Barry Stamps Political Diary

Will the New Speed Camera Signs Have Any Real Effect?

2010-05-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Will the new speed camera signs the County Council have put on the A518 through Haughton and Gnosall make any difference to the safety of the road? I really don’t think so!

As any policeman who is involved with using a speed gun will tell you the vast majority of those people they catch are locals who are familiar with the road. I worry that putting up these new signs will just have the same effect. People who regularly use the road will soon realize that no permanent cameras are in place and will then forget the signs are even there. Then the only people who might take note and watch their speed will be those just passing through for the first time.

While I would support any efforts the Council makes to make this road safer I, and I know a lot of local residents, think this latest move has more to do with legitimizing the mobile speed cameras that occasional visit the A518.

For a long time I have argued that not only should more engineering improvements be carried out on the road, but that the County Council should review the current 60mph speed limit with the view of reducing this down to 50mph. Nothing they have done so far, and that includes these new signs really gives me any confidence that they are taking the problem seriously, and that the amount of cash the spend is more important that getting a really improvement that will save lives in the future.

The County Council Must Come Clean Over What Lies Behind the Funding of the Stafford Western Access Road

2010-05-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

I real do think the County Council should come clean about how they are intending to fund the proposed Stafford Western Access road if they failed to get money from developers of new housing in the area.

While I agree that the final decision as to where new houses are to be built in Stafford lies with the Borough Council I really do think that County Council should admit that they are planning to build this new road with the intention that it will open up a large area of land for house building.

Indeed they even hinted at this fact in the local press when they said the new road should not be though of as a bypass but instead, as the named suggests an “Access Road”. By its very nature and “Access Road” must provide access to something!

While the County Council are making a bid to Central Government for £36illion of funding, this will fall short of the real cost of building the road with its two new bridges over the railway and river. While in the short-term the Council might fund this shortfall themselves they will no doubt be expecting to recoup this cash sometime in the future. I suggest that this can only mean one thing - they expect developers whose sites will benefit from the new road to contribute towards its costs. Indeed the County Council are already using this funding model in Rugeley where developers are now paying back money the Council spent to build the towns new bypass.

If this is their plan in Stafford then naturally the Burley Fields area of Castlefields seems a likely candidate to provide the cash as this site would certainly benefit from the road and also be large enough to generate the money needed to repay the County Council in full.

I believe the County Council are being totally unfair with the way they are presenting the proposal to build this new road and they should admit it will provide access to Burley Fields, which when developed would make a considerable contribution which would off-set original costs.

Something Must be Done to Improve Road Safety on the A518

2010-05-13T05:48:00.001-07:00

Something really must be done to improve road safety on the A518. In the last couple of weeks there have been two accidents on the road, one at the notorious Swan Pit dip and bends and one by the Navigation Inn in Gnosall. Unfortunately the one at Swan Pit resulted in yet another fatality.

In 1995 when I was County Councillor for Gnosall Division I persuaded the Council to carryout a thorough review of the road. As a result they published their A518 Route Strategy which highlighted a number of areas which they felt needed improvement to ensure better road safety. These included the road at Swan Pit.

However since that time a new Councillor has been elected and the County Council has changed to Conservative control. But what does remain the same is the A518 and with ongoing budget cuts being threatened by the County Council I am afraid nothing is going to change in the future.

I do admit that since the Route Strategy was published a few new warning signs have been erected and a couple of pedestrian crossings have been installed, but other than that no real investment has been made.

Making this road safe will cost money, but I doubt the County Council have either the cash, or more importantly the commitment to make the real improvements that will prevent further accidents in the future. I do however urge the County Council not to bury their heads in the sand any longer and get something done before yet another accident occurs!

Cuts in Police Budgets Could Mean Poorer Service For Rural Areas

2010-02-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

The news that Staffordshire Police must save £30million from its 2011 – 2012 budget hit me like a bolt out of the blue. Given that the Police Authorities total yearly budget is £190million it is hard to believe the forces assurance that this saving can be made without cutting front line services. This is especially true as this latest cut is to be made on top of the £4.7million savings that have already been promised from this April. Even if police bosses make the majority of cuts in behind the scenes support it does not take a genius to realize that these jobs will have to be covered by someone, and that as the majority of staff left will be frontline police officers some of these will have to be deployed to cover the shortfall!

I’m particularly concerned that if frontline officers are reduced the rural areas are bound to suffer most. Already it is rare to see a police office in my neck of the woods, not because they don’t care or can’t be bothered but rather that they are being deployed more and more to tackle crime in the populated urban areas.

As a Borough Councillor I attend Haughton, Church Eaton and Bradley Parish Councils and although an item is included on the agendas for a report from a representative of the local policing team I honestly can’t remember the last time a police officer actually turned up! While I understand crime levels in this area are low it is still important residents are reassured that they are protected and served by the police, and this can only be achieved by a higher level of visibility.

I certainly will be the first to acknowledge that the day’s of the “Village Bobby” are over but I only hope that once the £30million cuts bite the days of the “Area Bobby” are also not assigned to the history books!

At long last the County Council carry out drainage work in Church Eaton Road

2009-05-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

At long last the County Council are carrying out work to improve the drainage on Church Eaton Road just outside Haughton. Over the past couple of years I, along with both Haughton and Church Eaton Parish Councils, have been pressing the County Council to get something done.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been promised time and time again that work was going to be carried out, but all the County Council managed to do was to suck-out the drains which had little effect on the water which flooded the road after even the slightest shower! However as one or two residents have already commented surprise surprise now that the County Council elections are just a few weeks away more substantial work has started. I have to say I do agree with that sentiment and just wonder if they would have bother to do anything if the election was not coming up!

However I must thank the County Council for actually making the effort whatever their motive might be as the state of the road was getting beyond a joke and many local residents feared the lane would become impassable to all but the largest 4x4 if nothing was done!

The work here must however be just the start for further work in this area and I know many residents will be looking with fresh hope that their flooding problems will now be solved!

I told you so ......

2009-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I don’t like to say I told you so, but after I questioned who actually owned the missing barriers on Doxey Road Bridge the County Council remembered they had actually paid the contractor for the work, and yes they did own the barriers. They also asked the police to investigate claiming they had been stolen. It’s not surprising that the missing barriers suddenly reappeared!

Why no one else had though to ask that simple question is beyond me, and had I not raised it the County Council would have taken weeks getting new barriers made and installed. Only then would they have realized they had already paid for the work but it would then have been too late as they would be faced with another bill.

Of course there would have been two losers in this situation. Firstly local residents who would faced weeks of delay while the temporary traffic lights made the bridge safe, and secondly local taxpayers would have had to pay the bill twice!

Why is the County Council dragging their feet over the Doxey Road bridge?

2009-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to hear that sub-contractors work for Wrekin Construction had removed safety barriers from the recently rebuilt Doxey Road bridge because they were worried they would not be paid for their work as Wrekin had gone in administration a few days ago. Removing these barriers has not only made the bridge dangerous, but has also meant that both local residents and the hundreds of people travelling to Stafford from Haughton and Gnosall are once again inconvenienced by the temporary traffic lights that have now been installed.

While I sympathize with the firm in question, one is left wondering how the County Council allowed this situation to develop. If they have already paid Wrekin Construction for the work surely the barriers belong to the Council and the contractors had no right in taking them away. If this is case why has the Council not taken action to get then returned immediately?

On the other hand if the bill has not been paid the Council has the money to replace the missing barriers without delay! In either case I cannot understand why the Council is talking about putting temporary concrete barriers in place in the next few days and then reinstating permanent barriers ‘at some point after that’.

As a week as already passed since the original barriers were removed I must ask why the County Council are dragging their feet. If barriers like this are damaged on the motorway they are replaced in hours – not weeks, which will be the case in Doxey.

Leaving the bridge in this state is an absolute disgrace!

Stafford Hospital - Replace the Management Board

2009-03-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

It’s difficult to come to terms with the appalling news about Stafford Hospital. Everyone knew that the report from the Healthcare Commission into the above average death rate at the hospital would be bad, but I’m sure no-one was prepared for what the finding were. Perhaps we should have realized that something was afoot when Toni Brisby the Chairman of the Trust and Martin Yates the Chief stepped down from their post a couple of weeks ago.

At the time all the local press reported that both had resigned from their post, but it has now emerged that in at least Mr. Yates case he had merely stood aside and was still on the hospital payroll and was receiving his full pay! What is interesting is that no one at the Hospital or indeed on the Board tried to put the record straight, instead everyone seemed to want to hide exactly what was happening. By taking this stance the two people who could answer the questions and criticisms about the hospitals failings effectively side stepped the issue and left other people to pick up the pieces.

In my mind this leaves yet another cloud over the current Hospital Board. First and foremost public confidence in the hospital has to be rebuilt and I’m concerned that with way the current board has acted over the past months this will be an impossible task. Perhaps the only way this can happen is for the whole of the management board to be replaced. With this in mind I do hope the Health Secretary Alan Johnson will see fit to remove the whole of the existing board and replace it with members in which the local community can once again have trust!

