Email: council@djpollard.co.uk
Loggans Mill
You may have seen the local adverts for the sale of the historic mill. Although initialy they (CC) just wanted to dispose of this important building we have negotiated with the Property department for a package and I am very grateful to a new officer, Ben Coleman who has brought his expertise and experience in London to 'market' the Mill in a very positive way. There could be funding towards its re-development through European Convergence funding and we have put a time limit on its renovation. The last thing we need is this iconic and important building festering in its current scaffolded state - and I hope we have achieved enough to see its development. You can view the details:http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=9883
Get involved!!!
I do not like the phrase 'cornwall conversations' but I do like the idea of listening to the people which is what it is all about. Alec Robertson, the leader of the Council explains the idea:
We are developing a Cornwall Conversations Panel for people who live in Cornwall to let us know their views on how well they think we're doing on important issues in Cornwall ranging from the environment, to adult social care and roads. It is important that we have a wide cross section of people to ensure that we get as many different views as possible as the more members we have - the more views we will hear. It would be very useful if Members could help spread the word to get as many people to join as possible. Please could you ensure that you mention the Panel within your local communities and at Town and Parish Councils meetings etc. People can join online at: www.cornwall.gov.uk/conversationspanel
Go on, give it a go and play your part in creating a better Cornwall.
Harvey's Foundry
I am honoured to be the Chairman of the Harvey's Foundry Trust and over the last few months we have kept our work in the public eye. In February I spoke at St James Palace at a conference organised by the Prince's Heritage Trust which has been a key partner in everything we have achieved at Foundry. Other speakers were the Government Minister for Heritage, the Chair of English Heritage and the Prince Charles. I used Harvey's Foundry as an example of how redundant historic buildings can be put to modern uses. In the summer we were able to show Baroness Andrews from English Heritage around the site and again she was full of praise for what we have achieved and lastly but certainly not least we have now been awarded £108,000 from Cornwall Council to finance our Phase Three. The Plantation Stores (some may remember this as Todds) has been passed to us from Cornwall Council as planned in the Penwith DC days, the Pattern Store (opposite Bookers) will be passed to the Trust under the agreements for the Harbour Planning permission and the Trust have appointed architects Purcell Miller Tritton (Bristol) to take the process through the planning stage. The renovated buildings will add extra life to what 10 years ago was a derelict area of the town, provide opportunities for small business to base themselves here and provide new jobs! Our phases One and Two have provided nearly 90 new jobs for the town and we see Phase Three as continuing that economic gain. Once in operation any 'profits' will be ploughed back into he community through our Heritage Centre - something Hayle has wanted for at least the last half a century. It all looks very promising thanks to Harvey's development officer, Laura Christan, the Trustees and Cornwall Council.
I am always surprised how little the people of Hayle know of the history of Harvey's and the work of the Trust - do e-mail me if you would like a tour or just go to Foundry Lane and have a look!!
28.12.11
Seaside Towns
It has now been confirmed that Hayle has been awarded £60,000 to improve Beach access. This will be used to create a disabled access into the Cove. Meetings with the engineers, Cornwall Council officers and the landowners, Mr & Mrs La Touche will develop a scheme with the advice of Disability Cornwall. The new slope will provide better access for all and will aid the inform, elderly and very young in getting onto the sands. Full consultation will take place at every stage.
Tourism
I believe Cornwall Council is still failing to support our tourist industry in a meaningful way. I understand that money is scarce BUT our visitors do not differentiate between a beach owned locally and a beach owned by Cornwall Council - they surely will after April 1st when the latter are cleaned but the former ar not! In Hayle we have managed to keep the Tourist Information facility at the Library because of the co-operation and efforts of the Library (especially Sally Faulkner) and that we were abel to divert some funding to support it for three years. Tourism is vital to our economy with 5million visitors a year spending 1.6 billion pounds with an estimated 20% of all employment in Cornwall being based in the Tourist Industry. We need to support this with the best facilities, most visitor friendly services and investment in the industry. Of course there is a huge part to be played by private enterprises which profit from visitors BUT the Council must also play its part.
Re-cycling.
