Council looks at tackling local global warming

WEST Somerset district councillors are to consider tackling climate change, which has been identified as one of the greatest global threats.
The council’s cabinet members are meeting on Tuesday, May 1, to look at signing-up to the Nottingham Declaration, which will commit the authority to combating climate change within the district.
Environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “The Nottingham Declaration is a voluntary pledge which councils can take to address issues of climate change.
“We are already trying to tackle greenhouse gas emissions through our development of energy efficient low-carbon homes in Carhampton and the use of alternative technologies in the new office development in Williton.
“By signing up to the Nottingham Declaration, we are demonstrating to the community our ongoing commitment to tackling climate change on a local level.
“By working together to adapt to the effects of, and mitigate the causes of, climate change we can make a considerable local contribution to this global problem.”
If approved, the leader of the council, Councillor Christine Lawrence, and the council’s chief executive, Tim Howes, will sign the declaration on the district’s behalf.
The council will then work with partners such as Forum 21 and the West Somerset Strategic Partnership and others to:

• Establish baselines for the activities relating to climate change to assist in highlighting opportunities and targets for action


• Develop aims and objectives that will be subject to regular review


• Produce targets with SMART actions


• Produce a draft strategy to encompass all of these items for consideration by policy development

Mr Timms said:“We need to prepare for drier summers and wetter winters.
“West Somerset has a lengthy coastline which already has areas identified as a flood risk.
“The cabinet will contemplate all aspects of climate change, and its possible effect on our district, when considering signing up to the declaration.”Photo submitted.

Road repairs will help avoid Boscastle-type flood in Dulverton

REPAIR works are to be carried out on a main road out of Dulverton on to Exmoor to help prevent a Boscastle-style flooding disaster.
The B3233 Dulverton to Marsh Bridge road is in danger of collapsing into the River Barle and will need to be closed for up to three months for the repairs.
Highways engineers will use the closure time to reconstruct a failing retaining wall in Northmoor Road to keep the road safe.
Work is due to start on Monday, April 30, and could last until July 20.
A public meeting is being held on Wednesday, April 25, in Dulverton Town Hall, to explain the scheme to residents.
The meeting starts at 7 pm and will be attended by Somerset highways structures manager Peter Radford and highway manager David Peake.
The retaining wall reconstruction work will prevent the possibility of a dangerous collapse of a section of the road into the river, which would cause the loss of public utilities to many homes and businesses in Dulverton as well as an enforced road closure lasting many months and the destabilising of properties on the far side of the road.
Historical records show that some riverside cottages in Dulverton were washed away during a serious flood in the 1950s.
Improvements were undertaken at the time and since, but more work is now needed to extend to a further section of the wall.
Councillor John Edwards, who represents Dulverton and Exmoor on Somerset County Council, said: “It is regrettable that there will be disruption while this essential improvement work is being carried out, but we hope that residents and road users will bear with us.
“Everybody can be assured we are fully focussed on the need to get a proper job done as safely and quickly as possible.”
Dulverton Town Council chairman, CouncillorChris Nelder, said: “Locals will all know that the beautiful River Barle does occasionally bare its teeth and our first priority must be to keep the road and residents’ property safe.”
Mr Radford said: “Concerns in these kinds of locations has increased after recent flooding events such as Boscastle.
“The old wall has lost nearly all of its stone facing and this whole section, lying on the outside bend of the river, could be eroded away very swiftly if there was a serious flood. This work is necessary to ensure safety to road users.
“Everybody can rest assured we are doing everything we can to reduce the time the job takes but I must be realistic and not be over-optimistic. If we can beat the July 20 deadline and get the road safely open to traffic earlier, we certainly will.”
Progress notices will be posted around the town, together with diversion routes.
Preparatory work for the scheme, including tree felling and utility diversions, was carried out during the winter, but because of environmental and river level constraints the main work was delayed until now.
As the work involves a road closure and is taking place during the summer months, Somerset Highways has developed a design to minimise the construction period and environmental impact.
There will be a pedestrian path past the work at all times and continued access to businesses and properties close to the site.
To add to the complexity of the scheme, the River Barle at this point is a legally protected Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the presence of river jelly lichen on the river bed.
On the engineering side, borehole investigations behind the wall revealed the presence of extremely hard but thinly-bedded siltstone extending several yards below the river bed and this has made the design more complicated.
Anybody who would like an update on the road closure is asked to telephone Somerset Direct on 0845 9155.
For any other information about the project, people should contact project team members Keith Dingle or Julian Mitchell on 01823 483035.

• Our photographs show (top) the dilapidated section of wall supporting Northmoor Road where a leaning telegraph pole - beside the white van on the right - helped alert engineers to the problem, and (middle) a close-up view of old wall showing lost stonework and areas where the road is being undermined. Photos submitted.

