issue 7

editor@cradleyenquirer.com
CradleyEnquirer.com
editor@cradleyenquirer.com
Online News & Topics for Cradley,Storridge & Mathon
asking the questions you want asked and seeking the answers you deserve
Issue
1st March 2018
7
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Page 7
in this issue
THE RIDER
PARANOIA?
LENGTHSMAN
LOCAL HEROS
SIGN OF THE TIMES
QUICKIES
NOT A WIND UP
From The Editor
The new format is a hit with the
communities and the reading figures
support this.
Issue 5 our first, yes I know it’s confusing,
has hit just over 1200 views since it appeared on
18th February .
Issue 1 published on 23rd February has been
viewed 440 times
Issue 6 published 27th February has had 345
views. (Apologies for the wait due to some
technical bugs!)
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID
THAT WHITE STUFF
USEFUL INFO
So let us have your news and views on anything
in Cadley, Storridge and Mathon, no matter how
controversial (just remember our conditions).
Just email us or click on the contact button in the
menu. We don’t require your name address
blood type and a letter from your Mom to put
your opinions forward
This is YOUR community.
Simon
THE ENQUIRER,
A NEW DAWN FOR OPEN
COMMUNICATION IN
CRADLEY, STORRIDGE AND
MATHON
Hearty congratulations to Pete and
Lynn at Cradley Butchery and
Stores for displaying what must be
a personification of true
“Community Spirit”
in fighting through the snow on
Friday & Saturday to make sure
they were open to meet the needs
of the surrounding area
Well done! we are indebted to you

THE RIDER.. a reminder
Highway Code: Rule 215
Horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. Be particularly careful
of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when
overtaking. Always pass wide and slowly. Horse riders are
often children, so take extra care and remember riders may
ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced
horse or rider. Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’
signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great
care and treat all horses as a potential hazard; they can be
unpredictable, despite the efforts of their rider/driver.
The Funny Bit is……..
If we need dog poo bins why don’t we need horse
poo bins?
Another thought…. why are cat poo bins not
required as well?
Answers in an email to the editor

PARANOIA? No they really are out to get you!
“The Parish Council have formed a Working Group to formulate and develop a
Communications Strategy which aims to improve communication between the Parish Council
and the residents of Cradley and Storridge. The Parish Council are committed to developing a
relationship of openness and transparency.
The new website, www.cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk, encourages direct communication via the
comments and contact pages and residents are also able to pose questions or make
comments directly to the Parish Council via the open session at any parish meeting, or via
myself at clerk@cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk.
The Parish Council will therefore not engage in conversation on the Cradley Enquirer website.
We request that all correspondence is accompanied by a name and address, which may be
withheld if requested. The Parish Council has no obligation to answer any correspondence
made by a non-resident of the Parish, though will use its discretion with any such
communication.
Yours sincerely
Helen Tinson
Clerk, Cradley Parish Council Rec 21st February)”
COMMUNICATION: “the
imparting or exchanging of
information by speaking,
writing, or using some
other medium.”
There seems to be a certain amount of PARANOIA creeping into the business of our Parish
Council. Why you may well ask?
The Enquirer has never sought to “engage in conversation on the Cradley Enquirer website”
with the Parish Council- we merely ask questions of them on matters of concern from the
community. They are supposed to serve NOT RULE. It is the PC who REFUSE TO COMMUNICATE.
This artificial barrier(quoted quite incorrectly by the chair and challenged as policy some
considerable time ago) is now insisted on by the PC and does nothing whatsoever to support
their requirement to be honest, open, and transparent in their operations.
It has become like Customer Services, who make it very difficult for you to communicate your
question or complaint to them, in the hope that you will give up and fade away.
Paranoia is substantiated whilst the PC does not do its job openly and honestly because rest
assured the Enquirer is watchingUNTIL THEY DO

LENGTHSMAN
From what the Enquirer can see there is a movement afoot to reduce the effectiveness of the
lengthsman scheme.
For the last three years we have built up a lengthsman scheme that is the envy of
Herefordshire. Councillor Geoff Fielding has almost single handedly prepared bids for funding,
built budgets, completed all the paperwork, worked with the lengthsman closely on
scheduling needed works, ensuring they are up to standard and passing information to the
Clerk for action.
We are sure that there are very few in the Cradley & Storridge communities who have failed to
see the results that our lengthsman scheme has achieved.
Herefordshire have on two occasions asked if our scheme can be used as an
example to other parishes as to what to aim for.
About two and a half years ago Geoff Fielding and the then Vice Chair Ken Nason attended a
briefing on behalf of Herefordshire by Balfour Beatty. At that meeting it was stated by a
senior member of Hereforshires Accounts in response to objections to the amount of works
being included into what the lengthsman was expected to do for little money from Hereford.
He stated
“ If you don’t carry out these works yourselves in Parish then, they WON’T get
done”
As was estimated at the time it was proposed that Cradley prepared itself for the inevitable
removal of the financial support for the lengthsman scheme from Herefordshire. It was
proposed to the PC that they start putting funds aside so that Cradley was ready with money
in the bank to fund the lengthsman scheme when Hereford withdrew funding. That is
happening in April 2018.
The PC has accrued funds to run the lenghsman scheme for two years from April. They already
have their own suppliers signed up and being used for materials, and contracts and
insurances all ready to go. Schedules of proposed works and budgets have already been
prepared for Hereford’s approval.
So why is the lengthsman still not signed up to go next month? Because someone who knows
nothing about the lengthsman scheme feels that the scheme that has run so well for 3 years,
has to be taken apart and broken up for some stupid box ticking exercise.
The previous council passed on the lengthsman scheme fully working ,with funding in place -
so why is it thought that changes are needed?
!!
ASK YOUR COUNCIL!!

