the website of South Ashford Community Forum
Chair of South Ashford Community Forum
The next meeting of the Friends of Victoria Park will be held
at 7.00 pm
on Monday 29th April 2019
at Ashford Indoor Bowls Centre
Victoria Park, Jemmett Rd, TN23 4QD
We will be joined by Chris Dixon, Arts and Cultural Industries Manager, at Ashford Borough Council, who will tell us about Create Music Festival 2019
Join us if you would like to help protect, conserve and enhance Victoria Park and invite friends and neighbours who would also like to help.
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From Sunday 28 April Stagecoach are changing the price of some bus tickets.
Some fares will increase slightly in price, but single fares above £5 will be frozen. Return fares will be capped so they don’t exceed the price of a South East adult dayrider (£7.30).
dayrider and megarider tickets will increase in price – but if you use the Stagecoach bus app, you can still get them cheaper.
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If you want to vote by post for the Ashford Borough Council elections on 2nd May, you must apply by 5pm tomorrow (15th April).
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) have submitted a planning application to demolish 14 flats and 3 houses at the Poplars at the junction of Beaver Lane and Beaver Road and replace them with 31 apartments for independent living older tenants.
The proposed development follows the rebuilding of Farrow Court, nearby, Danemoor in Tenterden and the proposed rebuild of East Stour Court in Mabledon Avenue as part of an ABC strategy to modernise and increase their sheltered housing stock.
The new apartments will be for affordable rent to tenants aged 50 or above.
The ABC Planning case reference is 19/00516/AS
https://planning.ashford.gov.uk/Planning/details.aspx?systemkey=112217
– has been a resident of South Ashford for 30 years and a teaching assistant at a local primary school since 1999 and is currently working on a Union secondment.
Maria has been a political activist for many years, both locally and nationally. She is also involved with the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, 38 Degrees and Save Our NHS.
Maria believes in standing up for local residents, and if elected, would fight for affordable homes, secure tenancies and fair wages. She believes that now more than ever we need Green voices on our local council, who have a fresh approach to politics, more deeply rooted in local communities, who put people not profit first.
– has just completed a degree in Marketing and currently works at the Designer Outlet.
He has worked on many charitable fundraising campaigns, volunteers at a local Animal Rescue Sanctuary when time permits and has campaigned on many issues such as the NHS and Arms Manufacturing.
Jonni lives in South Ashford and wants to be able to represent his community. He believes that the local council should be for the local people and that we should have more say in the way that things are done, and he believes that the Green Party approach is a fresh approach that is closer to the communities that councillors serve.
If elected, he will fight to improve public spaces, increase access to social housing and to provide more walking, cycling and public transport opportunities.
Al is proud to be the youngest Ashford Green Party candidate standing in the local elections. He is an active member of Ashford Young Greens and believes it is important to have better representation of young people on the council.
He lives in South Ashford, and works in the town centre in a catering role. He regularly helps out with Community Litter Picks and campaigns to safeguard our NHS from cuts and privatisation.
He believes it is vital now for Ashford to have a far more diverse council to better represent the views of residents, than the current make-up of predominantly Conservative members and would be honoured to listen to and speak up for the residents of Norman Ward.
Dilly and I know the shops, the churches, the schools, nearly all the ingredients that make Beaver Ward, because it’s where we live.
Failing sight has not stopped me campaigning for my local community and for the things that matter to us.
I was the ABC Councillor for Singleton South Ward from 2007 to 2015 and a local Parish Councillor until my reduced sight meant I had to retire.
Now I have my faithful furry friend, Dilly, I am able to continue fighting for causes close to my heart and with your support I would like to highlight issues that affect the most vulnerable in my community, and to be a champion at the Council for those with disabilities.
I am looking forward to working with the South Ashford Community Forum so that local people’s voices can be heard at the top.
I was born and bred in Ashford, going to school at Norton Knatchbull. After studying Politics at Aberystwyth University, I was a fundraiser for South Ashford charity Find a Voice. I joined Royal Mail as a postman in 2013, and am currently a distribution manager. I am also a keen runner and completed the 2014 London Marathon for Find a Voice. This is my fourth time as an Ashford Borough Council candidate, the opportunity to represent the people of Ashford is something I am passionate about.
This new development was unveiled at a public consultation on 6th March. I attended this event, and was very concerned at the following.
I understand that Ashford is a growth town and we need more housing, but this is the wrong development for Norman ward. We need freehold affordable housing, allowing hard working South Ashford families to get onto the property ladder.
In my opinion the Ashford Conservative party have too much power. They currently have 34 of the 43 councillors in the ABC. As a result large amounts of developments are gaining planning permission, with little scrutiny or opposition. Ashford has seen continuous building, without the necessary infrastructure of doctor’s surgeries, schools and roads.
The East Stour Park development and many others will be voted on by the ABC planning committee after the May 2019 elections. We need as many Labour councillors in the chamber as possible to provide effective opposition and hold the Conservatives to account.
I and my fellow Labour candidates in South Ashford understand local public services are overstretched, and will campaign for an additional doctor’s surgery and primary school in south Ashford. We will protect South Ashford’s green spaces, to ensure a pleasant environment to live in.
We will act in the interests of the people of South Ashford, who I believe have been neglected by the current Conservative Borough Council.
You must have registered to vote by 12 April to vote in the Borough Council elections on 2nd May.
If you are not registered you can register online to vote in a matter of minutes. You will need to give your name, address and National Insurance number. If you do not have your National Insurance number you can still apply to register you will be asked to provide more information.
Register on-line at gov.uk/register-to-vote
You can contact the Electoral Services Office for Ashford by phone,
01233 330402, if you want to discuss any issues around your registration or, to view the current electoral register, call into their office at after first telephoning for an appointment.
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent TN23 1PL .
Please note they will not discuss your registration with anyone else including family members. If you have made an application it may take several days for us to process especially at busy periods; there is no need to reapply.
If you are not able to get to your polling station on the day of the election you may wish to apply to vote by post or proxy. For more information on postal and proxy voting, or to download an application form, please see your vote matters.
The deadline to apply for a postal vote for these elections is 5pm on Monday 15 April 2019.
If you have a postal vote you cannot vote in person at the polling station, you must use your postal vote.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for these elections is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2019.
If you are given a proxy vote and your proxy is not able to attend your polling station on election day then your proxy can make a separate application to vote as proxy by post but please note the deadline for your proxy to apply to vote by post is 5pm on Monday 15 April 2019.
There is also an emergency proxy facility for cases where there is a medical emergency or if you are suddenly called away for your employment. The medical emergency or employment reason must have occurred after the deadline for ordinary proxy applications has passed.
Your application will need to be signed by someone else to support your application. Only certain people can sign as a supporter and details are included with the application form.