Lottery windfall means handy home help for needy residents

A WINDFALL of nearly £100,000 from the Big Lottery fund means the Somerset Coast Home Improvement Agency (SCHIP) Fix-it Team will soon hit the streets of West Somerset in their Handy Repair Van.
West Somerset Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “We are delighted with the success of the SCHIP’s bid.”
SCHIP, a home improvements partnership between West Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council, carries out property repairs and adaptations for people in need who are over 60 or disabled.
The lottery fund has awarded it £98,205 over three years.
Mr Timms said: “The new service will complement the existing core service of organising building works and helping to raise funding for clients.
“We are delighted to be able to extend these services.”
Now, a home repair service, known as the ‘Fix-it Team’, will be able to carry out small jobs, emergency repairs, and help with hospital discharge.
It will work closely with existing projects such as the Safe and Secure scheme, Bobbyvan service, and Social Services, which already provides valuable assistance in West Somerset and Sedgemoor.
The Handyperson scheme will be run along the same lines as the existing gardening scheme - SCHIP Green-Team.

Construction underway on district council new headquarters

WORK has started in Williton on a centralised £2.9 million headquarters for West Somerset Council.
Council chief executive Tim Howes said: “We are delighted to be centralising our workforce in these new offices.
“This is a big investment for Williton, good news for the local economy, and a positive move for West Somerset.”
The majority of the existing collection of ageing council buildings on the site will be demolished and replaced with a two-and-a-half storey T-shaped modern building at the northern end of the Killick Way car park.
Recycling banks on the site were removed on Monday, April 23, in preparation for the build, and the council is encouraging people to recycle what they can through the fortnightly kerbside black box collection service, or to use the public facilities at the household waste recycling centre on the village’s Roughmoor industrial estate.
The recycling centre is open from 8 am to 8 pm in the summer and from 8 am to 5 pm in winter.
Subject to the Somerset Waste Board’s approval, the council hopes to return some recycling banks into a smaller area in March, 2008.
Council staff are being encouraged to park off site during the build, and the council has secured sufficient car park spaces on private land nearby, to minimise any disruption to the public.
Mr Howes said: “We have put in considerable effort to ensure the building’s orientation, layout, and design maximise the use of natural light, climate control, and energy conservation.”
The new offices will feature a metal ziplock roof which gives the appearance of traditional lead, with render, glass panel, and brickwork walls.
Two floors of the building will comprise meeting rooms and open-plan offices with a part-mezzanine executive officers’ suite in the roof space above.
Floor space will total 2,025 square metres.
The council chose Exeter-based contractors Mansell plc’s design for the new offices following public consultation last November.
More than 70 per cent of those who responded to the consultation said they felt Mansell’s design was most suited to the site.
The illustration above is an artist’s impression of how the new council offices should look. Drawing submitted.

Murder inquiry woman may have 'hanged herself'

A TEENAGE holidaymaker whose death at Butlins, Minehead, was initially treated as murder may have committed suicide in the chalet where she was staying.
A post mortem has revealed the 19-year-old woman died as a result of hanging.
Earlier, her 26-year-old boyfriend had been arrested on suspicion of murder and then later released without charge.
The young woman was found suffering serious injuries in her chalet at about 3 am on Saturday, April 21, and was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, where she died just over an hour later.
Although police have not yet named her, she is believed to be Rebecca Gore-Bond, of Duffryn Street, Tir-y-Berth, Hengoed, which is a small town in South Wales.
The circumstances of her death will be determined when the Somerset West Coroner holds an inquest.
A police spokesman said: “We are not looking for anybody else in connection with this.”
Photo submitted.

Police release Butlins murder suspect without charge

A MURDER inquiry into the death of a young woman holidaymaker staying at Butlins, Minehead, has been dropped.
Police have released without charge a 26-year-old man whom they had arrested on suspicion of murdering his 19-year-old girlfriend in the early hours of Saturday, April 21.
The woman was found in a chalet at the holiday centre suffering from severe head injuries at about 3 am and she died little more than an hour later in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.
Although some reports said the woman may also have suffered strangulation, police said they were no longer treating the death as suspicious.
The decision followed a post mortem on the woman, the details of which have not been revealed by the police.
Instead, police are preparing a file for an inquest into the death to be held by the Somerset West Coroner.
The inquest is expected to be opened shortly for formal identification purposes and is likely then to be adjourned until a later date.
Both the dead woman and her partner are believed to come from Hengoed, a small town with just under 4,000 residents, near Caerphilly, in Mid Glamorgan, South Wales.
Following the woman’s death, part of the Butlins holiday centre was sealed off to allow forensic investigators to search the area.
Police also spoke to some of the other 4,500 holidaymakers staying at the resort, although most were unaware of the incident and it did not disrupt the operation of the centre.
Photo submitted.

