We’ve already blogged about the brilliant Town to Port Festival taking place down at the Hythe next Saturday. This is the culmination of the eight-month project part-funded by Colchester Borough Council to help build an identity for the area.

The live bands, spoken word and hyperlocal Hythe films down by the dock on the 25th represent a celebration of what has been achieved with the Town to Port project. Of far greater importance however is the issue of… legacy [URGH.]

Staging a festival is a fantastic idea. The remit however of social architectural company dp-q for this scheme was to help signpost the often forgotten area of the Hythe. Folk from around the town are aware that life exists east of New Town, but transport links often lead to the perception that the Hythe is inaccessible.

Here’s where the physical representation of Town to Port comes in to play, with a series of path finding structures that will hopefully encourage folk from the town to explore the muddy banks of the Colne and beyond via foot.

With a week to go ahead of the festival, The Chronic caught up once again with Juliet Quintero, one of the project leaders from dp-q who has been working with the local community for the past eight months.

And so what has been taking with Juliet since we last had a chat back in October 2012?

“The project has progressed very quickly – we were appointed in October, carried out consultation sessions until December to get to know the area, understand local aspirations, and get direction on the design. Then from January until now we’ve been finalising the designs, researching local industries to input into the project, sourcing manufacturer’s and suppliers, the vast majority of which are from Colchester and commissioning the final build.

From our perspective, we feel this is one of the most successful aspects of the project, that we have been able to collaborate with and commission so many local firms, designers and makers – this has been the real highlight of the project.”

Working with local firms was one of the key considerations when our friends from CBC first set up Town to Port. Working with local residents is another large part of the remit. What have the Hythe locals been telling you about the area?

“There are those who connect with the historical aspect of the project, who can remember what is was like 20 years ago as a bustling port, and can tell us fascinating tales of what it was like back then. Others are looking towards the future, and they speak to us about the potential of maximising on the Hythe’s strengths in future developments.

There has also been lots of practical information and suggestions of what the area needs and how we can improve it – such as more green space, play spaces & places to socialise. Also ways we can improve access in and around the area which we have taken on board and we’re incorporating some of these suggestions in the project.

The Hythe is the sort of place that plays its cards close to its chest, you have to visit again and again to start to get an understanding of how it operates and uncover the wealth of knowledge, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that exists in the area. We’re just beginning to scratch the surface.”

And so communication has been crucial, both personal and in a physical sense. What was the existing signage like leading people from Town to Port, and what are you proposing?

“There is an assortment of current signs currently in place, statutory highway, cycle, footpath signs etc which fulfill their function. There is also the Town to Sea trail, which hints at the rich history of the area and sets out the trail. The proposed signs will build on this, by incorporating text, images and showcase the materials, which were traded in the area – relying on the physicality of their presence to create a tangible connection to the past. In addition, we’ve incorporated a map at each way finder which shows the Hythe in context and marks out footpaths which only locals would know.”

We’re not talking fluorescent day-glow modern day monstrosities either. For all the change that the Hythe has seen over the past decade or so, the area is still trying to cling on to some sense of history. How has the heritage of the Hythe influenced your work?

“The design of the new signs has very much been influenced by the heritage of the area – they reflect the heritage in the choice of their locations, in the choice of fill materials (oysters, coal, rope, bricks, etc , etc) also in their construction; using gabion steel cages, normally used in civil engineering projects, gives the design an industrial feel which reflects the area’s industrial heritage.”

And where will these be appearing?

“Locations along the river – they’re not hard to spot! Also there are plans for work to the old Hythe Bridge which we hope will commence in the next couple of weeks.”

And so eight months of Hythe heritage work will come to a close on Saturday 25th May with the Town to Port celebrations. But in a sense it is only the start. Connecting the history to the present day has always been a strong theme to this project. Looking forward to the future has also influenced the ideas.

It’s about creating some local pride in a rapidly changing physical landscape. Which brings us back to the Town to Port party on Saturday.

What are you looking forward to?

“We’re unveiling the way finders and holding a community festival down on Hythe Quay, on the Lightships and some of the houseboats too – showcasing some of the best of the Hythe & Colchester, Music, Film, Spoken Word, Dance, a Skate Park, an Art Market, the Buffalo Tank will also open its doors as an open studio… and lots more!”

And so Saturday sees just the start for Town to Port. The success of the project will only become clear if the community continues to develop and build upon it’s proud sense of the past.

Let’s talk bollocks.

…which isn’t that different to your average Chronic blog post, to be honest.

