Skegness Is A Product

Now that may seem like a strange thing to say but that is how I view our town. It is a product. Something like a tin of beans or a car. It is, of course, the place where we all live and that is just as important but for now I am talking about the economic side of our town, the side that provides the jobs and pays the wages.

What is this about? Why does the statement "Skegness is a product" need to be made? Simply because that product is under threat, understandably, but under threat none-the-less.

East Lindsey District Council is under severe financial pressure. Nothing unusual there. All councils at a district level or above are. The noises coming out of Manby are that there have to be cuts, which is the case, but that they will give some priority to Economic Development, ensuring that the economy of the district moves forward. I think that outlook has a lot of merit. As a result of this outlook the council have created a councillor who has the responsibility for Coastal Economy and another that has the responsibility for Market Towns and Rural Economy which should be seen as a positive move.

Having said that, I cannot understand how, going back to "Skegness is a product", planning to reduce the attractiveness of the town to the very people that support the economy, our visitors, is going to help to develop the economy. If you are trying to sell a product, do you remove the ingredients? If you make beef stew that is selling very well, do you then reduce the beef content? Would that make the product more or less attractive to the buyer? Logic tells me it would be less attractive.

From what I understand the following ingredients that make up the product that is Skegness are in danger of being removed. The Fairy Dell Paddling Pool, the public toilets and the bowling greens.

Now there may be others that I have not heard about as well.

The much loved Fairy Dell Paddling Pool. 

I really cannot understand how removing those three facilities from the town will not have a long term detrimental effect on the tourists going forward. Can you imagine coming to a seaside resort for a day, day-tripping is the bread and butter of our resort, and not being able to find a toilet for either yourself or the kids when you need one? That to me is something that would be a huge detriment. The Fairy Dell is hugely popular with both tourists and local alike. It is very unusual for a resort to have such a lovely, free to use, attraction. Again it would be detrimental to lose it. As for the bowling greens. Well they are slightly different. They do not get the use that the other two do but they are very important to the hoteliers due to the large bowls competitions that are held at intervals during the summer. These include a national competition that is run and organised by the English Bowling Federation. What would it say about our town and the economic development of it if these greens were taken out of commission. Not a lot.

I believe that, given recent events elsewhere, the district council will place the onus on keeping these resources open on Skegness Town Council. Would they be able to take them on, could they take them on. That is a whole different issue given recent decisions. That will make a blog of its own.

We have seen some excellent inward investment from the private sector recently with the probability that there could be more to come. Our local district council should look at that as a huge positive and do their utmost to back that investment up, not remove the ingredients of our beef stew. Final thought. What are our local District Councillors doing about this? They are all very quiet.

50% Increase In Skegness Town Council Tax?

I am reliably informed that after a local survey there is a majority of Skegness residents that believe it is okay to increase the Council Tax by 50% and they would be prepared to pay it!

Through the roof in Skegness?

If it is correct that people in Skegness are happy to support such a rise then I am dumbfounded. If that was to happen and then combine that with the increases that are inevitable relating to the share of the council tax from East Lindsey District Council, Lincolnshire County Council and the Police Authority it would put a great deal of financial pressure on an awful lot of people within the Skegness Town Council area.

Going back to the survey, where can I see the results of this survey? Is there an online presentation of the results?

I would love to see that I am in the minority by not wishing to see such a ridiculous and draconian increase.

Just out of interest. I don't know if you are aware that Skegness Town Council voted through a 23.6% increase in its share of council tax last week, so it appears they have taken the results of the survey to heart!

Dig deep people of Skegness!

Skegness Town Crier - Do We Have One?

I am seeing more and more references to the Skegness Town Crier. I was not aware that we actually have one. Do we?

Here is a picture of the "Mablethorpe Town Crier" that I picked up from the internet that was originally posted by the Louth Leader newspaper.

This is the gentleman who now appears to be described as the Skegness Town Crier.