Murder inquiry police arrest man at Butlins

POLICE have launched a murder inquiry after an incident at Butlins holiday centre, in Minehead.
They were called to the centre at 3 am on Saturday, April 21, after reports of a 19-year-old woman being found with serious injuries.
The woman, who is believed to be from the Mid Glamorgan area of South Wales, was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, but died shortly after 4 am.
A 26-year-old man, also from Mid-Glamorgan, has been arrested at Butlins on suspicion of murder and was taken into custody in Taunton Police Station.
An area of the camp was sealed off for police crime scene investigators to carry out a forensic examination, and officers were also speaking to other Butlins holidaymakers.
The dead woman had not yet been formally identified and a post mortem was still to be held.
Police have appealed for any witnesses or anybody who may have seen anything suspicious at Butlins overnight to contact them.
Anybody who can help should contact the police through the secure Crimestoppers contact form at https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/crimestoppers/ContactForm.aspx.
Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers on the free telephone number 0800 555 111, where they do not have to give their name and where they could receive a reward.
Photo by Mrak the Photographer, ref M050032. Order image reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

Independent election ‘scam’ is probed

NEXT month’s elections for West Somerset District Council could be declared invalid and ‘Independent’ candidates and their supporters investigated for ‘electoral fraud’, The Crier can reveal.
It follows the backing of ‘Independent’ candidates by the Liberal Democrat-sponsored residents’ organisation Direct.
The chairman of Direct, Arthur Philips, has published posters and other literature urging local residents to vote for the ‘Independent’ candidates.
But Mr Philips is not an ‘election agent’ for any of the candidates and spending money on such campaigns could therefore be in breach of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states only the candidate, election agent, and those authorised in writing by the election agent can incur election expenses, while anybody who ‘incurs, or aids, abets, counsels, or procures any other person to incur any expenses in contravention of this section ... shall be guilty of a corrupt practice ...’.
The issue has already been raised with the Electoral Commission and with the West Somerset Returning Officer Tim Howes.
The correspondence, which The Crier has seen, expresses concern that “there is an ‘electoral deceit’ being perpetrated on local voters by those Independents who are a part of this, as they are not Independent but are actually part of a collective political movement and are hiding this fact from the electorate.”
The move follows recent revelations by The Crier that ‘Independent’ candidates could be seen to be a party in themselves as they were being coached and guided centrally and were inherently linked with the Liberal Democrat movement.
This view was reinforced when the candidates were announced and it was seen that the Liberal Democrats were apparently not fielding any candidates except their two most well-known characters in Carhampton and Watchet.
The ‘Independents’ had “by coincidence” all declared themselves in such a way that none were fighting each other for seats.
In single seat wards, there was only one ‘Independent’, in two seat wards there were two ‘Independents’, and so on.
It has prompted claims by opponents that an electoral ‘scam’ was being tried out on voters by any ‘Independent’ involved in the collective decision-making and campaign.

County council axes seafront market

THE long-running Minehead seafront outdoor market has been axed by Somerset County Council.
The authority has decided not to grant the market operators a licence this year.
County council spokeswoman Jan Hookings said it was ‘because of the planned redevelopment of the station site’.
The Liberal Democrat-run county council is due to press ahead with an industrial and leisure development of the site beside Minehead’s railway station which will use the land on which the twice-weekly outdoor market has been held.
There was controversy previously when West Somerset District Council proposed a similar scheme for the site and local residents demanded the market should be kept.
The controversy partly gave rise to the creation by the Liberal Democrats of the residents’ group Direct, which organised a protest march against the scheme.
Direct, which is now actively supporting ‘Independent’ candidates in next month’s local council elections, has not similarly fought the county council’s plans.
A Continental market held in Minehead recently proved a big success with shoppers flooding into the town centre.
Photo submitted.

Dublin boy Rob moves from Elvis to poetry

A DUBLIN-born former Elvis impersonator now living in Minehead is hoping to make a new life for himself as a poet and novelist.
And already, Rob Brennan (pictured with framed letter from Tony Blair) has seen a poem published and has been officially acknowledged by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Liverpool Football Club.
Rob, aged 43, who lives in Glenmore Road, was forced to give up his life as an entertainer after 20 years because he suffered from a muscle-wasting disorder.
He then took up writing as a hobby and is currently studying English at Bridgwater College’s Minehead centre.
Rob, who also writes song lyrics, told The Crier: “When one door closes, another door opens, and I have had to redirect my life.
“I love writing now and I am beginning to get somewhere with it and people are starting to take notice.
“With my disability and the pain I suffer at the moment I sometimes wake up at two or three o-clock in the morning and so I started writing a novel as well.
“But I need to attract some sponsors to help because living on my disability money does not leave enough to pay for things like legal copyright services.”
Rob’s published poem, entitled ‘Questioning Faith’ came fourth in a national magazine competition which attracted 60,000 entries and has been included in a book called ‘Home Thoughts’.
He wrote a poem about the MBE being awarded to Steven Gerrard, who is captain of his favourite football club, Liverpool, and sent a copy to the club and received a letter of thanks.
More recently, Rob also sent Tony Blair a poem written about the Marines and Royal Navy personnel who were being held captive in Iran, and he has received an official letter from the Prime Minister which he has framed.
Having moved to live in Minehead, Rob said his life changed for the better when he met a woman from Porlock who helps care for him in his illness.
He said: “I am an original kid from the back streets of Dublin who has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and a beautiful area in which to live.”
In the summer, Rob hopes to take part in the Regal Theatre’s annual talent competition with a song he has written called ‘All the Time’ and with the help of musicians Karel, Linden, and Emily, who represent the Beach Bar.
Anybody who is interested in sponsoring Rob can write to him at 4 Glenmore Road, Minehead.

Photo submitted.