Time to speak out
HAVING remained silent for long enough I now feel compelled to make the following comments following the very unfair remarks by Cllr Bantick in the Rye Observer dated January 9.
Even though I am told that an agreement has been made between the Town Clerk and the directors of RTS, that no further comments will be made to the press until a meeting with a working group from the Council has met with the directors to discuss the matter in private has taken place.
Does Cllr Bantick have no respect for the decisions taken by the Town Clerk or has the Town Clerk not told the Council of the decisions he has taken?
Rye Town Services was originally formed to prevent the TIC from closure and they also managed the Heritage Centre on behalf of Rye Town Council.
The Heritage Centre was in need of a refurbishment on both the outside of the building to encourage more visitors to visit the Centre and also on the inside to make better provision for disabled visitors and also provide improved lighting for the staff.
As manager of the Centre I was asked to attend a meeting of the Council along with the Directors of RTS and an interior designer, where RTS put forward their proposals for the refurbishment.
It was made perfectly clear that the improvements would be paid for out of the Town Council's share of the profits (75%), after all it was their premises and their business, RTS were merely managers. The Town Council agreed to provide a cash deposit and Rye Town Services borrowed from the Bank on the Council's behalf to meet the balance.
Indeed I am sure the Bank would not have agreed to lend the money to RTS knowing that they had no means of paying it back as their share of profits (25%) was committed to advertising and marketing the Town.
However, now that the Council has actually been asked to pay back for the improvements they are now denying that they owe the money at all.
Many councillors were more than happy to attend the official re-launch of the Centre and raise a glass of Champagne to its success.
However several had never even set foot into the place even when invited.
When new councillors joined the council I invited them to the Heritage Centre to see the Town Model and explain our plans etc, in fact none of them took up the offer.
Were they not interested to see how their money was being spent?
The staff at the Heritage Centre also had to endure many weeks of stress while being put through a ludicrous investigation on how the TIC was being run.
While we were being investigated not at any time did anyone from the council come to see or offer any support to their staff (four members of staff at the Heritage Centre always remained Town Council employees).
As the investigation proved we were totally innocent of all allegations made but due to this and the continuing antics of various town councillors I was not prepared to continue as manager and resigned.
I genuinely hope that the council realise their responsibilities and this unfortunate matter can be quickly resolved to everybody's satisfaction.
LAURA SIMMONS
Former Manager Rye Heritage & Tourist Information Centre

Can you help the RNIB?
THE Royal National Institute of Blind People is the main UK charity who provides help and support to people with serious sight loss.
We rely on voluntary contributions to keep our services running, which blind and partially sighted people in this area rely on.
I am currently looking for volunteers in Sussex who could spare a few hours a week to collect, count and bank money from our collection boxes and/or help with store collections.
If you have a couple of days a week to spare perhaps you would like to become a Volunteer Co-ordinator.
This role would require you to drive around the area to support existing volunteers, induct new volunteers, help with fundraising events and raise the profile of the RNIB.
The voluntary position is as involved as you wish it to be.
Are you comfortable speaking to groups of people? If so perhaps you would consider becoming an RNIB Volunteer Public Speaker.
All volunteers receive training, ongoing support and out-of-pocket expenses.
If you would like more details please contact Eileen Haffenden on 01892 730390 or email eileen.haffenden@rnib.org.uk
EILEEN HAFFENDEN
RNIB Community Fundraising Manager
for the South East

Show me the light(s)
I NOTICED your report of a head-on collision at Telham at 11am on Tuesday January 13.
I am not aware of the circumstances of the collision but when I drove from Ore to Battle Station one and a half hours earlier that morning there was considerable fog and I counted eight cars with NO lights on and innumerable cars being driven on parking lights (some with only one working) despite the Highway Code saying "You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced".
The stretch at Telham is notorious for fog and, on that Tuesday, I was unable to overtake a slow car in front because I could not be sure that an inconsiderate driver was not coming toward me without lights.
Perhaps in future new technology will be able to identify these dangerous drivers as it is clear that the police do not have the manpower to deal with them.
LYNN JENKINS
Austen Way
Guestling

