Chatbox

Audlem Parish Council was asked on numerous occasions from various members of the public when the gateway alteration was discussed in the last couple of council meetings. If they had sought guidance and approval from highways and Cheshire East planning. The minutes for the 3rd of April 2023, states that 22/168 "Action: This would be verified as part of the associated works".

So did Audlem Parish Council take this action or proceed without the approval from highways and Cheshire East planning?

I would like to thank Peter Morgan for his informative chatbox post and the volunteers, the Turnpike Committee and Dylan Jones for their hard work in making the Green Lane entrance to the Turnpike field safer. We are lucky to have volunteers who take it on themselves to make a difference to the village . A welcome change from the negativity that some people are only too anxious to display. Perhaps if the person who felt it necessary to complain to the council had taken the time to go over and speak to the volunteers/committee, and maybe even rolled their sleeves up to help them, the site visit would not have been necessary.

Maybe these incidents won't match Celia's Peterloo connection but Sue, my wife, saw Laurel and Hardy live in Shrewsbury on their last UK tour in 1951.

My own connection with the world of entertainment is that the choir I was in in 1957, the London Welsh Youth Choir, was once invited to sing with Harry Secombe in the popular TV show of the time – Sunday Night At The Palladium. Appropriate maybe for the day, if not the venue, the song was "Bless This House"!

More seriously, my father who died in 1932 when I was six months old, was in his day in Wales a reciter of note. He won the men's recitation competition at the Welsh National Eisteddfod when it was held in the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1909. At some stage I was told the story that on that occasion, pacing the corridors trying to compose himself prior to going on stage, he was disturbed by the sight of noisily protesting women being carried out by burly policemen. Suffragettes !!

Unfortunately Peter I've had a problem at a previous property similar works and it turned out planning was needed especially as the surface has been changed I just put the post up as a warning that any changes to a gateway like the work that has been done onto a main road requires planning and seem it's been done without. the council could end up in serious trouble. As i say I'm taking from very expensive experience

At the end of last week, the entrance to the T. F. was upgraded to improve the safety of all vehicles entering or leaving the field. It was extremely hazardous for all traffic both on the highway or those vehicles entering or leaving the field. The bend the gateway is on was hampering visibility which, combined with the speed of the traffic leaving the village proved highly dangerous.
It was finally agreed, despite opposition in some quarters, to move the existing gate back into the field by some eight metres to allow long vehicles to enter without holding up traffic on the highway and to improve visibility for those leaving. A safety bonus all round. Our plan was approved by the parish council on the grounds of safety and also, no doubt, because it would not involve any cost to the parish council themselves as all the costs have been covered by ADAS and a local donor.
The work has been carried out by our local contractor, Dylan Jones and with the able, and sometimes less able, assistance of three volunteers, Steve Elliott, Nigel Mottershead and myself. But there is no doubt that the success of the whole job is down to Dylan, his equipment and knowledge.
The work, as advertised on AoL, commenced on Thursday morning and within an hour or so, we received a visit from a Highways gentleman from Nantwich who informed us that a complaint had been received of works on a new entrance to the field. We assured him that it was an existing entrance of over a century's standing and following a quick scan of Google Street View he was satisfied that the objection was, to say the very least, incorrect, if not deliberately misleading. We had a very useful talk with Highways, particularly in relation to the need for an improved pedestrian and disabled access and so his time was not entirely wasted.
We are not able to remove the hedge to the North of the gate without Highways approval which will be a future project and one that will hopefully include a facility to accommodate the Wheely Bus along with a pedestrian/disabled access point for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. I hope you will agree with us that the project has improved the safety of this facility and will be a bonus for all future event users. Let's take this village forward once again.
Peter Morgan

Has planning permission been given for the gate adjustments on turnpike. from past experience when making a entrance gate wider and adding a new surface planning permission must be gained before the work goes ahead. would hate for the council to be hit with a massive bill if this has not happened.

Over the weekend I did receive a leaflet from the Conservative candidate. I've also discovered that the other candidate lives in Nantwich so not very local!

Who was the oldest person you knew when young? Did they ever tell you that they had met some person from farther back in time? An Audlem resident told me they remembered Lloyd George visiting. In a telephone conversation a lady said she had seen the scar on an arm from the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester. Might be some interesting stories out there!

Geoff Seddon is quite correct and spoilt ballot papers are recorded. If you listen to election results being announced the returning officer actually announces the number of spoilt votes. So much better to record your view in this way than not to vote.

I am surprised that although I have received a leaflet from the Liberal candidate I have received nothing from the Conservative candidate.......one reason why I may well spoil my ballot paper! Does anyone know where the Liberal candidate lives.....his literature says he is local but that could be anywhere in East Cheshire!