As already described below the whole waste contract has been re-specified and awarded. Cost cutting measures also apply to 'civic re cycling centres' many of which have been cut. I am delighted that the recycling facility on Commercial Road Car Park will be retained. This is a well used and valuable service, right in the middle of the Town BUT I will campaigning to ensure that it is better maintained. At the moment the bins are often full to overflowing - especially the bottle bank and when I visit there is often waste and debris strewn all over the area. There is no need for this, I support the facility but it must be regularly maintained, cleaned up and emptied.
Fire Station
Movement on this project as well - Cornwall Council have earmarked sites for the new stations at Tolvaddon and Hayle but are now consulting on other possible sites which may prove to be cheaper and easier to utilize. Hayle Town Council are fully involved in the discussions and we look forward to more progress in the New Year. This is a long held dream,for the town and we must accept a few hiccups on the way however the trials by the Fire service have proved that the re location and building of the two stations will provide much better cover for thousands of people and the new buildings will be modern and therefore cheaper and more efficient to run.
06.12.11
Budget/Devolution
We have spent the last few weeks scrutinizing the budget for 2012/13. I am happy to explain the process in detail if you would like to contact me but in short:
The Government are pushing costs to Cornwall Council by removing financial support/grant.
Cornwall Council are pushing the costs of services to Towns and Parishes - if you want it, pay for it!!
Of course I have argued against this but the fact that Town Council will have to take on services is inevitable - especially as Hayle owns all of its amenity areas and Cornwall Council will not maintain them after April 1st. I have been determined to 'cushion' this transfer in terms of the effect on your council tax and I am pleased that at least I have succeeded in that! The Town Council are negotiating a phased transfer of responsibility for the maintenance of the Recreation Ground, KGVMW and the Plantation. Cornwall Council have also assured us that the Commercial Road toilets will remain open for at least a year so that the Town Council can negotiate taking them over.
An indicative budget has been approved and although I supported a series of amendments to moderate the effect on tax payers, I fear they were mostly lost. The budget will come back to Council in February when the decisions will focus on whether to accept the Government grant or not. Cornwall has set a budget which includes a 2.5% rise (modest in terms of inflation and not enough to maintain services). It can freeze its costs to you, the rate payer if it accepts a one off grant from the government BUT in 2013/14, if no grant is available, Cornwall Council will have to increase its council tax by at least 5% to keep up. We have two months to debate this and I am very keen to involve as many of the electors as possible. I will return to the detail later and welcome any views/opinions that you have.
04.12.11
Waste Collection
Another current topic at County Hall is the waste contract that has now been awarded to Cory Group. The officers have been working hard to create a cross county service, ironing out the inconsistencies that existed under the contracts created by the 6 District Councils. This is not easy as in every case there will be winners and losers. Having agreed that 'residual' waste will be collected weekly and 'dry' or recycling waste fortnightly the Council is now deciding on the manner of collecting - what kind of bins and bags. Final decisions have yet to be agreed but it is proposed that collection across the whole of Cornwall will be by bag and box which will be made available to all householders - although wisely they intend to utilize all existing boxes and reusable bags for as long as they last.
We here in the west have wheely bins - although not perfect for every location, a great asset for most .Cornwall Council have no intention of extending wheely bins across Cornwall BUT have assure me once again today that our use of them will be maintained, although if a replacement bin is required it will not be supplied free by the council.
We will definitely be able to use our wheely bins as now. However the intention is to insist that all rubbish is bagged before it goes into any bin.
Recycling will be collected fortnightly and the box we have now will be used for glass, there will be a blue bag for paper, a red bag for cans and plastic and an orange bag for cardboard. All receptacles will be supplied free. It seems to me to be a lot of containers for people who live in houses will out a lot of space space.
Green waste will collected fortnightly from one of three kinds of container - two sizes of wheely bin or a bag however the big change for us is that there will be a charge for the container - a sort of rent which will cover a contribution to the cost of the service.
Again nothing finalised but everything thoroughly planned so unlikely to change.
North Quay
You may have seen the press coverage of the latest phase of the North Quay works whereby the huge 'flood wall' is being constructed. Over 600 pre cast sections are forming the 1.7metre flood protection 'uplift'. This is a massive construction and of course being built because the Environment Agency insisted that any new building is constructed at this height above the existing quay. A similar raising of the levels will be necessary for the building on south quay- so this element of the infrastructure works will show everyone what it will look like (although on South Quay the proposal is to only protect the areas where building will take place not the public realm or car park). If you get the chance do go over to North Quay and have a look at the very skilled engineering that is being undertaken.
