Papalscope in the Autumn

BBC RADIO.

bbc RADIO 4 dab and bbc Radio 4 on 92.90 MHZ fm STEREO.

We have in particular two modern radio receivers, one tuned to digital and the other not. This is so because one signal or the other works better in each room, though but paces apart.

Why is it that the 'Time Pips' do not coincide on both sets ? Surely this is very wrong and must be due to faulty engineering at the transmission end ? One can hear words received in one room, and hear them again in another, more importantly that time signal. Its not even a marginal delay, its a matter of half a sentence's delay. One would have addressed this to the BBC, but alas one is seemingly unable to be so advise them via the internet.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

A while ago one made mention of the Chair of Wiltshire County Council's elevation to the House of Lords. One had noted that her intention was to continue as Leader our County Council, and so she has. That apart one reads that her Ladyship also advantages the House of Lords with frequent attendances. It amazes that one can do so much, when so many others merely attend the Upper House to collect their financial allowance for a particular day. My late widowed half sister, married into the Upper House,she being the second wife of a Chairman of Guy's Hospital. etc.,so he too a busy person, a man whose father had been a famed Governor of the Bank of England. All too often though inherited titles do not so match the capabilities of those who inherited them. Maybe it's way past the time for a general refurbishment of the Upper House, which according to the news heard on the radio today, is becoming the Rest Home for failed politicians.

WHAT OF LOCAL COUNCILS ?

It really isn't an easy job to be any sort of a Councillor. All too many may be beguiled into Councillorship in the mistaken belief that little may be expected of them . It really isn't good enough to offer ones services even at Parish Level, be one elected or even co-opted, only to fall by the wayside, and so make way for another, who more probably than not , will be the Co-option of the remaining sitting Councillors, many of whom were themselves previously co-opted. Change is needed, can lack of change be why so many show disinterest in any level of Councillorship ?.

We have elections coming up next year, PLEASE will all those who may be interested in local Governance reconsider their possible candidature. Heaven save us from the candidature of mere Protesters, whose standing more often than not, may ensure the election of some even less favoured candidate, than the prior incumbent of the Seat contested..

I've always been very interested in local Governance. Though twice un-elected as a Independent District Councillor in the New Forest near forty years ago, I wasn't afterwards tempted by the Conservative Party's suggestion that I seek nomination as their Hampshire County Council candidate, in a hitherto secure Conservative ward.. One wasn't that desperate.

HOUSING THE HOMELESS.

Some years ago Government legislated to enforce the sale of Council Housing to Tenants; and too the selling of privately owned freeholds, when the period of the tenants lease exceeded in the region of twenty five years. ( You might check the detail for accuracy). So it was that Local Councils lost many of their houses, council estates were split up, so estates are no longer able to be redeveloped as a whole. Other landlords both corporate and private had to sell the freeholds of the houses they owned to their tenants for maybe as little as fifteen or twenty pounds, plus solicitors costs.

The trouble with such private housing was that much of it had been on hundred year leases then falling in, and the Government feared having to rehouse the multitude in places such as Brighton.

One is reminded of this because such an end terrace house in a Thames Side village sold leasehold for a few thousand pounds,subsequently had its freehold made available through legislation, to the sitting tenant for circa £20 plus Legal costs. The house's attic has since been plastered out to accommodate an additional family member, and its Kitchen area ever so slightly extended. It is for sale now, for just under a million pounds sterling. I mention sterling for its owners live in Brazil.

What brought that on ? Well last evening 19.10.2016. there were a couple of programmes on Television. One programme concerned the ways that the homeless might or might not access council accommodation. A case in particular concerned the eviction of a son of a deceased female tenant, he having more or less lived in the house, with his mother for some forty years. One heard of new tenants receiving the tenancy from the council in his stead. Alas their need was greater, and the Council's stock no longer as it was, due to the Government nonsense of enforced sales of Council Houses... Much of that is let out by its new owners, to tenants financially subsidised by local Councils, for relatively astronomical sums of money.

There was too an investigation into the ways of acquiring fraudulent benefit both financial and housing. Investigators with sub minature cameras were taken into the confidence of a number of persons , allegedly fraudulently claiming all manner of benefits. Whilst joyful in their alleged deceit, they were less joyful when told they would be on television.