Greenway Footpath - Good Work But ............

2009-02-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

The recent work to extend the hard surface on the Greenway footpath from the A518 road bridge to the west of Haughton to Lowfield Lane on the outskirts of Gnosall will be welcomed by everyone who uses the route. As I live near to this path I know just how popular it is with horse riders, cyclists, joggers and walkers and this new extension will only add to everyone’s enjoyment.

However I was surprised when I stopped on the road bridge on Lowfield Lane and looked down on the end of the new path. Firstly for some reason perhaps only known to a few privileged people the new hard surface finishes a couple of hundred yards short of the bridge itself and secondly the only way to access the path from the lane is down a step set of new steps cuts into the embankment.

This lack of easy access is a real pity as I’m sure walkers from the centre of Gnosall will use Lowfield Lane to form a short circular walk back to the village. The steps however will make access difficult for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with small children in pushchairs. I’m also concerned that as the new hard surface finishes short of the bridge walkers to and from the Haughton direction will be forced to walk on the uneven and muddy old track bed.

Surely with a bit of thought the path could have been completed to the same standard all the way to the bridge and a gentle sloping access path could have been installed to make access at this point easy.

I will be writing to the County Council asking that when the next phase of the footpath upgrade to the centre of Gnosall is carried out that the access be remodelled so no one is prevented from getting to the path from Lowfield Lane

What a Performance - Seighford Village Panto

2009-02-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I had the good fortune to go and watch the Seighford Village Pantomime and what an excellent and enjoyable couple of hours it turned out to be! Over the years I’ve developed a real hatred of pantomimes, probable fuelled by the fact I was made to go to one as a child and the experience stuck in my mind. But Seighford’s production has certainly changed all that!

While the title of the show was “Jack and the Bean Stalk”, this children’s favourite had been rewritten to tell the story of the village of Sinford which was suffering under the oppression of the local landowner Lord Sinford. The story revolved around the fact that Lord Sinford wanted to turn the local WW2 airfield into an international airfield which would have devastating effects of the local village especially from excess noise. To make matters worse the cottage belonging to Jack and his mother was to be demolished to make way for the scheme.

Andrew Hetherington – Seighford’s vicar play the part of Lord Sinford to perfection and strutted around the stage in ridding habit and dark glasses hurling abuse at the residents of Sinford and the audience just for good measure.

As with all good pantomimes everything worked out well in the end which never really seems to happen in real life. As the audience left Great Bridgeford Village Hall there was much speculation as to whether or not the show had been modelled on any real village or events. I certainly wouldn’t want to enter this debate apart from saying I always thought pantomimes were just made-up stories, but then again I could be wrong !!!!!!

Congratulations to everyone who took part in bringing the whole community together for such a great afternoon of family entertainment. I'm really looking forward to the next production

Wollaston Lane - The Road the County Council Forgot!

2009-02-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

I do think that Woollaston Lane at Church Eaton must be in the running to be crowned the worse road in Staffordshire! I’m not surprised that I’ve had yet another telephone call about its poor state. The road is almost impassable through floods, mud, and deep pot-holes and this is despite the fact both me and Church Eaton Parish Council have reported it to County Highways on numerous occasions.

Its obvious that because this particular road is a narrow country lane in deepest Staffordshire which only serves a few farms and houses and has little through traffic the County Council are not interested in its upkeep! However this is certainly not good enough. The resident all pay their Council Tax to the Council, but get little in return. If I lived there I would certainly feel aggrieved and would want something done.

Once again I’ve written formally to the Council asking for immediate action, and I know the Parish Council are doing the same. However I’m not holding my breath. Lack of money and little political will or effort, will I fear mean nothing will get done and the residents will just be left to make the best of a worsening situation.

One has to ponder why a road in the middle of Stafford would not be allowed to get in this state, while a road in the rural area is?

Government announcement good news for Derrington, Seighford, Hyde Lea, and Burton Manor

2009-01-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today’s news that the Government are proposing to invest £6Billion in expanding the use of hard shoulder running to easy congestion on busy motorways will be welcomed by residents of Derrington, Seighford, Hyde Lea, and Burton Manor. For sometime now these householders have lived under the threat that one option being considered to alleviate any congestion on the M6 as it passed their homes was to widen the road to four lanes in both directions. Such a move would devastate the environment and increase noise. However today’s announcement has effectively kicked this plan into touch.

As I suggested last year a more workable, and in my opinion, more acceptable plan would be to use the hard shoulder at times of heavy congestion as an extra lane – a technique already successfully used on the M42 to the south of Birmingham. And today this is just what Geoff Hoon – the Secretary of State for transport announced.

However the M6 battle is not yet won, as I still feel much more could be done to reduce the noise and environmental pollution from the existing road. Sound barriers are desperately needed to protect Derrington and Seighford, while improvements to the existing sound prevention measures must be carried out to ensure better protection for Hyde Lea and Burton Manor.

How long does Christmas last in the wonderful world of Tory Town?

2009-01-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Just how long can Christmas last?

Well if it’s left to the Tory run Borough Council it appears it can drag on into the middle of January. You only have to walk through the Market Square or down the main street to see what I mean – the town Christmas tree, the nativity crib, and most of the overhead Christmas lights are still up!

I’m not sure if this is yet another sign the Conservatives have run out of money and can’t afford to take the decorations down yet, or whether it is another plan to save money and they intend to leave them up until next year! Then again it could be just a marketing ploy to get more people to visit the town, as Stafford will be the only place in the UK to have an Easter tree and Easter lights!

Appalling treatment for Blue Badge visitor

2009-01-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

I know the Council is short of cash, but trying to charge a disable motorist £70 because she placed her blue disabled parking badge upside down is beyond a joke.

A couple of days before Christmas I got a telephone call from a local lady who was extremely worried she had got a parking ticket while shopping in Sainsbury’s. It appeared she had placed her blue parking badge in the widow so the details could not be seen. She had struggled across the car-park and found the warden to show him the pass was valid. However he told her that because he had already issued the ticket the computerised system would not let him take revoke it and she would have to appeal.

I took the case up on her behalf and after two e-mails and a letter, in which I had to send copies of both sides of her parking badge, the parking fine was scrapped.

I certainly learned three very important lessons from this incident. Firstly the Council’s system of issuing parking tickets is so inflexible that even putting a disabled parking badge upside down would generate a fine. Secondly the Council seem determined to make visitors to the town feel unwelcome, and thirdly the Council’s car-parking fines collection service is run from Stoke-on-Trent and that all communication must be by e-mail or letter. No wonder the Conservatives are worried that the income from car-parks is well below the expected level if this is how motorists are treated! But in the other hand, making it difficult to appeal against a parking ticket might just be a ploy to ensure that they do not loose any more money than they have too!

Failing cats-eyes - something must be done!

2009-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

The dangers of the A518 are well known to everyone in the area. Over the last year the number of accidents on the road has grown steadily. However despite this the County Council seem reluctant to do anything to improve the situation. Now another problem has arisen – more and more cats-eyes are failing. This means many stretches have little or no centre line markers. As the bad weather took a real hold last week the problem was really noticeable. Frost and fog made driving on the road even more dangerous, but the poor visibility really highlighted the lack of cats-eyes. Even I found myself wandering across the white line as I drove between Haughton and Gnosall despite the fact I use the road daily and thought I knew it like the back of my hand!

I've already raised the issue with the County Council and have asked them to take immediate action to replace the faulty reflectors, but I’m not holding my breath. My real worry is that unless they do take action now a really nasty accident could occur especially as the weather-forecasters are predicting a really bad winter!

Another wonderful display of Christmas lights

2009-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone who decorated their homes in Haughton with Christmas lights should be really proud of their efforts as once again the Village was the talk of the area. I've lost count of how many people stopped to tell me how much they had enjoyed the display and that for many a visit to Haughton was now a Christmas tradition. You can always tell just how popular the lights are by the crowds of people that can be seen wandering around the Village on the run-up to Christmas. However as twelfth-night is now just days away the crowds have gone and the Village has an empty almost lonely feel, especially as the nights are now cold and foggy.

Having said all that for me two questions still remain to be answered.

Firstly it will be interesting to know just how much was raised for charity by the houses who always organise collections, and whether the pervious years totals will be exceeded even given the current poor economic climate?

Secondly why were there no lights outside the shops? I’m not blaming the tenants as I believe in previous years these lights were put-up by the owners of the building. But I do hope by next year someone has made arrangements so there is not such a black hole in the centre of the wonderful village display!

Growing bill for Church Eaton planning appeals

2008-12-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to be able to attend and speak at a informal enquiry at which the new owners of a piece of land adjacent to 6 Smithy Croft in Church Eaton were appealing against the Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a new bungalow on the site.

