Latest weather reports indicate that there is a very high risk of severe weather occuring  in the Buxton area on 16th December & 17th December, with the potential for large accumulations of  snow, falling overnight on Friday and  a  medium risk of further falls occuring throughout Saturday which may cause some slight disruption Chaos to traffic.

High winds are also expected to move in during Thursday and into Friday, resulting in blizzard conditions across exposed higher ground

Highest at risk are the following routes

A53 Buxton to Leek

A537 Cat and Fiddle – Buxton to Macclesfield

A57 Snake Pass

A515 Buxton to Ashbourne

Drivers intending to make journeys using those roads during these periods should check the local news and weather forecasts before setting out.

In addition, the A53 Leek Road and A537 Cat and Fiddle conditions can be checked in real time by using the webcam links below.

http://www.maccinfo.com/cat/ – A537 Cat and Fiddle Cam
http://www.flashbarstores.co.uk/ – A53 Leek Road Cam

Current Road Status:-

UPDATE:- A57 Snake Pass open

UPDATE:- A537 Cat and Fiddle open

UPDATE:- A515 Ashbourne Road, Open

UPDATE:-A53 Leek Road  Open

Readers’ Feedback:- How is the snow being dealt with in your part of Buxton?. Are the gritters out?, have things improved since last year?. Email us your snow stories and opinions on how the severe weather is currently being handled for publication, by using our Contact Form

Last updated:- 8.25PM  14/12/2011

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The start of the 2011 Christmas Drink Drive campaign has begun, with additional police patrols present throughout December, and random breath tests being carried out at the Roadside.

The penalties for being caught over the limit behind the wheel are harsh, and include and automatic 12 month driving ban, a large fine plus significantly increased insurance premiums for several years after the drink drive ban. Some insurance companies will refuse insurance cover to motorists with a previous conviction for drink driving.

Thanks to virtual court technology, this year drivers found to be over the drink drive limit could be banned from driving within 90 minutes of being caught and arrested

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said: “Usually, motorists will be charged with drink-driving and be bailed to appear before the court some weeks later.

“This means until a guilty verdict is reached, they are free to drive. The use of the virtual court system means that the defendant risks losing their licence on the day of charge.”

Virtual courts were first trialled in Kent during 2010 as part of the drink-drive campaign season, resulting in 17 people appearing before a magistrate via the video link-up. A police spokesman said that in one case a motorist was banned from driving less than 90 minutes after being charged.

The only true way of ensuring that you remain below the drink drive limit is to drink no alcohol at all. Motorists should also bear in mind that after a long drinking session the previous evening, that they may still be over the limit when driving to work early the following morning. If in any doubt whatsover, arrange a lift or use public transport as the penalties for being over the drink drive limit the following morning, are just as same as being caught on the way home from the pub.

So the drink drive message this Christmas is clear. If you intend to drink alcohol down the pub or at the office christmas party, then leave the car at home, and either arrange a taxi, public transport or a designated driver to ensure that everybody gets home safetly.

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I know that this article is likely to make me about as popular in the benefits world as Jeremy Clarkson’s is after his recent outburst on ‘The One Show’ when he suggested that striking public sector workers should be shot in front of their families, but I really don’t care, its just my opinion and my column and i’m entitled to express it openly,  just like the next man, woman, TV Journalist or public sector worker.

First of all, I will state that this isn’t an attack on those who legitimately claim benefits through redundancy, critical illness  or through no fault of their own, or because they have no other choice, or suffer from a disability which leaves them bed / housebound and unable to participate in society, let alone work. My gripe today is about the thousands of people claiming benefits simply because they can, or because the Government have handed it to them on a plate, the type of people who we all know exist and who have no intention of seeking employment, the no-er-do-nothings who left School thinking that society was going to continue where their parents had left off, and continue supporting them, cocooned around the belief that Society owes THEM something for just being born.

