News

Bogus investments costing victims £20,000

3 July 2016 0 Comments

I'm glad I listened to my gut feelingInvestments in fake diamonds, bogus stocks and shares and fine wines that don’t exist are costing scam victims an average of £20,000 each, reveals Citizens Advice. Analysis of 5,000 scams reported to the consumer champion between January and March 2016 show how fraudsters are conning savers and investors out of thousands of pounds.

Cold calls, online adverts and fake websites are used to offer people attractive investments which promise steep increases in the value of their investment or strong dividends.  But the return on their investment fails to materialise and investors are unable to contact the trader.

Today Citizens Advice and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute launch Scams Awareness Month – a national campaign to help people avoid falling prey to scams. The campaign urges people to follow a three-step rule – get advice, report it, and tell others about it. (more…)

Consumer, Crime, News

ITL double success at KEiBA

23 June 2016 0 Comments

ITLlogoSouth Ashford business, Integrated Technologies Limited (ITL) have gained the Manufacturing Business of the Year Award and Large Business of the Year at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards (KEiBA). This is the second year running that have achieved double success in the awards.

Kent Excellence in Business Awards, is prestigious and widely recognised as a sign of excellence in the county and beyond. They are staged and produced by Kent County Council and KM Media Group to recognise and reward excellence in businesses.

Business, News

Careers Fair at Designer Outlet

22 June 2016 0 Comments

Ashford Designer OutletPassionate about a career in retail? Join Ashford Designer Outlet on 23rd June from 3pm to 7pm for their retail careers fair in the run up to the busy Summer period. They will be holding an exciting Careers Fair in the food court where you will have the opportunity to meet with a selection of our designer brands.

In addition, there will be a CV/Interview Workshop run in collaboration with the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills and give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs. Confirm your place by sending your name, address & contact details to: careers@ashforddesigneroutlet.com  (more…)

Business, Events, News

SACF July 2016 Meeting

21 June 2016 0 Comments

Web bannerJuly 2016 Meeting


The next meeting of South Ashford Community Forum will take place
at 7:00 pm
on 13th July 2016
at South Ashford Baptist Church
Brookfield Road, TN23 4EY

The Agenda and the Minutes of the Meeting of 18th May can be downloaded from the Minutes and Agendas page.

Please do encourage your friends, colleagues and acquaintances, that live or work in South Ashford to come to this meeting

This meeting has been posted on the South Ashford Calendar bit.ly/sacfcal

Local Plan


There will be a presentation during the meeting by Daniel Carter, Principal Policy Planner at Ashford Borough Council, on ABC’s  Draft Local Plan. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, News, Planning and Development, Planning Policy, SACF

Local Plan to 2030 consultation begins

15 June 2016 0 Comments

Local Plan mapAshford Borough Council is currently preparing a new Local Plan for the borough. The plan sets out the land that needs to be provided in the borough to accommodate new homes and jobs up to 2030. It also includes the policies that will be used to help decide planning applications.

The Local Plan to 2030 aims to make sure that future development within Ashford is well planned, helping to create great places and strong communities and provides a consistent approach to planning across the whole borough.

The new Local Plan will allocate sites for development as well as establishing planning policies and guidance to ensure local development is built in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

It will address housing, employment, retail, leisure, transport, community infrastructure and environmental issues such as adapting to climate change and ensuring high quality design.

The general principle of the Local Plan is to encourage growth within the economy of Ashford to provide homes, employment, retail floor space and infrastructure such as community facilities and green spaces.

Whilst growth in the economy is important, the plan also seeks to protect Ashford’s valued assets such as heritage, leisure, nature and open spaces. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, News, Planning and Development, Planning Policy

Where your money goes

15 June 2016 0 Comments

ABC CrestFollowing the report that Ashford Borough Council Cabinet members considered on 9th June, the Council is now making available for inspection its accounts for the 2015-16 financial year.

On a budget of £13m the Council reported a slight overspend of £27,000. Those accounts are now being made available for members of the public to view between 9am and 4.30pm from 16th June until 27th July 2016 at the Civic Centre in Tannery Lane, Ashford, or online at www.ashford.gov.uk/budgeting-accounts. (more…)

Ashford Borough Council, Democracy, Finance, News

Ashford steps up on litter enforcement

14 June 2016 0 Comments

ABC CrestWe all want to live in a clean and pleasant borough which is why 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

A a better quality patient transport service

8 June 2016 2 Comments

Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group

 

 

A new and improved patient transport service is being launched across Kent and Medway on 1 July 2016. Tough new measures to raise standards are being introduced, with greater emphasis on customer care and getting patients home from hospital promptly.

The new service is provided by G4S which is taking over from NSL whose contract expires on 30 June.

G4S’s performance will be measured against a Patient Charter, developed by people who use patient transport services in Kent and Medway. There are tighter timescale targets for collecting and dropping off patients before and after their appointments or when going home after an inpatient stay. (more…)

Health, News