Maidstone and the Weald Liberal Democrats

Working with Peter Carroll for Maidstone & Kent

Peter Carroll

30 Most Recent News Stories

Peter Carroll takes National Gurkha Campaign to Cranbrook

Tue 19th Aug 2008

Lib Dem campaigner Peter Carroll took his national Gurkha Justice campaign to Cranbrook on Saturday. Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997 are still threatened with deportation a situation which campaigners are fighting to change.

Peter Carroll and the gurkhas in Cranbrook

Carroll launches Maidstone community survey

Fri 1st Aug 2008

Newly selected Maidstone Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman Peter Carroll has launched a Community Survey of local residents views on key issues affecting the area. The survey which also includes a petition to save services at Maidstone Hospital will be distributed across Maidstone over the summer, and is also available to download on-line.

Peter Carroll Community Survey

Maidstone Lib Dems select national campaigner as their Parliamentary Candidate

Sun 27th Jul 2008

Maidstone & The Weald Liberal Democrats have selected well known fuel duty campaigner and fighter for Gurkha rights, Peter Carroll, as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

Peter Carroll

Temporary Closure to Maidstone East Station High Level Footbridge

Thu 10th Jul 2008

The temporary closure of the high level footbridge between Maidstone East Station and Buckland Hill, for much needed refurbishment and repairs, has now been reprogrammed to be carried out during the August school holiday period.

Ian Chittenden at high level bridge

Hammer blow to Labour as last councillor joins the Lib Dems

Thu 15th May 2008

Maidstone Lib Dems have enthusiastically welcomed the decision by the last remaining Councillor on Maidstone Council to leave Labour and join the Lib Dems. Cllr Daniel Moriarty said, 'Labour has lost its core values of looking after the working class, pensioners and the underprivileged. Following many recent decisions by the Labour government, not least the scrapping of the 10p starter rate of income tax in the last budget, I have resigned from the Labour Party. I tendered my resignation on 29 April, prior to the election results, and joined the Liberal Democrats. In Maidstone, the Liberal Democrats have demonstrated their commitment to residents by delivering the lowest council tax increase in Kent, more affordable housing and a quality recycling scheme - alongside retained weekly bin collections'.

Rob Field and Daniel Moriarty

Concessionary Fares: THE FACTS

Thu 24th Apr 2008

The Conservatives are claiming that the Liberal Democrats wilfully refused to support a fully costed scheme which would have preserved tokens for the disabled and vulnerable.

concessionary fares

September set for M20 safety and pollution scheme

Tue 22nd Apr 2008

Following the intervention of Cllr. Fran Wilson, Lib Dem Leader of Maidstone Borough Council, the Government's Highways Agency has now set a date for the introduction of an innovative Controlled Motorway initiative on the M20 between junctions 4 and 7. The Controlled Motorway, which allows speed limits to be set in response to prevailing road conditions to improve traffic flows and safety, was piloted on the M25 near Heathrow with great success.

Tony BBC interview M20

Big needle find in Fant Ward

Sun 20th Apr 2008

This shocking picture shows Councillor Nick Schnell and Lib Dem Environment Chief Tony Harwood with just a few of the hundreds of used hypodermic syringes discovered on the River Medway tow-path in Fant ward during a Spring Clean led by local Liberal Democrat Councillors.

Nick and Tony find needles

THAT incinerator

Sun 20th Apr 2008

From the outset, the Liberal Democrats opposed the 500,000 tonne per annum incinerator that in now operating in Allington Quarry. They always thought it was too big and that there were better solutions for waste disposal. However, it is here now. The best use possible must be made of it to recover energy and to use the associated recycling facility to recover materials for re-use. Councillor Malcolm Robertson and others will keep the operation under the very tightest scrutiny to make sure that it is posing little or no risk to our community.

Allington Incinerator

Battle of Maidstone Re-Enactment

Sun 20th Apr 2008

This year will see the 360th anniversary of the 1648 Battle of Maidstone. Lib Dem Councillor David Pickett has worked hard to instigate a very special festival weekend which will take place between 30 May and 1 June. The event will include a unique exhibition at Maidstone Museum and there will be a food fair and craft market in the town centre.

Maidstone coat of arms

Asbestos Discovered by Volunteers in Town Centre Nature Reserve

Thu 10th Apr 2008

A group of Lib Dem councillors taking part in a regular weekend work-party in a town centre nature reserve discovered large quantities of fly-tipped asbestos. The illegally dumped asbestos boards, the remains of a demolished out-building, is now being removed from the River Len Nature Reserve by a specialist cleansing team from Maidstone Borough Council. The asbestos rubble was found between the river and the rear gardens of properties in Square Hill Road, Maidstone.

Asbestos and other rubbish

Another Big Boost for Recycling in Maidstone

Thu 10th Apr 2008

Maidstone town centre visitors no longer have to throw away their drinks cans, plastic bottles, plastic sandwich wrappers or newspapers. Maidstone Borough Council has installed ten special recycling bins in the town centre and a further two at Coxheath Parade so that shoppers can throw away their litter with a clear conscience that they will be recycled.

Tony and bin

A link between foreign lorries and safety on our roads?

