Great Notley Garden Village Residents Association
Newsletter Number 23
Date : May 2002.
Chairman : Ken Game. Telephone - 343030. Secretary : Bert Rix. Telephone - 341066.
E-mail : herbertrix@btinternet.com
WHITE COURT STORES.
In the January newsletter number 21 we sent best wishes to Barry Wright of White Court Stores during his illness. We now have to record the sad death of Barry on the 21st. April in Broomfield Hospital.
The funeral service took place on the 30th. April at Christchurch, in London Road, Braintree. Evidence of Barry's numerous friends and popularity was shown by the packed service at which the Residents Association was represented.
GREAT NOTLEY TIMES.
In the Summertime issue of the Great Notley Times the last page comments ruefully on some of the damage being done locally by a small number of "bored teenagers" The Residents Association would like to add it's moral support to the comments by "A very disappointed resident".
A representative of the Residents Association attends every Parish Council meeting as an outside member of the public and we can vouch for the fact that discussions crop up on what can be done to help local teenagers at almost every meeting. Also, Counsellor Michael Moore spends a lot of time trying to think up ideas to help teenagers and an even greater amount of time repairing wilful damage. All this is on top of running his own business and if he ever becomes discouraged, who could blame him?
It costs money to provide facilities for the benefit of teenagers and this is not begrudged, but repairing wilful damage is a needless expense. Please think first before snapping sapplings, or doing damage in the RAFT area.
GREAT NOTLEY PARK AND DISCOVERY CENTRE.
Attached to this newsletter are four advance notices for events on Thursday, the 11th. July and three others on Saturday the 24th. and Sunday, the 25th. August. The last three events are sponsored by Countryside Properties and speak for themselves.
The play "The Hypochondriac" by Moliere is another MUST. This brilliant author and playwright is not widely known this side of the Channel, but anyone who has seen plays by him already will not want to miss this evening.
HELEN ROLLASON APPEAL.
You will doubtless have read in newsletter No.22 that Mike Struthers of Harnham Drive entered to run in the London Marathon last April in support of the above charity.
Everyone will be pleased to know that Mike Struthers, who is a member of the Witham Running Club finished in a time of 4:46:57 and raised approximately £3,500 which has been donated to the above charity.
Both Mike and his partner, Karen, would like to thank everyone for their kind support.
GREAT NOTLEY GARDEN VILLAGE GARDEN COMPETITION.
The Residents Association is making efforts to revive the Garden Competition this year and is taking steps to find a sponsor. The result of our efforts will appear in the next newsletter.
BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE.
The Blood Transfusion Service will be visiting the Braintree Institute (by the side of Argos) on 19th of June. The times of the session on will be 2-4.30pm. and again between 5-7.30pm. Our Chairman, Ken Game has been specially approached to stress that the donating of blood by suitable donors is vital as available stocks of blood are low. It would be very sad if a desperately ill person died for lack of suitable blood.
A SUGGESTED NAME FOR GREAT NOTLEY GARDEN VILLAGE PUB.
In the latest edition of the Great Notley Times the Editor wrote that despite a previous request for a suitable name for the projected public house on the site outside the Community Hall there were no replies. So, in his words "just for fun" , how about THE INVISIBLE MONSTER? At least the pub sign would be no great tax on an artist's talent.
THE DREADED VINE WEEVIL.
The article on page 30 of the Great Notley Times gives advice on controlling the pestiferous vine weevil and this is quite well known to vine weevil victims. Not all of us are as active and diligent as Pattie O'Dorr and the writer has an incurable ailment called "congenital inertia" . (Not in the medical dictionary).
Four years ago we planted flowers and a few shrubs, but a year later found their leaves that had clearly been munched. We had heard of Pattie's advice, but were too lazy to go out every night after dark and do the needful. Lazy people don't always take the most trouble so we contacted a firm in Ashford, Kent who sell products for biological warfare. In addition they also offer control for a wide range of garden pests -- worth a look.
They are:- Defenders Limited, Occupation Road, Wye, Ashford, Kent. TN25 5EN. Telephone - 01233-813121.
They sell little worms (nematodes) which arrive in small plastic packets and the worms are too small to see with the naked eye. The contents look like a small amount of fine sand. Mix with water according to the instructions and put on the flower beds where the little beasties burrow down to vine weevil larvae on the roots of plants and make them-selves at home. Nematodes don't even need housekeeping money for food. This is about the right time of the year.
After two successive annual applications there is not a vine weevil to be seen and the leaves are whole.
QUARK TECHNOLOGY.
