Friday 8 February 2013

Our new Town Clerk in action

Here is Jayne Kendall's response to my letter  to the Town Clerk, David Parratt.

Encouraging good conditions for our Market


When can we see the new restrictions being put in place?

Saturday was a beautiful day and attracted a fair number of people to our market yet considerable disruption again occurred when cars came down New Market street and even turned up across the Market Square creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians who were exploring and shopping at the successful bread store, and trying shoes on at the stall next to it.

Would you not agree that the survival of our market is dependent on everything working in it's favour?

David Gardner at the plant stall and the french woman with her bread who travel all the way from near Liverpool,  are providing two of our main attractions on the market. They  travelled up through the horrendous weather of substantial snow to attend on the previous Saturday. They are clearly putting themselves out to support our market. Can we show them that we are making similar efforts to get the shopping conditions regarding the above traffic issue sorted out ASAP.

Councillors showing an interest /a possible new  Market web site


 I'm sure they would appreciate a visit from our councillors to show our concerns in a similar way that David who also attends the thriving Settle Market tells of  the councillors in the area of Settle regularly talking to the stall holders there. You may be aware that The Settle traders have their own web site - http://www.settlemarket.co.uk. Could we not encourage a similar site to be created to promote the Ulverston Market.

It will of course require a fair bit of leadership  to get this idea up and running but with the great improvements in the towns web sites taking place ( Ulverston.net , the impressive http://www.ulverstonfestivaltown.co.uk/ and the town council site - to this we now have a very well designed site for the Walking Festival) surely an Ulverston  Market web site would be an appropriate addition.

David Parratt - would it be possible for there to be a debate at the UTC of all the ways that can implemented to strengthen our market and continue the work done previously by Judy Pickthall? Is there a group of particular Councillors that has taken this issue under their remit on the UTC ?

Thanks for your time

Geoff Dellow

Here is the reply I received :

Hello Geoff.
Thank you for your e mail.  The council is actively engaged with SLDC on new ways of working/potential asset transfer which could include the street market. I know that all of the councillors are very concerned that the market is vibrant and lively.  We think that this could be the way forward. When the traffic  order goes through as you quite rightly say,  this will be very helpful and can only be the start of improving the market.

You may know that David is leaving at the end of the month, so I am replying on his behalf.

Many thanks and best wishes

Jayne

Jayne Kendall
Town Clerk
Ulverston Town Council
Tel 01229 585778
www.ulverstoncouncil.org.uk


Any wiser? Are the questions answered?

10 comments:

Rob J said...

If there is a road closure order and if there is a real danger to pedestrians then surely this is a situation where our "wonderful" PCSOs might prove themselves of some use instead of being the useless wastes of money they currently are. The male one, in particular, makes me laugh, walking around like he is Wyatt Earp in Dodge City then walking the other way when he comes across trouble. Yes, I've seen him do that. Damn Disgrace.

Geoff Dellow said...

Personally I think this is a job that can be effectively done by us - you and I- we only need officials to back us up if people choose to ignore our requests.
I don't this Rob J that it helps to refer to someone as a useless waste of money. We get much more out of people, particularly the PCSOs, if we treat them as humans with feelings.

Dealing with Jayne requires a different skill that I associate with dealing with bullies.

Rob J said...

Well, we pay them to do a job and, so far, I haven't seen them do much. It only needs one of them stationed at the top of New Market Street and - hey presto - problem solved!

Geoff Dellow said...

This "it only needs" viewpoint is a bit of a fallacy in that with repeated cutbacks there is a very limited number of PCSOs and officers of all kinds, so we need to get used to the idea that if we want a job done, we need to do it ourselves at all possible. For instance regarding litter if we want clean streets we need to get the people who dump it to pick it up themselves, failing that pick it up ourselves. I've found (from letting holiday accommodation) that people are less likely to leave litter where the surroundings are clean. So picking it ourselves discourages the next lot.

Anonymous said...

The lady PCSO has given splendid assistance and has the full support of all the public she has helped. She has a wide range of skills that should serve as an example to PC's. The male PCSO would have acted if you would have approached him.He does not have mindreader as one of his core skills!
Yes Geoff public then police.
JAK

rob j said...

JAK, you are nearly as funny as Geoff! I saw him walk from New Market St into the Square one Friday night in November, No more than 10 yards away there was 3 lads, plainly drunk, effing and blinding and generally being unpleasant. He turned and went the other way.If he needs me to point that out to him then he's deaf and blind!

Geoff Dellow said...

I don't think we're going to get anywhere with this discussion, so I'll have the last word. I would argue that if a police officer walks the other way from three drunks who are "Effing and blinding", he is a wise officer.

It's exactly what I would do. I might watch from a discrete distance for developments. The police are there to act, over much more serious offences than swearing - and there can be drunks everywhere. It's how the drunks behave that is crucial. Is there actual violence - or at least a strong likelihood of violence? Drunks love the chance of winding up the police and they are best getting out fast - or not being seen. But instead being available for 'real' crime: loss of life, fire, break-ins, smashing property.

Don't you agree?

In my view our police are brilliant a diffusing situations and persuading drunks and the like to behave 'reasonably' and go home to bed where their beds will do them the world of good.

Anonymous said...

Why don't they just erect a removable (in case of emergencies), barrier to stop everyone driving down New Market street. People with blue badges who park on all available yellow lines to avoid paying car parking charges, whilst the disabled bays remain empty and stop other motorists from using them would also be beneficial to allowing people to come in to Ulverston.

Geoff Dellow said...

There is to be a final consultation when your comments will no doubt be welcome and then we have that wonderful experience that I love - ACTION. Having paid dearly, yes, ten of thousands for the experience.
When are we going to stop using a system nominally called 'democracy' to get simple jobs done at great delay and expense. And then at the end of the day it is the individual like you and I, that has got to make the 'solution' work because 'the system' can't cope with the expense of policing it. How to get our collective knickers in a twist ? I can sit back and enjoy the vision of an Ulverston Market 'carry on' with the whole town in a terrible tangle because we had done such a brilliant job of twisting all our knickers that it demanded a modern day, Alexander the Great, to cut our Gordian Knot.

Geoff Dellow said...

So OMG!!! - Who are we dealing with?

I'm amazed at the number of people that think it's fun to hide and snipe at whatever pops it's head up as 'opinion'. There are many people who just love being negative. Now and again it's good to get the full force of their bitterness so that get a sample of what views circulate in Ulverston but in the long term it helps us all to know who is crying out from our rooftops if for no other reason to say when passing "I agree with you."