New Mills Liberal Democrat Councillor and High Peak Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Steve Sharp is on the case already regards the ludicrous situation regarding the Post Office in New Mills.

Steve said "We in New Mills have a Groundhog Day feeling on hearing recent revelations regarding New Mills Post Office. The Co-op is now buying Somerfield, shortly after it was made to dispose of our Post Office store to Somerfield competition grounds.

The staff and customers of the New Mills Post Office are being treated in an appalling manner for the second time within months, which has culminated this week with the Post Office Manageress resigning after many years excellent service.

 

 A planning application came into the Town Council from the Co-op for new signage a couple of months ago. My fellow councillor Chantal Hannell quickly spotted thePost Office logo on the new signs for Lo Cost, away from the centre of town.

 

With both Birch Vale and Strines sub-post offices closing, this now makes it absolutely critical that the New Mills post office stays right in the centre of the town.

 

The takeover negotiations have clearly been on going for many months, so why sell a store to a competitor that you are in the process of buying out?

 

 Therefore I am writing to Alan Leighton and Adam Crozier at the top of the Post Office. I for one am not going to let them leave the town of New Mills with no Post Office or string us along with their usual ‘wait and see’ policy. The campaign starts now and preferably without Tom Levitt’s interference because to be frank, looking at his recent track record on post office services in the High Peak, if he gets involved it almost certainly will close. In the press last week he said he would fight to save Doveholes and Tintwistle sub post offices after twice voting for the proposals. If hypocrisy becomes an Olympic sport for 2012 games in London, Tom Levitt is guaranteed the gold medal."

 

  

 

 

 After a delayed arrival the Water Turbine arrived in New Mills around noon. It was a spectacular event  as the eleven ton

 turbine was lowered off the Union Road Bridge into the Torrs Gorge.

 

The whole project is on schedule,on budget and should be fully operationally by the end of September 2008.

 

This will be first carbon neutral scheme in the United Kingdom generating electricity for the benefit of the town.

 

The turbine will run off a weir in the river Goyt in the beautiful Torrs Gorge in New Mills.

 

It has been a very exciting day for the Lib Dem run Town Council, the Co-op Bank who have supported the scheme and the people of New Mills who have bought shares in the project.

 

All the Councillors are delighted with the support of the general public, without there financial backing the scheme could never have got  off the ground and been such a success.

 

Log on to the link below and listen to Lib Dem Leader Steve Sharp and Chair of the Council Alistair Stevens as they give their views on the project from the weir.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The screw finally arrives!!

  

 <object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2BCwyU-KldQ"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2BCwyU-KldQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

 

 

 

 

As a continuation of the Liberal Democrat run Town Council's commitment to extending the range and diversity of plants and wildlife in the town's parks; the original pond at High Lee Park has been re-planted. The plants all native species which include bog bean and water soldiers have been donated by Cllr's Mark and Jacqueline Gadd from their own pond.

 

It is hoped that the area will become a haven for frogs, toads, newts and insects whilst providing the public a restful place to stop and look.

 

The Town Council manage several diverse informal areas including Goytside Meadows Nature Reserve which is especially lovely at this time of year.

 

Recently the pupils of New Mills Primary helped plant a wildlife hedge in the Community Orchard to provide refuge and nesting for all kinds of insects and birds, plus provide nuts and fruits.

 

The Community Orchard can be accessed through High Lee Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Sharp gave his comments after Tom Levitt MP's recent comments in the media on the failed scheme to build a courthouse in New Mills which would have served Buxton and the High Peak.

 

'Mr Levitt either has a poor recollection of recent history or is in denial. He tries to place the blame for this failed project on a few NIMBYs, as he calls them and the Liberal Democrats. 

 

I doubt for one moment that the very high numbers of people who objected would class themselves as NIMBYs. Rather, they people with a valid point of view which was in effect gagged by the previous Labour run adminstration in the town. Which did all its dealings behind closed doors and denied access to anyone who was not in their inner sanctum.

