Chris Main - DOWNS NORTH
Follow Chris’s campaign on this page
Friday 5th May
THE RESULT
Carol WILCOX Liberal Democrats 26
Lisa BOUCHAT Labour Party 51
Chris MAIN Ashford Independent 188
Tony WEBB Conservatives 247
Geoff MEADEN The Green Party 348
A BIG BIG thank you to everyone who voted for me!
Obviously I’m disapointed not to have been elected, but I feel I have ‘put myself on the map’ at least and this is something to build on for next time. In our ‘first past the post’ system, there is always a motivation to vote against the result you least want. If my top priority was that the Conservatives should NOT regain the seat, and looking at the previous result, I too would have been tempted to vote Green. With control of the Council clearly at stake this time, I think that factor could have been even stronger. Despite that pressure, 188 people voted for me, just on the strength of my campaign, and so this is not a bad result in some ways and I’m grateful to everyone who gave me their support.
Of course, a lot of people voted Green because they support Geoff Meaden, and I respect that. Given that he has only had 18 months in the job, I’m sure many felt he deserves the chance to serve a full term. I had the chance to congratulate him at the count. The next campaign starts now!
The final tally of Councillors is:
Conservative 19
Labour 11
Independents 9
Green 8
With no party having control, it remains to be seen how the Council will be run.
I voted this morning (it’s a lovely day !) and I’m looking smug because I remembered my picture ID! Thanks to all the staff at all the polling stations – they always do a great job.
It will be exciting at the count tomorrow and, of course, I hope to be successful. But if one of the other candidates wins, I’ll be shaking their hand and wishing them all the best. I’ve enjoyed my campaign, whatever the outcome.
Wednesday May 3rd
The campaign finishes today! The candidates have done whatever they decided to do – and now it’s up to you to decide whether/how to vote. My personal view has always been that on polling day, candidates should back off and let voters get on with it – but not everyone agrees – and you may see candidates and their supporters outside your polling station. I will be out and about tomorrow – but you probably won’t see me as there are four polling stations in our ward. You may see people wearing rosettes and holding clipboards – although it happens more in Parliamentary elections. They may ask for your voter number. In case you are curious as to what that is all about – here’s how it’s supposed to work.
In an election, ‘canvassing’ is the business of knocking on people’s doors during the campaign and asking them which party they generally vote for, so as to identify supporters and mark them on the electoral roll. Some people refuse to answer these questions – but the hope is that committed supporters of a particular party won’t mind owning up. When an election comes around, the outcome is more predictable, so long as you can get your regular voters to turn out. So, the people with rosettes and clipboards – or ‘tellers’ as they are known – ask for your voter number and these are transmitted back to the party HQ.
There, supporters who have already voted can be ticked off the master list from the ER – and by 6pm or so they begin following up supporters who are yet to vote. This process is known as ‘knocking up’ – which might be by telephone if possible, by card through the letterbox – or as 10pm approaches, by knock on the door. This polling day operation only works properly if (a) the canvass returns are comprehensive and accurate (b) every polling station is covered for the full 15 hours and tellers are prompt in transmitting data, (c) people are compliant in divulging their voter numbers and (d) you have enough volunteers to execute all these tasks. It’s a bit hit and miss sometimes, but it can help the major parties maximise their vote.
Needless to say, I can’t do any of this! I do not ask people how they plan to vote, because I think it is intrusive, and being a new candidate, I have no committed supporters yet. So, my mantra has to be that I have done my bit – and now it’s over to you. Please vote, whoever you support!
Tuesday 2nd May
With only two days to go, I can talk about my final leaflet. When I had this printed, I left a blank panel on the front, so that I could customise it area by area. I ‘over-printed’ this text using an ordinary laser printer at home. It meant that I couldn’t use coated ‘shiny’ paper, but I think this was a worthwhile trade-off. I have to say, I was very pleased with the results, because the text I printed looks very similar to the commercially printed parts of the leaflet, and I was able to get the alignment accurate enough. I thought this was quite innovative – and I hope people reading the leaflet will agree!
