Little Lever & Darcy Lever Forum Sent
25th June 2012
Dear Sir,
Might I compliment your reporter Charlotte Dobson on her
article last week covering matters discussed at the Little Lever and Darcy
Lever Area Forum. Incisive and to the point and yet, with the addition of Mr
Magee’s statement, balanced.
There was one episode during this meeting, as yet
unreported, which gave me cause for serious concern.
Following my statement to the Forum that I had been reliably
informed that the Public Meeting had not taken place in the form requested
because Tesco had refused to attend, the Chairman stated that this was
incorrect.
She further stated that the meeting had not taken place
because “Some people felt intimidated”
When asked to clarify who had felt intimidated and by whom,
she refused to elaborate.
This is a serious allegation which cannot be allowed to
pass.
Relations and communications between Electors and Elected in
whatever place, must be conducted in a civilized and temperate manner. Equally,
Councillors must be free to conduct their business on our behalf without any
hint of undue pressure or intimidation from whatever source, be it from inside
the Town Hall or from an outside body.
This does not preclude legitimate challenges to or the
holding to account of Councillors by
their electors provided it is done in an appropriate and acceptable way.
Since I am 100% confident that all of the people who wanted
the public meeting have conducted themselves properly, I am at a loss to think
who could have been doing the intimidating.
I am therefore proposing to write to the new Monitoring
Officer of the Council to ask for an investigation to get to the bottom of this
allegation.
No doubt, in due course, she will report her findings either
directly or through the Area Forum.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
........................................................................................................................................
Smithill's Coaching House Sent
1st Aug 2012
Dear Sir,
Much comment has been passed recently in these columns and
elsewhere about the imminent closure of Smithill’s Coaching House Restaurant.
Having provided and taken part in entertainment there over a
period of 15 years from 1994, I too must express my sadness at its demise.
It was obvious towards the end of my time there that
maintaining the necessary level of trade was becoming more difficult. It must
be appreciated that this establishment could and did, on occasion, seat in
excess of 300 people in six rooms.
The organization and overheads involved in keeping a place
of this size on the right side of viability eventually became prohibitive.
So, what of the future for this iconic building?
It hasn’t been in the ownership of Bolton Council since 1985
so they have no responsibility other than approval or refusal of any submitted
plans.
Whatever the new use of the building, it needs to be
commercially viable and also to respect the history and heritage of the place
in line with its Grade 2 listing.
I’ve ploughed through the current Planning Application which
makes clear that the proposed demolition only relates to the bits stuck on to the
original building since 1966 and the plan is to restore it to its original
footprint, retaining original features, particularly those within the Hunting
Lodge, whilst sympathetically constructing 8 dwellings within.
The remaining properties proposed on the car parks to the
rear are the means of funding this conversion.
It would be nice if some kind of Community facility could be
created in conjunction with the attraction of the Hall but we all know that the
public money is not available.
One thing is for sure, the place must not be left empty and
boarded up for any length of time otherwise it will become the target for
vandals and finish up torched - like the Greenwood.
One possible use did occur to me. It could be used to
accommodate the 300 Council staff refugees from Wellsprings and Paderborn
House. This would at least have the advantage of keeping the mitts of the
Development and Regeneration Department off the Town Hall.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close Little Lever
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Councillor Thomas’ Letter 20th Nov Sent
20th Nov 2012
Dear Sir,
Councillor Thomas excels in her efforts to divert attention
away from any local responsibility for the Royal Bolton’s travails towards the
‘vicious Con/Dem cuts’
It would seem from recent articles that the hospital is bust,
what with £3.8m seemingly disappeared/lost//misspent, having to borrow £8m from
the Government to pay the wages and still facing the prospect of massive
redundancies.
All this seems to have come as a bit of a bolt from the
blue.
Perhaps I am being naïve, but I assumed that the collection
of Directors of this that and the other, most in receipt of £100k plus per
annum and overseen by the Trust Board members whose job is to – er – make sure
they’re doing their jobs, might have had a glimmering, if not a faint
suspicion, months, if not a couple of years ago, that the place was heading for
the financial rocks and done something about it then.
It might also be suggested that a similar situation exists
(with one or two exceptions) within the Town Hall structure in relation to the
vitality of the Town – a problem unlikely to be solved by a couple of Hairy
Bikers and a skating rink.
Perhaps an apt description of the apparent competence of the
whole shooting match is ‘Poor’ (I’ve left out the first bit.)
Sack the lot – and no compensation/ payoffs.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
............................................................................................................................................
