Parking Consultation - brilliant response

Mr French thinks Council employees should pay for their parking, just like the rest of us. Marvellous idea!

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Sent: Thu Dec 13 15:37:29 2012

Subject: Parking Charges Consultation

You say that parking costs in Herne Bay have not been increased since 2010 (which is incorrect) & thrown in the cost of enforcement - a look at the balance sheet will show a profit not a loss arising from parking.

I think however that the greatest injustice here is the fact that all of this is justified by officials who park their cars for free at Military Road - a site that is on the Park Ride route & a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Canterbury. In days of "going green" how can this be justified?

Why don't your officials pay for on-street parking permits or pay for the use of the  Military Road Car Park? You can all have your change ready every morning for the ticket machine and have your nice uniformed ladies & gentlemen ticket offending vehicles.

Perhaps we should begin a campaign to make the officials pay like everyone else. I suggest that you firstly change the rules for your own parking and you pay the going rate before putting up parking charges any higher.

Some of you may be essential car vehicle users but then plenty of other people are as well.

I would appreciate your response justifying why you think you shouldn't have to pay but everyone else should - oh and pay more - yet again!

Chris French

Independent Financial Adviser, 139 High Street, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 5NG

Work to start on Herne Bay sea defences

Canterbury City Council has received approval and funding from the Environment Agency to start improvements to the sea defences at the central part of Herne Bay.

The £900,000 project includes a £80,000 council contribution, and work is due to start on site at the end of January. Breheny Civil Engineering has been awarded the contract, and all improvements should be completed by the end of June this year.

Work on the sea defences will involve raising the rear wall by 300mm and renewal of all the coping stones. All gaps will be closed by the use of floodgates, and a new rear wall will be built across the back of Neptune car park. The car park will also benefit from a barrier which will be installed at its entrance and can be closed at night, making the area secure.

Three new groynes will be constructed at the western end of central Herne Bay, where beach erosion has become a regular problem. The project will upgrade the standard of the sea defences to meet a one in 200-year storm event, such as the storm surge that occurred in the winter of 1953.

Originally scheduled for 2015, the council was able to bring the sea defence work forward due to a swift design and tender process that made the funding available. The project was designed and will be managed on site by the East Kent Engineering Partnership (EKEP). This is a partnership of Canterbury, Dover, Thanet, Shepway and Swale councils’ engineering teams.

The council’s Executive member for engineering, Cllr Peter Vickery-Jones, said:

"The council is absolutely committed to investing in the future of Herne Bay, and to have secured this funding for a significant project is wonderful news. The country has seen recent unprecedented inland flooding and this has led to extra demand to combat the problem. Therefore we’re pleased to have been able to convince the Environment Agency of the importance of the need for our scheme. Thanks to our involvement with EKEP, the Canterbury engineering team has worked on an array on different projects, including work for other local authorities. This expertise ensures we can turn projects round quickly, efficiently and to exceptionally high standards."

Breheny Civil Engineering is currently working on the Margate sea defence scheme near the town’s Turner Contemporary. This is another EKEP project involving engineers from the city council.

CCC 8 January 2013

Pier Trust still has some explaining to do...

One local business owner has some strong opinions and a lot to say about the handling of the "mini golf on the Pier" shambles. Read it carefully, then act.

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Dear Pier Trust Members and Herne Bay Residents,

My family and I have lived and worked in Herne Bay since 1953. We have been members of the Pier Trust for quite some time and we are all avid supporters of Herne Bay and the Pier Trust's aims to reclaim, regenerate and rebuild the Pier for the benefit of the whole of the Community.

It has come to my attention that recent plans for the development of the Pier, proposed by David Cain, are in direct contradiction to the original functions of the Trust and, therefore, arguably harmful to the town as a whole. I have been over the "Memorandum of Association" put forward by the Trust on their website. In this document, the "Objects" of the Trust are outlined as:

3.1 The preservation, renovation, reconstruction and enhancement of Herne Bay and the surrounding areas…

3.2 The promotion and use of the Pier for recreational purposes and as a community and heritage building for the general use and benefit of all inhabitants of, and visitors to, the town of Herne Bay and surrounding areas.

