MP and Councillors welcome Balfour Centre reprieve

Mark Reckless MP (middle) with Cllrs Sylvia Griffin and Trevor Clarke visit the Balfour Centre

Mark Reckless MP and local Councillors have welcomed the decision by Medway Council to extend the Balfour Centre consultation period following a late bid from Medway Community Healthcare, which provides community NHS services to the people of Medway, to take over the running of the centre in Pattens Lane.

Mark, along with local ward councillors Sylvia Griffin and Trevor Clarke, recently visited the centre to discuss the consultation and to meet with and listen to some of current users of the centre.

Following a last minute bid from Medway Community Healthcare, Medway Council’s cabinet yesterday voted unanimously to extend the consultation period for the Balfour Centre, which supports adults with disabilities, to explore the viability of the proposal.

Speaking after the decision, Mark said:

“Many disabled people clearly enjoy the time that they spend at the Balfour Centre and gain skils and social opportunites which otherwise may not be available to them. I was impressed by the commitment of Balfour centre users and staff to the centre.

I am delighted that Medway Council have run a genuine consultation and that Medway Community Healthcare have come forward with these proposals to take over the running of the centre.”

Shock Labour plans to close Rochester Airport and Deangate Ridge

Hands Off Deangate Ridge! Cllrs Phil Filmer (right) and Chris Irvine say NO to Medway Labour plans to concrete over cherished community asset

Local Conservative have expressed shock that Medway Labour has called for the closure of two cherished community assets.

In an interview on BBC Radio Kent (14 February 2012), Labour Deputy Leader Cllr Vince Maple called for Medway Council to make the political choice to close Rochester Airport and Deangate Ridge Golf Course.

Such a move could see them concreted over and turned into housing and industrial development.

Cllr Maple said on Radio Kent: “You can choose to have a mixed economy of care provision and you can choose to have Deangate Golf Club and Rochester airfield. There are political choices there. “

Cllrs Sylvia Griffin and Trevor Clarke say NO to Medway Labour plan to concrete over Rochester Airport

In response Conservative Deputy Leader Cllr Alan Jarrett said:

“This clearly shows what Labour would do if they were ever in charge. It is disgraceful that they want to concrete over these two important and cherished areas in Medway and turn them into industrial and housing estates.

“In Medway the Conservatives are proposing to safeguard care provision for the long term and maintain the airfield and the golf club along with many other front line services. The only political choice people in Medway face is between Labour who would cut front line services and the Conservatives who will maintain them.”

Cllr Phil Filmer, member for Peninsula Ward, said:

“This shows why Labour can never be trusted here on the Peninsula. Deangate Ridge is a valued green space, used by many members of the public, and we can’t allow it to be concreted over just to satisfy Labour’s politically-motivated dogma. We will fight tooth and nail to save Deangate Ridge from being bulldozed!”

Speaking about Labour’s plan to close Rochester Airport, Cllr Sylvia Griffin, member for Rochester South and Horsted, said:

“I’m really shocked that Labour is, once again, threatening to close our airport. If Labour ever got back into power, their policy would be to concrete over Rochester Airport. We can’t allow that to happen.”

Snow update

Medway Council’s gritters will be out keeping the roads moving over the weekend if we have snowfall.

Forecasts are predicting a turn in the weather on Saturday evening and council teams are out working in case that happens.

Gritting lorries will work overnight from tonight on major routes to treat the surfaces, and sweeping gangs will treat priority footpaths and car parks if there is significant snowfall.

The council salts primary and secondary road routes during severe weather. Find details of where these are, as well as salt bin locations, updates on weather forecasts, travel information, and advice on coping with the bad weather.

The authority’s preparations include:

• 5,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled
• Eight salting vehicles
• 388 salt bins
• 4×4 vehicles available to reach those in more rural areas

Travel information

Advice from Kent Police
Arriva buses
Southeastern Trains

Advice from NHS Medway

Keeping warm
Trips and falls
Advice for the elderly

Gritting map

Download the gritting map which points out all roads and streets on the A and B gritting routes.

