All posts tagged 'crouch'

McGuinness on Monday - Would our MPs stand as independents if airport gets the green light?

by McGuinness on Medway Monday, June 18 2012

Would our MPs quit the Conservative party and stand at the next election as independents if the government decides to build an airport in the Thames Estuary?

It’s a big hypothetical to consider, but it will have cropped into the minds of many in the Towns following comments from London MP Zac Goldsmith.

The Richmond Park representative said he would do just that if the government decides to carry out another u-turn and plump for a third runway at Heathrow.

Such a move from our trio would be both drastic and daring. It would likely be well received by opponents of the airport in their constituencies.

It would also somewhat neutralise opposition attacks on the issue, which could define Medway’s political direction at the next General Election in 2015.

I admit I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but it’s worth keeping at the back of your mind as the consultation nears its start.

What do you think?

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It may not be the most pithily titled document in recorded history, but the Council plan 2011/12 Year End Performance Report is an interesting read.

It lists commendable progress in a number of areas in the past year, such as investing in parks and green spaces, looking after at risk children, strengthening leadership in schools and reducing delays at the hospital.

But it appears the Love Medway app, which can be used by residents to report issues such as fly tipping and graffiti, is lagging behind somewhat.

It launched at a cost of £7,000 last March and the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee reveals just 364 non-council staff use it.

There have been more than 8,800 reports but there is no breakdown of how many of these are from members of the public as compared to council staff.

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Quote of the week from Cllr Tom Mason (Con) talking about improvements to Medway Crematorium: “It’s important and we need to keep our finger on the pulse.”

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Categories: Medway Maritime | Politics

McGuinness on Monday - Gills stadium saga set to come to a head

by McGuinness on Medway Monday, May 28 2012

The Gills stadium saga could come to a head this week, with the Planning Committee set to grant outline permission to Peel's plans for Chatham Docks.

If that's the case, expect there to be plenty of fallout from this, given the rhetoric that has led up to this point. Gillingham chairman Paul Scally claims this could very well be the end of the club's presence in the Towns.

Chatham Docks is the ideal site for a new stadium and the only other alternative – a site at Mill Hill, off Yokosuka Way - wouldn't work alongside Peel's project, he claims.

However, planning officers have poured some cold water on that.

A stadium at Chatham Docks wasn’t pursued because of "viability reasons" and in a potential lifeline for the club, their report states a supermarket at the Docks wouldn’t necessarily render the Mill Hill dream a dud.

So there’s plenty for the club and the council to chew over.

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The Towns' MPs had the chance to discuss the Thames Estuary airport with PM David Cameron last Thursday (May 24) but afterwards they didn't seem willing to talk about it.

Mark Reckless' office informed me he wouldn't be doing interviews and calls to Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chishti's office were not returned.

Why? Mr Cameron might not have been able to say anything revelatory, but to not even have a flavour of what was said – "we put our arguments across forcefully", "the discussions were firm and frank", that sort of thing - will lead people to ask questions.

Was the consultation date revealed? Did they not like what they heard?

As ever when it comes to the airport, the people of Medway are left with more questions than answers.

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The controversy over primary school places will crop up again on Thursday, when councillors discuss building a new academy/free school on the site of Chatham South School.

We've known for a while that a new school would be needed in Chatham, but now we know where.

The plan is to have it open by September 2014.

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Categories: Local Politics | Medway

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