A Sign of the Times

Wed 25 Jun, 06:49

It was heartening to see the support for my decision to draw attention to the proposed purchase (and presumably display) of the 'Nature Recovery Happening Here' signs. It will be interesting to listen to the discussion at the Town Council meeting tonight. Sad to see that there still remains an absence of a supporting paper on the Council’s website explaining the pros and cons of the suggested purchase. However, I must take a positive approach and so I can only conclude that this means there will be an expansive discussion with all councillors contributing. This being so, there must be a good chance that common sense will prevail.

As Martin has alluded to the issue of the unmown verges in our town, has anyone else noticed how much better the roadside grass-cutting activity is being carried out this year? In my view it is no coincidence that the improvement (it’s still not perfect from a road safety point of view) has occurred since our Town Council took on responsibility for this role from the WODC. Even the impact of the devastation caused previously to the amenity land in Ticknell Piece Road no longer looks so awful; indeed, right now it looks tolerably acceptable.

Tue 24 Jun, 14:18 (last edited on Tue 24 Jun, 21:07)

Thanks for raising this Kevin. It's an important discussion to have, even if the monetary amount is trivial. I'm not sure where the signs are going, but possibly some are going on road verges to explain why they are unmown.

Since they wouldn't fit on a sign, here are some reasons for leaving road verges unmown:

• The UK has lost 97% of it’s wildflower meadows since the 1930s.
• The total area of roadside verges is comparable to that of the remaining wildflower meadows and they should be recognised as an important food source for bees, butterflies and other insects.
• Mowing too early, or too frequently, removes this food source from insects.

Unmown verges may look a little untidy, but they are there for a good reason.

Tue 24 Jun, 09:31

Kevin is right. He has expressed his view on signs and has alerted us all to the issue. He is not just entitled to do this but the democratic process thrives on the effective dissemination of information. Kevin is not just entitled to express his views in public but he does us a service in doing so. Whether he wants to stand for the town council or not is an entirely separate issue, but the idea that he shouldn’t be expressing his views on this matter because he doesn’t want to be a counsellor would be like suggesting that we’re not entitled to express a view on welfare cuts, defence spending or any other issue that affects our national life because we don’t want to stand for Parliament.

This  is a legitimate debate. Keep going, Kevin.

Mon 23 Jun, 22:12

……. so that’s telling you, Helen! 😂

Mon 23 Jun, 18:10

It's just like The Archers!

Sun 22 Jun, 21:00

Huw, I’m sure you have anticipated what I am about to say. My observations were made publicly as part of the democratic process which we all cherish. You imply that, rather than passing comments in public, one should sit quiet and think about standing for election to the Council whenever the next election is due. In other words, I should have refrained from voicing my opinion or from even hinting at my disquiet. I’m not sure this approach fits in with democracy as I understand it. If silence as the best policy this could be where I’ve gone wrong for years!

I made clear in my opening paragraph the very point that Chris makes when I said ”We should not forget that the Town Councillors are busy people who give their time to the community for free.” I then went on to suggest that, from time to time, they “seemingly set out to demonstrate they are not perfect” (and to explain why I thought this so), ergo without the proposal under Item 7(d), they would be achieving perfection! Perhaps, on reflection, you can agree that I adopted a positive approach to the council’s activities as a whole?

I have attended a number of meetings of the Town Council in recent years. My attendance has brought me to the point where I now have both a good understanding of the workings of the Town Council and great respect for the willingness of councillors to undertake what is often a significant workload. So please, don’t judge my post as being an attack on the Town Council. I am merely alerting the Council to the optics of the situation if the proposal in question is passed. Perhaps they should think about giving a donation equal to the amount saved by rejecting this proposal, to a local charity such as Cornerstone.

Helen, although I note what you say, I would suggest that all those who need to know of the nature recovery activities going on in Charlbury will already do so. Unless the proposed signs have a role which is propaganda in nature, they are otiose.

Sun 22 Jun, 19:10

Great idea to get some signs - there are some fantastic nature recovery activities going on at the moment supported by the council. Maybe Kevin might like to volunteer to get involved, as have lots of other people?

Sun 22 Jun, 10:56

I wanted to echo what Huw says. The Town Councillors are public spirited volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to make this lovely town we live in a better place for all of us, and I thank them for that. 

Sat 21 Jun, 21:59

Kevin,

You may not agree with every Town Council agenda item (I don’t, but I do think that as a team they do an excellent job).  The process is democratic and I respect that. Rather than pass comment in public, why don’t you offer your time and stand for election?

Sat 21 Jun, 20:28

We should not forget that the Town Councillors are busy people who give their time to the community for free. In doing so, they strive to help keep Charlbury the wonderful place we know it is. That said, Town Council after Town Council has seemingly set out to demonstrate they…

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