Training Day

Ah the opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications. It all promises to be so fun and them devolves into endless PowerPoint presentations. Well at least mine wasn't like that although rather simplistic questions to answer with only a little learning so far.

The main problem I had was with the initial organisation. Contrary times on the documentation, a singular instruction with two options, and zero information on access our structure until I and the others turned up.

[Bit I missed - got back home to a letter thanking me for my intention to attend the training]

There's no parking for trainees, we're expected to park our cars all day on the pay and display at about £4 a time, actually I lie we're expected to take public transport for which we can claim the money back. That's great for me provided they don't start digging up outside the old British Sugar site past which 90% of the buses travel. So I cadged a lift in and took the bus back, only to find no bloody roadworks. Bet they'll start tomorrow when I do try to catch the bus in. Oh but can I get a return before 9am? Never used to be able to, but with all the competition has that changed? Either that or a week card.

So with no idea as to catering, so many places kick you out, I brought nothing with the determination to grab a burger and drink and ready outside in the fine weather.

Since when did a cup of coffee cost more than the actual meal? Yeesh! Given my proximity I thought it would be nice to sit by the canal. Ha yeah right take my pick from the zero number of seating areas arrayed along the wide grass verges. I ended up propped against a bridge wall.

It's just a joke if this were Stourport I'd be spoiled for choice as to where I could eat my lunch from pretty much any location in town. Kidderminster's a hell hole.

Either sit in the hot confines of a café or restaurant, a bench in the middle of the busy town, or just try to make do. It's not designed for people to enjoy.

Kidderminster trying for own town council.

Not much appears in in my local Conservative News Feed and given that it is titled simply as "News" I often forget it's even there. However a news story appears "A Town Council for Kidderminster". What's this; letters have been sent out asking members of the Kidderminster Electorate if they want a town council? Gosh it's good to see the Conservatives so on the ball when it comes to communication, I mean it's not as if the Shuttle published exactly the same story in November 2012.

Is this supposed to be a reminder; is the deadline running out? Read the Conservatives news story and it's written as if this is just happening now. So is it another attempt to get a town council started in the same "We'll keep asking until you give us the answer we want" that we've come to know and loathe from politicians or do they just have nothing else to say?

Starbucks in Kidderminster

I had been reliably informed that a Starbucks had opened its doors in Kidderminster; heh what perfect timing. So where did the branch think was the best site for those wanting to down one of their beverages?

Was it the Swan Centre which has the Gourmet Cooks up top and the Baker's Oven and the Penny Black down below? How about the Rowland Hill centre with the Clock cafe? Don't be silly how could they compete with places selling both food and drink? Nothing small enough on High, Worcester, or Vicar Street that I can think of.

Oh wait silly me I know the ideal position for a Starbucks - just on the other side of the short Husum pedestrian bridge on the opposite corner from Caffe Nero; you know that other place that sells coffee.

I'd like to stress that I am, of course, sure this wasn't done with the intention of attempting to poach customers from Nero who have been there for a long while (since the area was re-built I think) and is all to do with how coffee is so much better when its purchase is confined to a small geographical area.

Local politics - 5-year olds in a playground

It's the single site again - our district council spending around £10m on new premises, in these economic times, in order to save £500k a year (savings which only seem to top renovation savings over a 25-year period). For some reason people are still whining about it despite the fact it's been built and now occupied; it's done, nothing more can be done, and it can't be undone so why can't they let it rest?

I don't know, perhaps it's because it appears the majority of the district didn't want it. Perhaps because despite having a town known world-over as a carpet manufacturer the site's carpet tiles came from a out of district supplier. Or perhaps it's because Mr Martin (Labour) claims the savings may only be £80k? (with a fuller 'letter' here).

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Xmas driving

So is it xmas that creates bad drivers or is just the same percentage with more traffic?