I think that most of us are principally concerned with matters that directly affect the area or road we live in – and this is why we have local government in the first place. I want to emphasise the point that, if I’m elected, I will make sure that I get stuck in with all of our local communities and take an interest in what matters to them.
The response to the idea on my first leaflet that voters might like to ‘go paperless’ was modest. I was warned against offering this, on the basis that it would risk making delivering more complicated, with certain properties to miss out. This risk did not materialise, but I’m not going to give up on the idea. My wife and I have shoved over 2,000 items through letter boxes in this election and when you add in what other candidates have produced, that’s a lot of paper that will end up in the recycling. It does get the candidates out to meet people, which is good – but we could do that without the waste. Polishing my own halo, all my material was printed locally (the ‘imprint’ on every leaflet tells you where it was printed). Collection from the printer and all the delivering was done using an electric car, and my electricity provider uses 100% renewables. So, at least I minimised the carbon footprint as much as I could.
Monday 1st May
My wife and I were out yesterday in Chilham, along the Canterbury Road and in Bilting. Our Conservative candidate was on the same trail! Several people we talked to had spoken with him. In an election, you obviously want people to vote for you and not the other candidates, but I hope there’s a certain mutual respect, because we are all giving up our time to do this and it’s not always easy. I think this is a difficult time to be a Conservative and I’m sure a lot of people wanted answers to questions that don’t really relate to Ashford Borough Council!
When we got home, the main Conservative leaflet had been delivered. This triggered a thought about selling points. A lot of my professional work involved writing proposals, often in connection with formal competitive tenders for large projects – so it was important to identify your most important selling points – those that would differentiate you from the competition.
To figure out which have the most impact, a good technique is to reverse them to see if that is still a tenable position – otherwise the points won’t count for much. So, for example, if you have a selling point that says “We will deliver on time and on budget”, then the reverse of that is: “We will deliver late and over budget” – so the original statement doesn’t really mean anything, it’s just what anyone would say. Try this with the three ‘headline’ pledges on the front of the Conservative leaflet (if you got one) and you’ll see what I mean.
It’s more difficult to take a position when there is more than one legitimate view. I’m in favour of lowering speed limits through our villages, but there are people who see that as ‘nanny state’ and interfering with traffic flow. In some rural areas, I’ve made the point that I’m dubious about the ubiquitous claim that we ‘need more buses’. I can’t see this happening in the current financial climate, as it requires additional funding and the Council’s finances are already severely stretched. In rural areas, if buses visit every village and lane, it takes too long to get anywhere. The bus from Molash into Canterbury takes about an hour for a journey that takes twenty minutes in a car, so you’re not going to do it if you don’t have to. Consequently, even the buses we do have are pretty much empty. For elderly people, the bus stop will often be too far away, especially with shopping to carry. Buses are not good on our single track lanes, and the vehicles are generally diesel powered with high emissions. So are more buses really the answer?
I don’t pretend to have the right solution for this yet – I would need to get to talk to the right people, which I will if I am elected. I spent much of my career designing solutions to business problems – and one thing I do know is that before you design the solution, you need to accurately define the problem. I don’t think we’ve done that yet for rural transport.
Sunday 30th April
Another long day delivering final leaflets yesterday – but we’re about two thirds of the way through. The hard work is always made worth it by the good conversations along the way. I mentioned in my first leaflet that Ashford Independent had 10 Councillors (out of 47) before the election. It seems this was not widely known!
I had an interesting email today asking for my views on the Council’s decision to get involved commerically in the development on the old railway workship site in Newtown – and particularly the £50M ‘loan’ to the project reported in the press. Obviously this is well out of the Downs North ward but as a member of the Council, I would have to take positions on matters affecting the whole Borough. I got some help on this question from Cllr. Noel Ovenden, leader of the Ashford Independent group on the Council, as he was involved in the discussions leading up to this. It’s an example of how having independent councillors who co-operate together is a ‘best of both worlds’ – as we are all free to make up our own minds and have no preset ideology to conform to – but where we agree we can combine to be more effective. If elected as an independent, I would not be an ‘island of one’.
