Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

I attended the meet up (as a guest!) at the Conservative Club, for todays public and business engagement. Mr Barclay did spend around 10 minutes with me and I questioned him on 3 major items, which I will report in my next post.

Out of interest Steve Barclay visited me some 4 months before he was even selected to stand as a MP for NE Cambs. We swapped views and ideas.
I was (1) of only 2 people to attend and vote during the short listing for our prospective MP who was not a paid up member of the Conservative Party. I was and am very grateful to anyone who allows open debate and democracy.

I have covered some of this previously, however as the elections draw ever closer 05th of May for us in Whittlesey. The turn out for the last elections were extremely low less than 20% bothered to vote. It is very unfortunate that it is being ‘fought’ on party political grounds. I had my reservations when Sir Graham Bright was elected as Cambs PCC, but having met him several times, I am very impressed with the performance of both himself and his office have operated.
Like the rest of the electorate, I haven’t a ‘clue’ to the candidates running in this election.
It is a very responsible position, both in regards to Finance and holding the Chief Constable to account. He is NOT responsible in the way the Police operate.

Click Here For more information, most being released from April 13th
I understand there is an article in the Peterborough Telegraph this week.

Member of Parliament Mr Steve Barclay is in Whittlesey tomorrow – Friday 08th April.
He plans to do a ‘walk-about’ to ‘meet’ people around town – sometime after 13:15
Got a ‘question’ or issue you would like to bring to his attention.
You know were to find him….

Picture Cambs Times©

Myself and P.D. went to support FOWL – Friends of Whittlesey Library, some 40+ Adults with their children (some dressed for the occasion) for the Disney© film ‘Frozen’.
A very worth while event for school holidays, and good to see the Library being used for community events….well done FOWL.
The next event which is well advertised will be The Opera Dudes on Saturday May 7th at the Library – Tickets available from the Library.

This photo taken opposite ‘Tesco’ in Wisbech yesterday.
Abandoned vehicles come in varying forms from the one shown here on the left, to those like in a previous post along Snoots Road.
1/ If a vehicle is being driven on the highway without proper documentation, it is a Police issue.
2/ If a vehicle is parked on the road, without proper documentation and is NOT a danger to anyone it is a DVLA issue.

3/ Our vehicle reported here several weeks ago and my research has been very exhaustive. The owner is NOT local, the vehicle has a ‘SORN’, and should NOT be parked on the highway.
It now has a notice posted on the wind screen and is a DVLA issue.
As I said before, the windows are partly open.

Fenland District Council (FDC) will have vehicles removed, if it is NOT a Police issue.
Could be a danger to the public, they have a contractor, who is based in Cambridge.
The contractor removes the vehicle ‘FREE’ of charge to the council and ratepayer (At present).
Unfortunately the wheels!!! at the DVLA appear to move very slowly in respect of this type of problem.

Below, an untaxed vehicle along Ramsey Road – a few years ago, the DVLA quick to ‘Clamp’ rogue vehicle within a couple of days, maybe before the ‘Cutbacks’?

I have advertised this earlier, however it is important that we in Whittlesey area are included in this type of consultation.
The 9 week consultations is about Minor Ailment Schemes, Prescribing of Gluten-free Foods and Prescribing Baby Milk.
This may not be of every ones interest, however, like many ‘changes’ could be the ‘thin edge’ of what may come in the future.

There will be a short visit to Whittlesey (Manor Leisure Centre) on 09th May between 14:00 to 15:30

To fill in the questionnaire (5 minutes) can be found online @ Click Here

Consultation meetings in the past, have been poorly attended, and this is one reason why, some other groups have missed our area out.

Since my return I have been very active in catching up with what is happening within Fenland & Cambridgeshire Policing along with Neighbourhood Watch
Today I was at a meeting for 3 hours in Leverington with the Area Administrator, the Police Liaison Co-ordinator and Fenlands Crime Reduction Team.

I can report and extremely pleased that the
crime statistics for Fenland (including
Wisbech) are the lowest in all of
Cambridgeshire. Part of this success, is
down to NHW, although ‘we’ are known to
be a ‘low crime area’, does not distract from the importance that the public and voluntary groups like Neighbourhood Watch can and do contribute. Although ‘we’ may have little to report to the police, NHW is still very much a part of being better Neighbours and gathering intelligence.

Why not check out the Whittlesey NHW Website Click Here to view.

You may have seen in the April edition of Discovering Whittlesea, Sgt Ben Di Meo article promoting NHW, it is saddening that this does not create some new interest in the Group.
That said we will soldier on, we have a fantastic core group.

If you are interested in being ‘a better Neighbour’ or would like more information.
My contact details are on the top bar.

Today going through Coates (30mph limit) a ‘lady’ driver with two children was so impatient and in a hurry to maybe get to Tesco’s overtook me doing 40+mph. As the road opened up to a 40mph zone she shot off like a rocket. Where did I find her later, stuck behind a queue of traffic at the Wisbech/March Traffic Light intersection.

