Sevenoaks, Dartford & Gravesham Liberal DemocratsIn May 2021, local Lib Dem Sandra Robinson stood for this seat and came a strong second to the Conservative. Now, another Tory in the ward has abandoned it to become MP for Southend West. This time, Sandra is backing another local Lib Dem activist, Clare Coombe. More details to follow very soon. Meanwhile, look back at what Sandra stood for last years. Have any of the issues she raised been tackled by the Tories?
I have lived in Chipstead for over 20 years. I love our area, but we have pressing issues that have been allowed to fester to breaking point.
Tired of waiting for others to solve these issues, I am standing to represent our Ward on the Sevenoaks District Council (SDC).
As a professional economist I have untangled problems to implement workable solutions at all levels of government and in the private sector. I can offer international experience of best practices from countries such as Australia (environmental, coordinated roadworks), The Netherlands and Belgium (traffic calming, pedestrian safety, city and rural cycling, fly-tipping).
District councillors need to do their bit. In addition to my SDC work, I will work actively with local groups and other councillors on issues that still affect us daily, years after first being raised …
Our stretch of the A25 has dangerous junctions, inadequate or absent pavements, lack of safe pedestrian crossings, speeding, and HGVs rattling our houses. There are also: poor rural broadband coverage; lack of parking for central village residents; overcrowded school buses; patchy local health and social care; and, as always, fly-tipping.
Above all, I will be our own, 'home-grown' voice on the district council for all residents. The other candidates do not live in our Ward, and neither do the current councillors. What sort of representation of our area is that?
Planning and Housing
Larger developments: We need both houses to sleep in and safe play areas, sports courts for teenagers, ground-floor provision for small businesses like accountants, hairdressers and corner shops. In short, everything which makes a community, keeps us safe and reduces car dependency.
New developments elsewhere in the UK prove we can have the same here for our young families, as well as good-quality social housing.
Other planning: Covers Farm and Chevening Estate are applying for landfill again, but existing heavy lorries along traffic-choked access routes are already a problem. If Chevening Estate really wants more visual screening from the M25, there are better, green alternatives which don't need 60 lorries a day for up to five years.
Fly-tipping from building works and household clearances: We need cost-benefit analysis comparing the cost of Sevenoaks District Council cleaning up all this dumped waste with active steps we can introduce. Of course, the government also needs to address the absurdity of businesses who 'do the right thing' taking waste to a recycling facility having to pay for this privilege, while 'dumpers' don't get caught and save themselves thousands of pounds.
Wild Flowers in our public spaces: Without touching children's play spaces or mown verges for drivers' visibility, let's convert our public, grass spaces into colourful habitats to support bees and other species.
Residents' parking in Town: In each of Brasted, Sundridge, Ide Hill, Bessels Green and Chipstead, residents cannot park within walking distance of their homes, even with heavy shopping, children or the less mobile to pick up and drop off. We can have a system that supports residents and businesses, and also welcomes visitors and shoppers.
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