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Monday, February 27, 2012
Gills hero ends barren run SEE SPORT
Attack: Chief accuses own staff
Michael, 12, and Laura, 14, with the two guinea pigs they have nursed back to health Picture: Peter Still PD1996743
Dumped duo doing well GUINEA pigs left to die in a box are now healthy and safe in their new home in Strood. Gloria and Lucky were saved by labrador Mutley who found them on a walk in Broomhill Park woodland with owner Al Hadfield. They were in a bad state and it was thought that Gloria, named after Gloria Gaynor, would not survive. She was found with her eyes closed, breathing
heavily, shaking and had a skin infection. After taking them to the vet and being told the bad news, Al brought them home to Broomhill Road, Strood, where he and his wife, Louise, looked after them. The pair have recovered and are cared for by the couple’s niece and nephew Laura, 14, and Michael, 12. Louise said: “They are fat and healthy and in their new home.”
Proms,
‘LIED TO OVER BUS STATION COSTS’ by Dan Bloom dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
MEDWAY council’s finance chief has accused his own staff of lying over the costs of the hugely controversial Chatham bus station. Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con) launched the attack on officers involved with council-run Medway Renaissance as it emerged that a further
£1.5 million of the already spiralling costs would be needed to cover the project plus road improvements.
Shades out
Medway basks in glorious sunshine amid drought warnings
PAGE 2
Flying solo
Group rejects ‘knee jerk’ airport response PAGE 2
Epic trip
Snaps from journey that took 36 years! PAGE 4
Asbestos
MP takes up fight for compensation after shock figures
He told Medway’s full council he had even considered taking legal action against staff over the shambles. But the man in charge of the team on the end of the accusation has responded saying Cllr Jarrett was fully aware of progress throughout. And Labour have accused the Tory of passing the buck. The project has been
Continued on page 5
INSIDE
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JOBS Cllr Alan Jarrett
STARTS PAGE 22
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Monday, February 27, 2012 Medway Messenger (MI)
NEWS
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Warning over ‘time bomb’ as council tax is frozen again by Dan Bloom dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
COUNCIL tax is frozen in Medway for another year, but councillors warned it will be a “ticking time bomb” as they passed their annual budget. Members debated a raft of measures designed to cope with a £14 million shortfall, left after the government cut its grants by 8.3%. Council tax remained the lowest in Kent, and the seventh-lowest of any unitary council in the country, after the government provided a freeze grant. Yet councillors from all parties, including finance chief Alan Jarrett (Con), warned the move will leave a £2.5 million hole when it runs out next year. Cllr Jarrett, who accepted the grant despite some other Kent councils refusing it and raising council tax, said: “At a difficult financial time, people will not appreciate a rise in council tax, but it is not the right financial choice to make because of the knock-on effect in future years.” Labour finance chief Cllr Vince Maple (Lab) was clear: “It is a ticking time bomb. The ongoing freezing of council tax can’t be seen as a panacea for all ills.” Fierce protests came over plans to almost halve the £4.6 million Supporting People budget, which helps ex-offenders, addicts and domestic violence victims, after the government stopped ringfencing funds. Charities have warned they will face closure and even Cllr Jarrett admitted: “We are opening a big can of worms here and we will have to see where it takes us.” Cllr Maple said: “Providers which politicians badge as part of the Big Society will simply not exist any more. In some cases it will make the difference between being able to help a domestic violence victim or not.” Cabinet members said there would be a full consultation, but Labour questioned this after the budget report showed another controversial scheme, to outsource three care homes and close a day centre, was costed out before consultation began. The report said it had been
Cllr Vince Maple “assumed” closing the Balfour Centre, selling Nelson Court and outsourcing Robert Bean Lodge and Platters Farm Lodge would save £1.6 million next year. Protests delayed the scheme so it will only save £800,000. Lib Dem group leader Geoff Juby said: “I am concerned that for a short-term gain we will be long-term held to ransom.” Other budget measures included: � £200,000 for 2012 celebrations � £50,000 for the council’s campaign against the Thames Estuary airport � £50,000 to leader Rodney Chambers for his “endeavours to generate additional investment” � Free parking reinstated at Christmas costing £50,000 � Retaining free swimming and apprenticeships scheme and fund training for school governors � Closing down Horsted Park and Ride saving £72,000 � Pay freeze for council staff, except £250 for 1,200 staff earning less than £21,500 (saving £1.6 million over three years) � Reviewing contracts for transporting children with special needs, saving £900,000
‘It is a ticking time bomb. The ongoing freezing of council tax can’t be seen as a panacea for all ills’
Protest over care funding LABOUR protested as plans were approved for 1,400 more people to pay towards their own care from April 1, netting the council up to £1 million. Currently 700 mental health sufferers and 491 day-care users do not pay even though they can afford to, the council claims. Now everyone with more than £23,500 in the bank will pay a contribution, after Conserva-
5
tives defeated a call for a full review by Labour health spokesman Cllr Teresa Murray. She said: “The level of understanding of this policy among the people it affects is quite low.” Cllr O’Brien retorted: “It’s outrageous to suggest the people responding to this consultation didn’t know what they were responding to.”
