A fortnight ago FDC failed to win the prestigious “Council of the Year award”. They were similarly thwarted in “Most Improved Council” category. One wonders if the judges perhaps visited Fenland to judge FDC’s real performance for themselves.
Over the last couple of years FDC have displayed an obsession with entering for any, and every, award going. In polite circles this is called ‘spin’. Wags have even asked if FDC will be lobbying for the creation of a prestigious ‘Council with the best anagram of their name’ award, in which they would surely be leading contenders, as ‘Fenland District Council’ rearranges itself nicely into ‘Conflict Ridden Lunatics’.
I ask myself if I really am fortunate to live somewhere blessed by the benevolent stewardship of a potential ‘ Council of the Year’ contender, when I consider FDC’s:-
* Inability to include satisfactory road safety measures within the Planning Process they administer,
* Whole hearted embrace of Wind Turbines, irrespective of suitability of location,
* Lack of endeavour to develop public access to our unique waterways,
* Failure to try to secure any of the huge pot of money available through SUSTRANS - which could have gone toward providing safe cycle routes in the District, for use by residents and tourists,
* Chronic failure for over a decade to ensure civic improvements to accompany new houses.
Chatteris must surely be the most deprived of the Fenland Towns with:-
* No Public leisure or fitness facilities,
* No Public Swimming Pool,
* Nowhere for kids to kick a ball around without getting muddy feet,
* No public tennis courts,
* No all-weather pitch for our children’s teams to practice and play on,
* Nowhere suitable for teenagers to informally meet,
* Little or no toddler play equipment within a convenient, toddler length walk of their home,
* No effort to promote and encourage the economic well being of the shopping centre,
* Insufficient accessible Public transport,
* Minimal interest in helping make roads safe for cyclists or pedestrians,
* Less public green space that the national average, or recommended minimum level, let alone a country park.
Chatteris appears to be the ‘lost world’ of the District. FDC seems happy to ‘flog off’ the Town’s assets’ but refuses to commit to reinvesting the money back into the town.
And for over 30 years Chatteris has been helping finance the leisure facilities in the other Fenland Towns which are inaccessible to Chatteris residents!
Surely the well being of the District is the ultimate measure of a council’s performance ? Some might argue that this is a more important criteria than, for example, a complaint system which invariably clears FDC of ever making a mistake, and unfailingly boosts their own customer satisfaction rating surveys.
Walt
Monday 31 March 2008
Thursday 27 March 2008
DEATH IN FENLAND
Only a couple of hours after it was first posted, a Cambs Times poll asking “do you believe enough is done to promote road safety in Fenland ?” showed 20% voting “YES” and 80% thinking that the County Council’s record was simply not up to scratch
Hardly a ringing endorsement of Shire Hall, but I wonder who the 20% are who appear unconcerned about people dying, but none the less have taken the trouble to reply to a newspaper poll.
I’ve discussed Fenland Road safety (or lack of) with literally hundreds of people in the last few years. There are certainly a handfull (mainly councillors) who have said to me “people have always driven into the dikes, so why change it now ?”. But in my straw poll they have never amounted to anything likely to be even approaching 20% of a public opinion poll.
Last week Graham Chappell’s eloquent letter to the Cambs Times suggested the breathtakingly engaging idea of legal action against the Authorities for “Corporate Manslaughter” !
When I read the letter, I wondered if this suggestion of long overdue legal action for manslaughter might finally concentrate County Council’s attention on preventing unnecessary deaths on our roads.
Are the early results of the Cambs Times poll truly representative of the broad swage of Fenland opinion ? Or was the polling population largely constituted of the County Council and its Members scurrying in a panic to their computers ?
Walt.
Hardly a ringing endorsement of Shire Hall, but I wonder who the 20% are who appear unconcerned about people dying, but none the less have taken the trouble to reply to a newspaper poll.
