Bourne Diary - January 2003

Saturday 4^th January 2003

What the local newspapers are saying: The most disturbing story this week appears on the front page of The Local (January 3rd) with the revelation that the main post office in West Street is to close and the business switched to the supermarket premises fifty yards further down the street towards the town centre. This is an old bogey and one that I thought had been laid to rest twelve years ago when a similar scheme to use premises at Nos 42-44 North Street was thrown out after a wave of public protest in which the issue was taken up not only by the town council and the local newspapers, but also by the television and radio channels which recognised the impracticality of such a move.

It is quite incomprehensible how an organisation as large as the Post Office can possibly contemplate phasing out a specially-designed building which has served the town well since it was opened in 1981. No matter what they promise by way of "longer opening hours, a brighter and more modern environment, access to a valued and trusted range a new services" etc, the fact is that the status of our Post Office and the premises it currently occupies are being downgraded to space at the back of a liquor store at a time when the town is expanding at an alarming rate with hundreds of new homes being built at Elsea Park and Hereward Meadow for a new generation of townsfolk who will be looking for a reasonable level of public and community services. There are already queues outside the West Street Post Office at busy periods and one morning over the recent holidays, waiting customers stretched down the street as far as the Baptist Chapel. Imagine the chaos in the new and much smaller premises on pension payout morning or on a busy market day when there are already large crowds on the pavement and lines of heavy vehicles queuing up at the traffic lights.

The current parlous state of the Post Office organisation is well known and is no doubt responsible for this ill-advised move and we look to our local councils to stop them from making such a dreadful mistake, as was done in 1991 when public opinion forced the management to rethink their strategy and allowed the present Post Office building to remain. It has become a familiar sight in this town and is far too valuable a public amenity to be tossed around as a balance sheet asset and closed down on the whim of their accountants. And then what would become of it? Sold off, perhaps, to become yet another supermarket or fast food outlet?

Another important story that will concern those who are worried about the coming increase in their council tax bill, which is likely to go up this year by as much as 10%, is given prominence by the Stamford Mercury. Allowances being paid to our county councillors are increasing year by year and the newspaper tells us in a most detailed breakdown of the current payments (January 3rd) that they are up from £338,387 in April 2001 to £548,468 in April 2002, a staggering rise of almost 40%. The town has two county councillors, Ian Croft, the member for Bourne Castle, who was paid £13,410.06 and John Kirkman, the member for Bourne Abbey, £6,107.68. A total of 77 councillors serving on the county authority received an average of £7,122.96 each for the financial year 2001-02. 

Councillor Kirkman defends these payments as reasonable because of the amount of work involved and the newspaper quotes him as saying: "A back bencher carries out an average 150 hours a month just on county council work. That's 1,800 hours a year and to get £6,000 in allowances is less than the minimum wage."

What the Mercury omitted to point out is that both Councillors Croft and Kirkman are also members of South Kesteven District Council where similar allowances are paid. Using the figures provided by Councillor Kirkman, we can therefore assume that the workload for both authorities combined is 300 hours a month, or ten hours a day, seven days a week, and if this is so, may explain why most of our councillors are either retired or self-employed in businesses that run themselves in their absence. But I wonder how Councillor Kirkman also finds time for his duties as a member of Bourne Town Council.

This of course is the nub of the argument. But to compare the payment of allowances to wages is inequitable because this is voluntary work and not in any way vetted by the various value for money strategies that are regularly trumpeted by our local authorities. If we have a bad councillor, and I am not suggesting for one moment that Councillor Kirkman falls into this category, he or she can stay a bad councillor yet still receive their allowances until the electorate decide that they need replacing yet if they were employed in an hourly-paid job and were found wanting, they would soon be given their marching orders.

Local government took a turn for the worse when allowances were introduced and many saw that becoming a councillor was an opportunity to supplement their incomes and so the philanthropic spirit that once dominated the committee room and council chamber has, in many instances, disappeared. Councillors too often now regard themselves as provincial politicians and insist on being treated as such, even using Parliamentary language when describing their status, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating and we only need examine the track record of those we have elected to find out whether they have actually done anything substantial for their community during the year to earn these large amounts or whether they are merely paying lip service to the system that put them in office.

Half a million pounds also seems a very large sum to pay to those members of a local authority that has not distinguished itself in the recent check by the Audit Commission which revealed the best and worst performers in England, grouping them in five categories ranging from excellent to poor. This would have been a target to aim for because the best will get new powers, including exemption from council tax capping, but Lincolnshire County Council was not among them, being well down the list with only a "fair" rating.

The office of local councillor was introduced towards the end of the 19th century and has not weathered well over the years. They are elected, serve and pass on, but few are remembered for what they have done. Invariably, those who are sent to stride the corridors of power appear to think that the status conferred upon them at the hustings elevates them to such eminence that they can forget the will of the people who put them there, either because they serve the party machine and vote accordingly or because they plough their own furrow for other rewards such as the prestige of high office, the influence it gives them, the allowances they can collect and perhaps even the thought of a bauble in the Honours' List when they retire.

