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Update 2010 No. 1

 

Published 22nd July 2010

 

Dear Summerway Friend,

It is surely time for an update.  This one was started two or three months ago, and is only just ready for release.  The campaign isn't flagging.  There is a great deal of background activity.

The City Council maintains its 'head-in-the-sand' attitude following its autocratic bullying of Summerway Tennis. As I continue to work on this, I'm also taking a stand against selected instances of similar behaviour by powerful organisations supposedly providing a public service.

•  Insite Required!  It's not quite a rusting hulk (yet), but the photos taken recently of the rusting Heavitree Arch clearly indicate it should not have been left out in the rain. The suggestions in my YouTube video (view) for more appropriate siting were ill-advised. I didn't realise it was "For indoor use only", presumably mentioned in the manufacturer's instructions. The obvious place to put it was inside the Guildhall, encouraging the City Council to meditate on financial folly each time it meets.

•  Summerway Affiliation/Registration.  Summerway Junior LTC has been quiescent since the 20th January 2007 Special General Meeting. Efforts continue to provide some tennis for local children, but the Club needs a home to be able to function normally. We have maintained our affiliation to the LTA through Devon County so far, but the proposed transfer to LTA online registration this Autumn will create real problems. The computer programs in use only cater for clubs fitting the mould. We don't, and are trying to tackle this issue. I have suggested manual registration as a possible solution for us.

•  Exeter's Bid for Unitary Status.  This bid was invited by the previous government, and has cost City taxpayers dearly since being pursued by Exeter City Council. The High Court effectively ended the process by blocking it (details), Mr Justice Ouseley ruling John Denham's approach to have been unfair and unlawful (details). I made representations throughout the bid from Boundary Committee to the House of Lords, and am glad common sense in acknowledging realities finally prevailed.

•  Website and Videos.  There is so much to post on the website that it will be a real struggle to catch up. Recorded information is ready to hand. Perhaps I need the long winter evenings, but even they tend to fill up with priority commitments. Video viewings have slowed down a bit recently, the total now exceeding nineteen thousand. I'm still handing out a number of my little cards each day to all and sundry, so YouTube is still ticking over for us. My fifth video is still a work in (slow) progress.

•  Royal Mail Bullying.  Two days after my hernia operation in May, Royal Mail refused to deliver an item claiming postage was 10p short. They requested payment of £1-10 without showing me the item. I didn't pick up on this immediately, as we weren't using 136 for a few days after my op. The circumstances surrounding this issue were highly offensive, and I find others who have experienced this treatment feel exactly as I do. I'm working on it. Summerway suffered from Big Brother tactics!

•  Publicity.  A number of my letters have been published in the Express & Echo this year. Website pages will hopefully cover the topics in due course. The rusting Heavitree Arch, the visit of the No2ID campaign's national coordinator to Exeter, and the City Council's heartless attitude to Blue Badge holder appeals have been covered.

Jenny and I won't be going away over the coming holidays, but hope to have a day out at intervals, usually taking friends along for a treat. My last proper holiday was a week's honeymoon in Cornwall in April 1965. I'm still living on the high! I hope you have a wonderful time if you're planning to escape the daily grind for a while. For some Watchers living in Exeter, we have all the excitement of electing twelve City Councillors on 9th September to which to look forward. What fun!

With warmest regards,

Jim.