Battle Observer Comment: Business plummeted due to icy car park

In its wisdom, it appears the council just gritted the entrance of the car park, leading motorists to believe the car park was safe to drive in.

But when they got down the slope at the other end, they suddenly found it extremely difficult to get out.

As a result, furious traders say business has plummeted as shoppers stayed away from the ‘lethal’ icy car park.

Rother took to social networking website Twitter to defend itself, claiming it was relying on other vehicles to spread the grit around.

Of course there are plenty of similar stories told up and down the country when the snow hits.

Having visited both Denmark and Sweden recently, the contrast between how these two countries deal with snowfall compared to Britain is startling.

Roads, car parks and pavements were cleared of snow and ice promptly, with minimal fuss.

And, for the record, all the trains continued to run unaffected.

Rother, and other local authorities for that matter, could do a lot worse than look at how our Scandinavian cousins deal with wintery weather conditions.

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Rye Observer Comment: Town is a poorer place without Keith

It is somewhat hard to comprehend that it was only a week ago on Monday that Dr Keith Taylor tapped me on the shoulder as he left a Rye council meeting and with the usual twinkle in his eye said, as he often did: “There are lots of things happening in Rye, we will have some big news for you before long.”

Whether it was to condemn the poor experience faced by rail users, or to call for members of the public to have more of a say and input at Rother council meetings, Dr Taylor spoke with belief, conviction and, above all, passion.

Many in Rye would have been unaware of his absolute dedication in helping those diagnosed with diabetes - something which occupied his entire professional life and extended well into retirement.

There is no doubt the town is a poorer place without him.

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Our current Rye Town Council has to be the most proactive for years.

When the snow hit councillors led by example, rolling up their sleeves and taking to the streets with grit and shovels – something they had been planning for since last year’s severe weather caught Rye cold.

It was leading from the front and a great example for other people who work and live in the community to follow.

This council is not afraid to get its hands dirty, even if that includes carrying out its own inspections of Rye’s public loos.

It even sent a delegation hot-foot to Rother to state the town’s opposition to increased car parking charges.

People are often quick to criticise the council but it deserves great credit here.