Friday 17 February 2012

Fancy a Facelift for your Road?


Cracked and Damaged Road Surface 
Residents in Shamblehurst Ward are currently seeing one of the advantages of a by-election which the ruling Lib Dems are desperate not to lose (judging by the number of leaflets they are delivering). 

Moss Covered Pavement
Grass and Weeds Growing in Gutter
The by-election in Shamblehurst was formally called on 26th January, and at the very next meeting of the Lib Dem cabinet, they agreed to open the corporate coffers to fund a £130,000 facelift for Grange Park Mobile Homes.

It's a rotten coincidence that makes a planned and necessary improvement project look like a piece of blatant electioneering.

Blocked Drain 
New Vacancy on Town Council

People living in another part of Hedge End might want to consider if a by-election in their ward might bring a similar coincidence and facelift to their roads, as a vacancy has been announced for the Town Council Ward of St Helen's, following the death of a sitting councillor.

Damaged Grass Verge 
Broken Utility Cover
If ten people who live in that ward petition the Returning Officer at Eastleigh Borough Council, a by-election will be called to fill the vacancy.  Alternatively the Town Council has the power to co-opt a new member until the next planned elections in 2015.

If a by-election happens, it will take place on the same day as the Borough Council elections in May 2012.

Neglected Roads and Pavements

As these photos (all taken this week in St Helen's Ward) show, there are plenty of opportunities to improve the condition of the roads and pavements.  In fact it makes you wonder what "Team Lib Dem" actually get up to between elections and leaflet deliveries.

Rough and Uneven Pavement
If there is a similar, or worse, example of pavement or road neglect near where you live, send me a photo (hedgeendblogger@gmail.com), including the road where taken, and I will add it to the Hall of Shame.

St Helen's Ward

Broken Kerbstone
You can send me a photo from anywhere in Hedge End, but only people who are on the electoral register for the ward of St Helen's can call for a by-election.  St Helen's is the south-eastern part of Hedge End.  Its boundaries are St John's Road, Freegrounds Road, Tanhouse Lane and Heathouse Lane and it includes Bursledon Road, St Helen's Road, Cranbourne Park, Woodstock Close, Yardley Road, Sherwood Avenue and Tanhouse Close.  

There is a map showing all of Hedge End's electoral wards on the Town Council web site.
Sunken Utility Cover

Neglected Utility Cover








Damaged Kerb

5 comments:

  1. You can also tell when its near election time because the roads get swept!!!

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    1. And the verges get cut, and Hampshire come round painting hieroglyphics around potholes!!

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  2. ...and the latest Borough News drops on the doormat telling residents what a great job the Borough Council is doing......etc. etc.........

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  3. Why is the time of the posts wrong? Who's clock is slow?

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    1. Irritating, isn't it? There would appear to be a bug in the system rather than a problem with anyone's clock. The blogger technical support team are aware of it:
      http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=54f1b7fcf9d72011&hl=en

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