Town Hall Secrecy at Tunbridge Wells

So here we are in the Conservative Government's brave new world that demands transparency in local government.

In Tunbridge Wells this translates into a private meeting of councillors at which it was agreed to borrow money to purchase the Land Registry site and, so it is believed, the Odeon cinema site.

It is rumoured that the amount to be borrowed is £20 million. The Council has refused to provide information on the amount of the loan, the length of the loan or the total cost to to the Council.

This is a disgrace and one trusts the Local Government Department, of which the borough's MP, Greg Clark, is a minister, will have something to say about this. There is concern already at the secrecy shrouding the activities of the company set up by the Council and Laing to develop Council owned sites.

Cllr Ransley (Con) is quoted in the Courier thus:

(The purchase) was viewed with considerable concern even by those members who supported it. This whole thing is going to split the Conservative Group on Tunbridge Wells Council if we are not careful.

Begs the question: how many councillors voted against the proposal or abstained? It really won't do if the project goes pear-shaped for those who have doubts now to have voted the proposal through out of party loyalty or for the quiet life. Stand up and be counted! In fact do we know what was the number of votes for/against/abstention?

Rusthall Fete 24th July

Rusthall Fete: Saturday 24 July 12.00-5.00PM at Southwood Road playing fields. Should be fun. Not to be missed.

The Phantom Coach: 1970s

The Phantom Coach public house is located strategically close to Coventry Crematorium. Many a mourner has stopped off for a 'stiffener' (maybe not the most appropriate word to use in this context) before or after a funeral. Indeed quite a few did both.

One lunchtime I had arranged to meet a few people at the pub and it became apparent that mourners going to a funeral would meet up first at the pub and then go en masse to the crematorium and return likewise after paying their respects to the dear departed. The 'before' and 'after' atmosphere of these groups was interesting: hushed tones before and party like afterwards.

When 'before' and 'after' groups were in the pub at the same time it felt somewhat embarrassing. One felt that there should be pre-funeral and after-funeral bars.

One of my work colleagues reckoned he could visit the Phantom Coach any weekday and not have to pay a penny for his drinks. He would find out the name of the deceased and make sure he was standing close to the person ordering drinks. Once one group moved on he would attach himself to the next group.

A bit of a do

Many years ago I was invited to Louise's very posh wedding. Louise had had numerous boyfriends, concurrently and consecutively: and she was pregnant.

Arrived early, decided to visit the local pub for a drink. Inside was a wedding party: a groom and family. It looked and sounded as though they had been there a considerable time. The mother: large, garrulous and wearing a very tight fitting dress which revealed most of her huge bosom told her son repeatedly that he needn't go through with the wedding. The son was having none of it.

I departed the happy family, legged it to the church and having made myself as comfortable as was possible on the hard pews listened to the organ. After a while, stirring, in walks the groom and family: indeed the self-same family I had witnessed in the pub. This should be interesting I thought, can't wait for the reception and the mother-of-the-groom venting her spleen and frustration.

Time passed, the organist was going frantic as she went through her repertoire for the third time. No sign of the bride. Was the mother-of-the-groom to enjoy a happy ending to the day? The groom walked out of the church, I assumed to relieve himself as the effects of copious consumption of beer took hold.

Then, the groom shot back into the church, closely followed by the bride. The vicar, who had been notable by his absence until the bride arrived, announced to the congregation the reason for the delay. He had been the anchor man in the village tug-o-war team and just couldn't down rope for a trifling matter such as a wedding.

The wedding ceremony went well, save for a few grunts and sighs from the mother-of-the groom. Her husband, I was told at the reception, had divorced her some years previously and had not been invited to the wedding. Lucky fellow, I thought.

The wedding photographs were taken: no show from the mother of the now husband of Louise.

I don't remember much about the reception save for one comment by the mother: well I did warn you not to marry that slut said she as she stormed out of the reception with a man whom I took to be her boyfriend. The mother had seen the bride and best man passionately groping each other in a corridor.

Then a fight broke out involving the husband, the best man and sundry members of the two families. I repaired to the bar.

To the seaside, well not quite.

Journeyed to Brighton today, or to be more precise, Moulescombe to visit FareShare Brighton.
Learnt a lot.

As I sallied forth from Sainsbury's in Tunbridge Wells to Brighton via Crowborough and Lewes it struck me that at one time it would have been quicker by train. Now it takes two hours to travel from Tunbridge Wells to Brighton, about the same time as the bus.

Why is it that Brighton, a major leisure and economic centre is virtually impossible to get to from West Kent by public transport in under two hours? After all it is only just over 30 miles away.

Tunbridge Wells: needs a boost

The late, much missed, Daniel Bech coined the phrase grot spot to describe locations in the town in need of tender loving care. There were many places for him to express his pungent and humorous comment, none more so than the old Odeon Cinema building and the former Safeway supermarket site.

Soon the Kent & Sussex Hospital site will be vacated and, despite denials from the Town Hall junta, it is likely the Town Hall will be vacated in favour of an office block in Hawkenbury. The Town Hall has an air of desolation as the public is firmly shut out.

What is the dynamic vision for Tunbridge Wells? How will these sites develop the town? There is talk of hotels, major 'up-market' retailers and conference facilities. All activities to encourage visitors to the town. Yet at the same time the Council considers closing public conveniences and withdrawing the tourist information centre to the Gateway.

I noted with interest a comment by the General Manager of the Kent & Sussex Light Railway that the Tenterden TIC was hidden in the Gateway and visitors found the railway's own tourist information of more value.

Three questions:

1. Where is the finance coming from for the development of the four sites mentioned above? The risk is, with finance hard to come by, we will have second rate buildings.

2. How is the additional traffic that it is hoped will be generated be accommodated on the Tunbridge Wells road system?

3. Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells is a transport/economic 'hub'. How will links to other hubs be improved?

Shh...don't tell anyone: it's a secret!

According to the local press, Town & Country Housing Association has major plans for the Sherwood estate in Tunbridge Wells. The plans provide for demolition of flats, new build on allotments and green spaces and a new road.

I am sure it is all very commendable. The problem is that the plans have been developed in secret and have only partly come into the public domain as a result of details being 'leaked' by councillors to residents. Apparently councillors who have copies of the plans were sworn to secrecy.

We are told by central government that there is to be 'localism' and 'community engagement', yet in this instance the last people to know about the plans are local residents! When the Labour government introduced community plans the guidance was that it was no good simply producing a plan for comment. People had to be engaged in the preparation of the plan. It is a pity Town & Country did not consult at an earlier stage, then there would have been no need for 'leaks'.

The proposals should have a positive impact, but it has to be understood that many residents on the Sherwood estate are not tenants of the housing association. Worries and concerns will have been raised by the press report. The housing association should take residents into their confidence at all stages in the process, not hide behind secret documents, however laudable the plans or the intentions behind the secrecy.

Kent Police Authority

I note the Chair of Kent Police Authority (which attracts remuneration of over £29,000 per annum) has not endorsed the Government's proposals for elected police commissioners. She has trotted out the mantra that independent residents represent taxpayers.

The current system of appointment of independent members stinks. Prospective independent members have to fill in an application form which is considered by an outside organisation against criteria which as far as I am aware is not in the public domain. The next stage is for selected candidates to be interviewed by the Police Authority.

The sooner this system is swept away the better.

Health Fanatic

Having read the comments of Cllr Catherine Mayhew in today's Courier I have come to the conclusion that not only is she illiberal but also a health fanatic. There is far more danger to children from vehicle fumes. Perhaps she should propose that all motor vehicles be banned from roads which pass near schools?

What can this be?

There I was, sitting in the garden doing nothing (and doing it well), when the post arrived. My eyes were drawn to a large envelope with the words Winckworth Sherwood emblazoned upon it.

Winckworth Sherwood? I knew the name. Solicitors! Was it a writ, had I received a legacy, was it one of those pompous letters threatening legal action? Then it struck me that I knew the name from my time in Chelmsford. No, not the prison. WS do work for the Chelmsford Diocese of the Church of England. Essex Savers Credit Union, for whom I have done some work, has its base in the diocesan office. Possibly circumstances surrounding this is why WS has written to me.

Enough conjecture, open the envelope.

Sadly, no legacy, happily no writ, not that I was expecting one, nor a pompous missive.

The envelope contained a certificate, number 018, stamped with a seal, stating that I was the Registered Holder of one fully paid share of £1 in The Conservative Co-operative Society Limited.

I wonder if the Society pays a divi?

Sport reigns supreme today

British Formula One Grand Prix from Silverstone, followed by World Cup Final. Won't be doing any gardening, or much else for that matter today!