I next examined the "Powers" of the Trust and the first piece of information available was that these powers, "may only be exercised in promoting the objects as quoted above." The plans put forward by Cain's Amusements date back to April 2012, and multiple members of the trust, myself included, have only recently learned of this mini golf proposal. The fact that Trust members have not been made aware of these plans, directly contradicts the "objects" of the Trust and the way it is supposed to be run. If Trust members are not made aware of future plans for the Pier, how can it claim to be run for "the benefit of all inhabitants"? This breach of the Trust's constitution is morally unbecoming of the organization and detrimental to the Trust's success.

One of the main areas that I don't believe is working is the relationship between the Pier Trust and Canterbury City Council. This relationship is dictated in The Pier Trust's "Memorandum of Understanding" with Canterbury City Council, a document also available on the website. This document also features many broken promises, made between the Council and the Trust. It reads:

"The Trust will be treated by the City Council as the principle trustee within the town in relation to Pier matters. The City Council will actively consult with the Pier Trust on all aspects of the future of the Pier, including the Pier Pavilion building, the Pier head, the maintenance of the Pier structure and any proposals for the future use or development of the Pier.

The Trust and City Council will respect each other's views and will work together in the interests of the Pier and the town generally."

This agreement put forward in 2008 has been compromised. It's a very frustrating read. I cannot see how the Trust and the Council can "respect each other's views" if those views, and in this case, plans, are not revealed to Trust members. Dawn Hudd of Canterbury City Council has consulted directly on and has carried out a site visit to advise on the mini golf planning application. The date on those plans are April 2012. This suggests the council were in full knowledge of these plans but failed to share the information with the trust or its members while the "Memorandum of Understanding" was still in force.

I personally, have been in email contact with Dawn Hudd of CCC since May 2012 as I was one of 2 concessions granted on the Pier last summer and wanted to keep abreast of any plans for the Pier for the following year. Even though I asked directly by email, on 2nd October and 21st November 2012, if there were any plans, I was not told anything other than that a report would be going to Executive on Dec 13th. There has been no mention of this planning proposal to me or of the councils desire to "off load" the Pier to a mini golf operator or any other long term sole operator.

We all attended the HBPT AGM on 27th Nov 2012, which I'm sure you will all agree did not go as intended, no plans for the mini golf were mentioned there either. The trust put forward a short term plan for a Beach Hut Village which would be in place until the long term Marina Plan was developed and was ready to go ahead.

The first time the mini golf planning application was mentioned to members in an official capacity was in the Christmas newsletter, emailed to members on 20/12/12. In this newsletter under the title "The Adventure Golf on the Platform" the Trust talks of a "crowd pulling" attraction that the trust is happy to collaborate with. This statement was made without consulting with any Trust Members and certainly not with the only trust member who currently runs a mini golf and has in fact held a fund raising day on the mini golf for the benefit of the trust. Was this statement made by the co-chair, who also happens to be a councillor, who also happens to be on the Executive Committee that decided to keep the running of the Pier away from the Trust and in the councils control on 13th Dec 2012? This was 7 days after the planning application went in and was based on a report, criticizing the ability of the trust to run the Pier and recommending the council reclaim control, written by… Dawn Hudd.

I am not aware that the views of the Pier's close neighbours were sought. Our business has received no correspondence on the matter and even if the rules make no obligations for our views to be solicited, common courtesy dictates that they should have been sought or that we should, at the very least, have been informed.

I also can find only one notification in the local papers 13-12-2012.

Many of the declared goals of the Trust would no longer be possible were this planning application to be granted, such as :-

1. To create a community space to host a wide variety of events which could be enjoyed by the whole community and in which they can participate.

2. To rebuild a Pier that would ensure that Herne Bay would return to its former prominence as a desirable seaside destination in its own right.

I want to know why these plans seem to have gone so far without official consultation with any Pier Trust members? Why there have been no official or public consultation meetings with the people of Herne Bay, either by the council or the Trust. Also mentioned in the newsletter is Mr. John Gilbey's comment that the CCC "did not want to stand in the way of any sustainable ideas and only wanted what was right for the Pier". This comment seems unfounded as the Council had already met with David Cain and pre plans for the mini golf have already got underway with no consultation or approval from the Trust. If this project goes ahead the rebuilding of the pier prospect will be dead in the water. No investor would consider a project that would be hindered by a 10 year single leaseholder.

This is another issue in contention, the leasing of the Pier and the length thereof. I believe the Trust agreed the Council should not market the Pier as a long term commercial opportunity. The lease options that were suggested between the 2 parties were leases of only 1-2 years. I reiterate, any lease of such a length currently being proposed, would stop any rebuild prospects from proceeding in any way.