Shisha Bars Sent
1st Dec 2012
Dear Sir,
Councillor Bob Allen is completely wrong when he suggests
that the owners of Shisha Cafes need educating because there may be a
misunderstanding.
There is no misunderstanding and even if there was it is no
defence in law. They don’t need education – they need prosecution just like the
Council prosecuted Nick Hogan of the Swan.
Just in case Mr Allen doesn’t realize it, the clue to these
bars is in the name - Shisha. These places are set up principally for the
purpose of smoking Shisha.
Can you imagine the outcry if I re-named the Tea Room as the
Village Lambert & Butler Bar and we all sat around puffing on our ciggies?
Of course it would be legal if the smoking took place in a
suitably approved outside area, but in that case there wouldn’t be any need for
an ‘inside’
It’s about time the Council stopped pussy-footing around the
sensitivities of a large part of their client vote and applied the law equally
irrespective of ethnic origin, culture or anything else
And whilst they’re at it, they could apply the same
principal to the wholesale ignoring of parking and obstruction rules in certain
areas of the town
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
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Preserving Historic things Sent
12th Jan 2013
Dear Sir,
How reassuring it was to learn that Bolton Council had acted
immediately to protect the historic oak panels in the Shakespeare Pub.
Pity about the historic Market Hall, the historic Odeon, the
historic Bolton Tech, the historic Coaching House, the historic Lending Library
and the assorted historic Edwardian Schools……..make up your own list.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
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Paws for thought Sent 24th Jan 2013
Dear Sir,
I was intrigued by your article
about the lion tamer who sadly met his end in the Town
Hall Square at the hands (paws) of his five lions
in 1872.
Further to this, I was amused
by the thought that, in their quest to reinvigorate the footfall in the town,
Bolton Council might consider reviving this form of entertainment.
Perhaps this could be done
along the lines of the Lions versus the Christians of Roman times.
Of course, for the Christians
we could substitute local Councillors and Directors of Regeneration and the
like.
That should pull the crowds in.
Just a thought.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever.
.........................................................................................................................................
Little Lever Precinct Car Park Sent 2nd
Feb 2013
Dear Sir,
Charlotte Dobson’s article about the parking disputes on
Little Lever Precinct’s east car park is informative to a degree but fails to
challenge the Council on the following points.
Point 1
For the purposes of parking restrictions the definition of a
highway is as laid out in the the Road Traffic Regulation Act of 1984,
subsequent Road Traffic Acts and subsequent Case Law - not any definition that
the Council chooses to make up.
These acts and subsequent Case Law make clear that a Highway
means a piece of land that the public have unfettered ability to cross and re-
cross by foot or by vehicle irrespective of whether that land is Public,
Private Adopted or otherwise.
Case Law confirms that for the purposes of Road Traffic
Regulation Act and other Road Traffic Acts, the highway extends from the centre
of the carriageway to the Building Line even if the land in between is Private.
This would mean that the double yellow lines on the north
side of Fletcher St actually affect the whole of the car park.
Point 2
The Council maintains that the east car park is bounded by
an historical pavement which is an adopted highway and it is the parking on
this ‘pavement’ which causes the tickets to be issued.
However a map of the Precinct provided to me under a FOI
request clearly shows the pavements surrounding the Precinct which are adopted
highways (marked in blue) and that bounding the east car park is not thus
shown. In fact the whole of the east car park including the alleged ‘pavement’
is shown as being managed by the Precinct owners – and thus is not ‘owned’ by
the council. Furthermore the ‘historical pavement’ between the west and east
car parks is covered by the rear of the Kwiksave building.
Point 3
The article quotes the Council as saying ‘It is the Precinct
owner’s responsibility to make their boundaries clear.’ The above would seem to
suggest that the Precinct owner’s boundary of the east car park is actually the
kerb line.
In any event, the law say’s that it is the Council’s
responsibility and theirs alone to provide adequate signing and indications so
that the motorist can understand where he can and cannot park. For some reason
Bolton Council refuses to do this.
I suggest that the Council obtain the originally Planning
documents from Lancashire County Council to clear this up once and for all and
that the Parking Enforcement Department brushes up on it’s understanding of the
Road Traffic Acts.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
............................................................................................................................................
Moor Lane Bus station Sent 2nd
Feb 2013
Dear Sir,
Once again, Mr Johnston regails us with his superior
knowledge and involvement with important public matters - most recently about
the re-location of the bus station.
