It was good to see that the turnout in Boughton & Courtenay was one of the highest locally (40%), so thank you to everyone who took part in the democratic process by voting, whether for us or the other candidates. We are here to represent all of you at Swale council, so if you have views or questions on local issues, please get in touch. The best way is by email: alastairgould@swale.gov.uk or rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk . We cannot always promise to get the answer you would like, but will do our best.

There are some potentially challenging times ahead: The finances at Swale are very tight, and there will be some difficult choices to come. We will need to pick up on the Local Plan, which will be used to allocate sites for housing and employment land, and will include the policies that govern development, although we are still waiting to hear from central government about changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. We have to follow this framework in putting together a plan, and it is a limit to the freedom we have to decide things locally.

Above all though, there is the task of moving the way things are done towards a greener, sustainable path. This is the reason we both became involved in politics; it has become so clear that “business as usual” and a relentless drive for growth at any environmental cost is a path that has to be left behind urgently; Swale’s budget may be tight , but our “Carbon Budget”, (how much more carbon dioxide we can emit from fossil fuels before we tip this world into catastrophe), is even tighter, and every decision we make has to take this into account. We are also convinced that these choices have all sorts of added benefits in other areas such as health, air quality and generally making the world a more pleasant place to live in.

Alastair Gould: alastairgould@swale.gov.uk

Rich Lehmann: rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.