Stadium
The 'stadium' remains under consideration and I know local opinion is very divided. My belief is that it could be a wonderful asset but must not in anyway be a drain on the taxpayer and I am not at all sure that the proposed location is the correct one - however I am always grateful for the views of the electorate. Outline planning permission will be decided by committee on Thursday (17th November) and after Christmas the plans will be debated by councillors before a report goes to Cabinet. So early in the new year we may have a decision of some kind. Do let me know your thoughts.
15.11.11
Budget
A long two day debate on the budget for 2012/13 took place at the end of last week. Once it is available on the archived web cast I will post the link. I am determined that as the Town Council will have to take on many of the services delivered by Cornwall Council at the moment there must be some money in the budget to 'cushion' the transfer. This was supported by other councillors as most towns and parishes are in a similar position and we look forward to the Cabinet firming up its ideas of how to achieve this. There was also much debate about toilets and their closure unless towns and parishes take them on - again we are campaigning to ensure that 'finance follows function'. Your community charge will have to go up and I believe this increase needs to tapered over a number of years rather than imposed all at once. At the moment it looks as if Hayle Town Council will have to take on one toilet, the maintenance of all the amenity areas ( Rec, Memorial Walk, Plantation etc) the full costs of running the Swimming Pool and beach cleaning on April 1st. We are ambitious to take on more but the effect on the ratepayers of the town must be spread over at least 3 years if at all possible.
Loggans Mill
You may have seen the recent Cornishman article describing the ambitious plans by a private company to develop the Mill and the area in front of it. The historic mill is owned by Cornwall Council and I convened an officer group over two years ago to work towards its preservation and renovation. As a result we have negotiated with the CCproperty section to design and establish a way forward for the Mill which could include companies like the one cited in the paper developing the building. More information will be available at the beginning of December
Seaside Towns
We have been working on a bid for a share of 400,000 earmarked for seaside towns to improve facilities. Our project emerged from meetings held last Spring focusing on beach access. Hayle was one of the successful towns and have been awarded £60,000 to improve access onto the beach at the Cove. It is very difficult for the elderly or infirm to get onto the sands and totally impossible for the disabled - the intention is to use the money to make it accessible to all. There were two other elements of the bid and the part dealing with improved signage to the beach from the Town will be paid for by my members highways allowance but the employment of an officer to keep the beach clean and the Towans visitor friendly will not be funded by the grant and we will have to work with the Town Council to find other finance. The bid was made by the Town Council and its officers and those of the Community Network collaborated to put together strong case. There were 18 submissions form towns across the county and we are one of the eight that have been successful.
Olympic Torch
We have heard today that the torch relay will go from Lands End to Helston and not visit Hayle at all. This is not surprising but is disappointing. I am an Olympics fan (despite the fact that I failed to get any tickets!) but fail to see how our community can get involved if the torch will only pass us 10 miles away! I am also amazed that Cornwall Council see this as a major event bringing thousands of visitors to Cornwall and investing thousands of pounds into its promotion when the relay will pass by most of the county on the back of a truck!! However I do hope many Hayle people are selected as torch carriers and I will certainly go and watch it if possible.
07.11.11
South Quay - here we go??????
Well, we can only hope. Last Thursday the Cornwall Council Strategic Planning Committee decided to recommend approval for the supermarket on South Quay and now the task is to firm up the agreements for community benefit. However it has to be referred to the Secretary of State - he can decide it should go ahead or 'call it in' when there will have to be a Public Enquiry. Of course there may be complaints/appeals/objections from Morrisons and ASDA who were refused. Would n't it be a great sign of good will from ING if they brought the builders in and started some of the repairs to the quay walls NOW? We have been through an agonising and very long process to get to this point with lots of debate and 'soul searching'. Now we have a way forward I am sure we are all very keen to see things happening.
You can watch the Cornwall Council debate- http://www.cornwall.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/64504 but I suggest using the index points to reduce the time required!!
Traffic Regulations - Yellow lines!
After the election I was approached by a number of electors seeking control of traffic issues across the town. Well it has only taken two years but at last the officers have published their plans and many of you may have seen signs on streets where changes are planned. Things do happen - but frustratingly slowly.
