General - Please let us know what you think of the Bembridge Parish Council website

(General)  »  Please let us know what you think of the Bembridge Parish Council website

Administrator - The Bembridge Parish Council forum was launched today. Please send us your comments and feedback using this new interactive Discussion Forum. We look forward to reading your views. Bembridge Parish Council

Miss Marple - About time the site was up and running. Looking forward to being a regular subscriber.

Administrator - Could more have been done to keep the roads and pavements safe in this cold snap?

Queenie - Me too. I have a question. Why don't you have photographs of parish councillors on the website? It would be helpful to know who they are when they are buying a round in the Village Inn. Any one else agree?

Snow Plough - Probably! But as we all know, the IWC only has 6 snow ploughs and the weather we had is not a regular 'event' Information from the IWC on the state of the roads was ok (and still is, to be fair) Never mind, after the snow has melted, we will all be flooded out!

The Stig - Because it would cost a fortune for some of the ones who are in there all the time!

Mouths of babes - We don't want all this silly talk. Why on earth don't you spend OUR money more wisely on something worthwhile like gritting the pavements so us older folk can get out? Why, poor old Mrs. Groom slipped and was very lucky not to break a limb when she went out to buy a Cods' head for her cat. As it is she now has to travel all the way to Ryde for the occulists now you have closed them down. (Modeated commend deleted). She won't give him tined food as you don't know whats in it. I suppose the libray will be next to go, this village has a large elderly population and you would do well to remember that come voting time. You will be old one day and your priorities will change and instead of gadding about and playing with computers you will be thankful just to be able to struggle home with a small bag of food. Try thinking of others.

Mouths of babes - Thats as maybe snow plough, yet what about the state of the pavements. We can't all afford a car you know. Folk used to come first. Now they would sooner waste money on a computer gizmo than a few bags of salt and grit. In my day we used to tip out our cinders onto the walkways. Now if we did it we would most likely get a fine for littering. I expect you heard about Mrs. Groom and her Cods head incident. She hasn't a car you know. She used to have an Austin seven when her husband was still here. Presently these young folk will loose the use of their limbs always tearing around in motor cars. There was a time when the menfolk of the village would all help out in times like this, idle the lot of them. All sat in the warm watching Big Brother whilst us old folk struggle along to the shops or Post office for that pittance of a pension. He fought for this country you know. Global warming just an excuse like decimilisation to cheat us of our money. Ought to be ashamed of themselves. Was never these prices when we had pounds shillings and pence. Still what do I know, no one ever listens to the old, it's a young persons world and we are just a nusiance.

Anonymous - It seemed to me the only ones who were out in the bad weather was all the old folk. All the advice was to stay indoors yet did they listen, no, therefore I have no sympathy for Mrs Groom or her cat. Cat's are nothing but a nuisence and should all be shot. She doesn't need to give tinned food, there are plenty of dry foods on offer. As for the occulists, I never used them, they were too expensive. Tesco's are much better and the oldies can get on free buses to get there, and have a day out. And another thing, you must be playing with your computer to write such rubbish and if you don't want to struggle home with food try Tesco on-line. You have a computer after all and you could also order for all the other oldies you know (including Mrs Groom). I don't need you to tell me who to vote for at voting time, I vote for no-one, they are all useless as it is.

Snow Plough - I was un-aware that pavements were for cars. And if your really concerned about the pavements, why not try asking the IW Council about them? There is plenty of information on their website - as you have a computer, I trust you know how it works, and there you will be able to find out about many, many great things that they do.

Anonymous - Why was she buying a Cod's head for her cat in the 1st place? Was it as a hat?

Cpt. Carling - I read with interest your comments about the pavements during the recent weather 'event' You should be aware that it is the duty of the Isle of Wight Council to maintain (as far as is posible) the Highways during such weather. This duty does not extend to either pavements, car parks or any other road that is not considered to be a main road - Love Lane or Howgate Road for example. It is NOT the responsibility of the Parish Council, as there are legal and liability issues to consider. With regard to the 'computer gizmo' you refer to, there has been a Parish Website for some time now and this aspect of it has been in the pipeline for a while. There has not been a sudden purchase of anything new and this forum does not cost any resident anything. I hope this answers you questions.