BBC2 'No place to call Home', 9 pm. and then Channel 5 10pm 'Under Cover Benefit Cheats'.19.10.16 Possibly both programs may now be found on the Internet.

J.B.P. 20^th October 2016.

NOW THERE IS A FUNNY THING.

 
Lymington & and; Pennington Town Council

(Pennington Ward)
on Thursday 1 September 2016

Since writing about Pennington Ward of the New Forest District Council  on September 1st.this year, I am advised that the Lymington and Pennington Ward of the local Council happened to hold  a By- election for a vacated Lymington and Pennington seat on the Town Council later that same day.

Since both the Liberal Democrat and the Conservative candidate each received 401 votes, it was agreed that the Returning Officer should indeed ' toss a coin ' to determine the result of the election, his doing so resulted in the Council seat being awarded to the young Liberal Democrat Jack Davies who was then given an extra vote. by the Returning Officer.

(As a matter of interest the Independent received 119 votes whilst Labour received 55 votes. Clearly even now Pennington does not support Independents at either level of local Government, however it is good that seats are so contested between election years , when all Tisbury can offer is an interminable succession  of adopted Councillors.)

Papalscope Tisbury Wiltshire 1st September 2016


HOW THEN ARE THINGS IN UPPER CHICKSGROVE ?

A number of years ago, residents of Quarry Lane, were asked whether we wished to become part of an adjoined Parish or remain a part of Tisbury Parish. I must confess I voted for the latter proposition but over the years have come to regret doing so, because all too often our once rural area now finds itself disadvantaged .

There was a recent enough Chair of the Parish Council who didn’t even realise that we were  part of the Parish of Tisbury. We did once rustle up a local Parish Councillor, but she resigned very early on, I understood because she found that the circumstance of the Tisbury Parish Council had little in common with Upper Chicksgrove  where she then lived.

PLANNING MATTERS
Over recent years the Upper Chicksgrove Quarry has reopened for use, and quarrying apart, there have been a number of additional permissions granted which seemingly will still be sustainable even should the Quarry itself become exhausted.

QUARRY FARM YARD .
The entirety of the top of this farm yard is residentially used, An owner having converted a main barn to a very nice house, part of which had permission to be temporarily used for business purposes. There are in that same upper farmyard, two other buildings which no doubt anon. someone will wish to convert into at least one large, and one small house.

There is too a lower farmyard,  the similar Chilmark stone buildings of which, would  undoubtedly gain permission for housing, if such an application was again made

Possibly anon  someone will so make application , and thereby shock the neighbours , but surely such would  be a  proper use for the buildings, especially  as all the buildings in both farm yards were recently connected to a brand new sewerage system, which allegedly cost the site owner a lot of money to install. One hopes it will run efficiently, when all buildings avail themselves  of it, for one occasionally wonders.

Seemingly it was not possible to provide a connection to our riverside garden., the which immediately ‘Fronts’ all the southern barns of that  lower farm yard . Never mind.

My wife and I enjoy that garden, possibly anon others might too, for there have been enquiries. made of us concerning our intent ,being as the garden is detached from our house. Someone had it in mind to build themselves a house there, whilst another thought to exchange our garden for a parking area elsewhere., another regretted the garden was no longer with the Farmhouse itself.

In the meantime the bottom farm yard has no residential usage, the farmer uses one basic asbestos farm building as a workshop/ store ,all the other buildings about are further lengths of very fine 1830 Chilmark stone construction which  now  house a motor repair workshop , a stone mason, and what seems to be an overflowing storage facility, all of which one heard tell, are seemingly part of the farm  so maybe much of the bottom farm yard is excused the payment of rates? I do recall there was planning granted for one piece of the south barn to be used in connection with the furniture trade, however it seems no longer to be so used.

Happily a sometime tenant no longer in occupation of one piece, left after telling me that he was running a commercial garage workshop in the yard, so the  neighbours could expect to hear a radio loudly playing all day.

 On my birthday last July , realising that I too am getting older, thought to enquire of the presumed owner of the farm yard which his intent for it,? But alas these six weeks on , one still awaits a courteous reply to my letter, though someone told me to keep out of the Farmyard. as my presence upset one of its work force. Little change there as one has no call to go into it, despite that one understands that there used to be a public footpath through one of the farmyards..?

