At the Hythe Town Council Meeting on 10 April NOT ONE Hythe West Councillor was present. Two of the councillors, Conservatives Linda and John Oliver, moved to Bath in December but continue to hang onto their seats, despite rarely attending meetings. The other two Conservative Councillors for the ward also gave their apologies for the meeting - meaning that there was NO representation for Hythe West at all.
Thank you for your continuous interest in the upcoming Folkestone Triennial - we wanted to update you on recent activities.
New "School Warning" signs will be erected at the junction of Valebrook Close and Cheriton Court Road in Cheriton following a request by Cheriton Councillor Peter Carroll. Shepway Council have confirmed they have now bought the new signs and that they will be erected in the next week.
A regular email of recent press stories and updates from Shepway District Council DOESN'T get sent to the Leader of the Lib Dem opposition group on the Council, but DOES get sent to the local Conservative Agent!
The most recent edition of the Folkestone People's History Centre Newsletter is now available. The newsletter has an update on the ongoing discussions on the conversion of the Town Museum to a "History Resource Centre", the progress on the Heritage Lottery Fund bid for 'Folkestone: A Town Unearthed', and articles on the Porter Album, Folkestone Harbour Station and forthcoming events.
Lib Dem New Romney Coast Councillor Val Loseby has been pushing for Shepway Council action over the increasing number of large and intrusive lights being erected at Lydd Airport (LAA). After months of correspondence, the Planning Department has now written to the airport - asking them to confirm if the airport believe they need planning permission for the lights!
Kent County Council are running an April Blitz on potholes, seeking to repair up to 10,000 potholes across the County in a month. After increasing pressure from local residents and councillors, Kent has redirected at least 24 crews to focus on repairing only potholes and promoted a campaign of reporting with the public.
Shepway District Council wrote off £145,000 of Council Tax as uncollectable in 2006-07. Overall, English councils wrote off more than £130m of unpaid tax last year, according to figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Royal Mail have stated that their delivery service counter hours at Folkestone and Hythe Sorting Office counter are not to be cut. Shepway Lib Dems received the assurance from the Royal Mail after contacting the company having been approached by local residents who had heard of potential hours cuts.
MORE people are coming to Shepway for holiday and day trips, according to the latest Tourism South East survey of the local visitor economy. An estimated 3.7 million UK and overseas visitors are spending more than £197 million a year.
Sandgate resident Season Prater is calling on Sandgate residents to send a clear message to the Conservatives on Sandgate Council by supporting her in a Sandgate Valley by-election on May 1st. The council has been in the news recently for its highly controversial change from "Parish" to "Town" status and that Chairman Geoffrey Boot has moved from being Chairman to Mayor of Sandgate, with many local residents upset about the plans.
If you earn between about £5,400 to £16,000 a year, you will notice a tax increase in your pay packet in April. This is because the 10% income tax band has been doubled to 20% by the Labour Government, in a change announced by Gordon Brown last year but only brought into force this month. This extra tax is being used to cut taxes on higher earners.
