Surgeries.
10:30-11am,
Thursday 1st December, Gurnard Press, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
11:30-12:15pm,
Thursday 1st December, The Pavilion Café, Gurnard Pines, Gurnard.
4:30-5pm,
Monday 5th December, Cowes Library, Beckford Road, Cowes.
11:30-12:15pm,
Tuesday 6th December, The Pavilion Café, Gurnard Pines, Gurnard.
5:30-6pm,
Wednesday 14th December, The Portland, Worsley Road, Gurnard.
Christmas Availability.
Although my last surgery this year is being
held on 14th December, I will be available throughout Christmas and
will be spending this time chasing up the long standing matters that I am
dealing with.
Please text me or call my mobile if the
matter is urgent. As with all holiday
periods, if I need to chase a matter it may take me longer than usual to chase
matters up and get a response, if required from others.
Energy Support Signposting.
Please discuss
your individual issues with the Footprint Trust on 01983 822282. The Footprint Trust has up to date
information to where funding is available.
Details of the Footprint Trust and support they give can be found at: https://footprint-trust.co.uk or email: info@footprint-trust.co.uk.
Alternatively, up to date
information can also be found here: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/.
A concern
many residents have advised, is that the current level of support for many can
seem limited. To note, the IW Council offers general advice for residents via: https://beta.iow.gov.uk/keep-the-island-safe/cost-of-living/ whilst Government also offers information
at: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/
Because
there are issues for residents living in defined Holiday Parks (like Gurnard
Pines) residents are exempt from the same regulations to safeguard those living
in standard accommodation. In response, I have approached MP’s and Councillors
regarding this. To address this there is both a campaign and a petition to
Government, which be found here: https://www.parkhomemagazine.co.uk/news/lets-get-park-home-owners-energy-bills-justice/
In the meantime, I continue to gather information so this can be shared to residents who I very much support. Following surgeries (including those at Gurnard Pines on 1st and 7th December), I will gather information for the MP, and hope to put in hard copy form the information posted on the IW Council’s Cost of Living website.
In the meantime I have collated information from the IW Council's Cost of Living portal which I have produced in Hard Copy form (with 'phone numbers!? for residents that do not have access to the internet. These are available direct from me, or from Cowes Library
Bathing Water: Dry Spills- Cowes and Gurnard.
For a
number of years now, Southern Water has apportioned a number of outfall
discharges were due to strain on the capacity of holding tanks during storms.
Last month, the Group Surfers Against Sewage referenced that the number of dry
spills (discharges that didn’t follow rain) were some of the UK’s highest.
Between
October 2021 and September 2022, Gurnard had 321 discharges, the highest
incident of sewage discharge in the UK, according to SAS. Cowes closely
followed, with 318. In light of
this, I’ve contacted Southern Water for an explanation, and how the company
intends to deal with the unacceptable occurrences.
In the meantime bathing water safety remains
a priority for Gurnard Parish Council’s Beach Working Party. In addition, the public meeting to follow up
Southern Water’s meeting to Gurnard residents earlier this year has been
rescheduled.
In the meantime bathing water safety remains
a priority for Gurnard Parish Council’s Beach Working Party. In addition, the public meeting to follow up
Southern Water’s meeting to Gurnard residents earlier this year has been
rescheduled. In response Southern Water has stated the following:
“It should be noted that we have only looked at rainfall in the 2 days
before a sewage discharge notification. Each catchment is unique and therefore
the lag time between a rainfall event and its impact on a sewage overflow could
be longer. However, we consider [2] days to be a conservative time period. The
SSRS also only provides sewage discharge notifications for designated bathing
waters and popular swim spots rather than individual sewage overflows. So where
one sewage overflow impacts multiple locations we will be overestimating the
number of ‘dry spills’. On the other hand, where multiple sewage overflows
impact one location, we will be underestimating the number of ‘dry spills’.
Finally, we are unable to comprehensively consider more complex situations such
as the effect of periods of drought – when there can be a large increase in
surface water after a downpour due to the ground being too dry to absorb it”.
Waste Water, Princes Esplanade.
Southern Water concluded efforts to
repair the waste water leak on the Esplanade. However, I am advised repairs to reinstate the highway cannot take place until the week commencing 19th December.
Following feedback from Cllr Terry Nolan, I have also reported a further leak adjacent to the Mornington Pumping Station off Queens Road.
Brighstone
and Calbourne Bi-election.