But the bollocks we want to talk about are the dangly bits and pieces that are located below. There’s never any harm in having a good fondle – either for pleasure, or perhaps more importantly to see if the tackle is in tick tock shape.

Oh – and whilst we’re at it: LADEEES – is everything all right with your ovaries?

Um…

Told you we would be talking bollocks here.

Which is exactly what the Colchester based Robin Cancer Trust has in mind with its new campaign: Talking Bollocks and You’re Not Ovary-acting.

Following the death of Robin Freeman in 2011 from Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumour, the charity has found the inspiration to raise awareness of germ cell cancer in 16 – 35 year olds.

The current campaign is all about tackling any taboos that still exist about testicles and ovaries”

“The campaigns are aimed at raising awareness for the two main types of Germ Cell cancers that affect our key demographic of 16-35 year olds. Through these campaigns we aim to not only raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of Testicular and Ovarian cancer, but also arm young people with the information they need to make the right decisions and be able to give advice when needed.

Both forms of Germ Cell cancer are +90% curable if caught early, a statistic we couldn’t ignore. Alongside this we are aiming to break down the taboo of talking about the Testis and Ovaries, especially at a young age.”

Rather than talk bollocks, the idea it to talk even better bollocks. Pub / office / um, bedroom conversation is always bollocks. Why not make it a better form of bollocks talk by addressing the two veg down below?

The Robin Cancer Trust is hoping to help both young men and women identify the symptoms of any possible issues before it is too late:

“To tackle this issue we have released a business card with the details of how to complete a Testicular Self-Examination – How, When and Why. This can be kept in any man’s wallet for reference and could potentially save their life.

We want to let women know that they are Not Ovary-acting. The aim of our Ovarian Cancer campaign is to re-assure women that although the signs & symptoms of Ovarian Cancer could be shrugged-off as a plethora of other ailments, they are certainly not to be ignored.”

It’s great to see this Colchester based charity continue to grow and explore new ways of reaching its aims.

Definitely not talking bollocks.

We’re a bit behind with helping to plug all the LOVELINESS that is taking place up at the Lakeside Theatre over the summer months. Whilst the students at the University of Essex are busy doing whatever it is that the students at the University of Essex entertain themselves with ahead of the exam season, the Lakeside has launched another schedule that fits perfectly into the Colchester cultural agenda.

Aha – and what agenda would that be, you ask?

Well…

With the Mercury offering more mainstream entertainment, and the Arts Centre being slightly left of BONKERS, the Lakeside is positioned well to experiment somewhere in the middle. The summer season for 2013 captures this position perfectly with some Pinter, some student productions and the continuation of helping to promote youth theatre around the town.

And so flicking through the first four pages and the four productions that we have missed (whoops) and we come to Blood.

Blimey.

“Blood utilises cutting-edge motion capture technology and animation to heighten the audience’s experience of the body in motion.”

In case you are left in any doubt, Blood is a dance production. The art of Gilbert and George is the inspiration behind many of the moves – always a half-decent starting point.

Saturday 18th May at 7:30pm for your bodily dance delights.

And so having pondered whatever it is that the students at the University of Essex entertain themselves with ahead of the exam season, the late May events at The Lakeside answers our question: Raw, Mushrooms and Pinter.

But not all at the same time.

RAW Festival will feature from 21st – 23rd May:

“Showcasing the performance talent at the University of Essex, RAW Festival is an eclectic mix of theatre, live music, dance and more.”

Mushrooms meanwhile is:

“an experimental, outdoor student production of a new play by undergraduate Sophie Barth.”

We’ve already blogged about it over here. It runs al fresco from 24th – 25th May.

Plus don’t forget the Pinter from 29th – 31st May:

“Students at the Centre for Theatre Studies present a selection of Harold Pinter’s political short plays including One for the Road, Mountain Language and Party Time.”

Our Share of Tomorrow on 30th May has a distinct hyperlocal angle being set… on the Quay at Wivenhoe. Which is not quite the approach for many leading West End musicals:

“Tom asked Grace out when they were sitting on the Quay. She was fifteen, he a year older, and they were very happy together. But then she had to go away…”

Will there be a Wivenhoe happy ending?

Um, isn’t there always?

Sticking with the local connections, The Essex Dionysia comes to The Lakeside from 26th – 28th June:

“After the success of last year’s short play competition, this year’s Centre for Theatre Studies summer production is a selection of winning short plays written and performed by theatre students and directed by Gari Jones.”