 

The reason for Labour's secretive approach on this was because it was a daft scheme from the very beginning with no popular support. It was a vanity project for one or two local Labour Party bigwigs, and it blew up in their faces.

 

Quite incredibly, Mr Levitt has forgotton that High Peak Borough Council turned down the planning permission for this scheme he refers to. The Borough Council was Labour controlled at the time! If he did his research properly he would also know that the Liberal Democrats voted in opposition to the town green application he refers to, on the Co-op field which was needed for the project.

 

So how Mr Levitt can claim Liberal Democrats scuppered the Court is beyond me. When one compares his recent statements to the known facts, one really has to ask if Mr Levitt is living on the same planet as the rest of us. Even more ridiculous is where he says the Liberal Democrats have 'cost the town £200,000'. This is the blustering of a desperate man. Where does he get his figures from? The land was valued at £70,000 and the then Town Council were offered a premuim, so in total could have received £130,000. But this was only if they gave access across the Town Hall car park, and reduce its size for local users, a poor swap and in any event a completely separate issue.

 

I personally have always been against the Courthouse being built at Aldersgate for a number of reasons, mainly parking and the fact you don't build Courts in the middle of a residential housing area. I was elected on a platform of 'No' to the court, and in May 2007 re-elected with nine fellow Liberal Democrats on a public promise of not selling the land for a court, 'No' to Labour's proposal to use High Lee Park for youth shelter purposes, and 'Yes' to an open and transparent council in New Mills. The people came out and voted and Labour was left with zero seats. Mr Levitt, it is called 'Democracy'.

 

Within our first year in office we have kept all our promises to the electorate: perhaps Mr Levitt, along with his discredited political master in Number 10, would be better employed taking a leaf out of our book.'

 

 

 

 

At the November meeting of High Peak Borough Council's regeneration committee, during which the issue of public car parking was discussed at great length, the overall decision was to do nothing.

 

The committee is Tory-dominated. However, Cllr Steve Sharp attended in his capacity as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on New Mills Town Council. Along with council colleagues he has been asked many times by residents, businesses and now formally by the New Mills Business Forum, to try to get a number of problems regarding parking sorted out as a matter of urgency.

 

There was stunned silence in the committee room when Cllr Barbara Wilson from Buxton let slip that Labour had voted to reduce the free car parking from 2 hours to 1 hour for tactical reasons. Steve immediately jumped in and said "I'm sure the good people of New Mills will be delighted to find their free car parking facility was reduced by half just so that the Labour Councillors who represent Glossop and Buxton could play politics."

 

The debate then moved on to car parking charges across the Borough and the use of season tickets. Steve informed the committee that the car park at New Mills Town Hall was owned by New Mills Town Council and, following the installation of a parking meter, the Borough had made it a short stay car park. This meant that all the people who were using season tickets had to fill up the town centre car parks which were designed for local shoppers.

 

The Town Hall car park, which has seventeen spaces, is now nearly empty everyday. Steve commented, " Two years ago the Borough offered to give up all its rights to manage the Town Hall car park and let the Town Council run it. The then Labour run adminstration would not accept this arrangement. They thought they were being clever by getting a parking meter sited on the Town Hall car park, thinking they would get a rent from the Borough. it was obvious from the start it would take decades to recoup the cost of the machine so the chance of any rent was always less than zero."

 

Steve has now out forward to constructive suggestions and expects the executive of High Peak Borough Council to adopt one of the proposals. These are to make the Town Hall car park long stay so that season ticket holders can use it, or alternatively for the Borough to stop administering it with immediate effect, take out the meter and Town Council will go back to running it themselves, the option preferred by Steve.

