C.A.T.S (Chatteris Amateur Thespian Society) are staging their forth coming production of Cinderella on 14th and 15th December - at Doddington Village Hall. It’s always good to have local community groups putting on events, but why isn’t this Chatteris Am’ Dram’ group performing in Chatteris ? Previously C.A.T.S have used the South Hall at Cromwell Community College, conveniently and coincidentally located in Chatteris. Could C.A.T.S.’s unfortunate removal to a more distant venue be because the hire of Cromwell is too expensive?
Chatteris Amateur Boxing Club are putting on a major show on Friday 30th November. Will this be in Chatteris ? No, parents, participators and spectators will have to travel to Soham. Why ? Because it appears Cromwell Community College demanded a prohibitively high figure for this Chatteris club to hire the school dining hall to stage this Chatteris community event.
Cromwell Community College says that it prides itself on being community based. This admirable principle formed a significant argument in their recent successful application for 6th form specialist status. What’s more, the Town Council is trying to provide both an all weather football pitch, and gym facilities on the Cromwell site. It’s our Council’s intention that both facilities will be available for all residents of Chatteris to enjoy. But Cromwell’s current charging structure for out of hours hire of school facilities does little to inspire confidence that we’ll be able to reasonably enjoy these long over due facilities should they one day finally arrive.
Am I the only person to feel something is going dreadfully wrong?
Walt.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
If Cambourne can, why can't Chatteris ?
Article from Cambs24 (www.cambs24.co.uk)
"PLANS for a long-awaited sports centre in Cambourne have moved a step further after planners gave the project the go-ahead.
At a public meeting in June, Leisure Connection promised to provide a sports centre in Cambourne by September 2008 and with South Cambridgeshire District Council giving the project the nod, things are set to move forward.
It is thought the building work will start in December with the multi-million pound facility opening in late 2008.
The centre will consist of a health floor with more than 100 stations, a dance, drama and aerobatics suite, solarium, sauna, steam room and a beautician's area. There will also be a six-lane swimming pool and multi-purpose sports court."
COMMENT:-
“Long awaited leisure centre” ? Surely construction on Cambourne started less than 10 years ago ? And yet they are due to start building a leisure centre next month.
Word has it, fund raising for a Chatteris Leisure Centre started so long ago, that it was first interrupted during WWII when money already collected was given to the government to pay for a spitfire airplane !
Cambourne - population 4,000.
Chatteris - population over 10,000
W.Burnett
LEISURE CENTRE CLOSER TO BEING REALITY
17 October 2007
"PLANS for a long-awaited sports centre in Cambourne have moved a step further after planners gave the project the go-ahead.
At a public meeting in June, Leisure Connection promised to provide a sports centre in Cambourne by September 2008 and with South Cambridgeshire District Council giving the project the nod, things are set to move forward.
It is thought the building work will start in December with the multi-million pound facility opening in late 2008.
The centre will consist of a health floor with more than 100 stations, a dance, drama and aerobatics suite, solarium, sauna, steam room and a beautician's area. There will also be a six-lane swimming pool and multi-purpose sports court."
COMMENT:-
“Long awaited leisure centre” ? Surely construction on Cambourne started less than 10 years ago ? And yet they are due to start building a leisure centre next month.
Word has it, fund raising for a Chatteris Leisure Centre started so long ago, that it was first interrupted during WWII when money already collected was given to the government to pay for a spitfire airplane !
Cambourne - population 4,000.
Chatteris - population over 10,000
W.Burnett
It's how you ask the question
e-mail received from this morning Chris Howes, and reproduced with his permission.
As a regular visitor to the Chatteris One Stop Shop (average 1 visit per week) I have nothing for praise for the staff whom I’ve always found helpful and friendly.
But I often wonder at the FDC Customer Satisfaction figures for the one stop shops, which FDC claim are always in the high 90's%. This may indeed be the case, but in all my visits I have never once been asked about for my satisfaction ratings. So whom do they survey, when ?
In Chatteris One Stop Shop this morning there was a glamorous blond with the sexiest shoes ever seen in town, asking customers about the quality of service they had just received.
Every male visitor to the shop interviewed while I was in there, expressed complete delight ! Quelle surprise ?
Rant Web Turtle is an anagram
As a regular visitor to the Chatteris One Stop Shop (average 1 visit per week) I have nothing for praise for the staff whom I’ve always found helpful and friendly.