Recently I discovered an internet forum with millions of daily visitors, where discussion and advice on Benefits was a popular daily occurance, and I was appalled by what I was reading. Not sob stories about how the Frail or Elderly can barely afford to run a 100 watt lightbulb to keep warm, nor a warm winters tale about a lonely christmas orphan finding a home, but people actually asking the sort of  questions which indicated that the decision to claim benefits was actually a lifestyle choice, and not a means of barely keeping them from off the park bench and the wolves from the door.

Such Gems included subjects and questions along the lines of…

“My husband is unhappy at work, if he packs it in, what benefits can we claim and will he be sanctioned?”

“I’m 19 and pregnant AGAIN, am I entitled to a bigger council flat ?”

“Can I claim housing benefit or Council Tax Credit for a second home ?”

“I want to reduce my working hours, can I claim more benefits”

” I’m finding getting child care difficult, how much will I get as a stay at home mum?”

“I’ve finally been offered a job but I’m £90 a week better off  staying on Benefits than working”

Other popular topics also included discussion of the forthcoming £10 Christmas Bonus (paid out to certain benefit claimants), as well as some members openly discussing exactly what Benefits they received and how much they get. Although some of these figures were admittedly modest and hardly  a champagne lifestyle, quite a few others were openly professing to be ‘claiming everything offered to them’ amounting to over £300 or £400 a week in benefits, not to mention child maintenance payments from absent fathers, and its not unfair to see exactly why some people are angered and why some may assume that people are being actively rewarded for choosing not to work, when they read of people encouraged to give up their mundane jobs because benefit claiming appears a gold plated pension in comparison.

Alarmingly, a large number of posts were started by relatively young people, some 17, 18 or 19 years of age stating that they were pregnant for the first (or second) time, and wondering how the arrival of their latest offspring would better their chances  of claiming additional benefits or increasing their existing amount of Benefit. Even more alarmingly was the fact that none of the posts I read on these subjects indicated that the person was currently (or ever) in employment, neither did it indicate that their babies’ Father was currently in their life, or had hung around long enough to be involved.

One young, single mother even actually openly admitted boasted on the forum that she was much better off having three children by three different (but equally absent) fathers, not only because she got three lots of Child benefit but also because the amount of child maintenance paid out by each father, (each representing upto 25% of their individual incomes),  amounted to significantly more than a ceiling which would limit the amount paid out for all three children by one father, had all three of her children have been his!. Scandalous, when are we going to adopt the ‘You breed them – you feed them’ attitude shown by many other countries, and rid ourselves of the burden of those wastrels who see producing additional children in much the same manner as working people see their annual payrise?.

Like a wise woman (okay it was TV’s Judge Judy) once said, “It’s upto you to make sure they are the right person before having a child with them”. Excellent advice, even bordering on common sense, which is a commodity in precious short supply in society these days.

Non of the discussion topics that i’ve highlighted above  indicate desperate people, below the poverty line, they represent lifestyle choices and partner decisions made by rational thinking adults. If I made the decision to go out and buy three brand new Mercedes Benz Cars, because they made me happy and because I believed that I was entitled to them, when I found that my income could not support them, I wouldn’t expect the tax payer to fork out the loan payments for the next eighteen years on my behalf because I was fulfilling my dream.  What is so different about making the lifelong committment to having and raising children?, surely you should consider how you are going to support them? and whether you can afford them before making the decision to actually get pregnant?. However, many people still believe that its their ‘right’ to have children because it makes them happy, despite not being in employment, having zero income and not even in a steady relationship let alone a steady job, and barely have the means of supporting themselves let alone a child.

Equally if somebody chooses the wrong person to start a relationship with, and they have a child with them, then how is it the fault of society if the relationship breaks down, or they discover the person wasn’t the person they thought they were?, yet society is the foolish entity who foots the bills for a personal error in judgement. Life is hard, constantly cruel and always  unfair and is all about making choices, its 50% luck whether the choice made is the right one, but its exactly the same for everyone. But the financial burden from making the wrong choice, as far as choosing a partner and having a child(ren) with them is concerned, shouldn’t come out of the benefits pot.

