Medway’s new traffic cameras already issuing thousands of fines
Plus the new Local Plan meets politics, former MPs remain surprisingly busy, news in brief, and more
One of the big policy initiatives of Medway’s Labour administration has been using traffic enforcement as a way to raise money keep streets safe. It’s been six months since the first enforcement was introduced, so we’ve been looking at the numbers, with over 3,000 drivers already being fined. Further down, we have news of the Local Plan hitting politics as two of our new MPs raise their concerns, the return of a classic Local Authority character, news in brief, and more.
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Medway’s new traffic cameras already issuing thousands of fines
In February, Medway Council introduced the enforcement of Moving Traffic Offences across the towns. While this sort of enforcement previously had to be carried out by the police, powers now grant councils the ability to manage their own enforcement and, crucially, generate revenue from fines issued.
As part of a broader traffic enforcement policy that includes Red Routes and School Streets, a tranche of locations were chosen for enforcement, with cameras to catch drivers entering pedestrianised areas, yellow boxes, and turning where they shouldn’t.
Six months on, the signs are that the scheme will become rather lucrative for Medway Council.
Figures obtained by Local Authority show that over 3,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and nearly 20,000 warning notices have been issued since the scheme's launch.
For the first six months of the scheme, first-time offenders only received a warning notice, with PCNs only being issued to repeat offenders. Given that the figures show an escalation in both warning notices and PCNs through the six-month window, more fines are likely to be generated in the coming months.
The full figures for each location in the six-month window:
Gillingham High Street pedestrianised area - 1,948 PCNs, 6,100 warnings
Rainham High Street no right turn - 498 PCNs, 5,555 warnings
Chatham High Street pedestrianised area - 208 PCNs, 624 warnings
Rainham Road, Gillingham yellow box - 194 PCNs, 3,001 warnings
Cuxton Road, Strood yellow box - 98 PCNs, 1,922 warnings
Rochester High Street pedestrianised area - 57 PCNs, 1,190 warnings
Gibraltar Hill, Chatham yellow box - 36 PCNs, 732 warnings
Chatham Hill yellow box - 16 PCNs, 625 warnings
Perhaps surprisingly, enforcement of Gillingham High Street’s pedestrianised areas makes up nearly a third of the warning notices and nearly two-thirds of the PCNs. Given nearly all of the attention at the start of the scheme was on Rochester, where former councillors claimed cars were being caught every few minutes, a relatively small number of fines have been issued in the area.
Interestingly, the issued warnings seemed to have had a stronger effect in some places than others. The ratio of PCNs to warning letters for yellow box junctions is low, suggesting most drivers receiving a letter heed the warning. Elsewhere, the pedestrianised enforcement on Gillingham and Chatham High Street seems more flagrantly ignored.
So, how lucrative is all of this for Medway Council?
A standard fine for these offences is £60, which would suggest an income of £183,000 in the first six months of the scheme. Of course, things aren’t quite as straightforward as that. People paying within 14 days see their fines reduced to £30, while those taking over 28 days see theirs go to £90.
Some people will inevitably also appeal their fines. We asked Medway Council for that data, but they told us their parking software was too rubbish to generate it.
Still, given that the Moving Traffic Offences enforcement system cost Medway Council £695,000 and that the fines will likely escalate significantly following the more lenient period, they’ll likely turn a profit on these cameras rather quickly.
New Local Plan meet politics
Medway has not had a Local Plan in many years. This allows developers to speculatively submit planning applications almost anywhere with little chance of being refused. Most people accept that this isn’t a good thing.
Since Labour took control of Medway Council last year, they have been adamant that they will move quickly to implement a new Local Plan. Several rounds of consultations and public events later, it seemed like we were getting somewhere.
Medway Council recently consulted on three options, with a clear preferred one that they feel is most appropriate. This would see significant urban and brownfield development while also building in some rural areas, most notably on the Hoo Peninsula and the Capstone Valley.
Of course, this was always going to cause some discontent. Residents of the Hoo Peninsula have been fighting development for years, feeling that they have already taken the brunt, while residents around the Capstone Valley were previously protected by virtue of being Conservative wards. That protection disappeared last year, meaning finalising a plan should be fairly straightforward.
Alas, things are never that simple.
Medway is now represented by three Labour MPs, each of whom will examine their small majorities and consider how to win more of their constituents over.
Two of Medway’s new MPs - Tristan Osborne in Chatham and Aylesford and Naushabah Khan in Gillingham and Rainham - publicly responded to Medway Council’s consultation this week. Both have, of course, decided that the Capstone Valley is Very Important and should be spared from development, particularly given the Lidsing development that is taking place over the border in Maidstone and thus doing nothing for Medway’s housing need.
