Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

You will have all had your Council Tax Bill for 2018/19 – I suppose ‘we’ should be grateful for some of the ‘small’ increases. Yes the Police & Crime Precept has increased by 6.4% but the Commissioner did put out to consultation the proposed increase which was well subscribed to the increase.
Give kudos to WTC – Cllr Dorling and his team at The Finance and Policy committee ‘appear’ to have well stabilised local finances with a small buffer now for emergencies.
My gripe is with the County Council part of the bill.

The ever ‘smug’ Steve Count who is good at excuses and who made the lead on giving ALL our County Councillors at ‘massive’ increase in their allowances – which we are now paying for.

In February Councillors voted 34 to 23 in favour of adding 2.99 per cent to its share of residents’ council tax bills together with a further two per cent Adult Social Care precept – which sees the average Band D property having to pay £59.30 a year more.

With the ‘ever’ on going delays in the starting of the Kings Dyke Bridge crossing, there was already a shortfall in funding (No one quite knows how much £Millions) – I wouldn’t be surprised that when the contractors finalise their plans and costing it will be someway off the original estimates.
Someone will end up paying for this – and it will be the Ratepayer – nice to have the rest of the Cambridgeshire residents fund ‘our’ bridge’ and its potential overspend.
I wonder what excuses Cllr Count might have next time around.

Well it’s that time of the Year! – Our friends ‘Suntan & Timmy’ who have been in hibernation since September – It’s time to Wake up.
Having been our friends for 40 years, they have been very ‘good friends’ to each other over that time.
Suntan the female is around 70 years old and Timmy the male is around 60 years old.
Both I & Connie are always sooo pleased when we open their boxes – to find they have survived another year.
So now time to give them a little ‘TLC’ to get them going…

FYI – During their hibernation Suntan lost – 61 grams in weight and Timmy lost 27 grams in weight – wish I could do that!

There are 50+ tickets sold so far – for the annual Friends Of Whittlesey Library Quiz.
Quiz Master – yours truly Roy G….
A good night to be had by all – last few places still available.

Whittlesey & District Neighbourhood Watch Meeting will take place:
Tuesday 13th March @ 7pm at Town Council Offices (Side door up the stairs) –
Grosvenor Road (Opposite the Bus Stop).

Concerned about crime, vandalism, littering, anti-social behaviour, inconsiderate parking or Police engagement – why not come along – All welcome.

Here are pictures taken yesterday (Friday) in the ‘Ball Bridge’ area – looks like someone has done some gardening and then dumped the result.

Just so there is no confusion – I Love Coffee – I drink around 6 cups a day (Not after 6pm).
I buy ‘ethical coffee from sustainable sources’

But there is this culture of carrying around ‘a none recyclable cup’ – covered this subject many time, on my campaign to ‘try’ and get our inept government to do something….

Years of ‘consultation’ has brought about very little action.
6 million Tons of Plastic going into our seas every year.

Government Rejects Coffee Cup Charge
09 Mar 2018 — Disappointing news today as government ministers have rejected proposals to introduce a charge for disposable coffee cups.
The environmental committee chair Mary Creagh said:
“The UK’s throwaway culture is having a devastating impact on our streets, beaches and seas. Our report recommended practical solutions to the disposable packaging crisis.
The government’s response shows that despite warm words they plan no real action.”

Also Philip Hammond’s proposed consultation on plastic waste still hasn’t begun, 3 months on from when it was supposed to have started.

*However we will not be deterred!*
The decision has been taken that enough is enough. 170,000 have signed this petition and those voices must be heard. This petition will be presented to Michael Gove and the Environmental department in the coming weeks.
As soon as we get a fixed date we will let you know, so hopefully you can join us in pushing the government to do something about this mounting problem.

The UK’s addiction to coffee means that every year 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away. We probably think that these are recycled but the truth is that is the fate of fewer than 1 in 400, the rest ending up on landfill sites instead. If you were to lay all these cups from end to end they would wrap around the world 2.5 times!

The introduction of a 5p charge on carrier bags in 2015 saw an enormous 83% reduction in use. That alone shows that change is possible.

More than 171,000 people have joined the petition run on Change.org
Read more here…

March News Update which also features Neighbourhood Watch in Cambridgeshire.
To read on the web Click Here

The link in the article Crime Reporting is incorrect:
Thanks to quick action by KC

The link should you need it is  https://www.cambs.police.uk/report/Report

I and one other member of the public attended last nights WTC Planning meeting.
The agenda was published here last week, the main item being F/YR17/1231/VOC (Variation of conditions) – a great number of residents in the Teal Road/Otago Close and adjoining roads have made much comment on social media about their concerns.
That said – No one from these estates/roads could be bothered to come to this important item to listen to how ‘Councillors’ discussed this – but can find time to make continuous comments on ‘social media’

So back to the ‘issues’ – there is a vast amount of material on FDC’s Website under this planning application – if you’ve many hours then I suggest you read for yourselves.
FDC – Showfields Planning App

At Wednesdays Meeting the following response to FDC from Whittlesey Town Council Planning Committee:

F/YR17/1231/VOC Removal of variation of conditions of planning permission F/YR15/0134/0 (hybrid application);
Outline application for the erection of 220 dwellings (max)with access, public open space and associated works/infrastructure. Full application for the engineering works associated with the formation of the vehicular access road off B1040 East Delph) at land North of Whittlesey, East of East Delph, Whittlesey.
The Town Council recommend refusal on the grounds of flood mitigation, the access onto Teal Road and reduction in the S106 contribution and the reduction in affordable housing.
The developer should provide a hard standing within the site for all contractor’s vehicles and anyone else working on the site.
All contractor access arrangements should be via the B1040.

The above does not tell the whole debate or issues – this application for variations go much deeper than that.
Example the change in S106 contributions that the developer had originally ‘promised’
has all but vanished, this has happened many times in the past.
A developer ‘promises’ all sorts of S106 money for the ‘benefit’ of the community – only to later renege on that ‘promise’

Also enlightening to read on the documents are the vast number of objections associated with this application.

Finally instead of one development it would appear that there could be 3 if not 4 separate developers constructing the site, this also will potentially cause all sorts of issues – over a considerable time period.

As in most cases – peoples memories are somewhat short and forget the history of events: Below was what the original developer ‘promised’ Whittlesey for this site

Showfields Promo

Showfields Promo

I could of course be somewhat facetious and say ‘we should be so lucky’ to see any police in Whittlesey – however as Chairman of NHW it would not be correct of me to make such a remark would it!

That said – watching all local media – and seeing the interview on last nights BBC Anglia news – how can people be so gullible to fall for this scam – but many indeed have – and Cambs Police now say somewhere in the region of £118,000 so far has been removed from ‘dozens’ of people mainly in and around Peterborough.
Peterborough has a very active Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and they like us are
regularly informed of incidents.