Allington Ward

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey electionmap service (www.election-maps.co.uk). Image reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk) and Land and Property Services (www.lpsni.gov.uk).

Allington covers an area to the very north of the constituency close to the M20

News from Allington and your local councillors

The Allington Lib Dem Councillors

Dan Daley

Malcolm Robertson

Cynthia Robertson

Dan Daley

Romney, 9 Frinstead Walk, Allington, Maidstone, ME16 0NN

01622 672459

07887 956900

dandaley@maidstone.gov.uk

Dan was born and educated in London, moving to Maidstone in 1974.

He first became involved in local politics in 1985 during the successful fight to save playing fields in Allington. He was first elected to Maidstone Borough Council for LibDems in 1990, became the Leader of the Group in 1992 and of the Council from 1994-9 - and Mayor in the Millennial year. Dan is currently serving his fifth term as Member for Allington Ward. He was elected also to the County Council in 2001 for Maidstone West, and is currently serving a second term for the whole of Maidstone Central (consisting of five urban Borough Wards).

Dan is currently a Trustee of several local Charities and is the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure (including Tourism and Business Liaison) for Maidstone Borough. On the County Council, Dan acts as the Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Environment and Highways matters and on the National Health Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Amongst his many achievements, Dan helped establish the Allington Millennium Green, led (through the Maidstone Trust) the development and establishment of the Maidstone River Walk and Whatman Park.

Dan has a great love of nature and does everything possible to protect the most beautiful and precious parts of our natural heritage. His other hobbies include photography, history, music and art (in all its forms!)