If this gentleman is being good enough to give his time for free (I imagine) and is being mentioned on the Town Council's website as attending functions then perhaps it is time that he was officially invited to be the Skegness Town Crier perhaps in an Honorary capacity which is something that has been done by numerous councils throughout the country. If not then, perhaps, it is not appropriate to term this gentleman as the Skegness Town Crier as it should be an official position.

I personally believe that to have an official Town Crier would be very beneficial to Skegness.

So I say "Oyez, Oyez. Would a Town Councillor please propose that this gentleman, if he so wishes, becomes the official Town Crier for the town of Skegness. Oyez, Oyez"? I hope that this can be done, possibly by way of a motion to council?

Here is a link to The Ancient and Honourable guild of Town Criers, an organisation for Official Town Criers! http://www.ahgtc.org.uk/

The New Boy At School - No Longer!!

Well it has been just over a month since I was elected to both East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council. How time flies! In a past blog I likened the experience as being "The New Boy At School", which I do believe it was. I have to report that is no longer the case.

I would describe the whole experience as very busy and exciting. Not that I am complaining as that is what I volunteered for. For the record these are the committees that I attend, as well as attending Full Councils.

East Lindsey District Council.

• Scrutiny "A" Committee.
• Audit Committee.
• Planning Committee.
• Skegness Area Committee (Chairman).

Skegness Town Council.

• Direction and Strategy Committee.
• East Lindsey District Council/Skegness Town Council Liaison Committee.
• Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve Joint Advisory Committee. (Skegness Town Council Representative)

In addition to all of that I am also the Chief Whip for the Conservative Group at ELDC. That is not quite as exciting as it sounds but the interaction that I have with the members has certainly let me get to know them and for them to get to know me also.

So as you can see there is plenty to do. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of help that I have received from both the officers of both councils, those that are employed by the council, and also from my fellow councillors who have far more experience than I.

As well as all of the committee work there is also the personal issues that come your way from the residents. I have already been involved in a couple of things and I still have a couple of irons in fires for issues that I am still awaiting outcomes for. If anybody reading this has any issues that they think I can help with, then please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do whatever I can to help.

So that is it. I am in and learning by the day. This is going to be my life for at least the next 4 years. Am I looking forward to it? You bet I am. Bring it on as they say. Plenty to be done. Lot's of positives to be gained for the town of Skegness and despite what you may hear from the knockers and those with negative outlooks, there is every opportunity for the gains to be obtained.

The New Boy At School!

Do you remember? In you went, into the new school. Everybody is bigger than you. You have no idea where to go, no idea what to do. Everything is brand new and there is just so much to learn. What can you do and what can't you? What can you say and what can't you. Who are the ones that are going to put you in your place and steal your dinner money? What is this feeling of self-consciousness? You have never felt like that before. Is everybody really staring at you all the time?

Do you remember? For some of us that day was an awful long time ago and still if you think about it you can conjure up those old feelings.

Becoming a councillor has raised the same sort of feelings over the past couple of weeks. There is an awful lot to get used to, an awful lot to learn. First thing is sort the wheat from the chaff. Strip away the bumph and identify what is important and what is not.

Above all remember the old saying, "You have two ears and only one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk". That has never been my strong point but I am putting it into practice. Sit, listen and absorb. Plenty of time to have my say once I have an idea what I am talking about. How long will that outlook last? Your guess is as good as mine. I have already had a good couple of chats with officers and have been encouraged by the responses and offers of help on a couple of issues. Perhaps I am finding my feet more quickly than I realise!!!

A Huge Thank You!

Now that the dust has settled and the results have sunk in, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of those people who cast their votes for me in either or both of the elections for East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council. Your support is very much appreciated.

It is a great honour for me to stand as a councillor in my home town and I am looking forward to all of the hard work that is now going to come my way.

My contact details are:

Mobile - 07990 532743
Home - 01754 765425
Email - steveodare@hotmail.co.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any issues that you have that I may be able to help you with.

Many thanks again.

The Highs And Lows Of Life

I think that I have rarely experienced so many soaring highs and diving lows in my life in such a short time as over the last 24 hours.