The Council is dismissing the Pier Trust and the Pier itself as a liability that they seek to get rid of at the first and easiest opportunity with no thought or consideration for what the people of Herne Bay want or what is best for the town's future, from attracting new residents, to tourism, to attracting new businesses which would all go to vitally boost our local economy.

Many trustees, who freely give up their own time, have left, due to frustration and disillusion with regard to the Council's interference, lack of support and manipulation of the Trust. I have personally experienced the council telling me the lack of progress was wholly the fault of the Trust. This obviously has a negative and demotivating impact on the Trustee's who try to follow the ethos of the Trust's constitution, for the good of the town as a whole and not just what the council wants. These enthusiasts "giving up" impacts on the efficiency of the Trust and its ability to achieve its goals.

This is not merely my opinion as it appears to be shared by virtually all of the local people and businesses that we have canvassed.

Whether you agree with my opinion or not, I urge Pier Members, Herne Bay residents and anyone who cares about the future of the Pier and Herne Bay alike to please register your opinion by writing or emailing the Pier Trust at: piertrust.office@talktalk.net also Mr Steve Musk, Development Control, Canterbury City Council, Military Road, Canterbury, CT1 1YW or by emailing development.management@canterbury.gov.uk

Please quote Planning Application Number CA//12/02132.

Any objections to the planning application must be in by 14th January 2013.

Please feel free to contact me by email to: shaneypashley@sasamusements.co.uk

Herne Bay Festival - it could be yours

OK folks, here you go - all the paperwork you need to apply to CCC to run the Herne Bay Festival this year. It's an 8 month contract worth £35,000 to the lucky winner. Closing date 9am 17th January 2013.

Reading through the Delivery Partner Brief, I found myself starting to wonder whether CCC is actually trying to discourage applications.

Piratical display lights up the pier

People power – and a pinch of piracy – is behind a festive lights display erected more than a kilometre out to sea. A Christmas tree of light, made from around 1,000 lights, appeared on the stranded head of Herne Bay pier just before Christmas.

Pier Pirates claimed responsibility for the seasonal display and said the lights were a symbol of the town's future. A spokesman said:

"Ahoy! Me 'n' me hearties have put these lights up as a symbol of the unity that Herne Bay needs to display to overpower the tyranny of our current rulers. We believe that this be necessary to get our fair share of the treasure includin' gettin' the pier rebuilt to its original length smartly. There be many lubbers 'bout who have chosen to ignore the hopes 'n' aspirations 'n' determination of the people."

He said the project was inspired by the volunteer groups working to improve the town, including the Bay Promo Team, Beach Creative and the Kent Pier Marina Team from the Herne Bay Pier Trust as well as the people of Herne Bay themselves. He added:

"The town Christmas tree lights was voted the worst in the land 'n' news spread far and wide. Me and me hearties thought we should step in and gift the town the best offshore Christmas tree lights in the UK. All ye pirates mucked in and helped, including local suppliers."

Partygoers at the BayPromoTeam's Christmas ball were impressed by the lights and a spokesman said:

"They look fantastic and everyone was saying how impressive they were. We can only sum them up as a festive delight."

Jason Hollingsworth, of the Kent Pier Marina Team, which is working on plans for a marina around the old pier head, added:

"I think this shows that the people of Herne Bay are proud of their town and are willing to get involved in the Government's Big Society. This is truly a beacon of hope for the future of the town and for the pier. I think the sense of community is at an all-time high and this shows beyond reasonable doubt that Herne Bay is powered by its people."

HB Times 4th Jan 2013

Plans to celebrate artist Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp

Artist Marcel Duchamp wrote "I am not dead, I am staying in Herne Bay" during a visit to the town 100 years ago this year.

To mark the centenary, Sue Austen and Jason Hollingsworth, who run Bayguide.co.uk, are planning a three-week, town-wide celebration. It would feature exhibitions, a film festival and history walks and the pair are hoping people will get in touch to lend items they could use. Mr Hollingsworth said:

"We want to see this event marked in a variety of different ways. The town's reputation as an artistic centre is growing, along with that of the whole north Kent coast, and as part of this movement a Duchamp celebration would be a fantastic way to promote our vibrant town, during its busiest summer months. We think this will not only attract local attention but also draw visitors from the rest of Kent, London and the South East as well as giving our town great positive publicity to rival that of our neighbours."