Local Heros
Contrary to what a lot of people think there are those in the community who don’t
have agendas and are prepared to take up the challenges when they arise without a
second thought.
John and Joy Perkins who farm in Cradley have spent time and energy in helping
during the latest snow fall.
Working to clear the Cradley to Mathon Road on several occasions when it was
blocked due to snow drifts. They selflessly dug out cars and got stranded people well
on the way to their destination.
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS TO THEM FROM THE ENQUIRER AND THE
COMMUNITIES OF CRADLEY AND MATHON
Now that’s COMMUNITY
A SIGN OF THE TIMES or, a load of bureaucrats?
Like the American Surgeon who spent so much time on procedure,
ticking boxes and researching legal liability, haunted by a perpetual
fear of being sued, that he never in fact managed to find time to do
the job he was employed to do, i.e carry out operations on his
patients.
It seems that the PC is going down this same road.
What have they actually achieved for the good of the community in
2018?
Bureaucrat: an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as
being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs

QUICKIES
Minutes 13/2/18
6.4 It was proposed and unanimously resolved that the
Clerk be delegated responsibility to be able to:
• Spend within budget on the Lengthsman scheme
• Spend up to a maximum of £1000 in an emergency
situation between meetings.
Wonder where “emergency” is defined?
Question ; Who runs the Parish Council?
It is worrying to note that the officially appointed footpaths Officer for
Cradley Parish hasn’t even had an invitation to join the Infastructure
group. So much for the “communications system”
It seems equally worrying that a another pattern is emerging here:
Internal Auditor not informed of his removal, clock winder not informed
of his removal, footpaths warden not informed that his expertise is not
required on the infrastructure group. Spot the pattern
PC web site still only
lists 14 Parish
Councillors despite
there being 15 of them
Contact the Enquirer
with your suggestions
of where the missing
person is
ALL PC meetings and working group
(and committee) meetings are open to
members of the public so don’t let
anyone con you that they are not.
Except where matters of confidentiality are discussed

NOT A WIND UP!
PC minutes 13Feb 2018
7.5 It was reported that the current volunteer responsible for winding the church clock
felt aggrieved that this had been suggested for discussion without his input. It was
RESOLVED that he be contacted to enquire whether he wishes this duty to be reassigned.
In the event he does require reassignment, it was suggested that an advert be placed on
the website calling for volunteers. It was noted that this is a skilled task and training will
be required.
Enough spin here to keep the clock wound for a century.
No he was aggrieved that no one from the council had
had the basic good manners to communicated with him
on the matter and had to read in the minutes that the
job he had carried out diligently for the community for
many years was being thrown open for applicants
He has a right to look MAD !
it is March and he has been
reading well spun minutes

A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID
Fit for Purpose?
Again, we have to ask if it is indeed meeting the requirements of a Parish Councillor’s
obligation under the laid down principles of integrity to serve on the Employment group
when there is one ongoing case against the PC and another pending?
Two councillors (always needed to be three) have chosen to serve on the employment group
which handles employment matters for the PC. One of those Councillors served in that
position and was involved in disputed actions by the PC.
Is this not a breach of all of the principles that are expected of councillors?
UNTIL THE CASE IS HEARD AND A VERDICT ARRIVED AT, ANY PERSON WITH THE SLIGHTEST
TRACE OF INTEGRITY WOULD HAVE STOOD DOWN FROM THE POSITION BEFORE NOW
We at the Enquirer have no faith in any councillor that can display such disregard for the
principles they are elected to uphold

Why is it that snow in Cradley means paralysis?
The A and B Roads get gritted quite efficiently, especially if the media has gone on about it
for days before. But the other roads do not.
We have grit bins scattered throughout the parish some, paid for by previous PCs but yet
again the centre area of Cradley is devoid of such things. There are four hills in the centre
which become impassable when snow falls. People in Buryfields find it extremely difficult to
navigate up the sloping road to some 80 dwellings.
After the last big fall what has been done to ensure this farce stops occurring in Cradley?
We have an experienced and well trained Lengthsman who is quite capable of working out
and reporting to for the PC where such bins could be sited for the most effect.
Has anybody from the PC even spoken to Jeremy? Don’t be silly they are too busy organising
picnics and coffee mornings
Just in case anyone has
forgotten what a grit
bin looks like….
At the PC meeting on 13th Feb the emergency
planning group was dissolved without reason
given, just in time to avoid any PC
involvement in the latest “emergency “ to hit
the community.
Nice move

SOME USEFUL CONTACTS, NUMBERS, EMAILS & WEB SITES
editor@cradleyenquirer.com
cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk
clerk@cradleyparishcouncil.org.uk
cradleydiary.com
storridgevillagehall.org.uk
cradleyvillagehall.org.uk
CradleyDiary.com
now lets you see all planning applications for Cradley
Storridge and Mathon and includes updates and
decisions unlike the Parish Council web site that just
shows applications