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Most people want an Arundel bypass. |
I seem to have
ruffled a few feathers in my September report regarding the coming
proposed by-pass, I have been accused of “errors, mis-truths, and
personal slurs” but I see this as a campaign to discredit the
messenger rather than deal with the issues with a straight bat, many
of the assertions of the Anti bypass protesters have been half truths
rather than whole truths and all I want is have an open debate
without spin. I stand by what I have said, I repeat that unlike the
protesters I believe I have a mandate from the electorate in my 2015
re-election. I also believe that there is a solid majority of
somewhere between 65-75% in favour of a Pink Blue route. The
consultation will start in March and I hope everyone with a view will
make their views known, A Pro-Bypass group will start soon so
hopefully we can have a balanced debate.
As one of my Leisure
& Amenities Cabinet portfolio responsibilities I have been been
busy trying to consolidate the number of Public toilets in Arun and
bring them up to a much higher standard, It has been pointed out that
as a Tourist town we should have public conveniences, which I fully
agree with, but we have the new toilets at the side of the Museum
which I helped get the funding to underpin the Museum project. Most
tourists use these toilets but we also have Crown yard and this is
one of those toilets that is under threat, I do not want for Crown
Yard to close, I want to see it restructured into a dual use facility
with a commercial element, the question is who takes responsibility
for it, I was hoping the Town Council might take on that role, but
after discussions I don’t think there is much appetite for that, so
could a local business take on that role at a peppercorn rent and
invest a capital sum in converting the toilets, running them and
using the remaining space as a business opportunity? We are working
to save £150,000pa from the annual budget but also investing
£600,000 in the next three years as a capital sum in the remaining
toilets to bring them up from a dismal 32% user satisfaction. The key
is we are listening to feedback and will reflect on this before we
make final decisions
Until Next Month
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