Fury as veterans boycott Blackpool event

A LEADING veterans' group is to boycott Blackpool's biggest summer event after branding it a 'PR exercise'.

Members of the National Service Veterans Association have accused 'thoughtless' organisers of the National Veterans Week celebration of putting marketing before the needs of war heroes.

They say poor parking and transport links to the hub of the celebrations, at North Pier, will make it impossible for members – most of them in their 70s and 80s – to run a marquee promoting the association's activities or participate in events.

John Black, secretary of the National Service Veterans Association by Blackpool's North Pier

The secretary of the association's Blackpool branch, John Black, said: "Blackpool won the right to stage this event on the premise that it would pay tribute to veterans. But we feel we have been excluded from the activities due to the uncaring attitude of promoters."

Mr Black said the association, which has 60 active members locally who have served in conflicts such as in Korea and Malaya, would take part in the parades and ceremony at the cenotaph – but not the other events.

He added: "It's supposed to be for the veterans but it's purely commercial. The event organisers have failed to grasp the true purpose and treated it as a purely marketing exercise. We feel we deserve to be treated with far more respect."

Members say the main North Pier location for the events, which will take place over nine days from Saturday June 21, is unsuitable.

Mr Black added: "Some members are in frail health and have had hip and knee replacements. The location is a very bad choice. It's thoughtless and inconsiderate.

"We normally have a marquee to show equipment we used like bayonets and field packs. We can't carry all that heavy equipment."

But Major Jim Houlds-worth, chairman of Fylde Ex-Service Liaison Committee, which is organising Veterans Week alongside Blackpool Council, said all 28 local ex-service associations have been invited to attend liaison committee meetings.

He said: "We have covered all options. I can't understand why they feel like this. Their rep hasn't turned up to meetings but they have been sent minutes."

He said transport has been arranged to ferry equipment to North Pier and tables and chairs will also be set out for veterans.

More than 2,000 veterans are expected to flock to Blackpool to take part in events ranging from a spectacular aerial Grand Prix to a ceremony at the newly-restored cenotaph.

Other veteran associations say they will also face difficulties.

Jacqui Longden, home manager of Blackpool's British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA), said: "We are limited to what we can do.

"I agree with other associations who say it's going to be difficult parking, getting down to the pier and having to pay car parking fees."

Gerald Rose, chairman of the National Service Veterans Association, said: "Birmingham looks after its veterans. There was free parking, free buffet and drinks and tea dances. "Blackpool is the flagship this year. It's up to the council to look after them. Without their veterans, where would they be?"

Blackpool Lions Summer Carnival folds after 43 Years

A carnival, which has been a fixture of Blackpool's summer season for decades, has been cancelled due to lack of volunteers.

Blackpool Lions Carnival, an events which has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity issued a shock announcement on its website, scrapping the event.

The statement read: "It is with great regret that after 43 years, we have to cancel the Lions Blackpool Carnival.

"We no longer have the resources to effectively manage such a big event."

The 2007 event, which took place on August 5, raised £2500 for Brian House Hospice.

The event has been an annual fixture of Blackpool's summer calendar and thousands of visitors watch the procession of local groups and schools along the Prom.

BLACKPOOL LANDLORD ON POLICE WANTED LIST

It appears Blackpool council have stepped up their campaign to investigate Blackpool business owners. Following on from the recent Chris's Kebab turkey ham pizza debacle (Maxine Callow involved in) and town centre car parking hikes (Peter Callow's baby), Blackpool council and police are hunting a landlord after CCTV cameras at his seafront bar failed to work.

Gareth Hazelwood-Fudge, licensee of The Beach Tavern, on Blackpool Promenade, was found guilty of breaching a condition of his licence after a trial in his absence - he is now on the police wanted list.

Warrant

Blackpool magistrates issued a warrant without bail for his arrest.

Victoria Cartmell, prosecuting for Blackpool Council, said police and council officers visited The Beach Tavern, on December 28 last year about 9pm.

A condition of the bar's licence was it should have working CCTV cameras. When officials asked to see the CCTV cameras, the licensee said they were not working and had been broken for two months.

Ms Cartmell said: "CCTV cameras are important in the issue of crime and disorder."

WHAT NEXT?? WELL...UNCONFIRMED REPORTS SUGGEST DONKEYS COULD BE PUNISHED FOR SPORTING UNPOLISHED SADDLES AND A SAND TAX COULD BE IMPOSED ON WALKERS WHO FAIL TO CLEAN THE SOLES OF THEIR FEET/SHOES ON EXITING THE BEACH.

PETER CALLOW BLACKPOOL COUNCIL PARKING UTURN

Town hall bosses have slashed car parking charges after shocked shoppers reacted angrily to the announcement of parking price hikes of up to 66 per cent last week.

On-street rises have been slashed, while the cost of parking at both the Houndshill and Talbot Road car parks has actually been cut.

Council leader Peter Callow said: "We are a council that listens and acts – we have listened to what the public want and taken action."

NOW FOR A REALITY CHECK MR CALLOW

IN MY OPINION - YOU ARE COUNCIL THAT SCREWS UP BY SYSTEMATICALLY GRABBING AS MUCH MONEY FROM LOCAL TAX PAYERS AS POSSIBLE TO HELP PAY THE COST OF SEVERAL £100,000+ COUNCIL SALARIES.

THEN WHEN LOCAL PEOPLE COMPLAIN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SAY, "WE ARE A COUNCIL THAT LISTENS AND ACTS - WE HAVE LISTENED TO WHAT THE PUBLIC WANT AND TAKEN ACTION".

WELL MR CALLOW THE PUBLIC WANT VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY, NEED TO FEEL SUPPORTED BY THEIR LOCAL COUNCIL AND TREATED WITH RESPECT. I WOULD SUGGEST BLACKPOOL COUNCIL IS OFFERING NONE OF THESE.

Blackpool Council Hike Up Parking Charges

Just when you thought Blackpool was starting to attract more people to the resort (albeit through the medium of a sunken ship) council leaders introduce plans to minimise the attraction.

From The Gazette

SHOPPERS and tourists have joined calls for Blackpool Council to rethink controversial hikes in parking charges.
Prices have gone up by as much as 66 per cent at some town centre locations.

A four-hour stay on the council-run Central Car Park has rocketed from £4.40 to £7.

Weekend shoppers in Blackpool town centre were livid at the increases, with "ridiculous", "idiotic" and "greedy" among the angry comments directed at council bosses.

Thelma Stables, 62, a town centre worker from Layton, who was out shopping with her grandchildren, said: "It's ridiculous.

"Blackpool needs to get people into town, not push them out, so the council should think about reducing prices.

"I work in the town centre and I see how hard it is for Blackpool business."

Poulton resident Paul Hindle said he preferred the longer journey to Preston because of the cost of parking.

The 50-year-old said: "I think Blackpool should introduce a park-and-ride system.

"Perhaps from near the football ground, creating a car park there and perhaps killing two birds with one stone.

"Parking is the reason we go to Preston instead."

Visitor Sue Marsden, 45, from Cleckheaton in Yorkshire, was visiting the resort to see a play at the Grand Theatre and therefore needed all-day parking.

"Can you believe it cost me £12 to park?," she said.

"I've never had to pay £12 to park anywhere – it's unbelievable.

"People will simply stop coming to Blackpool."

And Brett Moorhouse from South Shore was another advocate of nearby Preston, saying he hoped the council would get the message or risk losing business to their rivals.

"Why not go to Preston?" he said.

"You can use the park and ride which is much easier."

Council chiefs have defended the rises stating it was the first time since 2006 prices had gone up while parking tariffs were "fair and similar" to what other towns charge

Blackpool Town hall bosses are 100,000 pound big hitters

From Blackpool Gazette

BLACKPOOL is among the local authorities where top-earning bosses are taking home more than £100,000-a year in their pay packets.
The figures for town hall wage bills across the country have been compiled by campaign group the TaxPayers Alliance which examines council spending.

Its second annual Town Hall Rich List reveals that 818 local authority employees nationwide earned more than £100,000 for the financial year 2006/07.

Blackpool Council employs five people who earn more than £100,000.
Those earning the big bucks salaries include chief executive Steve Weaver and four of his executive directors.

A Blackpool Council spokeswoman said: "The salaries of council officers are independently reviewed and bench-marked using the salaries of other unitary authorities.

"In 2006/07 there were five employees whose total remuneration package came to more than £100,000.

"Blackpool has huge ambitions and it vitally important that the council attracts and retains staff that can achieve the long term aims of the town.

"The council's gross budget is over £400m of which staff salaries make up a very small proportion."

Lancashire County Council is listed as employing five people on more than £100,000, while Blackburn-with-Darwen, which is Blackpool's nearest other unitary authority, employs six people over the £100,000 mark. Fylde and Wyre do not employ anyone at that level.

The wage bills were revealed as residents received their council tax bills for the coming year, with rises of up to 4.99 per cent on the Fylde coast.

Derek Bunting, of Birkdale Avenue, Bispham, who is a member of the Is It Fair?, a campaign group against rising council tax, said such high salaries were "a drain" on town hall budgets.

He said: "Someone has to pay for these people - it's a drain on the council tax. I am always watching the council tax increases and looking for justification.

The council tax payer can't see value for money when these people come in on salaries over £100,000. It doesn't make sense."
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers have a right to know how much senior town hall officials are being paid because only then can we judge whether they deserve their remuneration.

"Too often, council executives are rewarded handsomely even when they fail. Families and pensioners are struggling with the demands of yet another council tax rise, and councils owe it to them to cut back on executive pay hikes."

Warning to Blackpool takeaways

TAKEAWAY owners in Blackpool were today warned they face punishment if found wrongly labelling food.

Already this month the owner of one outlet has been told to pay almost £600 after admitting falsely describing the food he was selling.

Chris's takeaway on Red Bank Road, Bispham, was visited twice on routine inspections by Blackpool Council's food control officers. It was found to be using turkey on pizzas, which were advertised as ham.

The owner was successfully prosecuted under the Food Safety Act 1990 for falsely describing food and was ordered to pay a £300 fine and £297 in costs by Blackpool magistrates.

Council food inspectors are now advising all takeaway owners to check the descriptions of food items on their menus match that on the product label after uncovering a series of wrongly labelled dishes.

These include doner kebabs, described as containing lamb, being made from beef and mechanically recovered chicken.

In other instances they have discovered cheese, used on burgers, was actually a product known as 'cheese stretch' – a mixture of cheese and flavoured vegetable fat.

All of these ingredients are perfectly legal to use, but only if they are labelled properly.

Accurate labelling is essential to protect people who may be at risk from suffering adverse reactions to certain types of food.

Coun Maxine Callow, cabinet member for regeneration and tourism which includes quality standards, said: "Leading a customer to believe they are getting something they are not is inexcusable. It is essential that people know what they are eating because of allergies and other health issues.

"Traders should be aware that if they ignore advice given during routine inspections, the council will take action in the courts to ensure consumers are not misled."

MESSAGE TO BLACKPOOL COUNCIL -

FAILING TO CLAMP DOWN ON HOOLIGAN LOUTS WHO ASSAULT INNOCENT PEOPLE IS INEXCUSABLE. IT GOES TO SHOW HOW FAR OUR LOCAL COUNCIL AND IT'S DEAD WOOD LEGACY LEADERS HAVE SLUMPED WHEN ALL THEY CAN ACT ON IS WHETHER SOMEONE HAS GOT BITS OF TURKEY ON THEIR PIZZA INSTEAD OF HAM. AS IT HAPPENS CHRIS'S KEBABS IMO IS ONE OF THE BEST TAKE-AWAYS ON THE FYLDE COAST.

DISGRACEFUL WASTE OF RESOURCES AND MONEY IN MY OPINION!

BLACKPOOL COUNCIL TAX RECOVERY - SEX DISCRIMINATION?

Sorry if the following doesn't make much sense. I'm typing in a furious mood.

As a Blackpool resident I am appalled by the way Blackpool Borough Council deals with it's council tax payers. I have just received a letter from the council to inform me that an outstanding payment was due from last year - first I've heard of it. Not only that, Julian Kearsley decided to contact my employer (without informing me) to recover the debt out of my wages.

First thing's first. My ex wife was claiming as a single occupier of the property we both shared and because I was paying the full mortgage it was agreed that she would pay the council tax. It should therefore be obvious to the council that my ex wife was living alone in the property and should - at the very least - be 50% responsible for the outstanding balance.

I contacted the council this afternoon and requested to speak to Julian Kearsley. As I suspected, Mr Kearsley was far too busy (poss hob-nobbing with celebs or just too self important) to speak to me and I was put through to a lady called Margaret Kerekjarto.

From the outset I was not impressed with Mrs Kerekjarto's snotty attitude. I told her that the council have caused me problems with my employer - not for the first time. Her attitude was pretty much tough, you are 50% responsible for the debt so we'll take the money however we wish. I was appalled with the attitude and response and I asked why they hadn't therefore taken 50% from my ex-wife. She responded again by saying we'll get the money from whoever we wish.

I told her I wasn't happy with this and I felt it was my duty to warn other Blackpool council tax payers of the actions taken by the council it they or their ex partner fail to pay their debts. Unfortunately it would seem the council would prefer to take the money off the gentleman rather than the lady - to me this smacks of sex discrimination.

Like I said earlier, this is the second time this has happened to me in the exact same circumstances. Last time I informed the council of my ex-wife's employers but again they have failed to take part payment from her when she is living alone at the property.

I called Mrs Kerekjarto again in the last few minutes to inform her of my actions and how I felt duty bound to inform other Blackpool residents of the council approach to debt recovery. She said she takes it as a threat and will report me - which incidentally sounds like a threat in itself. Let's face it, if she was happy with the council's actions then it wouldn't be a problem.

It's offensive to think that the money taken from my wages may possibly pay towards council leader's celebrity love-ins with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Dame Kelly Holmes and the like.

Beware all!