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Excellent Bucks Free Press pothole article by BFP editor
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>When I wrote to the Bucks Free Press’s long serving editor Steve Cohen venting my frustration about the dreadful state of our roads in South Bucks I was NOT expecting him to organise to take a picture of me next to the many potholes in Wellington Road where Hazlemere Window Company are based, publish this with my letter in the Bucks Free Press newspaper on Friday 9th April 2010, nor write such a well balanced article on the subject. Quite rightly Steve looks at both sides of the debate on what priority should be given to repairing the highways of Buckinghamshire.
However, he concludes, in his own article on potholes published on 9th April 2010 on the Bucks Free Press website by asking “how long…
Pothole progress to rid Bucks of damaging potholes?
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>Our “pothole campaign” to improve the dreadful state of the roads, not only in South Buckinghamshire, but in the UK generally, is making slow progress, but at least we are now getting some responses from the UK authorities.
Hazlemere Window Company Ltd’s Managing Director, Stuart Braham has written to Bucks County Council Highways Agency to complain about the awful state of Wellington Road on Cressex Business Park, where Hazlemere Windows, Doors and Conservatories have their head offices, main factory site and 4,000 square foot home improvement showroom. In his letter, Stuart drew the attention of Jim Stevens, Head of Transportation at Bucks County Council Highways Department (based at King George V Road, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5BL) to the 3 previous complaints Hazlemere Windows have made…
Potholed roads not fit for purpose (Henley Standard)
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>Thank goodness it is not just me! On Friday 26th March 2010 one of the headlines on the front page of the Henley Standard Newspaper read “Potholed roads not fit for purpose” according to an industry body. The article explained that “A survey published this week by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found the number of potholes on roads in England and Wales has risen by 40%. The result is a £400m black hole in local authorities maintenance budgets.”
Mike Linley, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance was quoted as saying “Extreme winter weather would not cause so much damage if our roads were fit for purpose. The consequences of our under-funded roads maintenance are now writ large. These include compromised road safety and wasted time…
Where are the Bucks Highway Agency road workers?
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>There appeared to be a little flurry of activity in the few weeks after the January 2010 cold snap, but since then where have all the Buckinghamshire Highway Agency road workers gone? Are they there? It is just simply I have yet to see them repairing any of the roads like the A40, M40 and those on Cressex Business Park that I use to come to work at Hazlemere Windows every day?
All I seem to see in Beaconsfield and High Wycombe in Bucks are more potholes emerging, whilst existing potholes get larger, wider and deeper, which is not ideal for the daily commute!
As I could not understand why Bucks County Council are not seemingly taking more urgent action, out of pure frustration…
Talking of major disruption to Bucks homes……….
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>The Government plans for a new proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham were published last week in both the Bucks Herald and Bucks Free Press. Wherever “High Speed Two” is sited (unless built underground the entire way) it is bound to cause upset, disruption and controversy, as lets face it, no one is going to want it in their back yard. There are two routes identified, along which there are many homes and businesses which now face uncertainty until the route is finalised (assuming “HS2″ goes ahead!).
According to the press, there are dozens of towns and villages in Buckinghamshire that will be potentially affected along this £17bn high speed rail scheme, including those with properties in Denham, Chalfont St.Peter, Chalfont St.…
Is considerable disturbance a pre-requiste for growth?
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>Things change. Economies, climates, people, places, jobs and interests etc. However, as we all know change is not always for the best. Where we get the choice, change should only take place if it is for the better, and not for changes sake. Take the upcoming 2010 UK General Election. Will things change for the better? Personally I have severe doubts that at present any political party has the country’s best interests at heart.
What I believe this country needs is strong leadership, living by example and long term stability. Will the General Election deliver this? Sadly, I don’t think so. In the Bible, Proverbs 14v4 states “Where there are no oxen the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an…
Make sure you claim if a pothole damages your vehicle
Author: Martin | Leave a Comment >>Whilst I accept we had an exceptionally severe cold snap in January 2010, I was dismayed by the apparent lack of urgency in repairing the dangerous potholes that exist on our roads (and getting worse the longer they go unattended). Even weeks later the main roads where I live and work in Beaconsfield and High Wycombe were littered with hundreds of potholes that can seriously damage vehicles and must be a severe danger to cyclists?
I can only hope that all the Council Tax we pay to South Bucks District Council and Wycombe District Council will get them to liaise with the Buckinghamshire County Council Highways Agency to make resolving this totally unacceptable situation an absolute priority. The suspension to my own car had to…
Double glazing would improve “hovels for heroes”
Author: Hazlemere Windows | Leave a Comment >>According to the Sun’s Deputy Political Editor, Graeme Wilson, in an article he posted on the Sun website on 20th October 2009, entitled “Hovels for Heroes” thousands of Armed Servicemen and women, along with their families live in homes without double glazing, and many live in squalor. The Sun article suggests that “One in three families said that their accommodation was in a “poor” condition – and only half described their homes as “good”. A third said their houses were filthy when they moved in, according to the devastating report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee. Two out of five said they were unhappy with the “state of repair”.
In addition Graeme Wilson points out that “Thousands of homes have no double-glazing, “security defects”…
Possible council tax hike for energy inefficient homes
Author: Hazlemere Windows | Leave a Comment >>According to a telepgraph.co.uk article entitled “Homeowners failing green targets to pay more council tax” by Personal Finance Correspondent, Myra Butterworth “Under the new proposals, the Government would increase Council Tax and Stamp Duty for millions of homes that are not energy efficient. It could also mean families are unable to sell their home unless they spend tens of thousands of pounds on getting their properties insulated and double-glazed.”
Of more concern to homeownersk, the article goes on to say that “It is understood that Government advisers The Energy Savings Trust, wants it to becomes illegal from 2015 to put a home up for sale, which has a rating lower than band E.” Window Energy Ratings (WER’s) vary from A-G, with band A being…
Bank of England claim “housing crash past its worst”
Author: Hazlemere Windows | Leave a Comment >>“Housing crash is now past its worst”, says Bank of England
David Miles, the Bank of England’s new resident expert on the mortgage and property market, may have announced the best news of 2009 so far. Positive news that will resonate around every home in the UK, and will surely instill confidence with estate agents across the land. If his comments are correct, the UK’s housing market has stablised and is set for recovery and mild growth. This sits in stark contrast to his report a year ago that claimed the economy was the worst it’s been for 20 years. Nationwide, the building society, supported the turnaround by announcing that housing prices in June rose for the third time in four months.
“It may…
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