Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
13 December 2010
20:5484465jan,thankyou for the memorys,i liked the lone ranger/tonto to.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
13 December 2010
21:4884491Howard, in reply to your question how UKIP would cope with the 40% spending cuts in DDC, and the spending cuts in the Town and County Council (Reg pointed out recently on the front page what the County Council cuts amount to, and also edited it in the local newspaper), the best answer I can give, and which regards specifically Dover District, is that UKIP would not approve the urbanisation plans for Dover District until such time as we have our own local population increase.
This post may become long, but it is essentially a matter of avoiding catastrophe.
If the over six thousand houses were built in Whitfield, and the others that are planned for Deal and Sholden, even over a period of decades, it would mean Dover's population constantly increasing through migration, adding to any local population increase.
My opinion is that DDC planned on getting large Council-tax revenues from new houses and shops and supermarkets, but tens of thousands more people would be living here, and DDC probably hasn't calculated how much more would need to be spent on services to cater for so many more people.
And DDC probably hasn't even bothered asking the question how many more cars would be steaming down Barton Road and Frith Road, past the schools there, and on down Maison Dieu Road and into Town.
Did you know that, according to the Dover Express, the residents in River live on average 7 years longer than those in Dover Town? That explains about everything!
We also have the motorway (as I call it) passing through Townwall and Snargate Streets as it is.
We would have by far more unemployment than at present, and how DDC has calculated the new spending regime for the local Councils to cope with so many more people, including the County Council's budget to finance more schools, is a question that they will not answer, because they have never bothered bringing these subjects up.
I did in my representation to DDC, however, which got there by the 29th November 2010!
The Tory DDC went hand in hand with New Labour Government to rush for housing-planning approval, where-as Charlie MP is strictly against these catastrophic urbanisation graphics of our limited Country-side. New Labour was voted out, but left our Country's Treasury in an awful state, for which now we must pay the price by way of enormous spending cuts and massive reductions in the number of employed people in the public sector.
The student protests are one result of this.
But it is not all the fault of the present Government, as that what New Labour left was a total debt-ridden state of affairs, and Gov. is actually trying to reduce the annual budget deficit by half, meaniong that the total State debts will still go up even with all these spending cuts.
Both Tory and Labour District Councillors are still immagining that they can go merrily ahead with these planning projects in Dover District, despite Charlie's total disagreement, and he is a member of Parliament.
The DDC Councillors should not assume that the people who voted Charlie will all go now and vote Tory and Labour on the 16th December, be it for District, Town or County.
I sincerely hope that the people see the reasons in UKIP's local policy for Dover. We are representing the interests of the local people, according to sane principles, and not preparing the way for tens of thousands of migrants from London and the poisoning off of Dover Town in never-ending car-fumes of tens of thousands of more people daily transitting to town to go to the supermarket.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
13 December 2010
22:0584499i did try to study your lengthy post alex but i regret to say that i lost the will to live about a third of the way through.
what have you got against londoners moving here, it used to be poles that got under your skin?
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
13 December 2010
22:2884505Please can you use paragraphs .Im used to speed reading but after awhile I could not digest the content
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
13 December 2010
22:3684506I have to admit once I saw the UKIP I gave up.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
13 December 2010
23:5284510It is easier to read Vic's campaign sheet, it explains the facts clearly, where-as DDC at present have a lot of explaining to do as to how they would manage the next legislation period on a budget that will be effectively reduced by 40% over the coming four years, and this while still trying to get their building plans through for Whitfield and Deal.
Do DDC actually realise how much more services would cost with a large population increase? How would the reduced budget fit in? Services include schools and education, sanity, administration...
As for the increased traffic that would be passing through Dover Town from new settlements in Whitfield, heading towards the shops and the supermarkets, I strongly doubt that it ever crossed the Councillors' minds.
I daresay Howard and Sue, and Jan, that you are aware that many schools are situated along Barton Road and Frith Road or in the immediate vicinity.
Are you aware of thew traffic that passes there? So how much more would pass through with thousands of more houses around Dover?