But I often wonder at the FDC Customer Satisfaction figures for the one stop shops, which FDC claim are always in the high 90's%. This may indeed be the case, but in all my visits I have never once been asked about for my satisfaction ratings. So whom do they survey, when ?
In Chatteris One Stop Shop this morning there was a glamorous blond with the sexiest shoes ever seen in town, asking customers about the quality of service they had just received.
Every male visitor to the shop interviewed while I was in there, expressed complete delight ! Quelle surprise ?
Rant Web Turtle is an anagram
Friday, 16 November 2007
Light relief ?
To borrow a phrase from Ken Dodd, “how tickled I am” so see that a banner proclaiming the switching on of the Chatteris Christmas Lights has now been adorning the railings at the Railway Lane /High Street junction for several days.
Does this mean that the “jobsworths” employed by the County Council have finally understood that when Councillors determined that obstructions should be removed from visibility railings, the operative word was “obstructions”. Have officers at last grasped that only items which might impair visibility should be banned?
Up until now the jobsworths in Fenland have been determinedly ripping down community information banners, insisting this was decreed to their employers.
Even the hard-working and award winning Chatteris In Bloom team were prevented putting up carefully designed baskets of flowers on the railings at this central point as officers insisted such beautification was not permitted!
As it is perfectly clear to any sensible person that the Christmas Lights Banner presents no hazard and contributes absolutely nothing to impeding visibility, I am hopeful it will be left exactly where it is and it will stay in place for the rest of November, and until the Christmas Lights Committee decide it can come down.
And I trust that the jobsworths are now resigned to restricting their activities to preventing hazards rather than impeding the commendable efforts of community groups.
signed Contented (at least for the moment) of Chatteris
Does this mean that the “jobsworths” employed by the County Council have finally understood that when Councillors determined that obstructions should be removed from visibility railings, the operative word was “obstructions”. Have officers at last grasped that only items which might impair visibility should be banned?
Up until now the jobsworths in Fenland have been determinedly ripping down community information banners, insisting this was decreed to their employers.
Even the hard-working and award winning Chatteris In Bloom team were prevented putting up carefully designed baskets of flowers on the railings at this central point as officers insisted such beautification was not permitted!
As it is perfectly clear to any sensible person that the Christmas Lights Banner presents no hazard and contributes absolutely nothing to impeding visibility, I am hopeful it will be left exactly where it is and it will stay in place for the rest of November, and until the Christmas Lights Committee decide it can come down.
And I trust that the jobsworths are now resigned to restricting their activities to preventing hazards rather than impeding the commendable efforts of community groups.
signed Contented (at least for the moment) of Chatteris
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
The oxygen of publicity
I apologise to my readers for the hiatus in by blog publications. The ‘powers that be’ who shape decision making (or at least ought to) would seem to be avid readers of the blog, and appear to be taking up some of my suggestions for long overdue improvements and benefits for Chatteris. So I’ve been biting my tongue and resting my pen, and waiting to see what, if anything, is actually happening ....
However the current edition of the Citizen Chatteris Extra, published on Wednesday 14 November (but curiously dated Friday 16th) has an article directing readers to this blog.
You can therefore expect further postings imminently ....
In the mean time you could amuse yourself by speculating about the identity of the Citizen columnist who writes under the nom-de-plume Ben Allanty.
A recent script in the radio 4 soap opera, the archers, featured a character writing for the local news paper under an alias which was an anagram of her name. Could Ben Allanty be an anagram ? I’m terrible at anagrams, never once having solved a ‘Countdown conundrum’, but suggestions I’ve so far received for the mystery Citizen columnist include
“anal by lent”, and “anally bent”. Further (more polite) suggestions welcomed.
Walter Burnett may become a registered trademark.
However the current edition of the Citizen Chatteris Extra, published on Wednesday 14 November (but curiously dated Friday 16th) has an article directing readers to this blog.
You can therefore expect further postings imminently ....
In the mean time you could amuse yourself by speculating about the identity of the Citizen columnist who writes under the nom-de-plume Ben Allanty.
A recent script in the radio 4 soap opera, the archers, featured a character writing for the local news paper under an alias which was an anagram of her name. Could Ben Allanty be an anagram ? I’m terrible at anagrams, never once having solved a ‘Countdown conundrum’, but suggestions I’ve so far received for the mystery Citizen columnist include
“anal by lent”, and “anally bent”. Further (more polite) suggestions welcomed.
