Supermarket will 'wreck' Ulverston

I've just returned from holiday to read the above headline on the Westmorland Gazette site.

They quote Ceri Hutton. I think she is right. 

Here is my rather long but hopefully thoughtful detailed comment: 

Unlike Ceri, I am not part of the Keep Ulverston Special Group. Initially I was in favour of the Robinson's Brewery site supermarket as I thought it would complement existing traders in the town and provide a cheaper alternative to Booths.

I took the trouble to investigate the proposal put forward by Sainsbury in May this year and published an interview with their representative which I believed would inform the public in a neutral way as to what was proposed.

As someone who was present at their display for three hours on their final day I find the publicity coming from Sainsbury regarding the views of local people to be downright dishonest and worthy of very competent politicians who are good at convincing people that black is white.

I too have discussed the topic with about fifty of my friends and 90% believe that any supermarket will undermine the long term future of the town of Ulverston. I am now convinced that another supermarket would be disastrous. Upgrade the Co-op which is owned by us : Yes. But large remotely run businesses : No

The reason is that at present the trade in the town, for the most part is run well by local people. These are canny businessmen who work with local suppliers to get good produce at low prices. Both Deborah Robinson and myself have independently done thorough surveys of local prices that show that that a combination of well run shops like Brocklebanks and Smith and Harrisons can supply a wider variety of goods at lower prices than the supermarkets.

Supermarkets are a thing of the past they are on their way out because of their inefficiency and inability to operate flexibly at a local level. Their transport costs will always be high and are rising as fuel prices increase. Something made in Dalton will be trundled all the way to Manchester only to travel all the way back to Dalton to be sold there. The local businessman buys locally from other efficient producers with working conditions with negligible transport cost.

Supermarkets do not provide new jobs because they put the smaller local suppliers out of business in favour of the distant large scale supplier with dubious hire-and-fire policies and in some cases illegal immigrant workers.

Secondly large is not necessarily better. These companies are run by remote executives who act for the benefit of the large company. Thus in say ten years, they could decide that an Ulverston store isn't as effective as a larger one in Kendal. The smaller Ulverston store which will get closed.

They won't care a toss about how that leaves Ulverston. Yes you could argue that Ulverston is thirty years behind the rest of the country. With the present economic situation this could well be it's salvation.

My plea is for everyone to think carefully about the future and not plump for the 'cheaper' option - in the future this could prove the expensive one which holds a monopoly. No in my view small, local and quickly flexible is the service to vote for. Ulverston, in spite of it's poor politicians has still got the makings of being special. Now at last there are the signs that even the political scene is at the beginning of a shake up thanks to the likes of Jane Harris - one our new and energetic Councillors - and there are more waiting off stage ready to step in - in Five years time Ulverston could be truly special.

Vote “No” to Sainsbury and any other supermarket. Resist their slick highly professional and dishonest way of winning an argument. Resist big business. Have faith in your local loyal nose-to-the-grindstone businessman not a remote disinterested cold-blooded executive with an office at the top of a sky scraper with a team of suited PR persuaders and highly paid lawyers who know how to operate just on the right side of the line of legality. People who know how to pull the right string and are even skilled at the back-hander.

Our local Green Party

I had a revealing discussion with Bill Shaw, formerly of Swarthmore Hall yesterday.

The local branch, I find, are following a simplistic strategy, recommended by Headquarters.
They believe that you put forward a candidate for every position so as ' to provide the voter with choice'.

Sounds good but what then happens is that you can have a candidate from another party who also shares Green philosophy but is a member of another party getting defeated because the green philosophy people have their votes split between two candidates and someone with totally different views gets in.

This happened recently when Jane Carson, Lib Dem, who had done a lot of work on behalf of a green philosophy for one term on the SLDC was defeated by Pauline Airey, Conservative who has done nothing for the people of Greenodd/ Penny Bridge. This happened because the green vote was split between Jane Carson and an unknown Green Party candidate - Jo-anne Duncan. See my previous posting here.

The underlying problem is the lack of thought being given to politics . We consistently miss out on good people because the electorate vote mindlessly with little thought. They even vote along national party lines one local people standing for local issues.

What first needs to change in all areas is for voters to vote for the candidate that supports the policies they favour. Secondly two candidates who hold similar views should never run against each other.

Sadly we can expect that with mindless local party leaders and with mindless voters the existing practise will continue. Shame on you Judith and Simon Filmore, our local Green Party leaders I'd hoped you were better motivated. Instead of working to achieve solutions on local issues you follow a mindless "vote for the party" strategy.

Things will not change until we get a lot of independent candidates so that people can vote for the person and what they stand for and not blindly for the party. This happens in more progressive towns when the the party candidates don't get a look in. Sadly Ulverston still lives in the Dark Ages and suffers from inertia because of the low quality of their councillors.

Why do we want to tease our local politicians?

Cllr Colin Pickthall writes:
"Might I gently and quietly suggest that the insulting references to councillors on your blog, and elsewhere, hardly encourage co-operation, or even responses."

