Following a recent consultation investigat-ing increased parking problems around Stone Crossing Station and consideration of preferred solutions, we can confirm that two schemes have now been developed for presentation to residents.

We have always been clear that whatever controls are finally im-plemented, they must be carefully considered to ensure no unwanted detriment to residents or introduc-tion of a different set of problems.

As such, it’s felt fairer and more demo-cratic to propose two potential schemes, enabling residents to indicate their preference for the option they feel most appropriate.

The first scheme is designed to restrict parking using yellow lines only to where it is dangerous or obstructive. This scheme would therefore

not seek to control parking outside of these areas, benefitting households

with multiple cars who may be restricted by permit availability, and which would see no annual charge levied to residents.

The second scheme will contain yellow lines proposed in the first

scheme but with additional resi-dent permit parking to control where

cars park and prevent potential displace-ment into surrounding roads.

STONE CROSSING PARKING UPDATE

Issue 39 - March 2015 www.stoneparishcouncil.com

Printed on 100% recycled newsprintProduced from 100% consumer paper

Please recycle this newspaper

> See Page 7 for full details...

Council to name centre after Claire TiltmanA new youth activity centre for Scouting and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme activities to be built in Stone will be named after murdered schoolgirl Claire Tiltman.

The Council resolved to dedicate the centre after Claire following a recent street naming consulta-tion for the scheme at Cotton Lane.

> See Page 2 to find out more...

Neighbourhood Plan receives funding boostThe council has been awarded grant funding of £7,000 to support development of a Neighbour-hood Plan for Stone Parish.

A Steering Group will be establsihed to facilitate the plan and interested residents are invited to apply to be a member of the group.

COUNCIl bUDGET 2015-16

Read about what’s been approved for this year.

> see Page 3

Elections in May provide an opportunity to make a differenceOn May 7th, voting will take place in a General Election, as well as for local borough, town and parish councils. Find out how you can get involved...

NEW MEMORIAl STONES UNVEIlEDSoldiers from WWI are inscribed on new stones > see Page 7

lOCAl AWARD

A parish fundraiser is made a Dar t fordian for services to Charity.

> see Page 7

Stone PariSh newSYour newsletter from STONE PARISH COUNCIl

NEIGHbOURHOOD PlAN

RECEIVES £7,000 FUNDING

Following a public launch event in November demon-strating a good level of local support for the proposal, the council submitted an appli-cation for funding to enable commencement of the plan.

This early-stage funding will provide for production of consultation materials and a number of initial consultation events, along with establish-ment and training of a steer-ing group to help facilitate the process and set terms of reference for how the stages of the plan will be achieved.

The Steering Group will be responsible for identifying and investigating key themes to assess the current position and undertake any necessary investigation or consultation to determine how the situa-tion might be improved or enhanced through future development.

Themes might include areas such as green spaces, herit-age, transport, and infrastruc-ture, as deemed necessary in response to emerging evidence.

Although not essential,

local residents with skills or knowledge in planning and infrastructure, project man-agement, transport, envi-ronment or social issues, architecture or landscape design would provide par-ticular expertise to the group.

A soiree for members of the public interested in being appointed to the Steering Group will be held next Thursday 19th February at Stone Pavilion to provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a steering group member and the sorts of activities or tasks that members will be required to undertake to achieve the vari-ous milestones of the project plan.

Chairman of the Council, John Burrell said,“This provides a wonderful opportunity for local resi-dents to get involved and influence the future devel-opment of the parish. The knowledge and skills of local people will be invaluable in ensuring the final draft plan is robust and in line with the aspirations of the local community.

Ultimately, local residents

will be required to vote in a referendum, either to sup-port or reject adoption of the plan to form part of the local development framework so in order for support to be forthcoming, the commu-nity must feel as though they have had significant input in the process.”

