Letters, May 18, 2012

NOW the local election is out of the way, councillors can get focused and sort out some of the issues in the town. Hopefully new ideas will come forward. I hope they scrap the crazy out of touch plan to outsource council work to Holland (Lincolnshire) and work with a more local council like Waveney.

As a former careers adviser, it pains me to see all the unemployment in the town and to see young people not establishing themselves in the labour force.

My big idea is for some joined up thinking and for Yarmouth to develop a new approach by joining up funding streams. The private sector is supposed to be the answer so can we collectively use regeneration funds, lottery and heritage funding, arts council, council contracts, education and training funds, disability employment funds, equal opportunity funds and offender rehabilitation funding to provide training and job opportunities? Some of the costs will be offset by benefits savings.

Council contracts for housing upgrades awarded to the private sector could become training opportunites with skilled personnel training the unemployed to undertake the work and gain NVQs. There could even be specific women based training provision in male dominated trades.This could be a way forward for the decaying Winter Gardens.

New landscaping in the town could be the basis for horticulture provision. The town may have less trees than many towns. Coach station, boating lake, cemetery, rail station and some road approaches come to mind - could the Woodland Trust funds help?

Could we develop a project to provide illuminations along the whole seafront again with a view to lengthening the season? Could a local firm train people to assemble and provide basic installation?

Could the tat fencing to protect the prom from the sand in winter be decorated and the bouncy castle enclosures be improved instead of being blots on the beach? Could a training scheme build some extra litter bins?

Could a sports and fitness training academy train the unemployed and develop talent? Could the circus training scheme be developed to provide jobs?

Could empty shops have window displays of our heritage? Could some of the local history and microfiche records at the library be digitised?

What about an education academy for disillusioned students with basic educational skills built around a town farm, creative arts or sport? I have seen many school pupils thrive outside of schools which the Government locks into inappropriate curricula. lndeed, I have done research on successful school failures. I had a brilliant education at the Technical School studying surveying, plumbing and carpentry before going on to get an Oxford Uni degree and becoming out of touch with real life! Could the tech idea of the Education Act 1944 be revived?

This all needs some new joined up thinking from the councils and Brandon Lewis, our MP, will need to rise to the occasion to make any happen as we still await his revamp for the rail station to happen! Perhaps Mr Lewis needs to set up an action group?

CHRIS WRIGHT

Victoria Street,

Caister

Need for hospice is underlined

I WOULD like to thank Mrs Flack, Kirk Lower and David Nettleship for explaining the need for the Palliative Care unit now being built at the James Paget Hospital. However, I found help and information readily available when different members of my family have been diagnosed in the past. When discussing the article in the Mercury with friends and family, it seems that I wasn’t alone in the belief that all the money collected was for a hospice rather than an information centre. But again, thank you for explaining the need for such a centre and for the continued quest for a much needed hospice.

Mrs B CANTELL

Tyrolean Square

Great Yarmouth

Candidates are apathetic ones

I GET completely frustrated by the news stories relating to the apathy among voters for the local elections at the beginning of the month. I think the apathy title should be given to those standing for election too. I live in the East Flegg voting area.

I am disabled, so I receive a postal vote, as such my voting had to be done earlier so that I could ensure that my ballot was received at the Town Hall on time. I gave this reason as an excuse to potential councillors for not getting to me before I voted, but when my mum and dad came to vote at the polling station on May 4, they were still none the wiser about who the candidates may be before they received their ballot papers.

We are constantly being urged to take much more interest, but surely that is a two way street. I am interested if anyone could be bothered to include the electorate.

SARAH WOODS

via email

Ofsted has need to justify itself

CALL me cynical, but I can’t help feeling that it is in Ofsted’s interest to fail a proportion of schools on inspection in order to justify their own existence. If too many schools are judged to be good or better, Ofsted would no longer be needed, putting school inspectors out of a job and saving a great deal of money which could go in to the education budget. Now, there’s a thought!

CERI WALFORD

Victoria Road

Gorleston

UKIP earned its election votes

I COULD not believe Cllr Reynolds’ reaction to the local elections last week blaming UKIP for the Tory defeat.

The Conservatives did not secure enough votes for their candidates, so did not win the council. There is no need to blame anyone else. It is called democracy. It is worrying that we have a local Conservative Party who cannot grasp this somewhat simple electoral fact. Perhaps Mr Reynolds and the Conservatives forgot that our county councillor was elected in a traditional Labour area.