This particular appeal was somewhat unusual as it was the fifth on the same site, as after the Borough Council had refused the four previous applications, the then owner appealed only to find the refusal was confirmed by four different planning inspectors.

As a Councillor I see many local residents objecting to planning proposals, but the development of this residential site in Church Eaton has certainly raised far more objections than any other I have known. From the outset I was always against the plan to build on what was part of the existing garden of No6 as I felt the site was far too small. Also as it was crossed by a sewer pipe and drainage culvert there was even less room to develop. This meant that all the proposed buildings on the site were always going to be compromised, and this last application was no different. Indeed the only way it could be fitted on and meet the objections of previous planning inspectors was if the kitchen and one of the bedroom windows were to be glazed with obscure glass.

What is clear from this whole sorry saga is that this relentless attempt to get a dwelling built on this plot is costing local council tax payers £1000s. As every time the owner appeals against the Council’s decision planning officers have to prepare the Council’s case, and as the last appeal was an informal enquiry had both a planning officer and one of their solicitors tied up for the whole day giving evidence.

While I don’t object to anyone using the full power of the law to taking their planning application to an independent inspector surely there has to be cut off point. I’ll certainly be raising this question with the Council’s Planning Manager and Head of Legal Services in the next few days as I don’t see why tax payer should have to foot even more bills if the owners of the piece of land make yet another application. Five planning applications, five refusals, and five appeals turned down must surely be enough!

Are bridge work delays the main cause of traffic queues

2008-11-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

I don’t think anyone was surprised to hear the news that the replacement bridge at Doxey was at least two weeks behind schedule. Over the weeks while work has been going on I’ve been making regular visits to the site and it was clear from the start that the deadline for completion was never going to be meet!

Unfortunately this delay means not only will the residents of Seighford be forced to make the long detour through Bridgeford or Derrington for sometime to come but also the residents living in those villages will have to put up with the increase in traffic while this detour is in force.

Another knock on effect of this bridge closure is that during the morning rush hour traffic is backed up along the Newport Road from the Westway traffic lights to at least the Castle. On some days the queue even starts at the motorway bridge on the Gnosall side of Western Downs. I’ve certainly had a number of complaints about this problem and as I told the callers that while the problem was partly being caused by the extra traffic I thought the real reason was the County Council’s Highway Department was using the Westway lights to hold back vehicles so the centre of town did not become gridlocked.

Having raised the problem with one of the leading County Councillors I see from time to time my thoughts were confirmed. He said he had already asked for something to be done about the problem after he had got caught up in the jam and some slight changes to the light phasing had taken place. However having tried the route myself a couple of days ago nothing had really changed. Ok the queue had been reduced by a few hundred yards, but I was still caught up for nearly twenty minutes.

I only hope the bridge in Doxey is opened soon and no further delays to the works programme takes place as this will allow some drivers to find an alternative route into town. However the County Council must think seriously about the way it uses the traffic lights on Westway to hold back traffic as this is certainly an inconveniencing many residents who live to the west of Stafford town.

Poor work on Haughton pavements

2008-11-18T07:11:00.001-08:00

As residents of Haughton will know over the past few as a gang of County Council Highway Department workers have been resurfacing the footpaths in part of the Village. However to say that the quality of work is variable is an understatement.

To give the County Council their due they have delivered a leaflet to each household that was effected by the work warning residents that they should take care not to walk the tar into their homes and to not drive vehicles across the new surface for at least a couple of hours.

Well that is where the problem started. I had a telephone call from a resident of Church Close who asked me to go and have a look at the pavement outside her home. As son as O got there I could see there was a problem! Taking the Council’s advice she had left her car on the road overnight but even so the car a left quite a deep track across the new surface, and looking along the road it was clear this was the same at nearly every house.

To make matters worse the way the surface had been laid did seem rather poor. Along the back of the pavement where it joined hers and her neighbour’s gardens there were quite big gaps some of which even had small weeds growing in them. We both wondered what would happen in a few months time when the new seasons weeds began to grow?

I have to say that I’m at a loss to know why this work was left until the middle of November when the weather was cold and damp and the pavements were covered in dead leaves. Surely it would have made more sense to do this resurfacing in the summer when there was more chance of the pavements being dry. I’m certainly not aware of how much this work has cost, but I do worry it has been a waste of Council Taxpayers money and that even more will need to be spent to put the problems right.

County Council's Community Gang confusion

2008-11-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

Staffordshire County Council’s Highways Department have recently introduced “Community Gangs” – a group of workmen that would spend a few days in a Parish working on small highway tasks. At Tuesdays Church Eaton Parish Council meeting Mark Winnington - the County Councillor for the area - proudly announced that the gang would be Church Eaton Parish for the week beginning 10th November.

Unfortunately the Parish Council has not received any notification of the proposed start date before this announcement was made, so you can imagine the disquiet that rippled around the room. All the Councillors agreed that 6 days notice was not enough as they need to discuss and prioritise which jobs needed to be done. Somewhat deflated Mark agreed to go back to the Highways Department bosses to see if the gangs visit to Church Eaton Ward could not be put off to a later date.

This fiasco once again shows that the County Council are completely out of touch with the real world. OK they might be excited about the scheme, or they might need to get the money spent as soon as possible, but they have to realise that Parish Councils and local communities cannot be bounced into taking part and they deserve to have proper time to consider the scheme and plan what needs to be done. This is especially important given the fact that Mark pointed out that if the Parish Council could not identify what they wanted doing the workmen would soon find jobs that they felt needed their attention!

However Mark obviously took the message back to Highways House as the Parish Council has now received an e-mail to say that they should have received a letter a couple of weeks ago, but not to worry as the scheme had slipped and the gang would now not be in Church Eaton until 24th of the month!

One has to wonder how a scheme, which has only been running for a few weeks and also operates on a set timetable, can slip behind schedule? Does that mean an area that should have had the gang for five days might have got six days of work instead, or does it mean the County Council are incapable of organising even this simple task?

Congratulations!

2008-11-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulation must go to Giles and Mel Cottrill as they have now opened the new replacement post office in Derrington. As I said in an early entry in this diary (25th May 2008) the previous village post master decided to retire, which prompted the Post Office to look for someone else to run the office. Giles and Mel who already run the successful office in Haughton immediately stepped into the breach. Since that announcement they have both worked hard with the Post Office to get the new office up and running in the Village Hall. Hopefully their hard work will now pay off as local people and businesses use the facility.

However there has to be a word of warning! As I discovered when I visited Village Hall, the WI have arranged to run a coffee shop to coincide with the post office opening hours. I have to say the cakes and coffee are exceptional good and if I continue to use the post office on a regular basis I am worried my diet will suffer badly. Where else can you get a cup of fresh made coffee or tea and a slice of home made cake for just £1! Hopefully the coffee shop will bring customers to the post office and the post office will bring trade to the coffee shop!

Be sure the truth will find you out!

2008-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks local Conservatives have accused the Labour County Councillors for Stafford of blatant electioneering when they introduced the idea of the public voting to determine which projects should get a grant from the Local Members Initiative Scheme. This scheme, which has been running for a number of years, sees each County Councillor being allocated £10,000 to send on supporting local projects in their area. In the past this money has been given out on the whim of the councillor involved, but this new project now intends to end this practice.

Well tonight the real truth has been revealed. I went along to a “Councillor Question Time” in Stafford organised by the County Council. On the panel playing the role of the spokesman for the Conservatives was Cllr. Mark Winnington.

During the evening the new way of determining which projects would get funding under the Local Members Initiative Scheme was raised. Robert Simpson the Council’s Deputy Leader explained that Staffordshire was one of 14 Councils across the UK who are piloting schemes to get the public directly involved in deciding how local money is spent. He also said that the new voting process was also being tried out in Staffordshire Moorlands.

However when Mark Winnington spoke he told the audience the Conservatives on the Council had decided not to take part. In fact it turned out that they were the only political party not to get involved!

It’s funny that when the Conservative candidates in Stafford for next years County Council elections were making such a big fuss they conveniently forgot to say their party had decided not to take part. Instead they left everyone with the impression that they were being sidelined by Labour, who had just changed the process in an attempt to “buy” votes!

When I was a County Councillor I was always concerned that it could be thought that I was trying to buy votes as I was solely responsible for recommending who should receive my money. I personally welcome this idea that the decision of where the money goes is in the hands of the community, although I have to say there must be safeguards put in place to ensure small community groups are not swamped by their bigger neighbours, who because of their size, can secure more votes!

Council's decision on polytunnels

2008-10-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of years the number of polytunnels being used by local fruit farmers has increased tremendously, or at least that’s how it appears. While I have to say I’m not against farmers diversifying and expanding their businesses this cannot be done without consideration for other people.

Not only are large areas of countryside around Bradley, Gnosall, Haughton and Derrington a sea of reflective polythene during the summer, but the tunnels also cause considerable water run-off and always seem to be accompanied by rubbish related to fruit grown and picking.

