VILLAGE MARKET April 2015 by Village Market

APRIL 2015

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Elections - time to take a view about who represents you!

They said, ‘no’ - he said he wouldn’t now they think he has -

- and Gerty wishes he hadn’t

Bureaucratic disgrace - councillors take 16 years and counting just to say, ‘yes’, or ,‘no’ Locked now - but will riders soon have their right of way?

Clifton fighting on two fronts Chicken sheds and bridleways on Page 30

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Lagoon sinks amid delighted uproar

But the ‘MP of stench’s brother says their ‘vomit lorries’ will still rumble down village streets and one-track lanes nuisance would be fixed had all come to nothing. And last year the Bridgens gave Elford a noseful too. Residents complained of the brothers’ deathly “vomit-like” stink disrupting their sleep and leaving them nauseous. Not only did A B Produce’s putrid haze hang in the air for days, Andrew and Paul’s ‘vomit lorries’ wrecked the village’s popular scarecrow festival as they thundered through the narrow streets. The cherry on top The Bridgens popped the rotting cherry on top of their nauseating cake when one of their Tory with a stinking reputation: wagons ‘dumped’ its excrementfolk in Elford would swap Andrew like load in a thick pavement-toBridgen for Michael Fabricant just pavement layer of vile-smelling to vote him out of the Commons. horror across Church Road. People in Measham say they already Last September, LDC’s planhave plans for the MP of Pong. ners deferred their decision on lford villagers gave out the proposal for a three-millionan elated roar when litre storage ‘lagoon’ at Home plans for a effluent ‘laFarm, Elford. goon’ were unceremoniously Three council members had kicked out. voted for it to be kicked out No one on Lichfield District there and then. Council’s (LDC) planning comPaul Bridgen emerged from mittee spoke in favour of the the packed meeting smiling and proposal submitted by the brothwinking at the distressed villager of controversial Tory North ers who came to protest against West Leicestershire MP, Andrew his plans. Bridgen. During a recent meeting in ElPlan unacceptable ford Village Hall, he is alleged to It was said the scheme’s enhave told the audience that if he vironmental impacts were unacdid not get permission to build ceptable. the three-metre-deep ‘lagoon’, The local road network was he was going to keep driving also claimed to be inadequate HGVs loaded with waste through for the level of HGV traffic that the village anyway. would be generated. Residents told the ‘VM’ they Andrew Bridgen’s brother is were, “shocked by his arroPaul Bridgen. gance”. Last year Last month their company, the ‘lagoon’ A B Produce, plans were caused uproar unanimously when dozens of rejected. their ‘vomit lorAnger ries’ rumbled One disthrough Elford. trict councillor On board claimed that were hundreds Paul Bridgen of tonnes of had been, “fustinking filth rious”, at the brought from Single-track: there is no refuge for decision. their waste pedestrians on Brickhouse Lane. The motion lagoons, in to reject the Leicestershire. scheme was proposed by WhitPeople in Measham have for tington’s ward Councillor Robyears been complaining about ert Strachan and seconded by the gut-wrenching Stygian odour Armitage and Handsacre reprecoming from the brothers’ indussentative, Coun. Thomas Martrial site. shall. Repeated assurances that the Coun. Alan White has been a

fierce advocate on behalf of the residents in his capacity as the county councillor for Lichfield Rural East and the cabinet member for health, care and wellbeing. Continued on page 4

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Road block: it only took one legally parked vechicle to bring the ‘vomit lorry’ convoy to a shuddering halt. And it only took one stuck ‘vomit lorry’ to force a youngster with his bike to fight his way between the wagon and hedge.

From page 3: ‘Lagoon Sinks’

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A vast pile of grim ordure lay on the edge of Elford for a month: MP Andrew Bridgen’s antics in London and seeming disregard for folk in Elford and Measham appear to have dropped his reputation in the pit. Who would want as their MP a man who would make his neighbours suffer an ungodly stench for years on end?

Alrewas and Fradley’s councillor, Margaret Stanhope MBE, also spoke strongly against Bridgen’s application. She said people in Elford needed to be ready for an appeal against the planning authority’s decision. Coun. Stanhope has played a key role in defending Alrewas against a bitterly opposed new housing estate. Hired guns Residents there paid experts for support - “Elford should do the same,” she said.

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Rik Mayall in, ‘The New Statesman‘: the late and loved comic’s portrayal of Alan B’Stard mocked the Tory ‘Nasty Party’ image.

ich Tory businessman Andrew Bridgen MP has been likened to television’s uber-Thatcherite, Alan B’Stard. The fictitious Tory was created by the late comic Rik Mayall and played for laughs. Unfunny But no one appears to have found Andrew Bridgen’s activities all that amusing. He has allegedly allowed people in Leicestershire to suffer for years a gut-wrenching stench from rotting filth in ‘lagoons’ at

his family business. He appears to have tried to mislead the public about his business affairs. He has been accused of exploiting a debate about life and death issues involving British service personnel to make a cheap political jibe. He is alleged to have insulted Britain’s Jews with anti-Semitic remarks. War profit, claim Bridgen accuses ex-PM Tony Blair of making money off the back of a war he started.

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roads they have to brush past the hedges on either side just to get through. The last long stretch down Brickhouse Lane is singletrack without even enough room for the HGVs to get past a mother and pram. There are paths leading out onto the lane, but no pavements along the road itself. Children at risk Nearby is Elford’s highly popular community-built recreation ground where dozens of children go to play.

Elford’s very own B’Stard

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Despite the councillors’ collective efforts, the brother of North West Leicestershire’s deeply unpopular Tory MP, is still entitled to haul fertiliser to the fields at Elford he rents from Birmingham City Council. Safety hazard Yet he will be doing so aware of the upset he is causing and of the danger villagers say the HGVs pose to local children. When A B Produce’s ‘vomit lorries’ rumble through Elford’s narrow and winding

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Jibe: even people in the Tory ‘nasty party’ were appalled when Bridgen made a cheap dig at Labour during a debate into airstrikes in Iraq in which the lives of innocent civilians as well as British service personnel were at risk.

He also accused David Cameron of fuelling the rise of UKIP and creating the Tories’ ‘nemesis’. He called for a vote of no confidence in his party leader, partly because of the PM’s promotion of gay marriage laws. The rich businessman also wants MPs’ pay increased. He is accused of making idiotic suggestions about education. Community furious But the people of Measham, in his North West Leicestershire constituency, know him best for the putrid stink coming from the family business he founded with his brother, Paul Bridgen. Yet in a call in March to the ‘VM’, the Tory MP insisted the smell his constituents were complaining about did not come from A B Produce PLC. That seemed odd since last January the Environment Agency’s appears to have slapped an enforcement order on the business. Agency spokesman, David Hudson, said the site would lose its licence, “if we can’t get a solution (to the smell). “Clearly what’s happening at the moment isn’t acceptable - there’s a lot of people who have complained.” Smelly water Andrew Bridgen said himself, last April, that his company was spending £2.2 million on equipment to stop the smell. The Tory MP also seemed to claim there had not been an odour problem in Elford, where filth dredged from his Measham lagoons had been taken. But the ‘VM’ journalist who caught a whiff of the stuff being dumped on the fields of Home Farm, and the villagers who said the, “stench of vomit”, had made

them nauseous and disturbed their sleep, disagree. The well-heeled Tory MP also left both sides of the Commons breathless during a debate on an issue involving the potential deaths of hundreds of civilians, as well as British service personnel. He exploited the talks on airstrikes in Iraq to take a snide dig at Labour’s handling of the deficit. It is an unwritten rule that cheap political barbs are kept out such grave debates. Bridgen looked as if he had sniffed one of his own lagoons when Ed Miliband’s reproach met support throughout Commons. Unrepentant But a totally unrepentant Bridgen told the ‘VM’ he would do it again, given the chance. His attack followed accusations that he was, “anti-Semitic”. He had claimed US politicians told him the Jewish lobby in America was using its financial muscle to subvert national democracy. London-based Jewish Leadership Council chief executive, Simon Johnson, said: “It is scarcely credible for an MP to claim that he is not anti-Semitic and then make reference to Jewish lobbying power based on unattributed comments by persons unknown on a trip to Washington.” He said the MP should have known that such unsubstantiated remarks would be deeply insulting to Jews. Rising anti-Semitism Bridgen’s comments came amid an alarming rise in anti-Semitism across Europe. Anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda in the 1940s was the precursor to six million Jews being murdered in the Holocaust. Continued on page 6

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From page 5: ‘Elford’s B’Stard’ When Bridgen rang the ‘VM’ he refused to identify even one of the US politicians whom he claimed had spoken to him about Jewish lobbying. He also rejected Mr. Johnson’s concerns out of hand. Bridgen told the ‘VM’: “Jews are fairly sensitive.” He also had homosexuals in his sights, while insisting he was not homophobic. Gay laws: MP Bridgen felt the move would damage the Tories and cost him precious votes.

