JERMY'S JOURNAL

How can we improve Thetford High Street? Some practical ideas....

2012-02-11T17:58:00.002Z

SORT IT! ‘School Of Radical Thought In Thetford’ Here’s my ‘two penneth worth’ on how we can improve Thetford’s high Street as we look to submit our application to become a ‘Portas Pilot’. Terry Jermy Thetford Town & Breckland District Councillor Why is our High Street failing? And how can we re-invigorate it? High streets are failing up and down the country. Supermarkets, retail parks and online shopping is more often than not cheaper, and more convenient than shopping on the high street or at the local market. Unfortunately, it is not just as simple as “get some better shops” or “we want a Primark, a Sports shop” etc. – how do we get those shops? How do we get people to want to shop in the Thetford high street? What came first, the good shop, or the eager customer? Supermarkets and the internet have the odds stacked in their favour. But, there are steps that can be taken to address this imbalance. High Streets are business zones, they operate with regard to profit, therefore if a business is able to, or believes that they can make a profit from trading in an area than they will open up a shop to suit that demand. The Portas review focuses on the fact that high streets will continue to be beaten on price and convenience. However, the niche of the high street, or its unique selling point should be; A ‘quality’ retail experience – mixing leisure / recreation with your shopping experience - supermarkets are basically large warehouses, stacked high with goods to reduce price - they cannot compete with walking through our beautiful high streets, with their history, architecture and green spaces. Quality of the goods or service provided - how many employees of supermarkets know and understand the products they sell? High street employees, particularly independent traders and market stall holders have a wealth of knowledge. Here’s some practicable suggestions on how we could incoprorate these two points here in Thetford:- Pre-paid cards / Loyalty Scheme I don’t carry cash – or rather I very rarely do, I think it’s a generational thing. I’m always worried that I might lose my wallet and then the cash is gone and I also like to check my bank statement at the end of the month to see where I’ve been spending it all. This is one of the reasons that I think markets particularly are failing – many people do not like handing over cash or don’t carry it in the first place. Could a pre-paid card system be introduced where people load up their card with cash to spend in the high street and the market? It would need consideration with regard to safety etc and the practicalities worked out, but there is scope. For example, you could purchase the cards if you wanted to give a gift to somebody and encourage them to spend their money in the high street – a bit like a Thetford Pound idea mentioned on the 'Sort It' Facebook page (Well done Ron Wood). We also need to consider one of the reasons that the supermarkets are so successful – loyalty schemes. Think Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar Card. Very clever marketing to encourage you to regular shop in these locations to build up your points (I love my Nectar Card!). Subway of course have not long ago introduced the ‘Sub-card’ for that very reason. Once they have your details, they can market a variety of information to you, and cleverly try to sell you things that they know you like. High streets and markets don’t have that advantage. They have very limited marketing budgets – if any at all, and have to resort to expensive, and often ineffective marketing campaigns in local magazines or newspapers. They struggle to let people know about any special offers, or events they may have, and rely on customers that happen to pop in, or happen to be passing and take advantage. If we want our high street to survive, we have got to assist them with marketing that works, utilising some form of loyalty scheme and also new technologies including Facebook and other social networking – this is a new area that even the supermarkets and major chain stores are just getting into and presents some massive opportunities for local businesses. Our high streets do contain a range of goods, often at great prices, but do we know about them? A word of caution on loyalty schemes – if it’s going to be done, it’s got to be done properly. There have been numerous ‘bright ideas’ with loyalty schemes up and down the country that ultimately sound good, but haven’t been given the right focus and attention and ultimately they fail. If people are to sign up to this, it has got to be worthwhile with some real benefits to be had for those using it, not merely token gestures. Can we think out of the box a bit? Can high street retailers pay their employees a proportion of their salary, or maybe just a bonus in ‘Thetford pounds’? Can other local employers pay their workers an extra payment if they were to accept part of their wages in Thetford pounds? Can these be credited to their ‘shop local’ card? Community Land Trust One of the major problems we have in Thetford is that so much of our High Street is owned by large conglomerates, multi-nationals, pension funds, banks, overseas investors etc. For example; the Cottage Hospital is currently owned by somebody living in China, who would be perhaps more inclined to develop it if he had to look at its sorry state every day like the rest of us. The St Mary the Less Church on Bury Road is owned by a private investor in London. The three units down Riverside Walk that were formerly Sneezums, Pine World and the Fruit N’ Veg shop are all owned by a very large company, so while these shops are crucial to the rest of us, on their balance sheet they are probably of rather limited significance. I think we should do what many other areas around the country have been doing and taking matters, or rather property into our own hands. We should be establishing a Community Land Trust / Development Trust that can actually buy up the freehold of various buildings when they become available. The freehold to New Look and Yours was recently sold, the Old Court House was also recently sold, the building that Blockbusters is in was recently sold, the Bridge Pub was recently sold. Hopefully these have all gone to reputable investors or businesses. But we should not be leaving this to chance. Ultimately, it is a fact of life that they will be motivated by profit, whereas a Community Land Trust would reinvest the profits back into that property, purchase more property or reinvest the money in some form to assist the community. Shares in the Trust could be sold to members of the community, so they had real ‘ownership’ of our town and its future. Imagine if we had a fund of £1 million.... Half of that could be shares owned by Thetford Town Council and possibly Breckland Council, the other half could be shares sold to the wider community. (£500,000 worth of shares, sold at £25 each would require 20,000 shares to be sold – that is entirely achievable, 5,000 could buy 4 shares each - some may want to buy lots more than 4). You could buy £100 worth of shares, and receive a dividend each year for your investment, assuming a profit occurs – along the same lines that Co-op and John Lewis operate. Shop local Whilst we may not have the range of shops that we may want, there are shops that exist, and they need our money. If we all made a very conscious effort to support what we could, this would go a very long way towards propping up these businesses and encouraging others to join. This is what we can all be doing on a regular basis. Thetford Town Council has a yearly expenditure of £800,000 – that’s nearly £1 million annually. Much of that of course goes on salaries and other services where there is little choice, but is there a conscious effort being made to support local businesses and traders? – Not yet, but it is slowly happening. I don't agree with a company based in Downham Market being employed to tend to Kings House gardens and run the public toilets on contracts worth tens of thousands, for example.. Do you work in a Thetford business? Are you a Manager? What services, equipment etc do you currently purchase that could be purchased from Thetford businesses? If you are having a buffet, are you getting a quote from Tall Orders, or Subway, or talking to Greggs or the sandwhich man at the Shambles? If you are purchasing a new fridge, television etc – are you checking to see if Cobra or Hughes can do you a good price before you check online or go to Curry’s? They may just have what you need, don’t write them off. That said – I am a realist, we all have to watch our budgets, myself included. I’m not saying purchase from the high street at any cost – it’s just not possible, but, we can give them a look in and a fair chance. Talk it up! Similarly to the above, there are a growing number of people that are getting active in the community in Thetford and speaking up. We need to accelerate this. For too long has our town been talked down, no more! We should all be ambassadors of Thetford. Acknowledge where we need to work harder, but challenge the myths, high-light the advantages, talk it up! (Hats off to Tina Matthews! – a very good example of a ‘talker-uper’). Similarly, if you work in a local shop, look to see if your business is involved in the local community. Too many of our high street retailers do not engage in local community activities. How many businesses contribute to the Christmas lights appeal? Or hanging basket fund? How many support local voluntary and community organisations. It is often the same old companies supporting the community. Argos for example, support a national charity – the last I heard it was Whizzkids. Great – but they take a considerable amount of money OUT of Thetford, they need to also support the local community. The big chain stores should be helping – Argos, WH Smith, Savers to name a few – if you work for these companies, ask questions! You can often have much greater leverage then people on the outside. Charity Shops These shops will exist – no matter what. Rather than fighting against them, we should embrace them. Charity shops thrive – because people use them! Ok, I admit it – I used to think they were full of old ladies and that they smelt of wee, (Ok, some do!) but, they do contain some good bargains, and there is a variety of items in them, and the money you spend goes to a good cause. They also provide some very good volunteering opportunities for a variety of people that get a great deal of comfort and satisfaction from the good work that they do. We live in a low wage economy and money is tight for many people. Charity shops can assist with this. Let’s challenge the stigma and embrace the variety, choice and low prices available. They should feature in any future plans for our high street. Foreign Shops “I went to town today and didn’t hear an English voice!” – really? Why is that? “there’s too many foreign shops? – really? Why is that? If only I had a pound for every time I heard those two statements!! So why is it? Because the culture of countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia etc is about supporting your local high street, about using small independent retailers. When I visited Poland, I went to a fairly major town. They had just had a Tesco open up on the outskirts and they were running a free bus from the town centre to the supermarket to entice people in. Every day that bus was empty. Entrepreneurs from different countries, (for that is what they are), are opening up shops in our high street because there is a market for them. People use them, and spend their money in them! I don’t hear people complaining about the Poles queuing up in Sainsbury’s. Many of the ‘foreign shops’ offer a range of goods and services, particularly foods – how long did Thetford campaign to have a town centre food shop and somewhere to buy a pint of milk? Let's embrace our multiculturialsm and use it. Thetford is a town with a long-standing history of immigration. London overspill? Marajah Duleep Singh? These bring in tourists that spend money. Our range of delicastessans and food retailers offering such variety already brings in people from elsewhere - money being spent in our town. Shop sizes Many of our shop units are of the wrong size. Many are too small to accommodate more well known high street retailers, and many are too large to accommodate small, independent businesses or business start-ups. We need both to be addressed. The Portas review talks about small market traders and business start-ups – we need to look at this and perhaps link it with the Community Land Trust idea as a means to funding the renovations. Walk round the Pedlars Grove area of Swaffham or the road down from the Dereham Memorial Hall – a collecting of small, quaint little shops offering a fascinating range of goods and services. These ‘micro-businesses’ are charged smaller rents, and have smaller business rates bills – but offer the consumer greater choice. We need to diversify that choice in Thetford and make it easier for such shops to compete. Play to our strengths.... Thetford is an incredibly beautiful town, it has got some fantastic green spaces and some fantastic architecture. Stand in the high street – look around, would you know this? Stand outside Boots – walk 5 minutes in either direction, you would either come to Kings House Gardens or Castle Park, two fantastic assets to our town, but often not utilised (the gardens, more so than Castle Hill). The Portas review says that shopping in our high streets should be as much about leisure and recreation as they are about the actual shopping. We are ideally placed for this in Thetford. We should be running guided tours of the Kings House gardens, and Kings House itself. If you get to Castle Hill – do you know what you are looking at? How beautiful is St Cuthbert’s Church? But when do people get to go in there? We need to play to our strengths and realise what we have got. For those of us living and working in the town we can often overlook what is right in front of us. There will be a major development taking place outside Boots in the near future, plans will be put out to consultation soon. This project is a fantastic opportunity to link in with the Portas review as we will be creating recreational space within the high street, and in particular space for open air performances – singing, acting, public speaking – all would add vibrancy to the high street. I want to see musicians – not charity muggers – in our high street. People attracting shoppers, not scaring them away!

Press release: No car parking charges petition reaches 7,000

2012-01-31T10:25:00.004Z

A petition launched by the Breckland Labour Group against the introduction of car parking charges across the district has already exceeded the organizers estimation and continuing to increase rapidly with over 7,000 people now putting their names to it. Breckland Council revealed in December last year that it intended to undertake a feasibility study around charging for public car parking in the five market towns of Thetford, Dereham, Swaffham, Attleborough and Watton. This study was due to cost ratepayers up to £50,000 but that was reduced to £25,000 in light of public pressure. Terry Jermy, Leader of Breckland Labour Group, who spent last Saturday morning at the Tesco store in Thetford collecting signatures with other volunteers said; “There has been phenomenal support for our petition and I am delighted that we have now collected over 7,000 signatures. There is across the board support against the introduction of charging for car parking in Breckland”. On Saturday, the EDP revealed that Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman is planning a survey on local people’s views on the idea of charging for Dereham. Mr Jermy added; “I am delighted that Mr Freeman will be taking on board the concerns of local people with regard to this debate. I very much hope he uses some of the 1,400 comments received on our online petition which clearly show that the vast majority of people do not support the introduction of charging for our public car parks and urge him to implore his Conservative colleagues at Breckland Council to think again”. A public meeting will be taking place in Dereham on Wednesday 1st February, from 6pm – 8pm at Dereham Memorial Hall to discuss this issue. Last week Thetford Town Councillors agreed to invite Breckland Leader William Nunn, and Chief Executive Terry Huggins to a future meeting to explain the proposals and hear the concerns of councilors. To sign the online petition visit; http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/noparkingchargebdc For more information contact; Terry Jermy on 01842 750722 or email terry.jermy@googlemail.com

Round up of recent press coverage re: Breckland Car Parking charges

2012-01-18T10:58:00.001Z

Letter to Thetford & Brandon 19.01.12 - re: Car parking charges

2012-01-18T10:48:00.000Z

My views on youth issues in Thetford

2012-01-18T10:47:00.001Z

A debate recently took place through Facebook on provision for young people in Thetford, here's my contribution; My 'two penneth' for what it is worth.... we have always struggled in Thetford to provide a satisfactory level of facilities and activities for young people. We are a small market town, but with a very large youth population, we have entrenched deprivation (the child poverty rate for my Council Ward is 29%) and low car ownership - this means it is difficult for many parents to afford to access paid activities or facilities on a regular basis or to transport their children to activities that are taking place or support their membership of organised clubs etc. (watching the commitment my sister has to put into supporting my nephew who is a member of a local football team is frankly inspiring). A limited public transport network compounds the problems - ask any young person how easy it is to get to and from Bury cinema for example on the bus (let alone the cost of the cinema, drinks etc. Frankly if I did not drive, myself and my circle of friends - who don't drive, would have a much reduced social life and we're all in our mid 20's!). As a town, we have also been historically poorly served by 'the councils'. For example, Norfolk County Council who were the primary provider of youth activities, for many years provided one of the least amounts of money for youth services in the country, even before you considered the additional costs incurred when spreading that service over a large rural county. Norfolk CC "deleted" their youth service last year and made all of their youth workers redundant, practically wiped out the Connexions support service, closed the Thetford Pupil Referral Unit and much else - including cuts to teenage pregnancy support services. Added to national Government cuts to things like the Educational Support Allowance (EMA), rises in tuition fees, scrapping the future jobs fund etc - you can see why young people are getting a bad deal at the moment (nearly 1 million youth unemployed - not including the 16 & 17 year olds of course not in education or employment as they don't register on the statistics). More locally of course, Breckland Council has historically not provided many activities for young people, or indeed many cultural or sports related services, although they have increased somewhat over the last few years, the service is still somewhat inadequate and Breckland is a large rural district, and many activities take place in the villages, as opposed to towns like Thetford (although I am very grateful for the £3,000 they recently granted to the Football Coaching project delivered by the TCA). I have long believed that Thetford Town Council needs to get a grip of the situation and support young people. They are the future of our town (a much overused cliche, but it is true). Last year I asked the Town Council to create a yearly budget of £40,000 to support children and young people - even that was insignificant, but it was an important start - eventually they granted £10,000 per year, but I have hopes that this will rise. The Town Council spends £750,000 per year in total, yet contributed just £5,000 to 'youth projects' (although I except that young people do benefit from generic services such as public toilets, Christmas lights switch on for example) but the point remains, for a town where over 25% of the population is under 16 years of age, the towns budget did not reflect this and still does not reflect this. So what can we do about it? If you're a parent reading this, or a young person, get yourself to the public question time at a Town Council meeting (last Tuesday of every month, always starting at 7pm, always with a 15 minute public question time at the start) ask YOUR representatives what they are doing to support young people (I am constantly surprised at how 'anti youth' some councillors are), make sure you vote at local elections (as the point has been made earlier by Bob, some very good pro-young people candidates do not get elected, because older members of our community and far more active when it comes to elections. And also, get out there and volunteer. All the previous comments about volunteering are very valid, but I can entirely understand peoples concerns about volunteering. Working with young people can be daunting, particularly given many of the young people can be challenging (wherever you live) - and there is a distinct difference with volunteering in Thetford and some nearby leafy village. There is an important role for 'councils' and other organisations to support parents and well meaning members of the community with volunteering, to facilitate and enable that commitment to flourish, by providing training etc. I work on a self-employed basis for a local charity - Thetford Community Association - that runs football coaching sessions for young people aged 10-14 years at the Ballpark on St Martins Way, last week we interviewed two people (one from the Abbey Estate, and one from Mundford) who are going to be volunteering at our sessions, two guys with limited experience in youth work / football coaching, but a very firm commitment to wanting to help their community, which is highly commendable. There are many examples of good projects, as had been demonstrated in this post, and if people wanted to they could quite easily fit in and give a small amount of time that would make a big difference.