Last year I arranged for one local couple to meet with the Council’s Chief Executive, Head of Planning, the Leader of the Council, the Leader of the Labour Group and myself to tell us the problems they faced as they lived near to one of the fields that were covered by these tunnels. To cut a long story short, the Council’s Officers were instructed to go away and take legal advice has to what controls the Council might have over these structures, especially in light of a High Court decision which had found, in 2007, that a farmer in Surry did need planning permission for some polytunnels he had erected.

Since that time I have been pressing the Council for some feedback which I have to say from all the informal conversation I had had with various officers looked as if the Council were not in a position to insist on planning application being needed in Stafford. However how wrong could I be! I’ve now received an letter from the Councils Planning Manager saying that following further investigation, and in the light of other court cases the Council’s legal team and the planning department now did feel that the majority of the polytunnels in this area do indeed need planning permission and on that basis the Council had written to the farmers concerned pointing out this fact.

Hopefully sense will now prevail and that a middle way can be found to allow the farmers to carry on their businesses while at the same time allowing the environment to be protected and the effect these tunnels have on the lives of local residents be kept to a minimum.

Doxey Bridge temporary footpath causes concern

2008-10-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well work on the replacement bridge at Doxey is well underway. A couple of days ago I popped down to see just what was happening and was amazed to see the whole of the bridge had been removed and there was just a gapping hole where the road used to be!

However what I found even more amazing was the state of the footpath the Council has installed to allow pedestrians to reach the temporary footbridge across the stream. This long path is surfaced with what looks like road plainings which have obviously been compacted. However in places this surface is coming loose. The path itself is extremely steep as it falls to the level of the stream and the climb back towards the road is hard work. A climb that is made even more difficult and quite dangerous with this loose surface.

As I reported in an earlier entry on these pages (22nd August 2008) Staffordshire County Council would not re-route the Rural Link bus service - which incidentally is now know as the West of Stafford Link since ABC Coaches took over the service – so passengers are forced to walk across this temporary bridge to complete their journey. As this service is used by some elderly travellers I am concerned that the poor state of this path is a real hazard. Carrying heavy shopping bags up and down the slope is bad enough, but trying to stay on your feet and avoid the loose patches is the last straw.

I have already drafted a letter of complaint to the County Council asking them to make urgent repairs to this path.

No Council cash in Icelandic banks!

2008-10-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days the full extent of the crisis in the Icelandic bank system has dominated the news headlines. While hundreds of ordinary people have been affected by the Icelandic Governments decision to take control of the Countries banks many local Council’s are also facing the prospect that many million of pounds of their money is now also involved. While it is still unclear just how much public money is at risk it is thought the total could be around £1Billion!

This news certainly started alarm bells ringing and I was not the only Councillor to seek assurances that Stafford Borough Council did not have any money invested in Icelandic banks.

I really pleased when Malcolm Vickers, the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive who has ultimate responsibility for Council finances, told me that the Council was not affected. Indeed it turned out that the Council’s independent advisors had suggested earlier in the year that investments in Icelandic banks should be avoided, and at that time the Council’s Treasury Management Team had removed the banks from the list of those the Council would do business with.

During the conversation with Malcolm I also discovered that the Council had around £26Million currently invested, and I thought we were short of funds!

Budget deficit predicted to increase but the Council still produce glossy magazines

2008-10-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Mike Heenan – the Council’s Cabinet member for Resources - was quoted in the press as saying that because the Council was facing a £1Million budget deficit he could not rule out future job cuts or reduction in services if “unreasonably high” increases in Council Tax were to be avoided. Indeed regular readers of these pages will remember I prediction last month that services would need to be cut or charges increased if the Council's looming budget gap was to be bridged! (14th September)

Well today two interesting items appeared in my post from the Council.

Firstly the Members Digest had a Cabinet report on the Council’s Financial Plan for each year until 2012/13. This makes extremely bleak reading as it shows the budget deficit rising year on year until it reaches over £1.7Million in 2012/13. It will certainly take a lot of job cuts and massive reductions of services if this gap is to be made up!

Also in the post was the latest edition of a full colour, eight page, glossy magazine the Council had produced for its staff. While I certainly think staff deserve to be kept informed of Council activities I do wonder whether producing a magazine of this quality was the right ting to do. Currently the Council are experimenting with paperless meetings, and have recently written to everyone who gets a Members Digest - including all the Parish Council’s in the area - asking if they would prefer to have it sent electronically so that the Council could save the cost of the paper and printing. Surely in a time when the Council needs to save money the same thing could be done with the staff newsletter which could be e-mailed to everyone's desk at very little cost!

I’ll certainly be asking questions as to how much these gloss magazines are costing and whether the money the Conservative Cabinet have spent in producing them would not be better spent on ensure services to the public are maintained!

New housing land website - good or bad?

2008-10-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Earlier today the Borough Council launched a new website aimed at giving local communities the opportunity to see, and comment on, the areas of land that have been put forward by developers or landowners as possible sites for new housing as part of the evolving Local Development Framework.

Currently Government housing targets means that over 10,000 houses will have to be built in Stafford Borough in the next twenty years, and the areas of land outlined on this new website is just the first step in deciding where these houses will be built. The Council’s Cabinet are at pains to tell everyone that if all these sites were developed then over 40,000 houses could be built and that no decision has yet been taken as to which sites will be used and which will be rejected!

Everyone at the Borough Council have been told to stress this message and to tell residents not to worry. However I do think this will be easier said than done. I know for a fact that in many communities rumours are already circulating that this or that piece of land is down for development and houses will be built there whatever anyone says. Launching this new website is certainly not going to help matters as more possible sites are made public. Unfortunately the Borough Council appears to have no alternative. They not only have to be open with residents about sites that are down for consideration in their neighbourhood, but also need to publish the information so they can get feedback.

I for one have certainly spent an interesting couple of hours looking at proposed sites in this area and will certainly be making my views know to the Forward Planning Team on what I have seen. I’ll also be toeing the Council’s line by telling everyone I meet that nothing has yet been decided about any of the sites and that now is the time to get their comments in if they want to influence the final decision, which incidently will probably be made early in the new year.

Comments need to be in to the Council by 12 noon on Tuesday, 11 November so there is plenty of time to look at plans. Follow the “New Houses - where could they go” link from the Borough Council’s website homepage - http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk

Will objectors to the Seighford Driving Experience Plan get the representation they are happy with?

2008-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Once again the residents of Seighford, Ranton, and Great Bridgeford are under siege as the Borough Council has received another application to develop a driving experience centre on Seighford airfield.

Already opposition to the plan is growing as many people feel the new application is fundamentally little different from the first which the Council’s planning officers had recommended for refusal before it was withdrawn by the applicant.

Just like with the earlier application I expect the two Councillors for Seighford Ward will declare an interest in the application as they know the land owner. This means that these two Councillors will have to ask one of their colleagues to represent the views of local residents who are objecting to the plan. Already one resident as asked me if this is the right thing to do and whether it would be better if the residents themselves could appoint a Councillor of their own choosing. Unfortunately the Council’s constitution does not allow this to happen which I think is a great pity. By letting residents make the choice in cases like this, it removes any worry that those Councillors who have already declared they have an interest in an application can in someway still be in a position of influence.

However it must also be remembered that the objectors are only one side of the argument and there may well be some people who support the scheme. Again a way would need to be found that is transparent and open to allow them the representation they deserve without giving any suggestion they are at an advantage.

I personally think the choice of which Councillor takes on the task of representing local residents views in circumstances like this should be made where ever possible by the residents themselves even if this might mean that one is appointed by both objectors and supporter.

Changing the Council’s constitution is not an overnight process, although I will be suggesting to the Council’s Head of Law and Administration that a change of this kind is at least considered when the next review of the constitution takes place sometime next year.

Speeding traffic make road too dangerous for police!

2008-09-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

As I commented in these pages a few weeks ago, traffic speeding along Malthouse Lane in Church Eaton, is causing problems for local residents. On their behalf I wrote to the Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police and was pleased to get a letter in reply saying my request for officers to carry out speed checks on the lane had been passed to the local area commander.

A few days ago I got a telephone call from one of the police constables responsible for policing this area. He told me a copy of my request had finally found its way into his hands and he had visited the road and guess what, he thought it was too dangerous for anyone to carry out speed checks as there was no safe place where they could stand!

I will certainly be using this as ammunition with the County Council’s Highways Department to get something done!

Councils income down by over £300,000 in first quarter of the year!

2008-09-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

At last nights meeting of the Council’s Resources Scrutiny Committee Mike Heenan, the Cabinet Member for Resources reported that income for the first quarter of the year was well below budget.

It appeared that the Council’s the income from car-parks, bereavement services, and leisure activities was actually over £300,000 down on what was predicted in the budget. While on its own this figure is worrying it has to be remembered that when this is projected forward the Council’s budget look as if it will be over £1 Million below target at the end of the year.