Malcolm Robertson

16 Ernest Drive, Allington, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0QS

01622 753517

07717 220081

malcolmrobertson@maidstone.gov.uk

Cynthia Robertson

16 Ernest Drive, Allington, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0QS

01622 753517

cynthiarobertson@maidstone.gov.uk

News from Allington and your local Councillors

• Jul 16, 2010:
  • Question from Malcolm Robertson to 22 July Full Council Meeting: Cabinet Scrutiny [Updated with answer]
    Question by Mr M Robertson to the Chairman of Cabinet Scrutiny Committee: Will the Chairman of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee say what lessons have been learned during the last year of the Committee's operation? Answer given in writing after Full Council meeting, 22 July: "On my appointment as Chairman of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee I asked the Conservative/Labour Group Spokesmen and the Independent Member to serve as my Vice Chairmen. This has worked well as we share the responsibility and operation of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee. "Scrutiny is the main tool available to all back bench members to examine and improve the decisions made by Cabinet and Cabinet members on behalf of the residents of Kent. "We have been pleased to see the latest improvement in quality of response from Cabinet to the recommendations made by Cabinet Scrutiny Committee. "However, what continues to cause concern to the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee and across the whole suite of Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committees is the information available to back bench Members to perform their role and serve the people of Kent more effectively. "There needs to be a fundamental change in the culture of the whole organisation to see Cabinet Scrutiny Committee as the "constructive critical friend". The Cabinet Scrutiny Committee has worked hard to lobby for more information to be included in the Forward Plan and the provision of quality and timely information. "Information requests need to be responded to promptly to avoid unnecessary call-in. Likewise recommendations for items to be considered by the appropriate Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee have been ignored. Recommendations from the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee which have been agreed by Cabinet have on occasions been delayed in their implementation. (In the interest of expediency I have set out specific examples at the end of the formal written answer). "I look forward to a period of improved communication with staff and the members of Cabinet Scrutiny Committee, and scrutiny work being increasingly focused on the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committees, leaving Cabinet Scrutiny Committee to pick up pre scrutiny, cross cutting and major decisions." Examples: Commonly long delays in responding to questions: in a recent example five weeks elapsed before the officer responsible for making a decision was identified by the Children, Families & Education Department. Questions raised on gulley emptying in December 2008 remain outstanding. As a result scrutiny meetings have been held which could have been avoided had these questions been answered promptly. Delays have also been experienced in following up recommendations accepted by Cabinet: a report on Kent Design Guide Parking Standards has taken over seven months to be presented; and three months for a satisfactory report on Kent Digital Service; we still await review of the 15% Chief Officer Bonus scheme which remains outstanding since April 2009; so far there has been no review of the members feedback forms required as part of the Chief Officer appraisal process as requested in September 2010. The information were incomplete: The Future of Older Peoples Provision had neither the number of clients, or the number of staff affected detailed. The decision as written was unintelligible: such as a report on school maintenance contracts, or the report was unrelated to the decision being made as in the case of Community Wardens scheme called in yesterday. Would have been best dealt with by the specialist Policy Overview Scrutiny Committees but did not appear on their agendas: The Cabinet Member decision on the revision of Community Warden deployment was signed off two days before the Communities Policy Overview Scrutiny Committee but did not appear on its agenda. The £4.1m cuts in Integrated Transport Schemes do not appear on the agenda for Environment Highways and Waste Policy Overview Scrutiny Committee for 29TH July. Yet these are both issues in which there is likely to be intense public interest. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 7, 2010:
  • Lib Dems launch local manifesto
    Lib Dems have launched their 10 promises for this year's local elections The Lib Dem group have today launched their local manifesto. Key highlights include: A cast iron guarantee that the Church Street Public conveniences will be re-opened That the weekend freighter service will be maintained That Mote Park is safe in Lib Dem hands For more information and detail on these and the other promises from your Lib Dem team, please visit the 2010 pledges page. Related Links Lib Dem 2010 10 promises Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Dec 7, 2009:
  • Rail Cuts are "Ill-Judged and outrageous"
    Malcolm Robertson, KCC Liberal Democrat Opposition Spokesperson on Transport matters and Maidstone Borough Council Railways Champion is outraged by the Government's decision to axe Maidstone and West Malling's vital direct commuter rail service to London Canon Street and Charing Cross via London Bridge. District and County Liberal Democrats have campaigned on this issue and also strongly supported the local commuter Rail User Groups in their campaign to keep these vital trains. Norman Baker MP, national Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, wrote to the Minister in support of retaining the service. Norman Baker MP and our local MPs have all been snubbed by this deplorable and ill thought-through decision. Malcolm Robertson has said: "This is a decision that affects a substantial number of real people's lives. Elsewhere in Kent people are now being offered the opportunity of paying money to spend more time at home with their families by using the new HST