Letter to Norfolk County Council re: bus passes

2012-01-07T15:52:00.000Z

Director of Public Transport, Norfolk County Council County Hall Martineau Lane Norwich, Norfolk NR1 2DH Friday 6th January 2011 Dear Sir or Madam, There is currently much confusion in Thetford amongst our older residents regarding public transport and in particular, what public transport they can use with their free bus pass. I would be most grateful if somebody could write to me and explain what bus services are available to the people of Thetford and which ones they can use their bus pass on to receive free travel. Of particular interest is the route from Thetford to Norwich, but I would be grateful for as much detail as possible that you are able to provide, including whether or not the bus passes can be used on National Express coaches that stop at Thetford and whether or not there are any restrictions on usage during certain times. This would greatly assist myself and other local councillors when advising residents. Many thanks, Terry Jermy Thetford Town & Breckland District Councillor Leader of the Breckland Labour Group

Letter to Secretary of State, Re: Kings Lynn Incinerator

2012-01-03T11:52:00.000Z

Dear Secretary Of State, I am writing to you to ensure you are fully aware of the position of Breckland Council as regards to an incinerator in King's Lynn. I do appreciate that as Secretary Of State you will have a difficult decision to make. However, I have become aware that the Leader of Breckland Council has written to you in relation to the matter. Councillor Nunn is the Chairman of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, and it is my understanding that he has said that Breckland Council supports an incinerator in King's Lynn. As a member of Breckland Council, and as Leader of the Opposition Labour Group, I feel obliged to inform you that there has been no consultation with the Council nor indeed has this matter been discussed at any Breckland Council committee meeting. Were there to be consultation with the council, and/or the people of Breckland, I am confident that rather than overwhelming support there would be much opposition to an incinerator in King's Lynn. The Breckland Labour Group is completely against these proposals which have so clearly been rejected by the residents of the Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Council area. You may be aware that Councillor Nunn is also a member of Norfolk County Council, and that Norfolk County Council is proposing an incinerator. I can not say that this prompted him to write to you, but nor I can say it did not influence what he wrote. I believe that the Leader of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council has also written to you. I am aware that, in stark contrast to Breckland Council, he has consulted with his council and that there was no support for an incinerator. Indeed it can be argued that KLWNBC is unanimous in its opposition to an incinerator, and that their opposition is a reflection of the views of the overwhelming majority of the district. Yours sincerely, Terry Jermy Thetford Town & Breckland District Councillor Leader of the Breckland Labour Group

Comedy Night coming up; Friday 18th November

2011-11-08T23:30:00.002Z

Thetford Youth Club - Excellent press coverage!

2011-11-08T23:23:00.000Z

Letter to Norfolk County Council re: Charles Burrell and Thetford Schools

2011-11-07T19:55:00.001Z

Dear Mr Murphy, As you will be aware, the Thetford Academy will be re-locating from a two site school to just one site, with the building that was once Charles Burrell High School no longer being required. Instead, what was previously called Rosemary Musker High School – now Thetford Academy North Campus, will provide all the education facilities for Years 7 pupils upwards. As the three elected Breckland District Councillors for the Thetford – Saxon Ward, we wanted to write to you regarding some concerns that we have, but to also outline a potentially very important opportunity that we believe now exists; 1. Transport provision for young people from South of Thetford: A majority of the young people from the Thetford – Saxon Ward currently attend the South Site as it is so geographically near. Many students and parents are rightly concerned about this change and feel that it would not be appropriate or indeed safe to expect children from the South of Thetford to walk to and from the North site each day. We strongly urge you, and the Academy Management and Lead Sponsors to ensure that adequate transport provision is in place prior to this change. We want our young people to arrive ready for their education each morning, after a 45 – 60 minute walk across town, potentially in wet and cold conditions, we do not feel that this would be possible and their education would suffer as a result. 2. Croxton Road safety concerns: We also have considerable concerns about the safety of the Croxton Road and Mundford Road that leads to the North Campus site. There has previously been a fatality on this road involving a school child, and a child was knocked down by a car just the other week – although thankfully the injuries were not too severe. We urge you to ensure your transport officials investigate all possible options for safety improvements in this area and to put pressure on the Academy to ensure that road safety is an important part of the schools education programme. 3. Charles Burrell site – opportunity: We believe that a fantastic opportunity now presents itself with the South Campus site. For very many years the South of Thetford has suffered from a distinct lack of community facilities. This will be further exacerbated if those dual usage facilities at the school move. We urge the County Council to retain the swimming pool and main hall at the Charles Burrell site for community usage. We would welcome the creation of a Community Trust, or similar organisation that these assets could be transferred to, we would be happy to help facilitate this and believe we would have the support of Thetford Town Council in doing so. Crucially, we would support the County Council if it were to redevelop the remaining site, which could be utilised for housing provision – with a Section 106 put in place that could contribute to the sustainability of the community buildings? We recognise that it is important that the County Council realises the full value of its assets, and would support this if it also resulted in a sustainable community asset being created. This proposal would be a massive boost for the wider community which has suffered from entrenched deprivation for many years. We urge you to consider our proposals. Best wishes, Terry Jermy Thetford Town & Breckland District Councillor Sylvia Armes Thetford Town & Breckland District Councillor Mark Robinson Breckland District Councillor

Breckland Leader article in Thetford and Brandon 03.11.11

2011-11-07T01:26:00.001Z

Terry Jermy to Lead Labour Group on Breckland Council

2011-10-26T21:58:00.001+01:00

BRECKLAND LABOUR GROUP - PRESS RELEASE: Thetford town and district councillor, Terry Jermy, is to succeed veteran Labour councillor, Robin Goreham, as leader of the opposition Breckland Labour Group. Robin Goreham has been a member of the authority for sixteen and a half years. He has spent four years as chairman of the council’s Overview & Scrutiny committee and eight and a half years leading the opposition Labour Group. He is currently Vice Chairman of the authority. Robin commented: “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the Labour opposition on Breckland since the spring of 2003. Labour has a new leader nationally in Ed Miliband and I feel it is time for a younger man to lead the Labour fightback locally over the next few years. In Terry Jermy, we have a young man with intelligence, determination and a vision for the future of Breckland”. Terry – who is 26 years old – commented: “I am very grateful for the support of my fellow Breckland Labour Councillors in electing me as their leader. Despite my relatively young age, I have been involved in community and political life for many years. My experience as a youth worker, and as a community worker means I have a very engaging style and consider listening to be an important part of leadership. I look forward to championing the views of the Breckland electorate and scrutinising the work of the Council”. Commenting on the outgoing group leader, Mr Jermy added; “Robin has been an exceptional leader. He has always stood up for what he believes to be right and in the best interests of Breckland residents. He has been a particularly great ward councillor and has stood up for Dereham – Central residents admirably. Robin’s calmness, compassion and ability to use humour so well have made him a revered ally, and opponent”. Mr Jermy is an avid user of social networking sites, and hopes to use such tools to engage a new generation with local politics. He can be followed on Twitter via ‘CllrTerryJermy’ or through Facebook. He also runs his own blog, that can be accessed via www.jermysjournal.blogspot.com

Joint letter to Thetford and Brandon Times...

2011-10-21T19:43:00.001+01:00

Dear Editor, Following the recent decision by the Moving Thetford Forward board to continue with their proposal to move the bus station from Bridge Street to Minstergate, we – elected representatives of the people of Thetford wanted to write and share our frustration at this decision but also to praise those people that did participate in the democratic process by voting in the Parish Poll. A majority of Thetford Town Councillors voted to keep the bus station where it is. A decision endorsed by the clear result from the Poll that took place on the 9th August. (81% of those participating voted ‘NO’ to moving the site with a turnout of 14.7%). Whilst we are very angry at the scant regard for public opinion throughout much of Moving Thetford Forwards decision making in recent years, we wanted to write collectively and reassure the public that we will continue to fight for what we regard to be in the best interests of the people of Thetford. This, we believe, is why we were elected. Many residents have spoken to us as councillors about their frustration and disappointment at the bus station news and questioned if the poll was worth it. Whilst it is indeed disappointing, we urge people not to lose heart. We believe a corner has been turned and that residents of Thetford collectively, including many of their elected representatives are now more vocally expressing their concerns and opinions and standing up for our town. This should be welcomed and encouraged. Best wishes, Thetford Town Councillors; Sylvia Armes, Brenda Canham, Carl Clark, Denis Crawford, Corine Fulford, Terry Jermy, Terry Lamb, Dennis Sully & Stuart Wright,

Saxon Ward casework

2011-09-28T10:18:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit trigger happy lately with my camera and have sent all sorts of issues to Breckland Council and others to address, a selection below....

Thetford Town Council objects to concentration of 5,000 homes

2011-09-28T10:11:00.000+01:00

Radio Norfolk Interview Morning after Parish Poll results

2011-09-27T14:36:00.006+01:00

Listen to the MTF Board Member on the morning after the Bus Station Parish Poll....

Thetford Bus Station; The MTF response

2011-09-27T13:49:00.004+01:00

Last Thursday (22nd Sept) saw the delayed Moving Thetford Forward Board meeting take place - it was originally scheduled for early September, but was put back to consider the implications of the Thetford Parish Poll that occurred on the 9th August. I really wasn't sure what to expect from the meeting, would they eat humble pie after the poll and concede that the public wanted the bus station to stay where it is, or would they dismiss the poll entirely? What happened however surprised me. We first heard from a senior finance officer at Breckland Council who outlined the financial risks associated with changing the decision. I expected this to be quite doom and gloom - "we'd lose a fortune if we now didn't move the bus station" - but that was not the case. A lot of the costs incurred could be recouped, so from a financial sense, the MTF board could have changed their mind and kept the bus station where it is. What happened next though was fascinating; up got a senior transport officer from Norfolk County Council, and the architect employed to develop proposals for the Minstergate bus station and regeneration proposals for the current Bridge Street site. They flashed up the two proposals that the 'No' campaign developed in August prior to the Parish Poll taking place (which incidentally they received from third parties), then they proceeded to pick the proposals apart, explaining why they were "not deliverable" and then told the audience how their plan was the only viable option and the bus station should be moved. I was incensed. No-body from the MTF team had bothered to contact myself or other No campaigners prior to the Board meeting, no courtesy phone call to say that the plans would be "objectively assessed" at the meeting, no "let's have a coffee and you can talk us through the rationale behind your proposals", no professional courtesy of contacting the local architect who produced the proposals so that he could explain the background to them. They could have stood there and said whilst the plans have merit, they are not as far advanced as the MTF plans - (of course not, they're just initial proposals), but we cannot wait to develop them further and we want to go ahead with our developed and tested option - that would have had more credibility. What they did in that 15 minutes, really encapsulated what is wrong with the whole MTF process so far, they treated the local community,and local activists with contempt, in a quite nasty way they pulled apart a set of proposals, whilst claiming to do so objectively and impartially, and then ended with saying that their proposals were better - well, you're being paid an awful lot of money, so I should jolly well hope so! But it's the contempt for the local community, the lack of communication and understanding that is the real story of this whole situation.... all very sad indeed, I hope the Government inspector will see all of this! Oh, and by the way, as a Breckland Councillor, I was allowed to attend the meeting that was scheduled to start at 10am. So most of us mere 'observers' arrived from 9.30am - 9.55am or so - interesting then that on the official signing in sheet for the building, i.e. the one they use for the fire register, it had the vast majority of names listed as arriving from 8.20am... I wonder what was being discussed in advance of the rest of us attending? One word of praise however, the Chairman, William Nunn (also Breckland Council Leader) did allow us observers quite a bit of time to speak, which was quite courteous, now he probably knew how the vote would go, so had nothing to lose in allowing us to speak, but credit where it is due.

Parish Poll Campaign Almost Over

2011-08-08T17:38:00.022+01:00

The past few weeks have been fascinating. For those looking in from outside, I am sure their overwhelming feeling is one of bemusement - 'people in Thetford are holding a referendum on where their bus station is located' - how very odd. What started with a couple of people asking for a 'Parish Poll' at a Town Council meeting soon became over 150 people attending a Public meeting just 7 days later at the Town's Guildhall - overwhelmingly demanding a vote on the bus station's location. The vote was called - and will be held tomorrow - Tuesday 9th August from 4pm - 9pm. The campaign has been fascinating to watch, and indeed to be a part of. Almost immediately, Breckland Council painted this issue as 'old Thetford, v.s new Thetford' - the Leader, William Nunn, appearing on Anglia News labelled those calling for the poll as 'stuck in the past', that stereotyping soon encompassed Dads Army, and if you did not support the bus station moving - you were branded as "old, boring and part of the Dads Army brigade" - that really set the theme for the 'Yes Campaign'. Quite nasty and really quite personal. For example, myself and others supporting 'No' have been quite regularly slated on Facebook - both the 'Yes' and 'No' campaigns established Facebook 'pages'. (Note the Royston Vasy image on the Thetford Parish Poll Facebok event page) Apparently if you did not want the bus station to be moved, you did not want a cinema, you did not want investment, you therefore want Thetford to die - odd, given that so many on the 'No' campaign have done so very much to promote Thetford, (think Dads Army, Leaping Hare, think Thetford Society, dare I say - think Thetford Community Association and Benjamin Foundation - two charities I have worked for supporting young people in Thetford) However, no-body could comment on the Yes campaign Facebook page unless they 'liked' it, (i.e. they signed up to say they supported it) and even if you did 'like' it, but the organisers did not like you - so to speak - you were removed, and your comments deleted; it very much presented one side of the argument. The 'No' page on the contrary, which I set-up, did not delete a single comment or member. Another interesting twist in the saga came at the July meeting of Thetford Town Council. Several members (at risk of being partisan - I will say that they were Conservative) argued in favour of the Town Council doing nothing at all, not even doing anything constructive to inform people that a vote was taking place and encourage participation. Odd you may think given that a few weeks before the Council voted with a majority to support the bus station staying where it was. Sitting on the fence was the preferred option - in my humble opinion, it is precisely because of such action over many years that organisations such as Breckland Council and Moving Thetford Forward feel they can do whatever they like to our town. We have several splinters from such fence sitting! I did not hear of those same Councillors arguing at their Breckland Council meeting for a similar stance - indeed, Breckland/MTF (forgive me, I fail to distinguish between them) rushed to have pictorials produced and displayed at both the Bridge Street site and the Cosy Carpets site within days of the Parish Poll being called - presenting it as a fait au complait and no doubt reinforcing the view amongst many that the decision has been made and "what's the point" - if I had a pound for every time I heard that I'd be a rich man - hey, I could fund a new bus station ;). The Town Council did vote and committed £400 and booked the front cover of the About Thetford magazine to inform residents that the poll would be taking place - some members voted against this - against informing the electorate of their right to vote in a democratic poll. In addition, those of us supporting the No campaign did organise ourselves quite well and enlisted the support of a friend of mine - Jon Chambers, who designed for us very quickly a simple Vote No campaign flyer and accompanying website - www.thetfordvotesno.com - that flyer was delivered to 10,000 houses in Thetford - much to the alarm of those supporting Yes, who probably had not envisaged the extent to which 'No' would go to in campaigning (the entire 'No' campaign incidentally has been funded by personal donations). The leaflet offered to take people to the polling station if they needed to (if people had transport, mobility, disability issues etc) which was again attacked by those on the Yes side - hardly democratic. The issue has really captured the attention of many in Thetford with a succession of letters appearing in the Thetford and Brandon Times, with some from No campaigners and some from Yes campaigners - The Times did itself credit by publishing so many of the letters. What a shame so many people in Thetford do not receive that newspaper so that they too could have had access to such information. However, I was disappointed that both the Thetford and Brandon and Bury Free Press published the article by Moving Thetford Forward/Breckland Council on both their front pages, depicting the saga as Thetford's battle to move forward - 'Let our town move forward' - cried Neil Stott and Kevin Ward - neither Thetford residents, both with vested interests. A really crucial element of the No campaign was demonstrating that the bus station could remain on its current site, access could be improved (the original reason for wanting to move it) and the site could support regeneration - we enlisted the support of local architect John Atkins, who came up with some fantastic proposals in a rapid period of time - they were not detailed, fully costed etc - but showed what was POSSIBLE. However, the press allowed Breckland Council/MTF to comment on the proposals - no such right was afforded the previous weeks with the councils plans were presented in the newspapers - understandably, the council rubbished the plans - "a visual depiction of a pipe dream" - Mark Robinson, Conservative District Councillor and MTF Board Member (Mark, we both know that you did not write that statement, but they attributed your name to it - I've never heard you talk in a way that resembles the quote they used). So, despite all of that, everyone in Thetford will have the opportunity to go to their local polling station tomorrow. Given that there were no formal poll cards issued, no ability to vote by post or by proxy, given that it is August and many people are away, giving that the hours of the poll are limited to 4pm - 9pm, I am not expecting a huge turnout - not least because democratic involvement in Thetford is low anyway - perhaps that has something to do with the view that the local Council/s' do not listen and we are combating 20 years of induced apathy. Personally, I would be pleased with a turnout of anything over 10%. Do I expect the No campaign to win? I do. But by how much will be the interesting factor. If the turnout is over 10%, and if the No vote wins by more than 60-70%, and IF more people participate than those that have so far participated in any Moving Thetford Forward consultations, I seriously hope Breckland Council and MTF are gracious enough to admit that they need to look at things again, and look at their approach to consultation - and the extent to which they listen (and act upon) feedback. If, after tomorrow, they continue to arrogantly charge ahead, I am not sure what will happen, but I do not think the people of Thetford will continue to take it laying down. Tomorrow for me represents a new dawn for Thetford, a day when collectively as a town it declares enough is enough, our destiny must be shaped with us, not for us.

The 'Vote No' campaign flyer

2011-07-31T13:35:00.001+01:00

Thetford Bus Station Poll; Vote No!