There are few who can say that they were instrumental in doing something really effective for the community during their time in office and it is little different here in Bourne, although it was not always so. One of the most unselfish men to serve this town was Alderman William Wherry (1841-1915) who thought so much of his fellow man that he continually strived to make life better and this burden that he took upon himself might well have hastened his end. He was forced to retire from public life because of ill health at the age of 74 when his numerous offices and positions of responsibility numbered almost 100.

There are others who achieved prominence in their service for Bourne more recently and I have just finished researching the life and times of Jack Burchnell (1909-73), one of the last in line of the truly great councillors before the office became enveloped in politics and in-fighting. It was he who instilled a new sense of civic pride in this town by introducing both the annual Civic Ball and Civic Sunday but, more importantly, he recognised that the vandals were at the door and ready to tear down those small pieces of heritage that we have left, such as the Red Hall.

This was his most important contribution to Bourne because this grand Elizabethan property was threatened with demolition after being vacated by the railway company who had used it as a booking office since 1860. But when the railway line closed in 1962, rather than see it demolished, Councillor Burchnell was instrumental in the property being acquired by Bourne United Charities, and as one of the trustees, he became the appeal director with the role of saving and restoring it for community use. It was his foremost ambition to see the ancient building returned to a good state of repair, a task that took ten years and was completed in the December before he died when the refurbished property was officially opened in its new role that survives to this day.

Jack Burchnell was cremated when he died but his ashes were not preserved and sadly there is no memorial to him in this town. Family and friends however remembered him by presenting a large bible inscribed with the important dates in his life to the Abbey Church and which is now kept on the lectern where it is used for reading the lessons at morning and evening services. At his request, there were no flowers at the funeral but instead, contributions were made to his two most loved buildings, the Abbey Church and the Red Hall. There may be no public memorial to Councillor Burchnell in Bourne but the Red Hall is his legacy and it is there for all to see. 

Illustrated profiles of both William Wherry and Jack Burchnell can be found on the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne. Neither of them received any payment for their services to the community.

The Bowthorpe Oak near Bourne has been named as one of the Fifty Great Trees for Fifty Great Years that have been selected from around Britain to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.

The choice was made by the Tree Council, a national conservation organisation founded in 1974 with support from the Department of the Environment, and four years later it became an independent registered charity. The council's aims are to improve the environment in town and country by promoting the planting and conservation of trees and woods throughout the United Kingdom, to disseminate knowledge about trees and their management and to act as a forum for 150 organisations who are working together for the protection of trees throughout the country. 

The list was drawn up after taking advice from tree wardens around Britain, the 7,500 members of a network known as the National Grid Tree Warden Scheme, who are appointed by parish councils and other local authorities and community groups. Between them, they nominated hundreds of trees from which the final 50 were chosen with the criteria that they should be impressively large, ancient, rare, striking, or the stuff of history and legend.

The Bowthorpe Oak fully justifies its place in the list. This hollow tree can be found at Bowthorpe Park Farm, Manthorpe, just off the A6151, three miles south west of Bourne, and is the largest English oak in the United Kingdom with a girth of 12.8 metres. Its crown was once used as a pigeon house and has in the past also been put to domestic use. Back in 1768, it had a door, floor and benches and could accommodate 20 people with sufficient space to dine there.

The oldest in the list is a 5,000-year-old yew in the churchyard at Fortingall in Scotland which is believed to be the longest living organism in Europe. In 1769, it was recorded having a girth of 54 ft. and although now showing signs of age, it is still an impressive sight. Others in the list also have doors and the space inside the trunks used for a variety of purposes.

A short history of the Bowthorpe Oak is included in this web site and the full list of Fifty Great Trees for Fifty Great Years, together with photographs, can be found at the Tree Council's web site at

www.treecouncil.org.uk

As the old year closes, we think about what the New Year will bring and many of us observe the tradition of making resolutions which we think might better our lives and those around us, perhaps by being more tolerant in our daily round, drinking and eating less, giving more to charity, helping the old and the infirm and those less fortunate than ourselves, thinking twice before we are about to speak an unkind word and even stroking the dog more often. Many other motivations cross our minds as 2003 dawns and there is surely something which each of us could select as our aim, but whether we will keep these vows as the year progresses is another matter.

There must be many resolutions that are in the minds of our visitors out there, both at home and overseas, whether for themselves or dictums they would wish upon those who run our affairs, and so here is a chance for you to share them with us. Whether they are intended to put the world to rights or merely influence your own country, community or family circle, they are of interest because we like to know what you are thinking and doing. What then is your New Year's resolution and what would you like to see others choosing as theirs? You are invited to join the debate that is currently underway on the Bourne Forum.

