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RICH HADLEY

Thinking around.

What about you?

In The Mood For Turning Out.

30/3/2014

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Dear Herefordshire Council,

People in Ledbury are reeling at the terrible news that drinks manufacturer, UBL-Heinekin is all but pulling its manufacturing production out of our town. In relation to our modest ten thousand population, this loss of a few hundred jobs, direct and indirect, will have a huge impact on the wider local economy.


Like the nation, ours is a town of two halves, some people are prospering, having ample disposable income, but there are plenty of others who are struggling to keep afloat. A true sign of the times, we maintain a thriving foodbank in well-healed Ledbury.

The trouble is that the policy-makers in Herefordshire Council and at the Marches Local Economic Partnership seem to think that we can perfectly well fend for ourselves.  Support for economic development? There’s not a sniff of it. Few people here are holding their breath that there will be any concern, much less practical action in response to the UBL closure.

Everything in the Marches LEP (who are completely unelected and largely unaccountable of course) is focused on the big towns, Shrewsbury, Telford and Hereford. They are fixated with some imaginary north-south economic artery along which all good things flow.  Woe betide however if you live points East or West. Reading through Marches LEP's economic growth strategy, it’s as if places like Ledbury and the other market towns simply don’t exist.

God knows, Herefordshire Council does pretty well out of the ratepayers and small businesses of our town. We’re even now facing evening parking charges, which is a pitiful move that will inflict further economic damage on the town centre, yet bring the council very little return in revenue. Ledbury is nothing but a cash cow for Herefordshire Council.

The point is, when is Herefordshire Council going to start thinking about Ledbury’s interests? When is there going to be any consideration of attracting inward investment to our town in pursuit of sustainable jobs? When are our people going to get a fair deal from our Council?

Politicians and policy-people listen up: the people of this town are simmering with discontent. We’re not a community to trifle with. Please take off the blinkers right now and let’s start seeing some good things coming our way.  Just remember, in May 2015 we will be turning out for an election and deciding how things are going to be in future. 



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Choose the Future.

26/3/2014

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It seems an age away from that dreary Thursday back in February. Four weeks on from my election to the Town Council, spring flowers, nesting birds and there’s a real sense of promise in the air: the days are longer, there's warmer weather, we look forward to better times.  That’s the plan anyway.

You might as well be optimistic. What’s the point of imagining a dismal future?  Where will it get you? There’s every reason to set your sights high, and start making plans for good things and positive outcomes. It’s what gives us energy, and motivates us to get up off the sofa and do something. Anything is better than nothing.

I don’t tend to listen too hard to those people who are always down in the mouth, offering criticism when anything ambitious or exciting gets suggested, who say – we did that years ago, it didn’t work... What a downer.

As Steven Covey in his fantastic book The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People urges, always begin with the end in mind.

So what have people got in mind for Ledbury’s future? What’s our vision for the next ten years? What do we want to build as our legacy to the next generation? Which things would make life better for most people?

It’s a personal choice, but here’s mine (in no particular order of importance):

  • An upgraded railway line and station that compares with the standards you see in London and other UK cities.

  • New housing of various sizes, shapes and configurations. Some small apartments. Some bigger places for growing families. Lots that’s affordable. Buildings that are architecturally distinguished and energy efficient. Places that bring people together and create strong community bonds.

  • A buzzing town centre with a colourful year round programme of events – festivals, shows, parades, small one-offs and regular fixtures. Bring it alive.

  • Positive values imbue everything that we do: tolerance, generosity, friendliness.  It costs nothing, but changes everything.

  • Attracting business investment to create good, skilled jobs. Ledbury should be aiming to hang on to its brightest and most energetic young people.  We should be racing for the top, setting our sights sky high. It’s not a fancy.

  • A vibrant civic culture where the entire community feels valued by decision-makers on Town and County Councils, and participates enthusiastically in shaping our future.  There has to be a change of mood at the top.

Call me an idealist, but are these really too much to ask for?



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Guest Blog: Is It Time Ledbury Traders Opted In?

19/3/2014

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In Ledbury's great Loo Debate, local resident and active community member, Colin Marschall argues that town centre traders should contribute to the upkeep of the conveniences in future... Interesting idea - what do people think?

What I am about to suggest will probably send some people into fits of laughter or even spasms of disbelief, but if those people are prepared to look a little closer at this proposal I feel they will see that it does have merits and is well worth, at least, asking the question.

As we all know the Bye Street toilets will be closed from the end of March 2014, this I believe is at great cost to the town as a whole. In these times of cut backs there could very well be a case of looking where money can be saved, and yet do the basic needs and requirements, such as toilet requirements really change based on how much money is in the purse.

I ask the following question of all people, would you knowingly re-visit a town that has limited public facilities, in the knowledge that you may be “caught short” and your only respite would be to purchase something in a place that provided toilets to its paying customers, or would you simply go somewhere else. On that note I will now outline my idea to re-open the Bye Street toilets and pay for their upkeep.

