Ulverston Market on its last legs?

I talked to David at the plant stall and he says that the internet is taking over.

For his part he is able to remain flexible and achieve sales by tailoring what he sells to the pockets of his customers. We're lucky to have someone like him coming so regularly , especially on Saturday when he has the choice of so many different markets across the North of England.

Local elections are coming up.

What are we doing about the state of our town. The choice of councillors is dire. No one with credibility wants the job.

Few will even be bothered to vote.

Apathy has meant that the North Ward has had no representation on South Lakeland District Council ever since the death of Colin Hodgson.

Few want to get involved and those that do are only interested in party politics not the welbeing of the town.

The Greens are once again going to be offering candidates but only because the want to support the Green Party - you'll find they know little about and do little for the town at present.

Those of us that care need to work together to get some independent thinkers involved who know their town inside out.

I'm willing to strongly support anyone intersted in standing.

Any offers?

Dog Fouling in Ulverston

This issue again!

I hope people can strike the right balance. My view is that:

1. We should talk to all those we suspect of dog fouling even if that risks us making ourselves unpopular - this really helps.

2. If we don't like it, we should quietly and without fuss pick it up ourselves even though it has nothing to do with us.

3. Ford Park should be very careful about its policy as I suspect that over 95% of dogs using the park are very responsible and they have a great influence not only on other dog owners, but on the behaviour of other people such as young people who might be tempted to vandalise property as has happened in the past. Far from demonising dog owners they need to be encouraged to be members of Ford Park Community Association with a special low cost membership - Can we move to a wider community involvement rather that polarisation of one section against another.

4. This issue is one where added regulation is ineffective - what is needed is that all of us try to improve the situation by our personal behaviour towards the problem and to the people that cause the problem.

Can we look to the Town Council adopting a policy that promotes the above concepts?

Tongue in Cheek

Captured on 'film'

Advance warning - Tourism - again

In my opinion the Town Council still hasn't accepted the need for a good web site to tell potential tourists about the town.

This is so sad because several people have offered and even more, designed sites for this precise purpose.

If, when I put 'Ulverston' into Google on January 1st 2011,  I can't find one of the top sites that tell me the dates of most of the festivals that will be taking place in 2011, then I shall blow my top with all the gunpowder that I can muster.

At the moment , as far as I'm aware, there isn't a single site in the top ten that has this information on it.

The period after Christmas is the one that people use to plan their holidays. An increasing number use the Internet to help them make their choices.  They will be swayed to visit the area if they can find out when our activities occur and better still a good site that tells them about the area.

Councillors Judy Pickthall who is looking into the need for a web site for the town and Colin Williams who is aware of the need for a good web site, and Paul Jarvis, Chairman of the Ulverston Community Partnership who opted for the SLDC site to replace Ulverston.net , please take note!

These three people have been notified of this posting.

I hardly think tourists will be greatly impressed by the long list of coffee mornings being offered by the now top site hosted by SLDC which has been chosen to represent Ulverston by the Town Council and the Ulverston Community Partnership.

I believe that there is some urgency to put this matter straight before Christmas for the reasons stated above.

What do people think?

Am I being unreasonable?

Here's a tough choice - Affordable Housing or allotments?

But at least this council is doing something to deal with a crisis.

As someone who enjoys my allotment, I'd still favour giving it up so that we could have some cheap housing.

Plots for allotments would be easier to find than plots for affordable houses.

I'd be in favour of building on the Garden Terrace site which should provide good foundations and extending the plot down at South Ulverston which is good soil for growing but unacceptable for building.

But can you ever think of our Town Council coming up with such a scheme.

No way.

That lot of wimps wouldn't have the balls.

( This could be more 'politely' be expressed as 'Those weak and unadventurous people are too emasculated'. Is this more acceptable?)

These are tough times needing tough decision makers.

I can see the councillors already running for cover.

The Town where time stands still !

When will they get that clock fixed?

Our Town Council never fails us . . . again.

Outrageous statements that shook the Town Council

This is the second:

"Why did councillors not come to me for an explanation of the abusive emails that they received rather than cause two police officers to send their valuable time coming to my house for an explanation."

From the Mayor's reply at the council meeting, their seemed an irrefutable logic that because the person who was sending the abusive emails claimed to be my second in command, then this must be true. I was therefore responsible.

It was clear from the behavior of the councillors present that they believed this to be the case and that I was behind the abuse. I can still remember the scowl of Colin Hodgson and Norman Bishop-Rowe who are normally friendly, not giving me eye contact and carrying a long drawn tense face. Most of the councillors present totally ignored me and were hostile.

My replies could not change the attittude of the Mayor, Phil Lister. He was clearly convinced that I was involved with the sending of these abusive emails and had a case to answer.

He was adamant, I was clearly involved , and he was very angry.