Thought for the Week: Skateboarding is on the decline. If this council has money to spare, it should be spent on encouraging industry in the town. It is lamentable that money should be wasted. Our children should be trained first to take jobs. There is plenty of time for leisure later on. I want this council to spend its money wisely and well. We should not waste it on these silly things. - Councillor Lorenzo Warner, speaking at a meeting of Bourne Town Council's amenities committee on Tuesday 20th June 1978, when it was decided to call a public meeting to ascertain whether there was sufficient interest in skateboarding to warrant the provision of suitable facilities. No skateboard park was built as a result. 

Saturday 11th January 2003

This column discussed last week how much time our councillors spend on their duties after one of our representatives on Lincolnshire County Council claimed that he was putting in an average of 150 hours a month, or 1,800 hours a year, so justifying their allowances which last year totalled more than half a million pounds for the 77 members on that authority. It is a pity that we do not get such dedication to duty on the town council here in Bourne but then membership of this local authority does not qualify for allowances and councillors therefore serve in the knowledge that their work is for the good of the community rather than financial reward. 

A meeting of the Highways and Planning Committee on Thursday of last week (January 2nd) was rendered totally ineffectual because there was no quorum, that is the minimum number of members required to be present before any business can be transacted, even though this is the most important of all our council committees. The law decrees that a meeting must be attended by four councillors, or one third of those eligible to attend, whichever is the greater. Many years ago, the council agreed that committees should be open for every councillor to attend and vote, a decision designed to reduce the possibility of meetings being cancelled because of inadequate attendance. Bourne Town Council has fourteen current members with one seat vacant. The quorum is therefore five councillors but on January 2nd, only four attended, Councillors Shirley Cliffe, Trevor Holmes, Guy Cudmore and Marjorie Clark. 

The Highways and Planning Committee is the only official voice the town has in influencing planning decisions taken elsewhere and the ability to make such comments is the fundamental cornerstone of local democracy. These meetings are scheduled to precede those of South Kesteven District Council's planning committee at which the final decisions are taken. At the meeting on January 2nd, there were 14 sets of plans to consider but in the absence of a quorum, there was no official discussion on any of them. Most of the applications were of the usual non-contentious kind involving conservatories and home extensions but there were other important plans that should have been discussed and commented upon by the town council. 

One of them was a proposal to convert the old coal shop on the corner of Abbey Road and Church Walk to residential use, which may be an excellent suggestion but retail accommodation is becoming an increasing premium in the town centre. An extension was also proposed for the Darby and Joan Club and a commercial development adjoining the car park behind the Post Office in West Street and one of the residential plans merited comment about possible adverse effects upon the neighbourhood. Yet all of these plans went on to SKDC with no official comment from Bourne Town Council, simply because there were insufficient members at the meeting. This must present a most displeasing image of indifference from Bourne to the members of the SKDC planning committee.

 During my own time as a councillor (not in Bourne, I should add), attendance at meetings was obligatory for two reasons: firstly to ensure that you maintained a continuity in the knowledge of council affairs and secondly to keep faith with the people you represented. Councillors may well have had valid reasons for being absent from this important meeting and it could be a coincidence that it was also close to the New Year holiday, but in view of the recent workload claimed by some, it is worth reminding voters that this may not be the complete picture. The local council elections are due to be held in May and several of our town councillors will be standing down. This is also the time for those other members who hope to remain to consider whether they have the time to continue serving on the town council with the dedication that is expected by those who elect them to office or to make way for an infusion of new blood which it would appear, is very much needed.

The press were also conspicuous by their absence at this meeting and so not a word of what occurred, or indeed what did not, has appeared in our local newspapers. Council committees have not always been open to reporters and indeed I was one of those journalists who in years past fought for this particular freedom and so it is with some regret that I see it being shunned. If our local editors were suddenly told that council committees would in future be held in camera, they would be the first to complain and so the old adage for this privilege should apply here: use it or lose it.

What the local papers are saying: Yet another blow to this town is given front page treatment by the Stamford Mercury with a report that Bourne Hospital is to be sold off and the land used for new houses (January 10th). Although this is still a shock to read, it is not really a surprise because here we see bureaucracy at work at a high level, totally out of the control of our local councillors who are powerless to do anything about it. The hospital closed in September 1998 despite a vigorous local campaign to save it, including an 8,000-signature petition, and the North West Anglian Healthcare Trust, which then owned it, applied to build 50 new homes on the land. The application was rejected after complaints from town councillors who wanted to retain the site in the hope that it could be developed as a new health care provision for Bourne, a town that once had three hospitals although all have now closed down. The case went to appeal and the government planning inspector who heard it ruled in favour of the land being used for residential development.

The effect this will have on Bourne was summed up by Councillor John Kirkman who said: "It looks as though residential development will now go ahead against the wishes of both the town and district councils. This is an extremely disappointing decision that is not good for the people who will have to continue travelling outside for hospital facilities."

The public feels quite remote from government when faced with decisions such as this about which they can do nothing. In this case, they have a particular cause for bitterness because Bourne Hospital was opened in June 1915 at a cost of £5,000 [£240,000 at today's values], money that was provided by Bourne Rural District Council and therefore came directly from the ratepayers. Further finance from the same source was used to improve the hospital over the years, £3,370 to build a tuberculosis pavilion in 1925 and another £3,500 ten years later, debts that were not finally settled by the council until 1949. But throughout, the cost of repaying capital and interest fell on the people of Bourne who were being levied through their rates to fund this hospital for almost half a century. Now it is being sold as an asset by the current owners, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership who took over under the re-organisation of the health service last April and who argue that the land has become surplus to their requirements.

Since Bourne Hospital closed five years ago, the people of Bourne must go to Stamford, 13 miles away, or to Peterborough, 17 miles distant, if they require hospital treatment. Meanwhile, as the site awaits a buyer, the empty buildings have been slowly deteriorating and the grounds have become overgrown and neglected, a monument to a National Health Service that was launched in 1948 with such good intentions of providing a first class medical service from cradle to grave but after fifty years began to founder on the rocks of mismanagement, inefficiency, trade union supremacy, over-staffing and a chronic shortage of funds. 

Our hospital has therefore become an item on a balance sheet and offered for sale with planning permission for 50 new houses, which makes it a very attractive proposition for developers. A freehold site of almost four acres with no onerous planning or constructional difficulties should realise £250,000 to £350,000 an acre, particularly as the site is south of the traffic lights in the town centre where demand would be considerable and would certainly cause a great deal of competition between national developers and could therefore fetch in excess of £1.2 million. House building is one of the most profitable business activities today, a veritable goldmine for investors and the returns have been estimated at one house in every three built, rich pickings for those involved. The people of Bourne are the real owners of this site because it is they who provided the money for this once valuable community health facility in the early years of the 20th century but they will not see a penny from the transaction, either from the sale of the land or the houses, and furthermore, there is little or no possibility that they will ever get another hospital.

The pending closure of the Post Office in Bourne is given a great deal of space this week although the Lincolnshire Free Press felt the story worth nothing more than to repeat the official statement (January 7th) without seeking the views of local authorities or townspeople which, of course, does not do justice to the issue. The Stamford Mercury gave it half a page (January 10th) but it was left to The Local which broke the story last week to recognise the seriousness of what is happening with front and inside page coverage (January 10th) and the launching of a campaign to save the building in West Street under the heading "Hands off our Post Office". They report that the town council has joined the fight to stop the business from being moved to supermarket premises further down the street towards the market place and the newspaper recalls a similar successful campaign in 1991 when it was proposed to relocate to disused launderette premises in North Street. However, time is short, with only three weeks to lodge objections, and as Councillor Shirley Cliffe told members at their Tuesday meeting: "This has been sprung upon us and I wonder whether we can raise public awareness and support in time to make a difference." The newspaper has kicked off with a detailed report of the proposals and opinions from local people, the majority of them against the idea, together with a coupon for readers to fill in with their comments. This is campaigning by a local newspaper at its best and it deserves to get results.

Nothing angers the populace more than the secrecy of government and public institutions and the decisions that are taken behind closed doors, usually to the detriment of the community, and it now transpires that the proposed closure of the Post Office is just such a case. There have been other instances in the town in recent months, notably the pending sale of Bourne Hospital and before that, the shutting of the public toilets in South Street, a particularly blatant example because this appears to have been done at the behest of one man who has little or no knowledge of Bourne, although many of his colleagues gave the decision tacit support by their silence.

The smooth talk that we have had from the Post Office about the proposed closure, and promising a new and more efficient service from the back of a liquor store further down the road towards the market place, sounds convincing but those who live in Bourne are quite aware that such a proposal is flawed and that chaos will ensue when such an ill-advised move becomes reality. 

Worse still, we have not been told the real reason why a perfectly adequate, purpose built postal headquarters in West Street should be closed and perhaps sold off as a fast food outlet when it is barely twenty years old and has served the town well during that time. Guy Cudmore has been looking into the proposed closure and examining the current state of the Post Office and his article contains startling revelations of what has been going on behind the scenes and why this town, and others, will suffer reduced postal services as a result.

Thought for the week: Last night, I had my car stolen from outside my house in Bourne while I was at home, so it seems cars are not safe from thieves anywhere. It was found half submerged in water at the Wellhead. The police reckon it was just kids joyriding and there's not much chance of catching them, so my advice to anyone reading this is don't let your guard down and don't make the mistake of thinking that because Bourne is a small rural market town that crime doesn't exist here.
- contribution to the Bourne Forum from Phil Moore, Thursday 9th January 2003.

