News from Wealden LibDems
Cophall Roundabout – New Traffic Lights – A disaster waiting to happen!
The Department of Transport’s Highways Agency has unilaterally put back on traffic lights at Cophall roundabout at Polegate despite the many complaints from residents and recommendations of Norman Baker MP and County Councillor Roy Martin that they should be totally removed.
Norman Baker says “The “stop go” policies of the Highways Agency are beyond me. First they are on, then they are off and now for no sound reason some are on again. There has already been an accident since then and I am seriously concerned about highway safety at this roundabout.”
County Cllr Roy Martin says “Turning these lights on is folly and has already led to tail backs on the roundabout during peak times. The County Council Highways Authority and Polegate Town Council agree with me that the pedestrian crossing itself should be moved a 100 metres to the south so it does not cause traffic to back up on the roundabout. The traffic lights should be removed. It is dangerous and a disaster waiting to happen.”
Polegate Town Councillor Andy Watkins added “It seems to me that local people are being experimented on by the Highways Agency when all of this should have been resolved at the design stage.
Dec 2007
Keeping elderly and vulnerable residents warm
At the Wealden District Council meeting on 5 December, LibDem councillors Jane Clark and Paul Sparks highlighted the poor performance in this area where the existing budget has been exhausted before the cold winter months set in.A lot of this assistance is with regard to central heating and hot water systems and it is vital that our elderly and vunerable residents are kept warm and safe. Jane made the point that next year's budget needs to take account of the demand for this service and not be cut back even further. Paul supported this and also asked that additional funding from Wealden's
substantial reserves be utilised to assist residents through the winter and
for the rest of this financial year.
The portfolio holder responded by stating she was also concerned.However,the finance portfolio holder added in a more helpful tone by stating that he would be prepared to explore dipping into reserves. Therefore,it is hopeful that by Jane and Paul raising this issue that real measures will be taken to improve the position for elderly and vunerable residents during this winter and into the next financial year. |
Dec 2007
"Hailsham Schools - What are our County Councillors doing"? asks Laura
LibDem campaigner Laura Murphy is outraged by the lack of action from the Tory County Council over funding for schools in Hailsham.
A new school is being built to replace White House Primary School whose existing site is being taken over by Tesco. Marshlands Primary School is being upgraded.
Laura says:-
"Whilst I was pleased to hear of the progress made regarding the building of the new school in Hailsham and upgrading of Marshlands, I was so angry by a comment that investment in these two schools had been limited because of uncertainty over the developments.
St James Investments, on behalf of Tesco, had their sights on the White House school site over 15 years ago. It wasn't until the County Council changed hands and went into Conservative control that they gave way and sold the land to St James Investments. It would appear then that for some considerable time, the County Council has refused to invest in our children's future.
I am outraged by this. By the fact that two thirds of our under 11s have been neglected. I've known of at least one school governor who has been reduced to tears because of the lack of support that has been given to one of the schools. The staff have been doing their very best under intolerable circumstances. Is it any wonder that the schools have been put under special measures?
So what have our County Councillors been doing? Why haven't they stood up for the children of our town at a critical time for their education? Why haven't they shouted from the rooftops? Why haven't they galvanised the parents of the schools to march on County Hall demanding parity for their children? Why haven't they used the press to push the case for Hailsham's children? Our County Council and our County Councillors have betrayed hundreds of Hailsham's youth at their most vulnerable and important age. They have damned a generation or more of Hailsham's children to poor education. They should apologise to every one of those children, to their parents, to the schools and to the community."
Nov 2007
Wealden Local Development Framework - Update from Bob Sweetland
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LibDem District Councillor for Ridgewood, Bob Sweetland, reports At a recent meeting of Wealden District Council's LDF Sub-Committee a number of initial indicators expressing the preferences the residents of Wealden want to see in the future development of their District became apparent. The response to the Council's document was very high. From a total of 1,140 respondents there were 21,000 individual responses to the questions posed, but overall showed greater support for the generic and protection issues, less support for the development issues. No surprises there then! |
Issues resulting from the consultation, which is to be the foundation for future work on the Core Strategy, and which will be of particular interest to, and a source of much debate amongst Wealden Liberal Democrats are: Environment
Housing
Transport
The Economy
Where to grow?
North Wealden
South Wealden/Sussex Coast Area
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All the documents about the Local Development Framework can be found on the Wealden District Council website
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Oct 2007
UPDATE - Future of Gilda Crescent, Polegate
Polegate Liberal Democrats have described as disgraceful, claims by Conservative County Cllr Bill Bentley that Liberal Democrat Press Releases and their petition against the closure of the older people's facility at Gilda Crescent, Polegate were misleading.
