Council gerrymandering: Oh no we won’t! Oh yes they have.

Two months after saying that they would not submit any proposals in the boundary change consultation, our beloved leaders have, er, done just that.

A quick reminder: the Local Government Boundaries Commission for England (LGBCE) has been invited by our Council to review our local government arrangements. The LGBCE is looking at the number of wards, the boundaries and names of the wards, the number of councillors per ward, and therefore the overall number of councillors we have to represent us.

Back in October, Cllr Gilbey said:

“It is essential the setting of new boundaries doesn’t lead to accusations of gerrymandering or voter manipulation by the council. After discussions with colleagues, I have taken the view the council itself should step back and let the Boundary Commission decide the new wards based on its own studies and after giving detailed consideration to the opinions of any individual, group and parish council.”

Lo and behold, tonight (10th December) the Council will be presenting their proposals for boundary changes. They said one thing, and did another. Surprised?

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Of course, some of the more cynically minded residents (and councillors) suggested at the time that the decision not to put forward a proposal was simply a ruse to avoid having to debate that proposal in public, in Council.

The more deviously minded suggested that the Council’s (i.e. the Conservative group’s) preferred option would be submitted to the LGBCE by a proxy, such as a local Conservative Association, presumably to be accompanied by some nodding and winking.

My guess is that the Blue Team have been a little rattled by the sensible-looking proposals from the local Red Team (38 councillors, one councillor per ward) and have decided that public debate is a price worth paying in order to have an Official Preference published.

Report: Dover Bronze Age Boat

At our last meeting before Christmas Dr Paul Bennett, Director of Canterbury Archaeological Trust, gave members a fascinating insight into the discovery and the story of the subsequent conservation of the Dover Bronze Age boat.

He explained that in September 1992 he, and several other archaeologists, were in the last weeks of their excavations alongside the civil engineers who were constructing the Dover to Folkestone A20 road link when a small portion was revealed at the bottom of a deep trench.

His excellent slides taken at the time showed the final emergence and uncovering of what was finally found to be a large portion of a middle Bronze Age boat dated to about 1550BC.

He went on to explain that its construction comprised oak planks sewn together with yew lashings, a technique which has a long tradition in British prehistory and a rare example of one of a very few ever discovered in Britain.

Approximately 9.5m of the craft was finally recovered which probably represented about two thirds of the full size of the boat and it was obvious that it had been laid up and partially deconstructed after its long maritime career and possibly used by Bronze Age children as a recreation area.

After extensive conservation with the Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth it was finally returned in 1998 to a purpose built environmentally controlled gallery at Dover Museum. In 2013 with the support of European funding a half-sized replica of the boat was built and launched and featured in three major exhibitions in France, Belgium and England – see Dover Bronze Age Boat Trust.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 6th February at the Lower Hall, United Reform Church, High Street, Herne Bay when Margaret Burns will be giving a presentation on introducing the value of Oral History to local historians entitled “Telling Your Own Story”.

Doors open at 6.30pm when refreshments, raffle and a bookstall will be available prior to commencement of the evening at 7pm. All are welcome. Members free, visitors £2.

Windy everywhere

Damaging Windstorm Lashes UK and Northern Europe 

A significant wind event is ongoing across Ireland and the United Kingdom and will spread over northern Europe through Friday. The strongest winds on Thursday impacted Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England where sustained winds of 65-80 kph (40-50 mph) were common.

Data accessed by Accuweather.com meteorologists show that wind gusts reached 183 kph (114 mph) at Aonach Mor in west Scotland. According to STV News in Scotland the wind reached 228 kph (142 mph) at the ski resort in Aonach Mor around 6 a.m., local time.

Wind gusts reached 111 kph (69 mph) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Tiree, Scotland, had a peak wind gust of 132 kph (82 mph). The winds resulted in many accidents involving lorries that were overturned by high winds, one of which resulted in the death of the driver.

Train service was suspended for several hours across the region due to the high winds. Airborne debris resulted in damage to the glass ceiling in Glasgow Central Station leading to an evacuation. More than 100,000 homes were left without power across Scotland according to STV News.

Although the worst of the storm was expected to bypass London, winds had increased Thursday afternoon with gusts over 60 kph (37 mph). Winds will diminish Thursday night across all of the United Kingdom.

Extreme winds caused havoc at an airport in Birmingham, England forcing multiple planes to abort landing at the last moment. (Video/Epsigo)

Meanwhile, these damaging winds will shift into the Netherlands, northern Germany and Denmark where they will continue into Friday. Winds across the region have already surpassed 80 kph (50 mph) with the worst of the storm expected Thursday night.

Sustained winds of 65 to 80 kph (40-50 mph) are expected along with gusts over 120 kph (75 mph). Isolated gusts over 145 kph (90 mph) can pound Denmark and northern Germany.

Winds of this magnitude will be capable of damaging roofs and buildings while also downing trees and power lines. Significant power outages are expected across the region.

On Friday, the strongest winds will prevail from southern Norway through Denmark, northern Germany and Poland. The winds on Friday are expected to be less intense than those through Thursday night; however, winds over 80 kph (50 mph) will be possible.

Weather following the storm will feature a shot of much colder air. Snow showers will be possible through Friday across Scotland and northern England. This cold air mass will create dangerous conditions for anyone who loses electricity for an extended period of time.

Another effect of this storm system will be the threat of coastal flooding which will be possible along the east coast of Scotland and England into Friday. The potential exists for some areas to experience the worst coastal flooding in decades.

The greatest threat for flooding in the United Kingdom will be along the northern shores of Kent where the strong northerly winds will cause water to pile up against the coastline.

Coastal areas from the Netherlands through northern Germany and Denmark will also be threatened by significant coastal flooding which could cause the worst flooding in decades. Waters could briefly rise several meters above normal levels during high tide.

AccuWeather.com

MOD Shoeburyness – Forthcoming Activity Alert: 29 November – 12 December 2013

Detailed below is advance notification of activities which may be noticed in your neighbourhood. All of the limitations and stipulations outlined below apply.

Date: Reason for Notification

29 November 2013: Gunfire and Explosions may be noticed earlier than usual, 08:00.

2, 5, 10, 11 December 2013: Local Gunfire and Explosions may be noticed.

3 & 4 December 2013: Local Gunfire and Explosions may be noticed earlier than usual, 08:00.

6 & 13 December 2013: Local Gunfire may be noticed.

12 December 2013: Explosions may be noticed.

Note:

Local Gunfire = Gunfire that is likely to be noticed only by communities close to MOD Shoeburyness.

Gunfire = Gunfire that may be noticed by communities in the vicinity of the Thames Estuary.

Explosions = Explosions that may be noticed by communities in the vicinity of the Thames Estuary.

MOD SHOEBURYNESS WEBSITE

This information was correct at the time of publishing. The most accurate and up to date information can be found on the MOD Shoeburyness website at http://www.shoeburyness.qinetiq.com, why not visit and save it to your favourites for quick access.

I hope that you find this information useful. Please feel free to pass it on to your neighbours.