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happy new year

farewell 2007

United Benefice service

this morning i went to a united benefice service. this brought together the four congregations of St Leonards Upper Deal, St Martins Great Mongeham, St Nicholas Sholden and St Richards Mill Hill.

it is a real chance to get know people from the other churches which make up our benefice.

In fact one political colleague expressed her desire to see more such gatherings as at present we only have these united services when there is a fifth Sunday in the month.

 

Current mood: Happy


and the envelope please

now last August while i was in Oz i entered a competition about who was able to get a photo of the Northbourne magazie taken the furtherest away. you can see the entry on august 13.

my particular entry was from on sydney harbour under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and i was pleased to see that i was joint winner.

actually those of a pedantic nature may think the other entry which was taken on the other side of the bridge hence probably at least 300 yards further awayshould have been the sole winner.

Current mood: Cool

bah humbug

looking through the letters in the east kent mercury i was taken by  a letter by that famous correspondent "name and address supplied" which was complaining about people having Christmas lights.

the author even used a biblical justification for her (or his) view and i was reminded how Judas tried to justify his opposition to the glorification of Jesus by Mary, washing his feet with her hair and expensive oil by saying how the money could have used on the poor.

some people just seem to find any reason to grump at Christmas .

 i think anything that brings light and joy at this time of year should be appreciated.

your views are appreciated

Current mood: Sad


broadband in Tilmanstone

over the last couple of days i have been approached by residents about problems with Broadband in Tilmanstone, regular readers of this blog will know that this is one of my key issues yet it remains an issue on which very few others seem as worked up about. i know the parish council is in agreement and i am hoping of more support in the new year.

Current mood: Cool

Eastry Coffee Break

This morning i went over to the coffee morning in eastry. Even though its the Festive period, they keep it going and so i like to support their efforts.

numbers seemed a bit down today and it was pleasant just to chat with residents there.

Current mood: Happy


is this the end of civilization as we know it?

each week i purchase a copy of The Dover Express and the first section i turn to is the letters page and the "Dubris" column so i can keep up to date with the lastest issues ans scandals as seen through the media's eyes. this week i was appalled to find these sections missing!

no column from Gwyn Prosser MP either! and i like to browse the thoughts of Fr Michael Hinton too. Is this a new cost cutting exercise by the Kent and regional news and media group? Why wasn't the public consulted?

Current mood: Sad

are we under attack

i found this story on the sydney morning herald website.

it is only logical to see that with our reliance on internet solutions to commerce and government processes that cyber wars will increase. One could even say that the ongoing battle between spammers and the anti spam developers was a war too with advances on one side soon countered by the opposition.

i will be following this issue and its likely impact on council services.

Current mood: Sad


parking consultation

the council is undertaking a consultation on parking across the district. more information is found on the council's website.

there are a number of issues related to this including the volume using car parks acrross the district. a few car parks a very highly utilized while others remain way under capacity. also some shopkeepers operate a parking refund system meaning that shoppers can use the car parks for free.

our towns seem to be having facing increasing numbers of vehicle movements and we need to be thinking holistically about parking management to ensure that businesses in out towns can operate effectivley without choking the streets with cars.

your views are important so i would urge residents to put their views by the 28th December.

 

Current mood: Cool


Happy Christmas

a Happy Christmas to all my readers.

i hope you all have a good day, perhaps with family and friends

a special tribute to all those working today, the essential services, those on duty in the armed services and those who are working in service industries.

Current mood: Love


christingle service

Current mood: Happy


approaching Christmas and i talk rubbish

just in case local residents are wondering here are the arrangements for waste collections over the Christmas period

 

Waste and Recycling Collections

Please ensure that your waste is out for collection by 7am as collection times may vary.

• There will be no collections on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
• Green Waste Collections will stop after Friday 21st December and start again on Monday 7th January.

