Ashford Borough Council

Last chance to register for elections

Your vote matters - don't lose itIf you want to vote in the General Election or
the Victoria Ward by election
you must be registered by 11:59pm tonight.

Register now:

Online

You will need to provide your national insurance number to register. This can be found on your national insurance card if you have one, or on paperwork such as your payslip, letters about benefits, tax credits and some pension documents. Please make sure you enter it correctly as it will be checked before you can be registered.  If you do not have a national insurance number you can still use the website to make an application but it will ask you to give a reason and you may be contacted for more details.
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Telephone

the Electoral Services Office on 01233 330402,

Write to

Electoral Services
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL

Am I already registered?

It is not possible to check online whether or not you are already registered. You can contact Electoral Services on 01233 330402 if you want to discuss any issues around your registration or call into our offices to view the current electoral register. Please note Electoral Services will not discuss your registration with anyone else including family members.

Electoral registration

About My Vote www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register-to-vote

gov.uk www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Ashford Bourough Council www.ashford.gov.uk/electoral-registration

#YourVoteMatters

Voters with no fixed address

Your vote matters - don't lose itYou can still register to vote even if you do not have a fixed address. This may be because you are:

  • A patient in a mental health hospital
  • Homeless
  • A merchant seaman
  • Part of the gypsy or travelling community
  • Living on a boat or other moveable residence
  • A person remanded in custody

If you are staying at an address for an extended length of time then you can be considered as residing there and can register for that address. This could be a hospital, hostel, prison facility or similar place.

You can register online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

If you do not have a permanent address, you can register at an address where you spend a substantial part of your time or have some connection. This could be a previously permanent address, shelter or similar place.

You can register by filling in a form called a ‘Declaration of local connection’. You can download a Register to vote form (no fixed address) from gov.uk. There are two forms – one for people in England and Wales and one for people in Scotland. Alternatively, you can get the form from your local electoral registration office:

Telephone

the Electoral Services Office on 01233 330402,

Write to

Electoral Services
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL

You can read more detailed information relevant to you on the Your Vote Matters website
www.yourvotematters.co.uk/can-i-vote/registering-to-vote-with-no-fixed-address

You must register to vote by the coming Monday, 22 May, to vote in the General Election or the Victoria Ward By-election

Voting for those with visual impairment

Your vote matters - don't lose itVoters who have sight loss or visual impairment can get help when voting.

In partnership with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, The Electoral Commission has produced an information sheet to help those with sight loss, explaining how to vote and register to vote and explaining what help they can get.

We have reproduced the text below or the document can be downloaded as a pdf from the Your Vote Matters website. www.yourvotematters.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/226827/FINAL-RNIB-factsheet-UKPGE-2017.pdf

If you want to vote, you must be registered. You can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or by contacting the electoral services department at your
local council.

The deadline to apply to vote in these elections is Monday 22 May (more…)

College Site approved by committee

Ashford Borough Council’s Planning Committee voted to approve the reserved matters planning application to build 160 dwellings on the Ashford College site in Jemmett Road last night (17 May).

Proposals for redevelopment of the site were first produced 10 years ago in tandem with a plan to relocate the college to a new campus in Victoria Road. At that that time an application for 241 houses was permitted by the Council. Lack of funding led to the college not being able to relocate.

The college sought to renew the application in 2011, this time with proposals to relocate to the site now being constructed in Elwick Road. The Council asked for the proposals to be amended to comply with their Residential Space standards which resulted in the number of dwellings being limited to 154. Although the Planning Committee decided to allow the development, permission was only granted in December 2016 when the College signed the Section 106 agreement.

Although supporting the proposals, Bob Shrubb, Chair of  South Ashford Community Forum, spoke to express concerns regarding traffic, parking and the inclusion of a four storey block of apartments, contrary to a condition on permission granted under the outlline application. The planning officer noted that traffic matters had been dealt with under the outline application and could not be revisited. She said that Kent County Council, as highways authority had accepted the parking proposal based on a survey carried out for the applicant. A councillor said that taller buildings should be expected in “Town Centre” locations.

The reserved matters application is case reference 17/00354/AS posted in our Planning notices on 14 March 2017
https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/03/14/south-kent-college-jemmett-road-tn23-4rj-3/ 

The outline application is case reference 11/00405/AS posted on  10 December 2016
https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2016/12/10/south-kent-college-jemmett-road-tn23-4rj-decided/

Election candidates announced

The candidates have been announced for the parliamentary constituency of Ashford and for the Ashford Borough Council Victoria Ward.