There was only one of the councillors who had asked me privately for an explanation previous to the meeting and had checked out that I too had received abuse. This was Colin Williams.

The result was that I left the council chamber totally stunned as I have already described.

I couldn't believe that so many people would be convinced by Mayor Phil Lister's faulty logic.

What kind of people were these councillors?

The mood in the council chamber was that a public lynching was highly appropriate.

Thanks to the action of Colin Williams I wasn't completely shattered.

As I left the council chamber after this exchange he came running after me calling my name and repeating "They've got it all wrong, Geoff. They've got it all wrong"

At least there was one person who had checked their facts and believed I was innocent.

My initial reaction was to sue the Mayor and council for slander. I had three reliable witnesses and asked them to make a written record of what  had happened and would use the best solicitors in the country to press my case. I was sure I could win and get the council to pay the enormous court costs that would ensue.

On reflection I realised that what the councillors believed would have little impact on my life in Ulverston. The public present in the chamber were more likely to believe me than them. My impression is that there are few people here in the town that have much respect for the kind of people these councillors are and certainly not believe them rather than me.

My word against theirs - no contest.

There was really nothing to be gained by clearing my name. I have better things to spend my life doing.

An apology for jumping to the wrong conclusion would be good and help future relations and this is what I would expect from the councillors if I am to respect them in the future.

I would request (not demand) this.

An email to the Mayor requesting an apology has resulted in a long rambling statement containing several inaccuracies that seek to justify his  assertion that "There will be no apology".

He clearly feels he is right and that I was at fault.

As for other councillors:

I have had a warm smile from Janet Jenkinson at a subsequent council meeting.

We'll see what the future holds but no point in dwelling on this any longer.

Outrageous statements that shook the Town Council

This is one of them:

"Thank you to the six councillors that attended the meeting to review tourism where the need for a good web site was discussed however I sincerely believe that:

The absence over the past four years of the Town Council's concern for a good web site to appeal to the town's tourists has contributed to the closing of shops in the town.

We need a group of councillors to be formed to keep tourism under constant review"

I stand by this comment which seemed to shock our Mayor.

Considered logically all will agree.

Towns with a good web site for tourists will these days attract more tourists.

The Town's web site at ulverston.net has been a dismal failure.

The Town Council's web site does a good job of promoting the councillors and their business but attracting tourists, unlike other Town Councils, is not part of its remit.

Thus fewer tourists have been drawn here that would have come, had been a good web site for them.

Fewer tourists - less business for the shops.

Less business - more shops that close.

One councillor - Colin Williams has recently addressed the problem - at least he recognises it.

However the result was poor  as he acknowledged( see discussion on this topic).

Now completely independently of the council a private individual is producing a web site for tourists that is something that is already special and will get better as more and more is added to it and others chip in to help. Let's hope it makes a real impact next season.

Have a look at www.visitulverston.com

If you like it, refer to it on your web site or blog so that it sails to the top of a Google search for "Ulverston" where you may think it deserves to be.

The more references to it, the higher it will rise in the Google ratings.

Is there a reason why we have had no opportunity to thank Gill Barron for her work?

Many of you will have marvelled at the fantastic result of Gill's work that we have in Lower Brook Street:

The John Barrow Mural

Featured here on the First of July - where you can watch the videos.

I gather that she is extremely upset.

At this moment she has reacted strongly on her own web site

Looking at the web site that she created to display her work. At the moment she has removed most of the photographs of her work in protest.

However here in Ulverston, I am not aware of any recognition being given to all her hard work.

In contrast there was a  ceremony that was held when she did the previous mural.

I spoke to her on almost a daily basis as she worked in rain and cold conditions to produce this masterpiece - she even moved here temporarily to be able to get the work done.

I gather she wants the matter dropped.

So this is what is being done.

As I see it Gill is clearly upset.

Perhaps, in reality, she's a happy little bunny.

Until she tells us otherwise we can only go on what she tells us on her web sites.

I don't think we're going to learn any more.

The Town Clerk explains that  "She is satisfied with the arrangements made with her."

It would still be good to be given the opportunity to thank her for all her hard work.

The Council want you to know

The Ulverston Town Council are enthusiastic in their support for a Tourist Information Centre in Ulverston.

They are supporting the bid of the Ulverston Coumunity Partnership (UCP) which their chairman Paul Jarvis stated to the council is designed to fail.

 Despite the support from the community expressed in the 410 signature petition where 18 people have volunteered to work alongside staff from the existing TIC in order to ensure costs are low:

The council support the UCP who are saying "In the event that there were no other viable bids we offering a bid."

This means that it is not designed to be viable and takes no account of the views of the public that have expressed their concerns and  willingness to be involved in a promising solution.

The public left the meeting stunned by the unwillingness of the council to engage with this issue other than in the rhetoric of meaningless words.