Collection	Normal Collection Day	Revised Collection Day
Waste	Tuesday 25th Dec	Tuesday 1st Jan 2008
	Wednesday 26th Dec	Wednesday 2nd Jan 2008
Recycling	Tuesday 25th Dec	Tuesday 8th Jan 2008
	Wednesday 26th Dec	Wednesday 9th Jan 2008
Green Waste collections will stop after Friday 21st December and start again on Monday 7th January

If your collection day is not mentioned above, collections remain on their normal day.

Current mood: Cool


will they admit they were wrong?

earlier this year Kent County council launched a new online TV channel Kent TV

this move was widely criticed by kent labour

yet in a local paper today there is proof that this service has been a success for local residents.

given this news will kent labour admit that they misread the public's desire to access local authority information in innovative ways.

of course we still have the problem of broadband access speeds but that should not stop the council rolling out services and in fact should act as an spur to ensure that no residents face obstacles to using such services.

Current mood: Sceptical

The papers get it wrong too!!!

the local media is always quick to point out any shortcomings in our business processes so when i got todays  saturday observer alert i thought i had to share it with you.

the email says that the latest online edition is available but on the link it is still last week's edition.

http://editions.pagesuite.co.uk//openpagesuite.aspx?pubid=261

perhaps a little humility will be good for them.

i doubt it will make frontpage news.

Current mood: Sceptical

Broadband access - the campaign gathers pace

Officers from the council are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry to see if we can improve the broadband access for residents and businesses across the district and i am keen to see what eventuates in the new year.

it is a complex poblem due to the distances from the exchanges but the are a number of alternative technologies.

Funding is still seen as a problem so it will be a matter of attracting external funding from organisations such as SEEDA who may have an interest in this issue.

Current mood: Cool


Christmas Lunch

this afternoon I met some colleagues for lunch. Actually the session went on for a few hours as we met a number of key stakeholders in the community and had a number of informal discussions regarding regeneration in the district. such informal discussions can be very beneficial in involving such stakeholders who might not otherwise engage in formal processes. I believe that it is important to be accessible for all stakeholders in the communities in which we serve.

Current mood: Happy

eastry coffee morning

this morning I went to the coffee break. I was asked about broadband access. this is becoming an important issue in rural communities as they realise that although they pay for the service, they are not getting the same access as town dwellers. the rural divide is becoming more apparent so we need to address this issue.

Current mood: Angry

NHS targets - patients suffer

on sunday i mentioned the situation of a friend who received a phone call on sunday evening offering an appointment in London. Yesterday she was offered an outpatient appointent in Deal despite the fact that the consultant managing her condition saying she needed an operation.

is the case that the NHS is trying to save money and meet targets by offering wholly useless appointents when the patient needs a procedure?

Current mood: Angry


great mongeham drop in

this morning i went to the drop in where we had mince pies.

there was discussion about cricket and the poor performance in the test in Sri Lanka as well as the state of the NHS

there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the NHS and how much waste there is. there was agreement that the NHS needs to be transformed into something more efficient as it seems patient care is suffering.

Current mood: Happy


sunrise

Current mood: Happy


Christmas cheer

today i went to the council offices to spread some Christmas cheer among the staff and deliver some Christmas treats to staff who i have been dealing with over the year.

i like to show some tangible appreciation for the work that they do throughout the year.

Current mood: Happy


tilmanstone parish council

Current mood: Happy

email reminders

in a bid to further improve recycling rates, the council can now offer a service to remind residents when recycling collections are due on the day before the scheduled collection.

the service is accessed through the council's website

i hope this service proves beneficial to residents and i have signed up to it.

Current mood: Happy

cabinet meeting

this morning i am attending  a cabinet meeting.

the agenda is available on the council's website

the item on the draft corporate plan is of particular interest as it demonstrates the councils vision for the period up to 2020.