It was interesting that the Labour Party laid no blame at anyone’s door when UKIP beat them in seats like Gorleston and Ormesby. They must understand that UKIP votes are not borrowed from anyone at all but earnt. We will continue to fight hard and have a clear message and build our voter support. To achieve over a fifth of the votes in the local election at the first time of asking is a great achievement. UKIP is here to stay in Great Yarmouth and it will only be a matter of time before we secure seats on the council.

MATTHEW SMITH

UKIP campaign organiser

Gorleston

Appeal for club memorabilia

DID you or your relatives ever play for Great Yarmouth Town Football Club? I am looking for any one that has any memorabilia like shirt, medals or old photos, that the football club can borrow.

I am hoping to have an exhibition on the history of our club. These items would be displayed in the club house prior to the start of the 2012-13 season. It would also be good to get in touch with our old players especially the 1953 FA Cup team, 1969 League Champions team and the 1983 FA Vase semi final team. We could then re-tell your stories and share your memories in our match programme and website. If you can help in any way, please contact Len on 01493 859587 or via e-mail at sandysauce@hotmail.com.

Also please note we have started to hold a quiz every Friday night in club house. Doors open at 7pm, teams of up to six people, �1 per person to enter quiz. Same contact number to book a table.

LEN BERESFORD

It’s time to shed light on mystery

ON bank holiday Monday night, as we sat watching Coronation Street we were treated to a display not unlike Blackpool illuminations as our lights, TV and computer flashed on and off at an alarming rate for a couple of minutes, only to result in a complete blackout lasting nearly one hour.

To my knowledge there has been no explanation in the press or on the radio as to why this happened. Incidents like these must be very unnerving to those living alone, not to mention the potential damage that could be inflicted on expensive electrical gadgets.

Surely given the hefty bills we pay for this so called service, we should have been entitled to be informed as to why the plug was pulled? At times it feels as if we are living in a third world country.

PAULINE LYNCH

Mill Lane

Bradwell

Bad grace at election ‘typical’

WELL there we have it, another election, and those who have lost, show their normal bad grace in defeat.

Much has been reported recently about the football-like chanting as the results were announced. I remember last May when the results were announced regarding the Mayoral referendum, members from both parties chanted and behaved like schoolboy hooligans.

Possibly it is time for these elected members to behave like civilised members of the communities that they claim to represent.

The Mercury reported the parting jibe from outgoing deputy leader Cllr Charles Reynolds as giving the Labour win to UKIP for ‘allowing them in’.

Rubbish, as the outgoing Tory group fail to recognise is that the electorate cast aside many of their candidates in favour of a change for Great Yarmouth.

Let’s hope that the new ruling party will live up to their promises.

By the way, ex leader of the Conservative party, Cllr Barry Coleman has stated in the letters section of the Great Yarmouth Mercury letters section that he believes that his top priority is to serve his local ward.

Guess who is now deputy leader of the Conservative group. Yep, its Barry.

I have asked Cllr Coleman, many times over the years to address the electorate in a public meeting, held at my expense, to answer unrehearsed questions from the floor. All have been ignored.

Will the opposition now wish to take up my offer?

I have noted that the turnout for the election was 29pc.

Shame on you if you didn’t vote, many have been persecuted for the right to vote.

If you don’t vote, don’t whinge, remember this - decisions are made by those who turn up.

PETER KIRKPATRICK

Ormesby

Shelters ruined by the council

IN response to letter sent in by Mollie Timby last week I quite agree. A regular user of Joys cafe on the seafront I was very annoyed to hear the perspex is not being replaced in the shelters adjoining the cafe. It was a lovely place to sit even on cold windy days, which we have a lot of. But no more as the Great Yarmouth Borough Council has ruined something that was well used.

SUSAN DIMBLEBY

via email

We need to stop the boy racers

I THINK it’s about time the Jetty boys/racers were stopped.

Each Sunday we get loads of them racing up and down from the mini roundabout to just past the Pleasure Beach and back at well over the speed limit and still nothing is done.

When police do turn up as soon as they’re gone it starts all over again.

We need speed bumps each side of the Pleasure Beach gates before anyone is killed in the summer season.

Speed bumps or speed cameras need to be put along the road to stop all the racing. Come on Great Yarmouth get this sorted like they do in other countys.

