Off the Record
THE latest sleaze allegations have thrust the role of all party parliamentary groups into the spotlight. There’s no doubt that many do valuable work. But the numbers have grown and it is certainly questionable just how valid some are. One Kent MP – Gillingham’s Rehman Chishti – is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tennis. Its purpose? “For MPs and Peers to be able to play tennis matches together and compete with various outside tennis teams.” Why can’t MPs ring each other like everyone else?
A CRITICAL Ombudsman report into the way Kent County Council over-charged a woman in her nineties for her home care has left social services chiefs with a financial headache. Social services chiefs say they worked out the adult care budget on the basis that its policy of “provisional charges” was in line with government legislation. In its submission, KCC said that if it had to review other cases and make repayments, there would be an “adverse impact on service delivery” and imposing a “retrospective credit would be harmful to current users.” Perhaps it is an issue the council’s £5.4m consultants Newton Europe can look into...
KCC is trying to push for 12 schemes but the decision on whether any should qualify for money is out of its hands. Instead, the decision will be taken by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, which will be weighing up Kent’s priorities against other parts of the region. The value of the schemes, which includes a new park and ride off the M20 at Junction 7 and a new junction 10a at Ashford, is £154.9m. And the amount of money the Partnership has? £98m. Perhaps inevitably, the SELEP has had to call in consultants to weigh up which should be supported.