He added that a homophobe in Parliament would find, “there wouldn’t be that many people left to talk to. “There are plenty of homosexuals in the Commons.” Bridgen said that by promoting laws that would allow ‘gay marriage’ David Cameron had fuelled

the rise of UKIP and created the Tories’ nemesis. When his effort to force a vote of no confidence in the Conservative leader had failed, he wrote an obsequious note to the PM. Backed down In it he concluded: “Thus, I have considered what I can do in the best interests of both my constituents and my country to contribute to the success of the Party and Government you lead,” and withdrew his call for a vote of no confidence. ‘Lagoon moment’ Reading his letter might have left his constituents feeling they had also just sniffed one of his lagoons. It seems a disadvantage for Bridgen in being an MP is that there is not enough money in it for him. In 2013, he complained Members were only paid as much as junior school head teachers. Only one Bridgen MP He was quoted as saying there were lots of those in his constituency, but only one MP. He felt it would be it hard to, “attract the right sort of people”, with MPs’ pay set at only £65,738 a year. But the Office of National Statistics said at the time they were being paid more than 95 per cent of the people they represented. Yet Bridgen worried that many Tory MPs had taken pay cuts to enter Parliament. Mummy and daddy In what some might regard as another, ‘lagoon moment’, Bridgen reportedly asked: “Are they (Tory candidates) going to look their children in the eye at Christmas and say they can’t have what they normally have because mummy, or daddy, wants to be an MP?” A poll of parliamentarians showed that they wanted, on average, a 32 per cent hike in their salaries at a time when it was their policy to keep public sector workers’ pay frozen.

On average, Bridgen’s Tories thought MPs should be paid £96,750 a year. The Lib Dems said £78,361, Labour £77,322. Yeah, right In 2010, Cameron told Britain: “We’re all in this together.” Last year, Bridgen’s pay rose by £1,322, to £67,060. Between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, he seems to have received £149,175.30 in expenses from the taxpayer. In 2012, he was said to have received £137,346 in expenses, including £85,461 in staff costs and £19,217 for accommodation. The Burton Mail reported that when Bridgen was asked about his expenses, he said, “I’m not interested in commenting,” before hanging up. Public misled? People could have been excused for believing the Tory MP had no other source of income after he claimed in The Telegraph that he had ceased to have any interest in A B Produce PLC when he entered Parliament, in 2010. He was also said to have accused the BBC of taking revenge on him for seeking to decriminalise licence fee dodging. Retribution, claim He claimed the broadcaster had retaliated with inaccurate stories linking him to his vegetable processing plant, in Measham. His constituents have been complaining about a vile stink coming from the site since 2004. Bridgen told the ‘VM’ he had written twice to the BBC to complain about its alleged attack on him. The last letter, he claimed, was sent by recorded post. Yet the BBC said they had not received any letters of complaint from Bridgen. BBC puzzled A spokesperson said they were baffled by his claim to have no interest in A B Produce because the official records said he did. One document that casts doubt on the wealthy Tory MP’s public denial of having had any interest in A B Produce PLC, since

2010, is the Commons’ Register of Members’ Financial Interests. In the record, updated on August 28, 2014, Bridgen states: “1. Directorships - AB produce PLC (non-executive chairman) until August 2014. Board meetings “I attend board meetings once a month and communicate with the managing director weekly. “9. Shareholdings: (a) AB Produce PLC; processing and distribution of fresh vegetables. “(a) AB Produce Trading Ltd; holding company. “(a) Bridgen Investments Ltd; investment company, investing in shares, property, building projects.” The Register also shows that between August 30, 2013, and August 1, 2014, A B Produce paid Andrew Bridgen MP £101,049 for a total of 156 hours work (£647.75 an hour). Yet when he rang the ‘VM’, he again claimed his interest in the family company ceased in 2010. He also insisted that he did not attend any board meetings. No board meetings He even said A B Produce never had any board meetings. Then Bridgen accepted he had taken the pay. But he said it was only because his divorce lawyers said he must. He also accepted that he had shares in A B Produce and so still had an interest in the company. During his call the line was unexpectedly cut off. Curious response Mr. Bridgen later wrote to the ‘VM’, saying: “Dear Editor, Following the most bizarre telephone conversation with you yesterday, before the phone went dead, and after some consideration. (sic) “I would urge you to seek some medical help as a matter of urgency. (sic) “I hope you will think carefully about this advice and take it in the spirit it is intended. (sic) “Best regards, Andrew Bridgen.” (sic) Mr. Bridgen’s time since becoming a Tory MP has not been without incident.

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He was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, in 2011. The case was dropped a few days later after the woman, Annabelle Fuller, had reportedly told police her actions could have been construed as flirting. She was at the time a UKIP spokesperson. Mr. Bridgen was reported as saying the incident had led to the end of his marriage. Divorce proceedings Yet he told the ‘VM’ last month that the process of his divorce had taken three and a half years to complete and had started before he was arrested. Before the incident, it was reported that rumours had been circulating around Westminster that Bridgen was in a relationship with Deborah Regal, his former Commons advisor. No denial People’s suspicions grew when she failed to deny the affair. Mr. Bridgen’s latest call for political action came last month when he pressed for teachers to be forced to sit A-level exams with their students. It seems he wants staff to live with the consequences of their teaching as a means of driving up academic standards. A retired head teacher, from Whittington, said: “Mr. Bridgen’s idea is simplistic, unworkable and offensive.

“Perhaps he would care to sit next to one of his lagoons and see if he can drive up the standard of the smell.” Mr. Bridgen is now divorced from his wife, Jackie, who was a Tory district councillor until losing her seat in 2011. They have two sons. Tory party position The Conservative party was asked how Bridgen’s constituents could have faith in what he said, or claimed in expenses, given the apparent discrepancy between his declarations to the Register and his public statements. Officials were asked if the party supported the MP’s views on making political jibes during debates on life and death issues, and Tony Blair profiting from a war Bridgen said the former PM was responsible for starting. They were also asked if they denied the claim that Bridgen’s statement on the US Jewish lobby was anti-Semitic. And they were invited to deny the MP’s claim about the prevalence of homosexuals in the Commons. Failed to answer After initially giving an assurance they would respond to the questions, the Tory party officials failed to provide answers. The MP’s brother, Paul Bridgen, declined to respond to the ‘VM’s enquiries.

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The laugh’s on you, ‘fee payer’

Voters paid MP Fabricant to bring shame down on constituency, claim. ‘VM’ readers are horrified that they helped pay Michael Fabricant £1,500 to appear on, ‘Have I Got News For You.” Embarrassment shuddered through his disbelieving constituents when Lichfield’s MP appeared on the BBC panel game. He made a feeble and horribly misjudged attempt at humour that ended in a racist gaffe. His tasteless remark, apparently aimed at the renowned black Shakespearian actor, Don Warrington, earned him a smackdown from teammate Ian Hislop. Gay revelation The politician, who recently outed himself as gay, later turned to his appalled fellow panellist and told him: “Well I’ve been asked to look very hunky! “Don’t you think I’m succeeding. I am the new butch look of the Conservative party!” The hushed audience looked on open-mouthed. Fabricant’s repeated plugs on behalf of the Tories culminated in the brag that his party had no fear of UK Independence Party. Then he puffed himself up and, in an absurdly pompous guffawing voice, said: “I’m just saying the British public, I’m putting on my Conservative party voice now, know what parties to support that will be reasonable and moderate. “And that is all I want to say at this time.” Public embarrassment There was an icy silence until Paul Merton broke it with: “The thing that amazes me about MPs is that they don’t seem to have any idea how embarrassing they are in public - they have no idea!” Only eight minutes into the programme, the floor controllers took Fabricant out of shot and did not return to him. BBC guidelines say politicians should not be paid to appear on shows when speaking as a party member, or expressing political views. Yet Fabricant’s catastrophic self-publicising performance on HIGNFY was littered with Tory boasts. That is why the news that he was paid £1,500 of licence fee payers’ money to appear has

caused a renewed wave of disgust in the ‘VM’-area. Fabricant claimed he had been praised by other MPs for his appearance. He said it showed how some politicians could be, “approachable”. But one ‘VM’ reader, said: “It’s absolutely terrible. “While Mr. Fabricant’s Conservative friends who control Lichfield District Council are making savage cuts to our public services and hiking council tax to the maximum, he is grabbing thousands of pounds of our money for making a complete laughing stock of himself and our constituency on national TV. “I am utterly ashamed to admit to people that he’s my MP.” Fabricant has also received hundreds of pounds of licence fee payers’ money to appear on Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions’. Rising unpopularity The ‘selfie-obsessed’ MP seems unable to let any chance to anger ‘VM’-area voters pass him by. At a packed meeting in Boley Park he insulted hundreds of them, calling them, “mugs”, for thinking they could stop HS2. A staunch supporter of David Cameron’s £55 billion rail project, Fabricant later lavished praise on himself for having the proposed route shifted away from Lichfield and right up against the edge of

Your Member of Parliament “the pretty blond haired little number standing on the chair near the back.”

