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MAY 2010 - YES MINISTER - well done Gerald!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gerald Howarth | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Conservative MP Gerald Howarth has been
confirmed as a new Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State for the Ministry of Defence.
Results of the Rushmoor Borough Council Local Elections |
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Results of the LOCAL ELECTION Poll held 6 May 2010 - Aldershot - Wellington Ward
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Gerald Howarth MP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of the PARLIMENTARY ELECTION Aldershot Constituency - Poll held 6 May 2010
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April 2010 | ||
It’s All Go for Westgate.... | ||
I think the Westgate project would bring a massive boost to Aldershot, not only providing a Morrison’s food store which will make the leisure complex consisting of restaurants and a cinema financially viable. There would also be a new hotel and 600-space car park. This will be subject to planning permission which I am confident will be approved. |
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WestGate Site In this recent photo Eric Neal
can be seen with Gerald Howarth MP and Peter Moyle Leader of Rushmoor Council |
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Area Office Closure: April 2010 | ||
As you will be aware the Rushmoor Borough Council’s area office in Aldershot closed on the 18th February 2010. RBC officers put in a lot of work to enable this to happen and to ensure the minimum amount of disruption to Aldershot residents. The above issue was reviewed in detail by the RBC Customer Services Review Group, the Aldershot Labour party have a Cllr from North Town sitting as a member of this group. At this meeting they concluded they were broadly happy with the arrangements and agreed to look at this issue again later on in the year. |
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Conversion work starts on the Prince‘s Garden Community Building for occupation by the Alexandra Surgery |
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The Council wrote to over 2,000 residents (those who had used the office to pay in over the past 5 months. |
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In April, all Concessionary Fares customers based in Aldershot are being written to offering a renewal by post, renewal by visiting Farnborough or a renewal by personal delivery if the other options are not possible for the resident. Since the closure, the Council have received a total of 64 direct responses (from the 2,000), and only 16 against the closure. Many were questions of how could they make a payment, top up their parking card, get their garden waste bags etc.
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The Citizens Advice Bureau has been located in the offices previously occupied by the Aldershot News and the Council information Centre which is now in the Princes Hall. | ||
Citizens Advice Bureau is now relocated in the old "Aldershot News" offices on High Street |
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Planning permission for the Alexandra Surgery, which is to relocate to the site of the Area Office, was recently agreed at the Development Control Committee, which is critical to enable delivery of the WestGate development. |
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Please note:- The fact is the area office cost to much to run, RBC did look at other methods of service delivery. Such as making payments to RBC at local Post Offices, once these other methods were proposed their was hardly anybody left using the Aldershot area office. Yet Cllr Roberts the Labour Cllr for Heronwood at a recent full Council meeting said it must be kept open because possibly hundreds if not thousands of Aldershot residents would be penalized? |
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As usual scare tactics by the Aldershot Labour party it must be election time? |
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Comment.... | ||
The Councils Area office is now closed, with the Council’s new call centre now operating and the agreement with local Post Offices for Aldershot residents to pay Council Tax bills over the counter, this closure effects very few. These days many people use email to send information, the free telephone provided in the office to phone the Council was hardly ever used, 41 occasions in little over 8 years! Sorry the cost of this office could not be justified remember it's your money the Council is spending. |
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NEWS..... August 2009 | ||
Last week I ventured out on a Friday evening into the Town Centre and was pleased to see Aldershot’s Town Centre Pastoral Team hard at work. This team was one of the first in Hampshire they are now spreading throughout the County and the South East. |
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The Press Release for the launch of the Pastoral Team March 2008: | ||
The local churches are starting an exciting new venture called the Town Centre Pastoral Team in Aldershot as from 1st May. From that date you may see people out and about in a new uniform whether late and night, engaging with the late night revellers, or on busier shopping days. The team will be there to help in a pastoral way to anyone and everyone. They will be there to listen in confidence, chat and even to offer prayer. Over the last three years a team from Holy Trinity has been out on the streets once a month late on Friday nights and have found themselves engaging with all sorts of people, having meaningful conversations and coming home with up to twenty five prayer requests. The local Police have noted that the 'incident rate' on those nights seems to be significantly lower than at other comparable times and so have asked if this could happen more frequently. |
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Aldershot Town Centre Pastoral Team | ||
The churches were delighted to take this challenge and hence the launch of the Town Centre Pastoral Team. Funding for the new uniforms came from Aldershot's Hampshire County Cllrs Eric Neal and Roger Kimber who gave grants totaling 40% of the costs, they also asked Rushmoor's Local Strategic Partnership for help, who very generously supplied the rest of the funding |
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NEWS..... July 2009 | ||
NorthTown Re-Vamp | ||
The North Lane Co-operative Store located in the North Town mini shopping centre is being transformed with a £200,000 re-vamp giving it a smart new look. With an emphasis on fresh and chilled foods. This justifies the recent expenditure by Hampshire County Council of £190,000 in the urban landscaping of the mini shopping centre. |
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A new look for the North Town Mini Shopping Area | ||
Some 4 years ago I put forward this proposal to Winchester amazingly enough the officers had never seen nor heard of this part of North Town. Bearing in mind it had been a fairly run down area for years it came as a surprise that a similar proposal of urban renewal had not been put forward before. |
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Re-Vamp of the Co-op Shop in the North Town Mini Shopping Centre | ||
During the design stage I made it clear that there would be no decrease in car parking spaces and if possible an increase. This was achieved in the face of Labour Government policy’s which restrict the use of the car. (See Articles/Letters from Local Press) |
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News....... June 2009 | ||
Rushmoor Celebrates Armed Forces Day - Monday 22nd June | ||
Rushmoor marked Armed Forces day with the raising of the Armed Forces Flag. Our new Mayor Cllr Roger Kimber leads the ceremony. |
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June 2009 Runways End becomes a reality | ||
This facility has been designed by Hampshire County Council working in partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council and will be manned by HCC staff. |
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Cllr Eric Neal said "Four years ago, when I was first elected to Hampshire County Council I was briefed on this project. I said it's about time the North of the County had a facility similar to Calshot in the South, when will it be built?" To get a feel of what is on offer visit the "Calshot Activities Center" website. |
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NEWS.....Earlier | ||
Aldershot Town Centre Let's Us Down......... | ||
Aldershot is a good Town with decent people living in it, but our Town Centre lets us down. Mistakes have been made over the years; your Councils and Councillors of all parties have failed in many ways. The business rate set by the Labour Government is far to high and is killing off many small businesses in Aldershot and across the Country. Some £43 million is collected by Rushmoor Borough Council on behalf of the Government but only £36,000 remains in the Borough - something the local Labour Party does not tell you. |
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No Council can force retailers to locate in Aldershot but we can create the right conditions for them when there is an upturn in the economy. For example, later this summer there will be the first stage of a £3 million programme, spaced over 2 years of improvements, first in Station Road, new footpaths street lighting etc. I and Cllr Roger Kimber have worked with Hampshire County Council over the last 18 months to achieve this. | ||