Community Council Kennington leaflet nov2014

COME ON KENNINGTON! We, the undersigned electors, live in Kennington and believe that we should have our own Community Council. We request that Ashford Borough Council should make the necessary provisions for establishing a Community Council by conduc ng a Community Governance Review and that this should be completed as soon as possible. We hope that the outcome will be an independent Community Council for Kennington, covering the are currently served by Kennington Community Forum (that is, the Wards of Kennington, Li&le Burton Farm, Bybrook, Bockhanger (north of the M20) and the non-parished part of Boughton Aluph, which will work closely with its residents and Ashford Borough Council.

We still need more of you to sign our petition for a Community Council We are 300 short of the 900 signatures needed before we can submit the petition to Ashford Borough Council, We need a total of 10% of the residents of Kennington, Bybrook, Bockhanger and Little Burton to back our campaign.

North Willesborough Community Forum has reached its target of 800, so let’s make sure we reach ours too.

Don’t miss this great opportunity for everyone in Kennington, Bybrook, Bockhanger and Little Burton to be given a more powerful voice in local affairs.

If you have not yet signed the petition please do so and return it in the FREEPOST envelope attached to this leaflet.

Please return the completed form in the FREEPOST envelope. Thank you When we have collected 900 signatures the petition will be delivered to Ashford Borough Council.

The Council will then write to all residents asking if they want a Kennington Community Council.

It is very important that you reply as the decision will be made according to the replies received.

Kennington Community Forum, along with community organisations in Central Ashford, South Ashford, North Willesborough and South Willesborough supports this campaign for community councils in the Ashford urban area.

For more information visit www.kenningtoncf.kentparishes.gov.uk or www.ashfordcommunity.co.uk

Community Councils are a great way to give residents a more powerful voice that Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council must listen to.

Their role is to represent the community, provide services to meet local needs and improve the quality of life and community well-being.

They are the first !er of local Government in England.

The Localism Act of 2011 gives more authority and power to local government.

To form KENNINGTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL we need you to sign a pe on which will be presented to Ashford Borough Council. If we have sufficient support from you the Council will take this further.

For this to succeed we need 900 Kennington residents to sign the pe!!on calling on Ashford Borough Council to hand down local decision-making powers to the community.

To raise money for a Community Council a precept is added to the Council Tax bills for everyone who pays Council Tax in the community.

In Kennington this would amount to about 50p a week per household.

YOUR SUPPORT COUNTS! DON’T LEAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE ©Crown copyright

Community councillors are elected every four years — anyone who fulfils the necessary legal criteria can stand.

A Community Council is a non-poli!cal level of democracy with extensive legal powers and responsibili!es.

They have the legal right to be informed about all planning applica!ons in the community.

Community Councils can help groups in the area through funding, providing somewhere to meet, or by publicity.

Community Councils can provide, maintain or contribute to services such as leisure centres, youth projects, bus shelters, car parks, community transport schemes, crime reduc!on measures (an!-social behaviour, CCTV), cycle paths, allotments, safety schemes, street cleaning, street ligh!ng and traffic calming measures.

Area covered by the proposed Kennington Community Council