2011-07-24T20:47:00.001+01:00

Dear Editor, On Tuesday 9th August, I will be voting NO to the moving of the Thetford Bus Station in the Parish Poll. Does that make me part of the “old, boring, Dads Army brigade”? I really don’t think so. And it is quite wrong to label those fighting against this proposal in such a way. Am I then not wanting to protect Thetford’s historical assets? Far from it. Of course, that would mean that I would be against investment in our town, against a cinema and other improvements? How utterly ridiculous! I want all these things! I will be voting No for two main reasons. Primarily because I would prefer to see the bus station kept where it is – the current site is much more accessible, it is much larger than the proposed site at St Nicholas Street and it has much greater potential to be turned into the sort of bus station that I would like to see in our town – something on a par with Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds. What is being proposed for St Nicholas Street is woefully inadequate. It seems as if we are going to get a nice new tarmac surface, with a few shelters for people to wait. What’s different to what we have now? Apart from it looking all nice and shiny and new. I am also very concerned about the safety of the new site and the amount of buses that will be charging down St Nicholas Street past Minstergate Street. The second reason for my decision to vote NO is because I am sick of organisations like Moving Thetford Forward and Breckland Council taking our town for granted. How dare they claim to be listening to the people of this town. Their consultation exercises have been ridiculous. If more people participate in this poll, than have participated in the MTF official consultations, then perhaps they might actually realise that people have not participated previously as they felt that Breckland and others had already made their minds up and the views of local people did not count. We’re told that this poll may result in investment in this town being lost and the Grade II Cosy Carpets building not getting the investment it needs. Well, as has been said before, Breckland Council have the power as a local authority to force the owners of historic buildings to protect them, but it chooses not to – perhaps this has something to do with its budget for heritage being absolutely Zero. Think no further than Abbey Barns, St Mary the Less and others. No support for them hey! As for investment, if Breckland did more to keep Thetford clean and tidy, develop a sense of community pride, invested in tourism and listened to the people of Thetford that would go a very long way towards making Thetford more prosperous, instead they charge ahead, sucking the lifeblood from our community and trampling anyone that gets in their way or who dares to propose an alternative. I urge every resident of Thetford, VOTE NO on Tuesday 9th August 2011! Terry Jermy Thetford Town and Breckland District Councillor, Saxon Ward Elm Road, Thetford (Aged 25!)

Thetford and Brandon Letters Page 09.02.11

2011-02-12T00:21:00.000Z

My letter to Thetford and Brandon re: Sweyn Close

2011-02-07T23:21:00.000Z

Dear Editor, Following the article last week regarding the housing scheme at Sweyn Close on Barnham Cross, I should like to comment further and clarify some points. Particularly considering there has been much misinformation in this debate. A group of organisations have been working to improve the Barnham Cross community for several years, its loose title has been Barnham Cross Regeneration Steering Group. It has achieved some notable accomplishments, not least the redevelopment of redundant garage sites at Fir Road and Ash Close. Further improvements will take place this year in the form of increased parking and landscaping and further dwellings constructed at Mingay Road in the shape of much needed bungalows. The primary focus was always on the regeneration of Sweyn Close given the deterioration of those houses. Much consultation took place across the Barnham Cross community regarding Sweyn Close, many meetings were held and plans were drawn up – I was involved with this process and devoted many, many hours to it. At every step along the way, the regeneration at Sweyn Close was going to consist of a ‘mixed tenure’ – in other words, there would be a significant number of social housing units (what many people will know as ‘council houses’) and there would be several privately sold and some for shared ownership. For me, and others – this mixed tenure was crucial, for several reasons. 1. Primarily because all national guidelines state that a mixed tenure development is the right choice. Not compacting as many of one type together. 2) There were people that owned their house at Sweyn Close that had to move out for this scheme to go ahead, and expressed an interest in returning to the area if they could, and we do need more homes for sale in general towards the South-West of Thetford. 3) Shared ownership – I have had several people contact me, desperate to get onto the housing ladder and were keen for shared ownership properties to be incorporated into this development. I know from personal experience having just bought my own house (on the Barnham Cross Estate!) that it is incredibly difficult to get onto the housing ladder. Furthermore, the community consultation and the planning application to the Town Council and Breckland Planning Committee stated there would be a mixed tenure development. The planning application does not have to be looked at again because of this change. In many ways, this application was viewed under false pretences. Last Wednesday, I requested that Thetford Town Council put onto its Agenda a motion that, if agreed, would call for a letter to be sent to the Homes and Communities Agency (the national organisation that awards money for social housing, and the ones we were told that were insisting for entirely social housing in this development) I explained my reasoning for this at the council meeting, and explained that I thought it was unfair for a national organisation to be dictating to Thetford how this should proceed. We were told it was this way, or there would be no money, effectively scuppering the whole thing. I was delighted that 6 councillors supported me (2 did not, and 3 abstained). However, since then, the council and councillors have come under considerable pressure. Senior Breckland Council officers have told us that our actions may cost this entire re-development and the investment of £10 million pounds into Thetford. I have spoken with the HCA, they respect that Thetford Town Councillors have a democratic right to express the views of the people they represent. What sort of world do we live in where councillors cannot do this, in fear of national organisations acting like small children and taking away their toys? I am disappointed that 7 Thetford Councillors have now called for our original decision to be re-tracted. A special meeting of Thetford Town Council has been called, on Wednesday 9th February 2011 at 7pm in the Town Council Chambers. I thought on this issue Thetford Town Council may put the people of this town first. I hope after Wednesday night this remains to be the case. Yours sincerely, Terry Jermy Thetford Town Councillor – Saxon Ward Elm Road, Thetford

Thetford and Brandon Times - 2nd February

2011-02-02T08:58:00.001Z

My letter to the Thetford and Brandon Times, 31.01.11

2011-02-01T10:30:00.001Z

Dear Editor Following the correspondence recently concerning the ability of the Town Council to instigate change in Thetford, as someone who has now served as a Town Councillor for 3 years, I would make the following points. The Town Council has a yearly expenditure of nearly ¾ of a million pounds, it spends £750,000 per year, the majority of which (£500,000) comes from council tax payers in Thetford, with the remainder coming from different sources of income – particularly rental income from Town Council owned buildings. I do not think this level of expenditure is insignificant – if spent wisely and with due regard to value for money, that level of yearly expenditure could achieve a significant amount in our town – bear in mind of course that the Town Council is able to reclaim VAT, so that yearly expenditure is already worth more than many regard. Furthermore, the Town Council does own considerable assets; The Guildhall, Carnegie Room, Red Lion, Royal British Legion building, Rudlings and Wakelam building, the Shambles, London Road cemetery chapel and cottage and others. In addition, The Town Council has significant financial reserves – several hundreds of thousands of pounds in fact. And of course, all Town Councillors are Trustees of the Staniforth Trust, responsible for Kings House and Kings House gardens and with other financial reserves as well. The Town Council is also responsible for land, not least our Common Land – Barnham Common, Melford Common, plus all of the allotment land in Thetford, and it is responsible for Castle Park and the surrounding land – including Castle Hill. The Town Council has significant resources, not least our staff team with a whole range of skills at its disposal. So, far from being remote and irrelevant, the Town Council has a significant role to play in the life of our town. It does not have to sit back and moan about the shortcomings of Breckland Council (numerous as they are), but could work towards improving our town and the quality of life for residents – putting Thetford first. This all of course is what is possible. Despite some notable accomplishments, there remains so much more that the Town Council could be doing, not least providing a strong and passionate collective voice for our town. I have often felt in the past that our Town Council has ‘mumbled itself into insignificance’. Alas, all is not lost. Elections to Thetford Town Council are taking place on the 5th May 2011, and I urge everyone in Thetford not to disregard this, take an active interest and participate in your democratic right to vote. The Town Council could achieve so much more, and I sincerely hope that it does. Terry Jermy Elm Road, Thetford Thetford Town Council – Saxon Ward

St Mary the Less Church Letter

2010-01-31T21:46:00.003Z

Dear Editor, Anybody who has travelled along the Bury Road in Thetford recently surely would not have failed to spot the now gaping hole in the roof of St Mary the Less Church. I suspect many people in Thetford feel as disgusted as me that this has been allowed to happen. A much smaller hole first appeared at the start of 2009, and the photograph above shows the extent of damage on the 4th May 2009. The other photo above shows the damage as of this week. In the not too distant future I suspect it will get worse, particularly with the wet and cold weather we will no doubt have over the coming weeks and months. Myself and many others have made Breckland Council aware of this issue on numerous occasions over the past year in the hope that they will take action, it would appear they have done nothing. They have a statutory obligation to protect historically significant buildings. St Mary the Less is a Grade 2 listed building, and on the Buildings at Risk Register. Its churchyard contains notable Thetford figures including Sir Richard Fulmerston. Neither the owner, or Breckland Council have done anything to safeguard this important building. What exactly is required to occur before something is done? Maybe they are waiting for it to completely fall to the ground?

Thetford Meet-up Cafe Project Update 2

2010-01-31T21:45:00.000Z

Today was my 7th working day at the new project… time flies hey! A lot has happened since that very cold first day on the 4th January!! We (myself and Tina Westgarth – Cafe Development Worker) spent the first week pretty much engaged in cleaning what we could and putting initial things into place. Once the heating was sorted, there was a whole list of other contractors / suppliers we needed to speak to. The carpets need to be cleaned, the curtains in the hall as well, need to get the whole place painted and decorated, electricians quotes, new windows etc etc etc It is all being hampered by the fact the hole in the roof remains and we have been unable to obtain quotes as companies could not get onto the roof and assess what is needed while it was covered with snow. Now that it has all gone, we are hoping to make some quick progress with this. The downside of having a non-frozen roof of course is that all of the water is now coming through again and we have a wet carpet! Today I got all of the window shutters up and attacked the very thick cobwebs and some mean looking spiders with a big broom!! Windows need to be cleaned, and frames repainted. We’ve been very fortunate to have a number of people pop-in and offer to volunteer, probably about 7 people have now completed volunteer application forms and a number of others have said they will pop-in at some point. Much work to do in terms of processing these, completing CRB checks, arranging for inductions and sourcing the necessary training, getting name badges sorted etc. Tomorrow will be a very good day as we should be having our new computers delivered and getting connected to the internet and email!! that should help us get things underway. Been having lots of conversations about the sorts of activities that can take place in the building, hope to involve as many people as possible in due course to get ideas and get many people involved in supporting the project. I’ve now created a Thetford Meet-up Cafe user on Facebook, so feel free to ‘Add as a friend’ if you use Facebook!! Also, click here to see a great article about the project in last Thursdays EDP:- http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED13%20Jan%202010%2017:44:28:480

Thetford Meet-up Cafe Project Update 1

2010-01-31T21:44:00.000Z

Well, today was the first day of my new job managing the Inspiring Communities project in Thetford with the Benjamin Foundation. (Website: www.benjaminfoundation.co.uk) I’ve left the world of Keystone behind, and am now managing this new project in Thetford which will see the redundant community centre on the Redcastle Estate transformed into a community centre, cafe, and learning hub for young people. I intend to record as much about the journey of this project as possible, and day 1 seems a good bit to record! What is the project? In August, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) awarded 15 lots of funding to projects around the UK. See here – http://www.lgcplus.com/children-and-education/latest-childrens-services-and-education-news/inspiring-communities-projects-named/5004789.article The project submitted by the Benjamin Foundation was successful and over £400,000 was allocated. A major achievement! The only project in the whole of East Anglia, and to a town the size of Thetford on top of the other sums of money given to the town (Growth Point, Healthy Towns, SRB, European Objective 2 and others). The project in Thetford will “include running a community café as a social enterprise that will act as a vibrant community focal point and provide training opportunities, voluntary and work experience placements and information and signposting services. Intergenerational gardening programme, a school and community radio station, and skills swaps are some of the other activities on offer”. In short, it is about creating a hub for the community, a vibrant community centre for all sorts of community activities but a specific focus on children and young people and a specific focus on training and skills improvement. The building will host a community cafe which will act as a regular drop-in for young people where they can go to complete their homework, seek advice and support, or just chill-out with friends. Other elements of the project will develop over time including media related activities and community gardening. The project will no doubt benefit the whole of Thetford, but a specific focus will be placed on the three West Thetford Estates – Abbey, Redcastle and Barnham Cross, for it is because of these areas that the funding was awarded. Many of the activities for this project will be located away from the building as well to ensure that as many young people as possible benefit from what it on offer. Today was day one, and the challenge we face was clear. The building was very cold, the heating did not work and much of the plaster-board to the roof inside had collapsed due to the leaky roof, it smelt of damp, and the buckets strategically positioned around the building were full of smelly rain water. Week 1 will see us cleaning as much of the building as possible, and getting to grips with what we need to do. Getting the heating working again is the number 1 priority, getting the roof fixed is also clearly a priority – it is however dependent on the weather as the roof is covered in snow so we are unable to get it sorted. Other tasks will include; Getting the oven working, electrical sockets checked, ordering all new equipment, cleaning – or replacing the carpets in some areas, re-painting the whole building, setting up our office, ordering or, sourcing all kitchen equipment – cutlery, pots, pans, dining tables and chairs, cleaning the windows etc etc The next few weeks, and probably the whole of January and into February will be focused on getting the building fit for purpose.

EDP 31.12.09

2010-01-01T13:25:00.003Z

hmmmmm, just a thought, has anyone (other than Breckland Council) actually spoken to these individuals?

Inquiry requested following death

2009-12-29T13:21:00.001Z

Taken from EDP website on 27/12/09. Article written by Ian Clarke. Norfolk's chief constable has been asked to order an urgent inquiry after a Polish man froze to death in a tent in Thetford. The body of Mariusz Fidos, 33, was found at Barnham Common five days before Christmas and he had been sleeping rough in the area with other men, including his twin brother Piotr. It remains unclear how long they had been staying in the area, but there are reports they had been there for several weeks. Peter Smith, Labour parliamentary candidate for South West Norfolk, said he was “extremely concerned” about the events surrounding Mr Fidos's death, especially what had been done to help him and other men . Breckland Council said four men were found sleeping in the area in October, but the Fidos brothers were not among them. Mr Smith said: “I am alarmed that a situation, which was known about for some weeks, was not acted upon in sufficient time to prevent this completely avoidable death.” In a letter to Norfolk police chiefs, Mr Smith said: “What we now see is a concerted effort by Breckland Council to promote the idea that officers and councillors had done everything possible for Mariusz and his fellow 'campers'. This is so evidently not the case.” Mr Smith added: “I am therefore asking you to initiate an urgent police inquiry into all the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, including the roles of all the agencies involved. It is indeed an irony that the Safer Thetford Action Group, knowing in advance of this developing situation, was unable to ensure the safety of this unfortunate man.” A post-mortem examination revealed early indications are that Mr Fidos died from hypothermia. The case has now been passed to the coroner. Police said the man's death remains “unexplained” but a spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances. Police did not want to comment on Mr Smith's letter. Thetford town councillor Terry Jermy said: “I think we owe it to Mr Fidos to properly examine what happened and learn lessons so that this cannot happen again. I cannot believe that in this country today, someone can be allowed to die from the cold in a tent.” A Breckland Council spokesman said: “In early October, the housing advice and homelessness service visited Barnham Cross Common to offer advice to four men who had been reported as sleeping in a tent. Mariusz and Piotr Fidos were not among the men who were occupying the tent at that time.” A statement said the men were offered help to travel to their home countries, but they declined and expressed a wish to continue living in the tent on the Common. The council has not said how long it though the Fidos brothers had been on the Common.

Homeless man dies on Barnham Cross Common from hypothermia

2009-12-28T22:05:00.002Z

Taken from the EDP website, story printed on 22nd December 2009.The body of a man who had been sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures has been found on the outskirts of Thetford. The dead man, who was from Poland and was found in a tent on Barnham Cross Common has been named as 33-year-old Mariusz Fidos. Yesterday team rector of Thetford, Canon Bob Baker and Thetford mayor, Pam Spencer, both spoke on behalf of the town of their sadness over the tragedy. "The people of Thetford are shocked and saddened. We don't know what the circumstances are surrounding this man's death but clearly, if there are lessons to learned, we must learn from them and ensure that this does not happen again," said Canon Baker. Mrs Spencer said: "My thoughts are with the relatives and friends of the deceased at was must be a particularly difficult time." It is understood that Mr Fidos was sharing the tent with his twin brother and a friend, all three being Polish nationals. A fourth man, also believed to be Eastern European, was in a tent on his own by the dead man's tent. The three other men have since been provided with emergency accommodation in Norwich. Mr Fidos was found dead on Sunday. A post-mortem examination carried out later that evening revealed early indications are that he died from hypothermia. The case has now been passed to the coroner. Police said the man's death remains "unexplained" but police said there were no suspicious circumstances. John Walker, of Breckland Council's housing advice and home-lessness service, described Mr Fidos' death as an "appalling tragedy". He said that the authority was not aware that Mr Fidos was sleeping rough on the Common and had not had any direct contact with him. He said Breckland Council was working hard with the police and other agencies in the Thetford area to ensure that everyone was aware when people were sleeping rough and then provide what help they could. Council officials, had, however, been aware in October of three men sleeping rough on Barnham Common. The group were advised of their housing options and also offered assistance to travel to their home countries but they declined such help. "We can't force people to return to their home countries if they do not want to go," said Mr Walker. Thetford town councillor Terry Jermy, whose ward covers the Barnham Common area, said that although housing officers were aware of people sleeping rough on the Common, he did not feel it was a priority to them. He was angry at the situation and suggested that a caravan could have been provided on the town's travel-lers' site which had not yet been used. "At least on that site they could have been free from harm," he said. He is calling for a serious look at the homelessness issue in Thetford. There is a facility for the homeless in Thetford at John Room House but it is currently closed for major refurbishment. Breckland Cabinet member with responsibility for housing, Paul Claussen said the authority took the homelessness issue very seriously and would be working with partner agencies to ensure that such a tragedy did not happen again. Mr Claussen stressed he was not aware of all the details of the case, but Mr Walker and his team did their utmost to find accommodation for people in difficulties. "We do encourage people to be our eyes and ears and let us know when they are aware of people facing difficulties with accommodation," he said

A new challenge....

2009-11-22T16:39:00.003Z

On Thursday I had a job interview with the Benjamin Foundation, for the post of Project Co-ordinator for an exciting new project in Thetford. I am delighted to have been offered to post, which I will start at the beginning of January. The project, has been funded by the Government (Over £400,000!)and is the only one of its kind in the whole of East Anglia. There were 15 projects in total funded across the UK. It aims to address the fact that many children in Thetford have such low aspirations and leave school at 16 going straight into employment with few remaining in education post-16, and less still going on to University after that. The project will take over the empty Community Centre on Redcastle Estate and turn it into a Youth Cafe, and Community hub for learning, and education. It is very exciting!!! I would welcome anyones ideas and thoughts about what sort of activities could take place to help children while at school (e.g. home-work clubs) and what can be done to get more children staying in education post-16.

What happened to democracy?

2009-11-18T17:03:00.003Z

Thie piece in today's Eastern Daily Press is wholly unfair. - http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED17%20Nov%202009%2017%3A54%3A10%3A823 I agree entirely with the comments laid out here by Peter Smith. "I always read the Inside Politics column with interest. For the most part the analysis is both perceptive and balanced. Today's piece, though, is worrying in its assertion that 'Elizabeth Truss will go on to win the seat very comfortably in the general election'. This is, I believe, an assertion based, not on current evidence, but on past outcomes. The selection controversy which engulfed the SW Norfolk conservatives reflected tha anger of local people fed up with being taken for granted, resentful of what they perceived, rightly or wrongly, as a metropolitan elite deciding what was right for country bumpkins. The old certainties about elections and their outcomes have changed dramatically, even since the last general election. The techniques employed so effectively by Obama in the USA are now with us. It is very foolish indeed to assume that because a particular constituency has been one colour for many years, that this will never change. It is equally foolish to assume that national politics will always be reflected in the way people in a particular community will vote. A constituency is made up of many smaller communities and interest groups. I believe that, more than ever before, localism will matter at the next general election. I agree with Terence Blacker when he writes, 'communities are different from one another, whether they are in towns or the country. The local connection that you have to those who live and work in your neighbourhood or region matters more than ever in a changing, impersonal world'. (Independent 18/11/09) I believe my local connection will play a significant part in the coming election. But other factors in SW Norfolk will challenge the cosy, and deeply anti-democratic media-reinforced consensus on the inevitable outcome in SW Norfolk: Major boundary changes, which have seen Attleborough and Watton transfered to Mid-Norfolk and reduced the notional majority to around 6000. Significant demographic changes, including a major influx of population, especially in Thetford and Downham Market. The role that UKIP will play in taking predominantly Tory votes. The strong Labour base. The choice of yet another outsider as Tory candidate. Mr.Fraser's trees. Major questions about the financial behaviour of Breckland District Council. The latest Tory selection rumpus. The electorate may well vote the way that Chris Fisher says they will. But it is a much more competitive contest this time round and I believe strongly that the huge media coverage of the antics of one political party in SW Norfolk, without any attempt by the EDP, or indeed any other newspaper, to engage in a balanced political debate, treats the electorate with contempt and further re-inforces the view that there is no point in voting because the outcome is a foregone conclusion. And that's even before the election campaign, which will, I hope, focus on issues and policies, has even begun in earnest. Yours faithfully" Peter Smith Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, SW Norfolk

Fireworks event press coverage

2009-11-15T16:11:00.001Z

Thetford Fireworks Spectacular, November 2009

2009-11-09T16:02:00.003Z

I've just sent the text below to the Editor of the Thetford and Brandon Newspaper. Dear Editor, I would like to give a massive thank-you to the thousands of people from Thetford who turned up on Sunday night to support the first organised fireworks display in this town for many years. It was an absolutely fantastic success. The fireworks were amazing, everyone enjoyed themselves and the people of this town got the chance to come together and meet friends and show what fantastic community spirit this town has. I would like to particularly thank the two main organisers, Larry Gray and Susan Glossop. Without them, this event simply would not have happened. Many people got involved with this event and many donated their time and provided support. I would especially like to thank the small group of peopled who helped me with raising funds for Help for Heroes, they were; Sheron Rourke, Barbara Bysouth, Jaime Smith, Gavin Leach, Fiona Drew, Mark and Sarah Lynam, Roxanne Laws, Robert Waple, Kevin, Gina, Rebecca, Zoe and Jade, Andy Hradsky. A total of £1900 was raised for Help For Heroes. Well done Thetford, you have done us all proud!! Best wishes Terry Jermy Thetford Town Councillor for the Saxon Ward (Photo credits to Bernie O'Connor)

One of the not so good bits about being a councillor...

2009-11-01T20:50:00.003Z

On a fairly regular basis, I randomly get stopped by people wanting to speak to me as a 'councillor'. Whether it be in the street, at the local Supermarket, walking through the town centre, or wherever. I have no problems talking to people, it is part of the job, even if I am in a rush, I make time to talk and answer questions. I make myself very 'available' - I have no issues giving out my home telephone number, and my mobile number, people can email me, message me on facebook, read and comment on my blog. However, what I really object to, is people being rude. Just because I am a councillor, it seems like some people think they can shout at you, or blame you for whatever it is they have an issue with. I'm a Thetford Town Councillor, I can hardly be held responsible for decisions taken by Norfolk County Council, Breckland Council, the Government, the police. Am I accountable for decisions taken by Thetford Town Council? to an extent yes, but not entirely. People often don't think to ask your views about something before wading in and giving you their two-penneth worth and 'holding you accountable' - which is often not the case, its 'let's have a pop at a councillor' moment. Yesterday, at 11.30am (on a Saturday), a guy stopped me in the street and was literally shouting at me and was very aggressive. It was something part work related, and something part town council related. For starters, I think it is very sad if someone feels it is Ok to talk to a fellow human being in that way, it is totally unncessary. But worse, I was working on a session for work with young people, and I am sure they would have been scared by this guy. On another occasion, at 12.30 at night, I was walking out of the front door of a friends when a half drunk guy walking along spotted me and started shouting about something council related. I've learnt to be very clear with people, I will talk as much as they want, I will not shy away from a discussion or a debate, but under no circumstances, will I allow someone to be rude to me.

EDP Page 2 on Monday 14th September 2009

2009-09-15T13:08:00.000+01:00

EDP mistake... oak?

2009-09-13T10:03:00.001+01:00

Apparently we are erecting an oak obelisk! Burrell memorial obelisk plan approved 09 September 2009 A three sided oak obelisk dedicated to Thetford steam engine builder Charles Burrell will provide the centre piece for a new community garden in the town. Planning permission for the sculpture, which has already been commissioned and will be paid for using lottery money, was granted by Breckland Council's Development Control Committee. When finished the 1.8m memorial will sit in the new Charles Burrell Garden on land next to 54 Staniforth Road. The derelict site, which is near to the Charles Burrell High School, is currently being transformed into a community garden by the Keystone Development Trust. When finished it is hoped it will provide a tranquil place for townsfolk to go and be a haven for wildlife. Along with the famous author Thomas Paine, and Britain's first black mayor, Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns, Charles Burrell is one of Thetford's most prominent historical figures. From 1740 to 1930 Burrell and Sons produced custom made steam engines and at one point the company was Thetford's largest employer with an international reputation for manufacturing traction engines and road locomotives. Charles Burrell was also a Thetford town councillor for 55 consecutive years and held the office of town mayor on seven separate occasions.

Charles Burrell Coverage in EDP

2009-08-26T16:31:00.000+01:00

Excellent article, very pleased with this.

Boost for dentists in Thetford

2009-08-15T15:36:00.000+01:00

Dentists get £3m cash injection 14 August 2009 By Lindsey Newton More people in Thetford will be able to access an NHS dentist thanks to a cash injection of £3 million for dentistry across the county. Currently, there is only one NHS dental surgery in the town, serving more than 15,000 patients, and the funding means up to 4,500 more patients per year will be able to see an NHS dentist in Thetford from early 2010. The news, which was announced by NHS Norfolk last week, has been welcomed by health bosses and residents and a tendering process for additional dental services in Thetford has been launched. Ann Piper, 68, of Elm Road, said: "This is brilliant news as there is a real shortage of NHS dental services in the town and many people have to travel to Brandon or Bury St Edmunds to see a dentist. "Private treatment is very expensive, and many people who have paid their taxes for years are not getting the treatment they deserve, so it's good to see that Thetford will benefit from more NHS dental services." William Simper, 61, of Durham Way, said: "This extra money is a really good thing for Thetford, especially as there is only one NHS dentist in the town. "There should definitely be better access to services, especially as the NHS is funded through public money, so hopefully this will go some way to improving the situation." The extra money will be spent on improving dental services by increasing access to NHS dentists, providing more orthodontic services and improving dentistry provision in elderly care homes. Fiona Reynolds, NHS Norfolk's assistant director for primary care, said: "This additional investment will go a long way to helping us to further improve the NHS dental services in our area. "While we have already made significant investments and improvements in recent years and months, having extra money in the budget means we can do even more. "This is part of NHS Norfolk's on-going commitment to improve services in the Thetford area and we will continue to evaluate the need

£400,000 from the Government for Saxon and Abbey Wards

2009-08-15T15:34:00.000+01:00

Community radio planned for Thetford 13 August 2009 PLANS for a youth drop-in centre and a community radio station were unveiled last week as part of a £400,000 project to help raise the aspirations of young people in Thetford. North Norfolk charity The Benjamin Foundation is set to expand its reach after successfully getting a share of a government 'inspiring communities' fund. The organisation, which provides a range of services for young people, will team up with the Thetford Education Partnership to try and improve the ambitions of the town's youth. The Benjamin Foundation received £400,000 from a £10m pot of money from the Department for Communities and Local Government to help encourage youngsters in deprived areas to “think big.” A drop-in youth centre and café, a training base, a community horticulture scheme, and a youth community radio station are being proposed in Thetford over the next two years. Sharon Matthews, operational manager at The Benjamin Foundation said Thetford was the only place in Norfolk to benefit from an Inspiring Communities partnership. She added that the long-term goal was to establish self sustaining social enterprises run by the town's young people. “This funding represents a wonderful opportunity for the young people in Thetford. The Benjamin Foundation is incredibly excited about being able to meet and work with people in these vibrant communities. We look forward to forging some long lasting partnerships with both individuals and groups living and working in the area,” she said. The charity is set to work with local schools, Fulmerston Family and Community Project, Keystone Development Trust, Connexions Norfolk, Moving Thetford Forward, and Norfolk County Council Children's Services. Christine Davies, manager of the Thetford Education Partnership, added: “We are thrilled and very excited at the prospect of what this grant will bring to the community. We know that in Thetford there is already a great deal of positive activity and that our young people, their families and the wider community have a great deal to offer. This grant gives us the opportunity to build on what is already here.”

That August feeling....

2009-08-13T22:45:00.004+01:00

Everything seems to be moving at a very slow pace at the moment. Not a lot happens in the political and community work world in August. Although there is some news to note; I got into hot water for my recent criticisms of different agencies regarding Redcastle Community Centre. I was quoted in the press articles at saying Peddars Way Housing Association had under-invested in West Thetford. This is not the case, and they took exception to my comments, but are hopefully now aware that they were not my views anyway. Some fairly major news - a funding bid which I supported and assisted with has been approved, £400,000! I will post the press article seperately but it is a major piece of good news for the Saxon and Abbey Wards. We had an interesting Town Council planning committee meeting last night, 12th August. Approximately 20 residents turned up to complain about an application to fill-in and build over a rather nice pond area along Nightingale Way. I had already been alerted that this was being proposed so I was aware of the implications so put my points across at the meeting. We cannot keep allowing developers to cram in housing into every nook and cranny in this town, particularly building on attractive green areas, when so many brown-field, disused eyesores, and unused buildings remain in this town. The planning application for the Charles Burrell sculpture also came up for discussion last night and thankfully, my fellow town councillors rather liked it so I gather.

Thetford and Brandon Letters 29th July 2009

2009-07-31T16:47:00.000+01:00

Eastern Daily Press, Letters Section, Friday 31st July 2009

2009-07-31T16:01:00.002+01:00

Redcastle Community Centre Article....

2009-07-29T22:37:00.002+01:00

Thetford and Brandon Newspaper, Wednesday 29th July 2009 - Page 3. Here's the link to the story; http://www.thetfordandbrandontimes.co.uk/content/tbtimes/news/story.aspx?brand=TBOnline&category=news&tBrand=TBonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED31%20Jul%202009%2009%3A49%3A56%3A540

How to involve the community?

2009-07-25T21:03:00.003+01:00

At this weeks planning committee meeting of the Town Council, the matter of the London Road bridge came up for discussion. I took the opportunity to comment on the fact that very few people in the town knew that the bridge was going to be removed. As a councillor, I get to hear about all sorts of things planned to happen - e.g. planning application proposals, and generally I am kept informed about matters of interest in the town. As a community worker, my instincts are to involve, engage and inform people. But yet with my town council hat, I have no capacity or resouces to share this information with the wider public and it is thoroughly frustrating. This blog is one avenue I use to share information, the other main one is facebook - I find it incredibly useful for informing people about matters which may be of interest or canvassing views on a given subject. For example, I think around 20 people used it to contact me initially asking what was happening with the bridge, and then to pass comment on what they thought of the idea. At the meeting on Wednesday, I explained that councils - County, District and Town and other agencies, such as the police, needed to put more effort into involving communities, and using a variety of methods to do so. Otherwise, can we really wonder why apathy rules in so many quarters? I would welcome any views from readers on methods of sharing information.

Sticking to an election pledge

2009-07-18T18:22:00.006+01:00

When I stood for the Town Council by-election in July 2008, I listed three priorities on my main election leaflet. One of which was to campaign for more facilities and activities for children and young people in this town. We have a higher percentage of children under the age of 16 than any other place in Norfolk. 25% of Thetford is under 16, the national average is 17%. Imagine my horror therefore when I read the latest edition of Breckland Voice (the propaganda newspaper produced by Breckland Council, affectionately known as the 'bin-rag' by some, and worse names by others). I digress. Breckland Voice detailed two pages of activities for children taking place across the district, all free! great! Errrm. No. Not a single one taking place in Thetford. (Although, not many in Dereham either to be fair). I contacted Breckland Council and asked why. Because deadlines were missed. OK. What is happening? Activities at the Sports Centre provided by Parkwood? Hold on, Parkwood are a private company, they are charging for all their activities, one was £18 per child per day! Can parents across the Saxon Ward, and Thetford afford that? No. Furthermore, they are a sports centre, activities are sports related. Not all kids like sport. The activities detailed in 'Voice' were a mix, including arts and crafts related. So the bottom line is, it is not like for like. Once again, Thetford is being missed out. Don't children and young people in Thetford deserve something to do over the summer holidays? It would be worth mentioning Norfolk Youth Service at this point, part of Norfolk County Council, whom it would appear are also inadequately serving the needs of young people in this town. I contacted the Bury Free Press and shared my frustrations. They picked up on the story, and initially wanted a photograph of me to accompany the story, I suggested they speak to the parents who had contacted me initially asking about activities for children and hence the above lovely photo of bored children, has ended up on this weeks front page. Providing more activities for children and young people is of paramount important in this town and I will continue to do whatever I can to chip away at the issue. Here is the link to the story; http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/thetford/Nowhere-to-go.5468253.jp UPDATE: From a parent who contacted me about the lack of childrens activities who's child I invited to be in the photo for the newspaper: "I couldn't believe it when I saw it, I went to buy it and noticed they got front page! I was really pleased because people will have to pay attention now :) if it gets the message through then its all worth it because our children are the future an they will determine what happens next; if Thetford is going to be a respectable place with many opportunites or whether it will be known for crime and anti social behaviour !! thanx mate for giving me the opportunity to play a part in what happens to my childs future :) xx

Pine Close ASB / Crime Roadshow - 13th July 2009

2009-07-18T18:05:00.002+01:00

On Monday, we had an anti-social behaviour and crime related roadshow at the front of Pine Close shops. The idea being to encourage more people from the community to report crime and asb that occurs to ensure the figures represent the reality of what goes on in the area. A good number of people went along to it, could have been more, but the opportunity was there. Change does not happen overnight but you have to chip away at it. Click here to view our latest Barnham Action Group newsletter which was delivered around the estate prior to the event; http://www.terryjermy.btik.com/documents/2624576209.ikml

Abbey Centre wins regional award!

2009-07-08T22:36:00.009+01:00

Last week I attended the 'What we are proud of awards' organised by the National Housing Federation. The Abbey Estate, and Abbey Neighbourhood Centre had been nominated in recognition for the huge amount of work that has taken place to improve the community, and for the way which the estate has changed over the years. We work closely with Peddars Way and other agencies on the Abbey Estate. I went with four volunteers from the Abbey community, and the PCSO for the Estate - Gavin Tampin. We were all delighted to have been shortlisted in the top 3 out of the 24 projects submitted. We had to give a 15 minute presentation outlining 'what we are proud of' and focus on what examples of partnership work had taken place and how the project helps housing association tenants. All of us attending gave short speeches as part of our presentation, followed by a brief video of some of the activities taking place. Giving a speech in front of so many people is no easy undertaking, luckily I have a little bit of experience of it now, but I was still very nervous, but those not used to doing it were very brave, and did a fantastic job and were clearly determined to make sure they got their good news story across. Despite the other two projects being of a very high standard, I am delighted to say that our project won, and will now represent the whole Eastern Region at the national awards ceremony in London. The victory was even more poignant given that the winner was chosen by votes cast from those attending on the evening, including attendees for the other projects. Here is the text from my speech on the night: Good evening, my name is Terry Jermy and I am a Community Worker with Keystone Development Trust and Manager of the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre. A community workers’ role is to work with, engage and empower local residents to address issues themselves and work together to improve their community. Therefore, you need a community, to have a community worker. And ultimately, the reason why the Abbey Estate has improved is not because of the money spent on it, or the greater attention from whichever agency, it is because the community, the people that live there, have wanted it to improve, and improve it has. The community centre now boasts a fantastic community café, open from Tuesday – Saturday, it really has become the hub for the community, the café is providing employment for people from the local area, and is providing training and support to a whole number of volunteers. We have a weekly youth group on a Tuesday, providing an activity for 5-9 years and then 10-15 years, over 60 children walk through the door every Tuesday for this. We have at least 6 volunteers assisting this project and all are completing child protection and first aid courses, and will soon complete basic youth work training, this will hopefully get them a foot in the door to paid youth work. We have two weekly bingo sessions, Wednesday afternoons and Thursday evenings. This is greatly appreciated by the older members of our community – for some it is the only thing they do each week. We’ve just launched weekly senior citizen lunches on Fridays, a home-cooked meal such as shepeherds pie, for just £2.50 per person. We also have a table tennis club on a Monday night for those aged 16-24 years and this is helping us to develop links with this age group, many of which have a chequered past having been in prison and experienced drug and alcohol misuse. Hopefully through something as simple as table tennis, we can start to help improve the lives of these young people as well. It is truly a community centre for the whole community, and I think symbolizes that this community has improved. For me, the most striking thing about the people you see here tonight, and others involved with activities in this community, is their commitment and dedication through adversity. They all have a whole variety of issues going on in their own lives, they could easily let these issues consume them, and have resentment against society, but they do not, they all muck in, do their bit, and through it, support each other, and are stronger for it. Brenda touched upon an issue sensitive to her just now, and many of the people involved with activities at the Abbey have their own personal situations which they strive to overcome. But they don’t let that prevent them from doing their bit in their community, and I like to think in return, they support each other, and I like to think that their community supports them. So to summarise, We know our community has improved, the people on the Abbey Estate know their community has improved, YOU here, have the power this evening, to help us send a message to everyone else that this community has improved. Vote for the Abbey.Here's the link to an article about it in the Bury Free Press; http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/thetford/Neighbourhood-centre-wins-community-award.5445820.jp

Go Further Trips; Autumn / Winter 2009

2009-07-05T15:11:00.002+01:00

Please click the link above to view the list of coach trips that I am running between now and Christmas 2009.

24% of people in Breckland think they can influence how things are run

2009-06-29T10:01:00.003+01:00

I found the last statistic given in this article on the EDP website very interesting. "On the outskirts of Norwich, 82pc of people under Breckland Council, were happy with their area as a place to live; half were satisfied with the way the council runs things; 42pc felt the council provided value for money and less than a quarter, 24pc felt they could influence the way things were run". Indeed, I think we have a democratic defecit in Breckland.

Abbey Barns - success!

2009-06-24T12:08:00.001+01:00

Have just heard, the Abbey Barns issue WILL be called in by the Secretary of State. Fantastic news.

KAVO Membership Form

2009-06-21T15:08:00.003+01:00

My new role at Keystone is supporting voluntary and community groups in the Keystone area, called K.A.V.O - Keystone Area Voluntary Organisations. It provides advice to groups, help with funding applications, training services, networking opportunities etc. Click the link above to download and complete the KAVO Membership Form if you are put of a group and would like to join.

Community Football Project going very well!

2009-06-18T21:56:00.003+01:00

Here is a picture from what I think is probably one of my favourite projects at the moment. Last year, a funding application submitted to the Football Foundation was approved and the Thetford Community Association was awarded £8,000 plus £2,000 from Norfolk Community Foundation to run football coaching sessions at the Ballpark on the Redcastle Estate for two years. We launched the project in March of this year, having first recruited three coaches - all of which live local. We worked through risk assessments, produced session registers, membership forms and we registered as an 'employer' for payroll and everything that goes with that. The sessions now take place every Tuesday and Thursday. There are regularly 25-30 youngsters aged 10-15 years attending - mainly boys. Tonight, there were 36 youngsters - too many in fact! This project has been achieved by a committee of about 5 people, absolutely amazing. Credit also to the three coaches, who are working hard to make this project a success. £10,000 for this project is peanuts in the world of funding, but look how far it can go - 180 sessions, 25-30 youngsters engaged for 2 hours at every session, new skills taught, addressing behaviour, providing suitable role models, improving confidence and self esteem, encouraging healthier lifestyles etc etc etc, this sort of activity is not rocket science, it should be happening all the time in a community like Thetford where 25% of the population is under 16. Let's hope for more successes in the future

Abbey Barns; Richard Howitt visit in Bury Free Press

2009-06-13T12:54:00.003+01:00

Click title to read the article.

Thetford-West Result

2009-06-08T23:33:00.003+01:00

Well, I was unsuccesful in my attempt to become the next Norfolk County Councillor for Thetford-West. Initially I was very disappointed, it is afterall something I have put a lot of time and effort into for a long while, but then given the national situation, and loss of 19 Labour seats in Norfolk, in hindsight it was rather inevitable! I may sound very anti-Conservative when I say this, but I was delighted that the seat was at least won by the Liberal Democrats. I do not think councils work well when they are hugely controlled by one political party, there is no room for debate or discussion, refining policy or ideas, just look at Breckland Council - 48 Tories out of 54 councillors. And now, Norfolk has 60 tories out of 84 councillors. However, I polled a respectable 706 votes on a turnout of 28% - I suspect out of the 72% of people that didn't vote there would be a large number of labour voters there sitting on their hands refusing to go and support the Government, and numerous voters around my age (18-30) who are just oblivious to the democratic process. I lost count in this campaign how many people I had to sit down and explain how to vote, i.e. simply how to walk into a polling station, what to do etc. As with the by-election last year, and again this year, I am very pleased to have managed to motivate people to vote who do not normally, or have never voted! I think at least 30 people voted for me last Thursday who rarely, or more realistically, never vote. I was pleased that I seemed to do far better on the Saxon Ward half of the Thetford-West seat. I assume anyway, can't know for sure. But the Labour vote was particularly poor for the Abbey Ward by-election, just 256 votes, so if people voted the same for the county election, it meant I got roughly 450 votes for the Saxon Ward half of Thetford-West and 256 on the Abbey half (Mike Brindle, Lib Dem, also won that seat so is now on the Town Council and Norfolk Council all in one go!). I live to fight another day, I'm still on Thetford Town Council, I am still employed as a community worker in Thetford, and I am as determined as ever to work to improve Thetford, and this will probably mean standing in future elections! It goes without saying, but I wish the two new Thetford County Councillors all the best, and our two new town councillors! Interesting times ahead :) All results here - http://www.breckland.gov.uk/news_declaration_of_poll_county_elections

Photography competition for children in Thetford

2009-05-31T20:47:00.001+01:00

About the competition: You need to submit two photographs about where you live, one photograph should show what you like most about where you live, and the other about what you like least about where you live. Each photograph should also have a small amount of text explaining why you have chosen each picture. Competition for young people aged 5 - 11 years and 11 - 18 years. How to submit your photograph: You can email them to terry.j@keystonetrust.org.uk or you can post them to; Photography Competition, Keystone Development Trust, The Limes, 32 Bridge Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 3AG Deadline for all entries; Wednesday 10th June 2009 For more information, contact 01842 821643

Leaflets, phone calls and unhappy residents

2009-05-29T19:03:00.004+01:00

I've been spending a lot of time out and about recently, mainly due to the need to deliver literally thousands of leaflets - (trust me to be standing in the second biggest seat out of all 84 in Norfolk!) Although, ever the optimist, it is really good exercise, it gets me out and about in the fresh air and sunshine and I can speak to people as I'm going around. Plus, I pick up lots of things to report to either Breckland Council or Peddars Way, never any shortage of this, as these two latest photos demonstrate - both now sent off to Breckland. Furthermore, have just finished working my way through the 11 voicemails on my landline, mainly from residents, oh joy. Some happy customers, some very rude - politics really isn't for the faint hearted.

Abbey Barns; Town Council opts for weak stance

2009-05-21T17:05:00.005+01:00

At the Town Council planning committee meeting last night (Weds 20th May 2009), we discussed an item put forward by a representative of the Thetford Society concerning the Abbey Barns. Planning permission has now been granted again by Breckland Council - controversially, and people are being encouraged to write to the Secretary of State to 'call in' the matter and decide if it should be upheld. You would therefore expect that Thetford Town Council would of course add its weight to the campaign and exercise its duty to provide a voice for the town. It did not. They voted to send no letter, or undertake any lobbying of any kind, merely to 'support' the Thetford Society's efforts, what form that 'support' might take was unclear. Some councillors actually thought this was indeed the wishes of the town as the majority of people did not care about the Barns. Whereas, a great many people have spoken to me about them - as a councillor, and as part of the 'West Thetford consultation' which I am working on as part of my Keystone role. Surely our council is there to lead and fight for what is right with gusto and determination. Not sit mealy mouthed mumbling theirselves into insignificance. NOTE: I've attached an example letter which can be sent to the Secretary of State should anyone so wish.

Norfolk Homewatch Saturday 16th May 2009

2009-05-17T12:15:00.004+01:00

On Saturday I attended the Norfolk Homewatch event at County Hall. I had been invited to be a member of the 'question time' panel representing 'youth'. Not an enviable task at a 'homewatch' meeting given that I am sure most people there had issue with 'youth' for one reason or another. The main two questions I answered were about how to get more young people involved in Homewatch and their community. The main jist of my answer was that new technologies; i.e. blogs, facebook etc should be utilised far more then they are now - improving accessibility and the other question was around addressing the issue of youth nuisance / anti-social behaviour, so I reminded the audience that Norfolk has one of the lowest funded youth services in the country and much of what takes places is very piece-meal and short-term, and therefore community & youth workers have little time to establish relationships with the youth people and address some of the issues which exist. All in all I rather enjoyed the event and it was good to give a 'younger person' an opportunity to be on the panel.

Mayor Making Ceremony - 13th May 2009

2009-05-14T22:48:00.004+01:00

Last night was the annual Mayor Making ceremony for Thetford Town Council. Every time I mentioned the title to someone that I was going to this, I needed to explain what exactly was 'Mayor Making' - what a pity that so few people in our town are aware of the customs and traditions of the town council. I get the feeling that some people view me as some kind of 'revolutionary' with no respect for such things as customs and traditions, maybe its because of my age, but actually this could not be further from the truth. I am very proud of Thetford, and I do respect the role of the council and its customs (although of course, none of them are properly explained or discussed with new councillors). I may sometimes get frustrated when customs and traditions stand in the way of progress, but on the whole, I would consider myself respectful of such things. It was my first Mayor Making ceremony as a councillor and I must confess to being exceptionally nervous! Our new Mayor, is Pam Spencer who I am sure was also very nervous, but did a great job last night and I wish her well for her year ahead.

and the nominations are....

2009-05-11T10:08:00.002+01:00

St Mary the Less .....

2009-05-11T10:02:00.003+01:00

The photos below are of St Mary The Less Church on Bury Road, Thetford. It is the oldest church in Thetford and as you can see from the photos, it is in a very bad state. Like so many other buildings around Thetford, The Mary The Less is owned by a private property developer - (if you could say developer?). The owner bought the building from the church, has done virtually nothing to it, applied and obtained planning permission to convert it into a house and attempted to sell it at a far greater price than what it was originally purchased for. Easy hey? Well no, because nobody has bought it, and several years and neglect are really now showing, particularly the gaping hole in the roof which must surely be affecting and weakening the whole building considerably. As ever, our local district council seems entirely ineffectual at forcing the landlord to do anything in regards to protecting this building, despite its Grade I listed status. The planning permission has now lapsed, and I cannot imagine that if it was obtained, there would be anymore demand for it as a house then there was previously, particularly given the economic climate. Maybe the price will continue to drop and some other well intentioned organisation, or person, could purchase it, and make the improvements it so desperately need. What a fantastic beacon for Thetford this could be with enough thought and investment. Update: St Mary the Less is a grade II - not a Grade I.

St Mary the Less Church, Bury Road, Thetford (04.05.09)

2009-05-04T16:02:00.002+01:00

Redcastle Estate

2009-05-02T14:41:00.002+01:00

This morning, I delivered a leaflet around St Martin's Way, St John's Way and Prior Stephen Way. On my travels I spotted numerous things requiring attention which I have now reported to Breckland Council.

Funding boost for Abbey Youth Club

2009-04-29T18:58:00.004+01:00

I am delighted that our community garden idea at the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre was launched this week. The idea of the project is to link with the very popular youth group which takes place on a Tuesday night, attended by approximately 60 kids and get them involved in growing and caring for their own plants and vegetables. ANCHOR (Abbey Neighbourhood Centre Helping Our Residents) obtained funding from O2 (£1,000) and Keystone / Breckland Green Grants (£750) and on Tuesday the project was launched with a cheque presentation from O2. Full credit to the fantastic Youth Club team for all their efforts as usual. Fingers crossed for some more good news in the near future. And it made front page of this weeks Thetford and Brandon too!!

Redcastle Community Centre

2009-04-26T13:32:00.003+01:00

The question I raised at the meeting the other night regarding Redcastle Community Centre has made it into this weeks Bury Free Press, not that they acknowledged how they came to know about this, i.e. because I raised the point! - see here - http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/thetford/Community-centre-at-threat-of.5200076.jp Let's hope however that this extra publicity will support the community centre. There is a Redcastle residents meeting at 6pm on Monday 27th April which I will be attending.

21st April 2009; Public Meeting at the Carnegie Rooms with Breckland Council

2009-04-23T22:05:00.004+01:00

On Tuesday evening, I attended the 'Thetford Neighbourhood Forum' which is basically an opportunity for Thetford to keep the pressure on Breckland Council to actually deliver a reasonable level of service in this town - this was the third meeting, with the first being initiated by the Thetford Society and then the event became consumed and stage-managed directly by the Council. I found the 'you said, we did' presentation particularly interesting for a variety of reasons. Anyway, I too the opportunity to ask two questions, 1) Would Breckland Council commit to keeping the Redcastle Community Centre open for community use when the lease expires at the end of July as at present - the centre will be closed from August and will be a great loss to this community and 2) Would the Council support groups such as the Thetford Ballpark whom, like so many other organisations and facilities in this town and so greatly under-supported and constantly at risk. These were the only questions asked, out of approximately 30 questions, to prompt the Leader of Breckland Council - William Nunn, to jump up and answer, rather than the Chief Executive Trevor Holden (more about the questionner rather than the questions??) A fairly wishy washy answer to both parts resulted, but nethertheless, I did raise the point and hopefully some good may come of it. The main bone of contention on the evening, as expected, was the Abbey Barns. A day earlier Breckland Council's Development Control Committee had controversially agreed to grant planning permission to turn this historically significant site into housing. The state of St Mary the Less Church on Bury Road was also discussed. We have serious issues in Thetford with buildings, some historically significant (E.g. Abbey Barns and St Mary the Less), others just visually significant (E.g. Pine Close shops) just being left to rot, and sit as a severe risk to the health and safety of the community. Breckland Council has a statutory obligation to ensure the protection of these buildings and safeguard them. They fail miserably in this respect. Breckland Council claimed at the meeting to be doing all they can to force landlords to protect buildings, this is simply not the case. I reminded the Chief Executive that if a local authority was to serve an 'Enforcement Notice' on a landlord, demanding work is carried out, if such a notice was ignored, other authorities would undertake this work, and then promptly issue the landlord with the bill for it, with failure to repay resulting in court action. This is a power available to Breckland which it does not utilise. Breckland has no budget for 'works in default' and as I stated on Tuesday; "it will not be enforcement ACTION if there are no teeth, behind the words".