commuter services, and take-up is very high. Maidstone commuters receive no benefit whatsoever from these new HST services and are now being dealt the dreadful blow of having to endure an ADDITIONAL 20 minutes or more in travelling time on every journey to and from work. This is quite inhuman and is resulting in additional pressures on families which may even lead to some people having to move house." Maidstone is the County Town. It is a very successful shopping destination and it is both a Regional Transport Hub and a Government designated Secondary Growth Point. It is being expected to accommodate 11,000 new houses by 2026. Cllr. Robertson added: "It seems ridiculous that in travel time, Maidstone is now as far from London as Folkestone and yet it is less than half the actual distance. How can Government in all conscience then go ahead with this appalling cut in services which makes matters even worse and inflicts such harm on local families? Your Liberal Democrat representatives will continue to fight this injustice with every means open to us." Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Nov 30, 2009:
  • Clarification on Maidstone Downs Mail December 2009 Story: Parkway Rail Station Would Cut Journey Times
    Malcolm Robertson, Lib Dem County Councillor for Maidstone Central, wishes to clarify the following points raised in this newspaper article: • The positive proposal for establishing a Maidstone Parkway Station is contained within the recently released KCC draft consultation document, "Growth Without Gridlock, an integrated transport strategy for Kent". The KCC Conservative Cabinet Member, Mr Nick Chard, has clearly authorised the release of this document for consultation. • The KCC proposal does not name a site but the High Speed Rail line, HS1, is essentially only in the Maidstone area between the tunnel portal at Cossington (Bluebell Hill) and Hollingbourne. The number of possible practical sites is very limited. A good highway connection would be needed. • The Downs Mail article mixes quotations from me with journalistic editorial opinion and fails to distinguish between the two. • I am opposed to KIG. I have made no statements that link KIG with the KCC proposed Maidstone Parkway Station. I know nothing whatsoever about possible employment numbers at KIG and have made no comments on such matters. Any such comments in the article are journalistic. • I am Maidstone Borough Council's Railways Champion. In that capacity, I do welcome any opportunity to investigate ways to improve the County Town's connectivity with the national railways network. That is all this is. I certainly have many caveats in my mind, but the proposal must be fully examined. • There are other proposals such as the Network Rail Kent Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) option to bring a future HST service into Maidstone West station from Ebbsfleet on the classic rail lines along the Medway Valley. Such a service, whilst adding to passenger comfort, would not cut journey times substantially. However, it could probably be established much quicker than a Maidstone Parkway Station. There is currently limited car parking near Maidstone West. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Jun 5, 2009:
  • Lib Dem victory in Maidstone Central
    Malcolm Robertson wins second seat in Maidstone Central The Liberal Democrats have taken the second seat at the Maidstone Central County Division from the Conservatives. Lib Dem candidate Malcolm Robertson beat sitting councillor Jeff Curwood by a handsome margin of 1242 votes. Lib Dem Councillor Dan Daley retained his seat by an even bigger margin (1958 votes) over the Conservatives. Ian Chittenden also retained his seat in the North East Division with an enhanced majority. Clearly there is dissatisfaction with the Conservatives in Maidstone after one year of their control of the Borough Council. Newly elected County Councillor Malcolm Robertson said, "I would like to say thank you to everyone in Maidstone Central. This was a hard fought election, and I'm delighted to have won so decisively. I will do my best for the area and look forward to working at Kent County Council as a part of the Lib Dem group who are now the official opposition on the County Council". Related Links View full results for Maidstone Central View full results for Maidstone North East Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 21, 2009:
  • More rail misery for Maidstone commuters
    Southeastern trains has decided to stop the off-peak fast service between London Cannon Street and West Malling and Maidstone. Maidstone and the Weald Liberal Democrats are stunned that this announcement comes at a time when Maidstone stands to gain nothing from the new high speed commuter trains. Unlike practically all other main towns in Kent where journey times to London are being dramatically slashed, Maidstone will be left with only slow trains to London Victoria where journey times can be as much as 1hr 20 minutes. Malcolm Robertson, Lib Dem Transport Champion said, " It is disgraceful for the train operator to treat the County Town in this cavalier way. It will lead to real hardship for many long suffering commuters and no account seems to be being taken of this. People Power has to now be harnessed to change this harsh and unfair decision. Myself, Councillors Dan Daley, Ian Chittenden, and all the Liberal Democrat Group are supporting the users in raising a petition against this change. I am also seeking, with the support of the Maidstone Cabinet Member, a meeting with the Minister to discuss these issues. Ann Widdecombe has agreed to help facilitate this. To sign the petition visit www.keepourtrains.com Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 16, 2008:
  • Success at 'Dangerous' Fant / Gatland Lane Junction
