Maidstone Borough Council

Update
Borough

Town, August 2015

LEGO
Brick City Arrives in Maidstone!
See page 9

www.maidstone.gov.uk

Maidstone Borough Council

News in brief

Hall Hire at Maidstone Market

Museum Accreditation
Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art
Gallery has received accreditation
from the Arts Council England,
recognising its commitment to
looking after and managing its
collections effectively for visitors to
enjoy. The achievement means that
it can apply for grants from
organisations such as the Arts
Council and the Heritage Lottery
Fund, and can run things such as
the very successful Museums in
Schools project.

Certificates of Excellence
Both Mote Park and Maidstone
Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery
have been awarded TripAdvisor
Certificates of Excellence! These
are awarded to attractions that
receive consistently positive
reviews on the TripAdvisor
website.

Delivering New Homes

Maidstone Borough Council has
delivered more than 1,100 new
affordable homes in the last five
years, helping to make getting
onto the housing ladder more
achievable.

Helping Homeless Families

We now have 20 units of our own
housing stock to help homeless
families. This means we can
provide better quality homes for
those in the most need and much
better value for money than bed
and breakfast accommodation.

Twinning Association
Interested in France and French
culture? The Maidstone/Beauvais
Twinning Association is always
looking for new members to help
further the friendly links between
the twinned towns of Maidstone
and Beauvais in France. If you
would like to find out more, contact
the secretary, Michael Yates, at
myates38@btinternet.com or by
calling 01622 675188 or 07963
677952.

Traffic and Travel

To keep up-to-date with traffic
news, including Operation Stack,
useful Twitter accounts to follow
are @KentHighways, @Kent_Police
and @HighwaysSEAST. You dont
need your own Twitter account to
see the updates just visit
www.twitter.com and search for
the account that youd like to see.

People from all over Kent have been coming to Maidstone Market since 1548,
making it a crucial and enduring part of the County Towns rich history. Once a
central meeting place for local produce and wares, the market has adapted over
the years from a traditional cattle market to the vibrant, lively place it is today.
It still stands on its original site at Barker Road, Lockmeadow just a few minutes
walk from the River Medway and Maidstone High Street. It is less than three miles
from the M20 junction 6, making it ideally placed for visitors and businesses.
The Agricultural Hall is a large, flexible space, which is available for hire at
weekends by organisations, businesses and individuals for a wide variety of events.
The hall can be hired for a one-off booking or for a series of events at competitive
hire prices with reduced rates for not-for-profit events.
The market regularly hosts many interesting events including dog and cat shows,
history fairs, auctions, beer festivals, antique toy fairs, tool sales, archery
competitions, art markets, boot fairs and plant sales.
For information about hiring the hall or to arrange a viewing please contact 01622
602258 or email market@maidstone.gov.uk.

Bulky refuse
Our paid for bulky collection service now includes Saturday collections book online or by calling 01622 602600.
But if your items are still usable you could help one of the many local charities
which collect for free for a small donation. Many residents are finding this a
better solution to get rid of items they no longer need.
Alternatively the local household waste recycling centre at Burial Ground Lane,
Tovil accepts many materials from cooking oil to white goods and recycles more
than 65% of the rubbish taken there. It is open Monday to Saturday, 8am to
4.30pm, and Sunday and Bank Holidays, 9am to 4pm.
The council also operates a Saturday freighter service but all the rubbish goes to
landfill so please only use it for items that cannot be re-used or recycled. The
freighter cannot accept cardboard, small electrical items, textiles or garden
waste which can be recycled with the household waste collection service. And it
doesnt accept large bulky items, building rubble, commercial waste, electrical
items or hazardous material.
For more information about bulky rubbish services, including paid for doorstep
collections and the freighter, visit maidstone.gov.uk or call the cleansing hotline
on 01622 602162.

