Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Cllr Jane Ives (12th Nov 2014 - 23:46:21) The parish council have issued a statement regarding the building currently occupied by The Willows Nursery. This can be found on the front page of the parish council website (link to the left), or by clicking on the link below. bramshottandliphook-pc.gov.uk I would just add that we are bound by our standing orders and any action we wish to take has to be approved by one of our committees or by the full council.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Steve (13th Nov 2014 - 07:26:50) The pc HAD already decided to remove the willows!!! Only because the Liphook people cared and started to fight you, that the pc backed down!!! Don't mess with the Liphook people!!!!

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Sam (13th Nov 2014 - 08:56:37) Was the request for a previous post on this issue to be deleted on talkback also approved by one of your committees or by the full council ?

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - peter (13th Nov 2014 - 09:10:39) this statement by Jane Ives is just pathetic back pedalling by this disgraceful parish council. Why didn t the parish council at least have the good manners to discuss the closure with the Willows before making their original decision now having the strength of feeling from the community this slippery bunch of councillors are trying to save face. As I say it would have been good manners at the very least to have sat down and discussed the matter with the Willows before pre-emptively giving them notice to quit. Unbelievable behaviour. do they expect us to vote for them in May I think not. The problem, Peter, is that no one will actually want to stand anyway. If all the councillors were to be replaced who would actually even know where the light switches were, to be honest ! It would not be a pretty sight.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Peter R (13th Nov 2014 - 14:38:38) I think that the post from the Editor has almost robbed me of the power of speech and the ability to write. However not quite. I know that the Editor, when one of his posts was questioned in the past, posted that as he was the Editor he could post what he liked, but even so what a very judgmental, patronising and negative post this was. Firstly what an assumption that "no one will actually want to stand anyway". This statement is actually implying that the people of Liphook and Bramshott are apathetic and uncaring - not true. Secondly his statement that "if all the councillors were to be replaced who would actually even know where the light switches were" is one of the most stupid reasons I have ever read for not having a clean sweep on BLPC. When I read statements like these I wonder how we ever won two world wars!! Luckily I don't believe them and I think the Editor will be proved wrong next May. Peter, I would love to be proved wrong. I have started a new thread asking people to commit to stand next year. But I stand by my comment if all the current council go, who (apart from the clerk) will actually know what needs to be done ?

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Kat (13th Nov 2014 - 15:36:14) Peter R, I agree. Perhaps he is a councillor or in their pockets or has connections with the Council. I think he must have. Its not right to be asking people to put there names forward now. He didn't do that at the last election, and he shouldn't be doing it now. When the time comes names will be published. As to switching off the lights, I think many people would like to switch them off for good! The light switch must be so secret nobody knows where it is. Sorry to disappoint Kat, but I'm not a councillor and not in the pocket of the council otherwise issues like this would never get published. I can't see the logic in not asking people to put their names forward now, I guess you and Peter will be standing? By the way, I won't be.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Kat (13th Nov 2014 - 19:08:38) Its none of your business, and the sort of response I would have expected.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - S (13th Nov 2014 - 20:51:08) Did I miss something here? As I took it, the editor was not actually disagreeing about the Parish Council, just pointing out that a brand new set of councillors wouldn't have a bloody clue what they're doing (which they probably wouldn't)... And with everyone knowing the criticism the PC has received lately, how many people are going to want to put themselves in the hot seat! I certainly wouldn't fancy that challenge! I find this idea by some posters that the editor should remain politically neutral or something quite funny - he is not the Queen!

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - peter (13th Nov 2014 - 21:23:28) S you are absolutely right it is not an easy job. What we now need are high grade individuals of real integrity in the Parish Council, especially people who have or are successful in their careers and have some sort of track record to show this. No more dregs, whether co-opted or otherwise, trying to compensate for their own lack of success in real life, whether in their personal life or career, and turning to parish councildom for the buzz of an ego driven shot of power. Not all the existing parish councillors fall into this category, I am sure, but something has certainly gone wrong. I think that the editor has dealt with this fairly

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - another S (13th Nov 2014 - 21:49:27) I remember this debate before the last election and the only one who came forward was Dawn, who struggled and tried to change things but, from my point of view, seemed to be fighting too strong a current. Where were we when she needed backing up? Bitching and moaning as usual. There are too many people who love to comment, preach and stir the waters but never, again in my own opinion, do anything helpful or try to actually change anything. As in the previous election nobody else will come forward and we will be left with no other options but to vote in the same old faces or bring back others who still hunger for the promotion of their own agendas. I'd love to stand but I fear the friends I have would soon disown me. It's a thankless job and change is so overdue but I feel our options are not about to widen. Please prove me wrong.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Bernard (14th Nov 2014 - 09:23:36) Peter I think you'll find that a good number of the councillors have been successful in their business careers