Reform

Previous blogs have referred to the organisation named Reform which has a membership of people in the Church of England with a conservative Evangelical agenda.

In today's Daily Telegraph, the Revd. Stephen Griffith , Christ Church, London SW14 writes:

Jeffery John is well known in this middle-of-the-road parish, and admired for his Christian virtues, his intelligence and his kindness.

No such description can be used for Reform, an extremist movement which seeks to do what the Puritans failed to do 400 years ago.

Some at the top of the Church of England need to tell them to be quiet and learn to be intelligent and loving.

Strong stuff. The Church of England used to be a very broad church: evangelicals, liberals, traditionalists, low church, high church, Anglo-Catholics all rubbing along. Yes, there was friction but the greater cause kept them together. This was underpinned by Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer, a masterpiece of ambiguity which kept Protestant and Catholic theology in tension.

The last major attempt by the Puritans to move the Church of England totally from its Catholic roots was the Savoy Conference in 1661, although sporadic forays were made by Protestants in the courts against Anglo-Catholic ritual following the emergence of the Oxford Movement. The Oxford Movement was more high church than Anglo-Catholic.

Deep down the real cause of argument is one of the authority of the Bible. Is it the once and for all revealed Word of God or is it a document which needs reinterpreting from generation to generation? Indeed, some Christians argue the Bible is entirely an human construct.

Savaged by dead sheep

Remember Dennis Healey's put down of Geoffrey Howe: like being savaged by a dead sheep?

Memories of that phrase came flooding back as I read the posturing comments of the two Rusthall ward councillors at a meeting to discuss the formation of a parish council.

The story in the Courier starts off with the statement that Rusthall's borough representatives have threatened action if their council colleagues block moves by residents to turn the village into a parish.

Better I suppose than threatening inaction. But what form will this action take: hunger strike, protest camp outside the Town Hall, resigning their seats and fighting by-elections, resigning from the Conservative Party?

Sadly not. Instead, we are promised that they will make strong representations according to one councillor and pretty strong representations according to another. I am underwhelmed.

I can see now Roy Bullock shaking in his boots, not from fear, rather from uncontrollable mirth.
Dear, oh dear.

Rusthall Council proposal rumbles on

As regular readers of my blog know I am not renowned for my enthusiasm for a parish council for Rusthall. Parish councils are restricted in what they can do by legislation: they cannot do much. What is needed is a neighbourhood forum with teeth. There are many examples of successful groups who have brought significant improvements to their communities which are way beyond the capacity of a parish council to achieve.

A parish council is the second best solution; second by a long distance. Radical transfers of power, funding and collaborative working cannot be achieved within the strait-jacket of the parish system.

Foodbank for Kent

I received the following from Nick Chard. It is encouraging.

'Thank you for your interesting email regarding Fareshare's work and the diversion of food from landfill. This charity clearly serves a very important function of preventing waste, helping those in need, addressing food poverty, saving landfill space, and reducing landfill gas, as well as saving scarce resources and carbon. It is certainly a very worthwhile enterprise and I am pleased to note that it is expanding.

From my understanding of Fareshare's work, essentially it takes food which would otherwise be waste from food processors and other businesses and provides it for community use. Turning to my role here at KCC, as the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, this covers the function of the County Council as the household waste disposal authority and therefore as you can see I have no remit in respect of waste food from business premises. In fact, the majority of Kent's household waste is being disposed of through the energy from waste plant at Allington and does not in any case go to landfill.

I agree that FareShare's objectives are extremely laudable and whilst landfill diversion is not an issue for KCC, I am sure that Fareshare's work will be of interest to other colleagues. In fact, during these difficult economic times, Kent has reviewed its priorities to place particular emphasis on supporting those who are disadvantaged and of course food poverty is closely linked to the well-being of our community. I will ask that the work of this charity is flagged to other directorates such as Children, Families and Education.'

Another salutory story

In the 1960s I came across a person who was a property developer, a magistrate and a former chairman of an urban district council. He lived in an expensive house and drove an expensive car.

Fast forward ten years and I bumped into the same person in a pub. His property company had failed, he had been declared bankrupt, his wife had left him and he was living a life which today is described as sofa-surfing. He was drinking to excess and a few months later he died of multiple organ failure.

A lecturer's tale (2)

My first lecturing post was at Chesterfield College of Technology. I was invited to speak to the Chesterfield Chamber of Trade, a group of local retailers. It was agreed that my subject would be the Trades Description Act 1972.

On arrival at the event I was plied with drink. Then we sat down for lunch. I was placed between the president of the august organisation and the secretary. Just as the main course was completed the president asked me what I was going to talk about. My answer elicited the response: nay lad, we 'ad a speaker on that last week, th'll 'ave to speak abart summat else.'


Rather put me off my pudding. Coffee was served and to the accompaniment of tinkling cups and saucers I was 'on'. The next twenty minutes passed quickly and with a sigh of relief I sat down to what I can only describe as polite applause. There followed a few questions which I thought I answered rather well. And then it was all over. I admit I was somewhat disappointed that having given an extempore speech the reaction had been so muted.

A reporter from the local evening rag hove into view and congratulated me on my speech. Could he ask me a couple of questions for clarification? It will be in the paper tomorrow night (a Friday) said he. I scanned the paper but couldn't see anything.

Next day, whilst enjoying a drink in the Market Hotel the reporter came in and I remonstrated with him that the article had not appeared. Off he went to his office and came back with the offending newspaper. The front page banner headline read: Fraudulent Traders Slammed! The story which followed was based on my speech but much of it was taken out of context.

The following Monday morning was interesting. My head of department was beside himself with rage as I had upset members of his advisory committee and a couple of governors into the bargain. Eventually it was smoothed over.

A lecturer's tale (1)

When I was at Trent Polytechnic we were expected to give presentations to outside organisations. One day my Head of Department, Glanville Griffiths, informed me that I had been selected to speak at a trade union meeting on the then government's proposed changes to labour and trade union law. The venue was a pub in Derby's cattle-market.

I arrived early. The pub was on a mound in the middle of the market and I noted that the cars parked round the mound were rather expensive. When I arrived at the meeting I discovered that the trade union was an employers' trade union. There then followed a very rapid revision of what I had intended to say.

A salutory tale

When I worked in Nottingham in the 1970s one of my colleagues had three lady friends. In those days there were no laptop or desktop computers, no e-mails and no mobile telephones, so communication was limited to letters and land line calls.

My colleague was a lecturer for the Open University and met his ladies initially at study weeks. One lived in Newcastle, another in Poole and the third in West Bromwich.

One day I entered his office and he was banging his head on a desk. Apparently he had written to his three ladies but was convinced he had put the wrong letter in each of the three envelopes he had posted. I managed to convince him that the Post Office would not permit him to retrieve the letters when the postbox was emptied and that strong-arm tactics would be frowned upon.

My thought that possibly one letter had been placed in the correct envelope cheered him up somewhat. But it was not to be. Back to the drawing board.

The Garden

Although I say it myself, the garden at 59 is looking good; a riot of colour and hardly a weed in sight.

The raspberries are forming and it looks as though there will be an excellent crop. Rosemary's raspberry jam is renowned. Fortunately we make much more than we can eat, so gifts will be wending their way to friends who appreciate home-made jam of the highest quality.

A pleasure in life

One of the pleasures in life is visiting pubs with character (and full of characters) to have a few convivial drinks and leave with a feeling of well-being. Not for me huge drinking halls, binge drinking or loud music (except for live music). Is there such an oasis of civility near you? Please do tell!

Parish Council for Rusthall?

Has anyone any information on the meeting earlier this week called by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to consult on a parish council for Rusthall? How many attended? Was there consensus or deep division?

Around Kent

In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that I put nothing on this website which relates to information gained through my employment.

My work takes me to many places in Kent: Maidstone, Ashford, Lenham, Aylesford, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Sheerness, Gravesend, Sittingbourne, Dover, Folkestone, Whitstable, Swanley, Sevenoaks, Paddock Wood, Canterbury and Herne Bay. So far, I have not visited Deal, Sandwich, Ramsgate or Margate.

I have found much of interest in all the places I have visited. The downside is the poor public transport between many of these places. Indeed some journeys are impossible by public transport, either because of the time element, or the fact that the railway system is London orientated.

The road system is Kent is poor and congestion will only get worse as the population rises. Years of under-investment has led to this unsatisfactory position and no relief is in sight.

Congratulations to the Council

Last Saturday morning, at around 3.30AM I was awoken my music being played close by to my home. An e-mail complaint to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council set in train a process culminating in a visit today by a Council officer to the miscreant noise creator. Impressive response.

