Tuesday, 21 December 2010

Latest on B J Library services

We understand that.. ..

A meeting for Burton Joyce will be arranged early in the New Year "( ** we understand the arranged meeting is for the 27th January at 7:00pm **)" at which we hope to consult with a range of interested organisations. Your observations in relation to the development of the County Library service are of interest and I'm sure we will get opportunity to consider these in the context of Burton Joyce and the County as a whole.
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER

You should also visit our parent site at www.burtonjoyceonline.co.uk


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Saturday, 18 December 2010

Cuts in cash to BJ Parish Council

A recent statement by the BJPC goes as follows

Our capital aid grant of £4929 has been lost completely, (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ? - WHAT IS THIS REALLY FOR ?)

together with a further £4071 from the revenue grant (13.8% of total). ( WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? - WHAT IS THIS REALLY FOR ?)

GBC funding accounts for about 30% percent of our income and is applied for by BJPC to cover shortfall in income to expenditure for key services. ( WHAT ARE THESE KEY SERVICES ?)

The BJPC needs to review how this decision will affect us. ( YOU BET !!)

Preliminary indications show that increases in revenue from the Sports Ground and Cemetery fees will help soften the blow. ( OH YES! AND DOES THE INCOME FROM THE POPLARS ACTUALLY MEET FULLY ITS TOTAL OUT GOINGS ? - ALSO IT APPEARS A GOOD JOB THAT OUR FAITHFUL RESIDENTS KEEP "PASSING AWAY" - FOR THIS OBVIOUSLY ASSISTS THE BJPC AND IS A VITAL TO BALANCING THE BOOKS)

However additional items such as taking over the Public Toilets at the Recreation ground or assisting in more litter picking or verge cutting are clearly under pressure ( OH DEAR! SUCH A PROBLEM IN THE BIG PICTURE)

Monday, 13 December 2010

The Big Society - Communities Beware

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A Trevor Lockwood says:
11.09.10 at 9:56 am ( Big Society ) It’s a lovely idea.
Reality (in Suffolk) seems to be different
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I’m chairman of a community radio station, keen to create a sense of community. The local council decided to update a public park, and applied to the Heritage Lottery for a two-stage application. They received £152,000 as 75% of first project total required on the promise that the District Council would cover the other 25%. They did, saying they would raise that money from voluntary effort. They created a ‘Friends of….’ association. With another member of my team I was elected to the committee, my colleague as secretary. At the first meeting I asked how the money was to be spent, and how we could help. I was told that I didn’t need to know, my job was to weed the gardens. That seemed strange as I knew a contract for £118,000 had been awarded to a Northants-based consultancy to act as lead consultant. The first secretary of the association (a council employee) took most of the rest of the grant money as the newly-created Project Officer.

Next I hear that ‘the committee’ has met (without telling the secretary), decided that **I was disruptive and banned me from the committee and the association. Checking the constitution I found they needed the full membership to remove me (for asking questions). Their response to that was to rewrite the constitution (without reference to anyone). I questioned the three councillors on that committee but received no reply.


**sounds very familiar**

As a local community radio station we’ve received no information about this project.

Next: the county council decides to let community groups run our 44 libraries (as part of a government initiative). We attended a meeting with the Director responsible, the head of libraries and our three local councillors. We suggest we need information in order to tell folk what’s happening. Library staff know nothing. We are told that they don’t have time to tell us anything. I then receive an email from one councillor who has regularly attended our community station to update the local community to say that he’s been told (advised perhaps?) not to come to the radio station any more – because I have expressed an interest in running the library. That was never the case, but I did ask for confirmation that a large property developer had expressed interest, and that they had suggested that libraries were more than buildings, and that they all stood on prime retail sites.

I make no comment. I do question the government’s belief that local councils are the best representatives of the local community. They have too many vested interests.

We’ve tried, in a small way, to encourage the local community, only to be thwarted every time.

I’ll be interested to see how our experience can be related to present aspirations.


Nick says:
11.09.10 at 1:34 pm Trevor you just made my day!

Yes absolutely! what a great and lovely idea this thread is. Yet my own experiences as a ‘ volunteer’ has much resonance as your own. To avoid seeming too cynical I can only politely say that people in positions of local ‘authority’ need to look closely at themselves first and not be too judgmental (or patronizing) to existing help already coming from local volunteers. At the end of the day Mr Pickles cost cutting is aimed squarely at avoiding the kind of situation you mention. Simply ‘shuffling the pack’ won’t do! I simply cringe when I see just how much local money gets wasted in these kind of ways. I am also appalled by the way I have sometimes been treated as a volunteer. Simply ignored or treated on similar lines as an offending youth doing community service! Or worst still doing a good job with other dedicated charity workers and then being unable to reach funding for such small things as leaflets, while at the same time seeing local government produce huge quantities of high quality pamphlets on obscure and esoteric subjects.