Polegate Town Councillor, Andy Watkins said "I was disgusted to hear Cllr Bentleys attack at the Cabinet meeting. He totally misled the Cabinet regarding the wording of our Press Releases, the content of the Wealden Liberal Democrat website, and the meeting that Norman Baker MP held with Mr M Cornish, the Director conducting the review. I thought it was a disgrace."
He added "If he had bothered to read out the full content of the Press Releases, the website and the petition he and his colleagues would have been in no doubt that the 1400 people who signed the petition had not been misled. Everybody deserves the best treatment and it is totally unacceptable for councillors such as Cllr Bentley to play politics with their future by quoting selectively in this way."
County Councillor for Polegate, Roy Martin, said "The attack was quite unnecessary. Rosemary Battles, who was asked by the Council to come and speak to the Cabinet on behalf of the petitioners, should not have had to sit through that attack which did nothing to encourage other residents to put their point of view to the Cabinet or Council in the future. It is a very poor example of a listening Council indeed and Cllr Bentley should be ashamed of himself."
Cllr Chris Berry, Chair of Polegate Liberal Democrats, said "We took great care to ensure that statements made and the wording on the petition was entirely correct and not misleading in any way. At the end of the day the Council has decided to close the older people's facility at Gilda Crescent, Polegate and move it to Grangemead, Hailsham which is in Cllr Bentley's Ward. We have never said that anything different was proposed."
This follows the rubber-stamping by the Cabinet of East Sussex Council Council of their own officers' recommendation to close the older peoples' facility at Gilda Crescent, Polegate and move it to Grangemead, Hailsham.
Mrs Rosemary Battles, Secretary of Polegate Liberal Democrats said
"Although I was allowed to put residents' views to the Cabinet before they formally made their decision it seems that I was talking to the deaf ears of those Conservative Councillors present.
Some 1400 local residents had objected to any reduction in the services provided at Gilda Crescent and wanted these services to remain at Polegate. The Conservative County Council has totally ignored their views and the reasoned arguments against the service being removed from Gilda Crescent. They have shown themselves to be arrogant and remote, and totally unresponsive to the views of the public. Many will feel the consultation exercise was a farce."
Lib Dem County Councillor for Polegate, Roy Martin added "It seems that this was a "done deal" from the outset and no argument was going to prevail against the Tories wishes. It is all about money and not what is best for our elderly folk. The decision is just plain wrong."
Polegate Town Councillor, Chris Berry, said "We are told this facility will now be moved move to Hailsham. Despite what the Cabinet were told there is inadequate public transport to the new location so making it more difficult for friends and relatives to visit. To remove this facility away from Polegate, which at least has good public transport, demonstrates that this decision is all about money and not about the interests of the people using the service. It is a disgrace."
Oct 2007
High turnout at Hospital Rally
The residents of Uckfield and surrounding villages demonstrated their total opposition to the plans to downgrade the Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath and our own hospital by attending in vast numbers to march through the streets of Uckfield on Saturday morning (6th Oct).
The march included many local GPs and nurses and was lead by The Bishop of Lewes.
Representatives of the 3 main political parties were present and the march concluded with a rally on Luxford Field where every speaker stressed the importance of keeping all our local hospitals on their current basis particularly in view of the extra 10,000 houses planned for this area and the poor quality of our roads.
There was a clear determination from all present to continue this fight to the bitter end to ensure that common sense prevails.
Dorothy Sparks, who was quoted by one speaker as "the grandmother of Uckfield" stated "I was extremely pleased with the large turn-out and I will do every thing I can to stop the downgrading of our local hospitals. I believe these plans are more to do with finances than with patient care."
Previously Dorothy reported "
Uckfield could be left in a dire situation if we lose Haywards Heath and Eastbourne for Midwifery Services, and Haywards Heath for A&E services, with acute trauma cases being sent to Brighton, where no helicopter pad exists and access from Uckfield is difficult with no parking when you get there. There has been a reprieve on the removal of 14 medical beds from Uckfield Hospital to be replaced by 6 medical beds at Crowborough Hospital. For 6 months these beds will be retained at Uckfield as the doctors have agreed to work there without pay. This does not solve the long term as £300,000 has to be saved and we could see cuts in other areas of Uckfield Hospital or at Lewes and/or Crowborough Hopsitals."
Dorothy added:-
"The strategy seems to be to have large hospitals along the coast where access to them is 180 degrees with the sea the other 180.
Wouldn’t it be more sense to have the main services at hospitals which have a 360 degree catchment area resulting in its patients having half as far to travel?
If I believed that the proposed options were solely for the benefit of patients, then I would support them, but there seems to be more interest in cutting costs and reducing PCT financial deficits."
Oct 2007
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