PDB22765 NEWS 130318.indd

Hextable Parish Council
Newsletter
No.19
2013
A Message from the Chairman
In the last newsletter I reported that we were on budget to keep the local part of Council Tax for
2013/14 down to the current level and I am pleased to say that we have managed to do so. This
means our local council tax in Hextable has been held for five years. This compares very well with
other areas and I am very proud of our record. This is not easy to achieve as our expenses, such as
energy bills and insurances, are increasing every year but we have been very careful to make efficient
use of our assets. I would like to thank the councillors and the Clerk for their hard work to maintain a
good financial situation for the village. I would also like to thank residents for their continued support
over the year.
The Parish will be holding its Annual Meeting where I will give a report on the work of the Parish
Council over the past year 2012/13 and community groups will report on their achievements. You are
warmly invited to this meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 8th May at the Parish Offices.
Darren Kitchener
WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF HEXTABLE PARISH
COUNCIL
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New Website
We informed residents in the last newsletter that the Parish Council was
www.hextableparishcouncil .com
in the process of installing a new website. We are very pleased to say that the website became live early this year
and we have received some good comments from residents.
If you have a group or club that would like to be included on the website please let the office know because this
website is for the village to use not only the Parish Council. If you wish to advertise your business for £100 a year
then please also contact the office. If you take any good photos and would like to share them with the village please
e-mail or send them into the office for inclusion on the Gallery page.
Please have a look and we hope you like it.
Hextable Signs
A year or two ago the Parish Council made a request to Kent County Councillor Robert
Brookbank for white village entrance gate signs at both ends of the village and Robert
put this request forward to Highways at County Hall.
Eventually, after much chasing by Cllr Brookbank, these white gate signs were installed.
Residents contacted the parish Council to say how much they liked them but sadly one
of the signs was ripped out over Christmas but our grounds man, Barrie, retrieved it and
now both signs have been set in concrete to avoid this happening again. The signs were
incorrectly positioned initially but have now been repositioned correctly just inside our
village boundary.
Kent County Council Elections
On Thursday 2nd May you are being asked to vote for a County
Councillor in the Kent County Council elections. These elections are
every four years. There is only one Councillor to represent our area so
it is very important to take the time to vote for the councillor who you
think will best represent our village. Hextable and two Swanley wards,
St Mary’s and Whiteoak, make up one KCC Division. Kent County
Council is responsible for many valuable local services, including Highways (roads and
pavements), schools and education, libraries, social services, buses, the waste tip, Adult
Services, Children’s Services and many more services.
Cllr Robert Brookbank was elected at the last County elections in 2010 and has represented
Hextable at County Hall for the past four years. The full list of candidates is published on the KCC website. It is
important that Parish Councils work closely with their County and District Councillors and Hextable Parish Council has
engaged closely with our County Councillor on a number of road improvements, grit bins, grants and many more
projects.
Polling cards will be sent out at the end of March. Residents whose names do not appear on the register of electors
will not be able to vote unless they register with Sevenoaks District Council on 01732 227000 or voter registration
forms can be downloaded on the Council website at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/elections. The deadline for registering
to vote is 17 April. Residents can vote by post rather than attend the polling station, contact the District Council to
request a postal vote application form. The deadline for registering for a postal vote is the 17 April.
Hextable Primary School
The Parish Council would like to congratulate Mrs. Suzanne Hall
who has been appointed the Headteacher of Hextable Primary
School with effect from 15th February. Mrs Hall has been the
Acting Headteacher since September, 2012.
The Rag Trade
At the beginning of the year a shop opened at 36 Main Road called The Rag Trade.
The shop pays cash for clothes, shoes, bags or belts. For every 20kg bag they pay £6.00 and
donate £1 to Demelza Children’s Hospice.
The owners of the shop say they are, ‘Proud to support the children and families of
Demelza Children’s Hospice. Demelza is a self-funding charity so every donation helps.’
If you can’t get to the shop they can come to you, for free collection please call on 613174.
Arson Attack in Hextable
Two lorries were set alight during a suspected arson attack in Hextable on the evening of
Thursday 31st January. Firefighters from Dartford Fire Station were called to Greenbox Self
Storage depot in College Road at 7.55pm. Crews spent around 90 minutes bringing the blaze
under control. The fire caused 80 per cent damage to one HGV and 40 per cent to the other.
Police were called to the industrial estate at about 8.15pm and are treating the incident as
arson. Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting crime number YY/2063/13.
