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Andrew Kennedy

Tel: 07792 924820   Email: amskennedy1966@gmail.com
Proudly representing the communities of
Aylesford, Blue Bell Hill, Burham, Ditton, Eccles, Kits Coty, Peters Village, Walderslade and Wouldham. 

December Banner Photo: the photograph of Aylesford Village and the River Medway (above) is the one I selected for my 2021 Community Christmas Card, and was taken by local photographer Chris Pickett (christopherjpickett@outlook.com) who kindly released copyright in exchange for a donation to the Aylesford food bank. As always, thank you to Jason Allen and DA Printers Ltd for the design and production.
A RARE MOMENT OF DELIGHT

There are few moments of pure delight as a local councillor, but the morning of 18 November was one of them!

A few months ago I was approached by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Ditton Infant School for a donation towards the installation of their new all weather running track, and was happy to donate £1,000 from my KCC Community Fund.

I then had the honour of officially opening the new running track by banging the drum to start the school's Disney Dash.

Being surrounded by 120 happy children, their voices and faces filled with excitment, was an absolutely delightful start to the day. I even had my very own Micky Mouse Ears!

As I left, the children presented me with this lovely thank you card 🥰

Thank you to Mrs Lewer (Head Teacher) and all the staff, PTA and to hundreds of  the children for making me so welcome.
SUPPORTING LOCAL CHARITIES AND GOOD CAUSES
When I was elected I promised to be open and transparent in how I allocated donations from my Community Fund. Since then I have advertised on each village Facebook Page and encouraged applications from every section of the local community. 

As well as donating £1,000 to Ditton Infact School (above), I have this month also supported:

Top: £500 to St Peter & St Paul's Church Food Bank in Aylesford
Bottom Left: £1,000 for new picnic benches at River Gardens 
Bottom Right: £500 for a new Community Defibrillator at Peters Village


And not pictured:
£500 to Aylesford Foodball Club for new kit
£300 to the Community Choir
£300 to Wouldham Over 60s Club to cover the cost of their OAP Christmas Lunch

I will publish a full list of all the donations I have made in the January newsletter.
WOULDHAM TRAFFIC ISSUES

When I was elected I promised to do my best to find a solution to the High Street traffic issues, which have become intolerable since the new Peters Bridge was opened in 2016. 

Since then I have been working constantly behind the scenes to see if I could deliver improvements. This has involved countless meetings with KCC leaders and highways engineers along with Wouldham Parish Council.

I can now confirm that I have secured around £250,000 from KCC to install a one-way system through the village. The scheme will also include a safe crossing point by the Medway Inn on Knowle Road to complete the 'safe route to school' and also traffic calming on High Street to try to alleviate faster speeds that might come as a result of their being a one way system in place.

In early December every household in Wouldham Parish will receive a letter from me explaining the proposed scheme in detail, along with a map from Kent Highways with further details. The letter contains a link to an online survey for residents to comment.

A paper version is available for those who would prefer to participate this way. A large print version will also be available for those with eyesight problems.

This is not a "done deal" or indeed the final scheme. If residents don't want it, then it won't be imposed. Similarly, if residents put forward ideas that would improve the scheme, these will be considered and included in the final consultaion if at all possible.

The one issue with any major change like this is the proposals will not please everyone. In fact, when Tracey Crouch MP surveyed the village two years ago, none of the five possible solutions gained more than 40% support. This means every possible solution was opposed by more people than supported it. Some of the solutions are not viable for reasons of cost, others might solve the issue in Wouldham but push traffic into Peters Village or Burham and some might just not be possible due to Highway Technicalities (like road camber and turning arcs). What is clear, however, if for any progress to be made, some people who might have preferred another option will need to compromise as if not, there will always be a majority against whatever is suggested.  

I will close with a plea to those residents who do not live on High Street and might feel indifferent about this issue: The traffic volumes through the village since the opening of Peters Bridge have brought misery, pollution, noise, poor air quality and damage to cars as well as mental and emotional health for hundreds of people. Please consider their needs and quality of life when you respond.
One of my jobs at County Hall is Chair of the Public Health & Health Reform Committee. This is my in 'full pomp' about the Chair the November meeting! I do own a suit!

Many people have little knowledge of “Public Health” and confuse it with the NHS. They are very different. Public Health professionals have their own professional qualification and are referred to as “consultants” just as a specialist doctor or surgeon.

Public Health basically addresses all those areas that lead to poor general health in the future; smoking prevention, obesity, mental health support, drug and alcohol abuse, social isolation, poor diet and poor housing. It is not glamorous and those working in public health receive none of the adoration and public acclaim of those working in the front line of the NHS.

The work, however, is hugely important and I am determined to increase knowledge and understanding of the work of public health professionals and the difference they make.

At the last meeting I (and many other county councillors) raised concerns about how many GP surgeries are still not fully open and how many patients are expected to accept telephone and Zoom consultations rather than a face to face visit with their doctor. I also raised concerns about GP receptionists now acting as “triage” nurses, deciding how can and cannot see their doctor, and also the length of time people have to wait on the phone just to request an appointment. I quoted the case of one local lady who spent her entire £30 mobile phone vcredit waiting in the queue to book an appointment. 

It is not acceptable and the return to normality must be addresses within our GP practices wherever possible.
SLOW DOWN - HEDGEHOGS CROSSING

The success of Philippa Mulcuck's Hedgehog Hospital in Eccles (which I have supported for two years) has resulted in Eccles having one of the highest hedhog populations in Kent, as many of the hundreds of hogs she nurses back to health are released locally. As a result there have been a few killed on Bull Lane by cards and other vehicles. 

To try and slow down through-traffic and make drivers aware, I have paid for these Hedgehog Warning Signs to be installed each side of the village. They may work and will hopefully also contribute to slowing down speeding cars, they are also very cute and if nothing else I hope will make visitors smile!  
Finally, I would obviously like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and send my best wishes for good health and happiness in the New Year. But as we face Christmas, please also remember that Christmas is a difficult time for many people for many reasons; loneliness, isolation, poverty, anxiety, depression, domestic violence..... and in particular those who have perhaps lost a loved one and are facing Christmas alone. 

In a world where we can be anything, please be kind. 🥰

Happy Christmas to you all.
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