He is referring to my statement:
"Local Councillors are notorious for talking big and doing extremely little."

Insulting? Isn't notoriety akin to fame? Perhaps my warped perception of what in fact is a noble profession - speaking up for the underpriveldged - perhaps I've been wearing the wrong glasses for the last thirty years and should have had a different prescription. I need to change my glasses to rose tinted ones?

Cllr Pickthall I am very receptive to any advice you may have that will encourage co-operation, but realistically; what's the point.

May I very gently suggest that I made a polite request by phone for your assistance in re-enstating the very popular picnic tables on Gill Banks. This was early in May.
You stated that it was early days and it would have to go before the Town Lands Trust Committee.
You have in fact been on that committee since mid May. You have obviously been very busy.

I've heard nothing from you.

Perhaps this is usual for a local politician. Messages need come in threes to be noticed.

At the same time in early May, I contacted my SLDC representative, Cllr Helen Irving, regarding the provision of fencing in Mill Dam Park see below. I also heard nothing.
During the previous weeks I requested repeatedly that she meet me in Mill Dam Park which is just 50 yards away from her house. She agreed but it would have to be in a fortnight or so - I am still waiting.

A little later in May, during a meeting with my County Councillor James Airey I showed him the state of the setts in the Gill that break all the Highways standards on safety. He said he would see to it. The setts have got steadily worse. Now I understand; "seeing to it" means  reporting it - something I imagine that I can manage myself. Apparently it doesn't mean getting the job done. No just putting the job on someones list.

With the previous Town Cllr Colin Williams he stated that a badly needed repair in Lower Brook Street was "fixed" - nothing happened and I did the repair myself breaking the law in the process. Well the repair is good to this day and no one would now know it had been done by an unauthorised person. To him "fixed" meant he had sent an email. . . . .

When about 15 Pot holes needed repair down all the way down Market Street due to poor workmanship of the contractors for Unitied Utilities, the then Cllrs headed by Norman Bishop-Rowe stated that they could get nowhere with the County Council Highways Dept. in getting them fixed. Was I breaking all the rules by contacting the boss of Unitied Utilities directly (with the help of one of their employees who was originally from Ulverston)?
United Utilies apologised in writing for the poor standard of workmanship, sent me a cheque for £25 and came and made good, except for a stretch between New Market Street and Brogden Street which the Highways Department insisted that they should be paid for doing the work because they would be doing the work themselves . . . . Since then United Utilities have done excellent repairs something I've complimented them for, through our regular contacts.

I can go on and on to illustrate that the idea of using your local councillor to get things done - is mostly likely not the best course of action if peace of mind is important. Operating as an individual can usually get work done far more quicker by finding the right person, being polite and assertive and building a relationship of co-operation with the people involved - Work on the wall of Union Lane through the NHS managers, work in Mill Dam through the Parks Engineer.  Market holders get frustrated and  decry the lack of interest shown in their plight through our councillors.  Other towns like, Settle, they find that Cllrs are round regularly to check how they are getting on so that they feel valued and looked after. Sometimes it can be better having no expectation than experiencing a let down. Is this why people like Carl Fines of South Ulverston avoids politicians because he ends up feeling so angry being let down repeatedly.

Over all these experiences I have learnt that if one wants a job doing quickly and well, one is best avoiding a councillor and dealing direct with the people that will do the work.

Sadly I find  - "Local Councillors are notorious for talking big and doing extremely little."

In order to remain sane never assume they will achieve anything. Then extremely rarely a politician comes up trumps.
Former Cllr Jack Rice worked very hard following my attempt to get a result by visiting the SDLC General Meeting and talking about the Car Parking issue. They promised me an answer : it was "the matter is receiving consideration". Jack Rice, even though he wasn't a District Councillor achieved a change in policy over Stockbridge Lane charges by presenting SDLC with hard facts in his report which he extricated from them using Freedom of Information. During his brief time on the Town Council he demonstrated a willingness to take on responsibility (tackling issues outside his remit - Birkrigg Common), and showed tenacity with quiet determination. The opposite of the front page "isn't it terrible" photograph we see over and over again. Then there was Tim Farron MP, some time ago and he isn't even my representative but we have a 'good understanding'. And even further back was District Councillor David Foot who worked hard with little recognition or support as an Independent District Councillor.

 * * * *

Notes: Correspondence with Helen Irving my SLDC representative:

Thanks

Geoff
On 17 May 2012, at 12:46, wrote:

Hi Geoff

I have been tied up with meetings but i will look into this at Milldam
Regards

Helen
----Original Message----
From: gd@tygh.co.uk
Date: May 17, 2012 10:55
To: "Ballantyne, Carl"
Cc: "Judy PICKTHALL", "Helen Irving"
irving@O2.co.uk>, "Margaret Hornby", "David
Pickthall", "James Airey"
Airey@cumbria.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Mill Dam Park

Thanks Carl,
Yes it clarifies what is going on , however I do not accept the
conclusion.
The fence is clearly the responsibility of the sheltered housing as
the fence, surrounding the then new Sheltered Housing was there before
the park existed. At that time in 1984 there was housing, a fence round
it with what was then barren land  with rubble and broken glass left
behind by the builders on the land that is now our park who built the
housing.
I know because it was I together with a  . . . . . . . .