Fireworks
Residents have complained to the Parish Council about fireworks being let off, particularly bangers
sometimes late of an evening. This can be startling for elderly residents, wake young children and
cause distress to pets. The Parish Council has passed these complaints on to PACT and our
Community Warden. It is illegal for under 18 year olds to buy fireworks or possess them in a public
place. It is also prohibited to let fireworks off in the street or on public land. If you have private events
with fireworks they must end by 11pm. We ask residents to please be considerate to neighbours and pets.
This year’s Firework Night in the village is Friday 8th November.
Neighbourhood Plan: Thank you to everyone who completed a questionnaire. The Steering
Group have collated the results and a Planning Officer from Sevenoaks District Council will now give
professional guidance regarding writing the Plan.
Olympic Legacy – Hextable School
Students at Hextable Secondary School had a visit from an Olympic
athlete. Team GB bronze medal hockey star, Alex Danson, came to
Hextable as part of the Sky Sports Living for Sport project. She
played hockey with pupils and local primary school children, giving
them some advice on leadership and goal setting. The project works
with the Youth Sport Trust to bring stars to schools to inspire
students. Alex said: “How the pupils are putting new skills they have
learned into practice is a fantastic example of how sport changes
lives.”
Lisa Baker, head of PE at Hextable School said: “Alex’s visit was an
inspiring reward for our pupils who have shown great commitment and dedication to their Sky Sports Living for Sport
project. Most importantly, our young people have learned first-hand that sport can teach
them so much.”
Most adorable animal in south-east London and north Kent.
The NEWS Shopper’s cute pet’s photo competition was won by a Hextable pet! Cavalier
King Charles spaniel, Pansy, was voted the winner of the contest after 7,291 votes were
cast to decide the most adorable animal in south-east London and north Kent. Pansy’s
photo was chosen as the most popular from 1,069 entries. Sadly Pansy died a short while
ago but his owner Karen Malone from St David’s Road who brought Pansy for her
daughter Amelia, said ‘It seems that it wasn’t just her family who thought that she was
such a special dog. Pansy had a kind and gentle nature and was friendly to everybody she met and her tail never
stopped wagging. Pets leave deep impressions on your heart and she brought so much happiness to everyone.”
Water Leak in Main Road
Over a hundred homes in the village were without water in December when a 9 inch
main water pipe was damaged in Main Road. Thames Water started work to stop the
leak as soon as possible and had no choice but to cut off the water to repair the mains
pipe. The Parish Office contacted Thames water initially regarding the amount of water
in Main Road, and then again when many homes had their water cut off without
warning. A spokesman for Thames water asked us to inform residents that they are ‘Very
sorry for the inconvenience caused to residents’. We should add that Thames Water did
not cause the damage they responded with an emergency crew and were trying to repair
the damage as quickly as possible but there were difficulties.
Easter & May Bank Holiday Refuse, recycling and Garden Waste collections:
Good Friday, 29th March – collection will take place the next day, Saturday 30th March
Easter Monday, 1st April – all collections this week will be one-day later than usual until Saturday 6th April
May Bank holiday, Monday 6 May – all collections will be one-day later than usual until Saturday 11 May
Spring Bank Holiday, Monday 27 May - all collections will be one-day later than usual until Saturday 1 June
Please put your black and clear sacks and garden waste out by 7am on your collection day.
Jury Service for Lewis: As you know, we have 2 full time grounds men, Barrie and Lewis. Lewis has been with us
since the Parish Council started. Many of you have a chat with them when you see them working around the village.
Barrie is on his own at the moment because Lewis is on Jury Service. John, our grounds man who retired a couple of
years ago has been working some days in the village voluntary and we would like to thank him. We don’t know how long
Lewis will be away but it has been a while and we are starting to get a bit worried because the grass is growing! We do
hope he is back soon.
Scanner to Tackle Dog Thieves
Kent Police presented Dog Lost with a £400 cheque to buy about 10 new microchip
scanners that will help identify whether a dog has been reported lost or stolen. If
stolen, officers can act quickly to make an arrest or search a property. If lost, Dog
Lost will try to reunite it with its owner. The money comes from the Kent Police
Property Fund which is money generated from the sale, at auction, of unclaimed lost
property and items seized in police operations. The proceeds raised are then
presented to local charities and groups that work for the good of the local
community. Dogs are being stolen from across Kent for ransom, sale, work and for
breeding. Animals are being taken from kennels, vehicles and in some cases, people
out walking their dogs have been assaulted and dogs snatched. Make sure that your
dog is tagged, chipped or tattooed and your dog’s details are accurate and you have good photographs. For further
information about Dog Lost visit www.doglost.co.uk
Any charities wishing to apply for funding from the Kent Police Property Fund should contact their District
Commander by calling 101.
