Reference: MC2008/0761
Consultation Start: 09/05/08
Consultation End: 30/05/08
Location: 34 Priory Road Gillingham ME8 6AS
Description: Insertion of dormer to rear to facilitate living accommodation in roof space and construction of a first floor extension to rear (resubmission)
Full Details/Comments: Medway Council Website

Planning applications are listed for informative purposes only, and are in no way an endorsement of any individual application listed.

I am currently sat in front of 48 pages of CPT2 (Computing) past exams, slowly working my way through, answering questions I can answer, making notes in the margin on those I cannot. I am on page four!

My full exam timetable is on my Google Calendar (see Alan’s Diary), in case you are interested, but, with the exception of half term and planning applications (one this week, I will publish it tonight), I will almost cease posting on this website and concentrate on my exams.

However, I am not entirely content with allowing my blog to go too quiet, and thus stale. So, over the next six weeks, as I write practice essays for Government and Politics (my last exams), I shall post them on here for continual fresh content.

So keep checking back and I promise I’ll post as much as I can!

Medway’s newest Councillor, Trevor Clarke, has responded to those who voted for him in the Rochester South and Horsted by-election on Thursday, May 8.

Cllr Clarke, who was elected with a majority of 1028, has thanked all those who voted for him and looked forward to serving his ward, drawing inspiration for the next three years from the Old Testament book of Micah:

I am absolutely thrilled to have fought and won this by-election campaign alongside a fantastic team of local councillors and party members marshalled and inspired superbly by our Agent, Andrew Kennedy.

My deepest thanks go to the electorate who turned out in record numbers and have put their trust in me. In considering how best to serve the residents of this great ward we live in as their councillor for the next 3 years I am minded of a verse from the book of Micah in the Old Testament. To the question “what does God require of me” comes the answer “to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly” – I hope to serve my ward in just such a way.

Cllr Rehman Chishti, Alan Duncan MP and Alan Collins at the Gillingham and Rainham Conservatives’ dinner

Alan Duncan MP, the Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, was the guest speaker at a Gillingham Conservatives Association dinner last Thursday, May 8.

Mr Duncan, who appeared on Have I Got News For You last week alongside guest panelist Marcus Brigstocke and guest host Brian Blessed, was well received by the audience of around 50 people at the Masonic Hall in Gundolph Square, Rochester.

Mr Duncan started his visit by talking to the local media, and then meeting all the guests. Following the dinner, Mr Duncan made his speech and then answered questions from the assembled guests (including yours truly, who asked “how is your left ear?“).

Mr Duncan’s visit follows visits from Tim Boswell MP, Francis Maude MP and the late Benazir Bhutto, with more prominent Conservatives due to visit in the next few months.

More photographs can be seen on my Flickr account.

Conservative Trevor Clarke has been elected to Medway Council following a by-election in Rochester South and Horsted.

Update at 07:53

Cllr Clarke has won a fantastic victory. The Conservative majority in 2007 was 518, whilst Cllr Clarke’s majority last night was almost double that at 1028. The turnout also increased from 37.1% to 41% - very close to the turnout at the London Mayoral election and beating the turnout in 6 of 22 wards in 2007.

A YouGov poll last night showed that the gap between the Conservatives and Labour nationally is 26%. Well, in RSH, the gap is 27.1%, with the Conservatives on 48.7%, Labour on 21.6% and the Lib Dems on 20.2%.

I have updated the results page, list of councillors and added a profile page for Cllr Clarke.

Update on 11/05/08 at 17:16

Full results

Rainham North Councillor David Carr has been officially elected Mayor of Medway, at the Annual Meeting of the Full Council.

Cllr Carr took over from Cllr Val Goulden, who has served Medway fantastically over the past year, at the meeting at the Corn Exchange in Rochester last night.

Over the coming year, Cllr Carr will have to perform a good few hundred duties, beginning with an official photo shoot today and then the Medway Rugby Club’s Annual Dinner on Friday.

I believe that Cllr Carr is an excellent choice of Mayor, a position elected from and by Medway’s 55 councillors, and have no doubt that he will undertake his duties professionally, independently* and with great enthusiasm.

* The Mayoralty is a non-partisan position, so I have refrained from referring to Cllr Carr’s political group and will continue to do so for the duration of the Municipal year.

Your Conservative candidate is hard-working local resident Trevor Clarke, whose mentality and principles are firmly rooted in his faith, and whose determination to achieve something positive for the wider community is unwaivering.

Trevor is taking the common sense approach, leaving petty bickering and attacking the opposition to the opposition, and instead campaigning and working hard for you. Conservatives have an established history of getting their hands dirty to improve communities, and Trevor will be no different.