In addition, how long are these young benefit claimants in a relationship for before they move in together and begin to raise a family?. In my generation it was not unusual for Husband and Wife (yes people got married back then) to live together for several years before deciding to start a family, this way you could ensure that the person you live with was the right person for you, was the person who you wanted to be a life long soul partner to and who did not have a darker side,  a secret lifestyle or was the local axe-muderer before making the important and precious decision to settle down and have children with them. This way if it all went wrong and the relationship ended, you could cut your losses and move on and out without having to worry about raising a child alone or what the break up would do to them emotionally.

How long are young couples together for these days before they fall pregnant?, is it measured in days or hours?. I am certainly not a religious nut, nor do I go around preaching the ancient attitude to marriage before sex, but what I do think is long overdue, is a means test to ensure that Child related benefits are perhaps only paid to those single parents who previously have lived together and at least ‘tried’ to make the relationship with their partner work for ‘years’ rather than ‘months’ before having children with them.

I also believe that the American benefits or should I say, ‘welfare’ system is much fairer and better aportioned than in the UK, over there benefits are paid out as tokens, which can be exchanged for providing the support they were intended for. Giving people cash is a bad idea, as some assumption by others may decide that its being used to fund Sky or a new Ipad instead of the purposes for which it was paid. Replacing the cash benefits system for Food shopping Vouchers, baby essentials, electricity / gas top ups, childrens clothing will ensure that they are spent where they were directed and there can be no public cries of ‘Foul’ when the Comet van rolls up outside the house on every street where nobody ever seems to leave for work, delivering the new £2000 Entertainment system.

Benefits  should not be a lifestyle choice, and even if one person is actively able to  choose to decide between working and living a life on benefits just because they don’t like their Job, then its simply one too many. Benefits exist as a last ditch means of keeping a roof over ones head and food on the table when times are tough and you are temporarily between employment. They are not there as a safety net because they hate their  job / boss!, or because they leapt into bed with the first person they met whilst wearing beer goggles.

Something is wrong, If people are actively asking publicly whether to give up existing employment in order to live a life  on Benefits, its even worse when it becomes apparant that some people out there are actually doing it, and from the feedback and replies on these discussions it seems that it does become a viable possibility, and many of the same ilk are openly encouraging / condoning it and actively closing ranks and protecting the art when others dare to criticise it.

The DLA system also needs an overhaul. Again I have no issue whatsoever with genuinely disabled people claiming help to live and gain mobility in order to visit places, do their shopping and maintain the shadow of a social life which able bodied people take for granted, however why is it that the mobility scheme should also be used to fund a full plethora of factory fitted extras to these vehicles?. Surely all that is needed, is a basic vehicle adapted to that individuals’ disability so if a specially modified Ford Fiesta can get them from A to B then why should the mobility scheme pay a penny more than that?. Are factory fitted extras such as  leather seats, a Harmon Kardon sound system upgrade, DVD Players for the kids, Metallic paint and a fitted satellite navigation system really commensurate to helping with a disability?, or are they options just used by people ‘because they can’ and that the £16,000 mobility allowance is seen as some form of target rather than an upper limit to ensure that the vehicle on the mobility scheme is suitable for the driver?. From some of the discussions i’ve read, from people embarking on the mobility scheme, a basic £12,000 vehicle isn’t enough, they also want the £4000 of extras to take it to the £16,000 on ‘offer’, and in a struggling economy, with many low income workers working 60 hours per week and struggling to keep their old bangers on the road, that is just plain wrong, in fact its ethically obscene.

I think personally that tighter controls have to be levied on this to prevent misuse, and so if it is deemed that a £6999 Honda Jazz is perfectly suitable for one persons’ disability then they should be allowed £6999, and not a penny more. However if a person requires more budget in order to buy a larger vehicle with the space for a wheelchair, such as a specially adapted MPV, then thats fine too, but if the total cost with the adaption equals £13,000, then £13,000 is the amount the Mobility Scheme should pay out. If the person wants a satellite navigation system, or factory options then they should perhaps write a letter to Santa, or pop down to halfords just like everybody else.

No doubt the benefit massive will get collectively together and pick holes in my rant and gang up on old Mr Grumpy for highlighting and attacking what is after all for some – a lifestyle choice, but the fact remains that the points i’ve highlighted here isn’t rumour or assumption, these are discussions which anybody can read on Google or  public forums, often written by those in receipt of the benefits themselves. ‘You’ too can read the many self volunteered forum posts, proudly listing the benefits received and totalling them up, and yes it can easily go well over the income from a single person or couple working for minimum wage, and yes it isn’t surprising that some choose to live on benefits because working would cost them more financially, and yes I agree that some would be worse off for working, I have never questioned that, I only question the logic behind making it a possibility.

However, I once again point out that this is not a general rant against people struggling on JSA or other minimum benefits and suffice to say that most people genuinely on benefits  are also fully aware of others fiddling the benefit system and are just as annoyed by it.

DLA and similar allowances should only be paid to people who cannot work, as opposed to will not work. I do wonder how people who openly admit to being unable to work through illness or disability manage to sit at a computer on an internet forum for long enough to make several thousand posts in a relatively short space of time. If you are able to sit at a computer for several hours a day making detailed and comprehensive posts on the internet numbering well into four or five figures, then i’m sorry but you are also fit enough to work in a similar environment, sat at a desk inputting data, proof reading, doing Admin work answering phones and sending emails – FACT. Nobody is suggesting labouring on a building site, or gardening as an occupation, but if somebody can sit at a computer updating their facebook profile or engaging in forum related debate, then whats the difference between doing this and being in a work place or working from home, doing similar clerical work? – No smoke and mirrors, and no pack drill.

In the same vein, is it really fair that things like Winter Heating Allowances and the Annual Benefit £10 xmas bonus are paid out to people who really don’t need it?. There are many retired company directors, with retirement incomes far in excess of the type of pensions which the normal working class can ever dream of, yet they still get and are able to claim the same heating allwance payment as poorer or sick pensioners for whom the heating allowance is a lifeline. Even Cliff Richard once mentioned in a TV  interview that he still claims the heating allowance, I wonder which of his mansions he uses it in?. Exactly what logic in relation to determining benefits, hands out heating allowances to millionaires living in mansions based on principle?, whilst many working class people struggle with the burden of ever increasing winter bills and get zero help. Are people on low incomes or who work for the Minimum wage incapable of feeling the cold? are they not worthy of a little help also?. Obviously not.

In the meantime, nothing will change. The country is almost stoney broke, already massively in debt and from bailing out the banks and other European countries, and its now facing crippling debt from the benefits culture its created, as well as record high energy prices, and as we approach 2o12, there is further talk of another double dip recession and even more trouble in the Eurozone. How long can it continue to pay out for some people’s lifestyle choice to remain on benefits?.

Well it wont be long before the burden of benefit  outgoings equal more than the income from tax paying workers fotunate to  still be in employment, and when you are paying out more in benefits than you are creating from actual  income, then its only a matter of time before the entire system collapses, benefits disappear and the country becomes bankrupt. For some, when it happens it will be a huge wake up call, and I hope that those who have decided to give up work, in order to “Spend more time with the family” or fulfil other lifestyle choices, will be big enough to stand by those decisions when the benefit way of life is removed. Unfortunately, however, this will also be disasterous to those genuine in need of benefits, whose lifeline has been removed,  by the massive burden of those who CHOOSE not to work.

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We are a small Event Hire and Wedding Entertainment company (Established 1988) seeking rental of a combined office and workshop / storage space in the Buxton (or surrounding) areas. Ideally we are looking for a 2 roomed building, where we can furnish one room to be used as an Office / Restroom and use the other space for storing and maintaining our  equipment. W.C facilities must also be available.

The building must have 24/7 parking for at least one vehicle (ideally close to the building for easy loading / unloading), and 24 hour access is also required to the building due to the late hours which we sometimes work, which by definition of our business model, is mostly Evenings and Weekends.

