The Open Page - Copy 29 ( Sencicle Book,Elphicke on hospital, KCC Visit)
15 September 2009
Readers will remember we spoke at length recently about our local top writer Lorraine Sencicles new book Haunted Dover. The book has attracted considerable interest and now Lorraine has agreed to do a book signing at the central Dover store, the Sussex Bookshop, tomorrow morning saturday at 11am. This should go down well with her many local fans. Let's hope the signing is a big success as it is really great to see someone local producing and succeeding in this way. The book itself, although I dont have one as yet, promises to be a nice scary read for those long winter evenings. You can snuggle up on the sofa and be scared witless while the wind howls through your rafters and the rain slithers slimely down your dark window. And the tales are of real Dover ghosts that you or I might meet on any dark night, perhaps even on our way back from the pub...brrrr!! Heaven forbid!
Yours truly will nip over to the Sussex Bookstore and get a picture so if any members/readers are over there please say hello. Heck I might even get your picture as well...steady now! dont all rush at once! But seriously though, would be nice to see a few faces over there as ever. Good luck to Lorraine with the book. PB 
The group toured the Dover and Deal District and the itinerary included Fowlmead/Betteshanger, the Dover Sea Sports Centre and the Astor College of the Arts. In the afternoon the KCC held their public cabinet meeting in Dover's Council Chamber.
In the end, after much huffing and puffing and tooing and froing, and breathtaking campaigning, we were awarded a hospital...well, a sort of hospital, a kind of upbeat clinic, but at least reputed to be state of the art. It was to be built in a rather convenient central location, in that ( other) vast urban nothingness up there on the Maison Dieu Road. But hark! listen carefully ! you can now hear the sound of screeching brakes on that particular rolling idea. The flood plain factor has kicked in, well the area is very flat, and has worried the Health Service Power Bods so much that the whole thing is now under scrutiny. It may have to be built elsewhere. But where? Away from Dover? Wasn't this flood plain problem pointed out to the health people ages go. Yes indeed. (See the Comments below on this. Add yours. We need to hear what people think. See also the thread in the Members Club on same topic.)
One of the leading campaigners, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Charlie Elphicke has issued a statement as to our next move and here it is below......
The Government's local health chiefs have announced that the new Dover health facility is not now to be built on the Dover Health Centre site. They will now look for a new site after the Environment Agency objected. The Environment Agency are concerned about the risk of the site flooding. Local Conservatives have announced a public consultation on where the facility should go.
Charlie Elphicke, Conservative Prospective MP for Dover & Deal, said: "Even the little polyclinic the government were going to give us would have been better than nothing. What our community needs is a proper hospital. This polyclinic fiasco is profoundly depressing for us all.
"People tell me the only thing that's happened locally in ten years is that we've lost a hospital. We need our fair share and I am committed to doing the best I can to see we get it. It won't be easy as the Government has bankrupted the county. We all know money is going to be tight.
"In the meantime, we are launching a consultation on where people in the Dover & Deal constituency would like the new health facility to be. Last time it was all decided behind closed doors. That didn't get us very far. This time we all need to have a big conversation as a community about where the facility should go." End.
Picture: In the foreground and on the left we have Top Tory Andrew Lansley MP, a familiar face on our TV screens, next to him in the center is battling campaigner Reg Hansell, and on the right Charlie Elphicke, Conservative Candidate for Dover and Deal. In the background you can spot the other campaigners...two names are familiar to me in this group Cllr David Hannent on the left and Cllr Sue Chandler on the extreme right.
***********************************
Recent stories on Proms Night, Cinque Ports Fire etc etc can be found in ALL RECENT FEATURES.
LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW ON THIS OR ANY TOPIC LOCAL OR OTHERWISE - ALL WELCOME.
Lorraine's Book Signing.