Leisure Strategy
Over the last few months I have worked with two councillor colleagues, Cllr Phil Tucker and Cllr Alex Folkes to produce a Leisure Strategy for the Council. It maps out the ways in which an active lifestyle can be promoted by the Council,Clubs and the Community. Separately the Council has now agreed to hand over the running of its Leisure Centres to a Trust called Carrick Leisure based on the former officers from the County Council. This is sensible and helpful and follows the pattern of enabling 'arms length' companies to run services. However - I expressed my concerns at a recent meeting of the Communities Overview & Scrutiny committee. They are:
Bude Sea Pool and Jubilee Pool Penzance are included in the initial contract with he idea that they will be passed over to Community Trust to run BUT Hayle Open Air Pool is not because it is in the ownership of the Town Council.It is true that the Council have granted a small amount of money to cushion the impact but previously it (as Penwith before) was supporting to the tune of £20,000 a year. Now nothing - you all pay the same Community Charge as Penzance but our pool will not get the same support. Cornwall Council are also investing £2million into preserving the Jubilee Pool before it is passed over to the Community - fair? Do not think so!!
I am also perturbed that there are no Leisure Centres west of a line from Newquay to Helston which will be run by the Trust - those you use, Carn Brae, St Ives, Penzance are outside the contract (although St Ives will be added soon) - That means that the Council have no control over charges,services and quality in the Leisure Centres the people of Hayle use - again we pay our rates but could get a more expensive or lesser service because there is no investment in the management of these centres.
Devolution
I am all in favour of local control over local services. We are working through a whole series of proposed transfers at the moment. I have supported Hayle Town Council in demanding some 'joined up thinking' so that we can look at a package rather than Toilets, Car Parks and Amenity Areas (the rec, the memorial walketc) separately. Cornwall Council are listening and I have had a number of meetings with officers and Cabinet members who are becoming convinced that there needs to be a tapered transfer of the responsibilities - however there is still much to be done by all of us if we are going to get money into next years Budget to make it possible to cushion the effect on the Parish Rate. That's one thing we are working on at the moment .
Beach Access
Meanwhile the bid for £90,000 to improve the accessibility of Hayle Beach is reaching decision time. The Hayle Town Council clerk, Ellie Giggall, the Community Network officers Maxine Hardy and Kate Biljon have worked very hard to draw the bid together - decisions will be made before the end of the month, so fingers crossed.
09.10.11
SUPERMARKETS
The debate continues, Hayle Town Council made their feeling clear last Thursday, there was another display by Morrisons and ASDA this weekend and in two weeks time the Strategic Planners will re visit the proposals. It is time this long saga came to a conclusion - and hopefully one which will benefit the town. There are many different views which I have tried to reflect but I have an awful feeling that whatever the decision on October 6th (open to the public at County Hall from 10am) that will not actually be the end of the matter! Hayle needs to have all these issues resolved so we can move forward.
Watch the ING South Quay fly-through on:
http://www.hayleharbour.com/new-hayle-harbour-video.htm
Hayle Fire Station
Again - progress! This could really become a reality as the Fire Service are convinced that their plans for a new centre at Tolvadden will provide savings that could finance a new station in Hayle. I have been part of the campaign for this for over 20 years, we have made a strong case which has been accepted, the money can be found and it could happen!!
St Erth Park and Ride
Another major scheme which it is hoped will be completed within the next two years. Although it is principally a ne improved park and ride for the St Ives Branch Line the planners also hope it will become a 'transport hub' serving West Cornwall and of course there is talk of the Heliport re locating there. I am only concerned that Hayle accrues some benefit, that it easily accessible on foot and by bike, that 'bus and train services are co-ordinated and that Hayle Railway station does not suffer. I made these points to Cabinet last week (see Cornwall Council web site) when the funding for the next stage of development was agreed. Hayle Town Council have also tried to influence this scheme during several meetings but our views have not all been taken on board as yet - we will keep trying!
Cornwall Record Office
The Record office is a very successful and well used service but it has outgrown its premises at Old County Hall. This week Cornwall Council took an important step forward in fulfilling a long held ambition of many of us to establish a new purpose built Record Office which would provide a modern and easily accessible home for a wide range of records,books and archives. The overall cost is estimated at £10 million. They have only agreed to look at its feasibility and financial implications BUT it is another step forward
21.09.11
SUPERMARKETS!