More on Awards

Are you passionate about making a positive change in society? Do you deserve recognition for your work? Do you know someone else who does? If yes, then you could be nominated for a Social Change Award! Thus speaks the Directory of Social Change.

I continue where I left off in my previous blog with my gripe about awards. Why do people crave recognition?

Frankly, I couldn't give a damn

At my age I am past caring if people like me or dislike me: ignore me or listen to me. It doesn't matter a damn. Now, don't misunderstand what I am saying. Except in a very few instances, I do not go out and seek by my actions to upset or offend. On the other hand, I am not one to pussyfoot around for the sake of being polite.

Thinking about it, I have been the same for years, probably since the age of 16. The shrinks might put it down to the death of my father when I was 16 having an effect on my 'world view'.

I have seen myself for quite a few years as being a nuisance to authority as I seek to advance the cause of the poor and vulnerable in our society: not caring what others think of me. On more than one occasion I have resigned from positions on what I regarded as a matter of principle.

So, you may imagine my surprise when I was described by a current Tunbridge Wells councillor as a highly respected past councillor. Ye gods, I left the Council in 2000. It's almost as though I am a member of the local establishment. I must change my PR adviser.

Recently someone wrote that I was a fine orator. Years of lecturing and talks in churches (I refuse to use the word 'sermon') has enabled me to acquire a few speaking skills. Unfortunately, opportunities to display my skills are few and far between in an age when the soundbite and five minute presentation (supported by the dreaded and dreadful PowerPoint slides) is all the rage.

I plod along seeking a better world and have managed to avoid the yuk of awards. It has always struck me as odd that people who volunteer should fall over themselves to enter competitions to win an award. Why do they do it? Maybe it is the Groucho Marx in me. He said he would never belong to a club which would have him as a member. A sound concept.

Jottings

It came as a shock to hear of the death of Dr. Daniel Bech at the age of 59. Daniel was a character, a man of considerable intellect and very funny. He had a passion for Tunbridge Wells and was a considerable thorn in the side of the local establishment. The local press captured well the character and contribution Daniel made to life in Tunbridge Wells. He will be missed.

Saturday took me to Gravesend. I am growing to like the town.

Today, I watched England turn up to a football match and forget how to play. It was terrible to behold.

Rose Gibb

This is from my blog dated 17th March. The Appeal Court's judgment comes as no surprise to me.

Rose Gibb, the former Chief Executive of the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Hospital Trust, wanted to stay and face the flak when the report on the investigation into the many deaths at the Kent & Sussex Hospital was about to be published. For that she deserves credit.

However, the Board decided otherwise. It wanted her out and agreed a huge financial compensation package as well as negotiating a 'gagging clause' to prevent Rose Gibb defending herself. She could have refused the package.

An overpowering stench emanates from the decisions of the Board egged on by the strategic health authority. Buy her off, gag her and let her take the odium. It should have insisted she stayed. Or just sacked her without compensation. What a bunch of creeps.

Airport Connections (2)

The policy of KCC to establish trains from Strood and Ashford to Gatwick is flawed. It seems to me that it would be much better to have a service from the proposed Manston Parkway calling at Canterbury, Ashford, Staplehurst, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Edenbridge, Redhill, Reigate, Dorking, Guildford, Farnborough, Wokingham and Reading.

Such a service would provide many interchange possibilities with the South West and of course with the West Country, Wales and the Midlands at Reading. The advantage of such a service would be that it would enable many passengers to avoid changing stations in London who were bound for the Eurostar service. It would also save residents in the South East having to travel through London as part of their journey. Overall such a service might not save on time, but it would save having to lug baggage onto the Underground. It would reduce overcrowding on London bound services and open up a new range of travel opportunities.

Really!!!

Following a recent criminal case Det. Supt. Neil Hunter of the Lancashire Constabulary said:

While we are disappointed with today's decision, we accept the decision of the court.

The decision was that of a jury. How can the police not accept the decision of a court? Perhaps Det. Supt. Hunter wishes the police were prosecutor, judge and jury?

I think this prat should be hauled before the judge to explain himself and the Home Office should initiate an inquiry into this blatant undermining of the judicial process. Better still sack him with no pension.

The sooner we get elected police commissioners to look into such outrageous comments the better.

New Bishop of Rochester

So, the new Bishop of Rochester is the current Bishop of Lynn and not the Bishop of Croydon. I shall have to have strong words with my clerical spy!

My clerical moles inform me that the new bishop has a good track record on social responsibility issues. I hope one of his first steps (no women bishops yet) is to enquire why Church in Society was allowed to close and the failure of those with power within the diocese to take the necessary action to ensure its continuation.

My clerical moles are most upset by the incompetence over this issue shown by people within the diocese. Needless to say, I never received a reply to my communications to the Bishop of Tonbridge.

Airport connections (1)

The news that KCC intends to pursue the idea of opening a station to serve Manston Airport and the surrounding areas is excellent. Building a line to the airport would be prohibitive financially, but a parkway station with good public transport links to the airport and adjoining areas would beneficial for the local economy. Now the plans for additional runways at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick have been jettisoned by the government this should be an opportunity for Manston to thrive.

The idea of a dedicated Gatwick - Tonbridge - Maidstone - Strood service or one from Gatwick to Ashford has been abandoned on cost grounds: but it seems to me that what is needed is more of a tweaking of existing resources rather than new trains at exorbitant cost. I shall return to this is my next blog.

Vuvuzela

Have you heard a vuvuzela near you yet? Friday and Saturday nights in Tunbridge Wells will never be the same.

What I am reading (5)

My latest read in The Big Red Train Ride by Eric Newby, published in 1978. It tells of a journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway before perestroika.

Tunbridge Wells to Brighton by public transport

Following my previous blog concerning errors in the draft Tunbridge Wells Transport Strategy the article by the Wealden Line campaign is of interest. Click here to read.

What a corker

The draft Tunbridge Wells Borough Transport Strategy document contains the following statement:

Staplehurst Station, although in the neighbouring Borough of Tonbridge, is served by the London to Hastings line and provides direct services to London Bridge, Waterloo and Charing Cross Stations.

I am sure the Borough of Maidstone will be interested in the loss of Staplehurst to the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling. I have no doubt people travelling from Ashford to Tonbridge will be surprised to learn they are travelling on the Hastings line.

More on Foodbank for Kent

Today, I took it upon myself to write to Nick Chard. He is a member of Kent County Council's Cabinet. My research through the labyrinthine KCC website led me to the conclusion that he is the person to contact about a Foodbank for Kent.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for a substantive reply to wing its way to me and its content. I shall keep you posted.

Foodbank for Kent update

A foodbank for Kent has been the subject of numerous posts on this blog. Progress towards the goal has been steady and recently a major Kent organisation has come on board to support the endeavour. At this stage I prefer not to name the organisation, but all will be revealed soon.

There is much to do, but I expect the pace to quicken!

What I am reading (4)

Rummaging through by books I came across Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought: Luther and Calvin on secular authority.

Decided it would be a good idea to read this before reading Hooker!

Railway Ramblings (2)

Despite its shortcomings I prefer rail travel to using my car. Motorway driving can be a nightmare, particularly if you get trapped between exits by an accident. Crawling through urban areas and paying extortionate parking fees are my other dislikes. At least on the train one can read or look at the scenery: even use your mobile phone/laptop.

The downside is the cost, inconvenient timetables and overcrowding, but on balance I prefer the latter set of circumstances to the former, particularly if travelling a long distance. However I admit that inconvenient timetabling does lead me to the use the car when I would prefer to travel by rail.

A few examples locally: Tunbridge Wells to Brighton, Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells to Guildford.

Tunbridge Wells to Brighton by train takes two hours, by car just over the hour. Even the bus service is quicker than the train.

Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone requires one change but the service between Maidstone and Tonbridge is only every hour.

Trains between Tonbridge and Redhill are hourly which makes for a long journey time between Tunbridge Wells and Guildford. It is easier to travel between the two via Waterloo, but costs more.

What is needed is for the services to be improved and thereby attract more passengers.

I shall return to these matters in future blogs.

Railway ramblings

Our railways have never been busier with passenger traffic. In many areas trains are overcrowded and lines are running at maximum capacity. Across the country there are plans to re-open closed stations and closed lines. A far cry from the 1960s and 70s when the very future of rail transport was in doubt.

On the freight side obviously there is not as much traffic as collieries, shipbuilding yards and steel plants have closed and with them the coal, iron ore and steel traffic. Nonetheless there is a growing demand for rail freight.

