SittingbourneExtraSE

Council job cuts to save £1.6 million

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

by Hayley Robinson hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk JOB cuts are on the cards as council chiefs try to balance the books for next year's budget.

Swale council is proposing to restructure some of its departments in response to a £1.2 million reduction in its government grant.

Council leader Andrew Bowles won't be drawn on the exact number of posts under threat but says he expects it to b

Caked in success

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

THERE was plenty of festive fun on offer at a Christmas fair this weekend.
Father Christmas also put in an appearance at Bapchild and Tonge C of E Primary School, in School Lane, Bapchild, much to the delight of pupils and their parents.

Full story and more pictures in Friday's Sittingbourne Messenger.

Lights fail to switch visitors on to fair

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

EFFORTS to try to attract more people to a Christmas fair did not pay off.
The event at St Michael's Church was timetabled to coincide with the switch-on of the Christmas lights in High Street, Sittingbourne, on Saturday.
Organisers hoped the fundraiser would benefit from an influx of people in the town in the run-up to the event but instead it attracted fewer people and raised less money th

Bridge death man has been named

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

by Hayley Robinson THE man who fell to his death from a bridge over the A249 has been named.

Christopher Paul Gordon Wakeman, who had severe autism, had run away from the care home where he lived.

The 23-year-old fell about 20ft from the Quinton flyover shortly before 3.40pm on Monday, November 28.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at the scene, but were unable to revive him.

A post

‘Swale open for business’

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

THERE is further good news for regeneration plans for the town.

A contract between Swale council and the Spirit of Sittingbourne Consortium, which outlines what will be built in the town centre in the forthcoming years, has been signed.

The group, which is made up of Essential Land, property developer Cathedral Group and financial fund managers Alyton, was selected as the council’s prefe

Chutneys, cakes and jam raise £1,500

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

BARGAIN-HUNTERS snapped up gifts and handmade treats at Highsted Grammar School's Christmas fair.
The event, arranged by the Highsted School Association, raised more than £1,500 for outdoor seating for students.
There were a variety of stalls on the day, selling goods such as locally-produced cakes, chutneys and jams with a Christmas twist, wrought iron work and handmade cards and decoration

Job cuts, but no increase in council tax

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

which amounts to £76,000. It is hoped voluntary groups will take over any future art projects.

The overall savings by the council are £1.6m.

On the upside, council tax payments will remain the same and there are no proposed increases for car parking fees, parking permits or the hiring of council run halls.

However, there is a possible 5% increase for cemetery burial fees being put forward

Skate park plan ready to roll

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

by Hayley Robinson hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk PLANS to build a skate park in the town are gathering pace.

Land next to play equipment at Albany Park has been identified by Swale council as a possible location for it to be built.

Open spaces officer Helen Blanche suggested the area, in Albany Road, Sittingbourne, while working with a group of teenagers who spoke out about the need f

School war dead remembered

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

FORMER pupils of a Sittingbourne school who gave their lives for their country have been remembered at a ceremony.

Three memorial boards inscribed with the names of Borden Grammar School boys who fought and died in a number of conflicts were re-dedicated at the ceremony, held at the school in the Avenue of Remembrance.

The project was paid for by members of the Old Bordenians Associati

Youngsters entertain with their choir trips

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

TUNEFUL Christmas classics were on the bill during a school choir's trip out into the community.
Every year youngsters from Bobbing Village School sing for local people.
The school's Christmas Choir Club visits the MS Society, Pine Lodge and Newington care homes and they went to the Blind Fellowship Club's meeting at the Masonic Hall in Albany Road, Sittingbourne.
Children from Year 3 thr

Come and give Carl the send-off he deserves

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

by Hayley Robinson hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend the funeral of murder victim Carl Davies next week.

The former teacher's parents Andy and Maria said they had decided to hold an open funeral and anyone who knew Carl was welcome to attend.

The service will be held at the Garden of England crematorium, Sheppey Way, Bobbing, at 3pm on Tuesday.

Carl's si

Steve Constable Lots of time to start annoying each other

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

OH, IT was all looking so marvellous. You'd found a woman just desperate enough to say yes. You'd found a ring that looked just a bit more expensive than it was. You'd wangled a date just after the football season.
And then you read that the divorce rate was soaring among the over-60s.
Admittedly, a certain proportion of the 11,000 marriage break-ups amid the older generation must have som

Thames Estuary airport plans gain top support

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

by Paul Francis and Trevor Sturgess sittingbourne@thekmgroup.co.uk THE government is poised to take a fresh look at controversial plans to build a Thames Estuary airport.

Chancellor George Osborne said the coalition was prepared to explore "all the options" for dealing with the demand for more aviation capacity in the South East.

Although he stopped short of making any explicit reference to

Couple fiddled claims to tune of £20,000

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A COUPLE fiddled more than £20,000 in benefits over almost seven years.

Michael Edwards and his wife Marian Ann, both 58, pleaded guilty to fraud when they appeared before Maidstone Magistrates' Court on Tuesday last week.

The court heard how the couple, of Chilton Avenue, Sittingbourne, failed to declare on six occasions that from November 2003 he was receiving an occupational pension.
T

Marathon effort will be for mum

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A YOUNG fundraiser is preparing to run 26 miles in memory of her mother.
Vicky Mummery, 20, has gained a place in next year's London Marathon raise money for Cancer Research UK. Although she has done charity events in the past and collected about £700, it will be her first London Marathon.
Her target is £2,000 and she has already raised £430.
To reach her goal, she is appealing for people

Country park yobs to face spot fines

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

NEW measures have been brought in to stamp out antisocial behaviour at Milton Creek Country Park.

To ensure the area remains a clean and safe environment any adult seen littering, vandalising property, failing to clear up after their dog, or behaving in an anti-social manner, can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £80.

Under-18s cannot receive a fine but will be issued with a l

There's no stopping Harry (or the rest)

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A BROKEN arm did not stop one pupil from doing his bit for charity.
Harry Paines was looking forward to taking part in a sponsored workout along with fellow Year 7 pupils at Borden Grammar School to help raise money for Lepra Health.
But he had to pull out when he broke his right arm during a circuit training session four weeks before the event was due to take place.
Not wanting to miss

Make the most of the winter duty break

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

There's no need for a defeatist attitude when it comes to the property market.

There's a superb window of opportunity for buyers and sellers before the stamp duty holiday for firsttime buyers purchasing for less than £250,000 comes to an end on March 25.
The stamp duty holiday has been a great tax break for first-time buyers, meaning they have been able to save thousands of pounds by not pay

Renault happy to prove electric critics wrong

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Electric cars are too expensive and not useful enough if you believe the critics but have a look at this.
Renault's Fluence Z.E. is aiming to be the first genuinely affordable electric family car in the UK.
Someone at Renault obviously saw the buying public's worries about battery life coming, so the Fluence takes batteries out of the purchasing equation altogether. Its batteries are rented,