Temporary Road Closure - Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip

Kent County Council has made an order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on part of Lower Hartlip Road, Hartlip from Monday 1st June 2020, between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00, with estimated completion by 3rd June 2020.

Lower Hartlip Road will be closed between the junctions with A2 London Road and Place Lane, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while carriageway patching and preservation works are undertaken by Kent County Council.

The alternative route for any through traffic is via A2 Hartlip Hill, Mill Lane, Munns Lane, The Street, Mount Lane and vice versa.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained at all times during the closure.

The KCC Highways 24hr Contact Centre helpline is: 03000 418181

For details of roadworks see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste
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Swale Borough Council - New Government Discretionary Grant Fund for Small Businesses

Small businesses affected by coronavirus, that didn’t qualify for previous government grants, may be able to get help from a new scheme.

The new discretionary grant scheme is aimed at specific types of micro and small businesses and charities that were not eligible for the small business grant scheme or the retail, leisure and hospitality grant scheme.

Cllr Monique Bonney, cabinet member for economy and property at Swale Borough Council, said:

“There are lots of local businesses that are struggling but don’t qualify for any of the grants offered so far.

The government have now recognised this and made available some funding to help plug some of the gaps.

I’d urge anyone who thinks they might be eligible to have a look and apply - if you are, it could go some way toward helping you get through the current crisis.”

Due to the limited amount of funding available, applications will be assessed in a single round to provide a consistent and fair approach and try to make sure as many businesses as possible can benefit.

The government has asked councils to prioritise grants for:

• small businesses in shared premises or other flexible workspaces, e.g. industrial parks, science parks, incubators etc, which do not have their own business rates assessment

• regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment

• B&B’s that pay council tax instead of business rates

• charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief that could otherwise have been eligible for small business rates relief or rural rate relief

There are other criteria for businesses to meet, and there’s more information, including how to apply, at www.swale.gov.uk/discretionary-grants

Applications will be open until 11:59pm on Tuesday, 16th June and payments will be made to successful applicants as soon as is possible after a decision is made.

Swale Borough Council

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Medway Council - New Government Discretionary Grant Fund for Small Businesses

Small businesses in Medway will be able to apply for funding as part of a new scheme to further support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government has introduced a discretionary grant fund for small businesses which are experiencing financial difficulties.

Medway Council has pledged to continue supporting its local small businesses throughout the pandemic and is encouraging eligible business owners to apply for this new funding scheme. The council will be granting funding of up to £10,000 to small businesses which meet the criteria, as part of the new government fund.

The discretionary grant fund is only for businesses with fewer than 50 employees and which have not benefited from other government COVID-19 support schemes, excluding the coronavirus job retention scheme (furlough).

Medway Council will prioritise the funding for the following businesses, in line with government guidance:

• small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces, which do not have their own business rates assessment

• regular market traders with fixed building costs, who do not have their own business rate assessment

• bed and breakfasts which pay council tax instead of business rates

• charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief, and which would otherwise have been eligible for small business rates relief or rural rate relief

Businesses in Medway have between Tuesday, 26th May and 12noon on Friday, 5th June to submit their application for the discretionary business grant fund. Medway Council will be making payments to successful applicants from late June onwards.

Medway small businesses eligible to apply for this funding must do so by the deadline and by visiting medway.gov.uk/coronavirusbusinesses

Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, said:

“Medway has a diverse economy made up of 14,000 businesses of all sizes and some of those will be eligible to apply for this new discretionary grant fund. I would encourage small businesses which meet the criteria and are experiencing financial difficulties due to the current coronavirus restrictions to apply to Medway Council for this financial support. We will continue to do all we can to protect our local businesses and strengthen our economy so Medway continues to build a sustainable future with jobs and a variety of amenities on our doorstep.”

Medway Council

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UPDATED - Notification of Works - Traffic Signals at A2 - Key Street Interchange

Click drawing to enlarge.

Further to the notification below I have to inform you that the planned start of the construction works has been delayed. The anticipated new start date for the construction is Monday 6th July 2020, but again this assumes that Kent County Council receive approvals for the design and legal agreements from Highways England are in place.

In order to maintain the current Highways England road closure order for the A249 slip road we will be undertaking a single nights work on Monday 1st June 2020 with the slip road closed. The only works being undertaken on this night will be setting out and scanning for statutory undertakers apparatus. There will be no construction activities on this night. If we were not able to undertake this single nights slip road closure then we would have to apply for a new temporary slip road order which would result in our works being delayed until August 2020.

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The A2 Key Street Interchange Traffic Signal installation work is due to start on Monday 1st June with the Principal Contractor Amey Highways undertaking the installation.

The works entail the installation of traffic signals to the northbound off slip road to the A249. The existing pedestrian crossing point to the slip road is to be upgraded to a signal controlled crossing point. Road markings will also be changed to the roundabout gyratory to include destination legends and arrows to the lanes. The changes are to assist with traffic flow and capacity both on the slip road and roundabout gyratory.

We are currently in the process of obtaining Technical Approvals with Highways England. This has been a challenge, especially as the DBFO are also involved, and a Section 6 Agreement is currently awaiting sign offs but we hope that this will not cause any undue delay.

The works will be carried out overnight weekday nights between the hours of 8:00pm and 5:00am over a period of 4 weeks.

KCC Streetworks bookings are confirmed and the Highways England TTRO for night time slip road closures is in place.

We will be installing variable message signs, carrying out a letter drop to residents and businesses close by and notifying other stakeholders who could be affected all in advance of the works. We will also be contacting Swale Borough Council Environmental Team.