In the current economic climate it is vital that available resources are used on what is needed, rather than on grandiose schemes. Step forward the proposal for High Speed 2 which it is planned will hurtle people between London, the West Midlands and the North. Is such a railway needed as a matter of necessity or would the money be better spent on improving piecemeal the existing railway system and re-opening a few closed lines?

In my opinion four types of scheme should take priority:

1. Improvements to rail transport in and around major cities and conurbations.
2. Improving links between population areas outside London.
3. Developing routes which will steer traffic (passenger and freight) away from bottlenecks.
4. Electrification of routes.

How to encourage tourists and shoppers.

Tourism sustains many jobs in Tunbridge Wells. There is much to see and do across the borough. Royal Tunbridge Wells is a shopping mecca with many small specialist shops selling a huge variety of products.

One would have imagined that the Council would seek to encourage tourists and shoppers to flock to the area in view of their importance to the economic well-being of the borough.

Unfortunately the opposite is the impression one gains. Proposals to close public toilets, swingeing car-park charges and now the deplorable plan to close the Tourist Information Centre next winter as a 'pilot'. The bright? idea is to move the TIC to the Gateway, which is a good mile from the main tourist attraction, the Pantiles, where the TIC currently is located.

Daft, stupid, barmy - pick your own word.

A21 Fiasco

Bad news that the doubling of the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury is to be delayed. The accident record on this stretch of road is one long litany of death and serious injury.

Delays at the roundabout where roads lead off the A21 to the new hospital and the industrial estate/retail park are set to increase. It beggars belief that two of the major roads leading to the hospital are not to be upgraded (the other being Colts Hill).

As expected, Hazel Dawe of the Green Party has welcomed this delay and spoken again of the need for better bus services. She is living in cloud cuckoo land if she believes public transport will meet the transport needs of this area. Yes, by all means improve road and rail services, but there is an ongoing need for private transport and the eradication of bottlenecks and accident hot spots.

What I am reading (3) and......

...isn't the football boring? I had hoped Uruguay would beat the Froggies as we have to see revenge exacted on the French for their hand-ball victory over Ireland.

Took up new reading tonight having been depressed by my previous read and the poor quality of the football.

I am re-reading a book I haven't touched for over 20 years: Hooker: Of the laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. Then I realised it is over 30 years since I lectured on this material!

World Cup

Can't say that I have been gripped by World Cup fever. Apart from the USA I don't know which countries are in 'our' group.

I follow in the press the fortunes of the soccer, rugby league, rugby union and cricket teams I support. Rarely do I attend matches, except when Wharfedale are playing within fifty miles of Tunbridge Wells.

I've been reet poorly.....

....as we say in Yorkshire. Too much heat, dehydration set in and, as it is said, the rest is history.
For the first time in months I did not put an item on this blog yesterday. Pleased to report that I am feeling much better as I write this.

Tomorrow is a booked holiday from work and I plan to use it to good effect to further the cause of a Foodbank for Kent. Should you be on Facebook, please visit the Foodbank for Kent page and join.

Sherwood Carnival last Saturday

A very hot day, a reasonable attendance but not many groups in the carnival procession. It was a real shame that Sherwood Primary School, St Philip's Church and Little Forest Children's Centre between them couldn't manage a single group for the procession.

It was good to see Rev'd Brian Senior and some of his flock manning a stall and also a local councillor and the MP at the event.

What hope for the Tourist Centre?

There is much to attract the tourist to Tunbridge Wells - the Common, the Pantiles, Charles the Martyr church, the High Street shops, Trinity Theatre, cafes, restaurants and pubs. Much more on offer than in Sevenoaks or Tonbridge.

I read on Twitter that the tourist centre located in the Pantiles is under threat of closure - again. It seems the barmy army in the Town Hall has the centre in its sites as it looks to cut budgets. Problem is that many local politicians give the impression of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Previously it has been mooted that the tourist centre moves to the Gateway. The Gateway is a dull place, more akin to the waiting room of a doctor's surgery or social services. Even the Job Centre (employment, or even labour exchange) is more enticing. I just cannot see welfare claimants and tourists rubbing shoulders in the Gateway. Even in Gravesend - Gravesend for goodness sake - the tourist centre is not in the Gateway/Civic Centre.

Some bright bod at Kent County Council told me that people who use the Gateway are 'customers', which I suppose puts users in the category used by Tesco to describe people crossing its threshold. However, I am not a customer of the Council, I am an elector and the Council is my servant.

It is a rum state of affairs when the Town Hall is closed to the public, thus cocooning councillors and officers in a little world of their own (and providing free parking) whilst we poor citizens, sorry customers, are kept out. Should the tourist centre have to close then move it to the Town Hall. Mind you, it might not be there long if the Council decides to up sticks to Hawkenbury.

Computer Problems

We take our computers for granted. Had a glitch this evening which has caused me no end of problems and waste of time.

Hopefully I have the matter sorted!

Sure Start: A wrong turning.

Frank Field stated recently:

Consider Sure Start. This was one of Labour’s great initiatives, aimed at cutting into the cycle of deprivation that trapped all too many children in poverty. But the recent transformation of Sure Start into Children’s Centres signifies a major change in the programme: its focus has shifted from the poorest to all children.

If our society’s aim is to widen the life chances of poorer children, is this a sensible and defensible change?

Got it is one Frank.

A few years ago I was chair of a charity which ran a pre-school playgroup specifically for children of poor families. The charity was called Panda and received praise from OFSTED for its exemplar family liaison work. It was mentioned by the then Tunbridge Wells MP, the hard-headed businessman Archie Norman, in an House of Commons debate as an excellent example of a voluntary sector organisation targeting real need in a way the broad brush of the statutory sector failed to do.

Then it was decided to open a Sure Start close to the Panda premises and it was agreed Panda would move into the new Sure Start premises as its own premises were to be demolished. The move never happened as Kent County Council insisted on an increase in numbers and that the group be open to all children.

Now we are told that there are a number of children at the local primary school with behaviour problems? Why is this? Did they go through the Children's Centre as the Sure Starts became known as? I bet if these kids had gone through Panda the problem would have been much reduced. An unholy alliance of Kent County Council, central government, aided and abetted by a voluntary infrastructure body, destroyed a charity which was targeting successfully children from poorer families.

Frank Field is correct: the change of focus was wrong.

What I am reading (2)

I have started reading the HMG document: State of the nation report: poverty, worklessness and welfare dependency in the UK.

Sounds like a document for amnesiacs, but I find it gripping stuff!

Sherwood Carnival: 5th June

Come along to TN2 and have some fun tomorrow. It's going to be a sunny day. Parade sets off at 12.30PM.

I really enjoy....

...a good omelette. Garlic mushrooms my favourite filling, but it doesn't really matter what the filling is so long as the omelette is cooked correctly. Can anyone recommend a cafe which sells said ?

I just love...

.....pistachio nuts. Have you tried chocolate pistachio fudge? Its gorgeous, Mmmmm.

A dangerous world

We live in dangerous times. In the Far East, North Korea again is causing concern. The Indian sub-continent has strife in India and Pakistan and the on-going war in nearby Afghanistan. The Near East (although it is called now the Middle East) has seen tensions rise between Israel and Turkey and there is the brooding presence of Iran.

Southern Europe is a tinderbox of civil unrest as a consequence of economic and financial chaos developing in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. The future of the euro and even of the European Union is under threat.

And there is the constant threat of terrorism.

I have the same sense of foreboding I felt at the time of the Cuba missile crisis.

Facebook glitch

One of the joys of Facebook is being able to download pages from websites. Unfortunately something has gone wrong. Whilst I am able to download the pages and share them I cannot download the thumbnail photos and brief description of the pages.

The result is that what is downloaded is not as interesting as one would hope. Anybody else having the same problem?

Made it!

I always try and get the garden into shape by the end of May. Today, a visit to the garden centre for plants to replace those killed by the severe winter, some judicious pruning, much weeding and planting of annuals: the task is complete! Even got round to planting the veg.

Now it is simply a question of keeping on top of the weeds. Although I say so myself, the garden is looking good and will be a riot of colour throughout the summer.

Consultation: Should Rusthall have a parish council?

As mentioned in an earlier blog some people in Rusthall have been agitating for a parish council. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has commenced consultation and should the eventual decision be to form a parish council the first elections are likely to be in 2011.

I have been a parish councillor and have attended meetings of numerous parish councils. Town councils have the same powers as parish councils and if the shenanigans at Crowborough and Southborough Town Councils are anything to go by we do well not to have one. Fortunately most parish councils act in a non party political fashion.

