Letters 26/8/2011

I WAS delighted to read in the Mercury last week that a new recycling centre is planned at Caister. There are concerns that queues are putting people off and adding to fly-tipping.

However, I have been concerned for some time that regulations in force at the tip are doing the very same thing.

Last year, my husband removed a fairly small kitchen, dismantled all the units so that they were flat, put half of them in the car and took them to the tip at Caister. He was told the quantity was too much and although he was allowed to tip it, he was told he should not really bring so much. Remember, this was only half of a small kitchen.

On a recent visit to Caister, I heard another member of the public being told the same thing.

On yet another occasion, I heard another person being told they had too much garden waste. All of this rubbish was being transported in domestic vehicles and was obviously not being dumped by businesses.

Perhaps someone could tell me what the public should do with such items if we are not supposed to take household rubbish to the tip. Should we really be surprised that there is so much fly-tipping?

CERI WALFORD

Victoria Road,

Gorleston

Did you know of Yarmouth man?

MY stepfather’s father used to live in Exmouth Road, Great Yarmouth. I believe he died there but I don’t know when. I was wondering if you could put a piece in your paper asking for anyone with information to get in touch. His name was Charles James Humphrey and he was a veteran of the second world war and served on HMS Warspite and I believe he worked in a local factory that made egg boxes. I can be contacted on 01234 743466 or email danny.amey@btinternet.com

DANNY AMEY

Those of us who save get nothing

IN response to the letter about not being able to get help in last week’s Mercury, I agree with the writer. I too was made redundant at the age of 58 almost two years ago. I had worked since I was 15 and had paid NI up to the day I was made redundant.

I was always under the impression that no matter what you had saved and made provisions for, if you had paid your NI you would at least get a basic payment for the first six months of any unemployment.

How wrong I was, because I had an Army pension for 23 years service to the country and a small Co-operative pension I had paid into over the years I was informed I had too much income to be able to claim anything, this was after I had given all the ins and outs of my finances. I then made the decision to take early retirement, which got me off the government’s figures for being unemployed.

It seems the more you do to look after yourself the more you are penalised; those that save nothing and make no provisions have everything paid for by the government.

PETER MARNEY

Burgh Road

Gorleston

We need to look after ourselves

IT’S funny with all this talk about jobs in the future, notice the word future, not now. So, I read with great interest Mr Rusell Leggett’s Business Break column (August 19), and the world being unhappy about the financial situation.

The one thing that popped out at me was one country, Germany propping up the Euro. Of course they are.

What Mr Leggett forgot to say was that we, our government, has just given a contract to Germany to build rail carriages for this country, and in doing so made 1,500 people redundant in Derby.

Now, you might say what has that got to do with us in Great Yarmouth? Like every city in the country we need work for the people of Norfolk, but we are not going to get it with promises that may, or probably may not happen. It’s like promising a child they will get the present they want next year.

The area was promised prosperity with the outer harbour, what a joke. All those years of planning and promises. The adage, speculate to accumulate stands true. If there is to be this business boom, notice I said if, we have to rebuild our infrastructure to prove to these businesses they can get in and out of the area easily. Widen the Acle Straight, build another bridge.

If businesses are interested in the area make them interested in the infrastructure. A toll road? It works in Europe, why not here?

In China they built the longest ever bridge, and do not expect to make a profit for 40 years, that’s enterprise. I’m not saying it would take that length of time for any rebuilding here to take that long to make a profit, but it will make a profit.

I know all about the farm land so, build a road alongside the railway line, but as usual there will be obstacles that will take a life time for the council and planners to resolve and by then you would have lost the enterprise.

Ideas are great, but implementing them, that’s the key. More important is the borough council. I don’t care if you are Labour, Conservative, Liberal, or from the pink panther society, but as councillors voted in by the people, your one aim is for the betterment of the borough, county and its people. Perhaps Cllr Trevor Wainwright might bear that in mind.

David Brown

Yallop Avenue,

Gorleston

We’re entitled to our meeting now

ON August 4, about 70 Gorleston residents met our MP Brandon Lewis at the Pier Hotel to air grievances. Brandon, at that meeting agreed the pier should have its car park reopened, its bus service to the Pavilion Theatre restored, and was asked why ratepayers are now paying to maintain the West Bank, from the Fishermen’s Wharf to the start of the Pier?

We have been promised a larger, open, and transparent meeting to be held in the Pavilion Theatre. Leader of the council, Steve Ames, is organising, and will participate.

