Letters: October 13, 2016

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Joining sinking ship

THE recent live TV coverage of the State of the EU Union in Strasburg clearly indicated how critical members were of its President Jean Claude Juncker, and indeed of the organisation itself, given the impression of being on the verge of collapse.

To give credence to this assumption is the revelation that it’s most prominent staunch advocate Chancellor Angela Merkel is rapidly falling into disfavour in her German homeland.

All this disenchantment at the conference did not deter, rather sheepishly, a Scottish member from reminding all present, of the desire to remain as a member of the EU.

Presenting an image of a desperate attempt to scramble aboard a ship, that is floundering and about to go under. How membership can be retained in the EU while still a member of the UK does not appear to have been considered. It is also inconceivable that this once viable huge organisation, solely based on international ideals, will accommodate a country administered by an ardent neo-nationalist regime, which would be a paradox indeed.

GEORGE HUMPHREYS

Purton

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Home’s wonderful care

I WOULD like to sing the praises of Wemyss Lodge Residential and Nursing Home in Ermin Street.

My husband, having spent a month in hospital with leg ulcers and a heart attack, moved to Wemyss Lodge to try and recover.

The nursing expertise was absolutely wonderful and for the first time in ages his legs have healed – solely due to their hard work.

My mother spent her last years at Wemyss Lodge when her dementia escalated and I saw the kindness and care they give to their residents.

We want to thank Matron Kay and her superb team of nurses and carers – including the chefs – for such magnificent work. I know it’s very difficult to achieve such high standards.

CHRISTINE SHAILES

Station Road

Purton

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Diversion dangers

I NOTE the intended total closure of Kingsdown Crossroads for three days starting on Monday, October 24, and the “suggested” diversion route.

Inevitably some traffic leaving, or wishing to enter, the A419 northbound will still try using Queensfield and this could well include many more heavy goods vehicles than even now.

Have our local councillors been involved in the discussions about this and has there not been consideration given to imposing (a) a temporary speed limit of 20mph and (b) a vehicle weight limit on the residential streets likely to be effected?

Moreover, even such a “careless” traffic department as we have here, should surely have considered painting a few white lines and putting up temporary give-way signs at the totally free for all existing road junctions on the Queensfield Estate; a situation that, as far as I can tell, exists no-where else on such busy roads anywhere within the borough.

Are we still waiting for a death before something is done?

TERRY FLINDERS

Swindon

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Vote on death penalty

CAPITAL punishment abolitionist Jeff Adams (October 12) speaks with great affection for gangsters, murderers, rapists, pirates and terrorists.

Boko Haram kidnapped 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria a few years ago and those criminals have never been brought to justice.

Al Shabaab pirates from Somalia regularly murder Christians in raids into neighbouring African countries.

ISIS laugh at the weakness of the West as they carry out public executions in Syria on anyone from a different religion.

A referendum on the death penalty would show whether the working class agreed with the ruling liberal elite in Britain on the issue of capital punishment.

TERRY HAYWARD

Burnham Road

Swindon

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Future of services

JUST reading tonight’s Adver, October 11, about the predictions of it going to be a long, cold, white few months.

SBC Highways have 1,600 tonnes of salt ready to be spread.

Let’s leap forward a short while. Whereas Swindon council has the manpower and womenpower to spread the salt this year where is the said male and female power coming from if everyone is going live in a parish in the near future.

Are the same men and women who do the grass cutting in the summer months also spreading the salt in the winter months or does SBC have two separate teams who only work one in the summer and one in the winter.

Or is each team on garden leave for six months of the year.

If all the grass cutting crews and others who currently work for SBC are going to be transferred over to the parish council, SBC will not have enough people to man the lorries and 4x4s to grit the footpaths.

So are the parish councils going to have to pick this major problem up?

It’s another cop out from SBC which will mean another hike in the parish tax to cover the costs for spreading the salt and SBC get to keep loads more cash.

JOHN L CROOK

Haydon Wick

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Fundraising thanks

I WOULD like to thank all involved (especially Fiona) in the Macmillan Cancer coffee morning and bake-off.

The Ramsbury Brewery hosted one of these events and most of the Estate and Brewery staff contributed cakes (I use that term loosely).

Star baker was Barbara Reynolds (from the Smokehouse) who made a fantastic sponge in the form of a coffee cup.

As you can imagine people not used to baking made the odd mistake… but it was all good fun for a good cause.

I would like to thank all who visited and also to those people who sent donations and could not come.

The amount raised was £2,191.75.

We all look forward to the next time

ALISTAIR EWING

Ramsbury Estates

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Parish competence

THE report “Mixed messages over council’s bid to hand over its services to parishes” (SA October 10) was a excellent example of the controversy caused by Swindon Borough Council’s intention to hand certain responsibilities to parish councils.

Apart from the budgetary implications I believe alarm bells should be ringing about the level of expertise and competence of parish councils and give the following example.

In August, 2010 members of the public were asked to report unnecessary street signs as the Government urged councils to cut down on “street clutter”.

The aim was to make streets tidier and less confusing for motorists and pedestrians.

At the time, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond wrote to councils calling on them to reduce signs, railings, bollards and advertising hoardings.

Pressure for this change came from organisations such as English Heritage, CABE Space, The Institution of Highways, Living Streets, and The Department for Transport.

Six years later this message has failed to get through to the clueless councillors who represent Wroughton Parish Council.

The ever increasing levels of “street clutter” is continuing to help turn Wroughton into an extension of Swindon’s urban sprawl.

I’m not sure whether its with a sense of optimism or sarcasm that some people still refer to Wroughton as a village.

On April 22, town halls were given powers by the Government to take down road signs which were deemed to be unnecessary.

Apart from decluttering and improving the environment this additional power is supposed to help save money.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Road signs should only be installed on our roads when they are essential”.

Published minutes for June 6 show the clerk of Wroughton Parish Council passed this information to councillors attending the Environment and Road Safety Committee.

During the same meeting the councillors resolved to install more bollards in the “village”.

At the full parish council meeting on June 20 it was resolved that the minutes of the meeting on June 6 were confirmed and adopted.

Numerous road signs have continued to materialise on the footpaths and roads of Wroughton.

Additional signs imposing speed restrictions have had little affect and are often ignored by motorists.

Cycling on footpaths throughout Wroughton is worse than ever.

Rule 64 of the Highway Code states, ” “You must not cycle on a pavement. Laws HA 1835 section 72 and R(S)A 1984, section 129”.

“No Cycling” signs have appeared on various Wroughton footpaths.

These signs seem to exacerbate the problem by causing confusion.

They imply it is only the pavements with “No Cycling” signs where cycling is prohibited and suggest it is permissible to cycle on the other footpaths.

This problem doesn’t require useless ineffective signs which clutter the streets.

It requires proper enforcement of the existing legislation.

Minutes of the Environment and Road Safety meeting for October 3 show members resolved to contact the Rights of Way Officer at Swindon Borough Council to request yet another sign for a footpath saying ‘Cyclists Dismount’.

This is almost certainly going to be another waste of public funds.

Decent law abiding cyclists already know they should dismount when accessing footpaths.

Even if ignorant offenders are capable of reading the proposed new sign it seems unlikely they will take any notice of it.

Swindon residents who are being forced into accepting an additional level of parish council bureaucracy have my sympathy.

Evidence shows they could also end up paying for buffoonery.

MR K KANE

Wharf Road

Wroughton