Firstly, the £50m loan that the Council has granted is to the development company ‘Ashford International Development Company’, of which the Council is a 65% shareholder and the development partner ‘Quinn Estates’ is a 35% shareholder. So, essentially, the Council is loaning the money to itself because it controls the entity it is lending to. Secondly, AIDC will be paying interest on the loan at above the rate ABC pays to borrow – so there is additional revenue going back into Council funds. Thirdly, the project is partially de-risked by £14.7m of ‘levelling-up’ money. So, all in all I think it’s not quite as alarming as the idea of a Council ‘lending money to a developer’ first seems.
Having said this, whilst I don’t object in principle to the Council taking a commercial position in a development like this, which is important to the regeneration of Ashford and will provide a lot of jobs, it must be properly scrutinised by the elected members. There is a lot more due diligence to do. All Councils own property assets from which they derive revenue – housing, commercial property, leisure centres etc, so owning a stake in this development doesn’t break new ground, and it does provide control on behalf of residents which would not be there otherwise. Once the development is completed, there will be more decisions to be made.
In my final leaflet I make the point that I have some relevant business experience that I’d like to bring to bear on the Council if I’m elected. This is the kind of scheme where I think my commercial project experience could help me make a positive contribution. A final consideration is that we need to be 100% sure that if the Council engages in activity like this, it does not in any way jeopardise its finances or threaten any of the existing services it provides.
Saturday 29th April
Delivery of my final leaflet is now well underway with my wife kindly helping – in areas with lots of houses it makes such a difference. In Old Wives Lees on Friday I had excellent conversations with residents I met – the message that party politics are unhelpful in local government really seems to be resonating.
In Molash, there is real anger and frustration on Church Lane about the dismissive response to requests for lowering the speed limit on the A252, and enforcing it properly. They have been told there haven’t been enough accidents yet! I was asked how confident I am that I can get this fixed and, to be honest, I don’t yet have any reason to be confident yet. This has been going on a long time. All I can offer is that I will never shut up about it if I’m elected. You often have to be persistent and noisy to get change.
In Crundale, the terrible state of the lanes is a continued source of irritation. Like speed limits, this is not under the control of Ashford Borough Council – but at least road repairs don’t require any change of policy from KCC. It’s more about resources and priorities. Rural communities shouldn’t always be pushed to the bottom of the list. It was beautiful day today – the countryside around Crundale really is breathtaking. People rave about the Yorkshire Dales but this is every bit as good, and right on our doorsteps.
Thursday 27th April
I learned today that the North Court Solar Farm planning application in Old Wives Lees is to be revised – which means back to consultation. It’s going to be a long haul, this one. As I said in my statement for SOWLIS (the campaign group opposing the development), defeating this particular application is like winning a battle – but there’s a lot more to do to win the war. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into this one, if I’m elected. From conversations I’ve had, a lot of people believe that’s possible, based on how they think the other campaigns are shaping up – but there’s still a week to go!
Wednesday 26th April
During this week, as well as catching up with ‘normal life’ stuff like mowing the grass, I’ve been putting the final touches to my last leaflet of the campaign, which has some local messaging. In a large rural ward like Downs North, there are several different communities – and while there is a lot that binds us together, there’s a lot of diversity in terms of local issues at village level and sometimes even road level. These will all compete for the time of the Ward Councillor, and I’m determined if I’m elected to try to be effective for everyone. That means spending time in Parish Council meetings (for example) but also finding other ways to connect with residents. People don’t come forward with issues if they feel nothing will change. It’s not easy to get things done when you are not directly in control – but I’m looking forward to the challenge, if it comes my way.
Sunday 23rd April
I spent a lot of time this weekend delivering letters for postal voters. I expect that the majority of voters who take the trouble to apply for a postal vote already know who they want to vote for. But perhaps a few of you are wavering, and I wanted to counter the suggestion that only Blue or Green can win. In the discussions I’ve had with voters, there’s not a lot of enthusiasm for National political parties right now, and it’s not hard to imagine why.
Yesterday, I went to visit the SOWLIS team together with a fellow independent candidate, who has a lot of expertise on renewable energy and also on planning. We were able to share a few additional ideas with them on potential objections to the North Court proposal. It was really helpful to see the site close up – and to talk to people who quite understandably feel so threatened by such a massive development, which would completely change the nature of the countryside.