THE RAILWAY.
The Rail line  advises that in early September it will again be carrying out repairs over a number of nights. Why one wonders can not the rail line be accessed from Tisbury Station rather than via the Upper Chicksgrove Level-Crossing ? For months on end there has been a daytime chap on the crossing to ensure safety. Maybe now the installed lights, and the hooter, and the wind turbine and the camera  and associated items will allow the crossing to function without on site supervision.

THE NADDER BRIDGE
What plans has Wiltshire County Council for the bridge over the river Nadder the which,  Quarry, Rail , Farm, and Residential traffic and walkers use to cross the River . The wretched bridge is disintegrating. What now of the £70,000 the Council was to spend upon its first aid repair. All one knows of that, was a photographic survey a couple of years ago. One realises that money is tight, but one also realises that money comes from rate payers pockets, so it would be great to benefit from our outlay.

 WHAT OF SEEMINGLY EXCESSIVE RATES.
I live in what was once a  Dairy building, now but adjoined to the main Farmhouse at  both ground and basement level At the time we moved from the one part of the house to the other, our then openly attached Dairy building was given a far lower ‘rateable’ valuation than it now has, for it was later re-assessed as band ‘E’. Fortunate are those who similarly refurbished their houses since we did, for they pay the original lower rates attaching to un-refurbished property, for such is the system. Then of course there is the 10% discount given to every house in single occupancy. So guess what ; Our roadside Dairy Cottage now pays the second highest rates in our post code area, before us comes only the house recently offered for sale at two and a half million pounds. Unfortunately discounted rates are seemingly funded by those of us whose rates are not discounted. Escalation of Rates bring one back to the affairs of central Tisbury where incidentally one finds the like of our ‘Band F’ home, a proportionately less frequent occurrence.

THE OLD NADDER MIDDLE SCHOOL.
One does not presume to speak for anyone else, but from first mention of the above matter, I spoke against using the Nadder Middle School for the like of its current new usage. I recall there was a meeting at the school, which the then District Council  invited me to attend. One did and one voiced ones contrary opinion, and was criticised by a fellow guest, a member of our then Parish Council, for attending and speaking at a meeting ,
‘I had no business attending.’  She said.
Anyway seemingly my opinion better expressed as  the contrary opinion of others carried the day, so rather than be put to some other sort of use, the Nadder School premises was then used by a private school for some years, whilst the original school hall was shared with the Village. One later heard that one of the reasons that  private school gave up its  tenancy was the buildings inaccessibility to the students who’d. arrive at Tisbury Station by train.

It will be jolly interesting to see how accessible the new set up will be to those wishing to avail themselves of the facility, especially when there is ice covering the road, for even at the best of times the approach road seems to be treacherous, passing as it does through a large housing estate Forget not this building  isn’t only there for Tisbury, but for the use of surrounding Parishes too, whom one trusts will also be financing it’s sustainability. Maybe some here about will be frightfully keen to avail themselves of this new centre, maybe not, who knows ?

 Of course too there is the proposal to redeveloped the old Parmiter Site along side Tisbury Station as a housing development with some car parking. After the loss of so many other worksites in the village over recent years, maybe we’d  do well to reopen that un-employment office on Hindon Lane.

I recall years ago attending  a meeting of the then Salisbury District Council, when only our two District councillors voted in favour of houses being built on The Parmiter Site. I recall one of those District Councillors telling it was usual enough so to build rail side houses all the way up to London. Fortunately the rest of the District Council didn’t go along with the idea. How have things changed since then, for our Parish Councillors may see fit to turn the village’s only remaining worksite into  an housing area with some Parking. Surely Tisbury needs employment, where else can it be located.?

THE PARISH  COUNCIL
There are some on the Parish Council who are minded to turn a piece of privately owned land opposite the station into a parking site for rail commuters, and of course High Street shoppers !

The Village seems to have acquired a Business Association, and not un-naturally a lot of local business persons comprise its membership, as too a lot of its membership are also members of our Tisbury Parish Council.  Speaking of which what happened to all those whom we elected at the last Parish Council election, who have since left ‘Office’   not to mention  happened to some of their replacements subsequently co-opted by the Parish Council. Persons who in turn gave up their Councillorship?  Others now fail to attend Parish Council Meetings through illness, or other reasons unknown to me.

