Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

GhostedLB.

Just so you’re able to answer the inevitable questions…

The November 9th Remembrance Parade will NOT be affected. The Road closure permit expires at Midnight Friday night, with a 4 hour contingency for excess time on Saturday.

It will all be cleared away before Sunday.

AdvanceNoticeMarketStreetClosure@BW.

For nearly 20 years, I have been attending meetings at the now called NorthWest Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.
This year I attended with Cllr Barry Wainwright (Chairman of NQS PPG) for their AGM.
We were made very welcome.
My apologies for the scewed pictures, best I’ve got at present….but the numbers speak for themselves.
The very good news is that the trust is out of debt, for many years ran a big deficit and needed bailling out year on year.
Barry & I were the only 2 representatives from Whittlesey.

click on pictures to enlarge.

The original estimate/budget was for £13 million, now it appears to have risen to £19 million, for various reasons, including a bigger footprint, and kitchen/cafe.
Click Here..CambsNews

Whittlesey’s Manor Leisure Centre is set to undergo a multi-million-pound redevelopment, with the spotlight on costs, financial sustainability, and the addition of a commercial kitchen and café—a feature designed to make the centre a true hub for the community.

The redevelopment, part of the Fenland Inspire! initiative, will see the ageing pool building expanded and modernised while the separate sports hall is demolished. But the project’s financial implications are drawing particular attention, with total estimated costs rising to £18.67 million.

Key Financial Details

• Original project budget: £13.94 million
• RIBA Stage 2 estimate (including contingency and design enhancements): £17.18 million
• Sport England recommended enhancements: £1.489 million
• Potential Sport England grant: £2 million (reducing net cost to £16.67 million)
• Inflation impact: £570,000
• Pre-construction (RIBA Stages 2–4) cost: £1 million

Originally, the project budget was set at £13.94 million, including the replacement of the sports hall, padel courts, and rifle club facilities. However, inflation, enhanced design requirements, and the addition of new amenities have pushed costs significantly higher.

The latest RIBA Stage 2 pre-construction estimates place the total cost at £17.18 million, which includes contingency funds, inflationary adjustments, and expanded event and rifle range spaces. With Sport England’s recommended enhancements added, the total project budget rises to £18.67 million. A £2 million grant from Sport England, if approved, could reduce the final cost to £16.67 million.

Inflation alone is expected to add £570,000 to the budget, reflecting the time lag between the initial costing in December 2024 and the planned construction start in August 2026. Pre-construction work for the RIBA Stages 2–4 is estimated at £1 million, providing detailed designs, planning approvals, and cost certainty before construction begins.

Read the full story by John Elworthy – Click Here.
Ghosted@CTby JE.

Being a customer of Barclays for over 65 years, I too am sorry to see them and others stopping face-to-face support locally.

We do have our ‘Excellent’ Nationwide’ who’s staff are extremely helpful.
Yes …..I was one of the very few Councillors who wrote to Barclays about them closing their facility at the Whittlesey Library – I did publish the stock reply.

Q/ |Did Your Councillor write to Barclays – why not – YOU ask them| ?

(click on pictures to enlarge).
GhosterSundayBarclaysClosure@Library.

Nothing is perfect, however I’ve had quite a lot of contact with NQS patients and of course the PPG (Patients Participation Group), and generally at last the practice is much better than last couple of years.
Still a little way to go (Anima), and of course our for-ever increasing population putting stress on everything.
Thought about joining the Patients Group – contact me or Barry Wainwright, details on the Councillors contact list on top toolbar.

(click on picture to enlarge)
GhostedSundays@PPG.

A really good morning with plenty of smiley faces of content from the 22 members that attended.
In total 31 bags of litter were collected, Eamonn collected at an outreach point and his bags were left there.
It was then off to The George ( Wetherspoons ) for a social event with tea/coffee provided by Lynn.

The next litter pick is on Saturday – 15th November – 10am – Lattersey Nature Reserve, New Road – meet in reserve car park. See you there.

Photography by Alan Hobbs – he is the shadow
GhostedPD@SP.

Social Media – Yes, but no other Councillor in Whittlesey has this level of engagement.
8 Million (8,000,000) Hits/Views and 9,500 postings over yes a long period that I’ve been keeping ‘My’ electorate fully informed on what I am doing and involved in.

Yesterdays Stats.

GhostingStatsonaSaturdaymorning.

The post by ex Councillor Elizabeth Sennitt-Clough, rings what many others have commented on, I wonder ‘If’ anyone is actually listening?

Ghostedby ESC@RG.

Yesterdays engagement in Whittlesey appears to have been quite a success.
Of course the main area of concern (there are others) are the mixed changing area.
Much on social media (so I am informed) and as usual some not understanding correctly.
As I said yesterday 90% of many who have contacted me are ‘against’ this concept.
I have taken their views to FDC officers.

The ‘sometimes‘ well meaning Cllr Dr. Haq Nawaz, is running a social media survey,
which will actually not help things, as I’ve found myself (surveys) they can be ‘tinkered’ with by those who wish to over-influence an argument.

Unless you have some very good software running in the background – many as they do vote more than once, and it is this that can scew they statistics.

RG – My math(s) is pretty good for my age, I’be very careful in what people can read into
analytic statistics, AI (Artificial intelligence) can run in the background and in nearly 99% of these types of surveys and can make the numbers look somewhat ‘predictive’?

GhostedSaturdayHN&AB.