An amusing thing happened today. My wife and I were enjoying a delicious lunch at our neighbour’s home, when the Green Party turned up in a van to put a board outside her house! This turned out to be a mix-up, having been requested by someone who no longer lives there. A thought about those boards – they don’t have any candidate names – just the Party name. It really is the ideology you’re being asked to vote for.
Friday 21st April
The deadlines for voter registration and postal vote application have now passed. Most postal vote packs were sent out yesterday, according to the Council. I am delivering letters to postal voters over this weekend, but there’s not enough space to put in all the information that appears on my second leaflet, which won’t go out until the end of next week. For any of you who get that letter and have come looking for the detail on Borough-wide and village issues I mention at the end of it, here it is:
Planning for the environment and local people
- Retain the character and heritage of our towns
- Reduce carbon footprint by policy design in the Ashford Local Plan
- Lobby for infrastructure that matches Ashford’s growth
- Introduce landscape buffers to protect our villages
- Support Parish Councils with Neighbourhood Planning
- Support brownfield development first
Being Meaningfully Green
- Source locally as a first option
- Balance the needs of people with that of the planet
- Protect and enhance our green spaces, river, trees and hedgerows
- Increase biodiversity on all Council owned land
- Extend cycle ways into our villages
Improving the performance of our Council operations
- Invest in technology to increase efficiency
- Review performance management for staff and suppliers
- Ensure access to services is inclusive for all
A few concerns at Village Level:
MOLASH
The major concern I heard was regarding the speed limit through the village and on Pound Lane. Whilst road safety issues fall under the jurisdiction of Kent County Council rather than Ashford, as your Borough Councillor I would certainly champion this cause and help keep the pressure on for the changes you want. Lorries entering and exiting Knockwood Lane are still a concern for motorists on the A252, and I would work constructively with the business involved and the Council Planning Department, to ensure risks are managed and planning conditions observed.
OLD WIVES LEES & CHILHAM
I have registered my opposition to the North Court Solar Farm application on my first leaflet, and have since put together a more detailed statement for SOWLIS.
For those concerned about the loss of Chilham Surgery, I would fully consult residents on how we can best meet primary care needs, especially for older people. The way GPs operate has fundamentally changed, so we have to move forward rather than back.
There was a lot of the concern about road-related issues e.g.traffic calming, potholes and inconsiderate parking. Whilst these issues fall under the jurisdiction of Kent County Council rather than Ashford, as your Borough Councillor I will certainly champion your views and help keep the pressure on for the changes you want.
BILTING
The major concern I picked up was concerning the speed limit on the A28. 50mph seems to mean 65mph to a lot of drivers – and if a speed limit is never enforced then all to often it’s ignored entirely. While road safety issues fall under the jurisdiction of Kent County Council rather than Ashford, as your Borough Councillor I would consult further with residents and help organise a campaign for the changes you want. It often takes time to get the right result on this kind of issue.
GODMERSHAM & CRUNDALE
An obvious issue in Crundale is the state of some of the single track lanes. The one past the Church is particularly appalling. We all understand that busier roads may get priority from KCC, but you pay your taxes like everyone else, and something needs to be done.
Many are sad about the closure of The Compasses Inn. I contacted Shepherd Neame, who told me that it remains their intention to re-let the pub in its current form and they are actively marketing it.They have some interested parties but nothing definite as of now. If elected, I’ll stay in the loop on this and if there is anything the Council can contribute to making the pub successful again, I’ll take up that cause as your Councillor.
Thursday 20th April
An interesting card has arrived from the Green Party. In this, we are told that the election is only between their candidate and the Conservative! This seems a bit presumptuous, as there are five candidates, and it’s up to you who you vote for. I’m glad it’s agreed that a Councillor who is “told how to vote and what to say by their party” is not what we want – but they say this only applies to other parties, as “Green Party Councillors are not whipped”. The thing is, in my view, it’s ideology that gets in the way of what is best for residents just as much as control. Not many of us share the various party ideologies enough to join. As of August 2022, the combined national membership of the four parties standing here makes up just 1.5% of the total electorate, according to the House of Commons library. If our ward is typical, that means about 30 of us belong to one of those parties, and the other 2,000 or so do not! If you happen to subscribe to a party ideology, fine. But if not, then why vote for one?