Cllr Geoff Juby
It’s lies, damn lies, and broken promises’ � Saving £500,000 from early intervention and Sure Start programmes “without affecting the front line” � Raising council house rents by £5.39 a week � Only one bulky item removed for free, further items cost £17.50 Conservatives voted unanimously for the budget, with everyone else voting against – except two Liberal Democrats who abstained. Cllr Maple said: “This is the first budget speech when we have had the double whammy of a Tory-led government and Tory council.” Cllr Mike O’Brien (Con) replied: “This does disappoint me and I’m sure it will disappoint the residents of Medway.” Group leader Paul Godwin (Lab) said: “It’s lies, damn lies, and broken promises. Cllr Jarrett must be living in a really strange world if he doesn’t believe Supporting People is a frontline service.” Cllr Jarrett replied it was the fault of Labour spending, adding: “It’s time for you to say sorry for what your government did.”
Cash reserves ‘unnecessary’ Members clashed on plans to save £500,000 from “early intervention projects”, including removing £200,000 from the reserves of the Towns’ 19 Sure Start centres. Cllr Howard Doe (Con), whose party pledged to protect Sure Start, said the reserves were unnecessary and the changes would not affect frontline services. He added: “If you know any council service is sitting on £460,000, it is unfair to allow those reserves to accumulate and accumulate.”
‘We were consistently lied to’ From front page dogged by delays and financial difficulties even before the latest overspend emerged. The muchvaunted “dynamic bus facility” opened with fanfare and criticism in equal measure in October – six months late and already £2 million over its original £5 million estimate. Leaflets bore the slogan “it’s ready, are you?” but bins, toilets and screens did not work, and zebra crossings were hurriedly painted days after it opened. Passengers complained they were too exposed to the elements. Medway Renaissance had already been disbanded by this point with the loss of 19 staff. The government-funded body had also been involved with other regeneration projects such as Medway Park and Gillingham station. Announcing the council would have to take out a loan to cover the additional £1.5 million bus station costs, Cllr Jarrett said: “I am appalled by this figure. I’m sorry to say that we were consistently lied to by members of the Medway Renaissance staff. “At the final meeting we had with Medway Renaissance staff,
we were told categorically that everything was on time and on budget. The truth was very different.” Cllr Jarrett used his keynote budget speech, delivered at a full council meeting on Thursday, to claim Medway Renaissance were told of overspends by contractors as early as July 9, 2010, but did not pass that news to the council.
Accountability He said he had “looked at the possibility” of taking legal action against individual staff but it had not been feasible. He added: “I could name the officers involved but I won’t.” He said: “There has to be accountability. The task of overseeing Medway Renaissance fell to RCC [the Regeneration, Community and Culture department]. The buck has to stop somewhere and RCC will have to take the matter forward. “The whole matter is absolutely shameful. I am determined that there shall be full transparency.” A document containing details of the loan, which will cost tax payers £280,000 a year to pay
back, was circulated minutes before the budget meeting. Council leader Rodney Chambers (Con) added: “I share the regrets of Cllr Jarrett and support the actions he’s taking.” Medway Renaissance was axed last April. The group was launched in 2004, headed up by Brian Weddell who earned £118,686 a year controlling projects such as Rochester Riverside, Gillingham station and Medway Park. Mr Weddell hit out at Cllr Jarrett’s claims, saying: “All parties were fully aware of the position on the bus station and the overspend was predicted following political actions which changed the design. It is wrong to suggest that Medway Renaissance was responsible. Cllr Jarrett was briefed at a weekly meeting.” The council’s political leaders, particularly Cllr Jarrett and Cllr Chambers, worked very closely with Medway Renaissance and expressed their “great sadness” when it closed. Medway Renaissance was overseen by RCC and its director Robin Cooper, which took on all the regeneration work when it closed.
Chatham Waterfront bus station – at the centre of a bitter row over costs
4
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Friday, May 18, 2012 Medway Messenger (MM)
Fines for bus-station drivers rake in cash
A fixed camera is now in place to fine all motorists who drive through the bus station FM2038865 From front page I realised what I’d done but it was dangerous to do a U-turn. The safest way was to break the law.” The furious 79-year-old of The Glebe, Cuxton, has complained to ward councillor Ray Maisey (Con). He is one of 90 drivers a day breaking the rules. Council regeneration chief Robin Cooper said it was “quite shocking” but insisted they were a “small number” doing it on purpose. The signs were “clearly marked”, he said, adding: “We had a month long amnesty and wrote to anyone that drove through. “To put it simply, we would be happy if we never had to issue another fine as that would mean no driver is putting bus users, which include children, at risk.
