I spend a lot of my time supporting constituents in their dealings with Babergh. So it is only right that I report Babergh’s willing responsiveness to correct matters which I think are out of order. Earlier this week I had an email from the Tourism & Arts Manager informing me (and others) of the web site http://www.thesuffolkguide.co.uk which complements Babergh’s official tourism website www.southandheartofsuffolk.org.uk. When I clicked on the suffolkguide link I was horrified to see that Hadleigh was left off of the map. I was not backward in coming forward and pointed out the deficiencies to Babergh for onward continuation to Mark Scott the web site owner. I’m pleased to say that the home page map has been changed and Hadleigh is now visible at first sight. Alas all is still not well in the garden. The towns’ and villages’ section lists the features of each. Regrettably Hadleigh get 105 words parading its charms, Lavenham has 200 words despite having fewer listed buildings than ourselves and Polstead (a village with a total population of about 820) gets 157 words. So in terms of puff we are definitely poor relations. I have contacted Babergh so that I can be put in touch with Mark Scott and in the meantime I’ll ask the Town Council to suggest appropriate wording so that we are not short-changed and Internet-abused.
Author: Brian Riley
RBS , Stephen Hester, Bonus & Prospects
Last week’s Money Week contained an interesting take on Stephen Hester (CEO of RBS), his bonus and the prospects for RBS. The whole article (by Matthew Lynn) makes a great deal of sense as the following extract indicates:
The only realistic option (for RBS) is a radical break up. The investment banking business should be stripped out and each unit sold for whatever anyone is willing to pay. Any units that can’t be sold should be handed over for nothing to the staff: let them sink or swim as partnerships.
After that, split up NatWest and RBS into two separate retail banking chains, and sell both – and if they won’t sell, float them as independent companies. The British banking industry could use more competition, having two brands under the same corporate roof doesn’t make sense. Taxpayers will probably never get their £45bn back. But something could be salvaged from the mess.
A million pounds would be cheap for a CEO with a strategy that could sort out RBS. But for one whose strategy looks less and less convincing by the week, it would have been a criminal waste of money.
The route to this opinion can be found on http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/economics/uk/bonus-bargain-for-a-star-ceo-at-rbs-stephen-hester-57418
Some years ago I was attempting a M.A. in Business and my thesis was focussed on corporate governance. My first chapter drew on the contradiction between the cost of bankers (considered to be too high) and the cost of footballers (all-in-all considered to be value for money as the market corrects itself very quickly and everyone can understand the numbers of goals scored, games won and so on). Based on the above and on what we have seen so far, Stephen Heston needs to be a goal scorer or else given the opportunity to seek new pastures elsewhere.
O Tempera O Mores
This afternoon Alice (described on the invitation as my consort) & I went to St. Mary’s, Hadleigh for a service of celebration to mark the Queen’s accession to the throne some sixty years ago.
And very nice it was. The ushers weren’t sure whether we qualified for the second row from the front but in the end decided that we were. (The lady with the list not being “on seat” at the required time ”.
It was a well thought out service with something to appeal to everyone. Traditionalists got an articulation of the Privy Council’s accession declaration and the modernists got “You are My Sunshine” by a group of schoolchildren. We sang two verses of the National Anthem. Usually we only sing the first verse. The thought occurred to me that even with two verses Her Maj was being short changed and that we were being prevented from wishing a dissing on the Scots and other foreigners whose knavish tricks required confounding. But only two verses are shown on the web site http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/NationalAnthem.aspx
Further research (http://ingeb.org/songs/godsaveo.htm) shows that there were six verses and two of the more interesting and sadly now ignored ones are as follows:
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies And make them fall;
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all!
Lord grant that Marshal Wade*
May by thy mighty aid Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the King!
*Wade was involved in the suppression of the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745.
Home-Start Babergh
Yesterday, Alice & I attended a fund raising dinner at the Brett Vale Golf Club in aid of Home-Start Babergh.
I was vaguely aware of them previously through the modest support provided by Babergh District Council. So I was interested to learn that Home-Start Babergh is an independent charity operating as part of Home-Start UK. The important bit is that they recruit, train and provide volunteers to work with families in times of need.
Their support is available to families that have at least one child under five; it is given through home visits by the volunteers and through support group meetings, where children can play together, supervised by a play leader, whilst parents meet with each other and with Home-Start staff. In many cases, the support is complementary to that of the professional agencies. The volunteer will be there for the family as a friend and confidant during a time of stress or difficulty.
Home-Start Babergh is one of several regional “Home-Starts”. It has a team of over 50 volunteers who, in the main, visit families in their homes. All have undergone training appropriate to their individual roles, and all conform with child protection guidelines and legislation.
During the 12 months ending 31st March 2011 Home-Start Babergh supported 98 families, including a total 0f 253 children. 57 families were supported by home visits only and 41 families were supported in Home-Start Babergh Family Groups.