I think the misty-eyed enthusiasm of those promoting the idea of of a parish council for Rusthall will disappear once the reality of the what parish councils actually can do sinks in.

I would much prefer a community council which would not be inhibited by the statutory framework within which parish councils have to operate.

Comprehensive Area Assessments to be abolished.

Excellent news:

Mark Wallace: The abolition of Comprehensive Area Assessments is to be welcomed
Mark Wallace of the Taxpayers Alliance welcomes the abolition of Comprehensive Area Assessments.


ConservativeHome has broken a lot of surprising stories over the years. Here’s another one: I agree with the Local Government Association about something.

Shocking, isn’t it? I almost fell off my chair myself, and I’m sure the LGA will be no less surprised.

Fittingly, as the Coalition Government is all about bringing together unlikely bedfellows, it is one of their policies that has put both me and the LGA on the same page: the abolition of Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAAs).

I wrote here back in December when the CAAs were launched that they were a pointless, uninformative exercise. It’s nice to know that Eric Pickles not only reads ConHome but apparently agrees with my observation!

The Comprehensive Area Assessment was introduced to replace the old, failed star system of grading council performance.

The stars just didn’t work. The Audit Commission cost every council a fortune chasing up statistics and strategy documents, only to give them a relatively meaningless star grade that swiftly became devalued as almost every council got either 3 or 4 of the possible 4 stars.

Councils that local residents felt were overcharging and underperforming were able to rebut all criticism by pointing to an arbitrary grading of their work given by a distant quango.

Due to the obvious flaws in the star system, the Audit Commission and the Brown Government eventually gave in to public and town hall pressure and scrapped it.

Of course, it was never going to be that simple.

Having got rid of a bureaucratic, uninformative process that encouraged councils to jump through arbitrary hoops set by the Audit Commission rather than the people, and which then gave the public limited information that was far too broad, they replaced it with the CAAs – a system which took those very problems to a whole new level.

Instead of being ranked out of four stars, the CAA rated each council with either a red or a green flag, signifying whether they were “good” or not. Fairly obviously, this was even less precise than before.

While extending the depth of information gathered and the number of forms that needed to be filled out by council officers, the public got data in an even more limited resolution than previously.

For these reasons, both I and the LGA – as well as thousands of council officers – are happy to see the CAAs crumpled up and thrown in the Whitehall wastepaper basket where they belong.

The simple fact is that even when they were first launched, they were already obsolete.

Councils like Windsor & Maidenhead were producing detailed, real information about their spending and policy decisions. They were even publishing half-hourly readouts on their energy meters (saving 15% on their bills).

By the time the CAAs were launched in December 2009, W&M had already commissioned an online transparency tool to give unparalleled insight into what and how they do their work, and provide comparison with other councils nationally (you can see it here).

Essentially, by launching Comprehensive Area Assessments the Audit Commission had brought an Etch-a-Sketch to an iPad convention.

Their abolition – and the parallel policy of every council publishing all spending over £500 - heralds a real shift in local government’s priorities. Instead of running themselves ragged conforming to the often bizarre private expectations of a quango like the Audit Commission, now they will answer to the people in their local area.

When you think of it like that, it becomes clear that it was mad to move away from that principle in the first place.

Would you trust Clegg on anything?

In the first televised leaders’ debate, Mr Clegg said: “There are MPs who flipped one property to the next, buying property, paid by you, the taxpayer, and then they would do the properties up, paid for by you, and pocket the difference in personal profit.’’

He was referring of course to Conservative and Labour MPs. His own MPs were squeaky clean and hadn't done such terrible deeds. Indeed, Clegg's pitch was that the 'old' parties were riddled with sleaze in contrast to the clean upstanding behaviour of Lib Dem MPs.

Then we had the David Laws revelations and now we have revealed to us the activities of Mr Alexander which, if the Daily Telegraph story is correct, are some of the actions Mr Clegg spoke so disparagingly of in the television debate. People in glasshouses are well advised not to throw stones. What is Clegg going to do now? Having slagged off Labour and Tory MPs is he going to make an exception for Danny boy? And, what is Cameron going to do?

The expenses sleaze stench has been carried into the new House of Commons and it is ironic that it is emanating from the Liberal Democrats who made great play at the general election of their virtuousness, integrity, honesty and transparency.

Poor service from South Eastern

The advent of the high speed trains from St Pancras to Ashford saw the demise of the Charing Cross-Tonbridge-Ashford fast trains. Now, if I wish to travel from Tunbridge Wells to Ashford, the train on the Tonbridge-Ashford leg calls at Paddock Wood, Marden, Staplehurst, Headcorn and Pluckley. Before the high speed line service began the train was non-stop.

Clearly South Eastern are seeking to make the service from Charing Cross to Ashford unattractive in order to persuade passengers to use the more expensive high speed route.

Much slower, so now I will always take the car to Ashford and points beyond.

Kent Police Authority: Time for Change

Do you know the name of the chair of Kent Police Authority (KPA)? I imagine most people in Kent don't know, nor the fact that it is a lucrative position paying £29,234 per year to the post holder. A member of the KPA receives £9,234 per annum.

The government is proposing that there should be a directly elected commissioner which seems to me to be a very sensible proposal. Not only will it save money but it will bring in direct accountability to the electorate.

Currently members are appointed from magistrates and councillors, except for the 'independent members'.

To become an independent member you are required to fill in an application form which is then considered by an 'independent selection committee'. So far I have not found any information which sets out who appoints this committee, who sits on it and its terms of reference. If you get past this stage you are then interviewed by members of the KPA.

The sooner this process is swept away and democratic accountability is introduced the better.

Unsurprisingly the Chair of the KPA has come out against the government's proposals. Her main argument seems to be that the status quo is working well and by implication the lack of democratic accountability doesn't matter.

Nearly forgot: the chair of KPA is Ann Barnes.

David Laws Resignation

It is sad that David Laws has resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, but probably it was inevitable. There are MPs in the current Parliament (Hazel Blears for starters) who have benefited financially far more from the deficient expenses system.

It is regrettable that Nick Clegg has remained silent for the last 24 hours. No statement of support. But of course it is what we should have expected. The whole Liberal Democrat election was run on a lie: that the Lib Dems were squeaky clean on the expenses issue. Now we know they are not: indeed one former Lib Dem MP, David Holmes, lost Chesterfield to Labour and had been embroiled in an expenses issue. Clegg attempted to gloss over that: wrongly claiming the MPs involved had volunteered the information - but it was only after the Daily Telegraph had identified them.

David Laws has paid the price for the stance the Liberal Democrats took at the election.

David Laws: further reflection

Last night I stated on this blog that I hoped David Laws would not be hounded out of office. Nothing I have read since has changed my opinion.

There is no suggestion that Laws was seeking to, or did gain any personal financial advantage from his actions, nor I assume did his partner as the rent charged seems to be at the going rate. This marks out this case from most of the other examples of grubby expenses wrongdoing which were about financial self-interest.

The motive behind Laws' actions was to protect himself and his partner from the nature of their relationship and sexuality becoming public knowledge.

It is likely that what has happened has not damaged the public purse and it is public funds which the rules are there to protect. For this reason I hope Laws stays in post.

The argument being put forward by Laws that he was not in a partnership looks tenuous. He had lived with his partner since 2001 and extended the mortgage on his house to help his partner acquire a new property. Attempts to distance the relationship from being a partnership run the risk of suggesting it was simply a sordid sex relationship.

The problem for Laws is that the Labour Party will make political capital from this if he stays in post. His stature in the Commons will be diminished as will the standing of the coalition parties.

The debate will focus on the cant and hypocrisy of the Liberal Democrats who took the moral high ground at the general election characterizing the 'old' parties as riddled with sleaze. Those who live by the sword die by the sword. The Laws issue will haunt the Lib Dems and Clegg is particular.

David Laws: a real shock!

Earlier this evening I was adding items to my Facebook page about David Laws, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The articles referred to his excellent performance in the House of Commons, his intellectual qualities and mastery of his brief.

Then all hell broke loose on the Internet as the Daily Telegraph published an article about Laws stating he had paid £40,000 of public money to his partner for accommodation. Laws response is that he will pay the money back. However his argument that his partner really isn't his partner within the expenses rules are those of a man squirming on a hook.

However it is important to note that there is no evidence that David Laws paid anything other than the market rate for the accommodation. The reason he gives for not taking action earlier to repay the money is that he wanted to protect his privacy concerning his sexuality. Unfortunately in so doing incomplete information was given by Laws to the Commons staff dealing with expenses.

