Have your say on CCTV in Bearsted
There has been a noticeable uplift in incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Parish of Bearsted in 2026.
Following concerns raised by residents and local organisations Bearsted Parish Council are exploring the introduction of CCTV. This has been supported by the local community policing team who have helped identify the below locations for the proposed cameras.
An Extraordinary meeting of the Council was held on Tuesday 11th August. Many residents and community groups attended and showed overwhelming support for the initiative. We would welcome further feedback to ensure we have the support of our community.
If you wish to comment, please email support@bearstedparishcouncil.gov.uk
The next meeting of the Council will take place on Tuesday 15th September at Madginford Hall 7.15pm – We welcome residents to attend.
All feedback will be discussed and next steps confirmed.
Locations only
Kent Minerals Site Plan 2026
Consultation Closes at 11:59 on Thursday 10th September 2026
Welcome to Kent County Council’s public consultation on the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Mineral Sites Plan 2026.
About this consultation
Minerals such as sand, gravel and hard rock are essential for building and maintaining the homes, schools, hospitals, roads and infrastructure that communities rely on every day. Unlike other types of development that need to be planned for, minerals can only be extracted where they naturally occur.
Kent County Council has a legal responsibility as the Minerals Planning Authority to plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregate resources to meet future need.
The Kent Mineral Sites Plan forms part of that process. The Plan identifies locations that may be suitable in principle for future mineral extraction while taking account of environmental, social and economic considerations.
This consultation is an opportunity to comment on the soundness and legal compliance of the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Mineral Sites Plan 2026 before it is submitted for independent examination.
Background
The adopted Kent Mineral Sites Plan 2020 set out where mineral extraction and processing is acceptable in principle in Kent, supporting the strategy of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan. It identified sites for extracting soft sand (building sand), sharp sand and gravel, ensuring Kent has a steady and adequate supply of minerals to meet future development needs for the county.
Following the adoption of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024–2039 in March 2025, the County Council reviewed the Kent Mineral Sites Plan in line with the requirement for local planning authorities to review local plans at least every five years.
The review looked at whether the existing minerals sites are still suitable and whether any new sites are needed to meet Kent’s mineral supply needs up to 2039. It found that much of the adopted Plan is still relevant, but updates are needed to reflect future mineral supply requirements, specifically for hard rock supply.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO ACCESS THE SURVEY PLEASE CLICK HERE
National Highways & Transport Network – Public Satisfaction Surveys
These surveys close on 28 February 2027.
This year, for the ninth year running, Kent County Council is taking part in the NHT Public Satisfaction Survey on highways and transport services. Whilst the main survey is being carried out by Ipsos, who are sending forms to a representative sample of households, we have also opted to take part in six web-based surveys on specific issues:
- Highway maintenance
- Accessibility
- Walking and cycling
- Public transport
- Road safety
- Tackling congestion
These surveys are publicly available online, and will remain open until the end of February 2027.
To access the surveys, please click here
Help shape a safer Maidstone – Discussion Group
Maidstone Borough Council is working with Involve to launch Maidstone Together: A Community Discussion.
This is your chance to be part of genuine discussion and real decision making about how to make our borough safer for everyone.
It’s a space where residents come together, share experiences, hear from experts, and develop recommendations that will directly shape Maidstone Borough’s strategy on violence against women and girls.
We will have 36 residents taking part. These participants will be carefully selected from people who volunteer themselves, to ensure they represent the different groups across our local population. To create the safest environment for discussing sensitive topics, the process involves small groups based on age and gender (women, men, teenage girls, and teenage boys). All groups welcome and include trans and non-binary people.
If you are aged 16-18, we will also need you to share the contact details of a parent, guardian or carer to provide their consent for you to take part.
If you are from a local community organisation you can complete the sign up form on behalf of someone else if they have asked for support.
Get involved: https://www.involve.org.uk/news-opinion/project-updates/help-shape-safer-maidstone
Kent Police & My Community Voice
Maidstone Town Team have been working towards reducing violence within the Town Centre. As part of this we would like to hear your views. The below link will take you to a short questionnaire which takes no longer than a couple of minutes to fill out. It is completely anonymous and the results will help guide Kent Police in relation to project work.
My Community Voice
My Community Voice is a messaging service that helps Kent and Medway residents, businesses, and community groups to keep in touch with their local policing teams. The service sends updates about your local area directly from the police officers themselves.
My Community Voice is more than just a messaging service; it allows you to reply to the alerts we send you, share information and tell us about the issues affecting you.
We are committed to engaging with communities to increase trust and confidence and to help protect people from harm. Police, partners and the public working together can build resilient and safe communities, and both reduce and prevent crime.
You will be able to play an active part in police appeals as well as keeping updated in what is happening in your local area.