Your letters - August 6, 2010
We welcome your letters - email them to observer@trbeckett.co.uk Please include your name and address if your letter is for publication.
Councillors are value for money
IT SHOULD come as no surprise to readers to learn that following a set of local government elections, most newly-elected councillors don't arrive fully formed, as if delivered by the electoral stork.
Fresh from a political victory, confident and keen, new councillors quickly discover they are expected to champion a whole raft of competing interests.
As well as serving the electorate of their ward, they find themselves answerable to the ward structures of their political party, their political group on the council, all of their fellow councillors (through political debate in the chamber), a whole host of lobby and special interest groups and of course the press.
It is also frequently the case all those groups will want different outcomes from the same issue at the same time.
To perform the duties expected of modern day councillors, they are encouraged to develop and practice skills in ward work/advocacy, community engagement, partnership working, regulatory decision making, overview and scrutiny, and political leadership.
This is on top of learning their way around the 'who does what, when and why' information specific to any individual local authority of which they are an elected member.
With only 32 seats, Hastings Borough Council actually has quite a small number of elected members compared to other areas.
And with many more issues and challenges than you find in more affluent towns, this means councillors are particularly 'thinly spread' over the many partnerships requiring they attend meetings, digest reports and consider in depth issues around health, crime, housing, regeneration and many other subjects.
On top of that, there is of course a constant stream of individual ward work, surgeries and local residents' groups to attend.
I chose to stop being a councillor several years ago, but I have to say I remain convinced that we actually get extremely good value from most of the councillors in our town.
They are paid far less than they are worth and are usually criticized by people who wouldn't dream of committing the same sort of time to doing the same sort of work themselves.
JOHN HUMPHRIES
Lower South Road, St Leonards
Courts must support council
YOUR leader (July 23) suggests that the council was wrong to take a man to court for letting his dog foul the street, as this resulted in taxpayers having to pay 173 in court costs.
You say the man should just have been made to clear up the mess and given a warning.
I suggest the kind of people who let their dogs foul the streets would regard a warning as a joke, and carry on with this antisocial behaviour.
Fines will make these people think twice. As an additional deterrent, the courts should normally make the guilty pay all the court costs.
I frequently visit Hastings, and I think the council deserves praise for its efforts to keep the streets clean. The council deserves more support from the courts.
JOHN GILBERT
London
Shamed Labour in political wilderness
ONE has to applaud Councillor Andrew Gurney for his offer to donate his councillor's allowances to charity, it is a shame some of his Labour colleagues do not think the same way.
Councillor Jay Kramer, and I quote "in line for allowances of more than 12,000", rolls out the usual arguments on class and political correctness.
Wake up Jay, us residents and voters can see through this hypocrisy, that's why Labour were dumped out nationwide especially here in the south east at the last election.
Why can't you cut your expenses? Do you really spend 12,000 a year?
Enjoy the political wilderness Labour, with that attitude you will be there for a long time.
ANDREW CLANCY
St Leonards
Poetry night going strong
I PROMOTE and organise a poetry and spoken word night in St Leonards and have been doing so for almost three years (our third birthday is in October).
The night is the longest-running poetry event in Hastings and has promoted big names from all over East Sussex and London to perform and enjoy the night.
It starts with a little music, then we have an open mic for local talent and visitors, then a main act who does a half hour, and to finish off a jam with the house musicians and poets creating improvised pieces for the audience.
The audience is primarily young, from 18 to mid twenties, though we do get a good age range all the way up to 80, and the quality of the open mic material is improving all the time.
When we started in 2007 it was dire, but now we have people who are seasoned performers, who know how to talk to a crowd and keep their attention. We have stopped poetry being a dirty word and have made it accessible and fun.
The night is hosted by myself and Adam Rosenberg, both 'seasoned' in our own right.
Adam is a singer/songwriter/mental health nurse while I am simply a performance poet with a wealth of stage experience to rely on.
Our next night is on Sunday, August 8, at The Rooms, Western Road, and is on the second Sunday of every month. Our headline act for this month is Captain Of The Rant.
CHRISTIAN WATSON
Cornwallis Terrace
Michael deserving Freeman of Hastings
REGARDING the story Highest honour for former MP – Michael Foster – in the Observer, July 30.
"It should not be an issue whether or not someone has left public life. It is about whether someone deserves the honour or not, and Michael most certainly does" – Lib Dem leader Richard Stevens says. How right he is.
I was born in Hastings, like Michael. I did not get to know this until, after moving away in 1976, returning in 1987 – and beginning to become interested in the everyday life in Hastings.
In all the time I have known Michael Foster MP I have always respected his hands-on help he has given me – his honest advice at the very beginning of my project Ebb & Flow Community Magazine, now Ebb & Flow (The New Voice) – and his further personal advice.
It was also a pleasure to read Michael's Childhood Memory within Diamonds – an anthology by Hastings Writers. This having been done in aid of charity.
Yes, Michael is deserving of this award – the freedom of Hastings.
JOSIE LAWSON,
Stonehouse Drive
St Leonards.
Let's not forget Isabel Blackman
IN the report about Michael Foster being awarded the freedom of the borough (which I wholeheartedly support), no mention was made of Isabel Blackman as a previous recipient.