As the three points affect Gorleston, it is only right that with Cllr Ames on the top table, we should have Gorleston Cllr Bert Collins, and also Cllr Jim Shrimplin on the panel as these two councillors are on the Board of Great Yarmouth Port Authority. We should also have Richard Packham and Peter Hardy, as these two officers were responsible for advising the councillors.

I am being inundated by calls and emails as to the date of the forthcoming meeting. I have had a long talk with Cllr Ames, who tells me we are to wait.

August is out; September is out as Mr Packham is on a week’s holiday; October is also out as it is feared the elderly will be frightened by the ugly faces of Halloween; and the beginning of November is difficult, though there may be a chance towards the end.

I feel, and residents do too, that councillors and officers are public servants. It is not right that on something so important as the complaints the electors have, they should be dictated to as to when councillors and officers can be available. The ratepayers are the paymasters of these five officers and councillors.

It should be possible to arrange this meeting for September, while the weather is still good and the evenings are light. In November we have the dark, and this will keep some from attending. I can be contacted on 01493 653721 or by email: saveourport@btinternet.com

JOHN L COOPER

10 Burnt Lane

Gorleston

Learn more on village history

THOSE readers wishing to discover more about the history of villages may like to know that there will be a class at Wensum Lodge, Norwich this winter for anyone interested in knowing about “Country Life between 1700 and 1900”. There will be a taster class on Thursday, September 22 at 1.15pm. For those who would like to learn more there will be classes fortnightly on Thursdays from September 29 from 1.15pm to 3.15pm. For details, send an email to Nick Williams on Spinney72@aol.com or contact Mary Fewster on 01508 492059. The present members of the class are a friendly bunch and would warmly welcome others.

Mrs ANNE MEAKIN

Marsh Close, Martham

Dogs think you’re playing a game

RE the letter from David Kelf. He says he felt threatened by a dog baring its teeth while he jogged. Why didn’t he see it from a dog’s point of view?

He was running and a lot of dogs see this as a game; I know mine do as they are running dogs. They don’t want to do harm, they want to chase, it’s in their nature.

There are hundreds of places to jog, do it elsewhere like on the pavement where dogs are on leads, and not on the beach where they have every right to be free in the designated area. If it had been my dog he had kicked he would have got a flea in the ear from me (not my dogs though).

SUSAN INGRAM

Email

No hope of Quay re-opening early

CLLR Trevor Wainwright’s letter in the Mercury last week gives no hope of an early re-opening of the Quay – in fact, is there any hope at all? Its presentation is a disgrace and reflects no credit on those responsible. Until it is restored to public use the outer harbour will never be respected, no matter how many ships use it. It is a flagrant disrespect of a public facility and a black spot on the whole concept. Or has it been earmarked for some other purpose?

Miss R L FARMER

Marine Parade,

Gorleston

Positive thanks

I WOULD like to thank Cllr Mick Castle for his letter and positive attitude to our outer harbour. It shone like a beacon through the almost constant, though somewhat confined, murk of criticism.

DAVID KING

Falcon Court

Great Yarmouth

Who’s revenue?

THIS impasse over the Gorleston pier between us and Eastport: personally I think there is another contender, Great Yarmouth Borough Council. We are all calling for work to be done on the car parking area of the pier. Good! Now let me say Eastport does go ahead with this work and completes the pier car park, which we will assume would be a pay and display park. Who do we think would be entitled to the revenue from this enterprise? I feel this is the whole crux of the matter.

JACK DYE

Gonville Road

Gorleston

Limited powers over grain store

IN response to the letter in the Mercury last week: “Why is the grain store still there?” Although I do not represent the area in question I fully support the views of Mr Dye, but the facts are:

1 The site fronts the riverside on North Quay and is in private ownership. It is not owned by the Borough Council.

2 The Local Authority has limited powers. It is up to the owner if he wishes to demolish the grain store.

3 There is no listed building status for the grain store.

4 There are no records of rat infestation with the Borough Council’s Environmental Health team.

Hopefully the owner of the grain store will now take notice of the views of residents of the town, and address the issues raised as a matter of urgency.

Cllr TREVOR WAINWRIGHT

Magdalen Ward

Gorleston

Listen to voters

WE are told there are to be four Area Forums in Great Yarmouth at which residents can tell the borough council of their concerns, hopes and wishes. If these gatherings are to have any credibility, and not be mere talking shops, then the borough council will heed the wishes of the residents and drop the idea of ending the residents’ parking scheme. Such a decision will show that the borough council listens to the voters and acts to help residents and businesses.