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Once again sounds familiar-
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We will watch the progress to the local introduction of the BIG SOCIETY
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER

Thursday, 9 December 2010

BJ Library an alternative

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Suggested BJ Library Media Centre

BJ Library is scheduled to have opening times cut to approx 10hours per week- we understand the reasoning behind this action and do not necessarily oppose them, however we do have a sound argument for a progressive change to the existing function and service.

The argument for change is not only financial but the ongoing reduced of use of the borrowing of books by the community generally (all age groups). The reasoning behind this is claimed to be the advancement of the digital age - internet etc . However with particular reference to the many urban and rural libraries of which BJ is one, this can only be a partly true.

Our research and reasoning is much wider based – and based on a much wider based remit.

Burton Joyce has 50% of it 3500 population being over 50 years of age , in fact 30% are over 60 with many now living into their lat 80’s . Only a small number of these ( possibly 10% ) are familiar with, and regular users of email and the internet .
The conventional printed press is in decline, with moves towards extensive Online use for getting their news out to the public. The Nottingham Evening Post is a classic local example.

Even at the lower community level, information relative to the activities and content of interest groups and societies appears to be slow and ineffectual in dispersion through-out the rural and urban populations.

Yes we have Parish Magazines which continue to perform admirably with limited finance and efforts of volunteers. The information fed down from Councils at all levels lacks the detail and effective penetration with its production and circulation having a doubtful financial justification .
Our suggestion is to reorganise urban and rural libraries into community media centres where residents and volunteers can use and add to the facilities in such a manner as to more effectively bring communities together, developing and expanding local communication of the digital age into a more effective, interesting and total age range activity.

Some two years ago we created ( at our own expense) Burton Joyce Online – Community website . This project has been most successful in contributing to the spread of news, opinions, views ( amusing and sometimes contentious) not only locally, but world-wide with regular viewers/visitors to the website in the USA, Canada, through-out the UK, West and East Europe, Russia, Asia and the Far East, South Africa /America ,Australia and New Zealand etc. Our month on month visitor levels have now remain constant for over 18 months.

We suggest that this style of project and an initiative by the BJ library service could readily and easily adapted, with the contribution of volunteers and individually interested/ minded members of ALL ages ( including the Primary School and Teenagers, mature and senior interests within the community). This could easily develop as an integral part of a comprehensive and genuinely relevent media source - fully used and available by the wider community. This suggestion/proposal can quite easily become a possible follow-on/extension to our existing and FREE NHW - ABC (basic emailing and Internet) Tutorials at the BJ Library

By utilising the latent talents existing within a community and creating wide, specific , locally relevant information content available through such a project, individuals and groups ( within BJ) can readily, quickly and easily access online - at home , on a laptop or print off in the library, single and low quantities of selected articles for personal, distribution or collection by their own specific interest group ie. WI - Senior citizens – Coffee Clubs, Local History, Genealogy, Art groups, NHW, 1 to One, Choral Soc, Calligraphy, etc and provide a more relevant , useful and informative source of local interests/information.

Finally by the introduction of the interactive elements normally attributed with and available within media centres, and such a project as suggested, it is anticipated and expected that a greater stimulus for participation can be generated within the younger generations of our community and thus a greater interest and utilisation of our revised library ( media) service
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER
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Saturday, 4 December 2010

Where is our democratic, transparent and open local governance

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This is is a posting which appears in the Forum on the BJ community website
Where are past PC Minutes ?[/b]

Why is it that the Parish Council Website is so "out of date" with publishing past meeting minutes ?]

For example
Main PC Minutes, last published - July 2010

Poplars Sports Groun Committee Minutes, last published - March 2010

Amenities Committee minutes last published - April 2010

Financial and General Purposes Committee last published - July 2010

Planning Committee last published - Feb 2010

There are no references to the content of any of the Councillors monthly Open Forum meetings

It is officially stated by the Parish Council that every individual Parish Councillor has responsibilty for the content of their website - Does that mean, if there is NO content - there is NO responsibility

I really do wonder ?
One thing for sure - it is not amusing - yet it has to be a joke !

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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER

We must shout for better trains

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THE parish councils that shout the loudest seem to get East Midlands Trains to stop at their village stations.

Alas, not Burton Joyce Parish Council though, not even a squeak from them about our appalling train services over the past two years, and that goes for the county councillors too.

For example, if you take the 8.17am Monday-Saturday train to Newark, and are unable to catch the 9.55am back (stopping at Burton Joyce), you have to wait until 3pm for another one stopping from Newark.

Hence, all that's left for you to do is catch a bus from Newark to Southwell, change there and catch another bus to Burton Joyce, carrying your shopping etc.

As for the Sunday service, it is abominable.

So Lowdham Parish Council, along with Collingham, did a bit of shouting to Tim Shoveller, managing director of East MidlandsTrains, and got him along to their meetings with representatives from Notts County Council and, you've guessed it, both village stations have a train stopping every hour now.

So, maybe Burton Joyce Parish Council could now start roaring at East Midland Trains to improve its service also.

This is a comment first made by DONALD WARD Lendrum Court Burton Joyce
to the Nottingham Evening Post


Good on yer Donald
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER
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Friday, 3 December 2010

"Strategic Plan" BJPC suggestions

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.........................."IS THAT REALLY A PIE IN THE SKY ?...........

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Sept2010 –Burton Joyce Strategic Plans .The BJPC begins its 3 year strategic planning for the village early November.

After feedback from the village plan and other sources the BJPC wants to set targets for areas of improvements within the village: Suggestions so far have been:

1. Village Centre facelift including new surface , furniture an lighting to the area around the Post office.

2. Christmas tree lighting up ceremony in the village as community event

3. BJPC to take over verge cutting from NCC in an attempt to have neater more frequently cut grass areas

4. New pathway and verges to wasteland next to Nelson Car park and access to Trent

5. Additional Parking pull-ins to service estate agent shopping area and village hall.

6. Additional revenue stream for the Poplars to get closer to self sufficiency of income—with an all weather pitch.

7. Closer consultation with NCC and GBC department to ensure Burton Joyce and its residents are cared for and its environment and if it can deliver any additional services such as verge cutting or local repairs more cost effectively than the larger agencies.

8. Community Power scheme development. Using either Photovoltaic panels( large scale) or Low Head Turbines on the Trent.


These are just some of the ideas being considered and prioritised by the BJPC and then adopted into a formal strategic policy for the next few years

WOW!- "Grass verge cutting" "Community Power scheme", "Christmas Tree ceremony", "All weather Pitch" "addirional parking for Estate Agentss" " new pathway toside of Lord Nelson etc" Where are specific considerations for improving and assisting the lot of the 50% within the community who are Over 50years

The Villge centre facelift appears to be the ONLY GENUINE STRATEGIC suggestion all the rest appear to be classic examples of "politic-ing"
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER
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Thursday, 2 December 2010

Our BJ Seniors "grasp the nettle"

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"Mary" - Just one of our BJ Seniors who "grasped the nettle"
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The "Seniors" in our Burton Joyce community have accepted the challenge and are taking on the challenge of becoming email and Internet active.

The BJ Community NHW has for many months now been proving FREE email and Internet tutoring at the Monday morning Library "Pop-ins".

Only these last few Mondays have seen several of our senior ladies ( all in their late 80's )coming thro just TWO one hour sessions with flying colours and are now so enthusiastic that each of them have either purchased or in the throes of getting their own laptops.

This NHW training programme is supported by a "ABC basic email & Internet Tutorial" and provides a "life time - help line" via email contact - A "HELP LINE", for all things - computers or otherwise
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BurtonJoyceBLOGGER.

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Burton Joyce Today - December 2010

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Burton Joyce is today snowed in, as are most places within the County and Country yet we all must continue to develop the "BIG caring, sharing Society" and that is not to simply develop and emphasise the present Governments "catch" phrase policy .

Everyone will see and understand the TRUE BRIT spirit of our population and communties with the many examples of those involved in the "7/7 London Bombing" as per the present hearings in London.

Here in our Trent Side village in Nottinghamshire we conscious of the need to further work together for the betterment of all in our community as the impending financial cutbacks loom ever close over us. We know we are going to see some loss in our library service which will include reduced Internet access for those without a home Broadband facility.

Keep looking and visiting this Blog for we have many aspects of interests and individuals to come,

BurtonJoyceBLOGGER

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