Our requirements would be best suited for a small converted farm outbuilding or a small lock up / workshop facility with office space, but any building with a total of around 250 – 500 sq ft will be actively considered. A Town centre or high street location is not an active requirement, as we are not retailing nor reliant on passing trade.

All we require is that the unit is dry and easy to secure, and that the space intended to be used for an office is reasonably presentable. The upper end of our budget is £200 – £250 PCM, and preference would be given to buildings which either qualify for low / reduced small business rates or have business rates included in the rent.

Initially, we are looking for an initial 6 month agreement with a 12 months licensed agreement considered as a maximum. We are also happy to consider paying a large proportion of the rent upfront, in return for the shorter 6 month period.

Ideally, we’d also like to occupy within the next month (MARCH 2011)

Both landlords and Agents alike are welcome to put across their property for our consideration.

Please email information and offers to:-

turbodiesel1973@<zerospam>hotmail.com

(please remember to delete the <zerospam> tag directly after the ‘@’ when sending replies to our email address)

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Ms Adams, 24, denied the charges at Nottingham Crown Court.

She was also found not guilty of grievous bodily harm, arson with intent.

The mother was accused of murdering two of her children, daughter Niamh, 5, and son Cayden, 2, on 23rd April 2010.

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A53

CAUTION ADVISED southbound between A54 Macclesfield Main Road jnct Buxton and Abbott’s Road jnct Leek

A537

Cat and Fiddle closed between Bull-Hill-Lane / A54

A54

Bosley Crossroads closed both ways between A523 and A537

A623

The Avenue, Stoney Middleton closed

A623

Dove Holes closed between A6 Higher Hallsteads jnct and Sparrowpit

A6024

Holme Moss Road closed / A628

A57 Snake Pass

Snake Pass closed between Hurst Road jnct Glossop and A6013 Ladybower Reservoir

A515

Tissington jnct closed

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Full-screen

A628

A628 eastbound (Greater Manchester) closed between jnct’s A57 and the A616. Road expected to re-open from 11:30 am

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The A6 and surrounding areas were gritted well prior to the predicted snowfall, but from Sunday 28th November, little or no gritting was causing road chaos on Monday and Tuesday.

Sky News reported live from Buxton Spring Gardens today that roads in and out of Buxton are clear, yet the schools, local college and many shops have closed early.

“That’s a load of grit – not!” said one angry resident in a report to About Buxton.  “The main roads are not that good.”  Adding further, the resident stated “How stupid and irresponsible…”, complaining that bus drivers took unnecessary risks on driving down un-gritted roads, “…taking alternative routes down Fairfield side streets which have not been gritted, totally unsuitable for large vehicles, is foolish.”

“There’re resident vehicles on both sides of the street. One skid in these hazardous conditions, and the bus will take out several cars and block the road for hours. Unbelievable!”

See Car owneres urged to avoid using car in severe weather conditions

See Current Local Weather Conditions in Buxton

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‘THE LITTLE BIG CLUB™’  - LIVE IN CONCERT’

“A little imagination can make BIG things happen’

The Little Big Club Live in Concert is a fantastic new 70-minute theatrical and musical extravaganza from Hit Entertainment and Premier Stage Productions, which brings together an ensemble of the world most popular preschool characters in one exciting adventure!

In this unique production Bob The Builder™, Barney & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Fireman Sam™ , Fifi Forget-me-not™ and Pingu™ feature on stage together for the first time ever!

The Little Big Club Live In Concert made its UK premiere in January 2010 followed by an extensive tour across the country .

The live show also introduces the UK to The Little Big Club Band, who encourage the audience to join in and have fun with each character as they perform their own ‘set’. In the grand finale, all of the characters come together on stage to sing a reprise of The Little Big Club songs and celebrate with their new friends in the audience.

Premier Stage Productions is one of the leading players in the UK Children’s Theatre circuit. The company has built a fantastic reputation amongst theatre managers the length and breadth of Great Britain for their highly inventive and accessible children’s shows.