Belly laugh: the only person who seemed to think he was funny was Fabricant himself. Perhaps it amused him to think that people who could not afford it helped pay for his toe-curling performance on the BBC’s, ‘Have Got News For You’.

Whittington. Villagers were furious when he refused to let them into a meeting he had with their parish council to discuss HS2’s impact on their community. It is now thought the meeting was illegal. Whittington and Fisherwick Parish Council’s chairman seems to have breached the Local Government Act 1972 by barring the public from a local authority meeting. Close friend There is also public concern that a man with whom Fabricant has shared a £300,000 Snowdonia hideaway, John Lewis boss Andrew Street, will be one of HS2’s biggest financial beneficiaries. The MP has been heavily criticised for repeatedly promoting Street’s business interests during Commons debates, on Twitter and in his press releases. Fabricant even tried to get his close friend made a lord. Then he appeared to have deliberately misled Parliament over attacks on his friend’s company. Cyber claim Lichfield’s MP told the Commons a friend of his said a wellknown retailer suffered four cyber attacks from abroad in as many weeks. He then revealed the victim to have been John Lewis (JL). But Street’s company appeared angered by his statement. A spokesman, said: “The information cited naming John Lewis is seriously inaccurate.” Yet it is hard to see how Fabri-

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cant could possibly have misunderstood what it seems he was told by his very close friend and JL’s managing director, Andrew Street. Curious comment It is also odd that he should want to reveal JL’s vulnerability to cyber crime. It could be highly damaging to the retailer if its ‘loyalty’ credit card holders thought their account details were in danger of being hacked. Fabricant’s JL cyber-gaffe has been just one of many gaffes that have earned him a reputation as a national joke. The sacked Tory whip was slapped down by David Cameron for tweeting about bestiality with a llama. He appeared in a national newspaper bragging about his virility and regularly getting “it” (sex), seemingly with men and women. Frisky He was quoted as saying the gay people he knew, “could barely be celibate for 12 hours.” He also reportedly said that JL MD Street stood, “rigid with embarrassment”, when he hugged him. Mr. Fabricant claimed to have a, “bromance”, with the widely loathed former Tory education minister, Michael Gove. He tweeted that he would sooner date Nigel Farage than Nick Clegg. Fabricant referred to himself as, “the pretty blond haired lit-

tle number standing on the chair near the back.” As a resurgence of anti-Semitism’s was spreading across Europe, Fabricant, the son of a rabbi, likened another Jewish son, Tory chairman Grant Shapps, to, “Himmler.” Nazi Reichsführer SS, Heinrich Himmler, was directly responsible for the Holocaust in World War II and the murder of around six million jews. Islamist gaffe Lichfield’s MP has also been slammed for suggesting the 2014 crisis in Gaza was a “Muslim” issue, not a humanitarian one. During the Israeli bombardment up to 2,310 Gazans were killed, of whom 513 were innocent children. Almost 11,000 people were wounded. The homes of as many as 10,000 families were razed to the ground in the Israeli onslaught. MP sacked Michael Fabricant was sacked as a Tory vice-chairman after tweeting, “about time,” following the resignation of a female cabinet member. Then he tweeted about wanting to, “punch”, a female Asian immigrant journalist, “in the throat”. Next Fabricant revealed just how in touch he was with his femi-

nine side by using a foul-mouthed reference to a woman’s genitalia to describe a popular TV entertainer of whom he disapproved. At a meeting in Alrewas, villagers facing grossly unfair odds in a battle against powerful developers were told if they wanted help they should, “write to our MP”. “Michael Fabricant?” Someone shouted. The meeting dissolved into derisive laughter. Burton’s Tory MP Andrew Griffiths has fought tooth and nail to impose a 60mph limit on the A38 in his area to halt the growing death toll on this notoriously dangerous road. Tasteless crack But Fabricant said speed limits were, “always a challenge” people would need men with red flags walking in front of their cars if they wanted, “total safety”, he quipped. The question facing voters is whether someone who behaves as Fabricant has is fit to be their MP. The lack of any credible opposition makes it likely he will hold the staunchly Tory Lichfield seat in May. Shrinking majority But it seems his position might be severely weakened as ever more people voice dismay at his ‘out-of-control’ behaviour and poor performance as an MP. Continued on page 12

Not knitting makes no sense

national yarn fest focusing on the ‘VM’-area next month will give folk a real feel for one of the most fabulous crafts on earth. When is comes to knitting nothing can possibly beat buying from people who can open your eyes to the possibilities. Make a date So celebrating ‘Yarn Shop Day’ with Victoria and Em at The Heart of the Country Shopping Village would be a very wise decision. You will find them at Knitique. It was Em who introduced her daughter to the nimble art of the clicking needles. They felt they were on a mission when they first set up shop in July, 2013. And they have not looked back since. In fact, the first problem they had to overcome was a move into a larger shop at Heart of the Country so they could accommodate their burgeoning trade. Both of them teach, eat and breathe knitting and crochet work and have become leading advocates for the craft. Careful selection And that is why Yarn Shop Day has come to them. The first such event took place in 2014 and involved more than 160 shops from throughout the UK. It was the climax of a year-long national ‘Love Your Yarn’ campaign. May’s 2015 event will be even bigger than last year’s. The organisers at ‘Let’s Knit’ and ‘Let’s Get Crafting’ magazines are out to promote

the benefits of a hobby that brings far more to people than the ability to create beautiful garments. Victoria Burnett-Rogers, at Knitique, said: “The social aspect to the craft is extraordinary. “There are many, many knitting circles and other organisations you can join. “Our own knitting and crochet group, ‘Knitters at Heart’, meets monthly. People can find details on our website. “I find knitting both an immensely relaxing and hugely satisfying pastime. Huge benefits “And, of course, there is nothing to match turning out a piece with your own hands which is both beautiful, unique and admired by others. Research is now underway to assess its benefits as a therapy for people suffering from a number of medical conditions. “The marvellous thing about it is that it is very easy to get started. “Although I found that once I was hooked it was impossible to give up.” Among the key benefits high quality yarn shops offer customers is their carefully selected product ranges. Outstanding products Knitique’s the shelves are stocked with Sirdar, Hayfield, Wendy, Peter Pan, Debbie Bliss and Bergere De France. The range provides a full pallet of colours and costs to match every knitter’s needs. And it is comes complete with expert advice.

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Wind of change from USA T here is an ill-wind blowing in from America for would-be ‘VM’-area wind barons. The Brown County Town Health Board, Wisconsin, has declared a turbine development at Glenmore, “a human health hazard”. It said the people affected included, “residents, workers, visitors, and sensitive passersby.” Unheard danger The board added that the peril came from, “infrasound/low frequency noise and other emissions”, generated by the turbines. The finding is based on research carried out over several years indicating a causal link between turbine emissions and ill health in humans. These symptoms include repetitive sleep disturbance suffered by people living in the impact area. Courts in Falmouth, USA, and in Portugal have confirmed the adverse effects turbines have on humans and have ordered that some machines must be shut down overnight, while others must be permanently decommissioned. In Australia, public officials involved in investigating, assessing, or regulating, environmental noise are being warned that they are at risk of prosecution.

This is because the United Nations Committee Against Torture has identified prolonged sleep deprivation as a means of torture. The Committee says its effects include, “impaired memory and cognitive functioning, decreased short term memory, speech impairment, hallucinations, psychosis, lowered immunity, headaches, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stress, anxiety and depression.” Doctors the world over are reporting these same symptoms in patients living near wind turbines. ‘The Physicians for Human Rights’ also say sleep deprivation and sensory bombardment with noise amounts to torture. Complicity threat The Australian officials are being told that if their, “actions and decisions lead to, or are complicit in, prolonged sleep deprivation for residents in excessively noise impacted communities,” they could face criminal charges. The danger for UK turbine operators lies in the rising tide of litigation reaching these shores. As with the tobacco industry, which is facing vast claims for damages, they will not get away with saying the were unaware of the harm they were doing.

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From page 9

Could toxic Tory effect ‘Rayner’ on Ben’s parade?