The supermarket wars continue with each promising to support elements of the community and stressing the benefits the Town will accrue if their proposals are supported. Three important dates are:
Thursday 15th September - Hayle Town Council to discuss the applications from ING, Morrisons, Asda and the plan to re-locate the Rugby Club to Carwin Rise. The meeting begins at 7.15 and will be held at Bodriggy Primary School.
Saturday 17th September - I understand the Hayle Residents Association have organised a public display of all three supermarket applications at the Passmore Edwards Institute.
Thursday 6th October - Cornwall Council Strategic Planning Committee will decide the applications, County Hall at 10.am. This is open to the public if you would like to hear the debate.
I am still eager to listen to your views so so not hesitate to contact me. I hope that these applications can be resolved on the 6th as the whole saga has dragged on for far too long and Hayle needs to get on with building our future!
North Quay
There is a lot of interest in the building works at Copperhouse Pool and the scale of the engineering is now very clear. I have ask d that details of the project are displayed on site so that those following the development can see what is proposed.The causeway that is being constructed is a temporary measure to create an access for the bridge works. The new bridge will be completed next year and I have asked Hayle Town Council to name it in some way to associate it with eh Queens Golden Jubilee in 2012. Happy to consider any of your ideas - Jubilee Bridge, QE2 bridge etc. This will tie it in with the Memorial Walk and commemorate the Queen's service and the historic significance of the new infrastructure as the latest development in our Town. Sandra Rothwell from Cornwall Council Economic Development has given a very clear explanation of the proposals for the Marine Renewables Park on the site of the Electric Works which the new infrastructure will serve and it is clear the the Council are 'pulling out all the stops' to ensure that Hayle plays a prominent part in the development of alternative energy sources in the South West. I discover residents who are still unsure of what is being delivered by this project - I am happy to explain if you would like to contact me.
Copperhouse Pool
There have been a number of successful events based on King George V Memorial Walk over the summer. The 'Hayle in Bloom' event was a great success, the Pool has been used for rowing events, today we have had the Mayors Sponsored Walk and a month ago the Decorative Lights Committee organised a very successful Raft Race. It is possible to impound the water for sports activity but not for anything else - so the Raft Race has water but the added pleasure that those using the Memorial Walk can gain from a waterside rather than a mud side walk is not permitted. This is unacceptable and I am still trying to 'get more water in the pool' as I have done for the last 30 years!!
Seaside Funding
As described below we have pout in a bid to improve access to the beach and the 'quality' of the visitor experience in Hayle. Bids for funds were double the money available and we have been asked to refine our proposals - which we are doing at t he moment. Cornwall Council continues to abdicate what I believe to be its responsibility for the service provided to the thousands of visitor who come to our County and spend millions of pounds - I continue to campaign to limit this neglect as well as searching for the means to compensate for it.
11.09.11
Fire Station
The communities overview and Scrutiny Committee debated the latest report on Fire Cover for Hayle, Camborne and Redruth. I was able to speak in support of the proposal to close the existing stations at Redruth and Camborne and build a new Fire Centre at Pool as well as a small Fire Station min Hayle. We have campaigned for years to prove that the existing cover from Camborne is not really at the level it should be and as Hayle grows the problem will become worse. The Fire Service have now acknowledged this by developing a plan to archive greater cover within a 10 minute rep[osne time - the relocation will provide new workshops and call centre as well as a Fire Station at Pool and Hayle and increase the population covered by the 10 minute guideline by 27%. It will also provide some of the savings the service is required to make. You may become aware of complaints from Redruth that they will loose their Station but the greater benefits make this a justifiable change and in fact permanent staff at Pool will provide greater cover for the Redruth area. The report has gone back for further development and we should know more by next Spring.
Sea Side Funding
Below you will note that there are monies available to improve sea side towns. With the help of Kate Biljon we are developing a bid for a share of the £400,000 available. Hayle is one of 12 eligible towns. Our bid will focus on the beach - signs,safe access, disabled facilities and beach cleaning are all part of the plan. We have to express our initial interest by the end of the month.
Ventonleage Green
Another victim of the Cornwall Council cuts is the cutting of Ventonleage Green. This is common land and the council have decreed that they will only deal with land they own. happily, Hayle Town Council have stepped into the breach and will maintain this area of grass in the future.
15.07.11
Beach Cleaning - Good News!!
