Ashford Borough Council

Council merger information evening

southashfordcf 7 October 2016 1 Comment

Yesterday evening, 6th October 2016, Canterbury City Council held evening to provide its residents with information on discussions about the possible merger of five district councils in East Kent. The councils involved are Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet.

Bob Shrubb, Chair of South Ashford Community Forum (SACF) attended the event and has prepared his own notes on the meeting. Bob says the notes include his own views and the matter has not been discussed at SACF.

Bob’s notes can be viewed here
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8rLNXpJBFJ8R0ZBRHdSWHp6TUU

Ashford Borough Council, Democracy, Localism, News

Aspire Landscape Management

southashfordcf 20 September 2016 2 Comments

Introducing Aspire Landscape Management

From October, Ashford Borough Council (ABC) will be bringing the responsibility for grounds maintenance across the borough back in-house.

The new service, called Aspire Landscape Management, will cover the day-to-day work of mowing, pruning, planting, clearing and litter picking on various spaces owned by the council including open green space, parks, floral beds, cemeteries, areas around housing sites, hedges, sports pitches and associated footpaths.

The service is also working with Kent County Council (KCC) Highway Services on areas of work that we can perform in order to maintain quality standards. Until now, this work was undertaken by Landscape Services, but from this autumn it will come under the responsibility of ABC. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Environment, News

Responsible dog ownership

southashfordcf 20 September 2016 0 Comments

Pet owners encouraged to take the lead on responsible dog ownership

A dog may be man’s best friend, but they do have a tendency to get lost or roam away from their owners. Fortunately, lost or stray dogs can be reunited with their family much more quickly and easily if they have been microchipped.

To help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets, relieve stress on animal charities and local authorities and encourage responsible dog ownership, a new government law on compulsory microchipping dogs came into force on April 6th 2016.

Dog owners are being reminded to have their pets microchipped and to keep their details up to date. Owners of dogs found without a chip will have 21 days to have the procedure carried out. Those who refuse to microchip their dogs could face a fine of up to £500.

Ashford Borough Council employs a dedicated Dog Warden who is fully equipped with the training and experience to microchip dogs. The warden will offer a free microchipping service where required; this includes if a dog comes into their possession as lost or a stray, or if they receive repeat complaints of a dog straying.

The microchips are available to the council at no cost from the Dogs Trust, enabling Ashford dog owners to use this service for free. Alternatively, owners can take their dog to their local vet to receive a microchip. (more…)

animals, Ashford Borough Council, Environment, News

#ParksMatter

southashfordcf 8 September 2016 0 Comments

Action is needed to avert a crisis that will undermine more than two decades of investment in the UK’s public parks, according to a new Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) report. www.hlf.org.uk/state-uk-public-parks-2016

Thanks to National Lottery players, our parks are in great shape. With the Big Lottery Fund, HLF have invested over £ 850 million in more than 800 of the UK’s public parks, improving facilities, renovating historic features and making them more popular than ever.

But according to our new State of UK Public Parks 2016 report, there is a growing deficit between the rising use of parks and the declining resources available to manage them.

Two years on from the first report into the state of UK parks, the downward trend in condition and maintenance we predicted in 2014 looks set to continue and many of our precious parks and green spaces face an uncertain future. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Environment, News, SACF, Victoria Park

Community Toilet Scheme

southashfordcf 5 September 2016 0 Comments

Visitors to Ashford town centre will soon have more choice on where they can use the toilet as Ashford Borough Council, in conjunction with local businesses including County Square, Debenhams, McDonalds and Pizza Express, will be rolling out the Community Toilet Scheme in early September.

We can all appreciate using clean and pleasant toilet facilities when we are out and about, whether we are shopping in town or visiting a restaurant or café. That’s why Ashford Borough Council is working with local businesses to improve the provision of safe and hygienic public toilet facilities in the town centre.

The Community Toilet Scheme sees local businesses including shops, cafes and restaurants working in partnership with the council to open up their toilet facilities to the public free of charge for Ashford shoppers, residents and visitors.

The council will provide each business in the scheme with a window sticker to display in their shop front. The stickers will indicate the business is participating in the scheme and specify the type of facilities available.

