Question to the Chairman of Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Mr Stuart Jeffery

Given the Council’s stated ‘Anti-Idling Campaign’, has the Council adopted the powers provided by Regulation 12 of The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002 to enforce the switching off of engines when vehicles are stationary on the road?

The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.

Mr Jeffery asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:

Given that over one thousand people have died since the legislation was introduced in 2002 and the implication of air pollution in exacerbating COVID infections, does the Council agree that it should have done more including enacting its powers as other English Councils have now done?

The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.

Councillor Adkinson, on behalf of the Leader of the Labour Group, responded to the questions.

Question to the Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee from Ms Kate Hammond

In January you told us you had written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government about Maidstone's housing numbers.  You made various press releases about the efforts Maidstone are doing challenging the National Government’s housing numbers.  You then took nearly six months to write again because your first letter never arrived.  How can we have confidence in your ability to negotiate housing numbers if we don't have confidence in you being able to deliver a letter?

The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.

Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, Councillor Powell, the Leader of the Independent Maidstone Group, and Councillor Perry, the Leader of the Conservative Group, responded to the question.

Ms Hammond asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee:

We made a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and they told us that they have no paper or electronic records of correspondence with the Council on housing matters in the first five months of the year.  How can we believe Maidstone is serious in reducing the numbers given that, from what we have seen so far, they have not been very active in the last six months?

The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.

Question to the Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee from Mr Steve Heeley

We were pleased to note that your second letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government about Maidstone's housing numbers was sent on 3rd June by post as well as by email this time.  In that letter you asked for a 'sensible conversation' with civil servants about housing numbers to take place no later than 30th June.  Can you update residents please on how this conversation went?

The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.

Councillor McKay, the Leader of the Labour Group, and Councillor Powell, the Leader of the Independent Maidstone Group, responded to the question.  Councillor McKay also made reference to Ms Hammond’s questions.

Mr Heeley asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee:

It looks like the Civil Service has not taken any notice of your letters, it has taken little notice of your emails and it has not taken any notice of the fact that you asked for a meeting before 30 June, so what demands are you actually going to make at the meeting tomorrow and what do you expect them to take notice of?

The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.

To listen to the answers to these questions, please follow this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V1CYYSw5SU