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Letters, Thursday, July 17, 2008
Readers write to the Times & Citizen and Bedford Today.
Risk festival could become burger bar
SIR – I am writing to say I thought the river festival was very disappointing.
There was not much of an atmosphere while walking around the Embankment. This was because the parade did not go along the Embankment but instead went around the town. I did not get to watch the parade, which was disappointing, and I am sure many other people were
disappointed by this too.
It was also supposed to be the 30th anniversary of this event. To me, it was just the same as it has been over the years that I have been going. To improve this event they need to think of ways of offering more variety and amazement, not just burger bars with ridiculous prices.
Katherine O'Rourke, aged 15,
Kingsbrook Road, Bedford
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From river festival to rip-off festival
SIR – Like most Bedfordians I spent this weekend enjoying the fun and sights of Bedford River Festival.
The weather was glorious (well, on the Sunday anyway), the atmosphere was bustling, and the crowds were swelling.
What a shame then that so much of what was on offer was a right rip-off. The day itself was free, but the food, drink and many of the games were appallingly overpriced; 5 for a burger? The same again for two portions of chips? And don't get me started on the price for a beer or a glass of Pimms.
The River Festival is a highlight for many of us living in Bedford, and judging by the number of people who were there I judge that plenty of people living outside the area would agree. But what a shame that it seems to be going from River Festival to Rip-Off Festival.
Name and address supplied
****
Let us be heard before money starts talking
SIR – So Hanson plans to build 1,200 homes in place of the Stewartby chimneys. There could possibly be another point to consider before deciding on the merits of saving the chimneys or planning to build homes.
I recall when the Ridgmont Brickworks were derelict and up for planning. The chimneys had been knocked down for some time so had been well cooled. But when asked of the possibility of housing being built, it was said the land was not suitable for housing as it was contaminated land. Strange that it was only suitable for warehousing, even though there are people on site 24 hours a day.
So, despite residents' objections, "contamination" and resident great crested newts, the warehouses went up. If the Ridgmont site was contaminated, then surely the Stewartby site will be also.
Forgive my cynicism but could this possibly have been a ruse?
As a small community, Brogborough has been dished a poor deal over the years and has always had to fight often a losing battle and make compromises that turned out not so good as we were led to believe.
Consider that if the planners get their way Brogborough will be overwhelmed by warehousing, in spite of having the prestigious title of 'The gateway to the Marston Vale'; and remember the problems landfill brought to the area (how can we ever forget).
At a time when we are looking to say yea or nay to eco-homes, it's time for a bit of honesty from those with their great plans. Time, I think, to let the local communities have the first word on planners' ideas and let their voice be heard before the money starts talking.
DS Davis
Highfield Crescent,
Brogborough
****
Focus on sorting the problem in hand
SIR – Our parks and open spaces are now under constant siege by unauthorised traveller encampments, yet the borough's chief executive seems more exercised by my call for action than the need to address the problem.
He ought to consult the Mayor, some councillors and the police as well as residents, then he would know that I am proactive and supportive of a positive way forward. Is he aware that two weeks ago at a meeting in the Mayor's office the police reiterated the view that they would be able to invoke stronger powers to secure faster eviction if only the borough provided alternative, emergency sites – which I advocated to his officials last March and about which nothing had been done in over three months.
Furthermore, it is clear that the eviction protocols involving the health and education authorities are in need of speeding up, something I am working on but which the borough could have secured years ago.
Bedford will remain a 'soft touch' until the necessary action is taken.
As an unelected official, he should quietly get on with the job on behalf of local taxpayers and residents. However, since he wishes to become political and engage me in public, I invite him to debate these matters with me at the public meeting I intend to hold in September.
Patrick Hall
Bedford & Kempston MP
****
Still a way to go on the vision for Flitwick
SIR – Councillor Matthews' letter (T&C, July 3) in response to your article on plans for the redevelopment of Flitwick Town Centre (June 19) suggests a more supportive stance towards the revised proposals than the quotes attributed to him in that article, and indeed in the
understanding of the Flitwick At The Crossroads Residents Action Group (FATCRAG) of the discussions at the executive meeting.
Before the discussion we presented our initial response to the new plans, essentially majoring on the following points:
** The planning framework and masterplan still has some way to go before it can be regarded as definitive guidance as there are many uncertainties, particularly regarding the station quarter where satisfactory agreement among the partners has not yet been obtained and this is vital.
