News

Minerals and Waste Plan Consultation

14 February 2018 0 Comments

Kent County CouncilEarly Partial Review of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 and
Mineral Sites Plan – Options Consultation

Kent County Council

Opens: 19 Dec 2017
Closes: 27 Mar 2018

The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 (KMWLP or the Plan) sets out the minerals supply and waste management capacity provision for Kent up until the year 2031. Following the adoption of the KMWLP in July 2016, further assessments have been undertaken which suggest that the level of waste management capacity required to maintain net self-sufficiency differs from that which was anticipated to be needed when the KMWLP was prepared. In order to ensure that Kent benefits from an up-to-date strategy for waste management capacity the County Council is seeking to undertake an early partial review of the KMWLP to amend several of the policies relating to waste management.

Furthermore, the County Council also seeks to improve the clarity of the policies relating to minerals and waste safeguarding; this should improve their effectiveness when used in practice. This is a part of the Early Partial Review of the Plan at this time.

Parallel to the early Partial Review Consultation referred to above the County Council is holding a public consultation on the Option Sites for the Minerals Sites Plan. This is a Regulation 18 consultation to gather the views of the general community, groups, organisations, mineral operators, other Kent authorities (at the Parish and Borough/District levels) and individuals on what the County Council considers to be potential mineral sites required to supply a steady and adequate quantity of mineral resources to meet the objectives of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan (KMWLP) 2013-30.

Additional supporting evidence documents and Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Reports have been published to support the consultation. Since the start of the consultation the evidence base been updated as follows:

Information concerning the site areas of the following Minerals Site Options:

  • West Malling Sandpit, Ryarsh
  • Chapel Farm, Lenham
  • Lydd Quarry Extensions, Lydd

Assessment of the suitability of mineral site options with respect to the Green Belt.

  • A separate evidence addendum has been prepared that summarises the updates and this can be found on the above website.

To engage in the above consultations, please click here.

The period for the  consultations is 19th December 2017 to 27th March 2018.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Minerals and Waste Planning Policy team.

Email:  mwlp@kent.gov.uk

Phone:  03000 413328

Consultation Summary

Name The Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30
Description Kent County Council is seeking to undertake an early partial review of the KMWLP to amend several of the policies relating to waste management.
Dates From 19 Dec 2017 at 00:00 to 27 Mar 2018 at 23:59.
Status Open
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, Sevenoaks, Shepway, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells
Consultation Topic General interest, Environment and countryside, Planning and planning applications, Recycling, rubbish and waste management
Consultation Methods Online survey / questionnaire / forms
Contact Details Email:  mwlp@kent.gov.uk

Phone:  03000 413328

Consultation, Environment, Kent County Council, News, Planning and Development, Planning Policy

‘Opt-out’ consent for organ donation in England consultation

10 February 2018 0 Comments

Introducing ‘opt-out’ consent for organ and tissue donation in England

Department of Health and Social Care

Opens: 12 December 2017
Closes: 6 March 2018

Summary

The government wants views from as many people as possible on plans to make it easier for people to give consent to be an organ donor.

Consultation description

The Department of Health and Social Care have launched a consultation about organ and tissue donation. The government wants to know what people think about proposed changes in which people are considered willing to be an organ donor after their death, unless they have ‘opted out’.

They want to find out what people think of how the changes to the system should be made, and what else they think the government needs to consider.

The defining issues of the new system are:

  • how much say families have in their deceased relative’s decision to donate their organs
  • when exemptions to ‘opt-out’ would be needed, and what safeguards would be necessary
  • how a new system might affect certain groups depending on age, disability, race or faith

Documents

Consultation on introducing ‘opt-out’ consent for organ and tissue donation in England
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-opt-out-consent-for-organ-and-tissue-donation-in-england/consultation-on-introducing-opt-out-consent-for-organ-and-tissue-donation-in-england HTML

Quick Read: organ and tissue donation consultation
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-opt-out-consent-for-organ-and-tissue-donation-in-england/quick-read-organ-and-tissue-donation-consultation HTML

Impact Assessment: organ donation opt-out
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666518/Organ_Donation_Opt-Out_Consultation_Impact_Assessment.pdf PDF, 707KB, 24 pages

Have your say on organ donation

https://engage.dh.gov.uk/organdonation/

Department of Health and Social Care 12 December 2017
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-opt-out-consent-for-organ-and-tissue-donation-in-england

Consultation, Government, Health, News

Changes to bus fares

9 February 2018 0 Comments

Stagecoach logoFrom Sunday 18 February we need to adjust the price of some of our bus tickets. We’re also opening up our ‘kid for a quid‘ offer to any adult ticket holder and anyone with a concessionary bus pass.

All adult single fares will increase by 10 pence. All adult return fares will increase by 10 or 20 pence. Some child single and return fares will increase by 10 pence.

A local area dayrider U19 ticket will increase to £3 and the South East dayrider U19 ticket will increase to £5.

The South East dayrider will increase to £7 and the South East family dayrider will increase to £14.

Local adult dayrider tickets and all megarider tickets are not affected.

It’s quids in for kids!

We know that lots of our customers want to travel with their children or grandchildren, especially during the school holidays. We recognise travel costs can be a burden on family budgets which is why we introduced the ‘kid for quid’ last summer. Now we’re able to take it further and open-up the offer to anyone with an adult ticket or concessionary bus pass. From 11 February if you have a valid adult ticket or concessionary bus pass you can buy our ‘kid for a quid’ £1 add-on ticket. View here for more details.

Stagecoach UK Bus 06 February 2018
www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-06/02/2018-16:31:45:119

News, Transport

Flight Ticket Fraud Alert

8 February 2018 0 Comments

Fraudsters are attempting to entice victims who are looking for cheap flights abroad.

Victims have reported booking tickets via websites or a “popular” ticket broker, only to discover that after payment via bank transfer or electronic wire transfer, the tickets/booking references received are counterfeit. In some cases, all communications between the company or broker and the victim have been severed.

Fraudsters are targeting individuals who are seeking to travel to African nations and the Middle East, particularly those wishing to travel in time for popular public and religious holidays.

Prevention Advice:

  • Pay safe: Be cautious if you’re asked to pay directly into a private individual’s bank account. Paying by direct bank transfer is like paying by cash – the money is very difficult to trace and is not refundable. Wherever possible, pay by credit card or a debit card.
  • Conduct research on any company you’re considering purchasing tickets from; for example, are there any negative reviews or forum posts by previous customers online? Don’t just rely on one review – do a thorough online search to check the company’s credentials.
  • Check any company website thoroughly; does it look professional? Are there any spelling mistakes or irregularities? There should be a valid landline phone number and a full postal address so that the company can be contacted. Avoid using the site if there is only a PO Box address and mobile phone number, as it could be difficult to get in touch after you buy tickets. PO Box addresses and mobile phone numbers are easy to change and difficult to trace.
  • Be aware that purchasing tickets from a third party, particularly when initial contact has been made via a social media platform can be incredibly risky.
  • If tickets to your intended destination appear cheaper than any other vendor, always consider this; if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
  • Look for the logo: Check whether the company is a member of a recognised trade body such as ABTA or ATOL. You can verify membership of ABTA online, at www.abta.com.

If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Action Fraud  07 February 2018
https://www.actionfraudalert.co.uk/da/207388/Flight%20Ticket%20Fraud%20Alert.html

Crime, Finance, Leisure, News

Archive Search Room Opening Hours Consultation

8 February 2018 0 Comments

Archive Search Room Opening Hours

Kent County Council

Opens: 5 Feb 2018
Closes: 12 Mar 2018

Kent County Council is seeking your views on proposed changes to the archive search room opening hours at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.

More information on our proposal is available in the consultation document, which can be found in the ‘Consultation Documents’ section below.

Have your say

No decisions have been made on the proposal at this stage and we are keen to hear all your views. Please fill in the online questionnaire, which is available in the ‘Respond to this Consultation’ section below.

Alternative formats: If you require any of the consultation material in an alternative format or language 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.

Privacy: Kent County Council collects and processes personal information in order to provide a range of public services. Kent County Council respects the privacy of individuals and endeavours to ensure personal information is collected fairly & lawfully. We will follow our Data Protection Act guidelines to keep your information secure and confidential.

We recommend using Google Chrome if viewing and downloading consultation documents from mobile devices.

Consultation Documents

Consultation Summary

Name Archive Search Room Opening Hours
Description We are seeking your views on proposed changes to the archive search room opening hours.
Dates From 5 Feb 2018 at 09:00 to 12 Mar 2018 at 23:59.
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, 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
Contact Details Email: libraries@kent.gov.uk

Heritage, Kent County Council, News

A28 scheme wood recycling

8 February 2018 0 Comments

The Public Liaison Officer for the A28 Chart Road widening scheme is collating a list of interested parties that can utilise some of the wood available when work is started on the site clearance of 39 trees. To date over 40 organisations and individuals have expressed an interest in recycling the wood. The uses they have specified are very diverse and include a variety of woodland, artistic and construction projects, Tree species include oak, ash, sycamore horse chestnut, lime, elm and hawthorn some of which are ideal for sculpture and turning projects.

People must be able to collect the wood from a storage area being organised in Ashford during a specified one week window – probably towards the end of February or early March. As this forms part of community project for Ashford  KCC would like to track what happens to the wood.  So they are asking that anyone proposing to utilise any of the wood stays in touch and hopefully send some pictures of what has been made. As part of this project KCC are also hoping to raise money for a worthy local cause and would ask that if wood is taken a small donation is made to this cause. Details of the chosen charity will be confirmed at a later date.

Environment, Kent County Council, News, Transport

A28 Chart Road work begins next week

8 February 2018 0 Comments

Preparation work for the widening of the A28 Chart Road in Ashford will begin next week (February 12).

Kent County Council will then begin work on the £26 million project to widen Chart Road between the Tank and Matalan roundabouts in March and there will be further information provided about this stage of the works in due course.

The widening work is in preparation for the Chilmington Green development which will see around 5,750 homes being built over the next 25 years.

Vegetation and trees affected by the scheme are being cleared before the start of the bird nesting season.

The clearance will take about four weeks and stop and go boards will be necessary to manage traffic when vegetation close to the road is being cleared but this will be restricted to off-peak hours to minimise delays.

KCC will be providing replacement landscaping after the completion of the widening works that will see an increase in the overall number of trees along the route.

KCC will be providing a landscaping after the completion of the widening works that will see an increase in the overall number of trees along the route.

Rather than disposing of the wood, KCC will be creating opportunities for local charities and local craftspeople by reusing as much of the wood as practical.

More details will be provided shortly but if you know of a good cause in the area that could make use of the wood, contact the public liaison officer, Carole Jones at ChartRoadfeedback@jackson-civils.co.uk

Works are due to be completed by autumn 2019.

Kent County Council 07 February 2018
https://kccmediahub.net/a28-work-ashford-begins-next-week745

Kent County Council, News, Transport