Maidstone Borough Council

People are better together

how can we connect them?
From social networks keeping distant
family members in touch, to
LinkedIns professional network
technology is connecting more and
more people. But how can we use
technology to bring people together
and reduce isolation in our
community? Maidstone is hosting the
Kent Connects Transformed by You
challenge to find out!
The challenge is in two parts first,
we want your ideas to help anyone
who might experience social isolation
from local businesses looking to

collaborate for their mutual benefit,

to those who have just moved to
the borough and are looking for
like-minded individuals to share an
interest. You dont need technological
know-how were just keen to hear
your ideas!
The top ideas will then be taken
forward to a Hack Day on 21
November in the Business Terrace,
Maidstones new Enterprise Hub.
Here, developers and anyone else with
an interest can come along to help
build a prototype solution, and have

: Responsible Canine
Ownership

the chance to win a package of

support to help make that prototype a
reality.
Research shows that social networks
are good for physical and mental
wellbeing, so we want to take
advantage of technology to make sure
that people have the opportunity to
build up these networks and reduce
isolation in our communities.
If you think you have a technological
solution to a problem related to social
isolation, then get involved! Please
submit your ideas at

Could You Use

246?
The average
potential saving for
people signing up to the Big Maidstone
Switch this spring was 246.35 do
you have two minutes to see if you
could save the same?

We are delighted to introduce our new RK9

mascot! Look out for him at events around
the borough, where hell be helping to
promote responsible dog ownership.
You can find out more about the RK9 project
at www.facebook.com/Responsiblek9s

The Big Maidstone Switch is open to

everyone, whether you own or rent
your home and pay your bills by Direct
Debit, cash or pre-paid meter.

We would also like to thank

everyone who took their
dogs to our Fun
Dog Show in
Marden on 14
June. The event
raised 335 for
Battersea Dogs and
Cats Home.

First youll need to register at

www.maidstone.gov.uk/
bigmaidstoneswitch or by calling
01622 602750 youll need your last
gas or electricity bill.
iChoosr will then go away, find low
prices and contact you with an offer
showing if and how much money you
would save by switching.
You then decide if youd like to switch
suppliers/tariffs.
iChoosr will then manage the switch
on your behalf.

You
Said

You dont have to switch if you dont

want to. Its just an easy way to find
out whether you could save
money on your bills.

We Did
You wanted more
re
e acti
activit
activities
t viti
vities
for young people in Shepway...

We have introduced free weekly football, boxing and

basketball lessons for 14 - 24 year olds at The Manor,
Shepway Youth and Community Centre and installed a
parkour free running area on Shepway Green.
For information, call 01622 602222

Maidstone Borough Council

Week Street Fire

Kent Fire and Rescue Service was quick to get to the fire in Week Street,
Maidstone in June. Crews that had been putting out vehicle fires in other
parts of the town and filling tenders at the mill pond in Palace Avenue
made it to Week Street in double quick time.
Maidstone Borough Council, the emergency services and Maidstone Town
Centre Management did not waste any time planning to re-open Week
Street. As soon as the fire crews left the site Maidstone Borough Council
made sure that the worst fire damaged buildings were safe, employing
contractors to put scaffolding and hoardings around the buildings. The
council took on the work on behalf of the owners to make sure it was done
quickly and Week Street was fully open for business with a minimum of
delay.

Receiving Benefits and Need to Update Us?

Save Time & Do It Online!

If you need to let us know about a
change of circumstances that might
affect your housing and council tax
benefits, or need to send us any
proofs, you can now do it online. This
means you can avoid Gateway or
contact centre queues, and do it at a
time thats convenient for you using
your computer or smartphone!

Visit www.maidstone.gov.uk/ benefits

and choose the form that you need.
Proofs, can be a scan or photo
of the document.
Online services are more convenient
than face to face or on the phone and
give quicker decisions on your
benefits.

Cobtree Manor Park Events

M
Maidstone
aidstone CChildrens
hildrens Ce
Centres
ntres

Minibeast safaris

Summer Fun Day

S
Friday 14 August 2015
11am - 4pm, Mote Park

Behind the scenes

(near main car park)

Free activities all day

T-Shirt
TShirt

Li
Live
ve

PPrinting
rinting

E
Entertainment
ntertainment
Pocket
Pocket
Money
Money
tips
tips

C
rafts &
Crafts
Messy
Messy
Play
Play

Bouncy
Bouncy
Free
Free
Raffle
Raffle
Draw
Draw

Castles
Castles

Thursday 6 August, 10am and 11.30am

Wednesday 12 August, 10am and 11.30am
An hour of fun searching wild habitats for small
creatures. Butterfly nets and magnifying glasses will be
provided so that you can take a closer look. Free for all
the family. Booking required. Sorry, no dogs. To book call
01622 602747, email parksandleisure@maidstone.gov.uk
or book in person at the Cobtree visitor centre.

