Pressing a few buttons

It is highly unlikely that I will be updating this blog until the middle of next month. The reasons for this are complicated but for you regular viewers I apologise in advance. Notwithstanding, I wanted to push a few buttons in respect of issues which will have required my attention over the last few months and a few that will emerge over the next few weeks. So here goes:- Buses and timetables, if there has been no significant progress in the next couple of weeks I shall be spitting nails. This has now gone on for far too long and I think the bus company is playing ducks and drakes with the public and for sure the Borough Council. I am optimistic that a resolution will be found shortly and by the time I update this blog there will be good news.
Kelly's KitchenI am hoping that County will be less intransigent over this matter so that the two operations can exist joined at the hip. Tough task maybe but with our High Street looking like a war zone another closed business does not help. County have missed the point and should at least listen to what Christchurch residents want. So this argument is not necessarily one or the other but what we can do on the basis of common sense to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Pride in ChristchurchThe recent campaign against litter and dog fouling has brought to the surface that there appears to be a dearth of community pride in Christchurch. I find this hard to accept as I think Christchurch is a fantastic place to live and we should all play our part in keeping it it that way. But, with the increasing amount of litter strewn into our hedgerows and fouling of paths and pavements we surely have a problem which needs attending to. The core of this is in our communities level of civic pride and this has to be on someones to do list.
Gravel extraction. This is probably the most concerning button of all. We do not want another 100 lorries per day on our already congested roads and just about everyone should be up in arms to see that we are listened to.
Highways and speed of traffic. And whilst we are talking about lorries what about the state of our roads and pavements, I am getting a bit fed up with promises and no action. We need a comprehensive maintenance program and a root and branch review of our road system which has been due since 2003. It is incomprehensible to think that we can cram more people into Christchurch without a major understanding of what the infra-structure will look like in ten years time. County just has to shape up on this and get to grips with the problem.
Crime and Disorder If we are not to fall back to the unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour of two years ago then we need continued funding for our early intervention and partnership approach to this highly complex problem. The apparent reaction to our success is to redirect funding to areas where initiatives to reduce crime and disorder have just not worked. So we are penalised for our achievements, now this does not make sense, again County need to understand that what we have brought to the table in terms of partnership with our community needs continued and increase funding not less.
Accountability and transparency.I have to admit to be in the dark about how County Representatives report to their constituents or whether they know that this is important. At CBC we are open to the extreme about all but the most confidential matters arising, I get the impression that this is not the case in respect of County.Making sure that residents of Christchurch Central, for example , are aware of what is going on in their name seems to me to be an essential part of the communication process if we want the community to buy in to what is going on.
So that's it folks, a few buttons pushed. Be in touch again next month. Enjoy!