Pine Close problems make front page of this weeks Bury Free Press

2009-04-19T20:18:00.003+01:00

'Vandals are creating a ghost town' By Lindsey Newton The centre of Thetford's Barnham Cross estate has been branded a ghost town and eyesore after becoming a target for vandals. Now residents are calling for something to be done about the smashed windows, graffiti and dumped rubbish. Flats above shops in Pine Close have been empty for 18 months and, despite the owners spending thousands of pounds securing the site, anti-social behaviour continues and residents want the area to be regenerated. Shaun Pickering Merrett, of Pine Close, said: "It's a real state and something should be done to clear it up. "It would be great to see some of the shops reopened, as it looks awful with all the shutters down." Other residents said the area was 'an eyesore' and looked like a 'ghost town' because of the empty shops. Terry Jermy, Keystone Development Trust community worker for Barnham Cross, said: "The flats are a real mess and something should be done, rather than leaving them to rot. "A recent tour involving local agencies took place where residents expressed concern at the area being such an eyesore." The Barnham Cross Action Group and other agencies had managed to get funding to secure the site, but the gates had been broken, added Mr Jermy. "There is a lot of good work going on in the area but this damage is really dragging down the community," he said. The landlord responsible for the affected flats and shop units did not want to be named but said: "It's a real problem but there is nothing we can do about it. "I look after the properties for the owner, who wants to get them up and running again, but they keep being vandalised and it is so expensive to keep repairing – I've spent between £20,000 and £30,000 on them." A Breckland Council spokeswoman said: "Two of the flats have been boarded up and we are in discussions with the owner, while another two are being refurbished and are nearly completed. "We are aware of the flytipping problems and we have spoken to the owner about the bins, while a lot of time has been spent at Pine Close by our environmental services team." Rachael Ashley, a Thetford PCSO, said: "We are consulting with the shop owners on a daily basis. They are working with us to help to identify the individuals responsible for this spate of criminal damage. "The neighbourhood policing team is conducting extra high visibility reassurance patrols in the area and is encouraging anyone who has any information about the vandalism to contact the police."

A fitting acknowledgement of Thelma's hard-work

2009-04-16T14:44:00.000+01:00

Page 3, Thetford and Brandon Newspaper 15th April 2009

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000+01:00

New Road Signs for Barnham Cross Estate

2009-04-03T13:47:00.000+01:00

The signs are good on estate By Lindsey Newton Walking to school is now much safer for pupils living on Thetford's Barnham Cross estate, thanks to a new road safety scheme. Pupils from Queensway Junior School took part in a competition to design road signs to display alongside those warning of a 20mph zone which has just been introduced. The project, which has been welcomed by parents, pupils and residents,was made possible by a collaboration between Barnham Cross Action Group, Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Police, Keystone Development Trust, Sure Start Children's Centre, Queensway infant and junior schools and Charles Burrell Humanities School. Charlie Wilson, eight, who had two of her drawings turned into road signs, said: "It's really important to get drivers to slow down to make it safer for us going to school. "I drew a school with children coming out to make people think about their driving and I thought the competition was really fun, because it's great looking at my pictures on road signs." Katie Stevens, eight, Georgina Baldwin, nine, Jiorjia Flint, nine, and Rebecca Grimmond, 10, have also had their drawings turned into road signs. Tim Lovejoy, chairman of Barnham Cross Action Group, said: "The school's previous headteacher, Ralph Headley, set the ball rolling by getting all the various groups together and getting funding together through the school travel plan. "It has been a great project to work on, as it has brought everyone together for a worthwhile cause." The full article contains 241 words and appears in BFP Thetford newspaper.

Talking on the Politcs Show about migration in Thetford

2009-03-28T13:53:00.000Z

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Whats new?

2009-03-21T18:28:00.002Z

Been a very busy few weeks with all sorts going on. Saturday 28th February; Worked on the Charles Burrell Garden & Sculpture project, took the group of children involved to Didlington Nursery to purchase some plants and then we all planted them into the garden which is coming along well. Monday 2nd March; Met with Elspeth Barnes, from the Matthew Project which seeks to tackle drug and alcohol issues in Thetford. In the evening it was our first session of the new Abbey Table Tennis Club for 16 - 24 year olds, went well for a first session. Tuesday 3rd; Youth club from 4pm - 6pm then had to leave before the second session really got going as I attended the Moving Thetford Forward meeting in the Carnegie Rooms, mixed views on this! I will post my whole letter as part of the consultation seperately. Wednesday 4th; Met with Sadie and Abi to talk about 'Transitions' a possible new Keystone project looking at supporting people during the recesssion and addressing life problems, a much needed project! Then around mid-day, I was interviewed by BBC Politics on Migrant Workers in Thetford and how this affects the local community, I was rather nervous! In the evening I met with Dennis and Colin to progress with the Thetford Labour Party Spring Newsletter Thursday 5th; In the morning I met with Tim Lovejoy to progress with Barnham Cross Community Worker and then in the evening it was the monthly Thetford Labour Party meeting. Bit of a special one tonight, selections for Norfolk County Council candidates!! Will blog seperately about that. Friday 6th; Met again with Tim, and Elsie Coleman the Barnham residents group Treasurer to review the groups finances and plan ahead. At 2.15pm it was the monthly ANCHOR meeting which went well. Spent the evening with Dave H looking at my Go Further website and sorting out the bloody wireless internet which has been a pain to get set-up, sorted it in the end!! Saturday 7th; Another gardening session at Staniforth Road Monday 9th; Annual leave from work, hurrahhh!!! Just as well, was feeling awful, so did not get to make the Abbey Residents meeting at 6pm or the Croxton Road meeting at 7.30pm Tuesday 10th; Felt awful still, spent most of the day in bed, dragged myself to the Barnham Action Group meeting for 6.30pm, lots of residents present tonight which was very encouraging. After this, at 8.30pm, had another Labour Party meeting, finished about 10pm, no wonder I'm feeling exhausted!! Thursday 12th; Tour of Pine Close shops as part of STAG, will post seperately on this as well! what a total an utter disgrace this whole matter is. Monthly Safer Thetford Action Group meeting at 10am and then after this, the Fireworks committee met at 12pm. Due to lack of funds forthcoming, it was agreed to postpone the fireworks event until 2010. To be fair, not a great deal of effort went into a 2009 date and raising funds, but all round, a 2010 is best so I did not fight this. Friday 13th; Annual leave again, rested!! Monday 16th; Barnham Cross Regeneration group meeting at 10am, was interesting, and then a Thetford Community Association meeting at 6pm with Paul Dives and Dean Roberts progressing with the risk assessments for the new football coaching project, all very exciting. Tuesday 17th; Had a trip for my business to London, took 24 to see Oliver and Joseph. Went very well. Few issues with the coach so will be meeting the coach company seperately, but encouraging trip with good feedback. Got home at 12.30am! Wednesday 18th; Had the morning booked off for a lay-in, then went in around lunch-time and progressed with some work. Town Council planning committee in the evening, Moving Thetford Forward on the agenda, got the impression only a handful of us actually wanted to spend any time talking bout the plans for Thetford... not sure why, I would have thought it was a fairly important matter. Thursday 19th; Progressed with Barnham Cross work at Fulmerston, attended Thursday night bingo at the Abbey PM. Saturday 21st; Had a SW Norfolk Labour Party meeting at 11am at the Sports and Social Club, then went out as a group delivering the Thetford Party Spring Newsletter, managed to cover most of Cloverfields Estate today so good going, lots more areas to get done.

Democracy.... Breckland style!

2009-03-12T22:24:00.001Z

Breckland councillor storms out in free speech row 12 March 2009 15:58 An angry councillor stormed out of a meeting at Breckland Council this morning branding the authority a “disgrace to democracy”. While members of the full cabinet were approving minutes of previous meetings Keith Gilbert wanted to reignite a debate about contracting out planning and building control services which had been discussed at the cabinet meeting on February 24. He felt there had not been enough consultation on the subject and that it had not been open. But chairman John Labouchere told him that if he had “nothing new or pertinent” to say then there was not enough time to go over the subject again considering they had already given it a two hour debate at cabinet. William Nunn added: “Most of the points you are raising were raised at cabinet and we would not look to raise them again here.” Mr Gilbert walked out of the chamber saying that Mr Labouchere had refused him free speech. “I want it noted that the council has refused a debate and is therefore a disgrace to democracy,” he said. After the meeting Mr Gilbert told the EDP that it was his job as an opposition member to offer constructive criticism but he felt that anyone with negative comments was being gagged. “I have spoken to several members who are very much against this idea of giving a private company a say in planning issues which is a core service that Breckland Council should provide. “The way the council is working makes my position worthless and I feel like full council meetings are now just a self-congratulatory rubber stamp. I just could not stay in that meeting after being told I could not say what I wanted to say.”

Fireworks article in Bury Free Press

2009-02-19T22:46:00.000Z

Call for return of town's fireworks Published Date: 13 February 2009 By Lindsey Newton Fireworks could once again light up the skies over Thetford as a town councillor heads up a campaign to bring the once annual event back to the town. Cllr Terry Jermy, who is one of Thetford's youngest councillors, is calling on the town council to hold a bonfire event to give something back to the town's residents – and he wants local people to register their interest online. Cllr Jermy said: "Many years ago, there was an organised event in this town which was very popular. However, this finished and, for a long while, Thetford has been without a bonfire and fireworks display. "A town-run event would mean residents wouldn't be disturbed for weeks on end, it would be safer than home firework displays and it would bring the town together." Cllr Jermy has set up a group on Facebook, the social networking website, entitled The Bonfire and Firework Event in Thetford 2009 and has more than 250 members, many of whom have posted messages of support. Alison Arnold said 'Great idea Terry! I used to love the huge bonfire that was built on Melford Common when I was a kid' and Kaye Bloomfield said 'I think it's about time Thetford did this again, the last one I can remember in Thetford was at the high school and that was some years ago'. Liz Staight wrote: "I think we should definitely have one in Thetford again, we always have to travel to the surrounding villages for fireworks and if somewhere as small as Barnham can put on an excellent display, then why cant we? "It's good to know that someone is trying to cut through the red tape and give something back to the people of Thetford." The event is also supported by Thetford police and fire service. The idea was first addressed by Cllr Jermy at November's town council meeting, where some councillors objected on the grounds of cost, disturbance to local residents and lack of demand. Cllr Derek Mortimer said: "My personal view is that it would be money going up in smoke. "The event would cost a lot of money, then there's insurance, health and safety assessments, crowd control and a suitable location would need to be found. "I haven't heard a great deal in favour of it and I think there are much worthier causes which could benefit from that sort of money." If you would like to register your support for the event, become a member of the group at www.facebook.com or email terry.jermy@googlemail.com

Thetford Bonfire & Fireworks Event

2009-02-09T22:53:00.003Z

In November 2008, I requested an agenda item for the Full Town Council meeting at the end of that month. For weeks leading up to Bonfire Night in November, many local residents asked me why there was no organised display in Thetford and to be honest, there was no answer that could be given. I therefore proposed at the November meeting that Thetford Town Council should take the lead on organising such an event in 2009. The reason being that other towns and small villages organise their own displays for their residents so why could Thetford not have a display? Also, much work has taken place over many years primarily by the Fire and Police Services locally tackling illegal and dangerous bonfires and fireworks. Without an organised event, it is difficult for these organisations to address this issue. Many members of the Town Council supported the concept of having a display but were sceptical of the practicalities, cost, noise, location etc. The Town Manager - Susan Glossop, was asked to produce a report looking at the options available which she did, and this was presented to full council at the end of January. The report indicated a lot of support from agencies and residents groups around the town and Serjeant Steve Burke from Thetford Police was at the meeting to confirm their support. Some councillors still had issues with the project and were reluctant to 'underwrite' the cost and wanted other groups/organisations locally to financially commit to the project. The Town Council have no money available this year as it is heavily supporting the Thomas Paine events. The council agreed to defer making a decision on the idea until more information was gathered. In the meantime, to address the question posed by some councillors that there may not be support for this idea amongst people in the town, I decided to set-up a group on Facebook to see how many people from Thetford would join to show their support. Amazingly, over 350 have joined in just 48 hours!!! I am not sure what my fellow Town Councillors will make of this but I am greatly encouraged by this and firmly believe that involving the people of this town is vitally important for all organisations and all community projects. The next few weeks will be interesting!

Letters section, Thetford & Brandon - 28.01.09

2009-01-28T17:41:00.002Z

Updates on developments with me.....

2009-01-26T22:28:00.002Z

Well as you can see by the picture uploads, it has been a busy week! Last Tuesday (20th Jan) I attended the Obama Inauguration event in Cambridge hosted by Richard Howitt MEP and attended by Jon Prescott MP. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event, attended by myself an 10 other people from Thetford, and literally hundreds of Labour Party people from across East Anglia! who would have thought it... hundreds of Labour Party people in East Anglia! Whatever next! Then on Friday, we had the annual Thetford Labour Party Social Event, attended by more people this year then any other year I can remember. Feedback was great, people loved the food and the venue! Which was great considering branch members requested it was held at the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre (where I am now Centre Manager) and I was pleased they liked our humble little centre. Richard Howitt attended, and as someone commented on the night, we certainly get out fair share of Richard's time given the vast geographically area he covers. I managed to talk to him for quite a while as I sat next to him on the top table - oooooooo get me! On Saturday, I went to County Hall in Norwich for a meeting of the Norfolk Labour Group and planning for the 2009 County Council elections! - which no-body still knows if they are happening or not! Then today, I worked all day on various bitsand pieces, and this evening attended a meeting of the Recastle Action Group, was designed to rejuvenate the group and actually went very well. It has always been the estate that misses out because local people have not wanted to come forward and volunteer and take part, hopefully that will change, tonight was certainly encouraging......

Thetford Labour Party New Year Dinner

2009-01-24T17:03:00.003Z

On Friday, we had the annual Thetford Labour Party Christmas/New Year Social event which I organise each year. It is normally a Christmas event but this year we opted to try a 'New Year' event. It was very successful with 34 members attending. We were joined by special guest Richard Howitt MEP - who is probably the hardest working MEP in the whole of the UK!

Obama Inuguration; 20th January 2009

2009-01-21T11:41:00.005Z

On Tuesday I attended an event in Cambridge hosted by Richard Howitt MEP, with John Prescott MP as the key-note speaker. There was 11 of us that went from Thetford and it was a very enjoyable, and memorable event. Here are some photos...

Steep fall in Conservative Party membership

2008-12-21T23:57:00.000Z

A revealing story in today’ News of the World - Gone-servative Party - appears to show that David Cameron’s honeymoon is over. Mr Cameron has lost over 40,000 members of the Conservative Party since becoming leader. There is a long term decline in membership of all political parties but even taking this into account, to lose tens of thousands of members whilst projecting yourself as the “heir to Blair” is bound to attract comparision. When Labour were challenging the Conservatives in the mid-nineties, membership went up by more than 100,000.

Breckland Councillors' Pay Rise

2008-12-21T22:55:00.006Z

Breckland Councillors pay set to rise again. See Thetford and Brandon article. Councillors allowances at present.... Breckland Council £4,950.00 Broadland Council £3,810.00 Great Yarmouth £3,483.00 Kings Lynn & WNBC £4,974.64 North Norfolk £3,906.96 Norwich £5,275.00 South Norfolk £4,350.00 TOTAL 335 £1,483,993.76 Councillors allowances are an interesting subject. I don't disagree that councillors should be paid an allowance. Most councillors attend a large number of official council meetings and other community meetings/events/activities/functions. However, there is no legal requirement for District Councillors to attend anymore than 1 meeting once every 6 months, this is what I, and many other people have issue with. Also, how can it be fair that a councillor in Breckland is paid an allowance of £4950 per year, and a Great Yarmouth councillor only gets £3,810? Also, the council's themselves can vote on how much they pay their Leader of the Council, Chairman of Committees etc. The total amount paid for 'special responsibilities' for a number of councils is shown below; Breckland Council £148,728.40 Kings Lynn & WNBC £89,655.54 North Norfolk £55,481.57 South Norfolk £38,715.00 Why should the 'leading' councillors of Breckland, get paid over 3 times as much for the equivalent in South Norfolk?

What's been happening?.....