Other events that are worth exploring up on campus include the Summer Drama Play Week (can you make a play in a week?) the Lakeside Writers workshops, the Young Company and of course The Hook – the weekly open mic sessions that take place in the Lakeside Cafe.

Which should bring us round to the September season.

Best start blogging that before it’s too late.

Busy times ahead.

We’re kinda caught between an online rock and a hard place here at The Chronic. Recent conversations this week have ranged from: (i) why don’t you report the violent crime being committed by YOOF in Colchester, to (ii) why don’t you offer a more positive spin on Sunny Colch?

Um…

(i) our friends @TheGazette cover the relatively low crime angle rather well and have the right resources, and

(ii) as much as we LOVE walking around GRINNING, you need to be realistic. Remember The Chronic mantra:

“Not everything is perfect, but there’s no point in making a list and then just moaning about what might have been.”

Plus we’re [yeah, yeah] a blog. Nothing more, nothing less. The Chronic gets bashed out in-between bouts of the day job and getting boozed up – sometimes simultaneously.

But we are happy to make an unapologetic list for the HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY story that is the Colchester Youth Awards 2013. Nominations are now open for the ninth year of the awards that celebrate all that is ACE amongst the YOOF of Sunny Colch.

Cliché, cliche blah blah blah – everyone’s a WINNER, all doing rather LOVELY things around their hometown.

The background to the Colchester Youth Awards are:

“The Colchester Youth Awards were created in 2005 to celebrate the achievements of young people between the ages of 11 to 25 who lived, worked or studied in the borough of Colchester.

Over the 9 years that the Colchester Youth Awards has now been running, it has developed into a well-recognised annual event in Colchester’s calendar. Since being formed in 2005, nearly 1000 young people have been nominated for awards, with over 100 trophies being handed to the winners.”

Sadly negative headlines sometimes stick, whereas celebrating YOOF doesn’t always get the same treatment:

“In this age of instantaneous communications it is usually the less favourable events that make the headlines and so many of the exceptional achievements of young people go unnoticed. Hopefully the awards have played a part in addressing this issue and Colchester is better able to recognise the good things that young people do.”

The categories are well thought out with plenty of scope to accommodate the many talents and contributions that young folk have made to the community over the past year.

Let’s start with the Musical Youth.

The Arts category will be a toughie to judge. We’re hardly representative of the whole town here at The Chronic, but in the past twelve months we have been particularly impressed with the likes of Rhys Butterworth-Bowman and the Samba Band from Philip Morant School that kept us smiling during the downpour that was the Essex Torch Relay.

Plus don’t put your daughter on the stage, etc, unless it’s up at The Lakeside with the newly formed Young Company up on campus.

Other categories cover:

Community Improvement

“This award celebrates an individual or group who have significantly contributed to their community. This award also enables the winner to further their work with financial support through a grant of £500.”

Entrepreneur

“Nominations are accepted from individuals or a group who have had an enterprising idea for a business, community activity or product. The success should be demonstrated clearly in the submission.”

Learning Achievement

“This award rewards the hard work and perseverance of a young person who has succeeded in their chosen subject or subjects showing their determination to achieve their learning goals.”

We reckon that the girls from Colchester County High School and the success they had with The Times Spelling Bee competition should stand them in good stead.

Other awards cover:

Outstanding Achievement

“The Outstanding Achievement category is all about celebrating a group of young people or an individual young person. It can be an achievement in any discipline or field but it must be significant and exceed the norm.”

Personal Journey

“This award is given in recognition that some young people overcome huge difficulties to achieve success. Obstacles might include problems in their family, social, educational or work lives.”

And finally the Volunteer award:

“This award recognises the volunteering efforts of young people as an individual or as part of a group.”

You have until 12th June to make your nominations online.

You can follow the Colchester Youth Awards via twitter @colyouthawards, or stay in touch through the Facebook page.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY enough?

No sooner have you had time to get use to Richard Hughes’ Time is Over, Time Has Come, …time is called on the artificial blu tack displays at firstsite. Yep – the Golden Goose is going through the transition phase and setting up the next season of high art here in Sunny Colch.

The new season at Lewis Gardens opens on 25th May. The Elephant in the Room may *or may not* be a description that some folk in the town might use to describe firstsite. The Elephant in the Room definitely is the title of the new season with artist Sophie von Hellermann.