Sports
Sports
&
Games
Games

Sunday 6 September,
10am - 12pm
Wednesday 9 September,
10am - 12pm
Meet the Cobtree team
and learn what it takes to
run a country park. Have
a go with a saw, and other
ranger tools. Free for all the family.
Booking required. To book call 01622 602747,
email parksandleisure@maidstone.gov.uk
or book in person at the Cobtree visitor centre.

Cobtree Arboretum in the autumn

Wednesday 21 October, 10am - 12pm
Sunday 25 October, 10am - 12pm
An informative seasonal ramble with the ranger amongst
the beautiful and rich collection of trees from around the
world. Free for all the family. No booking needed.

Maidstone Borough Council

Get involved with Council decisions

Most of our meetings are held at
Maidstone Town Hall in the High
Street. We have wheelchair facilities,
including lifts and toilets, and an
induction loop.
You are more than welcome to attend
and you can ask a question one per
person. Email your name and address,
your question and the meeting its for, to
committeeservices@maidstone.gov.uk,
by 5pm one full working day before the
meeting.

Full Council
There is an hour long question and
answer session at every full Council
meeting. The Leader of the Council

answers questions and group leaders

respond.

Service Committees
The Committee Chairman will answer
questions during a thirty minute session
at the start of the meeting.

Maidstone Joint Transportation

Board
You can ask questions or make
statements about any transport issue
or item on the agenda. Theres a limit
of 10 speakers per meeting. Each
person can speak for three minutes and
must register by 3pm on the day of the
meeting.

Planning Committee
You can ask questions about
applications being considered at the
meeting. Each person can speak for
three minutes and must register by 4pm
on the working day before the meeting.

Petitions
Petitions and e-Petitions are a quick and
easy way to bring issues to the attention
of Councillors and influence local
decision making.
Anyone who lives in Maidstone Borough
can submit or sign an e-petition.
Petitions about planning or licence
applications must be posted or
presented in person to the council.

For more information about asking questions at council meetings, petitions and other ways to get
involved with council decisions visit www.Maidstone.gov.uk/have-your-say.

Maidstones new committee system

Most of the councils decisions are taken by four new service committees.
Policy and Resources
Committee
Chairman and Leader of the
Council: Cllr Fran Wilson
Vice Chairman: Cllr Annabelle
Cllr Fran Wilson
Cllr Annabelle Blackmore
Blackmore
Considers the Councils budget
and strategic plan, economic development and corporate
matters such as risk management.

Strategic Planning,
Sustainability and
Transport Committee
Chairman: Cllr David Burton
Cllr Tony Harwood
Vice Chairman: Cllr Tony Harwood Cllr David Burton
Considers the Local Plan,
development management policies and transport matters
including parking and park and ride.

Communities, Housing and

Environment Committee

Heritage, Culture and

Leisure Committee

Chairman: Cllr Marion Ring

Vice Chairman:
Cllr Derek Mortimer
Cllr Marion Ring
Cllr Derek Mortimer
Develops the housing strategy,
waste and recycling strategy as well as making decisions in
respect of community development.

Chairman: Cllr Gordon Newton

Vice Chairman:
Cllr Richard Ash
Cllr Gordon Newton
Cllr Richard Ash
Considers matters regarding
our parks and open spaces, events, the leisure offer and
culture and heritage services.

