After intense and daily activities involving getting selected for the Borough candidature, getting elected for the Borough and then taking on the role and embracing many roles as part of that responsibility plus continuing my duties as a Parish Councillor-and there are a few commitments there too- with a number of major issues to handle, then I needed a holiday. The recent abuse towards me personally, usually as a result of the contentious Local Plan and probable housing applications, plus the intensity of issues at the Parish Council together with concern for the welfare of my mother accentuated by my tiredness and stresses really made me cry out for this break.
The Local Plan and its possible effect on the Headcorn Ward really worries me. I support some more Housing, but not the way its emerging. Its being targeted for the wrong places and/or the wrong density and/or for the wrong reasons and with the problems of the local area being ill-considered.
Its a complex issue, but I'm trying to address it in all aspects and at as many points as possible: government policy and its interpretation (The NPPF) has to be directed at the Conservative Party and the Westminster politicians. The numbers, the Plan has to be directed at MY Administration Tory Group, and Officers, and the Neighbourhood Plan matters at the Parish Council and its Headcorn Matters team. Then agencies, organisations and so many others need working on! I have worked on most of them, if not all! I am tired. My partner is too. My partner Eileen has actually been brilliant. I know I am usually too tired to appreciate her wonderful companionship, so this holiday matters.
After the Joint Transport Board meeting on Wednesday evening, where some interesting developments came about in terms of developing possible roads with houses between County and Borough and some important petitions were presented, I made a getaway to join Eileen so that we had a good ferry the next morning. It was important we had a ferry that allowed us to get some distance southward the next day. I had booked a hotel in Troyes.
Thank goodness it went to plan. We made Troyes for a lovely dinner; the most important part of my travels in France! The next day we went to see the Vercors; a beautiful plateau in mountains near Grenoble and stayed in another good hotel with a good dinner. Then the next day we drove to our destination for the next 10 days. It was just north of Grimaud about 10 miles from the Mediterranean coast. The roads getting there were mountainous and windy and when we got there we were a bit later than expected. The hosts had left! They had left the wrong key too. Eventually we got a neighbour to let us in. We unpacked and went to the town of La Garde Freinet for our dinner, it was our local town for the next 10 days.
There were 5 or 6 restaurants to choose from. We examined every one of them before we finally chose it. It turned out to be a great choice. Terrific simple Provencale cooking-rather than the ordinary pasta, pizza and plain dishes served elsewhere, judging by the menus-and after 10 days it certainly proved to be the best one! We ate there 5 times. The service was good too.
Anyway briefly we packed a lot into our 10 days: perched and medieval villages, Grasse and perfume, mountains, swimming in the sea, St Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Monaco and meeting my dear friend who supports Toulon Rugby Club.
Then we went to Paris. Gosh its gone downhill. Poverty is to be seen everywhere and rich overt and ostentatious wealth too. Politics was obvious every day whilst we were in France. Its not just the UK that has an opinion about the EU. The French are not as supportive as we all think. The Euro has hurt them and Hollande is the most unpopular President in French history. Perhaps we can expect a revolution any day! We stayed just outside Montmatre and people were sleeping on mattresses in the street and there's more I'd rather not mention.
And I watched my emails all the time and dealt with many.
I also noted that a lot of action was taking place in Headcorn to oppose the Local Plan.And let it be said I applaud such manifestation of feelings.
The trouble was I was being insulted more and certain people were winding it up! It was direct and indirect, it was on the street with people shouting at me and various insults being used.Twitter was an area of abuse. And coincidentally many abuses were removed when I got back to check them out.
I guess I ask for that; I take the role, I have to take the responsibility. I also take the additional work too and try very hard, but seemingly I will still get the abuse and insinuation. If I was to explain every hour and every action with every person then I'd be writing this for more hours than it actually takes to be effective! Driving to Maidstone, sometimes 2 to 3 times in a day that is interspersed with meetings in the Ward takes up enough time as it is!
And now I was back to this intensity.
The Local Plan and its possible effect on the Headcorn Ward really worries me. I support some more Housing, but not the way its emerging. Its being targeted for the wrong places and/or the wrong density and/or for the wrong reasons and with the problems of the local area being ill-considered.
Its a complex issue, but I'm trying to address it in all aspects and at as many points as possible: government policy and its interpretation (The NPPF) has to be directed at the Conservative Party and the Westminster politicians. The numbers, the Plan has to be directed at MY Administration Tory Group, and Officers, and the Neighbourhood Plan matters at the Parish Council and its Headcorn Matters team. Then agencies, organisations and so many others need working on! I have worked on most of them, if not all! I am tired. My partner is too. My partner Eileen has actually been brilliant. I know I am usually too tired to appreciate her wonderful companionship, so this holiday matters.
After the Joint Transport Board meeting on Wednesday evening, where some interesting developments came about in terms of developing possible roads with houses between County and Borough and some important petitions were presented, I made a getaway to join Eileen so that we had a good ferry the next morning. It was important we had a ferry that allowed us to get some distance southward the next day. I had booked a hotel in Troyes.
Thank goodness it went to plan. We made Troyes for a lovely dinner; the most important part of my travels in France! The next day we went to see the Vercors; a beautiful plateau in mountains near Grenoble and stayed in another good hotel with a good dinner. Then the next day we drove to our destination for the next 10 days. It was just north of Grimaud about 10 miles from the Mediterranean coast. The roads getting there were mountainous and windy and when we got there we were a bit later than expected. The hosts had left! They had left the wrong key too. Eventually we got a neighbour to let us in. We unpacked and went to the town of La Garde Freinet for our dinner, it was our local town for the next 10 days.
There were 5 or 6 restaurants to choose from. We examined every one of them before we finally chose it. It turned out to be a great choice. Terrific simple Provencale cooking-rather than the ordinary pasta, pizza and plain dishes served elsewhere, judging by the menus-and after 10 days it certainly proved to be the best one! We ate there 5 times. The service was good too.
Anyway briefly we packed a lot into our 10 days: perched and medieval villages, Grasse and perfume, mountains, swimming in the sea, St Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Monaco and meeting my dear friend who supports Toulon Rugby Club.
Then we went to Paris. Gosh its gone downhill. Poverty is to be seen everywhere and rich overt and ostentatious wealth too. Politics was obvious every day whilst we were in France. Its not just the UK that has an opinion about the EU. The French are not as supportive as we all think. The Euro has hurt them and Hollande is the most unpopular President in French history. Perhaps we can expect a revolution any day! We stayed just outside Montmatre and people were sleeping on mattresses in the street and there's more I'd rather not mention.
And I watched my emails all the time and dealt with many.
I also noted that a lot of action was taking place in Headcorn to oppose the Local Plan.And let it be said I applaud such manifestation of feelings.
The trouble was I was being insulted more and certain people were winding it up! It was direct and indirect, it was on the street with people shouting at me and various insults being used.Twitter was an area of abuse. And coincidentally many abuses were removed when I got back to check them out.
I guess I ask for that; I take the role, I have to take the responsibility. I also take the additional work too and try very hard, but seemingly I will still get the abuse and insinuation. If I was to explain every hour and every action with every person then I'd be writing this for more hours than it actually takes to be effective! Driving to Maidstone, sometimes 2 to 3 times in a day that is interspersed with meetings in the Ward takes up enough time as it is!
And now I was back to this intensity.
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