issue 7
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editor@cradleyenquirer.com<br />
CradleyEnquirer.com<br />
editor@cradleyenquirer.com<br />
Online News & Topics for Cradley,Storridge & Mathon<br />
asking the questions you want asked and seeking the answers you deserve<br />
Issue<br />
1st March 2018<br />
7<br />
Page 2<br />
Page 3<br />
Page 4<br />
Page 5<br />
Page 6<br />
Page 7<br />
in this <strong>issue</strong><br />
THE RIDER<br />
PARANOIA?<br />
LENGTHSMAN<br />
LOCAL HEROS<br />
SIGN OF THE TIMES<br />
QUICKIES<br />
NOT A WIND UP<br />
From The Editor<br />
The new format is a hit with the<br />
communities and the reading figures<br />
support this.<br />
Issue 5 our first, yes I know it’s confusing,<br />
has hit just over 1200 views since it appeared on<br />
18th February .<br />
Issue 1 published on 23rd February has been<br />
viewed 440 times<br />
Issue 6 published 27th February has had 345<br />
views. (Apologies for the wait due to some<br />
technical bugs!)<br />
Page 8<br />
Page 9<br />
Page 10<br />
A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID<br />
THAT WHITE STUFF<br />
USEFUL INFO<br />
So let us have your news and views on anything<br />
in Cadley, Storridge and Mathon, no matter how<br />
controversial (just remember our conditions).<br />
Just email us or click on the contact button in the<br />
menu. We don’t require your name address<br />
blood type and a letter from your Mom to put<br />
your opinions forward<br />
This is YOUR community.<br />
Simon<br />
THE ENQUIRER,<br />
A NEW DAWN FOR OPEN<br />
COMMUNICATION IN<br />
CRADLEY, STORRIDGE AND<br />
MATHON<br />
Hearty congratulations to Pete and<br />
Lynn at Cradley Butchery and<br />
Stores for displaying what must be<br />
a personification of true<br />
“Community Spirit”<br />
in fighting through the snow on<br />
Friday & Saturday to make sure<br />
they were open to meet the needs<br />
of the surrounding area<br />
Well done! we are indebted to you
THE RIDER.. a reminder<br />
Highway Code: Rule 215<br />
Horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. Be particularly careful<br />
of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when<br />
overtaking. Always pass wide and slowly. Horse riders are<br />
often children, so take extra care and remember riders may<br />
ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced<br />
horse or rider. Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’<br />
signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great<br />
care and treat all horses as a potential hazard; they can be<br />
unpredictable, despite the efforts of their rider/driver.<br />
The Funny Bit is……..<br />
If we need dog poo bins why don’t we need horse<br />
poo bins?<br />
Another thought…. why are cat poo bins not<br />
required as well?<br />
Answers in an email to the editor
PARANOIA? No they really are out to get you!<br />
“The Parish Council have formed a Working Group to formulate and develop a<br />
Communications Strategy which aims to improve communication between the Parish Council<br />
and the residents of Cradley and Storridge. The Parish Council are committed to developing a<br />
relationship of openness and transparency.<br />
The new website, www.cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk, encourages direct communication via the<br />
comments and contact pages and residents are also able to pose questions or make<br />
comments directly to the Parish Council via the open session at any parish meeting, or via<br />
myself at clerk@cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk.<br />
The Parish Council will therefore not engage in conversation on the Cradley Enquirer website.<br />
We request that all correspondence is accompanied by a name and address, which may be<br />
withheld if requested. The Parish Council has no obligation to answer any correspondence<br />
made by a non-resident of the Parish, though will use its discretion with any such<br />
communication.<br />
Yours sincerely<br />
Helen Tinson<br />
Clerk, Cradley Parish Council Rec 21st February)”<br />
COMMUNICATION: “the<br />
imparting or exchanging of<br />
information by speaking,<br />
writing, or using some<br />
other medium.”<br />
There seems to be a certain amount of PARANOIA creeping into the business of our Parish<br />
Council. Why you may well ask?<br />
The Enquirer has never sought to “engage in conversation on the Cradley Enquirer website”<br />
with the Parish Council- we merely ask questions of them on matters of concern from the<br />
community. They are supposed to serve NOT RULE. It is the PC who REFUSE TO COMMUNICATE.<br />
