Don't say you weren't consulted!

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Credit Crunch, and Market Crunch

The latest edition of the Teme Valley Times features the resulting damage from a delivery vehicle hitting the historic Tenbury Round Market.

It also looks at how the local reatilers are surviving the Credit Crunch.

You can get a copy from many local outlets or view the whole issue on line at http://temevalleytimes.co.uk/

Chocolate Teapot

The Jobcentrerplus Job Bus finally appeared in Tenbury today.

The bus is scheduled to spend just 5 hours a month in Tenbury, on the fourth Wednesday after the first Monday of each month. (Except when it doesn't)

The March visit was cancelled as the staff were in London getting a "Customer Service" award, and the bus will not be here in May due to staff holidays.

It can also be cancelled at short notice if any company makes or threatens to make a number of staff redundant elsewhere in the County. Or as the "Bus Boss put it".....

In terms of the outreach programme the mobile office undertakes the week numbers are calculated using the monday as the first day, where the monday falls in the previous month the first week of the month will be the first full week of the new month, in this case week commencing 6.4.09, therefore the mobile office is due in Tenbury week commencing 27.4.09.

However, as I am sure you will appreciate, the current economic climate has had an impact on the availability of the mobile office, we are increasingly being called into service to deal with large scale redundancies and companies undertaking short time working, in these instances, as has always been the case, the outreach programme will be suspended, often at very short notice, and priority given to the needs of these customers

Although very knowledgeable, all the staff can offer is access to the list of jobs already available on the Internet. The bus cannot be used for either signing on initially or subsequently. This has to be done by phone in the first instance and in person at either Leominster, Kidderminster, or Ludlow.

So, if it doesn't arrive does anyone miss it? Well blink and you might!

Yet another example of how the people of Tenbury miss out?

The next visit? By my calculations 24th June, but don't hold your breath.

St George's Day Parade

Brilliant sunshine and warm weather marked this years traditional St George's Day Parade in Tenbury Wells.

Download these and other photo's

Pot Holes

Despite repeated assurances from WCC it is difficult to reconcile the state of the roads with the effort that is being expended to maintain them, however it seems that we are not alone. The graphic shown above was in the Daily Mail today along with an article on the state of the UK roads.

Other Pot Hole Entries

Town Council to become more "Dynamic"

The Town Council have decided to re-organise the way they work.

Currently they have six committees reporting into the full Council. (See below).

In future the number of Councillors on each committee will be limited to five, to allow for more intense debating and better and quicker decision making. The full council will then (as now) review the proposals of each committee, but will be able (by virtue of the mathematics) to strike down any proposals that are not fully supported.

Each Councillor will only be allowed to sit on a maximum of two committees and will make know their preferences to the Mayor about which committees they wish to serve over the next few weeks.

Non Councillors will not be able to sit on Committees, but "Working Groups" can be created to make use of local people with skills in particular subjects, and the outcome of the group will then be reported back to the Committee.

The Regal and Entertainments Committee
(MAX. 8 MEMBERS) meet every four to six weeks.

The Parks and Cemetery Committee
(MAX. 7 MEMBERS) meet every four to six weeks.

Website and Communications Committee
(MAX. 7 MEMBERS) meet around every four to six weeks

The Planning Committee
(MAX. 8 MEMBERS) meet every third Monday in the month or sometimes twice monthly if necessary.

Finance and Staffing Group
(MAX. 5 MEMBERS and the TOWN CLERK)

Community Emergency Support Team (No Max)

Tenbury to get Food Festival

The festivals in Tenbury Wells are now being run by a voluntary non-profit organisation called Tenbury Events.

Backed by grants from MHDC and AWM, they ran the successful 2008 Applefest and Mistletoe Festival. Further funds have been obtained by a "Grassroots" grant and there are plans for a town lottery. Any surplus profits from the events will be distributed to other town charities.

This year they plan to add the Teme Valley Food Fayre to their calendar on the 23rd May.

Also this year Applefest will be extended to two days and the Mistletoe Festival will become the Mistletoe season, starting with the High School Prom and taking in the Santa Parade and the Mistletoe Ball. Next year (2010) they also hope to revamp the Tenbury Carnival.

Trouble Migrates to Tenbury

An increase in disorder in the Town at weekends has been blamed on the disbursement of troublemakers from other areas.

It seems that recent action by Ludlow Police to ban a number of troublemakers from Ludlow, has shifted the problem to Tenbury.

Policing in Tenbury is being increased, with additional officers patrolling, the use of mobile convert CCTV, and the review of fixed CCTV from licenced and off-licence premises.

New Skate Park by August

£40,000 has been awarded to Tenbury Wells to update and improve the skate park.

Work is due to start in June to rotate the existing 1/2 pipe, and installation of the new equipment designed and specified by local teenagers will be installed in July.

A shelter with solar lighting will be installed in August to allow bystanders to watch the skating in safety and comfort.

Flood Politics

Flood alleviation in Tenbury seems to becoming a question of Politics. Several agenda items at this months Town Council meeting addressed this issue.

Most people agree that Tenbury would benefit from a flood alleviation scheme, but what this entails and how it will look is far from clear.

The figure of £5M is often reported as the likely cost of a scheme, although without detailed planning I'm not sure how this has been calculated.

Whether any scheme will be esthetically acceptable remains to be seen. At least one property in Upton got a surprise when they found that a five foot high wall was planned to be build feet from their front window and blocking their view of the river.

The Environment Agency, appear to be saying that given a capital cost of £5M and an economical benefit of £7.5M, (using the latest national formula) the Tenbury Scheme is viable, but with a cost benefit ratio of 1:1.5, the scheme is a long way down the waiting list where schemes with a ratio of 1:5 are only just being considered.

Several 'groups' seem to be lobbying for work to be done in Tenbury.

Their is no Labour group, except the Government who are already writing cheques that the country cannot afford.

The Liberal Democrats, accept that the £5M is a pipe dream, and suggest that any flood defenses should be considered as part of a broad review of Tenbury, with a visioning exercise about what type of Town we want for the future, and include flood alleviation as part of any regeneration scheme.

The Conservative group, suggest that with a contribution of £1M from WCC and a further £1M from AWM, the scheme cost benefit ratio will improve to the point where central funds should be available. They also suggest additional money should be raised by local fund raising, and a levy of 50p per household per week for the next ten years. Other suggestions include reducing earthmoving costs by using local farmers and/or the "Ground Work" organisation which utilises unemployed construction workers wishing to maintain their skillbase.

The Town Council group, are unable to work with any of the political groups, unless politics are put to one side, are working with MHDC and will investigate if the £5M project can be split into sub projects and implemented on a rolling basis. Whilst the benefit of the work will be limited until the whole is completed, they feel this may be more achievable.