Mobility Scooters and yet another Planning Appeal

Richard Boyd is CEO of Disability Essex and a resident of Hawkwell, in Rochford District, Essex .
 
Members of the Commons Transport Committee were given a list of people in Essex and Norfolk who had been killed or injured in scooter incidents.

An Essex disability group said the list of fatal or dangerous incidents involving drivers “goes on”.

Richard Boyd from the campaign group Disability Essex told the committee: “One lady in Chelmsford fell off her scooter and was killed by it.”

He added: “Another lady in Clacton was taking her dog for a walk on the sea front, the dog pulled the scooter over and it fell on her and killed her.

Two Hawkwell Buses per Hour from May

Good News !! Local Campaigning works even though the time lag was one year !! 

Nick Blackall,the Essex County Council Local Bus Service Manager has announced that from 2 May 2010, Hawkwell will see an increase to two buses an hour to Southend and Hockley one of which will extend to Rayleigh every hour as now.

In addition there is good news for Hockley as well because a temporary improvement will now be made permanent.

The section of the 7 route between Ashingdon and Hockley along Greensward Lane will increase to four buses an hour to Southend and Hockley and again one of which one will extend to Rayleigh every hour as now.

Salting/Gritting in Rochford District

STOP PRESS, 7/01/2010.  The Government has announced that steps are being taken to control the national distribution of salt !!

This means that it will be necessary to reduce the schedule published here 0n 8/1 and 9/1 -go here  or here to find out more information 

With more snow and icy conditions on the way after the Festive Season our thoughts turned to the problems we experienced in Rochford District from 17/18 December right up to Christmas Day.

ECC Local area offices with knowledge of local requirements can also get involved in deployment. Roads are treated in their order of importance and usage.  So what is considered of importance in Rochford District?

New Houses for the Mythical World of “HockWell”

The latest version of the District Council’s Core Strategy is now available from the Rochford District Council website.

And the Council still is talking about this mythical place called HockWell !! This is because the Council insists that Hawkwell and Hockley are grouped together “because of housing markets and access to services and facilities”.

Hawkwell West, which is still masqueraded by the Council under the misdescription of “South Hawkwell”, is nothing at all like Hockley in terms of access to services and facilities.  

What were the recent elections like for you?

Did the County Council Elections prove to be the best place for important questions of policy to be answered by the existing political administration and its political challengers? Did you get the chance to even ask? Did any of the candidates ask them for you?

Faced with promises from David Cameron that Council Tax could be frozen did any of the other parties put them on the spot and extract a local commitment from the Conservatives running Essex County Council?

Well No !! 

And did anyone tell us the answer to this question “When will we get anything on improvements to cope with all the extra planned housing?”

Please Protest about no Bus

The campaign to get our evening bus back for Hawkwell has hit an iceberg in the form of the Review Committee for Rochford District Council.

This committee is headed up by Rayleigh Lib Dem, June Lumley and it was asked by Transport Councillor Boss, Keith Hudson to examine all the bus issues that were being raised by the public about cuts in services in Hockley, Hawkwell and Ashingdon.

At the same time I raised the issue of the lack of an evening bus in Hawkwell whilst giving evidence to the committee.  At a subsequent meeting with the residents associations in Hockley and Hawkwell it was raised again for reconsideration by Essex County Council.

Council Tax Freeze?

David Cameron says in a leaflet, specifically and personally addressed to you and popped through your door during these elections, that “We’ve got plans to help people through this recession – like a council tax freeze.”

See Leaflet here http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1063718/davidcameron.pdf

In this case the Conservative Party can take this action right now and before a General Election because it is in majority control of many local councils,  all County Councils and so they can put in a local council tax freeze just as David Cameron has personally promised you.

But will they do it?

Bus Cuts Extra

Essex County Council has now conveyed a decision not to provide an evening service on the Arriva 8 to Hawkwell.

Here are a few quotes from an Essex County Council email which was sent to me in 2003 to explain why Ashingdon has a good bus service but Hawkwell has none. It still makes no sense to me reading it again 6 years later.

Arriva 8 Bus Service Cuts – Update

Thank you to everyone who wrote to Arriva objecting to a change of the 8 Bus Service to one per hour.

Whilst Arriva have stated that that they have not made a final decision, I think that we have to face the possibility that this decision could go through because I am advised of the rising cost of fuel and the low passenger numbers.  My concern is that with a service of only one per hour then passenger numbers will fall even further and next time the service will be cancelled.

Rochford to Southend Relief Road – Is it Back?

There were renewed calls in the Echo on 4 July for a Southend Relief Road because of recent closures of the A127. Southend notables were interviewed and they saw no point in road improvements in Southend which would link up with the A127. A suggestion was of a new road going North of Shoebury.  Nobody actually said that there should be a Rochford Southend Relief Road but how long will it be before this gets back into play following the retirement of Southend MP Sir Teddy Taylor who campaigned relentlessly for a major road through Rochford District. 

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