This artificial barrier(quoted quite incorrectly by the chair and challenged as policy some<br />
considerable time ago) is now insisted on by the PC and does nothing whatsoever to support<br />
their requirement to be honest, open, and transparent in their operations.<br />
It has become like Customer Services, who make it very difficult for you to communicate your<br />
question or complaint to them, in the hope that you will give up and fade away.<br />
Paranoia is substantiated whilst the PC does not do its job openly and honestly because rest<br />
assured the Enquirer is watchingUNTIL THEY DO
LENGTHSMAN<br />
From what the Enquirer can see there is a movement afoot to reduce the effectiveness of the<br />
lengthsman scheme.<br />
For the last three years we have built up a lengthsman scheme that is the envy of<br />
Herefordshire. Councillor Geoff Fielding has almost single handedly prepared bids for funding,<br />
built budgets, completed all the paperwork, worked with the lengthsman closely on<br />
scheduling needed works, ensuring they are up to standard and passing information to the<br />
Clerk for action.<br />
We are sure that there are very few in the Cradley & Storridge communities who have failed to<br />
see the results that our lengthsman scheme has achieved.<br />
Herefordshire have on two occasions asked if our scheme can be used as an<br />
example to other parishes as to what to aim for.<br />
About two and a half years ago Geoff Fielding and the then Vice Chair Ken Nason attended a<br />
briefing on behalf of Herefordshire by Balfour Beatty. At that meeting it was stated by a<br />
senior member of Hereforshires Accounts in response to objections to the amount of works<br />
being included into what the lengthsman was expected to do for little money from Hereford.<br />
He stated<br />
“ If you don’t carry out these works yourselves in Parish then, they WON’T get<br />
done”<br />
As was estimated at the time it was proposed that Cradley prepared itself for the inevitable<br />
removal of the financial support for the lengthsman scheme from Herefordshire. It was<br />
proposed to the PC that they start putting funds aside so that Cradley was ready with money<br />
in the bank to fund the lengthsman scheme when Hereford withdrew funding. That is<br />
happening in April 2018.<br />
The PC has accrued funds to run the lenghsman scheme for two years from April. They already<br />
have their own suppliers signed up and being used for materials, and contracts and<br />
insurances all ready to go. Schedules of proposed works and budgets have already been<br />
prepared for Hereford’s approval.<br />
So why is the lengthsman still not signed up to go next month? Because someone who knows<br />
nothing about the lengthsman scheme feels that the scheme that has run so well for 3 years,<br />
has to be taken apart and broken up for some stupid box ticking exercise.<br />
The previous council passed on the lengthsman scheme fully working ,with funding in place -<br />
so why is it thought that changes are needed?<br />
!!<br />
ASK YOUR COUNCIL!!
Local Heros<br />
Contrary to what a lot of people think there are those in the community who don’t<br />
have agendas and are prepared to take up the challenges when they arise without a<br />
second thought.<br />
John and Joy Perkins who farm in Cradley have spent time and energy in helping<br />
during the latest snow fall.<br />
Working to clear the Cradley to Mathon Road on several occasions when it was<br />
blocked due to snow drifts. They selflessly dug out cars and got stranded people well<br />
on the way to their destination.<br />
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS TO THEM FROM THE ENQUIRER AND THE<br />
COMMUNITIES OF CRADLEY AND MATHON<br />
Now that’s COMMUNITY<br />
A SIGN OF THE TIMES or, a load of bureaucrats?<br />
Like the American Surgeon who spent so much time on procedure,<br />
ticking boxes and researching legal liability, haunted by a perpetual<br />
fear of being sued, that he never in fact managed to find time to do<br />
the job he was employed to do, i.e carry out operations on his<br />
patients.<br />
It seems that the PC is going down this same road.<br />
What have they actually achieved for the good of the community in<br />
2018?<br />
Bureaucrat: an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as<br />
being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs
QUICKIES<br />
Minutes 13/2/18<br />
6.4 It was proposed and unanimously resolved that the<br />
Clerk be delegated responsibility to be able to:<br />
• Spend within budget on the Lengthsman scheme<br />
• Spend up to a maximum of £1000 in an emergency<br />