You don’t need a memory like an elephant to remind you that the sloping walls of firstsite can present something of a challenge for any visiting artist. It will be interesting to see how the German-born artist manages to display her paintings when she comes to Sunny Colch later in the month:

“Von Hellermann’s large-scale, narrative paintings have been described as a ‘meltdown of images from books, films, art history, the media and her own life’. Using rapid, broad brushstrokes to apply pure pigment to her canvases, her works have a hazy, dream-like quality.

Elephant in the Room features new large-scale canvases and two three-dimensional painted works, including a 7.5-metre high ‘bonfire’ inspired by the witch trials that took place in Essex during the English Civil War.”

Ah, but what’s the Colchester connection, we hear you ask?

Good question, well put.

It is the continuing Camulodunum conumdrum for the curators at firstsite. The space needs to be relevant to the town in which it serves, yet still have a significant WOW factor to bring in outside artistic interest.

This is where the retrospective parallel exhibition from Edward Bawden enters into the new season:

“Born in Braintree in 1903, Bawden was one of the most influential British graphic artists of the 20th century. He was a central figure within a community of artists at Great Bardfield, where he lived from 1932 until he moved to Saffron Walden in 1970.”

Elephant in the Room and Essex Watercolours both open at firstsite on 25th May, running through until 26th August.

Entrance is FREE.

If you find yourself at something of a loose end next Wednesday morning, you could do a lot worse than to make it to the Moot Hall for the annual Mayor Making ceremony.

Seriously.

Full Council of Colchester Borough Council will be convened at 10:30am on the 22nd May for the pomp and pageantry. All 60 Cllrs have been summoned by the Chief Exec to go through the largely ceremonial process of thanking Mr Mayor for the past year, and then signing up Cllr Colin Sykes to take over for the next twelve months.

Robes and (fake?) fur are involved. There’s a lot of formality and fidgeting in the back row of the Moot Hall. If you get bored, you can always play a game of Spot the Comrades of the Colchester Labour Party who Refuse to Get Robed Up [hellooo!]

Nice Armani suit, Sir.

Yep – there’s not a great deal to blog about ahead of Mayor Making on the 22nd May. Everyone should experience it at least once. But we really can’t be arsed to take the morning off work once again, just to see some robed up Dudes do the Civic thing.

Bit early in the morning for festivities, isn’t it?

Cllr Christopher Arnold will no doubt be praised for his handling of CBC matters over the past twelve months. It’s been a delicate period in which to steer the good ship Sunny Colch. The good Cllr seems to have come through it with many more friends on board.

Having been sworn in [CHUFFING hell] Cllr Colin Sykes will then adjourn the Moot Hall Mayor Making merriness, and then call upon the Comrades to gather once again in the main chamber for the business end of Full Council.

Have Your Say is scheduled but to be honest, we’d be surprised if any residents have the fire in their bellies before breakfast has even had time to settle down.

A spot of Cabinet Musical Chairs will then be played out in the main chamber:

“To note the appointment of the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cabinet members and the allocation of responsibility for Portfolios as determined by the Leader of the Council and resulting changes.”

We always get a little confused as to who is actually leading the ruling Love Me I’m a Liberal lot over at the Town Hall. Cllr Nick Barlow is now the current Group Leader, having taken over from Cllr Paul Smith at the start of the month. The Leader of the Council however remains Cllr Anne Turrell – a legacy of previous peculiar LibDem leadership shenanigans.

It is one in, one out at Cabinet. Cllr Barlow will be taking over from Cllr Lyn Barton with the Renaissance role. We couldn’t think of a more suitable… Renaissance Man for the job.

We then move on to the Grand Old Duke of York spectacle at CBC. The chamber fodder will be called on to stand up, then sit down again as the Appointment of Panels, Committees and Sub Committees takes places. Fine work if you find yourself on Planning. Bit of a bummer if you draw the short straw of the Finance and Audit Scrutiny Panel.

And that’s about your lot, Comrades.

The Minutes from the March Full Council meeting will need to be agreed. We gave up reading them as soon as we reached the botched Tech Task and Finish Group debate. It made little sense on the night, and even less so reading it some two months later.

We note however:

“Council agrees to the audio recording of all public meetings of Full Council, Cabinet, Committees and Panel and will record such meetings itself. Recordings of these meetings will be made available on the Council’s website. (CARRIED)”

Hurrah!

Plus the famous Clause 4:

“Use of devices for participation in social media discussions will be permitted for those taking part in public meetings other than the regulatory committees of the Council due to quasi­ judicial responsibilities (LOST)”

The Minutes then finally get round to actually listing the Cllrs that voted for and against. It seems like a different age when we were calling a reconsideration of the CBC anti-social media policy. To finally publish the voting record – some two-month later – kinda proves our point.