Readers will remember we spoke at length recently about our local top writer Lorraine Sencicles new book Haunted Dover. The book has attracted considerable interest and now Lorraine has agreed to do a book signing at the central Dover store, the Sussex Bookshop, tomorrow morning saturday at 11am. This should go down well with her many local fans. Let's hope the signing is a big success as it is really great to see someone local producing and succeeding in this way. The book itself, although I dont have one as yet, promises to be a nice scary read for those long winter evenings. You can snuggle up on the sofa and be scared witless while the wind howls through your rafters and the rain slithers slimely down your dark window. And the tales are of real Dover ghosts that you or I might meet on any dark night, perhaps even on our way back from the pub...brrrr!! Heaven forbid!
Yours truly will nip over to the Sussex Bookstore and get a picture so if any members/readers are over there please say hello. Heck I might even get your picture as well...steady now! dont all rush at once! But seriously though, would be nice to see a few faces over there as ever. Good luck to Lorraine with the book. PB
You Know you're in Safe Hands:
There are far too many people to name in this very good shot but you can have fun spotting your councillor and / or council officer. Suffice to say though that the assembled political starpower was impressive. The picture marks the coming together of the KCC and the DDC cabinets earlier this week here in Dover. I suppose you could call it a 'fact finding mission' for KCC. The DDC led by Paul Watkins, who you can see in the centre of shot, took the time to show their high flying KCC Cabinet colleagues the projects and developments underway in the Dover District. His equivalent at KCC is the tall figure to his right.. Paul Carter. Just to be clear, not all councillors are included..just the ruling Conservative cabinets.The group toured the Dover and Deal District and the itinerary included Fowlmead/Betteshanger, the Dover Sea Sports Centre and the Astor College of the Arts. In the afternoon the KCC held their public cabinet meeting in Dover's Council Chamber.
Hospital: Horror Hiccup!
In the end, after much huffing and puffing and tooing and froing, and breathtaking campaigning, we were awarded a hospital...well, a sort of hospital, a kind of upbeat clinic, but at least reputed to be state of the art. It was to be built in a rather convenient central location, in that ( other) vast urban nothingness up there on the Maison Dieu Road. But hark! listen carefully ! you can now hear the sound of screeching brakes on that particular rolling idea. The flood plain factor has kicked in, well the area is very flat, and has worried the Health Service Power Bods so much that the whole thing is now under scrutiny. It may have to be built elsewhere. But where? Away from Dover? Wasn't this flood plain problem pointed out to the health people ages go. Yes indeed. (See the Comments below on this. Add yours. We need to hear what people think. See also the thread in the Members Club on same topic.)
One of the leading campaigners, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Charlie Elphicke has issued a statement as to our next move and here it is below......
Conservatives announce consultation amid "polyclinic fiasco"
The Government's local health chiefs have announced that the new Dover health facility is not now to be built on the Dover Health Centre site. They will now look for a new site after the Environment Agency objected. The Environment Agency are concerned about the risk of the site flooding. Local Conservatives have announced a public consultation on where the facility should go.
Charlie Elphicke, Conservative Prospective MP for Dover & Deal, said: "Even the little polyclinic the government were going to give us would have been better than nothing. What our community needs is a proper hospital. This polyclinic fiasco is profoundly depressing for us all.
"People tell me the only thing that's happened locally in ten years is that we've lost a hospital. We need our fair share and I am committed to doing the best I can to see we get it. It won't be easy as the Government has bankrupted the county. We all know money is going to be tight.
"In the meantime, we are launching a consultation on where people in the Dover & Deal constituency would like the new health facility to be. Last time it was all decided behind closed doors. That didn't get us very far. This time we all need to have a big conversation as a community about where the facility should go." End.
Picture: In the foreground and on the left we have Top Tory Andrew Lansley MP, a familiar face on our TV screens, next to him in the center is battling campaigner Reg Hansell, and on the right Charlie Elphicke, Conservative Candidate for Dover and Deal. In the background you can spot the other campaigners...two names are familiar to me in this group Cllr David Hannent on the left and Cllr Sue Chandler on the extreme right.
***********************************
Recent stories on Proms Night, Cinque Ports Fire etc etc can be found in ALL RECENT FEATURES.
LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW ON THIS OR ANY TOPIC LOCAL OR OTHERWISE - ALL WELCOME.