 Saturday 18^th January 2003

It is rewarding to know that this web site continues to stimulate interest in the Bourne area around the world. We have in the past been asked for assistance from several countries, usually schools engaged on social and geographic studies who wish to use the information they find here for tutorials, and I have always been willing to help any organisation in pursuit of knowledge especially if it involves young people and gives them a greater understanding of the world they live in. 

Oregon State University in the United States is the latest to ask for help and they are to use my photograph of the House of Correction at Folkingham, eight miles north of Bourne on the A15, in their sociology course during 2003. This is an unusual building, designed by the architect Bryan Browning who was also responsible for the Town Hall at Bourne, and constructed between 1808 and 1825, with further additions in 1849 and 1852, and it finally provided accommodation for 70 prisoners and prison officers. Inside there was a chapel and several punishment devices including a hand crank similar to a paddle wheel, a treadmill, a whipping post and stocks capable of holding three miscreants at a time. The entrance to the cells was through the dining room and the entire prison was surrounded by a high wall.

Henry Matsell of Bourne, a Lincolnshire policeman and Kesteven constable, was the last to live at the House of Correction. The jail was closed in 1878 and the remaining prisoners transferred elsewhere. However, the prison officers' quarters continued to be used for several years afterwards as temporary accommodation for homeless villagers. Only the 19th century gateway and governor's house remain and in recent times, it was bought by Arthur Peterson, a London civil servant, who had planned to turn it into his retirement home. The Historic Buildings Council awarded him a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of structural repairs but he was unable to raise the large sum of money needed for complete restoration before it could be considered habitable. 

The imposing stone building was later acquired by the Landmark Trust, an organisation that seeks out unusual and empty properties throughout Britain and turns them into holiday accommodation with all mod cons, and that is what has happened with the House of Correction that has became a favourite stopping place with visitors from America and Japan while the stocks and whipping post have been preserved in the west end of the nave of the village church.

I have received a fascinating communication from the United States this week and it will interest anyone out there with the name of Gann or Ganne. A lady named Joy Gann Brown who lives in North Carolina is involved in researching this family name and has discovered that three men named Ganne were included in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1332. They lived at Sutton and Holbeach, both then in the Holland division of the county. By the 17th century, there was a sizeable Ganne family living in South Lincolnshire and the surrounding counties and she now wants to know if there are any Ganns living in the district today. Her query comes on behalf of the international association known as the Gann Historical Society and Library Inc., who are seeking Gann males willing to participate in a DNA study. 

"We have already tested over two dozen", says Joy, "and have established a definite link between the Gann family in the United States and Gann families in Essex and Kent but have been unable to locate a descendant of the Lincolnshire Gann family. We would therefore like anyone with this name to have a DNA check in order that we can assess the result. The association will pay for the test. Don't worry. It doesn't hurt." Anyone out there with the name Gann in their family history should contact Joy either by letter at 851 Case School Road, Mayodan, North Carolina, 27027 or by telephone at 336-548-4391.

 What the local newspapers are saying: If the Post Office thought for one moment that the people of Bourne would support a proposal to move the business from the current premises in West Street, then the appearance of The Local this week (January 17th) will leave them in no doubt about public reaction. The issue has been given the most comprehensive coverage possible, spread over the front and two inside pages, and practically every line shouts out that the town's Post office must not close. This newspaper has made the running with this story over the past three weeks and a public petition is now underway with forms for signatures available at most town centre shops. There is little doubt that this proposal by the Post Office has alienated the entire town and if they go ahead with the move, no matter what the reason, it will be seen as the most foolish and unpopular decision that this organisation has ever made and one that will most certainly signal its downward slide in this area. 

The Local is full of public outrage this week because it also highlights the situation over medical care following last week's announcement that houses are to be built on the site of Bourne Hospital. Derek Bray, chief executive of the Lincolnshire South West Primary Care Trust, is quoted as saying that the town is not big enough to justify a hospital and the only thing that could possibly be considered to improve facilities will be the establishment of a new medical practice or increasing the size of the existing two, but then he adds mysteriously: "A lot depends on whether they would want to grow". Mr Bray seems to forget that Bourne once supported three hospitals when it was half the size it will be in a few years' time.

Both these stories have made The Local very angry indeed and in a rare editorial, the newspaper says:

The people of Bourne are a little peeved to say the least - and bewildered too. For having seen Bourne Hospital lost for all time, they now have to stomach the news that their Post Office is to be downgraded. In both instances, not enough attention is being paid to our town. This isn't some sloppy backwater without a future. Bourne has begun to show real ambition for the decades ahead. Prosperity can be an important part of those years but none of it will really happen unless development is backed by services such as a proper health centre, if not a hospital, and a proper post office.