The West Coast Mainline bid

And where has John Woodcock, our local MP, been all this time?

He's Labour's Shadow Minister for Transport for God's sake and we haven't heard a peep from him.

Surely if Labour were a force to be reckoned with, it would be he who was leading the fight.

If you scour his web site there's not a mention of it.

No wonder we ordinary mortals are tearing our hair out in frustration: we see something blatantly crooked going on and no politician shouts out and leads the fight locally.

Yes he is doing something about through trains to Manchester but isn't the handling of this bid far more important and basic to the public's view of democracy. We are promised that with over 100,000 on a petition  to parliament we get an emergency debate. Yet with well over 160,000 this has been denied - and who led what fight there was? No not the Shadow Minister for Transport but Tim Farron the Liberal Democrat. What kind of politician is John Woodcock? A cardboard cut out? He comes across as an eleven year old dressed up as a man. We're dealing with wolves out there we need real leadership.

Here is the answer I have received from his office:

Dear Dr Dellow

Thank you for your recent emails to John Woodcock regarding the West Coast Mainline bid, which we received on Saturday 1st September. Unfortunately John is not able to respond personally at the moment as he is recovering at home from a recent accident.

However, I can say that his position follows that of the shadow secretary of state, Maria Eagle, who has been quoted extensively in the media in the last fortnight. The shadow frontbench have a number of concerns about the government’s decision to accept the First Group bid.  Firstly, they feel that First Group’s bid may be unrealistically high, which could lead to sharp fare rises or in First Group being unable to meet their contractual obligations. They also have concerns that, whatever company ends up running the West Coast Mainline, the franchise agreement allows the successful operator to close ticket offices, reduce staff levels and significantly increase fares so that some routes could see fare increases by up to 11% for the next two years and up to 8% each year until 2026.  The recent fare increases are already seriously affecting many commuters and rail users.

John feels it is vital the government listens to these and other concerns that have been expressed in recent weeks. As I am sure you’re aware, the secretary of state for transport yesterday confirmed that the contract with First Group will not be signed until the legal process arising from Virgin’s challenge is concluded.

As shadow transport minister, John will continue to press the government to allow appropriate parliamentary scrutiny of the decision.

Thank you once again for writing to John on this important issue. He hopes to be back at work soon and will want to hear from you if there are any further issues you wish to raise.

Kind regards


Catherine Webb
Acting Manager

Office of John Woodcock MP
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness
Tel: 01229 431204
Web: http://www.johnwoodcock.org
Follow John on Twitter: twitter.com/JWoodcockMP
 

YUK is the only response I can come up with. With all this information at your finger tips why aren't you setting yourself on fire (metaphorically of course) attached to the Houses of Parliament Railings?

No wonder the public are despairing of politics as we know it.
And the Greens where are they? (The answer is of course - mindlessly promoting the Greens without a thought to local issues or the good politicians we do have - had, Jayne Carson for example, a strong advocate on environment issues, ).

No wonder local people are talking about forming their own political party - things are getting desperate out there. Party politics rules and not the issues we're really concerned about.

How can this blog be improved ?

To me blogs could be a valuable alternative/compliment to the press.

They provide an alternative to what can be a very biased press. One would not remove bias but it could be a very varied source of bias. I am often accused of being opinionated; to which I reply "What do you expect what is written is my opinion". Furthermore I deliberately write in a way that might provoke others to speak up and 'print' the result as long as it is 'constructive' criticism coming from someone who identifies themselves. Comments like the following are ignored. "You fucking stupid git. Your views are just farts sounding out of your arse" (Though, far more colourful than this - I don't seem to have this talent)

How could an Ulverston Blog work?

There is already the provision for different people with different views to express their views: as you will see each post gives the name of the person posting it so that each author would be clearly indentified. What they write says a lot about themselves and they have to live with it.

I shall be trying to persuade people in the town to participate in a neutrally named blog eg The Ulverston Blog, that would initially be open to anyone. To my way of thinking this could work well and gaurd against the time when the operators of our local press decide that it makes no sense commercially; something that is close to happening here in Ulverston already with reporters who don't know Ulverston writing from their office in Barrow.

We could provide interviews of people and happenings of interest. - Some of my Youtube interviews like the ones on Rhubarb and Custard - the doll's house shop -  have clearly boosted trade.

We could learn more about what politicians are seeking to do and achieve, so that they would become more re-electable.

Ulverston has a long tradition of generating a disproportionate amount of news relative to the population with approximating five times as much news/per head coming from what happens here ( a figure pluct out of the air). It is even conceivable that a blog could in the future pay for some in depth investigative editorial content.

How about it?

Will anyone join me in trying out a new mock-up to explore this possibility?

New Councillors - Town and District

Has anyone formed an impression of the 'new kids on the block'.