They are appealing for articles, memorabilia, images and especially postcards sent from Herne Bay and post-marked 1913 to borrow for the festival. Artists are also invited to get involved by submitting a piece to an exhibition called "I am not dead, I am in Herne Bay".

Duchamp was in Herne Bay for August and part of September 1913 while his sister Yvonne studied English at Lynton College in Downs Park. That year is said to be a turning point in his work.

For more information about the planned Duchamp celebration, visit www.iamnotdead.co.uk or e-mail jason@bayguide.co.uk

HB Times 4th Jan 2013

Train hits fallen tree outside Herne Bay

A train carrying workers and shoppers home for Christmas crashed into a tree on Christmas Eve just outside Herne Bay. Passengers faced delays after the Southeastern train ploughed into the tree which had fallen onto the track.

The train's windscreen was shattered but the driver and passengers escaped injury. Among those on board in the front carriage, was Times sports editor Jon Homer. He said:

"The train was approaching Herne Bay when suddenly there was a bang and the front carriage shook violently. The train stopped for five minutes or so before the guard announced we had hit a tree and would be progressing slowly to Herne Bay but no further. It would be a huge exaggeration to say that my whole life flashed before me but I was surprised to see the damage that had been done to the front of the train. The driver looked a little shaken, if not stirred!”

The incident caused delays while bosses organised a replacement bus service and a crew from Network Rail was called to remove the tree. Mum-of-two Sarah Moore, who was trying to get back to her home in Gravesend, was left stranded at Herne Bay station with her young daughters. She said:

"It’s not ideal on Christmas Eve and the lack of information has been quite frustrating. Luckily we will be able to get home, eventually, and I’m glad no one was hurt."

Southeastern spokesman Sarah Boundy said the train’s windscreen was damaged by the tree, which was cut up and cleared by 5pm. She said:

"The service affected was the 3.05pm Ramsgate to Faversham train and there were some cancellations and delays while we organised replacement buses. We are very sorry for the disruption and that people were delayed on Christmas Eve."

HB Times 4th Jan 2013

Herne Bay volunteers given £10k for lights

Herne Bay's most recent Christmas tree (photo by Alan Porter)

A  group of volunteers hailed as "stars" will make the town shine next Christmas thanks to a grant from a Bay county councillor. Jean Law, who represents the town on Kent County Council, is gifting the remainder of her member's fund to four community groups in a bid to make Christmas 2013 the best ever.

She hopes the £10,000 will help Herne Bay Town Partners, Herne Bay in Bloom, Beach Creative and the BayPromoTeam attract more cash in match funding to pay for a spectacular lights display. Mrs Law said:

"These are all groups I have worked with in the past and they work brilliantly together. They are all stars and I know that working together they can make up for this year and all the negative publicity. I have lots of ideas and I would like it to be like Herne Bay in Bloom, where the whole town comes together to make it great."

This year's tree was slammed as the "worst in the country" by national newspapers, and its replacement was also panned by critics. There were complaints about the lack of lights in the High Street and that crossover lights used in previous years were missing. Mrs Law said:

"I was desperately disappointed with this year's display and there was a lot of negative feeling about it. It was supposed to be so magical and it didn't quite work like that. But I know next Christmas will be better than ever, and I want to see really inventive displays, not just common or garden lights."

Among the ideas being considered are trees for over shops, projected images of moving snowflakes on buildings, and a mini forest of Christmas trees, donated from different sources. Mrs Law said:

"We also need shopkeepers to get involved and do their bit in brightening up the town and that's where Beach Creative can get involved. It is a long-term project. We don't need bling, we just need it to be magical for the children and it is a real privilege to be involved in it. I hope that this year we can invite all those who criticised us to come back and see what Herne Bay can really do."

Former town trader Geoff Wimble has also set up a Christmas lights group made up of residents and shopkeepers, and they are planning fundraising events.

Hopes and plans for the New Year

Terry Gore manages homelessness charity Catching Lives, a self-funding day centre in Canterbury's Station Road East. The service is running on empty and needs to find around £100,000 to fund each year. For more information on Catching Lives or to donate, visit www.catchinglives.org

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Dropping four stone and giving up smoking.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

Working for Catching Lives and making sure we ensure we get the funding for this vital service for another year.

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Canterbury resident Ian McQuaibe, 25, was homeless for more than five years and now volunteers at Catching Lives and as a youth worker at Thanington Resource Centre.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

To get a well-paid job and to give up smoking.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

It just being the New Year. I'll see how it goes. You never know what might happen in the future.