Large plastic green boxes have appeared in the streets of Bourne this week, left at the front gates or doorsteps of most houses in the town by South Kesteven District Council as part of their new green policy. The containers are meant to be filled by homeowners with recyclable waste such as cans and tins, plastic, paper, cardboard, textiles and shoes, and they will be emptied every fortnight in addition to the usual refuse collection service. The Stamford Mercury tells us (January 17th) that the average household produces one tonne of domestic waste each year and the amount is increasing but a great deal of what is thrown away can be recycled for future use rather than being dumped at landfill sites. My immediate reaction was that most homeowners will forget to put the box out on the appropriate collection day but the council has thoughtfully enclosed an attractive calendar showing the dates each month clearly marked. Another problem which they have not solved however is where do we keep this enormous box? Most homes have no space and the side passage is out because it will mean that newspapers become soaked when it rains and empty cans will attract foxes, cats and vermin. If anyone out there has an answer to this small logistical problem, please let me know and I will pass it on, otherwise I fear that these very handy boxes will end up for storage in the loft or garden shed.

The on-off saga of the new south west relief road for the A15 at Bourne has taken a step forward, according to a front page report in the Herald and Post which informs us (January 16th) that it will definitely be finished by next year. There have been so many ifs and buts about this much-needed project that it is wise not to start rejoicing yet but the newspaper tells us with some authority that is will be completed in 2004. The road is a joint project between the developers and the local authorities and although the first 700 metres west of the roundabout have already been built as part of the Elsea Park housing estate, work stopped last year while the funding arrangements were sorted out and of course, the bureaucratic machine moves very slowly, especially towards the end of a financial year when most of the budget has been spent. Nevertheless, even 2004 is a much earlier completion date than was originally expected and councillors are suitably euphoric about the effect the relief road will have on reducing traffic flows through Bourne town centre when it is finished because without the current agreement with the developers, we might have waited for another ten years before it materialised.

The continuing problem of litter in the streets and countryside has prompted a letter to The Local from Dave Stanley who lives at Dyke village, two miles north of Bourne (January 17th). He writes about the roadside verges along the A15 near where he lives being strewn with empty cigarette packets, fast food cartons, drinks cans, garden waste and newspapers that have been thrown out from passing vehicles and adds: "There is an item of litter for every six inches of roadside between Bourne, Dyke and Morton, to the extent that it is fast becoming a linear rubbish tip and a disgrace to the town. Could we be advised if the council has any plans to deliver a tidier Bourne and surrounds that we might be proud of?" Don't count on it, Dave.

Regular visitors to the web site will know by now that all advertising has been removed from the Bourne Forum and this includes those annoying pop-ups. Aggressive marketing such as this has become one of the drawbacks of the Internet because the companies that control it have created a situation that has become counter productive through this system of unsolicited material and spamming which is increasing at an alarming rate. The pop-up advertisements were a particular abomination because they clicked on to the screen in such an alarming manner that one visitor told me he would not come to the site again until they are gone in case they gave him a heart attack. 

The Forum was provided free by our server Network54 and the only way to be rid of them was to pay a regular fee which, as an old age pensioner, I could not afford, but a long-standing supporter of the web site has stepped in to foot the bill and we are most grateful for this generosity. The change has also enabled us add some new features to run the Forum with added efficiency and security.

Servers and sellers ought to realise that the appearance of these advertisements has the opposite effect of what is intended on those who see them because after a time they become repelled by the goods and services being offered and will avoid them like the plague. The same situation applies to spam, the advertising emails that increase in number as the days go by, the most insidious being those which activate the dial-up connection, even from the preview pane, and are bothersome to get rid of. I will buy nothing from any of them. They are deleted immediately without even being read and I advise everyone to treat them with the same disdain but how long will it be before the advertisers realise that they are doing their business a disservice by continuing with these insufferable and objectionable methods?

Legislation will most probably prohibit spam emails at some time in the future but pop-ups are another matter. Either they are being used to blackmail forum users into paying for the service without advertisements or the administrators are totally naive about their own businesses. There are several programmes that can be installed to prevent pop-ups but if you examine all of them closely, they also require a fee for a complete operation. Their own advertisements are also arriving as spam almost daily and so the problem is well known. But these should not be necessary. We require an end to all unsolicited advertising material which is causing great annoyance to the general public and slowly ruining the enjoyment of the Internet for many people and, apparently unbeknown to advertisers, is most probably causing a great deal of damage to the business of those companies that insist on using these highly questionable methods.

The problem for the Bourne web site has however been solved for the time being and we hope that the Forum will be given an added impetus as a result. This is therefore an opportune time to mention our guidelines that are simple and straightforward. Please give your name, a valid email address and observe the usual courtesies of language, and your message will be posted. 

