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New Mayor of Maidstone
The new Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Gordon Newton, was elected at the MBC Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 20 May.
The AGM was held at Maidstone Town Hall when Gordon, who previously served as Deputy Mayor of Maidstone, received his chain of office from outgoing Mayor, Cllr Derek Mortimer.
This was followed by the Mayor's Parade in the Mayor's Carriage, which was gratefully prepared and made road-ready by the team at Maidstone Museum.
The MBC Annual Meeting also saw the Leader, Cllr David Burton announce the Cabinet of the Council for the forthcoming year as follows:
- Cabinet Member for Communities, Leisure and Arts - Councillor Claudine Russell
- Cabinet Member for Corporate Services - Councillor John Perry
- Cabinet Member for Environmental Services - Councillor Patrik Garten
- Cabinet Member for Housing and Health - Councillor Lottie Parfitt-Reid
- Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development (Deputy Leader) - Councillor Paul Cooper
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Marden Neighbourhood Action Day
This week, MBC Teams from Community Protection, Waste and Waste Crime joined partners from Golding Homes, MHS Homes, Kent Police and more for a Neighbourhood Action Day in Marden.
Throughout the day, the teams met with Marden residents, who were able to raise concerns they have in their local community, and in a lot of cases, someone was able to help.
Jack Orwell, Waste Crime Officer, was able to take fly-tipping reports from residents who did not have access to make their reports online and Emma Weston and Sarah Savage, both from Community Protection, were able to advise residents about responsible pet ownership and even create personalised pet tags. Jack Ackland, Waste Services Officer, benefitted from the day as it was a great chance to meet colleagues from other organisations in person and work together on shared objectives.
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Community Protection All-Out Day
Last Friday, members from the Community Protection Team took to Jubilee Square to engage with Town Centre visitors, letting them know what support is available and handing out resources such as personal alarms.
The Team was joined by partners from Kent Police and One Maidstone BID and they managed to speak with lots of passing members of the public. This was an opportunity for residents to raise their concerns with the team, demonstrating that the wider Safer Maidstone Partnership is accessible and proactive and making Maidstone a safe place to work, live and visit is their top priority.
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It's time to vote for the
One Council Staff Awards
 As we heard in this month's All Staff Webinar, nominations are now open for the One Council Staff Awards. Who has really gone the Extra Mile this year? Who deserves to be recognised as Team of the Year?
Cast your votes now before the closing date NEXT WEEK, Friday 2 June 2023, and find out the winners at the One Council Staff Awards Event on Wednesday 28 June at Maidstone Leisure Centre. The presentations will begin at 10am, followed by activities in Mote Park from 12pm.
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New Electric Car
As we heard in the All Staff Webinar, Maidstone Borough Council now offers staff access to a new electric car for business needs. If you are in Maidstone town centre and need to use a car to get to a meeting away from one of the offices, why not opt to use the electric car?
It's easy to register: just generate a DVLA Check Code using this website and then send the case-sensitive code, along with a copy of your driving licence to Facilities Management.
Then, add the 'Pool Car' shared calendar to your Outlook calendar to see when the car is free. Confirm your booking by contacting Facilities Management with at least 24 hours notice.
Save money, save the environment and get the chance to test out an electric car.
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Get involved: National Volunteers' Week
The annual Volunteers' Week is taking place 1 to 7 June, and we want to remind you that MBC supports employees who wish to do volunteer work within the Maidstone Borough. MBC will allow staff to take a maximum of two days per year as paid time away from normal work duties, to undertake volunteering activities within the Maidstone community.
For details of the MBC Volunteering Policy on the intranet click here
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Volunteers at Shepway Community Larder
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Volunteer efforts in Whatman Park
Volunteers from the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership (MVCP) took park in a conservation and restoration day in Whatman Park this week. The work entailed building tawny owl boxes to encourage wildlife in the park and reinforcing the pathways and steps in the Woodland Walk, which is surrounded by ancient wildlife.
The objective of the group is provide access for people so that they can discover and enjoy green spaces, while creating, managing and improving wildlife habitats.
The Thursday Action Group tackles a different project and location each week and is always looking for volunteers. If you would enjoy getting involved, please contact the team here, or visit the MVCP website.
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May Half-Term Fun at the Museum
Don't miss out on the May half-term Make-It crafts at Maidstone Museum, where there will be a different dinosaur-themed craft on Tuesday 30 May to Thursday 1 June. Booking is required and there is a small charge. You can also book at the Reception desk when you visit the Museum.
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Keep it Clean...
As a gentle reminder for those working at Maidstone House - please make sure that at the end of the day, you take all of your used mugs and glasses and put them into the dishwasher or wash them up.
Others will be using the desk after you, so please make sure you tidy your working area.
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Lockmeadow Survey
The MBC Leisure Team wants to hear from you!
In November 2019, the Council purchased the lease for Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre to realise its priority of making the borough a Thriving Place.
We are now seeking feedback from people that have both visited Lockmeadow, and those that haven't, so that we can make improvements to Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre.
Survey closes 11 June.
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Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document (DPD)
(MBC) is consulting on the further development of the Council’s DPD, and is encouraging residents, businesses, and stakeholders to have their say. The new plan will help embed good design and sustainability as a core element of new development in the Borough.
The consultation is now open and closes 12 June.
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Bride-to-Be
Congratulations to Bride-to-Be, Claire Ocsko, Senior Electoral Services Officer, who is getting married this weekend, from all your friends at MBC.
We hope you enjoyed all of the posters around Maidstone House
and in the lifts!
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Jennifer Stevens, Head of Environmental Services & Public Realm; Graham Gosden , Waste Manager; John Edwards, Public Realm Operations Manager; Sharon Smith, Bereavement Services Manager; and Andrew Williams, Parks & Open Spaces Manager, have all been thanked by Cllr Martin Round, who celebrated a year of holding the portfolio for Environmental Services. Cllr Round wrote to the team:
I KNOW, that at Maidstone we have a superb team; established, well-co-ordinated, experienced, appropriately communicative and always exemplary in respect of good communication.
The team, the portfolio, was literally the best.
To Jen and all the team, and to the extended team, please extend my best wishes to all of them. They are gems!
It has been a joy to serve this portfolio because the team is so good.
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Residents in Temporary Accommodation at Magnolia House have expressed their thanks to the TA Team, with a special 'thank you' message for Ruivo Lopes, Accommodation Officer. The resident said:
Everyone is always so quick to moan and not give positivity back, so I really wanted to say something positive.
Since having Ruivo as our Accommodation Manager, it’s been brilliant. Ruivo really listens to our concerns and takes them on board. He is empathetic and proactive and really is a breath of fresh air.
He takes our safety here seriously and is always polite and friendly, but firm.
Magnolia House really is a better place; we have some lovely residents here and it’s really cleaned up because of Ruivo's consistent hard work. Ruivo has pride and dedication in his work and does everything with great gusto.
I would like to thank all the Temporary Accommodation Team for their commitment and understanding and for helping us.
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Get Around for £2 extended!
The £2 Single Bus Fare Cap scheme has been extended until
31 October 2023.
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Sign up for E-Billing
If you are a Maidstone resident, make sure that you sign up for e-billing to get your council tax bills sent directly through email.
It's quick, efficient and saves a huge amount of paper.
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GOT A STORY? EMAIL: COMMUNICATIONS@MAIDSTONE.GOV.UK |
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