T h e c o u n c i l s u b mi t -ted a formal application for Neighbourhood Area Designation to Dartford B o r o u g h C o u n c i l i n December. The council has requested to designate the neighbourhood plan area in line with the existing parish boundary, which includes Bluewater and Crossways Business Park. The council believes these strategic sites form inherent parts of the

The council has been awarded grant funding of £7,000 to support development of a Neighbourhood Plan for Stone Parish.

characteristics of the parish, providing many opportuni-ties to improve or enhance connections between these sites and around the parish and bring cohesiveness to all the green spaces located both at these sites and within the parish. The full support-ing statement can be found on the council’s website.

Formal consultation regard-ing area designation has now commenced and will run until Friday 20th March 2015. Details of how to comment are provided on the council’s website.

T h e D e p a r t m e n t f o r Communities and Local Government has recently announced a further round of funding in support of

neighbourhood plans to be released from April 2015. The council intends to submit a further application to sup-port subsequent stages of the scheme.

The council also intends to develop a dedicated website for the local com-munit y to s tay up-to -date with activities and progress.

To reser ve at tendance at the Steer ing Group so i ree, p lease emai l : clerk@stoneparishcouncil.com or call 01322 384400.

Further details regarding the Neighbourhood Plan can be found at www.stoneparishcuncil.com/stone-np

ANNUAl bUDGET 2015-2016

We have formally approved the annual budget for 2015-16, a year poised to see the parish seeking to enhance the local environment via production of a Neighbour-hood Development Plan, and enable development of its youth through construction of a dedicat-ed centre for scouting and Duke of Edinburgh Award activities.

Firslty, we have reconfirmed our extremely popular annual calendar of community events offering a fan-tastic mix of activities for all ages, and which are all free for residents to attend.

This includes Stone Fete, Easter Egg Hunt, Remembrance Service and Christmas Light Switch-On; and continued support for the popular monthly senior citizens tea & cake mornings.

You may not be aware but we look after almost 60 acres of parks and gardens across the parish, including carrying out playground inspec-tions, rubbish collection, and pitch maintenance, for which new equip-ment is required and has been included in the budget.

Stone Pavilion continues to be much in demand from social hirers and local groups while also pro-viding important services to the community. Footfall at the building averages 500 people every week, demonstrating what a valuable resource it has become and which now provides vital income to sup-port the council’s budget.

With local elections taking place in May 2015, new member train-ing and support is likely and we are preparing to meet this through enhanced internal communications that will ensure members are up to date and aware of emerging local issues, and have access to guid-ance and materials to assist them in performing their role.

We pride ourselves on the stand-ard of our performance and have been accredited with ‘Quality Council Status’ since 2009. With a revised council award scheme just launched, we will seek to reconfirm to residents that we operate at the forefront of best practice, achieving excellence in governance, commu-nity leadership and council develop-ment, through aspiring to achieve the auspicious Quality Gold Award.

We are regularly touted as a sector leader in digital and social media communications and deploy a vari-ety of methods to ensure we reach and engage as many local residents as possible. We’ll continue to do this in 2015 to ensure your views are heard on key discussions regarding parking issues, Neighbourhood Plan activities, and awareness of local election information.

We are extremely pleased to be continuing our parish apprentice-ship scheme providing a valuable opportunity to gain beneficial work experience and skills while achiev-ing a relevant qualification.

Our two apprenticeship placements bring the total staffing number to twelve officers, whose combined

salaries amount to the same cost as one chief executive of a district or borough council providing, we think, excellent value to local tax-payers.

Unfortunately, we have been required to confront declining financial support in the form of reduced grants to support services, resulting in a sizeable deficit to manage.

Dartford Borough Council continues to show commitment to pass on grant funding unlike some other authorities, although is reducing this for 2015-16 to reflect the reduc-tion in the Revenue Support Grant provided by Central government. In total, we face a reduction in fund-ing of £9,439, equivalent to 23%

of grant funding provided in the previous year.

Unlike other tiers, central govern-ment doesn’t provide any grants to enable parish and town coun-cils to achieve a council tax freeze resulting in the need for the annual parish tax to increase from £71.01 to £74.37 for a Band D property to ensure we can maintain our high standard of service. This represents a rise of £3.36 (4.7%) per year or 6p per week.