He states ‘I should add that when the decision was taken to
locate Bolton’s bus station at Moor Lane, I was the only member of the
controlling Labour Group to have had any professional involvement in transport
and one of only two people who preferred an alternative site at Dawes Street.
where Morrison’s supermarket is now. I was right then, I am right now.’
Being sure that I remembered boarding the charabanc for Blackpool
at Moor Lane in the early
fifties, I double checked and discovered that the town's bus terminus was in
fact moved from Victoria Square
to Moor Lane in 1931.
Maybe Mr Johnston is older than I imagined him to be.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever.
.................................................................................................................................
Clear the Public Gallery
Sent 28th Feb 2013
Dear Sir,
I was fascinated by your report of the public spat between
his Worship, the Mayor and Mr Hanley - most recently known for his Save the
Libraries Campaign.
Oh dear – when Socialists fall out.
I went to school with both of them although, as I recall,
Tom’s voice was a little higher then.
My lasting memory of Tom was as a serious minded student
whereas Guy was better known, shall we say, for his loudness and bluster.
Fifty five years on, I wonder if anything has changed.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever.
.........................................................................................................................................
Director in the wrong
direction Sent
20th March 2013
Dear Sir,
Having read with interest your article on the Greater
Manchester Planning and Housing Commission study, I was somewhat taken aback by
the assertion of the Director of Development and Regeneration that “The report is basically saying we’ve been
doing the right things….”
I’m not sure that many of the good townsfolk of Bolton
would necessarily agree with that statement.
A further article on the same day covered his visit to the
MIPIM showcase at Cannes where he
laid out the Bolton Portfolio to this large gathering of international
developers.
The cost of the trip we are told was met by one of the
developers Bluemantle. This company, by coincidence, is one of the companies
involved in a development agreement signed by Bolton Council for a 14 acre, £210m mixed use development
at Church Wharf
(The Leisure Zone)
This agreement was announced with great fanfare at MIPIM by
Mr Davies in 2008.
Five years on, not a sod has been turned nor a brick laid.
Ditto the Central St development, ditto the Merchant
Quarter. Ditto the Westbrook Gateway project and, no doubt, in five years,
ditto the derelict Moor Lane
bus station site.
Now I will be the first to admit that it isn’t the Directors
fault that the recession has pulled the private sector investment rug from
under his feet but it would be nice if we had an admission that the ‘right
things’ he talks about have either been ineffectual in attracting private
sector investment or have produced no result at all.
This brings into question the need for his position. If it
were abolished would anybody notice? When the Director of the Chief Executives
office/ Head of Legal Services/ Monitoring Officer et al was replaced by the
Borough Solicitor, did everything fall apart. No, of course it didn’t.
Now I (and others) will of course be accused of ‘talking the
town down’. I submit that in fact we are addressing the reality.
Perhaps all we need is a Head of Planning and to co-opt a
successful businessman to sort out the towns ills. The chap that owns the
Olympus Chippy springs to mind.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
........................................................................................................................................
£6m to do up private houses Sent
16th April 2013
Dear Sir,
I know that Councillor Peel and I have previously exchanged
views in these columns on the subject of Private Sector Housing Renewal.
The latest scheme, funded by local ratepayers as opposed to
the Government, raises the same points as before.
Once again we are regaled with the emotive phrase
‘vulnerable households’ without explanation as to what qualifies them to be so
described. No explanation is given as to how and by whose fault these
households have become vulnerable.
For a start, by the very definition of the scheme, these people
own their own houses.
Many other house owners faced with major necessary property
repairs would have to take out loans or remortgage and solve their own
problems.
Schemes already exist for making a house warmer. At nil cost
I have just had cavity wall and loft insulation as well as solar panels fitted.
No ratepayers money involved.
Apparently those on benefits automatically qualify. What
kind of benefits, might I ask. Surely decisions should be made on the state of
the house not the financial status of the owner.
A further question to be asked is if the Bolton Standard of
decency is greater than the National Standard.
So it seems that grants (not loans) could be up to £30,000
per house – only ‘some’ of which might have to be re-paid - but only if the
owners move out of (ie sell) the now more valuable property within ten years.
I have sat in many meetings with local Councillors about
commercial property dereliction in Little Lever only to be told that the
Council can’t spend money on Private Property.
I wonder if the Council is measuring deprivation based on
the statistics of the 2011 census as opposed to the 2001 census and the 2007
health survey. Things have changed considerably since then.
Perhaps your readers could think of better things to spend
£6m of our money on than this.
Forgive me once again for thinking that this is Socialist
buttering up of the client vote dressed up as altruism.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
............................................................................................................................................
