issue 8

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
8
12th March 2018
in this issue
Page 2 Maclean or not Maclean
Page 3 Stoney Cross and Visiting Group
Page 4 Integrity (again)
From The Editor
ENQUIRER VIEWINGS
Issue 1
Issue 5
Issue 6
Issue 7
23rd Feb
18th Feb
27th Feb
3rd Mar
678
1678
566
351
Page 5 Defibrillator 2
Page 6 Fantasy Land
Page 7 Planning or not
Page 8 Useful information
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 is passing on its
sincere condolences and support to
Parish Councillor Simon Davies and
Family on their tragic loss
Our thoughts are with you.
THE ENQUIRER,
A NEW DAWN FOR OPEN
COMMUNICATION IN
CRADLEY, STORRIDGE AND
MATHON

Of course you do, as it is one of the
landmarks in Cradley Parish, the War
memorial in Rectory Lane
RECOGNISE THIS?
Except- it isn’t. The actual war memorial
is housed in Cradley Church. It is in fact
the Maclean family memorial to fallen
family and friends during the first World
War.
The family received permission to build it
on PC land (the triangle at the end of
Rectory Lane) in October 1917 and it was
dedicated by the Rector in 1920.
Now, whilst the PC do not own the
monument they have by granting its
building, taken on an obligation for its
well being and maintenance
It has been to suggested to the PC that to mark the 100th anniversary of the cessation of
WWI an overall cleaning and rejuvinating of the memorial might make a fitting
community appreciated centrepiece for this years Armistice day celebrations.
Their reaction , in council, to this suggestion was “does not need doing at this time”.
Several members of the community feel this is a very curt and arrogant response to the
quite measured suggestion made and are rallying the troops,as it were, to display to the
PC what exactly the community priorities and needs are.
So, once the details are finalised, we will be looking for volunteers =Mr Muscle in handwho
feel that THIS is a matter of community concern not to be dismissed by the PC in
such a way
Hopefully we will not need to apply to the PC for permission to cross their land to do the
job

The "improvements" to the junction are now well under way
after delays caused by snow.
As they are just down the road from me, I have a good
opportunity to watch the activities.
Every person working there thinks the alterations are a
complete waste of money. (As do I).
Short of a roundabout or traffic lights, (vastly more
expensive still) there's no cure for idiocy, which is what
causes the accidents we have here.
Harold Armitage
THIS LOOKS LIKE AN
EXCELLENT
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
GET INVOLVED

INTEGRITY: the quality of being
honest and having strong moral
principles.
The question of integrity rears its ugly head again and is yet again ignored by the
Parish Council. Well at least the Chair, Vice Chair and Clerk!
After the mass resignations last year the PC was inquorate and could not carry on
any business. Herefordshire council used their powers to appoint four county
councillors to enable the PC to be quorate. All right so far.
The first matter of business was to vote in a chair for the PC. At the time there
were only 4 Cradley Councillors in the council and the chair(and vice chair-though
why is beyond us, was elected from within those four people pand was
proposed,seconded and elected with the “dummy votes” from the quorate-making
group. Essentially the group of 4 voted themselves into the positions available.
So far so good as emergencies sometimes need shortcuts and compromise to
move forward.
We now come to the integrity bit, or rather the total lack of it!
Would not a chair and vice chair with integrity, not having
had a full elected council for some time, offer themselves
up for election to those councillors voted into place by the
community.
It has been over two months since the new council
took its place. Why have the PC been denied the
chance to elect a chair of THEIR choice and not one
elected out of Hobson’s choice
WE MUST QUESTION THE INTEGRITY OF THOSE INVOLVED.
SO SHOULD THE PARISH COUNCIL

THIS EVENT HAD TO BE POSTPONED DUE TO
THAT NASTY WHITE STUFF
NOW RE-SCHEDULED AT CRADLEY VILLAGE
HALL
Check out
cradleydiary.com
for events around the villages
THE WHITE CLIFFS OF CRADLEY 2018

