WE WELCOME YOUR VIEWS
We many letters, e-mails and telephone calls from members of the public highlighting issues and concerns and expressing opinion(s) on a range of subjects. Many people feel that the current labour regime do not take their concerns seriously and consistently fail to represent the interests of local people and are turning to the Alliance to take up and resolve issues that affect them.
This section allows the people of South Tyneside a means of highlighting any issues, concerns and opinions they may have. We will regularly publish your letters and e-mails so please feel free to e-mail your opinions, views and concerns (good or bad) to: views@southtynesidealliance.info    

 Alternatively you can write to: 
 
The South Tyneside Alliance
60 Julian Avenue, South Shields. NE33 2EW.
 
Below are are some of your many letters and e-mails, why take a closer look?

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COUNCIL'S NEW PARKING REGIME CAUSES PUBLIC CONCERN 
The recent increases in parking fees once again show that the council is putting its own interests by charging whatever fees and fines it likes when it comes to parking and to hell with the interests of the general public and businesses in South Shields. The recent increase in parking fees is already effecting the number of people who are visiting our town and seafront and are now being forced to pay exorbitant fees whilst draconian private car park operators maximise their profits that we the residents are paying them for the privilege of shopping and parking in our own town.

The private parking operator policing our town has been here just over 12 months and I have been personally affected in many ways and feel intimidated by the power they have. This was never the case under the old parking wardens, they were always willing to assist and help local residents and were seen as part of the community.

The Streets of the town are now patrolled 7 days a week, this includes street parking around the residential areas around the Town Hall. Churchgoers, including the elderly, at Westoe Road Baptist church now have to park further away from the church as the area is now patrolled on Sundays, the one hour parking now applies every day of the week.

My 85 year old Aunt and her 70 year old brother are no longer able to enjoy Sunday lunch with my wife and I without having to keep checking to see if they are about to get a parking ticket. They must eat and be out within an hour of arriving or risk being penalised. Sunday used to be the one day we could all breathe a sigh of relief as we were free from being persecuted by the parking attendants.

In the first month of the private company takeover I was issued with a parking ticket despite my car being provided by Mobility and the fact that I was displaying a blue badge. I tried to get a residents parking permit from the company, but at the time they were unable to issue me with one because they did not have the machinery to do so. I applied for the permit weeks before getting the car and a month later I was still without the permit. At the time I told the parking officer while he was putting the ticket on the car what the situation was and that the permit had been applied for, but I got a ticket none the less.

I am disabled and used to look forward to my family visiting me but since my 70 year old uncle was issued with a ticket he does not come as often. He is reluctant to risk a £30 penalty ticket especially as he was 3 minutes over the last time he received a ticket, he was at the front door say goodbye as the parking attendant issued the ticket. On that occasion the parking attendant did apologise but stated that as he had started to write the ticket it could not be undone.

Recently I was parked in a seafront car park (along with two other cars) when two parking attendants arrived and started to issue a ticket to an elderly couple who had only just arrived. I complained to them about overstaffing in an underused area and when I returned the next day the car park was locked.

It is no wonder that this council has lost the confidence of the electorate as was demonstrated in the last local elections by the amount of people that voted against the ruling party. Recent antics in the council chamber have also shown the people what those in charge really think about the public. All I can say is roll on May when the public have another chance to tell them what they think. This time I will make sure my vote is counted because I am giving up my postal vote and will crawl to the polling station to ensure my vote is properly counted and not lost in the postal vote procedure. 
 
By e-mail name and address supplied
 
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WAGGOTT'S LAST EMBERS! 
How very predictable of Councillor Waggott, to come out and oppose a waste incinerator in South Tyneside just before an election. Yes it’s plain old electioneering by a man whose power is slowly slipping away.
 
If he had of been in the same frame of mind when the Fellgate Business park scheme was thrust upon us, and supported the residents then, he may still have had two of his Labour colleagues sat alongside him.
 
Cllr. Waddle & I highlighted this issue as long ago as September 2007, probably around the time he was signing a joint Waste Management Agreement on behalf of South Tyneside with Sunderland and Gateshead councils!
 
Cllr. Steve Harrison Independent Fellgate & Hedworth
 
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LET US IN OR WE'LL LOSE MILLIONS!
I recently read a lead story in the Gazette entitled "Let us In or We'll Lose Millions" and found it  extremely interesting. In the follow up part, page 3, end column, it reports the availablity of a compensation scheme valued at £25 per room up to a maximum of £200 was there to assist with refurbishment costs. 
 
