Local News

Councillors are being asked to approve consulting on Swale Borough Council’s draft budget next week.

The policy and resources committee will be discussing a report on the draft budget for 2023/24 on Wednesday (30th November).

The report sets out how the council proposes to tackle significant inflation, increased pressure on key services and delays to the government’s local government funding review.

The draft budget outlines £2.8m of proposed savings, efficiencies and increased income for 2023/24, leaving a budget gap of £2m, which would be funded from reserves.

The draft budget consultation would ask for feedback on issues such as:

• restructuring council services to save £516,000, including £100,000 from senior management
• no inflationary pay award for council staff, except those on the Real Living Wage, with salaries frozen and working hours reduced
• increasing council tax by 2.99%, or more if the Government increase the previous cash limit
• increasing income from fees and charges by £581,000
• reducing grants paid by £227,000.

Cllr Mike Baldock, the Leader of Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “Like all households, we’re facing significant increases in our costs, and we are being forced to take some tough decisions. Inflation is really biting as our costs increase, but we’re also dealing with more and more people approaching us for support with things like housing, which is a significant cost for us. At the same time, funding from the revenue support grant from central government has fallen from £4.1 million in 2014/15 to £120,000 this year, and we’re still waiting for a funding review to put local government on a more solid footing. Our share of the final council tax bill that residents receive is only around 10 per cent of the total, but we know our services make a real difference to local people. This is why - if the committee agree to consult - it’s vital we get as many responses as possible.”

If the Policy and Resources Committee agree, a consultation will be launched shortly afterwards. The results would then be reported to the policy and resources committee on Wedesday 8th February 2023 before full council is asked to approve the final budget on Wednesday 22nd February.

People struggling to feed their families and pay their bills could be eligible for more support this winter.

Swale Borough Council has received more than £250,000 from Kent County Council’s (KCC) Household Support Fund to help households access food boxes, get vouchers to pay their electric, gas and water bills, and purchase the items needed to keep warm.

The money has been allocated to organisations within the local community who have been on the ground helping people navigate the cost of living crisis.

Swale Food Bank and Children and Families will be delivering emergency food parcels, West Faversham Community Association will be providing meals to the young people visiting their youth hub and Age UK will be delivering hot meals and shopping to pensioners.

The council’s fuel and water home advisor and Citizens Advice Swale will be providing Fuel Bank Foundation fuel vouchers to people with pre-paid meters, and Children and Families will be providing Mastercard vouchers for people with billed utility accounts.

People can also request help with items that will help keep them warm this winter such as water bottles, blankets, and draft excluders from the council’s fuel and water housing advisor.

Cllr Richard Palmer, chair of the community committee at Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “We’ve received more than £250,000 from KCC’s household support fund this time around. We received money from the first round this summer, and used it support almost 8,000 households around Swale. Unfortunately, we haven’t received as much money as we did in the first round, but the criteria for who we can help has been relaxed this time, so we hope to be able to reach the households that weren’t eligible last time.”

Cllr Elliott Jayes, vice chair of the community committee at the council, told SFM News: “Alongside helping with energy bills, we can also help residents with the cost of hot water bottles, blankets, and draft excluders. The funding is available until March, so anyone struggling to feed their family or keep their home warm this winter can contact us for support.”

To find the right support for you visit the Swale Borough Council website via this link: www.swale.gov.uk/hsf.

A suspect has been remanded in custody following reports he made threats with a weapon towards two men in separate Swale incidents.

At around 8.45pm on Monday (31st October) evening, it is alleged a victim was threatened by a man with a machete on a platform at Sheerness train station.

Later the same evening, it is reported the same suspect threatened a second victim whilst holding a machete at Sittingbourne train station. The threats continued as the victim left the station and ran into Mill Way. It is understood neither victim suffered any injury and within a few hours of the second incident, a man was arrested in Kemsley.

Joe Tubb, of Gillingham Road, Gillingham was later charged with two counts of affray and two counts of possessing a bladed article. The 21-year-old appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court where he was remanded to a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on a date yet to be confirmed.

Waste Carriers were targeted on Friday (21st October) as part of a day of action to crackdown on fly tipping in Swale.

Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to carry out enquiries, arrest people suspected of fly tipping, seize vehicles and collate evidence with a view to prosecuting offenders for waste related crimes.

The outcomes from the day were:

• 2 vehicles stopped and searched
• 2 Fixed Penalty Notices issued
• 1 vehicle seized by Police.

Cllr Julian Saunders, chair of the environment committee at Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “People who dump their waste in our countryside and in our streets, are thoughtless and irresponsible. We spend almost £1.3 million a year keeping our streets clean of litter and flytipped waste, and we’ll continue to clamp down on the criminals that illegally carry and dump their waste.”

Cllr Tim Valentine, vice chair of the environment committee at the council, went on to add: “We issued two fixed penalty notices (FPN) totalling £600 to a driver with a van load of end of life tyres with no paperwork, and one vehicle was seized by the Police for not having a driving license or any insurance. Thanks to this joint effort this is one load that won’t end up in our countryside. Remember, if using a waste carrier, it’s your responsibility to make sure they’re licensed. If any illegally carried or dumped waste leads back to you, you could receive a £400 FPN. Always ask to see a waste carriers license before using them.”

More and more of these action days are taking place across Kent with a large amount of preparation beforehand, including the gathering of vital intelligence to support the Council’s Enforcement team with their duties.

What can you do to dispose of your waste responsibly?

 Fly tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste. However, these unlicensed waste carriers often simply dump the waste where ever they can get away with it, including in Kent’s country lanes. Householders or small businesses found to be using criminals to dispose of their waste can and are being prosecuted by local authorities in Kent with fixed penalty notices that go up to £400 per offence. Failure to pay such an FPN may result in court action where fines can be significantly larger.

To prevent this, householders should check whether someone is licenced to carry waste by visiting the Environment Agency website below, or alternatively call 03708 506506. It also helps if householders receive a written receipt or transfer note, including contact details, description of waste removed and details of where the waste is being taken to.

https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

The 13 Kent councils, along with Kent Police, are working in partnership to Keep Kent Clean. To keep updated with the councils’ efforts to tackle fly tipping and littering, follow #KeepKentClean.