Author Topic: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council  (Read 51320 times)

DenBee

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #40 on: March 23, 2008, 12:49:43 »
Jeannine, are you hiring a bus for us?  I'll write the banner.  ;D
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Jeannine

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #41 on: March 23, 2008, 12:59:41 »
You bet... THIS I would carry a banner for. Crazy, and our lives are in their hands!!
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

betula

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #42 on: March 24, 2008, 17:56:38 »
I wonder what would happen if she did refuse to move?

Cruz

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #43 on: March 24, 2008, 22:50:02 »
There is a wonderful irony to this story. Councillor Woodbridge is an allotment holder himself, but not in Swanley. He actually has a plot in neighbouring Dartford!!! Despite the fact that he is registered disabled and apparently cannot work, he is currently the chairman of an allotment association there, where he apparently spends most of the week undertaking physical labour.... However, I have heard today that he may well have been removed by the authorities for being a two-faced hypocritical so-and-so vis-a-vis the lady from Hextable!

betula

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #44 on: March 24, 2008, 23:11:18 »
Well well well,you live and learn.............. :(

ThomsonAS

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #45 on: March 24, 2008, 23:14:40 »
Whatever our personal politics, it's guess that most posters on this site (and most voters in Swanley and Hextable) would see the sense of exercising the politics of generousity in this case.

If the council are nice rather than nasty in this case, they'll have made a bid deposit in their common sense decency account which they can call on in the future.

A short term win by evicting  some "outsider" may play well today - but in the longer term, every council needs allies - and Swanley appear to be into playground politics (regardless of their party label) rather that seeing the long-term interests of their residents are enhanced by give and take with their neighbours.


Just Vegging Out

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #46 on: March 24, 2008, 23:23:01 »
Kent County Council are evil.  The head scoops in over half a million wages each year and his second in command not far behind.  Ask Swanley borough council how much of our Council Tax pays the deficit on the final salary pensions of Kent County Council Workers.  And ask then how many back handers they have copped from Building firms to confiscate the allotments.


twinkletoes

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #47 on: March 25, 2008, 15:35:17 »
Wasn't there some mention in the original post that the other plot holders on the site had signed a petition that she should be allowed to continue on the plot?  Again, another example of the People wanting/demanding one thing and the Politicians who are voted in as our mouth-piece suddenly being struck deaf - usually in their own favour or simply to make a point.  When will politicians learn to listen to the People? Personally, I would feel dreadful if I was the name at the top of the waiting list and given that plot under the current circumstances.  I hope that good sense prevails and the Councillors turn the decision around and make themselves look pathetic sympathetic.
Twinkletoes

MrsKP

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #48 on: March 29, 2008, 06:42:17 »
I'm rather glad I fell across the original newspaper article.  It has certainly generated some debate .........

I'm back oop north now, but will ask Dad to keep an eye on the papers so see what becomes of the situation.

In the mean time, I hope the good lady carries on tending to her plot in the same fashion that she did before ........ and sticks two fingers up at the bureaucrats.
There's something happening every day  @ http://kaypeesplot.blogspot.com/ & http://kaypeeslottie.blogspot.com/

cornykev

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #49 on: March 29, 2008, 21:02:09 »
Here here.    ;D ;D ;D
MAY THE CORN BE WITH YOU.

Ian Rashbrook

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #50 on: June 15, 2008, 15:25:01 »
I see there haven't been any posts about this for some time but, as there are about to be developments, I thought I'd let you know what is going on in Swanley.

Just to get the declaration of interest out of the way... There were elections for Swanley Town Council on May 1. The council was retained by Labour with the highest vote for at least 30 years (on a bad day for Labour elsewhere). Clearly people in Swanley either like having a "nasty" town council or more likely don't think we are nasty at all. I am a councillor again and the new Leader of the Council.

Four motions will be considered at the forthcoming full council meeting, one being about allotments. It reads as follows:

"That this Council:
1. Notes that demand for allotments in Swanley currently exceeds the number of sites available;
2. Instructs the Town Clerk to investigates options to increase the number of allotments available in Swanley Parish;
3. Notes that two allotment holders now resident in a neighbouring parish have been given notice to quit;
4. Instructs the Town Clerk to invite the neighbouring Parish Council to enter into an agreement with Swanley Town Council leasing the two pitches (on the basis which fully covers the cost of allotment provision) on behalf of the two residents and, on completion of such an agreement, the notices to quit be withdrawn."