Cllr James Airey tried to guide the along discussion along by stating that he was adding his name to the list of volunteers and urged the counciol to take some action. Support for the UCP was all that they could manage.

With leadership like this we need to reconcile ourselves with the reality that Ulverston is heading for even more shop closures, the disappearance of our market and a town that has no aspirations for the future.

In fact clear thinking businessmen in the town believe we will become a ghost town unless the public start to assert themselves with strong leadership that begins to solve the towns problems; the prime one being our high charging car parks.

An example of the inadequacy  of the council was the acceptance of two new bus shelters at the Health Centre and in the County Square with money coming from the County Council (our money).  Yet the councillors weren't sure these were needed while the bus shelter at the bus station by the library which is heavily used has had a gaping hole in its roof for over a year with no signs of repair until the year 2013 as stated by Cllr Colin Williams.

Such is the state of democracy in our lazy thinking, poorly led, defeatist Ulverston.

A fair report is given in the Westmorland Gazette

Also the Evening Mail in greater detail.

Toursim - the views of some of our councillors

Mayor Phil Lister, Multi Councillor, James Airey (Town, District and County Councils) and Cllr Judy Pickthall who has been active regarding the TIC and the Town Market issues are all attending the meeting with the Tourism Community at the Lantern House next Monday at 5:30 pm

On Tuesday August 10th the day after my plea to the Council- From Town Councillor Colin Williams:

Hi Geoff, I thought you made some valid points last night. It's just so frustrating that we can't debate these issues brought up by the public at the time they are raised. I agree that the town needs to keep it's website up to date, otherwise there is no point in having a link to news, if the news is as old as you say. David Parrat has been updating pictures of the progress of the monument but you have to dig to know where these are.
The truth of the matter is that we don't have a person dedicated, or paid to gather all the touristy info together and then post it onto our site. DP is probably snowed under with other council stuff, especially whilst the monument has been ongoing.

If you have any ideas of how we could do things better then I'ld be happy to listen to them.

regards

Cllr Col

To which I immediately replied:

Cllr Colin Williams,

Thanks Colin, for your feedback. I'm encouraged that you thought that
I had made some valid points and that you regretted that there wasn't
an opportunity to debate the issues in the meeting.

I suggest that it would be a good thing to make sure that the topic
"The Town Council Support of Tourism in the Ulverston area" goes on
the agenda for the next Town Council meeting on Sept 4th.

I am finding that there is a lot of interest from those who benefit
from tourism - shops, restaurants and those providing accommodation.
Many of these will be attending this meeting to express their concerns.

They believe that The Town Council should do everything they can to
promote this important industry in the town.

There are two main concerns : the absence of a good web site and the
imminent withdrawal of SLDC support for our TIC.
I'm sure that those concerned will want to put their arguments forward
in writing before the meeting as well as emphasising their main points
at the beginning of the council meeting.

Can I assume that you will see that this item will be placed on the
agenda?

Geoff

Thursday 12 August Colin Williams replies:

Hi Geoff, I think that Ulverston community Partnership which is chaired by
Paul Jarvis have already been looking at a strategy for the future of
tourism.
As for your suggestion that I place your topic on the agenda for Sept 4th I
won't be doing that.
Yes I know you believe it is important but your asking me to bring an item
to the meeting I know very little about, and asking the council to support
tourism is a bit fluffy. I'm sure they all support tourism.
I'll have a think about this, chat to colleagues, and see if there is a more
constructive motion that we could discuss.
I'll also check out what UCP has been up to.

Colin

I have not heard anything further from Cllr Colin Williams

The role of the Town Council from one of the Town's successful traders

We have to get the message over that the council must deliver an effective & thriving town fit for both tourism and the local community.

It can only do this with the right criteria in place.

• Good, clean and safe access -- well sign posted
• Easy & cheap parking
• Good variety for festivals well advertised
• Good quality and variety of shopping
• A bustling market - both indoor & outdoor
• Responsible opening times from traders ( not shut 1/2 day wed)
• Important tourist information available to as wide an audience as possible

The traders cannot deliver all the above without the council making a commitment to deliver what the elected representatives have been charged to do.

ie Make Ulverston a town worthy of a visit on a regular basis.


We have to be also aware that there are a number of landlords in this town who are stubornly holding rents at restrictive levels and making it unattractive for new comers to the retail world.
I am unaware what can be done but council presence may prove worthwhile.

We need to ask the high street big hitters like HSBC, TSB, Bargain Booze - what exactly do U contribute to the town in supporting all the above criteria.Should this include even the edge of town garages who seem to profit regardless of any other issue.

Should we also demand more from our residents, charity groups, local clubs & pubs?