I’ve congratulated neighbouring new IW Councillor,
Nick Stuart who replaces Steve Hastings as Ward Councillor.
The votes cast were: Nick Stuart (Lib-Dem) 526;
Carol Bryan (Conservative) 239; Doug Alldred (Green) 153; Stephen Parkes
(Vectis Party) 36; Gary Clarke (Labour) 31. I have worked with Nick both as
representatives on the IW AONB Management Committee and within the Isle of
Wight Association of Local Councils.
IW Remembrance Services.
This year it was an honour to remember and lay
wreaths on behalf of the IW Council.
This, was the first time in many years that I did not attend the service
at Cowes, as I was supporting my partner who is a Freshwater Parish Councillor
at her village. As usual it was lovely to attend the service in Gurnard
alongside Cllr Mark Franklin who laid the wreath at the Church as Vice Chairman
of Gurnard Parish Council. Thank you to
all involved!
Coastal
Protection Works.
Work at Marsh Road, and more recent delayed work north of Solent View
Road has now concluded.
Isle of Wight Boundary Commission Consultation.
Consultation is again underway on Boundary Changes
for the two MP’s proposed to represent the Isle of Wight.
I am in full support of proposals for the proposed
two Isle of Wight Parliamentary Authority wards.
I support the Isle of Wight having two wards, as
for many years now with a population of 140,000, the Isle of Wight has been
under represented as easily the largest parliamentary constituency in the
United Kingdom.
It makes sense to not divide communities, as the
previous proposal did for Newport.
I also support current proposals as it
differentiates the areas reliant upon traditional Tourism and hospitality
industries in the East from those areas around the Medina Valley that have a
stronger tradition commerce and industry in the West.
This Consultation: https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/node/6488?postcode=PO31 continues
until 5th December
Highways and Environmental Issues.
·
I requested support and action was taken to clear
obscured signage where Marsh Road joins Rew Street.
·
A request has been made to infill pot holes and regularly
monitor the deteriorating condition of Worsley Road.
·
A complaint was received and action taken
concerning dog fouling in and around Northwood Recreation Ground.
·
Action was requested following the non-consented
renewal of parking permits.
·
A request has been made to request better local
signage when the Floating Bridge does not operate.
·
A request has been made to clear ditches in Rew
Street and the culvert in Cockleton Lane prior to the winter.
·
Concerns were raised over intrusive security
lighting on the Crossfield Estate.
·
A complaint was received (with photos!!) of several
golfers toileting in the open at Cowes Golf Club.
·
Concerns were raised of noisy motorcycles without
lights in use in Gurnard. This has been reported to the police.
·
A complaint was made regarding scaffolding
cladding. This I’m taking up with the householder undertaking work.
Council Tax 2023/ 2024.
Work is underway to set next year’s Council
Tax. Because of increased costs, this is
likely to prove really challenging without substantial extra support from local
Councils.
Two of England’s largest, most buoyant local authorities
Hampshire and Kent have warned prime minister, Rishi Sunak, they will be forced
to declare bankruptcy because of the unprecedented financial crisis enveloping
both councils. Their leaders said even “drastic cuts” to current services would
not be enough to patch up the huge holes in their budgets created by soaring
inflation and rising pressures in adult and children’s social care.
Small
Business Saturday: FREE Car Parking
(Long Stay Car Parks) 12-6pm, Saturday 3rd December.
Isle of Wight Council is offering free off-street
parking in all its long-stay car parks to support Small Business Saturday –
which aims to promote the important role small businesses play in our towns and
the island economy.
All long stay car parks run by the council will be
free of charge between 12pm and 6pm on Saturday 3 December.
Full Council.
·
It was reported that the police force responsible
for the Island has been renamed the Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Constabulary. This is something that I
first raised with former PCC Simon Hayes ten years ago and am pleased that
current PCC, the lovely Donna Jones has moved forward with!
·
The Full Council were unanimous in supporting Cllr
Richard Quigley’s Cost of Living Emergency resolution, which enamoured the IW
Council’s commitment to residents impacted.
·
Former Deputy, Wendy Perera was appointed by the IW
Council as the authorities new Chief Executive.
I first worked with as a Planning Policy Officer in the 1990’s!
·
The Island Planning Strategy was referred to
Cabinet to consider Affordable Housing, use of IWC sites, housing reductions/
realignment of settlement boundaries, the SHLAA Process, Energy Security and
Zero Carbon.
Cabinet Member Report.
