Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

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.
Many thanks to our correspondent who sent the following observations.

Kings Dyke Bridge.
Tim Watkins from Cambridge CC addressed the council at length.  To sum up:
Ground investigation works are complete.
Compulsory Purchase Order documents are being made ready. it is envisaged (still) that a CPO will not be necessary but the possibility of using one provides a good bargaining tool.
it is estimated that a contractor will be named in July.
Network Rail, “a very large organisation” could cause delays for various reasons including line closures and access to land and air space. One Councillor suggested that the railways should be re-nationalised as Network Rail is not an easy company to work with.

Public Forum
Mr Gray Esson of Street Pride addressed the council at great length and described possible future.  These include the use of a beet-cutter as part of a new display.  Brightly coloured bicycles were also mentioned.

Another gentleman made a succinct and impassioned plea for the council to undertake a tree-planting scheme in and around Whittlesey and villages.  Councillors greeted this very short address with enthusiasm   It was mentioned that Whittlesey has indeed lost a lot of fine trees over recent years.

Lattersey Nature Reserve
There will be a Partnership event on Sunday 28-05-17

Finance and Policy Committee
Councillor Dorling estimated that, by the end of the financial year, WTC should be able to deposit £40,000 in the Reserve Fund.  The council bank account will be moved from Lloyd’s to Barclays, given that Lloyds are closing the Whittlesey branch.

Community Road Watch
At Station Road and at the A605 in Coates, a large number of vehicles have been recorded breaking the speed limit. This includes one driver who was clocked at 49 mph. This was at a time when children were making their way home from school.  Companies and individuals have been contacted.

Whittlesey Extravaganza
The Extravaganza committee has given notice that all its members have decided to withdraw their services.  There will be no Extravaganza this December unless a new body of people take up the reins. Whittlesey Business Forum will be meeting to discuss possibilities.

Commonwealth Day
WTC has a flag and might fly it on 13-03-17

Proposal Announcement
“Members have agreed to proceed with the potential purchase of a suitable building to house the council offices of the clerk and meeting rooms.
The council would then own this property rather than paying rent therefore creating an asset. There is no additional cost to the public via the precept.”

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.

Maybe not many have knowledge of ‘The Bobby Scheme’ it is a support unit for:
Victims of crime
Vulnerable elderly people
People who are prone to repeated crime
The Cambridgeshire Bobby scheme does outstanding work in helping these victims and potential victims of burglary and is strongly supported by Cambridgeshire NHW. Please consider the below request to help sustain its valuable work
Read more on the Bobby Scheme website Click Here

Cambridgeshire Bobby Scheme Seeks Public Votes

The Cambridgeshire Bobby Scheme is urging local residents to vote for them in the Hopkins Homes Cambridgeshire Charity Vote with the hope of securing an award of up to £7,000.
The public is being asked to vote for their preferred charity from a choice of six shortlisted organisations. The three causes who receive the most votes will be presented with donations of £7,000, £2,000 or £1,000 depending on the level of support they receive.

All you have to do is between today February 6^th and February 24^th, click onto Hopkins Homes website to www.hopkinshomescharity.co.uk,  click on Vote Now, tick The Bobby Scheme and add your postcode [ to prove you live in Cambridgeshire].
The vote is a fantastic opportunity for you to support our work.  We are always seeking funding to continue our service and should we be awarded the £7,000 it will make an enormous difference to helping vulnerable people – the elderly, the vulnerable, the disabled and domestic abuse victims, feel safer in their home.

PLEASE do support us and vote, and circulate to all your colleagues, friends and relations and ask them to vote for us as well.

Read more on the Bobby Scheme website Click Here

THANK YOU
Best Wishes
Shirley Simpson Trust Manager
Cambridgeshire Police Shrievalty Trust
The Bobby Scheme
Yaxley Police Station
1 Queen Street
Yaxley
PE7 3JE
01480 413311
07718 118994

They have helped and supported many elderly people in the Whittlesey area.
Please spend a few minutes in helping them get their grant – Thanks – RG.

Updated 08-02-17 @ 0500 utc
Train operator Abellio has agreed to sell 40% of its Greater Anglia rail franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui.  The line has been run by Greater Anglia since 2012 and the company renewed the franchise in August.
It says the deal will result in a £1.4bn investment over nine years, with new trains and average journey times reduced by 10%.  The rail union RMT said Britain’s rail network was being sold off like it was a “dodgy car boot sale”.