** We pointed out that the east side of Flitwick is still the poor relation – the proposed new footbridge, while welcome, is essentially an enhancement of existing provision but hardly 'links' the town. However, we are encouraged that the refurbishment of the High Street,
mentioned by Coun Matthews, is to be pursued in any event
** Regarding the petrol filling station, we stressed that serious consideration should be given to it being located within the current Tesco curtilage. We also stressed that the village hall must remain where it is;
** We demanded that a bypass should be sought before development begins, as without this we have serious doubts that the scheme will reduce traffic congestion;
** We pointed out that no serious consideration appears to have been given to health and safety issues associated with the development as presented;
** We expressed concern that the additional retail provision, while welcome, may not prove viable in the light of the proposed Tesco expansion.
As the minutes of the executive indicate, the mood of the meeting was better reflected in a unanimous view by councillors, reiterated by Coun Matthews himself in the meeting and in your original article, that Flitwick must not lose out, as it has in the past, from piecemeal development undertaken for corporate goals with little added value to the community.
We fully endorse the need for our councillors to insist that
planning applications for any development be considered as a complete package which will benefit all residents and reflect their concerns.
Arthur Bourne
Chairman FATCRAG
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Church fair benefits two local charities
SIR – On behalf of Hope Church, Goldington, I would like to say thank you to all who supported this year's summer fair on Chiltern Avenue Green on June 14. Money was being raised for Tearfund and Goldington Family Centre and as a result we have been able to donate 627 to each.
Simon Everitt
Hope Church, Goldington
(formerly Goldington Evangelical Church)
****
That's rock and roll
SIR – Thanks to Gary Bower for his kind comments with regard to our music at Cardington fete on July 5 (T&C, July 10).
I am sorry however if my inclusion of the Reverend Gary Davis classic, Cocaine Blues, caused any offence. This blues classic is in fact a clear warning against the use of the drug, with clear reference to the things happening around the drug which should be avoided at all costs.
I believe it was written tongue-in-cheek and I include the song in our set in the same spirit.
John Verity
Church Lane, Cardington
****
Public consulted with chance to have a say
SIR – It's a shame your correspondent complained about lack of public consultation for the Bedfordshire Energy and Recycling (BEaR) project (T&C, July 3.
Allow me to set the record straight. The first consultations kicked off in 2004 with Recycle How? when the county council asked residents how we should manage their waste in the future.
The county council carried out a further consultation in 2006 specifically on the BEaR project. This consisted of a series of
roadshows, leaflets and a questionnaire in the countywide
Bedfordshire Magazine.
A very high response rate was achieved and 98 per cent of respondents supported energy from waste. A further public consultation will take place later this year once the planning application has been submitted and, again, all residents will have a chance to have their say, as they would in any planning application.
Most of the other points your unnamed correspondent wrote in their letter were factually inaccurate and out of date.
Perhaps in future they might like to check with the county council first.
Coun Tom Wootton
County Hall
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Nothing can be done to save post offices
SIR – It is about time our MPs and councillors stopped wringing their hands and pretending they can do anything about post office closures in
Bedfordshire.
They know full well they can do nothing about them. The Royal Mail was once a monopoly, profit-making business that played a vital role in British life until our Labour Government, on the instructions of the EU, imposed Directive 97/67/EC on it.
This brought competition rules to the Royal Mail that reduced its monopoly to mail weighing less than 350 grams. It was the first step in bankrupting the Royal Mail as other areas were open to private companies. Dutch TNT and German DHL immediately cherry-picked the profitable areas, leaving the less profitable to Royal Mail.
Then our Government was told to enforce EU Directive 2002/39/EC, opening up more areas to foreign companies. The result – the once-profitable Royal Mail and its post office network was fractured and losing money.
To make matters worse, government withdrew other areas of business away from post offices, such as payment of pensions and purchase of TV licences.
Amazingly, private postal companies can now require Royal Mail to handle post on their behalf at a price to them of up to 9p less than 2nd class charges. These arrangements have resulted in an 86 per cent loss of profitability for Royal Mail.
Our Government went cap in hand to the EU to seek permission to subsidise to keep them open – temporarily. The EU Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, agreed in a letter (C(207) 5623 final 28.11.07) but stipulated 'the transformation programme (subsidy) will involve reducing the post office network by around 2,500'.
EU state aid rules require that these subsidises must end soon. What happens then? No-one dare say. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians are all committed to Britain being ruled from Brussels yet they still want more money and allowances for doing less work.
Mark Adkin
Putnoe Lane, Bedford
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