Newington History Group

Spend an evening reviving memories or finding out about the past when Colin Harvey presents Kent Remembered at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, February 14th at 7:30pm.

Colin will show how mechanised farming, foreign travel and other events have helped to changed life in county. He'll stir memories of steam trains that brought holidaymakers to the coast and Cockneys who picked the hops and fruit.

The group, which meets on the second Thursday of the month in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.

For more details contact: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk

Or call: 01795 842711

View the website: www.newingtonhistorygroup.btck.co.uk

And follow the History Group on Twitter: @newingtonhg

Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group

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Maidstone Road Rainham Surgery - CQC Inspection Report Overview - January 2019

Maidstone Road Rainham Surgery is located at 53a/b Maidstone Road, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent ME8 0DP. There is a branch surgery at 56 Oak Lane, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7AU. This surgery is more rural and is a dispensing surgery. The CQC visited both premises during their inspection.

The CQC inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector and included a GP specialist adviser.

The report describes the CQC's judgement of the quality of care at this service. It is based on a combination of what they found when they inspected, information from their ongoing monitoring of data about services and information given to them from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

More information available on the Care Quality Commission website >> http://bit.ly/2GfdYuP

If you have any questions or suggestions on the local practice, please Email:

Jan Bunting (Secretary) janannbunting@outlook.com or 

Ray Kemsley (Chair) raykemsley@btinternet.com

Ray Kemsley

Chair - Surgery Patient Participation Group - Upchurch & Rainham

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Memorial Service in St. Mary’s Church - Change to Date Advertised

The Memorial Service in St. Mary’s Church will be held on Sunday the 17th of February at 4:00pm, and not on the 3rd of February as advertised in the Gabriel.

Please let any friends or relatives who are planning to come, and are not on Facebook know of the different date.

For those who are unaware of this service, it is for families or friends who have been bereaved, recently or in the past, to join with others to remember their loved ones in a sensitive and uplifting way, light a candle in remembrance and find comfort with others.

Pat New

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Temporary Road Closure - Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip

It will be necessary to close part of Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip, near Sittingbourne, planned from Thursday 14th February 2019, with estimated completion by 27th February 2019. 

 

Lower Hartlip Road (shown as Mount Lane on some maps) will be closed in the general vicinity of Mount View Lodge, with no through access between the junctions with Mount Lane and Cowstead Road.

The alternative route for through traffic is via Mount Lane and Warren Lane.

Local access to the remainder of Lower Hartlip Road continues from either direction up to where the road is actually closed.

The closures are to enable maintenance works to water mains to be carried out by Clancy Docwra, working with Southern Water.

Due to the nature of these works, it will not be possible to re-open the road outside the working hours.

There is a chance that the works may over-run for such reasons as adverse weather conditions or unforeseen engineering difficulties.

The Southern Water Customer Services Team phone number is: 0845 278 0845

Website: www.southernwater.co.uk

The Kent County Council Highways Helpline is: 03000 418181

For details of roadworks, please see: www.roadworks.org

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

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Swale Borough Council - Council Tax Proposals

Band D households will be asked to pay just £3.35 per week for Swale Borough Council services, if budget plans are approved.

The proposals to increase Swale’s share of council tax are being put to the council’s Cabinet next week (Wednesday, 6th February), before a final decision is made at full Council on 20 February.

If approved, band D households will pay £174.42 a year to the council, a rise of £4.59 (2.7%). Most properties (63.7%) in Swale are in bands A-C meaning they will pay even less than this.

The funding the council receives from central government has fallen from £1.95m in 2016/17 to £113,000 in 2019/20. By 2020/21, this will have reduced to nothing.

Cllr Duncan Dewar-Whalley, cabinet member for finance at the council, said:

“We have worked hard to make sure the loss of funding from central government hasn’t led to any reduction in the delivery of our frontline services.

This has not been easy, and difficult decisions have had to be made, so we are proposing a modest increase in council tax so we can continue to invest in the services that are important to local people.

This means that a typical band D property will be paying just £3.35 a week for the services we provide, and almost two-thirds of local households will pay less than that.

I think most people would be more than happy paying that just to have their bins taken away, let alone for things like the budgeted for improvements for parks and leisure facilities.

It also covers the delivery of the everyday services that people might take for granted – street cleaning, environmental health, homelessness, planning and many more.

I’m pleased that the firm financial foundations we have put in place mean we are able to protect these vital services that make a real impact on the lives of people across the borough.”

Charges for Swale Borough Council services are only one element of the final council tax bill residents receive.

Householders’ council tax bills also include charges for Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Kent & Medway Fire and Rescue Service, and parish or town councils where these exist. These are set by the respective organisations, and are collected on their behalf by Swale.

The cabinet meeting discussing the proposals is on Wednesday, 6th February and the report can be viewed on the council’s website: www.swale.gov.uk

For more information about council tax, visit: www.swale.gov.uk/council-tax

Swale Borough Council

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Charity Ball at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course - Raising Money for Dementia Revolution

Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK have joined forces to start the Dementia Revolution.

Vicky Davies is running the London Marathon on Sunday 28th April 2019, raising money for Dementia Revolution and will be hosting a local charity - fundraising ball at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course on Friday 8th March.

Tickets are £35 and include a 3 course meal with live band.

Please contact Vicky for tickets. Email: vjparker10@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 07557 198996

Find out more at: www.dementiarevolution.org

Thank you

Vicky Davies

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