Consultation

Public Spaces Protection Orders

25 September 2019 0 Comments

ABC Crest

Ashford Borough Council

Opens: 24 September 2019
Closes: 15th November 2019

Introduction

Ashford Borough Council is consulting on the renewal of its Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) in four areas of Ashford. This will allow the Council to continue to maintain a range of measures to address anti-social behaviour and help to improve community safety and the local environment in these areas.

The four areas have been in operation for the last three years having been identified as necessary by the council and police following reports and complaints received from local residents. Since their introduction the number of anti-social behaviour complaints has reduced. 

The areas covered are Ashford Churchyard Passage, the Coney Bear site (near Torrington Road, South Ashford), the Town Centre itself and Singleton Lake

(more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Consultation, Crime, News

Have your say on how health services are commissioned

11 September 2019 0 Comments

STP Logo

Transforming health and social care in Kent and Medway

Opens: 11 September 2019
Closes: 23 September 2019

The NHS in Kent and Medway is seeking your views on how health services are commissioned (planned and purchased).

At the moment we are one of eight GP-led clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across Kent and Medway, responsible for planning and spending the health budget to meet local needs. 

Although we and the other CCGs have much to be proud of over the last six years, the GPs who chair the CCGs, including our clinical chair, now believe the CCGs should merge to form a new single clinical commissioning group for Kent and Medway, which would also be led by GPs.

A single Kent and Medway CCG would:  

  • provide a ‘bird’s eye view’ of health priorities for people across Kent and Medway based on a detailed understanding of local health needs, so that care can be planned effectively for everyone
  • identify where challenging health problems can be shared and tackled
  • allow the consistent commissioning of some services – such as cancer, mental health, children’s services and prevention – across Kent and Medway
  • focus on the health, wellbeing and care needs of the whole population
  • reduce management and administration costs across Kent and Medway.

There was a survey earlier this summer to get people’s initial views on the suggested changes. They include GP practices working much more closely together, and all the services in given areas (such as east Kent) joining up care for local people. Building on the feedback from that survey, we’d now like to find out your views about the specific proposal to create a single clinical commissioning group (CCG) for Kent and Medway.

In June, we published a leaflet Helping local people live their best life which set outs more details. This included a survey which ran until August, to get people’s initial views on the suggested changes. They include GP practices working much more closely together, and all the services in given areas (such as east Kent) joining up care for local people.

Building on the feedback from that survey, we’d now like to find out your views about the specific proposal to create a single clinical commissioning group (CCG) for Kent and Medway.

The survey is open until 23 September. Please complete it and share with your friends, colleagues and family as your views are important to us.

NHS Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group
11 September 2019
https://www.ashfordccg.nhs.uk/news/blog/?blogpost=11417

Consultation, Health, News, STP

Railway timetable consultation

28 August 2019 0 Comments

December 2019 Timetable Consultation

London & South Eastern Railway

Closes: 09 September 2019

Southeastern are consulting on proposed timetable changes for December 2019

The proposals will have a positive impact on Southeastern’s passengers, with faster Highspeed services, faster Mainline services, and more reliable Metro services. As a result of the proposals, passengers may see the timings of their regular service changed by a few minutes. Southeastern are consulting with their passengers and stakeholders to get their views on these proposals.

Download December 2019 timetable proposal  

Southeastern are also seeking feedback on some broader proposed changes, further ahead in May 2020. 

Please use the link below to participate. 

Complete the online feedback form (on SurveyMonkey)

Consultation, News, Transport

Survey: website for adults with Type 2 diabetes

20 August 2019 0 Comments

Creating a new website for adults with Type 2 diabetes

NHS England
Closes: 2 September 2019

NHS England and Improvement, Public Health England and Diabetes UK are launching a new online self-management website for adults living with type 2 diabetes.

The website will:

  • Provide education and information about type 2 diabetes and its treatments
  • Offer content on managing your mood and stress
  • Help with adopting and maintaining healthy behaviours (e.g. diet, exercise).

NHS England would love to have your help in making the website as useful as possible.

This survey will take less than five minutes to complete and your answers will help to shape the new website.

Your responses will be completely anonymous and there are no right or wrong answers. They just want the benefit of your opinions and experiences.

Take part in the survey here

Consultation, Health, News

Survey on services for children and young people

14 August 2019 0 Comments

Transforming health and social care in Kent and Medway

Opens: 10 August 2019
Closes: 23 August 2019

The NHS and local councils want to transform health and care services for children and young people and are calling on local people to get involved and help.

A recent Healthwatch survey showed children and young people in Kent and Medway want their voice to be heard when local services are designed, and the NHS has launched a survey to enable this. Dr Bob Bowes, a GP in Tunbridge Wells and Clinical Chair for Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership said: “We want local children, young people and their parents and carers to help us design services which are fit for the future to give children and young people the best start in life.

“They really can make a difference and we want suggestions for how we can improve.

“We need your help to tell us what already works well in the current system, and what doesn’t.”

The survey, which is open to children and young people from birth to 25 and their parents and carers, will help the NHS and local councils decide the priorities for future improvements to children’s services. The survey takes around 10 minutes to fill in and will close on Friday, 23 August.

There is a version for:

The NHS is keen to get feedback from children and young people of all ages as well as their parents and carers.

Kent County Council and Medway Council are working together with the NHS to improve services.

Cllr Josie Iles, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “We are pleased to be working with partners to further develop a collective understanding of the needs of children and young people in Kent and Medway.”

Children, Consultation, Health, News, STP, STP, Young people

Kent and Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy

2 August 2019 0 Comments

Kent County Council

Opens: 02 July 2019
Closes: 23 Sep 2019

Kent and Medway are growing. By 2031 it is anticipated that there will be almost 180,000 new homes and nearly 400,000 extra people, a 24% increase from 2011 levels. The local economy is expected to continue to expand, creating an additional 170,300 jobs by 2031, a 21% increase from 2011 levels, in line with forecast population growth.

Growth, if clean, is a significant opportunity for Kent and Medway. Measures to tackle poor air quality and lower emissions will have multiple benefits. For instance, promoting active travel especially walking and cycling improves health and reduces congestion; and supporting a switch to more efficient, low carbon energy use creates jobs and new market opportunities.

By tackling poor air quality, energy and carbon constraints in parallel, and by working closely across the public sector, business and communities to scale up action, we can protect health, the environment and be a significant player in the low carbon environmental goods and services sector both in the UK and internationally.

The Kent and Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy (ELES) is a sub strategy of the Kent Environment Strategy. Its purpose is to identify an evidence-based approach to deliver clean growth. This includes strategies and actions to reduce carbon emissions, eliminate poor air quality, reduce fuel poverty and deliver an affordable, clean and secure energy supply.

Documents

Links to documents on KCC web site.

Respond

Links

Details

Consulting Organisation TypeKent County Council
Consulting Organisation NameKent County Council
District / Borough areas affected by the consultationAshford Canterbury Dartford Dover Gravesham Maidstone Medway Sevenoaks Shepway Swale Thanet Tonbridge & Malling Tunbridge Wells
Consultation TopicGeneral interest Environment and countryside
Consultation MethodsOnline survey / questionnaire / forms Other survey / questionnaire / forms
Contact DetailsPlease email:  KES@kent.gov.uk

Kent County Council
https://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/energyandlowemissionconsultation/consultationHome

Consultation, Environment, Kent County Council, News

BT consult on removal of telephone boxes

9 July 2019 0 Comments

British Telecommunications plc

Programme of intended public payphone removals

Opened: 28 June 2019
Closes: 26 September 2019

Dear Chief Planning Officer,

Further to our previous letter, we are writing to you as part of a formal consultation process regarding our current programme of intended public payphone removals. This letter formally starts our consultation with you and the local community.

There are currently 11 public payphones in your area [Borough of Ashford] which have been identified and proposed for removal by BT under the 90-day consultation process and details of these payphones are shown below.