We are committed to ongoing reviews of expenditure to ensure efficiency across all services and give significant attention to income generating activities to reduce pres-sure on local taxpayers as much as possible.

WHAT DO LOCAL COUNCILLORS DO?

Councillors have three main areas of work:

1. Decision-making: Through attending meetings and committees with other elected members, council-lors decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented.

2. Monitoring: Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to ef-ficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.

3. Getting involved locally: As local representatives, councillors have responsibili-ties towards their constitu-ents and local organisations. This often depends on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available.

The day-to-day work of a councillor may include:

• going to meetings of local organisations

• going to meetings of bod-ies that affect the wider com-munity, such as the police, Highways Authority, schools and colleges

• taking up issues on behalf of members of the public, such as making representa-tions to the borough or county council

• running a surgery for resi-dents to bring up issues • meeting with individual residents in their own homes.

HOW ARE LOCAL COUNCILLORS ELECTED?

Local council councillors are elected to represent a geographical area known as a ward or – mainly in smaller local councils – the parish, town, community or neigh-bourhood council area as a whole. They are elected by people who live in the area. If the local council is divided into wards an election is held in each ward, the same way

elections are held in district or borough wards. If the local council doesn’t have wards there is just a single local council election.

WHO CAN BE A COUNCILLOR?

The easy answer is almost anyone, as long as you are:

• British or a citizen of the Commonwealth or European Union

• at least 18 years old

• registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election.

You can’t be a councillor if you:

• work for the council you want to be a councillor for, or for another local authority in a politically restricted post

• are the subject of a bank-ruptcy restrictions order or interim order

• have been sentenced to prison for three months or more (including suspended sentences) during the five years before election day

• have been convicted of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court.

If you are in any doubt about whether you are eligible to stand as a councillor, you should contact the Returning Officer at Dartford Borough Council for advice.

Once you decide you want to take it further and put yourself forward as a candidate, what’s the next step?

The answer depends on whether you want to rep-resent a political party or would like to stand as an independent candidate.

If you want to represent a political party the next step would be to get involved with your chosen party lo-cally as soon as possible.

This will help you find out more about what the role en-tails, who you will be working with and what it takes to win elections. Ultimately it’s up to the political parties’ local groups to decide whether to select you as a candidate, so you need to make contact with them as soon as pos-sible and get involved with

their work. Political parties will expect you to be, or become, a party member

If you are thinking of stand-ing as an independent can-didate you can contact the electoral services department at Dartford Borough Council for further information.

Whether you have been selected by a party or are standing as an independent candidate, you must make sure that you are officially nominated as the election date draws nearer.

This means getting 10 peo-ple to sign your nomination papers who are registered electors in the ward in which you wish to stand.

These papers are available from Dartford Borough Council’s Electoral Services department. You must also give your consent in writing to your nomination.

All the necessary documents must be submitted 19 work-ing days before the day of the election.

ElECTION SPECIAlOn May 7th, voting will take place in a general election, as well as for local borough, town and parish councils.

What matters to you in your local area? Is it the state of the local park, the need for more activities for young people, improving services for older people, making the roads safer or ensuring that local businesses can thrive?

These elections are your opportunity to influence the way local issues are addressed, whether through voting for the candidate you feel best repre-sents your views, or standing as a councillor for your local council to have

You need to be registered before you can vote If you’re not registered to vote, the deadline for receiving applications for registration is Monday 20 April.

How do I register? As part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration for the first time, people can now go online to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

People can still fill in paper registration forms if they prefer. They can con-tact their local electoral registration office for forms or download them from www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

If you are registered to vote but want to change your method of voting, the deadline for receiving new postal vote and postal proxy applications is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April.

Who can register to vote?You can register to vote if you are:• 16 years old or over (but you cannot vote until you are 18)• A British citizen• An Irish, Commonwealth or European Union citizen who is resident in the UK

Citizens of the European Union who are not Commonwealth citi-zens can vote in European and local elections in the UK, but are not able to vote in the UK General Election.