MR S PAYNE

via email

Parents really want to help

IN response to previous letters in this newspaper, I would appreciate it if Mrs Mercer or Mr Cockell could clarify what they mean by “staff turbulence”. There are parents whose children attend Woodlands Primary School who would really like to help and support all the staff at the school through this difficult time but without communication from the management at the school this is proving very difficult.

DEBORAH BROWN

35 Mallard Way

Bradwell

Tories must look at themselves

IN reply to Charles Reynolds’ comments in the Mercury last week.

How he congratulated the Labour party on their election victory, then he made a snide remark that their thanks should go to UKIP for letting them in, UKIP did not let Labour in, UKIP took the votes off the Conservative party because the voters are that fed up with their broken promises whether they are in Government or on the local council, voters locally are not so gullible as you may think Mr Reynolds.

Just look what the Conservative Government has done in the budget, they have taken money off the pensioners, they have given the rich a tax cut, they want the working class to work longer and get less pension at the end of their working lives, they give money to countries that don’t need it while we are struggling at home trying to make ends meet, we give �51m to the EU every day, just think what the Government could do with that, the police, armed forces, NHS, pensioners and schools could all benefit from this, but will this Government have a referendum on getting out of Europe, well we all know the answer to that one don’t we?

Don’t forget voters we have the county council elections coming up next year, use your vote wisely and vote for UKIP, the only party that will give you a referendum on Europe.

ESTHER ALDRED

via email

Congratulations to the Greens

WELL done to the Greens on winning the 2012 Norfolk Senior Cup Final at Carrow Road.

The team deserve some success and may it continue into the 2012/13 season.

DAVID MANTRIPP

via email

Hope for new era on council

IT was very encouraging to get a call from Trevor Wainwright the new leader of the council, on Friday concerning my letter in last week’s Mercury in which I made a statement of certain actions and expectations for Gorleston that I would like to see from an open and transparent new administration. I was told my suggestions were “spot on” and we could expect a far more open administration that would be more inclusive.

I hope residents will agree this will be a new deal which will not only take note of our ideas and expectations but at the same time will require more interest in the affairs of our council from us. I believe if we take advantage of this not only will we all benefit but many of the 71pc who didn’t vote last time will see the benefits of real democracy and be prepared to use their vote.

Please help make this a new beginning not just for Gorleston but the whole borough.

DENNIS DURRANT

Brett Avenue

Gorleston

Thank you for voting for me

I WOULD like to thank all the people of East Flegg who voted for me in the Borough elections on May 3. Many thanks for your support.

REX PARKINSON-HARE

Lichfield Road

Great Yarmouth

Please continue Dickens story

I WRITE in appreciation of the recent presentation by Gorleston Community Cinema Great Gorleston and Great Yarmouth Story. This was a most informative and instructive afternoon with several thought-provoking lectures by knowledgable experts. Most enjoyable of all was, perhaps, the talk on Charles Dickens, given by Peter Ransome. This concentrated on the novel David Copperfield and it is hoped that at some future date Peter will be able to give a lecture on another of Dickens’ novels.

CAROLINE BUDDERY

Addison Road

Gorleston

Traders can learn a lesson

I HAVE just been on my first visit to Bury St Edmunds, and what a joy. The cathedral and abbey gardens were magnificent and pristine. The Wednesday market had the biggest variety of stalls I have ever seen on any market and the balance of shops cafes and a few charity shops was superb.

Traders and commerce please make a visit and get some advice on how they can do it for us in Great Yarmouth to enjoy.

MRS D BURTON

St Mary’s Close

Hemsby

Relive all your days in the Navy

IF I say ‘HMS Collingwood’ many of your readers will show an interest. Commissioned in January 1940 when things were getting tough in the first world war Hitler was to have claimed to have sunk it four times over the next few years.

However HMS Collingwood is a massive shore training establishment, and still going strong. Many of your readers are among the thousands of people who served there at some time or other as electricians, seamen, cooks, wrens, writers, stewards, radio and radar mechanics, stores branch etc.

Who did they serve with? Would they like to meet up with them again? There is now an association to re-unite them with their old shipmates, as hundreds of others have found out via newsletters, reunions, visits and membership lists. Contact us.

MIKE CROW 7 Heath Road

Sandown

PO36 8PG or mike.crowe1@btinternet.com