--> /* end of banner manager 1 */

Stand Up For Seaton (SU4S)

Community Action for Seaton's Regeneration Area, 80% owned by Tesco - a floodplain on a World Heritage site bordered by nature reserves, tidal river, the sea and the unspoilt town. SU4S is a state of mind - no members, no structure, no politics. SU4S has objected to 2 planning applications by Tesco, including one for a massive superstore/dot com distribution centre which led to the recent closure on the site of 400 tourist beds with the loss of 150 jobs,a gym and pool - all used by locals.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

And you can't have a pool either!

Click on the title for the link, but it appears that Bridgewater are closing their Sedgemoor Splash pool as it's too costly.

The only bidder for the site is..........oh a superstore chain...so Bridgewater Council, instead of working to provide community recreational facilities, get to trouser a wedge of notes for the subsequent land sale. Bet the 106 deal doesn't have the words "swimming pool" in it.

Hmm, let's think a minute, Seaton can't spend the 106 money its owed, so we try an alternative..and get attacked for that...yes the deep blue sea is due south, the rest seems to belong to the devil.

Labels:

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

My town is menaced by a superstore. ...

George Monbiot has a superstore issue...

read it here

HT: The Guardian

Labels: , ,

Monday, August 10, 2009

Thinking out of the box...

A maverick mayor elected after promising to slash council spending, clear the streets of yobs and ditch politically correct services is the torchbearer for how towns should be run.

On his first morning as Mayor of Doncaster in South Yorkshire , Peter Davies cut his salary from £73,000 to £30,000 then closed the council’s newspaper for "peddling politics on the rates".
Now three weeks into his job, Mr Davies is pressing ahead with plans he hopes will see the number of town councillors cut from 63 to just 21, saving taxpayers £800,000.
Mr Davies said: "If 100 senators can run the United States of America , I can’t see how 63 councillors are needed to run Doncaster ".

He has withdrawn Doncaster from the Local Government Association and the Local Government Information Unit, saving another £200,000. Mr Davies said, "They are just talking shops".
" Doncaster is in for some serious untwinning. We are twinned with probably nine other cities around the world and they are just for people to fly off and have a binge at the council’s expense".

The mayor’s chauffeur-driven car has also been axed by Mr Davies and the driver given another job. Mr Davies, born and bred in Doncaster, swept to power in the May election with 24,244 votes as a candidate for the English Democrats, a party that wants tight immigration curbs, an English Parliament and a law forcing every public building to fly the flag of St. George.

He has promised to end council funding for Doncaster ’s International Women’s Day, Black History Month and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month.
He said, "Politicians have got completely out of touch with what people want.
"We need to cut costs. I want to pass on some savings I make in reduced taxes and use the rest for things we really need, like improved children’s services".
Mr Davies has received messages from well wishers across the country and abroad as news of his no-nonsense approach spreads.
Now it’s your chance to spread this most sensible way to run a town council.


HT: Tim Russ/Various sources

Labels:

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Sarah Wollaston selected to fight Totnes for Tories after open ballot

About 16,639 took part, meaning the selection known as an “open primary” recorded an impressive turnout of 24.6 per cent, higher than some council elections. Some key Tory marginal seats in recent months have been selected at meetings with 40 people, while the response rate for direct postal marketing is usually around 0.5 to 1 per cent.

Dr Wallaston, who has been a member of the Tory party for only three years, was the winner with 7,914 votes. Sara Randall Johnson, chair of East Devon District Council, came second with 5,495 and Mr Bye received 3,088.

Roger Freeman, a member of the local Tory association, said that Dr Wallaston won because of her “bedside manner” which put her in front at a public meeting hosted by Times columnist Matthew Parris ten days ago.

Mr Bye said that his rival was the rightful victor, but added that Mr Parris’s account of the meeting in The Spectator, which portrayed her in a glowing light, may also have been a factor.

The three contenders were given just 20 days to campaign between selection and close of voting, and were restricted to a budget of £200. While Ms Randall Johnson spent £200 on a website and Mr Bye spent £150 on leaflets, Dr Wollaston spent nothing.

HT: Timesonline

UPDATE: The £200 website is at www.srjonline.com Can't do the leaflet, but a Google refers to Mr Bye as "much reviled" in one entry, can't say, don't live in Totnes, never met him.

Labels: , ,

Tesco hides figures after missing target to reduce plastic bag usage

Britain’s biggest supermarket chain has published misleading figures giving the impression that it had met an industry target to halve the use of plastic bags.

The Times has learnt that Tesco, which claims to be one of the greenest retailers, missed the target and tried to conceal its actual performance.

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, called on Tesco and other supermarkets to be more honest with customers about how many plastic bags they were issuing. He urged them to publish individual figures so that shoppers could compare them.

HT: Timesonline


This isn't like saying that you're the best bet for the regeneration area...when you own 80% of it anyway is it?

Labels: