An email from Cllr. Geraint Hopkins to CRAP
The following email was received today (29th January)from councillor Geraint Hopkins in answer to our email of Friday last. The email was copied to Councillor Steve Holdaway, Head of Local & Environmental Services, Powys County Council.
Dear Both,
I am still moving forward slowly with the area reviews and other work on Civil Parking Enforcement. I certainly am not ignoring your proposals. Actually it is the opposite. Your proposals along with others from other parts of the County are forming the basis of the review. Unfortunately due to lack of resource this is not progressing as quickly as I would have liked and I haven't any money in my budget to bring in any outside help. I will contact you again when I have firm dates for various aspects of the review.
Regards,
Geraint
We say - Councillor Hopkins, we look forward to details of the 'firm dates'!
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Saturday, 28 January 2012
It really is the World Wide web
53 countries watching our blog - and counting!
It's really quite amazing. Since starting our blog, people from 53 different countries, from all around the world have looked at it.
Armenia . Australia . Austria . Belgium . Cambodia . Canada . China . Colombia . Czech Republic . Denmark . Egypt . France . Germany . Ghana . Greece . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . Indonesia . India . Ireland . Italy . Japan . Jersey . Jordan . Latvia . Malaysia . Mauritius . Mexico . Moldova . Mongolia . Netherlands . New Zealand . Pakistan . Philippines . Poland . Portugal . Romania . Russia . South Africa . South Korea . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sweden . Taiwan . Thailand . Tunisia . Turkey . United Arab Emirates . United Kingdom . Ukraine . USA . Vietnam
Just think all these people from all these countries are watching our battle and learning all about the personalities involved.
It's really quite amazing. Since starting our blog, people from 53 different countries, from all around the world have looked at it.
Armenia . Australia . Austria . Belgium . Cambodia . Canada . China . Colombia . Czech Republic . Denmark . Egypt . France . Germany . Ghana . Greece . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . Indonesia . India . Ireland . Italy . Japan . Jersey . Jordan . Latvia . Malaysia . Mauritius . Mexico . Moldova . Mongolia . Netherlands . New Zealand . Pakistan . Philippines . Poland . Portugal . Romania . Russia . South Africa . South Korea . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sweden . Taiwan . Thailand . Tunisia . Turkey . United Arab Emirates . United Kingdom . Ukraine . USA . Vietnam
Just think all these people from all these countries are watching our battle and learning all about the personalities involved.
Councillor Geraint Hopkins (Powys County Council Cabinet Member and Portfolio Holder Environment and Regulation, responsible for Traffic and Parking) together with Phil Jackson, (Powys Transportation and Development Control Manager) and Kevin Lloyd (Powys Car Parks Manager), Councillor E M Jones OBE Executive Leader, Powys County Council are you men of your word?
Gentlemen remember - the world watches and judges through the world wide web!
Friday, 27 January 2012
An(other) email from Kirsty Williams AM
Kirsty Williams A.M. is Still Battling for Us
We Forwarded the email we sent to Councillor Garaint Hopkins to our Assembly Mmeber Kirsty Williams; below is the email received today (27th January) from Kirsty. We need all the help we can get - so thank you Kirsty
Thank you very much for your email below and for copying me into your letter to Cllr Hopkins. I am aware that parking is still a very important issue for Hay and other towns across Powys and recently wrote to Cllr Hopkins for an update on the Council’s actions. I will of course be happy to copy you into the response I receive and in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Kind regards,
Kirsty
Kirsty Williams AM/AC
Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire
Aelod Cynulliad dros Brycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed
Constituency Office, 4 Watergate, Brecon, Powys, LD3 9AN
Swyddfa'r Etholaeth, 4 Watergate, Aberhonddu, Powys, LD3 9AN
Tel/Ffôn: 01874 625739 Fax/Ffacs: 01874 625635
National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1NA
Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, Bae Caerdydd, Caerdydd, CF99 1NA
Tel/Ffôn: 02920 898358 Fax/Ffacs: 02920 898359
www.kirstywilliams.org.uk
