It’s all very well Councils vying for holiday makers by advertising, and taking Eastbourne as an example, on the approach road over the South Downs is a board with the words “The Sunshine Coast Welcomes You”. Perhaps, once, those words would have rung true, but since the invention of Parking Meters and Traffic Wardens, where the would-be unsuspected holiday makers visit using their own transport they will find to their cost that parking fees in Eastbourne are ridiculously high for so little duration of time. The maximum time for two or three pounds is two hours, and if you are a Blue Badge holder, three hours. Just goes to show how many people there are serving on the Council that have vision for the future of Eastbourne. Everyone knows that if you want people to enjoy their holiday in Eastbourne, you can’t expect them to move their cars every two hours and pay another two pounds and so it turns out to be a pantomime. Coach holidays seem to be the answer. No driving worries, practically door to door service and you can spend all day browsing round the shops and if you have a bus pass, you are not limited to stay in the same town. Having spoken to several business owners, some of whom are losing trade because of the parking restrictions, whatever the Council might think, are considering moving out of town to Industrial areas where parking is free, and those who are surviving are becoming quite fit, because they have to park a mile or two out of the Parking Zones and walk to work, thereby taking all the free parking on offer, and who can blame them! During the winter months, I see the ESCC are going to charge 20p per hour if you park your car along the Sea Front, how magnanimous of them, one would dare to say, but it used to be free parking and all the parking meters were covered up. They don’t seem to miss a trick, it’s a pity their services are not as good as their dishing out of new ideas or are they saving up for their Christmas Box. Last year the ESCC boasted they made in excess of a million and a half pounds, perhaps they can extend that 20p per hour parking during the summer months. The visitors to Eastbourne who do escape the burden of parking their cars, are having to wade through litter that seems to miss the litter bins that are placed in and around the shopping precinct. Eastbourne is not as clean as it used to be and I think the previous members of the Council were proud to serve Eastbourne, and I am talking about twenty odd years ago. It all seems to stem around money – isn’t it always about money and the lack of it. In the past 26 years that my wife and I have been living in this road – I think the kerb-side cleaner for cleaning roads has visited just seven times. It is no wonder some people don’t pay their Council Tax. Most of the drains are blocked, because they never get cleaned out and I do on occasions look down into this drain and none of the debris has been disturbed since living here. Should we ever get flooded, we know who to blame! HEARTLESS 4 X 4 DRIVER It’s drivers like this who leave a bad taste in your mouth and give us, who drive a car, van or any other vehicle, a bad name. Someone who can run down a Cygnet in cold blood without thought is more likely to run down a person. Such people should be fined heavily – £10,000 or go to prison for five years and banned from driving ever again. The scene: Westham, the pond, a quiet Saturday afternoon the 5th October 2013, families feeding the ducks on the pond, when the intrusion of a heartless driver drove his 4 X 4 car (witnesses are not sure of the make – could be a BROWN TOYOTA or MITSUBISHA WITH A TRAILER) deliberately ran over a Cygnet and was heard to laugh as he did so. Worst of all there were children who were traumatised by the incident for which under any circumstances the perpetrator of this act can never be forgiven, even if an apology was offered. The RSPCA have issued a statement: “Anybody with any information should call the RSPCA Inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018. Swans are a protected species under the Queen’s charter.” If anyone has knowledge of such a vehicle and owner, please report them – remember it could have been your child they ran over. EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL PANTOMIME Every year the ESCC calendar of 365 days put on a pantomime for those inhabitants of Eastbourne and district by cutting down services some which are non-existent in the first place, pleading poverty. Lollipop Ladies and Gentlemen could lose their positions on Zebra Crosses that serve local Schools, thereby endangering the lives of children with the amount of heavy traffic that builds up on the roads. It is amazing how this council can place persons in jeopardy over something that is so important. Victoria Drive surface on the Zebra Crossing near “The Drive” Public House is in a dangerous condition, for both vehicles and pedestrians. Perhaps if they were to repair the road, they might get back some of the five stars for service they say they have (only in their minds of course). The BRAINS TRUST at the Eastbourne District General Hospital seem to capture the headlines again with the closing of “POLEGATE WARD” and what with their £5.1 million deficit, it doesn’t really paint a pretty picture and again a spokesperson waffles about the ethics of doing this, and it boils down to saving money when they should be saving patients. They have already sustained heavy fines for breaching hospital protocol by placing men and women in the same area. Apparently, the Doctors and Nurses have been asked for suggestion on how they can cut expenditure at the hospital – surely they have enough to do without having to think for the top man – a thought came to my mind, like an episode of “Yes Minister” – A hospital with no patients, just administration staff, that should save a few quid! There are a lot of people in Eastbourne raising money for ENHST – and it makes you wonder what the accumulated amount would be over a given year and if the BRAINS TRUST were using it to their best advantage, but what keeps coming back to my mind is the £5.1 million deficit, a big hole to climb out of. CELEBRATIONS! My wife and I took time off to celebrate our anniversary by staying at a hotel in Eastbourne – we had what I would call “Ace Service” from beginning to end. We decided to go for an afternoon walk and decided we would take a look at the pier and walk to the end and around the other side and back again. At night time the Pier looks wonderful, all lit up – but at close inspection during the light of day, one can easily see the imperfections. It does need a good lick of paint and structural repairs are needed to be done soon before it becomes a derelict piece of wood pointing towards the sea.