In his submission, Tristan Osborne makes it clear that he ‘formally supports’ the option being proposed by Medway Council, except for the bits that he doesn’t:
I believe that the context regarding the Capstone Valley has now changed and it’s currently fulfilling its fair allocation of housing with those permissions by both Maidstone and Medway Councils with shared Housing allocation a possibility with Lidsing. I am therefore requesting that in the spirit of fairness that no further sites on the Capstone Valley are considered adjacent to the North Dane Way Road.
He also raises the issue of some Green Belt land between Snodland and Halling that might be categorised as grey belt and thus prime for development. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t want anything built there, either.
Over in Gillingham and Rainham, Naushabah Khan has submitted a letter of a similar nature. While supporting the Medway Council development option, she argues against further development of the Capstone Valley. More notably, she goes on to argue against any further development around Rainham because of the previous Local Plan failures:
This has particularly impacted Rainham and with this in mind I cannot support further development in this area. The existing infrastructure, notably along the A2, is already subject to significant strain, and the Lower Rainham Road cannot accommodate additional traffic.
In Medway Council’s preferred option, which the two MPs support, thousands of new homes would be built around the Capstone Valley and Rainham. If these are to be removed from the Local Plan, as they advocate, it creates further pressure on other sites across Medway. Neither MP has provided an answer as to where the demand should actually be met.
The preferred Local Plan will almost certainly go through regardless of these representations, so this likely is political positioning more than anything else. But it demonstrates that it isn’t just the previous Conservative administration that would face these challenges in developing a plan that keeps everyone happy.
Guess who’s back, back again?
Still, it isn’t just the new MPs having their say on the new Local Plan. MPs who were removed from office in July also remain surprisingly active. Whether denial or eyeing a return in the future, it’s slightly odd watching just how involved our formal MPs want to be.
We didn’t expect to be writing about Rehman Chishti for a while. Still, the former MP for Gillingham and Rainham popped back onto our radar this week with a strange response to the aforementioned Local Plan consultation.
Before we get to the content of his response itself, can we take a moment to enjoy the majesty of the full letterhead he’s created for himself as the ‘Former Member of Parliament: Gillingham & Rainham 2010-2024’?
Rehman’s feedback on the Local Plan is that it doesn’t allocate provision for a new hospital (something the NHS has made clear they aren’t interested in building), a Hindu temple, or a new stadium for Gillingham Football Club.
He does go on to - surprise, surprise - argue against any development of the Capstone Valley or Rainham, so it’s nice to see some cross-party unity on not giving people places to live. He believes that because Gillingham had the Victory Pier development completed several years ago, it doesn’t need to play a role in the housing demand over the next couple of decades. Makes sense.
Rehman isn’t the only one keeping busy, either. Former Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst has been attending events, delivering speeches, and remaining politically active on social media. She’s been so active that the Medway Conservatives website uploaded a story about her visiting the Hoo Heritage Festival over the weekend that still called her the MP before it was swiftly updated.
Still, there is perhaps logic in Tolhurst keeping busy in the community. She has a personal following both within her party and the community, so there might be a route back for her in the future. But can the same be said of Rehman Chishti?
In brief
🥶 Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards and Chatham and Aylesford MP Tristan Osborne voted against a motion to stop the cut to Winter Fuel Payments today. Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan was away for the vote.
🧏 Medway Council can now offer an online British Sign Language interpreter service for those contacting them. It's wild that they didn’t already, but it's a step in the right direction.
⚽ Gillingham Football Club shareholders are to vote on the removal of former owner Paul Scally as a director. Scally, who seems to be beloved by everyone who has ever known him, first took charge of the club in 1995.
🛒 B&M is set to take over the former Wilko store in Gillingham. A small boost to a high street that has struggled in recent years, perhaps undermined by the fact that New Look will close its doors next week.
🪴 Dobbies Garden Centres are facing a restructuring plan following financial difficulties. As such, their store in Gillingham could be at risk of closure.
📹 “Every single person is a crackhead.” A YouTuber visits Chatham and Gillingham.
More Authority
Over the weekend, we interviewed atomic archaeologist Taekwondo master Vicky Robinson. We talked to her about why Roman remains are radioactive, gamma radiation in the Marvel universe, how safe nuclear power is, and whether she’ll bring her groundbreaking new techniques to Medway.
“Everyone is inherently radioactive”
As an atomic archaeologist Taekwondo master from Medway, Vicky Robinson was someone we wanted to talk to. Steven talked to Vicky and discussed why Roman remains are radioactive, gamma radiation in the Marvel universe, and just how safe nuclear power is.
Coming up later this week for paid supporters, we will have Ben Hopkins's first Gills column of the season, tracking the highs and lows of the season so far. Over the weekend, we’ll be interviewing Alex Paterson, Medway Council’s new Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways, and Enforcement.
Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: Even in Jest by Cheerbleederz, Anaesthesiology by Onsind, and Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee.
With all the traffic news in the teaser, you had me going that the bollard would make a triumphant return. Imagine my grave disappointment...
I have very quickly learned to hate those kind of youtubers, going to every remotely deprived town in the UK and sneering at people just trying to live their lives.