Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

           
Sgt Paul Harris     PCSO Sam Dyer  PCSO Ian Moll

So our Community & Neighbourhood Watch team in Whittlesey are loosing not only our
Pro-active Sergeant Paul Harris but also part-time Whittlesey PCSO Sam Dyer at the end of the month, Paul is being replaced by Sgt Ben Di Meo, and at present not sure about the PCSO replacement. Although as Chairman of Whittlesey NHW I do my best to promote our Neighbourhood Watch Team, we are but a ‘few’ again who try to look after our community and neighbours, like all groups we need more on board to help our police team when ever we can. Not a great amount of ‘work’ involved, just ears and eyes for your street and neighbours.

On a more anti-social issue, I see there is another ‘A’ board hoarding advertising their business on a ‘spot’ that Street Pride has a Gateway project. Considering it took us 6 months of getting permissions from various official bodies to place our ‘Street Furniture’ in place – Sponsored by some very generous local businesses, we started with (1) ugly hoarding, now have a (2nd) and I wonder if all Tom, Dick and Harry would like to advertise in this spot. It spoils the project totally…. I am on the case….

Since the boundary changes earlier this year, which has altered many wards, Bassenhally now consists ‘mainly’ of the ‘Avenues’ and the ‘Birds Estates’, for us that are interested, I wonder ‘who’ has managed to motivate their ‘core’ electorate to ‘vote’.
This bi-election will again be ‘a party’ based affair, some have questioned me – why I did not make a stand, several reasons, some which have already been noted….
The elections in May, when the ‘majority’ of voters decided ‘who’ they wished elected.
The ‘political’ landscape has favoured those who are standing on a ‘Party’ platform.
I do not wish to be disrespectful to anyone on the way they wish to use ‘their’ vote – that’s what democracy is about.
I work with all individuals – for the best result for our town & villages and on a whole they work with me in return, naturally there are a ‘few’ who think, they are not too be ‘asked’, ‘questioned’ or to be held accountable – well that again is up to the electorate to decide when elections take place.
Lets wait for the ‘result’

’09:30 ‘ Just been informed by a resident on Eastrea Road, that they have had election leaflets from the Labour & Lib Dem candidates only – None from the Conservative candidate….’stange’…

Another ‘chance’ meeting with prospective councillor Colin Gale this morning, revealed unfortunately, he hasn’t researched where the Whittlesey Town Council HQ/Offices are! – come on Colin? – he informs me (Monday am) that he has been informed that Martin Curtis has already won the election which is being held on the 20th and the counting of votes immediately afterwards at the Alderman Jacobs school……so why bother having and election and its associated costs if one candidate has already declared himself the winner.
It maybe the case…. however I would like the votes counted first please….

The 2nd event put on by Whittlesey Town Council started a bit quiet, with more councillors than public, but by 4pm things had livened up a bit, no quite packed out, but people, families enjoying a Sunday afternoon….and it stayed dry on this occasion…

The start got of on the ‘slow’ side…. 2:30pm

Things picked up, with ‘folk’ having a good time… 4:00pm

We know their are ‘some’ low life within our community, whether it be the ‘idiots’ who damage ‘flowers and plants’ – yer I am so tough bashing some plants up’ or those forever littering and dog fouling who do not clear up after their doggies… so now we have the ‘Heron’ shopping trolly which was abandoned near ‘Aliwal Lock’ I went and reported it to the shop – and today it has gone, well maybe it still had the £1 in it – I didn’t check…..

   
(Click on photo to enlarge)
My thanks on behalf of Street Pride to Mr Robert Gregory of Rose Homes (Whittlesey) – NO connection to the Rose planning application at Showfields, who very rapidly sent his ‘men’ to Church Street and repaired the damaged wall –  we have some fantastic support.