Cornwall Council's new 'Beach Strategy' (see below) proposed that the Council would only take responsibility for beaches it owns. To my surprise they implemented the plan not to clean our beaches for this season and I have already had complaints about litter at Hayle. THE GOOD NEWS is that Cornwall Council have now reversed the decision - they will clean all the beaches they usually clean for the rest of the season. I believe this to be in response to the pressure we have applied over the last few weeks. I raised it again with the Cabinet at a meeting on Monday. The positive element is that now we have time to develop other systems for keeping Hayle beach clean next year and I have already stared to work with Council officers and local land owners and stakeholders to ensure both visitors and local's have a positive experience at Hayle.
22.06.11
Hayle Tourist Information Centre
Despite the cuts and closure of some of these facilities (Penzance for instance) we have managed to save the TIC based in Hayle Library. This is a small but widely used facility and the following compliment was sent by a visitor to the Hayle Town website:
'this is not an enquiry, but a big thank you to the lovely lady in your tourist information office. she was really helpful and informative and seemed to know her job very well. she also told us of local eating places, buses, trains and local information,. well done, keep it up. there was no info office in st.ives or helston. great - thanks again'
Brilliant!
Hayle Library
As part of the development of the new Library service it is hoped to create 'Friends of the Library' groups across Cornwall. many Libraries already have such groups - St Ives for example but Hayle has been selected along with Looe, Launceston and Bodmin as pilots for this idea. There is an initial meeting to plan the approach soon and look out for publicity inviting people to participate.
Supermarkets.
The saga continues. The Strategic Planning Committee recently resolved that although they originally only agreed to a 5 month delay, they are prepared to extend that for an extra two months. Their reasoning was that there are still issues to be resolved with all three outstanding applications and they still wish to consider all three at the same time. My understanding is that the ING application is being 're- structured' by a new set of architects particularly focusing on the heritage issues .I am told that the ASA application is bearing agreement with Highways about the traffic management at Loggans while Morrisons have stated that they are ready for a determination although they too had some local highways issues to address. Cornwall Council are hosting a series of workshops looking at the issues raised when the original plans were considered.
However the Hayle applications will be decided by the Strategic Planning Committee on 22 nd September.
There - I've said it, I have been assured this is fact I just hope I am right!
Rubbish!
Cornwall Council has got itself into a fine mess ( and a costly one) with the appeals procedure over the incinerator at St Dennis - however we are getting closer to a conclusion although not to anyone's real satisfaction. The weekly/fortnightly waste collection debate has also been concluded and the Council has stated:
Cornwall Council's Cabinet has voted by seven votes to three to retain weekly black bag rubbish collections after considering a range of options for changing recycling and rubbish collections in Cornwall. Cabinet Members also considered the results of the Council's recent waste canvass which received comments from just under 10,000 people. 66% of people supported the continuation of the weekly black bag collection with fortnightly recycling, with 34% opting for a change to separate weekly food waste and recycling collection, with a fortnightly collection for any remaining black bag waste.
So for us things will remain as now and it is important to note that I(as have several other councillors) have gained the assurance of Julian German, Portfolio Holder for the Environment that wheely bins will continue to be emptied as they are now. I know that the Council only ever mentions black bags but that is because our area is the only one with wheely bins - you will be able to continue to use them.
07.06.11
Hayle Beach
We managed to bring some Cornwall Council officers together last week to discuss the state of the access to the beach. James Ortiz who is responsible for all beaches, Sue Nicholls who has done a brilliant job in supporting the services on Penwith beaches, Tim Bird who is the Countryside officer for this area and Alison Clough the Countryside Warden joined the Mayor, Maxine Hardy the Community Network Officer and myself. We have at least highlighted the problems but as usual progress is slow! We will convene a meeting of all beach owners in this area and commercial interests on the Towans, Tim Bird will look at signposting access points, the Harbour Company have agreed to clean up the area around Harvey's Towans and their part of the beach but long term solutions will take financial investment.
Cornwall Council have produced a Beach Strategy which is a fine document but only applies to beaches owned by the Council. In Hayle's case there are multiple owners between Porthkidney and Godrevy and the threat is that Cornwall Council will only take care of beaches it owns (in our case Gwithian and a small section at Upton Towans) This is not acceptable to me - the council must have a responsibility for ensuring that all visitors to Cornwall have clean and safe beaches to enjoy. Some may be in private ownership but they also have full public access! Officers and the Portfolio holder have been invited to the next Towans Partnership to discuss the issues - The fight is on!!!