Pay more attention
WEATHER and so-called dangerous roads do NOT cause crashes. It was quite clear that the temperature had dropped to below freezing on the morning of Wednesday January 14. I was unable to open the driver's window as it was frozen and had to defrost it before I left home (at 7am), had I not covered the windscreen during the time that I had the car parked until the time that I needed to drive elsewhere, this would have needed to be defrosted as well as the air was still freezing, this was at 8.30am.
The temperature did not rise until mid to late morning.
The driver of the van concerned should pay more attention to weather conditions on the roads as it doesn't take a great deal of brain to realise that following the rain on Monday and also damp conditions on Tuesday, that ice was going to be a problem if the temperature drops below zero -which it did!
LYNN SCOONES
Balcombe Green, Sedlescombe

No credit due
I AM sure that Rye residents are, rightly, fed up to the back teeth with the Post Office being closed regularly and without warning.
Whilst, as your article suggests, our Labour MP has been involved on occasion in getting the office re-opened, the fact is that his Government has been responsible for the managed decline of our post office system.
This, in turn, has resulted in the levels of service and closures (such as the Tilling Green office) of the last months.
I am happy to give credit to the Labour Party where credit's due.
On this occasion, it is not.
NICK PERRY
Parliamentary campaigner
Hastings & Rye Liberal Democrats

Given the bird
HISTORY has been repeating itself again but this time within just a few weeks.
On Monday November 10 last year, a Boeing 737 crash landed as it arrived at a major Italian airport because its engine-intakes had been jammed by collision with a flock of birds. Fortunately, all 171 persons on board survived the violent landing.
Then on Thursday January 15 this year, an Airbus 320 crash landed onto the Hudson River in New York City very shortly after attempting to take off from La Guardia airport. Fortunately, all 115 persons on board survived the forced landing.
Over the past 21 years there have been some 200 incidents in which aircraft have collided with a flock of birds.
London Ashford Airport (which some of us remember was titled Lydd Airport) has its soon-to-be-extended main runway oriented across one of the largest bird reserves on the planet. Fortunately, now that Heathrow is to have its third runway and sixth terminal, it should be relatively easier to avoid using Lydd at all.
Meanwhile, it was good to learn from the Rye Observer (January 16) that competent engineers have declared that if an airliner were to crash into the new reactor building at Dungeness, there would be no hazard to the reactor itself: the building would reliably absorb all of the impact. Crash-bang-wallop and a great cloud of feathers, perhaps. Such a comfort.
CLLR CHIZLETT
North Salts
Rye

Charges should stay
I REFER to John Hill's letter of last week, which he and others with similar sentiments, have persistently reiterated in your letters page.... that is the irrational objections to parking charges in Battle, and the pedestrianisation of Abbey Green.
If I can first refer to the latter, Battle Abbey and its awesome gatehouse, fronting on to Abbey Green are Battle's unquestionable jewel in the crown, without it Battle town would cease to exist, both as a community and economically.
The short term pay and display car park on the Abbey Green was a carbuncle and totally ruined the view of the gatehouse. It was also unnecessary, as there was ample parking elsewhere in the town. It was a wise decision by the Town Council and English Heritage, to cease dedicating this land for parking, and reverting it back to purely pedestrian use. Nine years have passed, but whinging proliferates.
In respect of Mr Hill's complaint about parking charges deterring people from Battle and already affecting its economy, it is totally unfounded.
I have lived in Battle for nine years and in the surrounding area for 12 years. I remember a time prior to the charges being introduced, when shoppers travelling to Battle couldn't find parking spaces in the car parks and were forced away. The reasons.....with no charges and no controllable limit onto length of stay, traders and London train commuters were parking there all day, thus not freeing up the spaces for visitors. If the charges were withdrawn, the same would apply again, no spaces for shoppers, no money spent in Battle.
I know this would be the case, as it is happening in the 'over-flow' Mount Street car park, which was ostensibly dedicated to the residents of Battle. The car park is full long before 9am, with traders' and commuters' cars.
So Mr Hill, the best option, whether you like it or not, is to retain the charges, which, after all are very reasonable.....50p an hour, £1 for two hours (Market Place car park). What's more, if you shop in Budgens, you receive a 50p refund.
I.C. LLEWELLYN-JONES
Sedlescombe
Battle