Is the young toff who appears to disapprove of tradesmen the right person to represent ordinary working people?

lrewas and Fradley’s 26-year-old Tory hopeful shocked people at a local authority meeting. Insiders say they were appalled when Ben Rayner appeared to say tradespeople were not suitable for public office. Astonished audience His alleged remarks were made following a meeting of Fradley and Streethay Parish Council (FSPC). One witness said the target of the young District council candidate’s apparent slur was UKIP’s parliamentary hopeful. People who overheard him told the ‘VM’ that Rayner claimed pub landlord John Rackham, “was not the sort of person you wanted in politics.” Elitist snob, claim One person said they were left open-mouthed by what they felt was a deeply, “elitist”, and, “snobbish”, statement. The councillor said the landlord of Lichfield’s historic King’s

Wilcox told FSPC Head pub was in touch Rayner was a serving with and listening to member of Armitage the views of people with Handsacre Parish every day, adding: “If Council (AHPC). anything, that is an That ‘fact’ appeared excellent qualification to be used by FSPC to for the job of MP - Mr. justify Rayner allegRackham surely knows edly being allowed to as well as anyone the sit in on confidential sorts of problems ordicouncil talks. nary working men and Totally untrue women face. Wilcox also told the “Who better to rep‘VM’ that Rayner was resent them?” a member of AHPC. Out of touch But when the miRayner was said to cronewspaper conhave appeared totally tacted the parish out of touch with the Toxic Tory: district council they said they realities of life and the council hopeful Ben had never even heard modern world. Rayner (left) was keen of his protégé. The alleged Tory to bask in the reflected Implausible, claim ‘toff’ had already suc- glory of 64-year-old The LDC leader was ceeded in sparking Michael Fabricant. asked why Rayner controversy even behad not corrected him when he fore the FSPC meeting. told FSPC that he was a servLeader’s favourite ing councillor, since it seemed He is the protégé of Lichfield everyone in the room heard him District Council’s (LDC) leader. clearly enough. At an earlier meeting, Michael

Wilcox claimed Rayner may have thought he said, “potential parish council candidate”. Non-dom Fradley residents said that excuse sounded highly implausible. Rayner and Wilcox’s candidacies for the LDC Alrewas and Fradley ward have come in for criticism because neither of them live in the ward. A number of villagers also say they do not want Rayner because he has no experience as a councillor and knows nothing about their community. Tory toxicity It is unclear how much damage will be done to Rayner’s hopes by his close association with the two toxic Tory Michaels, Wilcox and Fabricant. There is a strong Conservative following in Alrewas and Fradley. But there is also growing alarm even among the party faithful about the antics of both of these men. Continued on page 14

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From page 12: ‘Toxic Tory Effect’

Toxic Tory: insiders at the ‘Tower of Rumours’ say the rats are jumping ship so fast its Conservative captain scarcely knows which way to look.

for their secrecy and reliance on Voters may not have been expensive lawyers paid with taximpressed when the highly unpayers’ money to fend off awkpopular 64-year-old MP, Michael ward questions. Fabricant, took 26-year-old Ben Former cabinet member and Rayner under his public relations controversial Tory councillor, wing for a, ‘photo op’. Valerie Richards, put an official Shambolic policy in place to refuse to anA large number of them also swer press inquiries. seem appalled at Wilcox’ shamAttack on press bolic performance as leader of LDC has even placed sancthe dysfunctional LDC. tions on councillors who adverHe has been involved in one tise in publications critical of the controversy after another, rangcouncil’s performance. ing from the council allegedly But despite the charging thoulocal authority’s sands of pounds autocratic bunfor maintenance ker mentality, the work that was outpourings from never carried out, councillors worried to doing deals beabout the council hind closed doors imploding are only in Birmingham increasing. to let its overspill Protectionist housing flood into A number of Lichfield district. sources have Rats overboard complained about One Tory memthe leader sackber said, “the rats ing people from are leaving”, what influential posts another called, in order to replace “the tower of ruthem with his own mours”. Secretive Tory Cabinet ‘cabal’ acolytes so he can One of Michael member: Colin Greatorex also protect his posiWilcox’s own party seemed to be having trouble tion. members said the with his eyesight. Boley Park residents pleaded with him for It’s a joke latest LDC exoThe standing dus was from the years to find and deal with illegal planning depart- scrapmen patrolling their streets joke at LDC is that in search of whatever they could trying to print a ment. take. He ignored repeated council year book Scrambling requests for information. In the would be pointIt was said ofend the residents ceased asking less since it would ficers were rushhim for details and began asking ing to leave to find for his resignation. See page 20. be out of date before it came back jobs in the private from the printers. sector. Wilcox’s six-strong Tory cabal The ‘VM’ was told that should in the council ‘cabinet’ has been worry local council taxpayers dubbed the, “rulers of the many because it was the best officby the few for the benefit of the ers who were scrambling for the few and their chums”. exit. Continued on page 26 Wilcox and LDC are notorious A view from Oswald “Einstein’s view was that the detection of the particle only ever at one point could be much better explained by the hypothesis that the particle is only ever at one point, without invoking the instantaneous collapse of the wave function to nothing at all other points.” Mmm, nope. Me neither.

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Britisheco may also have mis-sold, claim The company that could have stopped Fradley’s now jailed serial fraudster has gone into administration

Britisheco Director: (top) Tony O’Connor. Jailed for six years and five months: (left) Mark Lewis left people dead in his wake.

ictims who lost their life savings to a serial fraudster from Fradley will get £169 compensation. The couple who lost £100,000 to Mark Lewis say the pittance the evil criminal has been ordered to pay them is an insult. Travesty And they say the way in which the police and courts dealt with his case was a disgraceful travesty of justice. Mark Lewis, formerly of Barlow Drive, began ‘grooming’ pensioners Jo and Jeff Coupe when he was working for a company used by Staffordshire County Council. Britisheco Limited’s managing director, Tony O’Connor, was warned months before Lewis conned the couple out of every penny they had saved that he might be a threat. But he did nothing to try and alert the Coupes to the potential danger. He only terminated the

crook’s franchise with his company after receiving copies of affidavits from people suing Lewis in the High Court. But O’Connor would not help the lawyers who were after the slippery criminal serve legal papers on him. And even then O’Connor said nothing to the pensioners. Having won the Coupe’s confidence through Britisheco, Mark Lewis returned to ‘sell’ them bogus investments in a solar panel venture. Now lawyers have contacted the couple saying that Britisheco has gone into administration. Broken promises The ‘no-win-no-fee’ firm claims they may have been “misinformed” about the efficiency of the system Lewis sold them through his Britisheco franchise and may have been given promises the company cannot now keep. The lawyers say they have commissioned a report into so-

Joanne Lewis: Mark Lewis’ ex-wife still owes thousands, despite being ordered by the courts to pay up.

lar thermal systems showing people who use them to replace gas only save up to, £50 a year. They also claim to be aware of the company having made promises based on a government tariff that may never have come into existence. Mr. O’Connor, failed to respond to the ‘VM’s inquiries on the issue. Continued on page 22

Politics through the nib of a poison pen Activists breach confidentiality pledge to reveal staunch Tory supporter’s secret allegations I

n December the ‘VM’ predicted that the 2015 election campaign was going to be the dirtiest Britain had ever seen. What the micronewspaper did not anticipate was the political mud-slinging starting in its own backyard. Nor did the ‘VM’ expect to be the first target. But then political opponents of Lichfield’s two Tory Michaels, Fabricant and Wilcox, told the micronewspaper they had received allegations from one of the duo’s staunchest supporters. Shocking accusations The party activists said they were shocked to hear such accusations being made by a prominent member of Fradley society. They said the woman claimed that the ‘VM’ and its editor were under police investigation. They alleged that she had an official ‘crime number’ to support her story. They also told the ‘VM’ about this woman’s close connections with Fradley and Streethay Parish Council (FSPC).