You’re choice is between voting for a candidate from a party wishing to halt the progress of regeneration and improvement across Medway and voting for a candidate from a party with a proven track record of positive action.

So go out and vote for Trevor Clarke in the Rochester South and Horsted by-election today!

Today I am focusing on the all-important “personal” vote, the group of hardcore supporters who will vote for a particular candidate because they know them well and like them. The “personal” vote transcends party politics - a traditionally Labour voter may vote for two Labour candidates and a Conservative because the Conservative candidate has met with them on a number of occasions to discuss, and successfully resolve, local issues.

There are those who will suggest that the “personal” vote is nothing more than a theory, an idealistic approach which presents a greater opinion of the voters: that they would vote for a person because of their actions and hard work, rather than a party because of the national picture. And there are those who believe that the “personal” vote cannot exist, even in theory.

However, in 2007 the “personal” vote could be seen quite clearly in action. Cllr Sylvia Griffin was new to the ward and polled an impressive 1,518 votes, a healthy plurality of 518 votes over fourth-placed Labour candidate Joyce Esterson.

By contrast, though, the incumbent Councillors who have campaigned hard for residents of Rochester South and Horsted since 2003, and the incumbent Councillor who also campaigned hard for the residents of the old Horsted ward for three years before that, Cllr Nick Brice and former Cllr John Ward respectively, polled 1,561 and 1,559 votes respectively - a clear plurality of 43 and 41 votes over Cllr Griffin.

It is clear, then, that there is a “personal” vote in Rochester South and Horsted ward - a “personal” vote which will be lost in the forthcoming by-election. However, that “personal” vote is only a small proportion of the majority the victor is likely to enjoy. Or at least that would be the case if one were to purely examine the Conservative vote.

However, the Liberal Democrats have hedged their bets on Viv Parker, who has stood in the past two local elections and has consistently polled more votes than the other Lib Dem candidates, doubling her plurality over the next-placed Lib Dem between 2003 (Debra Enever) and 2007 (Kenneth Juby). Despite not coming any higher than 7th on either occasion, the Lib Dems have spotted the obvious trend which some would argue was down to a “personal” vote enjoyed by Mrs Parker.

In any event, the presence of a “personal” vote will matter little on Thursday. Even Mrs Parker only has a potential “personal” vote of 100, and a deficit of almost 900 votes to overcome. What will matter more in this election is which candidate works hardest for the residents of Rochester South and Horsted. I know who I would say it was, but it is up to the voters of RSH to decide.

Reference: MC2008/0678
Consultation Start: 21/04/08
Consultation End: 12/05/08
Location: 34 Hawthorne Avenue Rainham Gillingham ME8 6TR
Description: Formation of a hip to gable end and installation of dormer to rear incorporating juliet balcony to facilitate conversion of roofspace into additional living accommodation
Full Details/Comments: Medway Council Website

Reference: MC2008/0690
Consultation Start: 22/03/08
Consultation End: 13/04/08
Location: 66 Locarno Avenue Gillingham ME8 6ES
Description: Construction of a single storey rear extension (demolition of existing extension)
Full Details/Comments: Medway Council Website

Planning applications are listed for informative purposes only, and are in no way an endorsement of any individual application listed.

The Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Alan Duncan MP, appeared on Have I Got News For You on Friday night.

Mr Duncan, who will be the guest speaker at a Gillingham and Rainham Conservatives dinner this Thursday, made his third appearance on the hit topical quiz show, alongside guest host Brian Blessed, guest panelist Marcus Brigstocke and regular panelists Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.

The episode was undoubtedly one of the best in the show’s history, with hilarious references to the London Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson (”It might be Mayor BoJo” - Alan Duncan, “BoJo?” - Ian Hislop, “When you’ve got initials like that, you can’t use them on their own” - Alan Duncan) and Mr Duncan’s sexuality (”We let [the Labour Party] be nasty to each other, but in the Conservative Party we all love each other … not like that” - Alan Duncan, “A bit like that, I mean it’s the new liberal Tory Party, isn’t it?” - Ian Hislop, “No, just me” - Alan Duncan).

Even Brian Blessed put his foot in it when he was talking about characters in 300, calling them “nancy boys … poofs” before remembering who was sat on his right-hand side and hastily, mockingly apologising. The webisode continued the theme, including a clip of Alan Duncan commenting on Brian Blessed’s loudness, only for the joke to be turned back on him (”I’m now death in my left ear” - Alan Duncan, “Well you must be used to that” - Brian Blessed).

The show, which is well worth watching, can be viewed on the BBC’s iPlayer until this Friday, or you can catch the webisode on YouTube at any time (Warning! The webisode contains strong language).