Gillingham South Focus - Medway Maritime Roundabout

Despite the merry-go-round of the comings and goings of Chief Executive Officers at Medway Maritime hospital, the hospital is still under special measures as a result of further visits from CQC. There also remains the ongoing problem of parking both on and off site and until very recently, the appalling condition of the road surface on and around the roundabout at the hospital entrance.

At recent council meetings, one of your Focus Team members, Tony Jeacock asked Medway Council portfolio-holders a series of searching questions and demanded a response to some local resident's concerns, which included the need to repair the unsafe road surface on the hospital entrance roundabout, which, we are pleased to say has subsequently been done. Tony also asked as to the accuracy of a report that a number of street parking permits are being issued to Medway Maritime employees enabling them to park in residential streets near to the hospital and was advised that there has been and will be no such undertaking.

Your Focus Team is pleased to see, after we've raised the issue many times, that facilities have been made available for some hospital staff to park at the Compass Centre. Hopefully, this will help cut congestion, improve air-quality as well as enable most outpatients to get to appointments on time without raised blood pressure and allow local residents the street parking which they pay for. We shall see!

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Geoff, Sheila, Tony and Roshni are saying a huge 'thank you' for the support they received for their superb efforts throughout the recent EU election campaign. We polled sufficiently together with other LibDem voters throughout the South East to secure the only LibDem MEP in the entire country, Catherine Bearder.

In their own right, Geoff and Sheila have been working exceedingly hard for the great benefit of the Gillingham South ward, both with a long record of fighting for better health care services at Medway Maritime hospital, as well as fighting to keep care homes for the elderly under the responsibility of the Local Authority, and for better maintenance of roads and pavements in the interests of safety. They have also campaigned against the wasteful expenditure of Medway Council over many years. They now have the good fortune of being further supported by two outstanding LibDem members in Tony Jeacock and Roshni Mangalore, bringing fresh impetus and thinking to the team with a view to doing all in their power to work for the very best interests of the residents of Gillingham South.

Open your eyes to human trafficking

We all have our part to play in fighting the modern day slave trade that is human trafficking.

Catherine Bearder MEP has launched a campaign to equip local communities, including Medway, with the knowledge to spot the signs of human trafficking in their localities. Catherine said," So often people say that it's not happening where I live, but we have seen cases in the last few years across the whole of the South East, from big cities to sleepy villages"

Your Gillingham South ward team, under Geoff's Juby's leadership, is working with Catherine against trafficking at the moment, so please get in touch with us using our central telephone number 01634 540640 if you are at all interested in finding out what you can do.

Stepping Out!

Whilst our very own Liberal Democrat MEP is working hard in Europe securing jobs for Medway and an improved environment, our own local LibDem Focus Teams are working in the interests of all of us who live locally.

Nisa's store in Gillingham High Street removed the sloped walkway which had been in place for many years, and put a step in, making it difficult for buggies and wheelchairs to access the High Street from Balmoral Gardens and the Health Centre. Local Liberal Democrat activists tackled the council about this and Nisa have now replaced the step with a non-slip ramp - a big improvement!

Cllr. Geoff Juby would very much like to thank Nisa for listening to the council and restoring this much-used right of way.