Category: Kent Greens

By an extremely narrow margin of 37-33, Kent County Council has approved the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan, which includes an expansion of Hermitage Quarry. This will involve the destruction of 100 acres of irreplaceable ancient woodland at Oaken Wood, West Maidstone.

To force the measure through, the Reform chair used “special powers” to completely block a Green Party amendment that would have saved the site.

The planned expansion will mean taking the bulldozer to ancient soils, veteran trees, bluebells, and rare wildlife in an area continually wooded for four centuries: an unconscionable and irreparable loss.

Here is a statement from our Facebook page:

Today was an extremely frustrating experience for Save Oaken Wood campaigners and KCC Green Councillors who were deliberately blocked from proposing amendments to remove the expansion of Hermitage Quarry from the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

Reform UK’s Chairman, Jeremy Eustace, yet again demonstrated why he is incapable of serving all members of the council by using a little used constitutional technicality and refused to accept an alternative suggestion to the administration’s proposal to even be debated.

Reform UK in Kent are fast becoming control obsessed enemies of democracy incapable of adhering to the basic principles of fair debate.

Residents expect their representatives to be able to challenge the administration and fulfill the roles ascribed to any opposition group. That is a requirement of any functioning democratic institution.

We all know where silencing dissent inevitably leads us. Fortunately after today’s Local Government Reorganisation announcement Reform’s tenure at County Hall is drawing to an end, but it seems they are determined to add Ecocide to their list of “achievements” before successor councils sweep them away.

The next step will be to challenge the plan during the six-week public consultation, by sending objections to the Planning Inspectorate.

You can join the Save Oaken Wood campaign and stay informed of future developments by following their Facebook page.

– with thanks to Get Wild

Medway Green Party and Kent Muslim Greens are planning to host a community picnic on Saturday 4th July, starting 4pm, at Jackson’s Park in Rochester.

From Reshmi Kalam on Instagram:

This picnic is not just for Green Party members. It is for supporters, community leaders, volunteers, campaigners, families, people curious about the Green movement, and anyone who wants to help create a fairer and greener future.

Join us as we bring people together, strengthen our networks, and continue building a movement that reflects the rich diversity of Kent and Medway.

Everyone will be welcome. We hope to see you there.

#VoteGreen in Cliftonville April 9th.

Green policies are for #PeoplePoweredPolitics, tackling local affordability concerns, concerns that councillors CAN actually impact.

Our Green candidate, Margate’s Councillor Rob Yates, has personally investigated Southern Water through submitting Freedom of Information requests revealing the number of times the company had breached its environmentally damaging and dangerous permit boundary through pumping sewage into the sea. Rob states: “Privatisation without competition is exploitation. England and Wales are the only country in the world with a fully privatised water industry – now is the time to reverse Thatcherism.”

Councillor Yates has also reached an agreement with Southern Water that Thanet residents will be put on the Social Tariff data sharing scheme, which could benefit 3,000 Thanet residents with an extra £200 a year. Southern Water have now agreed to fast-track the data sharing agreement, automatically saving thousands of pounds for Thanet residents, and a year earlier than planned.

#GoGreen for Cliftonville on April 9th. Vote for Councillor Rob Yates.

— South East Green Party (source)