Sun 5 September @ 2pm
BUXTON  OPERA HOUSE
Box Office 0845 127 2190

Buxton Opera House
Water Street
Buxton
Derbyshire
SK17 6XN

TOUR LISTINGS
SEPTEMBER 2010

Fri 3 September @ 1pm
SKEGNESS EMBASSY THEATRE
Box Office 0845 674 0505

Sat 4 September  times tbc
LINCOLN THEATRE ROYAL
Box Office 01522 519999

Sun 5 September @ 2pm
BUXTON  OPERA HOUSE
Box Office 0845 127 2190

Sat 11  September @ 1.30pm & 3.30pm
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE THEATRE
Box Office 01785 254 653

Sun 12 September @ 2pm
NEW BRIGHTON FLORAL PAVILION
Box Office 0151 666 000

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That new chappie Prime Minister David Cameron has called for more to be done to market Britain as a destination for foreign visitors as well as those at home.

Apparently, Mr Cameron has urged people to be “more proud” of the UK, its natural assets and its history.

He also said that more is to be done so that the UK can break into the top five most visited destinations in the world.

I applaud the urge. Most encouraging. And with the media harping on about the first 100 days of office, I wonder if our new elected MP will soon be sharing his thoughts by echoing his leaders calls of importance placed on the role of tourism – for Buxton and its surrounding areas?

Given the number of coaches parked everyday of the week near Spring Gardens (?) and outside the Buxton Opera House, there seems to be no let-up of tourist sightseers’, however I find it incredible that compared to other ‘tourist’ attraction destinations such as Bakewell or Matlock, Buxton must be the bottom of the pile when it comes to promoting itself as ‘a serious tourist attraction’.

Lets look at some facts.

Compared to these other examples, Buxton has equally marvellous appeal but isn’t pulling out all the stops to promote or encourage the ‘all year round tourist’ or ’seasonal tourist’. It relies too heavily on the Buxton Fringe Festival month, and up to 8 market stalls on Tuesdays and Saturdays, a fact which for the highest market town in England, is disgusting in my opinion, and of course the ‘Buxton Water’ fountain.

With no visible work being carried out on the Crescent Hotel, this weeks biggest attraction to Buxton was the felling of a tree. That actually attracted more audience than the recent Morris Dancer showcase, believe it or not, but I guess the ‘Buxton Stump’ will have an appeal as it is something new and different…cue digital cameras for another of Buxton’s memorable sights.

Actually, whilst I mention Buxton sights, could someone prod our new MP to take a moment to reflect on the following snaps (courtesy of Mr Grumpy’s Grandson!)

Here is the George Hotel. It’s pretty close to the Buxton Opera House and quite closed. What a shame. Not that Buxton really needs anymore hotels or guest houses, in my opinion, but isn’t it a shame that another business / premises in the heart of Buxton has succumbed to being a derelict graveyard, and now literally just waiting for some oiks to cause a nuisance, mischief and misery.

The fact that this establishment is so close to the Buxton Opera House and Pavilion Gardens reminds us that if businesses located in main tourism areas are not immune to downturns,  recessions and changes in social trends, what chance does the established business have in the outta and non-tourism areas of Buxton?

Here’s the Liberal Club in Waterswallows Road.  Quite closed.  Not even subsidised beer or the community status tag of ‘the club’, supposedly “underpinning the local community” managed to keep the doors open.  I wonder which club or Pub in Buxton will be next to fall victim to the change in social trends?  Buxton Working Men’s Club perhaps?  The ‘19th Hole’ perhaps?

There are some strange and peculiar mindsets in Buxton which seem to pour scorn on anything that is positive or bettering the community or Buxton tourism.  I’d include common sense in that statement too, but having just visited a recently rejuvenated business in Spring Gardens which is apparently “a charity”, common sense here seems to be thrown out of the window.

