Ashford has a new mayor and a new-look council executive committee following last night’s meeting of the full council.
Tenterden Councillor John Link was elected as Mayor of the borough for the next year. Cllr Link takes the chains of office from Cllr Rita Hawes, for whom he has served as Deputy Mayor for the past 12 months.
Ashford Borough Council are inviting views on their ‘Issues and Options’ Report for the Tenterden and the Rural Sites Development Plan Document. The principle role of this plan will be to allocate new sites for development outside Ashford Growth area whilst also including a range of topic based planning policies which deal with specific rural planning issues.
A barn owner who illegally carried out renovations to his property was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,440 legal costs.
Buspass holders will be able to enjoy free nationwide bus travel between the hours of 9am to 11pm from 30 June. Currently the scheme runs from 9.30am to 11pm but Kent County Council has agreed to cover the cost of an extra 30 minutes of free travel at the start of the day in response to public demand.
Members of the business community met last week (Thursday 8 May) to find out what Ashford’s future holds and how they can capitalise on the opportunities the town’s development will bring. The event was organised and chaired by the Mayor, Cllr Rita Hawes, and was held in the new Ashford’s Future marketing suite on the 7th Floor of Charter House.