It is unfortunate to put it mildly that one of the star performers of the new government has been caught up in the expenses quagmire. The quandary facing Clegg and Cameron is what to do next. Clegg fought the election on the grounds that the Liberal Democrats were squeaky clean on the expenses issue. Cameron sacked MPs for what might be considered piffling indiscretions when set against what Laws has done.

Difficult decisions. My view is that Laws should not have allowed himself to get into this position but, given the overall circumstances, he should NOT be hounded out. Whether his parliamentary colleagues, the press or public opinion will be as generous we shall see.

What I am reading

Postmodernity: Christian Identity in a Fragmented Age: Paul Lakeland (1997)

Destruction of assets

The news that various rail projects are not going to proceed as a result of the 'cuts' is not unexpected. The effect will be to prolong the dubious distinction of the UK having the worst railway system in western Europe.

Labour and Conservative governments in the 1960s destroyed many railway lines which were capital assets built with Victorian money. The cost of constructing the physical assets ran into millions.

In recent years government has spent billions putting back a small proportion of the destroyed assets. Complete lines have been re-opened, stations rebuilt and where track was 'simplified' additional track installed. The railways are creaking at the seams, more investment is needed urgently.

What should be done is to revisit the botched privatisation of the railways by the Thatcher government. If Chiltern Railways can find money from its own resources to re-open closed lines then we need to look at how that model may be replicated.

The make-do, free-for-all, non integrated transport system will not deliver what is needed, nor will building more roads.

Staring into the abyss

For the past three months I have been posting articles on my Facebook page about the deteriorating economic position in Europe.

Now Italy's government has agreed an austerity package. The trade unions have called a general strike. The spectres of economic and social upheaval hover over Europe.

Leave to one side for a moment the massive unemployment, poverty and misery that economic depression will bring: the problems of either deflation or rampant inflation. Or maybe stagflation?

Instead, focus on the dangers of political turmoil. Whether one is pro or anti -European Union is not the point. The issue is that the EU and the eurozone is the creation of political elites: not the will of the electorates of the countries. Whenever populations have voted against proposals for greater integration the democratically expressed view has been ignored by the Brussels bureaucracy. Soon, maybe very soon, it will be pay back time.

We live in dangerous times: political, social and economic unrest combined will be toxic, we will be in uncharted waters. Have the lessons of the 1920s and 30s been understood?

Add to all this worries about money supply in the USA which compounds the problems. A weak USA economy will not ride to Europe's rescue.

Bonkers

According to PoliticsHome, click here for details, Diane Abbott is the public's choice to be the next leader of the Labour Party. Bonkers.

British politics is becoming a branch of show business.

U Turn

So David Cameron has backed off from his attack on the Tory backbencher 1922 Committee if press reports are to believed. Must be one of the earliest U turns ever made by a Prime Minister.

World Cup

World Cup fever will no doubt grip some of the population of England in the next few days. Already cars are sporting the George Cross. Whilst I hope England do well, indeed win the FIFA World Cup Trophy (The Jules Rimet Trophy England won in 1966 was nicked in 1983), I am not confident to the point of placing money on the outcome.

We could do with some good sporting news in the weeks ahead as austerity grips the nation and European economies try not to fall apart.

Brace yourself!

The next session of Parliament commences on Tuesday. Even before the new government has stated its intentions in the Queen's Speech and bills published, there is febrile political atmosphere. Some Tories are up in arms over the attempted Cameron putsch to take control of the 1922 Committee and there are mutterings over manifesto commitments, dear to the Right of the party, ditched in the coalition negotiations.

So far, the Liberal Democrats have kept any internal tensions under wraps. But tensions exist between the former Liberal wing of the party, as represented by Clegg and the Social Democrat wing as represented by Cable. Will the current show of unity be maintained?

The Labour Party is engaged in another of its bouts of introspection as it spends the summer electing a new leader.

So, all the major parties have internal potentially divisive issues to contend with.

However, the real game is not being played in Westminster but in the capitals of Europe as the euro comes under intense pressure. Will the European political class sort out the shambles, or are we heading towards the disintegration of the euro and, as some are suggesting including Chancellor Merkel, the collapse of the EU? Doubtless there will be much sabre-rattling in the days and weeks ahead but there is a crisis now, which however it is resolved will damage the UK.

How the UK responds to problems in the EU may threaten the coalition government as Cameron is a euro-sceptic whereas Clegg is a europhile. Will the coalition find a response to the European issues which keeps the coalition in business? Are issues in mainland Europe going to redraw our political, social and economic landscape again?

BLISS Cafe

BLISS is the acronym for the Better Living in Southborough Society. A small community group, it decided to make a major impact by taking the lease of an empty shop and turning it into a cafe and community resource centre.

Yesterday I visited the cafe which is on London Road opposite the junction with Yew Tree Road. I was fortunate to meet Elaine Lawrence who is the chair of BLISS. Apart from being a cafe, the premises double up as a small shop, as a meeting place for young and old and also has rooms that are used for surgeries.

The BLISS cafe is an excellent example of what a small community group can achieve.

If you are passing call in: the food is good and the coffee, well I haven't tasted better at any of the coffee chains.

Transport tribulations

On 8th April this year I wrote a blog as follows:

The Inspector's report on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's Core Strategy Development Plan has some stern words concerning the council's failure to:

produce a 20 year strategy on transport infrastructure;
develop policies to better co-ordinate different forms of public transport;
procrastination on park & ride.

I have commented previously on Councillor Ransley's strange views on railway timetables. I trust he was not let near those who dreamed up the content of the Core Strategy the Inspector found unacceptable.

This week the Courier reported on the launch of the draft Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Transport Strategy, castigated by Councillor Brian Ransley as being bereft of research, scrutiny and costs. Councillor Ransley, along with Lib Dem councillor David Neve and Councillor Sean Holden, pressed for a document the three of them had produced entitled Streets Ahead to be included in the draft strategy. The Council demurred, in my opinion rightly. My research has not produced any evidence that any of the three has qualifications or expertise in transport issues. It is dangerous to give equivalence of status to reports produced by paid officers and elected members. By all means elected member should make decisions based on the professional evidence before them. However it is a rather different proposition to suggest that councillors should publish documents and then vote on them. A moments thought exposes the dangers of such an approach.

Sadly, I have little confidence in anything Councillor Ransley proposes since he published his barmy ideas for re-timetabling the Tunbridge Wells - Charing Cross rail service.

Tunbridge Wells Tories

A cornucopia of stories about Tunbridge Wells Conservatives in this week's Courier.

It all starts so well with a piece about the government post of our splendid MP, Greg Clark.

Unfortunately (for the Tories) after that it is downhill all the way.

Let's start with Councillor Colin Bothwell who managed to hand out prizes of bottled beer to two children aged 13 and 15 at a fete. Really an innocent mistake, but why apologise profusely to the parents? If anyone is to blame it is the organisers of the event who put the prizes into his hands.

We move on to the new Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Councillor David Jukes. Councillor Jukes probably is the first Mayor of Tunbridge Wells not to live in the Borough. He has moved to East Sussex. The Mayor is the leading citizen of Tunbridge Wells and is second only to the Queen in precedence in Tunbridge Wells. I don't think the nation would be enamoured if the Queen decided to up sticks and live in France.

However the real fun surrounds events at the mayor-making, otherwise known as the annual council meeting. Councillor Sean Holden (Con) who has been a thorn in the side of colleagues had the temerity (as did Councillors David Neve (Lib Dem) and Councillor Linda Hall (Con)) to raise issues of a 'political' nature. I believe they were entitled to do so under the Council's standing orders. When I was a councillor I joined forces with Councillor Ian Carvell to ask a number of questions at the mayor making meeting.

According to the Courier the mayor became irate saying:

I have been told not to say anything political and I don't think you should either.

Very odd: The Mayor as leading citizen is expected not to make any political comments during his year of office and at Council meetings should do likewise. The Courier informs us that the Leader of the Council, Councillor Roy Bullock, apologised to the assembled members of the public and dubbed Councillor Holden's behaviour as disgraceful. It reads like the workings of a totalitarian state where criticism and debate is stifled. Looks as though the knives are out for Councillor Holden and I don't rate his chance of being a Conservative candidate next time his seat is up for election. Methinks Greg Clark is going to have to work very hard in Tunbridge Wells to bring the local Tory establishment up to speed on his Party's thinking on local government.