WELCOME QUICKIES TO FANTASY LAND!
(the latest PC Agenda)
Goodness me the PC back-room boys have been busy putting this one together.
The Good Councillor Guide is every councillors
shorthand guide to rules and procedures. Our
current PC doesn’t appear to be reading it: at one
point is says:
“Furthermore, the council will have difficulty if it:
• allows one person or a small group of
councillors to dominate its work
• allows a councillor (including the chairman) to
make decisions on its behalf
• doesn’t listen to and communicate with its
community, other local
councils, principal authorities, outside bodies
• ignores or antagonises the press
• doesn’t have written contracts of employment for
staff
• doesn’t keep its records in order
• lacks a robust system of financial control
• doesn’t manage meetings effectively
• is not well-informed on topics to be discussed.
Everyone in the team is responsible for checking
that the council avoids these dangers; ultimately the
council is liable. By contrast, well-prepared
and well-informed councillors avoid difficulties
and spend their energies on
serving their communities. “
And this is the very same Parish Council that
wants to include in its Standing Orders
(a PC's own in-house procedures) the following
shocking rule:
"...A Council meeting will not exceed 2
hours..."
This is not only ridiculous (in business any
meeting takes just as long as it needs to
finalise an Agenda) but also pretty chilling and
dictatorial. You really should never slap a
time-limit on a PC meeting, but should be able
to allow for any unusual circumstances,
or outright emergencies (which, take it from
The Enquirer,often occur, even in the bestregulated
circles).
To cover all contingencies and eventualities
The Enquirer suggests "up to 3 hours". Past
experience tells us that any PC meeting should
never go anywhere near that --
unless of course you have an inept Chair!
Where is Fantasy Land you ask?
Look in the agenda for the March
meeting. It is full of fantasy, errors,
irregularities, manipulation and attempts
to expunge history and past
achievements of a once efficient PC
Kim Jong-un and Putin
would be proud
You can't put a time-limit on the consideration
of serious community business, Cradley
Councillors!!
A suggestion to the council for FREE:
How about not wasting all the time and energy
heaping bureaucratic straight-jackets on councillors
that are designed to put all of the power in the
hands of the Clerk and the Chair and sideline the
elected members of the council.
THEY, ARE OUR ELECTED COUNCIL and the ONLY
people empowered to make the decisions

Congratulations to the Planners and the PC on the matter of the New Inn at Storridge-
Without a murmour of protecting local assets, or insisting that all of the laid down tests
are carried out before a change of use is agreed. The scheme for change of use and
conversion to a house with 6 bedrooms was passed with support from the PC.
Well ,guys, you seem certainly to have played into someone’s hands ,as the property is
being “flipped” for a quick buck. Big For-Sale-by-auction signs have sprouted up
Bids to start at a quarter of a million.!!!
Wonder how many caravans the site can hold?
Does anyone know?
Why the works at the Leys are taking so long? It seems
to have been going on for an eternity with no end in
sight.
We know there was planning permission granted for the
new car parking and bin stores but was it needed for all
the other work going on?
And There’s more:
The PC Agenda shows that there will be consideration by the PC on the proposed
development at Pixiefields of up to 60 houses. Item 5.1.3
WHY?
They have already considered this matter (in December) and commented:
HALC is clerk covering Cradley PC at the current time and I therefore attach comments on the
following planning applications and would be grateful if you could acknowledge safe receipt:
1.1 Application P174057/O … Land off Pixiefields, Cradley. Proposed residential development.
PC Comment: It was RESOLVED not to object to residential development on the site but the
parish council does not believe that the site can sustain 60 dwellings and would like to explore
all other access points via a meeting of stakeholders. Furthermore, it is recommended that
Herefordshire Council look extremely closely at the attenuation pond system to ensure that it is
fit for purpose, given the history of surface water flooding in this area.
It is worth looking at the previous detailed planning application on this site as well as
the then PC’s detailed and robust objection to see why, it was refused and what the
developers intended to produce on this site ( and the feelings of the community)

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