Cpt. Carling - Mouths of Babes, If you don't want to use this forum, then don't! Please see my post under "Effects of the cold weather" for a detailed response. Cpt. Carling

Right Wing Lord - I think the Libary would make a great Lap-dancing Club. The sooner it shuts the better. Moderator comment: This is a personal view of "Right Wing Lord" and should be taken as such.

Right Wing Lord - Old people get in the way and (moderated comment). Atilla the Hun had the right idea, (moderated comment). Moderator comment; This was a very funny post but could have been insulting therefore the comment was moderated. Thank you Right Wing Lord for your views, perhaps you could temper them a little as you obviously have a sense of humour.

Miss Marple - Snow Plough - are you on the pay role of the Isle of Wight Council? Yes their website is good - that is if you can get on it and the information is correct. Let's go back to SUnday when I tried to log on for over 3 hours to see if the schools were open and what the state of the roads were. The site was down. Brilliant. Yesterday the site stated that rubbish collections were a day late, therefore what should have been Wednesday's collection would be collected Thursday. This morning it had changed to read Wednesday's collection would indeed be Wednesday - too bad for those who had left for work. Let's also consider how they failed to work with Village and Parish Councils across the Island as to the up to date status of the situation, despite having an Emergency Planning Dept. The only notification coming from that department to villages and parishes was "be neighbourly" and even this had to be passed through their communications department ---------on Friday. The bad weather hit Tuesday. Sorry Snow Plough, I for one am not happy with the way the Island Council handled this matter and I think you will find I am not the only one.

Right Wing Lord - PAHH! So the Communist namby-pamby mother state extends down as far as some two-bit wanna-be Council on the Isle of Wight! What happened to free speach? During my time as President of the Oxford Union, not once did we ever have the censor police lurking in the background and we discussed some very sensitive topics - Should 'Marathons' have been re-named 'Snickers'?, What is the appeal of Timmy Mallet? and Why is Boris Johnson never on 'Have I got news for you' anymore? The fact of the matter is: Old people are a danger to themselves and others. They own inappropriate footwear - those heated 'one big slipper' things are no good for walking to the shops - clutter the place up and make far too much noise talking about "In my day we would have set fire to the oiks and used their flaming bodies as heathed snow ploughs" At a time when they could have all been pushed together for their own safety in one place (the Libary), this facility was closed. Thus, we had to put up with them ambling around our streets and panic buying Preperation H, Denture Glue and Part-Baked Bread. But all is not lost. When Dave comes to power, he has assured me that I can be in charge of Old Peoples Human Rights. As for Bembridge, I see that Mr Weaver is building some new waiting rooms above his industrial units. This is a good thing, as it will reduce his Carbon Footprint by way of having his customers very close by. Progress at last!

Administrator - More and more complaints are coming in about the potholes in Bembridge, which one do you think is the worst and how long has it been there?

Administrator - What are your views on the future of the harbour?

Administrator - Following the increase in harbour dues a couple of years ago a public inquiry is to be held next week. Will it make any difference?

woody woodpecker - Try the end of Swains Road as you go into Foreland Road the one there gets bigger by the minute. They repaired it once. Also two lovely ones starting at Brooks Close as you go into Egerton Road. Have nearly come off my bike a couple of times and some would say that is not a pretty sight.

woody woodpecker - Just a waste of money. If you can afford a boat you can afford the dues. Might as well pay up as Mr Brown will only take your hard earned cash in the end.

woody woodpecker - The harbour has always been a problem. If the harbour trust does buy then there will only be more moans and groans from us locals about the sailing club members taking over our village. Personally I think the harbour trust don't know what they are taking on, what experience do they have in running a commercial enterprise. Most of of those that are "management" are small time business men.

woody woodpecker - I thought this forum might be sensible so please could those who are posting rubbish stop. In answer to the question I think the site is good but needs updating a bit more and the calendar needs things on it so I know what I can do in the village. The newsletter is also good but the last one was awful with adverts for shops and the community centre. What are the Parish Council doing for us?

woody woodpecker - More rubbish on an important subject. The Island council were obviously caught on the hop and should be brought to account. I bet Shanklin was well gritted, not like Bembridge.