Leader of the Council

Fran Wilson (Liberal Democrat) was
elected Leader of the Council at the
annual meeting in May. She is the
political and elected head, the focus for
political direction and the chief
spokesperson for the Borough as well
as an ambassador for the Council.
The leaders of the other groups are
Cllr Annabelle Blackmore,
Conservative, Cllr Fay Gooch,
Independent, Councillor Malcolm
McKay, Labour, and Cllr Dave Sargeant,
UKIP.
Following Mays elections the political
make-up of the council is
25 Conservative councillors

20 Liberal Democrat councillors

6 Independent councillors
2 labour councillors
2 UKIP councillors

Are you on the electoral register?

Well start sending forms out in August
to check everyones details on the
electoral register and to make sure that
those who arent registered have a
chance to do so.

What you need to do first:

The first form to arrive at your address
will be pre-printed with the names of
people already on the electoral roll. It's
really important to check and send this
back quickly to confirm there are no

changes, or to tell us about anyone who

needs to be added on, or taken off the
register.

What you need to do next:

If youve acted on the first form to tell us
there are no changes, you dont have to
do anything else. If there is anyone new,
we will send forms for each of them to
your address. Please look out for this.
To get onto the register, each person
must fill in and return the form, or go
online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
and use the online service.
Remember if you arent registered,
you cant vote, so please take a couple
of minutes to make sure your details
are correct.

Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Councillors 2015-16

Maidstone Borough Council is run by councillors who you
vote for at local elections. Councillors make decisions for
the community about local services, for example rubbish
and recycling collections and leisure facilities, and agree
budgets and council tax charges.

They are not employees and are not paid a salary or wages
but they are entitled to allowances and expenses to cover
some of the costs of carrying out their duties.

They represent residents in areas, called wards, for four

years. The work of a councillor includes helping local
people, supporting local organisations, campaigning on
local issues, and developing links with all parts of the
community.

Maidstone has 55 councillors and holds elections in thirds

- elections are held in three years out of four, with one third
of the seats on the council up for election each time. This
year elections were held in 19 of Maidstones 26 wards.
The council has:

A ALLINGTON

Dan Daley
Lib Dem
01622
672459

Cynthia
Robertson
Lib Dem
01622
753517

B EAST

Belinda
Watson
Lib Dem
01622
750541

D HIGH STREET

Clive
English
Lib Dem
07922
616858

Denise Joy
Lib Dem
01622
674063

G BRIDGE

David
Pickett
Lib Dem
01622
681889

Elected councillors provide the policies. Paid employees,

council officers, put them into practice.