Jane Harris, based on a recent Mail report on the Lantern House, comes across as someone who is ready to get stuck in. I'm impressed.

Any others?

James Airey came by, for a thorough update

We had a frank discussion as we always do.

He looked with me at Mill Dam Park, our store of fencing timber, the pottery being repaired, the Flags now in state of examination before repair and storage for next year, the state of the sets in The Gill that have yet again been dislodged severely by cars with power steering, the state of the pottery at The Railings, Gill Banks, the situation regarding Himalayam Balsam there.

We also discussed our concerns about Car Parking charges and recognised my role in raising the Stockbridge Lane issue and claimed that he had been working hard to achieve the concession we now have there.Other important issues were the excessive cuts to our Ulverston Police force and the rediculous delays in the work on the town's sets (cobbles) down Market St.

He agreed with me that party politics should be avoided at local level as most of our (achievable) aims are very similar.

He is interested in supporting and encouraging local endeavours taken on by all the members of the Ulverston community. We both put forward the view that much more could be achieved outside government involvement. There was real value of Cllrs acting as the oil that enabled efficient and productive functioning of our communities.

By God- am I beginning to sound like a politician ? Watch it Geoff - be careful who you spend your time with!

And bloody well time too

A miniscule amount of intelligence has emerged from the controlling Lib. Deb. management on the subject of Ulverston Car Parks.

And I imagine Cllr Willis will be expecting us to be grateful.

Not on your life. The controlling Lib. Dem. SLDC councillors have been sitting on the Stockbridge Lane Car Park issue for literally years - probably five.

It's a sign of their disastrous financial management that our car parking in Ulverston is in such a mess.

It's also a reflection of our inept Ulverston Councillors that they got away with this situation for all this time.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that Multi Cllr James Airey ( until recently Town, District and County Cllr  with his wife a District Councillor too, power power power) will be claiming the credit being a close runner up to out of town Cll Willis for allowing common sense to struggle to the surface of this mire filled pond.

I was at the SLDC meeting in Kendal eighteen months ago where council charges were discussed  and far from showing the fire that Cllr Tom Harvey from Grange can breath,  James like a pet poodle, gently nuzzled up to the powerful arrogant Kendal Lib. Dem. councillors and looked up lovingly into their eyes and whined "Please, please. Couldn't your most worshipful and illustrious important people be good enough to smile more kindly on us very deserving Ulverston folk. Please please, pretty please."

 Not exactly his words maybe, but you get the drift. Cllr Hodgson was a bit gruffer and Cllr Jenkinson was her polite affable ladylike self with a poorly put together argument based on Lancashire charges.

By contrast Grange Councillor Tom Harvey, on another issue at that meeting, came across as a German trained Doberman and had to be restrained. He was persuaded to be quiet by a deal being struck off-stage away from the prying eyes of the press.

It's time for some rational but emotional, fighting Cllrs to stand up and represent us - and who do we have stepping forward but well meaning but hardly effective, Cllr Helen Irving.

At the Town Council level Cllr Norman Bishop-Rowe can't been seen to be cooperating with members of the public and for a long time hid the fact that the Stockbridge Lane car park income was only the paltry sum of £4,000 per year  which represents I seem to remember a measly 2p /hour per car park space.

It's unbelievable how much ammunition that our Cllrs are hoarding in their precious briefcases instead of loading it into the Sten guns they should be aiming and firing at the controlling SLDC management. What is it ? It costs SLDC £400 / per week to operate each loo under their control?

They spend months digging up the really good cobbles in Market Street ( that don't need touching) and leave us with the shambolic ones further down the street. Leaving an Aimey foreman who is doing the work to describe the actions of Cumbria County Council as crazy.

Just to remind you:-

There are some new kids on the block and let's hope they can string two punchy words together and fight the Ulverston Cause more effectively than those in the past.

I'm one of six candidates for the board that runs my Coop

I am turning my energies to running my Coop organisation. I shall be one of the six candidates that have been nominated for Coop members to vote for in July.

Few of you may have realised that I actually own the Coop that I have used for most of my life.

That's why I have banked with the Coop, have my car insurance with the Coop and shop at the Coop.

The Coop "CIS Tower" in Manchester which I own !

Naturally because I own it  - I use it!

And now , if elected, I shall run all the Coops in South Cumbria and North Lancashire - an area encompassing Barrow, Kendal, Lancashire and of course Ulverston.

Anyone reading this blog won't be surprised that I'm doing this as I naturally been very biased in favour of my company when it came to Tesco invading our territory here in Ulverston.

Press the Coop link to see what I've had to say in the past to see that I'm being entirely consistant:

http://geoffdellow.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Coop

Oh by the way - you also own my company too - if you are a Coop member : which is why you too receive dividends from the profits of my company - and will be invited to vote.

What all six candidates have to say about themselves will be available on line  and I'll indicate where you can read this as soon as it's up!

Meanwhile you can alert all your Coop Member friends to the fact that there's an important election coming up in early July.

