Saturday 21 April 2007

Leader of Scarborough Borough Council Hits Back

Councillor Tom Fox, leader of SBC hit back at the Chief Executive of NYCC John Marsden through the letters column of Scarborough Evening News on 19 April. In it, Cllr Fox bleats about job losses, lack of investment, poorer local involvement and closure of public buildings. If you remember 1974, when SBC took over the running of this borough, that is what Whitby has experienced without letup. Things are so bad now, that the electorate in East Whitby have to walk, taxi or cadge a lift to their polling station at the Tourist Information Centre. I challenged SBC 4 years ago about this, and again most recently that people, especially the elderly and infirm should not have to go so far simply to exercise their democratic right to vote. The reply (following a personal ticking off from Jim Dillon, SBC's CEO) was they can use postal votes! My response was that most people like to make their mark on a ballot paper in secret, and that a mobile polling station should have been provided. This is a direct result of SBC selling off almost every public building in Whitby, and the sooner we are rid of this Rotten Borough, the better!

Thursday 19 April 2007

Elections, 3 May, 2007

Will your vote count at election time? Will it make a difference, or not? Do you really care? Whatever your answer, you might find some interesting stuff on the Make Votes Count website, a non-political organisation dedicated to electoral reform. If you believe that it's time to change the system it's well worth a look, and sign the online petition while you're there. http://www.makemyvotecount.org.uk/news.html

Monday 16 April 2007

N.Y.M.N.P. will 'Choke Whitby'

Traffic chaos in Whitby is something we're all used to - but we're sick of it! And it could get worse - much worse! North Yorks Moors National Park are very much against the proposed 'Park and Ride' site to be located on the Park's edge on the outskirts of Whitby. A planning application is to be submitted, possibly by the end of April on land that does not belong to the council, and which the land owner does not want to sell! It seems that planning officers on the National Park are going to recommend refusal, as they do not want it spoiling the landscape. What will happen to Whitby if this does not go ahead? Where will drivers park? Is it right that another planning authority can dictate what is good for it - but bad for us?

Does your council candidate support IDs?

Local elections are almost upon us. Who is your candidate? What do you want to know from him/her? Well, No2ID has a questionaire for them in issue number 69, dated April 14. Do they support the government's proposed ID card scheme? Well, ask them!