Petition Against Parking Charges

Sevenoaks Liberal Democrats have begun a campaign to get Sevenoaks District Council to abandon plans to increase the cost of parking in Sevenoaks Town from 2013.

Sevenoaks residents can sign up on the Sevenoaks Liberal Democrat Website.

Parking has been a hot button issue in Sevenoaks over the last few years, with regular price rises being brought in by the Council.

Many residents, traders and shop keepers have complained that the cost of parking is off-putting to potential shoppers and is contributing to the decline of the High Street.

The Council claims that parking charges are an essential revenue making exercise for them and without increases they would be unable to pay for essential services.

It would seem that if visitor numbers are decreasing then increasing the parking charges to make up the shortfall in revenue can only work up to a point.

Previous attempts to get the District Council to debate the issue fully have been ignored despite campaigners achieving the requisite number of signatures.

Sevenoaks Liberal Democrats
http://www.sevenoakslibdems.org.uk

Council Denies Terror Planning

Daniel Whitmarsh, Communication and Consultation Manager for Sevenoaks District Council, has denied claims that council staff have been preparing to respond in the event of a terrorist attack on the Olympic Torch Relay on Friday.

He says:
"There is absolutely no truth in the story..." and "Tomorrow we will be stewarding the event and as a matter of course our staff and 200 volunteers will wearing high vis clothing."

While the council have sent two messages asking for the original article to be removed we do not believe in censorship but in open discussion of the facts.

We are not aware of any threat to Sevenoaks or the Olympic Torch Relay and have no reason to believe there is anything for people to worry about.


However, we received information from a reliable source so either planning for a potential terror threat was an element of preparations for Friday or staff were inadvertently lead to believe that it was.

Due to the secretive nature of any discussions about such threats the public are always the last to know and potential public panic is always used as an excuse to keep things secret. The problem with this is that it then becomes impossible for the public to trust the word of those in authority and even means their statements will be questioned even when they are telling the truth.

Regardsless, Sevenoaks Newswire will be attending the Olympic Torch Relay in Sevenoaks tomorrow.

District Council Prepared for Terrorist Attack

UPDATE: Council responds to this article

Workers at the Sevenoaks District Council offices in Argyle Road have been told not to book meetings or appointments for Friday 20th July when the Olympic Torch comes to Sevenoaks so that they can all be available in the event of a terrorist attack.

Staff have been issued with high visibility jackets to wear if an attack happens, presumably because they will be asked to direct members of the public away from the event or to medical help etc.

No information is available at this time as to whether an actual threat exists as no warnings have been passed on to either the public or organisations preparing to be present on the day. Whether the council has received any intelligence from counter terrorism forces or is just making prudent preparations also remains to be seen.

While Sevenoaks seems an unlikely target for terrorist action local MP Michael Fallon is in a very high ranking position within the Conservative Party and could, potentially, attract interest from terrorists. We have yet to receive confirmation of whether Michael Fallon will be attending the event.

Note: Sevenoaks Newswire has no information to indicate an attack is either likely or expected. If you have any concerns about this event please contact the relevant authorities for up to date information.