Important Notice

The Parish Council's email address has changed to [email protected], please amend your records accordingly.

 

Mobile Library Visits to Harrietsham

Harrietsham has a mobile library which visits fortnightly.  It stocks a large range of fiction, local interest, large print, non-fiction and children’s books and can assist on board with e-books and audio books.  It is free to join and this can be done onboard; all Kent library cards are also valid. Reservations can be collected from the mobile library free of charge.

Harrietsham’s visit is on a Wednesday from 1.40 – 2.10pm, outside the Post Office (ME17 1HX), and the forthcoming dates for 2025 are as follows:

8th January, 22nd January

5th February, 19th February

5th March,19th March

2nd April, 16th April, 30th April

14th May, 28th May

11th June, 25th June

9th July, 23rd July

6th August, 20th August

3rd September, 17th September

1st October, 15th October, 29th October

12th November, 26th November

10th December

For further information you can visit their website:  https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/libraries/visiting-a-library/mobile-libraries

 

Harrietsham’s Parish Warden

Residents may recall that, during 2023, Kent County Council began a review of the Community Warden Service.  This review reduced the number of Wardens across the whole of Kent from 70 to just 32, with those remaining being placed using a Geographic Allocation Policy.  This ensured that the surviving Wardens would be based in the areas most in need.

At the time, the Parish Council requested that as many residents as possible responded to the consultation to try to protect the service which is currently seen in the village but, unfortunately, this was unsuccessful and the updated Warden Service will begin to roll out during June 2024.

The Parish Council was very concerned about the negative impact that this new service would have on the village, as we would lose our own Community Warden, Martin Sherwood, who residents have come to rely on during the 13 years he has been operating jointly in Harrietsham and Lenham.

We are therefore very pleased to announce that the Parish Council has made the decision to employ our own Parish Warden, who will start at the end of May.  You will all find his face very familiar, as Martin has made the decision, after many years of service with Kent County Council, to accept this new part-time role (3 days a week) and will be based solely in Harrietsham. 

Residents won’t see much of a difference in the service offered, the new Parish Warden will still attend the various clubs, as he does presently, and will still be contactable to discuss any concerns you have on a vast array of topics.  Hopefully Martin will now have the opportunity to be out and about in the Community more, so you may see him walking around the village.

The new contact details for Martin Sherwood, Harrietsham's Parish Warden, are as follows:

Mobile: 07724 544409

Email Address: [email protected]

 

Asian Hornet (Vespa Velutina)

Asian Hornets are an invasive non-native hornet, originally from Asia, which is a highly aggressive predator.  This poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.  There have been sightings of the hornet in Kent and residents are being asked to report any sightings immediately.  Further details can be found in the attached leaflet (above).

Report by email: [email protected]

(or) Online: www.nonnativespecies.org/alerts/asianhornet

 

Important Notice

Parish.UK Network Website

It has come to the attention of Parish Clerks in the country that a website has been set up by Parish.UK Network, which implies it is working in conjunction with Parish Councils.  The information on the website is inaccurate and is not linked in anyway to Local Government offices.  It has been reported that, in some areas, the site requests users to sign up to their directory, which can entail costs, thinking that the money will go to their local Parish Council.  This is not the case and we would ask that the site is not accessed (and no payments made) to protect residents in the village.  

Parish.UK Network is a fraudulent website, which is being investigated by the National Trading Standards E-Crime Team.

This website is the only one used by the Parish Council and all information is kept as up to date as possible.  If you have any concerns, then please contact the Parish Clerk ([email protected])

 

 

Advice regarding E-Scooters

The following was copied from the Kent Police Website;

Electric scooter owners in Maidstone are reminded to comply with the law and be considerate of other road users.

The warning is issued after police community support officers seized an e-scooter from a child after he was seen riding it in a dangerous manner in Plains Avenue, on Wednesday 2 December 2020.  The boy had been advised by the same officers regarding a similar incident a few days earlier. His parent was asked to attend the police station to retrieve it and they received guidance regarding their son's conduct.

Inspector Stephen Kent of Maidstone's Community Safety Unit said: 'In the town centre and surrounding housing estates we have been receiving reports of the antisocial and dangerous use of e-scooters.
'Owners should be aware that these currently fall under the same laws and regulations that apply to all motor vehicles. This means for use on a public road the user requires insurance, vehicle tax, a driving licence and registration.'

Illegal use

The use of e-scooters on pavements, in cycle lanes and in pedestrian-only areas is illegal and, in general, they should only be used on private land with the landowner’s permission.

Inspector Kent continued: 'Our officers will be stopping and giving words of advice to e-scooter users and will seize the equipment where offences have been committed.  Where appropriate, persistent offenders or dangerous riders can be issued with a fixed penalty notice or receive a traffic offence report.'

 

The following is a summary copied from the .gov.uk website.

“Powered transporters” is a term used to cover a variety of novel and emerging personal transport devices which are powered by a motor, including e-scooters. 

Given how powered transporters are motorised and designed, they fall within the legal definition of a “motor vehicle”. Therefore the laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to powered transporters.

It is illegal to use a powered transporter:

• on a public road without complying with a number of legal requirements, which potential users will find very difficult
• in spaces that are set aside for use by pedestrians, cyclists, and horse-riders; this includes on the pavement and in cycle lanes

Any person who uses a powered transporter on a public road or other prohibited space in breach of the law is committing a criminal offence and can be prosecuted.

It is legal to use a powered transporter:

• on private land with the permission of the land owner

Please specifically note the following;

“If the user of a powered transporter could meet these requirements, it might in principle be lawful for them to use public roads. However, it is likely that they will find it very difficult to comply with all of these requirements, meaning that it would be a criminal offence to use them on the road.”

The term “powered transporters” does not include electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs), which have their own regulatory framework.