You just do it, Comrade:

Don’t expect anything quite as SEXY for Mayor Making. This should change come Cabinet at the end of the month (of which we note that the *real* Cabinet meeting has already been held, behind closed doors.)

Funny old business this #localgov lark.

From last year…

But problems apparently do exist. Which is why Colchester Hospital has been picked as one of the fourteen NHS Trusts in the country that will come under investigation from Professor Sir Bruce Keogh as part of a Review into standards of health care across the country.

It is quite alarming to read that Colchester Hospital is under investigation because:

“It has been an outlier for the last two years on either the Standardised Hospital-Level Mortality Index or the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio.”

Which basically means that the quality of care and treatment is causing some concern.

These are interesting / worrying times for the NHS. We blogged back in March about the open meeting of the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, the new organisation taking over the work of the PCT.

The agenda for the March meeting included:

“The Francis Report into Mid-Staffs — how we will deal with the recommendations, and

Public concerns about some figures for mortality at Colchester Hospital.”

The good Prof is now inviting anyone with an opinion on the treatment available in Colchester – good or bad – to get in touch:

By email: brucekeogh.review@nhs.net

By letter:

Bruce Keogh Review
c/o NHS Commissioning Board
1st Floor Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7UE

By phone: call the Care Quality Commission on 03000 61 61 61 and select option 2.

Plus: It’s worth a follow for @NEEssexNHSCCG – the NHS North East Essex twitter account.

Plus plus: a little on local councillors and their response to NHS concerns in Colchester [disclaimer: the title of the blog should tell you a little as to the background of the author...]

We’ve blogged before about Show Me Hythe, the community project with the aim of opening up the old docks area of Colchester for folk from all around the town. Six months of local consultation is now coming to a close, and the conclusion of Town to Port is about to be celebrated.

And what better way to celebrate the art trail that has been put in place than with a hyperlocal Hythe festival?

Hurrah!

Taking place on 25th May, the high point of the Town to Port festival at the Hythe will be the unveiling of some of the art signs that now plot the route… from town to port. Plus the day down at the old docks will also feature a fantastic line up of the many creative talents that are keeping Colchester… cool.

You may remember how social architects dp-q were approached by Colchester Borough Council back in October of last year with the brief to try and get more residents to walk and explore the Hythe.

Juliet from dp-q told The Chronic:

“Our brief is to connect Colchester with the Hythe, but also to think about the other direction as well with Wivenhoe and Rowhedge. We want to help to make the Hythe a destination place where people go for a walk or a bike ride. This will hopefully help to strengthen the identity of the Hythe, attract new people.”

Online mapping started off the conversation, which has now led to an art trail with a distinct hyperlocal Hythe theme being installed along the muddy banks of the Colne.

“The theme that we want to promote is one of discovery. Once you come across one item of art, you are then prompted to seek out another. This is all about maximising under-used spaces in the community.”

But that’s all for another blog post waiting to be bashed out when we catch up with Juliet later in the week.

What about the Town to Port festival itself?

Juliet and her colleagues have been working with all Colchester folk to put on a festival on the 25th May that justifies the belief in the area. The schedule and scope of events shows that there is a lot of love out there to try and keep the Colchester cultural spirit alive out towards the Hythe.

Live music comes via Chronic faves Snippet, Lou Terry and Rhys Butterworth-Bowman; a temporary skate park will be in place as well as an art market encouraging involvement on the day. Boat races will be navigating the muddy banks, a foot ferry will be in place and there will be guided walks of the area. Add in B-Boys and B-Girls, a little bit of jazz and of course a bar, and you can see why there is good reason to make the short walk down to the Hythe on the 25th.

Plus what really impresses with the Town to Port festival is the support from local groups that fight hard all year round to maintain and celebrate a local Colchester identity. Both Colchester Poetry and Film Colchester have stepped forward to help out with Town to Port.