 

Current mood: Happy


the new nhs

Current mood: Angry


the ongoing quest

in my campaign to get better broadband access for all residents in the district i wrote to the minister stephen Timms at department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

i received a response from soeneone in the deoartment thanking me for my interest on this issue and suggesting i contact the community broadband network 

this is a way of using wireless technology to reach "notspots" and may be a way forward or some parts of the district but may not be the way forward for those affected by the aluminioum wiring problem.

i still believe that it is the duty of local authorities and other levels of government to ensure that all members in our communities have the option to access broadband technologies.

 

Current mood: Cool

councillors allowances

one topic that people seem to delight in is moaning about the rates o allowances for elected members. The idea seems to be that we are all one one big gravy train, some people even think that we get more than the PM!

well the district council is inviting applicants to sit on the East Kent Joint Independent Remuneration Panel and the East Kent Joint Parish Remuneration Panels to help decide the levels of allowances for us.

so why not take the step and dare to help decide our worth to the community.

Current mood: Cool


eastry coffee morning

this morning i went to the coffe morning. it was a very busy session there as a number of people had turned up to have their hearing aids serviced.

one issue raised was about heakth care and problems of patient transport especially of people have to get to and from ashford hospital.

i know that this issue was part of a review by one of the councils scrutiny committees last tuesday so it will be interesting to see the outcomes of this review.

Current mood: Happy


a busy morning

this morning i had a 9.30am meeting of the licensing committee so i made it there with seconds to spare and after adopting minutes of previous meetings it was down to the main business which was to adopt the fees and charges relating to licensing.

seeing as how these are set by central government there was minimal discussion and the meeting was finished by 9.36 am! a marked contrats to last nights meeting which went well on past the 10.00 o clock watershed.

so after the meeting i was able to attend the great mongeham drop in.

issues being discussed this morning included tenant's rights and obligations as well as the Dover North wind farm.

 

Current mood: Happy


Full council meeting

Tonight is an additional full council meeting

there are a few important items on the agenda including licensing policy and the local development framework.

there is also a presentation on finance to help members understand the budget process.

Current mood: Cool


sandwich neighbourhood forum

Current mood: Cool


what other customers have to say about pixmania

a quick google and i found this gem

 

perhaps amazon is trying to get rid of customers!

Current mood: Mad

cant think what to get someone for christmas

why not get them to become a victim of crime through amazon.co.uk with help from parcelforce and pixmania uk.

they will happily take your money and if the goods dont arrive - well its not their worry

in fact they will happily tell you that they dont need a signature, the driver's word is sufficient

and you too can be a victim of crime

thanks to their 100 % no questions asked policy.

 

copy of feedback from amazon

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk,

We are sorry to hear that you have not received your merchandise from
order 026-1443603-3705108. 

The seller provided us with Parcel Force tracking HA4274844 that shows
a delivery with signature acceptance. Amazon.co.uk is not able to
resolve shipping problems after delivery. We advise you to contact Parcel
Force as well as your local authorities if necessary in order to pursue
this matter further. 

Thank you for your understanding.

and the track and trace from parcelforce

Track & Trace

Proof of Delivery Parcel number: PBHA4274844001 Part of consignment: HA4274844 Service: Parcelforce 24 Delivery Postcode: CT14 9LP Delivered on: 30-11-2007 Delivered at: 11:30 Signed for by: A SAFEPLACE Signature: An electronic signature is not available for this parcel.

 

i wonder if they have links with PC world?

Current mood: Mad

sackcloth and ashes

Current mood: Angry

ho ho ho

Current mood: Happy


winter storm damage

over the last few days we have had much rain and strong winds. while at church today a resident told me about branches which had fallen to obstruct church path in the village.

in fact we discussed church path at the parish council last week as the council would like to have it swept as repair to the surfac near the top of the path at the junction with Northbourne road.

now i know that this might sem like the trivia of village life but it is important to maintain such infrastrucure for the benefit of the community.