May I enquire of South Tyneside Homes just when this scheme was implemented as I was one of the first tenants to have my rented home in Calf Close Lane brought up to standard in 2005 Both my neighbour and I had our homes modernised as pilot schemes. We had a new bath, wc and washbasin fitted upstairs, new toilet and hand basin fitted in the downstairs toilet, new gas fire and central heating radiators fitted throughout and a boiler installed in the  front room cupboard upstairs, we also had a complete rewiring system and fuse box complete with trip mechanism and the fitting of double glazed units throughout, although the latter was subject to a nominal fee if you intimated that you required these installed.
 
The job took three or four days, each trade following another in as the work was progressing, the house was devoid of heating for two of those days and the job was done in, I believe March of that year. The home needed a complete refurbishment after everything was done and I still have the decorators bill for the work which came to £872.
 
My wife and I received the princely sum of £33 approximately toward the redecoration costs. I am therefore not surprised that tenants are refusing entry on the grounds of worry with regard to refurbishment costs. Even the £200 maximum currently available would only cover 25% of our own costs and we only rent a two bed roomed home. 
 
(Name and address supplied)   
 
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WAGGOTT MANOR!
So it’s the hyenas of the public gallery v the Meer cats of Waggott manor, with the lead cat popping his head just above the chamber to deliver a right snorter this time

Well, well, about this internal e-mail Mr. Waggott, let's face it, not only have you have been caught fairly and squarely with your paws in the fridge, but you have cream smeared on your face from ear to ear as well.

The fact is Paul the cracks are showing, I suggest the “Night of the Long Knives " is upon you, its quite possible this e-mail has been circulated by one of your so called "inner cabinet mates" who might be just putting themselves in a position to deliver the coup-de-grace.

For far too long now, I and many other voters have believed, (and over the last few years have seen), the way that you and your yes-men have shown total contempt for the electorate, your latest escapade speaks volumes in the way you operate, now you expect us to swallow this tosh called an apology. Face facts you HAVE offended many members of the public and it WAS meant in the context it was written (e-mails are composed).

I was at that meeting, councillor, when you, again, accused the public of having planted questions. Now let's set the record straight for all the people who were not there. There was only one group at that meeting with a hidden agenda, and that was the ruling Labour group, and how do I know that? Well, sitting next to me in the chamber were 4 Labour party activists, who are also standing in the next elections in May. (I hope you are still with me Mr. Waggott), these 4 people were primed to ask the first four questions displayed in the Borough Council Agenda, while the rest had to wait their turn. No sooner had the second question passed the allotted time, when the person next to me said”that’s the job done”then promptly put her agenda paper in her bag. Now call me cynical (where have I seen that before), but that points to your e-mail not being a "heat of the moment" act, instead it seems to have been a cool, calculated and devious attempt to stop democracy in its tracks. It proves that you acted with some elected councillors and non elected officials to stop at nothing to further your own ends and to keep the public firmly at arms length.

Now Councillor Waggott, yes it did become heated when the public gallery was yet again ignored by you and your cohorts who stopped at nothing including cynically manipulating the constitution to quash any form of debate or attempt to hold you and your mates to account. So when the odd posturing councillor stood up to tell everyone how wonderful, caring, listening, and inclusive this council was, it was met with waves of derision from the gallery.

In conclusion, The Gazette staged its own poll on Friday 25th Jan. 08 about whether or not the public thought the gallery were right not to leave the chaotic council meeting when asked to do so, I was delighted to see the massive vote in favour, maybe another bit of democracy this council will chose to bury! 
 
(Name and address supplied)
 
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NOT ME GOV ... HONEST!
In 1997 the electorate of this country had their say and, quite rightly, the Tories were voted out. The people had just had enough of all the sleaze, misinformation, non accountability, incompetence and on top of this, elected public servants living off the gravy train. It seems to me that the documented history of this council seems to be pointing in the same direction. ( South Tyneside Council please take note.)

Numerous reports from local press releases indicate an unwillingness to hear what the people actually want. It was bad enough when after a massive no vote against the proposed hotel on Gypsies Green ( 892 against - 13 for ) there was a simple dismissal by " A council spokesman ". Surely there should have been some alarm bells sounding off within the council inner cabinet, but no sadly this does not appear to be the case ( Voters of South Tyneside please take note ).

We now have the saga of supposedly missing ballot boxes within South Tyneside, in particular Beacon and Bents where a proposed candidate and voters have seemingly been denied the right of a fair and proper election, through misinformation, incompetence, non accountability and possibly sleaze, ( "not me Gov. I didn't throw the votes away" ) .