The Spoken Word tent put on by Colchester Poetry has an impressive line up:

11am noon – Poetry Coffee Morning: Peter Turner / Jo Bell / Belinda Coliainni Federl / Mark Harris /Fred Slattern

12:15pm – 1:45pm – Storytelling: Martin Reed / Peter Appleton / Justine DeMierre / Baden Prince

2pm- 3pm – Poetry / Music Mishmash: Jonathan Marriott / Daniel Merrill

3:30pm – 4:45pm Afternoon Poetry Showcase: Aryn Clark / Leanne Moden / Martin Newell

5:15pm – 6:15pm Colchester Comedy Workshop Showcase

7pm -8:15pm – Evening Poetry Showcase The Rev. Dr. Ian Prolix? / Piers Harrison Reid / Tess Gardener / Adam Kammerling

In the absence of a multi-screen multiplex down at the Hythe – and thank the chuffers for that – Film Colchester will be taking over the ACE Colne Lighthouse to screen a selection of films throughout the day.

Don’t expect Star Trek Into Darkness. Fitting for a festival celebrating the hyperlocal Hythe area will be a selection of short films that were produced specifically for the 2012 Colchester Film Festival. The local filmmakers will be on board to explain and share their work.

And so Town to Port on the 25th seems a fitting conclusion for a project that spoke – and listened – to many local folk in the area. A continual theme at The Chronic is how the Hythe has a unique historical identity, yet can’t quite break out and embrace the future.

It’s a delicate balancing act. You wouldn’t want the area to become a generic, sanitised continental style old port transformed into poncey cappuccino territory. But the Hythe does need to have a future, and preferably one that embraces the hyperlocal.

The Town to Port festival is a step in the right direction. Don’t forget to… walk it if you can on the 25th. Car parking is available, but this is a project all about exploring what you might find on route.

Entrance is FREE.

Plus: *shhh* – here’s a sneak preview of one of the Town to Port signs points, just waiting to unveiled ahead of the festival on the 25th.

For no other reason than Saturday was a photo friendly day whilst walking around the surrounds of Sunny Colch. These ancient walls contain memory vaults, rich with the history of Britain’s Oldest Recorded. They also contain a shagging Goth couple, oblivious to 21st Century society.

It’s probably for the best.

Comment is free, but facts are sacred, etc.

And so let’s start with the facts first:

It cost Essex County Council £11,500 to implement the aborted trial for the Traffic Regulation Orders along Colchester High Street. The figure for Colchester Borough Council was £3,004.

Following the botched trial for the pedestrianisation of the High Street (that wasn’t really pedestrianisation…) The Chronic pitched in with an FoI to both local authorities.

We asked:

“Please can you tell me how much money ECC / CBC has spent on promoting the Traffic Regulation Orders to restrict transport down the High Street in Colchester. Please include figures for online and offline promotion, as well as any physical signage that the County Council has paid for.”

The replies are below.

And so a combined figure of just under £15k was wasted on promoting a scheme that was never given any chance to offer up a solution as to how the High Street should operate in the future.

The 18-month trial was rolled out on 17th March, only for political posturing to interfere with a complete U-turn on 11th April, and finally a formal end to the TRO on 28th April.

The ruling Conservative group at Essex County Council had cold feet when it came to banning cars and the impending approach of the ballot box. It was rewarded by no Tory gains in Colchester, and an overall reduced majority at County Hall in Chelmsford.

By our back of a fag packet calculations, we make the six week farce of a trial costing ECC £1,119 PER WEEK, whilst CBC forked out just over £500 PER WEEK for promoting a scheme that never was.

But the real cost has been the political fall out, plus the continued lack of any solution to addressing transport issues around Colchester town centre. The fractured relationship between CBC and ECC shows no sign of healing. Canceling a major piece of political policy without having the politeness to tell those lower down in the political food chain first is poor form.

But wait!

What’s this?

*shhh* – we’re hearing whispers here at The Chronic that those with the power at County Hall in Chelmsford are cooking up the next political stunt when it comes to transport around our town.

The ruling Conservative group at ECC is now considering a COMPLETE pedestrianisation of Colchester High Street – buses, cars, motorcycles and… bicycles.

Blimey.

Talk about walking it like you talk it, etc.

We thought that these Tory types were against the BIG Nanny State?

A referendum is being considered by the Essex Tories, allowing the people to have their say / pass the buck, depending on your interpretation of political power and responsibility.

Overlooking the cost of rolling out a one off referendum throughout the Borough, don’t we elect local politicians to take these tough decisions, and then suffer the political consequences if they get cold feet?

As for a solution?

Re-starting the trial would be a sensible option. It wasn’t given the chance to breathe or offer up any conclusive evidence in which to develop long-term policy. Sure it wasn’t perfect, but there were real signs that some improvement was being made to the High Street under the TRO.

Sensible political policy is made by looking at data, and not knee-jerk reactions when a local election is looming.

Comment is free, but facts are sacred etc.