During the debate Mike Heenan was reminded that when the budget for this year was originally put forward opposition Councillors had warned that the figures would only balance if the predicted income levels were met, and even then the Conservatives were warned that this would be difficult to achieve. They were told that raising prices did not necessarily mean that income would rise as in many cases higher prices just mean fewer people use the service. However this arguement was just pushed aside with plenty of ridicule being heaped on those who dared suggest it!

What does concern me now is how the Conservatives will try to balance this years budget and what they will do next year to prevent the same problem arising. It doesn’t take an economic genius to work out that to balance the books either savings in expenditure has to be made or income has to rise. As the Tories have promised they will not increase Council Tax above the rate of inflation they have little room for maneuver. This year they have already made swingeing cuts in services including scrapping the Summer Play Scheme for local children, and have put-up charges right across the board. Next year will no doubt be much of the same, although there cannot be many real saving left to be made without front-line services being affected.

What ever is decided one thing is for sure, it will be the residents of Stafford Borough that will suffer!

Stating the obvious!!!

2008-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

The County Council must get this week's award for stating the obvious!

They recently updated the two road signs warning motorists that the bridge over Doxey Brook was to be close to show a new start date for the work. However while they changed the date they also added the words “Expect Delays”.

Well as the road will be closed for 13 weeks are they expecting people to wait around until it is reopened?

13 weeks is on almighty delay!!!

One rule for one - a different rule for another?

2008-09-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

The heavy rain over the past few days as certainly caused a major amount of flooding both in this area and wider a field. Having been stopped from driving along Long Lane towards Derrington and then prevented getting into Seighford from Doxey last night I began to wonder just what was happening to the River Sow in Stafford.

This morning I took a quick tour round the town centre and although the water was not as high as it was last year there were still problems. Firstly Sainsbury’s car-park was closed as the entrance was underwater, but perhaps more worrying was that the river had burst its bank by the site of the old Riverside Centre and the old Tesco car-park. This really set me wondering why the proposed development on the old Riverside site had not meet with more opposition from the Environment Agency as the site is obviously in a floodplain. To make matters worse in the first application for the new shopping, cinema, and apartment complex the plans included an underground which would have been well underwater with today’s floods.

The Environment Agencies apparent lack of interest in this site must be compare with an application they objected to in Seighford. In this case the application was made by a private householder who wanted to build a small domestic extension. However because his house was next to the Millian Brook the Agency objected to the plan and said there was a chance the new building might flood. On this basis the Planning Offers were about to refused the application befire the owner withdrew his plan. However as the house stands on slight rise above the nearby village if this new extension flooded Seighford would be under many feet of water!

One has to ask why there appears to be different rules, or is it the fact that the application in Stafford is from a big developer and backed up to the hilt by the Council, while the domestic extension in Seighford is being made by an ordinary member of the public?

Bus passengers will suffer while Doxey Bridge is closed

2008-08-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

The closure of the road bridge on the edge of Doxey Fields will certainly cause a few problems for some local residents.

The County Council say they have no alternative but to shut the bridge for around three months so a replacement can be built. However this plan will cause major disruptions.

I personally am worried on three counts.

Firstly emergency vehicles to Derrington and Seighford will be forced to use longer routes, which, as they are along main roads, can at certain times be heavily congested.

Secondly, emergency, breakdown, and maintenance vehicles trying to access the motorway service area at Doxey will again have to find alternative routes. As Seighford is already covered by a weight restriction this could mean more heavy traffic through Derrington.

Thirdly, passengers using the Ruralink bus service that travels over the bridge will be forced to walk between a new temporary bus stop by the entrance to the motorway depot to the bus-shelter near Doxey Church. At a recent meeting the County Councillor for the area said this wasn’t a problem as it was only six hundred yards, but I beg to differ! It may only be six hundred yards but that is quite a distance for many of the elderly passengers that use that service, especially if they are carrying full shopping bags. Also the land between the brook and the church rises steadily which makes the walk even more demanding. And if the weather we have experienced over the past few weeks continues I for one would certainly not want to walk that distance in the pouring rain.

What the County Council passenger transport team really need to do is reconsider this proposal and arrange for the Ruralink buses to be re-routed. I know this will mean a longer journey time which equates to more expense, and even perhaps the need to employ an extra vehicle but surely the wellfare and the well being of the passengers should be put first.

Gnosall Ruralink - R.I.P.

2008-08-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Friday 29th August is a special day in more ways than one for Gnosall Ruralink – the community transport service which provides a public transport link to a number of small villages to the west of Stafford. On that day the organisation not only celebrates its 7th birthday but also runs its last service, as on the following Monday a new operator – ABC Coaches from Stoke-in-Trent takes over the routes.

Originally set up as a joint venture between the County Council, Gnosall Parish Council, and the surrounding communities Ruralink has provided a much need bus service to villages such as Church Eaton, Bradley, Morton and Ranton. Certainly new to this part of the world, the concept behind the service is underlined by part of its name, as the small minibus linked the rural communities it served to buses run by Arriva on mainline routes.

Over the seven years the service has relied on Government grants and subsidies from the County Council to keep running. However free handouts can not go on for ever and a few weeks ago the County Council went out to tender to see if they could get a better deal for the local Council Tax payer. The successful bidder for the work was, as already mention above, ABC Coaches who already run a similar service elsewhere in the County.

As one of the volunteer Directors of Ruralink I am sad to see the service moving away from direct community control, but at the end of the day it is the fact that the villages are still getting the public transport service they need that is far more important than who the service is run by. However as a Councillor, I will be monitoring the new service and will be the first to complain to the County Council if it deteriorates.

ABC Coaches takes over the Ruralink routes on the 1st September. Timetables and ticket prices will, for the time being, remain the same as those currently enjoyed.

Aircraft noise once again shatters Little Onn quiet

2008-08-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

Residents living near to the old Little Onn airfield are once again complaining about the noise of low flying aircraft. However this time it is not the drone of wartime Airspeed Oxford trainers that is shattering the peace and quiet of this part of Church Eaton Ward but rather the high pitch whine of model planes.

It appears that a model flying club are regularly using one of the old runways, and although the local residents are not against the club using the site it is the length of time that flying is taking place that is the problem. I’m told that on most Sundays the noise of small petrol engines can be heard from the middle of the morning until, on some occasions, late afternoon. Those affected tell me it is the constant whine of these engines that they object too.

I’ve already taken the matter up with the Council’s Planning Department who tell me that no planning permission is needed unless flying takes place for more than 28 days in any twelve months. To help gauge whether this rule is being broken residents have been asked to keep a diaries by the Council the content of which can be used as evidence if action needs to be taken.

However I do think that local residents should not have to put up with undue noise and my next step is to talk to the Council’s Environmental Health Department to see if they can monitor the noise levels and if these are found to be excessive if they can take immediate action to prevent further nuisance.

Doxey residents unite against drugs

2008-08-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s public meeting in Doxey, arranged by the Parish Council and chaired by David Kidney, so that residents could discuss with a panel of representative from public bodies their concerns over crime and community issues was extremely well attended.

Surprisingly the bulk of the meeting was taken up with a discussion over the growing problem of drugs in the Doxey area. Time and time again local residents voiced their worries that a small number of drug users and dealers were congregating in the area and that on the face of it very little was being done to tackle the problem. It appears that certain places in the “Village” are renown as dealing spots and that the same people and cars are seen on a regular basis and that this information has been past to the police. Residents also reported that discarded syringes are also a common feature in some places and that unless removed promptly they caused a real danger to local children.

Frustration certainly was running high as the general tone of the residents was that both the police and the housing associations in the area were doing little to stamp down on the problem. This view was certainly not helped by the police representative who having said that things were happening but because of the way the police work to tackle drugs crime this would not be obvious to the general public then went onto to say he had listened to what was being said and would ensure action was taken to ensure the issue was addressed!

However what did become clear was that the drug scene in the area revolved around a very small number of people, some of whom obviously travel in from other areas, and in no way reflected the community in general.

Tackling drug crime is not an easy thing, and in many ways the answer lies in the hand of the community itself. Certainly the police must not only be made to take action but must also be seen to be doing it by the local community. However they can only act with the full backing of the community itself, something I’m sure Doxey residents are quite willing to give. Already the local Police Community Support Officer Helen Walker is making her mark and this surely must be the foundation on which to build future mutual co-operation.

A few individuals should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of a community and everything must be done to ensure this doesn’t happen in Doxey.

Malthouse Lane dangers still unresolved

2008-08-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

I was really disappointed to hear at last night meeting of Church Eaton Parish Council that speeding traffic is once again causing a problem for residents in Malthouse Lane, Church Eaton.

As everyone in the Village knows Malthouse Lane, which is only single width, is used as a rat run by motorists travelling between Gnosall and Wheaton Aston and the A5 just to save a few extra yards over taking the wider and safer route along Wood Eaton Road and the High Street. While the lane is only a couple of hundred yards long it is extremely dangerous as there are no footpaths and the driveways to each house open out into the road from behind mature hedges.