I feel is should be suggested to all of the 104 or so, town traders that they offer a contribution to a fund in order to keep the Bye Street toilets open. Ledbury Town Council have indicated that the cost of this would be around £26,000 per year, work it out for yourself - £26,000 / 104 = £250 per year, or £4.80 per week, and if those traders could be persuaded to make their contribution £7 per week (just £1 per day) it would raise over £37,000 per year, more than enough to maintain the toilets AND employ someone to monitor them, perhaps even the installation of a coin operated system would raise some of the funding which could be then removed from the traders contribution, or perhaps the Town Council would be willing to invest a figure again in order to reduce the traders contribution.

Now I can see a number of people asking why should some of the traders do this as they very well may have their own toilets for their customers and as such can cater for them. This I believe is a very short-sighted view. Let us be honest here the majority of traders in Ledbury rely on passing trade, they rely on the foot fall that visitors produce, so the question needs to be asked why would traders NOT want to encourage people to visit Ledbury, what is the point in having toilets for your customers if there are no customers. The cafes, pubs and restaurants all benefit from the visitors brought into the town by the other shops, and vice-versa as well. If those shops start to close it starts a cascade effect, less shops, less people willing to come to Ledbury, less people needing hospitality etc.

So come on traders start thinking of the bigger, wider picture of the High street instead of the individual picture of your own business. One is insular that helps no one, including yourself, the other helps maintain the viability of what is, after all, a great place to visit and live.

Isn’t it time traders opted in?


Colin Marschall

Photo Credit: Ledbury Reporter


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Loos Stay Open, Parking Stealth Tax Introduced

10/3/2014

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First some good news for visitors to Ledbury town centre - the public loos in Church Lane are going to remain open.

In a change of heart, Ledbury Town Council has decided that the Bye Street toilets are going to close at the end of March instead. Listening to arguments that the centrally located facilities in Church Lane are vital for shoppers and tourists, the town council voted decisively to keep them open. 


The bad news is that Herefordshire Council is set to introduce parking charges in the town's car parks up to 10.00pm at night.  From the end of the month, evening visitors will therefore be paying the same charges as peak time day time users.

There was uproar at the Town Council meeting on 6 March as Herefordshire Council's proposals were outlined, which I described as a stealth tax on the town centre that will do nothing to benefit Ledbury. 

It remains to be seen how much extra revenue the charges will bring in, particularly with the expectation that savvy motorists will elect to park on the streets, and shun the pay and display machines - not that the charges won't still have a chilling effect on Ledbury's evening economy with pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues all hit hard.  

Residents should note that, alone among the county's market towns, all car-parking revenues from Ledbury disappear out of our town to bolster the coffers of our near-bankrupt local authority. 

In the short term it seems there's little can be done to reverse the decision. However, what Ledbury now needs to be working towards is to take ownership of its car-parks like the other market towns. Then we can operate sensible charging policies, and plough revenues back into town centre facilities and amenities.  To do that however, Ledbury Town Council has to take responsibility for some assets and services that are currently managed by the County, a move that it has so far been reluctant to make.

Over to Ledbury: what's your view?
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Positive Values at Ledbury Primary School - Talk 12 March at 7.30

10/3/2014

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In recent years, Ledbury Primary School Headteacher Mrs Julie Rees, has been pioneering "Values-based" education  - educating pupils and school staff to build respect, tolerance, diversity and equality into their daily lives.

Now international expert in the field Dr Neil Hawkes is coming to  Ledbury to talk about how those values can be reflected more widely in the life of the town.

Says Julie Rees, "For many years now Ledbury Primary School has embedded Values based education and many of our parents ask how we can take these values into the community.  Dr Hawkes has encouraged us to think creatively about how we can promote our understanding of these Values in our town.

As well as listening to Dr Hawkes, who is an inspiring speaker, we now want to hear your views about how we can raise the profile of Values in our local community."

At the meeting there will be:
  • Dr Neil Hawkes International Speaker and consultant speaking about Values in our community
  • A free crèche for children so parents can attend
  • Light refreshments
  • Jon the Potter (Eastnor Pottery) and Stephen McCrae (Blacksmith) - artists involved in the project
  • Cath Gardner-Fairy Door Trail
Dr. Neil Hawkes is credited for his pioneering values work as Headteacher of West Kidlington School in Oxfordshire, where he worked with the school community to develop a unique system of values-based education that has become well known throughout the world for its positive and transformational properties. Neil now works as an international education consultant, giving inspirational talks and supporting schools and other organisations to be values-based. His latest book is called, From My Heart: transforming lives through values.

The meeting is open to any community group or any person living in our local community.  
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Democracy Is Not a Luxury. 

