Viewpoint: Create infrastructure before building homes

Email Viewpoint letters to jamesp@baylismedia.co.uk or write to Viewpoint, Newspaper House, 48 Bell Street, Maidenhead, SL6 1HX.

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Create infrastructure before building homes

The proposal to build a block of flats at Stafferton Way is rightly being strongly challenged by the Friends of Maidenhead Waterways, for all the reasons quoted (Advertiser, October 6).

Surely the council should put a halt to all future building applications for more flats, until the current constructions are finished and occupied.

This would ensure the necessary infrastructure, medical centres, dentists, schools, car parking et al are able to cope with this surge in the population.

At the present rate Maidenhead will be overwhelmed.

Chris Abbott

Bridge Avenue, Maidenhead

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这不是因果关系,甚至也没有相关性

Referring to David Coppinger’s letter (Viewpoint, September 29) ‘No real gains – except maybe a costly appeal’:

This letter simply illustrates the effrontery of this former councillor. How can he possibly assume a direct link between the Maidenhead Development Management Committee’s decision on September 20 to refuse planning permission by six votes to two to develop greenbelt land at Westacott Way, resulting in less money to a charity or charities? It is absurd.

However, what his letter does confirm is his pattern of behaviour when representing the Bray Parish area on the Royal Borough in the recent four years.

As lead member for planning he did everything he could to take greenbelt sites out of the then Local Plan for development, for example, vast areas of greenbelt land in and around the Cardinal Clinic A21 (N), A21 (S), Harvest Hill, the 55-acre triangle site in Braywick, AL26 adjacent to Thames Hospice on the A308 and so-on. All quite unnecessary.

I say unnecessary because we as a Royal Borough had met 100 per cent of our objectively assessed need at 12,240 dwellings for the planned period 2013-2023.

As the other councillor for Bray and knowing that the majority of residents wanted the greenbelt protected, I expected his support but got the opposite and unfortunately had many unpleasant confrontations with him.

I think it’s fair to say that all councillors expect support in a two-councillor ward from their fellow councillor.

Unless there is a major change in policy, a review, or a miracle, these greenbelt sites now included in our approved Local Plan for development should be adhered to.

Leo Walters

Conservative councillor for Bray ward

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Keep calm and don’t blame the Tories

As the leader of the 2019-2023 Conservative council, I want to set the record straight with regards to the Royal Borough’s finances. Despite the undoubted political spin, and an attitude of ‘let’s blame everything on the Tories quickly before we get found out’, the new Lib Dem/Independent administration actually inherited a good position from the administration that I led.

During my time as council leader, we had four consecutive years of budget underspends, including the year 2022/23, which enabled us to not only double our level of reserves, but also invest this year in areas you wanted us to see more money spent on: like street cleaning and tackling crime. We achieved all of this whilst still having the lowest council tax outside of London.

We also had a very clear plan to reduce the size of the council’s debt.

Money that had been borrowed (at very low interest rate levels) to invest in our roads and schools and other infrastructure, not as some have suggested to cover day-to-day spending.

For even if we wanted to, which we didn’t, councils aren’t allowed to do that anyway! The clear plan was to use the receipts from the development of the golf course to pay off a big chunk of that borrowing, as well as create an endowment fund for Maidenhead.

We exercised rigorous financial control, which enabled us to deliver our budgets. What we didn’t do is panic, unlike the new inexperienced administration.

We didn’t wildly talk about having to issue a S114 notice or scare people into thinking their services would be slashed. We diligently drove down on costs and made sure savings were delivered. The record shows – four years of underspends.

Sadly, I’m increasingly of the view that this current crisis is being engineered to play politics and raise taxes by stealth.

A ‘blame the Tories so we can jack up tax plan’ to cover the fact that the Lib Dems/Independents didn’t have a plan to run the council, and just can’t admit to their supporters they couldn’t afford all the promises they made.

Yes, the current financial position is tough. It is for every council. But we also left a clear plan for delivering even greater savings, especially in adult social care and children’s services, through greater efficiency, more effective targeting of resources, and reducing ultra-high-cost placements.

These should be implemented with immediate effect, along with an intense focus on delivering other savings. Closing the gap will be tough, but having led the council through worse crisis, I’m convinced it can be done.