Councillor Peel’s Reply Sent
25th April 2013
Dear Sir,
I am eternally grateful for Councillor Peel’s reply to the
questions I posed regarding the £6m of ratepayers money being spent on 307
private homes.
There are still one or two points which puzzle me.
I specifically asked if the ‘Bolton’
standard of decency was higher than the ‘National’ standard. Councillor Peel
asserts that they are the same.
May I thus draw his attention to an extract from a report of
the Director of Development & Regeneration dated 29th March 2010 and entitled ‘Housing
Stock Transfer Proposal – Offer to Council Tenants.’
Appendix A – Page 11.
“If transfer goes ahead there would be a budget of around
£124m for investment in the homes over the first five years to bring them up to
the Bolton Standard which is higher than
the Government’s basic Decent Homes Standard’
Further to this, I am still concerned with the definition of
‘vulnerability’. This, as Councillor Peel illustrates, is measured from
Government downwards by the receipt of certain means tested benefits.
I would prefer to define vulnerability as to include those
households where the waters of basic economic survival are lapping just below
the bottom lip of income and who would be drowned by any economic shock such as
job loss, boiler packing in or their ten years old car failing the MOT.
There are many people in the above situation who are not in
receipt of any kind of benefit and are thus excluded from this scheme even if
they don’t have a decent bathroom or kitchen or the back wall is falling down.
Finally I refer to my ‘silly’ comment about buttering up
voters.
Whether Councillor Peel accepts it or not, it is a widely
held perception across the Borough that the Labour Council has shown and still
shows bias in its decision making in favour of - let’s be blunt – areas with a large ethnic
minority representation (the reason
being that these communities traditionally vote Labour)
The infamous 2008 Mosque pamphlet tends to support this.
True or not, this perception is divisive and will take some
considerable effort from the Town Hall to counteract and correct it.
I am pleased the Council has put aside capital to help the
local economy. If he means regenerating commercial property, perhaps he could
start by tackling the row of shops on Bradshawgate opposite the old Tramsheds
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
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The Police & Crime Commissioner and Plain Packaging of
Cigarettes. Sent 2nd May 2013
Dear Sir,
In responding to the letter from Suleman Khonat about the
plain packaging of cigarettes, I don’t at this time wish to comment on the pros
and cons of this issue.
What I do ask is ‘what the heck has this to do with the
Police and Crime Commissioner.?’
The subject is a matter for national Government to decide
one way or the other.
Mr Lloyd’s remit is to devise a
five-year strategic plan for Greater Manchester Police and hold Sir Peter Fahy,
the force's Chief constable, to account.
Laws already exist to cover the
purchase of tobacco products by underage people and officers also have discretion
in dealing with, shall we say, a 12 yr old caught puffing away on a ciggy.
Mr Lloyd may urge Sir Peter to
prioritise the enforcement of the existing law – as if he, Sir Peter, hasn’t
got enough problems to deal with – but I doubt if the public of Greater
Manchester (with the exception of the fascist anti-smoking brigade) would see
this as a major reason for paying this guy £100,000 a year.
This is the problem with electing
politicians to these posts. Once a politician, always a politician.
My reminder to Mr Lloyd would be
that he is no longer in Parliament and my recommendation to him would be to
‘butt out’ of this subject and concentrate on supporting Sir Peter in tackling
the real crime problems of the area. a task in which he is already having a
large measure of success.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
....................................................................................................................................
The failing Market Place Sent
2nd May 2013
Dear Sir,
Upon reading Robbie Macdonald’s article about the Market
Place in Wednesday’s edition of your paper, I was taken aback by the sheer
brass neck of the soundbites and platitudes expressed by Bolton’s
Director of Development and Regeneration.
Talk about the people who caused the problem in the first
place pretending that they can now contribute to the solution!
Let’s face it, the place is bust and is now owned by the
bank who lent them all the money in the first instance.
For what ever reason, be it exorbitant rents and rates or
sheer lack of footfall and consequent lack of turnover, the modern, trendy and
dare I say poncy businesses which have occupied this venue in recent years are
voting with their feet and and moving elsewhere.
I wish London
and Associated Properties well in their striving to find new occupants, but I
would recommend to them that the last thing they need is for people with no
business acumen and a track record for laying waste to the town sticking their
oar in to what is a most difficult commercial situation.
Measured by the degree of success that is now plain for all
to see, the Council were wrong in 2005 and would also be wrong in 2013.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
.........................................................................................................................................