Why stoke up feelings?
I MUST protest at your paper's flagrant disregard for the feelings of people and in particular the feelings of Rev. Canon Alan Sharpe. I am not denying the facts, but had your reporter been at the induction of Rev. Sharpe she would have heard the statement made by Bishop Wallace in which he made it quite clear that the facts of the matter of the the BBC Inside Out programme were quite clear to him and that he was satisfied that Rev Alan Sharpe was the Diocese's choice to be the incumbent at Sedlescombe and Whatlington.
So why would your paper want to stoke up feelings in a village which sorely need the spiritual guidance of a resident Clergyman with a misguided headline such as your in the Rye & Battle Observer on January 16?
Certainly the responses to your reporter's probing delivered no wish to prolong the matter which occurred some considerable time ago.
The villages of Sedlescombe and Whatlington welcome the arrival of Rev. Canon Alan Sharpe and I hope that in future your paper will tell its readers of some of the more positive aspects of having an active clergyman resident in the parish.
PATRICK THOMSON
Harts Green
Sedlescombe

The final nail..
HAVE you had good or poor service from the Conquest or Eastbourne General Hospitals? Personally I have had very good care from both over the years but this has probably been partly due to the devotion of the staff, their commitment to caring for others and not watching the clock to see when they have done their stint.
This is all likely to change for the worse. Yes, sorry, even for those of you that have had cause to complain, you may consider going private!
The change is due to come when the European Unions 'Working Time Directive' comes into force this August. Any hospital staff, whoever they be, whether cleaner or surgeon that works more than 48 hours could trigger a massive fine for the hospital. President of the Royal College of Surgeons, John Black, said that the NHS would not be able to cope and patient care would suffer severely. Mr Black is meeting with Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, in February but is unlikely to allow Britain any opt-outs from this draconian ruling.
Yes. there are a few hospitals in the UK that have brought in a 48 hour compulsory week but the majority allow flexibility according to demand and circumstances. Imagine a terrorist attack in the centre of Hastings or Eastbourne; the hospital staff will naturally rally round to treat the injured whatever time of day it is or even if they were about to go off duty. Once it is all over along comes a large fine from the EU which us tax payers would have to pay. Yes, it's obscene!
This creeping paralysis of our democratic right under Magna Carta to govern ourselves will continue to be eroded allowed by the apathy of all those in Britain who continue to vote for parties that love being in the EU.
When are the folk, particularly of Hastings and Eastbourne, going to realise that the recently signed Lisbon Treaty is the final nail in the coffin of British independency.
Unless you get angry and actually dig yourself out of apathy we will continue to get Directives and laws from foreign Continental powers that we don't want.
Who governs Britain? . . . .the answer is not Britain, no it's not Westminster, it's Brussels, (composed of 26 other continental nations).
Frankly, the two World Wars that we thought we had won, were, as events now show, LOST.
TONY SMITH
Ashburnham
Battle

What a load of rubbish
I LIVE in Battle, and twice a day I walk my dog before and after work. I am disgusted at the level of rubbish left on the verges and pavement. Sometimes due to recycling bins being blown about. They collect the rubbish but leave the rubbish that has been blown out of the boxes. Surely common sense would prevail that you would collect anything that may have fallen out due to the weather. It's not rocket science. Why does it have to take a telephone call to the appropriate office before they come back to remove it? Surely this is a waste of resources and extra cost. It appears we pay more for a service that seems to be getting less and less. With plenty of excuses why they can't do things, that are quite clear to Joe Public would be easy to do. Also wouldn't it be better to see more litter bins about, that is also another reason why there is so much rubbish dumped. I collect a carrier bag full practically every day. This is because I don't want mine or other people's children or animals to get injured by glass bottles and other litter. The larger proportion of people want to be tidy.........bring back more litter bins.........I cannot be the only person who feels this way. Let's start a campaign.
Ms A GILES
Knights Meadow
Battle