How do I vote?In the UK, there are three different ways you can vote: • In person at a polling station• By post• By proxy (someone voting on your behalf)

How you vote is up to you. It may depend on what you find easiest or most convenient. Most people vote in person at a polling sta-tion. However, if you are not able to go to the polling station in person on Election Day, you can apply to vote by post or by proxy.

WHAT IF I’M THINKING OF bECOMING A lOCAl COUNCIllOR?

There are several types of local council in England, for example district, borough, county, metropolitan and unitary councils. Sometimes these are referred to as local authorities. All councils have things in common in the way they work and make decisions on behalf of local communities. They are all led by elected council-lors who set the vision and direction of the council. However, there can be much confusion over which council does what resulting in resident frustration and inefficiency.

The table below provides an overview of the main services provided to Stone Parish residents by the three tiers of authority covering the area, along with the tax amount charged by each, however parish and town councils are the only tier not to receive central government funding as well as the tax they raise..

SERVICE STONE PARISH COUNCIL DARTFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL KENT COUNTY COUNCIL

Allotments Kirby Road Allotments

Animal Welfare Dog fouling, stray dogs,

Building Control Building Regulations compliance & inspectons

Business Services Premises licensing (pubs, betting shops) Trading Standards

Children’s Services

Apprenticeship scheme, parish-funded youth service

Adoption & fostering, residential care, youth services

Council Tax (collected by DBC)

Stone Parish residents pay £74.37 tax per year to SPC (Band D, 2015-16)

Stone Parish residents pay £162.90 tax per year to DBC (Band D, 2015-16)

Stone Parish residents pay £1089.99 tax per year to KCC (Band D, 2015-16)

Communications Parish Newspaper, email newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, noticeboards,

Council website

Council website Council website

Community Events Christmas Lights Switch-on, Easter Eggstravaganza, Remembrance Service,

Senior’s tea & cake mornings, Stone Fete

Bandstand, carols, christmas lights, Dartford Festival, open air films, Summer Sizzlers,

Community Safety Anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, loose horses Community Warden Scheme, child abuse,

Education Adult education, early years,

Environmental Health

Food hygiene, nuisance neighbours, noise & air pollution

Grants Parish Community Grant Scheme Dartford Community Grant Scheme KCC Local Members Grant Scheme

Heritage Stone Memories Project Blue Plaque Scheme

Housing Council housing (Kent Home choice scheme), Garage rents: Bell Close, Bevis Close

Residential care: Manorbrooke Care Home

Leisure & Recreation

Venues: Stone Pavilion

Parks & Gardens: Alamein Garden Green, Charles St Pocket Park, Horns Cross Garden, Stone Recreation Ground, Waterstone Park,

Worcester Park (maintenance)

Playgrounds: Stone Recreation Ground, Waterstone Park

Sports: Cricket square, football pitches & changing rooms at Stone Rec

Venues: Dartford Museum, Orchard Theatre

Parks & Gardens: Central Park, Hesketh Park, Saxon Park, Worcester Park (landowners)

Playgrounds: Almond Road, Bell Close, Jessa-mine Place, Low Close, Swallow Close

Sports: Dartford Judo Club, Fairfeld Pool, Princes Park, Stone Lodge Bowls Club

Art galleries, libraries, country parks

Planning Statutory consultee but no decision-making powers on planning applications.

Council undertaking a Neighbourhood Development Plan

Planning Authority decision-making body for most planning

applications including household, commercial or industrial building works

Planning Authority decision-making for applications for waste, minerals and county council developments

Roads & Parking Public car parks, disabled parking, resident permit schemes, traffic wardens

Potholes, grass verge cutting, road closures, drainage, salting & snow clearance,

highways safety schemes

Street Cleaning & Environment Footpaths, Grafitti, litter bins, dog foul bins Public Rights of Way, street lighting

Waste & Recycling Recycling point at Stone Pavilion Fly-tipping, household waste, recycling Refuse tips, business & commercial waste

WHAT DO lOCAl COUNCIlS DO?