In my role as the IW Council’s Cabinet Member for
Planning and Enforcement, I can report the following:
·
I attended a presentation with Rentplus a national
initiative supporting residents getting on to the first rung of the housing
ladder. Rentplus’ objective is to provide ‘affordable’ rent to buy
opportunities further details can be found here: https://www.rentplus-uk.com/ Elsewhere, where schemes are operating this
has offered options to residents that otherwise would not be available and is
popular with those that are low paid who work for the NHS, Retail,
Manufacturing, Education, Leisure/ Hospitality and Armed Forces sectors.
·
As Cabinet Member, I attended the second meeting of
the Planning Protocols Working Party. One concern raised by members is the fact
that members of the Planning Committee should be treated in the same way as
Local Councillors when considering applications within their ward. I very much welcome this and look forward to
proposals being considered more widely by Councillors.
·
A presentation was made to IWALC concerning Town,
Parish and Community Councils buying into the Council’s Planning Enforcement
Team, which recently grew following the support from Newport and Carisbrooke
Community Council. Officers are
currently in dialogue with potentially improving enforcement provision in Ryde.
·
Prior to Full Council, a briefing was organised to
discuss why ‘up to date’ census data could not be assessed when suppressing
housing numbers.. (To note this
information requires three years to assess and quantify!)
·
Following the decision by Full Council to pause the
Island Planning Strategy, I continue to discuss priorities with Council Groups
and individuals. On this, I am working with officers to circulate fuller
options in the coming weeks which I intend to take to an all member briefing,
early January.
·
In addition to the above, I have contacted both
Bembridge and Freshwater Parish Councils to view matters raised by both
Councils following some concerns raised by Councillors during the Full Council
Meeting.
·
Following this year’s peer review, I chaired a
meeting with stakeholders to create an action plan of priorities. A number of these- ongoing training, staff
recruitment and planning enforcement has so far been actioned.
·
I have received a number of comments raising
concern over proposals within the Island Planning Strategy regarding not
supporting Air BnB only being used with consent for more than 140 days per
annum.
Gurnard Parish Council Chairman’s Report.
·
Following concerns relating child safety
outside the school and the crossing point at the junction with Woodvale Road in
Baring Road, I have met with the Head Teacher. In the discussions that I had,
understanding the concerns raised by residents regarding creating a zebra
crossing and issues over the recruitment of a lolly-pop person the school has
suggested improving pedestrian access to parking may be a way forward. The Head advised she would discuss this with
others managing the school. In the meantime a renewed request has been made for
better parking enforcement, and notices continue to be made to parents in the
school newsletter.
·
Work is due to take place in January, on a
questionnaire to residents of Church Road, Tilbury Road and The Avenue
regarding their views on a one way traffic system, parking and the speed of
traffic.
·
A request has been made to initiate an
outreach for Gurnard Pines residents affected by cost of living increases. The
site owner Terry Prosser and new café proprietors are happy and supportive of
this being actioned.
·
With 11 other Town and Parish Councillors
from the Cowes/ Gurnard/ Northwood area, joined by Cllrs Bugden, Franklin and
Williams and I attended a meeting to discuss working closer with Cowes Medical
Centre. At the meeting it was reported that the Medical Centre was to be
classed as part of a ‘Primary Care Network’, which represented the communities
of Cowes, Newport and the West Wight. It
was reported that currently 60 people were employed by the practice, and it remained
a priority to recruit more doctors to support the 2.5 Full Time equivalent GPs.
Accordingly Cowes’ care provision was currently well funded by Integrated Care
Board. Disappointingly it was noted that nobody from the Team was able to
represent the CMC Team.
·
Last month our toilets were vandalised, and
it was hoped police action would be taken against the culprits.
·
On behalf of the Parish Council I attended
meetings of the Environment and Sustainability Forum (with Cllr Acton), The
Food Poverty and Waste Forum (with Cllr Acton) and IWALC (with Cllr Acton)
·
Consultation with Gurnard residents is
underway on residents Parish Council priorities and services the Parish Council
provides to residents. For details please visit: https://forms.gle/fE23wdu5BzXbt9zp8,
alternatively please return the survey that was issued in December and
January’s Gurnard News. Many thanks to Cllrs. Acton, Bugden and Franklin for
their efforts rolling out this years’ consultation.
·
The model for the management of Gurnard
Village is due to be discussed by the WI later this month. Once discussions have taken place, this I
hope will allow the Village Hall to grow.
Wishing all residents a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year.