Walter Burnett may become a registered trademark.
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
PARLIAMENT OF FOULES
It is common practice for political groups on a district council to meet as a group prior to a meeting of the full council to hammer out common group policy. This saves council time, generally avoids splits within the party, and determines each party’s policy on specific issues.
The Conservative group on Fenland District Council follow this practice of group meetings. As the Conservatives hold 39 out of 40 of the seats, quite why they do this is unclear. It can’t be to form a united front against the opposition - there isn’t an official opposition. Perhaps it is to form a united front against the alleged real power brokers - the Officers of the Council, or it could be to bully the back benchers into toeing the leadership’s line.
Word is that the last meeting of the Con. group was dominated by angry discussion on two subjects - the ever growing number of wind turbines in Fenland, and this blog ! Advice may be being sought !
This raises two intriguing questions:
1) are councillors really considering paying for legal advice over whether they can reverse their own decisions to grant planning permission to a reported 35 turbines within the district ? I’ll save them some money and explain: “no you can’t bend over backwards encouraging turbines, and then challenge your own decisions. It would make you look ridiculous !”
2) As to this blog, the author is truly complimented to learn that it compulsive reading to our august body of conservative district councillors. She also wonders what chortles of amusement and hoots of derision will emanate from the chambers of the lawyers tasked with studying it. However she will continue to sleep easy at night, even with the Democlean sword of legal action hovering over her head. A statement can’t be considered defamatory if it is true. This blogger has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content, and through the comments facility continues to invite any one to challenge the veracity of anything said.
Any message from this sad little story ? Is this how our senior councillors spend their time, trying to reverse the own decisions and quash freedom of speech ? I have borrowed from Chaucer for the title of this blog, but perhaps should have quoted Shakespeare - “a comedy of errors” or “much ado about nothing”?
Walter Burnett is a pen name.
Literary note: the title of this blog - “Parliament of Foules” is a reference to a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343?-1400) (also known as the "Parliament of Fowls" "Assembly of Fowls" or "Assemble of Foules").The word ‘parliament’ is derived from the french verb ‘parlez’ - to talk. Any inferance that a conservative district council group meeting might be described as a ‘parliament of foules’ - ‘the talk of idiots’ is not intended.
The Conservative group on Fenland District Council follow this practice of group meetings. As the Conservatives hold 39 out of 40 of the seats, quite why they do this is unclear. It can’t be to form a united front against the opposition - there isn’t an official opposition. Perhaps it is to form a united front against the alleged real power brokers - the Officers of the Council, or it could be to bully the back benchers into toeing the leadership’s line.
Word is that the last meeting of the Con. group was dominated by angry discussion on two subjects - the ever growing number of wind turbines in Fenland, and this blog ! Advice may be being sought !
This raises two intriguing questions:
1) are councillors really considering paying for legal advice over whether they can reverse their own decisions to grant planning permission to a reported 35 turbines within the district ? I’ll save them some money and explain: “no you can’t bend over backwards encouraging turbines, and then challenge your own decisions. It would make you look ridiculous !”
2) As to this blog, the author is truly complimented to learn that it compulsive reading to our august body of conservative district councillors. She also wonders what chortles of amusement and hoots of derision will emanate from the chambers of the lawyers tasked with studying it. However she will continue to sleep easy at night, even with the Democlean sword of legal action hovering over her head. A statement can’t be considered defamatory if it is true. This blogger has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content, and through the comments facility continues to invite any one to challenge the veracity of anything said.
Any message from this sad little story ? Is this how our senior councillors spend their time, trying to reverse the own decisions and quash freedom of speech ? I have borrowed from Chaucer for the title of this blog, but perhaps should have quoted Shakespeare - “a comedy of errors” or “much ado about nothing”?
Walter Burnett is a pen name.
Literary note: the title of this blog - “Parliament of Foules” is a reference to a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343?-1400) (also known as the "Parliament of Fowls" "Assembly of Fowls" or "Assemble of Foules").The word ‘parliament’ is derived from the french verb ‘parlez’ - to talk. Any inferance that a conservative district council group meeting might be described as a ‘parliament of foules’ - ‘the talk of idiots’ is not intended.