Thought for the Week: Police have been ordered not to bother investigating crimes such as burglary, vandalism and assaults unless evidence pointing to the culprits is easily available. Under new guidelines, officers have been informed that only "serious" crimes, such as murder, rape or so-called hate crimes, should be investigated as a matter of course. In all other cases, unless there is immediate and compelling evidence, such as fingerprints or DNA material, the crime will be listed for no further action. - news report from the Sunday Telegraph, 12th January 2003.

Saturday 25^th January 2003

A large green plastic container has been sitting outside the back door for the past week while we decide what to do with it. It was delivered by South Kesteven District Council as part of their new recycling initiative. 

The accompanying literature gives details of the fortnightly collection dates and urges us to get into the habit by filling it with those unwanted items of household waste that can be recycled. The scheme is costing £250,000 and has already been blamed by councillors as a major factor in increasing our council tax when the bills begin to arrive in April. But I can see that this particular arrangement is doomed to failure. It has not been given sufficient thought and I doubt if it will see the year out before it is either drastically altered, withdrawn or withers away through disuse.

Recycling is a commendable activity and is practiced in some form or other by many households. There are various depots around Bourne for dumping bottles, paper, metal cans and old clothes. In addition, we have the excellent public waste facility in Pinfold Lane for which we waited for so many years and it is now providing a first class service seven days a week by accepting everything and anything that is thrown away from old fridges and batteries to wood, metal and garden waste. There is another such place in Cherry Holt Road although privately owned.

Those home owners who are aware of what can be done with waste already use these facilities and therefore do not need the big green boxes. But what of those people who have no regard for the environment? This is the problem because you could supply them with a dozen a week and they would remain totally indifferent while the natty containers they found on their doorstep would most certainly end up as storage units in the attic. Universal participation is therefore the first stumbling block to this scheme and of the 19,500 homes in the council's district being offered the new service, it is doubtful if even 40%, probably fewer, will respond once the novelty has worn off.

Then there is the question of logistics. This box is meant to become a permanent fixture in the home but where do you keep it? The average modern house is so compact that there is little spare space. Certainly not in the garage because they are built to such minimal proportions that there is barely room to take the car and most that I peep into as I walk past are already bulging with spare beds, bits of furniture, tools, cycles and broken lawn mowers while the family saloon is permanently parked in the drive. There is no room under the stairs either because this area is already filled by the Hoover and various dust gatherers, gadgets that have been bought and never used, and so this intrusive newcomer will most probably be consigned to the side passage next to the dustbin where it will be at the mercy of the elements. 

But what will we use the big green box for? The instructions issued by the council are quite specific, that they will accept cans and tins, plastic bottles, newspapers and magazines, junk mail, holiday brochures, cardboard, textiles and shoes. There is an equally lengthy list of what must not be put into it, knives and hypodermic needles being on the banned list as well as being an indication of the lifestyle the council anticipates at some households, while margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, waxed milk cartons, polystyrene food trays, egg boxes, cling film, aluminium foil, are also out. Oh, and no glass either. Please use the bottle banks, we are told.

The council also expects you to keep certain items such as textiles and shoes, clean and dry, and so they must be securely fastened in a plastic bag. Then there will be the tins to which remnants of tomato soup, sardines, baked beans and even a spot of Rogan Josh, still cling, all of which will be an attraction for every cat and fox in the neighbourhood wanting a midnight feast after which the contents of the big green box will be left scattered over a wide area. Newspapers will become soaked and soggy and weighing twice as much as they normally do while the plastic bottles and other containers, whose stoppers you have been told to remove, will slowly fill up with rainwater and add to the weight. 

The other important consideration is what to do when the box is full up, which in most households with a nuclear family of 2.4 children will be within two or three days. Do they then revert to the dustbin while the big green box overflows? Or do they leave it empty and only start filling shortly before collection day? Either course of action will be another little worry for the harassed home owner to consider before they eventually cart it to the edge of their property (a council phrase for the collection point) before the lorry arrives to fetch it every fortnight.

Councillor Linda Neal, leader of South Kesteven District Council which is responsible for this scheme, tells us: "Every household produces on average one tonne of domestic waste each year and the amount is increasing. At present, only 6% of domestic waste is recycled but it is possible to recycle half the contents of a household's refuse. That is what we have got to encourage people to do and educate them how to do it."

A commendable objective but is this really the way forward? A better solution appears to be operating in Bourne quite efficiently and that is the provision of small re-cycling centres dotted around the town. There are several already and we need more of them. If people could walk to them and dump their recyclable waste, the volume would increase dramatically. But no matter how many green boxes you give to some households, you won't even get a tin can in return.