Have you ever measured the polution levels there? Especially during the rush hours, when children go to and leave school?
Howard, sorry there, but no! If London can afford to have millions of people merrily migrating to London, then they do not need to think that they can then merrily migrate from London to the English counties after London has become full up.
Now you know that UKIP is against the urbanisation plans for Dover District, so I do not need to change my mind on this one.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
13 December 2010
23:5884511Sue, please have the pollution levels measured outside Dover's schools. I brought this subject up once on a neighbourhood forum when living in Barton Road, but never received a reply.
I think there is a strong case among various cases here not to pretend that my writing is unclear.
I think DDC should re-examine the whole project of urbanisation, and start talking, among other things, about town traffic-conjestion and pollution.
My reference to the local news-paper report that residents in River live on average 7 years longer than in Dover Town is also clear in itself.
Thank you!
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
14 December 2010
07:2584513alex,polution has been a problem since they put the a 20 through to the docks,school pollution is minor to that.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
14 December 2010
08:1484516What Alex is saying is dead right,and we will see even more of it in later years,
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
14 December 2010
09:0484520The A20 passing through Dover and the general Town traffic congestion are two major problems that Dover has. I believe that the latter is of no less concern.
A large proportion of Dover's schools are situated along Barton Road and Frith Road, and the children go to school and come ourt of school during the rush-hour period. The safety and welfare of children in Dover needs to be taken into urgent consideration.
According to the Dover Express, life-expectency in Dover Town is considerably lower than in River.
Barton Road takes a lot of traffic from Whitfield, and the plans of DDC would lead to a major increase of traffic pollution in The schools area and in Dover Town in general over the coming years.
The Councillors have evidently neglected this utmost important aspect, but there could be standards that by law have to be respected.
It is a known fact that people in Dover are generally against the urbanisation plans in Whitfield, but DDC has totally overruled this majority opinion, claiming to have a mandate; however, they did not receive an express mandate from the people to carry out New Labour urbanisation plans, but on the contrary were asked not to.
As I stated above, my representation was sent to DDC before the 29 November 2010.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
14 December 2010
09:3184523alex,out of curiosaty where would you put these schools out of harms way.
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
14 December 2010
09:4084525Alexander, you're implying that the cause of life-expectancy being higher in River is the lower air pollution but you can't prove that without looking at all other factors and doing proper statistics.
My own gut feeling, if you'll pardon the pun, is that it's the lower number of takeaways in River compared to Dover that would have a greater effect.
14 December 2010
09:4984526If a party would be willing to do something about the pollution, then that would be a good thing. Being near the docks is possibly a contributory factor to the fact that people in Dover live 7 years less than those in River as Dover suffers the highest level of Sulphur Dioxide in the county. September 2010 clean air report states that the number of 15-minute readings >266 µgm-3 in Dover is 12 (the closest next reading is 1). 35 excess readings are allowed per year, yet at this level, Dover sees 144, so over 4 times higher exposure. Sulphur dioxide is associated to heart disease and bronchitis.
Particulate matter (eg, airborne soot): Days with 24-hour means >50 µgm-3 (35 allowed per year) - Dover records 10 in September, so the annual extrapolation is 120, being over 3 times higher than recommended.
These figures are at
www.kentair.org.uk. And I would just like to say, it would be good to have a politician in office who actually does something about the reports that the Government commission and we pay for. What is the point of gathering data to do bugger all with it? I tried to obtain more data on this in 2008, to find out what was being done, only to hit a brick wall. Tell me a politician who acts rather than talks, and who is in office for the reasons of benefiting the planet and the people rather than lining their pockets and he/she would get my vote any day!
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
14 December 2010
10:0084527A good start would to get more people on to the buses .If parents did not drive their children to school then places like Barton Road would not have so much pollution.Park and ride would also help .A lot of River children do use the school buses the Freedpom Pass has helped however there are still lots of cars going up to Tower Hamlets .
I understand cars are needed on long journeys but the number of people who get their cars out for short trips is amazing .
