Tollesbury Informer

News Summary 2007
North Pole Expedition
An attempt by Rosie Stancer of Tollesbury to be the first woman to walk solo to both the North and South Pole was abandoned due to deteriorating weather conditions. 

This was due to advice on the danger to air transport arranged for the end of the expedition. Rosie was only 89 miles from her destination of an approximately 400 mile long remarkable journey. She had already reached the South Pole in 2004.

Local Elections 
Victory for Independent 
Long standing representative for Tollesbury, Ron Laurie, was re-elected as the Maldon District Councillor for Tollesbury  in the May Elections. 

Green Policies

There was nationally a huge amount of media coverage to "Green Issues". 

The editorial position of the independent Tollesbury Informer is summarised below. 

There is no conclusive evidence for Global Warming. 

Water vapour and clouds contribute far more to heat retention that carbon dioxide emissions. 

There is a considerable case for reducing or eliminating dependence on fossil fuels. 

This has more to do with the unsustainability than Climate Change. 

Policies adversely affecting citizens and particularly low and middle income groups, such as so called green taxes, are not supported. 
 


Plane Crash
In June there was a plane crash on the RSPB Wildlife Sanctuary. The pilot escaped unscathed. The plane was badly damaged. Emergency services involving a helicopter were involved in searching for the wreckage.
The pilot was reported as having manoeuvred to avoid hitting houses in Salcott. 
School Success
Tollesbury Primary School had remarkable success in the yearly national performance tables.
Street Lighting 
Street lighting maintained by Essex County Council was discontinued between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time. The reason given was one of environmental concern. Lighting under the control of the Local Parish remained. There were concerns over safety. 
Smoking Ban 
The Law of Unintended Consequences 
An indoor smoking ban was imposed during the summer in England. It is impossible to walk round the centre of Colchester without inhaling deeply cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke  incidentally contains the highly cancerous agent Polonium 210. 
Pharmacy Concerns
A petition was organised at the surgery in Tollesbury due to concerns in respect of a possible pharmacy opening in Tollesbury. There were concerns over the lack of local consultation. There were concerns that the service provided by the surgery would be discontinued. There was also a concern that should the business not be viable that Tollesbury would then be left without a local dispensary. It was noted that the number of retail outlets in Tollesbury has declined considerably in the last decades. 

December 2007