“We would ask drivers to think of the safety of the 60,000 pedestrians that use the bus station each week and stop doing this.” But Nigel Wise for anti-CCTV campaign NoToMob said: “Why would that many people deliberately contravene a restriction knowing they’ll get fined? Clearly they don’t know.” The £55,000 camera began issuing tickets on April 16 and by last Wednesday 2,238 people had been fined. It detects car numberplates and feeds them through a database. Previously fines were issued by the council’s CCTV cars, which spent 30 hours a week at the bus station. Medway Council released the figures after a request by the Messenger. n What do you think? Contact us through the details on page 2.
dog attacks
‘Horrific act of sickening violence’ JUDGE Joy remarked that it was “of great significance” that at the time of the attack on Mr Laden, Ripley had control of the Staffordshire bull terrier. “You encouraged it to bite Mr Laden, telling it to ‘get him’. He was bitten on the right forearm and was truly terrified. “He thought he was going to die and, in many ways, he was fortunate in that he didn’t (die) by what he did. “The dog repeatedly bit Mr Laden and Mr Laden bit the dog.” Judge Joy added it was “not surprising” that Mr Laden had been left traumatised. “This was an horrific act of sickening violence.” Tom Stern, for Ripley, said there had been a positive development in the teenager’s approach and commitment. He had seven previous convictions for theft and burglary. “He is ripe to be put on a positive and constructive plan,” he said. Ripley, Mr Stern added, had a shocking childhood. “He was denied any meaningful guidance or support. “There was a catalogue of negative influence from his parents against a background of violence and alcohol and drug abuse.”
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Three years? That’s ‘cushty’ ALSO in the dock was Rossiter’s partner, 25-year-old Wayne Albone. The former heroin addict, also of Paget Street, Gillingham, admitted robbery of Philip Miles in September last year, and having a Stanley knife. Rossiter admitted two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr Miles and to Susan Newcombe during the same incident. The court was told by John Fitzgerald, defending Albone, that the defendants and victims all moved “in the same circle of drug addiction”. A row erupted between Rossiter and 65-year-old Mr Miles. Albone, said Mr Fitzgerald, became violent when Rossiter was pushed. “There was no intention of robbing anyone that day,” he explained. “It was only after violence began between Rossiter and Mr Miles that Albone involved himself in anything criminal.” Although the court was told Albone threatened to stab Mr Miles in his face, Mr Fitzgerald said the knife was never brandished or used. Mr Miles was knocked to the ground during the attack, where his trousers were then pulled down to prevent him from getting back up. Once on his feet, however, Albone punched Mr Miles. He was robbed of his bank cards and keys. Albone, who has convictions for more than 30 offences, including robbery on a train, was jailed for three years. Judge Joy told him: “This was an undoubtedly serious and frightening episode.” Albone, who has served 237 days on remand, smiled and replied “cushty” after sentence was passed.
Demon the dog was used as a weapon by his owner Joseph Ripley, who has now been jailed
Foul-mouthed abuse shouted from dock ROSSITER hurled foul-mouthed abuse at Judge Joy after he adjourned sentencing of her on all matters for a report on dangerousness. But when the judge remanded Rossiter in custody until May 30, she shouted from the dock: “I will not be coming back, so you can do what you ------- like.” She added as she was taken to the cells by officers: “I ain’t coming, so just get it over and done with, you old ----.” Mr Sinclair had submitted that Rossiter should not be considered for an indeterminate sentence on the grounds of dangerousness. But the judge said: “On the information at present available to me, I
am satisfied she presents a significant risk of causing serious harm. I will not make up my mind until I have all the information.” Mr Sinclair said in view of the fact Rossiter had been more abusive than usual towards Judge Joy, he should preclude himself from sentencing her. Again, the judge refused the submission. “I have every sympathy with the frustration she feels,” he said. “I have observed her display what might be described as emotions on previous occasions. “I will not hold such behaviour against her.” Rossiter has committed 57 previous offences, many of them for dishonesty.
Police dog Fitz injured A THUG repeatedly kicked a police dog in the head as officers tried to arrest him after he smashed windows in an art gallery. Steven Bennett, 20, was trying to get way from police when he hurt Fitz, a police dog who was on duty with his handler PC Neil Loudon, in Rochester High Street. Bennett, of Grasmere Grove, Rochester, had been out drinking when he was spotted by Medway Council’s CCTV operators kicking windows at the Nucleus Art Gallery. He not only smashed windows, but also damaged five pieces of ceramic art in the process.
