Medway Council - Medway Awarded Funding to Continue Work with Rough Sleepers

Medway Council has been awarded more than £860,000 to continue providing help and support for rough sleepers in Medway.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has awarded the council £867,450 funding from the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative for the 2020/2021 financial year.

The funding will be used to continue the council’s work supporting those residents who find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Medway Council offers a range of support for people with nowhere to live including a specialist outreach team which liaises with rough sleepers and advises them of the support available from a range of organisations. The council also offers specialist help to vulnerable women, people with mental health problems and provides a variety of accommodation all year round.

Cllr Howard Doe, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, said:

“We welcome this funding which will allow us to continue to offer a range of support for people with nowhere to live. Thanks to this additional government funding we have helped house more than 100 rough sleepers since July 2018. Kingsley House in Gillingham offers specialist advice and support, including on the factors which could cause someone to become homeless such as debt and rent arrears. I would encourage anyone who is homeless, or is at risk of homelessness, to visit Kingsley House to access the support available.”

For more information about the council’s housing services visit: www.medway.gov.uk/housing

Medway Council

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Poolside Bar & Courtyard - Live Music with Decades Showband at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Tickets on sale at the Poolside Bar

£5.00 per person

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

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New Chalkwell 326/327/328 Bus Timetable Announced

Chalkwell Coach Hire announced a consultation at the end of November 2019 on potential alterations to the 326/327/328 bus service that links Sittingbourne to the Medway Towns via the villages of Newington, Upchurch and Lower Halstow.

Residents were invited to submit their views to the company either in writing or by completing an online consultation form by Sunday 15th December.

The bus operator has now announced a revised timetable, starting from Monday 24th February 2020.

in an update posted to their website and Facebook page on Wednesday 12th February, they wrote:

“In recent months the 326/327/328 service has been affected by the SGN roadworks along the A2, causing delays throughout the day. We have a legal duty to run a punctual service, and we also know this is what our customers deserve and expect. These roadworks are due to run until October 2020.

A number of users and residents also submitted responses to our consultation, which was carried out prior to making any changes. We appreciate the time taken to respond, and the insight it gave us was invaluable.

Working with SGN and KCC we have now been able to achieve a position where there is a revised timetable to take into account the extended journey times, with no overall loss of service.

The key features are:

• More direct 326 services between Sittingbourne and Medway.

• One journey in each direction will meet up with a smaller feeder vehicle to serve Lower Halstow and Upchurch.

• The busiest morning 327 journeys will still provide a same-seat experience, with no need to change to a feeder vehicle.

• The villages of Upchurch and Lower Halstow will still receive the same number of bus departures.

• There are minor changes to the morning school buses into Sittingbourne, with the 327 serving Horsham Lane, then Oak Lane and direct to the A2 and Newington. The 328 will start from Lower Halstow.

The new timetable can be found here

For updates on roadworks please check here

While we do need to make changes to take account of the roadworks, I do hope that users can appreciate that we have tried to minimise any inconvenience. Where possible, we have introduced minor service improvements, benefiting users overall.”

Upchurch Matters

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New Date Announced for the Public Enquiry into M2 Junction 5 / A249 Stockbury Roundabout Improvements

Watch the video

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If not, you can watch it here: youtube.com

Highways England is making improvements to the M2 junction 5 / A249 Stockbury Roundabout which they say will support improvements to safety and the potential for economic development and growth in the region.

The scheme includes a new flyover which will create an uninterrupted link for drivers staying on the A249 and will free up extra space on the Stockbury roundabout.

Objections

Stockbury Parish Council and MP Helen Whately, with residents and business owners, have raised concerns and objections over the current plans put forward to upgrade the junction. Because of these objections, the Secretary of State has now ordered a Public Inquiry to take place.

It's believed all would support the scheme providing a bridge or underpass is added to the proposed new road layout. They are concerned that as a result of the upgrade scheme, the village could be cut off and become dangerous and difficult to get to.

They acknowledge and support the need to modernise the Stockbury roundabout but cannot support the current scheme which they believe will irreparably harm the cohesion of the community, which has small businesses and significant settlements on both sides of the A249.

Public Enquiry

A new date of Tuesday 28th April 2020 has now been set for the 8 day Public Inquiry announced by the Secretary of State.

The inquiry will be held in the Heritage Suite at Hempstead House, London Road, Bapchild, Sittingbourne ME9 9PP, starting at 10:00am.

Members of the public are invited to attend the proceedings and if they wish to make an objection, declare support or have specific questions, they need to submit their intention of this to the Inspector by Monday 23rd March 2020.

An independent Programme Officer has been appointed. Information about how to appear at the inquiry, the programme and additional documents have been made available on their website at: http://programmeofficers.co.uk/m2j5

If you have questions specifically about the inquiry you should contact Yvonne Parker directly via Email: posltd@virginmedia.com

Full details of the orders and improvement scheme can be found on the Highways England website at: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/m2-junction-5-improvements

Upchurch Matters

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Do You Have a Question About Health Services in Swale?

Your chances to ask us questions

Primary Care Commissioning Committee: Our next Primary Care Commissioning Committee is on Friday 20th March 2020 at The Appleyard, Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne ME10 4DE.

Part 1 is held in public, so the public are welcome to attend to observe proceedings. There will be an opportunity for questions from the public. Questions should relate to matters of primary care - this means the healthcare provided by the NHS in the community for people making an initial approach to a medical practitioner (usually a GP or practice nurse) or clinic for advice or treatment.

Listening Post: Our next Listening Post is on 26th March 2020 at 12:30pm at The Council Chambers, Gravesham Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AU.

This follows our Governing Body meeting and is your chance to ask members of our Governing Body any questions you may have about local healthcare services.

Our Governing Body meetings are held jointly with NHS Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley CCG and meetings are held alternately in each area.

NHS Swale

Clinical Commissioning Group

Website: www.swaleccg.nhs.uk

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Swale Council Response to Kent County Council Decision on Housing Infrastructure Fund Bid

Swale Borough Council is bitterly disappointed in Kent County Council’s decision to press ahead with the £38 million Housing Infrastructure Fund bid for further housing dependant on junction changes to Grovehurst and Key Street.

This decision was not taken in conjunction with Swale Borough Council, and does not have the council’s support.

As was made clear in the bid itself and in reports delivered by the then county cabinet member for transport Mike Whiting, the Housing Infrastructure Bid expects the delivery of “housing that otherwise would not have been built, resulting in additional new homes” and is designed to “accelerate housing delivery”.’ It is also, as mentioned in other documentation, an opening to Garden Village-style proposals.

Cllr Mike Baldock, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for planning, said:

“Local public opinion is soundly opposed to the Garden Villages approach, and even more housing in the borough, so it’s bitterly disappointing the county council have made this decision.

Despite Kent’s decision, we want to reassure residents that this council will not sign any undertakings to ‘accelerate housing delivery’ and will resist attempts to force through a failed housing model that clearly does not have local support.

This decision makes our struggle against such irresponsible development much harder, but there is a clear intention from certain quarters to push ahead with 1,000s of extra houses in our area regardless of local opinion.

We will continue to work towards a sound Local Plan based on sustainable local developments that address the environmental concerns of local residents. Despite the barriers others put in our way, we will not be bounced into delivering unacceptable housing numbers and more car-reliant dormitory estates.”

Swale Borough Council

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