So, my simple advice would be don’t panic, Cllr Jones, don’t panic!

Andrew Johnson

Former Leader of the Council 2019-2023

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Holyport Fair and help taking over the helm

Your readers may well remember that earlier this year there was an outcry amongst residents that again there was to be no Holyport Fair on the village green.

I have been involved with the fair since I moved to Holyport over 20 years ago and I am now a trustee of the Holyport Community Trust along with my wife who has been the coordinator of the fair for some 10 years in total. We all want Holyport Fair to return to the green, but we now need fresh, and dare I say younger hands at the wheel.

But first some history.

The fair was started in 1946 with one aim which was to provide funds for the building and maintenance of Holyport War Memorial Hall. I understand that the only years missed have been in 2021 because of Covid and the last two years when a scaled-down version was held in the grounds of the Hall.

We all want it to return to the green, but we need a new team to make it happen.

The key role is that of the coordinator who must take overall responsibility for the organisation and the day itself. This role needs to be supported by an inner core of maybe six people and a significant number of volunteers on the day. The first task is to arrange road closures which must be done and approved by RBWM no later than three months in advance.

To help with this transition the trustees are holding a session, with refreshments, at the hall on Friday October 20 starting at 7pm. Our chairman Mike Dyde, with others, will explain what needs to be done and most importantly what help we can give.

This is an opportunity to really be part of this community. It is not easy, and you will need to be willing to commit time to it. We as a team will support and guide you, but we can no longer do the this without help.

Should the help not be forthcoming then the Fair on the Green will not happen.

Yes, we can hopefully continue with a scaled-down version in the hall grounds, but we really hope that Holyport can provide new people to help this tradition continue.

David Coppinger

Trustee, Holyport War Memorial Hall

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Nothing has improved, everything is worse

Those who voted for Leave in the 2016 referendum might by now have expected some reward for their choice.

Just recall the promises... the EU would be falling over itself to complete favourable trade deals with the UK as would so many other countries in the world.

The NHS would benefit from an implied £350,000,000 per week increase from money saved from contributions to the EU and net migration to the UK would fall.

This was, as we now know, complete baloney. Nothing has improved, everything has deteriorated.

The mendacious members of past and present Conservative cabinets on display at the early October conference this year had nothing to offer but lies, spite and bile, attacks on minorities and a dream of an imperialist past which died years ago.

Even the great apologist for Vladimir Putin, Nigel Farage, has said Brexit is a failure, yet D. R. Cooper still tries to find something, anything, to support it whilst writing of the failure of those oven ready negotiations, which like so much which spewed from the mouth of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was simply rubbish. De Pfeffel’s piffle, we might say.

Additionally, D. R. Cooper confines most comments to the negative economic effects, ignoring serious geopolitical implications, the restrictions on travel and the ability to live and work abroad for British passport holders. It’s clear now that eventually the UK will become closer to the EU again as more and more of the electorate realise the con.

It’s a shame that this experiment in failure affects the poorest rather than the wealthy elite who brought it about.

James Aidan

Sutton Road, Cookham

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Erratum slip due on doleful Brexit tome

To improve my mind I borrowed a book explaining how Brexit has been a comprehensive disaster.

But I cannot recommend it, as it was written before relevant economic statistics were corrected.

Instead I would point to this article: “Data revisions undermine the Brexit pessimists’ propaganda.”

Should I have inserted a helpful ‘erratum slip’ into the book before returning it to the library?

Dr D R Cooper

Belmont Park Avenue

Maidenhead

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It’s pointless trying to park in town centre

My partner and I have given up trying to park in Maidenhead.

It is a waste of time, even on ‘quiet’ Sundays. Instead, we travel to nearby towns or the Bishop Centre in Bath Road.

We feel really sorry for traders and charity shops.

Terry Pattinson

Address supplied

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Warning for would-be car park users

警告你的读者,上周日我妻子d I visited the Desborough suite to receive our Covid jab. We parked in the York Road car park where we have parked for our other jabs. Three days later we received a ‘fine’ of £100 reduced to £60 for prompt payment.

The car park was almost empty and we spent fifteen minutes in the Town Hall. £60 for a Covid jab – easy money for somebody!

Richard Kellaway

Startins Lane, Cookham Dean