Right Wing Lord - It should be sold to some Arab, all the SSSI's revoked, the entire place dredged to a depth of 10 meters, and turned into the South Coast's answer to the Med. The current owner is a futile half-whit. The sooner he goes the better. The Harbour Company are totally in-effective and has done sod-all in the past few years, apart from buying silly tractors that cant work over the road. Anyone with even half a brain cell would have seen that. What we want is for at least one of the Sailing Clubs to get a 'Royal' in front of it's name and lots of discount for the members to park their Redwings all over the place. Locals should be encouraged to bugger off - sailing is a rich mans game and should be left to those who have holiday homes here. We dont want our view spoilt by little fishermen when we are at our club enjoying Sunday Lunch or a Bridge evening. Locals should know their place - BELOW STAIRS

Right Wing Lord - Bembridge is one big Pot Hole, because the locals only own horse & carts. If you had a Range Rover, little pin-pricks of pot holes would not effect you. Stop moaning about it. The sooner you all move out, the sooner we can buy more second homes - my bonus is back this year, so I'm ready to buy houses by the street.

Right Wing Lord - No. The owner will use the money to pay his fines. They should sell it to us, we have lots of experience in taking money off people for no return. If you can't afford the mooring fee, sell your boat. That way, those who can afford these things can have a place to park our Sunseekers.

Cpt. Carling - I would agree with Woody - these sort of posts, whilst bringing a little light relief, have no constructive input to this site. With regard to the newsletter, I would say that the adverts in the last issue were OK. If it helps cover the cost of the printing of them and ensures that these publications can continue, I do not see a big issue with it. There is a fine line between an informative publication and a advert-lead one, such as the Beacon. I think the team behind the Parish Newsletter strike the balance well. Cpt. Carling

Mouths of babes - Good value, my eye. Just a smelly sewage strewn stretch of mud whenever the tide is out. The beach is no better. How lovely it must be for all those day trippers in the summertime, picnicking amongst piles of jagged stones and rocks, a mass of decaying seaweed, broken bottles, bits of plastic, flies and dogs excreta. I wouldn't give thrupence for the lot of it. No wonder so many go abroad, and there are probably less foreigner there as well!

Mouths of babes - Well the large one outside the scouts field is not so much a pot hole as a crater. My Grandson said he was asked to do a local enviromental project by his school. He went on the internet for information and thanks to the heavy rain we have had this year Google earth had that pot hole marked down as the village pond. I know it is a private road but SOMEONE must be responsible. Why can't those scouts fill it in an earn a roadmenders badge. I'll tell you why; health and safety. Can't even light a bonfire. Whatever Baden Powell would say I don't like to think. God help us if there is ever another war. What a namby pamby world we live in yet the streets and society are more violent than ever.

Queenie - Hate to correct you, but Mitten Road is not a private road, it's an unadopted road...unadopted by the highways authority. The responsibility for the condition of that road is that of the property owners.....The pot hole you refer to was filled in by the parish council some months ago and someone came along and promptly reinstated it! Do the scouts have a roadmenders badge?

Queenie - You know what they say Capt, you can't please everyone....if the newsletter is used solely to self promote the parish council to the exclusion of community news and events, would that be preferable?

Queenie - The visitors must like it because they keep coming back! Maybe the Mumbai experience appeals.....who are we to judge?

