NEWS CHANNEL
Published: 01/09/2010 12:19 -
Updated: 01/09/2010 12:23
SIR - Ms Matthews in her letter (18/08) is probably right about lack of intelligence. Anyone taking on sorting out our parking in Milton Keynes should have their sanity tested. However, as for spin before honesty, I feel I need to respond.
I have talked about parking in MK with hundreds of people whose views veered from 'it should all be free' to 'half the number of spaces and ramp up the cost to make people use public transport'.
The Shopping Centre requested that Milton Keynes Council introduce premium spaces to stop workers parking all day in front of the shopping centre, because this was making it difficult for their customers to reach the shops. Since then parking has become so complicated that there are 16 different bands. The current regime is seen as unfair, complicated and expensive to administer to the point that out of the £8m raised only £3.5m is going into improving bus services. I find this unacceptable as a MK tax payer.
I totally accept that the free parking is used by a range of income levels. Anyone parking in the green bays will see a range from modest to executive cars. However out of the 3,600 people who responded to the CMK parking consultation many pointed out the problem of working mothers who drop their children off at school and arrive at 9am only to find all the so-called free parking gone and many to the higher paid staff.
The main point is that there is no free parking - the cost of a parking space to MK tax payers is £160 pa. If I was one of the 19 per cent of people in MK who pay tax but don’t have a car I may consider that unfair.
The plans for the centre of MIlton Keynes include a significant increase in people coming to the shopping centre and to work, which will support our local economy and create jobs. Therefore it is crucial that we use our money wisely to make sure that there are really attractive alternatives to the car for some employees and visitors so that for those who need a car there are the necessary spaces.
The bottom line is whatever you propose on parking in MK there will always be opposing views and spin from all sides and politicians spin their view better than most. I have been told its political suicide to tackle CMK parking. I admire the courage of the current cabinet member and support her in: not increasing parking charges, not charging for parking after 6pm and putting an extra £2m into much needed improvements to public transport in MK.
Let's not forget the other challenges we face: there will be more jobs in CMK, we have 3,000 workers moving in to the new Network Rail National Centre. We are legally required to reduce our carbon footprint and more. I personally would like to see MK retain its reputation as the best city to own a car and the lowest cost city to park. I also would like to see real transport choice, a state of the art public transport system as well as improved provision for cycling and electric vehicles.
Cllr Alan Mallyon
Sent by e-mail
SIR- The government want to save money on university students and everyone else, yet they produce nursery nurses around the country like on a factory line at a large cost for the government.
There are no jobs that are available in childcare, yet those courses are advertised on TV, in papers, everywhere.
They have trained so many of the nurses I know, I reckon at about £2 000 plus for each nursery nurse (NVQ3 plus childcare for their children, if they are mothers), yet once childless and young nursery nurses become mothers, or the trained mothers have another child, within a couple of years upon becoming fully qualified, they want to go back to work part time. To around 16-22 hours-a-week.
But most childcare settlings offer only full-time positions, about 40 hours-a-week, which is unfeasible for most (running after children 40 hours a week and then at home, is not good for anyone).
When a permanent position emerges, there are dozens of candidates applying and chances of getting that very rare job are extremely slim.
So there are hundreds of fully-qualified nursery nurses in MK alone who will not be able to work in childcare until their children grow up, or maybe never.
Some fully-qualified nurses, paid for by the Governmet two years ago, work in KFC and McDonald's, and a huge number are unemployed and very frustrated.
I know of probably 20 fully qualified nursery nurses unable to find a job, yet those courses are constantly advertised on various media, starting with £800 per course plus childcare books etc.
I think it is irresponsible.
Maria Miller
Sent by e-mail
SIR - I am writing to offer the following views on Adam Grinsell's article ('Delight' as 303 homes get bullet, 25/08).
I was delighted to hear that the people of Woburn Sands have had very significant, if not complete, success in resisting inappropriate housing development.
I welcome many of the changes that are now taking place in the plan-making system that the Coalition Government is introducing.
However I remain concerned that at present only applicants, such as large developers, can appeal planning decisions that go against them, but affected communities, who have to live with the outcome cannot.
I would urge our local and national politicians to look again at the disparities in the planning application system, which still heavily favours developers and disadvantages communities and is therefore still highly undemocratic.
Another important consolidation for the present changes in the planning system would be to look at how communities can be enabled to access the knowledge and resources necessary to make their case in the most effective way when faced with inappropriate development proposals. The continuous onslaught in the face of determined developers can often be overwhelming.
Appropriate development can, of course, be very beneficial. However under the present system, where maximum profit for the developer is the usual motivation, this can be a rare thing.
I call on developers to tell us how they will change their approach. Many towns and parishes now have good quality community-led plans (or are working on them). These should carry far more weight in determining how the housing crisis can be resolved in a way that:
a. Builds genuinely sustainable communities.
b. Does not loose the character and identity of existing communities which, in most cases, have a value that nobody can put a pound sign against.
To create greater parity in the planning system, I also call on our local and national politicians to make it clear to us what further measures they will be proposing to rebalance the equation between developer might and community rights.
Mr T Welch
Newton Longville
SIR - My local senior school Lord Grey has produced an excellent set of GCSE results this year. The school continues to improve.
I would like to congratulate the Head teacher, staff and governing body for getting to grips with improving the school.
West Bletchley remains a community in need of regeneration, improved housing, and access to jobs.