01.05.11
Cuts!
It is very sad to me that peoples lives are now being badly affected by the impact of the budget cuts. I have been dealing with concerns in several areas where wholesale change and lower staffing levels are being applied. There is much restructuring and changes in workers roles and job descriptions as millions of pounds need to be saved. It does seem that the Council is trying to maintain services but it will require more for less and as we all know there is a limit to what people can or should be expected to do. We continue to fight for services - Hayle Children's Centre may not be able to provide all it has before BUT it will be there supporting families, Hayle Library will be a different place BUT it will not close, Hayle Gardeners will continue to produce a beautiful Town (with the help of Hayle in Bloom) but with less resources. The Tourist Information Centre is under threat in St Ives and closed in Penzance but we have secured enough funding to keep ours open for at least three years.
If you have a concern about a Council service, please make me aware.
Waste
The debate continues - have you checked the Council web site where Option A and Option B are described - you are not too late to vote, the voting ends on 14th May.
See below an extract from a recent Cornwall Council web site:
Just a few week's into our waste survey and we've already had 6370 responses with more arriving each day via the web site and in the post.
Results so far:
66% in favour of Option A Weekly food waste and rubbish collections Fortnightly recycling and garden waste collections. 34% in favour of Option B Weekly food waste and recycling collections Fortnightly rubbish and garden waste collections The survey is open till 14 May.
How people can give their views : On line via our web site - here <http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=27233> is the link to the survey page. By post: fill in the survey form at the back of the Guide to Services that was delivered with council tax bills. There is a FREEPOST address on the form or they can be dropped off at any one stop shop or library.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR SAY - IT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
North Quay
Work is progressing on the infrastructure improvements to North and East Quays. There were many questions from the members of the public present at the 'neighbourhood' meeting hosted by the contractors. They, and our Cornwall Council engineer are all based in the old Octel building - if you have any concerns do not hesitate to contact them.
Hayle Beach
I continue to be concerned about the state of our beach. The western end is in private ownership but has total public access and I continue to try to get Cornwall Council to take some responsibility for at least organising beach maintenance. Cornwall has 5 million visitors a year generating about 1.3 billion pounds worth of business - the public require beaches with facilities like toilets that are clean and safe. I have set up a meeting of the CC officers involved on 26th April to discuss access to the beach which at the moment is very restricted.
Towans Partnership
We had a very good meeting last week and all who attended felt it was worth continuing. We have a new Chairman - Dick Goodere from Gwithian and a new Countryside officer - Tim Bird.
12.04.11
Rubbish and Recycling Collections
We have all been receiving our Council Tax demands over the last few days. Enclosed is a booklet 'Cornwall's Guide to Public Services'. This provides some useful contact numbers but I would ask you to look at the back page - 'What do you think?' It asks for your response to the two suggestions for the future collection policy. PLEASE LET THE COUNCIL KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.! The council is keen to hear your views. You will see that there is no mention of Wheelie Bins - that's because our area is the only one with them and because of expense there is no intention to provide them in any other area. We are fortunate in that the old Penwith provided these bins and I have been assured by Julian German, Portfolio Holder, that our wheelie bins will continue to be collected and emptied as now. There will be no change to the method of collection, only the frequency.
Sluicing/ Dredging
Last Wednesday the Harbour Master was due to present his report on dredging to the Hayle Harbour Advisory Committee. The meeting was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. This is very disappointing as it means that the future policy for clearing the Bar, whether dredging, sluicing or as I suspect a combination of both has been delayed until the planning issues on South Quay have been resolved. Personally I do not see that there is necessarily any connection! However I understand that the report was not presented at the behest of the development wing of ING. I am trying to arrange a meeting with those concerned to illicit a time scale for the development of the dredging/sluicing policy - something we desperately need if our Harbour is to remain viable.
At Last!
It has only taken about 18 months but at last a new road sign has been put at the entrance to Amal an Avon - brilliant!
16.03.11
Loggans Mill
Readers may like to be reminded about the status of this building! It is an great icon to failure that sits at the entrance to our town and since my election I have been working to get something done! We have maintained the discussions with a developer started by Penwith but the signs there are not hopeful. The building is owned by Cornwall Council and there is money left in the fund established when the supermarket and houses were built. This paid for the scaffolding but those developments also made the site very 'land-locked'. Following the failure of the 'economic development' officers to further any scheme, I have convened an officer group that is looking at options and a way forward.
