Next Surgery

The next surgery will be on Saturday 5 May 2012. For any urgent matters or if you are unable to make the surgery, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will make an appointment to see you. If you notice in the St. Stephen's or Northgate areas that there is a streetlight not working please note the letters and numbers that appear on the column on the streetlight and the location. If there is a pothole or dangerous pavement in St. Stephen's or Northgate, please respond to this posting and I will ensure this matter is taken up with Kent Highways. If you would like to make an appointment at the surgery please telephone 01227 280277. I am in the constituency each Saturday and can usually arrange a visit on a weekday if that is more suitable.

KCC's Chairman's Charity Dinner

This week the Chairman held a charity dinner in aid of his charities for the year at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge. The charities he is supporting are:

1-2-1 Youth Befriending (West Kent)
SNAAP (Special Needs Advisory & Activities Project)
KASBAH (Kent Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus)

For more information on these charities please visit their websites:

www.youthbefriending.co.uk
www.snaap.org.uk
www.kasbah.org.uk

I was delighted to be a part of the dinner and more importantly, in excess of £2000 was raised for these charities.

Chaucer Fields

I have been very interested recently in a plan by the University to develop a hotel, conference centre and student accommodation in the area behind Durnford Close and Harkness Drive (commonly known as Chaucer Fields). There was an exhibition last Saturday and I was pleased that so many local residents came and expressed their views. I was interested to speak to people and I will do my upmost to insure that the views of local people are known to the University authorities.

This proposal will have a really significant impact on local residents and I am very concerned that insufficient thought has been given to their interests and needs. The Fields also provide a significant drainage facility of rain water and I believe there are really serious implications of excess rain water not being able to drain away and flooding the area at the bottom of the hill and down into Salisbury Road and other roads.

Do you have a view? If so, please contact me and I will be taking up issues directly with the University.