Entered the Crossley car park to find a driver coming round the corner on the wrong side. Managed to stop for the car indicating left as they turned right around the island. Watched a car speed past before cutting in to turn left. Got stuck as a van blocked the road trying to turn right from a side road onto the main. Pulled up behind the car that had sped past me and was now waiting to turn right.

And that was just this morning.

Birmingham Road Kidderminster Road Plans

Just a quicky as per this article in the Shuttle regarding the roadworks currently ongoing at the Birmingham Road the plans are not available online. To that end here they are :-)

So it seems these "traffic islands" are in fact concrete pads. Oh and love the "For reference purposes only. No further copies may be made" despite the fact this is supposedly a public document by our council.

For dating purposes the original document in PDF form was created on the 1st of October.

Wyre Forest Car-parking profits

Heated exchanges at the Shuttle over the revelation that the council is making a profit of £429,875 on its car-parks and the excuse given as to why it needs to make a profit:

The surplus made from car parking is used to help deliver services. To not make a surplus, would mean services elsewhere would have to be cut.

Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that as this is pretty much how government works, however given the slow growth and recession we've had price-increases and an entire car-park that was formerly free being made pay-and-display. As a result this smacks to me of raising prices on one service simply to fund other services. That's where I have a problem.

On another note let's add up the figures:

£   72,613 Parking fines
£   94,726 Enforcement fines
£   72,420 Staff passes
£    9,067 Senior concession
£  120,853 Season passes
£      600 Rents
£  117,605 Management fees
£  947,591 Parking meters

£1,435,475 Total

Remove the profit and that's an operating cost of  £1,005,600.

Now where this gets interesting is that I have to guess that the Staff passes, Management fees, Rents, and Senior concessions are being paid for by Wyre Forest District Council to... Wyre Forest District Council. So that's simply taking money out of the bucket and putting it back in the bucket.

Strip out the dosey-do'ing and they're really pulling in £1,235,783; remove the operating cost and the profit gained from car-park patrons is really £230,183 a year.

So if this were removed, exactly which other services would need to be cut?

Police Commissioner more politicking

I dealt with the puff-piece from the Conservatives regarding their candidate for the post of Police Commissioner for the West Midlands last week; they did a second piece which astonishingly was almost manifesto-like in that a promise was made that

a priority will be to make it easier and less intimidating for victims – especially women – to report [domestic violence and abuse] incidents to the Police

presumably by signing up to Victim Support's "Five Promises to/for Victims and Witnesses". Of course that doesn't mean anything will get done, but if it doesn't we have the ability to call him out on it.

Local Labour (who allegedly were trying to keep Party politics out of the race) seem to have decided that they're going to have to counter their opponents publicity, but sadly echo the Conservatives "lite" styling of 'I too think bad things are bad and will try to do good'.

The big joke about all this is that officially we the electorate have yet to discover who the candidates standing actually are and won't until next Friday when the list will be published here. (Kudos to Labour for publishing the link)

Close-mouthed Conservatives

It was the local Labour Party who broke the story with the Shuttle trailing behind, but it seems they've caught up and asking (im)pertinent questions.

One could argue that this in an internal Party matter and that should Cllr. Clee have been expelled, appealed and been successful in such that this information plays no part in matters outside the Party. Except this isn't a Golf Club this is an elected official allegedly being kicked out of his own Party.

So why the silence? Tit for tat? Quid pro quo? I won't say anything if you don't say anything? Hell if it was something like that I would have expected a "irreconcilable differences" statement by now. Is the silence simply down to the standard operating procedures of the Conservative Party to keep everything in-house until a decision has been made and presented to the public in a complete form?

Given their attitudes on the various councils that would certainly fit the bill. But the longer the silence the more people will wonder and concoct their own reasonings most of which aren't likely to be favourable to Cllr. Clee... except maybe that in itself is the entire point of the silence?

Secrecy breeds lies.

Worcestershire County Council Democracy Fail - Art Gallery

It seems that our democratically elected members at the county council are taking lessons from the democratically elected members of our district council:

Step 1: Determine a course of action
Step 2: Consult the people about said action
Step 3: Ignore the people and proceed with the original action.