Tuesday 18th April
I’m now well into designing my second leaflet. I really am doing all this pretty much on my own – and this risks looking less slick than the opposition in terms of design – but as an independent candidate I’m self-funded. It does put me more directly in control. As you’d expect, there is an expenses limit for the election – it’s just over £900 for this ward. I won’t get anywhere near that! It has a bearing on my central message when you think about it. The organisation and financial muscle of the main political parties makes it hard for a candidate who just wants to represent residents to compete on a level playing field. I don’t think I’ll be able to put up any banners or boards – because as a new face, I don’t yet have committed supporters who would be willing to do that. Other independent candidates tell me that will change if I get elected! I’m trying to talk to people in a more personal way, so all my material is written ‘in the first person’ – but other than the relatively few people I can talk to face to face, there is no way to judge if it’s working or not. The major parties will know who their previous supporters are, and will be working hard to get them out to vote. Never mind – onward and upward!
Monday 17th April
I’ve had a quieter few days after finishing the delivery of my first leaflet – answering some correspondence that has come in. One resident has taken me to task for being light on detailed policy – and it’s a fair point based on what I’ve said so far. My defense is that I wanted to see what was important to voters – and I’ve got a much better sense of that having now walked the entire ward. So now I’m looking into various issues that came up, so that I can present some thoughts in the next leaflet, well before voting day.
I am delighted to have heard from SOWLIS, noting the comment I made about opposing the North Court Farm solar planning application. I’ve been invited to make a more detailed statement, in addition to thoughts I’ve already posted on this blog following various conversations with residents in Old Wives Lees. Here it is:
Dear SOWLIS supporters
I have reviewed submissions regarding the North Court Solar Farm planning application, and I am 100% convinced that this is the wrong site for this development. We all understand the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel derived energy. But we also need to reduce our dependence on imported food. Renewable energy can be generated in a variety of ways and in a variety of locations. Food can only be grown on agricultural land – so using our best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land for energy production makes no sense. The heritage and historic significance of the Old Wives Lees area is outstanding. This development would seriously impact the setting of a number of listed buildings and the historic countryside along the North Downs Way, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It contravenes the local planning guidelines and there is nothing exceptional about this application that justifies doing that. One final thought: defeating this application would constitute winning a battle but not winning the war. There will be more applications like this because the economics around agricultural land have shifted. Finding more suitable sites for this kind of development will actually help protect places like Old Wives Lees in the future, as well as meet the clear imperative for more renewable energy. If I’m elected as your Borough Councillor, I will do everything in my power to oppose this application.
Chris Main – Ashford Independent candidate for Downs North.
Wednesday 12th April
I finished up delivering today as the weather closed in. I have now got around the whole ward and what a voyage of discovery it’s been! I reckon I’ve walked at least twenty miles and it’s been a real eye opener. I think there were only about ten houses I couldn’t find or couldn’t deliver to – which is not bad out of a total of just over a thousand. After completing Old Wives Lees, I went off to try to find one or two places that had so far eluded me.
A short lane on the edge of Chilham is divided by the railway – and it looked like there was only a water treatment plant on the other side. But having negotiated the level crossing, I found another amazing place I never knew exisited. The river was flowing fast with all the rain we’ve had in the last few days.
Next on the list was the most isolated house in the whole ward. On the voters’ list for one of the No Through Roads was a house name I was sure I had not found, so I drove up to the end for another look. It was nowhere to be seen, so I parked the car and continued walking down the track through woodland. I turned a corner and at last I could see it, way down the valley. It is amazing that such remote places exist in the Home Counties.