Finally, the Courier carries a story about the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's Transport Strategy. The personae includes the aforementioned Councillor Holden ably assisted by Councillor Brian Ransley (Con) and Councillor David Neve. Worth a blog on its own (see next blog), but again indicative of the strains within the Conservative group on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Anglo-Catholic quandry

Forward in Faith published the following recently:

FiF UK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Further reaction to Revision Committee Report
May 8, 2010

A statement issued on behalf of the three members of the Catholic Group on General Synod who served on the Revision Committee for the draft legislation on the admission of women to the episcopate

We came to this part of the legislative process on the ordination of women to the episcopate in good faith. Our aim, in accepting membership of the Revision Committee, was to work on the legislation sent to that Committee by the General Synod, in partnership with the other committee members, so that (in a notable phrase of the Bishop of Norwich in the July 2008 debate) we might return legislation to the full Synod which offered a sense of joy to every member of the Church of England: joy for those who earnestly desire the admission of women to the episcopate; joy for those who, for reasons of conscience and theological conviction, are unable to assent to that proposed development.

We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of the Committee's work. Not only has there been no progress towards the desired outcome we have described above, but the provision for 'complementary bishops' - successors to the present-day Provincial Episcopal Visitors, popularly known as 'Flying Bishops' - has been swept away. The draft Measure as it now stands offers nothing but the prospect of local arrangements whereby a parish may ask - at the discretion of the Diocesan Synod - for the ministry, in certain very circumscribed areas, of a male bishop or priest rather than a female one. This discrimination on grounds of gender alone is precisely the opposite of what members of the Catholic Group have long argued for. It means that, for example, the ministry of a female priest can be avoided or declined; but that no reservations can be held about the ministry of a male priest who has been ordained by a female bishop. This clearly drives a coach and horses through any continuing sense that two views can be held with integrity in the Church of England about the sacramental ministry of women priests and bishops.
The draft legislation is deeply flawed in other respects; for example it removes the rights of lay people - hitherto enshrined in Resolution 'A' of the 1993 Measure - to require that all priestly ministry in a parish should be carried out by male priests. This is detail. Fundamentally, the draft legislation would render it virtually impossible for anyone to live the Christian life within the Church of England, who had conscientious objections about the ordination of women. Why does this matter? Not only because the ordination of women continues to be a contested development in the life of the universal Church, but also because Anglicans in general - and the Church of England in particular - have always insisted that no-one is to be penalised or marginalised for adhering to the traditional view about gender and the ordained ministry. Those who hold this view are not dissenters or reactionaries but - as the Lambeth Conference of all Anglican bishops has agreed - are loyal members of their church and deserve an honoured place in it.

While the situation has no doubt been in some ways a messy one, the Church of England has lived with a diversity of views on this issue since 1994. 'Traditionalists' have remained committed to the life of the national Church and have contributed - as they wish to continue to do - to its mission to all the people of England. But this legislation would cut off their life blood, and force them out from that same Church of England, to its great detriment. A narrower and more exclusive church would be the result.

We hope and pray that the House of Bishops, and the General Synod, will pause and think again. There must be a better way ahead, which will be good news for all in the Church of England.



Jonathan Baker

X Martyn Beverley

Simon Killwick

Will we see soon a mass exodus from the Church of England? Is it likely that whole congregations will follow their priest on the road to Rome? Time will tell but in Anglo-Catholic parishes the vicarage, the church and, if there is one, the church school will remain with the Church of England. Very difficult decisions. The sad thing about this is the lack of compromise, which used to be the hallmark of the Church of England. A broad church has now become a battleground between sectarian interests
.

Tinkering with the constitution

When I was a law student it was emphasised how important the Rule of Law was and we were referred to the works of Dicey. Separation of the powers - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary was (is) a vital element of our unwritten constitution. We take judicial independence for granted. In those far off days it was taken for granted that whilst the executive sat and voted in the legislature, backbench MPs were sufficiently independently minded to act as a check on the executive. We were told also that it was a flight of fantasy to imagine an elected second chamber would ever exist.

Fast forward forty years. Now it is expected there will be a fully elected second chamber within a few years. Will an elected second chamber be a threat to the primacy of the House of Commons? No doubt it will as the current primacy rests on the fact that the Commons is elected and the Lords is appointed.

The most significant problem has been and continues to be the power of the executive to dominate proceedings in the House of Commons through the whips and party discipline. The threat of deselection can have a sobering effect on a potentially independently minded MP!

The proposal for primaries would go some way to overcoming the power of the whips and I welcome it for that reason alone. However the problem of the 'payroll vote' remains. MPs of the party forming the government should not be regarded as lobby fodder whose existence is simply to do the government's bidding. It is for this reason that I deplore the strategy of David Cameron to neuter the backbench 1922 Committee by pushing through a proposal that all Conservative MPs, payroll and backbench, be members of the committee.

The concept: let's be united as one party just doesn't wash. Government has to earn the respect and votes of backbenchers.

Lord Tebbit has suggested that backbenchers on the Tory side might like to form a 2010 Committee. An excellent proposal and one I hope the Liberal Democrat backbenchers take up as well. It is important to remember the constitutional position: it is the Queen in Parliament which legislates, not the executive through putting the frighteners on the legislators.

Very Strange.

I have come into possession of a letter for mass circulation signed by Francis Maude MP and Nick Hurd MP. (As an aside, I have met the fathers of both: Angus Maude at the Stratford-upon-Avon by-election following the resignation of John Profumo and Douglas Hurd at Chevening.) The letter is written on Conservative Party headed paper and the address on the letter is that of Conservative Campaign Headquarters.

The letter states that: We are writing to reaffirm our key priorities for the voluntary sector...'
In fact the letter is virtually identical to a document released by the Conservative Party on 31st March 2010. (See my blog on this dated 31st March.)

I have been informed that the letter was distributed by the Government Office for the South East which I find very strange as it is a party political document.

Normally one would expect ministers to release policy statements through the government's press service and websites. Nowhere in the document is there a reference to the Liberal Democrats and the Coalition government.

The fact that this document has surfaced in the Third Sector now is also very strange. What worries me is that the distinction between political party documents and government documents has become blurred.

A penny

In those far off days when railway stations (they are not train stations) has stationmasters Rex was standing on a station platform when the urge to smoke a cigarette overcame him. He found his way to a cigarette vending machine, put in his coins and a packet of cigarettes was dispensed.

Unfortunately the penny change which should have been contained within the cellophane wrapping was absent. Cue for Rex to seek out a porter (that shows how long ago it was) and complain. Eventually Rex is ushered into the stationmasters' office whereupon it is explained that the railway hires out wall space to the vending company and therefore cannot accept responsibility for the missing penny.

Remember this happened before the advent of mobile telephones, the Internet and the like.

Rex writes to the vending machine company. The response Rex receives is that responsibility for placing the penny in the cellophane is that of the cigarette manufacturer. There follows protracted correspondence with the manufacturer.

One evening Rex is at home when there is a knock on the door. The manufacturer had sent a representative to meet Rex. He pointed out to Rex the cost of writing letters and that the manufacturer wished to secure closure.

The representative handed to Rex a packet containing two hundred cigarettes.

'A magnificent gesture' declares Rex.

Just as the representative is going out of the door Rex puts his hand out and says: 'By the way, can I have my penny please?'

Brown sauce

Rex enjoyed a drink. Many a happy hour was spent discovering new drinking-holes and he took delight in inviting his colleagues to each establishment his expeditions had uncovered.

One lunchtime I accompanied Rex to a very down market establishment. There was damp on the walls, dark brown nicotine stains, carpets which squelched underfoot and a sullen clientele.

The barmaid, of indeterminate age, had no truck with anything which today would be called customer service.

It was into this unpromising environment that Rex launched me. When addressing people he spoke loudly and made extravagant gestures. His opening remark went along the lines: 'Ah serving wench, a pint of bitter for myself and a bottle of Guinness for my esteemed colleague' whilst making an expansive gesture in my direction.

That livened up the clientele. I was a little worried when the barmaid placed Rex's pint in front of him with such a thump that some of the content spilt onto the bar. Rex was not done. In a stentorian voice he said: 'Serving wench, I wish to partake on one of your delicious meat and potato pies'.

The barmaid disappeared behind a heated glass case, the glass was virtually opaque with nicotine stains. 'May I have some brown sauce?' Rex enquired. A bottle of HP sauce was produced, at which juncture Rex tears out of the pub, only to return a few moments later carrying a bottle of Daddies sauce.

'If you require brown sauce it has to be Daddies' he intoned. The clientele by now was highly animated. I have never been more pleased to leave a pub in my life.

My efforts to avoid Rex next day failed and with much trepidation I accompanied him to the watering hole visited the previous day. When we arrived the clientele eyed us up. It was as though a variety act had arrived. Rex was straight in to his performance: 'Ah, serving wench etc'.