Why has the council gone through months of dragging their heels, and only reluctantly released information when forced to do so after searching questions from local people and press? Surely the officials of this council owe it to the people of South Tyneside not to let the persons responsible for this fiasco be in charge again next May.

Finally, I suppose the only thing that could possibly top all of this would be another council shortfall in expenditure when the local tax payers would again be forced to dig deeper into their pockets in April/May. 
 
(Name and address supplied)
 
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NOT SAFE - EVEN IN DEATH!
For months now we have seen a steady stream of letters in the Gazette from readers who are angry and at their wits end after seeing loved one's gravestones destroyed by the council on the grounds of “health & safety", and a "duty of care to maintain a safe environment for people in cemeteries".
We all could understand this being done on such a huge scale, if we were reading about constant fatalities or injuries occurring to visitors every day, week, or month of the year, but this is not the case.
I have visited both Harton Cemetery and Westoe Cemetery, and they are both an absolute disgrace, more like war zones, not places of rest.
Surely this rolling programme should stop until some sort of “consultation process " has been carried out to restore the public’s faith. Instead the carnage goes on this time in Whitburn and Boldon cemeteries.
I presume the cost figure being quoted (£155,000), is for the work carried so far since the testing started in 2005 and does not include Whitburn and Boldon. No doubt the latest phase will add significantly to the already excessive bill and will be footed by the rate payers of this borough. We now learn that the council has approved a series of NEW fees and additional hikes to existing fees to cover the cost of funerals and cremations, as highlighted by the well respected Peter Johnson of Peter Johnson Funerals Limited.
It just goes to show that this council thinks that they are a law unto themselves, with no respect for the living or the dead. Shame on all of you associated with this disgraceful episode. 
 
(Name and address supplied)

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UNFAIR PARKING TICKET
My uncle has just received a parking ticket for parking outside my home for 1 hr and 3 mins, according to the parking attendant. This is not rush hour times but the middle of the afternoon. He was just leaving and the parking attendant was issuing the ticket. Is it possible that it is your policy when family are visiting they must time there visits so exactly. I am Disabled and cannot always get to visit my family so they must visit me. Is this another restriction on me personally. Surely 3 minutes over the allotted time does not constitute an offence worthy of a penalty fine. The road outside my house was not blocked by traffic it is a road only to the Town Hall and to residents, and people using the church at the end of the street.
We have more problems with visitors to the Town Hall worthy of a fine. The Town Hall have there own parking areas within easy walking distance yet we are still used as a private parking lot for the Town Hall.
How can we come to some sort of consideration for our family visiting us, or must this restriction remain in place. I think it is not reasonable or common sense that this must continue. 
 
By e-mail (Name supplied)
 
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Sir, 
 
I refer to the fine dissembling of the verbiage perpetrated in the numerous articles covered by the Gazette as it profiles those councillors of the leading labour group who are up for re-election in May 2008. Many of them have held office for so long that it has become almost a god given right of passage. Colin Campmbell's letter deserves to be widely circulated and pronounced at every opportunity if we are ever to have a situation where consultation is genuine and council meetings are not constrained on issues of importance to the electorate of our borough by the cries of the nodding donkeys led by their cabinet colleagues through the motions of so called collective responisbility.

Colin is right to say that the council angers the people with its holier than thou attitude to what is good for our borough and what is bad, Our leader has no thought at all for the general consensus of opinion and he is allowed to manifest this so blazently because people have become so apathetic toward the reacionary tendencies of their borough overlorded by the inner sanctum of the cabinet and then almost gleefully brought to a resounding conclusion by the Labour donkey brigade.

I would urge those who still retain a mindset that says enough is enough to engage with the Independents as we again commence battle in 2008 to minimise the input by defeating those Labour roughriders who maintain their tenacious hold on our Town Hall year upon year upon year.

Colin is right on both counts, (1) They are selected for cabinet office because they will do as their leader bids them to do and (2) yes they fear that their lack of allegiance to the party will gain them deselection faster than snow on a dyke.

How this council maintains beacon status is beyond me, it is certainly not because of cabinet wizardry unless we mean the black arts dimension. The Arms Length Management Organisation is an unmitigated disaster, but then their were those of us who were connected with the disbanded Borourgh Residents Forum who made this perfectly plain, hence our disbandonment, leaving the council leader and his neighbourhood services director to pursue the malestrom that has followed.

Independent councillors with the temerity to challenge, question, cajole and move progress on issue of major concern to our borough is of major importance, let battle commence, the userpers are warned. 
 