    Lib Dem County Councillor Dan Daley and Lib Dem Campaigner Peter Carroll have received news that substantial works are planned for the junction of Fant Lane and Gatland Lane next year to make the area safer. This announcement follows a well attended demonstration organised by Peter Carroll which featured extensively on the local media and years of lobbying by Cllr Daley and his Lib Dem colleagues on Maidstone Borough Council. Local Lib campaigner Fran Smith highlighted has pressed for such action for many years. Fran said: "This is fantastic news and I'm sure this will save lives". Cllr Daley said: "Kent County Council has now given definite instructions to Kent Highways engineers to get the situation at the junction where we had the demonstration 'sorted out' in safety terms". Peter Carroll added: "This is a great result after a lot of hard work by the Lib Dem councillor team. I'd particularly like to thank local people for supporting our various petitions and our very successful street protest a few weeks ago". It is believed that the improvements will include: A complete reconstruction of the junction of Gatland Lane and realignment of the kerb lines. This would make the end of Gatland Lane a proper T junction and would improve the sight lines coming from Fant Lane round the bend. It would totally eliminate the open nature of the bend and thus prevent the hignspeed 'skating round' that occurs from Fant Lane into Gatland as at present. The provision of a pedestrian crossing at the end of Gatland Lane with a safety island Speed calming cushions along Fant lane all the way up to Bower Grove School to slow the traffic. More and better on road signage such as 'slow' 'bend' etc. All of this will depend on the proposed improvements passing a 'safety audit' and subject to public consultation. Cllr Daley said: "I'd like to thank the staff at Kent County Council for being so flexible and responding to resident's concerns so promptly." Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 20, 2008:
  • THAT incinerator
    From the outset, the Liberal Democrats opposed the 500,000 tonne per annum incinerator that in now operating in Allington Quarry. They always thought it was too big and that there were better solutions for waste disposal. However, it is here now. The best use possible must be made of it to recover energy and to use the associated recycling facility to recover materials for re-use. Councillor Malcolm Robertson and others will keep the operation under the very tightest scrutiny to make sure that it is posing little or no risk to our community. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 1, 2007:
  • Weekly refuse collections
    From February the first 20,000 properties will receive weekly rubbish collections and an improved fortnightly recycling collection. Maidstone councillors have agreed funding to keep weekly rubbish collections for kitchen waste, disposable nappies and other things that cannot be recycled and introduce an improved fortnightly recycling collection for plastics, paper, card and cans. Another 20,000 homes will get the extra collection in October and the rest in February the following year. Cabinet Member, Tony Harwood, said: "This scheme will give residents the recycling services that they demand and maintain the weekly refuse collection that they have told me that they want. It also makes sense environmentally and economically. I am not looking to recycle purely for the sake of recycling and I have considered in detail the environmental merits of the new recycling scheme. I will be placing equal emphasis on waste minimisation and re-use so that our service will have a reduced impact in terms of harmful climate change." Most households will be getting a new 180 litre grey bin for their weekly rubbish collection. Residents will be asked to use their existing green bins for their fortnightly recycling collections. Large families will be offered a larger bin and special arrangements will be made for people who don't have wheelie bins or space for a second bin. Although all 63,000 Maidstone homes will be getting a new fortnightly recycling collection some 14,000 will lose the kerbside glass collection. Cllr Harwood explains that this service does not make sense environmentally or economically. "Glass collected from the kerbside is crushed and used as aggregate in roads construction. If residents take it to a bottle bank where it is sorted by colour it is recycled into glass bottles and jars. Whereas, ever since the opening of the Allington waste to energy plant, if they put it into the normal refuse it is saved, crushed and used as aggregate in roads construction. So it really doesn't make sense to pay for an extra vehicle to collect it for no extra environmental benefit." Council Leader, Fran Wilson, is urging everyone to use the new services: "We have listened to the residents and we will be keeping a weekly collection for rubbish and kitchen waste. Residents should not feel forced into using the recycling collection but I am asking everyone to enthusiastically back the service they said they wanted and really start recycling and do their bit for the environment. There are those who say high recycling rates only come through moving to alternate weekly collections. I hope Maidstone Borough residents will help me prove those pundits wrong." Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Sep 28, 2007:
  • Makeover for Maidstone Museum
    Maidstone Liberal Democrats would like to congratulate Officers for their hard work in securing a £1,999,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the development of the East Wing of the Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery. Maidstone council leader, Fran Wilson, says the money will be put to very good use: "This is excellent news and a tribute to all the hard work put in by our bid team. We've got a fabulous collection and this will provide an exciting, modern setting to show off more of our exhibits to more people". The popular museum, which celebrates its 150th birthday next year, is one of the oldest museums in the UK. Today's news will help Maidstone Borough Council carry out Phase II of their work to showcase even more of the 600,000 objects in its collections and transform the visitor experience for the 83,000 people it attracts each year. Dan Daley, Cabinet Member for Culture is confident that visitor numbers will continue to grow: "The award comes at a time when the museum has been breaking all records for attendance with its fascinating range of new exhibitions. The grant will enable us to embark with confidence on an ambitious programme to make the Museum even more attractive in the coming years"; he said. Plans include the construction of two extensions to the museum, housing a new entrance and orientation area to welcome visitors. Facilities such as toilets, a shop, cloakrooms and a café providing visual access to a previously unseen Tudor façade of