Well im now off to Canterbury by bus of course .
14 December 2010
10:2684528Sue a good start would be affordable public transport. For those of us with family to ferry about, the public transport option becomes much less affordable when compared to the running costs of a small car. Free or nominal-cost public transport would be the answer, and a grid that covers the outlying villages (the last bus from Deal to Dover is 19.14; how ridiculous is that???) . The biggest area of pollution in Dover is the Docks (sulphur dioxide is from the ships) and the lorries (particulate matter from diesel fumes). Living near the sea, I can assure you that a car will have a covering of soot within a hour of being washed, due to the poor air quality at this end of town.
So, heres an agenda for you politicians-to-be: 1 - decent and affordable public transport. 2 - A reduction of the pollution levels of the boats; fine them if necessary to get them to clean up their act. 3 - Get the lorries out of the town; we have a western docks for those coming from M20. And if you dont want to use the western docks, improve the A2 road and get the lorries routed that way. We dont need them in our town! Snargate St /Townwall St / East Cliff could become a thriving part of the town instead of the lorry park that it often is, with the associated noise and pollution.
Or, will it be business as usual for the politicians, get reports made, waste our money, and do bugger all about it????
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
14 December 2010
12:5784533the school run is a problem everywhere, most are within reasonable walking distance of their schools.
using the bus is an alternative, but as said previously bus fares are high balanced against 3 or 4 travellers in a car.
many times we have neighbours driving their own kids to school, when it would be much better if parents got their heads together and decided to do a rota on who would take all the kids in one car.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
14 December 2010
13:4084543Lesley, in the past I have made clear on the Forum that I will continue campaigning for a tunnel under Townwall St. and, if technically possible, under Snargate Street too. Some forumites are of the same opinion, that it is a good idea, at least under Townwall St., and I believe Mr. Hanent has also proposed a tunnel there. So there is a good chance of this proposal - being actually of various people - finding public support.
As for Western Docks, at the moment the terminal cannot take vehicle traffic, which is why DHB want a Terminal 2 there, as they reckon that port traffic for cars and lorries will almost double over the next 30 years.
My proposal is that a future T2 have a rail link to take freight by rail, instead of lorries, and this is part of my representation to the Minister for Transport, in which I mentioned the binding laws in Britain on carbon emissions.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
14 December 2010
13:5484545Howard and Sue, although you are both right in mentioning more discipline regards parents taking their children to school by car, and also concerning buses, however, the traffic passing from the Whitfield direction into Dover is to a very large extent not school traffic, and in fact one can note this by the fact that it is there before 9 O'clock and after that time; and before 3.30 and after, not just when children go to and come out of school.
Lesley's indications as to toxic levels of Dover Town's air is what I was trying to point out, sorry that my upper post from yesterday was so incoherent and in such poor English, but to have six thousand more houses in Whitfield would possibly double the pollution levels in Dover Town, and the children going to school along the main roads, as well as Dover's residents, have certainly not been taken into consideration by DDC when it comes to their urbanisation plans for more migration to Dover.
Sue, in my representation to DDC, I pointed out many factors regards these development plans, on a local economic basis and in reference to the democratic will of the local people. The factor about air pollutioon being fat too high in Dover should also be taken into consideration, and DDC should open up a new public consultation on this, as they have evidently not done their work in the interests of the local people on this issue.
15 December 2010
11:1184729I heard yesterday that the EU is gong to be fining the UK for poor air quality, so I googled it -
http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/press_releases/2010/pr1055_en.htm
Thank heavens for the EU, as without them it looks like we are destined to choke to death on the smog that passes for air in Dover. And if the local council does not comply, that means fines, which presumably means higher council tax. So lets see the council get to grips with this very important health and safety issue because they've had enough time to sort this out, and I, for one, will not be happy to pay an increase in Council tax due to ineptitude by our council.
Its a shame we do not have a Green party candidate in Dover....
15 December 2010
13:4984748Did I read that all ferries were to be fitted with filters,but sea France and P&O still belch out loads of black smoke.