Preparations in hand for Sundays event, the fork lift was out yesterday moving the ‘planters’ around.
Another good event with many organisations doing their bit to make the event a success… See you there…say ‘Hello’
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From KC correspondent…
Hi Roy,
Attached is a photos of the rubbish been dumped along the Green Wheel and also the latest demolition carried out on the security barrier blocking the cycle route 21 to Stanground Lock. These people doing the damage just don’t appear to understand that the longer the workmen spend repairing the fence, which is distracting them from the Whittlesey Wash Barrier Defence. This will now probably mean that the completion date will be later thus delaying the route 21 to be officially opened for everyone else.
Wanton damage and regular small time Fly-Tipping….
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Tomorrow 3rd September is Merchant Navy Day, this is being commemorated at Fenland Hall by FDC. I spent some 25+ years at sea. I am proud to have supported our armed forces in various conflicts around the world and in my younger days being part of the Red Cross support group in various zones, including Vietnam, Eritrea, Bangladesh and Biafra to name a few. Towards the end of my career I was the Senior Support Engineer on Cruise Ships. Tomorrow is our tribute to the vast number of Merchant Seamen who lost their lives in 2 World Wars.
In WW2 over 30,000 men were lost – a death rate that was higher proportionately than in any of the armed forces.
The contractors for our Grass cutting and some garden services have not only been ‘Fired’, their HQ/Container in March was set alight last night (Fired)….it is believed that the culprits were looking for vehicle keys, but none are kept in the container.
There is to be a ‘new’ contractor – who I understand put in a ‘cheaper’ bid…..Looking overall at the ‘Landscape Groups’ work and record…I for one have complained on a few occasions about the ‘poor’ delivery and service we have had in Whittlesey…
Anyone fancy a cheap, well used, not very well maintained mower….don’t apply here….go to The Landscape Group…..ps, the 12 foot mower which cuts large areas like the Manor Field is out of action….
This is what ‘my’ frontage’ looks like – Not been maintained for well over a year…..No prizes here for a well maintained council/public area…. NIL POINTS….
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Here is some further information received this morning (01st Sept)
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After Sainsbury’s eventually received full planning permission for the supermarket and country park in June 2015. We all breathed relief however this was tempered by the news that Sainsbury’s then asked for an amendment to the planning permission. This was submitted as a non-material (minimal) change and it was thought would be passed without difficulty. However, Fenland District Council consider this to be a material change and therefore refused the amendment. Subsequently, Sainsbury’s have re-submitted the proposed amendment and we now await the decision of FDC in this regard.
One of the issues being, they want the store to be able to make home deliveries on a 24 hour basis…this by any standards is a Major change not only to its original plan, but the implication of ‘noise’ that could be generated by vehicles moving about…..again we wait and wait and wait….
There is a ‘public’ consultation into how to improve non-emergency patient transport in Cambridgeshire. Part of this will be ‘meetings’ held in Yes – every other market town, Wisbech, March and Chatteris – except us WE in Whittlesey have again been left out.
We have (2) active Patient Participation Groups (I am an original member of the New Queen Street PPG), we have a vocal strong chairman, so why are residents being disadvantaged by there not being a public meeting at our Town.
I will be attending one of these meetings and have made my displeasure known to the chair of the PPG and a couple of our councillors.
In the meantime if you or your relatives may be affected, you may request a hard copy, by phoning 01223 725304. Hard copies are also being sent to GP surgeries, pharmacies and libraries.
The 7th annual Street Priders BBQ took place last week-end and for a change it remained dry through -out the festivities – we are always made very welcome at our secret beauty spot in Coates. (Click on picture to enlarge)
One of our projects this year, was to seed around a million wild flower seeds, this we did in (3) plots on the far side (Near the Bower river bank) Manor Field. The project was kindly sponsored by Bruce Roan and his generous customers at the ‘Letter B’ – after a bit of a slow start….all came out looking very colourful and friendly to our Insects and Bees.
