Swale Borough Council

Council Prosecutes Illegal Waste Carrier

Council Prosecutes Illegal Waste Carrier

Mat Jackson, of Eastchurch on the Isle Of Sheppey, was seen transporting a large load of waste, including scrap metal, on the A249 during Op Assist - a joint operation between Kent Police’s rural task force and Swale Borough Council - in May 2023.   

Mr Jackson drove away from the police, who pursued him in a marked police vehicle, they caught up with his flatbed lorry at a scrap metal site in Sittingbourne.   

Officers carried out vehicle checks at this location and discovered he was transporting the waste without a license and could not produce a transfer note.   

Fly-Tipping Week Of Action

Fly-Tipping Week Of Action

Waste carriers were targeted last week (Tuesday 30th January) as part of a regular crackdown on fly-tipping acropss the borough. 

Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to crack down on suspected fly-tipping, collect evidence, and take enforcement action for waste related crimes. 

Outcomes of the day were: 

  • 7 vehicles stopped and searched
  • 2 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) issued

Each offender received a fixed penalty notice of £300 for failing to produce a permit to carry waste, or the necessary documents. 

SBC Tennis Courts Reopen After Refurbishment

SBC Tennis Courts Reopen After Refurbishment

Two of Swale Borough Council’s tennis courts have been refurbished thanks to a partnership between the council and the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association). 

The park tennis courts at Milton Recreation Ground and King George V Playing Fields in Sittingbourne are now open to the public after going through extensive improvement works delivered by the LTA through its Park Tennis Project, alongside Swale Borough Council. 

New Town Centre Marshals Over Christmas Period

New Town Centre Marshals Over Christmas Period

Swale Borough Council is deploying uniformed marshals to help keep Sheerness and Sittingbourne town centres safe.  

The street marshals, who will be operating over the school holidays, are one of several initiatives being rolled out as part of the Safer Streets campaign.    

The council, through the Community Safety Partnership, worked with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to secure the funding needed for the campaign from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund.  

Council Expands Hartlip Conservation Area

Council Expands Hartlip Conservation Area

A conservation area in Swale has been expanded to include more areas of local importance.

Swale Borough Council has reviewed Hartlip and Bredgar Conservation Areas as part of their commitment to deliver the adopted Heritage Strategy 2020, Action Plan 1. 

After undertaking a public consultation on the conservation area’s character appraisals and the proposed management plan, the Council has expanded the borders of Hartlip conservation area (CA) and have kept the existing boundaries of Bredgar Conservation Area. 

Council Set To Plant Over 15,000 Trees

Council Set To Plant Over 15,000 Trees

Swale Borough Council is set to plant over 15,000 trees thanks to a government grant of £273,400. 

The funding, which came from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Tree Fund, will enable the council to plant 15,000 whips and 350 standard trees over the next 2 years and forms an important part of the council's Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan. 

The whips, when planted, will be under a metre tall and consist of a thin stem and few branches, but will grow into fully matured trees. They will be protected with biodegradable tree shelters. 

New Waste Collection Vehicles To Be Named

New Waste Collection Vehicles To Be Named

Local residents are being invited to help name Swale Borough Councils’ new fleet of waste collection and street sweeper vehicles.

Swale Borough Council wants people to get creative and help name 24 new waste collection vehicles and four new street cleansing vehicles that will be working across the borough from March.

The vehicles are currently being built as part of the new waste and street cleansing contract with SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd.

Swale Independent Councillor Joins Labour

Swale Independent Councillor Joins Labour

Councillor Ann Cavanagh, who was elected to Swale Borough Council in May this year, as a Swale Independent representing Borden and Grove Park ward, has joined the Labour Group and will sit with Labour when the Council convenes its next Full Council meeting next week.

The balance of the Council will thus change to; Labour-16 seats; Swale Independents 12; Conservatives 11; Liberal Democrats 5 and Green Party 3. It will make no difference to the balance between the Coalition administration and the opposition, as Cllr Cavanagh is exchanging one coalition group for another.

Council's Day Of Action To Crackdown On Fly-Tipping

Swale Borough Council (SBC) have teamed up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to crack down on suspected fly-tipping on a day of action collecting evidence and taking enforcement action for waste related crimes.  
  
SBC have confirmed that 8 vehicles were stopped and searched and 4 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued.  
  

Concerns Over Proposed Changes To Youth Services

Concerns Over Proposed Changes To Youth Services

Swale Borough Council have raised concerns about Kent County Council (KCC) proposals to change youth services across the borough. 

The council has written to Kent’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Regulatory Services, Cllr Clair Bell, to set out its opposition to cut externally commissioned youth services, as part of proposals to create new family hubs to support children and families. 

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