the building will also be developed. Maidstone's Tourist Information Centre will be relocated to the museum entrance. The extensions will also allow refurbishment and reorganisation of the galleries and storage areas to be undertaken. Combined with the creation of two new temporary exhibitions galleries, this will increase display space by 30% and enable many items to come out of the store cupboards. Objects to go on display thanks to the refurbishments include material from the most important collection of Japanese art held by a museum outside London. A rare Solomon Islands canoe, which is currently stored in the loading bay, will be used as an eye-catching centrepiece to the new museum entrance. The museum's education activities are currently over subscribed but the extensions will provide two new education spaces for schools and adult learners, allowing the education activities to grow. Access for visitors with disabilities or prams will be much improved with level access to the museum's facilities provided for the first time. Disabled toilets and a baby changing area will be introduced. The project forms Phase II of a larger master-plan for upgrading the museum. Phase I, the refurbishment of the West Wing, was completed with the help of a £253,000 HLF grant in 2003. Sustainability has been one of the main considerations. Tony Harwood, Maidstone's Cabinet Member for Environment explains: "The Museum is one of our landmark buildings. It demanded an exciting architectural design and we insisted upon cutting edge environmental technology, from a ground heat pump to solar panels in the roof the new wing will set the standard for energy conservation and sustainability. That ethos will be extended throughout the project. Landscaping will include native Cherry, Lime and Field Maple trees and a commemorative Oak, as a memorial to the last action of the Battle of Maidstone in the nearby St. Faith's churchyard in 1648." Maidstone has now received 53 HLF grant awards to date, totalling over £8.4million. Sheena Vick, Heritage Lottery Fund Manager for the South East, commented: "This popular museum houses a treasure trove of collections and today's news sets Maidstone Borough Council on their way to transforming the way history is brought to life for visitors." Simon Lace, Museums & Heritage Manager, said: "We're delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has chosen to support our project. Their help will be vital in allowing us to create 21st century facilities for the ever increasing number of people who visit our fantastic museum and wish to enjoy our outstanding collections." Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Jul 30, 2007:
  • Call for a crack down on reckless licence holders
    Dan Daley calls for crack down on irresponsible and negligent licence holders In the debate on the Future of Public Health in Kent at County Hall, Dan Daley, Member for Maidstone Central called on Authorities to be tougher on those found guilty of supplying alcohol to under-age teens. He reported the recent withdrawal of an alcohol licence at his local Tesco Express. His concern is with the damage that young people are doing to their health which will lead to serious medical conditions in later life. "It is all very well having the good intentions shown in the document we are debating here today about promoting Good Health in our population, but unless there is a much stronger approach to the control of alcohol misuse in our young people then we shall all be paying an extremely high price in years to come". Dan was calling for the government, police, trading standards and licensing authorities to be far more pro-active in detecting the misuse of the licences held by Pubs / Clubs, Supermarkets and Garages. "Binge drinking is seen as the root cause of most of the anti-social behaviour problems being faced in many neighbourhoods. It is now far too easy to buy alcohol" Dan informed the Chamber. "We need more licences to be suspended when breaches have been detected as at Tesco in Allington this week. Failure now will inevitably mean more costs to the Health Service in a few years with liver failure, depression and drink addiction being at the forefront of the problems". Dan calls on members of the public and local community groups to be far more proactive in informing Licensing Authorities of any breaches witnessed to assist them in a crack down on irresponsible and negligent licence holders. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• May 25, 2007:
  • Environmental Awareness Scheme awarded grant
    Kent County Councillor, Dan Daley has opened the batting for Grants this year with a grant of £1140 to enable the startup of an environmental awareness scheme at Astor of Hever Community School Maidstone. The scheme, which is part of the BBC's 'Breathing Spaces' project will enable small green spaces on the school campus to be established for wildlife but also for people of all ages to sit and enjoy peaceful surroundings. The wildlife encouragement element will include bird nesting and bat boxes, butterfly and squirrel feeders, binoculars and books to identify the various species. Included in the grant is money to buy the necessary tools and equipment to start the work and for bushes, trees and compost. Dan Daley said "I believe that this is a very important way in which people, young and old, can get to enjoy the wide variety of wildlife that is really abundant in our urban areas. This is a first-class project, and I am pleased to be able to give it encouragement by providing the pump-priming money from my County Council devolved budget allocation". Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Feb 20, 2007:
  • Lib Dems opposition to CCTV budget cut success
    Maidstone Liberal Democrats, with strong support from a petition from local residents, has ensured that the threat by the Conservative administration running Maidstone Council to cut the CCTV budget by £80,000 has been withdrawn. In the last few years, Maidstone's CCTV system has been hugely successful in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area as well as giving peace of mind to many residents and visitors to the town. Councillor Malcolm Robertston Councillor Malcolm Robertson, Leader of the Maidstone Liberal Democrats said, "The proposed cut of £80,000 would have resulted in a significant reduction of coverage and monitoring; in regard to both the fixed and mobile systems. It would also have made further expansion of the system extremely difficult." He continued," We are delighted with the result and would like to thank residents who took the trouble to return the petition or sign it on line". Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Jan 24, 2007:
  • Lib Dems oppose cut in CCTV budget
    Local Liberal Democrat Councillors were surprised and concerned by a recent proposal by the Conservative administration to cut the CCTV budget for Maidstone. CCTV has been hugely successful in reducing crime in Maidstone In the last few years, Maidstone's CCTV system has been very successful in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area as well as giving peace of mind to many residents and visitors to the town. Councillor Malcolm Robertson, Leader of the Maidstone Liberal Democrats said, "The proposed cut of £80,000 would result in a significant reduction of coverage and monitoring; in regard to both the fixed and mobile systems. It would also make further expansion of the system extremely difficult." He continued, "The Cabinet members are due to make their final decision in February when myself and my Liberal Democrat colleagues will be strongly opposing the proposal." As the Liberal Democrats to not have a majority on the Council, the support of the general public is essential. An online petition has been set up to capture details of anyone opposed to the budget cut and will be presented directly to the Cabinet. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Dec 8, 2006:
  • Parking on verges - more action needed
    Councillor Malcolm Robertson calls for existing Act to be enforced The issue of cars parking on grass verges in the borough was addressed by Councillor Malcolm Robertson at a meeting of the Joint Transportation Board. Councillor Robertson urged the use of an existing County of Kent Act to prosecute offenders. He said, "The way to prevent this problem is by embarrassing people by publicity. We have an act in place but nobody seems to know if there have been any prosecutions. We should use the tools we have got and take action." Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Nov 12, 2006:
  • Incinerator Tree Screen destroyed
    As the Incinerator at Allington continues to undergo commissioning tests, the mature evergreen screen of trees around the edge of the site facing the public roads has been removed. Allington Incinerator Local Lib Dem Borough Councillor Malcolm Robertson, who has received many calls from furious residents, says, "We were not advised they were to be removed at this stage. This seems a crazy decision. Surely it would have been better to have left this screen in place until the 27,000 young trees of indigenous varieties that are being planted get properly established, which could be many years. We believe that for Kent County Council to have insisted that the agreed planting scheme should be slavishly followed and to have not allowed some sensible interpretation does not bode well for responsible decision making at this site in the future". Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 30, 2006:
  • Liberal Democrat Councillors demand action on roads in Maidstone
    Albany Road, Maidstone As highway budgets have been cut, many urgent and sometimes dangerous problems on roads and footpaths have been left for months before repairs are undertaken leaving local residents at risks. Examples include Albany Road where major trip hazards and dangerous walls have been left unrepaired since reported by us in April. If you know of any dangerous potholes, trip hazards or just where the condition of the footpath or roads are in extremely poor condition, please let us know. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 28, 2006:
  • County Highways Cost Chaos
    Tories turn £3m saving on highways budget into £17.7m loss to the Taxpayer. Escalating Highways service costs have once again raised serious questions about the state of the Roads in Maidstone, and in particular, maintenance and repairs. In 2005, the Tory controlled Kent County Council, against strong objections from many District Councils, including Maidstone, cancelled the joint arrangements and centralized control using the excuse that a saving of £3m would be achieved. Since then, maintenance budgets have been cut and Kent County Council have revealed that the cost of the reorganisation to the taxpayer could be as high as £17.7m. Councillor Dan Daley questions escalating costs of highways service At the recent Highways Advisory Board, Maidstone Liberal Democrat County Councillor Dan Daley said, "the figures are getting more than bizarre. When the County decided to take back the highways function from the Districts, we were told one of the objectives was to save money. We have since need told that the cost would be £5m, then £7m, then £10m and now it's £17.7m. I wonder where it will end". Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 4, 2006:
  • Maidstone Lib Dems campaign to change Planning Rules
    Maidstone,like many other Towns in the Southeast has been suffering from Government Planning policies that force councils to accept high density development. Councillor Clive English critisises Governments "..absurd planning regulations." The town has seen development crammed into back gardens,single houses replaced with multiple units and houses converted into several flats,often without adequate parking or anywhere for children to play. Liberal Democrats on Maidstone Council are opposed to the Governments policy(set out in planning policy guidance note 3) and are campaigning to change it. On 27th September Maidstone Borough Council approved a motion proposed by Lib Dem councillors,Clive English and Dan Daley to use every opportunity and avenue open to the Council to seek to persuade the Government to adopt a more rational approach to Planning policy. The Council will be working with other councils,and with local government associations and members of parliament of all parties to try to overturn the governments absurd regulations. Published and promoted by Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems 56 Bower Mount Road Maidstone ME16 8AU. The views expressed are those of Maidstone & The Weald Lib Dems, not of the service provider. Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY