Kidderminster Hospital!! Health Service CUTS!!

It's THAT time of year AGAIN!!

A little bird tells us that in the next week or so Health Concern (the people who brought you fortnightly Refuse Collection with Smells and Maggots!!) are going to publish a mega leaflet full of Shock Horror Health Cut Stories and what THEY are going to do about it.

FACT:

1. There have been about 12 or 13 Redundancies NOT the Hundreds that Health Concern (and The Shuttle) predicted last year!
2. About 400 posts HAVE been frozen by the Acute Hospitals Trust and this Freeze IS causing problems because staff are forced to do overtime and there is a ban on Agency Staff!!
3. WYRE FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL has ABSOLUTELY NO INFLUENCE at all on the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust!
4. Anyone who thinks that Voting for HEALTH CONCERN will increase services or expenditure at Kidderminster Hospital by a single PENNY is fooling themselves.
5. In the ten years or so that they have existed Health Concern have achieved precisely and absolutely NOTHING!!

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH HOSTING ELECTION MEETING!

FOE are hosting an Election Meeting at the SVR in Kidderminster next Tuesday, April 24th at 7.30. it is about Acting Locally to Save the Planet and there should be speakers from ALL Paries in Wyre Forest.Fran will be speaking on behalf of the Liberal Party (probably after rushing away from a WFDC Audit Committee which is usually as exciting as watching paint dry!).

Health Concern, suffering from amnesia?

According to Health Concern's generic election leaflet which is currently limping around Wyre Forest, Health Concern Councillors OPPOSE the Wyre Forest Council "Single Site".

Funny that, when they RAN the Council it was one of their 17 PRIORITIES FOR ACTION!!

We'd love to know why the OBJECT to saving YOU, £750,000 of YOUR money which is currently wasted every year by having all the separate Council sites!!

Does ANYONE in the Tory Party have a kind word for Cllr. Clee?

Tonight was the Chairman of the County Council's Civic End of year reception. Graham and I went as a nice break from Elections!! After 2 hours of chatting with various County Councillors including Tories we were left wondering if anyone in the Tory Party has a kind word for Cllr. Clee. They were certainly happy to be pretty blunt to us!!

Perhaps changes are afoot in the Wyre Forest Tory leadership!

Sorry but NO MORE anonymous postings!

We are now going to delete anonymous comments posted on this blog!!

They are almost all from members of the Tory Party, some from Cabinet Members! As Councillors we NEVER respond to anonymous letters of complaint because we work on the basis that if someone does not put their name to a letter it is usually malicious. We are now taking the same line on blog comments. If you don't want your comment removed you will have to put your name to it!!

NO! Comberton is NOT the "pits"!!

At the Offmore Comberton PACT Meeting on Monday one very nice lady whose ex-Counci House, Comberton  home is very attractive, complained to Fran at the "insulting" comments she  had received from a Tory Canvasser in the St. Chad's By-Election.

This "charming" young man informed her that "This estate really is the pits, isn't it?" NO! It is NOT. But it goes to show how right the voters were to reject the Tories!!

That is NOT the way we expect the Leader of a Council to speak!

We have now heard, from two separate sources, that when talking about his canvassing visits to the St. Chad's By-Election, Dr. George Lord, Conservative Leader of Worcestershire County Council referred to the fact that he had been "canvassing the houses and hovels!! If this is true it goes to show how unfit HE is for the role he plays in the life of Worcestershire!!

Sorry John Paul, that was NORMAL Liberal Election Campaign!

On his Tory weblog Cllr John Paul Campion says that we Liberals must have been worried by the Tories because of the number of leaflets we put out in St. Chads.

Well, Sorry JP but the NORMAL Liberal Election output in Kidderminster always has been 6 leaflets and that is what we delivered!

As he hasn't lived in a Liberal Ward for long he can be excused for not knowing what we normally expect to deliver!

ST. CHAD'S UPDATE!!

We made a mistake!! Graham got a HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTE THAN MIKE OBORSKI GOT!!

Graham got 50.05 %, in 2005 on General Election Day Mike got 41.33% and a Lib Dem got 6.79%

Graham's result is the best we have ever had!

SUPERB LIBERAL VICTORY!!

St. Chad's County Council Division, Thursday April 12th 2007

Graham Ballinger LIBERAL 1059

Tory 672

Health Concern 252

Labour 133

LIBERAL MAJORITY 387

Turnout 28.77 %

Last time this was fought it was on the SAME DAY AS THE GENERAL ELECTION!!

Graham has received almost the SAME PERCENTAGE of the vote as did CLLR MIKE OBORSKI!

It goes to prove the Voters of ST.CHAD's (OFFMORE COMBERTON AND GREENHILL) Thoroughly REJECT the TORIES!!!

EAT YOUR HEART OUT CLLR CLEE!!

Graham, Fran, Mike Price and all the Local LIBERAL TEAM would like to thank everyone who helped. Special thanks to Lib Dem Secretary Adrian Beavis who walked miles delivering on the Eve of Poll and Polling Day and to Tavis Pitt for raising his head above the parapet!

If the serried ranks of the County Tories can't beat us then all we can say is ROLL ON MAY 3rd!!

Wonderful Easter Sunday Service.

Kidderminster's Polish Catholic Church, Our Lady of Ostra Brama, in Pitt St.was absolutely packed for the Easter Sunday Service. After so many years of a declining elderly population it was wonderful to see  the church packed with young and old including over a hundred of our new, young Polish community. Teenagers, parents, children and babes-in-arms, many of them having to stand throughout the service.

We gather that over 200 attended on Saturday for the traditional Blessing of Easter Fodd baskets!

Sunday's Mass intention was for former Honorary Consul Cllr. Mike Oborski and was very moving!

What's sauce for the goose!

Last week Steve Clee was going APE about Richard Taylor visiting Schools in Wolverley with a District Council Candidate and WITHOUT the local Councillor OR Chair of Governors ( the agreed County Protocol!)

TODAY we were given the latest TORY Election Leaflet in Aggborough Spennells! In it there is a photo of a Tory Councillor AND their Candidate on the premises of King Charles 1 High School (which is Offmore Comberton!!) Did they have permission? We are asking the Head and Chair of Govs to tell us?

FUND TOPS £1,600

Fran is absolutely delighted that donations in memory of the late Cllr. Mike Oborski have now reached over £1,600!

This is a fantastic tribute to Mike's memory.

TODAY'S EDITION OF THE GUARDIAN HAS AN

OBITUARY TO MIKE!

Fran and the family are very touched that in today's  edition of The Guardian there is an obituary to Mike, it is in the "Other Lives" section and is written by Michael Meadowcroft former Leeds Liberal MP and respected International Human Rights Election Observer!

Mike Oborski

Michael Meadowcroft
Thursday April 5, 2007
The Guardian

My longstanding political colleague Mike Oborski, who has died at the age of 60, held dual Polish and British nationality. He maintained his contact with his Polish family and, with his wife Fran, was in Poland when its final Communist government fell.

In 1996 Mike became the honorary Polish consul for the West Midlands. His affinity and passion for Poland and its culture was always evident in the many duties and projects he took up. A passionate European, Mike was the organiser of the Poland Comes Home committee which campaigned for Polish membership of the European Union and of Nato.

Article continues

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Mike was an instinctive political animal. He fought his first election, unsuccessfully, in Worcester, at the age of 21. He was elected to the Hereford and Worcester county council in 1973 and to the Wyre Forest district council a few years later. At the time of the Liberal/SDP merger in 1988 he joined the new party, but by 1995 he had become disillusioned with what he saw as the illiberalism of the local Liberal Democrats and he rejoined the Liberal party. In 2005 he took over from me as president of the party.

When the Labour party lost overall control of the district council, Mike was the leader of the three-strong Liberal group. Despite this being the smallest party group he was called upon by the parties to a "rainbow coalition" to take on the leadership of the Wyre Forest council, a position he held for two years. He was also chairman of the council on three separate occasions. A teacher by profession, he took early retirement in 1996.

Together with Fran, also a councillor, he was prominent in the local hospital campaign that led to the election in 2001 of Dr Richard Taylor, parliament's only independent MP.

Down to earth and very approachable, Mike was always prepared to work with those of goodwill, whatever their politics, if it would bring improvements to his community and to his town.

He is survived by Fran, whom he married in 1968.

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Success for Prosperity Panel!

BUS SERVICE TO BE RESTORED!

Tonight's Prosperity Panel, Chaired by Fran, had amongst other items 2 motions referred from full Council complaining about withdrawal of Bus Services.

We achieved a REAL SUCCESS. County Officers agreed to re-instate the 580 Service to Kinverdale Caravan Park Wolverley, at least 1 day a week will get a service again!

LIBERAL CANDIDATES NOMINATED.

LIBERAL PARTY -  FOCUS,SAVE OUR HOSPITAL CANDIDATES FOR MAY 3rd are;

BROADWATERS: Shazu Miah

FRANCHE ; Kevin Hill

GREENHILL: Cllr. Paul Harrison

HABBERLEY BLAKEBROOK: Alane Harvey

OFFMORE COMBERTON: Mike Price

Broadwaters PACT Monday April 2nd!

Just over 20 people at Broadwaters PACT tonight. Cllr. Fran Oborski, Cllr. Howard Martin, Cllr. Ken Stokes and Broadwaters Liberal Candidate Shazu Miah. No sign of the Tory Candidate, he claims to go to PACT meetings but No-One has seen him for months!!

OOPS!

According to the Tory Candidate for St.Chads she has spoken to the Police about the parking on the corner of Ashdene Close and Chaucer Cres.

Well, we'd love to hear their reply since, OF COURSE, Ashdene Close DOES NOT HAVE a corner or junction with Chaucer Cres!

What it does have is a parking problem at it's junction with Tennyson Way which is being dealt with by the local LIBERAL Councillors!!

DISTRICT COUNCIL PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED TO REFUSE STOURPORT TESCO APPLICATION!

In view of all the Public concern about the Tesco Application in Stourport we are publishing, here the reasons why the Wyre Forest Planning Development Control Committee is recommended to REFUSE the Application!

