Doddington Parish Council  Chairman's Report  15th May 2023

This is my third annual report as Chairman.

Following the local council elections on 4th May, two members have departed. Councillor Sallie Shaw did not seek re-election and, sadly, Councillor Peter Duckworth was unable to continue due to ill health. Peter has been a parish councillor for over 12 years and was the recipient of the KALC Award last year for service to the community. We send him, his wife Jessie and their family our very best wishes. Two new members have now joined the council, Councillors Kirsty Clark and Linda Lumsden. We welcome them and look forward to working alongside them. I should like to thank all councillors and our Clerk for their hard work and the support and advice they have given me throughout the year.

My thanks also go to County Councillor Rich Lehmann and David Simmons, our Ward Councillor, for their support and interest during the last year. David was not re-elected and we hope to have a similarly productive relationship with our new Ward Councillor Terry Thompson.

Public Engagement. A number of members of the public have attended our  meetings and raised a variety of issues including planning, road surfacing and parking. Outside of our formal meetings we have responded to enquiries and comments from the public which have included questions about flooding, drainage planning applications and roads. We have also considered and allowed a number of applications for grants. Missing bin collections were a regular concern for residents and the council raised these with Cllr Simmons and Swale Borough Council (SBC) officers directly. This engagement resulted in SBC being able to chase the contractors more quickly and additional collections being made. At the request of residents the council wrote to the local NHS managers expressing our concerns about the closure of the doctor’s surgery in Teynham (at which some Doddington residents were registered).

Regional meetings. We have represented the parish council and residents at  regular meetings with SBC, other parish councils and also at meetings to discuss specific issues such as the historic and current planning and enforcement issues at the Retreat site in Ospringe.  Working with neighbouring parish councils has become increasingly important as we respond to the threats which we jointly face, such as pressure on the AONB and the significant increase in housing development.

Planning.  The Parish Council received a number of planning applications, the majority of which were supported. Otherwise we made our objections and comments to SBC for their ultimate consideration and decision.

Finance.  This is covered in the Clerks Finance report.

Highways. The poor quality of the road surface within the village, particularly in The Street, has been an enduring problem. The council has been in contact with Kent Highways (KH) about this on numerous occasions and, despite our efforts, nothing has been done until recently. Following our latest request, KH agreed to conduct patching work at numerous points along The Street. Whilst this was not ideal, it was at least a step forward. I’m very grateful to Councillors Jones and Fraser for conducting the detailed evaluation of issues which was submitted to KH. Looking ahead, we will monitor the condition of the roads and will continue to advise residents to log problems on the KH portal to give reinforcement to our complaints.

Flooding. A great deal of progress has been made in stemming the flow of rainwater along the Old Lenham Road before it reaches the village. Two new “lagoons” have been dug on land which borders the road and these have proved to be very effective in reducing the flow  of rainwater into the village. Further work is planned and I am very grateful to Councillor Jones who had led this project and also to local landowners Richard Oldfield and Councillor Kevin Attwood (in his capacity as a landowner) for their valuable support.                            

Playing Field.  The new play equipment, which was largely funded by way of a grant, was installed last summer. This equipment was provided following a request from residents and, unsurprisingly, it has proved to be very popular with our younger residents and visitors. Some months ago we were very disappointed to learn that there had been some minor vandalism to the equipment but the damage has now been repaired by Councillor Fraser.                           

War Memorial. I would like to thank Bob Fryer for his work in keeping the grass mown and the hedges trimmed.  Mr Fryer has plans to leave the village and he will be a hard act to replace.

Neighbourhood Watch.  I would like to thank Sally Mills, our Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator, for her work in keeping us all informed of local incidents.

Speed Watch (CSW).  The village CSW group is led by Councillor Fraser and supported by Councillor Jones, myself and 3 members of the public. Our group is recognised by the police as one of the most active and dedicated in the county and there is strong evidence that CSW activity does have an effect in reducing road speeds within the village. Councillor Fraser is seeking new recruits to bolster the CSW team numbers.

STEVE COATES

Chairman Doddington Parish Council