 Personally I have no wish for so much of our Parish Council to be co-opted by its persisting membership, whether they be members of the Tisbury Business Association or not. It would be good if newer and younger residents showed an interest in becoming Councillors, but somehow that seldom happens. One hears tell that fewer of us have either the time or the wish to be any sort of Councillor. Is it the realisation of that, which causes so many of our oft co-opted Parish Councillors to resign from office, or what? Things are not as they used to be, so maybe  Tisbury might prefer its Parish Council to be more representative of everyone in the community.

I gave up standing for election to the New Forest District Councillor in 1978/9, having twice remained an un-elected Independent. Even so I did not so stand before having ‘sat in’ on the proceedings of two District Council Committees for over a year beforehand.  Doing so that I might acquaint myself with what was what. Though unelected then , it doesn’t mean that one gave up ones interest in local affairs. so really can  not understand why others seemingly lack the enthusiasm of yester year.

Sorry to be so opinionated but much regret the passing of the Salisbury District Council for in my opinion, Parish Councils are too parochial.
for our good.

Goodness knows what has happened to our Wiltshire County Council.
Did one hear its  ennobled Chair once remark that no one down this end of the County was suited to any particular responsibility ? Maybe things are no longer so. Though if  any  of us are minded to offer our services at forthcoming elections, for either Parish or County, if not both ,possibly it would be a good idea to first sit in on the current Councils’ meetings , just to see if one  really is interested in becoming a Councillor. The Wilts Council meetings can also be seen on the Internet.

WILTS COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.
Earlier this year, one made mention on line of an Amesbury WCC. vacancy. Seemingly the seat was then won by a  young candidate standing for the Liberal Party, he having a majority of all of five votes. At a slightly earlier election in that Ward, the Conservative then standing , won the seat with a majority of only nine votes.

 I do hope the new Councillor has a successful career., but maybe another time both Parish and  County might just toss a coin for its seats, so doing might cheer the electorate.

Full Result of that  County election.
p
Jamie Capp (Lib Dem): 361 (25.7%) aged 20. Won by 5 votes.
Robert Yuill (Con): 356 (25.4%)
Andy Derry (Ind): 292 (20%)
Les Webster (UKIP): 217 (15.5%)
Steve McAuliffe (Lab): 133 (9.5%)
Joshua Baker (Green): 60 (4.2%)    Turnout: 31%

Papalscope ,

TISBURY
PARISH Council Meeting Tuesday.7th.June 2016.

Item 16.6.14 on agenda . Ref Brocante Sale Funding.

A little over a year ago a sum of money was collected from Tisbury Rate Payers to fund the newly created ‘Brocante Sale’ in the village. Happily there was no debit against the money collected, and the capital sum was seemingly banked. It occurred to me at the time that such money should have become a contribution to this current year’s Rate payers liabilities, but it wasn’t , so one is inclined to wonder why it wasn’t.

The Brocante Sale may -‘benefit', antique dealers. and hopefully local trades persons. If it does , maybe it would not be unreasonable for such traders to fund the event for themselves, rather than have The Parish Ratepayers do so on their behalf. Naturally West Tisbury Ratepayers make no contribution. Surely such events should not be the financial concern of either Parish Council? I for one, very much object to our Parish Council funding the event at all, and seemingly wrongfully, supposed that such was some  other rate payers opinion last year?

WHAT THEN OF TISBURY RATEPAYERS ?

In particular I give as an example a couple living in the sticks circa two miles from Central Tisbury.

I have no wish to be invidious but having already vacated the main bulk of the original house we occupied, in favour of a then lower rated attached ‘wing’ ,One is surprised to find that my wife and I are now the second highest Rate Payer in ‘our’ post code, Our cottage having now financial precedence over all other houses bar one .This either because all other houses in the road have either remained assessed at their lower rateable value prior to subsequent restoration, or have but a single occupier, benefiting from a 10% discount.