‘He was extremely brave that night and I know without Fitz there I would have certainly suffered more serious injuries’ Operators called police and when they tried to arrest Bennett, he ran towards an officer who had to use pepper spray on him. Bennett ran towards The Esplanade and tried to jump over the river wall. As officers tried to stop him from getting over the wall for his own safety, he lashed out violently at PC Loudon and kicked Fitz leaving the dog with a cut
mouth and swollen eye. Bennett was pepper-sprayed again and brought under control. He appeared before magistrates in Medway where he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, assaulting a police officer and criminal damage. Bennett had initially denied the charges but after his guilty pleas the bench placed a community order on him which involves him being under curfew for two
2
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Friday, October 12, 2012 Medway Messenger (MM)
To advertise: 01634 227800
EXclusivE: thousands of car drivErs finEd in bus station’s first yEar You said it on:
We asked: Has the bus station grown on you? Kirsty Archer: Waste of money. In winter when it snows where’s the shelter? People will have to wait in freezing cold. Tracy Jane Dent: Can’t see why it cost so much, the road was there anyway, just a few signs and shelters. And you still have cars driving around looking lost. Dawn Brown: No it hasn’t. Complete waste of taxpayers’ money. Not weather-proof, too far for elderly and disabled people to get a bus from the High Street or the Pentagon. Andrew Hughes: Pentagon always had people doing dodgy stuff in there ‘cos it was dark, but the new one at least has electronic times and lighting. Laura Cushty Cakes Arlington: It meets the needs of no one. Such a ridiculous waste. Money would have been better spent doing up the Pentagon station. Glamarous Gstar Kash: They should make it so you can drive through the bus lane after 8pm when the buses run by the hour. Charlotte Byrne: Money would have been better spent on improving more useful things like road surfaces, traffic, schools or libraries rather than making a cold station. Kreed Kafer: Love it. The new layout on the roads is fantastic. Gives me more cars to count on the way to work. Fiona Martin: It’s the worst thing ever devised. You stand and freeze in the gale that howls down that road. Robert Flood: It makes me angry. Don’t let up on this Medway Messenger.
the figures so far n 15,963: Number of fines. n £483,390: Amount raised through fines paid so far. n 1,634: Number of appeals (so far council has conceded 438). n 48: Number of Traffic Penalty
7
DAYS
Tribunals brought by residents over the bus-only lane (so far council has won 16, lost six and declined to fight 13). Source: Medway Council
The 16,000 who won’t be singing ‘happy birthday’ it’s a year this week since chatham’s bus station opened but scores of people are still fined every day for driving through it. Dan Bloom examines the traffic problems.
WHEN it opened overdue and over-budget last October, Chatham’s ‘dynamic bus facility’ had a lot to prove. Its birth contended with passionate protests over its location, design and spiralling cost. It did not have the best start: bins and zebra crossings were belatedly installed after passengers complained. Now the £7m-plus terminal is finally becoming part of Medway life – but for thousands of car drivers it is still a huge bone of contention. Nearly 16,000 have now been fined for driving through the bus station, according to exclusive figures obtained by the Messenger. As of September 30, Medway Council has handed out 15,963 fines – more than six times the number issued in a year at Medway’s previously most-ticketed spot, Clover Street in Chatham.
Drivers have been banned from driving through the terminal since it opened but many still fall foul of the rules.Most (10,621) paid up within two weeks, reducing their fines from £60 to £30. Even so, the council’s parking team has now reaped a staggering £483,390 from a stretch of road a few dozen yards long. Officers are in a firm standoff with parking campaigners, who say the signs warning off motorists are not clear enough. Peter Willson, who was fined when he got lost taking a trip down memory lane, won a tribunal victory last month which
ruled the signs were inadequate. The 75-year-old said: “It will be 25,000 drivers a year if it carries on at the recent rate. Are there really 25,000 drivers incapable of paying attention?” The council is challenging Mr Willson’s victory, saying 12 previous tribunals involving the signs were found in its favour. The authority has also taken the unusual step of publicly blaming the Messenger. A spokesman said: “We would ask the Medway Messenger to consider whether it is really responsible to continuously run stories that make its readers
think it is right for motorists to drive through the bus station or that the signs are not adequate. “After all, the bus station is used by around 60,000 passengers a week. In addition, it is ringed by 15 signs as well as road markings and is clearly a bus station.” When a 24-hour fine-issuing camera was installed in April, the number of fines rocketed to 90 a day. It has since fallen to about 66. When asked whether it would install better signage following Mr Willson’s victory, a spokesman said: “Medway Council has submitted a review of this decision and is awaiting a response.” She added: “We will continue to hand out fines to any that do not take notice of restrictions.”