For computor buffs the special offer in the Quark Technology advertisement could be worth a second glance.
RESIGNATION OF GREAT NOTLEY PARISH COUNCILLOR.
Political correctness knows no bounds. Members of Parliament and other people in similar walks of life are ruled by checks and balances, but this does not always seem to prevent them from straying from the straight and narrow. That they are confronted by the odd temptation is no excuse for not always being strictly ethical, but no such temptations come the way of Parish Councillors because they never have to face temptations like awarding contracts etc. In spite of this, those who know, or should know better are insisting that similar restrictions are placed on local councillors who are not even in receipt of any payments for services rendered.
Ex-Cllr. John Hainsworth felt that his oath to the Parish Council when he was elected should be sufficient. MP Simon Burns also agrees with him and John's letter of resignation is attached. It is to be regretted that a solid and honourable Parish Councillor should feel the need to resign in order not to compromise his principles.
EXCESSIVE LOCAL COUNCIL TAXES.
We wrote in newsletter No.22 a protest about the exhorbitent rise in local taxes and the inevitable result if local and county councillors continue to ignore the "rule of 70". On your behalf the Residents Association wrote to all 49 District Councillors complaining that they are not doing enough to contain these iniquitous increases.
We have only had 8 responses and the gerneral drift is that the Essex County Council is largely to blame because it spends about 88% of the total county budget. It looks like the Residents Association has some more letters to write.
The text of the outward letters is on the back of the resignation letter by John Hainsworth.
31st. May, 2002.
TEXT OF RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LETTER SENT TO 49 PARISH COUNCILLORS.
On behalf of the residents in Great Notley Garden Village we are writing to complain of the very large increases in Council Tax generally. A specific example of the annual increases from 1 998/9 to 2002/3 is shown below:-
Year Annual Amount Monthly Amount %Increase.
1998/9 £1058.85p. £106.00p.
1999/0 £1117.67p. £112.00p. 05.55%.
2000/1 £1228.10p. £123.00p. 09.88%.
2001/2 £1286.28p. £129.00p. 04.74%.
2002/3 £1417.28p. £142.00p. 10.23%.
It will be seen that council Tax increases over the last 4 years all exceed the average rate of inflation and the average Council Tax over this period amounts to 7.6%. The most recent increase of 10.23% is more than 5 times the rate of inflation.
Irrespective of political loyalties this rate of increase is disgraceful. In any case politics should not enter into this matter.
District Councillors are elected to look after our interests and many people locally are of the opinion that they do not try hard enough. It is only too easy to spend money which belongs to other people and to spend at a rate which exceeds five times the current rate of inflation is indefensible. .Have you ever heard about cutting one's coat according to the available cloth? You may talk about "needs" and "improved services" but at the end of the day it is "not what you can do with, but what you can do without that counts".
Please also reflect that ordinary citizens are not in many cases getting increases in income to match the rate of inflation. Salary increases, if above the rate of inflation, are still very close to 2% and pensions are seldom index-linked. Yet if you apply "the rule of 70" you will see that in only 7 years at the rate of the current increase, the Council Tax burden will double.
Compound interest is pernicious and powerful and you are invited to prove the "rule of 70" on a pocket calculator, so that when you come to set Council Tax rates for 2003/4 you will have in mind that an increasing number of people will become financially distressed.
On top of the above the recent Budget increases in N.I., these will kick in next year and a massive increase in Council Tax at that time will have a devastating effect on many wage earners.
The Great Notley Garden Village Residents Association is well aware that you will come across and give reasons for a 10%+ increase in Council Tax, bearing in mind that there are two sorts of excuse. One that sounds good and the real one.
If it is true that local Councils have had extra responsibilities thrust upon them by Central Government, then B.D.C. has every right to go back to Whitehall and ask for the money to fund the extra requirements. It would be very logical and reasonable to point out that the increasing burden of local taxes on local incomes is becoming intolerable. Of course, the easy way out is to increase the rate of Council tax and hope that nobody will make a protest.
You may come up with that old cliche that if improved services are wanted they will need to be paid for. Well, if you ask the majority of residents in G.N.G.V. what improvements they have seen the answer will be "not a lot", if any. But they will have to pay. (Apologies to Paul Daniels).
Your reply in due course is awaited with interest.
-oOo-
All the replies have been sympathetic, supportive and favourable. The Residents Association is also sending out letters to interested people and also taking steps to make contact with other like-minded associations so that the word might spread.
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER IS AT THE END OF JULY. WATCH THIS SPACE.