True blue: the ‘VM’s accuser swore them to secrecy, the activists alleged. (right) Michael Wilcox, a parish and district councillor. Lichfield District Council’s Tory leader, Michael Wilcox, is a member of the parish authority. He is also alleged to be a good friend of the ‘VM’s accuser. The activists said the woman also implicated another Fradley resident in her allegations. They added that she had made bizarre claims about that villager having a stake in the ‘VM’. The woman swore them to secrecy, they said, making them promise never to reveal that she was behind the allegations. Cause of concern It seemed there might also be a sinister twist in the tale. A mysterious man claiming to be a member of the activists’ party asked them for confidential data they held on the Fradley res-

ident the woman had attacked. They could not confirm the man’s identity, or what he was up to, other than he was, “running checks”, on the unsuspecting villager. Data leak Astonishingly, the information was handed over without the resident’s knowledge. This happened despite a written agreement saying the data could not be released without the individual’s consent. A spokesman at the party’s central office said whoever the ‘mysterious’ man was, he had no business asking the activists for the data and they had no business giving it to him. Inquiries revealed what appeared to be a possible connec-

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tion between the ‘mysterious’ man and the Fradley woman leading back to Croydon and Reading. But the activists’ regional organiser then insisted the ‘mystery’ man’s inquiries were legitimate. He also confirmed that allegations the Fradley woman made against the villager had also been circulating outside the Lichfield district. ‘Twaddle’ claim A spokesman for the local activists said they were treating the woman’s allegations against the ‘VM’ and villager as, “twaddle”. A spokesperson for the ‘VM’ said: “The attack against the villager and us seems to have been timed to coincide with the run up to the May elections. “The micronewspaper has published articles critical of Fabricant and Wilcox. “It is hardly the first time the ‘VM’ had been attacked from behind cover. But we think holding politicians to account is important.” “We do not run stories without sound evidence. Nor do we publish allegations without offering subjects the right to reply.”

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Cross wins battle over road peril

Councillors have been failing the public for years

(From page 14) Long fought battle: Derick Cross’s campaign is now showing signs of success.

lastic sheets as big as king-size bedspreads have threatening lives on the A38, it is alleged. But now Alrewas and Fradley’s independent district council candidate believes he may have won his decade-long battle to put an end to the menace. Crackdown Derick Cross was assured that officials would go in unannounced to crack down on the source of the deadly threat without delay. But he said he remains deeply concerned that it taken the councillors responsible for sorting out the danger and the mess more than 13 years to take action. He believes next month’s elec-

tion is part of the reason they have at last yielded to his demand that they carry out their duty, as required by the law. And he said that he had to battle to the bitter end to get things moving as the elected representative prevaricated and played ‘pass the parcel’ with his complaint. Allegations Mr. Cross said the problem from litter allegedly escaping from a scrap yard just off the A38 had been going on ever since he and his family moved to Fradley South, 13 years ago. And ever since he has been campaigning to get the issue resolved. The final straw came this month when he saw a huge sheet of polythene drifting across the A38 through busy traffic. He said: “Had a car driver, or worse yet, a motorcyclist, became entangled someone could easily have been killed.

“I have demanded that the problem must be cleaned up and also remain cleaned up. Debris and filth Mr. Cross added that the hedges, verges and culverts on both sides of the dual carriageway were covered in litter and filth, allegedly from the site on the Fradley side of the junction between the dual carriageway and Wood End Lane. Despite the urgency of the road safety hazard, and the involve-

ment of councillors Michael Wilcox, Colin Greatorex and Andrew Smith, nothing was being done. Mr. Cross, said: “In the end I had to send these people images as evidence of the problem. Duty ignored “For years they have had a legal duty to get rid of this disgraceful mess and the danger to road users and for years have chosen to ignore it. “They have also allowed it to reflect badly on our community.”

A big ‘thanks’ to you all from Amy Tipper

taging her first ever Easter Fayre was a big challenge for Amy Tipper. But she said last month’s event simply could not have gone better, thanks to everyone who came along to make it a huge success. She said it was wonderful seeing the children having such fun on the ‘Easter Trail’ she and her team had set up for them in her showrooms, on Britannia Enterprise Park. Charity fund Amy, added: “Thank you everyone for helping us raise £250 for St. Giles Hospice.” For the youngsters’ parents, the event’s highlights included some Neff cookery demonstrations from renowned local chef Simon Smith.

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His specialist dishes included ‘English Asparagus Risotto’, ‘Cushion of Lamb’ and ‘Chocolate Truffle Tart’. Folk with a feel for fabulous food, can find his superb recipes on the Tippers website. www.tippers-showrooms.co.uk. ‘Artisan’ baked bread was another delicacy on offer last month. The stalls that took over Amy’s kitchen showroom were also selling handmade chocolates and local honey. Arthur Price brought along their cutlery range too. Amy said she was now looking forward to her Christmas Market, on November 28th.

Could give ‘em one in the ParkingEye Appeal Court judgment might stop ‘VM’-area hospital patients being threatened over charges

urton hospital managers did not seem to care if the health of elderly patients using their “ticket trap” car park was being jeopardised. Two Whittington residents in their seventies were sick with worry after receiving £70 “fines” and threats of court action for not paying to park their cars. Both patients suffer from chronic illness and were visiting Queen’s Hospital for treatment. Neither had done anything wrong. Both bought tickets. Foul night Their crime was to find the ticket machine a nightmare to use - one of them because it was a pitch black night in a poorly lit car park. It was pouring down, the buttons on the machine were tiny, he was suffering from sightdiminishing cataracts and he punched in the wrong numbers. But that did not stop the car park operator applying sustained and frightening pressure to get cash out of him. In another case, it was a month before the company finally gave up trying to extract £70 from a patient. Faulty, claim It seemed their equipment was faulty and had failed to print out his full registration number. But ParkingEye only backed down grudgingly. They said they were only cancelling the charge, “on this occasion as a gesture of goodwill”. Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were asked to deny that aggressively pursuing sick and elderly people for money they did not owe could be damaging to their health and wellbeing. Anonymous response A faceless bureaucrat wrote back: “We advise you to contact ParkingEye, who operate our car park system, for details about the Trust’s car park equipment.” A poll of ‘VM’ readers revealed that people felt turning Burton’s hospital car park into a ‘cashcow’ for big business that could harm patients was cruel and morally bankrupt. And it seems the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust agrees with them. They got rid of ParkingEye from their three hospitals, saying people found the system difficult

clamping’ but without to use and that it caused, “anxithe ‘Denver boots’. ety to patients and visitors.” And if a landmark The British Motorists Proteccase currently in the tion Association has claimed Court of Appeal goes ParkingEye’s system to be, “seriagainst the company, it ously dysfunctional”. could find itself handing Graduate challenge back millions of pounds Cambridge University law to people it has taken graduate, Michael Green, now money from. has nearly 46,000 people backWidow - frightened ing his campaign to put a stop to A 65-year-old widow the activities of companies such Sick people suffering: patients at the hospital are from whom the comas ParkingEye. complaining about real distress after being hit by pany demanded £100, what they regard as ParkingEye’s, “fines”. He says it is inappropriate for was reported as saying: them to operate at NHS hospierating on private land cannot. “ParkingEye must bank on the tals. All the law allows them to do is victim being so frightened by the He said: “In medical situations cover their losses. threats of court action and cost it is difficult for people to know Penalty, claim of a solicitor that they’ll roll over how long their appointments are The chippy owner’s lawyers and pay up.” going to take. said the £85 demanded from ParkingEye claims to record “It is not reasonable to put their client did not reflect the more than 600 million vehicle the onus on the patient (to know company’s loss and was, to all registration numbers across its how long his stay might be) who intents and purpose, a penalty. nearly 1,000 parking sites every is going to be in a very vulnerParkingEye have argued that year. able state.” they have a, “strong commercial A key selling point of their Life savers stung justification,” for demanding the service to NHS trusts and others He said doctors and surgeons money off him. is their much vaunted ability to, attending hospital emergencies And yet it is hard to see how “enforce”, payment from people and rushing to save patients’ the loss of a £2 fee for less than who overstay their ticket time. lives had come to him after rean hour’s parking can turn into a Cash-cow ceiving sky-high charges from loss of £85. ParkingEye’s sales blurb car parking companies. ParkingEye’s demands for cash boasts an, “80 per cent improveMr. Green explained that the in fact have no more legal weight ment in parking compliance over reason there had been a surge in than a tradesman’s invoice. a three month period,” and, “sigthe number of people being tickBut to many people who nificantly increased revenue.” eted by these operators was that receive one of their, ‘ParkLast year it swept up £14 milthe DVLA was now selling motoring Charge Notices’, with their lion from its sites around the ists’ private address information photographic evidence, quotes country. to them. from law, DVLA information and The business was bought, in He added that the European threats of court action, they look 2014, by Capita PLC for £57 milCommission objected because like punitive fines from a bone lion on the strength of is forecast the practice did not comply with fide enforcement authority. profit of around £8m on turnover the Data Protection Directive. Crucial decision of £25 million. But as yet, no action has been A spokesman for the Court Now, thanks to a Chelmsford taken. of Appeal said a decision in the chip shop owner, ParkingEye has Scandalous trade Beavis case would come after to prove that stinging someone Another reason the DVLA’s actheir Easter recess. up to £100 for a ten-minute car tions are seen as scandalous is If the judges find for Parkinpark overstay is fair. that the car park operator inforgEye, consumer watchdogs fear Fighting back mation service is being run at an explosion of money-grabbing The company dragged Barry a loss the taxpayer is having to organisations cashing in. Beavis into cover. For if one private company court for failing People operating on private land can to pay £85 for around Britain find a, “strong commercial jusa 52-minute are complaintification”, supported by law, for parking overing about the handing out demands for £85 stay. high charges with threats for initial losses as While local ParkingEye small as £2, it seems inevitable authorities allegedly that so will many others. and trafbullies and England has a lamentable refic wardens intimidates cord for protecting motorists. can issue out of moWheel clampers were still bepeople torists. ing permitted to fleece drivers with parkMany south of the border long after ing fines, feel it is their trade had been deemed compajust like in Scotland to be extortion and nies such the now theft. as Parkinoutlawed ParkingEye: a very serious warning, but is it fair? Continued on page 27 gEye op‘wheel

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From page 18

Dodging debts

Conflicting claims

Jail sentence

For cash

Trusted?