R PARKINSON-HARE

Lichfield Road,

Great Yarmouth

Pier can continue to be great asset

WALKING along Gorleston pier on Sunday I was delighted to see two new seats had been installed in front of the Coastwatch lookout. Several years ago, I brought to the attention of the relevant department of the borough council the dilapidated state of the previous seating. With the renovated shelter, new seats, surface work taking place, and hopefully the issue of the car park resolved (how many seaside resorts offer free parking?), in the near future, the pier can continue to be an asset to Gorleston-on-Sea.

JULIE GRINT

Springfield, Acle

It’s health and safety gone mad

IT’S time to put pen to paper regarding the latest round of nonsense regulations to be put to all council flat tenants.

The first letter stated that all bikes, prams, pushchairs etc are to be removed from stairwells and landings, also “nut” curtains (unfortunately the letter writer was unable to spell “net”). Now a letter arrives tells us we have to remove a small shell ornament and a battery powered clock from a windowsill on the communcal landing area. These ornaments are four feet from the ground and seven feet from the stairs.

Being of sound mind, I cannot see how these objects can possibly be such a terrific danger to us tenants and visitors to our block. So please, fire brigade safety officers and council members alike, who are jointly responsible for these ridiculous decisions, pull yourselves together and jump off the bandwagon of blame culture and so-called health and safety nonsense.

Make some sensible decisions and address important issues which blight this once pleasant town. I know there are people in some flats who do leave objects in unsafe places, posing a danger to other tenants but these issues should be dealt with in each block, not a blanket ban.

The real dangers lie within the home and not on the landing areas. Perhaps we should all remove our nut curtains (sorry, net curtains) and ornaments in our flats as well? What next, evict a spider for daring to make a web. very dangerous indeed. laughable, but not funny.

S BROWN

Parkland Drive

Bradwell

Well done for all your hard work

I AM writing to publically congratulate all of the students who have succeeded in their examinations over the last two weeks. Their results will have been a product of hard work and dedication; and this should be acknowledged.

I would also like to wish every student good luck as they take their next step into adult life; either continuing their studies at college or university; or alternatively joining the job market.

Tribute should also be paid to all of the staff working at all levels, in schools and colleges across the Borough.

A lot of hard work is put into helping to support pupils as they enter the exams so that they can fulfil their potential.

BRANDON LEWIS

MP for Great Yarmouth

We pay enough ‘extras’ already

HAVING gone to purchase my son’s Lynn Grove rugby shirt from Harrisons in Gorleston, I was told I needed to purchase it from a specialist website not connected to Harrisons.

I have just gone to said website www.yourschoolwear.co.uk and found one rugby shirt will cost �14... perhaps not that much you might say but in a recession, I think it’s quite a lot for one child’s shirt that will be worn once a week for maybe a term and a half.

Imagine my disgust then when I find that not only have I to pay �14 for the shirt but a further �3 on top for postage.

The company is not local so there is no other option than to pay �17. This top will not cost �3 to send, the same as I sure it didn’t cost anywhere near �14 to make!

We pay enough “extras” throughout the year towards our children’s supposed state education, and now it seems the school is forcing our hand to part with even more unnecessary expenditure. After all... it’s just a PE shirt!

Name and Address withheld

Councillors na�ve in their ambitions

I WAS surprised to read Cllr Castle’s letter in last week’s Mercury where he referred to “opponents” of the Outer Harbour scheme. I have yet to hear of anyone who is an “opponent” of the scheme – he is possibly confusing “opponents” with “critics” of which there are many, and justifiably so.

Our councillors were doubtlessly well intentioned in their ambitions to bring the scheme to the town, but were na�ve in the way they gave away publicly owned assets and property in return for little or no guarantees of its success, then avoid being open about their actions.

They were really no match for the city lawyers, and the professional port operator” who promised so much.

Perhaps, as Cllr Castle infers, perhaps the port operators had unique foresight and vision in 2007 to forsee that in 2012 the government would create an energy based Enterprise Zone for the area, for which their Outer Harbour scheme would be an essential pivot and at last bring the 1,000 full time jobs for the local workforce. We hope so.

JOHN GRIMMER

Private Road,

Ormesby St Margaret