But then, a change from the previous day's script. 'I suppose you want a meat and potato pie? said the barmaid. Rex responded 'She remembers! What a delectable serving wench!'.

'And I suppose you want Daddies sauce?' she said.

'Joy unconfined. Indeed I do, it has to be Daddies!'

Throughout this exchange I noted the clientele looking on intently and I made a mental note of how near the door I was and who might bar my passage.

Then, it all happened very quickly. The barmaid stooped behind the bar and arose holding what looked like an open sweet jar filled with a brown substance. In the twinkling of an eye she emptied the contents over the pie and the mess sloshed across the bar hitting Rex in the midriff and pouring down his trousers. A huge cheer rose from the assembled clientele. I grabbed Rex and pulled him out of the pub. He didn't go back!

An hotel, a parson's daughter and a light-fingered lecturer

Many years ago I was invited to the wedding of the daughter of the Vicar of Tysoe, a kind, gentle soul who was the epitome of the country parson. His daughter worked for a local newspaper. The wedding service was conducted by the Bishop of Coventry and then we all retired to the Welcombe Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon for the reception, followed by a trip into the town led by the groom's father. What happened then is somewhat hazy but we made it back to the hotel in time for breakfast.

A few years later I was employed as a lecturer and one of my colleagues was a character: Rex Blaker. Rex unfortunately came to a premature end when he was killed in his home. Rex was well-known in some circles as a collector of George Formby's ukuleles. He had also a penchant for railway memorabilia.

It is this latter interest which takes me back to the Welcombe Hotel, a very grand place on a par with Gleneagles. The hotel was built by the Great Western Railway and was owned and managed by British Railways until sold off by Margaret Thatcher.

According to Rex, he was in the cocktail bar munching nuts and as the nuts disappeared the letters 'G W R' appeared on the silver tray from whence they came. The nuts were devoured and the tray slipped into Rex's briefcase. Naughty.

As he was leaving the hotel he was accosted by the cocktail waiter and frog-marched into the manager's office soon to be joined by the hotel's security manager. The tray was taken from the briefcase and displayed on the manager's desk. Then there was talk of calling the police.

At this juncture Rex piped up and said: 'Congratulations, you have passed the test I set you'.

'Test, what test?' was the puzzled response of the forces arrayed against Rex.

'Well gentlemen' replied Rex: 'It is heartening and reassuring to know that state employees still have a pride in their work and seek to protect public property. You have passed my test. I shall write to the Chairman of the British Railways Board commending each and every one of you on your devotion to duty'.

And with that Rex snapped shut his briefcase and marched out of the hotel.

Europe near the crossroads?

Readers of this Blog or my Facebook page will be aware that I have been following closely the crisis over sovereign debt that has emerged in Europe. The problem of sovereign debt in the PIIGS counties - Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Greece shows little sign of abating. Other countries in the eurozone have been dragged in as they seek to mount rescue bids. Unfortunately the USA is not playing ball and in effect has blocked support to the IMF which is the main funder of the Greece rescue package.

German concern has led to an almost unprecedented intervention in the nation's financial markets. It has banned 'naked' short selling of government bonds and shares in major financial institutions, ie selling without holding on loan the underlying security. Chaos in the markets is forecast.

It all has the makings of a slow motion crash - you know there is going to be a crash and see it unfold before you. I believe it is not 'if' but 'when' the crash at the crossroads occurs. What then?

In the UK the general election has been at the forefront of public interest and concern. What is happening in a far off country seems of little relevance. But it is, I have this sense of foreboding that Europe may be consumed by economic and financial flames just as damaging as the flames of seventy years ago.

Next Bishop of Rochester

One of my more reliable moles informs me that the person to be the next Bishop of Rochester has been determined.

I gather the smart money is on Bishop of Croydon, an area bishop within the Diocese of Southwark. My understanding is that he is not of the strong evangelical persuasion of the previous Bishop of Rochester.

Down Memory Lane

When I was a Tunbridge Wells councillor I was a member of the Western Area Planning Committee. We had to consider an application to erect a bus shelter on London Road, Southborough at the junction of that road with Park Road.

The location is a built up area, London Road is a very busy road and the bus stop is well-used. The planners objected to the proposal - let people stand in the rain, not a good idea if you are seeking to encourage the use of public transport. The reason the planners took this stance was that there were a few trees/bushes on private land close to the proposed siting of the bus stop.

The planners argument was destroyed by a Southborough councillor, Bruce Reynolds, who to much mirth, stated that he did not recognise the 'rural idyll' the planners were seeking to protect.

Rusthall Community and Youth Project

When I was elected to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in 1996 one of my early appointments was to attend the AGM of the Rusthall Community and Youth Project. At the meeting I was elected to the committee of the Project: my two councillor colleagues declining to be nominated.

The Project had a number of problems to contend with and came close to closing down. I became chairman and invited Mike Bassett to join the committee. Since then the Project has gone from strength to strength and when I retired as chairman Mike took over.

Recently the Project has distributed a leaflet in Rusthall setting out ideas for a new pavilion at the Southwood Road recreation ground which could double up as a community facility.

An excellent idea, but the Project has been here before. Then we were informed by the planners at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council that we could not have a building as it would be on green belt land, even though there were football pitches and allotments adjacent to the existing changing rooms. Since then two play areas have been developed close to the changing rooms.

The reason given for refusal was that a community room would not be a building incidental to use of land. Had we been building a golf course a club house would have been permitted! Logical, yes: helpful, no.

Hopefully common sense will prevail and planning permission will be granted for the proposed pavilion along with an increase in parking provision in the area.

Yes Minister

Today's Sunday Telegraph contains a report on a memorandum circulated within the Department for Communities and Local Government. The subject matter of the memo is how civil servants should deal with their new political masters. Hilarious stuff in the Yes Minister genre. This is the link to the story.

No doubt Yorkshiremen Eric Pickles and Greg Clark will not succumb to the ploys outlined in the memo.

Personalisation & Direct Payments

The Personalisation agenda puts the individual at the centre of decision making. This is explained well in the following extract from Norfolk County Council's website.

Personalisation of social care services begins with you, as an individual user of adult social care services, identifying what you want to achieve (your outcomes). It puts you at the heart of decisions about your care and promotes your independence, choice and control about how you live.

Norfolk County Council Adult Social Care Services will then work with you and, if you wish, your family, friends, carers and others to develop a plan of how you will be supported to achieve these outcomes. We will work out whether you are eligible for any public funding to help to pay for those services. We can also put you in touch with people who can provide the right services for you. This is different from the traditional way of delivering social care services, which has focused on the needs of groups of people rather than the individual.

Allied to Direct Payments and Personal Budgets this has made a significant change to the way users of adult social care services can manage their lives. There is a huge opportunity here for the voluntary sector to provide services Direct Payments' holders can purchase, as well as supporting carers. Here is an opportunity to roll back the state and put power into the hands of individuals.

Unfortunately, but understandably, many individuals and their carers are fearful of the responsibility cast upon them and the bureaucracy involved. There is the problem also that carers can focus more on securing respite than meeting the needs of the individual cared for.

Undoubtedly there are many challenges ahead for the new(ish) regime, but already there are examples of pioneering work. Recently I came across Stepping Stones where Direct payments have been used to open a cafe run by individuals in receipt of Direct Payments. Some of these individuals have secured NVQs. Stepping Stones illustrates that individuals in receipt of Direct Payments and their carers can lead fulfilling lives so long as there is collaboration with the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Frank Field

According to press reports David Cameron has lined up Frank Field, the Labour MP and former minister, to be his "poverty tsar" as he puts the fight against deprivation at the heart of his agenda.

I hope this story is correct.

Having pressed for a credit union for Kent I am now directing my energies to establish a foodbank in the county. There is a substantial number of people living in poverty in Kent. The Labour government failed to make any significant inroads into the problem. What is needed are radical changes which attack the many causes of poverty, rather than dealing with the symptoms.

Having worked amongst some of the poorest people in Kent and East London I recognise that there is no easy or quick fix to the problems. Reducing poverty significantly will take years to achieve.

I have supported the work of the Centre for Social Justice for a few years and broadly agree with its recommendations on poverty issues. It will be fascinating to watch as the 'Right' of UK politics makes progress on issues the 'Left' has failed to address.

Europe rules OK

Press reports that the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer will have to submit budget proposals to the EU for review before presenting them to the House of Commons are not the work of some anti-EU propagandist.

The problems in the eurozone and the clashes it has provoked between France and Germany have led to demands within the Commission that the EU should move quickly to fiscal union: and not just those countries in the eurozone.

Time for alarm bells to ring.

Two interesting articles:

Link 1 Link 2