Local Government Minister John Healey has announced that nine proposals for unitary status will now go ahead towards implementation with the intention that all new authorities are fully up and running in 2009. Kent remains unaffected by any of the changes, despite strong rumours early in the process that the County, and Shepway, could see huge changes to its Council structure.
As the Met Office predicts more heavy rain this weekend across South East England including Kent, with a risk of disruption to the strategic road network, the Highways Agency is advising drivers to adjust their travel plans as necessary.
A report in the Folkestone Herald has highlighted that recycling is to be withdrawn from Irene Astor Court off Dover Road in Folkestone, with a Council spokesman claiming "Flats are not currently included in our recycling collections". This comes under 6 weeks since Councillor Rory Love, the Tory Cabinet member with responsibility for recycling assured Councillors that recycling does cover flats within town.
5 teams battled it out at Pent Valley Leisure Centre to become the first Shepway Lib Dems 5-a-Side football champions. "Guildhall" went away with the trophy, with team leader Alex McNeice promising to look after it carefully until next year!
Discover Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh have released their July newsletter - featuring the key news that the organisation's short term future has been secured by support from a range of Councils including Folkestone Town Council.
Folkestone Town Council has taken the lead on getting street litter bins repainted in Folkestone. A motion proposed by Councillor Emily Sanger for the lead Lib Dem group and backed by the full Council last week has agreed funding of £3,000 for a project to repaint around 50 bins, concentrating on Folkestone Town Centre and bins on main roads.
Well known Shepway Lib Dem campaigners Darren Briddock and Miranda Roberts have had some of their exploits at the recent Ealing Southall by-election written up in this weeks Liberal Democrat News. Both were key members of the Ealing team dedicating many days to the campaign - in which the Lib Dems slashed the Labour majority and the Tories remained in a humiliating third place - but the write-up came for their work after the polls closed.
Kent Highway Services have announced that they plan replace the existing road humps in Stanley Road, Cheriton with new pre-cast concrete speed cushions. The works will involve the closure of Stanley Road to traffic (except for access) and works are intended to start on or after 30 July and is expected to take up to 4 weeks to complete.
Cheriton Councillor Dhan Gurung has been told that traffic calming measures in Weymouth Road in Cheriton will not be considered as not enough people have been injured in the road. Dhan was approached by local residents concerned about the speed of traffic in the road, especially as the nearby Stanley and Somerset Roads and Shaftesbury Avenue already have traffic calming in place.
Kent Trading Standards are offering free electric blanket safety checks to local residents between 1 - 4 October 2007 at Ashford, Lyminge (nr Folkestone), Herne Bay and Gravesend. There are about 1,000 fires caused by faulty electric blankets every year, with about 20 people are killed and 250 are injured. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable.
The first quarterly newsletter from the South East Liberal Democrat Europe Group is now available on-line at http://tinyurl.com/35ekwg covering topics including Town Twinning, EU Funding for Crime Prevention Projects and Funding for Environmental Projects.
Kent Trading Standards is warning consumers about the dangers of using a 'Proteam' Carbon Monoxide Gas Alarm which cannot be relied upon to detect the so-called 'silent killer' gas. The alarm, which comes with an adapter so it can be used abroad, has been available over the last four months from high street outlets as well as via the internet and through newspapers and other mail order publications.
