Queen's Head Public HouseBrisley Farm, ChartfieldThe original Kingsnorth schoolKingsnorth Surgery
Kingsnorth Parish Council
Combining Tradition with New Opportunities

Council History
HISTORY AND FUTURE OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

On December 4th 1894, the electors of Kingsnorth (all men in those days) met in the Schoolroom to elect the first Parish Council.  Eleven candidates were proposed for seven members and election was by a show of hands.  Thereafter the Parish Council was elected annually at the Annual Parish Meeting.  This method of voting continued until 1936 when a secret ballot was introduced.  Some Councillors served for many years, the longest-serving was elected in 1925 and resigned in 1967.  The first women Councillors were elected just after the war.   Councillors are now elected every 4 years in a poll organised by the Electoral Services Dept. of Ashford Borough Council.  

Kingsnorth church
New Properties at Westhawk Farm
New Properties at Brisley Farm

The Local Government Commission completed an electoral review in 2001 and recommended that Kingsnorth be divided into 5 parish wards instead of 3.  At this year’s election 2 Councillors were elected for each ward.   (The Parish Council should not be confused with the Parochial Church Council, which has different boundaries.)  Councillors must register their interests in the parish and sign a declaration that they will observe the Model Code of Conduct, which was adopted in 2002.

The first recorded transaction of the Parish Council was the purchase of a lamp for the Council use, cost not to exceed 25s, and as late as 1936 reference is made to lamp oil and a payment to someone to light the lamp before Council meetings.  Electricity came to the village in the late 1920’s but it took some time for all houses and the school to be connected.

Kingsnorth church

A number of themes occur in the history of the Parish Council and some of them are still of concern.  One of the first campaigns, started in 1898, was to obtain a telegraph service in the village Post Office; this was not achieved until 1908.  Currently, because of the recent closure of the Post Office and Shop on Church Hill, the Parish Council is arranging with the Post Office to open a part-time Post Office in a room at the Village Hall. 

  
Kingsnorth Public House

Flooding in the village was a constant concern of the Parish Council and there are references every year to overflowing ditches, blocked culverts and pinnocks (a culvert under a gateway) and overflowing cesspits.  The village was not on mains drainage until after the development of Stanhope in 1965.   Action to avoid flooding is even more important today with development reaching the edge of the East Stour flood plain.  The Borough and Parish Council seek to minimise this risk when considering new planning applications and no new development is allowed on the flood plain.

Concern was also frequently expressed about the state of the local footpaths.  All Public Rights of Way are now marked on a definitve map and the Parish Council reports any problems to KCC.   The maintenance of highways has always been a worry and the Parish Council maintains a close liaison with the Kent County Council Highways Unit to report potholes, overgrown hedges, damaged signs, etc.   Councillors are also concerned to make sure that new roads are designed to reduce speeding and that measures are taken wherever possible to dissuade drivers from speeding on existing roads. 

 

National events have always been celebrated in the village.  The first record is of the Coronation of Edward VII in 1902 when the Parish Council voted that a sum of money not exceeding a ½d rate be spent;  this amounted to £13.6s.3d.  Residents enjoyed other Coronation and Jubilee celebrations over the years, the most recent being the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 when a carnival, village picnic and disco were held.

On 8th July 2007 the Tour de France international cycle race came through Kingsnorth. The roads through the village were closed, so the Parish Council organised another celebration on the Recreation field. There were many stalls and an opportunity to take part in fitness tests etc as well as lots of food supplied by the parents of the school and the village hall.  It is estimated that 2000 residents came and afterwards cheered the cyclists as they came though Kingsnorth. Some residents also had street parties.

The most recent event organised by the parish council was the dedication of the new village sign situated at the bottom of Church Hill on 13th October 2007, also the new green and bench. Afterwards people went to the Village Hall to celebrate its centenary.

Recreation and allotment land is an important element in village life and various areas have been maintained by the Parish Council for these purposes over the years.  The allotments have now disappeared but the Parish Council owns the playing field behind Kingsnorth Village Hall and School and financed a footpath link around it to Park Farm.  Recently new equipment has been added to the play area and the whole area resurfaced and an extension of the playing field will allow the complete separation of the cricket and football pitches.  There is one football pitch on the recreation field,  The Parish Council is currently negotiating with ABC to provide a second football pitch on the field to the west of the existing recreation field.

With the rapid growth of development in Kingsnorth, many new issues will arise as well as those which are of perennial concern.  The Borough Council produced a Core Strategy for the Borough in Nov 2006 which is currently  being reviewed by a Government Inspector.  At the time of writing no  recommendations regarding Kingsnorth have been determined.  For up to date information please contact Ashford Borough Council Strategic Planning Dept Kingsnorth Parish council produced a “Wish List” for the area  which was incorporated into the Borough’s overall  plan for the area.