Over the past few years I’ve raised the issue time and time again with the County Highways Department but there seems little willingness on their part to do anything to improve the situation. Along with the residents and the Parish Council I have suggested all manner of improvements including making the lane one way, putting a weight restriction on it, and even turning it into a cul-de-sac – all to no avail. It is extremely easy for the County Council to ignore the problem, but I do worry that it is only a matter of time before a serious accident does occur. Perhaps then they will take notice, but of course that will be the classic case of “shutting the stable door long after the horse has bolted”!

I certainly do not support that stance and have today written once again to the County Council urging them to take action now before someone is killed. I’ve also written to Staffordshire Police asking them to visit the lane during the morning and evening rush hour period with one of their speed “guns” in an attempt to slow the traffic down.

Using the number of serious and fatal accidents as the main criteria for deciding if a road should qualify for safety improvements is in my mind immoral and one which I cannot support!

Residents concerns grow over Seighford Airfield plans

2008-07-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

While I was pleased to hear that at last nights Borough Council’s Development Control Meeting the committee had agreed with the Planning Officers recommendation that enforcement action should be taken against the company who are running the driving experience centre on Seighford airfield, I was disappointed they had decided to give them six months to comply with the order.

Unfortunately, as I have relatives that live in Seighford, I had to declare an interest in the item and left the meeting while the matter was discussed.

The development of the driving centre at Seighford has certainly met with plenty of opposition from residents not only in Seighford itself, but also from Ranton, Great Bridgeford and the surrounding rural areas.

A couple of months ago a planning application for a major development of the site which included amongst other items a couple of race tracks and a reception, office, and entertainment building, was withdrawn after the Planning Officers recommended that the plan should be refused. However the company had not only been using the airfield for some time without planning permission but have also made some minor alterations to enhance their business on the site. In an attempt to regularise the situation they applied for retrospective planning permission a few weeks before the major application which was also refused. However unperturbed they have carried on using the site – hence the enforcement action.

Speaking to a local resident after the meeting it is clear the objectors were not only annoyed that the major planning application was withdrawn before it could be formally refused but are also extremely worried that a new application will now be submitted which will attempt to answer all the concerns raised by the officers.

The resident also questioned why the Committee were allowing the Company six months to cease using the airfield, especially as there was little effort needed to return the site to its original condition. He told me that apparently the firm had taken booking for the next six months and the Planning Committee had felt they should be allowed to honour those before closing down. I have to say he wasn’t very pleased with this and he was going away to speak to some of the other objectors about what they could do next.

I have a feeling we will be hearing much more about this issue in the coming weeks!

Haughton Shop Set To Expand

2008-07-24T19:06:00.001-07:00

At a time when hundreds of village stores across the Country are closing it is good to hear that the shop in Haughton is bucking the trend and is expanding.

For some time the Village Grocer shop in the centre of the village has been empty and Mel and Giles Cotterill, who run the Post Office and shop next door, have seen the opportunity and have arranged to take on the lease as long as the two shops were knocked into one.

This work has now largely been carried out and it is only a matter of time before the temporary wall is taken down and the new larger shop is opened.

Since taking over the village post office and shop Mel and Giles have developed the business to provide a much needed and valued service not only for Haughton, but also for the surrounding communities of Bradley, Church Eaton and Ranton. And now that the shop and Post Office in Derrington has closed many people from that village also use the shop in Haughton.

Mel and Giles hardwork has certainly paid off and this expansion is just the next logical step in the development of their business which proves that small village shops can survive and prosper in a world dominated by large supermarkets.

If you have not visited the shop in Haughton you really don’t know what you’ve missed. Although the sign above the door says "Haughton News" the shop is already established as an all round village store which sells everything from groceries to tubes of glue as well as all the normal goods you would expect to find in a newsagents!

Local shops and Post Offices rely on local people to stay in business, and as a regular user I know how lost I would be without the shop being in the village. The message is clear – use it or loose it! Congratulations Mel and Giles on having the foresight, business acumen, and courage to expand your shop and ensure this much needed facility is available for local residents.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

2008-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

By-elections always bring out the fringe parties and the one in Common Ward is no exception. While the seat left vacant by the untimely death of John Kennedy is being fought the four main stream parties – Lib Dems, Labour, Conservative and the Greens – the English Parliamentary Party as found its way onto the ballot paper.

It’s rather interesting if you put this name into Google as included in the results are a collection of more extreme right wing parties. It’s also interesting to read what other sites have to say about the organisation, which appears to have its national headquarters in rented office space in Stafford.

One site I found was called Berrocscir's Banner (http://berrocscirsblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/mad-dogs-and-englishmen.html) which under the title "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" wrote:

"I see that one of the waifs & strays of English nationalism, Parish Cllr Paul Gilbert, of the phantom England's Parliamentary Party is standing in a local by-election for Stafford Common ward on July 10th. I suppose it's part of being English that we get mavericks like this going it alone, and I wish him well, but if patriot political activists were really serious about their identity they'd throw their lot in with either the EDP or FEP. Still, having the word 'England' on the ballot paper is something I suppose."

Need I say more!

David Cameron - all spin and no substance!

2008-07-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

One of the main speakers at the LGA conference was David Cameron. Once again I sat and listened to what I can only describe as more spin than substance. While he was extremely fluent and came across as a likeable character but what did he actually say?

He made all the right noises on the relationship between Central and Local Government, regional quangos, and the family, points which were rigorously applauded by the Tory Councillors who were in the hall, however when he was asked difficult question he just pushed them aside.

One questioner, who was obviously not a member of David's party asked, given the experience in her area, whether the Conservatives were actually electable! Rather than answer the question David thanked her for reading out a press release and said he was sure her local newspaper would make a story of it.

As you might expect as we left the hall the Tories were saying what a wonderful leader he was and what a great prime minister he would make in a couple of years time. However over a cup of coffee a little later in the day I asked a Conservative Councillor I know from a Shropshire Authority what he thought was the main point David had made in his speech and I got the same cheesy smile and yet another Conservative none answer!

Underhand consultation on plans to scrap rural phone boxes

2008-06-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yet another service in the rural areas is under threat – this time telephone boxes! I’ve been aware for a few weeks that the boxes in Church Eaton and Marston are likely to be removed, and I have already written to BT voicing my objection to the plan given that the area has such poor mobile phone coverage.

However on Saturday I received my copy of the Council’s Members Digest which contained a report from the Council’s Planning Manager setting out BT removal plans and saying that objections had to be returned by 12th July. This certainly set alarm bells ringing.

Firstly the list of telephone boxes down for removal was large, with the boxes at Haughton, Derrington, Knightly, Norbury, Outwoods, and Bromstead also included. In total 33 telephone boxes in the Borough area are down for removal!

Secondly the return date for objections given in the various boxes had already passed - 13th June and not the 12th July as was in the Council’s note. To make matters worse the notices in the box say objections should be sent to the Planning department at the Local Authority who will collate the returns. However BT don’t say who the Authority is or give the address!

So what exactly is happening? Well having now made more enquiries the whole consultation process seems to be little more than a farce! BT have given the public one set of dates and no address where the objections should be sent and the Council have completely different dates and are wondering why they have not received more that a handful of responses.

I for one just wonder whether this is complete incompetency on behalf of BT or just a cleaver scheme to insure there is little opposition the their plans!

A complete list of all the phone boxes in Stafford Borough which are under threat can be found else where on my web-site just follow this link http://www.barrystamp.co.uk/telephoneboxes.html

What is the true cost of the planning appeal process

2008-06-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a telephone call from a reporter on a local newspaper asking about the appeal that has just been lodged against the Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to build a new dwelling on a piece of land in Church Eaton.

While an appeal is not really big news the difference with this one was that it is the fifth appeal on this particular site. The site in question is rather narrow but is even more constrained by the fact that a sewer and a culvert run through it and as such the other four appeals were all refused by the Planning Inspector for a variety of reasons.

The newspaper rang to talk about how much these appeals were costing the ratepayer, especially as the latest was going to be dealt with by way of a public hearing. Unfortunately I was not much help so I had to refer the caller to the Council’s Planning Department.

What is clear is that as the Planning laws stand the owner of any site can keep putting in planning applications so long as they are significantly different and if refused can keep going to appeal. While there will be little or no cost to the applicant the Council will have to pay for officers time to collect together the information the Planning Inspector wants, and as is the case with this latest appeal will have to pay for the officers to attend the hearing.

Of course the planning system is rather one-sided and had any of the applications on this site been approved the local residents who had objected to the proposal would not have had the same chance to appeal against the decision. So which ever way you look at it the local residents and council tax payers who come off worse in this appeal process.

Conservatives miss Post Office closure dead-line

2008-06-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Yet again Stafford Conservatives have shown just how inept they are when it comes to keeping to a dead-line.