To ensure that the local community are fully informed, we have placed consultation notices on the relevant payphones,and a sample notice is enclosed. We have also included the date we posted these notices on
the payphones. The consultation period will close on 26 September 2019. Unless you contact us to agree otherwise, responses received after this date will not be accepted.

This consultation process gives your local communities the opportunity to adopt a traditional red ‘heritage’ phone box and make them an asset that local people can enjoy. It’s really simple to do and it costs just £1-
http://bt.com/adopt

Overall use of payphones has declined by over 90 per cent in the last decade and the need to provide payphones for use in emergency situations is diminishing all the time, with at least 98 percent of the UK having either 3G or 4G coverage. This is important because as long as there is network coverage, it’s now possible to call the emergency services, even when there is no credit or no coverage from your own mobile provider.

You may also want to consider the recent Ofcom affordability report which found that most people do not view payphones as essential for most consumers in most circumstances –
https://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/affordability/affordability_report.pdf

On the 14th March 2006 the Office of Communications (Ofcom) published a statement following their 2005 review of universal service in the Telecommunications market, which includes a requirement for payphone
provision to meet reasonable needs. Part of that statement amended our obligations with regard to the removal of payphone service
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/34266/statement.pdf
As stated in Ofcom’s 2005 review,it is the responsibility of the local authority to initiate its own consultation process to canvas the views of the local community. They would normally expect these consultations to involve other public organisations such as the Parish or Community councils and work within the terms of the Communications Act 2003. This means that you must be able to objectively justify your decisions.

Full guidance on the removal process can be viewed at:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/uso/statement/removals.pdf
and a summary is available at:
https://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/uso/statement/removing_callboxes.pdf
The guidance also details the appeals process we must follow in case of unreasonable objections.

To comment

To respond to this consultation comment via the Ashford Borough Council planning website:
Case Ref: 19/00971/AS
https://planning.ashford.gov.uk/Planning/details.aspx?systemkey=112888

Telephone NumberAddressPost CodeNumber of calls in last 12 monthsPosting Completed Date
101227 730243JCN SOLESHILL RD PCOl SOLESHILL ROAD SHOTTENDEN CANTERBURYCT4 8JR024/06/2019
201227 730327O/S VILLAGE HALL LONG HILL PCOl LOWER LEES ROAD OLD
WIVES LEES CANTERBURY		 CT4 8AS 124/06/2019
301233 503787ADJ BUS LAYBY PCOl MOATFIELD MEADOW KINGSNORTH
ASHFORD		TN23 3LU1725/06/2019
401233 632569O/S POST OFFICE GREAT CHART PCOl THE STREET GREAT
CHART ASHFORD		TN23 3AN 325/06/2019
501233 642908JCN LENACRE ST PCOl SANDYHURST LANE ASHFORDTN25 4PF025/06/2019
601233 643156JCN MAYPITS PCOl BEAVER LANE ASHFORDTN23 5PA8925/06/2019
701233 732336PCO PCOl WOODCHURCH ROAD SHADOXHURST ASHFORDTN26 1LF125/06/2019
801233 756339OPP PUBLIC HOUSE PCOl THE STREET EGERTON ASHFORDTN27 9DJ024/06/2019
901233 840211O/S VILLAGE HALL PCOl THE STREET LITTLE CHART
ASHFORD		TN27 0QB024/06/2019
1001303 813180JCN THE WARREN PCOl LEES ROAD BRABOURNE LEES
ASHFORD		TN25 6QE025/06/2019
1101580 762370JCN WITH CRANBROOK RD PCOl ROLVENDEN ROAD
TENTERDEN		TN30 6TY125/06/2019

x

Communications, Consultation, News, Utilities

Consultation: Organs excluded from the opt-out organ donation

7 May 2019 0 Comments

Opt-out organ donation: organs and tissues excluded from the new system

Department of Health and Social Care

Opened: 29 April 2019
Closes: 22 July 2019

This consultation is to ask you if the government is excluding the right organs and tissues from opt-out organ donation. We would like you to answer five questions about what you think should happen.