Lord Grey has shown what can be done on the education front. Well done to everyone concerned and to the young people at the school.
Cllr Nigel Long
West Bletchley Councillor.
I have talked about parking in MK with hundreds of people whose views veered from 'it should all be free' to 'half the number of spaces and ramp up the cost to make people use public transport'.
The Shopping Centre requested that Milton Keynes Council introduce premium spaces to stop workers parking all day in front of the shopping centre, because this was making it difficult for their customers to reach the shops. Since then parking has become so complicated that there are 16 different bands. The current regime is seen as unfair, complicated and expensive to administer to the point that out of the £8m raised only £3.5m is going into improving bus services. I find this unacceptable as a MK tax payer.
I totally accept that the free parking is used by a range of income levels. Anyone parking in the green bays will see a range from modest to executive cars. However out of the 3,600 people who responded to the CMK parking consultation many pointed out the problem of working mothers who drop their children off at school and arrive at 9am only to find all the so-called free parking gone and many to the higher paid staff.
The main point is that there is no free parking - the cost of a parking space to MK tax payers is £160 pa. If I was one of the 19 per cent of people in MK who pay tax but don’t have a car I may consider that unfair.
The plans for the centre of MIlton Keynes include a significant increase in people coming to the shopping centre and to work, which will support our local economy and create jobs. Therefore it is crucial that we use our money wisely to make sure that there are really attractive alternatives to the car for some employees and visitors so that for those who need a car there are the necessary spaces.
The bottom line is whatever you propose on parking in MK there will always be opposing views and spin from all sides and politicians spin their view better than most. I have been told its political suicide to tackle CMK parking. I admire the courage of the current cabinet member and support her in: not increasing parking charges, not charging for parking after 6pm and putting an extra £2m into much needed improvements to public transport in MK.
Let's not forget the other challenges we face: there will be more jobs in CMK, we have 3,000 workers moving in to the new Network Rail National Centre. We are legally required to reduce our carbon footprint and more. I personally would like to see MK retain its reputation as the best city to own a car and the lowest cost city to park. I also would like to see real transport choice, a state of the art public transport system as well as improved provision for cycling and electric vehicles.
Cllr Alan Mallyon
Sent by e-mail
SIR- The government want to save money on university students and everyone else, yet they produce nursery nurses around the country like on a factory line at a large cost for the government.
There are no jobs that are available in childcare, yet those courses are advertised on TV, in papers, everywhere.
They have trained so many of the nurses I know, I reckon at about £2 000 plus for each nursery nurse (NVQ3 plus childcare for their children, if they are mothers), yet once childless and young nursery nurses become mothers, or the trained mothers have another child, within a couple of years upon becoming fully qualified, they want to go back to work part time. To around 16-22 hours-a-week.
But most childcare settlings offer only full-time positions, about 40 hours-a-week, which is unfeasible for most (running after children 40 hours a week and then at home, is not good for anyone).
When a permanent position emerges, there are dozens of candidates applying and chances of getting that very rare job are extremely slim.
So there are hundreds of fully-qualified nursery nurses in MK alone who will not be able to work in childcare until their children grow up, or maybe never.
Some fully-qualified nurses, paid for by the Governmet two years ago, work in KFC and McDonald's, and a huge number are unemployed and very frustrated.
I know of probably 20 fully qualified nursery nurses unable to find a job, yet those courses are constantly advertised on various media, starting with £800 per course plus childcare books etc.
I think it is irresponsible.
Maria Miller
Sent by e-mail
SIR - I am writing to offer the following views on Adam Grinsell's article ('Delight' as 303 homes get bullet, 25/08).
I was delighted to hear that the people of Woburn Sands have had very significant, if not complete, success in resisting inappropriate housing development.
I welcome many of the changes that are now taking place in the plan-making system that the Coalition Government is introducing.
However I remain concerned that at present only applicants, such as large developers, can appeal planning decisions that go against them, but affected communities, who have to live with the outcome cannot.
I would urge our local and national politicians to look again at the disparities in the planning application system, which still heavily favours developers and disadvantages communities and is therefore still highly undemocratic.
Another important consolidation for the present changes in the planning system would be to look at how communities can be enabled to access the knowledge and resources necessary to make their case in the most effective way when faced with inappropriate development proposals. The continuous onslaught in the face of determined developers can often be overwhelming.
Appropriate development can, of course, be very beneficial. However under the present system, where maximum profit for the developer is the usual motivation, this can be a rare thing.
I call on developers to tell us how they will change their approach. Many towns and parishes now have good quality community-led plans (or are working on them). These should carry far more weight in determining how the housing crisis can be resolved in a way that:
a. Builds genuinely sustainable communities.
b. Does not loose the character and identity of existing communities which, in most cases, have a value that nobody can put a pound sign against.
To create greater parity in the planning system, I also call on our local and national politicians to make it clear to us what further measures they will be proposing to rebalance the equation between developer might and community rights.
Mr T Welch
Newton Longville
SIR - My local senior school Lord Grey has produced an excellent set of GCSE results this year. The school continues to improve.
I would like to congratulate the Head teacher, staff and governing body for getting to grips with improving the school.
West Bletchley remains a community in need of regeneration, improved housing, and access to jobs.
Lord Grey has shown what can be done on the education front. Well done to everyone concerned and to the young people at the school.
Cllr Nigel Long
West Bletchley Councillor.