Business partners

They seemed made for each other: Mark William Lewis and Joanne Lewis (AKA) Joanne Gilbert Lewis. Married life was all ball gowns and limousines after their lavish ceremony in the sun.

Chaotic event

Deceitful

Unconvinced

Her new business

Same excuses

Networking

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Fresh look, fresh tastes at village pub

now focus on fresh, homecooked Visited the Royal Oak, Kings food. And with a wide choice of Bromley recently? light bites, sand A major overDaily Specials wiches and ciahaul by its new battas at lucnhowners earlier Monday: Pie Night time to the Daily this year has Tuesday: Curry Night Specials in the given it a fresh Wednesday (1st of the month): evenings plus look inside and Tapas Night Sunday lunches, out. Thursday: Steak Night thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s someBut, more thing to appeal importantly, Friday: Fish Night to every taste. the menus Saturday: Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Specials Sunday: Sunday Lunch

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‘Dare To Recall’ by Martin Ryan

Part 23

“The Troubles” broke into the gentle rhythm of Martin Ryan’s young years and delivered a warning about the appalling violence that was later to erupt across Britain. But young catholic minds had better things to think on, girls and hurling.

OOOOM!!! An enormous explosion ripped the air and rattled the picnickers’ cups and saucers. All eyes shot to a wooden stage where the political zealots had been speechifying. We looked on in stunned amazement. The planking seemed to rise in an expanding slow-motion bouquet of bits and pieces. Bodies flew too, this way, that way, along with the beer barrel stage supports. After an agonising age, the whole lot came crashing back down to earth. Distraction For an unworthy moment, the bomb going off came as a welcome distraction from my humiliation at the hands of (so to speak) the raven-haired Colleen who I’d had just ‘shown mine’ before she welched on the deal to, ‘show me hers’.

Amazingly, a big cheer went up from the audience gathered in the field - in response to the bang, not me, ‘showing mine’, to the vision in braided hair. But silence quickly fell at the sight of some of the appalling injuries people had suffered. Rushed to scene Two ambulances and three police cars were quickly on the scene. I was soon to see a helicopter for the first time in my life. One of the committee men from our pipe band had come to grief on that stage. He was so badly injured he had to be flown to hospital in Belfast. It was the nearest they had the equipment needed to deal with his injuries. Unfortunately for him, the poor bugger, he was wearing a green, white and gold Irish tricoloured shirt, emblazoned with

the name, “Fianna Fail”. This would have been like a red rag to a bull, to any Belfast Protestant. And didn’t we all think that the chances of him ever getting out of that hospital alive would be slim? Rumours circulated that one of the stage erectors had been a Belfast man. So who but him should be blamed for planting the bomb? The poor feller was probably innocent. Whether he was or not, he was wise enough - wise enough to get out of Southern Ireland pdq, that is, and back to Belfast. Midnight knock Had he stayed he would doubtless have received a “friendly” late night visit from the IRA! The bombing was major news all over Ireland. It temporarily raised the profile of the Fianna Fail. The republican party, founded by Eamon De Valera, went from enjoying massive public support, to being reviled, hated and ostracised. English folk often find it hard to figure out Irish politics. They can’t understand how the people of the South often disliked, despised and completely disagreed with the activities of the IRA, which was a very, very secretive organisation. Your next door neighbour could be a member without you having a clue. Political folly When the IRA did get support, and indeed the love and understanding of the population as a whole, was when the English Government sanctioned harsh, punitive, and primeval punishment on IRA suspects, including hangings and floggings. The politicians in Westminster were too stupid to see how this would only result in more IRA conscripts. And haven’t we all watched them repeat exactly the same blunders in other countries all over the world? I never did see that badly injured committee man again. Nor have I any idea what happened to him. We in the Republic of Ireland were fed all sorts of horror tales about the Protestants in the north.

There was talk in the band room that he had been cut up and boiled in a stew at the hospital. Is it not amazing what you are prepared to kind of half believe when you are thirteen? A year later, I was marching around the villages with the band again, drumming up interest in another meeting in the same field for the same political party. Political rubbish And I was still not giving a damn shite about the politics. I was hoping I might meet up with that brazen young beauty who had me lifting my kilt the previous year, when I was so very, very, young. At almost fourteen, I was now better equipped to deal with her, or so I thought. But I never did see her again. Mind you, I was secretly glad not to have my masculine pride put to the test again. If last year she was so bold as to sneak a peak at the Ryan family jewels, what might have befallen me now. After our marching and playing we sat on the grass in the field packed with people. Fearless You would think that they would have been frightened off by the previous year’s bomb. But no, not a bit of it. The Irish are a paradoxical lot. They would sometimes have little or no sympathy, especially when rumours sometimes circulated about some awful things the IRA had done. The reality is that all wars, uprisings and armed resistance of any sort, bring out the very worst in man’s character. The audacity of the bombing in our precious little community certainly make it hard to understand the reason for such a very large turn-out a year on. But anyway, there we were, sat in a circle, as in the “round tablers” of old. We were all happy. Especially when appreciative people came over to us, offering and buying ice creams and lemonade. Our conversation paid no account of politics, or bombings. We devoted ourselves instead to hurling - a sport that is a crucially important feature in the life of every Irish lad (and man).

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From winter blues to springtime blooms!!

A seasonal invitation to enjoy one of the ‘VM’-area’s most priceless gems

By: Roger Thompson Elford correspondent

feel certain you have had enough of winter’s wet and windy weather. So why not cheer yourself up by taking in the glorious spring bulbs at the walled garden in Elford. As winter grudgingly loosens its grip the garden may seem to look a bit the worse for wear. Warming up But worry not, the spring flowers are beginning to appear to cheer things up. The snowdrops this year were magnificent. They are mostly over now but the daffodils will make your visit worth the journey. The fruit tree blossoms are also appearing now. And in May the bluebells will be out for all to see and enjoy. I always feel that the arrival of spring really lifts the spirits and heralds a period of rapid growth and increasing colour.

You will find a friendly welcome at the walled garden, especially if you visit on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, when the volunteers are around - there’s always the chance of a hot drink too. There are toilets on site and plenty of parking space and there are wheelchair friendly paths. There is no charge for admission so you can enjoy the visit for free. Absolutely free The garden is open to the public every day but, if you need the facilities, it is better to visit on volunteering days when the toilets are certain to be open. When you come, please do speak to our volunteers, who are proud of what has been achieved by the project. They will happily take you around the site and talk to you about everything we’ve been doing.

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ichfield District Council’s (LDC) leader Michael Wilcox seems to have found someone else to wear his trousers for him. The last person widely believed to have her legs in them was his deputy, Valerie Richards. She unaccountably quit her position in December, 2013, following a bitter controversy over alleged double-dealing in which LDC broke its promises to thousands of council taxpayers over a new skatepark. More controversy She was at the centre of another row last February. The ‘VM’ reported how she wrote a bitchy and demeaning letter to a member of the public who complained about a development, in Streethay. True to form, neither she nor LDC’s highly secretive officials would explain why she had sent a grossly offensive note to the resident about an issue in which she had no direct involvement. A Tory party insider told the ‘VM’, that Richards, who has been representing Armitage, continued calling the shots even after she left the LDC cabinet. Obedient He said: “It was always the case that Val told Mike what to do and he did it.” But now she seems to have a rival, the leader’s wife, Sonia Wilcox. There has been seething anger in Fradley for years over Michael Wilcox’s failure to act over important issues affecting local residents. Dual role He is leader of LDC and a member of Fradley and Streethay Parish Council (FSPC). It is claimed that a former officer of the parish authority recently said it was, “in a constant state of crisis and always will be”. Mr. Wilcox has also been accused of playing a part in holding