David Naghi
Lib Dem
01622
678410

C FANT

Nikki
Fissenden
Lib Dem
01622
755494

Stephen
Paine
Con
07906
271325

Martin
Cox
Lib Dem
01622
688945

E NORTH

Fran Wilson
Lib Dem
01622
673349

Jenni
Paterson
Lib Dem
01622
679630

J HEATH

Dave
Sargeant
UKIP
01622
750758

Malcolm
McKay
Lab
07879
357333

Michael
Hemsley
Con
01622
686773

Chris
Garland
Con
07903
113571

Tony
Harwood
Lib Dem
01622
677578

Marion Ring
Con
01622
686492

Simon Ells
UKIP
01622
758442

Ian
Chittenden
Lib Dem
01622
630867

Brian Clark
Lib Dem
07963
757767

I SOUTH

Town
Wards

Derek
Mortimer
Lib Dem
07825
916930

K PARK WOOD

G
Bryan
Vizzard
Lib Dem
07957
442994

James
Willis
Lib Dem
07838
103350

Jade
Webster
Con
07590
592916

Daniel
Moriarty
Ind
01622
754756

Paul Harper
Lab
01622
763895

F SHEPWAY NORTH

H SHEPWAY SOUTH

James Ross
Con
07966
377292

Vacancy

D
C

F
I
H
K

Maidstone Borough Council

1 BARMING

2 BEARSTED

Fay Gooch
Ind
01622
726608

Richard
Ash
Con
01622
730151

Val
Springett
Con
01622
737702

5 COXHEATH & HUNTON

John A
Wilson
Con
01622
720989

Brian
Mortimer
Lib Dem
01622
746046

9 HEADCORN

Richard
Thick
Con
01622
891224

Martin
Round
Con
01622
890276

14 STAPLEHURST

Richard Web
Lib Dem
01622
745716

Gill Fort
Con
01622
861605

15

DETLING &
THURNHAM

Derek
Butler
Con
01634
684854

DOWNSWOOD
& OTHAM

Nick de
Wiggondene
Con
01622
681860

10 LEEDS

4 BOXLEY

Steve
Munford
Ind
01622
741310

Mike
Cuming
Con
01622
738825
6

BOUGHTON MONCHELSEA
& CHART SUTTON

Malcolm
Greer
Con
01634
862876

Tom Sams
Ind
01622
859412

Janetta
Sams
Ind
01622
859412

12 MARDEN & YALDING

Annabelle
Blackmore
Con
01622
833299

Susan Grigg
Lib Dem
07706
052495

David
Burton
Con
07590
229910

13

Steve
McLoughlin
Con
07711
565489

SUTTON VALENCE
& LANGLEY

Louise Brice
Con
01580
892141

Paulina
Stockell
Con
01622
842508

6
13

2
7

10

11

KEY

Conservative

3
15

Liberal Democrat
Independent
Mixed representation

NORTH
DOWNS

Daphne
Parvin
Con
01622
202375

Rural
Wards

4
John Perry
Con
07770
734741

Wendy
Hinder
Con
01634
861579

HARRIETSHAM
& LENHAM

Gordon
Newton
Ind
01622
862330

11 LOOSE

12
14

Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstones new Mayor

Councillor Daniel Moriarty is Mayor of Maidstone for 2015-16 and he will
be accompanied on his mayoral duties by his niece Shirley Moriarty , who
will be the Mayoress for the year.
Councillor Moriarty was born in Maidstone, and worked in papermaking
from the age of 15 and at Whatmans for 35 years. He has been married to
Lana since 1974, and has one daughter, Kelly, and two grandchildren, Jake
and Conor. He enjoys gardening, golf and visiting friends and family.
Councillor Moriarty has lived in Park Wood, the community he represents
on Maidstone Borough Council, since 2002, and his commitment is to the
community, in particular regeneration programmes, decent homes, play
areas and caring for the elderly.
Councillor Derek Butler has been elected Deputy Mayor.

Kent Life
Kent Life at Cobtree Manor
Park, Sandling won the
Customer Service category
in the prestigious Museum
and Heritage Awards for
Excellence 2015. Dubbed
the Oscars of the museum
world they attract some of
the biggest names in the
industry including the
Victoria & Albert Museum in
London, the Tate, the
National Trust for Scotland
and the Natural History
Museum.

Facelift for
gym
Maidstone leisure centre
has given its gym a facelift,
with new equipment and an
extra floor to provide
dedicated stretching and
warm up/cool down, cardiovascular and weights areas.
Theres also a new aqua
challenge with a giant
inflatable obstacle course
during special sessions in
the main fitness pool.

Swimming club wins Queens

award
Bubbles Swimming Club which delivers the Special Needs
Swimming Programme at Maidstone Leisure Centre has
been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service the highest accolade given to voluntary groups.

Planning and Infrastructure

Infrastructure is always taken into account when the council
considers planning applications.
We always consult those responsible for infrastructure
provision and the council has never approved an application
when they have said they cannot deal with any problems.
We are actively working with water, sewerage, education,
health, and transport services and providers. Officers are
preparing local landscape protection policies.
These measures will allow us to set the boroughs housing
and employment targets whilst respecting the character and
heritage of our borough.
We have commissioned work to model future traffic growth
and are working in partnership with Kent County Council, the
highway authority, on an Integrated Transport Strategy to
reduce car journeys and congestion. Improvements already
planned include new cycle paths, the bridge gyratory system,
and junction 5 of the M20.
Of the 18,560 homes needed between by 2031, around
7,500 have been completed already or have planning
permission, and a further 3,500 are in broad locations
for potential future development after 2026.