Now this election will really count as unlike the local elections we've just had, we in the Coop can decide to do what we want as we act totally independently of Government policy. This is why the Coop came into being when people in the community decided to set up shop for themselves.

See Wiki for more information:

To quote:

"The Co-operative Group has over 123,000 employees across the UK. The group has headquarters in Manchester on an eight-building complex which includes the CIS Tower.^[8] The group will move to 1 Angel Square, its new £100m headquarters at NOMA, Manchester in 2012 - ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2013.<sup>[9]"

and elsewhere:</sup>

"The group's roots can be traced beyond the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers established 1844.^[10] The eight Rochdale Principles included distributing a share of profits according to purchases that came to be known as 'the divi'. In 1863, the North of England Co-operative Wholesale Industrial and Provident Society Limited was launched in Manchester by 300 individual co-operatives in Yorkshire and Lancashire. By 1872, it was known as the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS). ^"

^{Now that should give you all something to talk about !}

Expecting too much from people

The root cause of my dissatisfaction with politicians is that I take too little time to reflect on what motivates them.

If we consider how they become elected, it often isn't because they particularly wanted the job. It emerges, time and time again, that they became councillors by default.

Many start by being members of a party and are asked if they would represent it in an election that is coming up. They are flattered to be asked and  reluctingly agree even though they have fairly full lives already. They reason with themselves that there's a fair chance that they won't get elected.

It is we the electorate that are responsible for the next disastrous step. As we have a 'democracy' and have been brainwashed into thinking that this is a good thing - only primitive countries suffer from dictatorships and political manipulation - we in Britain are above that. We therefore that feel we should vote.

Sadly most of us give this task only a superficial thought or two. We'll vote for the party that is on top at the moment in the media. We don't stop and think that actually at the local level of politics one's party leanings are really irrelevant. What are really needed at this level are people with particular qualities of personality rather than what their political beliefs are. The kind of problems facing a local councillor have little to do with party politics.

Take car parking charges in Ulverston. Every Ulverston local politician is going to want the charges to be low so that local trade thrives.

No, which party is in power at local level will make little difference. What is decisive is what kind of personalities are leading the fight. What is needed are people who are emotionally strong but rational and determined fighters. People with a tough life experience who have succeeded over difficulties. The kind of person that leads a good family business. People unwilling to take the easy option. People with the  flair of persuation and leadership.

Politics is not a rational process, basically it depends on the emotions of the people involved.

We all know that a planning decision can be swayed if twenty people attend the meeting all voicing one opinion. The councillors for the most part are influenced by the emotions of the twenty. Sadly emotions are raised highest if people are against something and not if we are in favour. Thus time and time again a few negative individuals can summon up a lot of feeling amongst others to STOP something happening.

Thus we mostly vote at local elections on a superficial vague emotional level: we don't like what is going on at national government level so we vote against the party/ies in power. This time the Conservative-Liberal coalition is making unpopular cutbacks so we vote against them - it's not really that we favour the Labour view; we vote in a negative way for what we don't like.

We thus ignore, for the most part,  the personalities of the people we elect and find , surprise surprise, that we've elected people who didn't really want the job in the first place. There could be really good people with personalities we admire but if they're in the wrong party - they've had it.

Can you amagine anyone getting elected as a Liberal in Ulverston at the moment: no matter how superb their personalities and fighting drive is?

So what happens next?

Read my next episode!

When will I learn?

There are some lessons that we seem to have blind spots to ever learning.

 Friends will repeat the message over and over again.

They will recommend putting a notice up ten foot high directly outside my window with the same message so that I will be repeatedly be reminded.

 Yet I still fall into the same trap.

 Over and over again.

People who stand beside me cannot believe that I've gone and bloody well done it again.

My failing is clearly that I think that involvement with politicians can ever be beneficial. 

By definition, (I have to drum the message in), politicians are emotionally draining people.

 We need to steer a course that avoids them by many miles. We should never seek them out for help or even try to pressure them to do anything. Yet here am I doing it all over again.

 I'm writing to politicians to ask for them to do something. Why don't I learn that one is far better avoiding them and doing the whole job myself. One always has this "this time I can make it work differently" feeling.

 Here's a message to take in:

 Geoff if there's a politician around, run a mile in the opposite direction. 

 Carl Fine in South Ulverston has told me again and again "I don't go anywhere near them as they make me so angry". "I just don't vote." So why did I get dragged in this last time round ?

 Next time I will, I really will, ONLY VOTE IF THERE IS SOMEONE I REALLY WANT TO VOTE FOR. This would have meant that I would have only cast one vote when in reality I  voted four times.

Next lesson: if reliable people don't get elected then shrug and give up straight away. To do otherwise will be inviting an emotionally draining experience. Others learnt this message ten, twenty even fifty years ago and have lived a relaxed life since with little frustration from the people that can set you off in a spin without trying.

More to follow as I reflect on what is wrong with us and our system of local government - and what I find actually works for me.

