Your letters - March 5, 2010

Rail cuts will be a real risk to Rother

I am writing regarding the proposed cuts to the Hastings to London railway line service, and to raise awareness of the severe impact this will have on local communities.

The final version of the Kent Rail Utilisation Strategy has now been published by Network Rail.

This includes the Hastings line, and proposes that all services between Hastings and London Cannon Street are withdrawn.

No replacement trains to alternative destinations are proposed.

The only suggested mitigation is that the remaining rush-hour trains to Charing Cross are comprised of fast and slow portions.

This will just cause further delays and reliability issues to commuters, as already evidenced by the existing trains that operate in this way.

It will also impact road traffic with level crossing gates going down in quick succession to allow the separate portions to pass.

These proposed cuts will have a severe impact to commuters from across Rother. As well as the Cannon Street commuters losing their direct link, the Charing Cross commuters will suffer severe overcrowding, as existing trains are already full.

The reduced frequency will also impact more local journeys, including those of all the schoolchildren who depend on them to reach Hastings, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

These proposals are a threat to the lifestyle of people throughout Hastings and Rother – those directly affected, plus their families, and all the local businesses that require the revenue from people who work in London.

The rail cuts will also cancel out the regeneration benefits of the Bexhill/Hastings link road by making the area less accessible to London. The local community needs to resist these ill proposals, and all local bodies should be considering how this can be fought. With the forthcoming general election this should be one of the key items for candidates to address, as the threat to the local area goes far beyond those directly impacted.

Stuart McMillan

Mill Rise

Robertsbridge

Forward planning – a thing of the past

As someone who grew up at a time when no shops opened on Sundays and before hardly anyone had refrigerators, I am amazed at the continual complaints from people at the lack of a Sunday-opening supermarket in Rye.

We managed without any difficulty by the simple process of advance planning.

In fact, for the most part shops closed at 5.30pm, so no late opening in those days!

I thoroughly applaud the Jempson brothers for their stand against Sunday opening in this ever more commercial world.

Surely families benefit from just one day a week together to do things other than shop.

Anne Haward

Iden

Litter pick will set example to village

Further to my recent letter headed "Messy Main Street" I am pleased to report that Peasmarsh Village Society is organising a litter pick-up day on Saturday March 13, starting from Brickfields at 10am, until about noon, so I shall be there with my grabber and I hope lots of other people will be too.

Let's hope we can set an example to all Peasmarsh residents by making the lanes and by-ways clean and tidy and free of rubbish.

Jan Weston

School Lane, Peasmarsh

Report focuses more on cash than care

I am writing regarding the recent Audit Commission report, which highlighted the need for local authorities to be 'creative' when facing the issues associated with an ageing population. I work for Saxonwood Residential Care home in Battle, which is run by a local not-for-profit organisation that has provided residential care in the county since 1946.

I really feel this report focused more on cash than care, and neglects to recognise the fact that we are all different – for some care at home is preferable but for many the support and care provided at residential care homes help people enjoy a new lease of life, something I've had the pleasure of seeing on many occasions. Care homes can help alleviate the isolation older people can feel when living on their own, because as even with carers visiting several times a week, there will often be days when they don't see anyone.

In a well-run, supportive care home, there's always something going on and someone to talk to – including having more time to enjoy and pursue their own interests.

Fiona Williamson

Saxonwood manager

Battle, Peasmarsh

Anniversary of French attack on town

Your Winchelsea readers, and indeed some of those on the other side of the Channel, may be interested in recalling that March 15 is the 750th anniversary of the capture of the town by a French army in 1360.

In an attack that caused great shock to the British government of the day, the town was taken, pillaged, and burnt with all the ferocity and ruthlessness that characterised these events (though they took place almost exclusively in France) during the 100 Years War.

Hundreds of the inhabitants were killed and tradition has it that it was during this raid that all those who had taken refuge in St Giles' Church were massacred and their bodies left in what was afterwards known as Deadman's Lane.

The French withdrew, with some losses, the next day. The Treaty of Bretigny, which brought some short respite from the war, was signed two months later.

Peter Mackenzie Smith

Deadman's Lane

Winchelsea

Youth Speaks is a wonderful event

Good news and bad news. The good news was provided by the Youth Speaks competition organised by the Rotary Clubs of Battle and Bexhill at Claverham Community College last Friday evening (February 26).

Thirty children, ages ranging from 11 to 17 years, from three schools in the area (Claverham C C, Battle Abbey School and St Richard's R C College, Bexhill) spoke for about 15 minutes on a variety of subjects from The History of Coca Cola to Time Travel.

It was an inspiring evening with the fantastic efforts made by the children and the teachers who trained and encouraged them.

The members of the two Rotary Clubs responsible are also to be congratulated on organising such a wonderful event.

The bad news is the Public Notice in last Friday's Observer announcing changes to parking arrangements in Battle High Street which, if anyone wishes to inspect, they must travel to the county council offices at Lewes.

Why can't we have a copy at either the RDC office in the Market Square or the Town Council offices?