Such debits and exemptions may be the explanation for our Band F. cottage paying out £2,303.48 per annum in rates this year, whilst last year one paid but £2,180.52. An increase of £122.96 over last year. ie an extra £2.37 a week. Is it to be supposed that UNDISCOUNTED houses pay the balance of the rates of those houses which receive discounts ? I rather think such is the case. Furthermore why should we pay FAR MORE in rates every month of the year , than does an otherwise undiscounted friend, and neighbour , in a close -by detached upgraded landed property? Property needs to be revalued, NOW.

With due respect to the Parish Council’s aspirations for the affairs of central Tisbury, might it bear in mind that enterprises such as the Tisbury Brocante which may or may not benefit local shop keepers, are little more than a financial burden on others.( Even Grosvenor House Antiques Fair is no more, because its organisers couldn’t afford to run it.) Goodness knows why Tisbury Parish Council sees itself such a good fairy.
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AS FOR THAT AMESBURY EAST BYE- ELECTION HELD ON THE 5TH OF MAY 2016. THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY LOST THE SEAT. ONE WONDERS CONCERNING PARTY    POLITICS ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL

PAPALSCOPE RANTS ON RENTS

Martins Money Tips advise,

'Rents continue to rise-there at record highs with average £790/mth nationally and an eye-watering £1,240/mth in London.'

One reads that the new minimum work rate for any employee between the ages of 18-20 is £5.30 an hour. Such a sum is a lot more than I or my contemporaries earned A WEEK ,as twenty year olds, in an ever so smart City Job with a Lloyds Insurance Broker in 1954, working as we did then, a five and a half day week. Prior to their then employment, most had held National Services commissions in one of the Services. One fellow still held his, as an excuse for going to sea for two weeks in the summer.. Believe he became the Managing Director of a different Insurance Broker some time later.

I left that employ after maybe eight years, because even then ones weekly wage was still little more than £5. gross. One had only remained in one's employment, because one wished to work in the then New Lloyds Building. Alas even that was soon after put to other use, for Lloyds had a re-build on its original site.

In the early 1950's people earned less money than they do now. I as a twenty year old, earned £270.00 pa. (Together with 15/- per week in Luncheon vouchers.) That amount being gross pay prior to all tax, and pension deductions. One then worked some forty four hours a week. Ones purchase of an £80 per annum season ticket covered ones travel costs, the main cost of the 28 1/2 hours one spent travelling to and from work each week. For that sum one might have spent as long as one cared to on the trains, indeed I recall so accommodating myself down and up, after a Party one Friday night. But of course in those days our Great Western Line was adversely affected by both the fog and domestic smoke one passed en route. Even so, overall one spent at least 72 1/2 hours about ones work each week. House rents were still controlled , both rich and poor retained their pre-war tenancies, many of which were supposedly on short term leases started in the depression years of the 1930's. Families might occupy a three or four bedroom house, in the most desirable of Commuter Thames Side villages for maybe as little as £60. gross per annum, (less standard rate income tax deductable at source, and schedule A and or B) These rents had been so controlled since the outbreak of war in 1939. I recall that my elder brother had a furnished room in Earls Court for 10/- per week into the 1950's. 'Rackmanism' came later.

How though are these reported expected rentals of £790 or £1,240 per month paid when the new standard minimum wage for anyone over the age of 25 is £7.20 per hour. Not sure that even the new enhanced pay scale will cover that. Very possibly some houses are shared, whilst others are funded by the social services. Seemingly the Government gives such funding to the claimant, rather than directly to the property owner. Often enough the legitimate claimant fails to hand the money on to his landlord, and if one is to believe the many Television programmes one sees, the property owner takes his tenant to the courts, and if it be the High Court, the tenant may be out on the street without further notice. So he or she avails him or her self ,of the housing department of a local Council, which then puts the erring tenant and family into a hostel or hotel at public expense. If all this isnt the height of stupidity, heaven help us . PLEASE WILL GOVERMENT GET ITS ACT TOGETHER?

It is very easy to criticise others whilst doing nothing helpful oneself, however there was a time I had involvement at a small time landlord. One gave up being so because,

        OUR VARIOUS GOVERNMENTS SEEM INCOMPETENT .

ELECTORAL DISTEMPER

' Birthdays' listed in the Times or Telegraph tend to confuse. How can it be that some days, none listed are older than one is oneself, whilst on others several may so be. What though of all the aged and seemingly haggard strewn about one, are some older than one hears tell, or do some just seem older than one knows oneself to be ?