I have attended many meeting over the last few years…There have been several/many promises made by what was called Abillio Anglia – None of which has come to anything yet!!!
Now that the mighty Mitshui have taken a good chunk will we now maybe see some investment coming to Whittlesey – I wonder.
Read the story on the BBC Click Here

Updated 08-02-17 @ 0500 utc

“How do you build an online community that isn’t an echo chamber and doesn’t descend into an ugly shouting match?
Make it local, is the answer from two neighbourhood networks, one British, one American, that are getting together.

America’s Nextdoor will announce this week that it is buying Britain’s Streetlife in a multimillion pound deal.
Both companies were founded around the same time and have been on a similar mission – to build social networks concentrated on neighbourhoods with the aim of helping people with practical tasks.”

Streetlife like many other ‘Social Media sites’ started off with good intentions but as they themselves quoted  How do you build an online community that isn’t an echo chamber and doesn’t descend into an ugly shouting match?

So now they have been bought out by the USA (not the other way round)
We wait and see what if any enhancements or improvements they make, one thing it can not stop is ‘some’ of the stupid posts that appear regularly – still it provides a bit of entertainment – as many times stated – Social (but not anti-social) Media does have a place in our modern society if used sensibly.

I note that on SL their customers have now 13 days to re-register under the ‘new’ name….

Read the complete story on the BBC Click Here

If you scroll down the right hand side cursor, you will now find a live feed from Cambs Police Twitter account…. like many I do not ‘do’ twitter® or face-book®’ but they both have certain positives in communicating with the public…
Like all information it is only as good as the person updating it….

Several updates on next weeks agenda….
Full-Council-agenda-8th-February-2017

After the improvements to our town centre which sparked a lot of comment at the time.
The ‘newish’ bus stop is missing a ‘safe place’ for pedestrians/school children and shoppers to cross.
I have had advance sight of a report from FDC on this issue, and aware it will be debated at the next WTC meeting, (this Wednesday 0th Feb @ 19:30)
I would encourage anyone interested to go along to the meeting (and possibly, if they wish, to speak in public session on the subject) and I hope to report what is debated on this very important safety issue.

I could write a book – but won’t – the debate on whether ‘we’ in Whittlesey would be better off ‘linking’ with Peterborough rather than Fenland has been brought up on many occasions. There are Pro’s and Con’s – however whenever I have raised the subject with Whittlesey Councillors, I have raised a ‘Toxic subject’. Most believe our/their allegiance lays with Fenland and I appreciate everyones views.
Certain services are now ‘shared’ in order to make ‘savings’
However looking at recent history – say the last 1/2/10 & 25 years and where as Fenland and Whittlesey has remained fairly stagnant – Peterborough has prospered in many, many ways, they have also had a certain amount of negative issues.
I’ll not go on too long – but considering the majority of working people from Whittlesey do so in Peterborough, the majority of people shop in Peterborough, the leisure and hospitality areas are in Peterborough and on and on.
I’ll highlight the latest ‘loss’ to our town – that being the historic findings at ‘Must Farm’
I’ve heard some small debate at WTC regarding what & how Whittlesey should benefit.
Just read the BBC story on this 01st February BBC News – Must Farm
Whittlesey is printed just once. Some of our Councillors have ‘tried’ to get this very important historical item to come to Whittlesey.
At one meeting it was even brought up by a benefactor that a stand alone Must Farm Museum could be built.
All very nice in theory and in my dreams but the realty is somewhat different.
No more history lessons, you and I can not have our cake and eat it – and I mean, a nice market town, free parking, reasonably good schools and health services. Relatively low crime, sport and leisure facilities.
I am sorry to be the deliverer of doom and gloom – but sorry Whittlesey – you can not have your cake and eat it – Peterborough is expanding at an alarming rate along with thousands of jobs…..and that means MONEY.

Just a correction from a previous post where I said that Fenland/Whittlesey had little money from the Local Enterprise Partnership to come our way – I stand corrected – they have published this week that some £8 Million has been allocated to the Kings Dyke Crossing.
MP Steve Barclay has today indicated that there is a lot more government money available to Fenland ‘if’ they go about it the right way.

I still maintain I like living in Whittlesey – where my passion lays – we can all dream of better things… talking about which there is news on a possible way forward of a ‘Pedestrian Crossing’ on Grosvenor Road/Co-Op Car Park area…more to follow.

