It’s been a busy few months since my last newsletter, but locally at least, things are going in the right direction!
Freeze in Parking Costs
With my fellow Conservative councillors, we have been continuing our campaign to have district parking rates reduced, following the massive hike by the Labour/Liberal coalition at Canterbury City Council in 2024
While the Council initially ignored the huge petition we gathered opposing the increase in costs, we did achieve our first success a few months ago - getting the car park prices at the car park on School Lane slashed. We have now successfully argued for the proposed increase in 2025 to be dropped, such that the cost of 'premium' car parks will be frozen this year.
Local shop owners have been clear that last year's increased parking costs have been reducing shopper footfall, so we shall keep fighting to make the Council see sense!
Improvements to Memorial Park and Pond
Since 2022 I have been working with council officers on plans to upgrade the park’s facilities. A number of these projects are now coming to fruition and in the weeks and months ahead you will see the following works starting:
- Resurfacing of the tennis courts
- Creation of a Youth Zone for playing football and basketball
- De-silting of the pond to improve the water quality, together with a new viewing platform
- Tender launched for a new hot drinks vendor to operate at the bandstand
You can read more about the enhancements to the park here.
Supporting local charities
As your councillor I'm always trying to help local charities who are making the Bay an even better place.
Herne Bay Sea Cadets give youngsters an amazing opportunity to learn to sail, in a safe and friendly environment. They are now looking to expand their numbers, so I was pleased to provide a grant to them to improve their facility.
I’m also helping Beach Creative, which is a fantastic creative hub, helping locals - young and old - explore their passion for art. Their building on Beach Street is a lovely part of our heritage, but leaks energy, so I am funding some energy efficiency work to help cut their bills and free up budget to be able to support more local artists.
Launch of Community Speedwatch
My mailbox receives a lot of emails from residents concerned about speeding vehicles on local roads, particularly those where the limit is still 30 mph.
As such, I’ve worked with Kent Police to set up a Community Speedwatch scheme in Herne Bay and Beltinge to help educate drivers and improve road safety. It has been warmly received by the community and I’d like to thank those residents who are volunteering alongside me at our regular sessions. Do drop me a line if you'd like to get involved.
That’s all for this update, but if I can help you with anything, please let me know and I’ll be happy to help.