Prior to 1980 one lived in The New Forest area of Hampshire County, and being minded to do ones bit, thought to attempt to become an Independent District Councillor in two successive elections. One was not elected on either occasion, despite being but pipped at the post for the second election, but probably that was because no Liberal stood against me and two Conservatives. However never did one loose ones interest in local affairs.

One noted that on the 2^nd May 2013, the only candidate of the 79 returned to the Wiltshire Council who received more votes than I did in the New Forest District Council Election in 1979, was County Councillor George Jeans of Mere. Such trivia makes one wonder how the Conservative Party retains Wiltshire with so few votes. No wonder its Chair was rewarded with a seat in the House of Lords.

One notes that there is to be a County Council By election in Amesbury East on the 5^th May next. After the 2013 election that seat was held by a Conservative who had an overall majority of 24 votes . What one may wonder is it that makes WILTSHIRE ELECTORALY Moribund ? One vote is sufficient to win an election, however, surely it is time that Wiltshire became a contentious area.

_____________________

One also notes that Tisbury Village is yet again one presumes, to co-opt a replacement Parish Councillor. However many does that make, that sitting councillors rather than the public will have voted into office. One realises that problems do arise, however every sudden departure from the Council does make one wonder if our electoral process is all it might be. I personally believe that an elector should either vote for a full house, or forego his or her right to vote at all. I do not think it is right for any of us to be too selective in our choices, or vote as some did at the last public election for but one or two favoured parish candidates, thus skewing the worth of others. Is one to wonder why so many do not offer their services to the community?

_____________________________

Some years after leaving Hampshire, and well passed the age of 70, I was asked whether I wished to become a Magistrate there ? Maybe there is a younger generation available for all councils and offices etc, so how about encouraging some of the younger generation here, rather than recruit more of the same? 26.4.2016

Wrant against the New Year and Birthday Honours Lists.

An Article written by General Wrant.

I was chatting to someone the other day, clearly the fellow didn’t know me any more than I knew him, or he wouldn’t have reassured me that ‘Old Ranter’ had died a while back. Though the remark did momentarily take the wind out of my sails , I but commented that they didn’t make the like of him any more. His response to that was that there’s a silver lining to every cloud. The fellow went on to tell me that he had just been honoured by The Queen for ‘Services to Macramé.’ So I congratulated him. Obviously he was a very sound sort of a chap, amidst the plethora of the less skilled and incompetents who now grace her Majesty’s New Year and Birthday Honours lists.

Having a handle to my own name, and being myself possessed of Decorations, occasions me with opportunities to visit many a Charity and Good Cause, and there, be introduced to volunteers who day in and day out ‘man the pumps that actually deliver the goods’. I feel humiliated to observe how little officialdom recognises the contribution that each and everyone of those volunteers makes towards the welfare of the less fortunate, whilst seemingly falling over to honour its own cronies, and ineffectively balancing the books with a stream of inexplicable awards to persons of no obvious accomplishment, often on a basis of Multicultural Political Correctitude. Maybe a Public Service Award would separate the Sheep from the Goats. well enough.

Its not that Volunteers who serve; stand and wait for anything. But others such as I may wonder whether the Honours system is worth its candle? There was that old understanding of an MBE being described as My (Own) Effort, whilst the OBE was referred to as the effort of Others.

A while back the Military Cross was awarded only to Commissioned Officers, whilst other ranks had to be contented with maybe The Military Medal. Quite rightly now all may gain the Military Cross. Possibly the OBE and the MBE, and this British Empire Medal should become one, for currently the distinction between them is seldom more than a matter of Social Class. One best not write what one thinks of persons elevated to The House Of Lords, lest one finds oneself hauled before its Bar for contempt ,however the sooner its remaining Hereditary Peers and unelected Placemen are put out to grass the better. Let’s face it many Hereditary Peerages were purchased. I know that an ancient kinsman of mine embellished his Baronetcy by purchasing an Irish Earldom from King Charles. His line having failed, the Earldom has since been recycled for the use of a Duke of the Current Blood Royal, from whose forebears in office so many of the rest of us are, if only matrilineally descended.

Lady Phyllis and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the very best for the year ahead.

Recommend Iolanthe on this web site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BnXznX0eaU&feature=player_detailpage