Greener Grilling
Summer is here and the BBQ season is upon us! On
average in the UK we now enjoy nine BBQs a year at a
cost of 35 each time, but knowing how much food to
prepare for family and friends can be a challenge.
In the UK 6% of all food waste produced each year is
meat and fish and around 1.6m is thrown away.
Guidance on portion advice and some great recipes for
using up leftovers can be found at
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Ensuring that you are cooking only what youll need will
reduce your food waste and save you money. Make the
most of your BBQ and youll enjoy it even more!
There are a number of things that you can do to help
reduce food waste this summer.
Keep your fridge below 5 degrees to keep food fresher
for longer.
Use a cool box or bag in the garden to keep food at its
best before placing on the BBQ.
Storing bagged salad that you do not use in a sealed
container with a piece of kitchen roll in to keep
moisture out.
Any wilted lettuce leaves can be brought back to life by
placing them in a bowl of cool water with ice-cubes to
crisp it up again.
Freeze any meat which you havent got around to use
and wont get a chance to eat before the end of its use
by date.
Send guests home with a doggy bag if there is too
much food left for you to eat.
Take leftover BBQ food to work for a change to your
usual packed lunch.
Leftover bread rolls can be frozen, salads and pastas
can be stored in the fridge for another occasion.
Barbecued meats taste great in sandwiches and rolls
the next day as long as you refrigerate them overnight.
Remember to use your weekly food waste collection
service for any skin & bones, salad and vegetable
trimmings and anything that hasnt survived the BBQ!
Even your burnt sausages can do some good by being
composted and used as a soil improver on local farms.

News from the MUSEUM

LEGO BRICK CITY!

Brick City, our summer exhibition full of LEGO, is
on until 6 September. Over 60 iconic architectural
models are featured, including a 4 metre-long St
Pancras station, Romes Trevi Fountain and Rios
Christ the Redeemer. There are gallery activities too
each Friday and Saturday were building a wall
mosaic of Spike, our iguanodon mascot, plus we have
lots of LEGO for you to build with and competitions
to enter.
Are you up for our LEGO Challenge? From 6pm9pm on 30 July and 27 August were giving teams
of up to 3 people the chance to build a museum
exhibit in LEGO and win prizes. The caf and
bar will be open all evening.

Summer Holiday Make It! Weeks!

Well be running themed Make It! activity weeks for children during the
summer holidays, including Dinos, Romans, Japan and Explorers. And if you
want your own LEGO mask, were making them from card on 8 August for
younger children, and from felt on 29 August for children aged 8 and over.
17-20 August: Explorer Week
27-30 July: Dino Week
24-27 August: Summer Mix Week
3-6 August: Roman Week
10-14 August: Japanese Week

Cream tea tour

If youre a history lover, join us for a tour of our buildings followed by a cream tea
on 15 August. The tour is 15 (13 concessions) and booking is essential

Remembering
Our Past

Contemporary Modern Watercolours

Launching on 19 September, this exhibit will feature a collection of three works
from each of 61 different artists. Thought-provoking and mainly abstract, the
exhibition will run until 8 November..

Allsorts
lampshades
Weve sent a 1917 oil painting, Arrival
of a convoy of Wounded Soldiers at
Maidstone East Station, 1916, by
Frank Hyde, for conservation. It will
appear in the Museums World War
One exhibition next year.
A number of medieval artefacts have
been lent to Kent History and Library
Centre, for their exhibition
commemorating the 800th anniversary
of Magna Carta, which was signed in
1215.
For more information and event times,
please visit
www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk.
Bookings can be made by calling
01622 602838.

Create a unique Liquorice Allsorts

lampshade on 19 September, printing
your own fabric based on an amazing
60s dress in our collection! 25 (22.50
concessions), booking required.

More information on all upcoming exhibitions and events can be found at www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Bookings via 01622 602838.