n What do you think? Write to us using the details on page 22
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A JOBLESS mum who took in more than 30 cats after advertising herself and her home as a haven for unwanted cats, has been banned from keeping them for 10 years after being found guilty of animal cruelty charges. Julie Newnham, 38, had advertised herself as being a ‘forever homes’ place for cats. However, RSPCA inspectors, visiting after a tip-off, found four cats she was looking after were emaciated, flee-ridden and had sores and ulcers. There were said to be 33 cats at her home in Homeside, Borrows Lane, Middle Stoke, as well as two dogs which are owned by her husband. The cats were also suffering from diarrhoea, malnourished, some had sores and had suffered hair loss and were covered in faeces. Newnham was charged with four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and two counts of failing in her duty of care as she was responsible for ensuring the animals’ welfare. Andrew Wiles, prosecuting for the RSPCA said: “The cats were extremely thin and sneezing and suffering hair loss and diarrhoea.” Jeremy Betts, defending, said his client had good intentions when she took in the cats but did not have the means or finances to deal with them if they became ill. Magistrates decided to jail Newnham for 12 weeks but suspended the sentence for 12 months and banned her from keeping cats for 10 years. She was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and pay a contribution of £1,202.80 towards the charity’s costs.
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Monday, October 15, 2012 Medway Messenger (MI)
NEWS
3
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Council could take traffic signs row to High Court EXCLUSIVE by Dan Bloom dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
MEDWAY Council could go to the High Court to fight a ruling which says signs banning cars from Chatham’s bus station are inadequate. Officials are considering the move against the Traffic Penalty Tribunal parking watchdog, which made the landmark ruling. Campaigners say the council should now apologise for the “confusing” signs and pay back many of the £500,000 in fines it has already handed out.
Review rejected Last week the tribunal rejected the council’s plea for a review, leaving only one option – a judicial review in the High Court. If it goes ahead, it could cost taxpayers thousands of pounds. A council spokesman confirmed: “We are considering legally challenging the tribunal’s decision, as there are clear inconsistencies with it.” The row was sparked by Peter Willson, 75, who was fined £60 in May after he wrongly turned left from Railway Street into the glare of a 24-hour fine-issuing camera. A tribunal overturned the fine, saying signs were not visible enough for those approaching the £7m terminal from the Waterfront Way side. Mr Willson said: “I’m in permanent heart failure and this battle has given me and my poor wife real problems.” The latest report by the tribunal admitted it had made some errors, but said Mr Willson’s fine should still be overturned. Adjudicator Christopher Nicholls remarked on the “sub-
Harbledown Manor in Goudhurst Road, Twydall
Medway Council says that the signs are perfectly adequate A council spokesman said the ruling made no difference to the law, and the authority has already won 12 tribunals on signage. He added in a statement: “It is clear Mr Wilson passed five signs, two sets of road markings, and dotted lines on his journey to and through the entire length of Waterfront Way – a reasonably long road clearly only used by buses, cycles and taxis and flanked by bus stands. “After this, he drove over the cross roads towards the Globe Lane part of the bus station, passing signs stating local buses, cycles and taxis only before driving over a pedestrian crossing and disregarding a person who was about to cross, forcing them to wait. “He then drove through this part of the bus station surrounded by buses,
‘I’m in permanent heart failure and this battle has given me and my poor wife real problems’ stantial number” of people being fined and the “confusing” lack of road markings around zebra crossings at the terminal. The crossings, which were painted after passengers raised safety fears, lack legally-required flashing beacons and zig-zag lines.
PC Neil Bowdery
Entry only for local buses and taxis at Chatham Bus Station passengers, bus stands, large paved areas, a station office, screens and large high oval metal roofs on tall metal stilts covering the entire pedestrian areas there. “We are determined to stop bad driving of this kind as it poses
Steve Baker, a campaigner for the anti-fines group NoToMob, added: “The council have clearly got it wrong and will not admit to their mistakes. “They should do the honourable thing by admitting their mistake and by paying back the money to all the motorists they have wrongly fined.” n Almost 16,000 drivers have now been fined at the bus station since it opened last October, according to figures obtained exclusively by the Messenger. More than 13,000 of those have paid up, netting the council’s parking team more than £480,000. n What do you think? Write to us using the details on page 6.
First Class arrivals IT’S all systems go for our First Class special, which will be appearing in the Medway Messenger on Friday. Our photographers have been out and about at schools across the Towns, capturing those exciting moments as children settle in to life in the classroom. Beatrice, five, and her friends from Fairview Primary School, Wigmore, will be among those featuring in the supplement.
a serious risk to the 60,000 people – including children – that use the bus station each week and we expect the tribunal to uphold Penalty Charge Notices, which have been lawfully and reasonably issued.”