By e-mail (Name supplied)
 
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SO CLLR. McATOMINEY DOES NOT THINK GYPSIES GREEN HOTEL IS "A DONE DEAL"
According to the Gazette Friday 5th October Cllr. McAtominey states “it will go through the full planning process, during which opponents will be able to air their views. It will then be up to the elected members to make their decision.” 

What he does not go on to say is that the planning Committee is made up of 11 of his Labour colleagues, and 4 Opposition members. 
 
So yes Cllr. McAtominey the deal has been done behind the closed doors of the Cabinet. 
 
Very little if any consultation, no scrutiny, transparent don’t make me laugh it is just another typical piece of business by a group of councillors that ride roughshod over the people of South Tyneside. 
 
The Independents are backing Colin Campbells call to provide answers to 1. How much was paid for the land, 2. How many valid applications were made for the land, 3. Where was it advertised. 
 
The public as well as opposition Councillors deserve this information and only then can they make a proper decision, on wether every thing was done the right and proper way. 
 
(Name and address supplied)
 
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LOCAL DEMOCRACY, DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH.
I read with relish the Shields Gazettes' article 15th October 2007 about Local Democracy Week, (still available to look at on their web site ), where, and I quote "councilors in South Tyneside are calling on the people who voted them into power to take more of an interest in what they do with it". I have taken up that opportunity and witnessed the last three full council meetings and it seems to me that that is exactly what the ruling Councilors mean,literally, because it is quite obvious that for the other 51 weeks of the year we can all go to hell !

I, and other members of the public, have witnessed elected officials openly laughing, sniggering and holding audible conversations between themselves while other councilors are trying to discuss a series of serious matters concerning this borough , South Tyneside Homes is one that springs to mind. I wonder if the same jovial councilors would act the same if confronted by some of the many outraged tenants?. Those councilors should hold their heads in shame.

Councilor Ian Malcolm, ( same Shields Gazette Article ) said " Local Democracy Week aims to get people involved in the democratic process, so they have a better understanding of what democracy really means and how it affects their lives in so many ways". Councilor Ian Malcolm also states "It's all too easy for people to think they have no influence over what is going on around them, but that is just not true, and "Local Democracy Week " demonstrates that "

Is this the same people that the council have taken no notice of during the outcry of the supposedly missing ballot boxes, proposed school closures, Market Dock call centre debacle and Gypsies Green fiasco? It speaks volumes when councilors, (elected by us) are having to stoop so low as to start personal attacks on members of the public when they ask legitimate questions at full council meetings. They are dismissed as if they were nothing more than a nuisance or even a bad smell within the chamber. I think to myself, aren't councilors there to represent us ?.

Interestingly the second ballot held in Jarrow about the Gypsies Green Hotel saga has again given the Council another resounding NO vote. Should ballots be held in other areas of South Tyneside and the North East in general, (it's that important - once that superb view has gone, its gone) , I'm sure the results would be the same!!

Finally democracy is surely for all the year round, not for just one week of flag waving. Having seen how this council have operated over their last 3 meetings, Altogether now " Local Democracy, don't make me laugh." 
 
(Name and address supplied)
 
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I DON'T WANT TO PLAY
So here we go again, this hypocritical council now within weeks of championing "Local democracy Week" suddenly picks up the ball and decides doesn't want to play. The captain (council leader) accuses the opposition (general public) of using planted questions, and not using their own common sense. Let me tell you Councilor Waggott you are missing the point. The reason why more and more people are attending council meetings AND more and more people are asking questions is because they are sick and tired of being treat like mushrooms ( kept in the dark and being feed you know what ! ). 
 
People want answers to so called "consulted council policies" , which are affecting their lives, their futures and their families futures. They don't just want to be fobbed off with a few shuffling, stuttering and uncomfortable replies given by the officers in charge. 
 
As for Councilor McAtominey, can he please explain how on earth it could cost over £3000 to answer questions posed by the public ?. He himself states the answers are readily available from council minutes at South Shields Library !. Does he mean that the council have to pay staff just to find the answers to questions asked ?, surely council staff are paid whether questions are asked by the public or not ?. Or maybe he has had to tender for some consultants to help, at our expense as usual. 
 
(Name and address supplied)
 
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CAR PARKING AND THE TOWN HALL
Since our local council promotes a Green image and the incumbent MP is the former environment secretary, why does the council need to maintain so many car parks for the use of Town Hall employees instead of encouraging them to use public transport? If public transport is deemed to be inconvenient for Town Hall staff why should the public use it?
 
By e-mail (Name supplied)
 
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