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Margaret Burns is chairman of Herne Bay in Bloom. Herne Bay was the overall winner of the coastal town category in the 2012 Britain In Bloom awards and a silver gilt medal winner in the competition.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

To put more into the community. I was born in Herne Bay and I feel it's our duty to keep uplifting it for residents and visitors.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

Making Herne Bay even more beautiful. We're very involved in the Queen Elizabeth Coastal Park – the new gardens near the Kings Hall and the clock tower.

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Gerald McCarthy is the founder of the Bay Promo Team, which puts on Herne Bay events such as the Zombie Crawl, which raises money for Kent Air Ambulance.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

To reach more people in Herne Bay so we become more of a hub. We want to bulk out the social calendar. We're trying our best with Halloweek, the Zombie Crawl and Christmas Ball.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

Putting on more events and promoting other people's. We're looking forward to a big sci-fi event in June with replica Daleks, a 45-foot marshmallow man and superheroes. We're also doing a Titanic-themed ball for the centenary celebrations of the Kings Hall.

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David Birch is chairman and trustee of Herne Bay Historical Records Society. He was born in the Bay, and his granddaughter was the 269th Holness to be baptised in Herne Church.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

I'm 80 years old and I've never made a New Year's Resolution but I'd love to see my youngest granddaughter reach school age.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

I'd love to see the society, which is a registered charity, have its own income and premises so we have more control over what we own.

We've got a smashing little town, but I think we come third to Canterbury and Whitstable. I'd like to see the town's fortunes improve. We need someone who will push and shove and drive it forward.

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Whitstable artist Carl Stafford, 48, is giving away his paintings – all 100 of them. He hired Whitstable's Horsebridge Centre for an exhibition called Nothing's Free, in which the twist is that the paintings are free.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

I don't generally make resolutions as they get broken on January 2.

What are you looking forward to in the New Year?

To becoming a multimillionaire. I get a lottery ticket every few weeks. To make a million from my art, I'll have to wait until I'm dead and gone.

HB Times 3rd Jan 2013

Pssst... wanna run a festival?

Hmmm... our beloved Council is looking for someone to run the HB Festival. You'll have to hurry though - the closing date for applications is 16th January 2013. Don't these people ever plan ahead? Do they really think they'll get the best possible applicants by leaving it until a few days before Christmas to publish the invitation to tender? Unless, of course, they've already got someone in mind...

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Council seeks coastal festivals delivery partners

The city council is looking for organisations or individuals who think they have what it takes to build on the successes of the Whitstable Oyster Festival and Herne Bay Festival in 2013.

The successful delivery partners will take the established festival brands and develop an exciting programme of events and activities to take them to the next level.

Managing and delivering these popular events that regularly attract up to 15,000 people each year, the successful organisations will actively work within the local communities to shape, and help put their mark on, these annual community celebration events.

The council is keen to ensure that events and activities that are important to the local community, economy and visitors, such as the coastal festivals, are led by those that have the experience, specialisms and networks to ensure their future growth and success.

The council will be looking to contract new delivery partners for both festivals in early 2013. Expressions of interest from organisations or individuals are being sought through the south east business portal at www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk , where the opportunities and individual requirements for each festival are set out. The closing date for expressions of interest is Wednesday 16 January 2013.

The council’s Head of Culture and Enterprise, Janice McGuinness, said: “The coastal festivals are an excellent example of how culture, tourism and our local economy can enhance our communities by promoting and celebrating what’s great about where we live.

“Ensuring our festivals are rooted within our local communities is key to their future development and growth, and the council looks forward to working with the new delivery partners.”

CCC 21 December 2012

Old tree, new tree

If you're one of the people who think that plants have feelings, and have been worrying about THAT Christmas tree that came in for so much stick, you can rest easy. After being needled in the press for days, it has been rather neatly recycled by Herne Bay in Bloom and Beach Creative in their Christmas grotto in the bandstand. All its branches have been (gently) snipped off and artfully arranged on the seasonal backdrop to the Christmas Fair.

The Christmas Fair is running this weekend - click HERE for details.

And what of the new tree? Well, at first it too was on the receiving end of a communal raspberry. I'm delighted to say that some of our townsfolk didn't just shuffle away grumbling, but got together and pulled together (Blitzmas spirit?) to primp and prettify it into something very definitely Christmassy.