situation between meetings.<br />
Wonder where “emergency” is defined?<br />
Question ; Who runs the Parish Council?<br />
It is worrying to note that the officially appointed footpaths Officer for<br />
Cradley Parish hasn’t even had an invitation to join the Infastructure<br />
group. So much for the “communications system”<br />
It seems equally worrying that a another pattern is emerging here:<br />
Internal Auditor not informed of his removal, clock winder not informed<br />
of his removal, footpaths warden not informed that his expertise is not<br />
required on the infrastructure group. Spot the pattern<br />
PC web site still only<br />
lists 14 Parish<br />
Councillors despite<br />
there being 15 of them<br />
Contact the Enquirer<br />
with your suggestions<br />
of where the missing<br />
person is<br />
ALL PC meetings and working group<br />
(and committee) meetings are open to<br />
members of the public so don’t let<br />
anyone con you that they are not.<br />
Except where matters of confidentiality are discussed
NOT A WIND UP!<br />
PC minutes 13Feb 2018<br />
7.5 It was reported that the current volunteer responsible for winding the church clock<br />
felt aggrieved that this had been suggested for discussion without his input. It was<br />
RESOLVED that he be contacted to enquire whether he wishes this duty to be reassigned.<br />
In the event he does require reassignment, it was suggested that an advert be placed on<br />
the website calling for volunteers. It was noted that this is a skilled task and training will<br />
be required.<br />
Enough spin here to keep the clock wound for a century.<br />
No he was aggrieved that no one from the council had<br />
had the basic good manners to communicated with him<br />
on the matter and had to read in the minutes that the<br />
job he had carried out diligently for the community for<br />
many years was being thrown open for applicants<br />
He has a right to look MAD !<br />
it is March and he has been<br />
reading well spun minutes
A LITTLE BIRDIE SAID<br />
Fit for Purpose?<br />
Again, we have to ask if it is indeed meeting the requirements of a Parish Councillor’s<br />
obligation under the laid down principles of integrity to serve on the Employment group<br />
when there is one ongoing case against the PC and another pending?<br />
Two councillors (always needed to be three) have chosen to serve on the employment group<br />
which handles employment matters for the PC. One of those Councillors served in that<br />
position and was involved in disputed actions by the PC.<br />
Is this not a breach of all of the principles that are expected of councillors?<br />
UNTIL THE CASE IS HEARD AND A VERDICT ARRIVED AT, ANY PERSON WITH THE SLIGHTEST<br />
TRACE OF INTEGRITY WOULD HAVE STOOD DOWN FROM THE POSITION BEFORE NOW<br />
We at the Enquirer have no faith in any councillor that can display such disregard for the<br />
principles they are elected to uphold
Why is it that snow in Cradley means paralysis?<br />
The A and B Roads get gritted quite efficiently, especially if the media has gone on about it<br />
for days before. But the other roads do not.<br />
We have grit bins scattered throughout the parish some, paid for by previous PCs but yet<br />
again the centre area of Cradley is devoid of such things. There are four hills in the centre<br />
which become impassable when snow falls. People in Buryfields find it extremely difficult to<br />
navigate up the sloping road to some 80 dwellings.<br />
After the last big fall what has been done to ensure this farce stops occurring in Cradley?<br />
We have an experienced and well trained Lengthsman who is quite capable of working out<br />
and reporting to for the PC where such bins could be sited for the most effect.<br />
Has anybody from the PC even spoken to Jeremy? Don’t be silly they are too busy organising<br />
picnics and coffee mornings<br />
Just in case anyone has<br />
forgotten what a grit<br />
bin looks like….<br />
At the PC meeting on 13th Feb the emergency<br />
planning group was dissolved without reason<br />
given, just in time to avoid any PC<br />
involvement in the latest “emergency “ to hit<br />
the community.<br />
Nice move
SOME USEFUL CONTACTS, NUMBERS, EMAILS & WEB SITES<br />
editor@cradleyenquirer.com<br />
cradleyparishcouncil.gov.uk<br />
clerk@cradleyparishcouncil.org.uk<br />
cradleydiary.com<br />
storridgevillagehall.org.uk<br />
cradleyvillagehall.org.uk<br />
CradleyDiary.com<br />
now lets you see all planning applications for Cradley<br />
Storridge and Mathon and includes updates and<br />
decisions unlike the Parish Council web site that just<br />
shows applications