what’S on in Stone Wednesday 11 March Full Council Meeting, 7pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Friday 13 March Gareth Johnson MP, Open Surgery, 10am-12pmNo appointment necessaryStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Saturday 21 MarchNeighbourhood Plan Steering Group Soiree, 2pmFree refreshments providedStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Friday 27 March Senior Citizen’s Tea & Cake Morning, 10am-12pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Wednesday 1 AprilFinance & Audit Committee Meeting, 7pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Saturday 4 AprilEaster Eggstravaganza, 1pm-3pmFree entry Stone Recreation Ground, London Road, DA9 9DQ

Friday 24 April Senior Citizen’s Tea & Cake Morning, 10am-12pm Stone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Thursday 7 MayUK General & Local Elections

Wednesday 13 May Annual Meeting of the Full Council, 7pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Wednesday 20 MayAnnual Parish Meeting, 7.30pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

Friday 29 May Senior Citizen’s Tea & Cake Morning, 10am-12pmStone Pavilion, Hayes Road, DA9 9DS

To book a place at any of the events please call 01322 384400 or email bookings@stoneparishcouncil.com

Get free help with issues such as debt and financial advice, legal problems, or benefits and housing.

Taking place on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tuesday of every month, the first session from 9:30-10:30am is a drop-in session on a first-come first-served basis, with the second session from 10:30-11:30 for appointments only.

Appointment line: 01322 270947Advice Line: 01322 472979Advice can also be accessed online at www.adviceguide.org.uk

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE FETE!!

Stone Fete 2015 will take place on Sunday 5th July from 12pm-6pm.

WANT TO HAVE A STALL AT THE FETE?

Stallholder forms for 2015 have been up-loaded onto the Stone Fete website.

Book now to reserve your stall...

www.stonefete.co.uk

GRAVESEND & DARTFORD FRIENDSHIP CLUB

Meets monthly at Stone Pavilion.

Also meets for pub lunches, day trips and hosts guest speakers.

Contact Charles on 01322 227886 or email ustwo@talktalk.net for further details.

In honour of World Book Night, a Dartford Book Exchange will be running from 2nd to 22nd of April 2015. Unwanted books in good condition can be taken to Stephen Oliver’s Studio & Gallery in the Orchards Centre, where you may swap them for any other do-nated books.

From 7pm on the 23rd April, a further Book Exchange event at Stone Pavilion. Any leftover books will be donated to local organisations.

If you represent an organisation (such as a care home or day centre) which would like to receive some of the books, please contact Kelly at kgoldsworthy@hotmail.com.

DARTFORD BOOK EXCHANGE – 2nd-22nd APRIL

FREE ADVICE SERVICES AT STONE PAVILION

The Fighting Chance Judo Club is a community based family orientated club which caters for all. We provide a safe environment for individuals to learn Judo, build confidence and improve their fitness.

In 2013 the Fighting Chance Judo Club won the High Sheriff’s National Crime Beat award.

Every Thursday @ Stone Pavilion, Hayes Rd 6.30-8pm £3 per session. First session free

Contact: fightingchancejudoclub@hotmail.com

Paul Squire-07972 004584 Lorraine Silvester-07792 433392 Rob Payne- 07772226039 Nicola Sands-07772 226122

PLACES ON OFFER AT JUDO CLUB

Stone PariSh CoUnCiLwww.stoneparishcouncil.com

The council has twelve members repre-senting five parish Wards. Councillors are elected every four years at local elec-tions. The next parish elections will take place in May 2015.

All meetings of the council are open to the public. Full Council meetings take place bi-monthly and feature a dedicated agenda item for public questions.

Full Council meetings are held on the second Wednesday of January, March, May, July, September and November.

Meetings begin promptly at 7pm and are held at Stone Pavilion, Hayes Road.

Meeting agendas are distributed and up-loaded to the council’s website approxi-mately 7 days prior to the meeting.