It seems that the establishment desires a particular type of customer which someway goes to explain why this newly decorated tea room is as empty as the heads of its new management.

It never used to be like this and was always ‘busy’, especially when it rained, as customers (my self included) would dash in and naturally partake in the friendly service and wares.

Of course the establishment needed an overdue makeover and the previous management (from own experience) were as patronising and nutty as the owner of Fawlty Towers, but that was part of the charm and appeal of this local business!  You knew what to expect and the staff were most accommodating.

With management change and the ‘new broom’ philosophy, one would still expect that all customers would be welcome.  Apparently, not so.

I have nothing but admiration for those that manage and run a local charity (is this a local charity?), but if my face does not fit, my money is obviously not good enough, consequently it’s not rocket science to see how others will view this establishment.

Not in the same league as a restaurant to attract the business and culinary advice of Gordon Ramsey, nor a guest house or hotel to welcome the recommendations of Alex Polizzi, perhaps Andrew Bingham can work his MP magic and offer this Buxton business / charity needy pointers before it too becomes a derelict business.

The cost of living from January 2011 will be getting higher for everyone and businesses in Buxton need to focus ahead.

Like the ‘new ’stump’, Buxton has deep roots but I fear that without scrutiny and a little concentration in the right places now, especially during these difficult times and apparently ahead, Buxton will fall far behind it’s neighbouring tourism areas, will lose the appeal as the highest market town with attractions.  It’ll be just another town on the landscape.

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In a society as paranoid as the UK most people will have heard of the CRB Checks and have probably encountered some form of CRB Checking or have known somebody who has. Well, in the last month, a friend of mine has also experienced it within his employment. Why would he need a CRB Check? Does he work with vulnerable elderly people, or is he in contact with Children? Neither actually, as it happens he is a self employed tradesman, employed to work in many different environments including the occasional trip into a School or Old Folks’ home in order to carry out remedial or installation work.

Non of this work directly involves contact with, or actually working with vulnerable people or children. It just involves him working inside a building where such individuals may frequent, yet local legislation and the usual pen pushing ‘Jobsworths’ require him to be CRB Checked before he can gain contract work for and enter such an environment. This is where the problem begins.

First of all, its almost impossible for somebody working for themselves to obtain a CRB enhanced disclosure check to the level and satisfaction required by many local schools and other council run establishments which require it. Upon calling those entities who have implemented this regulation, my friend has been told to get his employer to provide the checks via an umbrella organisation, a little impossible when you are self employed and have no employer! Upon calling the Umbrella organisations directly, he was told that they are unable to provide individuals with CRB Checks, and to get his employer to make contact with them…….and around and around it goes.

What’s wrong with this picture? Suddenly we have a situation where a hard working, self employed individual is prevented from carrying out his trade purely through a piece of legislation. My friend is perfectly willing to obtain the requested certification and pay the relevant fees to become CRB checked, however he is prevented from doing so because nobody can supply him with this CRB checking service. His only crime and reason for refusal – being self employed!

It seems yet again we have a piece of rushed through legislation which is so ill thought out that its costing people money and stopping honest hard working people from earning a living. Surely, if legislation is introduced, there has to exist an easy and nationally accessible means of applying for and obtaining such CRB certification and by ‘accessible’, I mean available to everybody of which it is likely to affect including those not directly employed by the council or care home, or doing voluntary work. So far, my friend is unable to accept work in any of these institutions and that is a great loss of business which, in a recession, may actually result in the total loss of his business and him joining the UK’s only remaining growth industry – Unemployment.

I can understand and applaud the need for those whose entire employment description involves work with children and the elderly, day in – day out to obtain such obvious security checks, but even in this case, I’ve heard stories of people declined JSA and various other benefits whilst they wait for the CRB Check to complete after being offered full or part time employment.

A friends partner told me they’d waited over 8 weeks for a CRB Check to be completed by her employer before she could start work there, and in the meantime, because she couldn’t actually start the job meant that she was not entitled to benefit payments as she was ‘technically employed’. Obviously, without any income in the interim, she fell behind with bill payments and nearly lost her home. How ludicrous is that? Clearly, the CRB Checking infrastructure is not in place, so it cannot cope with the load. Perhaps its the same people dealing with CRB checks as deal with the issuing of passports?!