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Chrissy (14th Nov 2014 - 10:30:40) another S I am sorry to have to disagree but I have to say we feel that Dawn Hoskins has let us down and has not made any real and lasting difference to the village. I say this because we voted for her and also because I am very much for more women empowerment and for mothers within the community coming forward as they usually, in my opinion, understand the problems families face with day to day running of households. Dawn has legal training and therefore should have been an effective councillor and not deterred by opposition, look at what Mrs T managed to do in a male dominated environment. I would not be so rude as to say that DH has just been a lot of hot air, but she has been ineffective and achieved very little despite having promised to make a difference at the time we voted for her. To me and other women in the community, or within my circle, this is a disappointment as we expected a lot more.

Re: Willows Nursery - Parish Council update - Dawn Hoskins (26th Jan 2015 - 11:20:23) Sorry about the length of this. Please bear with it and read it all if possible. Thanks. Since 2009, I have not noticed (ever) more than about 4 (FOUR) people in the room when the Parish Council were having a full council meeting. For normal Committee meetings; planning is the only place that people attend and this, disappointingly, is the only area that the Parish Council are hamstrung. If a project does not fall within a rule that can be objected to – it must be approved. Or the refusal overturned. The people who have REAL power in planning are the EHDC councillors. Do you know who they are? There are 44 of them. Have you been called to one of their meetings? Have you seen the minutes? Do you know who said what about whom? I think I know the answer. People with no understanding of how the Parish Council works then go on to blame the Parish Councillors for making bad decisions, when in reality they can only make prescribed answers given the particular facts. If for example there are not ‘XY’ number of houses per hectare then there cannot be an objection on the grounds of (over development), even though we as individuals can see that the houses are squeezed in like shoe boxes – there is no discretion allowed. The rules come from central government and are not flexible. Even in planning meetings, people generally only attend if the property is either next door to them and they don’t want it in their back yard, or is what they consider over-development. So for a normal meeting, perhaps about 4 people might turn up. As far as regular committee meetings go in which (unlike planning) the Parish Council have the authority to manage without input from EHDC, I can only speak for the Millennium Hall management meetings as far as numbers, but in 4 years, and despite regularly inviting and imploring the public to get interested, a big fat ZERO members of the public have attended. Yes, that was ZERO. It is possible that there may have been isolated meetings in which a member of the public came, but I think you might be getting the drift here. The point I am making here is that, if you want to get riled up about the Parish Council - that is great. But don’t get riled up about things that you heard from your next door neighbours Aunty - who heard it in the post office - from somebody who glanced at a line on here - and then reported it to you as gospel. It is not possible IMO for many people posting here to know what has been done/not done; said/not said; acted upon/omitted if they have been nowhere in sight of any meetings. How do you propose that you know things? By reading them in The Herald? If you are trying to get facts from The Herald you are going to have to look for a very long time, get aching eyes and still leave disappointed after years of trying! Journalistic ability and barge poles come to mind. It’s a bit like complaining that you child has become unruly when you have neglected it for 4 years! As a caring parent you monitor your child, praise the good behaviour and weed-out the poor behaviour. If you did not do this they could lick mud off rocks and you would never know. There are about 8,000 voters in this constituency. There are Parish Council meetings every week. I know the old chestnut is …”I would have come but I am too busy”….”I can’t come - I am at work”…..” I can’t come I have children”…… and I am sure that for some people this is genuine. But for 8,000 of you? Many of the Parish Councillors also work, are busy and have children – but they come and work hard to represent you – the people – who in return don’t come and only pay attention once every 4 years when a nasty few love to take swipes for points using fake names (not being brave enough to show themselves). Being a Councillor is a very good and rewarding thing to do. It takes hard work and commitment with no rounds of applause, no financial benefit and generally only criticism from the public who do not understand the restraints you are under. The fact that no-one really knows what they can and can’t do before they get elected generally means they put things in manifestos which they will be powerless to have any affect over. Like - traffic, policing, speeding, dog poo, schooling etc etc. It is only when people get elected they realise they can’t do any of it despite their wants! However, the manifestos give a very good indication as to what each prospective councillor feels about topics affecting them – so they are still worth paying attention to. I certainly vote according to the personalities displayed in manifestos. If you want to work for the benefit of the village and hamlets, have a thick skin for when lies and insults are slung at you from the press and internet ‘ringers’ and also from people who have been led to believe the aforementioned, if you can reach a compromise in a professional manner and have a philanthropic nature with regards to giving your time (lots of time) - then I recommend standing for local election. It is a worthy thing to do, working in a supportive, collegiate and friendly atmosphere.

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home