Tuesday, November 29, 2005
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16 comments:
From time to time we hear of things like integrated transport policy for Purbeck. What has hit me recently is all Purbeck Car Parks seem to be managed by a great number of organisations(Town Councils, National Trust, Swanage Railway, County Council etc). How about getting one organisation to run them and plough any profits back into Purbeck. The benefits are there to be seen. Norden Park and Ride which costs approx £40000 a year to run could be financed by Victoria Road Car Park, enabling the Park and Ride to remain free. By controlling the costs of parking you could direct the traffic where you want it.
I am in dispute with Purbeck District Council over their refuse collection. Because of their refusal to admit that there are times when the normal house refuse cannot be put into the allowed bags.
I have taken taken this dispute to the Council Ombudsman.
Their answer (The Council) so far is that you can take it to the dump,or you can pay £15 to have it removed.
It seems to me, that the whole idea of paying Council tax is to ensure that this is done.
I am a disabled war pensioner, there is no way that I can take it to the dump. Nor am I willing to pay to have it removed..That surely is the Councils responsibility?
I have put outside for collection some large cardboard boxes.,A fire hazard indoors..I wonder how long they will stay there?
Regarding your dispute with PDC, do you want to phone or email me? I'll put on my Councillor hat and see if I can help. 01929 427277 or mail@mikehadley.net
The reborn beach is starting to take shape. When it is finished there should be a suitable opening ceremony. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have not got past the idea of the mayor clad as King Neptune holding court, trident in hand, with a lineup of water sprites behind him, while a chorus of local clergy do their bit variously blessing,baptising etc.
More prosaicly its likely to be a pack of dog walkers armed with plastic bags in hand, poop scooping their merry way from one end to the other. I am sure someone can think of something better. Any ideas?
As a regular visitor to the Swanage area for various festivals, can someone please explain why the Jazz, Blues, Folk and Film Festivals never put anything on there? Come to that, there's hardly anything on during the Carnival either.
THE MOWLEM THEATRE
As a regular visitor to the Swanage area for various festivals, can someone please explain why the Jazz, Blues, Folk and Film Festivals never put anything on there? Come to that, there's hardly anything on during the Carnival either.
I am organising the Sixth Swanage Blues Festival for 3, 4 and 5 March 2006 and wonder if there are any kind people out there who might be interested in putting up a musician or musicians for a night or two?
If you are interested in helping out, please contact me, Steve Darrington, on 01929 422338. You can see who's coming by looking at www.swanage-blues.org
Thank you.
7 or 8 years ago when we first launched a town regeneration project through Swanage Ahead we examined the state of other towns in Dorset. Bridport was a sad case. Premises boarded up, charity shops in the others, a large area of rubble behind the town centre. Yesterday, I visited Bridport again. It seems to be thriving. A general air of well being with lots of value-added shops, galleries and touristy places. The rubble field was filled with flats and houses. When I returned to Swanage I was immediately struck by how dowdy and run down it looks in comparison So what's happened in the intervening years? How come all our efforts at regeneration have come to nothing whilst towns like Bridport have steamed ahead? You can blame me if you like; I was chair of Swanage Ahead for two years. But I think there's more to it than that. Ideas?
In reply to Peter John Cooper, I can only think that it stems from Swanage's running sore of lack of democracy in any meaningful form. Until we have a local council that represents all of its people and has some real vision we will be condemned to mediocre and worse solutions to the last century's problems. Until the trustees of the mowlem wake up and find the energy to resign we'll see no change for the better on the seafront. Until the great and good of Swanage realise that they are presiding over the destruction of a community there will be no revival here. Peverilpen
Again in reply to Peter Cooper. Comparing the programming at the Mowlem with Bridport Arts Centre is a depressing experience. The latter shows what can be done. Bridport also has an excellent market which is visited by collectors from over a huge radius. Swanage Ahead wanted to establish a collectors market like this but the town council at that time was against it and the opportunity was lost. When we eventually got a market it offered the most uninspiring mixture of cheap plastic buckets and vegetables with the town councils seal of approval.
Is it just vision? We have the same political process as Bridport. How does it produce better results there? Is the political complexion different? Any ideas?
swanage.gov.uk
Can anything be done to bring the councils website more up to date, and fix the broken bits like the PDA guide which is featured on the home page along with the Swanage & Purbeck Holiday Guide 2005!
Even in the tourism section there are only 6 events listed and 4 of those are for 2005
If the council cant be bothered to update their own website perhasp they should just close it down as it looks very bad for this town if the council cant even keep their own info up to date.
Holes in the roads
Dose anyone know who is responsible for fixing holes in the roads in Purbeck ? The ones in Townsend Road are nearly big enough for the school-run 4x4's to have to use 4 wheel drive !
Housing in the Purbecs and Swanage.
I see that the problem of holiday homes came to the surface on BBC Southern news last night. It seems that the growth of these homes is causing a bit of a flutter in the council chamber.
Can Peter Coopers very relevant comments comparing Bridport and Swanage be put on the main page to be discussed.
For some time now we have been grumbling about various arts and cultural issues in Swanage. We all know that there is a considerable amount of public funding that Swanage has missed out on, we also know that there are serious problems with lack of studio and workshop space. We all saw the contempt that PDC treated us with when they produced their Cultural Strategy. Well, nothing’s going to happen on its own so I’m proposing setting up an Arts development Organisation in Swanage that will help promote the arts within the community, develop new funding opportunities and help in the education and training of young and aspiring artists. Back in the autumn there was a terrific turnout of Arts practitioners and interested parties to the Jurassic Coast Arts meeting. Let’s capitalise on that and get together. I’m suggesting a meeting on Wednesday 8th February at the Quarr gallery 17 High Street Swanage at 7.30. If necessary, we’ll move on to a suitable hostelry. The meeting is open to all practising artists (that is musicians, writers, sculptors, actors, performance artists, dancers, painters, photographers) and anyone else interested in developing the Arts in Swanage for the 21st Century. If we can organise ourselves into some sort of recognisable body we will hold a larger meeting in a couple of months to which we can invite the Great and the Good.
Abolish the Council?
12 years ago the local government commission said DCC and the District Councils should be abolished and we should have 4 unitary authorities. Poole and Bournemouth gained independence but rural Dorset was left unchanged fir some reason.
Do you think its time for a change now and that we would be better off with a unitary authority for this half of Dorset and another one for the west? Although counties have existed since about the time of King Canute county councils are one of those things the Victorians did for us and district councils were dreamt up in the 1970s when having multiple layers of organisation was all the rage.
Do you think it would be too distant? Do you think the existing arrangement works well enough? Have unitary authorities benefitted their populations?
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