Promise is only fulfilled when swimming pool is built

In a rush of excitement by the Hunts Liberal Democrats website there is an announcement they have fulfilled an election promise over the open air swimming pool.

This is very premature. To fulfil the promise shouldn't the pool be built and opened? Yes it should! All they have done is chosen a preferred buyer. Like any land purchase this is going to take a long time and may not be fruitful. 


Liberal Democrat Town Councillor Derek Giles has been very vocal in predicting when a new swimming pool would be built. He predicted a pool would be open in the summer of 2009. Doesn't look likely in Summer 2011
either.

Time for a reality check here. The proposed land at Riversmead is not that big. A smaller pool could be fitted onto this site. But what of the residents. Unlike the previous site Riversmead has many residents backing onto this land. It may sound good but all these residents are going to have their lives disrupted by the noise and traffic generated by this facility.

Where is the car parking going to go? I pity the poor residents who will find on high days and holidays their peace disturbed. I feel this is the wrong location for an open air swimming pool. SNSPT needs to find somewhere else fulfil the promise.

Latest on the Accounts/Annual Return saga.

My comments on some letters in The Hunts Post St Neots - 28/04/2010

The Hunts Post St Neots - 28/04/2010 digital edition

Penny Pinchers - The rather crude "Screw St Neots" campaign from Cllr Giles likens HDC having it in for St Neots. HDC hasn't got it in for just St Neots but for everyone in the District.

Won't, not can't - Ann Hyams, wife of Colin Hyams who is Executive Councillor for Operational and Countryside Services on HDC ands therefore a member of the cabinet. Yet another Councillor who disagrees with a decision but would rather stay in post than take a stand and resign.

Ann Hyams is misleading when she says: "I appreciate the tough economic climate whcih was originally to blame for this closure...." This is wrong. It was the Conservative run District Council which went for a high spending/low tax plan which just added to the deficit. It is Ann's husband who is part of this.

Godmanchester is a close Conservative/Liberal Democrat marginal. After Fenstanton seats like Godmanchester must be vulnerable to a Liberal Democrat surge. Will Cllr Hyams be an acceptable loss to the Conservative administration?

Playing dirty - James Clark seems to think writing to the papers than campaigning. At the 2008 Town Council by-election this Conservative stood and lost. He blamed everyone else but there was no campaigning by James. I'm still waiting for the leaflet.

The Conservatives should worry less about what the Liberal Democrats are doing and actually get out and campaign. You might win a few seats and get rid of some of the deadwood and bad advisers in the Conservatives.

Town Council in trouble over frozen woman

The Hunts Post St Neots - 24/03/2010 digital edition

No grave for "frozen woman"

I see the Town Council is in trouble over no burial places in St Neots. The previous cemetery project wasn't even in St Neots and was over the border in Bedfordshire. That was a right mess of a project. The previous Town Clerk, P. Devonald, went sick soon after and left 3 months later.

So who is to blame? Having a proper Town Clerk would have allowed the Town Council to get on with the cemetery extension. But Cllrs Giles and Thorpe stopped that by delaying the appointment of a new Town Clerk. Even when the money was available, SNTC has been very slow to appoint a new Town Clerk. Very slow. This is what can happen if the bureaucracy is underfunded. This was a Liberal Democrat decision. They should put their hands and say they were wrong.

There are choices to be made on this subject. With a growing population where are the dead going to be buried? I have to say I'm not one for the cemeteries as my family is for cremation rather than burial. If everyone who dies is buried St Neots will always run out of space. Time to make a different decision on how we deal with the dead.

The Conservative Alternative Part Deux

In the ever excellent News and Crier there a couple of letters from the Conservatives Town Councillors. One is from Leader of the Opposition, Jennifer Bird and one from Barry Chapman.

The first letter is from Jennifer Bird. Having read through this I would like to know the following:

• Does her stance on the so-called bodge-up job of the Eaton Socon Church Car Park mean that a future Conservative run Town Council would use Taxpayers money for a church car park?
• You say unexpected items of obviously occurs. So how much would you put by as a contingency?
• Income from letting of the ECC is an estimate. What is your estimate?
• The Priory Centre gets a subsidy. In the budget just passed this subsidy was increased by £11.5k. Contrary to your letter, the Priory Centre in 2008/09 under shot its budget by £85,000. With this undershooting do you still feel this budget is not enough?

Lastly, I disagree with your statement that the Liberal Democrats have made the decision to close the public toilets. These facilities are owned and run by HDC and it is HDC which decided to end this service. All Jennifer Bird is doing is defending her Conservative Party colleagues decision on HDC to try and introduce a Conservative Stealth Tax on St Neots.

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Onwards with Cllr Barry Chapman and his letter.

With Barry's letter I have some sympathy and agree with some of what he is saying. Where I differ is over the new residents in the annexed areas for 1/4/10. The residents in the area annexed from Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish had every right to get their Parish Council to provide these facilities. Their Parish Council didn't. The residents paid zero in the parish portion of their Council tax. The SNTC average was £87.55. I feel it is wrong for the hard pressed SNTC taxpayer to pick up this tab for these residents. Apparently, Cllr Barry Chapman does thinks this is alright.

If Cllr Chapman wants more information on what EHPC didn't do he should contact his colleagues, Cllr Ursell and Cllr C. Hutton. Bob Barnes (letter in about Church Car Park) was Chairman of EHPC. He should be a good source of information.

Where I feel Cllr Chapman missed his attack is on Cllrs Giles and Thorpe 2008/09 casino budget. The reason SNTC is having to raid the windfall is the mess these two made of the finances of SNTC during their reign. The public toilets closure is clearly a Conservative HDC decision. The Church car park is again a waste of taxpayer's money and should be paid by the church.

In my opinion this budget is a fair reflection of the running costs of SNTC. I feel it is deficient in not having a capital budget which will cause problems in the future. I feel the Conservatives have not come up with a clear alternative to this budget.