Its amazing that hackers can literally clone somebody’s life, background and identity from their ‘facebook’ profile in minutes, yet it takes the powers that be anything around 8+ weeks to carry out what is basically just a glorified Police background check.

Do they need more staff working in the CRB Checking environment? If so, I can recommend many of the 2.2 Million people currently unemployed. I’m sure most of them would be able to do the job, so go fill your boots.

So, do CRB Checks actually work? Does CRB Checking actively prevent more of the tragic instances that we read about in the papers? Did CRB Checks stop the death of ‘Baby Peter’? How about the needless and tragic deaths more recently of Augustino, Gianluca, and Cecilia Riggi? Did it prevent the violet death of 15 year old Zac Olumegbon from London? It seems from the stories in the media that more Children suffer and are at risk as a direct result of abuse, neglect and violence at the hands of family members and even their peers, than they do from outsiders or Electricians and Plumbers carrying out work in their school.

Society has reached a point now where people fear that if their neighbours’ house goes up for sale, that Jon Venables might be moved in next door. They view anybody stopping to assist a lost child with great suspicion and lose sleepless nights worrying that their children’s school bus driver might turn out to be a modern day Myra Hindley. In reality, those who embark on such crimes against Children and the Elderly are few and far between are still the same minority amongst the millions of normal individuals out there, just as they were 20 or 30 years ago, however, with the press hysteria, its now more heard about and has been hyped out of all proportion, and so its the majority who are constantly under the suspicion. Its a sad, but glaringly true fact that in the recent case of the Riggi children that with the law of averages, they probably would have been much safer and would still be alive today had they have been in the company of a random stranger passing in the street, rather than living with their Mother! There does seem to be a growing and very alarming trend for parents to commit acts of violence, neglect and even murder their children, and no CRB Checks are going to call a halt to that.

Seems what is needed is better observation, training and interest by those who are in contact with children and who could spot early signs of neglect taking place, and are in the best position to do something about it, and that includes professional individuals such as teachers as well as neighbours and other family members.

In fact, in relation to CRB Checks in the School Environment, already this year there has been a large number of media stories relating to children being attacked and murdered in their own school during the day, often in full view of the adults who have a duty of care towards them. Is this the work of some serial killer? Perhaps some 2010 version of ‘Jack the Ripper’ on the streets and stalking the playgrounds? No, this is children attacking other children with knives! It seems to me that in the current day and age, the growing trend of young teenagers carrying weapons actually places the Teachers more at risk from their Pupils than the other way round. Certainly, I cannot remember any multiple instance of a Teacher recently attacking a pupil, however there are plenty of media stories in relation to stabbings and fatalities resulting from teenagers attacking each other, and even turning violent against their teachers, so who is most at risk from whom?

Some element of common sense has to be applied here, after all, we have reached a point now where you have to obtain a CRB check in order to drive friends of your own children to school, or voluntarily offer to help run a school trip. I’m not surprised that parents are being accused of not showing an interest to PTA activities and in their child’s schooling. More recently, one school decided to make its own policy that parents had to be CRB Checked in order to attend sports days, and even after the story hit the national press, common sense still trailed in last as the biggest loser.

When my friend asked the local council why he was required to obtain a CRB check, he was told that it was because he worked in places where there were children. Well in that case, we are all going to require CRB checks just to walk around the supermarket or walk the dog in the local park. Have you also eaten at a local pub recently? These days, there seems to be more children running riot in these places than at an average village school playground. Are staff and their regulars in these places CRB checked?

In the meantime, if anybody could comment on this story with information as to where a self employed individual can obtain a full CRB Check without being directly employed by a council run establishment or having an ‘employer’, neither of which allow him to obtain the paperwork required to continue to earn a living, my friend would most certainly be interested.

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