Swale Borough Council Cabinet Agrees to Consultation of Housing Allocation Policy Review

People can have their say on how Swale Borough Council decides who can get social housing.

The council’s housing allocation policy is being reviewed and councillors gave the green light for a public consultation at last week’s virtual cabinet meeting

The policy aims to provide a fair and transparent system that prioritises social housing by making efficient use of the homes available, promoting choice to applicants and developing sustainable mixed communities.

The policy was first agreed in 2013, and the review proposes changes to provide better access to affordable housing for those who need it most.

Proposed changes include tapering income considerations to provide a more realistic approach for single people and larger families that are at opposite ends of the spectrum is up for consideration.

Another suggested change is moving homeless households from band C to B to make it easier for them to be moved from temporary housing into permanent accommodation.

There is also a proposal to reduce the amount of time a resident is expected to have lived in the area from four to two years.

Cllr Ben J Martin, cabinet member for housing at the council, said:

“Local, affordable housing is a priority for us.

We know how important it is for local people to have access to affordable housing for their families.

The demand for housing has never been higher, and the housing allocation policy makes sure that we use the accommodation we have available efficiently, to provide homes to those who need them most.

Providing a tapered income approach, a reduction in residential years required before application, and an increase in banding for those who are homeless, will help people qualify for social housing.

We hope the proposed changes will improve the fairness and transparency of the policy while seeking to ensure those in the greatest need are prioritised.

It’s important to us to work with the community and give members of the public the opportunity to have their say on matters that affect them, so the reviewed policy will now go to a public consultation next month.”

The consultation is set to launch next month.

Swale Borough Council

Space

Thank You from Foodbank Co-ordinator Gill Gay and Swale Foodbank

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to all who gave so generously to Swale Foodbank on Wednesday 10th June.

We filled their table at the warehouse - with more hidden behind this young man who kindly helped us unload.

There was also £40 cash donated.

Thank you ♥️

You are great!

Gill Gay - Foodbank Co-ordinator
Email: gilliangay99@yahoo.co.uk

Space

Latest POLICE.UK Crime Data for the Area - April 2020

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

Here is a brief summary of crime information for the past 2 months:

51 crimes are shown on the map in April 2020 including:

15 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Bicycle Theft

1 Burglary

4 Criminal Damage and Arson

3 Other Theft

2 Public Order

3 Vehicle Crime

20 Violence and Sexual Offences

2 Other Crime

50 crimes were shown on the map in March 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Lower Halstow and Iwade

Here is a brief summary of crime information for the past 2 months:

56 crimes are shown on the map in April 2020 including:

14 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Burglary

4 Criminal Damage and Arson

1 Drugs

1 Other Theft

1 Possession of Weapons

2 Public Order

17 Vehicle Crime

13 Violence and Sexual Offences

2 Other Crime

33 crimes were shown on the map in March 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Upchurch Matters

Space

Temporary Road Closure - Old House Lane, Hartlip

Kent County Council has made an order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on Old House Lane, Hartlip from Monday 6th July 2020 for up to 1 day between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00.

The road will be closed from the junction with Grainey Fields to outside Old House Farm, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The alternative route for any through traffic is via Old House Lane, Lower Hartlip Road, Cowstead Road, Bull Lane and vice versa.

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

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while tree surgery works to hang over head fibre are undertaken by BT.

For information regarding the closure please contact BT on: 0800 800150, who will be able to assist with the scope of the works.

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

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste
Space

The Dance of Distancing - A Parody

Revd Pat Tatchell.

As a Member of the Royal British Legion, I receive regular weekly reports of RBL activity from the local Sittingbourne and Milton branch included in which is a prayer from the branch Chaplain, the Revd Pat Tatchell.

In the last report, the Chaplain offered her prayer by writing the parody below.

Gerry Lewin

“As a change this week I offer a parody of Wordsworth’s Daffodils.

My prayer being that as we look back on this time we can be thankful that social distancing will have kept us safe.”

The Dance of Distancing 

(With apologies to William Wordsworth)

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
that floats on high o'er empty streets,
when all at once I saw a crowd
of people queuing for their meats,

beside the store, beneath the trees
dodging and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the stony shore,
they stretch'd in never-ending line
along the margin of the store:
so many saw I at a glance
keeping their gaps in sprightly dance.

They moved aside and gave some space

as starlings in a murmuration.

No one competing in a race

but moving round in odd rotation

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
in vacant or in pensive mood,
they flash upon that inward eye
which is the bliss of solitude;
and then my mind with memory fills
that dances kept them safe from ills.

Pat Tatchell

Space

UPDATE from SGN - Gas Network Upgrade in A2/High Street, Newington - Wednesday 10th June

I’m pleased to let you know that our engineers are currently inserting the final sections of new plastic pipe in the A2 Newington as part of our programme of work developed with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure a safe and reliable gas supply to properties in the local area and beyond.

We will shortly start our process of reinstating the road following our engineering work being completed. For everyone’s safety while this work is carried out, temporary traffic lights will remain in place around our work area.

We expect to complete our whole replacement project and safely remove our traffic lights from site by Friday 21st June, 10 weeks ahead of schedule.

After close consultation with the local authorities and the community, our project began at the end of September 2019 and was expected to last 12 months. However, several contributing factors meant that we’ve been able to progress quicker than expected with our upgrade project.

For example, our engineers were able to use a new insertion technique allowing greater lengths of new plastic pipe to be inserted, and our teams were able to work simultaneously on different phases. Working closely with the local authority, and how they accommodated our needs for a full road closure, allowed us to speed up our progress further.

We would like to thank residents, traders, shoppers and road users for their continued patience and understanding while we’ve carried out this essential work to ensure the local community can enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think may be impacted by our work.

If you have any further queries please let me know.

Kind regards

Paige Roberts

Stakeholder and Community Manager

SGN Gas

Space