News

Government commits to bringing Thameslink Services to Maidstone in December 2019 after Lib Dem pressure

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-10-22

The Government has promised that Thameslink trains will be running from Maidstone via West Malling to Central London from December 2019, following sustained pressure from Maidstone Liberal Democrats.

Kent Test results day

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-10-11

More than 16,500 children who sat the Kent Test last month will find out whether they have been assessed for a grammar school place this week.

Families who registered online for the test will be sent an email from Kent County Council after 4pm on Thursday, October 11 with their child’s assessment result. However, the volume of emails sent out means some internet service providers may delay the delivery of the emails to personal email accounts; this is outside the control of the county council.

Families who registered online can also log on after 5pm on Thursday, October 11 and view their child’s results and test scores if they have retained their log-in and password details.

Letters will be sent to all 16,656 families on Thursday afternoon, to arrive on doormats from Friday.

Parents need to submit an application for their child’s secondary school by Wednesday, October 31 and can name up to four schools in order of preference.

Roger Gough, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We understand that this can be a stressful time for families and we try to make the process of deciding on the most appropriate secondary education for their children as straightforward as possible.

“Kent has a rich and diverse mix of schools, and parents should consider all options when choosing the schools they would like their child to attend, in priority order. It is also important that parents carefully consider how their child will get to school, before applying for a school place.

“We anticipate the 4,641 Kent children who have been assessed as being suitable for grammar school will, in most cases, enjoy priority for the 5,214 places available in the county over pupils from other authorities.

“Although many of the 3,065 pupils from outside Kent will name our schools among their choices, experience has shown that most of these children ultimately secure places in their own local authority area.”

Details of secondary schools in Kent and how to apply can be found here: https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/secondary-school-places#tab-2

KCC’s policy on home-to-school transport allows parents to see whether there is any help available for their child. Details can be found here: www.kent.gov.uk/schooltransport

March For Our Future - October 2018

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-10-06

On October 20th, the Liberal Democrats are demonstrating in London – marching for our future in the EU.

Lib Dems make impressive gain in Headcorn

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-09-14

On the 13th of September 2018 there was a by-election in Headcorn ward following the resignation of the sitting conservative councillor. Maidstone Liberal Democrats selected local resident Merilyn Fraser as their candidate and fought an impressive campaign.

More Threats to Maidstone’s Rail Services

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-09-05

Maidstone County Councillor, Rob Bird, demands answers from Secretary of State

Give communities the power to make their roads safer, say Kent Liberal Democrats

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-08-28

Funding should be provided for every Kent community to pursue 20mph limits on appropriate roads to make the county's streets safer, say Kent Liberal Democrats.

Barming Sinkhole closes road and leads to evacuations

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-05-29

A 2 metre wide sinkhole has appeared on the A26 in Barming over the bank holiday weekend. 10 homes have been evacuated and specialist teams are one site. Kent county have now announced a schedule of works to remedy the problem, available here.

Dan Daley Welcomes New GP Surgery For Allington

Posted by Georgia Harvey | Updated 2018-04-24

The West Kent CCG has now confirmed that The College Practice will be opening a new branch in Allington following the closure of the two existing Allington GP surgeries at the end of May. The new surgery will take over the premises currently used by Allington Clinic.

Minister puts Rail Services at Risk

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-02-21

The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, has now confirmed residents’ fears about the future of rail services from Maidstone and Northwest Kent to London.

Petition Launched To Fight Kent Rail Cuts

Posted by Thomas Adams | Updated 2018-01-29

Petition launched to fight Kent Rail Cuts

Rail users from Maidstone & West Kent are facing up to the very real threat of services going backwards toward levels of service experienced in steam days. Promised improvements have been delayed and may never arrive.

Can we keep you updated?