Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

A big thank you to our partners and our patients who have helped us to reduce how much we spend on over the counter medicines. Over the last year we have saved nearly £1.2 million by asking patients to buy medication over the counter, instead of getting it on prescription. As well as saving on prescription costs it has also helped free up GP time and reduce the number of prescriptions issued. Some items like paracetamol can cost as little as 25p, and yet we spend millions every year. Thank you for all your hard work and please help us to continue! 

The winter months are a key period for the NHS as we see more people becoming ill and our local NHS services having to work harder to keep people well. In this newsletter there is advice about staying healthy, seeking help early, ordering repeat prescriptions in advance and getting the flu vaccine – these are all things we can do to help ourselves to stay well.

Read more here 

Best wishes
Jan Thomas
Accountable Officer
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group
Lockton House, Claredon Road, Cambridge CB2 8PH

t :01223 725317
w :www.cambridgeshireandpeterboroughccg.nhs.uk
e: capccg.contact@nhs.net

My web script writer has decided to play up, which means that the lettering/font can change its look through an article, it make it look a bit ‘amateurish’ – so I’m aware of it and working on it.

Disclaimer: These observations are not the ‘official’ minutes of the meeting, these are supplied by Whittlesey Town Council, normally (1) month following the meeting and can be viewed on their website.

Further to the initial report on the 10th, my correspondent(s) inform me of the following discussions @ WTC Full council meeting last Wednesday.

There was NO Police report for December as Sgt Lugg’s team were busy enough dealing with ‘issues’ leading up too and during the Christmas period, indeed even on Wednesday evening there was the usual ‘full scale’ Police Team looking for a missing teenager.

Fenland CCTV :- Fenland and Pboro’ City Council keen to make service sustainable as costs constantly under review. Will operate on shared partnership basis Cllr’s Dorling & Curtis raised concerns about number of screens operator would be looking at and the fact that as Pboro’ City centre more busy would this take priority. Were told no it would be up to manager to ensure the shared service culture was managed on an equal basis.

Cllr Curtis raised concerns over Street Scene as only enforcements that took place were in Wisbech asked why were there none in Whittlesey, March and Chatteris.

Rural Cambs CAB asked for their quarterly grant which was approved. (RG) Remember I was the only Whittlesey member of CAB to attend their AGM recently.

Travellers encamped at the Railway Station Cllr

Bristow informed have been issued with eviction notices. (RG They and many others will be arriving for the funeral of Chris Fitzjohn which takes place this coming Thursday… Advice is to report anything suspicious to the relevant authorities)

Saxon Pit Cllr Boden said nothing could be done about this extension and very frustrated by this fact Boden thinks Environment Agency are acting robustly.
Based on report provided to MP Barclay by the EA Now content is more or less in public domain Cllr Boden said … site is vast and EA have sectioned deposited material into 6 sections and to his knowledge are STILL working on section ONE as EA are working with owners and operator and manage to agree on some matters disagree on others – So 5 more to go !!!
Cllr Miscandlon requested up to date information, Cllr Butcher asked for 1/4tly reports.
They have no valid planning objections to this application.

Ward matters:- Cllr Miscandlon Gravel House corner will be more signage and speed limit will be reduced to 50mph signs are currently advisory at 40mph.
Cllr Dorling Business forum to discuss parking issues in Whittlesey with feedback to WTC
Cllr Laws Neighbourhood Plan draft policies submitted Cllr Curtis raised serious concerns that the plan should have a robust case against the windfall site.

Syrian refugees Peterborough CC have examined the flats and are satisfied and like the accommodation. Clerk asked that no more furniture donations are accepted otherwise council may end up having to dispose of them as too many.

Pondersbridge bus shelter FDC provide shelters for service buses only this bus shelter is no longer used by service buses FDC happy to repair then WTC take it over. Cllr Boden thinks this policy is silly and will try to change FDC policy on this matter before accepting the bus shelter into WTC portfolio CCC Cllr Connor discussed LHI (Local Highways Initiative) for Pondersbridge 3 speed reductions Herne Road, Ramsey Road & Oil Mills Road.

Council precept (Whittlesey Town Council – Rates)  Matter the Precept of about £159,000 was increased to £171,000 on the basis that it matched last year’s precept, 7v4.

There will be an extra ordinary meeting to be held to discuss amended requirements and tenders relating to the new premises (New Council Offices/Old Police Station) – scheduled for Tuesday 15th at 20:00, public excluded.

RG Comment :- The very emotive issues surrounding Parking Issues (Not quite Parking Wars as seen on TV) has provoked a great deal of feedback to me – mostly positive but some no so. The subject needs addressing and the longer it is left to fester the more difficult it will be to find solution(s) – you can read my article of the 30th November which will be discussed at The Whittlesey Business Forum Meeting.
Parking Concerns & Issue

Saxon Pit :- I am very aware that Cllr Boden is our lead Councillor on this issue – however I and many others believe that the EA are moving far far too slowly in their investigations – and that Cambs CC being the Planning Authority should be asking if not demanding more answers than questions, all parties are entitled to fair investigation and are innocent until proven guilty, I have never said otherwise on my web-blog. As I have quoted many times I do not do rumour or hearsay – however there are people sending me information and allegations which I can not use because it being such to me and as such should be reported to the EA – they have a confidential reporting system.