We Forwarded the email we sent to Councillor Garaint Hopkins to our Assembly Mmeber Kirsty Williams; below is the email received today (27th January) from Kirsty. We need all the help we can get - so thank you Kirsty
Thank you very much for your email below and for copying me into your letter to Cllr Hopkins. I am aware that parking is still a very important issue for Hay and other towns across Powys and recently wrote to Cllr Hopkins for an update on the Council’s actions. I will of course be happy to copy you into the response I receive and in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Kind regards,
Kirsty
Kirsty Williams AM/AC
Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire
Aelod Cynulliad dros Brycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed
Constituency Office, 4 Watergate, Brecon, Powys, LD3 9AN
Swyddfa'r Etholaeth, 4 Watergate, Aberhonddu, Powys, LD3 9AN
Tel/Ffôn: 01874 625739 Fax/Ffacs: 01874 625635
National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1NA
Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, Bae Caerdydd, Caerdydd, CF99 1NA
Tel/Ffôn: 02920 898358 Fax/Ffacs: 02920 898359
www.kirstywilliams.org.uk
Thursday, 26 January 2012
A Letter in The Hereford Times
Could Hay-on-Wye's potential tourists and shoppers be frightened off by over-zealous parking enforcement?'Mean' Parking Penalties
Today's Hereford Times (26th January) carried the following letter from Hay-on-Wye resident and business owner, James Gibson-Watt.
We thought it worthwhile reprinting it here.
Despite an apparent relaxation of its efforts over the Christmas and New Year period, it seems that Powys County Council is intent on continuing it vendetta against the shops and small businesses of the county, to devastating effect. The council's civil enforcement officers (CEOs) - traffic wardens to you and I - have been busy slapping penalty charge notices (PCNs) on the few cars that dare to visit the half-deserted streets of our market towns, frightening local people and visitors away to supermarkets inside and outside the county, where there is no fear of receiving a PCN while doing their shopping.
When I recently challenged the council's cabinet member for Highways, Councillor Geraint Hopkins, about this toe told me that if the CEOs did not strictly enforce the regulations 'there would be traffic chaos in Powys’s towns', Well, there may be some truth in that on high days and holidays in places like Hay-on-Wye or Brecon, but on weekdays in the middle of January? I think not.
On Monday, January 16, in Hay-on-Wye I witnessed a CEO issuing a PCN for a vehicle that had been parked for longer than the permitted time in a time-limited zone. Not only were there spare parking spaces in that zone at the time, there were dozens of spare spaces in the other time-limited zones around the town.
The purpose of enforcement in time limited zones is to help free up parking spaces at busy times, There is no purpose in such enforcement when there is no pressure for parking spaces, as was certainly the case on that Monday and has been the case throughout January in Hay, I can only conclude that the PCN was issued because Cllr Hopkins and his colleagues are insisting that the CEOs behave in this way.
When asked why he had issued the PCN In these circumstances the CEO responded by saying he was 'only doing his job', which rather confirms the point.
In mid-winter Powys's shops and market towns depend on local trade. Powys County Council seems intend on destroying that local trade through its ludicrously zealous parking enforcement policies.
When I recently challenged the council's cabinet member for Highways, Councillor Geraint Hopkins, about this toe told me that if the CEOs did not strictly enforce the regulations 'there would be traffic chaos in Powys’s towns', Well, there may be some truth in that on high days and holidays in places like Hay-on-Wye or Brecon, but on weekdays in the middle of January? I think not.
On Monday, January 16, in Hay-on-Wye I witnessed a CEO issuing a PCN for a vehicle that had been parked for longer than the permitted time in a time-limited zone. Not only were there spare parking spaces in that zone at the time, there were dozens of spare spaces in the other time-limited zones around the town.
The purpose of enforcement in time limited zones is to help free up parking spaces at busy times, There is no purpose in such enforcement when there is no pressure for parking spaces, as was certainly the case on that Monday and has been the case throughout January in Hay, I can only conclude that the PCN was issued because Cllr Hopkins and his colleagues are insisting that the CEOs behave in this way.
