Good news for residents experiencing problems at the crossroads in Standish will be glad to know that it will be going back to normal tomorrow.
After Cllr George Fairhurst and myself contacting the Council they have agreed to remove the system ASAP.
The Council say that they have tried a couple of new systems and that they have not work so there is nothing left for them to improve the traffic lights.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Monday, 28 October 2013
Crazy idea - needs to be returned back!!!
I think any one who has been to Standish, today or yesterday, will have witnessed the craziness what the Council has done. Yes, I get it that they thought they were trying to resole the situation but who in their right mind would put a car head on with another car? I am no expert in traffic management but my knowledge is that when passing, you go driver to driver.
Cllr George Fairhurst has had an emergency meeting with engineers today, and I have written to the Council this evening to support his comments and some of my own too and that is this system is not going to work. It is dangerous and whilst we need to look at trying to improve things at the crossroads, this is not the answer. Hopefully the Council will agree with both Cllr George Fairhurst and myself and that is the crossroads is dangerous and not going to work.
You can rest assured that we will be working to resolve this matter as a matter of urgency.
I have got loads of messages to respond to, and I will try and get through them all, and phone calls to return too. Let's hope we can get the Council to remove this ASAP. Thanks for everyone for getting in touch too.
Cllr George Fairhurst has had an emergency meeting with engineers today, and I have written to the Council this evening to support his comments and some of my own too and that is this system is not going to work. It is dangerous and whilst we need to look at trying to improve things at the crossroads, this is not the answer. Hopefully the Council will agree with both Cllr George Fairhurst and myself and that is the crossroads is dangerous and not going to work.
You can rest assured that we will be working to resolve this matter as a matter of urgency.
I have got loads of messages to respond to, and I will try and get through them all, and phone calls to return too. Let's hope we can get the Council to remove this ASAP. Thanks for everyone for getting in touch too.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
How Corrupt is Wigan Council?
I have learnt that the LABOUR Cllrs below did not register free gifts/ hospitality. Earlier this year all Cllrs where asked if they wanted two free tickets for the Wigan Jazz Festival, via their Cllrs email account. This is not uncommon. As I am a keen jazz fan I took up the offer, like the Labour Cllrs. However, when I registered my interest with the Council, I noticed that the Labour Cllrs below that also took up this offer did not register the gift/ hospitality.
I reported them to the Council for failing to register their interest and therefore broke the Council's Code of Conduct. The Council have come back with some crazy excuse saying that it is a personal gift and not made to a Cllr. I strongly disagree as this offer was made to Cllrs email address's and they responded via their Cllrs email and therefore they were under the Cllrs rules. The Council claim that Cllrs only have to register gifts that a rise from Council meeting.
Have you heard anything so mad? So if a Cllr was going to get a back handed under the rules that the Council are saying, as long as it is not done in a meeting then they don't have to register the gift/ hospitality - which surely can't be right. The whole purpose of a register of gifts/ hospitality is to be open and transparent.
They now say that they intend to change the rules so Cllrs have to register gifts any time now. They say they are doing this because I have raised this. The rules have already there - it is called the law!
One of the real main worries is if these Cllrs haven't registered 2 tickets of £32 in total, then what other higher value gifts have they not registered as they believe they have received them as "personal gifts"?
I believe that this is also a criminal offence and will consider whether to report it now to the police.
I wonder if it is because they are Labour Cllrs and that's why the Council are not investigating?
The LABOUR Cllrs who failed to register their gifts are:-
Bill Clarke
Keith Stitt
Janice Sharratt
Eunice Smethurst
Pam Stewart
Clive Morgan
I reported them to the Council for failing to register their interest and therefore broke the Council's Code of Conduct. The Council have come back with some crazy excuse saying that it is a personal gift and not made to a Cllr. I strongly disagree as this offer was made to Cllrs email address's and they responded via their Cllrs email and therefore they were under the Cllrs rules. The Council claim that Cllrs only have to register gifts that a rise from Council meeting.