Photo by Alan Porter

Christmas message from the Pier Trust

Good News for the future of the Pier

Three trustees of the HB Pier Trust attended the executive meeting of Canterbury City Council last Thursday and although they arrived smarting from the negative vibes in the press about an ultimatum to "shape up or ship out", they were pleasantly surprised by the positive attitude of the councillors at the meeting. Anyone wanting to hear what actually happened and what was said can listen to the recording of the executive meeting on the CCC website.

Repairs to the Existing Pier

The first item on the agenda relating to the pier was what actions should be taken about the poor condition of the wood in the substructure - not the planks you see when you walk on the pier but the wooden joists underneath them. The Pier Trust and CCC had already discussed this problem and it was mutually agreed that the Trust is not in a position financially to tackle repairs on this scale. This was a major reason for the Pier Trust preferring the management of the pier to remain at present with the council. Until it has established the hut village as a regular source of income, it knows it is not ready to take on management of the pier.

The 4 options to fund the urgently needed repairs ranged from a 2 year patch-up to a major overhaul and the good news for Herne Bay and the Pier Trust is that the executive unanimously voted for the best option which will cost in the region of £200,000. It will be carried out in stages with minimal disruption to the short term plans to progress activities on the pier.

That Report!

Dawn Hudd, the Culture Officer’s report was the next item about the future of the pier and it also contained 4 options: close the pier, hand over management to the Pier Trust, CCC to retain management, or a combination of the latter two options. Both the CCC and Pier Trust favoured this recommended option 4 – that the CCC retain control including maintenance costs until the Pier Trust is in a sufficiently strong financial position to take over management. This, especially in the light of this year’s huge maintenance bill, is seen as the only realistic option for us this year.

The executive councillors expressed very supportive comments about the current Pier Trust. They wished us well with the plans we are submitting for a beach hut village up the leg of the pier. The executive viewed the pier as an integral part of the regeneration plans for Herne Bay. Mr John Gilbey, Leader of CCC, said he had attended our AGM and assured us that CCC did not want to stand in the way of any sustainable ideas and only wanted what was right for Herne Bay and the Pier. We three trustees thought the comments at the meeting fair and positive.

The Adventure Golf on the Platform

Last week, we met with Mr Cain to discuss his plans for a crowd-pulling tourist attraction on the tarmac of the platform. The Trust is happy to work together with Mr Cain and the beach hut village and the Smugglers’ Adventure Golf will be mutually beneficial this year both bringing in tourists and locals. There will still be full access for walkers to enjoy the walks on the pier. Mr Cain will be investing a large amount in the pier and hopes to attract over 5000 visitors to the pier in August. Maybe next winter we shall see the pier lit up with lights and a Christmas Market complete with Santa on the pier.

Looking forward to 2013

Thank you for all your support this year. Don’t believe all you read in the press – we have come to realise that a good story built on a few disconnected comments is often a priority for journalists – we are learning, with difficulty, to take it as modern media speak.

A special thank you goes to our volunteers who have been standing in the cold this month outside supermarkets meeting members, collecting subs, manning the office and the Santa’s grotto in the bandstand and doing so much to keep us going. Their help is much appreciated by us. Thank you.

The Office in the Pier Gallery on Central Parade is now up and running and we are in the process of sorting out the administrative problems that we have suffered in the last year. Hopefully 2013 will be a good year all round for the Trust.

We are moving the Wine and Wisdom date from the 4th of January to a later date as general opinion indicates that was too near Christmas. We shall email you the new date as soon as possible. The bands event specifically aimed at the younger audience will take place at the King’s Hall on Feb 9th and tickets will be available at £5 each in the New Year – we shall email you with details then.

If any Member wishes to stand themselves or wishes to nominate another Member to stand for the role of trustee next year we are looking specifically for members with expertise in the following areas : legal experience, promotional expertise, financial and fund-raising (big fund-raising!) expertise.

Lastly but by no means least come down to the Bandstand at the weekend and find out more about the 2013 on the Pier. We together with other community organisations will be there between 11:00am and 4:00pm. Santa will also be there so bring the kids or grandkids and they will receive a free gift. All we ask is that you bring a few tins of food as a donation to the parcels that will be given to the less fortunate at Christmas.

Happy Christmas

Doreen Stone & Joe Howes - Joint Chairmen

Fury at plan to cap leases of beach hut

Here we go again - the vexed and thorny issue of beach huts: private pleasure on public land. It would be so much simpler if all beach huts on public land were Council-owned and Council-managed, and rented for a maximum of a year at a time with shorter term and seasonal lets available. If demand outstrips supply, the Council should gradually increase the charges until demand matches supply - a commercially sensible approach to its public responsibility to maximise the revenue from its assets.

