Council Talk

Readers will have seen the coverage of the serious incident in Little Knoll/Oak Tree Road the week before last. In visiting the site the morning after the explosion I was struck by the severity of the damage. The incident clearly was an enormous shock to residents and our sympathy goes out to those affected. The council does plan for such emergencies and so within minutes of the incident we set up the Emergency Incident Centre, to support the emergency services operations, before taking the lead in the recovery phase.

One thing which was pleasing to see was the strong community spirit, with a Facebook page set up for the local community to provide practical items for the affected residents, a pub quiz being arranged to raise funds, the nearby school allowing workmen on site the chance to come in and make drinks and use the facilities, as well as residents taking cups of tea and even doughnuts to the site workers. The residents of our sheltered housing scheme at Oakleigh House gave up the use of their lounge and cancelled a planned lunch scheme. The council ensured it played its part and will continue to offer support to residents through this difficult time as they settle into their more permanent accommodation.

Clearly tattoos, or body art, is part of our society. It is therefore extremely important it is carried out in a safe and hygienic environment. I am informed that Ashford is one of the first in the country to introduce a new Tattoo Hygiene Rating Scheme and the first person in Kent has signed up to our scheme.

The scheme runs in a similar way to the ‘Scores on the Doors’ food hygiene rating system. It enables tattoo and semi-permanent makeup practitioners to showcase how clean, safe and hygienic their operations are by displaying a certificate and window sticker complete with their hygiene rating awarded by Environmental Health Officers. It should give customers the confidence the artists are well trained and knowledgeable, and the business is clean and safe.

Visitors to Ashford town centre may have spotted the summer planting. A bespoke artistic 3D flower arrangement, designed to replicate the first locomotive, the Coffee Pot Train, to be built in Ashford, has been installed at the entrance to the Victoria Lane car park.

Finally I can confirm that last Thursday, we completed the purchase of Park Mall and you should soon be seeing a marked improvement.