Mon 24th Mar 2008

A petition has been set up on the Downing Street petitions web site calling for the Prime Minister to look at the safety issues surrounding the foreign lorries on our roads.

Astran Truck

Coxheath gets a spring clean

Mon 24th Mar 2008

Local Lib Dems have initiated a 'Big Spring Clean' in woodland off Hunton Hill near Coxheath. The Coxheath and Hunton Liberal Democrat Councillors accompanied by local campaigner Moira Walter and other locals spent Saturday morning clearing dumped tyres, traffic cones, building trade debris and litter from picturesque woodland flanking Hunton Hill.

spring clean in Hunton

Concessionary Fares - statement from the Leader of MBC, Fran Wilson

Sat 22nd Mar 2008

The new statutory national concessionary fares scheme, which will be introduced in April, is far more generous than the current Maidstone Borough Council scheme, in that it gives concessions on local buses anywhere in England for those aged 60 years or more, and for disabled and people with mobility problems of any age.

Elderly people getting onto a bus

Childrens safety takes priority

Mon 10th Mar 2008

At the end of the School holidays last year, the County Council announced the temporary closure of the footbridge over the Medway from Maidstone East Station for refurbishment.

Budget Speech - Fran Wilson, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council

Sun 9th Mar 2008

The Cabinet this year has faced significant challenges. First of all we had to rise to the challenge of residents expectations. Residents wanted to retain weekly waste collections but also demanded an excellent recycling service. We were told this on the doorstep and this expectation was confirmed through our extensive budget simulator exercise.

Fran Wilson

Lowest Council Tax increase in Kent

Sun 9th Mar 2008

Lib Dems in Maidstone have delivered the lowest Council tax rise in Kent while maintaining front line services, thanks to responsible investment alongside tough financial management.

Council tax increases across Kent

New Archbishops Courtenay School

Sun 9th Mar 2008

There have been concerns about the slow progress on the school. Liberal Democrat leader of the Borough council, Fran Wilson, and County Councillor Dan Daley have requested a meeting and have now met with KCC leader Paul Carter.

Denise Joy

Lib Dems Keep Sunday Parking Free

Sun 9th Mar 2008

Under the Lib Dems, Maidstone Borough Council's car parks are safe, secure and reasonably priced. They will now also remain free to use on Sundays. In contrast, town centre car parks operated by Conservative controlled Kent County Council charge on Sundays, as do the Town's commercially operated car parks such as Fremlins, Chequers Mall and Sainsbury's.

Car parking

CCTV in Blythe Road

Sun 9th Mar 2008

Denise Joy reports that she has been contacted by residents suggesting that mobile CCTV camera points should be provided in Blythe Road to enable the deployment of mobile CCTV cameras.

Denise Joy - Blythe Road

Lib Dems Pledge to Deliver Network of Nature Reserves

Wed 13th Feb 2008

A nature reserve in the heart of Maidstone's town centre is getting a boost with the planting of 150 native trees and shrubs including Holly, alder buckthorn, Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Wild Privet.

Tony Harwood and naure reserve

Maidstone's bird box scheme

Mon 7th Jan 2008

Owls, Kestrels, Jackdaws and other beautiful birds could soon become a common sight in the borough again under a new scheme to introduce a range of bird boxes in the town's parks.

Maidstone bird box scheme

Crime down under Liberal Democrat Leadership

Thu 20th Dec 2007

There has been a big improvement in local crime figures since the Lib Dems won back leadership of Maidstone Council from the Conservatives. Latest crime statistics show a 9.9% reduction in all crime for the period from April to November 2007 compared with the same period last year. The Lib Dems are not complacent and believe their tough policies to improve our local environment and build strong communities can drive criminal behaviour down more.

We can cut crime

New Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg promises to speak for people of Maidstone and the Weald

Wed 19th Dec 2007

New Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg MP today promised to give a voice to the people of Maidstone who feel ignored by politicians.

Nick Clegg

Maidstone's Biggest Ever Clean Sweep Challenge

Mon 12th Nov 2007

Maidstone's biggest ever Clean Sweep campaign was launched on the 30th October when Maidstone Council officers and councillors together with the Meadow View Group cleared litter from our town centre water-courses. Scores of sacks of litter were collected, alongside the usual suspect shopping trolleys and other bulky rubbish.

Clean Sweepers

Lib Dems listen to YOU!

Fri 9th Nov 2007

People in Maidstone are being given the chance to set out what they would like the council to spend its money on. Maidstone Borough Council has created an online budget simulator where residents can log on and have their say on how the money should be spent.

Budget Simulator

Help fight Post Office closures

Mon 5th Nov 2007

Local Lib Dem Councillors are asking residents to support their campaign to stop the closure of the Maidstone Post Offices.

Post Offices

An Inconvenient Truth

Mon 5th Nov 2007

Sustainable Maidstone, with the support of Maidstone Borough Council,has arranged two free showings of Nobel Prize winning Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth'. These will be shown at The Exchange on Saturday

"An Inconvenient Truth" DVD cover

Improving Environmental Health Service

Sat 20th Oct 2007

When the new Liberal Democrat Administration took over in May a priority was

Clive English

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