Residents may recall the original destruction of the old Kidderminster Library; one silver lining was the purpose-built Gallery included in the new build. Well it seems that the price of county-wide cuts is to turn it into offices for internal council use. The process is laid out by this Green Party missive.

Allegedly the reason for this change is to allow all the offices to share a single floor; however this excuse seems to fall at the wayside when an option (option C) was presented to them that allowed for that very same condition while not removing the gallery and was rejected.

It seems they've decided what they want to do and who the hell do 'the people' think they are to suggest otherwise.

Addendum - this is of course the same course of action we can expect with regard to the hospitals. A decision has already been made; we're just currently dealing with the illusion of public discussion until they implement it as a 'fully-consulted plan'.

One less Conservative on the council

It seems that Stephen Clee, who is the Conservative councillor for Bewdley and Arley and is currently chairman of Wyre Forest District Council as well as being the Worcestershire County Councillor for Chaddesley, is no longer a member of the Conservative Party. The exact phrase used here being "expelled".

So this is from the local Labour Party site; nothing on the Conservatives site, the Liberals, the Independent Health, or the Liberal Democrats. Neither the Wyre Forest District nor Worcestershire County council websites have updated the listing to reflect his new independent status. The Shuttle also has yet to produce a story on this.

I wonder if the peoples of Chaddesley, Bewdley and Arley know they're no longer being represented by a Conservative?

[Update - it seems the Shuttle has reported the story]

Kidderminster underpass artwork - the other side

I've already posted photos of the excellent artwork on the underpass between Crossley and Kidderminster, but they've now done the other side too.

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New Kidderminster underpass art

I'd seen they'd white-washed the walls of the underpass connecting Kidderminster town to Crossley Park, but I hadn't realised they were going to do this.

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From Kidderminster to Stouport video

A surprisingly quiet trip. On any other day when I wasn't filming it's chock.

And then my camera fell off its mounting just as I'm about to get stuck in town due to the parking. Managed to grab it off the dash and drop it onto the passenger seat. Couldn't turn off the recording though until I was parked up. I found a neat little editor for Android called VidTrim; not as intuitive as it could be (am I clipping out the bit I've highlighted or keeping it?) but it's simple enough and free.

Trying to buy a San Diego from Orange

I've been having charging problems with my existing phone; it seems to be the actual charging connection rather than the battery or lead. Time for a new phone. I've been holding off until the new Orange San Diego (was the Santa Clara) came out with its price plan. It came out last week so I headed to the Orange Shop in Kidderminster to take a look at it.

Well that was the plan.

With a new phone out I'd expected it to be displayed prominently; at the very least some advertising in the window.

I walked in and there were two staff each dealing with a customer and one person looking around. I went through all the phones to find the San Diego - not in sight.

I waited.

Another person came in and joined one of the customers at which point they started a discussion between themselves, but hadn't finished the transaction.

The other sales assistant was still dealing with a customer who appeared to be having some trouble with her phone. All sorted he then helpfully decided to check if she was due for an upgrade.

I waited. As he stepped away for a second I interrupted him and asked if they had any San Diego's. The response was that they should have some in stock out the back.

I took a booklet and left.

Okay his mind was slightly elsewhere, but I'm inquiring about a phone that they've only just had in and should be advertising to the hilt and this was the lukewarm response.

Why not visit Tenbury Wells

Why not visit Tenbury Wells

Financed by Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Hills District Council in association with Tenbury Town Council and Tenbury's Chamber of Trade

So where's the video for Stourport, Bewdley or Kidderminster? Where's our 'Apple' scheme?

Kidderminster's poor road layout

I had a forced reminder this weekend about how poorly Kidderminster's roads are laid out in terms of getting to shops. Firstly somebody in the wrong lane to turn to Crossley Retail Park because both indicate a right turn without differentiating that one leads to the Park proper and the other to the supermarket. Secondly because of shampoo. I couldn't find the type I liked in town so I tried Sainsbury's with no success. As I was heading back that way anyway I thought to try Morrisions likewise with no success.

