Kent Reform council ‘farce’ as ‘Keep Clear’ strains repainted exterior faculty closed for 9 years
Reform swept into power in Kent after – in part – vowing to slash wasteful spending, although it has come under criticism over the recent “farce” when it painted zigzags outside a former primary school
A Reform-led council’s bungling street marking gaffe has been branded a “farce” and “wasting money”.
Kent County Council (KCC) workers gave a new coat of paint to zigzags outside the former site of Halfway Houses Primary School on the Isle of Sheppey – despite the school closing its Southdown Road site in October 2016. Independent Swale Borough councillor Mike Whiting posted on Facebook: “What on earth is going on at cash-strapped Kent County Council?
“Rather than saving money, they have just repainted the yellow ‘School Keep Clear’ lines in Southdown Road, Halfway, almost 10 years after the school closed. What a farce! How many times are we told there’s not enough money for really important projects, yet they waste money like this, painting irrelevant signs, both sides of the road.
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“The school is up for sale. Departments at KCC really need to talk to each other more.” It comes after council leader Linden Kemkaran warned there would be “difficult decisions” as the council prepares to set its budget following an overspend.
Reform swept into power in Kent in local elections earlier this year, in part after vowing to slash wasteful spending. Cllr Peter Osborne, KCC’s cabinet member for transport said in a statement sent to The Mirror: “The repainting of the ‘School Keep Clear’ markings on Southdown Road was carried out in error, and we’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused.
“We deliver an annual programme of signs and lines replacement in the order of £1million and the cost of painting these lines was £350 from this budget. We take our financial responsibilities seriously to ensure public money is spent carefully and mistakes like these are exceedingly rare.
“Our highway safety inspectors raise several thousand jobs each month and each carries out safety checks on up to 80 miles of road per day, including driven and walked inspections, to keep Kent’s roads safe for everyone.”
Reform UK has control of KCC with 48 out of 81 members. The anti-immigration party won 57 seats in May, overturning the Conservative majority.
The Mirror has contacted KCC for comment.
Kent residents have previously vented their frustration and have taken it into their own hands to paint yellow lines on the road. The 2022 incident showed a vigilante painting yellow markings on the road.
Resident Marleen Ditton, said: “I agree with the lines being placed there. The corner is difficult to come round if there are cars parked there.”
But Kent County Council said workers would fix the tarmac paint job and cover up the make-shift yellow lines.