I received an interesting email today, telling me that the author, family and friends would not be voting due to the new requirement to produce ID, which the author described as draconian and undemocratic. We haven’t had a lot of voter fraud cases in the UK, so in a way I was surprised when this new measure was introduced. I suspect part of the reason is what we’ve seen happening in other countries, where those whose vote count is less than the opposition’s start claiming voter fraud as the explanation, and refuse to concede defeat. Nobody has mentioned the new requirements to me as an issue in the last few days when I’ve been out and about, but clearly some people are bothered by it. For the majority, I suspect that producing our driving licenses at the polling station is no big deal, but if you don’t own an accepted form of ID, it’s more of an imposition. As this message was suggesting, it might further depress turnout figures, which are already low for Local Elections.
Tuesday 11th April
Rain on Monday meant time spent working on the Ashford Independent website – but in the evening I visited beautiful Godmersham Park, where I struggled to find all the addresses in the voters’ roll. I went around several times but still couldn’t find them all! It really is an idyllic place, especially at this time of year, with the newborn lambs and the daffodils. The River Stour meandering through the park is the final touch.
Today I was on the other side of the A28 in Godmersham, Crundale and Sole St, where I met several people and enjoyed some good conversations. Topics that came up were, inevitably, the appalling state of some of our single track lanes. It is not hard to work out why these are lower down the priority list than roads that carry more traffic – but some of them are getting almost impassable and certainly threaten the health of your suspension and tyres.
Planning is always and issue and most people bring up ‘changes of use’ in the countryside whether, for housing or energy related purposes. Also, an interesting chat about GP services, and the importance of Electronic Prescriptions in giving people flexibility on accessing medication, including postal delivery. I have to confess that although I’ve lived in Downs North for 13 years, I’d never actually been to Crundale. It’s not somewhere you drive through for no reason. It is set in truly stunning countryside and it’s really hard to believe you are 10 miles or so from Canterbury or Ashford – it feels like the middle of a National Park. Whether I’m elected or not, it’s been worthwhile just getting to know the place I live in properly.
There is sadness in Crundale over the closure of ‘The Compasses Inn’, which has been around since 1480. It’s fair to say that it had mixed reviews under the last management. Hopefully Shepherd Neame will find someone willing to take it on – we have lost too many pubs. As it says, prophetically, on the sign ‘The Star Inn’ in Old Wives Lees, closed for many years now: – “Use it, or Lose it.”
On a rather wet and blustery evening, I started along Lower Lees Road, on the other side of the North Court site from where we were on Sunday. Here the ‘SOWLIS’ posters are in abundance – and the former use of this land is reflected in the names some of the houses. Expecting to find everyone unequivocal in their objection, I had a nice chat with some residents living very close to the site, who were more accepting of the change this would bring. Obviously the arguments in favour of renewable energy are significant and, as I pointed out in the piece I wrote on Sunday, our soaring bills are a clear indication of the energy supply shortage. Even so, I remain firmly of the view that it’s wrong to redesignate prime agricultural land in an AONB for this purpose, and to so profoundly change the environment for residents, who had no reason to expect that anything like this would ever happen to them.
Easter Sunday 9th April
In the morning we were on the A28 from Chilham up to Shalmsford Bridge, and along Pilgrims Lane. It was a beautiful day! We were thinking that Easter Sunday was a good day to be on the main road, as traffic would be lighter. I have to say, it wasn’t really noticeable!
CONSERVATION
We had a nice chat with a lady about the challenges of living in a listed building. I have to declare an interest here, as we live in one ourselves – half of a converted barn. It’s an honour to be the steward of something regarded as historically important. It’s a choice we made, but it means you carry additional burdens. Our ward must have a well above average quota of listed buildings. The centre of Chilham obviously, but there are a lot of very old houses in rural areas too, not to mention our ancient churches. I’ll certainly take an interest in our heritage if I’m elected – as it’s important for everyone (which is why we have the listing system) not just owners. We have such a rich history, which we should be proud of and conserve.