Firstly, I had a long-time ambition fulfilled by being elected to both East Lindsey District Council and also Skegness Town Council. The last few months of my life have been geared up to this election. I, like my party colleagues, have put so much work and effort into the campaign and the election itself that to be rewarded as we were was fantastic. Personally I was completely blown away by my election and also hugely pleased with the success that my colleagues have also enjoyed. To have been awake most of the time since early Thursday morning until now is a small price to pay, although I am paying it, believe me.

Then we get the low. Off I went to the home of Lincoln City, Sincil Bank, this afternoon, in the knowledge that my beloved Imps needed a win at home against Aldershot to ensure their survival as a Football League team. After not much huffing an puffing by a Lincoln side that only appeared to half-care about the plight they were in, a 3-0 home defeat ensued. Given that Barnet, our main relegation rivals, conjured up a 1-0 home win against Port Vale and thereby eased above us in the league, we have been condemned to a long and cold stay in Non-League football. A huge and despairing thing to happen to such a club with a history such as ours. So now I am as far down in the dumps as I was high in the clouds only 24 hours ago.

Life is nothing if not interesting and at least it is not predictable. Cest La Vie. Onwards and upwards. I will be working for the residents of Skegness whilst at the same time the hierarchy at Lincoln City Football Club are working to get my beloved team back into the football league.

I hope we both have a huge measure of success in our endeavours!!!!!!!

Hildreds and Tesco - What's Afoot?

Is it just me or is anybody else confused about the reports in the local papers with regard to the Tesco expansion planning application?

We have the owners of the Hildred's Centre stating that the area occupied by the Co-Op is available for sub-let, the Co-Op saying they have not got plans to move or shut the shop and the Post Office, which is located within the Co-Op, saying that they know nothing about any closure and nobody has talked to them.

The owners of the Hildred's Centre have written to the Town Council complaining abut the Tesco expansion plans because they say Tescos could move into the Town Centre, possibly their building, although there is no vacancy there at the moment according to the tenants that are there. What? They also complain that the information regarding the potential for retail expansion in Skegness is outdated. Surely that is Tescos problem? I would have thought that a company as successful as Tesco, with the business acumen that they possess would know whether their plans are sustainable or not!!

The Town Council have taken this at face value, by the looks of things, and have decided not to support the Tesco expansion plans. For goodness sake!!!

Thankfully, they do not have the actual say as to whether planning permission can be given, ELDC do. It is to be hoped that they take a more sensible view!

It would seem to me extraordinary if anybody is expecting Tesco to set up a second shop in Skegness about half a mile from the one they already have. Why on earth would they want to duplicate their operation? Where is the common-sense or logic in that?

What a total muddle.

Something that comes to mind for me is this. Did Morrisons have all this trouble with their expansion? Were they expected to move into the town centre? If they did or they were then it certainly wasn't noticed by me and, from memory, there was not all this hoo hah in the local press! Is there a reluctance in this town to assist when it comes to anything to do with Tesco's?

In a time of recession and with no other investment due to come into the town as far as I know, it is plain daft to put barriers in the way of Tesco expanding it's operation here in Skegness. If the only reason for it going ahead is the 75 permanent jobs that are to be created, then that is good enough for me. Everything else is peripheral in my view.

Let's get on with it I say. Let's accept the investment and be glad of the extra employment within the town. We most certainly need it!!!

Expectations of Our Town Council - Not Met!!!



Need a referendum? - Don't need a Referendum?
20% Increase last year? Yes and imposed -
20% Increase this year, better ask the residents.


What should we be expecting from our Town Council when they are making decisions, or not in the case of the Church Farm Museum funding, on our behalf. How about logic, consistency and leadership? All of those things would appear to be pre-requisites to me but in the case of Church Farm Museum funding none appear to be present.