Gavin Knott
Appleseeds

Tourism concerns

A meeting to enable the Tourism Community in the town to discuss amongst themselves and with Town Councillors has been organised for :

Monday 23rd August at 5:30 pm at The Lantern House - coffee provided

The main topics are:

• The closure of the Tourism Information Centre in March 2011 and the financing of its replacement
• The importance of a dedicated web site for Ulverston Tourism

Other topics like the need and solutions for the town to be in charge of its own car parks and market need to be addressed in the future. This requires our South Lakeland District Councillors to work with other councillors from outlying areas that are not aligned to Kendal - a difficult but not impossible task. We need to buy back control of our car parks - I'm sure a deal could be struck to our mutual benefit.

The results of these discussions will then be presented to the Town Council at their meeting on Monday 6th September when it is hoped these concerns will be discussed by the council.

The Monday Interview - The Egg Man introduced by David Gardner

David talks about the future of Ulverston Market in this last part of an impressive interview.



Next week we'll have the first part of David's interview. We all think of David as being a local man - well the next town at least - but just how far does he come:

from 10 miles; 20 miles; 40; 80; or maybe even 160 miles away ? You may be surprised!

Now, a little about someone who has marketing flare though some might think his eggs aren't quite what they appear- brown they certainly are.




To see our other Monday Interviews click here or on the "interview" label below.

Cobbles replaced with tarmac

in Liverpool’s World Heritage Site

Thanks for this from a reader of this blog. Many heads are better than one.

If this can happen at this site in Liverpool.

We'd better look to our laurels.

By taking this over ourselves - and taking action before they roll up with the asphalt as happened in Liverpool - at least we have a lot of control. Unlike most of our councillors we need to take action and make proposals before disaster strikes.

You never know what are dysfunctional Highways Department will do next.

See the attitude of the County Council in the article about The Gill Cobbles

This is why I'm researching alternative ways of laying cobbles more efficiently as used in Italy as we speak! With good know how we can do the job ourselves at such a high standard that it would be extremely unlikely that we would be sued and thus insurance is irrelevant. So far I've got a good track record in similar matters.

In support of the comment from A.R. below.

You can write with your concerns:

to the clerk of the Ulverston Town Council, David Parratt ( townhall@ulverstoncouncil.org.uk )

to our Conty Councillor James Airey who has been instrumental recently in getting his highways department to finally do their job ( james.airey@cumbriacc.gov.uk )

to Paul Jarvis, Chairman of the Ulverston Business Alliance and now chair of the Ulverston Community Partnership who is deeply concerned about the future of Ulverston especially the role of tourism ( info@ulverstonbusinessalliance.co.uk )

Your email will really make an impact because the recipients can then state the level of public concern to Council Officials and press from a more thoughtful and all inclusive approach to our problems.

The arrogant attitude , so prevalent with officials, needs to be nailed to the carpet so that it can go no further. This was especially common with the now side-lined Nick Raymond and even David Parratt on at least one occasion, that "We know best, keep your nose out and leave it to us" - that has led to some disasters in the past.

Speaking up certainly is having effect as more and more of us do it!

And email couln't be easier.

A totally irresponsible Town Council

On Friday night I lost my cool when being barracked by Cllr Brian Wilkinson as I talked to them about their disgraceful handling of Ulverston's web site.

To see what I mean, put Ulverston and Kendal into Google and compare the top few sites.

Even Ambleside does a much better job than us.

Tourism is a very valuable source of the Town's income. The North East around Newcastle report a big surge of tourists since the £ has been weak. They attribute their success to some hard work at publicity over the last five years.

During that time Ulverston has been going downhill rapidly on the Internet stakes.

The Town Council promised us a new site having heavily criticized (quite rightly) Jayne Kendal's muddled attempts paid for by the SLDC.

After months of waiting when there was nothing to view we get a beautiful site promoting - - the Town Council and all its Councillors. Not a sign of a really good Ulverston Site geared to providing information to the potential tourist.

GoUlverston tries hard but is geared to earning money from providing information to the locals not the tourists.

With all the emphasis on Ulverston being a Festival Town - just try finding out about these wonderful events using the Internet.

Jayne Kendall's (SLDC) site doesn't even mention festivals, nor does the town Council's in detail. GoUlverston presents some information, but in a rather chaotic way.

Please spend a little time on the internet as though you were a tourist from say France, Germany or Japan and see what you can find out about Ulverston.

Have our Councillors ever tried this? Instead they behave in an incredibly smug way, standing by as the town's trade spirals ever downwards.

The only trade that is truly reliable at present is from tried and tested customers who know good service when they see it.

Political correctness gone mad?

Is the suggestion of scrapping this sculpture crazy?

Is the suggestion that it needs £3 million to make it safe, political correctness gone mad?

Can't we have more dramatic sculptures in our public places?

With Chris Brammall in our midst can't we have more invigorating sculptures in our squares?