SOLAR FARM
On Pilgrims Lane, residents are understandably upset by the North Court Solar Farm proposal. These things are never straightforward, and as I say in my leaflet, planning applications need to be judged on individual merit, balancing all the relevant criteria. We all understand the need for more renewable energy. Apart from the environmental aspect in terms of reducing emissions, we need more energy supply – and we only have to look at what has happened to our bills to recognise that. But I don’t think our first response should be to sacrifice our countryside in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or our prime agricultural land. As well as reducing our over-dependence on foreign energy, we need to be more self-sufficient in food production – but it’s a tough time for farming. Post Brexit seasonal labour shortages and the soaring price of energy have shifted the economics, so we can expect a lot more proposals like this one. When it comes to establishing the balance between the interests of the applicants and those of the rest of the community, the responses to the planning application couldn’t be clearer. Your opposition is overwhelming. If elected as your Councillor I would see it as my job to represent your views in the same ratio in which they’ve been expressed.
SPEED CAMERAS
In the late afternoon I was in Bilting – what fabulous views you have! Like Molash, it’s a ‘main road village’ and has a 50 mph speed limit. A resident on Bilting Lane, which is a single track crescent off the A28, told me that they’ve all been ‘shunted’ by cars as they have to slow right down to turn into the lane safely. As I’ve pointed out previously, all these road issues are the responsibility of Kent County rather than Ashford Borough – but I think your Borough Councillor could play a role in helping to orchestrate a campaign. As many of you will know, you don’t get change just by writing in – a strong case has to be made, noisily and persistently. Discussing the speed limit issue, we agreed that fear of ‘being done’ is key to compliance. I was suggesting that speed cameras are ugly and would not enhance the environment in Bilting. “Yes, but would we rather have a speed camera or a death?” If elected, I’ll canvas local opinion more thoroughly – so at least we know what residents want.
Saturday 8th April
Unfortunately, I got bitten by a dog yesterday – maybe he’ll bite all the candidates! (I really hope not.) So, first thing this morning I went off to the Estuary View minor injuries unit outside Whitstable for a tetanus booster. What an outstanding service! I was in and out in 30 minutes. We can all see how much pressure the NHS is under, but it’s still brilliant 90+ % of the time.
Today, we were in Shottenden – a lovely village which has some very remote properties. Ward boundaries are peculiar sometimes. There are a couple of houses on the edge of Shottenden which are inside the Downs North boundary only because they are set further back from the road than their neighbours. So they are in Ashford Borough, but their neighbours on either side are in Swale!
Friday 7th April
CHILHAM
I was out delivering leaflets with my wife in Chilham today and having a chat with some residents along the way. The main areas of concern seem to be around, traffic calming measures, road maintenance, and inconsiderate parking during the school run. In the first instance, I always have to point out that Ashford Borough Council isn’t responsible for road issues, that’s Kent County Council. However, that doesn’t mean that your Borough Councillor can’t represent your views in the right places. Chatting to Noel Ovenden, the independent councillor for Wye, he was telling me that with a good relationship with the KCC councillor for our area, there are often ways to work together and move things forward. It’s really important that we don’t make promises that we can’t deliver on, and I won’t do that. But all good business people know that getting things done when they are not in your direct control is a bit of an art form – and getting your tactics right is often the difference between success and failure. This requires the right skills and attitudes – giving up is not one of them.
It’s a more than a year now since the surgery closed on Branch Road. Some residents continue to be upset by this – but convincing a GP practice to set up in the village is not a straightforward task. There are many different agencies involved and it’s hard to see how interests could be sufficiently aligned to get a result. Small local surgeries are not the direction of travel for primary care services these days. Running multiple sites is not attractive from a cost perspective. So, jumping up and down is not going to get us anywhere. If elected, I’ll put the effort in to fully understand all the pieces of this puzzle. We may need to find a more innovative solution rather than try to go back to what we had before.
MOLASH
On my home turf, motoring problems were also to the fore. Molash is a ‘main road village’ with the busy A252 running right through it. In recent years, the speed limit was reduced from 50mph to 40mph – but really, it isn’t enough. When drivers are confident there is little risk of enforcement, a percentage of them simply ignore the limit altogether. Even those that lift off the accelerator are still travelling way too fast. When I drive through the village, I observe the 40 limit and it’s amazing how often there is someone weaving away a few feet from my rear bumper. Recently, residents organised an ePetition to reduce the speed limit to 30mph and we need to follow that up with KCC. My own view is that we are going to have to look at having a speed camera installed, because that is the only thing that makes drivers take notice. If I’m elected, I’ll work with the residents and the parish council and champion an effective solution to this issue – because sooner or later something really unpleasant is likely to happen.