There will also be posters displayed around the town and a dedicated area on the council website www.ashford.gov.uk/community-toilet-scheme providing details of participating businesses, the facilities available and their opening times.

There are initially 12 locations included in the scheme including County Square, Debenhams, Muffin Break, McDonalds, Stag Coffee, Little Tea Pot, The Phoenix, Pizza Express, Paper Duck, the Civic Centre, Ashford Gateway Plus and New Rents. More businesses also are likely to come on board in due course. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, News

ABC Boundary Proposal to go to Council

southashfordcf 3 September 2016 0 Comments

ABC ward boundary proposal for South Ashford

On Thursday, Ashford Borough Councillors will be shown proposals for ward boundaries that are being submitted to the Local Government Boundary for England (LGBCE) by the Council. South Ashford Community Forum (SACF) believe that the ABC proposal fails to use the opportunity to address issues with the existing warding arrangement, identified in SACF’s submission and in some respects makes them worse.

The submission is the Councils’s response to the LGBCE’s consultation on warding arrangements, undertaken as part of an Electoral Review of the Borough.

Proposals have to be submitted to LGBCE by Monday, after which they will consider all submissions and produce their Draft Recommendations. A consultation on these is due to start on 8 November 2016.

The ABC proposal can be viewed on the Council Agenda page on the ABC website, https://secure.ashford.gov.uk/committeesystem/ViewAgenda.aspx?MeetingId=3030&MemberRef=23. We have shown an approximate representation of the proposal for South Ashford wards in the attached plan.

SACF’s submission can be viewed under Local Information / Representation / Electoral Review on the South Ashford website https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2016/08/09/sacf-electoral-review-proposal/

Ashford Borough Council, Democracy, News, SACF

Tell us why parks in South Ashford matter

southashfordcf 2 September 2016 5 Comments

Victoria Park South Ashford Community Forum (SACF) are asking for your help in telling a parliamentary committee why parks in South Ashford matter.

South Ashford Community Forum (SACF) is considering submitting evidence to the Inquiry into the Future of Public Parks being undertaken by the Commons Select Committee for Communities and Local Government (CLGC).

CLGC Chair, Clive Betts MP, has said: “Whether it is kicking the ball about with friends, joining a parkrun, walking the dog or just relaxing with a paperback, people value their local parks, but with councils under enormous financial pressures and with no legal obligation to fund and maintain public parks, these precious community resources may be at risk. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Consultation, Environment, Government, News, SACF, Wellbeing

Tougher approach to tackle littering starts

southashfordcf 1 September 2016 0 Comments

We all want to live in a clean and pleasant borough which is why from next week (W/c 5^th September) Ashford Borough Council will be working in partnership with a private company to help tackle littering and other environmental blights in the borough.

The council will be teaming up with Kingdom Local Authority Support Services (Kingdom) who will undertake litter enforcement on behalf of the council over a 12 month trial period. If the trial proves successful the council will look to procure a contracted service going forward.

Officers from Kingdom will have the authority to issue a £75 on the spot fine for those caught deliberately dropping litter or not clearing up after their pet, and there will be no reduction in cost for early payment. The officers do not have a target for issuing fines, but the council anticipates a significant number will be handed out over the 12 month period.

Three officers will be on patrol across Ashford and Tenterden. Two will be located in Ashford town centre and one will monitor Tenterden. Officers are flexible in their approach and are able to move to different locations if required, for example if places are in need of additional enforcement due to specific problems or major events. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Environment, News

Another HMO unlawful

southashfordcf 23 August 2016 0 Comments

ABC Crest Ashford Borough Council have refused to issue a ‘Certificate of Lawful Use’ for another House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in South Ashford. This follows a similar refusal in July of this year. These applications claim that the use as an HMO has exceeded the four year period within which the Local Planning Authority must start enforcement action. Again the Council have stated that “The evidence submitted in the application does not establish that, on the balance of probabilities, the building has been used as a large HMO for up to 7 people continuously since 2006″.

Although, since 2010, change of use from a house to a small HMO has not required planning permission, change to a HMO for more than 6 people still requires planning permission. Before 2010 change of use to any HMO required planning permission.

Ashford Borough Council, News, Planning and Development