The Meccano Bridge 2nd May 2013
Dear Sir,
I was immediately cheered up by the photograph submitted by
Robert Neild of the new Meccano Bridge
at Little Lever.
Just in case any of your readers were mislead, I must point
out that the picture has been ‘photo shopped’ to include the water and canal
boat since in fact the canal is not yet in water.
Might I also say that the original location of this ‘art
project’ was supposed to be the Melrose
Basin in Little Lever - not Nob End.
The inspiration for the new location came from The
Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society whose long term ambition is to mend
the breach, restore the locks and put the canal back in water.
I am sure that they would appreciate any offer of donations
or voluntary work towards this end.
Unusual it might be for me, but I have to give due praise to
the artist, Liam Curtin, Bolton at Home and Bolton Council for this breath of
fresh air in an otherwise stagnant atmosphere.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
....................................................................................................................................
Moor Lane Bus Station Sent
5th June 2013
Dear Sir,
Seeing that it seems we are stuck with the new, overpriced
bus station complete with showers for cyclists (?) and easy access to a railway
station that is having some major routes withdrawn, the question arises as to
the future of Moor Lane bus
station.
I recently visited Bury with its seamless shopping
experience of car park through to outside market through to inside market
through to Mall.
Noting that Bolton Council is always lauding the market at
Ashburner St and is spending £5m on refurbishment, I have come up with the
brilliant idea of extending it across Ashburner St and covering half of the bus
station land. The other half could be a free car park.
By pedestrianising Ashburner St down to the Arcade and
taking up Tasos’ idea of covering Newport St from Great Moor St to the Town
Hall Square, we would start to get some kind of joined up shopping experience.
Now that’s Development and Regeneration for you – and I
don’t get paid £110 thousand a year.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
............................................................................................................................................
Apologies to Brian Derbyshire Sent 10th June 2013
Dear Sir,
I must offer my profuse apologies to Brian Derbyshire for
seemingly purloining his idea of extending Bolton Market onto the Moor
Lane site.
The main point I was trying to illustrate was the creation
of a seamless joined up shopping experience for visitors with a 3 hour free car
park linked to the expanded Market linked to a covered - in Newport St and
beyond.
This is in stark contrast to the apparent vision of the
Council to force visitors to use multi stories on the edges of the town (some
not yet built) or a bus terminus sufficiently far away from shopping areas and
the Market for it to be off –putting.
In both cases there are funding hurdles to overcome, but
before the funding must come the Vision and I think the Council’s vision,
inasmuch as it has one, is flawed.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
................................................................................................................................................
Little Lever Post Office Sent
10th June 2013
(Dear Ed – In anticipation of your forthcoming article)
Dear Sir,
I was pleased to read about the Grand Opening of the
re-furbished Post Office in Little Lever Village Centre by our MP, Yasmin
Qureshi.
This is the first time I’ve seen her in the Village since
just before the 2010 election.
The investment in the Post Office is reassuring since it
would seem to indicate that this is one Post Office not under threat of closure
and it therefore must be seen as a ‘plus’ for the Villagers and beyond.
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
..............................................................................................................................................
Crisis in Home Care? Sent 19th
June 2013
Dear Sir,
It has been commented on nationally that the Care Minister,
Norman Lamb, has called for everyone from frontline staff and service users to
managing directors to submit ideas on how to make the home care system work.
Since much of this system is funded through Local
Authorities, it is incumbent upon each Council not just to stump up the cash
but also, and more importantly, to know and ensure that the care provided to
each ‘client’ is both of the highest standard and tailored to individual needs.
It cannot be sufficient for this function to be left to the Care Quality
Commission alone.
I should imagine that many of the care workers at the coal
face, who see their work as a vocation rather than just a job, are increasingly
frustrated by the lack of time allocated by their employers to each visit. Ten
minutes here or fifteen minutes there is hardly time for the kettle to boil let
alone to join in what might be the client’s only conversation of the day or
enquire after their further needs.
All this, including minimum wage rates and in some cases
zero hours contracts, is driven by cost cutting and it doesn’t matter who’s
fault it is that that cost cutting is necessary.
It is beyond doubt that Bolton Council has attempted to
protect front line Adult Services.
What is not clear is whether or not the Council has its own
in-house inspection regime which randomly visits clients in their homes to
ascertain if they are satisfied with the service being provided.
The only question which ought to in the minds of everybody
involved, from the top of the Council to the lowliest frontline worker, is
“Would I want my own mother/father to be cared for in this way?”
Paul Richardson
Ripon Close
Little Lever
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