Let's look at them individually. Logic first. How can it be logical for the Town Council to go to the population of Skegness with a referendum when the council themselves have not satisfied themselves that the business plan they are working to, provided by the Church Farm Organisation, is sufficient for them to make a decision. They are going to spend thousands of pounds on a referendum when they may not wish to accept the outcome of it. If the residents say yes and then the council say no because of their worries about the business plan it will have been a total waste of time and more importantly, money. Is not having a referendum based on a business plan that concerns the council so much that they cannot make a decision on it putting the cart before the horse?

Next consistency. Where is there any in this decision? Not too long ago the council spent circa £80,000, I am informed that was the cost, on the Sunshine Play Area, an attraction for Skegness. Did they ask the residents if they should do that through a referendum? The plain answer is no, they did not. They went ahead and did it. Not a bad decision in my opinion but one that, given their lack of decisiveness over the Church Far Museum spending, would lead me to say that a referendum should have been put in place for it? After all it was twice as much of tax-payers money being spent? Why the ability to make the decision on one and not the other? Why no referendum required in that instance? Perhaps there is not the will to spend the money on Church Farm Museum that there was on the Play Area. Is that the case?

Again when we think of consistency, where is there any in the statement in the Skegness Standard by one of our Labour Town Councillors. Talking about our council tax he asked, "Will the ordinary residents agree to a hike of nearly 20 per cent?" Why on earth ask that question now? The councillors, he was one of them, who voted for a bigger increase last year did not ask the question. They just went ahead and made the decision that they would impose the increase. You can check your Council Tax bill from year 2010/2011 to see how much the increase was for you in percentage terms. Again this was as a result of the spend on the Sunshine Play Area.

Finally we come to the issue of leadership. Quite simply the councillors have not shown any. To not make a decision on this or to not put themselves in the position to be able to do so really is a "cop out". To ask the residents of the town to make the decision, when the councillors are in a much better position to do so, with the facts and figures at hand is the easy way out, the wrong way out. That is not to lead the community they represent but to stand behind it. Yes, no, or "we need more information" as decisions would be acceptable, a referendum with all the cost and delay that will bring is not, especially when the decision of the residents cannot be viewed as binding on the council who have yet to accept that the business plan is viable.

In the meantime, nothing happens. Church Farm Museum remains under threat and the people trying to keep it alive as a charitable company are left in limbo. Skegness needs it's attractions. Church Farm Museum is unique amongst them and should be allowed to continue into the future, bigger and better!! It will be a crying shame if the delays and uncertainties caused by Skegness Town Council not making a much needed decision on this, stops that from happening.

Yesterday Was The Day - Oh No It Wasn't - Church Farm Museum

Well last night Skegness Town Council had the chance to decide to fund Church Far Museum (CFM) to the tune of £40,000. This would match the funding from Lincolnshire County Council and from the Friends Of Church Farm Museum. Unfortunately they did not take that opportunity. Why not? I don't think I can answer that question.

It could not be because of financial constraints as there is over £120,000 in the reserves. (Remember this figure as I will return to it later). If the £40k was donated to the CFM there would still be far more in the reserves than is recommended by the National Local Government Association, £80,000 when less than £60,000 is recommended, based on the precept.

So what did they decide? Well they have decided to ask us, the rate-payer whether this money should be donated. They are going to have a public consultation to see what we, the public want. Some might say this is a good thing and perhaps it is given that we are talking about £40,000, but the council has just decided how they are going to spend over £230,000 of our money next year without asking us. So why ask us about this? This public consultation better be quick as the Museum is due to open in April and it is now nearly February!!!!!

How much is the public consultation exercise going to cost? Probably several thousand pounds if they are going to contact every council tax payer in the Skegness Town Council area for their views, which they have to do to be fair to all.

As for the reserves. Well, I most certainly hope that if the money is donated to CFM, there is no plan to repeat the shocking rise in the Town Council share of the Council Tax that we saw last year. Then there was a rise of 23.5% simply to boost the reserves to where they are at the moment. As I have already stated, there is no real need for the reserves to be that high. I will certainly do everything I can to try and ensure that does not happen.

