Heathlands Petition Ignored by MBC

On 14 October, we presented our petition to Maidstone Council’s Cabinet meeting, calling for the 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝗣𝗗 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱. Over 1,500 residents signed, demanding transparency and accountability — yet our voices have been completely dismissed.

Our petition highlighted that:

No transport modelling has been carried out for this massive new development.
There’s still no certainty about the new railway station — a fundamental piece of the plan.
Proper meaningful engagement still needed to be had with Lenham Parish Council and SOHL

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀.

Our petition received no acknowledgment — not from the Leader, Cllr Stuart Jeffery, nor from any Cabinet member. SOHL lodged a formal complaint, but an internal “kangaroo court” of council officers concluded that because the petition was 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢, it was “considered”. That’s bureaucracy over democracy.

To make matters worse, Cabinet decided to proceed with the public consultation — 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 on 𝟯 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 — as if none of this mattered.

At least under the former Conservative administration, petitions were debated. We have never known a council to dismiss residents’ voices so readily.

This is not good governance. This is not transparency.

It’s time Maidstone Borough Council started listening to the people it serves.