The government recently passed a law to change the rules for organ donation in England from 2020. The law introduced a system commonly called “opt-out” or “deemed consent”.

From 2020, everyone in England over the age of 18 will be considered to be in favour of donating their organs and tissue after death unless they:

  • have said they do not want to donate (opted out)
  • have appointed someone to decide for them after death
  • are in an excluded group

When the law was passing through Parliament, the government agreed that the law would only apply to routine transplants, and not novel or rare transplants.

The government proposes that novel or rare transplants will still require express consent. This means you or someone representing you must explicitly give permission for your organs or tissues to be donated for novel or rare transplants. Such transplants also cover what is called Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). This is when tissues, cells and genes are manipulated in a laboratory for treatment of a disease or injury. Some of the tissues and cells come from deceased donors.

This consultation is to ask you if the government is excluding the right organs and tissues. They would like you to answer five questions about what you think should happen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/opt-out-organ-donation-organs-and-tissues-excluded-from-the-new-system

Consultation, Government, Health, News

KCC Libraries, Registration and Archives consultation

28 November 2018 0 Comments

Library imageLibraries, Registration and Archives Draft Strategy 2019-2022

Kent County Council

Opened 21 November 2018
Closes 29 January 2019

Introduction

The Libraries, Registration and Archives Service (LRA) run by Kent County Council (KCC) is a highly-valued community service. LRA’s wide range of services are delivered across Kent to anyone who lives, works, studies or visits Kent, and our services support everyone at important stages in their lives.

The communities and customers that LRA serves are changing and will continue to change over time. There are new challenges to face and opportunities to explore. The draft strategy sets out how KCC will continue to provide a sustainable libraries, registration and archives service to meet the needs and choices of their customers and communities.

Have your say

KCC want to hear your feedback on our draft strategy, which includes a proposal to tier libraries and review opening hours. No decision has been taken yet and your views are important in helping us to make a final decision.

The draft strategy is available to download from the ‘Documents’ section below. Please tell KCC your views by completing the online questionnaire via the link under ‘Respond’ below.

In the ‘Documents’ section below you will find the initial Equality Impact Assessments (EqIA) for the draft strategy and library tiering proposal for you to read and comment on via the consultation questionnaire.

Alternative Formats and Hard Copies

Easy Read and Accessible Word versions of the draft strategy and questionnaire are available from the ‘Documents’ section below. To request hard copies of any of the consultation documents, or for any other formats, please email: alternativeformats@kent.gov.uk or call: 03000 421553 (text relay service number: 18001 03000 421553). This number goes to an answering machine, which is monitored during office hours.

Documents

Respond

Links

Details

Consulting Organisation Type Kent County Council
Consulting Organisation Name Kent County Council
District / Borough areas affected by the consultation Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Shepway, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells
Consultation Topic General interest, Libraries and archives
Consultation Methods Online survey / questionnaire / forms, Other survey / questionnaire / forms, Community event
Contact Details Email: lraconsultation@kent.gov.uk

Consultation, Kent County Council, News

Consultation on TV Licence for over 75s

25 November 2018 0 Comments

TelevisionAge-related TV licence policy consultation

BBC

Today people over 75 are entitled to receive a free TV licence, but UK Government funding for this concession is coming to an end in 2020. The BBC want to know your views about what they should do in the future.Please read the consultation document before responding. This sets out possible options for the future along with some specific questions to help you respond. You may also want to read the accompanying equality impact assessment.You may also find it useful to read the report prepared by an external economics consultancy, Frontier Economics. This provides some detailed analysis on possible ways to approach the new decision the BBC has to make. In addition, Frontier Economics published a related discussion paper which discusses the changing landscape since 2000, intergenerational fairness and the changing financial context.When you’re ready to take part, click the link below and you’ll be taken to the online consultation questionnaire.

Key Document

Have Your Say

Respond to this consultation
https://bbcconsultation.traverse.org.uk/

Related Documents

BBC
www.bbc.com/yoursay

Image: Creaticca Ltd
License:  Creative Commons (Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Communications, Consultation, Consumer, News, Uncategorized