Snodland Litter Code

Snodland Town Councillor Alan Keeley (2nd left) presenting certificates to local businesses.

Snodland Town Councillor Alan Keeley presented more than 10 certificates  to local businesses to recognise their work for keeping the local area tidy and clear. The businesses were taking part in the on-going Voluntary Litter Code, which is part of the Snodland Goes Cleaner campaign organised by the Borough Council.

 by Town Councillor Anne Moloney

New paper mill at Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook.

Sketch of the Medway at Snodland by Paul Sharp. 1964.

As Snodland Councillors, we welcome the near completion of the new Smurfit Kappa paper mill at the Townsend Hook site, not least because the state-of-the-art machinery means that Smurfit Kappa can continue to compete with rival European businesses. The new mill means that many new jobs have been created and will help to boost the local economy. The near £100m investment represents a huge commitment from Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook.

As part of the development, Smurfit have committed to engineering works to reinforce part of the river bank and to clean ponds within the site. The new mill also meets much higher environmental standards (including lower emissions) than the old mill.

The new mill continues a long history of paper-making in Snodland. There was a mill of some sort in Snodland at the time of the Domesday Book, but the date of the inception of paper milling is unclear, although it was definitely in place by 1744 when John Hicks took possession of the Courtlodge Estate.

The name most associated with the paper trade in Snodland, is that of Charles Townsend Hook who acquired the mill in 1854, aged just 22. He continued to run the mill successfully, building the business and increasing the number of employees, until his death in 1877. Over the years, the Hook family also paid for many works in Snodland, including the building or maintenance of churches, schools, the clock tower and the Devonshire Rooms.

by David Lettington

Many thanks for your support...

For our first post, we'd like to thank everyone that voted for us in the recent Borough Council election. We'd also like to reassure all of the residents of the town that, irrespective of who you voted for, we'll represent your views on the Council for the next four years.

The Conservatives managed to achieve a clean sweep, winning all five Snodland seats on the Borough Council. David Keeley, Barbara Brown and Steve King have all been elected to represent Snodland West and Holborough Lakes Ward, whilst Sue Bell and David Lettington have been elected to represent Snodland East and Ham Hill.

Furthermore, 14 of the 15 candidates elected to Snodland Town Council were Conservatives, with just 1 Labour Councillor elected.

The results of the Borough Council elections are below.

Please feel free to contact any of us using the email addresses above, or by any of the contact methods shown on the TMBC website: here

You can also follow updates and news on our newly-created Twitter account: @SnodlandTories 

by David Lettington