From page 16

Now someone else is wearing his trousers secret FSPC meethusband while he ings in breach of stays hidden in the law. the background. That seems Divisive to be part of the They say she reason he is beappears to be deing persistently fending his deeply attacked in the sodivisive actions cial media. even though she But instead of holds no public responding to his position. critics, Wilcox is Sonia Wilcox relying on his wife has also been to fight his battles Michael Wilcox: hiding in the announcing such background while his district for him. things as the council candidate wife, Sonia Assumed role presentation of Sonia Wilcox Wilcox, fights his battles against reports to council angry Fradley residents on the also seems to while her hussocial media. have taken on the band and FSPC job a de facto spokeswoman for chairman Harold Warburton FSPC, even though she has no cannot even manage to keep authority. the parish authority’s website up In doing so, she appears to be to date. filling an information vacuum. Told off The parish counMrs. Wilcox has cil chairman, Harold even appeared to adWarburton, has been monish people who branded, “useless”, question her husband’s for never responding failure to take action to to people’s inquiries. ensure FSPC obeyed Exposed legislation by telling When his former the public when it was clerk was caught misgoing to hold its meetleading residents by ings. Valerie Richards: she claiming the council refused to explain her Step-down had not received com- offensive letter to a She retorted in a plaints from the pub- resident in Streethay. supercilious online dig lic, Warburton supthat it was not her ported him. husband’s job. Both men were then shouted The person at whom her putdown during a meeting by angry down was aimed, wrote: “If we residents demanding the truth all said, ‘it’s not my job’, then and that their grievances be the whole country would grind dealt with. to a halt!” Public disapproval And in fact Michael Wilcox did Now Sonia Wilcox, the distake a hand in organising an trict council candidate for Burnunlawful secret parish council twood, is coming under fire too. meeting earlier this year. Villagers say they are angered Sonia Wilcox also had a snipe by her issuing statements about at her husband’s political oppopublic matters on behalf of her nent in the district council elec-

tion for the Alrewas and Fradley ward, the independent candidate, Derick Cross. Wilcox’s wife brushed off comments about an event he had wanted to attend, saying: “The meeting last week was not a public one.” The gathering at the Faurecia plant was called to discuss the parking chaos on Common Lane. For months Mr. Wilcox had been assuring Cross he could attend - it was the villager’s campaigning that led to the meeting being called in the first place. Deliberate exclusion But then highways authority officers revealed that Wilcox had set the attendance criteria for the gathering, apparently, with the deliberate intention of excluding Cross. Wilcox has also been accused of lying about an update he claimed to have given his opponent after the event. Mrs. Wilcox has raised eyebrows by saying she did not, “have an issue”, with the parish council’s failure to publish agendas and minutes on its website. Government disapproval And yet the Department for Communities and Local Government clearly does. The minister in charge, Eric Pickles, said councils should be using information technology properly to deliver open and trustworthy local government. FSPC is also among the authorities to have been warned by the independent watchdog, Communities Parish and Local Councils. Untrustworthy The organisation said that councillors who operate in secret, evade inquiries and hold unlawful meetings behind closed doors will leave taxpayers believing they cannot be trusted with public money. That is advice that neither the Wilcoxes, LDC, nor FSPC, seem prepared to listen to.

Lichfield lost out with three-site solution T

he ‘VM’-area’s police, ambulance and fire stations should have been put on one site, says a Boley Park businessman. The ambulance service moved to a new home on Eastern Avenue late last year. Blazing summer The fire service’s new base on Birmingham Road is due to become operational in the summer, next year. And the police are set to have their new headquarters built on the junction of the Eastern Avenue and the A51. But security company boss

Kevin Davis believes the emergency services have missed a trick that could have saved the taxpayer millions of pounds. Co-location He believes the economies of scale that could have been achieved by co-locating the services on land at the site of the new ambulance base. He began his professional career as time and motion analyst. Now he provides site security for major organisations around the country. He is well qualified to know how multi-occupancy complexes function and cope with traffic flows.

And he is certain his idea would have been viable with co-operation between the services. As well as reduced building costs, he believes massive savings could also have been made by sharing vehicle maintenance and repair services. Shared dining The provision of canteen services and staff accommodation could have been combined, he said. He said: “Even administration and human resources could have been dealt with by one team. “The efficiencies and savings would have had no impact on operational effectiveness.”

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Visionary: Kevin Davis feels millions of taxpayer pounds could have been saved.

From page 21 But the car park ticket companies are still vulnerable. They have to ensure people take their threats of legal action seriously. And yet taking someone to court is likely to Cash-cow: ParkingEye tried to sting one luckless cost them considerably motorist for £100 even though he found it imposmore than the charge sible to find a space and left without parking. they are trying to extract. around in circles did not qualify If everyone refused to pay, as, “parking”, and kicked out their businesses might collapse. ParkingEye’s claim. ParkingEye has to convince Its claim against Will Martin people they send tickets to that was also kicked out by a judge the threat of court action is real. after the company failed to turn Their tactic is to use repeatup at court. ed demands, payment deadIn a case reported last month lines, charges that ramp up and ParkingEye is trying take £70 off threats. nightclub singer, Colin Leggett. Up to 1,000 a month He had sold the car the comLast year the company repany captured in a hospital car portedly declined to deny that park six months before the init was issuing an estimate of up cident. to 1,000 court actions a month Even though Mr. Leggett pro(12,000 a year). vided the details of the car’s Its website has a page denew owner, ParkingEye is still voted to the cases it has won in pursuing him for the money. court. Through the hoops A company spokesperson was The company is demandquoted as saying: “Unfortuing that he must go through a nately, ParkingEye has to issue formal appeal process to prove many county court claims each there are, “extenuating circummonth to recover unpaid parkstances”. ing charges, some of which are Mr. Leggett reportedly said: due to motorists following incor“Why should I jump through rect advice on websites. hoops for ParkingEye? “ParkingEye wins the majority “They want money, it’s as of legal actions it brings against simple as that. motorists who breach the terms “I think it’s really wrong the and conditions of a car park.” way they treat people.” And that does indeed seem to A woman ParkingEye wanted be true. £70 from said they threatened Only a tiny proportion to pass her address to debt colAnd yet information from HM lectors, send in the bailiffs to Courts and Tribunals Service seize her property. says that between April 1, 2103, But she said she refused to and March 31, 2014, Parkingpay and eventually the threats Eye only took 252 cases to the stopped coming. County Court. Customers attacked And out of those, only 217 The company also targets judgments were found in the people parking in supermarket company’s favour. sites if they overstay. One case ParkingEye has lost But the store owners are now involved a £100 demand issued seeing a backlash from angry to Dave Hotchin after his car motorists who are warning them was clocked by its supposedly that attacking their customers foolproof number plate-recogin this way could eventually turn nising cameras. into retail suicide. Case kicked out ParkingEye would not deny But in fact the motorist had that the information provided spent 30 minutes trying to find by HM Courts and Tribunals Sera space without success and vice was correct. left. Collective action The judge said driving People wanting to join Michael Green’s campaign to stop companies such as ParkingEye making allegedly unfair demands can find information at: http://challengethefine.com. The medical staff at Burton’s Queen’s Hospital received grateful thanks and a vote of confidence for their Tiny letters: stay at a Parkingeye site and work from their patients in you are deemed to have read the small Whittington. print. Even if you have done nothing wrong, Their supercilious penthey may still come after you for money. pushing managers did not.

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‘Peed off’ by disgusting act

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Yellow lines on Fradley’s road do not necessarily mean ‘no parking’

GV drivers have been terrorising, blocking, infuriating and angering the residents of Fradley for years. But now they have really ‘peed them off’. One careful woman driver was so incensed she took to the social media to vent her annoyance. She had been horrified to see a man next to the lorry he had just parked on double yellow lines making another yellow line all of his own. In full view He was, “stood on the pavement peeing in full view for all to see,” she said. The motorist added that she was only gradually recovering from the shock. How badly the HGV driver was behaving was thrown into doubt by Lord Chief Justice Ward, in the Court of Appeal. He said the social impact of weeing wagoners was not, “cumulatively intolerable”, if they took steps to be discreet.

Research has revealed a dubious right for a lorry driver to openly urinate against his rear wheel as long as he his right hand was placed on his vehicle. A London lawyer said that whether or not an alfresco weeer was committing an offence boiled down to common sense. Taking aim He believed it depended on how much effort the person was making, “not to blatantly urinate in people’s faces”. One incentive for such as the Fradley urinator to zip up quick might have been a loud shriek of feminine laughter.

Pee careful: HGV drivers urinating against their wheels should always apply the hand brake beforehand.