Unnecessary article
I WAS disappointed with the article last week about Reverend Sharpe, the new minister at Sedlescombe and Whatlington Parish.
May I submit that some of the content was unnecessary and indeed unpleasant.
The BBC apparently 'suggested' that the Minister had supplied a drug addict with money with which to purchase drugs; the Diocese of Chichester states that these were 'unsubstantiated allegations'.
Thus the main thrust of the story was based on the flimsiest of foundations.
Furthermore, I object to the innuendo behind the comment on the drop in congregation numbers at his previous church – "the lowest for 25 years". What was the newspaper trying to say? Are you not aware that the number of people attending Anglican churches has been dropping dramatically over the past 40 years, with the closure of so many churches? Good for Reverend Sharpe that his previous church actually managed to stay open! Good for him, also, that he chose to get involved with homeless people and those who use drugs.
A sensational headline coupled with a sprinkle of innuendo and half truths does not a good honest article make.
By the way, three cheers for the parishioners who were interviewed and gave such commonsensical responses. (Just to say, I have never met the Reverend Sharpe.)
MARGARET READ
Hastings Road
Battle

No explanation
YET again the Post Office in Rye is closed - and has been since last Friday. There is no explanation from the Post Office - just a notice in the window "sorry for any inconvenience caused". I think the people of Rye would be feeling a little better if they were given a reason for these continuing closures. I know a lady who says she cannot get her shopping until she collects her pension on Monday morning. She has no transport. I was told this morning of another lady who stood crying outside the Post Office because she said she had no food and could not buy any until she could collect her pension.
It was extremely shortsighted to close the Post Office on Tilling Green - it seems to be that since then there have been major problems with the main Post Office in Rye. What can we do? Maybe the Post Office could lay on some sort of transport, say twice a day, to take pensioners to the nearest Post Office.
A little give and take is all it needs.
MRS PAT SALISBURY-RIDLEY,
Cadborough Cliff,
Rye

No-one seems to care
I was disgusted to find the Rye Post Office closed for the second day when I visited it on Tuesday morning.
I was particularly angry as I had an urgent parcel to post. I therefore drove to Winchelsea Beach Post Office as I was travelling in that direction, and was met by a very courteous lady behind the counter with whom I made my transaction. There were no other customers in the shop. No long queues. It was very clean and tidy, and I thought what a contrast to the Rye Post Office with litter on the floor, several weeks of dust on the window sills, and empty shelves.
It seems no-one seems to care. Yes, it was a joy to visit Winchelsea Post Office, but not such joy if one is an old age pensioner, who having no transport, has to walk say from Tilling Green estate and find that he or she cannot cash their pension on which they rely upon to buy food.
Gordon Brown wrote to Mr Michael Foster, MP on the November 13, 2008 and said that "people's natural sense of attachment to their local Post Office has been increased because they are anxious about what's happening with the economy". He went on to say "the Post Office is seen as a safe, secure and reliable provider of services and people just want to know they can get on with ordinary life in these extraordinary times". Tell that to the old age pensioner who cannot access the local Post Office because it is closed!
This Government presided over the managed decline of our post office system with 2,500 post offices in Britain earmarked for closure, most of which have now closed or are being closed. If we still had the Tilling Green Post Office open at least there would have been an alternative post office in the town to transact business, and would have been more convenient to the residents living on the estate.
I realise that the Prime Minister's letter was meant to be a sop to our MP who had campaigned to retain the Post Office Card Account which had been decided by the Government to ditch, and which decision was reversed.
However, with the Government's £1.7 billion subsidy to help maintain a national post office network one would have thought the Post Office could at least ensure that there was a far better service to the residents of Rye and the many visitors that come here.
CLLR GRANVILLE BANTICK

Big thank you
I WOULD like to say a big thank you for all the help I had from passers-by, and foreshoreman and ambulance men Heath and partner on Thursday January 15 on the promenade near the marina after a fall.
NAME SUPPLIED
Battery Hill
Fairlight.