5/3/2014

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The easy explanation for the low turnout (12%) in Ledbury’s recent by-election is apathy. Voters simply don’t care enough about Ledbury’s future to be bothered to go out and exercise their democratic right.  

But can this possibly be right? 


The supermarket controversy that raged in Ledbury two years ago showed a town fired up with passion about its High Street and the supposed availability of affordable shopping, the kind of town we aspire to.  Meantime, cuts in public services, the closure of the public toilets, the role of the Town Council in supporting a jobs fair, have also provoked heated argument.  A row is brewing right now as to whether the Market House should have a lift installed: some people are calling it a desecration, others arguing for accessibility rights.  No, I don’t believe Ledbury is an apathetic community.  

                         "Latest: Take the Ledbury Democracy survey: five                                  minutes into why you did or didn't vote. 
                         Click Here for the Link."

Good election turnouts matter because they are an indicator of a healthy, engaged society.  Electoral participation is the main way that elected representatives are mandated to respond to the needs and concerns of voters. Without that connection, grievance, frustration and conflict begins to overtake rational debate and good decision-making.  

In a rotten democracy where elective bodies are perceived as being unconcerned about the people and they, equally do not care what their representatives get up to, we see diminished and dysfunctional communities, where rumour, conspiracy theory and extremist thinking are rife.

As the Electoral Commission commented on the recent Police and Crime Commissioner elections, the 15% turnout should be "a concern for everyone who cares about democracy".

Nor should the voters be blamed for not coming out to vote. It is the democratic institutions – the Council and the media - that are at fault. Says political commentator Richard Bassford,  the responsibility lies with the elective institutions themselves, ‘to respond to and engage the electorate, providing opportunity for participation.’

Let’s start with some of the practical issues which contributed to the poor turnout in Ledbury this time.  Elections in winter months attract an average 6.6% lower turnout than those in the summer.  The decision of the Town Council not to send out polling cards, coupled with Herefordshire Council not writing to all voters publicising the vote meant that many people simply didn’t know the poll was happening. While out canvassing in the town centre on the Saturday before the vote, I estimate that at least three in four voters had no knowledge of the forthcoming by-election.  More than that, comments posted on discussion forums suggested that a significant proportion of voters had no knowledge of the candidates or what they stood for.  The poisonous icing on the election cake came with news that the main polling station at the Community Hall was not in use that day, causing further confusion and inconvenience.  

The last poll in Ledbury in 2012 attracted a modest turnout of 25%.  This election was significant because it came hot on the heels of the supermarket question, when tempers were still inflamed.  It was also the first contested election in which a vote had taken place in Ledbury for at least twenty years, possibly longer. It was a summer poll. Herefordshire Council had mailed out advisory letters to all electors in the week preceding.  Most of the seven candidates had campaigned with gusto in the run-up, producing leaflets, posters and knocking on doors, and well done to all of them.  There was plenty of media coverage. It was a good result for local democracy.

This time, and I intend no political point scoring here, most of the people that had a responsibility to get the election message out, sat on their hands. It was not the voters who were apathetic, but the bodies and individuals actually involved in the election.

Absurdly little energy was invested in this democratic exercise. As was expected, no poll cards were issued by Ledbury Town Council, and  Herefordshire Electoral Services declined to send letters to the town electorate as part of spending cutbacks.  There was precious little media coverage – the key Ledbury Reporter did not even manage to publish a paragraph reminding voters of the upcoming poll in their Friday edition preceding the election on 27 February. On top of this, one of the candidates had produced no publicity literature by the final weekend, while the other contender put out a poster which gave no information about his policies or priorities.  

Is it really a surprise that Ledbury’s 2014 by-election was such a damp squib?

By the way, do you remember the Town Council election in 2013? No? That's not a surprise for there was just one candidate who put his name forward and was therefore “elected” unopposed. The reason for this was that very few people knew the vacancy had arisen.

There is an urgent need to improve our communications with the electorate. Better electoral publicity and clear candidate information put right into people’s hands (and inboxes) has to be a top priority in the run-up to our next general town election in 2015.

More than this, Ledbury Town Council – just like the similarly electorally-challenged Police and Crime Commissioners, the EU Parliament and our own Herefordshire Council – has to connect more effectively with its communities. 

The evidence is strong that people abstain from voting because they don’t believe that the exercise is worth investing effort in: what’s the point? You need to be motivated to do your civic duty, to find out about candidates, and then make the effort to go out and place your cross on the ballot paper.  People have to believe that there is a benefit in participating in public life, whether as a voter, or better still putting yourself forward for election. Right now, many people do not - and that is our major challenge.

The health of our democracy lies squarely in the hands of the Council decision-makers and the local media.  Voters are not a nuisance to be fobbed off with a shrug.  Democracy is not a luxury. It costs money.  Community engagement starts by listening to people. And then changing the way you do things.



Latest: Take the Ledbury Democracy survey: five minutes into why you did or didn't vote. Click Here for the Link.

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