A calendar of all meetings and the latest published agendas are available here.

Public meetings are held at Lenham Community Centre, Groom Way, Lenham, ME17 2QT

June 2025

Your community needs you!

Much of what we rely on and take for granted comes from the efforts of others – the imaginary army of “they” … as in “They should do something about that …”

All around us there are folk beavering away, giving their time to enhance the community, to make sure the litter gets collected, the spring bulbs are planted which make the village look jolly, ensure that the Christmas lights happen, that the film nights take place or provide recreational activities for young and old or that the maintenance of important places, like the Lenham pond, happen – there are so many examples.

However, when those who have supported different things decide to step back (usually because they have done it for years and want some me-time) and there is no one to step in and keep the various activities afloat, so they sink.

People often only recognise the value of something when it is no longer there.

Our community, our village, has a long and cherished history of volunteering and we need to find a way to make sure that it can carry on in the 21st century, when there are so many calls on much of our time and effort.

So, this is a plea, do you have some time to spare to enhance our community?

If you would like to make a positive contribution to our community, call into our revamped parish office and have a chat with our parish clerks who will be able to give you some idea of the things you can get involved with.

Upgrade to the public toilets

The work to upgrade the toilets continues and will be completed towards the end of June / beginning of July. During this time there may be some disruption in the area and we apologise for that in advance. Any disruption will be kept to a minimum.

During the works the toilets will remain closed, although we are mindful of the dates for the market and will endeavour to work around those. 

Upgrade to the playparks: Cherry Close / Ham Lane

Those of you who use the playparks at Ham Lane and Cherry Gardens will soon notice some activity as the parish council has confirmed the designs for upgrades and repairs to both parks.

The total cost of these refurbs is in the region of £180,000 the majority of which has come from funds generated by the building of new homes in the parish (known as Section 106 monies). The works are likely to take a few weeks to complete and we will keep everyone up to date via social media.

… and finally

After the election for KCC in May we learnt that Shellina Prendergast was not re-elected for the seat of Maidstone Rural East. Shellina has been a very good friend and colleague to the parish over many years and we wish her well with life after KCC – I’m personally looking forward to an invitation to her first pottery exhibition!

We welcome Sarah Emberson to her new role as our representative at KCC. We are very aware that the gradient of the learning curve that Sarah and her colleagues have embarked on is incredibly steep, we wish her well and we will assist in any way we are able.

Cllr John Britt

Chair, Lenham Parish Council - (Lenham South ward)

What does Lenham Parish Council do?

Parish Councils are the tier of local government closest to the people. Although the parish council covers the Parish of Lenham it is not linked to the church in any way. All parish councillors are volunteers who dedicate their free time to enhancing their parish as best they can by utilising their individual skills and experience.

Those putting themselves forward to serve as a parish councillor have to submit to the regular election process, or, if filling a vacancy mid-term, can be co-opted for the remainder of that electoral term. Electoral terms are four years. The elections for a parish council will only go to a public vote if there are more nominations than there are spaces on the parish council. Lenham parish is currently represented by 13 parish councillors: four representing South Ward (everything south of the railway) and nine representing North Ward (everything north of the railway). All parish councillors have to agree to abide by the Nolan Principles of Public Office. Parish councillors receive no remuneration for their time.

The responsibilities of Lenham Parish Council include looking after open spaces, such as the William Pitt field and Cemetery, maintaining playgrounds and other amenities, providing Maidstone Borough Council with a view on planning applications within the Parish and undertaking projects to benefit the Parish. Lenham Parish Council also has a Neighbourhood Plan which was adopted as part of the Maidstone Local Plan in July 2021. This Neighbourhood Plan is active until 2031. For more details of the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan please refer to the information tab "Lenham Neighbourhood Plan" on this website.

In addition to holding a full council meeting monthly, Lenham Parish Council has two specific sub committees which also meet monthly: Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) and Planning and (Neighbourhood Plan) Implementation (P&I). Both these sub committees focus on specific issues of work and in some cases do the detail which is then referred back to full council as recommendations to be discussed and agreed.

Both of these sub committees are open to the public and can be attended by all parish councillors, however, while all nominated attendees and visiting parish councillors can participate in the discussions only those parish councillors nominated as attendees to that subcommittee are able to vote on recommendations that will go forward to the full parish council meeting for discussion and agreement.

Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP)

The F&GP subcommittee consists of six nominated parish councillors and addresses the financial issues which the parish council is responsible for: dealing with contracts for maintenance of open space; maintaining and upgrading play equipment and other financial matters as and when these arise. The committee oversees the preparation of the annual budget and also discusses all other non-expenditure related matters and makes a recommendation to the full parish council for discussion and agreement. The sub committee is quorate when at least four parish councillors, including the Chair, are present.

Planning and (Neighbourhood Plan) Implementation (P&I)

The P&I subcommittee consists of six nominated parish councillors as well as three members of the public (who are non-voting) and the parish's planning consultant (also non-voting). The subcommittee carries out two important functions: it is a statutory consultee for all planning applications in the parish and it is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan ensuring that the parameters and policies within the plan are actioned and reflected in the parish responses to planning applications. All recommendations from the subcommittee are referred to the next full meeting of the parish council for ratification. The subcommittee is quorate when at least four parish councillors, including the Chair, are present.

Our Mission Statement 

The Lenham Parish Council (LPC) is dedicated to enhancing the lives of all the residents of Lenham and its surrounding hamlets. LPC aims to maintain and protect the Parish environment and amenities. LPC strives to be pro-active in identifying and completing projects, large and small, that will benefit the Parish as a whole, with value for money always being sought. LPC aims to help keep Lenham Parish a unique and special place for residents and visitors alike as the world around us changes.

 

​Council Officers:

Parish Clerk & RFO: Lisa Westcott

Contact details Email: clerk@lenhamparishcouncil.org.uk            Telephone: 01622 829034

Deputy Parish Clerk & RFO: Sarah Newell

Contact details Email: deputyclerk@lenhamparishcouncil.org.uk        Telephone: 01622 829034

Financial and Administrative Officer: Audrey Ratcliffe

Contact details Email: info@lenhamparishcouncil.org.uk        Telephone: 01622 829034

 

Registered office: 1A High Street, Lenham, Kent ME17 2QD Open: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00h - 13:00