Congratulations to Hextable resident Julie Milne whose
photograph was a winner in a national competition, and
subsequently appeared in newspapers in the UK and all over
the world. Mrs Milne entered a competition organised by the
Mammal Society with a picture of a fox taken in her garden
which the society distributed in the media (photo right).
Residents are very concerned about urban foxes and at a recent council meeting chairman
Darren Kitchener reported than an increasing number of complaints have been received.
Advice on dealing with problems appears on the council website. Residents are asked not to feed foxes and where
possible to put out bin bags in the morning just before collection time, rather than the previous night. Household
disinfectants are a relatively cheap and effective method to protect bin bags from attack. If a small quantity of
disinfectant is poured inside (not outside) bin bags the smell deters foxes from ripping them open because it has a
stronger and more unpleasant odour than most discarded foodstuff. Several councillors have found this method
successful. Repellants such as "Scoot", "Get off my garden" and "Wash off" help deter the foxes from digging and
fouling on lawns. To report a dead fox please contact Sevenoaks District Council on 01732 227999
The Kent based Fox Project provides an ambulance service for injured foxes, 9am to 9pm daily Tel: 01892 731565.
Deterrent Helpline Tel: 01892 826222.
Special Constables
Kent Police are looking for volunteers. As volunteer police officers, Special Constables have full
police powers, uniforms and equipment and work alongside police officers and PCSOs. Special
Constables are a valuable resource, which support the regular officers in delivering high visibility
and community policing and dealing with public order.
If you have the drive to serve your community, then find out more about the role of a Special Constable. Kent Police is
committed to recruiting a workforce that is representative of the community they serve and welcome applications
from all sections of the community. You must be over 18 years old, healthy, able to commit to the training and have 16
hours per month free. Once volunteers are trained and familiar with Kent Police policies and procedures, they have
opportunities to get involved in a range of activities.
To register with your volunteer local liaison officers please contact Jacqui Blake on: 01622 604395.
Police & Crime Commissioner for Kent, Ann Barnes.
Cllrs Ken Varnham and Dee Morris went, on behalf of the Parish Council, to meet Ann Barnes, the New
Police & Crime Commissioner for Kent, at a Meeting of the Kent Association of Local Councils. She
seemed very committed and we wished her well in her demanding new role. The Parish will be inviting
her to the village next year.
Hextable Village Pre-School
Ofsted Registered – Good
New, bigger premises for Hextable Village PreSchool at The Gallery in the Parish Council
Complex.
The Pre-School is run by a voluntary committee
of parents. It has been in the village for over 20
years and is very much a part of the community.
It is a friendly pre-school, and welcomes parents
into the setting at all times. It encourages
parents to become involved in the running of
the playgroup and to work in partnership with
the staff to support their children throughout
their time at the Pre-School.
The aim at Hextable village Pre-school is to
provide high quality care, and education, with an
emphasis on learning through play, for children from 2 years to school age. There will be a dog free fenced area of
garden backing onto the Pre-School for secure outdoor play on a grass area. Now the Pre-School has its own
premises it means play facilities may be left out rather than packed away every day which also means more bulky
and permanent type play equipment may be used.
There is a large car park and disabled access.
Nicola Dixon, who runs the Pre-School says, “Our new premises are perfect, plenty of space but with separate rooms
for various activities such as an art room and snack room, we even have a gardening plot. The children love the extra
facilities we are able to offer in our new building.”
Session times are 9.15 - 12.15pm with afternoon sessions starting in March 2013.
Thank You Lisette.
The Parish Council would like to thank one of our residents, Lisette Sturt, for her time editing the newsletter. Lisette
improves the grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as rewording items so they read better. She usually has to do
this at very short notice when the final newsletter is going to print. Her time and work is very much appreciated.
Young People Reminded To ‘Talk To Frank’ For Drugs Advice
A new campaign launched at the end of January aims to encourage 13 to 18 year olds
to talk to FRANK for trustworthy, non-judgmental drugs advice.
Talk to trained professionals online to get advice if you are affected by drugs, experiencing peer pressure or seeking
help for a friend. Online resources are also available for parents who are worried about a child or want to know the
facts. For more information visit www.talktofrank.com
Save Money with a Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PCC)
If you need more than 13 prescribed medicines each year, you could save money with a
12-month PPC.
You can also buy a three-month PPC, which will save you money if
you need more than four prescribed medicines in three months.
The charge for a single prescribed medicine is £7.65, whereas a three-month PPC will cost
£29.10 and a 12-month PPC £104.00.