A couple of interesting applications – one for the ‘Old Pings’ haulage yard – memories serve me correctly was this not the now applicant who – when – the Eastrea Village Hall applications were being made objected to that application of the grounds of ‘Traffic issues’ – so a haulage yard  of 50+years did not have traffic issues on the limited visibility A605.
Although I can not remember there being any serious incidents. Now housing is NOT going to cause any issues – probably not according to Cambs Highways – who will sure carry out a Desk Top Survey?
Agenda below….
Planning-agenda-1st-February-2017

Lets start with a very small but significant piece of good news…. FDC have at long last (years) and after a considerable amount of lobbying decided to increase Fixed Penalty Notices for ‘Fly Tipping’ – whether anyone is caught and will pay of course is yet another major on- going issue.
Of course my picture illustrates recent Fly-Tipping in Bedfordshire – so nowhere is ‘safe from this anti-social pass-time.
I’ve highlighted the forever on-going issues of ‘Plastic waste’ – some 6 Million tons ends up every year in rivers and oceans. I have published before my questioning of MP Steve Barclay on ‘Why we can not have a deposit and return scheme’ – he said it would be costly to the Tax payer –  I disagree – there need be NO cost to the Tax Payer! – Yes there is a cost but most will be out weighed by the improvement to the environment. This week the massif Coca Cola Co®™ is lobbying hard for Deposit and Return schemes to be ‘REJECTED’ – Boycott their products is one answer.
It reflects Coca-Cola’s assertive stance against the introduction of a DRS scheme, which is under consideration by the Scottish Government.
Such schemes have worked effectively in a number of European countries. A cost is added to the price of a drink, but the customer can reclaim a deposit upon returning the container to a shop or collection point.
I well remember as a child deposits on bottles and how we kids ‘hunted’ for pocket money.
Many other parts of the world have been doing this for years – time we caught up.
Enough now about these weekly issues – for a time anyway.
See full story on Sky News    –    Click Here

Yet another major blow to our town and what economy we have in Whittlesey – not surprised as some! – the Norwich & Peterborough Building Society and Lloyds-TSB about to close shop in the near future. It is very laudable some local councillors attempting to make a stand – Good – however you are 20+ years too late – Several reasons which I am sure everyone is aware of – but lets just take a minute.
The N&P, Chelsea B.S. – The Northern Rock, Dunfermline B.S (The Government gave Nationwide £1:6 BILLION to take Dunfermline on) – just to name a few.
I had accounts at some of these ‘safe’ institutions – we were told on many occasions by the ‘Rich/Well paid’ CEO’s that ‘They had NO Toxic debts/loans’ – this including the N&P – dozens of Banks & Building Societies suffered – and are still in some cases not in the Black.
Luckily for most of us – they were taken over at Billions of Tax Payers money (again) and I personally as many did not loose any investment.
‘Sorry’ it is a sign of the times – Internet Banking has been around for 20 years, people use Banks & Building Societies less frequently – and the Banking crisis all have contributed to where we are now – and there will be more closures.
Naturally I am sympathetic to those who have for-what-ever reason not embraced technology or can not get to a main branch in Peterborough.
On answer is change to what ever remains open for the time being.
Norwich & Peterborough Building Society™ opened in 1852 (Don’t know about Whittlesey) and had assets of £4:9 Billion when taken over by the Yorkshire Bank™
They have to say ‘A Palace of a Head Office’ in Lynchwood (I’ve been there) and a branch in Gibraltar! – of course I would not suggest any sort of #laundering# going on….
Why does a ‘smallish’ B.S. need a branch in Gib!
My concerns naturally are for their loyal staff – especially in our own branch – who have given excellent customer service and raised and contributed a great amount of money for local groups.
     

Another fantastic week for us – sorry Whittlesey I will return…!
A 3 day cruise on a wooden boat in/around the Mekong, 5* food as usual – the ‘delight this week’ being An elephant eared fish!
Connie, having a go at navigating the Bassac II.
Back to Saigon for a few days celebrating the ‘Lunar New Year’

A Healthy – Happy – Prosperous – Year of the ‘Rooster’

Coming next week – why it is all happening in Peterborough ~ Jobs # Investments
$ Infrastructure ~ Housing – Supermarkets -+ Warehousing % Building on and on –
Peterborough is where it is happening – especially Jobs –
We have a newly  revitalised Business Forum of which I am a member (Not a businessman) and I promote all can can for our town – but Peterborough has the £££££
Millions being invested – Not Fenland and Not Whittlesey.