The road to Chester is a long one.....but mind the potholes on your way

Delamere Street

Chester Road

Just two streets, you might know them...they might even be streets where you live.

The ones I am talking about are in Winsford. One starts at the Over roundabout, the other is the A54 but we pick it up as you enter Winsford (heading to the residential area). However, both meet "in the middle" so to speak.

So, they are connected, they are interdependent and they suffer the same fate as many of our roads......POTHOLES.

"Oh NO" I hear you scream. Perhaps you dare to believe that under CWaC labour there couldn't be any potholes, anywhere. After all, there were record complaints last year and they all got fixed right? I mean, they must have been....Government has just given then 3.5 Million on top of the many other times they have given CWaC money to fix the roads (potholes).

Now, I know some of you read my blog and think, "Come on Mike...here you go again, giving those poor Labour lot a hard time, like the times you said they don't listen and that they don't know what they are doing - they must be hard pressed to leave a couple of potholes on Delamere street"

Well, I'm a reasonable bloke - maybe one or two potholes, yes. Maybe Labour have other things to do like writing Notices of Motion in Council which result in strongly worded letters to Government Ministers or hiring another couple of consultants to tell us what we already know, yes, maybe.

That wouldn't explain the lunar landscape that is Delamere street or Chester Road though, would it? You know, the bits in between the traffic "Cushions" that has been filled more times than a taxis fuel tank? Or the road markings which you can barely make out the word "School" or the row of holes before one of the raised areas which make Beechers Brook at Aintree look like a puddle?

I'm even thinking of sending them a picture of a Zebra so that they can understand what colours the stripes on the crossings should be (in case you don't know - it's black and white).

The fact is, this road is a MESS. It needs an overhaul, it is gone past it sell by date and half-hearted attempts to fix it only make it worse.

I have of course taken this up with the fellas at the local highways department (and here I will commend them for all the help they have given me over the years - a very dedicated team which I enjoy working with) to ask them when it will be done or to find out even if it is on the priority list.

It turns out there is a new system and now everything that was kept local has moved over to the bods in Chester. "Good luck in finding out about it, Cllr Baynham" was my own internal reply when I heard that great news.

I will keep campaigning, Labour will keep dodging. This will be the dance until perhaps nearer the election some "magical" amount of money will be found to fix Delamere Street and Chester Road. I'll leave it to the reader to make any decisions then about why it took so long.

They have the money, I would like them to spend it but perhaps, just perhaps, awarding one of their own an extra few thousand to chair a committee is money better spent.

Until then, safe driving but mind the potholes.......

Q. When does 800,000 go into 20? A. When Labour propose some new signs

The nice man from the post office recently dropped a letter through the door which stated that CWaC are proposing more 20mph zones for Winsford. This sparked my attention because the highlighted streets included the one I live on and others within the Glebe Green area of Swanlow Ward and one road in the Over and Verdin Ward. At the bottom of the blog you'll find the relevant map.  

The data collected by CWaC to support this proposal shows that most of us don't travel at more than 20mph on most of these roads - so changing the speed limit merely reflects what most of us are already doing in any event. 

Most of what is proposed in the scheme is uncontroversial - given that only one of the roads (The Loont) is a through road, all the others being cul-de-sacs. I don't have any evidence of drag racing on Over Hall Drive for example that makes me think that we are in desperate need a new sign for that road.

However there are aspects that we all need to think about the whole scheme across Winsford and its effect on certain areas. 

How do we feel about the short lengths of road - such Delamere Street/Chester Road , which rapidly change from 20mph to 30 mph to 40 mph within a matter of yards (or metres for the modern folk)?  Sure, I am 100% in agreement with the 20 mph in front of Over St Johns school and any other school in the whole town and borough (although interestingly enough, Whitegate Primary School "does not meet the requirements" apparently) but what does it mean for the rest of the road and users along it when clearly limits are not enforced?

I don't have the exact figures for how much these schemes will cost but the letter I received said anywhere from £1,000 to £6,000 for this relatively small patch. Winsford itself would therefore be far in excess of that - perhaps even above £60,000 given the total budget the Labour have set aside for the scheme is a staggering £800,000  

So if you had say £60,000 to spend on road safety schemes in Winsford - would you choose putting your money into 20 mph signs on roads where those speeds are not exceeded or something else?  I know many people want to see a pelican crossing on Delamere by Littler Lane - that would cost a little more than £25,000.  What about sorting out the junction on Grange Lane and the High Street once and for all? Or the installation of a speed camera along Swanlow Lane to catch a few speeders? Or a flashing speed sign on Cinder Hill in Whitegate? Those are just a few projects around Winsford that could be done with that sort of money.

Would you put the £60,000 to bringing a quality CCTV system to Town Park?

Lots to think about .....but by the time Labour work it out, the money would have long been spent.

From a community asset........to an asset to the community. Labour can't quite join the dots.

When I retire (in a long while I hope), I will need something to keep me busy (apart from my "list" of things the good Mrs B has in store for me) to take place of the long days in the office followed by the Council meetings. I have a long list of books I would like to read - although A Journey by Blair, T is most definitely NOT one of them.

So, with this in mind...along with stories of isolation and loneliness that can come after retirement or loss, I have been working with a very well known organisation to bring a sanctuary in a shed for some men (and women) to Winsford. I purposefully am not mentioning the organisations name as I am trying NOT to to politicise their great work (unlike Labour and the NHS) but use them as an example of what could be done better with an idea, an asset and an "can do" attitude.

The task set out should be a relatively easy one...find a building in Winsford which is currently empty, fit for purpose, big enough and possibly owned by the Council. "There must be many" I hear you cry with memories of the Drill Hall, The Brunner Guildhall, The Edge, The Marina building etc. etc. fresh on your mind.