The terminology that the Cambs Times™ used was:-
‘Multiple Breaches, Unlawful Waste, Illegal Waste

This is ‘our’ town and many like myself only wish for a clean and safe place for we and our children to live in. The Saxon Pit issue ‘could’ have monumental environmental long term problems and costs involved – if you feel strongly about this why not contact you Councillor.

And finally – well nothing heard about Kings Dyke Bridge – my concern(s) now we have got this far is the extremely worrying news of the state of ‘Kier’ the contractors.

November 30th

Kier launches £264m emergency rescue rights issue … – FT™

This was clearly an emergency rescue rights issue, required by some of their lenders at breakneck speed.
Alastair Stewart, Stockdale Securities

Well CCC – What maybe ‘Plan B or even C’ I wonder…

Next meeting 23rd February 2019

Their are no words that can explain our sorrow at the loss of Hannah, the 2nd daughter of our good friends Andrew and Sue – whose funeral will take place Friday 11th.

I post the obituary on the England Bowls Website as a memento to Hannah.

OBITUARY – HANNAH OVERTON (HUNTINGDONSHIRE)

Bowls England regrets to inform you that former Women’s Junior International captain Hannah Overton passed away on 23rd December at the age of 28, after being diagnosed with Leukaemia earlier in the year. (Hannah Overton on the left of picture)

Hannah made her England debut in 2006 at the age of 15 and went on to represent her country in numerous International Series’, including captaining the England Blue team to success in Northern Ireland in 2014.

Hannah secured a National title in 2012 as a member of Huntingdonshire’s Walker Cup team. In 2011, she reached the final of the Women’s National Pairs Championship with Michelle Barlow (now Coleman), before also reaching the Women’s National Junior Singles Championship Final in 2014 (pictured with 2013 Bowls England President Rosemary Ellman-Brown). Hannah was an integral part of Parkway BC’s run to the final of the Women’s Top Club in 2017.

Hannah’s funeral will take place on Friday 11th January 2019 at 12.30 pm at the Whittlesey Christian Church, 23 Broad Street, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1HA.

Following the ceremony there will be a private family interment, with a Wake taking place at Parkway Sports and Social Club, Maskew Avenue, Peterborough, PE1 2AS. Family flowers only. Donations in Hannah’s memory should be made to Haematology Ward 41 at Leicester Royal Infirmary – it will be possible to do this at the service. Hannah’s wishes were for colourful clothing to be worn.

Hannah was well respected within the sport of bowls and will be missed by all who knew her.

Bowls England sends its condolences to Hannah’s family and friends.

Andrew & Sue’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary 2017 with Sarah and Hannah on the right

Disclaimer: These observations are not the ‘official’ minutes of the meeting, these are supplied by Whittlesey Town Council, normally (1) month following the meeting and can be viewed on their website.

There will be a short report on the much shorter meeting held yesterday coming on Saturday morning, the main interest for many of us was the application to extend the planning permission for the Saxon Pit site, which was also hight-lighted in this weeks Cambs Times© (My thanks to editor JE for getting this article into the larger domain.
There are few reasoning on planning ground to reject the extension – however without prejudicing anything legal which may or may not happen one could ask – Are the current applicants ‘fit for purpose’ to run an environmentally sensitive operation.
Our Town Council along with our (2) County Councillors should be asking many questions of the EA on behalf of all of our residents.
Rest of report coming Saturday.

On the agenda (See Jan 04th Posting) there is an application @ Saxon Pit to continue the importation of controlled inert waste for buttressing, stabilisation and restoration of the site. Readers may remember this site being high-lighted earlier this year when residents complained of ‘smells’ –
A short up date being that several Whittlesey Town Councillors were invited to visit the site, I also was invited and went to see the site.
East Midland Waste gave a presentation on their plans to the Whittlesey Business Forum.

Since then there has not been a great deal in the public domain, however the Environment Agency have been involved and have for a time suspended importation of waste.
Local Councillors, along with several residents and MP Steve Barclay receiving communication from the Environment Agency.

There are now accusations going around about what might or might not be in the old Saxon Pit – Let me say that the accusations are serious indeed – but we as public do not have the means or knowledge to prove – this is the job of the EA.
Social Media is very confused sometimes between Fact and Fiction.

Accusations are one thing proof and evidence is another.

This Pit is enormous is size and has the potential to take a great deal of (inert) waste, and when a similar scheme was proposed about 10 years ago, I asked the County Councillor at the time (Cllr Ralph Butcher) why – since we were taking this waste an Environment Tax of £1 per Cubic Metres could be imposed – this had the potential of raising several £Millions for local projects –
I was met with bewilderment and almost shock to have suggested such a thing…..did it happen NO

We await as we should for our Council to discuss this planning application and if they have been approached by residents about the potential issues – should raise this at tonight’s meeting.