I’ve discussed Fenland Road safety (or lack of) with literally hundreds of people in the last few years. There are certainly a handfull (mainly councillors) who have said to me “people have always driven into the dikes, so why change it now ?”. But in my straw poll they have never amounted to anything likely to be even approaching 20% of a public opinion poll.
Last week Graham Chappell’s eloquent letter to the Cambs Times suggested the breathtakingly engaging idea of legal action against the Authorities for “Corporate Manslaughter” !
When I read the letter, I wondered if this suggestion of long overdue legal action for manslaughter might finally concentrate County Council’s attention on preventing unnecessary deaths on our roads.
Are the early results of the Cambs Times poll truly representative of the broad swage of Fenland opinion ? Or was the polling population largely constituted of the County Council and its Members scurrying in a panic to their computers ?
Walt.
Here’s looking at you...
I’d like to join Chris Howes, 'Dame' Christine Colbert and Friends, in extending to Ed Bryce our very best wishes for success in his new job and happiness in his new home in Cambridge.
('Seeing as' we understand you will be working in Vision Express - we'll clearly be seeing you in future!)
Chatteris'll miss you.
All the best
Walt, C & C et al
('Seeing as' we understand you will be working in Vision Express - we'll clearly be seeing you in future!)
Chatteris'll miss you.
All the best
Walt, C & C et al
Friday 21 March 2008
WHAT PRICE FENLAND LIVES ?
Cambridge News 12 March 2008 "More than £8 million is to be spent to make St Neots cleaner and safer."
Have you every asked yourself why nothing seems to be spent on Fenland?
Visit most Cambridgeshire towns and it's clear that lots of public money is spent on things that are needed. However meanwhile, Fenland is left year after year with poor and frequently dangerous roads, a lack of adequate public leisure facilities and town centres that would clearly benefit from investment.
Why does Fenland continually fail to attract investment?
It seems that St Neots is about to receive huge amounts of public money due to its town centre problems from vehicle exhausts. Plans are for a whopping £8 million to be spent co-ordinating traffic lights to improve the flow of vehicles and on improvements to pedestrian and cycling facilities.
What could we do with £8million in Fenland ?
For a start we could do something about the 40ft road. A couple of years ago County Council said that it would cost £750,000 to sheet-pile the bank. A similar amount to make the 16 foot road safer would amount to £1.5 million.
And how about pedestrian safety in Fenland ? Or any kind of cycling facilities at all ? It would obviously be very nice if residents could cycle to work or the shops in safety, and we were all able to let our children out on their bikes for leisure or to cycle to school without worrying if they might come to grief. Fenland is also a natural haven for cyclists and it would be a delight to be able to cycle from one community to another, or just cycle for pleasure. Think of all that enjoyable exercise and the natural beauty of the Fens to enjoy, and think about the potential for fewer cars on the roads.
A few million would go a long way to providing cycleways,.
And there are many places in Fenland where safe road crossing places are desperately needed. Many residents of Chatteris drive into town from Doddington Road rather than run the gauntlet of the A141/A142 roundabout. And any morning, or after school, you can see numbers of youngsters or mothers with pushchairs and toddlers teetering on the kerb waiting for a gap in the roaring traffic, so they can get into town, or home again.
This situation is intollerable! The recently built Fordham by pass has a pedestrian and cycle fly over link to Soham, and the new Thorney by-pass has a similar link which seems to be little used at all. But in Chatteris, where two major roads converge, there is a complete absence of attention to public safety. You have to ask yourself why?
Fenlanders, just as much as any other residents of Cambridgeshire, deserve money to be spent on them!
We need safety on roads and the ability to walk or cycle about in safety and with pleasure, just as much as anyone else!
Could the problem by any chance be down to the fact that all of Fenland is represented exclusively by Tory County Councillors? Tory Councillors who are ineffectual and apparently don't wish to upset their ruling Tory colleagues at County Hall by asking for any money to be spent in Fenland!
Let's face it, the sitting Tory Councillors haven't even been able to persuade their colleagues to stick to their promise for a roundabout at the Goosetree junction.