 

Cllrs Mark Gadd and Steve Sharp are not letting up on the campaign for the two hours free car parking in New Mills to be reinstated. Cllr Gadd added " it is extremley unfair that both Whaley Bridge and Chapel are granted free parking all day everyday while the town of New Mills is being forced to pay. Small business in the town is struggling at best." Cllr Gadd is one of driving forces behind the new Business Forum and has already put together a petition with over a thousand signatures demanding that the two hours free parking is brought back to New Mills immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

Liberal Democrat controlled New Mills Town Council have decided to enter the town in the 'Britain in Bloom' competition as their project for 2008.Cllr Steve Sharp brought the proposal forward at the recent Parks & Leisure Committee meeting where it received unanimous support. The initiative is designed to encourage a sense of community in New Mills and  it will encompass a general clean up of the town and a number of litter clearances especially in the Torrs and on the Sett Valley Trail. Steve says " I hope the whole community will get on board with this event, it will really brighten up New Mills, as a town with our own parks depatment I am amazed it has never been done before.During the summer of 2008 the Town Council will be running three separate competitions these being Schools in Bloom, Pubs in Bloom and best kept garden , I have already secured sponorship for one of the events. As a finale to the New Mills in Bloom 2008 the Town Council has fully supported a proposaI I brought forward to organise a 'Last Night at the Proms' concert in High Lee Park, the services of a local brass band will be employed and it is hoped the event will be very well supported."

  

                                                                                      

 

Councillor Glynn Jennings has been working hard with the access group across the town looking at improvements in Mousley Bottom and High Lee Park, the project on Ollersett Fields is not moving forward as quickly as the Council would like and Glynn is checking the progress on a very regular basis and reporting back to his fellow councillors and the Parks Manager. Glynn is very keen for progress on a number of issues and says " We need to develop events and projects for all the residents of New Mills I am at present looking to start a 'friends of High Lee Park group' this would give everyone in the town a feeling of ownership in the park and  a forum to bring suggestions forward." Steve Sharp Chair of Parks and Leisure adds " I fully support this great idea by Glynn, the parks across all New Mills are for the benefit of everyone and any resident in the town should be able to come forward with suggestions they feel would improve our recreational areas for everyone."

 

 

  

 

 

 

PPC Steve Sharp with Cllr Jacqui Gadd and a local

resident outside the threaten Post Office New Mills.

Steve Sharp, Liberal Democrat PPC for the High Peak, is leading a community campaign to stop the Post Office Co-op shutting the Late Shop on Torr Top Street and putting the Post Office franchise up for sale.

 

Steve, Jacqui and the Lib Dem team in New Mills are looking for support from everyone in New Mills and across all political parties. Steve says,"This very seroius issue concerns the whole of New Mills; the site of the Late Shop is in the centre of the town, so if it's being merged why isn't the Lo-Cost at Ensor Way the one being shut? Secondly what happens if a buyer or suitable location for the Post Office is not found in New Mills? The town could easily finish up with no Post Office at all, which would be totally unacceptable and a complete outrage.

 

"To add insult to injury, we lost our sorting office four years ago on the back of the Post Office being franchised-off to the Co-op. These behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings are proof absolute that privatising and franchising-off Postal Services are a recipe for disater."

 

"I am going to press the Co-op hard on their intentions for the town centre building; they pulled out of the Hanburys shop in Marple and have refused ever since to allow another food retailer into the premises. The result for that community is that it has been empty and boarded up for over five years. It is starting look a complete eyesore. This cannot be allowed to happen all over again in New Mills."

 

 

The situation has arisen due to the restructuring within the Co-operative movement, which if not challenged will leave New Mills far worse off.

 

Steve adds, " A very large number of our residents use the Post Office every day. these include pensioners,small businesses and ordinary people for day to day transactions. It is deplorable that the Co-op can even consider these ideas without consulting with its staff and the people of New Mills. I find the way they behaved totally incredible. Perhaps I am being a cynic, but it is very convenient timing to announce this disgracful proposal when the Postmistress has gone on her summer holidays."

 

Steve and Jacqui have organised a petition and a Save New Mills Post Office Campaign. Anyone who can help or wants to offer support can contact Steve anytime or e-mail him on steve@steve4highpeak.com