Miss Marple - This has been a long time coming. It has been obvious that the peope running it have been unhappy for a long time, I know their long faces and lack of a fast service have driven people to St Helens or Sandown where they get a smile along with their pension. Is the Co-op the best place, I don't know? It is already cramped in there but perhaps they are going to expand into Lane End News which has been sold recently. Now where we all go for the gossip about the village when Keith and Alrena go? I will not miss the "Hello my love" or "Hello my darling" when I pick up my copy of The Mail, I would much rather have just got the cheery good morning that Carol used to give. I know the Post Office people moaned about not having enough parking at the post office but there is even less at Lane End, especially as Mr Weaver is advocating the tenants for his new flats using the forecourt parking. Parish Council you will need to get another zebra crossing put in down there as well.

The Stig - Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the Parish Council push for the zebra crossing outside the current Post Office, so all the old croans from Inver House could shuffle over and collect their pensions? So, if it is to close, there will be a zebra crossing leading to a private house - because that is all it will become, as the Parish Council won't object to another commercial unit within the village being turned into a dwelling for DFL's. If the Post Office is to move to Lane End, then you can be sure there will be complaints from those who live at the village centre end of the place. Also, will any new PO have the sorting / delivery office attached, or are we to have our post delivered by 1 man in a van? As for tennants of the new flats using the forecourt by the shops, this again, is a situation that the Parish Council have overlooked. I can see them (The PC) asking for more yellow lines down Lane End Road next. As for Lane End News closing, it's a shame as the ownwers have done so much for the village, it would be a shame to loose the support the have given.

The Stig - Queenie, I hate to correct YOU, but your facts are wrong! The road - and the other un-made roads in the area - Heathfield, Queens & Preston - are owned by the Preston Estate. Property owners in these roads do not have any responsibilty to keep the road in a good state of repair. If the Parish Council have, as you say, filled a pot hole on a road that they have no responsibilty for, then is this legal? Did they use an approved contractor who carries out highways works, or just the two men that drive about in a van all day doing the odd bit of grass cutting? It is not just a matter of pouring some stones into a hole and calling that it.

True Blue - Correct you I shall The Stig - interesting what your name spells backwards by the way. The crossing had been I am told in the pipeline for a long time, not just as you say in rather derogatory terms for "the old croans" but also for all residents of the village to make crossing the road safe. It also stopped inappropriate and dangerous parking. The Parish Council took part in a consultation (along with others in Foreland Road) and the decision was made by Highways and was not the Parish Council "pushing". The correct procedures were followed, consulatations done and even the leader of the council David Pugh visited with the then local IW Councillor Sally Pigot and thought the crossing was in an ideal position. Again get your facts straight, the Parish Council always object to any business closing - the Bembridge Business Association don't. You are such an expert, where do you get the gossip that you form your opinions from? I can only guess! I can't answer any of your other questions because I don't know and I am not one of those that makes accusations or statements without knowing the full facts. As for Lane End News Closing, I don't think that was said in the previous post, it clearly states it has been sold, not closing. How the rumour mill gets going Stig, the owners have done much for the village I agree, but who knows they may be staying in the village and carry on giving support, they seem that sort of people to me. Come the election I suppose you will be voting for that Jill Wareham, you sound like a limp liberal, or even one of Gordon's mates but if you want to make a difference vote for the Blue Boy our Dave, he will make a difference.