2008-12-21T22:28:00.003Z

It has been very busy over the past few weeks with lots going on! 1st Dec; Normal full day at work plus meeting of the Thetford Community Association / Ballpark group at 6pm at my office. 2nd; Had another meeting of the CDRP funding panel in Swaffham at 10am, debated a whole list of projects. The £4500 we requested for the Table Tennis Club at Abbey NC was approved, despite the Breckland Rep saying that Breckland Council did not support the bid, partly because they do not support projects which reward bad behaviour, which is not what the project is about at all. In the afternoon I attended a meeting regarding Pine Close shops and then led the Abbey Youth Club from 3.30pm - 8pm. 3rd; ANCHOR committee meeting at 4pm till 6.30pm then straight to Town Council Planning Committee for 7pm 4th; Had a coach trip to London as part of my business today, took 25 people to see Dirty Dancing and Mamma Mia, went very well with some good feedback. Got to put more effort into promoting the business for the New Year and get the office properly set-up! 5th; Had a little lay-in! The helped deliver some of the newsletters for the Barnham Action Group. Thetford Sports & Social Club booked a half page advert which was mutually beneficial for the group as money coming in to help pay for printing and good publicity for the club. On Friday night I helped to man the ANCHOR fundraising stall at the Christmas Lights Switch-on, we managed to raise £50. 6th; Helped Abigal with an event in the Town Centre as part of META. We ran an ANCHOR stall again, selling tickets for the Christmas Hamper Raffle. Gary Winter was there sinking which went down very well, (pictures to follow). Managed to raise over £100 for ANCHOR today. 8th; Had the normal update / admin session with Tim Lovejoy at Fulmerston at 10am. Pine Close newsagents now closed and probably will be for some time. Helped out at the Charles Burrell Garden & Sculpture Project workshop from 6.30-8.30pm. Had 14 kids attend which was encouraging. 9th; Got ready during the day for the Barnham Action Group AGM, helped set out tables and chairs and set-up display boards. Displays included; CB Garden Project, Community Arts work, Pine Close shops, road traffic and parking, Ingleton Wood, Fulmerston Family Project and Thetford Toy Library. Event was well attended. 10th; Nothing special today, other than a Personell Committee meeting at Charles Burrell at 2.30pm 11th; Monthly STAG meeting at 10am then helped out at Bingo at ANC from 6.30pm 12th; Attended the Mayors annual Christmas Do for staff and councillors and former Mayors. Got to play 'old' games such as kerplunk etc. Was quite good fun! 13th; Had a bit of a lay-in in the morning then helped out at the Christmas Thanksgiving Service at the Abbey from 3.30pm. Was a weird event, but I think it pleased the people that attended. 15th; Met with Tim at 10am 16th; Led youth club from 3.30pm - 8pm 17th; Finance and Buildings Committee at Charles Burrell at 2.30pm, had a meeting at the Town Council offices to discuss Sports Provision in Thetford at 3.30pm, then a Staniforth Trust meeting at 6pm and Planning Committee at 7pm - lots of meetings today! 18th; Had the Christmas Quiz Night at the Abbey tonight, went well. My team won! Me, Colin Armes, Dennis & Yvonne Sully. Decided to donate out £50 prize money; £20 to the Thetford Labour Party, £20 back to ANCHOR and £10 to a lady called Mrs Pink who we had heard that the day before had been mugged at Bury Bus Station. Christmas Hamper Raffle was also drawn tonight, in total raised approximately £450 for ANCHOR. 19th; Attended the Keystone staff and tenants Christmas do from 2-4pm Saturday 20th; Had a lovely long lay in, then walked (!) to my office at Bury Road - Dad borrowed the car to drive to Dover to see Ricky before Christmas - got quite a bit of work done, then went clubbing in Norwich Saturday night, got in at 3.30am! eek Sunday 21st; A lay-in again! Then had a rest day, pottering around doing bits and pieces, oh - and wrapping Christmas presents! (and updated my blog which I've been lacking!) 22nd; Will be going to London with James, Jana and Mark for James's birthday. We've booked to go ice-skating at the Tower of London 23rd; Got a meeting with Tim and Elsie (BAG Treasurer) at 10am, then will be getting ready for the children's Christmas Party at the Abbey. Got over 50 kids booked and should be a very good night!!! Had a very useful meeting at 10am, met with representatives from Norfolk Community Foundation re: how to access money which they have available for community projects, I will certainly be encouraging groups to apply ASAP.

Daniel Cox finds new County Council seat

2008-11-30T20:02:00.000Z

Deselected council leader gets a seat SHAUN LOWTHORPE 29 November 2008 11:06 Norfolk County Council leader Daniel Cox has secured a new seat formerly held by one of his predecessors. The Tory councillor, who was deselected from his Wymondham seat last month, has been chosen to contest the Humbleyard division, just outside Norwich, at next year's county council elections in June - should a poll go ahead. The seat was previously held by former council leader Alison King, and more recently by Judith Virgo, whom Mr Cox defeated for the job at a selection meeting on Thursday. Like Mrs King, the council leader has faced problems with recalcitrant Tories, including Breckland's Cliff Jordan, which is believed to be at the heart of his losing Wymondham. But Mr Jordan, who as chairman of the mid-Norfolk constituency oversaw the deselection of the leader, insisted that rules were properly followed and there was no plot. The decision sparked a row within the ruling Tory group at County Hall and claims that it was part of a putsch organised by districts upset at the county council's stance on the unitary issue. Other councillors who have also been deselected include fellow cabinet member John Gretton, Christopher Lloyd-Owen, Janice Eells, and David Rye. While another county councillor, Heather Bolt, is appealing the process after being offered a different seat - in Gaywood Central, a Labour stronghold. More recently there have been suggestions the controversial county farms issue has also added to the discord within the Tory group. Mr Cox was not available for comment last night, but in a separate move Mr Gretton confirmed he was appealing his selection process with Tory central office after losing a local appeal decision. Mr Gretton believes he has enough evidence to demonstrate the constituency has breached a series of selection guidelines, and the rules chosen have marginalised the views of local branches, which previously had a say in which candidate was picked. “I do not have any faith in what they have done because they have very deliberately sliced grassroots conservative democracy out of the picture,” he said. “What they are effectively saying to the local branches is that it is okay for you to raise money for us but you have got no influence over the political process.”

District Councils lose court bid to halt unitary (haha!)

2008-11-30T20:01:00.000Z

Councils lose court bid to halt review Upbeat: Nick Daubney SHAUN LOWTHORPE 29 November 2008 06:00 Councils fighting plans to overhaul Norfolk's town halls lost a legal battle to derail the process yesterday - at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to ratepayers. A top judge refused to stall plans for local government reorganisation which could see all seven of the district councils, along with the county council itself, consigned to the history books and replaced by a new super council including Lowestoft. He also ordered the authorities bringing the challenge - Breckland, South Norfolk, and King's Lynn and West Norfolk - to pay three-quarters of the legal costs incurred by the Boundary Committee as well as their own fees, adding to the spiralling multi-million pound bill even before any final decision has been made. Mr Justice Cranston, in the High Court, ruled their challenge was “premature” but they came away with a slim hope after he said it would be impossible to complete consultation on the affordability question by a December 31 deadline. That leaves alive their hope that the tight schedule set by ministers to get Parliament to approve a new council and get it up and running by 2010 could fall because a general election is due. Despite what appeared to be an overwhelming ruling against them, the three councils were still sure they were heading for victory and the challenge was vindicated. Last night the councils said they would lodge an appeal to challenge the ruling next week and even hinted at taking out an injunction to ensure the process was given more time to look at the affordability issue. Nick Daubney, leader of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council, said he was upbeat, adding: “The judge is dismissing the case, but still saying we have got to have more time. We will put in our appeal next week. We are talking to financial experts to allow them to do a proper job. “I think it's well worth it. There is a cost to this, but I think because of the overall cost to the public, it will be worth it. Compared to what Norwich City Council and the county council have spent we are talking peanuts.” John Fuller, South Norfolk council leader, said he was delighted. He said: “We didn't win the main points but we came away winning the one we wanted. The public did not have information to see whether it was worth spending £100m on a reorganisation at a time when the country can least afford it." The committee's proposals were due to be submitted to communities secretary Hazel Blears by December 31 but Mr Justice Cranston's ruling means that deadline will probably have to be put back. The independent Boundary Committee, which is carrying out the review, also welcomed the ruling and said it was business as usual as its members put the finishing touches on their final recommendations. And with a recent decision to put back the county council elections by a month until June, supporters of the process believe there is still time to get a new council under way. Mr Justice Cranston accepted the committee's plea that it was not obliged to "make a comparison" between the benefits of a unitary authority or maintaining the status quo. "A comparison with the existing two-tier structure was never on the cards", he ruled. He also dismissed the three councils' criticisms of the way the consultation process was being run, and said the committee had "well and truly embarked" on consulting all the affected local authorities about the affordability of the proposals. The committee had provided "sufficient material" to the councils so they could make a "considered response", he said. Tim Leader, deputy chief executive of Breckland Council, said: "The inevitable consequence of today's hearing is that the secretary of state will not now be able to receive the Boundary Committee's advice on local government reorganisation in Norfolk in December, as originally planned. We will now be writing to the Committee to clarify how long the extended consultation period will be. "Our decision to take legal action has been vindicated. Our desire throughout was simply to ensure the people who will pay for any reorganisation of local government in Norfolk would have a proper say on what the reorganisation might be." However James Eadie QC, for Ms Blears, told the judge: "We would not wish anyone reporting this case to leave court with the impression that the claimants have won in any way, shape or form". He said the councils had lost the case "on all the issues of principle", though Ms Blears would now consider a "short extension" of the December 31 deadline. Daniel Cox, leader of Norfolk County Council, said: "We note the High Court judgment and await the publication of the Boundary Committee's final recommendation for change. We will now need to wait to hear what effect this may have on the consultation period."

Charles Burrell Sculpture Project, Page 3, Thetford and Brandon 22 10 08

2008-10-23T09:23:00.001+01:00

Norfolk Tories Split Widens - EDP

2008-10-23T09:19:00.002+01:00

Norfolk Tory group split widens SHAUN LOWTHORPE 21 October 2008 06:59 The split within Norfolk County Council's ruling Tory group appears to be widening as allies of leader Daniel Cox last night turned their ire on those trying to unseat him as more of his supporters face de-selection. Mr Cox failed to get re-selected for his Wymondham division last week along with allies John Gretton and Christopher Lloyd-Owen in what appeared to be an opening salvo against his leadership. The council leader insists he will stay on and is confident of finding another seat for next year's election. His angry supporters believe he has been treated shabbily. Last night, it emerged that another senior councillor, Stephen Bett, who is chairman of Norfolk Police Authority, is also being challenged for his North Coast seat in North West Norfolk. As police authority chairman, he followed the constabulary line in supporting a single super council, but he was keen to play down any suggestions that he was being targeted. Downham Market councillor Shelagh Hutson, who previously worked as agent for former cabinet minister Gillian Shephard, is also facing a battle to hang on to her seat. The coup is centred around Breckland Tories, with the Mid Norfolk Conservative Association chaired by Cliff Jordan, a thorn in the side of former leader Alison King, acting as key movers. Mr Jordan insists there is no vendetta against the leadership. But that cut no ice with cabinet member Chris Mowle, who said he was distraught at the way the leader had been treated. “This is a personal vendetta by Cliff Jordan and his cronies,” he said. “I don't think the public will have a good view of this.” Another cabinet member said: “We expected it to get nasty and it has.” Last night, Mr Bett said he was hopeful he can win through when the selection takes place on October 29. “What people forget is that the county council had no option but to respond to the Boundary Committee and the Tory Party hierarchy was quite happy with the way we responded,” he said. “I find it quite odd when we have had a county council leader who has done a good job in difficult circumstances. I think it's a great shame and it doesn't put the Tory Party in a very good light.” Another Tory insider said that opponents of Mr Cox would need to de-select around nine councillors to face a realistic chance of gaining control of the group. And with many associations already selecting their candidates, Mr Cox may need to rely on an existing councillor's willingness to step aside to stay on. The insider warned that the group was staring at a damaging split, and if the aim of the rebels was a coup, then Mr Jordan and his supporters should either put up or shut up. “There are elements within the group that have got ambitions the size of Mount Everest and brains the size of a pea,” the source said. “It if goes on like this I can see there being two split groups on the county. “It will be the end of the Tories at County Hall, the insider added. “There will be so much ill-feeling and bad blood. I hope Central Office steps in and bangs a few heads together.” Critics are moving against Mr Cox in the wake of his handling of the unitary council issue - and his role in promoting the option of a single super council with Lowestoft. Unhappiness at the cabinet's running of the county farms, and the Icelandic banking collapse, where the authority has £32.5m in frozen accounts, have added to the pressure. The EDP understands that opponents of Mr Cox believe his authority will be so weakened by his de-selection that he will be forced to fall on his sword as leader. Paul Morse, Lib Dem group leader, said the Tories had taken leave of their senses. “Clearly there is going to be an issue about his authority and it shows that a rump of the Conservative Party are prepared to de-stabilise the county council to protect their own fiefdoms,” he said. Labour group leader Sue Whitaker was surprised at the move but felt Mr Cox could carry on. The Greens said it was a shame the leader had been de-selected.

Norfolk Conservatives - still at it!!!

2008-10-23T09:18:00.002+01:00

I'm no plotter - Norfolk Conservative SHAUN LOWTHORPE 22 October 2008 06:09 ANALYSIS: Norfolk Conservatives at war Cliff Jordan - considering running for Norfolk Conservative leadership The man accused of conspiring to oust Norfolk County Council leader Daniel Cox insisted yesterday he was no plotter. But Cliff Jordan said he was considering running for the leadership, after attacks from Mr Cox's supporters. The row within County Hall's Tories shows no sign of abating after a decision to de-select Mr Cox from his Wymondham seat last Wednes-day alongside cabinet member John Gretton and Christopher Lloyd-Owen. Other allies of Mr Cox also facing contests include Stephen Bett and Shelagh Hutson. Mr Gretton said last night he was launching an appeal against the de-selection move because he believed the process followed was open to challenge. The leader's supporters are angry at his treatment, while fellow cabinet member Chris Mowle claims the de-selection is a plot and personal vendetta against the leader by a cabal of Breckland Conservatives led by Mr Jordan because of the leader's handling of the unitary issue. John Gretton - 'Some of the questions were spat at me' Mr Jordan rubbished the claims and said the selection process was fair and proper. "There is no way it could be organised," he said. "I didn't know of any conspiracy, and that's the truth. "I certainly haven't been involved in any plot; I actually like Daniel Cox as a bloke and I have said so before." But he said he was considering throwing his hat into the ring when a leadership contest was due, after being baited to put up or shut up by Tories backing Mr Cox - while being inundated with calls from his own supporters to take things further. "I didn't think anything could make me change my mind and run, but I am rethinking now because it's obvious that those that are up there aren't up to it, because they are resorting to these kind of tactics," he said. "Ask Chris Mowle for evidence: he hasngot any. I am looking for an unequivocal apology from Mowle. It's almost hideous what he is doing. "They should run within the rules of the Conservative Party, that's what they should be doing. They are resorting to what I call 'low-life' tactics. "If I do go for this, there will be a radical shake-up there, that I can tell you, if I'm successful. There's a number of things I haven't been happy about." Mr Gretton, a Dereham councillor and a cabinet member for cultural services, said he believed he could act as a standard-bearer to have the decision overturned He added:"I walked into the Conservative Club that night and the only people there were other Breckland district councillors. "I certainly didn't perform well. I walked into the room and was aware of the hostile atmosphere from the start. Some of the questions weren't so much asked as spat at me. 'What do you think of unitary' was the first question. "De-selection was traditionally a very serious business in response to specific allegations or because you haven't attended meetings, or a constituent had made a complaint "They have been rather clever by trying to exploit the party constitution, but I think I can demonstrate that they have acted unconstitutionally." Mr Jordan said he was confident the rules had been properly adopted and followed. He added: "He obviously attended a different meeting to me. He was treated very courteously. The questions he was asked were put to everybody. "If it was the first question he was asked, then so was everybody else. He was treated no differently than anyone else, and that's the truth. "They can appeal and the whole thing can be gone through. It's a much fairer system; you can't run roughshod over this system, and that's what they do not like." ANALYSIS: Norfolk Conservatives at war

Norfolk Conservatives AT WAR - So Says EDP!

2008-10-23T09:17:00.004+01:00

Norfolk Conservatives at war SHAUN LOWTHORPE 22 October 2008 08:18 There's nothing quite so heated and bitter as a family row. And Conservatives in Norfolk are going at it hammer and tongs in a very public way at the moment. Supporters of Daniel Cox point to a plot being launched against him, led by Breckland's Cliff Jordan, who is chairman of the Mid Norfolk Conservative constituency party. The cause? The leader's handling of the unitary issue, where the county council has successfully won favour (so far) with the Boundary Committee for plans for a single supercouncil including Lowestoft. In their view, the row is a revenge attack by those - and that means every other district council apart from Broadland - whose own unitary bids failed. Not so, says Mr Jordan, who from the outset has insisted there was no plot. What is happening, he says, is that the party in Mid Norfolk is making best use of rules to have a proper contest and a real debate - and the fallout is sour grapes from those who have lost out. His critics have told him to put up or shut up, and, stung by the criticisms, the signs are he is going to meet them head-on. So what is going on? There are two ideological wings among Norfolk's Tories - county and district. Relations have been strained for some time, with “district” Tories agitating for a tougher, leaner, more right-wing approach to running services - by which they mean cuts, charges, and sell-offs - to keep council tax down. County Tories, meanwhile, their eyes opened by the step up from running the parks and public toilets to the big-ticket services, ponder the savagery of such an approach and the consequences it might have on vulnerable children or older people. So, they have shied away from implementing such far-reaching measures - or gone native, as their critics might argue. Many try to straddle the two - serving as so-called “twin hatters”, as both district and county councillors (of which there are quite a lot, by the way) but at the end of the day you are ideologically in one camp or t'other. So far the “county” Tories have always been in the ascendant at County Hall. But is the balance about to change? The unitary issue appears to have concentrated the minds of wannabe county councillors who now feel that, if a new authority is on the cards, it might be time to sign up, when before they might have been happy to stay on the district councils. Several district Tories are vying for a seat at the county table, including Breckland leader William Nunn, his cabinet colleague Ann Steward and Broadland's Simon Woodbridge. West Norfolk borough leader Nick Daubney thought about it and changed his mind - but the signs are that an ideological shift could be on its way whether the unitary decision goes ahead or not. Knock out a couple of Mr Cox's supporters, whether by accident or design, and all of a sudden the sums start to shift. But divisions exist within all parties, and certainly on the unitary issue, so why are the Tories now reacting so badly? The local government review and the county's so-far-successful bid for a single supercouncil has quite definitely got up the noses of some. But the second simmering issue is a row over the cabinet's management of the County Farms, which, insiders report, sparked a heated exchange between Mr Cox and Mr Jordan when the Tories last held a group meeting. The third is ideology, and the battle for who really can lay claim to carry the torch for David Cameron's Conservatives, and just what that might mean. The Tory constitution allows for the option to challenge a sitting councillor; Mid Norfolk, where this row kicked off, has adopted that route. The fuss now centres on the technicalities of whether they did it properly and the precise details of what happened when the executive committee introduced the change at a meeting on June 18. All sides agree the meeting happened. That's about all they can agree on, so powers higher up will probably have to sort it out. Mean-time, the rest of us can only watch and wonder if this storm will blow over - or if the Tories are really hell- bent on tearing themselves to shreds.