What ARE the local Tories doing for you?
Have you every asked yourself why nothing seems to be spent on Fenland?
Visit most Cambridgeshire towns and it's clear that lots of public money is spent on things that are needed. However meanwhile, Fenland is left year after year with poor and frequently dangerous roads, a lack of adequate public leisure facilities and town centres that would clearly benefit from investment.
Why does Fenland continually fail to attract investment?
It seems that St Neots is about to receive huge amounts of public money due to its town centre problems from vehicle exhausts. Plans are for a whopping £8 million to be spent co-ordinating traffic lights to improve the flow of vehicles and on improvements to pedestrian and cycling facilities.
What could we do with £8million in Fenland ?
For a start we could do something about the 40ft road. A couple of years ago County Council said that it would cost £750,000 to sheet-pile the bank. A similar amount to make the 16 foot road safer would amount to £1.5 million.
And how about pedestrian safety in Fenland ? Or any kind of cycling facilities at all ? It would obviously be very nice if residents could cycle to work or the shops in safety, and we were all able to let our children out on their bikes for leisure or to cycle to school without worrying if they might come to grief. Fenland is also a natural haven for cyclists and it would be a delight to be able to cycle from one community to another, or just cycle for pleasure. Think of all that enjoyable exercise and the natural beauty of the Fens to enjoy, and think about the potential for fewer cars on the roads.
A few million would go a long way to providing cycleways,.
And there are many places in Fenland where safe road crossing places are desperately needed. Many residents of Chatteris drive into town from Doddington Road rather than run the gauntlet of the A141/A142 roundabout. And any morning, or after school, you can see numbers of youngsters or mothers with pushchairs and toddlers teetering on the kerb waiting for a gap in the roaring traffic, so they can get into town, or home again.
This situation is intollerable! The recently built Fordham by pass has a pedestrian and cycle fly over link to Soham, and the new Thorney by-pass has a similar link which seems to be little used at all. But in Chatteris, where two major roads converge, there is a complete absence of attention to public safety. You have to ask yourself why?
Fenlanders, just as much as any other residents of Cambridgeshire, deserve money to be spent on them!
We need safety on roads and the ability to walk or cycle about in safety and with pleasure, just as much as anyone else!
Could the problem by any chance be down to the fact that all of Fenland is represented exclusively by Tory County Councillors? Tory Councillors who are ineffectual and apparently don't wish to upset their ruling Tory colleagues at County Hall by asking for any money to be spent in Fenland!
Let's face it, the sitting Tory Councillors haven't even been able to persuade their colleagues to stick to their promise for a roundabout at the Goosetree junction.
What ARE the local Tories doing for you?
Thursday 13 March 2008
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION
In May '07 the Wenneye Ward of Chatteris elected Ed Bryce as one of its 3 members of the Town Council. One of Chatteris's youngest ever councillors, Ed was a breath of fresh air, but unfortunately circumstances conspired to prevent Ed being about to attend as he would have liked, with the result that his seat has now been vacated.
The May '07 election saw a spirited and exciting battle between Chatteris's two significant political parties, with many issues aired and debated. But once the dust had settled, the two parties settled down together and got on with the business of Chatteris, (ably chaired by the sole independent councillor, our Mayor Sue Elam).
At the news of the vacancy the 2 parties discussed whether Chatteris needed to bear the cost of a by-election so soon after the regular scheduled elections, and in an exemplary example of 'cross party politics' both parties agreed not to call an election themselves, preferring to co-opt a an mutually acceptable replacement. There were after all 12 candidates from the May '07 election who failed to be elected, and the opportunity existed to look amongst this group.
However, news then came that someone had exercised their democratic right to call for a by-election in Wenneye. Speculation was rife as to who called it. It was even a mystery to the some time branch chairman of the nearly defunct Chatteris Labour group.
