22/2/2008

Woking

Letters from February 21 2008

Drink-fuelled riot a sign of worse to come

EDITOR — I am writing following your story about the Albion Square riot (News and Mail, February 14).

As a resident of Woking for just over a year now, I have come to associate the town with an ‘entertainment culture’ based largely on the consumption and abuse of alcohol.

Anyone foolish enough to walk through the town centre on a Friday or Saturday night will see more than enough evidence of this, along with a small and vastly overstretched police presence.

The situation as regards the unacceptable drunken behaviour seems to be getting worse and as you yourself have reported that this has now culminated in a full-scale riot with several participants seriously assaulted.

How long will it be before Woking has its own Garry Newlove who was a victim of just such an assault?

As the police are now facing job cuts to help plug a funding gap and with summer approaching I suspect that it won’t be too long.

I’m not alone in my concern about the alcohol abuse in Woking. We feature in a research report by the North West Public Health Observatory entitled ‘The 10 local authority areas with the highest levels of hazardous drinking, as a percentage of adults aged 16+’ — not something to be proud of especially when you consider that this is nationwide.

At the same time I notice that there is yet another wine bar scheduled to open on the way to the railway station. Do we really need yet another one to add to the 38 pubs and bars that we already have?

Whatever happened to social responsibility in Woking, or did that just get sidelined by easy profits from the licensing laws?
Peter Garner
Constitution Hill
Woking

Cllr Melanie Whitehand who says the News and Mail should only report what councillors think is appropriate

Sensationalist reporting of council meetings

EDITOR — It never ceases to amaze me the way the News and Mail chooses to report on the subjects discussed in the council chamber.

In last week’s edition we read: ‘Nil per cent council tax rise a ‘smokescreen’ for changes’.

On reading the article it appears that the word ‘smokescreen’ was part of the comments made by former councillor Diana Landon. Why was it felt appropriate to quote from someone who no longer sits as a councillor?
Why could a quote taken from Cllr John Kingsbury’s presentation not be used in the headline? After all, he did deliver the speech, or from Cllr Anne Murray’s comment as leader of the council? Or even the Lib-Dem councillor Ian Johnson? It would have been more fitting than from an ex-councillor. But I guess that wouldn’t have been as sensational.

On the next page  we read: ‘Muslim burial ground plans shrouded in secrecy.’

Just as   when the presentation  in zero % council tax increase was made, I was in the council chamber when this subject was discussed and I don’t call a meeting that was attended by many councillors and senior officers of the council, one that was ‘shrouded in secrecy’!

Cllr Goldenberg requested to have the discussion on this subject open to the public, you then go on to quote him as saying that ‘matters should be in public unless there is a very good reason why they should not be.’

Now Cllr Goldenberg’s desire may have been to have this subject open to the public but it was felt by other parties that there are good reasons for it to be not appropriate at this stage of the matter. There is much more to be done on this issue before the future of the burial ground will be decided as John Durrant of the HCPS explains further down in the article.

So can we please have some fair and less sensational reporting? It is what the residents of Woking deserve.
Cllr Melanie Whitehand

How has burial site grown?

EDITOR – Cllr Khan refers to the muslim burial ground site now having grown from 0.3 hectares to four acres (1.62 hectares), News and Mail, February 14. But where is this site?

It cannot be the present burial ground as this consists of an area less than 0.5 of an acre, ie 50x40 yds which equals 2,000 sq yds (allowing an additional 10% error).

As one acre equals 4,840 sq yds, the burial grounds therefore have an area less than 0.5 of an acre (ground measured  February 14).

Further, if Woking Borough Council bows to this request, how will it be able to refuse similar requests from other religions?

Also, who is going to pay for the land which has to be replaced by the council?
Michael Collyer
Address supplied

The mast effect

EDITOR — I believe I can answer the question posed by Cllr Hunswick in her letter to you last week: ‘How can a 12 metre mast and accompanying boxes be deemed to have little effect on the area?’

The answer is, exactly the same way as her colleagues believe that a development of four and five storey flats on the former Westfield tip site and seven storey on the football club site will have no detrimental effect on the area of Westfield.
Robert Shatwell
Lime Grove
Woking

A bus ride back down memory lane

EDITOR — I have sent this little photo of an outing arranged by Goldsworth Junior School, then situated in Goldsworth Road, Woking.

The coach was owned by a firm called Conway-West. I believe their main office was in Guildford but they had a garage in Guildford Road,Woking, later owned by a firm called Doves of Woking.

Seated at the front of the coach is the headmistress Miss Draderick, with another teacher beside her. My elder brother Francis is standing at the front of the coach with my mother Mrs Hack seated at the third door of the coach with me and my sister, May Hack.

The coach outing was going to Portsmouth for the day. Taking a quick glance at the speed limit of the coach it looks as though by the time the coach reached its destination it would be time to return to Woking.

It’s very possible there are plenty of faces on that coach that some OAPs of Woking would recognise, hence my interest in sending this  photo to you.

I would estimate this coach trip would have taken place sometime in the early 1930s. I believe the fare would have been two shillings and sixpence.
Cyril Hack
Southland
New Zealand
If you recognise any of the faces, write to the editor at 9 Poole Road, Woking, GU21 6DY, or email newsandmail@woking.co.uk.

Poppy appeal record

EDITOR — At the recent successful Operation Poppy Appeal 2007 I am delighted to report that in Byfleet we raised  the excellent total of £7,413.06. In West Byfleet we raised £6,260.87 and in Pyrford village we raised £4,153.49, making a grand total of £17,827.42 — yet another record for all three villages.

Apart from the dedication of my appeal collectors, a large vote of thanks must go to the citizens who generously contributed and to the various shops, schools, churches, businesses, pubs, banks and other outlets who so willingly allowed us to place collecting boxes on their premises.

As custodians of remembrance, please will you allow me to pass the Royal British Legion’s appreciation through your paper and to assure everyone that all the money collected will go to help those who served the Crown in the armed forces and their dependants, if or when they are not able to help themselves.

This includes assistance such as individual grants for those in need and information advice and support for claiming war pensions: home and hospital visits for the sick and housebound: support for ex-service people in finding jobs: courses to equip them for civilian life and in countless other ways.

Lastly a special tribute to my collectors in all three villages. As I am, you are the foot soldiers of the Poppy Appeal.

Once again I am humbled and energised by all your selfless dedication to your responsibilities.

Up and down our villages the international situation in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests that demands on our assistance will grow even heavier this year.
Leah Tate
Poppy Appeal organiser
West Byfleet, Byfleet, Pyrford

First printed in: Woking News and Mail

Related Articles 'Riot' under Canopy Secret talks over burial ground More questions over burial plans