ContaCt yoUr CoUnCiLLor

Castle WardJohn Burrell - 01322 370408Keith Kelly - 07534 980500Michael Street - 07986 634452

Horns Cross WardLucy Canham - 07905 494962Paul Cutler - 07703 212282

Milestone WardSue Martin - 01322 272996Stephanie Thredgle - 01322 384400

St John’s WardDavid Baker - 01322 271434Joyce Wise - 01322 226890Claire Pearce - 01322 632763

Stone Village WardJeanne Hoadley - 01322 380322Tony Martin - 07954 704229

An installation of new stones, formally unveiled at the council’s Remembrance Service in November, now proudly commemorate the 118 WWI soldiers at the Remambrance Garden at Stone Recreation Ground.

Following research by local resident Phil Erswell, the council commissioned installation of the stones as a lasting tribute in time for commermoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Great War.

The Remembrance Garden has also benefitted from additional paving and new benches, positioned to provide contemplation of the stones. Funding was provided by the Parish Council, along with a grant from Dartford Borough Council.

Discusions are now taking place to consider further commemoration of soldiers from subsequent wars.

MEMORIAL STONES COMMEMORATE WWI SOLDIERS

A new youth activity centre for Scouting and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme activities to be built in Stone will be named after murdered schoolgirl Claire Tiltman.

At a recent meeting, members of Stone Parish Council resolved to dedicate the centre after Claire, who lived in the par-ish, following recent consultation regard-ing street naming for the council’s scheme at Cotton Lane that will see erection of a dedicated activity centre alongside sixteen residential properties.

Claire was brutally murdered in an alleyway in Greenhithe in 1993, just a few days after her 16th birthday. Colin Ash-Smith has recently been found guilty of her murder and sentenced to 21 years imprisonment, although Claire’s parents never lived long enough to see this justice done.

At the time of her death Claire had been undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and had also inspired other friends to take part in the scheme.

Council members, family, and friends of Claire agree the proposed activity centre provides a most fitting opportunity to com-memorate Claire to ensure her memory lives on following her untimely death.

Council Chairman John Burrell said,“Claire was murdered in the most tragic way in her teenage years, taking away her ability to have a life full of experiences and achievements.

The parish council’s proposed youth activity centre is specifically designed to provide local children and teenagers with valuable life skills to enable them to prosper in life in a way Claire was sadly unable to.”

Construction of the activity centre is due to start in the summer.

CoMMUnity newS

Following a submission by Parish Councillors John Burrelll and Stephanie Thredgle, local landlord Sean Holland was presented with a Dartfordian Award by Dartford’s Mayor Avtar Sandhu at the Civic Centre Council Chamber in December to recognise his efforts in raising money for the Cancer Research Charity.

Over the past 35 years as landlord to the ‘Lads of the Village’ pub in Stone Village, Sean has hosted a number of events and activities in aid of his chosen charity, result-ing in funds totalling around £189,000 to go towards finding a cure for cancer.

Council Chairman John Burrell said, “Sean is well known in the community, for his hospitality as a landlord, his recognition of the work of the Armed Forces, and significantly, for the huge sums of money he has raised over the years for Cancer Research.

It is more than fitting he should receive recognition through the Dartfordian Award Scheme to acknowledge how proud we are of his efforts.”

The Dartfordian Awards, launched by Dart-ford Borough Council in 2010, are awarded to people who go that extra mile and give their time and services to local projects and the wider community.

We would love to hear your suggestions for nominations for a local hero (or heroine!) who give their time to help the community or who has made an outstanding contribution to Dartford.

Email suggestions for nominations to: clerk@stoneparishcouncil.com

Stone Parish Council invites applications from local groups and associations to benefit from its annual grant scheme.

£3,000 is on offer for projects needing financial assistance, which the council will assess against specific criteria to determine allocation of funds.Deadline for the next round of applications is Friday 29th May 2015.

Application forms can be requested by post or downloaded via the council’s website at: http://www.stoneparishcouncil.com/ council-finance/grants/

DARTFORDIAN AWARD PRESENTED TO LOCAL LANDLORD

GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

COUNCIL TO NAME CENTRE AFTER CLAIRE TILTMAN