麻豆约拍

A shake-up of services for young people in Kent is to go ahead despite hundreds of responses opposing the changes.

The idea is to establish "hub" centres in each of Kent's 12 districts or boroughs, and hand other clubs over to other organisations to run.

About 拢1m will be saved, but a number of youth clubs and street-based projects serving more than 130,000 teenagers in Kent could close.

A grammar school in East Kent is proposing to raise the required pass mark in the 11-plus to offer places to children from a wider area.

Simon Langton Grammar School for boys in Canterbury says it would open up the school to children from areas like Whitstable and Herne Bay.

However, independent education advisor Peter Read says it will have a detrimental effect on education provision in East Kent.

Medway Council says it wants greater powers to control who gets licences to run high street money lending shops, who often offer high rates of interest.

Currently, it is up to the Financial Services Authority to licence a lender. The council says the high rates of interest means borrowers often fall further into debt which means they cannot pay their bills, put food on the table for their families, heat their home and can even lead to depression.

Medway Labour councillor Vince Maple has put forward the motion.

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