      
(Click on Picture for enlargements)
Yesterday afternoon (13th August) the usual ‘suspected ‘Truck/Lorry’ could not make a ‘Safe’ turning into Church Street…., this is the 3rd known occasion this has happened, and you can see from the photos the damage done.
Only this week – blow me down with a feather – the path has been resurfaced – this also has has some minor damage done to it.
I/we have carried out work on our ‘Rose Garden’ project for several years, and I know that on a nice day several dozens of people/children/prams plus a 94 years old man (Ex milkman) use this pathway, it is a Major Path in/out of the town.
So now we have to ask, is it only a matter of time, when some poor unfortunate individual gets caught on the corner as a lorry tries to negotiate it.
I have the answer but it won’t happen under the nanny FDC H&S rules – Many authorities use a great 2 ton iron Bell on dangerous corners – clip that at your peril and serious damage will happen to your vehicle (Money).

But as with the ‘illegal’ cutting down of trees at Otago Close – FDC’s enforcement does not seem to have any authority does ‘anyone’. Fortunately it appears that the latest issue with the owner building a fence on land he does not own – seems to have been resolved – mainly due to ‘People Power’

(Click on Picture for enlargements)

Fantastic results from the ‘A’ level students at Sir Harry Smith, congratulations to Headmaster Jonathan Digby, who deserves kudos for his motivation of staff and pupils,
the school has achieved very good results year on year….

Bit rich of Colin Gale who in his letter published in the Cambs Times© this week, goes on and on about ‘local’ issues should not be politically motivated – why then is ‘He’ standing on a ‘political platform’ – Labour for the upcoming Bassenhally election, Colin accuses councillors of arrogance – Colin as far as I am aware has NEVER attended a Whittlesey Town Council meeting – that a bit ‘rich’ using the term ‘Arrogance’.
Where does he, Mr Curtis & Chapman ‘think’ they are getting the #Bulk# of their votes from….their ‘Politically aligned friends !!!’ Naturally I and many others are pleased and happy that ‘someone’ has decided to stand against the Curtis factor, as said before at another cost to us the rate payer of Whittlesey – for the sake of open democracy which I all too often promote…
Colin Gale – stand on an Independent wicket…..or is that to difficult a ‘task’

The prolific avid writers on Street Life are at it yet again…. I say some!
The accusations that ALL councillors are corrupt ALL are useless and we need more police, it goes on and on….. where/what planet are some of these people been living on….
‘We’ have just had elections in May, I and a very few others made our stand, we were well beaten by the due democratic process, with a good turn out (66%). What about the (34%) that didn’t bother to vote, I thinks…many of the persistent complainants are in this group.
I stand/stood as the only ‘Independent’ as I am not politically aligned to anyone, the electorate decided to vote elsewhere and I’ve always accepted the results.
No faults, but again ‘some’ of the Street Lifers, perhaps do/did not realise that some councillors were elected unopposed – so ‘if’ they have so much compassion about our Town issues, why not PUT up or just SHUT up.
At least with the upcoming re-elections in the Bassenhally ward, Colin Gale and Dave Chapman are giving the electorate a ‘choice’ against the Conservative Martin Curtis, I don’t see any of the Street Life whingers names there – case closed…..

Got the email about the workshops being run by FDC on preserving wildlife.
It seems one department of FDC is showing how to conserve wildlife whilst another department is passing planning applications which are destroying huge swathes of natural habitat!
As one journalist would say, “you couldn’t make it up”.

From a regular reader….

With developer ‘Bruce Smith’ on his holidays until the 10th (We also) – I/we wait until his return to see if he makes any comment – Re – Sainsburys applying for changes to their application.
We wait and wait – come October or maybe before, will Sainsburys or their Agents commit one way or another as to whether they ‘will’ take up their options on even buying the land?
We wait and wait……
Continuing with waiting, it has been very quiet of late from Cllr Ralph Butcher the lead member on the Kings Dyke Railway Crossing Group, the last I heard was – All was going to plan!!!!! with still some £3 Million shortfall that Network Rail are supposed to cough up, small fry in comparison to what MP Steve Barclay is looking at for the Wisbech to March rail link….did I read correctly £100+ Million….
Whittlesey could have (2) Bridges and (2) By-passes for this sort of money….

I am carrying out a short survey into recent increases of House Insurance (Buildings) in Whittlesey. Initial feedback being quite a number of respondents are not declaring how far they live from ‘A Watercourse/River or Drain’ or if they live within 3 Km of a Flood Plain –
Most Insurance/Comparison Websites are asking these questions….
If answered truthfully, the quote X2 or even X3… I’ll post more when my research finishes.