PPCs include dental prescriptions. Some people can get free prescriptions on age, income or
medical grounds so check before buying a PPC. Payment can be spread over 10 monthly installments.
Telephone order line and advice about PPCs: 0300 330 1341
A home of your own in Sevenoaks District with Moat and Sevenoaks District Council
Sevenoaks District Council and Moat have teamed up to offer local people the opportunity to afford a home on the
open market in the Sevenoaks District. With grants of up to £100,000 available, eligible purchasers can, subject to
certain qualifying criteria, buy an affordable share in the property of their choice, and the rest is funded by Moat and
Sevenoaks District Council (under the Council’s affordable housing planning policy). Over time, purchasers are
encouraged to buy more shares and eventually own the property outright.
All local first time buyers are invited to apply, provided they live or work in the District. Funding is limited and priority
will be given to current housing association tenants living in the District who wish to become homeowners. The
official launch will be held at the start of the National Housing Federation’s Shared Ownership Week, on Monday 18
March at 12.30pm at Sevenoaks District Council’s offices.
This new scheme is expected to be very popular so anyone considering applying is encouraged to do so soon!
Informative drop-in sessions will be held across the District with the nearest one on Thursday 1 April at White Oak
Leisure Centre, 3pm to 6.30pm. Financial advisors will be on hand to help with advice about getting a mortgage.
If you would like to find out more, or if you or anyone you know would like to apply, please contact Rebecca Milton
on 0845 359 6873 or e-mail [email protected]
Room Hire
Room for hire for special occasions or meetings etc. Large Car Park,
Kitchen, toilets with baby changing facilities and disabled toilet,
interactive white board and wi-fi.
The Room is used for classes in Pilates, art and French, club meetings and
lectures as well as childrens parties and celebrations for special occasions.
£9 per hour with £1 an hour discount for Hextable residents.
To view or book please phone the Parish Office on 01322 668530
Allure Aesthetic Clinic
NOW OPEN!
Laser Hair Removal, Chemical Peels,
Microdermabrasion, Slimming Treatments,
Teeth Whitening, Botox & Dermal Fillers.
And much more.
Pembroke Business Centre
College Rd, Hextable BR8 7LT
T: 075 7208 0465
E: [email protected]
Please call for Special offers or Free Consultation
G. T
T. Briley
Painting & Decorating
Painti
Fully Insured
Free Estimates
Est 1977
Tel: 07845 137643
[email protected]
Tommy’s Baby Race
Sunday 30 June at Bluewater
An 8K event you can power walk with, or run without, your baby in
their buggy. Sign up and find out more at www.tommys.org/babyrace
TOMMY'S is registered charity no 1060508 and SC039280
Advertise to 1,800 houses for £30
CONTACT DETAILS:
Darren Kitchener
Cliff Bower
Ken Varnham
Dee Morris
615847
[email protected]
665479
[email protected]
409544
[email protected]
669030
[email protected]
David Russell
Roger Neaves 665429
Tony Austin
662769
Steve Manzi 07887720471
Eric Leaver
660528
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
07717532151 [email protected]
Councillors’ Monthly Surgery is held at the Parish Offices, dates are above and they are always on the
website and the notice board outside the post office, no appointment required. Also Residents’ questions
at the beginning of monthly council meetings.
Sevenoaks District Councillors:
Dee Morris
Barbara Ayres
[email protected]
Tel: 01322 669030
[email protected]
Tel: 01322 409785
Surgery for District Council matters is 12 noon, same dates as for Parish Councillors
Kent County Councillor: Cllr Robert Brookbank
Please phone for an appointment.
Member of Parliament:
[email protected]
Michael Fallon MP
[email protected]
Michael Fallon has a monthly surgery in Swanley, please phone for an appointment.
Hextable Parish Council
College Road, Hextable BR8 7LT
9.30am – 3pm Monday – Friday
The Clerk: Mrs Tracy Lane
Tel: 01322 668530
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hextableparishcouncil.com
Tel: 01322 669440
Tel: 0207 219 6482
Councillors’ Surgery
Saturdays 13th April, 4th May & 8th June
11am – 12noon at the Parish
Council Offices in College Road
No appointment necessary
Please phone for an appointment at other times.
Annual Hextable Parish Meeting 2013
7.30pm Monday 8th May
Parish Offices, College Road
This is the yearly meeting for Parish. The Chairman of the Parish Council will give his report on the work of the
Council over the past year and the plans for the coming year. It is also an opportunity for residents to ask any
questions.
A number of local groups are giving short reports at the meeting including, The Police, and The Residents’
Association.
It is always nice to welcome as many residents as possible at this meeting.
There will be light refreshments at the end.