Barnham Broom Golf Club Wores

2008-10-23T09:16:00.004+01:00

Fears over Barnham Broom hotel site Barnham Brrom Hotel and Country Club - hopes for expansion ELAINE MASLIN 23 October 2008 06:46 Owners of a hotel and golf club who lease a site bought using £7m of council tax payer's cash have said their business will no longer be viable unless they can expand. The claim has been made by Barnham Broom Hotel and Golf Club in a renewed attempt to expand its facilities, potentially with £4.5m of council tax payer's money. In a planning application for a new 42-bedroom wing, link corridor and new car park, the club says it needs to expand in order to make the business viable in what it says is an increasingly competitive market in the greater Norwich area. And that “maintaining the status quo is leading towards a decline in business viability”. The application was lodged in the same week Breckland Council, which bought the freehold of the site for £7m in 2006, revealed it had earmarked £2.8m for upgrading its controversial asset in its proposed 2009/10 budget, with a further £750,000 in the years before and after - cash which looks likely to be put towards the planned expansion. When the council bought the site the deal included the council spending £4.5m on upgrading the facility. However, a previous attempt to get the go-ahead for the expansion last year was thrown out by South Norfolk Council over concerns about trees on the site. Last night Breckland had not responded to a request by the EDP to reveal how much cash it makes out of its £7million investment of council tax payer's money in the club. Previous statements by the council have said it would make them about 2pc more than having the cash in a bank account. The new planning application has been lodged with South Norfolk Council with a public consultation on the scheme due to end ob November 4. It says: “It has been apparent for some time that Barnham Broom needs to embark on a new phase of expansion and redevelopment if it is going to remain competitive in the greater Norwich marketplace and effective in the future. “Failure to do so will see the viability undermined.” It adds the club has “traded consistently well” over the last 18 years, “but 100pc of all the profit has had to be used to re-invest and support the facility. It goes on to say that their vision is to see Barnham Broom become Norfolk's flagship leisure hotel and a “destination facility of choice”. The improvements would also mean it could be upgraded from a three star to four star facility. Barnham Broom's finances had been called into question earlier this year when figures lodged with Companies House revealed a loss of £245,000 last year. The current three star hotel has 52 en-suite rooms, restaurant, sports bar, spa, health and fitness facilities, sports and function facilities next to two 18 hole golf courses over 300 acres and 175 car parking spaces. There is an existing consent for an additional 42 rooms, restaurant/function room with kitchen and car parking, first given in 1995 and renewed a number of times since.

Norfolk Tories Attacking Each Other!

2008-10-23T09:15:00.001+01:00

Warring Tories set for face-to-face meet SHAUN LOWTHORPE 23 October 2008 06:48 Warring Tories in Norfolk will hold their first face to face meeting tomorrow but the damaging split between them is not on the agenda - officially at least. The EDP understands that the group has called a gathering at County Hall ostensibly to discuss the Icelandic banking crises, where the council has £32.5m tied up, and to brief members on the status of the controversial review of local government following speculation that the credit crunch will see the process kicked into touch. Anger over the review - which has seen the county council installed as front runner with a bid for a single super council including Lowestoft - has sparked the crises and blown apart a compromise brokered by Tory Central Office over supporting the status quo. But all eyes will be on whether council leader Daniel Cox will be challenged by Breckland's Cliff Jordan, who has been stung by claims that he is leading a coup against the cabinet, and says he is prepared to make a challenge after being goaded to put up or shut up. Last night it emerged that county councillors in West Norfolk are facing challenges to their seats including Janice Eells, David Rye, Tony Wright, and Heather Bolt. While the EDP has learned that several senior county councillors were told they would not be selected and pressurised to stand down from party posts. One West Norfolk councillor, who did not want to be named, said 20 candidates were fighting for 10 places. “I have never seen anything like this in my life as a Conservative Party member,” the councillor said. “The thing that amazes me is that on the selection committee there are five borough councillors, who are standing. It will wreck Norfolk County Council if it goes on like this.” Another said he was accused of “doing the devil's work” by towing the county council line on the unitary issue. Mr Cox was de-selected last week alongside cabinet colleague John Gretton, and Christopher Lloyd-Owen, in what is being perceived as a revenge attack and an attempt by district councillors to get their own supporters on the county council, after their unitary bids failed. Mr Gretton, who complained that the selection committee was loaded with Breckland councillors, is challenging the process with the battle expected to centre on whether party activists and agents have followed the correct selection processes. Critics of Mr Cox believe his position has been weakened after his failure to be re-selected for his Wymondham seat, and one source close to the selection process, said it was a case of “bruised personalities, trying to make the story fit the result”.

Charles Burrell Sculpture Project - Bury Free Press 17th October 2008

2008-10-18T11:42:00.002+01:00

Lottery cash boost for community project Published Date: 17 October 2008 By Lindsey Newton CHARLES Burrell, Thetford's engineering forefather, is to be commemorated in the town after a community project made a successful funding bid. The Charles Burrell Garden and Sculpture Project, aimed at teaching youngsters about the history of Mr Burrell and the impact his business had on Thetford, has been awarded £24,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project will involve transforming a derelict piece of land in Staniforth Road, near to Charles Burrell Humanities School, into a community garden complete with a metal sculpture. Through a series of workshops taking place over the next six months, youngsters will be working with an artist to design and construct the sculpture and they will be given a budget for plants and materials. Terry Jermy, community arts co-ordinator of Keystone Development Trust, said: "There is already a statue in Thetford for both Thomas Paine and the Maharajah Duleep Singh and there are plans for a Captain Mainwaring sculpture for Dad's Army – I am delighted that there is also now going to be a piece of public artwork in tribute to the other pillar of Thetford's history, Charles Burrell." A number of organisations are involved with the project including Keystone, Charles Burrell and Rosemary Musker high schools, Barnham Action Group and Charles Burrell Museum. For more information, contact Mr Jermy on 01842 821643.

Letter section,Thetford and Brandon - 17th September 2008

2008-09-20T16:52:00.000+01:00

Alcohol Ban for Estates in Thetford

2008-09-13T14:07:00.002+01:00

So what's been happening lately?

2008-09-13T13:05:00.002+01:00

Tuesday 2nd September; Attended a course on how to put a website together, was held at the Keystone Innovation Centre and was attended by quite a lot of people, primarily those from the business community. Some guy from Business Link did himself no favours by making a derogatory remark about Thetford during his presentation which certainly angered me and probably others too. Then I had the weekly art club at the Abbey. Wednesday 3rd Sept: Work with Jean from 9.30am on the Charles Burrell project, going really well. Then worked with Tim Lovejoy from 2pm on Barnham Cross matters. Attended my first planning committee meeting in the evening at 7pm. Had to declare an interest in two items, both by Peddars Way as the fund my community post at Keystone Thursday 4th Sept: Went with James to see a financial adviser in town re: getting a mortgage, will cost about £800 to get me put onto the mortgage. At 2pm I met with 3 residents from the Abbey Estate who want to set-up a project to record videos and take photos about good community stories in Thetford and post them on the internet, gave some advice on potential funding sources, how to set the group up etc. At 7.30pm, it was the monthly Thetford Labour Party meeting, the first one taking place in the new Thetford Sports and Social Club. Friday 5th September: General office work, then attended a Finance and Buildings Committee meeting at Charles Burrell at 2.30pm Saturday 6th Sept: Worked with Jean from 11am - 1pm; yes! on a Saturday!! Spent a couple of hours door knocking and talking to residents about the Charles Burrell project and also parking issues along Staniforth Road and speeding concerns. Sat night - watched Bee Movie with Kyle and Jaime. Monday 8th Sept: Was due to meet Bev Williams from Creative Arts East to progress with the Bollywood Concert but her car broke down so that was cancelled, progressed with general bits and pieces and wrote my list of aims and objectives for September. Spent evening with Davi, had pizza and watched The Wedding Singer. Tuesday 9th Sept: Travelled to Wymondham to meet Bev, suprisingly managed to find the place in Wymondham quite easily. From there I went to meet the marketing company which is based between Wymondham and Attleborough, they are putting together the initial leaflet for the Charles Burrell project. Had to get back to Thetford via all the villages as the A11 was closed off. At 1.30pm I met with Tim Lovejoy and John Warnock about the TCA's football coaching project - went well. Then worked the first art club session from 3.30pm - 6.15pm then whizzed to Barnham Cross for the monthly resients group meeting from 6.30pm - 9pm. A busy - but very productive day!!! Wednesday 10th Sept: Had my first Staniforth Trust meeting, the Trust owns Kings House and the gardens, the Town Council rents Kings House off the Trust, all Town Councillors are Trustess of the Staniforth Trust. Had a discussion about making improvements to the garden etc. Thursday 11th Sept: Monthly Safer Thetford Action Group meeting at 10am Friday 12th Sept: Progressed with Barnham Cross admin work etc with Tim, and met with Angela, Steve and Keith Beckett to discuss safety issues around Pine Close shops and to agree further improvements. Looks like we're getting anti-climb paint (!) oh well. In the evening, myself, Sarah L, Ricky, Fiona, Gary and Fionas son spent a few hours sorting through all the cupboards at the Abbey Centre, we've created an art room and a music room for the kids at the Tuesday sessions! Limited storage as ever at the Abbey! Today - Saturday 13th Sept: Had a nice long lay-in, spending the day updating my blog, processing paperwork, generally tidying up and doing housework - washing, polishing, hoovering etc, all the fun things!

Street Art Event in Bury Free Press 29.08.08

2008-09-13T12:47:00.000+01:00

Colourful art hits the street Published Date: 29 August 2008 By Lindsey Newton "Thetford was awash with colour as youngsters celebrated the achievements of Team GB at the Olympics. The Street Art comes to Thetford event took place on Wednesday and yesterday and was organised by Terry Jermy, Keystone Development Trust community and youth project worker, with the aim of getting young people and families involved in art. Kevin Parker, a Norwich artist, created the design and sprayed the outline on the Market Place and the gaps were painted. Mr Jermy said: "It was a great chance for children to do something fun and creative in the town during the summer break." Ruby Miller, nine, of St John's Way, said: "It's fun doing the painting and we are working in a team," while Amy Meardon, 10, of Churchill Road, said: "It's quite tough to keep it neat but I am enjoying it and it will look good when it is finished." The painting will be on view until Sunday, when it will be removed with pressure washers.

Abbey Art Group Article in Bury Free Press 05.09.08

2008-09-13T12:44:00.001+01:00

Published Date: 05 September 2008 By Lindsey Newton A youth group to entertain Thetford's youngsters has gone from strength to strength, thanks to the dedication of staff and volunteers. The Abbey Children and Youth Venue, which meets weekly at the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre, was started six weeks ago by the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre Help Our Residents (Anchor) group.Set up to cater for five-15 year olds, the venue has got a youngsters who visit every week and numbers are growing.Thanks to funding from the Monument Trust, each session offers a themed arts activity.Activities have included making and decorating badges and Olympic medals as well as creating fruit kebabs.Terry Jermy, Keystone Development Trust community arts co-ordinator, said: "The response to the new group has been overwhelming and some weeks we have had more than 50 youngsters taking part."It is really great to offer the youngsters something to keep them entertained."Staff from Keystone attend each session and a number of parent volunteers help. The project is also supported by Ricky and Sarah Aylott, who run the Abbey Café.The Abbey Children and Youth Venue takes place every Tuesday from 4-5.30pm for children aged five-nine and from 6–7.30pm for 10-15 year-olds. Each session costs 50p. For more information, contact the Abbey Neighbourhood Centre on 01842 821643 http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk/thetford/Art-activities-group-off-to.4459814.jp

Street Art Event; 27th and 28th August

2008-09-03T13:30:00.001+01:00

End of August activities...

2008-09-03T13:04:00.002+01:00

August is now over, it really flew by! I had a particularly busy week last week with the street art event in Thetford. On Tuesday 26th - Art / Youth Club day, 3.30-7.30pm, a total of 44 young people over the two sessions! eek! Bury Free Press attended today and took some pictures and will be writing an article about the club which I will post seperately. Wednesday 27th - Interviewed live on Radio Norfolk at 7.20am about the Street Art Event, chatted about the event and then they asked what Olympic sport I would take part in if I was an athlete and I couldn't think of anything so strangely said boxing! Thursday 28th - Second day of street art event, went really well, hundreds of people took part with the painting or just standing and watching. Will post photos and press cuttings seperately. A few negative comments - mainly about it encouraging graffiti, a view shared by some of my town council colleagues unfortunately but there we go!

Update on August's activities..

2008-08-21T10:24:00.002+01:00

It is more difficult than I thought to make regular postings on this thing! Well I've not posted since the 1st August so quite a few things have been happening.

Mon 4th August; Progressed with Charles Burrell Garden/Sculpture Project with Jean in the morning. At 3pm I met with Margaret Ince of Thetford Art Gallery to discuss the 'Upstairs Comes Down' activities and Street Art event later in August. At 7pm we had a TCA / Ballpark meeting at the Sports and Social Club.

Tues 5th August; Met with Tim Lovejoy (BAG Chair) from 10-12pm to progress with Barnham Cross Estate projects, from 12.30-2.30pm I was with the new cleaner for the Abbey Centre - Caroline. Then in the afternoon I had to whizz to Tescos to get the items needed for Art/Youth club which runs from 3.30pm - 7.30pm every Tuesday at the Abbey Centre, this week there was a fruit theme with fruity arts activities and we made fruit kebabs which the kids loved, they enjoyed it so much they made some to take home, wrapped them in tissue paper and put sticky labels on for their different family members.

Weds 6th August; Met with Dave H and Lynne W at 10am to undertake a handover of the TCA Accounts from Lynne to Dave, managed to remember to buy Lynne a thank-you card and get some flowers which was much appreciated. Went to Hemsby in the evening with James to visit Ricky, Sarah and kids who were staying in a caravan for the week. Managed to burn my arm coming down the sack slide at a funny angle! but was all good fun, especially the fish and chips!

Thurs 7th August: Just a day in the office progressing with things.

Friday 8th August: Met with Barbara B to sort through some arts materials which are being donated to Fulmerston Family Project. In the evening I went to meet Kyle in March and then to see Batman at the cinema in Peterborough, was very good!

Sat and Sunday - nothing particular that I can remember!

Mon 11th August; Progressed with Charles Burrell Community Garden Project, met with Jean at 9.30am, and we met with the Charles Burrell Museum at 10am - really constructive meeting, at 11.30am we met with a local builder to start getting quotes for the sculpture plinth and walkways, you could say its full steam ahead for this little project!

Tuesday 12th: Art Club again from 3.30pm - 7.30pm

Wednesday 13th: Nothing particular to report, was supposed to be a Town Council Planning Committee meeting but this was cancelled due to an insufficient amount on the Agenda. No TC meeting til Sept now!

Thursday 14th August; Monthly Safer Thetford Action Group (STAG) - always interesting and useful.

Friday 15th August; Met Carlos in Great Yarmouth, had some dinner and watched TV. Got confirmation today that our Big Sitting Room Project to Norfolk Community Foundation was approved and the Fulmerston Family and Community Project has been awarded £5,000 - the max possible, so I am delighted with that.

Saturday 16th August: Mum and Dad left for Dover to meet Ricky on ship and go on hols for a week, lucky them!

Monday 18th August! My birthday!!! Wohoo-- went to Colchester Zoo for the day with Jaime, James, Gemma and Charlee, was a really fun day, will post some pictures seperately. Got lots of cards, text messages, emails and facebook messages which was really heartening. In the evening, myself, J & J went round to see my sister who's staying at Mum and Dads and we had chinese with her, Dan and Jaden, yum!!

Tuesday 19th August: Back at work today, art club again, had an incredible 44 kids in total today, very very busy! James helped out today as he is on hols all week. Sarah's on A/L for the next two weeks, on my own at the Abbey, booooooooooooorrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnng!

Wednesday 20th August; Nothing too exciting to report, just progressing with Awards for All application with the Fulmerston Family and Community Project, hoping to re-submit ASAP. Also continuing with Street Art event next week.

On Thursday, I will be progressing with various things and attending the Thetford Art Gallery presentation evening at 7pm.

Think that's about it!