As an avid supported of Hedgehogs (we have a few visiting our garden) I thought others may be interested in the below link. Sadly last year we had 2 dead hedgehogs, one had a strimming injury that RSPCA Stapeley couldn't save, the other was flattened on the lane! Join Hedgehog Street and make some Hedgehog Highways...enjoy

https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/hedgehog-awareness-week-30th-april-6th-may-2023/

I'm not sure which counts Ann Simpson has attended. I can assure her, from being part of a counting team on a number of occasions, that spoiled ballot papers are counted and recorded as part of the result. So it is better to spoil your ballot paper than not to vote at all.

For the. "Don't vote then a low turnout will make them do something" Theory to work you first need politicians with a conscience......mmm good luck with that one!

As I was the sad person who submitted the Chatbox post that initiated the debate about local council elections I feel obliged to offer an update. A couple of days after my post we had a visit to our street from Rachel Bailey (Conservative) who was delivering leaflets. Rachel informed us that this visit was coincidental and not prompted by Chatbox posts. We had a brief conversation about local issues along with some of our neighbours so consequently we are somewhat better informed.
There has been no contact or information from the other candidate John Phillips (Liberal Democrat) which is surprising in the circumstances and effectively means I don't have a real choice of candidate to vote for in this election.
Personally I am a great believer in using my vote since, as has been noted, they have been hard won over periods of history (not just suffragetes as important as they are) and are the only way to make lasting political change. It would be a great shame if the only message we can send is by a spoilt ballot paper – but it may have to reluctantly come to that for some people. Over and out :-)

What I am hearing is "that if you don't vote you can not comment on our broken political system " i valve voted for more the 40 years and in that time I have experienced broken promises, lies, corruption ,idiots being paid for votes/and second, third and fourth jobs and when they have finished being promoted to Minister, PM or the House of Lords. Now you tell me the system is not broken and I should vote so that the status quo can continue.

In response to the editor's footnote to my post I have been in contact with Rachel Bailey and indeed she has contacted me tonight. She did raise the issue with Highways but the point is that despite that poor quality repairs continue to be undertaken. As our local representative on the council I leave it to her to deal with them – they're more likely to listen to her than me.

If Cheshire East consider the structure dangerous then they should be barriering it off to prevent access. Many ignore notices (it's known humam nature) and children in any case are owed a higher standard of care than a piece of paper which in itself can be blown away or vandalised.
I suspect these notices are more about Cheshire East trying to avoid liability "just in case" rather than any actual desire to protect the public. It's the same mentality that leads to them throwing a bit of tarmac in a pothole that they know will only last a few days – it gets them off the liabilty hook until they're next reported and the "reasonable timescale" for repair clock starts ticking. (I've just walked up Paddock Lane and seen the state of the so called repairs that Cheshire East did just a few weeks ago – it was the shoddy nature of repairs here that I raised with Rachel Bailey some time ago, but nothing seems to have improved on that front, total waste of taxpayers' money).

Spoiling the ballot paper is another waste of time as they just get binned, not bothering to vote pushes the turnout % lower highlighting the dissatisfaction

I agree with Graham Taylor, if you want to express dissatisfaction, go to the polling station and spoil your paper. There should be a box at the bottom of the ballot that states " none of the above ".

Remember if you don't vote don't moan when nothing in our area improves.

Jane Smyth- Only 10 years!!!!!

I totally agree with Lennie Meredith , it is imperative we all vote to make any progress. Everyones vote counts.

There will aways be people who vote for a candidate, thereby continuing to endorse the current system. I'm not sure a poor election turnout will send much of a message. It could be seen as the electorate either isn't interested, or the electorate is happy with whoever wins the most votes. Turning up to vote and spoiling the ballot paper may send a more powerful message. Imagine, after all the votes are counted – Labour 10 votes, Independent 10 votes, Conservative 10 votes, spoiled papers 500.

I agree with some of the ladies in the village and I too will not be voting. The system/democracy is broken and unless the people send a message, by not voting nothing can change. Every where you look in the UK and the world the institutions are crumbling and the whole system needs to be reset and maybe a poor election turnout could start the change.

@Lennie Meridith – you could get people in power who are not interested in doing the job but are purely there to benefit themselves financially ...........In case you've missed the last 10 years.......They are already there

It was with great sadness to read yesterday that some ladies in the village have decided not to vote in the local elections, please look back at the women who died or went to jail to give you the right to vote. So please don't waste your vote, there are still counties were women are not allowed to voice their opinions so don't waste yours.