MAKE IT MAIDSTONE
MAKE IT PROSPEROUS

Maidstone Borough Council is working to bring prosperity to the borough

A NEW GENERATION OF WORK SPACE FOR MAIDSTONE

Work has started on The Business
Terrace a dynamic, affordable business
workspace providing an inspiring and
highly supportive environment to grow
and sustain new start-ups and existing
micro businesses across Maidstone.
It will be open in September.
Once established, we hope that it will
benefit more than 1000 entrepreneurs a
year through a combination of affordable
workspace, flexible time-based and
virtual memberships, peer-to-peer
business support and collaboration,
along with high quality, bespoke
mentoring, events, seminars and
workshops and informal networking.
The Business Terrace will help break
down barriers to business formation and
survival across the borough.
Our Economic Development Team has
looked at how incubator and affordable
workspace is delivered across the
country to find the best model for the
borough. It will include:
Day Passes (a little like internet
cafes) for use in breakout areas;

These include:
The high cost and inflexible terms of
premises in Maidstone. Generic
start-up or move-on space is
dwindling, there is a lack of premises
available on flexible enough terms,
and costs are comparatively high particularly for those without start-up
capital such as first time
entrepreneurs, recent graduates and
residents starting in business from low
income backgrounds;
Too many micro businesses working in
isolation with few natural clusters or
opportunities for developing local
supply chains; and
A lack of business skills.
In some areas, there is little awareness of
Desk space, on a Membership basis
from just 30 hours a month to
unlimited use;
Highly flexible, easy-in easy-out
terms for up to six office pods
enabling space for expansion as
businesses grow; and

what is available, and the cost of getting

help is perceived to be high.
The Business Terrace will combine best
practice and innovation from across the
UK to establish a leading-edge facility to
meet the aspirational needs of
Maidstone.
The Business Terrace is in the centre of
town opposite King Street car park; next
to the Bus Station (with Park & Ride) and
The Mall Shopping Centre; a few steps
from the towns main taxi rank; and only a
five minute walk from Maidstone East
Railway Station.
For more information contact Karen
Franek on 01622 602392 or email
karenfranek@maidstone.gov.uk

Seminar, meeting, events and

networking spaces: vitally important
for businesses to offer impressive
hosting facilities for clients, which
could lead to them winning more sales
and investments.

Maidstone Borough Council

11

Rediscover Kent with

free guided bike rides
If youre keen to get out on your bike and explore more of
your local area this summer, but dont know where to start,
a series of free guided bike rides across Kent could be the
answer.
Part of a national campaign to get more people cycling
for fun and fitness, Sky Ride Local offers a fantastic range
of themed guided bike rides taking place throughout the
summer months. Each ride is guided by a friendly British
Cycling Ride Leader, and there are rides for all abilities.
Upcoming rides include Maidstone History and Heritage
(11 miles) on 15 August, and the Maidstone City Streets
and Park Life 21 miler on 20 September.
To find and sign up for a ride, visit www.goskyride.com/Kent

Aged 14-24? Try our free drop-in

sports sessions!
If you like boxing, football or basketball or have always
wanted to give one of them a try come along to one of our
FREE sessions for 14-24 year olds!

Boxing (Term Time only)

Mondays 4:30-5:30pm Infozone, 3 Palace Avenue
Wednesdays 7-8pm Heather House, Park Wood
Fridays 5:45-6:45pm Shepway Youth & Community Centre

Football (Term Time only)

Mondays 6-7pm Hockey Astro, South Park
Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm Heather House, Park Wood
Wednesdays 7-8pm Shepway Youth & Community Centre

Basketball (Term Time only)

Thursdays 6-7pm Heather House, Park Wood
Thursdays 7.30-8.30pm Shepway Youth & Community Centre

Healthy Living
Programmes

Keep Kids Active with the Ten

Minute Shake Up!
Active kids are happy kids! Help them to
get their recommended daily 60 minutes of
physical activity with 10 Minute Shake Ups!
Change for Life has teamed up with Disney to provide this
fantastic summer holiday resources to get kids moving.
They can sign up to one of four Disney teams and enjoy
loads of fun games and activities over the summer holidays,
with free posters, stickers and wristbands to encourage
them on their way!
Visit https://www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up to get moving!
Sign up to the

Kent
Kent Heal
Healthy
thy Business
ness A
Award
ward
Improving
Impr
oving economic
eeconomic performance
perforrmanc
rma e thr
through
ough people and en
environment
vironment

HOW
HY
HEALT R
U
IS YO S?
ES
BUSIN

A companys
e p yees
emplo
are its greatest
a
asset
Richard Brraanson

Make
M
k sure you llook
k after
ft yyours.
ours.
People are the source of your business success. When your people are not performing
at their highest level, your business is not performing at its highest level. Improve the
health and wellbeing of your most important assets and you can improve the health
and sustainability of your business.