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New signs around town, highlight the for-ever and ongoing Doggie Poo ‘issues’, these signs are very eye-catching and I and many others ‘hope’ that some notice is taken from these very ‘visible’ signs.
That said I think there has been a small improvement in this area….not noticing quite as much of the ‘stuff’ around, especially in the central town area.
The favourite places of course are the Manor Field and the associated walk along the Bower. The Stonald Road and Cycle Route out to the Millennium Bridge.
Never quite getting answers from FDC’s Street Scene (Officers and HQ) as to how many if any perpetrators have ever been given the dreaded On-The-Spot Fine? – or if so did any actuals pay-up.
I see the ‘latest’ ‘initiative’ at FDC is ‘fining anyone in Wisbech who happens to drop ‘Dog Ends/Cigarette buts’… so why Wisbech, do the other 3 market towns in Fenland not ‘suffer’ or count…. I’ve highlighted before….
Shortly FDC will be asking the public where ‘saving can be made – I for one can think of one department where we can save well over £500K / Year – with very little ‘loss’ of service.
On my Litter picking travels today (I find it therapeutic!) I was fortunate to find a nice £10:00 note, it was on the grassed area besides the St Johns Ambulance HQ on Plough Road….naturally I will return it to its owner if they can prove it is theirs, otherwise it will go into my donations fund.
What a nice refreshing by-chance meeting with our Ex-PCSO Andy Halliday outside Sainsburys earlier this week. Andy has been a fully fledged PC for over 2 years now and is based at Bridge Street….Happy as always…
Now the ‘numpties’ on SL are whinging (As they do) (Rarely having anything positive to say)…are on about the efficiency of our PCSO’s in Whittlesey, before ‘posting’ why don’t they do a ‘little basic’ research into the remit of our PCSO’s in Cambridgeshire, they have ‘very limited’ powers and are classified as civilians. By all means report anything you feel is illegal, try the Police Station (Limited opening hours) or 101 for general issues.
My thanks to the Whittlesey Business Forum, for inviting me to their meeting on Wednesday evening. On this occasion some 13 attendees, (Not all Businesses), including some councillors. A very interesting meeting – with ‘some’ ideas’ on how best to promote our Town. Retail has and is changing at a very rapid rate, our proximity to Peterborough as the major shopping hub and of course The Internet…Some at the ‘Forum’ think the clock can be turned back to ‘Old fashioned shops’ – sorry, selling a couple of specialist items a day is not going to sustain a business.
We have a ‘fair’ variety of shops and ‘plenty’ of take-aways, there is of course a ‘need’ for specialist shops, but some have tried and many have failed.
Most people including myself (Guilty) do a great deal of shopping/travel on the Internet because it is convenient, not always the cheapest and many become just lazy.
A couple of months ago, there was 13 vacant units in our town centre, many have been re-occupied, but it is the same story….use it or loose it, I for one am now making a conscious effort to shop more locally, as I did on Thursday when I used our Garden Centre on Station Road, instead of driving to Peterborough for the couple of items I needed.
The result of yesterdays (2nd) election in the Bassenhally ward has been announced.
Firstly, congratulations to Cllr Martin Curtis on the convincing majority, the commiserations to the (2) other candidates:
M Curtis 308
C Gale 77
D Chapman 51
I make this a total of 436 votes cast, (if) as reported the election costs (To the Whittlesey ratepayer was £7,000) then this makes each vote costing £16:00 each.
Irrespective of who/what/why was at fault causing the election to be triggered, my whole argument as quoted in the Cambs Times© on several occasions has been well and truly vindicated, irrespective of the need for open democracy…. we had an election in May.
If any of the candidates had to have paid for this election a doubt very much if any would have stood.
£16:00 for each vote cast, is our money, £7,000 of Whittlesey rate payers money ‘could’ have been better spent….
Lets move on – its history now…. – and as the Cameron Man says…. Lessons may have been learnt – but I doubt it!….
See Headline story @ www.cambstimes.co.uk/home (today 21st August 2015)