Have you heard anything so mad? So if a Cllr was going to get a back handed under the rules that the Council are saying, as long as it is not done in a meeting then they don't have to register the gift/ hospitality - which surely can't be right. The whole purpose of a register of gifts/ hospitality is to be open and transparent.
They now say that they intend to change the rules so Cllrs have to register gifts any time now. They say they are doing this because I have raised this. The rules have already there - it is called the law!
One of the real main worries is if these Cllrs haven't registered 2 tickets of £32 in total, then what other higher value gifts have they not registered as they believe they have received them as "personal gifts"?
I believe that this is also a criminal offence and will consider whether to report it now to the police.
I wonder if it is because they are Labour Cllrs and that's why the Council are not investigating?
The LABOUR Cllrs who failed to register their gifts are:-
Bill Clarke
Keith Stitt
Janice Sharratt
Eunice Smethurst
Pam Stewart
Clive Morgan
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Planning update on applications and appeals.
So with all the issues with housing in Standish I am just giving people the heads up on where things are up too.
Persimmon Homes have now asked for another date for their appeal for the golf course. This was due to take place this week. I believe this is because they are missing information and probably not hopeful. The new date will probably be in January next year. However, they have also put another application in for actually for the same development. We believe they are doing this because of they will probably withdraw their planning application appeal at some point soon.
The planning application on Old Pepper Lane has now gone to appeal, no date has been set yet. They have appeal on the grounds that the Council have not determined their application.
No further applications have come in yet however the Council are still mindful that two will come in for the area called the line, behind Almond Brook.
Persimmon Homes have now asked for another date for their appeal for the golf course. This was due to take place this week. I believe this is because they are missing information and probably not hopeful. The new date will probably be in January next year. However, they have also put another application in for actually for the same development. We believe they are doing this because of they will probably withdraw their planning application appeal at some point soon.
The planning application on Old Pepper Lane has now gone to appeal, no date has been set yet. They have appeal on the grounds that the Council have not determined their application.
No further applications have come in yet however the Council are still mindful that two will come in for the area called the line, behind Almond Brook.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Legal advice for new houses.
Many know that we asked a leading planning expert to look at if we had a challenge to the new houses for Standish. The barrister has now looked at the process and says that we do not have a legal challenge, although he recognises the act why residents feels upsets.
We are now waiting for the Council's traffic survey to see what the findings of that survey is.
Disappointing news!
We are now waiting for the Council's traffic survey to see what the findings of that survey is.
Disappointing news!
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Landfill for Standish
The site is a former sand quarry and landfill site, however, the owners think there is 3 years of more use in the site. They claim that it will stop flooding, however this is a green open space now and a secure site.
They plan to have 31 lorries per day going into the site Mon - Fri 7am - 6pm and 7am - 1pm on Sat. This is a huge about of traffic and will create hundreds of more lorries in Standish village. Obviously the smell will be an issue at times too.
Let me know what you think. I know one thing I guess the developers will have problems selling their new houses they want to build in Standish.
As soon as the planning application is in we will let you know.
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Residents fights planning application
Five Star Homes have put in a planning application for new flats on Chorley Rd, Standish.
Residents fought this developer before with the Rowton Rise development, just off Chorley Rd. That battle last 5 years. Now with a small part of the land left the developer wants to demolition one part of a semi-detached house and then use that land plus some land next to that house for the flats plus access to the property.
This access has been turned down 3 times previously so I am not sure why the developer thinks they can do get this passed. However, the next door neighbour is upset that his house could be effected. Also other neighbours surrounding the plat are upset at the fact that this area was meant to be left clear of houses, never mind flats and here is another example that a developer wants to ignore the planning conditions.
Residents from Chorley Rd and Rowton Rise will know fight the application. This will be on the grounds that the access is on a blind bend, the flats will be over powering on the next door neighbour. Also it is not in keeping with the area.The people that have bought the new houses behind Rowton Rise are upset too as the developer said the area concerned would not be built on. Goes to show you can't trust developers!