Current mood: Cool


Christmas lights

While out tonight i was impressed by the christmas lights at some residences. In fact, a few near the top of my road are some of the best i have seen. Now it gave me something of a quandry in that i would like to share the sight with others yet i know that they do this for fundraising, so to take photographs may somewhat defeat the purpose, in this case fund raising for the RNLI.

What i plan to do over the coming weeks is look at the lights in my ward and try to share with readers the best of  these lights and pay tribute to these residents.  I believe that we are all better off through their efforts.

Current mood: Happy


eastry coffe break

Current mood: Happy


Woodnesborough parish

while at the council tonight the clerk informed us that she is now expanding her skills to include web development.

she is webmaster for the above parish so why not check out her website

i will ensure that it is included in the list on the district council website.

Current mood: Happy

A Triumph for the whitfield action group

The decision by the post office limited to close some post offices across the district must be hailed as a success by the whitfield action group which seems intent on running down services for residents in the district. Their approach to stifle development will see more services be withdrawn as residents are increasingly isolated from services enjoyed by urban dwellers.

the continued drive for efficiency savings by such service deliverers will mean that such rationalisations will become more commonplace.

welcome to the future and WAG's attempts to duplicate king canute. in the end its the communities which suffer!

 

Current mood: Angry

great mongeham parish council

Current mood: Cool

A Triumph for the whitfield action group

The decision by the post office limited to close some post offices across the district must be hailed as a success by the whitfield action group which seems intent on running down services for residents in the district. Their approach to stifle development will see more services be withdrawn as residents are increasingly isolated from services enjoyed by urban dwellers.

the continued drive for efficiency savings by such service deliverers will mean that such rationalisations will become more commonplace.

welcome to the future and WAG's attempts to duplicate king canute. in the end its the communities which suffer!

 

Current mood: Angry

Great Mongeham Drop in

this morning i went to the drop in. today the discussion was about NHS services and about the future of the derelict Richborough power station.

The power station has been partially demolished for a number of years and people would like to see the site put to better use.

Most of the site falls outside the dover district.

 

Current mood: Happy

credit where its due

last week i challenged Gwyn Prosser MP to discuss the labour party funding row in his weekly dover express column and this week he delivered. "w are right to be angry when standards fall below what we and the general public expect..."

well said Gwyn.

glad we can agree on some important points!

Current mood: Happy


Sutton By Dover Parish Council

I crawled off my sickbed to briefly attend the parish council tonight. my colleague was unable to attend so i felt i had to have at least one of us there.

i gave a brief update on a number of a matters including the local development framework, the new wind turbine and the work of the alliance.

i was also questioned about funding issues on school transport and broadband availability. there was much disquiet about the issues raised in my earlier blog about how access to broadband services is projected to show a greater disparity between urban and rural dwellers.

Current mood: Cool

town v country

In my quest to get better broadband access, I was depressed to read an article on the BBC website in which it is claimed that broadband access in rural areas is set to get worse.

Unless there is action from central government, the problem will exacerbate the divide between the two. Businesses and residents in rural areas deserve a better outcome.

Current mood: Sad

It Works!

Current mood: Happy


westminster event

cabinet meeting

This morning is a regular cabinet meeting. the agenda is available on the council's website

 

Current mood: Cool


1st sunday of advent

december and its advent again. to mark the occasion i have managed to get another lethal dose of man flu so after going to church this morning i have spent the day in bed.

what an exciting lifeit is a district councillor.

tomorrow promises to be a busy day with cabint in the morning followed by a member briefing on the work of the alliance.

in the evening it is eastry parish council. 

 

Current mood: Dead


wind power

Currently playing: power to the people
Current mood: Happy

wind turbines

i have been sent the following information about windturbines

 the company that wants to erect the turbines is ecotricity

there is discussion about noise generated by turbines at barhill farms website

there is further information at the BWEA website.

i was also sent a link to the visit wales website

and of course i have a link to langdon action group in my links