THE MYSTERY OF THE SOUTH FENS BUSINESS CENTRE
The South Fens Business Centre was heralded as the proof of FDC’s commitment to Chatteris. We’ve been told that this shining beacon has allegedly 95% occupancy and is a real asset to the community. Is it ?
Rooms were to be available for hire for public events or meetings, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has ever succeeded in hiring one, because the centre is closed in the evenings after 6.00 p.m. and at weekends - the very times one might want to book it.
Does it contribute to the local economy ? Unlikely - it doesn’t have reasonable pedestrian access to the pubs or tea room in Chatteris for a convivial working lunch.
Does it contribute to local employment ? It appears not. I include an e-mail from a local Chatteris job seeker passed to me :
“Speaking of the SFBC, what is with that place?!? I thought I'd be a bit pro-active and go see if I could find out what jobs there might be. I almost expected the receptionist to force me to sign the official secrets act just for asking what the companies do! As it was, she wouldn't tell me!
Then when I asked if there was somewhere they all advertised their vacancies I was directed to the leaflet wall and told I'd have to ask them directly. I enquired (very tentatively now, as it was like talking to the Gestapo) whether there was an intra-net where the companies in the SFBC might advertise all their vacancies, and was told no, they did not have that either, and NO I can't go round each of them unless I have an appointment! So I have to ask directly, but not directly, only by phone. Hmmm......?
You still can't see who's in there on their website! Makes me wonder more what they're all up to!!! Is the place likely to get bombed?? If so what's the likely blast radius, you and I might need to move!?!
So yeah, that's how I feel about those things, and you can quote me (as a "Chatteris Resident") if you feel it will help.”
The Ordnance Survey include “Secret Nuclear Bunkers” on their maps. This is an apparent oxymoron (a self - contradiction). What can we find out about the South Fens Business Centre? Their web site is so slow as to be useless. The FDC planning interactive map has crashed so I can’t check planning restraints there, and nowhere (that I can find) do they even publish a post code. The local authority generally refer to the clearly signed ‘Fenton Way’ as ‘Dock Road’ a problem which regularly results in an assortment of HGV’s pirouetting in central Chatteris !
So is the South Fens Business Centre therefor “more secret” than a ‘secret nuclear bunker’? Yes !
Walter Burnett is a mouse name.
Rooms were to be available for hire for public events or meetings, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has ever succeeded in hiring one, because the centre is closed in the evenings after 6.00 p.m. and at weekends - the very times one might want to book it.
Does it contribute to the local economy ? Unlikely - it doesn’t have reasonable pedestrian access to the pubs or tea room in Chatteris for a convivial working lunch.
Does it contribute to local employment ? It appears not. I include an e-mail from a local Chatteris job seeker passed to me :
“Speaking of the SFBC, what is with that place?!? I thought I'd be a bit pro-active and go see if I could find out what jobs there might be. I almost expected the receptionist to force me to sign the official secrets act just for asking what the companies do! As it was, she wouldn't tell me!
Then when I asked if there was somewhere they all advertised their vacancies I was directed to the leaflet wall and told I'd have to ask them directly. I enquired (very tentatively now, as it was like talking to the Gestapo) whether there was an intra-net where the companies in the SFBC might advertise all their vacancies, and was told no, they did not have that either, and NO I can't go round each of them unless I have an appointment! So I have to ask directly, but not directly, only by phone. Hmmm......?
You still can't see who's in there on their website! Makes me wonder more what they're all up to!!! Is the place likely to get bombed?? If so what's the likely blast radius, you and I might need to move!?!
So yeah, that's how I feel about those things, and you can quote me (as a "Chatteris Resident") if you feel it will help.”
The Ordnance Survey include “Secret Nuclear Bunkers” on their maps. This is an apparent oxymoron (a self - contradiction). What can we find out about the South Fens Business Centre? Their web site is so slow as to be useless. The FDC planning interactive map has crashed so I can’t check planning restraints there, and nowhere (that I can find) do they even publish a post code. The local authority generally refer to the clearly signed ‘Fenton Way’ as ‘Dock Road’ a problem which regularly results in an assortment of HGV’s pirouetting in central Chatteris !
So is the South Fens Business Centre therefor “more secret” than a ‘secret nuclear bunker’? Yes !
Walter Burnett is a mouse name.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)