A message from your County Councillor - March 2019

“That was the month that was”. Apologies to those too young to get the analogy. My own problems have been well publicised. Now is probably not the time, during election purdah, for me to say more but sometime I will. As for going’s on in Westminster! Every 24 hours it seems to change, so difficult to comment. Sufficient to say that everyone I speak to, whichever way they voted, just seem to want matters brought to a conclusion. My own pro Brexit views should be known to you all.

Sad to see that none of the Parish Councils in my division have elections this May, indeed most of them still have vacancies to fill. I have attended the following Parish Councils this month: Selling, Bredgar, Graveney, Teynham, Eastling, Boughton, Dunkirk, Bapchild and Lynsted. I also chaired the Joint Transport Board for Swale. A slightly longer than usual Transport Board as we had Officers from Highways England to update on progress of the M2 Junction 5 improvements. Work is expected to commence in March 2020 with completion by August 2021.

Other major Borough meetings included the Local Plan Panel which I attended as a visiting Member to seek the removal of the plans for a new Community of at least 5000 dwellings in North Street, Sheldwich from those going forward for further consideration. Also, in March the Swale Borough Council Cabinet voted unanimously to allocate Officer time and funds to explore further the options to establish a lorry park in order to remove this nuisance and danger from our lay byes and slip roads. We have had discussions with Central Government to ensure we have the necessary powers to force parked lorries to move to any such lorry park.

There have been two meetings of the KCC Health & Overview Scrutiny Committee in March where I was able to speak in support of retaining services at Kent & Canterbury Hospital.

Andrew Bowles Email: abjs@btinternet.com Mobile: 07778 629879