Coming back from my meet up, at the same junction, here we have not one but two cars jumping the Red light. Last week I was in London, and I have to say the vast increase in Red Light Cameras in operation. Maybe Cambs/FDC would like to make some easy money, here’s a simple way.

As usual click on pictures to enlarge.

9 members of the Patients Participation Group plus the Practice Manager attended a very informative meeting.
The Doctors (7 Partners and 5 Salaried) are very well aware of the ‘problems’ in getting appointments. (See my earlier post of today). This is NOT because of increase in population in Whittlesey and is happening Nationwide.
The Surgery Management is very actively looking at ways of solving the problem….and its not necessarily employing more Doctors which of course has to be funded!.
An example of pressure the Surgery in under was highlighted last Tuesday when they received 1052 phone calls. All available appointments were gone by 08:04
There is an Emergency Doctor “On Call” but this facility needs to be carefully monitored and filtered, not for I’ve had a bad back for a couple of days!.
The e-consult is now live and in 3 weeks it has been available the system received 139 hits of which 16 used the self help facility and 42 actually used the e-consultation.

There is a Consultation on the future model for Pharmacy Services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – meeting being held at The Manor Leisure Centre on the 9th May between 14:00 and 15:30
More details to follow…..
Again an excellent well informed meeting – free to join – not hearsay from the hairdressers!

On my regular (Sad that I am) Litter Picking, my route takes me along the Bower Path. Okay it maybe not ‘that’ beautiful an area, but compared to a few years ago, is much better now. I find only a small amount of rubbish, little evidence of Alcohol or Drugs and fantastically little Dog Poo left around. A bump into many doggie walkers and most are carrying bags with them. The swans are there with many mallards and coots.
Yes I have seen ‘Rolland Rat’ on occasions.

‘A lot of negativity’ yet again ‘looking only’ on social media…once one ‘issue’ is sorted, ‘they’ move onto another ‘normally’ minor issue.
I believe and have had my fair share of ‘complaints’, however when something goes very well why not give that an airing as well.
Over the weekend I was not well, so knowing how difficult it is trying to get an appointment at NQS, I go and queue outside at 07:45, today I was first in line, by the time the doors opened 08:00 there was 13 people behind me!.
Asked and got an appointment for 09:30, said I would wait, everyone behind me got an appointment! – was actually called at 08:15 and seen by doctor…..what a stroke of luck.
All done and I have to say on this occasion a very happy customer.
I know this doesn’t happen all the time.
Tonight I will attend the NQS Patients Participation Group meeting at 7pm
I am an original member of the PPG and we get to hear about the Surgery at first hand, plus the group can ask and make ‘some’ recommendations.
It is NOT a forum for complaints, the surgery has a set format for this.

You can register for a lot of online services see link below.

http://www.thenewqueenstreetsurgery.co.uk/

When I said in my previous post I would update on the ‘risks’ of a Neighbourhood Plan’, I did not quite realise how big a task this might be!
I should and will try and talk/meet with Cllr D Laws who is the WTC lead Councillor on this project, she is much more up to speed as to where WTC are at present.
I did read her post on Street Life© and as she quoted “Neighbourhood Plan is difficult to cover in a few paragraphs”
 From my research so far a lot of a Neighbourhood Plan revolves around but not limited too The National Planning Policy Framework. Another document which is vast and at times difficult to understand to the lay person.
http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/
Part of this NP is ‘Flood Risk and Coastal Change’
http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/blog/guidance/flood-risk-and-coastal-change/

Cllr D Laws has also put ‘links’ into her post on ‘SL’©

So what are the ‘risks’ – well – ask the question? – what are the advantages of a Neighbourhood Plan – the way it is being ‘sold’ is that it gives ‘Localism’ – back to Councils and Communities.
This ‘maybe‘ true, but from what I have seen and experienced of Localism, is that the Government wants to ‘offload’ all the none-sexy’ bits without giving the resources or money to effectively carry out the tasks.
Remember WTC still comes under FDC in ‘most’ decision and policy making’ and this will also continue. WTC has too abide by FDC’s own Strategic Plan for the future. This includes most if not all ‘Planning decisions’

Yes I would like to believe that a Local Neighbourhood Plan is a good thing and I very much applaud those who at WTC are trying and doing a lot of back ground work in order that this maybe achieved.
But I still need some serious convincing of what the practical benefits may achieve at the end of the day…. Sell me a lot more pro’s and I may be convinced.

I doubt very much, even if Whittlesey had a Neighbourhood Plan in place, when the controversial planning applications for Showfields, Snowley Park or the Supermarkets were all discussed whether there would have been enough within the ‘NP’ to have made any difference to the outcomes in the end – so therefor what’s the point -I may ask again.