The pleasures of being a retired councillor

One of the few items in my diary these days was a Farewell Reception for Gillian Durrant, who has been our excellent Mayor of Newbury this year. It was a most joyous event made even more joyous due to sponsorhip of the wine by Gardner Leader and some excellent fare from New Greenham Tandoori.

I mentioned that I am now spending a lot of time going up to my calendar and admiring the gaps. At 8.45pm I apologised and left, saying that I had recorded a new episode of Taggart which I wanted to watch. Joy!

Festival of the drowned rat

Normally only the contestants get wet at Newbury's Crafty Craft race. This year everyone got soaked. When we ventured out it was just drizzling slightly. So we didn't take any heavy duty rainwear. Big mistake. It poured down.

We watched our little one taking part in the Steps Ahead dance routines on the 2-Ten FM stage with some trepidation due to the slippery conditions.

Fortunately, we managed to find a warm, dry refuge in the West Cornwall Pasty Company, where we could watch the crafts going past in the comfort of an armchair!

When we came home, before we changed all our clothes, we excitedly looked into the water butts to see that they had a few centimetres of water in them. Bliss!

West Berkshire and Newbury Town Council election results

Quite a few people are googling for local election results in these parts. The Newbury Town Council results are here (albeit without figures). The West Berkshire Council results are here.

Election predictions for West Berkshire and Newbury

I am typing this post at 6am on 27th April. I will press "publish" on this posting after the actual results are announced on 4th May. Today I will print off this posting and post it back to myself in the Royal Mail, sealed in an envelope with sellotape which I will sign across, to prove through the postmark when I typed this.

For West Berkshire Council I predict this result:

Conservatives 41 seats
Liberal Democrats 11 seats

And for Newbury Town Council I predict this result:

Conservatives 16 seats
Liberal Democrats 7 seats

The Liberal Democrats locally and nationally fought a fantastically good campaign. It was first class. However, there is a tide at work at the moment. National trends, Tory phone banks, repeated letters - that sort of thing. West Berkshire is a marginal enough area as it is.

As I learnt as a kid living on the coast, you can't fight the tide. It comes and it goes.

Us Liberal Democrats in West Berkshire and nationally have all slogged ourselves out through hard work. But then again, we fought just as hard a campaign in the mid-1990s when we won all but seven seats on Newbury District Council. But at that time the tide was with us and against the Conservatives.

We should remember the old Rudyard Kipling lines:

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

At the end of the day, we should be able to say that we did our very best and that we know what we believe in. In West Berkshire and nationally, us LibDems did our very best in this campaign, we clearly know what we believe in and we are our true to our beliefs. That is all that matters. The rest is tide.

Two of my friends are currently facing cancer and have days or weeks left in this world. It puts things into perspective.

It is sometimes worth asking oneself: "When I am on my deathbed (if I am lucky enough to have one!), what sort of things will I regret not doing?"

The answer for me is: I would regret it if I didn't spend enough time enjoying my family, being with friends and enjoying God's world - sun, dawn, sea, rivers, exercise, fresh air, real ale etc.

What I definitely won't say to myself on my deathbed is this:

If only we had won that election....and if only I had spent more time in council meetings.

Newbury smelling of manure

There are not many tangible reminders of Newbury's agricultural past. So it was good to have one the other day, although it was not entirely tangible.

We came out of our house the other Sunday and inspected the bottoms of our shoes. There was a nasty smell about. A dog? But as we travelled around Newbury, the smell remained, despite there being nothing on the bottoms of our shoes. We checked several times.

Conclusion: a local farmer had been muck-spreading and the wind was in the right/wrong direction to spread the smell all over Newbury. Good for the farmer. It is good to have a reminder of Newbury's roots and the occupation of many people in the rural community around the hinterland of the town.

Newbury Racecourse bridge

I understand that a decision by West Berkshire Council is imminent about the Newbury Racecourse proposal of a bridge at the eastern end of the racecourse.