Fun, fun, for everyone Get your bowling shoes on and join in the fun at Namco Funscape - Tamworth’s ultimate party destination. Events manager, Sean Long, says: “We’re the perfect venue for family days out, with party packages available for all ages ranging from kids parties to corporate events. It’s time to get together and create some memories at Namco Funscape.” Packed full of entertainment with some of the latest games and amusements around, Namco Funscape features 26 Bowling Lanes plus the brand new Pac-Man

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Play Soft Play area which contains an indoor sandpit and serves Costa Coffee. There’s something for everyone to enjoy at Namco Funscape. Ring 01827 68448.

Galaxy of Sing-along-a-Beck stars at Elford Sports & Social Club

Talent: (left) Steve ‘The Voice’ Thomas and John ‘Elvis’ Phalmer - AKA ‘The East Coast Nightingale’, a man with a caravan with a craving for Skegness. Everyone is welcome to strut their stuff on stage at the club’s Wednesday night spectaculars.

(above): In tune: with John ‘Mr. Croon’ Wilkes. An immense wealth of excellent acts has already performed at the social club. Organisers say there is room for plenty more.

eer and skittles and a monstrous portion of fish and chips are on the menu in Elford. Organisers at the club on The Beck will be holding another of their popular games nights on Friday, April 17. Winners all Folk aiming for a win on the alley and a warming tum full of food can buy a ticket at the giveaway price of just £7.50. And if that was not enough everyone on the winning team will receive a tournament prize. As ever, there will be auctions every Monday night. But an extra special sale has also been bolted on to the April itinerary. The event, on Friday, April 24,

will be staged to raise cash for Britain’s soldiers, sailors and air force personnel. It is just the latest in a series of such events to be staged at Elford Sports and Social Club. And it will help cement the village’s well earned reputation as a rock solid supporter of our country’s brave men and women in uniform. Fabulous cause The sale on behalf of SSAFA will begin at 7.30pm - people will be able to view the items to go under the hammer from 6pm onwards. Visitors from across the county are expected to turn up for the increasingly popular Wednesday ‘karaokebringyourownbongos i n g a l o n g -a n d h ave a bashontheoldjoanna’ nights. MC DJ BJ will be holding court to ensure the latest batch of talent to turn up at the club get a fair hearing. (top) The cabaret room on The Beck. (inAs ever, there will be set) The man who makes it all happen: DJ ballroom and sequence Barry John; (then) Whopping great smile: dancing every Saturday the performing phenomenon that is ‘Taxi’ night with auctions fol- Geoff Barrett; (bottom) Duetting Divas: Maureen and Jan. lowing on Mondays.

Pupils may hold solution to parking nightmare

Illegal parking: children at Greysbrooke Primary School may soon be giving lessons in responsible parking to mums and dads.

he Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is keen to back a novel way to tackle parking chaos, in Shenstone. Driven to distraction Residents around Greysbrooke Primary School have been driven to distraction by parents parking on pavements and double yellow lines, across junctions and blocking their driveways. But now headteacher Tracy

Holmes is considering plans to turn her year five pupils into mini Police Community Support Officers. They would not pinch people parking improperly. But they would be politely asking mums and dads to support their campaign to keep the streets safe for children. Polite Notice The youngsters would also be encouraging parents to leave

their cars in the Bull’s Head car park to keep the junctions and pavement near their school clear. Outstanding school Mrs. Holmes said the scheme at her school, ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted’, could act as a pilot for others elsewhere in Staffordshire. PCC Matthew Ellis said he looked forward to considering supporting the project through his ‘People Power Fund’.

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Villager covered in stinking filth another dragged out of bed at 4am From front page

People in Clifton Campville had been assured industrial poultry units would not cause problems - now all they can do is hope things do not get any worse

John Davison: more than 1,000 people from his own community objected to his poultry plans.

‘VM’

-area villagers fought tooth and nail to prevent a rich farmer building massive chicken sheds. They feared John Davison’s units at Clifton Campville would stink. Cruelty, claim They believed rapid intensive poultry rearing was cruel. They also felt the local road network would be unable to cope with the HGV traffic. The meat processing company associated with the development, Moy Park, had already been fined for blighting neighbours with nauseating smells. Objectors to Davison’s plan had their placards stolen. One young mother was allegedly sworn at and threatened with having her cess pit cover cemented over for displaying a campaign poster on her own land.

lifton residents are asking, when is a bridleway not a bridleway? The answer is when county councillors take 16 years to make up their minds whether it is or it is not. Generations of walkers and horse riders enjoyed a track between Clifton and Haunton before farmer Stephen Bostock slammed the gate on them. Charity barred He even refused to let a group of equestrians through who were out riding for charity. Mr. Bostock, whose wife, Pamela, sits on the local council, is claimed to have told the parish authority, “I have one bridleway on my land and I’m not going to have another.” It is ironic that it was proposed

When local planners kicked out Davison’s plans, one councillor, said: “I would not inflict that smell on my worst enemy.” Another, said Davison was, “ruthless enough to go to appeal”. Victorious He did. And he won his permission to build six huge sheds capable of turning out an estimated 1.64 million birds a year in a continuous seven-week cycle. But now one villager has complained to the ‘VM’ about being covered from head to toe in stinking filth, allegedly taken from Davison’s sheds. She said a wagon thundered past her home as she was tending her garden. The load had no tarpaulin over it, she explained. As it rumbled by she was lost in a cloud of foul-smelling debris that clung to her hair, face and clothing. Early call The ‘VM’ has also learned that another resident was roused from sleep at 4am by an HGV driver asking for directions to Davison’s industrial farming units. It is understood the police were called in to investigate. Other residents have also complained about being woken up in the early hours by heavy lorries visiting Davison’s sheds. People have also complained

about lorry drivers carrying loads from the former parish councillors’ units allegedly failing to adhere to the agreed transport routes. One massive articulated lorry carrying bird cages was reported as being driven backwards and forwards through Clifton by a driver who seemed lost. It has also been claimed that problems have been caused by a breakdown at Moy Park’s processing plant. For slaughter It was said it had caused, “welfare” issues for the birds being taken away to be killed. That was claimed to have been the reason why wagons were moving through Clifton Campville at 4am. It seems they were escorted through the village at 15mph to keep the noise to a minimum. Yet it also appears that in a quiet rural village HGVs still make enough din to wake people in the middle of the night. Any breaches? Residents are now asking if Davison has breached the planning conditions placed on his operation when he was given consent to build his sheds. But it also seems there is no mechanism in place at Lichfield District Council (LDC) for monitoring his activities.

Bridleway fiasco to have the route marked on the official, ‘Definitive Map’, in 1999, years before Bostock, from Home Farm, Main Street, Clifton, bought the land. The owners and tenants before him seemed happy for people to enjoy the trail. Then last year officials at Staffordshire County Council indicated that it would be included in the ‘Map’ before Christmas. None shall pass But it seems Bostock has since objected to countryside lovers crossing his land. And once again the civil service appears to have its clammy dead

hand on the controls. Legal officer Michael Murphy has said he has no idea when the matter will now be decided. Officially silent And when the ‘VM’ asked him why, he refused to answer. The micronewspaper then contacted his press officers and they failed to respond. And yet Mr. Bostock appeared to have taken the lock off the steel gate he installed where the bridleway exits on to Syerscote Lane, near Haunton. He was asked what he would do if people began using the route again. He did not say. But it

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Louise Davison: she was alleged to have sworn at and threatened a young mother, in Haunton.

Planning Committee member Councillor Douglas Constable pointed out that the farmer had been given 24 conditions to which he must adhere. But he also admitted that LDC had a dreadful record when it came to enforcement. Controversies Farmer John Davison has also caused controversy by inviting people attending an impartial parish council open meeting about out his chicken shed plans to his own presentation next door. While a councillor, he was also alleged to have failed to declare a financial interest when a road surfacing contract came up for debate. It was alleged that county council contractors had resurfaced around 200 square metres of his farm access road using asphalt paid for by the taxpayer. Mr. Davison did not respond to the ‘VM’s inquiries. seems he has replaced the lock. Nor did he say what harm or cost he would suffer if people who love and cherish the Mease Valley landscape took up where their ancestors left off and began following their foot and hoof prints along this marvellous old route again. Before things ground to a halt at the end of last year, council officials had recommended that: “An order be made to add the alleged right of way to the Definitive Map.” Debt of gratitude If that eventually happens, it will be thanks to Mr. M. Reay, from Stafford, who made the original application to have it included, in June, 16 years ago, and John Bainbridge, from Clifton, who took up the cause, in 2013. And the winners will be everyone who loves the countryside.

‘The Village Market’, 9 - 11 Main Street, Whittington, Lichfield Staffordshire, WS14 9JU. Editor: GL Griffiths. t: 01543 432341. e: editor@villagemarketnews.co.uk. Published by Village Market Micronewspapers Ltd.