Just off the main road in the village is Pound Lane, where the village hall is. It is bizarre that the speed limit on this single track lane, with a bunch of houses fronting right up to the edge of the road, is 60mph. In the photo, you can see that one of the speed limit signs has been reversed – presumably in the hope that the uncertainty might make drivers stick to the 40mph limit on the main road when they turn on to Pound Lane. A resident told me his daughter had been hit by vehicles driving at speeds, which are completely inappropriate, though currently legal. Most of the households on Pound Lane have small children. This seems like another accident waiting to happen. Personally, I can’t see any downside to a 30mph limit thoughout the village.
Thursday 6th April
I collected my leaflets from the printers today – thanks to Serious Print Group in Ashford for getting these done so quickly. So now, the daunting task of getting round the 1000 odd homes of Downs North. It’s a big area, with relatively few easy roads, so it’s many miles of walking and at times, driving to more remote areas. I’m lucky enough to have an electric car, which works really well for all the stop/start stuff.
Here is the ‘pitch’ I am running with:
ARE YOU DONE WITH PARTY POLITICS?
I am! Whether blue, green, red or yellow, I firmly believe that party politics aren’t helpful in Local Government. And that’s why I’ve decided to stand as an independent candidate in the Borough Elections on May 4th!
Getting the right outcomes for residents requires a practical and non-ideological approach. Starting with a pre-conceived political agenda can only get in the way. YES, we need efficient management of local services in order to make the very most of every pound we all pay in Council Tax. And YES, environmental issues are of critical importance. You shouldn’t have to choose between them.
Planning Applications should be judged on public safety; environmental impact; business and jobs; and the balance of interests between the applicant and others in the community. Every application should be judged on its own merit – not viewed through a party political lens that favours some of these criteria above others. As an example, I’m opposed to the solar farm at North Court in Old Wives Lees— I think the campaign group ‘SOWLIS’ has made a compelling case that this is not the right location, despite the importance of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
‘Downs North’ ward is a group of diverse villages: – Bilting, Godmersham, Crundale, Shottenden, Chilham, Old Wives Lees and Molash. Some of us live on narrow lanes that feel very remote, while others are on busy main roads. One size does not fit all, and so, if elected, I would work hard to ensure I represent all our communities – not just the one I happen to live in, which is Molash. Not being your Councillor yet, I can’t point to even a modest list of achievements and activities — but I promise to be guided by your concerns and opinions, not my own convictions and interests. Our ward is on the very edge of Ashford Borough and most of us probably identify more with Canterbury than Ashford. So it’s even more important here that our Councillor is free to represent you, the residents, rather than promote a party political agenda.
About Me
I am married and have three grown-up daughters. I am 62 years old, and have recently retired. I’ve lived in this ward for 13 years, so I understand our local issues. My career was in IT and Management Consultancy—I worked for several major multi-national companies. There is no stopping the ‘digital revolution’, and a comprehensive understanding of technology is now vital to improving local services. Having said this, it’s really important that our most senior residents are not left behind – and this would be an area of focus for me. I spend quite a lot of time helping my Mum (who is 90) do ordinary things like dealing with health services online, and so I understand how hard it is when you are compelled to access essential services in a way you might find intimidating and stressful.
Independent Councillors ARE effective here
Ashford Borough Council has a well-established group of 10 independent councillors (out of 47), who have registered as a Party— Ashford Independent – to ensure fair representation on Council committees. However, it’s not a political party in the traditional sense. There is no party whip, and Councillors are free to vote in the interests of the residents they represent without any conflict of loyalties. If elected, I would work within this group, and aim to play a full role on the Council.
Wednesday 5th April
The list of nominated candidates has been published by Ashford Borough Council. There are five candidates for Downs North. As well as our incumbent Councillor (Green Party) there are challengers from the three main political parties, as well as myself.