Let us not forget this remarkable woman who did so much for our town, and - along with other members of her family- left us a wonderful legacy including St Helens Woods, the Isabel Blackman Centre in St Leonards (in trust) and not like Old Town owned by the local authority, and the Blackman Foundation which has given to worthy causes and individuals over many years.
I only wish I had really known Isabel, as she died just before I became involved in local politics back in the late 1960s, but she has always been an inspiration and example to me over the years.
We should not forget her.
PAM BROWN OBE, Hon Freeman
Linton Road.
Bonfires: We follow national legislation
THERE have been several letters in the Observer over the last few weeks concerning bonfires and while we have responded with our position, I thought I should clarify our powers following the letter in last week's paper from Mr Robert Ward.
I would dispute Mr Ward's claim that we have a 'do nothing' attitude.
It's a fact that our powers are limited but while that may be the case we can and indeed do take enforcement action where necessary via our environmental health team.
Our team will go out and assess whether a bonfire is a statutory nuisance which, in built up areas such as Hastings and St Leonards, can often be the case and will then take action against the offender.
We follow national legislation and while we could consider a bye-law this would be an incredibly costly process and would take a considerable amount of time.
We are of the opinion that if this is indeed an issue which affects the majority of residents nationally then this should be addressed at a national level, where the Government awards local authorities greater powers to respond to this problem.
In the meantime do get in touch with our environmental health team if you have any questions.
In response to the letter from C Eamer on the subject of black bin bags, I completely understand the frustration of having to keep rubbish inside until the morning of collection but collections do not start until 7am.
If this seems tough, then yes I'm afraid it is. We are inundated with calls complaining about rubbish strewn across the street and I have said many times in previous articles that this is a health hazard; one that can be avoided with the co-operation of residents.
The seagulls and urban pests in our town take full advantage of bags left out on the streets. It looks awful to residents but also creates a dirty and uncared for image to our visitors.
Mr Eamer also makes the point that one side of Bohemia Road has wheeled bins while his property remains on the black bag scheme.
Hastings' geography is unique and even in the same road varies greatly. We would like to see as many properties as possible on the scheme but this stretch of Bohemia Road would have difficulties accommodating wheeled bins so continues to receive weekly collections of rubbish and recycling.
More information about recycling can be found on our website www.hastings.gov.uk/recycle
COUNCILLOR PHIL SCOTT
Lead member for the environment
We have drafted in more staff to help with benefit advice service
IN response to your article last week entitled 'Homeless Boost Since Recession' I would agree with St John's Ambulance Sussex. I also feel that with the proposed housing benefit changes I can only see the situation getting worse.
Having just started as a new housing advice service in Hastings, BHT Hastings Advice has seen a huge demand for its services already.
We have been running our appointment service since May 2010 where the demand for specialist housing advice has been so high that we have had to create more appointments and have had to draft more staff over from our sister advice centre in Eastbourne.
We also run a court duty scheme at Hastings court, where we have also witnessed an increase in demand which appears to be growing week on week.
My message to anyone with housing issues would be to seek advice at the earliest possible opportunity, Hastings and St Leonards has a number of fantastic organisations that can support and assist the community, we are privileged to be able to bring our housing expertise to add to the amazing work that is done by other organisations in the town.
JO WILSON
Manager – BHT Hastings Advice
I READ with disbelief your article entitled 'Homeless Boost Since Recession'.
The article draws readers' attentions to a day-care service for people called SeaView which offers advice and trained nurses etc for the vulnerable and gives its website address.
Presumably the homeless and financially destitute of Hastings will be whipping out their new I-Pads and laptops as a matter of urgency.
DARROL SKINNER
St George's Road
Rubbish bin idea bit of a waste
I AM a resident of Ore Village, and I recently had my 60th birthday which resulted in a lot of waste which wouldn't all fit in the wheelie bin.
Because I still had my original two bins which I had bought some time ago, I presumed it would be okay to fill one of them instead of leaving bin liners out which they would refuse to take anyway.
But I was miffed to find a note on my bin saying they will only collect Hastings Borough Council bins, so I am left with a bin full of smelly waste and no way of getting rid of it. So is there a bin graveyard where all of our bins (now out of use) can go?
Is it me or has the world gone 'jobsworth'? Now I can understand why there is so much fly tipping.
Bring back the good old days when you knew the name of your bin man and gave him a drink at Christmas.
M BRIDGER
Fairlight Avenue
We need a lot more convincing
FOR the first time in many years my partner and I visited the Stables Theatre on Saturday evening to see the spoof production of Macbeth, by the fictitious Farndale Avenue Dramatic Society.
Described in the Old Town Week guide as 'an uproarious comedy' we were looking forward to a laugh or two.
What a let-down!
With just a modicum of remotely funny material and punch lines, the timing gaffs and lighting faillures that presumably were thought to be hilarious, were repeated so frequently that they became tired, predictable and decidedly unfunny.
Bemused and dissappointed, we completely failed to see how this mirthless farce of a farce could be considered a crowd puller at any time, least of all during Hastings Week, and left at the interval to save ourselves further embarrassment.
Do the artistic directors of the Stables really think this will get people back for more of the same?
If so, there are two in St Leonards needing a lot more convincing.
DONALD COLE,
Pevensey Road
St Leonards
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Hastings
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
