Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Thursday evening, a group of us attended the 10 Year celebration of Fenland Councils ‘Street Pride’ – A fantastic achievement by all 12 groups now involved, plus now the ‘In Bloom Groups’ and ‘Friends Groups’. I was invited to give a ‘Key Note Speech’, my theme was the success of Whittlesea Street Pride – Its history, objectives and statistics. We have collected in excess of 43,000 Kgs of Rubbish and Litter over the 8 years our group has been going, we were the 2nd group to be formed. We are the largest, most pro-active, and best self financed. Our success is due to ALL our ‘volunteers’, friends and sponsors of – Whittlesea Street Pride. I did specifically ask, Paul Medd Chief Exec of FDC and Cllr Peter Murphy to commit supporting voluntary groups like ours through these austere
times.
 
More signage along Peterborough Road –  I suggest this they join this graffitied signage

On Saturday we conducted our regular Litter pick at Kings Delph, this is ‘The worst area’ in our area – we have removed in excess of 8,000 Kgs of Rubbish/Litter – that’s correct 8 TONS….I’ve harped on about discarded Road Signage many times in the past…well I am having yet another go…as NO Councillor has taken this up!!!!! – We regularly removed discarded signs, they are normally bent and twisted by the time we rescue them. Now we’ve remove ‘Hundred’s in our time, imagine just around Whittlesey – if each sign cost say £50…. The amount the ‘Contractors to Cambs CC are wasting, Now multiply this all over the County… again a Big Amount….Now all illustrious councillors are looking at ways of saving money? we I suggest starting HERE…

Thanks to RB an authority on this subject, who tells me, the Wall featured besides the Taxi Office on Grosvenor Road, has been as good as abandoned by FDC, they have allowed one owner to demolish their part of the wall. He (RB) has attended many meetings both with the Whittlesea Society and FDC, he sent some recent photos of the ‘Wall’ along Whitmore Street/West End which again is beginning to show large deterioration. Most of these remaining ‘Walls’ are the responsibility of the Land owner/House owner.
There are ‘grants’ however these are becoming more difficult to obtain.

Whittlesey Mud & Wattle Wall Whitmore Street                 Haddenham Bucks
 
(Click on photos to enlarge)

My correspondent lives on Commons Road, someone – I presume FDC have put in some extremely flimsy plastic bollards to stop people parking in said area…. the photo says it all…

(click on photo to enlarge)

There have been a number of break-ins, around our area. One particular Garden Shed, was broken into ‘twice’ they came back for the parts they didn’t get the first time.
Owner has security lights, locked shed and a ‘dog’ which did not deter the low life….
Beware – these break-ins happened around 01:00 in the morning, when decent folk are sleeping. If you see, hear or witness something happening in real time dial 999 if it has already happened and is history report it using 101
Why not look at Whittlesey Neighbourhood Watch website :
www.whittleseynhw.org.uk/

Something I’ve heard ALL my life ….A correspondent contacted me about the ‘ancient Mud/Wattle Wall on Grosvenor Road/New Bus Stop – besides the Taxi Office.
When she made an enquiry WTC passed her onto WTC (Ms Brown) who said there was no money for this repair. The wall appears to have been forgotten about and the top tiles/coping stones lay on the ground.
Under ‘normal’ circumstances, it would go on a work list to be looked at….so, it is yet another area which appears will be left until it no longer viable to repair it….
I am still on the case, but don’t hold your breath.

Not just me celebrating a birthday yesterday, our good friends Maria and Pepe at Vesuvio Italian restaurant were celebrating 4 years since they opened in Whittlesey.

Maria and Pepe, have given a lot of support to many local groups from the beginning of running their business. New décor…..Food and service excellent….

17:15 BST All I know is that Sainsburys latest planning application has been granted, what conditions if any I have not as yet seen. But if you read the application, it was not just about being able to make deliveries 24/7…..

16:50 BST.. Planning permission has gone through…. So now its up to Sainsburys to deliver….will they?
Confirmed by Bruce Smith

High Causeway, I see activity at the ‘old’ One Stop Shop….. builders/carpenters are inside, I saw boxes of what appeared to be ‘Pet Food’. Maybe we have a ‘new’ Pet Shop arriving or is our present one expanding/relocating.

Our ‘fairly’ newish toilets have been vandalised ‘again’ the centre toilet had what appears to be a smallish fire over the weekend.
There of course is a question! – Why was the ‘lock’ on this toilet broken and not repaired or seen too for many weeks allowing unrestricted access. (No Money!)
This toilet is presently ‘Out of Service’

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Swingeing = severe, extreme, serious, substantial, drastic, harsh, punishing, excessive…..
Both Cambs County Council (To save £114 Million in the next 5  years) Fenland District Council (To save £1.8 Million over the next 3 years) This can only mean one thing, core services are now at risk.
Both Councils have made substantial so called savings over the ‘past’ few years, staff cuts, redundancies etc.
All services, Police and Fire services are seeing reductions in funding.
Up until now, this has had little effect on ‘front line’ services, but with these planned substantial funding cutbacks, I expect there will be some drastic changes on the horizon.
Of course – FDC have a consultation out to the public – You can have Your say as to where You think cutbacks could happen….Go to www.fenland.gov.uk/consultation
(closing date 26th October)

Photo sent by a correspondent, tyres dumped Stonald/Green Wheel area, was reported and pleased to say FDC’s Rapid response team cleared away.
There is normally a £5:00 charge on the disposal of ‘old’ tyres, when you buy new ones from a reputable company.

Today see’s a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags, some confusion on when the charge will be made, why make it complicated – just charge 5p that’s the end of it. Of course the swindling chancellor will be making something like £17 million from charging VAT on the 5p, Steve Barclay our MP told me when I have asked him to support a charge on Cans and Bottles, ‘It would cost too much to administer’.
Now his Maths and mine differ somewhat – how does +£17 million equate to administer charges, it is the shops that is doing ALL the work and administration….
Still Mr Barclays ‘was’ a former banker – maybe that explains it? (Pun)

It is my understanding that the ‘Ram’ is closing this weekend. Not sure if/when it may re-open. So with the Ram, ‘temporary’ closed, the ‘Railway’ closed, because of licensing ‘issues’, the ‘Hero of Aliwal’ partially closed and up for sale, the ‘Bricklayer’ being re-developed for housing, the ‘Straw Bear’ closed and is under ‘consideration. This will leave very few pubs left in our town. Congratulations to the ‘Letter B’ and The ‘Bull’ who appear to have survived the latest cull.