I was honoured to speak at a conference at St James Palace this week and managed to cite Loggans as an example of a redundant heritage building for which a solution has yet to be found. Other speakers included the Minister for Heritage and Tourism, John Penrose and the Duke of Cornwall. Prince Charles was very clear on what needed to be done, the Minister less so on what government was doing to help! I was very grateful to Peter Channon for allowing me to show some of his fabulous aerial views and I explained what we have achieved at Harvey's Foundry and highlighted the problems we still face with the Harbour and buildings such as Loggans Mill.
I am meeting with the officers looking at Loggans again this week - I will keep any progress posted on this site.
Various Road Works and New Signs
Just to reassure you - they are on their way!! I have the engineers planning schemes for Prospect Place, Amal-an-Avon, Phillack, Bay View Terrace, Madison Vean and St John's Street. Once their proposals are clear we will of course consult locals! The improvements at the bottom of Guildford are due to begin this month. I only regret that this is all SO SLOW!
Hayle Youth Centre
All credit to the Youth Service in this area ( in Council terms Locality One - which is the old Penwith ) because they have ensured a massive improvement in provision over the last two years. A combination of work by Youth Cornwall and the fantastic Hayle Youth Project (based on Penpol Terrace) and outreach work, particularly in the Reawla area, has ensured that there is a much better deal available to our young people. A clear example is that the Hayle Youth Centre at Highlanes is now open everyday, whereas previously is was only open on one evening.
Craig Walker from the Cornwall Youth Service is trying to re establish the 'Friends of Hayle Youth Centre' - a sort of adult watchdog support group. If you are interested in helping please contact me.
Libraries
Cornwall Council will not be closing any libraries but there will be changes. Opening times have been adjusted to create greater parity across Cornwall and other services will be made available through libraries in the future. We have secured the future of the TIC at Hayle and soon discussions will begin to investigate the possibilities of moving the One Stop Shop to what will be a more central location at the Hayle Library. The cross party group I have chaired for the last 6 months have completed their report and OI will be presenting the findings to the Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 3rd March ( 10.am Lys Kernow (County Hall) and open to the public). The report describes possible ways to secure library services in the future.
26.02.11
Supermarkets:
So 8 hours of debate at County Hall and we are really no further forward!
ING - South Quay - deferred for no more than 5 months to sort out heritage issues. To come back to committee.
Morrisons ( Jewsons) - deferred for no more than 5 months to resolve traffic issues. To come back to committee.
ASDA - Rugby Club Site - deferred until they come back with an acceptable solution to the Loggans Roundabout. Decision delegated to officers.
Rugby Club relocation - withdrawn at this time.
Sainsbury's - refused.
So its now down to the applicants to solve the issues and re-submit to committee! Will it ever happen???????????????????????
10.02.11
North Quay
The good news is - the contracts have been signed, the contractor appointed and work will begin this week. This is the start of Hayle regeneration on a big scale - 13.5 million pounds to improve the infrastructure AND REPAIR THE QUAY WALLS!!!!!!!!
Other matters...........
Other issues that we are concerned with at County Hall - or lets get used to using Lys Kernow are:
Dog Control Orders. A panel has been looking into the Orders that apply across Cornwall and have concluded that they wish to support the Status Quo. So there will be no changes. I am disappointed in this because they say that if changes are required then Town and Parish Councils can do so - but at their own expense! I would like to see minor amendments to the rules that apply to Hayle Beach but do not agree that the Town Council should take over responsibility without some financial support.
I am uncomfortable with the fact that Cornwall Council are not prepared to bring a unified system across Cornwall with Dog Bans where it will cost them money but are desperate to do so with Car Parking where they accrue huge sums! I wonder why!!!!!
Car Parking. Well the panel here have introduced what they see as a more unified and fairer charging system across Cornwall but we are now told that charges will have to rise on top of the new tariff - Well NO! Make the original changes but leave the charges as they are - any shortfall should be taken from contingencies while the new charges can settle in and their impact be assessed.
Libraries. I am chairing a cross party group looking at library provision in the future. Our report will been finalised soon but I can assure you that no part of our recommendations will involve Library Closures.
23.01.11