In Touch with Rochester South and Horsted

You can download the latest Rochester South and Horsted InTouch by clicking on the image or click here.

Keep in touch with all the latest news from your local Conservatives in Rochester South and Horsted ward, including an update on the Horsted College site, the new park for Rosebery Road recreation ground and much, much more.

Don’t forget to send us your feedback on the FREEPOST reply form. We look forward to hearing you.

MEP backs ‘No Estuary Airport’ campaign!

One of the South East’s MEPs has given his backing to the ‘No Estuary Airport’ campaign during a visit to the Isle of Grain.

Nirj Deva MEP was on the Isle of Grain on Sunday (22 January) at a meeting of local Conservative Party activists. He was joined by local MP Mark Reckless, and Peninsula Ward Councillors Phil Filmer, Chris Irvine and Tony Watson.

Speaking against the latest Thames Estuary airport proposals, Nirj said:

“The proposal to consult on building a new airport in the region of the Thames Estuary is a complete nonsense. If additional capacity is required, the government should be looking to improve existing facilities and infrastructure. The government should be doing all it can to protect our natural and unique habitats here in the South East, not wasting time and taxpayers’ money on unnecessary and extravagant schemes.

If this proposal is to succeed, existing traffic at Heathrow will have to be diverted to the new Estuary airport, otherwise it will not be sustainable financially with only added and marginal increases in capacity. Closure of Heathrow would foIlow. A folly so great that it is does not bare thinking about. The impact which the possible closure of Heathrow could have on the West London economy would be staggering. Heathrow supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and is one of the biggest single-site employers in the UK. There will be a considerable amount of anxiety amongst local residents and businesses should the government decide to proceed with this preposterous Thames Estuary airport consultation. I urge the government to think again.”

Phil Filmer added:

“We are against an airport being built anywhere in the Thames Estuary. We will work hard to persuade the government that such a proposal would cause significant damage to the local environment and is neither a safe, affordable or sensible solution to the country’s future aviation needs. A Thames Estuary airport would be bad for Medway and bad for Britain.”

NOTES:

Nirj Deva has been an MEP for South East England since 1999. He was previously MP for Brentford and Isleworth from 1992 to 1997.

Over 76,500 people working for over 320 different companies are employed at Heathrow. Almost half of the people employed at Heathrow live nearby. Source: http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/community-and-environment/sustainability/economy-and-society/employment-and-skills

A Clean Up success in Hoo!

The first Hoo Clean Up of 2012 was held on Saturday 14^th January. It was a great success – with 13 local residents turning up to help and 25 sacks of rubbish collected!

 

Organised by the Medway Councillors for Peninsula Ward (Phil Filmer, Chris Irvine and Tony Watson), local volunteers, including Parish Councillor Ron Sands, cleared litter from around the Village Square car park, the public toilets on Stoke Road and from the Brook that leads off Church Street to Brookside and Armytage Close.

 

Afterwards Tony Watson said:

 

“Medway Council, with the support of Hoo Parish Council, work hard to provide a street cleaning service in Hoo and staff work really hard to try to keep the area clean. But this particular clean up session was organised to tackle some of those areas that aren’t regularly covered by a cleansing schedule. It is a shame we felt this had to be done, but there is a small minority who don’t seem able to find a bin!”

 

“I’d like to thank all those who took the time to come along and lend a hand, including Medway Council’s community officer Johnny Robinson. And the Red Cross Centre deserve thanks too, for letting us use their facilities to have a nice hot cup of tea and a slice of cake at the end of the session.”

 

The next Hoo Clean Up will be on Saturday 24^th March, from 9.30am to 10.45am. Meeting at the Village Hall car park on Pottery Road – we will look to clear litter from around the recreation ground and also near the shopping parade on Knights Road.

 

For more information call Tony on 01634 255694 or email tonywatson2006@btinternet.com.

Tags: chris irvine, medway council, peninsula ward, tony watson

Half price bus fare scheme extended

Young people aged up to 18 can now benefit from half price bus travel at all times.