Mouths of babes - All I know is that a similar thing happened in Elmfield Ryde where my sister lives. They had a thriving Post Office which used to sell all manner of things such as iron mongery and the usual cards and stationery. This was closed and moved just around the corner to the local Co-Op or whatever it now is. It makes my sister so cross. For the P.O have saved a fortune on combining the two, yet they never have a permanent member of staff behind the counter. The ill trained shop staff, serve one minute in the shop queue; next in the PO. Security and privacy is poor, and often my sister says she has to queue up behind young boys, with 2/6d pocket money, spending ages deciding on what sweets they want. You mark my words, the staff at the PO may not have given the warmest welcome, but you wait when you want to buy a couple of tuppeny stamps and are caught behind hoards of foul mouthed school children, or overweight, greasy, smoking pram pushing mothers squeezed between tiny aisles. You'll wish the old P.O and the owners were still there. Too late when its gone. Yet another backward step to the ruination of village community and life, all in the name of saving money. If we never let so many hanger oners in then we would not have a need to scrimp and scrape about for every last shilling. Perhaps we could squeeze the library in there as well, between the dairy section and the cold pies, and then use the old library building to house a few homeless foreigners, or some other costly, neverending, wealth sapping worthless cause. Do you ever watch crime watch? Not too many of the culprits are Smith, Green or Jones, and thats with the media desperately trying to show that lot in a favourable light. Will be and is the ruination of the country.

Anonymous - Cpt Carling. You will not receive the 'big issue with the magazine. This is Bembridge we are talking about, we don't have homeless here; Yet. Moderator comments: Really couldn't show the rest of the comment. It was offensive and whilst it no doubt amused you to post it, perhaps you should post to a different forum where your extreme views would be welcomed!

Right Wing Lord - So the grumpy owners of the Post Office want to give up - looking at the average age of the customers they get, who can blame them? I for one, would be glad to close and make more money from turning my building into more residential units, rather than put up with the constant moaning and smell from people who have to rely on others to support themselves. I pay a vast percentage of my salary to provide for those who do not know how to support themselves when they retire. Add it those who can't be bothered to get a job, or those with a fake illness or injury - you know who you are - and you have a claiming state, full of dodgers, the ill-informed and the lazy. I say good luck to the current owners, I hope you can sell the place to a developer who can provide a decent house for those that can afford to support themselves.

maresra - Well I think it a good idea you only shop once I think I park my 4x4 more easy at the co-op when I pick up my giro it better than parking on them silly ziggy things at the PO.

scooby - Who decides what topics are to be discussed on this forum?

scooby - This has the potential to be a decent forum - sharing views and opinions. I have not been impressed with one or two, what I would term, offensive posts on here. Also is it only the administrator who decides what topics will be discussed? If so, I think that would be a shame as I am sure there are many people who would like to initiate a discussion.

Cpt. Carling - Scooby, The topics are set by the Admin Team. That is not to say that you can not ask for a topic to be started - if its a sensible suggestion, I would suspect the Admin Team would be happy to help out, as this will save them having to think of ideas all the time! Cpt. Carling

scooby - Not much discussion happening on the forum. Could start going the way of the Bembridge.com forum if no one is allowed to post a point for discussion.

Right Wing Lord - I too, have noticed the lack of postings on this so-called forum. One would guess that as its run by a 'wannabe council', full of aged crones and glory hunters who tow the party line (Cpt Carling) then the reason for the lack of postings is simple: Apart from wasting money on a shop, they are all too busy trying to line their own pockets and don't give a damn about you. Thank God I only have a holiday home in the place. It's mine and I paid for it in cash, but if I had to endure living there 52 weeks of the year, I would end up either mad or dead. Don't forget, my council tax goes to pay for this so-called council and this forum and as far as I can see, both are a waste of time and space.

Administrator - If you would like a new subject added to the forum or discussion started then please put you ideas here. The subject will then be put on the forum for you at the earliest possible opportunity. We look forward to receiving a broad range of subjects and topics for the site.

Queenie - I have read your postings over the last few weeks and you talk such sh***!! It has made me laugh though. For someone who hates this village so much, why do you put so much effort into the forum? Picking up on your comment, mad or dead, given the choice I wouldn't choose mad..! People like you add nothing to the community. If you want a refund for the £46 odd quid you pay for the parish council...write to them... you may even get a discount for cash. Are you male and short (under 5'7)?

Hawkeye - You could use your £46 and get a single ticket on the ferry to Portsmouth. Or get some platform heels so you don't feel so short.