PC Maurice Leigh
Policemen in the dock TWO police constables have appeared in court in connection with the death of a mentally ill man two years ago. Colin Holt, 52, died at his home in Gillingham of positional asphyxia – which occures when someone’s position prevents them from breathing – while he was allegedly being detained. Maurice Leigh, 54, and Neil Bowdery, 29, have been charged with wilfully neglecting to perform their duty while holding a position of public office. The officers appeared at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on Friday when the case against them was sent to the crown court. Neither Leigh or Bowdery,
whose addresses were given as Kent Police headquarters in Sutton Road, Maidstone, entered pleas. Both are expected to appear at crown court on Friday, October 26, and both have been suspended from duty. Mr Holt had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, but left Medway Maritime Hospital and officers had gone to his flat in Harbledown Manor, Goudhurst Road, Twydall, to take him back. The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the Independent Police Complaints Commission to summons the officers responsible for his restraint to court.
Artist to open uni building Pete Willson, who has triumphed in his dispute with Medway Council
MEDWAY artist Billy Childish will officially open a new arts building for the University of Kent on Wednesday. The painter, poet and musician will be at the £5 million development in the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, which includes stu-
dios, workshops and performance spaces. Childish, who has created more than 40 poetry collections, 100 full-length records and 2,000 paintings, has a studio at the historic dockyard just round the corner from the new development.
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Open 7 days a week, incl all Bank Holidays From 12 noon to 2pm, 5.30pm to 11.45pm
(Close to RoChesteR station) 356 high stReet, RoChesteR, Kent Me1 1Di
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A MEETING to save Age Concern Chatham from shutting next month has been described as constructive. Chatham MP Tracey Crouch chaired Monday’s meeting after agreeing to act as an intermediary between the charity and Medway Council, who are at loggerheads over the closure of the drop-in centre in Hopewell Drive, Luton. In a joint statement, both parties said: “The meeting was constructive and the focus was on seeking a solution to enable the service to continue. “All parties are continuing to work together on this and it is hoped that a resolution can be achieved within the next two weeks.” Age Concern Chatham ran into financial problems three years ago when it was forced to move from their home in Chatham, where it paid the council a peppercorn rent. At the meeting at the council’s offices at Gun Wharf, Chatham, were the charity’s chief executive Cathy Steinman, lawyer and trustee, Mark Hawkridge and council officer David QuirkeThornton.
Post mortem verdict on bus death woman A POST mortem has found a woman who collapsed on board a busy bus died of natural causes. The 75-year-old from Lordswood, who has not been named, had a cardiac arrest on Arriva’s 166 Chatham-bound service at 11am last Wednesday. As reported in Monday’s Medway Messenger, the bus driver stopped outside Morrisons in Princes Avenue, Walderslade, and tried desperately to save her life. He dialled 999 and gave the pensioner CPR in front of up to 20 passengers, some of whom came to his aid. Ambulance and air ambulance crews arrived within minutes, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The bus driver, said to be very shaken after the incident, was praised by Arriva and ambulance crews. The lady died of natural causes and an inquest will not be held.
by Dan Bloom dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
CHATHAM’S bus station will be dug up again in a bid to halt thousands of people driving through it by mistake. Medway Council is set to carry out the first major works at the terminal since last year, when zebra crossings were painted on following claims it was dangerous. Since then drivers have been banned but more than 16,000 have been caught passing through. Some of that cash could now pay for road narrowing in Medway Street and a mini-roundabout, which will give people a clearer way to turn around. Currently drivers can either turn left into a bus lane, or right into another bus lane.
Victory A council spokesman insisted the move was just to help people but campaigners, who complain the signs are not good enough, claimed it as a victory. Steve Baker, a member of the anti-fines group NoToMob, said: “Quite frankly the council’s line is laughable. “They know they have got something wrong but they won’t admit to it. “We’re still going to be taking this to the district auditor next year because the council has gained illegally-derived income.” Peter Willson, 75, won an appeal which ruled the signs in Waterfront Way were inadequate – which the council may yet challenge in the High Court. Mr Willson said: “It looks as
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Roundabout way of saying council did get it wrong
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The bus station at Chatham if at long last with all my hard campaigning they know there’s a serious fault and are prepared to do something about it. “I want everybody who has been fined to be refunded. I feel very, very strongly about this.” The council has repeatedly said there is no need to refund motorists. And thousands more could still be fined as the works will only take place next year. A spokesman said: “The council will narrow the road in Medway Street to improve the environment for pedestrians and will be putting in a mini roundabout so there is a better position for cars to turn around if they have mistakenly driven to that point. “Obviously they can turn
Our front page from May around at the moment but the roundabout would also help them and contribute to our aim of making the bus station safe. “This is not, and there is not, an alteration to signage there as this is not needed.”
a parish councillor has taken her fight against Chatham’s bus station to the highest level. Patricia new, 78, was handed a £60 fine for driving through the terminal earlier this year. Mrs new, who was a council signage engineer in Medway until she retired in 1990, refused to pay and took the fight to a Traffic Penalty Tribunal. She and her husband alec, 82, attended a half-hour hearing at Rochester’s Holiday Inn last Friday carrying a binder full of maps and legal papers. The couple, of Church Farm Road, Upchurch, were watched by a Medway Council observer who carried paperwork several inches thick. Mrs new had to trace her path with a red pen and recall how she turned from Medway Street into the glare of the council’s number plate recognition camera. She said: “I came out of Staples and I went left because I wasn’t aware that I couldn’t. I was going to go down Dock Road. “We turned into the bus station and my husband said: ‘Ooh, they’ve done what ashford have done, they’ve removed their traffic lights.’”