Medway Council has run a half price fare initiative for young people for a number of years, which was applicable at specific times of the day.

From now on the scheme, renamed as the Medway Youth Pass, now applies to all young people travelling on any local bus service at all times, up to the end of the academic year after their 18th birthday.

The journeys must start in Medway and can be to any destination in Medway or Kent, (as long as any changes of bus are in Medway) so the pass will give young people access to all the area’s cultural, educational and sporting events.

Cllr Phil Filmer, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Frontline Services and member for Peninsula Ward, said:

“We extended the half price scheme to include all young people up to the age of 18 back in 2009. Now this further initiative will provide even more freedom of choice, and help young people to travel affordably and safely around Medway at all times.”

To qualify pass holders must live in Medway and travel to any destination in Medway or Kent (as long as any changes of bus are in Medway). The pass is not valid on the subsidised yellow buses run by the council or with companies that already offer a child fare for students.

Application forms for the Medway Youth Pass are available from all Medway Schools, Strood, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham libraries, the council offices at Gun Wharf and the Customer First contact points. Young people or their parents will need to complete and sign the form and return it to the Student Services Operations Team, Medway Council, Children and Adults, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR.

Applicants will need to attach a passport-sized photograph. There is a £5.50 administration fee, payable by cheque, postal order, credit or debit card. To pay by cash visit Medway Council’s Chatham or Strood contact point (please do not send cash in the post).

Young people aged 16 to 18 who already hold a valid concessionary pass do not need to re-apply.

For further information visit any Medway school, main library or council contact point, call 331155 or visit www.medway.gov.uk/gettingtoschool

Hoo Clean-Up 14th January 2012

Help make your village look smart by coming along to the Hoo Village Clean Up on Saturday 14th January 2012. Meeting in Hoo Village Square at 9.30am (until 11am), we are aiming to clean up the village square car park and surrounding area.

Litter picking tools kindly supplied by Medway Council who are supporting this event. Organised by your Peninsula Ward Councillors – Phil Filmer, Chris Irvine and Tony Watson.

Please pop along and lend a hand – you’ll even receive a free drink and a piece of cake for your troubles.

For further information, call Chris Irvine on 07713 615550 or Tony Watson on 255694 or 07920 017092 (on the day).

We look forward to seeing you!

Lodge Hill Consultation Deadline Extended

Lodge Hill, Outline Planning Application – consultation deadline extended

Application No: MC/11/2516
Applicant: Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Agent: Land Securities

Medway Council, in recognition of the scale of the application and with the pressures of Christmas and new year, is pleased to provide an extension of time for the submission of comments on the above application to the 13 January 2012. Please make comments in writing either by email to planning.representations@medway.gov.uk or by letter to Development Management, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR and marked for the attention of Carly Stoddart.

For more information, please visit Medway Council’s website by clicking here.

Message from Joe Armitage

Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi meets Joe Armitage during her recent visit

A message from Joe Armitage – local resident and Chairman of Medway Conservative Future

Labour failed our country and they failed the ordinary working person, the very people who they claim to represent and rely on to win elections. They made the poorest poorer, let youth unemployment increase to over 900,000, created greater inequality, left the UK with its biggest peacetime deficit ever, failed to deliver their promise of eradicating child poverty and let violent crime increase by 44%. They allowed all of this to happen despite an economic boom and an increase in public spending of 45% up until 2007.

The local Conservative party is not in the pockets of the rich or uncaring, we simply want to put Britain right and that’s why I joined. I’m not from a wealthy background, I have a single parent and live in a terraced house, but that doesn’t stop me sharing the values of the 21st century Conservative Party. We want to get people back into work by making work pay more than welfare. We want enterprise and business to return to the UK unlike Labour who watched its destruction. We also want growth in the economy, but not aided by debt. The UK economy is growing faster than the USA and the EU average, all thanks to the Conservative-led Government.

The misgivings of the Labour Party are showing and the Conservative Party are the only party to be trusted with the mighty task of putting Britain back on track. Join us on that journey!