social behaviour in the town. Other
projects that MaidSafe is involved with
contribute to a presence in the town
centre on Saturday nights, including
the Urban Blue Bus on Jubilee Square
which provides medical help, dedicated
Taxi Marshals at the Hackney Taxi
Rank at the top of Gabriels Hill from 24am and the Street Pastors who are
available to provide emotional support
throughout the town. For more
information, visit
www.maidsafe.org.uk.

Government finance
settlement

Register to vote
There are two elections this May one for a third of the
seats on Maidstone Borough Council, and another for the
Kent Police and Crime Commissioner. The EU Referendum
is also expected later in 2016. Make sure you can vote by
registering at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Youll need your
National Insurance number (if you have one) and about 5
minutes.
Its especially important to do this if youve moved house
since the last election, as youll still be registered at your
last address!
The deadline for registering to vote for the elections in May
is Monday 18 April, while the deadline to request a postal
vote is Tuesday 19 April.

Maidstone council always

plans extremely carefully
for its financial future and
manages its resources well
so that we can continue to
provide the services and
deliver projects that matter
most to our communities.
In response to Government
cuts our main grant has
reduced by 59% since 2010
we have saved millions of
pounds by being innovative
and working with our
partners and the
community.
However, the most recent
Government funding
announcement is set to put
even more pressure on our
budget, with Maidstone
council receiving one of the
worst settlements in the
country. Our main grant for
2016/17 has been
substantially cut from that

predicted, and will be

eliminated the following
year two years earlier
than expected. The
Government will also take
away a huge proportion of
the business rate that is
currently retained locally.
7.4 million of savings will
need to be found by 2021.
Councillors and officers are
doing everything they can to
generate income and make
further savings while
protecting not only those
services that we have to
provide, but also those that
make the borough such an
attractive place to live and
where businesses can
thrive and grow. Maidstone
council has a strong record
of innovation and will work
hard to minimise the
impact of the budget cuts
on its residents.

12

Maidstone Borough Council

Will Myers

Working
for yo
u

Since December 2013, Will has been on

secondment to Maidstone Borough Council from the homelessness
charity Porchlight (www.porchlight.org.uk). His role at the council involves
helping to reduce homelessness amongst rough sleepers, offering support
to help people into accommodation and leading on the Maidstone Assertive
Outreach project.
What attracted you to the job?
My experience is in teaching, working with clients and
carrying out support work in hostels but my own
background and vast amount of Life Experience has
allowed me to not only sympathise but empathise with
the people that I work with. This job allows me to work
with a client base that I already knew but from a
different approach. The work I do now supports those
who, without help, would never even get as far as a
hostel on their own.
What do you like most about your job?
I get a real buzz when I work with someone who is
from the street or living in a tent and who might be
giving up on life, then helping them get into their own
home. Sometimes its a quick fix but on numerous
occasions its a long, hard, drawn-out process.
Everyone is an individual with their own unique set of
circumstances and issues to solve. I love thinking
outside the box and trying new things with partner

agencies, spotting the gaps in support and filling them

as best we can. A little creative thinking can make all
the difference to just a single individual or a whole
group.
What does good customer service mean to you?
Keeping my promises, no matter how long it takes,
and being honest with the people I support. I dont
have a magic wand to make the things happen that
people want but I will support and empower them to
move forward under their own steam.

Singing Stars
You may have seen (and heard!) the councils staff choir
singing carols in the Mall Chequers shopping centre
just before Christmas to raise money for charity. A huge
thank you to all the residents and shoppers who made
donations in aid of Maidstone Day Centre Homeless
Care (www.homelessinmaidstone.org.uk) we raised
over 180 for this very worthwhile cause.

Borough Update
This is your council newsletter,
produced up to four times a
year in the Downs Mail
newspaper. It is written, edited
and designed by the council's
communications team,
Maidstone House, King Street,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ.
Email: pr@maidstone.gov.uk.
Your comments and

Whats On!

suggestions are always

welcome. It is typeset by AW
design and printed by Newbury
News.
If you are visually impaired and
would like the newsletter text
in large print, please call us on
01622 602176, and we will be
happy to send you a copy.

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To find out whats on in Maidstone Borough visit www.visitmaidstone.com