The effect of (4) is to allow the two allotment holders who no longer reside in Swanley Parish to keep their allotments if the newly created Hextable Parish Council is prepared to meet the costs. At the time when Hextable residents were asked to support a breakaway, those who asked what would happen about services provided by Swanley, were told not to worry, the new Parish Council would buy in to services they couldn't provide themselves. The onus is now on the Hextable Independents to honour that commitment. The effect of (2) is to ensure that no Swanley residents currently on the allotment waiting list are disadvantaged by providing additional pitches to meet current demand. From memory I think there are about 20 people waiting for allotments to become available. Our aim is to ensure all get allotments at suitable locations.

The other three motions provide access to services / facilities provided by Swanley Town Council to residents in all neighbouring parishes should those Parish Councils buy into the schemes. They are: the Swanley Youth and Senior Passport to Leisure programmes, the Senior Citizens' Christmas Day Lunch and discounted access to Swanley Banqueting facilities.

Ian Rashbrook

betula

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #51 on: June 15, 2008, 19:41:50 »
Congratulations Ian and thank you for the post to bring us up to date.

I really hope that the two plot holders can retain their plots.

Maybe then we can call you Lovely Lovely swanley Town Council.

Keep us Posted. :)

Uncle Joshua

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #52 on: June 15, 2008, 19:55:35 »
Wekk done Ian.

Its nice to know that the two allotment holders will get to stay on the site.

MrsKP

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #53 on: June 15, 2008, 22:41:35 »
scuse me if I'm being dumb, but does it mean that the two allotment holders only get to keep their plots IF Hextable stump up cash ?

Does the hard work of the two plottees count for naught ?

Can't say decency has entered into this at all.  Hope they get to say, but still think the whole things rotten.

Sorry if I'm being churlish.
There's something happening every day  @ http://kaypeesplot.blogspot.com/ & http://kaypeeslottie.blogspot.com/

betula

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #54 on: June 15, 2008, 22:51:36 »
Not churlish................At least a compromise.............better than nothing.
Pity money is God.

MrsKP

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #55 on: June 16, 2008, 06:03:33 »
Suppose you're right betula.  at least now the two have the chance to stay.  Let's hope Hextable does the decent thing and pay up.

and yes thanks to Ian for keeping us informed although (I'm still not patting him on the back).

 :-\
There's something happening every day  @ http://kaypeesplot.blogspot.com/ & http://kaypeeslottie.blogspot.com/

Ian Rashbrook

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #56 on: June 16, 2008, 09:37:19 »
Hi,

You are right. It does depend on Hextable being prepared to pay. What we are doing is putting in place arrangements that allow the Hextable Independents (who advocated the separation of Hextable from Swanley and who control the new Hextable Parish Council) to do what they told Hextable residents they would do - buy in to services from Swanley. There should therefore be no reason why the two allotment holders should now have to leave, unless the advocates of the split were being dishonest when they first asked for support for the separation.

There will also be about twenty people who get allotments for the first time as a result of our proposal. I'd have thought there might be some support for that on this site!

Ian

ceres

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #57 on: June 16, 2008, 09:48:52 »
You'd probably get more support if you were seen to be doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing rather than political point-scoring.

As for providing 20 new allotments, come back and tell us when the plots are there and tenanted and we'll give you a cheer.

cornykev

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #58 on: June 18, 2008, 18:17:06 »
No pat on the back from me yet either Ian, I'm with MrsKp and ceres on this one, come back when the plots ready and working, so what happens when Hextable don't pay, will you just put the blame on them or will you do the decent thing, I doubt it but will love to be proved wrong and surely the tenants pay you their rent so what exactly do you want paying for, on our site people outside the Borough  pay that little bit more.  :-\ :-\       ;D ;D ;D
MAY THE CORN BE WITH YOU.

kimbobill

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Re: Nasty nasty Swanley Town Council
« Reply #59 on: June 19, 2008, 11:08:44 »
I wish we had a Labour council at least I might not have to wait 5 to 6 years for a plot (80 in front of me) they might also answer the phone i've just try to get in touch with them for the last half hour

 

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