John and Diane Hill

Glengorse, Battle

Battle taking more responsibility

We are told we must await a "benchmark set of accounts" to make progress in the "devolution of services" so that the town council rather than Rother District Council will manage Battle's car parks, toilets, TIC and some additional ground maintenance.

Rother District Council has indicated that in order to carry out the necessary research they need to engage external consultants at an estimated cost of 5,000, the cost to be shared equally between Rother and Battle.

Battle Town Council has accepted this. It is sad Battle didn't think to influence the exercise, and indeed isn't clear about the precise terms of reference, as the clerk has been asked to obtain a copy of the brief issued to the consultants.

I was glad therefore to see in the March Battle Parish Magazine an assurance from the Battle Town Council chairman that it is the town council's intention that any changes will not create any increased burden on council taxpayers as "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

We need to remind ourselves that in 1974 Battle took on responsibility for the streetlights.

Since then Battle rate payers have paid not only for our street lighting but we also contribute via ESCC tax to the lighting bills for Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes etc.

Not content with that, in the '70s Battle also assumed responsibility for the maintenance of our playing fields, cemetery and other services.

Rother agreed to pay half the cost but within a few years unilaterally tore the agreement up. So again, Battle ratepayers not only pay for these services but also contribute to cemeteries and playing areas throughout Rother. Taking on the car parks will add considerably to the management responsibilities of the town council and I have doubts that it is within the capabilities of what is in effect a parish council.

If the town council on receipt of the report is minded to go down this road I hope, and expect, that the residents will be consulted by open meetings and perhaps also a ballot.

J. E. Goldsworthy (Mrs)

Glengorse, Battle

A21 traffic issues need more thought

Lynn Scoones is quite right to highlight the dangerous situation that has now arisen by the Highway's Authority "improvements" to the junction of the B2244 and A21 at Blackbrooks, Sedlescombe.

Whilst the Highways Authority is "monitoring" the situation, perhaps they would ponder the question as to why drivers exiting the B2244 on to the A21 hurtle themselves into the traffic driving south, often causing them to brake heavily to avoid collisions.

I have always put this down to some form of optical illusion as nobody in their right mind would do such a thing.

I think the Highways Authority should also ponder the question as to why they have put up a traffic management system at the Darwell Down end of Netherfield Road.

No doubt, this is to appease the residents of Netherfield Hill who complain about speeding.

However, this traffic management structure is in the wrong place and only serves to visually blight the countryside and nearby properties.

We don't own the country but are custodians of it during our life time. Our actions today should be carefully thought out so as not compromise it for future generations.

Chris Hone

Marwin Farm

Marley Lane

Battle

Put an end to smear attacks on Rye MP

The vitriolic attacks (Observer, February 19) on our hardworking MP cannot go unanswered.

Michael Foster is indeed the equalities minister – something he has worked tirelessly at.

Busy spewing bile, Mr Stewart may not have noticed an earlier apology in this paper which clarified Michael Foster's ministerial role is unpaid.

Why don't the Tories realise this? He is doing it for FREE!

Hardly grounds for attack. I think the local Conservatives are getting desperate – they know their candidate Amber Rudd can't compete with such a hardworking and popular MP so now are resorting to 'smear tactics' instead.

Janet Mears

Winchelsea

Having attended Michael Foster MP's annual report at Rye Town Hall, recently, I can assure Mr Mead, from Westfield, that Mr Foster does not receive any additional payment for the responsibilities he carries out as minister for equalty.

All his income and expenditure is recorded on the website for everyone to see.

Personally, I find it odd to take pride in condoning this lack of payment for the extra work involved in being a minister.

In any other form of work employers would expect to reward extra job responsibilities, the exception being top level banking, where whatever work done is rewarded with a bonus.

Margaret Sandra

Brede

"Without prejudice" – party pros and cons

I very much enjoyed the wide selection of predictable party political propaganda and genuinely free-thinking independent views expressed in last week's Rye Observer – thank you, Mr Editor.

As the General Election is now imminent, may I summarise, without prejudice, the pros and cons of each major party to help the many disaffected, and in order to begin a genuine debate?

Labour: They will do, say and promise anything to keep the Tories out of office. That is their only policy.

Cons: They are full of PCs – Professional Con-persons.

Tories: They represent everyone's wish to get Labour out of office whilst we still have a country, jobs and money in our pension funds.

Cons: They got rid of Mrs Thatcher, the only MP who had 'balls'.

Lib Dems: They will do, say and promise anything to keep the Tories out of office by supporting Labour and the EU – again and again...

That is their only policy – and they thought of it first, so there!

Pros: They want PR, which put them behind UKIP in the EU elections!

UKIP: They truly believe in restoring democracy to our Parliament, freed from rule by the EU – just as do the huge majority of us.

Pros and cons: They have an excellent manifesto on domestic and international issues, but once they regain our Sovereignty, the pro-EU Lib-Lab-Con pact will destroy it – once again.

Independents: Oh, where art thou?

We will need MPs, untainted by the Party Whip, once UKIP gets our Parliament and country back for us.

The choice is yours, but be warned, there is no money-back guarantee!

Barry M Jones

Beckley