General Election

The candidates Ashford Constituency for the  are:

Name of Candidate Home Address Party
GATHERN Sally 16 Hoppers Way, Singleton, Ashford, Kent, TN23 4GP Labour Party
GEE-TURNER Adrian John 41 Western Avenue, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1LY Liberal Democrats
GREEN Damian Highlands, Charing Hill, Charing, Ashford, Kent, TN27 0NG Conservative Party
O’BRIEN Gerald Michael (address in the Sevenoaks constituency) UKIP
ROSSI Mandy (address in the Ashford constituency) The Green Party

By-election

The candidates for the Victoria Ward  are:

Name of Candidate Home Address Party
GALLOWAY James Angus 21 Jemmett Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 4QD Liberal Democrats
GOLDENBERG Serge 42 Beaver Road, Ashford, TN23 7RP UKIP
PIZZEY Maria Ann 24 Lynsted Close, Ashford, Kent, TN23 5RZ Green Party
ROBEY David The Old Farmhouse, Faversham Road, Throwley, Faversham, Kent, ME13 0JN Conservative Part
SUDDARDS Charles 35 Queen Street, Ashford, Kent Labour Party

 

www.ashford.gov.uk/current-by-elections

To participate in these elections you have to be registered.

Your vote matters - don't lose itIf you have not already registered

Register now:

Online

You will need to provide your national insurance number to register. This can be found on your national insurance card if you have one, or on paperwork such as your payslip, letters about benefits, tax credits and some pension documents. Please make sure you enter it correctly as it will be checked before you can be registered.  If you do not have a national insurance number you can still use the website to make an application but it will ask you to give a reason and you may be contacted for more details.

You can use this service to apply to register to vote or to:

  • update your name, address or other details on the electoral register
  • change your voting preferences, for example to vote in person or by post
  • change whether you’re on the open register

It usually takes about 5 minutes.

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Apply for Postal or Proxy Vote

https://www.gov.uk/voting-in-the-uk/postal-voting

Telephone

the Electoral Services Office on 01233 330402,

Write to

Electoral Services
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL

Am I already registered?

It is not possible to check online whether or not you are already registered. You can contact Electoral Services on 01233 330402 if you want to discuss any issues around your registration or call into their offices to view the current electoral register. Please note Electoral Services will not discuss your registration with anyone else including family members.

Application for Powergen site

This drawing is indicate of the general layout of the siteAshford Borough Council (ABC) have published details of a reserved matters planning application for part of the Powergen site in Victoria Way.

The application gives details for Plot 3, comprising 66 apartments in a single block and 8 houses. The whole site comprises c. 660 dwellings.

A hybrid application for the site was approved by ABC’s Planning Committee last June and permission granted in November, following signing of a Section 106 Agreement. The eastern plots, 1 and 2, were fully detailed in the application. Plots 3, 4 and 5, to the west, were in outline. An amendment to the outline application was permitted in April of this year.

Details of the application can be found in our planning notice
https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/05/12/former-powergen-site-victoria-road-3/

Planning Committee to consider college site application

This image may not fully represent the layout of the proposed developmentAshford Borough Council’s (ABC) Planning Committee will consider the reserved matters application for the Ashford College site in Jemmett Road on Wednesday 17th May.

The committee approved the outline application in 2011 but the permission was not granted until last December after the college signed the Section 106 Agreement.

The reserved matters application, ABC’s case reference 17/00354/AS, was posted in our planning notices on 14 March 2017. The outline application, case reference 11/00405/AS was posted on 10 December 2016.

South Ashford Community Forum’s comments can be downloaded here.

 

Your vote matters

Your vote matters - don't lose itTime is running out to make sure you can take part in the General Election on 8 June. Take action now if you are not already registered to vote. It’s quick and easy to register, but after the deadline of 22 April, it will be too late.

For residents in Victoria Ward there is also a by-election for your Ashford Borough Council councillor on 8 June.

Research shows that young people, students and recent home movers are particularly less likely to be registered to vote. So if you have moved house recently, then make sure you’re registered correctly. If you’re not registered, you won’t be able to have your say on issues that directly affect your day-to-day life.

If you will be unable to attend your polling station on 8 June you can apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote. You can apply for all elections or for a single election for which you are unable to attend the polling station. If you are in Victoria Ward don’t forget to apply for the by-election as well as the General Election – you can do so by applying for a postal vote or proxy for a period that includes the election day.

Register now:

(more…)

Notice of vacancy – Victoria Ward

Ballot boxCasual vacancy in the office of Borough Councillor

Notice is hereby given under Section 87 (2) of the Local Government Act 1972 that following the death of Harold Apps a casual vacancy has arisen in the Office of Borough Councillor for the Victoria (Ashford) Ward of Ashford Borough Council. To call an election a request must be made in writing to the Returning Officer at the address below by TWO local government electors in the local authority area.

Terence Mortimer Returning Officer 22 April 2017
www.ashford.gov.uk/current-by-elections