I have attached a drawing extract indicating the location of the traffic signal works for your information.

Andrew Bond

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

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Urgent Road Closure - The Street, Hartlip

Urgent Road Closure - The Street, Hartlip - Tuesday 26th May 2020

Kent County Council gives notice that The Street, Hartlip will be closed to through traffic, on or after Tuesday 26th May 2020 for up to 4 days.

The road will be closed at the junctions of Munns Lane and Hollow Lane.

The alternative route is via Hollow Lane, A2 and Munns Lane.

It is planned that the road will be closed between 08:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs each day.

This is to enable drainage repairs to be carried out by Kent County Council.

For information regarding this closure please contact Kent County Council on:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)
03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

For details of roadworks see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste
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Message to Residents from Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council

Cllr Alan Jarrett.

“Dear residents,

I hope you are keeping well and enjoying the lovely weather.

My last message followed the Prime Minister’s announcement which outlined a route map for the gradual lifting of restrictions over the coming months. We are now enjoying the benefits of some of the gentle changes, such as being able to safely enjoy our open spaces and country parks in the warmer weather we’re currently experiencing and see more of our loved ones safely.

I continue daily to wonder at our marvellous NHS staff who so selflessly put the wellbeing of others before their own. We thank them and the other First Responders for everything they are doing for us on a daily basis in order to keep us safe and well. Of course Medway Council is also a First Responder, and all too often the major contribution being made by all our staff is not necessarily recognised by the wider public. Council staff are all too often the unsung heroes in a crisis, and never more so than over the last weeks.

I’m aware a few residents have been in touch querying if you’ll get a reduction in council tax, suggesting that our services are closed for business. I can reaffirm that we are and have remained opened for business throughout the pandemic. In fact, I am extremely proud of your council’s commitment to continue to provide as many services as we possibly can within government guidelines and our quick response to adapt our services at the beginning of the pandemic to offer innovative ways to ensure residents could still access Medway’s services whilst at home during lockdown. I want to share with you today just some of the many things we have been doing.

Supporting the most vulnerable in our communities remains one of the most important things we do and our social workers have continued to be at the front line every single day. Whether that has been working with our children and families, or with the over 6,000 adults who are amongst our ‘shielded’ population, the contribution of our social workers has been amazing.

So too colleagues in Public Health, who have been very much at the sharp end of this crisis. Whether that has been overseeing the delivery and distribution of food parcels to those in need, or the packing and delivery of over 100,000 meals, or their wider work with the community and community and voluntary groups providing shopping and prescription collection services or just phoning isolated residents for a chat, their efforts have been unstinting.

Most of our schools have remained open in order to host the children of our key workers, in order for them to continue working on our behalf. Children with special needs and disabilities have also been able to attend school as required. For the commitment of our school staff – whether that is in maintained schools or academies and free schools - no praise is too high and I joined with many yesterday in thanking them on National Thank A Teacher Day.

Our contractors at Medway Norse have worked miracles in maintaining our marvellous weekly waste collection service, one of your most valued services. When closed services have been reopened, once again our contractors have stepped up to the plate with grass cutting resumed from early May, and our HWRCs reopened just this weekend. As soon as government guidance allowed we reopened our country park car parks, making it easier for our people to enjoy our beautiful open spaces. All of the contracted services have of course been overseen by our full-time staff.

Our Finance Team have worked tirelessly to implement swiftly government financial support schemes to ensure those most in need receive the support required. They have supported Medway across the spectrum from council tax benefits to small business grants. The distribution of grants has so far exceeded £55,000,000 and there is more to come.

We have continued a busy schedule of road maintenance ready for when more traffic returns to our roads. 732 jobs have been completed on our roads since 23 March as well as a major project to replace lamp columns.

Our Customer Support team has taken around 5,000 calls a week to help residents’ queries ensuring you have someone to turn to in need of help and we have worked hard throughout to communicate important messages to you and ensure you can also access many of our services online.

Where we’ve not been able to provide services directly, we’ve come up with some creative solutions. Our libraries have given residents access to thousands of ebooks, audio books and emagazines and we’ve created a huge number of free online videos of live sports work outs, health and well being sessions and creative courses.

Ensuring the well being of our children and young people is one of Medway’s top priorities and our Early Help teams have provided many children and families with activity and reading packs over the past months and the many letters of thanks have demonstrated how much they are enjoying them. And our Youth Services Teams have been holding many different activity sessions to keep young people busy each week online.

With many of our services closed down we have seen staff either working from home or redeployed. Staff have been redeployed to assist with packaging and deliveries, the crematorium, and indeed going to wherever they are needed to ensure residents continue to receive our ongoing help and support. There has been a demonstration of flexibility and commitment to Medway’s people the like of which we have never seen before and I would like to pay tribute to them all for all their hard work. Much of this goes on behind the scenes. You may not be seeing people out and about every day but I can assure you that we have never been busier.

Whilst we continue to work hard in response to the ongoing pandemic and deliver vital services for you all, as well as offer affected services in different ways, we are also planning for when our services can return to normal.

This pandemic is affecting us all and as this week is also Mental Health Awareness Week we are reminding residents of the support services available during COVID-19 including the Release the Pressure helpline and text service. Residents can text the word ‘Medway’ to 85258, to start a conversation with one of the many trained and experienced volunteers. People needing support can also call 0800 107 0160 where support is available from trained and experienced staff on this freephone number 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Please do look after yourselves and your loved ones at this difficult time.

Stay alert, control the virus, save lives.”

Cllr Alan Jarrett

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