The planning application is here.
The Week that Ended.....6 Oct '13
I have attended Standish High Schools governing body meeting on Wednesday night. This was the first meeting of the school year. It is interesting the issues that schools face and do. The school had some great results in the summer.
Thursday night I attended the Community Centre committee meeting. The centre is planning a number of great events, as well as renting the rooms out to groups. One of the events that the centre is planning is a Children's Christmas Party. This is being planned for December, date to be confirmed.
Surgery had a number of residents in and I will be going doing a site visit with some of them in a short while and then doing a couple of home visits too with regards a planning issue. I am planning to do a story on the blog later on this so please keep watching the site, as this is really interesting.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Labour block communities money
Wigan Councillors get a little over £6000 per year to use on environmental or community projects in their wards or for the people of their wards. This money is called Brighter Borough. However, labour and Wigan Council have now made it to blackmail voters by saying, if you vote for someone we don't like then we will stop that community from getting their own money back.
How are they doing this? In my opinion an illegal and political act! The process is, if a Cllr gets a complaint made against them by an officer of the Council then automatically as soon as that complaint comes in the Cllr's Brighter Borough money is stopped. Regardless of whether the complaint will go to investigation or if it even is a proper complaint. However, if a member of the public complains about a Cllr that does not make that Cllrs Brighter Borough money stop. So the first point where is the consistency? Why do Wigan Council Executive think they are above members of the public? Surely if it was fair then no matter who complains then the money is stopped. In my opinion Labour know that their Cllrs get more complaints made by the Public, and found guilty, by the public and they do not want to effect their Cllrs.
Wigan Council says that they have to do this because a few Cllrs behaviour is disgusting and they need punishing. However, to date, since I was elected last year, no Cllr has been found guilty of misbehaving. So therefore when you read the reason why in the Wigan Evening Post by the Chief Executive she is merely giving an opinion rather than reporting fact.
But if a Cllr is found guilty in the future how does this punishment punish the Cllr because it is not the Cllr who is being punished but the Community that elected them? That then brings this to an illegal and political act!
As a Cllr I have asked for the legal dept to go and get independent legal opinion on whether this is legal or not for the two reasons that I have given, plus a couple more, but they refuse, merely saying that it is the Labour ruling Cabinet decision and that's it. That then demonstrates that this is a political act, which the Council should not allow, as they are meant to be impartial.
How are they doing this? In my opinion an illegal and political act! The process is, if a Cllr gets a complaint made against them by an officer of the Council then automatically as soon as that complaint comes in the Cllr's Brighter Borough money is stopped. Regardless of whether the complaint will go to investigation or if it even is a proper complaint. However, if a member of the public complains about a Cllr that does not make that Cllrs Brighter Borough money stop. So the first point where is the consistency? Why do Wigan Council Executive think they are above members of the public? Surely if it was fair then no matter who complains then the money is stopped. In my opinion Labour know that their Cllrs get more complaints made by the Public, and found guilty, by the public and they do not want to effect their Cllrs.
Wigan Council says that they have to do this because a few Cllrs behaviour is disgusting and they need punishing. However, to date, since I was elected last year, no Cllr has been found guilty of misbehaving. So therefore when you read the reason why in the Wigan Evening Post by the Chief Executive she is merely giving an opinion rather than reporting fact.
But if a Cllr is found guilty in the future how does this punishment punish the Cllr because it is not the Cllr who is being punished but the Community that elected them? That then brings this to an illegal and political act!
As a Cllr I have asked for the legal dept to go and get independent legal opinion on whether this is legal or not for the two reasons that I have given, plus a couple more, but they refuse, merely saying that it is the Labour ruling Cabinet decision and that's it. That then demonstrates that this is a political act, which the Council should not allow, as they are meant to be impartial.
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