When asked why he had issued the PCN In these circumstances the CEO responded by saying he was 'only doing his job', which rather confirms the point.
In mid-winter Powys's shops and market towns depend on local trade. Powys County Council seems intend on destroying that local trade through its ludicrously zealous parking enforcement policies.
It should think again before it is too late.
JAMES GIBSON-WATT, Hay-on-Wye,
A CRAP email to Councillor Garaint Hopkins and Powys County Council Officers Phil Jackson and Kevin Lloyd
Can we have an update please!
Dear Councillor Garaint Hopkins and Powys County Council Officers Phil Jackson and Kevin Lloyd
I hope you will recall the meeting held at Powys County Council Headquarters Offices on Tuesday 11th October last year between a representative of CRAP, (The Campaign for a Responsible Approach to Parking) Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe (Powys County Councillor for Hay-on-Wye) and yourselves, Councillor Geraint Hopkins and Powys County Council Officers Phil Jackson and Kevin Lloyd.
The meeting, originally planned for September, was the campaign’s opportunity to present CRAP’s proposals for Traffic flow, safety and parking in Hay-on-Wye, the culmination of some six months work to determine public reaction in Hay-on-Wye to existing parking restrictions and explore local ideas for the best approach to the town’s particular needs.
At the meeting, we were pleased to receive your assurance that our proposals would receive your consideration and you will recall that you promised to respond to us in detail by the beginning of December.
Since that time, although we have received no direct communication from you, we understand that you informed Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe that you would be unable to respond to us by the promised date, but instead would come back to us in January.
It is now almost the end of January and our campaign has rather been overtaken by Plan B for Hay’s campaign against the imposition of a supermarket on the present school site in Hay. We understand from the campaign however that parking remains a very important and contentious issue for traders, residents and visitors to the town.
More than three months have passed since our meeting and we would be most grateful if you could provide us with an update of the present situation. If you intend to ignore our proposals, we should similarly like to know.
Your planned ‘consolidation order’ scheduled for April 1st 2012, the first anniversary of the council taking over responsibility for Civil Parking Enforcement is fast approaching, as are elections for both the town and county councils. We are publicising this letter on our blog and distributing it to various interested parties.
We look forward to the courtesy of your responding to this email.
C.R.A.P. The Campaign for a Responsible Approach to Parking
Dear Councillor Garaint Hopkins and Powys County Council Officers Phil Jackson and Kevin Lloyd
I hope you will recall the meeting held at Powys County Council Headquarters Offices on Tuesday 11th October last year between a representative of CRAP, (The Campaign for a Responsible Approach to Parking) Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe (Powys County Councillor for Hay-on-Wye) and yourselves, Councillor Geraint Hopkins and Powys County Council Officers Phil Jackson and Kevin Lloyd.
The meeting, originally planned for September, was the campaign’s opportunity to present CRAP’s proposals for Traffic flow, safety and parking in Hay-on-Wye, the culmination of some six months work to determine public reaction in Hay-on-Wye to existing parking restrictions and explore local ideas for the best approach to the town’s particular needs.
At the meeting, we were pleased to receive your assurance that our proposals would receive your consideration and you will recall that you promised to respond to us in detail by the beginning of December.
Since that time, although we have received no direct communication from you, we understand that you informed Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe that you would be unable to respond to us by the promised date, but instead would come back to us in January.
It is now almost the end of January and our campaign has rather been overtaken by Plan B for Hay’s campaign against the imposition of a supermarket on the present school site in Hay. We understand from the campaign however that parking remains a very important and contentious issue for traders, residents and visitors to the town.
More than three months have passed since our meeting and we would be most grateful if you could provide us with an update of the present situation. If you intend to ignore our proposals, we should similarly like to know.
Your planned ‘consolidation order’ scheduled for April 1st 2012, the first anniversary of the council taking over responsibility for Civil Parking Enforcement is fast approaching, as are elections for both the town and county councils. We are publicising this letter on our blog and distributing it to various interested parties.
We look forward to the courtesy of your responding to this email.
C.R.A.P. The Campaign for a Responsible Approach to Parking
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