Cllr. Benjamin Townend - Ashford Independants - Park Farm North

23/11/2023

Very happy that the motion this evening to move the Ashford Borough Council offices to International House was passed. I’m proud to have voted yes to this motion that will allow the Council to make the savings that it needs to make in order to keep essential services running. I feel the residents of Ashford would prefer to have their bins collected rather than us Councillors to remain in the Civic Centre because it has a nice chamber. Personally I would meet in the car park if it saved money for services.

13/10/2023

I have an update regarding the Motocross activity that has started up again at the Cloverleaf.

Residents have been coming to me to express there concerns regarding the new activity at the Cloverleaf with Motocross meets happening over the last few weekends. There are concerns that this activity isn’t legal in the sense that they don’t have permission, the obvious noise associated with this activity, as well as many other issues such as litter.

I escalated these concerns along with the evidence I was provided to the relevant teams at ABC and they have come back to me today.

They have said that “ABC are aware of the increased/new activity. It is currently under investigation and the council are exploring the next step in terms of enforcement action.

In the meantime please encourage residents to continue to report matters and provide evidence, but ask if they could send it over to the Planning Department all the details are on their webpage”

https://www.ashford.gov.uk/planning-and-development/planning-enforcement/

The email address is [email protected]

13/10/2023

I have an update regarding the Motocross activity that has started up again at the Cloverleaf.

Residents have been coming to me to express there concerns regarding the new activity at the Cloverleaf with Motocross meets happening over the last few weekends. There are concerns that this activity isn’t legal in the sense that they don’t have permission, the obvious noise associated with this activity, as well as many other issues such as litter.

I escalated these concerns along with the evidence I was provided to the relevant teams at ABC and they have come back to me today.

They have said that “ABC are aware of the increased/new activity. It is currently under investigation and the council are exploring the next step in terms of enforcement action.

In the meantime please encourage residents to continue to report matters and provide evidence, but ask if they could send it over to the Planning Department all the details are on their webpage”

https://www.ashford.gov.uk/planning-and-development/planning-enforcement/

The email address is [email protected]

Information on Ashford Borough Council's approach to planning enforcement.

26/07/2023

Yesterday evening I met with Cllr Kate Walder who is the Portfolio holder for the department that covers the running of the Moat. I was joined by the four other Borough Councillors that cover Kingsnorth Cllr. Heather Hayward - Roman Ward, Cllr. Katrina Giles Ashford Green Party, Cllr Clive Hallett & Cllr Ray McGeever.

We discussed the future of the Moat and how we can try to eventually return fishing for the local residents to enjoy. In order to do this, we need to obtain an accurate picture of what condition the Moat is in. This will include reviewing the drainage issues, the impact this has on the suds system and what level of silt removal that will be required in order to make the Moat a viable fishery again.

This review will be comprehensive and fully costed with financial breakdowns that will give us a clear indication of what we face. Once we have this essential detail we can look at the options available to us and make smart decision based on factual data. The need to do this is because all of the information that we previously had, is now out of date and did not provide enough detail to make an informed decision.

Getting this review together and getting the required data is the first part of what will be a long process. I want to be honest with you all, getting fishing back at the Moat is and will always remain the goal but it will take time. I can not put a time frame on this but I will keep everyone up to date as progress is made.

This is fantastic news and incredibly positive because we’ve gone from a situation under the previous administration where decisions were made and it looked as if there was no way back. Now we are fully focused and working hard on delivering a positive outcome for everyone. Once again if anyone has any questions in relation to this, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

20/07/2023

I’m am delighted to say that after working on this issue for some weeks, that tonight at The full Council meeting of Ashford Borough Council, that I worked with the relevant Portfolio holder Cllr Walder to make a multitude of amendments to a Labour motion regarding restoring fishing at the Moat. The Council accepted the amended proposal and this allows me to work with my fellow Councillors as I have been doing since May to find a solution that will bring fishing back to the Moat. Once I have a formalised version of the amended proposal I will share it here and I am open to any questions that residents may have regarding this issue

25/06/2023

The B line & route 2A will be affected with these changes please sign our petition to Stagecoach & KCC - Help Save Our Buses

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-our-bus-services-ashford-kent?source=email&

Major Cuts to Ashford bus services announced. Most are planned to take effect from 13 August: 2023

Route 1 will longer to serve Wye;

Route 2 will be completely withdrawn (no service to Great Chart, Betherden and High Halden);

Route 2A will have its Sunday service and any journeys via Park Farm withdrawn;

Route 10 will have its Sunday service and service to Lympne and Port Lymne Zoo withdrawn;

Route 10X will have its Sunday service to Maidstone withdrawn;

Ashford town routes A, B, C, D will operate with reduced frequency.

Last buses routes B and C will be 8 p.m. and routes A and D will be 9 p.m.

Route G will have no service in peak hours This is just a selection of the routes affecting Ashford on a long list of Stagecoach (and some Arriva) commercial bus routes in Kent to be withdrawn or reduced to be found on the "bus services" page of the Kent County Council website.

KCC can do little to rectify withdrawals as they have already made huge cuts to their subsidised routes including the withdrawal of the only route to Pluckley Egerton and Smarden. The Government has granted some money to help our bus services, but this is predominantly to 'imrove journey experiences'

Please sign and share our petition to Stagecoach showing your support for these services and ask them and KCC to work together to ensure that residents across the wider constituency of Ashford can travel. Our buses are a lifeline to many, without these services many will be isolated, especially in our rural communities.

Massive cuts to bus services across Ashford (and the rest of Kent) are being proposed by Kent County Council including services for disabled people (the Kent Karrier services). See:https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/documents/s109372/Report.pdf Annually these services provided 44,833 bus journeys in and...

20/06/2023

Sometime this morning the bus stop that’s on the corner of Saw Lodge Field and Sheepfold Lane was vandalised. Thank you for the local residents that brought it to my attention. With some help from Cllr. Katrina Giles Ashford Green Party we managed to clean up the area and make it safe for the school run in the morning. The glass has been disposed off safely, it will be reported to Stagecoach in the morning and I am in the process of reporting it to Kent Police

08/06/2023

So proud to have played a little part in this and I’m really excited to see how well this new Cabinet will do. After 20 years of Tory rule at ABC it’s time for change.

04/06/2023

Sadly, I couldn’t attend this session due to family commitments but I’m looking forward to the next dates that are lined up.

Biscuits and Squash ready! Our first Kingsnorth Parish Council community engagement starts today!
Our local Parish Councillors and Borough Councillors are looking forward to meeting with you and listening to your views and concerns.

Today At Kingsnorth Pavilion 10am - 12pm