MISTAKE: Patricia New Mrs new, who is a member of Upchurch Parish Council and is the secretary of the Upchurch Parochial Church Council and the village hall management committee, maintained she did not see the signs as she was distracted by parked cars and the new layout. adjudicator John O’Higgins has now ordered Medway Council to provide a monthby-month breakdown of how many people it has fined. He will examine the figures, which show the council has made about £500,000 from the fines, before ruling whether Mrs new wins her case. He added: “I’m going to make a little trip [to the bus station] myself to have a look at what the position is.”
Beauty Tanya jets off for China pageant
Tanya Walker, of Rainham, is off to China next month for a beauty pageant Picture: Andy Payton FM2308622
Tanya Walker will be bowing out of the beauty pageant scene in style by jetting off to China for her final competition. The 26-year-old, from Rainham, will spend three weeks in the Far East from november 13 to December 4 on a free trip as part of the Miss Model of the World beauty pageant. It will mark a high point in Tanya’s contest career – she entered her first at the relatively advanced age of 22. The competitions have taken her across the country and also to the first beauty pageant to be held at Disneyland Paris. Tanya, who works for secretarial and book-keeping company PDQ in Rainham, thought she had
entered her last pageant in May due to the age restrictions. She decided to send off an application for the Miss Model of the World competition along with some photos when she found out she still qualified and was delighted when she was accepted to represent the UK. Miss Walker said: “It’s great for me, a once in a lifetime opportunity. I only found out a month ago so I’ve been trying to get my visa sorted. “I’m a bit nervous about going away for three weeks but I’m sure once I’m there it’s going to be a great experience.” Tanya will go to photo shoots, cocktail parties and events in the lead up to the competition.
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Friday, November 9, 2012 Medway Messenger (MM)
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Bus station fines ‘a tourist trap’ Should council pay back £500k?
A fine mess
Bus station penalties by postcode Source: Medway Council
Dartford Gravesend BR*
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by Dan Bloom
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dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
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Where the drive-through fines were sent to
ME3 Campaigners claim Medway Council should pay back many of the £500,000 of fines. It may sound extreme but it happened in April, when Hertfordshire County Council repaid £1.3 million of fines which it issued in a badlysigned bus lane. Medway Council says it has won several tribunals on signage already and there is no need to pay motorists back. However, it will build a mini-roundabout at the end of Medway Street next year to help motorists turn around.
*Bromley and Orpington
Kent postal areas
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Breakdown The fines for Medway
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Revealed: Vast majority of penalties picked up by visitors to Chatham
Total 227 424 272
ME4 (Chatham) ME5 (Walderslade) ME7 (Gillingham) ME8 (Rainham)
2,543 3,053 1,555 825 1,516 229 7,760 258 378 462 522
NB The BR (Bromley and Orpington), DA (Dartford and Gravesend) and TN (TunbrIdge Wells and Ashford) areas also have postal territory outside Kent; in SE London boroughs, Surrey and East Sussex
Care home worker faces sex charges A CARE home worker has been suspended from his post after being charged with a string of sexual offences. Olatunbosun Abdul, 50, is accused of eight counts of sexual assault on a woman over the age of 16, which is said to have happened in Gillingham between October 2010 and July 2012. Abdul, of Featherby Road, Gillingham, appeared before magistrates in Medway where he denied the offences. He worked at Platters Farm Care Home, in Highfield Road, in Gillingham, but has since been suspended. The case against Abdul is expected to be sent to Maidstone Crown Court.