Three Cheers for Peter Clarke

Mill Dam Park users in Ulverston will be indebted to the conscientiousness of our SLDC Parks Engineer, Peter Clarke; the guy who singlehandedly manages all the parks for this area stretching from the far side of Kendal, Sedbergh, Ambleside, Grange and Ulverston. During the last ten years Peter has had responsibility thrust on him to do more and more with less and less - and no doubt be cursed for inaction in the process.

We at Mill Dam have been working in the park for over three years now providing all the flowers, bulbs, picnic tables and doing some repairs. We have had an outstanding safety issue for two years with a gate opening outwards into the road with no catch that has withstood vandalism. Our previous Councillor, Colin Hodgson agreed that something needed to be done, in fact he agreed that the gate should not open outwards onto the road but the reverse thus reducing the chance of accident from small children that elude the attention of their parents. For two years now we have struggled with inaction from others than ourselves. Bingo we have now hit the jackpot having at last reached the right person to do the job. By return of email only two days ago we got an immediate commitment to action and today, Thursday the new catch is in place. Similarly a bench that has sat sadly vulnerable for two years with only one seat slat is to have the correct three pieces of new substantial wood in place.
Peter Clarke provided the required wood today and we will drill, provide bolts and fix the new timbers in place on Saturday afternoon at our work, play and eat party organised by local parent Cathie.

Now after many phone calls, emails of barking up the wrong trees of councillors and management we have finally found the person who actually gets the job done - someone no doubt that no one has heard of before whilst the people who should be doing something get their name on the front page decrying how  Ulverston is going to pot.

Mill Dam Park is set to be the most supported and maintained park in Cumbria. Ulverston in Bloom you've seen nothing yet with new 400 bedding plants promised in June. People  bring their children from Backbarrow, Dalton and other outlying areas because of the friendliness of the environment. It's obviously one that is cared for by the local people.

What we all need are action men rather smooth talkers. Let's hope the new bunch of politicians meeting at the Town Hall to share the jobs out, this next Monday evening will demonstrate in the future that things now will start to happen in Ulverston.

Will the new Labour Councillors be any different to the old Conservatives? In four year's time we will know.

SLDC Election Results

Taken from the Westmoreland Gazette site:

Ulverston Central: Norman Bishop-Rowe (Con, 209), Andrew Hudson (Lib Dem, 45) Alison Elaine Morris (Green Party, 34), Sundara Bharath Rajan (Labour, 211) RESULT: LABOUR GAIN

Ulverston East: Judith Anne Filmore (Green Party, 31), Peter Hornby (Con, 111), Ian Jackson (UKIP, 34), Maureen Frances Nicholson (Lib Dem, 23), John Mark Wilson (Labour and Co-operative, 214) RESULT: LABOUR HOLD

Ulverston North: Anne Downe (Lib Dem, 69), Helen Irving (Con, 280), Chris Loynes (Green Party, 114), Colin Pickthall (Labour and Co-operative, 248) RESULT: CON HOLD

Ulverston South: David Khan (Lib Dem, 21), Judith Ann Pickthall (Labour and Co-operative, 210), Kate Rawles (Green Party, 31), Jane Amanda Rigg (Con, 329) RESULT: CON HOLD

Ulverston Town: John Victor Clough (Labour, 271), Simon James Filmore (Green Party, 50), James Mellor (Lib Dem, 30), Andrew James Samson (Con, 150) RESULT: LABOUR GAIN

Ulverston West: Loraine Birchall (Lib Dem, 26), Ian Charles Hunt (Labour, 147), Janette Ethel Jenkinson (Con, 381), Robert O’Hara (Green Party, 49) RESULT: CON HOLD

It's great to have some new people serving on the District Council.

Now let's keep in touch with what they are trying to achieve and how well they work.

I look forward to finding out what kind of people Sundara Bharath Rajan and John Victor Clough are. I shall cetainly be curious - Can I request that they operate a blog together with Mark Wilson, their colleague? I suspect that this is the first time that Ulverson has had half their representatives being Labour.

I'm still hoping that John Lawrence got in at Town Council Level. Now that would really be something!

As it turns out - see the SLDC site - John Lawrence didn't get in (much to his and his wife's relief I suspect).

A lot of new faces to get to know with 10 Labour and 8 Conservatives.

This should be fun - for a while. It will provide some entertainment as they settle in .

Will we now have some action?

Labour will be fighting to have lower Car Park charges (Fat chance with the present Lib Dem in charge).

It could be that our allotments are better run - not an easy assignment.

Vote today

For John Lawrence if you're in North Ward and going to the polling Station in Mill Street.

As for the rest . . . . .

Whatever happens, make sure you keep those elected doing their job in the next four years:

Their job is to represent us so they need to be bugged constantly to do this.

Our job is to do all we can to assert ourselves first before going to them.

It is their job to help us to do this effectively.

Some of them have made promises - let's make them keep them. Most of them promised nothing except flannel.

In my opinion they should have a blog to keep us informed of what they are doing.

Most politicians avoid taking action as it's hard work and will fob you off with excuses that they are powerless. To which I reply "Rubbish".