Well, unfortunately not as the case may be. The Marina building was transferred to the Town Council, who if I may be so bold about it - were as imaginative as the Town Council always are i.e not very and didn't exploit its location to set up a cafe (perhaps even with toilets for those of you with a twitch over the comments made about Town Park) or a hub. The Drill Hall has long gone after a stint as a botanical pharmacy "ahem"....and The Guildhall, albeit owned by the Town Council (see above) is unfortunately not well set out internally for a shed based organisation.

There are other buildings dotted around Winsford and hopefully we shall hear some excellent news very soon but that leaves us for the moment with The Edge as the initial prime location for any organisation to use as a hub. For those who don't know, The Edge is a building off Cheviot Square and was formerly a community building until its closure due to financial irregularity in 2013. It's loss has been keenly felt by local residents who have lost a great addition to their community.

The Edge has been a topic of much debate as it is a Council owned building, and some locals and locally based groups have asked why it cant be used. All good questions, especially as we have the model of "Community asset transfer" whereby Council has powers to transfer an asset via tenancy at will or the more legal Community asset transfer. A wonderful example of this is the Whitegate Station Community Cafe - a place I wholeheartedly support and would ask the reader to go along to enjoy a refreshment or two.

All making sense so far? We have an empty building, which can be used by a community group to support the local community. Great. Well, Errr....not quite.It appears there are a few small matters that need to be addressed before anyone can "get the keys" so to speak.

The first is that any community must have a business plan. Fairly obvious but of course having an idea in the community, often not backed with any capital and without too much business acumen means that people are put off quite quickly. The officers do a sterling job of helping but a clearer message of "we will help you" should come from the Council.

Second, The Edge needs some fairly major repairs before it is fit for purpose. Initially, it was good to note that a smattering of arsonists had not made too much of a negative impact on the building but it was discovered the "the roof" needed some work - and the following numbers started to be discussed 50K then 130K with a final bid of 195,000 pounds....from the guy in the yellow jacket at the back.

That is then, the end of that - a building which would be great in the community, for the community which now requires so much money spending on it that no one wants to ask if we can have it. A building left in such a state that those wonderful sheds and the men and women who would be in them cannot use. A building that had community out reach potential for health, advice, children's groups, inter-generational training (young people learning skills, older generations learning a bit more about smart phones for example) now not being used.

So, I'm calling on CWaC Labour to tell me their plan for The Edge - perhaps they have one neatly stored away for publication (most likely before the election next year), perhaps they could spend some of their stash of unallocated reserve (£6 Million) on this and no doubt other community asset buildings before the building goes the way of Winsfords much publicised derelict Liquid Lounge building (that maybe another blog someday).

In the meantime, I wish those shed men and women the very best and will continue to support them in their search for a location in Winsford. It's a shame it cant be The Edge and I will be asking about the Labour plan at council. That is of course, if Labour actually answer any questions........I live in hope....

Winsford Town Centre regeneration - the Tories of Winsford show their support

Today, the Council (Cheshire West and Chester) announced that the they have acquired Winsford Cross Shopping Centre

Here is the Speech I asked Cllr Houlbrook to read out on my behalf at the Special Council meeting of January 23rd

Dear Members,

I can only apologise for not attending this important meeting tonight – unfortunately the unexpected, while in this case most welcome, clashes with a long-standing work appointment but my heart is with you all tonight. However, thanks to Cllr Houlbrook, my words on this subject can be heard as a matter of record.

As the only Tory in Town, I am a passionate champion for this great town in which you all sit tonight. I and many others care deeply about its future and am determined that Winsford will take its rightful place as one of the most vibrant Gateway towns in Cheshire. Its residents have long been awaiting a regeneration, even a rejuvenation of the town centre and have been patient in this ask as both sides of the political divide have united in trying to unlock the impasse between owner and the council. So many times to the brink, so many times stepping back.

What is clear with the proposal now in front of us is that we have an opportunity, an opportunity to move this town to the next stage of its future. A future where the art of the possible is discussed, not the mistakes of the past, where the towns current and new residents can be proud of and can call their town, the town for their future generations.

Such opportunities are long awaited, indeed it has taken this administration since late 2015 to take this first step. Perhaps that was a little underestimation of the task ahead but more probably to do with the complexity of the situation and the sheer number of avenues that needed to be explored.

Whatever the reason, you have seen that rather than take a partisan view, the two political parties representing CWaC in Winsford have both worked hard to the common goal and that is to make things better for our residents and to ensure Winsford can thrive today and prosper tomorrow.

So we must not allow anything to divert us from taking this opportunity with both hands, not taking the eye off the ball as appears to have happened in Northwich and elsewhere and to drive the detail forward into delivery. Where we work together to deliver what the town wants for itself – not imposing a plan where consultation by a handful of residents holds sway over the silent majority, Where we listen to all parties and deliver what we need for our future, for our children’s future.

We can start by following the lead of the local MP who is ahead of us in this conversation. Key to the success of this long term plan is to involve our communities, the social media forums, some as large as 4000+ members, we need to actively engage our MP – who has key data through her recent survey on what Winsford residents are looking for and expect from a forward thinking Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Looking in more detail at the plan in front of us and to adapt a phrase from one of our counties greatest leaders, we can see that this is not the regeneration, this is not even the plan for the regeneration but this is the beginning of the plan for regeneration. That plan can be delivered by being bold, by being innovative and by being there for our residents and for those businesses who believe in Winsford. 

I urge all members to support this plan if I could, I would vote with a “for”.

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