I doubted the Aldi would stock it but it might be worth a try; then Asda. I got back into my car and at that point realised I couldn't drive to the Aldi despite it being directly in front of me due to the split one-way junction of which I was on the wrong side.

Oh well I'll try the Asda. At which point I realised the only way to get to it would be to queue to get onto the ringroad and do a near 360 because the entrance is again on the wrong side of a one-way junction.

Next time I'll remember Asda, Aldi and Morrisons is the only order they can be visited by car.

£100k for Kidderminster

It seems our Conservative dominated council are for some reason proud that Kidderminster has been awarded a grant of £100,000 for being home to one of the country's 11 most empty towns - yay?

So what can be done with this money? As part of a different topic the notion of Stourport Market came up - to be precise the absolute lack of one. It used to be on Bridge Street; then shifted to the corner of Lombard Street and now we have none except on 'special' occasions. So what?

Well it struck me that the lack of dedicated market structure knocks out one of the rungs on the ladder necessary for start-ups. In the past a person who wanted to sell something might rent on a short term basis a small area to set up a stall to gauge trade. They may then advance to a more permanent location. Today that would be met with "sell it on the internet". Except that demands postage and packing; card transactions; hosting; domain registration; advertising etc. A stall on a larger market requires little advertising to start and provides a ready-made medium for passing trade something that doesn't exist on the 'net.

Sure Kidderminster has the Thursday and Saturday outdoor markets organised by the unfortunately named LSD Promotions, but there's no all-week indoor area. Hell even Merry Hill has a section put aside for stalls - so why not Kidderminster? Woolwooths is big enough; if the rumours are true Hooty's would also make a good site while at the same time returning some of the trade to the top end of the town from the snatch and grab of Weavers Wharf.

So how about using some of that money for a permanent market place?

The Subway kiss of life and death

As I've said before we're pattern seeking creatures in this instance I've noticed that whenever I mention to someone that the Subway in Kidderminster is open it then closes. If I mention that it's closed it re-opens.

Of course there's nothing special about the fact that I'm talking about it, it's a natural progression of a franchise in a new area. Saying that though I now state that it appears open and thus if it suddenly closes again within the week you all know who to blame :-)

The Wyre Forest Traveller site debacle

Tav over at the WFA has provided two worthy reports on the meetings in which the proposal for the travellers' sites required in Wyre Forest was discussed. The first on the initial Overview & Scrutiny meeting and the second on the subsequent Cabinet meeting.

I'm going to attempt to condense this into a single point and remove anything that might be deemed prejudicial to the case. Therefore instead of discussing traveller's gypsies etc. this will simply be a Project.

Wyre Forest is required to complete a Project and to do so needs a minimum of five sites to work. Experts have evaluated the area of Wyre Forest and produced a report identifying a possible 15 sites which are suitable. The O&S committee examined the report and recommended its presentation to Cabinet. The Cabinet then removed 8 of the sites from the list and left the remaining 7 available to public consultation.

At this point anyway might ask the question "What justification did the Cabinet have for removing 8 of the sites?" Hopefully the minutes, when produced, may reveal that. However it is worth noting that in the past the council has 'hidden' behind expert recommendations most notably the Icelandic Bank affair; so what makes these particular expert opinions incorrect?

Bringing context back into line, whether rightly or wrongly there is a negative discrimination against travellers. As such if someone from an area with a proposed site argued against it a question may arise if they are doing so because they genuinely consider the placement to be incorrect or if they're trying to protect their own ward's votes. Ordinarily this wouldn't be an issue as such would be balanced out by the rest of the committee, however in this case of the five members of the Cabinet three are based in the same ward. A ward which did have a site within it and was subsequently pruned out by said committee.

I'm not questioning integrity etc., but when anyone has the final say in a decision that may affect them adversely or otherwise their decision needs to be seen as being cleaner than clean.