Personally I am at a loss on this one. A decision of either yes or no to the donation was really required and that decision has not been made. All seems very strange to me. I am sure this totally unnecessary procrastination will have upset those who have been working flat out to ensure that Church Farm Museum survives.

So what happens now. Well when the consultation is made the people of this town need to say a mighty YES to this funding. To do otherwise could very easily put the whole future of Church Farm Museum in jeopardy.

Today's The Day

That the Town Council holds it's meeting to decide on the funding application for Church Farm Museum. I am aware that three of our Town Councillors, Cllr Phil Kemp, Cllr Gary Ellis and Cllr Steve Kirk have been very much involved in all of the efforts to ensure the continuation of this very important cultural and heritage institution. I hope that their colleagues on the Town Council support them in their efforts and grant the one-off funding that is being asked for.

Come on councillors - DO IT FOR SKEGNESS!!

Definitely Not A Labour Of Love!!!

Those of you who read my previous posts on my original blog site will know that I am always banging on about Skegness Town Councillors having the ability and the desire to liaise with each other across the local authorities, i.e. East Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire County Council. It is extremely important that this liaison is carried out for the good of Skegness as a whole.

I have long accused the Labour Councillors (some very much more than others) on Skegness Town Council of not wishing to do this for their own political ends and have said that this attitude does absolutely nothing to enhance the town or it's residents. Indeed, in my view, having such an insular outlook actually damages the prospects of the town and it's residents.

Last night proved my point. Let me explain.

Last night was the scheduled meeting of the Skegness Area Committee. This is a meeting which brings together councillors from our three local councils to hear of and discuss the important happenings that are directly affecting our area. This is an opportunity to exchange ideas based upon the agenda items and to hear what others think. A meeting of the minds and of opinions. To have your say and to help influence the policies of the future relating to our area. Very unfortunately, the local Labour councillors representing Skegness wards on both Skegness Town Council and also East Lindsey District Council were conspicuous by their absence. It is reliably reported to me that not one of them managed to attend. NONE. The Labour Party has the largest contingent of any one party on Skegness Town Council and none of them turned up last night. Now it is very much accepted that, on occassion, councillors cannot make it to meetings and committees, but for none of them to turn up is very much beyond the pale.

Perhaps the construction of an enormous eye-sore building on our beautiful coast relating to the wind turbines was not of interest to any of them? Perhaps there was not any real need for them, nor a desire, to receive a presentation regarding the local Youth Council, perhaps nothing else on the agenda tickled their fancy?

I am sure if they do need to find out what went on they can always ask any of their Conservative councillor colleagues from all three local authorities who did manage to attend. They will, I am sure, be more than happy to liaise with them to bring them up to speed. Working together for the good of the town does not appear to be a problem to them.

Skegness Town Council Must Support Church Farm Museum

As you all know Church Farm Museum is under threat. Thanks to the efforts of many, there is now a very good chance that it can be saved and go on to become a real tourist attraction in it's own right. This has been done by forming a brand new local organisation to run the Museum.

The County Council have promised £35,000 to the venture and will continue to provide suppot to it. East Lindsey District have agreed to continue to allow the use of their land and the Friends of Church Farm Museum have agreed to provide financial support. One of the final pieces to the jigsaw is for Skegness Town Council to match the funding provided by the County Council and it will be full-steam ahead. The Town Council has approximately £125,000 in it's reserves and so there is no real fiscal reason why they cannot provide the much required funding.
The Council have agreed a special meeting at the Town Hall on the evening of 19th January to discuss this matter and make a decision on it.
They really need to take into account the importance of this Museum in preserving the heritage of the area, the standing it has not only as a Museum, for which it holds prestigious awards, but also as a tourist attraction in it's own right. They also need to take into account the strength of feeling amongst the local population as displayed when the possible closure was announced in the autumn of last year.

Come on Town Council. Show the right commitment to the town and provide the funding for this. I urge a yes vote from all councillors when the time comes.Not to do so would be a travesty.

DO IT FOR THE TOWN.