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City councillors are threatening to limit beach hut owners to a 30-year lease. Owners say the proposals would knock down prices and stop them from passing the huts on to their children. Some have stayed in families for more than 50 years. One Tankerton owner and barrister has waived her normal fees to help block the proposals.

The news leaked out during a meeting of the Tankerton Bay Beach Hut Owners Association annual meeting. It is estimated it could affect 300 hut owners in Whitstable and Herne Bay.

The city council wants to force beach hut owners to move out after a maximum of 30 years. At the moment, leases can he renewed every year. Under new proposals the lease would be renewed every six years for a maximum of 30 years. After that, owners would have to remove their huts from the beach or sell them.

The council also wants to levy a £1,300 fee if the huts are sold and charge owners £1,260 if owners let out their huts in the summer. Huts in Tankerton fetch about £20,000. Six huts currently listed for sale on website beach-huts.com range from £17,000 to £25,000.

Pensioner John Richardson, 77, from Saddleton Road, Whitstable, said:

"I think the proposals are unlawful. We already have a lease. That can't be overwritten. These proposals would mean that for the last ten years of the lease owners won't bother looking after their huts. Tankerton will end up with lots of derelict huts. It will lose its charm. Individual hut owners look after their huts and give them characteristics that add to Whitstable's charm."

Marilyn Richards, secretary of the Tankerton Bay Beach Hut Owners Association, remained tight-lipped:

"I can only say at this point that we are in ongoing discussions with Canterbury City Council about our hut ownership."

But Alan Ratford, chairman of Herne Bay Beach Hut Owners Association, said opposition was unanimous:

"At the moment I can sell my hut without restriction. If there is a 30-year cap, then the value of the hut will decrease. It's not a problem today but It will be tomorrow. We co-operate very well with the council but this is a major stumbling block."

Deborah Hickman, who runs Tiddly Pomme in Brogdale Market Place, Faversham, sold their beach hut three years ago for £20,000. She said:

"We are happy we sold when we did. The huts are a real money-spinner for Canterbury City Council. But it keeps wanting to add more. This proposal seems really greedy. For the people who have bought in the past ten years when prices shot up, it is horrendously unfair. It is a privilege to have a beach hut but it cost us £1,000 a year to keep ours. You can't just sit on it to make a fortune."

City council spokesman Steve James said:

"The council is engaging in confidential conversations with beach hut owners. The finite lease is merely speculation. No conclusions have been reached."

Whitstable Times 13th Dec 2012

Next Christmas will be dazzling

Geoff Wimble

Traders and the community have teamed up in a bid to ensure Herne Bay does not once again become a national laughing stock for its Christmas lights. The town made national headlines after stars from the Marlowe pantomime in Canterbury flicked the switch of a poorly lit tree - and rather than cheers, got jeered by the crowd. As a result, Herne Bay’s lights were dubbed the worst in the UK.

Now, however, a group has been set up to organise next year’s illuminations. At its inaugural meeting, organiser Geoff Wimble said businesses and supporters had already pledged more than £2,000 with donations from the chamber of commerce and individuals. The total was boosted further by a cheque presented by Jean Herwin, a member of the group and secretary of the Hotel Business and Leisure Group.

More than 50 businesses have signed up to be involved, and five schools from across the town are also poised to offer their support. Mr Wimble said the group aimed to provide lights for the whole town, including Sea Street. He said:

“Our intention is to ensure we never get slated again. We want lights around the town and our intention is to make other decorations too, as they do on the continent. We want to buy enough trees so every shop can have a tree above or outside it, and we want to make sure we get a reasonable tree for the town centre too.”

kentnews.co.uk 18th Dec 2012

Parking Consultation

It's good to know that people are taking the trouble to respond to the Council's Parking Consultation.... here's a good one:

First of all WE (Herne Bay) are not Canterbury, so why match our tariffs? Sooner you realise this the better it will be for Herne Bay.

1 - We don’t have the same facilities as Canterbury

2 - We don’t have the same variety of shops as Canterbury

3 - We don’t have the same footfall as Canterbury

4 - We don’t have the same customers as Canterbury

5 - We don’t have the same transport facilities as Canterbury

And most importantly

6 – The council don’t spend as much on Herne Bay as Canterbury for the redevelopments and shopping experiences, such as the Christmas lights! Out of the supposed £53,000 what did Herne Bay get? I know for a fact that it wasn’t an equal share, so why should we equal the price of Canterbury for anything!  (Business Rates, Parking or anything else!)