In a blaze of local publicity Jeremy Lafroy proudly announced that accompanied by County Councillor Mark Winnington he was off to London to deliver a petition signed by local people opposed to post office closures.

Unfortunately what the Tories seemed to have forgotten was that the final date for public consultation on the closure plans was Monday 9th June. They made the journey to London on Tuesday 10th !

One local resident of Great Bridgeford has already asked me why Conservatives had failed to realise they were 24 hours late. Unfortunately I couldn’t give him an answer!

Roads melt in the hot weather

2008-06-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last summer the roads between Haughton and Church Eaton and Haughton and Derrington were resurfaced, but for some inexplicable reason the new surface did not adhere to the out road correctly. As residents will know within days large amounts of loose chippings were damaging vehicles and smooth bald tarmac patches were appearing on most bends. Since that time the situation has got no better and I am contantly getting complaints.

However the really hot weather of the past few days has brought a new problem as the exposed tar melted! Driving along Long Lane was just like driving on treacle and I, like a lot of other residents have since been struggling to remove tar spots from my car

When I first raised the problem with the County Council last year they agreed there was a problem and they promised that remedial work would be carried out as part of this years road maintenance programme. They also told me that these two roads were not the only one in Staffordshire to be affected and that other local authorities across the Country were also having similar problems.

What is even more worrying is that no one seems willing to take responsibility for any damage that might be caused to vehicles. Only last week I heard from one resident who had tried to make an insurance claim against the Council only to have the details passed to the Contractors who carried out the work. They in turn said they were not responsible and he should pursue his claim through the Council!

This situation cannot continue and it really is time the County Council not only held their hands up and admitted they and their contractors were at fault and that they would pay for any damage but that they would also make resurfacing the two roads their top priority!

Residents worried about possible increase in heavy vehicle numbers

2008-06-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

There is certainly growing unrest in Haughton and Gnosall over the possibility that once the new international rail freight terminal is open in Telford more heavy lorries will use the A518. This will have a devastating effect on the narrow stretch of road at the Coton end of Gnosall, where it is impossible for two heavy lorries to pass without one mounting the pavement. As well as this residents of Haughton are also worried about the added dangers and the prospect that traffic speeds through the Village might increase yet again! Action needs to be taken now, not when the extra traffic starts to use the road. The County Council must be made to think about how they are going to deal with this problem now and be allowed to sit back and pretend that everything will be OK. Arriving at a solution which will not only be beneficial to Haughton and Gnosall but will also not mean the problem and dangers are just pushed on to neighbouring communities will not be easy. However there is still time to look at all the options and not be forced to grab at the first one that comes to mind just because there is no time left to make a proper decision.

Does Tory panic show real commitment?

2008-06-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

One really does have to ask just how committed the Conservatives on the Council are to trying to ensure Post Office services remain in those areas of the Borough that have been told their current Post Office is to close.

At the Council meeting in April it was unanimously agreed that a letter should be sent to the Government objecting to the Post Office closure plans and asking for more time to be given to allow proper consultation with the residents who would be affected. However despite all the harsh words that were spoken in the meeting that night and the plethora of press stories about the Tories local campaign to save those Post Offices under threat, it took a month before the letter was finally sent!

At the same meeting it was agreed to set-up an all party working group to look at ways of both fighting the closures and if necessary to try to find alternative ways of providing the service. Since that day I have asked time and time again when the first meeting of the group was going to be held. Well surprise, surprise – on Wednesday I received a letter say the meeting was taking place at 2.30pm on Thursday. Talk about last minute panic! However it seems that the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for resources had just discovered that the deadline for public comment on the Post Office closure plans ended next Monday, so if the meeting had not been called then it would have been too late for the Council to get their comments in!

New Post Office for Derrington

2008-05-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was really pleased to hear that despite all the political hype that followed the announcement that Derrington Post Office was to close after the current post master decided to retire, that a new part-time office is to open in the Village. In an earlier entry in this blog I’ve already criticized Derrington’s Tory Councillors for saying it was a disgrace the Post Office was to close their office in the Village and I pointed out that the Post Office were doing everything possible to find not only alternative premises but also someone to run the new facility (see my blog entry for Thursday 8th May)

Well now I can report that the Post Master from Haughton has agreed to take over the Derrington office and that this will be located in the Village Hall. The new post office will be open three mornings a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

However there does appear to be a delay in moving to the Village Hall, as British Telecom are not able to install the new ISDN line which is needed to connect the portable post office computer to the national network, for a few weeks. This will mean that despite everyone’s best intention the Village will be without a Post Office for that time!

The worry is that some people will find an alternative post office to use and then will not return to the new one in Derrington when it finally opens. It’s unbelievable that BT cannot provide a quicker service when this much needed Village service is under threat. Using the new Post Office in Derrington is important if it is to remain open in any future service reviews. If you do have to use a different Post Office while the new one is being set-up please remember to return when it does finally open.

Also, as I'm a member of the Borough Council's new Post Office Closure Working Group, I will be urging the Council to look at the way a service has been provided to Derrington and to perhaps use this model to see if similar facilities cannot be opened in other communities threaten by post office closures.

Road users ignore danger in Dale Lane

2008-05-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

It’s surprising what some people ignore! Yesterday I had a telephone call from a resident in Haughton who was concerned that his son had nearly ridden his bicycle into an open road drain in Dale Lane. He was concerned that as the drain was a couple of foot in from the edge of this very narrow road it could cause a major accident.

As it was late on a Saturday afternoon, and also during a bank holiday weekend, I knew that it would be impossible to use the normal route of reporting the problem to the County Council. However I did have the out of hours emergency number, but before I made the call I thought I’d better pop down to Dale Lane to have a look ant the problem and make sure I knew exactly where the drain was. Imagine my surprise as when I drove down the lane I could see a wooden post with a plastic bag on top poking out of the open drain to warn motorists of the danger. I soon found out how this had happened as a few yards further on I meet another couple from the Village who explained they had borrowed the post and bag from a nearby farm. However they also discovered the drain top had been missing for a couple of days during which time dozens of cars must have driven past the spot.

After I called the out of hours number the County Council’s Highways on-call team came straight out and although they were unable to replaced the missing grid they errected a proper barrier around the hole with plenty of road signs to warn road users about the danger. They now have to return after the bank holiday, dig up the road, and install a new grid and mounting frame.

The person manning the County Council's out of hours emergemcy line told me that more and more drain tops were being stolen as the price of scrap metal continues to climb. He also confirmed no one else had reported the hole despite the real danger it posed to anyone using the road!

Another village shop to close!

2008-05-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

I had rather mixed feelings when I read the news that Harold Stewart was to retire from running Gnosall News especially as this announcement came just days after the owners of Derrington Stores also said they were intending to retire.

On the one hand I was pleased that after serving Gnosall for 14 years Harold had decided to retire and take a well earned rest. Being a local newsagent cannot be an easy job, as it involves plenty of early mornings! Also being self employed, and I should know, is no easy matter these days and unless you keep on the ball and don’t let the red tape get you down your business can easily hit the rocks! So I certainly wouldn’t want to stand in the way of anyone who wants to retire from such pressures.

On the other hand I was concerned to learn that the Co-op who runs the supermarket just yards away down the High Street had brought the shop. I’ve already been asked by a couple of Gnosall residents was the reason they made this move just purely to ensure they had no nearby competition for the own store? I had to say I didn’t know, but I suppose only time will tell when we see what the old newsagents shop is going to be used for?

What is clear is that once again local people are the ones who are going to loose out, as it appears the Co-op do not intend to continue with newspaper deliveries. Indeed a number of residents have even asked the newsagent in Haughton if he could deliver in Gnosall, but as you might expect this is a non-starter!

One is left wondering of the closure of this shop yet another nail in the coffin of small rural services and whether or not it heralds the day when a number of villages will have to rely on one supermarket to supply their needs?

At Long Last A Meeting About Bradley's Traffic Problems

2008-05-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to hear that Bradley Parish Council have finally managed to get an officer from the County Council’s Highways Department to visit the Village.

From what was said at Mondays Parish Council meeting the visit was very positive with the officer going away to look at various improvements to traffic signs and marking. When I was County Councillor for the Village four years ago I started the process of getting the Council to look at traffic problems in the Village. John Wakefield, the then Cabinet Member responsible for roads, meet with me and Ron Hilton – who incidentally is now the Council’s Chief Executive – to look at what could be done. They agreed to carryout a full review and present their finding to the Parish. Unfortunately a few weeks later I lost my seat and since then nothing has happened with the proposal. So four years later the fact that someone from the Highways Department has come to look at the problem is really worth mentioning!

However finding a solution will not be easy. It’s clear heavy vehicles, following their Sat Navs are cutting through Bradley from the A418 to the A449. These are not only causing damage to the narrow lanes and verges but are also proving a real danger. It’s also noticeable that more and more traffic is travelling far to fast and I sure it’s only a matter of time before there is a fatality. Perhaps then the County Council will take the problems the Village is facing seriously, but until then the residents of Bradley will just have to accept new signs and road markings.