5.1 Whilst the principle of a retail store is in accordance with the Severn Road Development Brief and Policy STC 2 of the Local Plan, the applicant has failed to satisfactorily demonstrate to the Local Planning Authority that the supermarket of the size proposed will not have an adverse retail impact. 

5.2 Due to the failure to submit a Feasibility Study the Local Planning Authority is unable to ascertain whether the proposed development would enhance biodiversity as required by both local and national policy.

5.3      The proposed retail store by virtue of its siting, scale and massing fails to preserve or enhance the Conservation Areas abutting the site and would harm the setting of adjacent statutory listed and locally listed buildings.  The proposed layout also provides insufficient areas for tree planting to assist with the screening and landscaping of the site.

5.4            Although the comments of the Highway Authority have not been received at the time of report writing, the application fails to provide pedestrian linkages from the site to the town centre and also provides unacceptable pedestrian routes within the site. 

5.5                  Insufficient information has also been submitted as part of the application to demonstrate that the principle of the proposed development is acceptable in terms of its impact on contaminated land and air quality.

5.6      The impact on residential amenity has been carefully considered, and it is felt that the proposed store would have an unacceptable overbearing impact on the two properties on Stour Lane.  The proposed development would not result in significant harm to the amenity of residents on Severn Road or on the eastern side of the river. 

5.7 Whilst it is acknowledged that the development will bring benefits in terms of redeveloping a derelict brownfield site and securing a new retail store, there are outstanding concerns which outweigh these benefits.  It is felt that the outstanding matters referred to in this report cannot be satisfactorily addressed by conditions or the subsequent application for reserved matters.  The outstanding issues are fundamental to the determination of the principle of the development and as such need to be satisfactorily dealt with at the outline stage.

5.8 As the application has not been registered, no formal consultation has taken place.  However, letters have been sent to neighbouring properties, including those on Servern Road, Mitton Street, Lichfield Street and residential properties on the eastern side of the river, inviting them to comment direct to the Planning Inspectorate as part of the appeal process.  This point will be made clear in the Council’s appeal statements.

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5.9      As an appeal has been lodged against non-determination the Committee is not being asked to formally determine this application.  However to assist with preparing for the Council’s case for the appeal, the committee is asked to confirm whether based on the information available it would have been mindful to REFUSE this outline application for reasons set out below, had it been asked to determine the application:

1.      Based on the information submitted with the application the proposed layout fails to provide sufficient areas for tree planting to assist with the screening and appropriate landscaping of the development.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies D3, D10 and D11 of the Adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan, Policy QE3 of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RPG11) and guidance within the Severn Road Development Brief (Adopted July 2001).

2.      The proposed retail store, by virtue of its siting, scale and massing fails to preserve or enhance the Conservation Areas abutting the site, and would detract from and overwhelm the setting of adjacent Listed Buildings, and buildings of Local interest.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies LB1, LB5, CA1 and STC2 (iii) of the Adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan, Policy CTC 19 and CTC 20 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan, guidance in the Severn Road Development Brief (Adopted July 2001).and government advice in PPG15.

3.      Notwithstanding the submission of a Retail Study with the application the applicant has failed to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority that the proposed development will not harm the town centre convenience retail sector or the vitality and viability of Stourport town centre as a whole.  It also fails to have regard to the Council’s Retail and Leisure Study published in December 2006.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies STC2(i), RT1, RT4 and RT5 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan, Policy D34 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan and government guidance in PPS6.

4.      Based on the information submitted with the application the applicant has failed to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority improved pedestrian linkage between the site and the town centre.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies D1, (g), D9 and  TR7 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan, Policies T1 and T10 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan and guidance in the Severn Road Development Brief (Adopted July 2001).

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5.      The proposed layout of the site fails to provide a safe, convenient and easy pedestrian route and connection of the store, including that for the mobility impaired, from the proposed bus stop within the site and on Severn Road.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies D1(a), D9 and TR7 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan, Policies T1 and T10 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan,  and Policy T3 of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RPG11).

6.      Notwithstanding the submission of two Environmental Assessment reports with the application the applicant has failed to provide sufficient information relating to the existence and nature of contamination and to assess the risks to human health and controlled waters resulting from the proposed redevelopment of the site, including the land on the opposite side of the river.   The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies STC 2 (v), NR2 and NR7 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan and government guidance in Annex 2 of PPS23.

7.      Notwithstanding the submission of an Air Quality Assessment report  with the application the applicant has failed to demonstrate to the Local Planning Authority that the proposed development will not have an adverse impact in terms of air quality.  The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy NR10 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan and government guidance in Annex 1 of PPS23.

8.      Based on the information submitted with the application, the proposed retail store by virtue of its height and position would have an overbearing impact on the occupiers of No’s 1 and 2 Stour Lane which directly face towards the site.  The proposal is therefore considered to have an adverse impact on their residential amenity, contrary to Policy D1 of the adopted Wyre Forest District Local Plan

5.10    As previously stated, the position regarding ecology and biodiversity cannot be assessed without the Feasibility Study.  It would be difficult to formulate a precise reason for refusal without this but the Council would wish to reserve its’ position, particularly in respect of layout.