It was only 2012 when you raised the price to park for the day in Herne Bay from £1.10 to £2.50! That’s a MASSIVE 145% rise, and now you want to raise it further 20% on top!!!!!!!

As a business owner in Herne Bay we have seen a fall in trade since the rise in parking charges, as people bypass us and head to Westwood cross.

Are you actively trying to kill the town?!? People and traders would say you are!

This raise in parking will make trade even harder than it already is. It’s time for the council to stop being greedy and help the towns or we will all end up like Margate town centre, and then you won’t get any money for parking as no one will come to Herne Bay. It the same example as doubling prices you take double the money! This is NOT the case, if we all raised our prices by 145% at the beginning of 2012, and then put another 20% on top now we would be out of business, not rolling in the money! Why can’t you people work that out with the parking!!!!!

However, these emails are probably ignored and you do as you wish anyway, but if the parking prices are put up to be in line with Canterbury then we should have everything as equal. ALL, and I mean ALL budgets for everything should be shared 33% each to Herne Bay, Whitstable and Canterbury. Now if you think the parking is a fair increase due to the Canterbury prices, then it’s only fair we get 33% of all money available.

I would like a response to this email, to make sure that our point has been heard!

Regards

Daniel Peters and John Potts (The Studio, Mortimer Street)

Dad sells best of British food aboard to ex-pats

Bay businessman Michael Cook has set up a way to get British goods abroad at the click of a mouse. Mr Cook, 34, said:

"When my brother-in-law moved to New York three years ago he really missed British food, especially chocolate. He would often say American chocolate was just not the same. So we sent him tuck boxes with all his favourite British food in."

That idea has now grown to an internet firm called British Tuckbox. Mr Cook said:

"After years of commuting to London I wanted to become my own boss and saw a gap in the market. It is for people who crave the comforts of home while away."

He can ship out emergency supplies of favourite British breakfast cereals, sauces and even toiletries for babies to wherever you are in the world from his office in Westbrook Industrial Park, Sea Street. He said:

"I saw a gap in the market and think I have found a long-term solution by offering an efficient service."

The father-of-three has a list of more than 1,000 products and is being helped by his wife Clare. He has already been featured by the BBC and is hoping for a mention in this weekend's Mail On Sunday. For more details visit www.britishtuckbox.co.uk

Herne Bay Times 13th Dec 2012

'Mail chaos' after sorting office shut

Customers who miss delivery of their Christmas parcels are facing "chaos and confusion" thanks to the closure of the town's sorting office, campaigners claim. The office in Eddington Lane shut as part of plans by Royal Mail to modernise the service and postal workers are now based in the Canterbury office.

But protestors who are still battling to save the Whitstable delivery office say the move has been a disaster. Campaigner Julie Wassmer is urging people to write to Royal Mail bosses to keep up the pressure. She said:

"Following the Herne Bay delivery office move there is operational pandemonium in the Canterbury delivery office. Canterbury cannot cope with the mail from Herne Bay. We must fight this absurd proposal for which Royal Mail failed to give due consultation, so please write your views in an e-mail to Moya Greene, CEO of Royal Mail. Customers talk of chaos and confusion in the Canterbury office, of ringing up for hours or even days on end and not being able to get through. Even if they manage to speak to a real person in the office, it will be several days before redelivery can take place."

A petition opposing the move has attracted 5,000 signatures and a similar campaign in Nottingham successfully stopped a delivery office being moved. They collected 300 signatures.

Campaigners fear shutting the coastal centres will put up to 100 vehicles on to the road each working day as postal workers drive to and from Canterbury to pick up and deliver mail, causing congestion and environmental damage.

Whitstable staff were yesterday expected to ballot for strike action and have 28 days after the result to stage a walk out. This means the threatened postal strike will not happen before Christmas. Member of the Communication Workers Union, Chris Stone, said:

"I think a lot of us would have been uncomfortable putting our customers' Christmas mail at risk."

Royal Mail spokeswoman Sally Hopkins said postal workers had been consulted in 2010. The closure of the Whitstable delivery office and relocating work to Canterbury was the second phase of the changes. The first phase saw all sorting facilities moved under one roof to a super sorting office in Medway.

thisiskent 13th Dec 2012