"We have elected you to lead us"

"That means taking action"

"What action do you propose?"

To which most will reply:

"I promise to sit on my bum and look important and appear on the front page of the paper and lament the terrible things that are happening and tell you how its all 'their' fault"

(For 'their', insert :Kendal, the government, the bankers, the weather, the Ice Cream Van)

To which we reply "Yes Sir, No Sir, Three Bag Fulls Sir"

You may conclude that local politics needs an alternative like the Occupy Movement

I'm all for that!

I find that I can be very effective bypassing the politicians altogether and it's far more effective and satisfying.

Putting them on the spot with Youtube works wonders!

Taking action yourself works wonders!

Why do I enjoy leafleting ?

I do!

I really do.

I've just been leafleting the whole of North Ward over the past two day (well 90%)

Why do I enjoy it so much?

1. My main reason is that it brings me up to date as to what local houses, gardens and a peek at how people live. I am intensely curious about how others live. Having a leaflet in your hand provides a passport to get up close to where ( and how ) people live.

There's lots to be seen:
Piles of kids shoes in the lobby;
a great pile of stubbed out cigarettes - (someone has been banned from smoking inside!) ;
rubbish empty bottles in the garden - someone who's finding life difficult;
loads of kids toys - scooters, bikes - in the garden (they're having a good time);
very neat and tidy with gravel everywhere (perhaps a little unadventurous);
flower beds and greenhouses full of plants (someone enjoys their garden);
two separate paths done with identical gravel to two adjacent front doors with a well mown lawn in between and no fence separating them (two neighbours that get on well as though they are brother and sister);
a very long path up to a house with another similar path to the next house with front doors tantalisingly close but unreachable because of a sturdy fence (one of the householders isn't very considerate - the postman has to needlessly walk all the way up and down if he has post for both houses);
an identical set of paths but this time there's a little well used gap in the fence to let the postman through.

2. It's very enjoyable exercise: lots of stepping up and down - a relaxed pace going up and down slopes regularly often with plenty of steps.

3. You meet interesting people.

Dinner calls - more tomorrow.

There's a bright star on the horizon - make it shine.

John Lawrence has put his name forward for election to our Town Council

- in the hope that he won't get elected because North Ward traditionally votes Conservative .

- Which is what he told me on the phone last night.

Let's prove him wrong and elect him.

I new John back in about 1975 when his wife, Jane mixed with mine in what was "The Housewives Register".

As I understand it, he was the manager at Bowater-Scott where he worked for twenty years. Apparently he then worked for Glaxo, here in Ulverston and then in Montrose. He then returned to Mowings Ulverston in 2008.

He then has got involved with supporting the Furness Music Centre of which he is Chairman of the Trustees.

I suspect that whatever John takes on, he will do really well.

I suggest we ignore party politics and vote on a man that will make a difference.

I'm confident that we in Ulverston won't regret it

What are the issues our local politicians should be tackling ?

The leaflets that I have seen coming through my letterbox seem to promote "Party , Party, Party" with messages that read like "Vote for us because our party is best"

Whereas what I want to hear is "Vote for me, because I'm concerned about Ulverston and I will fight to sort out and support local issues.

Personally I couldn't care less what party a person is in , it is what he/she does and how he/she behaves that is the most important.

Please no cardboard cutouts for me. Here's a guy made of flesh and blood.

Here are some of the issues I want to hear the candidate talking about: the one that I will vote for.

1. The Mismanagement of Car Parking Charges - especially the fact that Stockbridge Lane Car Park is so underused and that the charges are so high that they encourage people to use Supermarkets where parking is free. There are many , many people who believe that the SLDC and the Lib. Dem.s have little to no business sense and do not understand that high charges applied across the board do not lead to higher revenue. These high charges are having a disastrous effect not only on our shops but on our market. Along with this is the need for stricter enforcement of car parking enfringements ( Dog Fouling is a related issue)

2. The Survival of the Thursday and Saturday Markets which have a knock on effect on the visitors using our shops. In other towns like Sedbergh and Lancaster the local councils have made a big effort in working with the stall holders to make conditions that increase business - encouraging and organising coach parties.

3. Helping the Festivals to survive : Dickensian, Lantern Procession and Flag Fortnight are all in a state of crisis - people are having meetings to struggle to find an solution to the Lantern Procession at this very moment - There are two problems one is financial where support from UTC and SLDC (and even CCC), but the main one is bringing people together as a community to work together.

4. The Possibility of another Supermarket.  It is feared that this will put a lot of local shops out of business. The big companies like Tesco and Sainsbury have the economic power to undercut local shops for long periods. Then when the economic climate changes and for instance transport costs become relatively high they will choose to pull out of those towns that are away from the motorways, leaving us to rebuild our commercial supply with businesses with products made locally. It would seem better to encourage locally made/grown products to be sold locally in our own markets. This allows a very flexible business model designed for the individual needs of local communities that could cope better with the difficult times ahead: something large companies cannot do.