JUST one-in-six drivers fined for going into Chatham’s bus station are from Medway – and half are from outside Kent, we can reveal. The stark figures have led to accusations that the terminal is a “tourist trap”, taking advantage of people who aren’t familiar with the warnings. The number of people handed £60 fines for driving through the bus station was due to top 16,000 this week, netting Medway Council £500,000. That has sparked a number of appeals, many from drivers who came for day trips, who claim the layout and signs are confusing. Bearsted resident Peter Willson won what he called a landmark case saying some signs are not clear enough, which the council may challenge at the High Court. Wheelchair-bound Tim Howarth, from Bournemouth, is one tourist who was hit. The 52-year-old was on a family trip to the Historic Dockyard when he was snared earlier this year. Like Mr Willson, Mr Howarth is fighting his fine through the official parking watchdog Traffic Penalty Tribunal. He said:
“When I first spoke to the council, I said this sounded like a tourist trap. “The council claims it’s bad drivers who abuse the system but that’s nonsense for people from outside the area. I’ve never had a fine in my life. “I was trying to contribute legitimately to the local economy and it left me very angry.” Barbara Thew, from Guildford, Surrey, also drove through the terminal turning a house-hunting trip into a nightmare. The retired secretary, 66, said: “I didn’t see the signs. I was thinking of moving to Gillingham but I don’t think so now. “I got a year-long ticket to the Historic Dockyard too but I’m not going to use that again either.” Medway Council released the figures after we made a Freedom of Information request. When asked if the “tourist trap” label was fair, a spokesman said: “We’d like to thank the Medway Messenger for continually seeking to highlight the fact that it is both wrong and dangerous to drive through a bus station that is used by 60,000 people each week, including children.” n What do you think? Write to us using the details on page 22
‘We’ll walk for Christopher’ FRIENDS of a Medway teenager who may never walk again will be setting off on a sponsored walk tomorrow (Saturday). As exclusively revealed in Monday’s Medway Messenger, doctors fear Christopher Wakefield may never walk again after a freak accident on his motorbike. Christopher, 19, was on his way back from work when he hit the kerb after going over a speed bump. He was thrown from his bike into a wall and hit his head against a lamppost. Christopher, who is a welder, was seriously injured. One of the vertebrae in his spine has been shattered and the injury has pinched his spinal cord.
Doctors are unsure if he will ever walk again but his friends have vowed to raise money to get him the things he needs when he comes home from hospital. About 30 of them will take part in a sponsored walk, setting off from the spot where the accident happened in Gillingham at 9am and walk to Bromley railway station, rattling collection buckets on the way. Emma Galloway, 22, who has helped to organise the event, said: “I’ve known Christopher all his life. “He is one of the good guys, one of the lads, and works hard. “He really doesn’t deserve what’s happened to him.”
FREAK ACCIDENT: Christopher Wakefield
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Friday, December 7, 2012 Medway Messenger (MM)
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bUS StatIon traffIC
‘Inadequate’ signs mean driver gets her fine ripped up
EXCLUSIVE Signal House Linton Road, Loose, Maidstone Kent ME15 0AS
by Dan Bloom dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk
www.evansaerials.co.uk
SIGNS at Chatham’s bus station are inadequate, a tribunal has ruled in the week as the number of drivers fined reached 20,000. One, 78-year-old Patricia New, fought her ticket at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal watchdog instead of paying. The Upchurch parish councillor had her fine ripped up – and claims the case has implications for other drivers. “I’m very pleased,” she said. “If people go there accidentally and genuinely don’t think the signs are good enough they should appeal.” The ruling follows a similar one previously, meaning the signs at two entrances to the bus station, Waterfront Way
The fixed camera and warning sign which has caught 20,000 drivers; Right, Patricia New with her binder full of maps and legal documents to fight her ticket
The signs were ’inadequate in the context of a confusing road system’ and Medway Street, have now been labelled inadequate. The council is already asking for a judicial review of the Waterfront Way ruling, saying it is flawed.
At least 50 motorists a day are still picking up fines for driving through the bus station – more than a year after it opened
Council drops fight after ‘admin errors’ Disabled Tim Howarth, from Bournemouth, has won his battle against a bus station fine after Medway Council made a mistake. The 52-year-old was visiting the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, when he “accidentally” drove through the bus station. He was due to fight his fine at a Traffic Penalty Tribunal but
Medway Council has dropped the case and cancelled his fine. A spokesman said: “We did not contest this appeal due to administrative errors we spotted in the paperwork we sent.” Figures requested by the Medway Messenger show 19,816 fines had been issued at the terminal up to November 30.
Mrs New, who drove from Medway Street, told a tribunal she entered the bus station by accident so parking adjudicator John O’Higgins paid it a visit. He acknowledged the signs were legal but said they were “inadequate in the context of a confusing road system.” Drivers were “faced with something that looks like a bus station but also like a road,” he said. And he questioned the council’s claim that drivers could escape through a pedestrian zone in Military Road. He said: “The proposition that a driver can properly extricate himself by performing a u-turn in the centre of this crossroads, busy with buses and pedestrians, is perhaps the clearest demonstration of the failure of this road system.” Yet other motorists beware. Despite its strong tone, the judgement still only applies to Mrs New’s fine, not all fines. A council spokesman said that, two weeks ago, the tribunal found in its favour in an identical case. The spokesman added: “This seems to be a case of a different week, a different adjudicator and a different decision on exactly the same facts. “We are confused by the lack of clarity that comes from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which makes two rulings on the same stretch of road with the same markings within weeks of each other, that are complete polar opposites to one another.”
the signs aren’t working - Comment p22