W
can help! Sign up to the Kent
Kent Heal
thy Business Awards,
Awards,
Wee can
Healthy
a ful
ly funded assessment fr
amework, to improve
improve health
health
fully
framework,
crred
di
ditation
and wellbeing
wellbeing at w
ork and to rreceive
eceive national ac
.
work
accreditation.

We offer a range of programmes to

help you to become healthier, including
weight management and exercise
programmes for those aged 65 and over.
We also run programmes specifically
designed to help men to become more
active and lose weight, and walking for
health programmes to help everyone to move
more and meet new people.
To find out more or to sign up for a programme, visit
www.maidstone.gov.uk/healthyliving, email
healthyliving@maidstone.gov.uk or call 01622 602222.

For
For mor
moree inf
information,
ormation, to arr
arrange
ange a meeting or to sign up, please email P
Paul.Kirrage@Midkent.gov.uk,
aul.Kirrage@Midk
d nt
dk
warrd
call
call 01622 602032 or visit www
www.kent.gov.uk
.kent.gov.uk and search
search for
for K
Kent
ent Heal
Healthy
thy Business A
Award.
Further
Further details can
can be found
found on the factsheet overleaf.
overleaf.

FULL
Y FU
CAN NDED.
Y
AFFO OU
NOT RD
TO?

Funded
Funded by
by

Kent Healthy
Business Awards

12

Maidstone Borough Council

Working
for yo
u

Cerian Lythgoe joined the Customer Services

team nine years ago, working her way up from a Customer
Services Advisor in the contact centre to Team Leader.
In this role, Cerian looks after the whole Customer Services team, taking care of the day to day
running of our face-to-face and telephone service. As a busy front-line service, the Customer
Service Advisors can deal with 21 different services on behalf of other departments. On top of
the normal, day-to-day work,
they can be called upon to
provide an extended service,
such as keeping the phone
lines open until 10pm on
Election days, and providing a
24/7 contact centre during the
flooding of early 2014.

What attracted you to the job?

When I first applied to work at the
council, I applied for a trainee
position within the Customer
Services team. I had just finished
my A Levels and thought this
would be an excellent way to gain
experience within the working
world, and I was given the
opportunity to complete an NVQ. I
found that I really enjoyed helping
customers and gradually learnt all
the services we took calls for, and
then became a Senior Customer
Service Advisor in 2011.

The Customer Services Team

aims to deal with 80% of
enquiries at the first point of
contact, passing the enquiry
onto another relevant
department only in rare
circumstances
In June 2015:
2,113 customers helped in
the Gateway
15,509 calls answered in the
contact centre
2,128 emails answered
What do you like most about your
job?
No two days are the same - which
is a great way to keep you on your
toes and to be ready for the next
challenge! I am always faced with

Borough Update
This is your council newsletter,
produced up to four times a
year in the Downs Mail
newspaper. It is written, edited
and designed by the council's
communications team,
Maidstone House, King Street,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ.
Email: pr@maidstone.gov.uk.
Your comments and

Whats On!

suggestions are always

welcome. It is typeset by AW
design and printed by Newbury
News.
If you are visually impaired and
would like the newsletter text
in large print, please call us on
01622 602176, and we will be
happy to send you a copy.

new opportunities to develop my

skills, as well as the service we
offer for our residents.
What does good customer service
mean to you?
As you can imagine, we pride
ourselves in providing outstanding
customer services to our
residents. Listening to our
customers, taking our time with
them, answering their questions in
full and treating everyone fairly are
just a few of the ways in which we
can ensure we continue to deliver
a high level of customer service.

Follow us on Twitter
@maidstonebc
Like us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/
maidstoneboroughcouncil
Watch us on YouTube
www.youtube.com/
user/maidstonecouncil

To find out whats on in Maidstone Borough visit www.visitmaidstone.com