I hope that Newbury Town Council's decision to object to this proposal is vindicated by West Berkshire Council. I have set out below my previous letter to the Newbury Weekly News explaining the decision of the Town Council:

Newbury Town Council’s objection, (proposed by myself) to the Racecourse's proposal for a bridge opening onto Hambridge road (NWN Front page last week) deserves further explanation.

Resolution, or even lessening, of Race day traffic issues would, of course, be fantastic news for residents of, and drivers in, Newbury. The bridge planning application states that recommended changes to the Hambridge road/A4 interchange will reduce projected 2009 race day traffic queues from an average of 235 (with no changes) to 147, while accommodating the exit from the racecourse of what was estimated by the developers’ spokesperson as around 2,750 extra cars in two hours.

Unfortunately, the bridge proposal, as it currently stands, does not sufficiently articulate how this miracle will occur. Despite otherwise being thorough,the Transport Assessment does not give absolute traffic numbers, only percentages and ratios, and does not quantify the precise projected effect of the traffic improvements which the Hambridge road/A4 interchange adjustments are supposed to achieve. Specifically, the planning application does absolutely nothing to address the likely longer traffic queues on the A4, from the Robin Hood roundabout up to the approach to the Hambridge road/A4 interchange. That is a major concern, especially where the A4 goes from two lanes to one. 2007 has 30 race days scheduled, 16 of which are on weekdays.

So, raceday traffic is hugely significant.There are many drivers who spend around half an hour every day sitting in queues on the A4 and Hambridge road. I could not look those drivers in the eye and say that the Racecourse bridge proposal will improve traffic flows, as stated by the applicants, without much more comprehensive proof.

Woman in underwear appears on Newbury's Telephone Exchange building

Yes, the long-awaited event in Newbury's history occurred this evening.

I was just walking out of the Corn Exchange when I noticed some people in fluorescent yellow jackets by the bank on the corner. Then I realised they were a film crew. I went round the corner and there it was...a headless woman in all her glory and underwear, projected on the full length of the approx. ten storey telephone exchange.

I saw a comely figure, being covered by the cameras, looking at me. I enquired: "Is that you?". "Do I look like I have boobs?" enquired, in return, the presenter of "How to look good naked", Mr Gok Wan.

Nevertheless, my wife was interviewed extensively by Mr Wan.

Newbury Action Photos

Above, I inspect the large hedge at Greenham House gardens. The hedge has grown far too high and has been interfering with the pavement walkway. It will gradually be replaced with a smaller, less intrusive hedge.

Above, Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant in Victoria Park. Public views on proposed improvements to the park are now being studied.

Above, I inspect a newly built wall in Bear Lane. The old wall slowly disintegrated - brick by brick - and the resultant half-built pile of bricks was very dangerous. I pressed the council to completely rebuild the wall.

Above - With Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant I enjoy the newly refurbished Band Stand in Victoria Park.

Above - I admire the climbing plants which were planted around the Victoria park loos to deter graffiti.

Local campaigner, Bernard Eggleton, who lives in Hambridge road, beside new residents' parking spaces. These were installed after calls from Bernard and other residents of Hambridge road. They have been particularly effective in allowing residents to park during race days.

Local campaigner Malik Azam by the new pedestrian crossing in Monks Lane, installed after public request.

Councillor Sally Hannon studies plans for Peake House, the former registry office. Residents are most concerned about proposals for flats on the site.

Councillor Sally Hannon studies plans for Sovereign Housing flats in Willow Close. Liberal Democrats have been campaigning to drastically reduce the scale of this proposal.


Councillors Gabrielle MacGarvey and Roger Hunneman study proposals for 1450 houses and a hotel on Newbury Racecourse. Residents are most concerned that these plans will cause unacceptable strain on the town's infrastructure.

Newbury Mayor, Councillor Gillian Durrant inspects special anti-vandal paint on the changing building in Victoria park.

Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant finds litter in Frog Alley which was reported and removed by the council.

Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant showing off one of the new sponsorship for the floral displays on Newbury's roundabouts, which was an initiative started off by the Town Council.

Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant finds litter at the entrance to the subway at Robin Hood roundabout. The litter was reported and removed by the council. Liberal Democrats are campaigning for more frequent cleaning of subways.

Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant inspects the newly painted subway ways under the Robin Hood roundabout. The refurbishment was a Liberal Democrat initiative.

Councillor Roger Hunneman finds litter in the subway under the A339/Greenham road and St Johns road subway. This reported and cleared. Liberal Democrats are pressing for more frequent and thorough cleaning of Newbury's subways.

Councillor Roger Hunneman finds litter near the A339 which was reported and cleared. Councillor Hunneman has been pressing for more thorough and frequent cleaning of this area.

Councillor Roger Hunneman points out the proposed site for a CCTV camera in the Arcade. This is shortly to be installed.

Councillor Roger Hunneman points out the site of the new cinema on which work will start shortly.
Councillor Roger Hunneman finds litter near Thomas Merriman Court, which was reported and cleared.
Councillor Roger Hunneman inspects railings which were installed, at his suggestion, behind Cheap Street to deter the assembly of trouble-makers.

Councillor Roger Hunneman beside one of the notices installed to warn residents to take care of their property. This was a Liberal Democrat initiative which resulted in a reduction in local crime.
Above - Councillor Roger Hunneman inspects graffiti which was later removed in the Bear Lane/Kings road subway.
Above, Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant admires flowers grown by local school children in specially designated beds in Victoria Park.

Above, Newbury Mayor Councillor Gillian Durrant at the newly refurbished Band Stand in Victoria Park.

Woman in underwear to be projected onto Newbury Town Hall - approved

...but it won't happen.

There has been considerable excitement in the corridors of Newbury Town Council this last week. We probably all need to sit down and have a cup of tea with lots of sugar in it (or bromide in my case).

Maverick Television contacted us to ask if they could project the image of a local woman in only "bra and knickers" onto the Town Hall building. This is for the Channel 4 programme, "How to look good naked". It aims to make people feel good about themselves.

It was decided that the Town Councillors themselves had to decide whether to give permission for this use of the Town Hall. So a virtual meeting of the Town Council Urgency Sub-committee was duly convened with the discreet title: "To decide on a particular use of the Town Hall". The committee decided to give the go-ahead to the proposal. ("We're not prudes" said the Mayor)

However, we then heard from the television company that our building is the wrong colour. It's too dark. So they are tyring to find a lighter building. Newbury Telephone Exchange (infamous local white elephant) was suggested ("the only time anyone has found a decent use for it" was one quip).

I enjoyed the announcement of the minutes of the Urgency sub-committee at our full council meeting last night. The lady from the "Newbury Weekly News" was gazing into the near-distance, pen un-exercised, when the Mayor read out "blah blah...minutes of urgency sub-committee..blah.... held to consider particular use of town hall...Maverick television..blah...image to be projected..blah blah". However, when the Mayor mentioned "woman naked except for her underwear" suddenly the Newbury Weekly News pen flew into frenzied action!

3 black-headed gulls, 2 Robins, 1 Magpie and a Bluetit

There, we've done our bit for the Big Birdwatch weekend. That was the count of birds by my daughter and I during a 30 minute birdwatch at Speenhamland School, Newbury this morning. (That followed some intensive bird-feeder manufacturing and bird collage sticking.)

We heard a lot more birds, but, as someone remarked, they haven't survived for millions of years without being a bit canny and hiding themselves.

We have duly sent off our report to the RSPB. As well as a schools birdwatch initiative, there is also one for gardens.

By the way, there must be something remarkable about seeing three black-headed gulls over 90 miles from the nearest coastline. My memory may be failing, but 30 years ago I thought you hardly ever saw them inland. Someone said I was "cheating" by counting birds flying overhead. I see. That's cheating is it? Like birds hardly ever fly overhead do they?