6. The financial mismanagement of the provision of local services like our public toilets costing over £400 each to be operated. With The Gill toilet being permanently lit every night even though it is locked up. The fencing around Mill Dam Sheltered Housing being replaced with new (when 90% of the wood was still sound) whilst that around the adjacent park is falling apart. This arose because one department found itself with cash to spend (Housing) whilst another (Parks) had none

5. There is an increasing demand for allotments. At the moment this is the issue with the most UTCouncillors showing and interest , yet there are still substantial problems with plots being neglected so that when finally they do become free they are overgrown with couch grass and perennial weeds, in some cases covered with brambles and in others having no nutrition left in the soil because of bad management which leads to the need to use artificial fertilisers.

6. Harnessing the willingness of the public to want to get involved with cultivating public land in an environmentally friendly and community way. There is of course our work in Mill Dam Park, but the Pound area right next door is ripe for a project. There is another group wanting to develop ecofriendly (wild flowers - a pond etc) ideas in Lightburn Park. We are successfully working at controlling the presence of Himalayan Balsam in Gill Banks. Someone else is working with the parish church at Church Walk. Then of course there is the work at Ford Park. There are others - the herbalist trying to get a garden going.

Sadly I haven't seen anyone that truly impresses me.

I'm waiting for the George Galloway of Ulverston to step forward. Wouldn't it be great to have someone with a bit of fire in his belly and a level of integrity to be fighting our corner?

Local Elections

What are your impressions of the candidates for SLDC - six councillors will be elected - and for the Ulverston Town Council - 18 will be elected?

I've approached the SLDC candidates for my ward - North: Helen Irving, Chris Loynes, Colin Williams and Ann Downe, all with the same request to meet them to find out how they propose to support the community work we do in this ward

As you may know we have an active group that does a variety of work in North Ward.

What support would you offer, if elected, regarding our work in Mill Dam Park, the Gill Banks Pottery project, the project to curb the invasive Himalayan Balsam in the Gill river bed, the organisation of the Candlelit Walk and the involvement in the flying of 50 Flags in The Gill during Flag Fortnight which takes place in two weeks time - something our group is working on now?

As you will notice our organisation, the BUGs, has put in a lot of work and money into the park. Over the past three years we have put in all the plants and bulbs and paid for and made three picnic tables. We have done this totally out of our time and pockets, with no grants used.

Rather than being a help, the SLDC Parks Department have tried to restrict our work and not kept promises of helping us with materials to do repairs. The fencing there badly needs repairing and we have been storing wood to do this taken from the replacement of the fencing around the Mill Dam Sheltered Housing which by contrast has been done.

All this will probably take 30 minutes to show you.

Would you be willing to meet in the park so as to show you our work and seek your support should you be elected ?

Ann Downe has already agreed to talk to us.

Geoff

There is a fair coverage of the above projects on Facebook:

 Flag Fortnight

The BUGs

The-Railings, Gill Banks, Ulverston, 

Candlelit Walk

I shall follow up these emails with a phone call to check that they have received them if necessary and will publish their responses.

Ann Downe in the flesh

A big disappointment:

1. We got off to a poor start - she was 25 minutes late - "we were just chatting" - she may not have realised that I was on a tight schedule.

2. She came with the full party machinery intent on promoting their party - four of the Lib. Dem. team with Jane Carson, former SLDC councillor, smiling benignly. She clearly had no time to answer my detailed questions but was intent on pumping hands and being seen by as many potential votes as possible. But not seen long enough to reveal her lack of knowledge of local issues which comes with living in Broughton. Her poorly produced leaflet all about the liberals and not her reflect this approach

I put it to her that she would stand more chance in four year's time as an Independent when she could be free from her party 'entourage'. By that time she could have dcemonstrated her interests in local problems and the action she is willing to take.

Do politicians really believe that they can win votes by just showing their faces? It would appear so.

I am following up with some questions that I shall put to all four candidates with enough time for them to reflect and give their considered answers.

The people running for my ward - North Ward Ulverston

First in the 'ring' -- Ann Downe the Lim. Dem Cndidate for SLDC.

I phoned her up tonight - out of the blue - and she had time to talk to me.

She is refreshingly honest - I'm not a politician - thank god for that - we may get some honest answers.

She may even say things that aren't politically correct - that will be refreshing.

We talked for about 30 minutes and she gave me quite a bit of information.

I'll write it up tomorrow morning.

Exciting, exciting, exciting

Please hold your breath -

Headline on Breakfast news - Half of Ulverston die in the night of self inflicted asphyxia.

Why - they're mad keen on their politics and tried to wait but couln't manage it.

Reminds me of the Poem and a Pint session last night at Greenodd where one of the poets told stories from the very real land called of Caw - but only the poet herself could go there - it's inside her head.

Next morning is a beautiful one and not one to spend writing blogs but one to be spent on the allotment after a liesurely breakfast - the joys of retirement.

Regarding Ann Downe - may I say I was impressed with her fresh approach and honesty - of the four candidates available, she impresses me most. I hope to meet her on Tuesday.