No one doubts the necessity to ensure that we re-use as much of our waste as possible but this scheme appears to have been introduced without any real thought behind it. The accompanying literature with its cartoon character urging us to "Get the habit" might look good in the committee room when this idea was given a presentation, but its successful operation is quite another matter. When it founders on the rocks of impracticality, as it surely will, the council will blame first the public for not using the facilities it has offered and then the government for foisting the regulations on them in the first place to enforce such a scheme, while those responsible for it will stay conveniently quiet and the council tax payer will again foot the bill for yet another wasted effort. 

My own solution to the problem that has been presented by the arrival of the big green box is far more simple and workable. This is an environmentally aware household and I will continue to recycle every possible scrap of domestic waste at the available disposal points in Bourne as I always have done while the official container is going into the garden shed to be used for other purposes and will not be put out for collection. It will make quite a suitable receptacle for those odds and ends that I am loath to throw away until SKDC decides that they want it back. Various other uses have been suggested by contributors to the Bourne Forum this week and I suggest that those who thought up this idea might read them through and contemplate on what they are doing with public money.

What the local newspapers are saying: Barely a day goes by without a traffic hold up in Bourne town centre caused by an illegally parked car or van. Drivers regularly leave their vehicles on double yellow lines or in some other restricted area while they go about their business, totally unconcerned about the inconvenience it causes to others, and of course we have no traffic wardens, while the sight of a policeman on the streets is not a familiar one. The Herald and Post tell us (January 23rd) that our local authorities are aware of the need for one in Bourne but under the existing system, they will have to foot the bill for his salary even though they are appointed and employed by the police and so we have yet another bureaucratic stalemate while our traffic laws continue to be flouted. Under the present system, money collected from on the spot fines goes to central government and the expense of employing a warden comes straight from budget, hence the current argument. The solution therefore is a simple one. Allow the local authority which uses the traffic warden to keep the money collected from the penalties imposed. Illegal parking in Bourne has reached such a high level that on the spot fines in one day would pay his salary for a week but then the simple solution always seems to evade the official mind when the problem can be made so much more difficult through prolonged consultation which usually ends up with nothing being done.

The rumpus over moving the Post Office from its purpose built premises in West Street continues to dominate the headlines but it appears to be a done deal. Unlike the similar situation that occurred in the summer of 1990, when a proposal to relocate to disused launderette premises in North Street was shelved because of public pressure, I think that this time, the move to the liquor store further down West Street is cut and dried and no amount of consultation will change it. The Local, which has lead a valiant campaign to prevent the move, reports (January 24th) that more than 1,000 people have already signed a protest petition which will be handed over when the consultation period ends on February 3rd but, as the Stamford Mercury reports (January 24th): "There is an air of inevitability in the town, particularly after the last chance of retaining the old Bourne Hospital site for a future health facility was blown away earlier this month." Nevertheless, there is still a lot of fight left over the issue and stalwart Councillor Marjorie Clark, a veteran of many similar campaigns, told the Mercury: "The Post Office couldn't have much stronger opposition than it is getting from the people of Bourne. We've even thought about going by coach to the Post Office head quarters in St Albans if we have to."

Both the Stamford Mercury and The Local have the same front page story (January 24th), a tale of joy that should lift our hearts in the depression that currently dogs our town. Becky Dean, aged 20, and her partner Dean Gash, aged 28, of Victoria Place, Bourne, were heartbroken when they lost their unborn child following a car crash at Morton crossroads in November 2001. It was more than they could bear. But last Saturday, Becky gave birth to a baby boy weighing in at 8lb. 9oz. and both mother and baby are doing fine. They have called him Frankie and proud father Dean celebrated by picking up his wife and son up from hospital in a limousine. Becky told the Mercury: "We had hit rock bottom. Things got as low as they could get. Now we have cried tears of joy. I am on cloud nine and I still can't believe it."

A new section has been added to the web site today dealing with some of the prominent people associated with Bourne in past and present times. In recent years, I have researched the lives of 56 people connected with this town and the list continues to grow. There is no space to include this material on the web site and so I am providing thumbnail sketches of some, together with a photograph where available, but more detailed biographies can be found on our companion CD-ROM. If anyone out there can think of a suitable candidate for this gallery of eminence, I will be pleased to hear from them, the only criteria being that the nominee must have contributed something to the history and heritage of this town, either through their dedicated public service or extraordinary deeds, both rare commodities in these present times.

Thought for the Week: Joseph Bellamy of Bourne appeared before the magistrates summoned for driving a motor car to the danger of the public in the town. Police Constable Gibson said that defendant turned the corner from West Street to North Street at 20 miles an hour and it was with difficulty that witness got out of the way. John Edward Lunn and Edward Mason corroborated. Defendant denied the offence but said that owing to people at the corner, he had to take a wide sweep. As he was only in part employment, defendant was fined £2 and the chairman, Mr Robert Gardner, remarked that in future it would be best for him to study the public a little more. His licence was also endorsed. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 1st August 1924.

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