At the very least they could look at taking positive action to stop the heavy vehicles using this "rat run" either by installing and getting the police to enforce a weight restriction, or by lobbying to get the route removed from Sat Nav information!

If, after four years, all they can do is come and look at the situation once again I'm not holding my breath that anything major will be done just yet!

New Technology in Bradley

2008-05-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dennis Foster is well known around the Bradley area as he built Fosters Garden Centre’s from a small business to a huge multi-site undertaking. A few years ago he sold out to a national operator but rather than sitting back and enjoying his early retirement he channelled his energies into other ventures.

Today I was lucky enough to see how one of these has developed. Dennis is passionate about developing and incorporating energy saving technology in to homes. He has just completed a marvellous upgrade to what for many years was a derelict farmhouse on the outskirts of the Village. From the outside you know the job is going to be impressive, but when you walk through the kitchen door you are blown away. The workmanship, the finish, and the design are flawless, but that’s not the end of it. Dennis is more proud of the energy saving features that have been included.

You might expect double glazing, insulated walls, and low energy lighting, but the real surprise is in what I can best be described as a small cellar. Here is the heart of the state of the art heating system.

Hidden almost from view on the roof is a bank of solar panels – old hat you might say, but these are linked to a geothermal heat exchange system which is located in a deep bore hole beneath the lawn. These two systems should provide all the heat and hot water the house will need and use little or no energy in the process – even in the cold and dark winter months!

However this house is just the start as Dennis is now ready to start work on his next conversion project which will use the same technology, but if Dennis gets his way will also include a wood pellet boiler and more interesting a wind turbine. This should generate enough electricity not only for the house and barn conversion Dennis is planning on the site but will hopefully feed some power back to national grid.

Taking these radical steps in reducing energy consumption is perhaps beyond the means of most people. I certainly know that having talked to Dennis and seen what he is achieving I was inspired. That just leaves the question how do we get that inspiration to a wider audience!

Blame Where Blame is Due!

2008-05-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

It’s very easy in politics to lay the blame at someone’s door if it helps to make a point even if the person or organisation has had nothing to do with the issue being discussed. This week the news that the owners of Derrington Village Stores were retiring broke in the press. To all intent and purposes this would have been a non-story had it not have been for two factors. Firstly the Village Stores is the only shop in Derrington and secondly the shop is also home to the village post office. This means that once the shop is closed the post office disappears as well.

I’d learnt about the closure a few days ago and had also discovered that the Post Office had already put in place plans to operate a part-time replacement post office from probably the Village Hall. So you can imagine my surprise to see the main front page article in Wednesdays Express and Star in which the two Conservative Councillors for the Village seemed to play down the fact the shop owner had decided to retire and instead attacked the Post Office for withdrawing the service. Both Councillors said they were so appalled at the way the Village had been treated they were writing to the Post Office to tell them what they thought of the plan.

To make matters worse I then opened an e-mail from the Borough Council that had been sent on Tuesday which had a copy of a letter which the Post Office had sent to the Council’s Chief Executive attached. This clear said how sorry the Post Office was that the current shopkeeper and his wife were retiring and that because of this the Post Office in the village also had to close. However they were doing everything in their power to find someone else to take on the Post Office and were asking the Borough Council to let them know if they had any ideas as to who might be suitable for the job. They also said they hoped the village would be without a Post Office for the shortest time possible.

Hardly the stance one might expect from an organisation that had just shut the Post Office themselves.

Interestingly, I understand, the e-mail had also been sent to the two Councillors for the Village! Why they choose to make a statement to the press that attacked the Post Office is beyond me and I have to say a number of people I have spoken to have also made the same comment. One hope they just made a genuine mistake and hadn’t understood the real reason the Post Office was closing.

Boris wins London!

2008-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve now seen everything – Boris Johnson has been elected as the new Mayor of London with a majority of just under 140,000 votes. As I don’t live in London it’s difficult ti understand how this could possible have happened. While I’m no supporter of Ken Livinstone I cannot see how Boris can be considered a better bet. Perhaps the BBC news web-site summed up Boris's win well. They say:-

“Dismissed by political opponents and many in the media as little more than a music hall turn, he (Boris Johnson) confounded his critics by running a gaffe-free election campaign.”

“During the campaign the tousle-haired Old Etonian was restrained and professional.”

“Has the old Boris gone forever? What happens if he returns? And what will it mean for David Cameron and the Conservatives? The Tory leader does not want to spend the two years in the run-up to the next general election having to defend, or distance himself from, the London Mayor.”

Only time will tell! But Boris Johnson’s election could be the best thing that’s happened to the Labour Party for months.

However what has to be remembered is that this is the first significant Tory political victory since 1992 and that Boris is the first Tory since John Major to wield significant political power.

So Much for Supporting the 'Boro

2008-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I was interested to read Judith Dalgarno’s contribution in the “Politically Speaking” column in this week’s Newsletter. Surprisingly it concluded with a couple of paragraphs about Stafford Rangers who have just been relegated from the Blue Square Premier Division of non-league football.

Judith quite rightly said a few kind words about the club but then went on to say that she hoped Stafford residents would get behind the club and give it the support it deserved. That rich considering the Borough Council have not sponsored a match at Marston Road for the last couple of seasons. The official line is that they could not negotiate a suitable game with the rangers, but the more sceptical wonder if the lack of sponsorship had more to do with budget cuts rather than a lack of will on behalf of the club. All they managed this year was to sponsor the ball for one game!

It also surprising just how many Councillors support the club. I for one have been a season ticket holder for some years and meet Bill Simpson, Jack Kemp, and Chris Baron at the ground every home game. However the only time you see other members of the Council there is when they get in free as a sponsor, and then, apart from the Mayor who is there representing the town, the visitors are usually members of the Cabinet and the Council Leader!

Bikers Beware?

2008-05-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Should bikers beware of other traffic or should other traffic be beware of bikers? That was the question that was being asked over a cup of tea at Haughton Village Hall on Monday night. The occasion was the annual meeting of the Parish Council, which as usual was well attended by local residents.

What prompted the question was the new signs that have appeared on various lamp posts and road signs along the main road from Stafford to Newport. The bright yellow signs, which appear to be part of a road safety campaign by the County Council display the wording “Bikers Beware” along with a black silhouette of a motorcyclist. It that wording which was the cause of the discussion. Some residents felt the signs were tell bikers to be aware while others insisted that they were telling motorists to be aware of bikers. No one really knew the answer but trying to work it out passed an interesting twenty minute.

However, what everyone did agree on, was that the signs didn’t seem to slow the motorcyclists down. Derek Butlin – one of the founders of the A518 Action Group - summed up the situation well by saying that the majority of bikers were sensible and that only a few flouted the speed limit on the road and put both their lives and the lives of others in danger. I certainly support that view as only last weekend I watched a motorcyclist pass my house travelling well above the speed limit, but if that was not bad enough he had both hand in the air in some sort of kamikaze salute.

One really has to question exactly what the County Council Highway’s department hoped to achieve by putting these signs up. They certainly standout, but their bright yellow is out of place in the rural area and they add nothing to Haughton’s attempt to win the best kept village competition! Buying these signs and putting them up will not have been cheap and I for one on Monday night wondered if the money could not have been better spent on more positive measures to slow traffic down on the road. As one resident said “I’m so engrossed trying to work out what the signs mean I forget all about driving. It’s lucky I’ve not hit one of these bikers!”

Post Office Closure Campaign

2008-04-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

It's strange how people jump on any bandwagon. That's certainly the case with the various campaigns to save the post offices in and around Stafford that are down for closure. This bandwagon jumping seems top of the list of activities where the local Conservatives are concerned. As soon as the plan to close the post offices at Great Bridgeford, Walton Stone, Milford, Wolverhampton Road, and Marston Road were announced the local Tories came out of the woodwork in droves, or when one looks at the pictures in the local press its clear droves is perhaps the wrong word, as the same faces kept appearing in the crowd outside the different post offices.

However what the local Tories appear to have forgotten is that when the last Conservative Government was in power they closed 3500 post offices and no doubt had Tony Blair not swept to power they would have shut even more.

However even given this bandwagon jumping, it has to be said that everything must be done to save these post offices as they all provide a much needed service to the local community. On that front I was really pleased to see the Borough Council at it's meeting last Tuesday putting aside politics and agreeing to form an all party working group to look at the closure programme and what could be done. They even agreed that they should work with the County Council, and any other organisation that was also fighting the closures to ensure any efforts were not diluted or the wheel reinvented time and time again!

This will however prove difficult for some Tories to come to terms with, as they have constantly castigated the County Council for the efforts they are making. Working with the enemy may not be their idea of fun, but if that is what it takes to get the Post Office to change it's mind over the closures so be it. At the end of the day saving the post offices in Stafford that are facing closure is more important than scoring political points.