A message from your County Councillor - April 2017

A genuine and heartfelt thank you to all who voted for me on Thursday. I delayed writing this report so that I could reflect the County Council Election Results. The actual result in Swale East was:

Andrew Bowles (Conservative) 2597

U.K.I.P. 717

Labour 624

Liberal Democrats 500

Green 367

Although April was dominated by delivering leaflets etc there have been other things going on. The first

Saturday of the month I attended the Kent Association of Local Councils Executive Committee. Also I

missed a day’s electioneering to Chair a meeting of the Swale Health and Wellbeing Board. Major

Agenda Items were on Diabetes Prevention, Vulnerable Adults Programme and Proposals to bring about

Adult Health Improvement.

I took part in a meeting at Swale House with Swale and County Officers and Members of Bapchild Parish

Council to discuss both the maintenance of Amenity and Highways land in the Parish and also the

ongoing negotiations to finalise a Section 106 Agreement on the Stones Road Housing Development. I

and others have campaigned long and hard for a second entrance to Lansdown School to alleviate traffic

problems in Murston which will form an important part of the 106 Agreement.

Helen Whately MP and I attended the opening of the new Pavilion at Boughton Bowls Club where I had

helped them to secure funding. I also supported the Eastling Charity Bluebell Walk although I left

participation to my wife, niece and dogs due to a bad knee.

As I have travelled around electioneering I have taken the opportunity to visit several of our local Public

Houses. This has reinforced my understanding of how they play a vital role in our rural communities.

They provide a convenient place for neighbours to meet, both by arrangement and chance. To

exchange gossip socialize and plan Community events. My own Local the White Lion at Selling was

recently closed for four months and was really missed by the Community for the reasons stated above.

Four of the Public Houses in Swale East have recently or are about to change Landlords. In no particular

order the Carpenters Arms at Eastling, the White Lion at Selling, the Red Lion at Badlesmere and the

Queens Head in Boughton. They deserve our support so please visit them and give them a ‘try’. You will

receive a warm welcome, feel free to mention my name!

During April I attended Annual Parish Meetings at Graveney, Boughton, Selling and Eastling as well as

ordinary meetings of Selling (held on a separate night to the A.P.M.), Sheldwich, Badlesmere and

Leaveland and Oare Parish Councils with others following in May. I also chaired a meeting of the Perry

Woods Steering Group with representatives of North West Kent Downs A.O.N.B., Kent Highways, Swale

Borough Council, Friends of Perry Woods, Selling Parish Council and Chilham Parish Council.

One last point on the recent County Council Election campaign, I was heartened and pleased by the

number of you who completed and returned the survey forms I issued in the first week of the campaign.

It was always my desire to respond personally to those who provided an email address or telephone

number. The sheer number of responses is making this a mammoth task so apologies if you are yet to

hear from me. Luckily the issues you identified as being of most concern to you, National Health

Service, Litter and Care for the Elderly are issues that I had referred to in my leaflets already by that time

printed. It reinforces my intention to make those issues the focus of my attention over the next few

months now that I am returned to County Hall.

Andrew Bowles