Another Priorities whitewash on the door mat

I got another not very informative Priorities magazine. I read a "New Year Greetings from the Mayor of St Neots". Its nearly April and I'm getting a New Year message. What made me giggle is where the Mayor is hosting a coffee morning on 13th March 2010 (today's date is 25th March). What a muck up!


It is this sort of bad amateurism that gives this Town Council a bad name. 

There is nothing about the new Forward Plan.
Nothing about the Town Council budget.
Nothing welcoming the annexed residents into St Neots.
There is nothing on what is going on in the Town Council.

Just another piece of white wash propaganda sheet.

HRH Duchess of Gloucester to open controversial white elephant!

St Neots News and Crier - 25/03/2010 digital edition

The HRH Duchess of Gloucester is due to open the White Elephant. According to Cllr Julia Hayward the Centre is seeing a "gradual increase" in bookings. This mean nothing. Before it was built Philip Devonald, clerk (since resigned) to St Neots Town Council, said: “The idea for a community centre for the Eatons was first aired four years ago. “We have had a lot of interest from local organisations and community groups keen to use the centre and we have no doubt that we will be able to fill it. It is much-needed and it will be a well used multi purpose community centre." 

And what of the Pre-school? The Town Council is looking at other ideas for the space. Town Council should just build halls.

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.

Have your say on car park charges!

St Neots News and Crier - 25/03/2010 digital edition

From this article I see Bob Farrer hasn't done what he said he would do and resign the Conservative whip. Cllr Farrer goes on to question how the 38 free spaces are going to be policed. A lot easier than the all free for 3 hours compromise put forward!

Julia Hayward "the charges will drive people away to other towns". If people aren't willing to pay 20 pence an hour why are they willing to pay more for car park charges in other towns?

For me John Bridge, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, doesn't do his organisation any good. He wants all car parks made free. But who is going to pay for the "free" car parks? The Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce? I don't think so. It is the Council taxpayer who would shoulder this burden through more cuts in services. 

My comments on letters in News and Crier - 25/03/2010

St Neots News and Crier - 25/03/2010 digital edition

Anger over parking charges - LM Pearson - misses the point. HDC collects business rates. It then sends them off to Central Government. S Pearce - Again HDC collect the business rates for Central Government.

Other cuts are more worrying - D. Gadenne hits the concerns right on the head. I wonder why?

Tories vow to fight on - Two letters from the "St Neots Conservatives" look to blame the Liberal Democrats instead of blaming their Conservative colleagues who took the decision.

Cllr Barry Chapman goes on the attack blaming the Liberal Democrats. Apparently, the Liberal Democrat petition is a "cynical attempt to create negativity against those St Neots Councillors who are fighting on behalf of our town."

What planet is Cllr Chapman on? The Conservative petition is the ruse to deflect the fact that the Conservatives on HDC took a decision to impose parking charges. All Cllr Chapman is doing is SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!

Cllr Chapman also trumpets the deal brokered by the Conservatives over the toilets. A deal which will cost the Town Council about £30,000 a year.

Cllr Jennifer Bird just shows how much out of touch this Councillor is. Blaming the Liberal Democrats for a decision taken by her Conservative colleagues on HDC is just spin. Cllr Bird also needs to look at HDC finances. Cllr Bird asks: "Has the quest for increasing revenue at HDC overcome common sense?" No! The quest is for finding money to cut the deficit will mean more money raising ideas need to happen.

Already Conservative controlled HDC is looking to up car parking charges.

Broadband is vital - That is what Anthea Cox, Labour Party Candidate, says in her letter. Is this the Labour Party campaign? Write a couple of letters to the local newspapers! Back to the letter. Anthea tries to rubbish the Conservative Broadband policy. What Anthea "forgets" to inform readers is the Labour plans mean a 50 pence a month charge on all landlines. Nothing about the closure of St Neots campus.

Good response canvassing according to Anthea!

I see Anthea is carrying on her 2 person campaign! This time in St Ives. At least she is getting out and about. Haven't heard anything from Jonathan Djanogly MP. St Ives is where Labour came behind Lord Toby Jug!

My comments on letters in the Hunts Post 24/03/10

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

My comments on the letters in this weeks Hunts Post.

Council just plugging cash gaps - Jon Mountfort has got this wrong. There is no such thing as "Free Parking". Someone has to pay. It is either the user or Council tax payer.

1. Business rates go to the Government. So more money in rates only helps the Government.

2. If people are driving to Bedford, Peterborough or Cambridge to avoid a 20 pence parking charge they have more money than sense.

3. The Car Parks will still need to be monitored and maintained. Who pays for this? Why the Council Taxpayer!

The reason Whittlesey or Chatteris don't charge is the Council Taxpayer picks up the bill. A bill of £410,000. On the otherhand the HDC uses revenue to subsidise other services to the tune of £526,000. If car parks are made "Free", in Huntingdonshire, this will lose all the revenue and add the costs as per Fenland. This will roughly add an extra £1 million to the massive deficit of £6.1 million that Conservative run HDC has no idea how to deal with!

Toilet Troubles - Barbara Brett shows how sometimes the voluntary sector can be slower than Councils. Where have the H and G Civic Society been? A week to go before the closure and they come forward. The whole reason behind the closures is the massive budget deficit which HDC is running.