I can exclusively reveal that the by-election was petitioned for by a group seemingly led by former labour councillor David Biggs. This is something of a surprise as Mr Biggs didn't exactly distinguish himself when he stood unsuccessfully for re-election for the Birch ward of Chatteris in the May '07 elections. On that occasion he produced what is probably the least literate and certainly the most irrelevant election literature it has ever been my pleasure to chuckle over.
David Biggs clearly failed to 'connect' with the electorate and polled just 5.5% of the Town Council vote. He faired little better in his bid for the District Council seat, winning less than 9% of the vote cast between the 3 candidates. In fact I would say that his sole achievement by standing for Labour in the District election was to secure a narrow win for the sitting Conservative councillor Alan Melton, cushioning Mr Melton from a spirited and close run challenge by Lib Dem Christine Colbert. The unsuccessful Mr Biggs has rarely been seen in Chatteris since.
After 4 years experience of Mr Biggs as their town councillor, the good people of Birch ward clearly didn't feel inclined to renew his mandate.
Since Mr Biggs is clearly heavily involved in calling the Wenneye by-election, one can assume he's planning to stand for the seat himself. The burning question now remains whether Wenneye ward will forgive former councillor Biggs for bringing about the significant cost of the by-election and return him with a rousing majority ? Will he do any better than he did (or didn't) in Birch ? Can he do any worse ?
Walt
The May '07 election saw a spirited and exciting battle between Chatteris's two significant political parties, with many issues aired and debated. But once the dust had settled, the two parties settled down together and got on with the business of Chatteris, (ably chaired by the sole independent councillor, our Mayor Sue Elam).
At the news of the vacancy the 2 parties discussed whether Chatteris needed to bear the cost of a by-election so soon after the regular scheduled elections, and in an exemplary example of 'cross party politics' both parties agreed not to call an election themselves, preferring to co-opt a an mutually acceptable replacement. There were after all 12 candidates from the May '07 election who failed to be elected, and the opportunity existed to look amongst this group.
However, news then came that someone had exercised their democratic right to call for a by-election in Wenneye. Speculation was rife as to who called it. It was even a mystery to the some time branch chairman of the nearly defunct Chatteris Labour group.
I can exclusively reveal that the by-election was petitioned for by a group seemingly led by former labour councillor David Biggs. This is something of a surprise as Mr Biggs didn't exactly distinguish himself when he stood unsuccessfully for re-election for the Birch ward of Chatteris in the May '07 elections. On that occasion he produced what is probably the least literate and certainly the most irrelevant election literature it has ever been my pleasure to chuckle over.
David Biggs clearly failed to 'connect' with the electorate and polled just 5.5% of the Town Council vote. He faired little better in his bid for the District Council seat, winning less than 9% of the vote cast between the 3 candidates. In fact I would say that his sole achievement by standing for Labour in the District election was to secure a narrow win for the sitting Conservative councillor Alan Melton, cushioning Mr Melton from a spirited and close run challenge by Lib Dem Christine Colbert. The unsuccessful Mr Biggs has rarely been seen in Chatteris since.
After 4 years experience of Mr Biggs as their town councillor, the good people of Birch ward clearly didn't feel inclined to renew his mandate.
Since Mr Biggs is clearly heavily involved in calling the Wenneye by-election, one can assume he's planning to stand for the seat himself. The burning question now remains whether Wenneye ward will forgive former councillor Biggs for bringing about the significant cost of the by-election and return him with a rousing majority ? Will he do any better than he did (or didn't) in Birch ? Can he do any worse ?
Walt
Saturday 1 March 2008
READ ALL ABOUT IT !
Chatteris Town Council has launched its official web site !
Now you can read the minutes and judge for yourself the validity of my observations on the proceedings.
Enter " http://www.eastspace.net/chatteris-council/ " or click on the link top left of this page.
Now you can read the minutes and judge for yourself the validity of my observations on the proceedings.
Enter " http://www.eastspace.net/chatteris-council/ " or click on the link top left of this page.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)