More info on http://www.home-startbabergh.co.uk/au_what.htm
Candlemas 2012
Thursday’s The Times contained a very short article explaining the current weather experiences (something to do with cold air from the arctic creeping over or by passing the Urals) and quoted the rhyme: “If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter is gone and will not come again. Well Candlemas Day was clear and bright and extremely cold and the cold is forecast to continue for a while– so no surprises there. We planted a pear tree in the garden on Thursday. I usually try to avoid appearing in the vanguard of fashionable thought, but I notice that our own dear queen was doing much the same thing at her Sandringham estate – so I guess we are with the zeitgeist.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2096079/The-Queen-wears-head-scarf-protects-Siberian-cold-Jubilee-tree-planting-ceremony.html
Chocolate Wars
http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/ and others are enjoying a political non-spat between Ed Miliband (of the new/old Labour) and David Cameron (current Prime Minister). Typical is: Political exchanges don’t come much more important than this – Ed Miliband has picked a fight with David Cameron over cheap chocolate.
In an interview for Parliament’s magazine The House, Miliband has taken umbrage with a pre-election complaint made by Cameron in 2006 about the problem of cut price chocolate orange bars taking the place of real fruit in WH Smith’s, to the detriment of the nation’s health. It was used as an example of irresponsible capitalism as Britain faced an obesity crisis.
“Look, if he can’t sort out the chocolate orange, he’s not going to be sort out the train companies, the energy companies, the banks, is he?” Miliband said in the interview.
He has a point – I would love (not) to have a Prime Minister who delays encouraging the EU to sort out the Euro worries without destroying the world economy to pick off a personal irritant. Wouldn’t we all like to zap the people who annoy us? Or as Alex Massie puts it: Let me suggest that a man who thinks this – will not consider any aspect of your lives beyond the proper interfering purview of government.
It’s rather like in the old days when I was working in Zambia. You needed Bank of Uganda permission to export dead animal parts derived from hunting. One document I liked to see was the Certificate of Non Endangered Species. Of course no one told the poor (now deceased) rhinoceros of that!
Bye-Bye Increased Short Term Parking Charges
At this morning’s (26th Jan 2012) Council meeting, Babergh decided to:
Retain free parking for up to three hours in Sudbury and Hadleigh but there being an increase in the long-stay charge from £1.50 to £2 per day.
Increase Council Tax by 9 pence per week per Band D property being the equivalent of 3.5% on the District Council’s levy.
Keep Community Grants (about £290,000) as they are pending a full strategic review in 2012/13.
Review charges and arrangements for brown bin collection, public toilets etc.
All of which is a bland way of reflecting the pulling together of a group of like minded councillors and ensuring that their views prevailed.
However a triumph is a triumph – hard sought, hard fought and well won.
Bye-Bye Increased Short Term Parking Charges
Today’s (13th Jan 2012) EADT reports that Babergh District Council’s strategy committee yesterday decided to take increased short-stay parking charges off the agenda – the move had been put forward as a way of helping the council to balance their books.
While the plans for increased short-stay car parking charges were scrapped, members agreed to increase council tax by 3.5% and charge an additional 50p per day in the long-stay car parks – taking the cost to £2. The increased Council Tax equates to 9p per week per household. This should produce an extra £80,000 in the Council’s tax base and let us protect services and front line staff.
All of which is a bland way of reflecting the pulling together of a group of like minded councillors and ensuring that their views prevailed. A number of people are quite happy with the result. I suspect that others are less than appreciative of Councillors sticking up for the tax payers and for their towns. The full article can be found on http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/politics/babergh_community_leaders_are_thrilled_at_short_stay_car_parking_charges_turnaround_1_1176255
One People, One Nation, One Leader
Bury St. Edmunds and Forest District Councils are seeking a joint executive at a price range between £105,000 and £115,000. The advertisement in the MJ (formerly the Municipal Journal) concludes with “We need someone whose time has come to help create a shared vision for West Suffolk – and then deliver it”. The bells started ringing and then suddenly the penny dropped. It sounds like an up to date version of: “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” — “One People, One Nation, One Leader”. With attributes like these at such a low cost you can see why Woolworth’s went bust. Meanwhile with two district councils and one Chief executive I see at least three contenders for the post of Generalissimo or Duce.
Fuller details are available on http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/live/ChiefExecutive.cfm
The Anchor, Woodbridge
We were in Woodbridge today and found ourselves in the ridiculous position of being surrounded by restaurants and not fancying anything on the various showcased menus. So we strolled down Quay Street but the Moorish Lounge was closed and at the back of my mind I recalled seeing a recent advert for the Anchor. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186387-d1888346-r80287310-The_Anchor-Woodbridge_Ipswich_Suffolk_East_Anglia_England.html) Madam had the root vegetable soup (very thick and definitely not for sharing) and I had the Cajun Seared Salmon. They cheerfully accepted our requirements of no bread, potatoes or rice and acknowledged that side salads would be acceptable. The food was good and the service was cheerful and efficient. The atmosphere and the log fire were just what we needed on a coolish day with the wind off the water. Definitely on the list for revisiting. Photo courtesy of http://www.suffolkcamra.co.uk/pubs/images/thumbnails/pub/1025.jpeg
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