MADNESS

WASTE OF MONEY
Council workmen resurfaced The Ridings in Ockbrook at a cost of Ł8,000. A week later, Transco announced that the road was to be dug up to lay a new gas pipeline and Derbyshire County Council and Transco are blaming each other for the farce. County Council spokesman John Fern said, "They have told us that they don't need to dig up the road, and would only need to dig up the pavement. So, as far as we are aware, there won't be a problem." But Transco spokeswoman Stephanie van Rosse said that digging up the road was necessary and that the company had liaised with the county council who had known about the Ł82,000 project seven months earlier.

KERB FIASCO
When workers packed away their tools after taking a month to put new kerbs in a street in Chellaston, residents breathed a sigh of relief. While the work was carried out at the junction of Snelsmoore Lane and High Street, the pavement was blocked and pedestrians had to step into the road to pass.

But the very next day after the work was completed, the new kerb stones were dug up by East Midlands Electricity because two nearby properties had reported a loss of power. Residents are angry because EME knew about the problem at the same time as the council was carrying out the repairs and said that if the two organisations had contacted each other, then both sets of work could have been done at the same time.

A spokesman for East Midlands Electricity said, "Two properties in Snelsmoore Lane near the junction with High Street, Chellaston, contacted us complaining that they were left without electricity, so we sent our engineers."

"Unfortunately, there was no option but to dig down to the cable. If we could have done it differently, we would have, but it was just one of those things where it was not possible on this occasion. There is no way to tell if the re-kerbing work by the council caused the disruption to electricity."

The work was completed and the kerbing stones laid by the council were put back by East Midlands Electricity. Derby City Council spokeswoman Carol Mee said, "Our workers had just completed re-kerbing work when the problem to the electricity occurred that meant digging up the pavement again. It is just one of those things that happen now and again."

MADNESS

DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY
A Derby hospital refused to accept a Ł50 donation from a woman who won the cash by posing topless in a national newspaper. Chantel Gaynor took part in the competition run by the Daily Sport, which saw entrants who had their topless pictures printed winning Ł50 and a further Ł50 going to a good cause of their choice. Miss Gaynor decided that Derbyshire Children's Hospital would be a worthy recipient of the cash, as she had been treated there for a number of broken bones during her childhood. But she was dismayed when she learned that the hospital would not be accepting the money because of the way in which it was won.

Chris Calkin, director of finance and information for Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Derbyshire Children's Hospital, said it would be "inappropriate to accept money that undermined the trust's core values". Those values, he said, included "the exploitation of young women". A baffled Miss Gaynor said that she had volunteered willingly for the photo shoot, adding that it took place at her home and had the blessing of her mother and stepfather, Kay and David Wragg, with whom she lives.

Miss Gaynor, a nail technician who runs her business, Hard as Nails, from home, said, "It's a donation for the children to help them. At the end of the day it's a donation. It doesn't matter where it comes from. Saying they can't condone the exploitation of a young lady makes me feel really bad." She added, "My parents were quite happy about the photo shoot. They thought it would give me a good chance of getting a modelling job or of furthering my modelling career." Mr Calkin added, "Monies received from donations to Derbyshire Children's Hospital are used to improve facilities, rather than spent directly on healthcare. Therefore we can assure people that children's lives are not put at risk by declining such offers." That's an explanation?

The Falklands Veterans Foundation have now accepted a charity donation from Chantal Gaynor and appointed the model as one of its sweethearts. Colin Waite of the veteran's foundation said, "We thought Chantal had been snubbed and we wanted to do something about it. Hopefully she will help the Falklands veterans and cheer some people up as well. She will be hobnobbing with celebrities as we have trustees like Simon Weston and Jim Davidson." Ms Gaynor said, "A lot of people think I am just exposing myself, but I just did for the competition. I think it is marvellous that these old people can accept that the younger generation do this sort of thing."

For an explanation by Julie Acred, OBE, Chief Executive of Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust click here

Easyjet is using its advert featuring a woman's breasts with the phrase "discover weapons of mass distraction" to launch fund-raising efforts for breast cancer and Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals' NHS Trust, is putting in a bid for a share of the cash.

COMMON-SENSE IN SHORT SUPPLY
It certainly does not appear to be in plentiful supply at the city's Council House. When friends and relatives decided to pay their last respects to Bill Pye they knew that there would be a problem. Naturally, the wake would be at the family home in Crompton Street - Bill's home for 40 years. But for the past ten months, Bill along with many of his neighbours, had been in dispute with the city council over the installation of parking meters outside their properties. Bill did not see why visitors to his home should have to pay 50p for the privilege. But Bill would literally be turning in his grave had he known that the city council charged people attending his funeral wake for the privilege of parking outside the family home.

The Pye family played it by the book. They contacted the council to ask for parking permits. But, and this is where the council got it wrong, the council told them exactly what it said in its big rule book: "Parking permits cannot be issued as people without residents' permits can also use the street for parking." Had a little common-sense been applied, then a caring and compassionate council officer would have said: "On this occasion, I think we can bend the rules slightly and put a few cones down to ensure that some spaces are saved at least for close relatives." Such a move would certainly have earned the city council some respect. It might also have been quite an astute political move as the council is currently running a series of surgeries around the city on residential parking schemes.

PLANNING PERMISSION
There will be hollow laughter, or perhaps a bewildered shaking of heads the next time some cabinet member or officer at the city council proclaims the authority's commitment to extending sporting and leisure opportunities. Members of Woodlands Tennis Club can scarcely believe the decision by council planners not to allow them to press ahead with plans for a new pavilion. Nor will most other people who are aware of the shortage of good facilities for young tennis players in this country, often only highlighted in Wimbledon fortnight when the paucity of budding talent is highlighted in the first rounds of the men's and women's singles.

The reason for the ruling? The development would require the axing of two silver birch trees in the club grounds. The trees are the subject of preservation orders, and ironically the club has been the victim of its own honesty. For the council had been unaware of the existence of the trees, which were planted by a club member 28 years ago, until the Woodlands' planning application pinpointed them. It promptly slapped on preservation orders. Had the club simply felled them before submitting the application, nobody would have been any the wiser.

Members have even offered to replace the birches with two other trees, but that has been rejected. Tennis is often portrayed as a sport of the upper classes. It's not often you hear of a player reaching the top domestically from the inner cities. And that is likely to remain the case if opportunities are limited by local authorities deciding to give priority to the rights of trees over those of tennis club members. Woodlands members fear this refusal could lead to the closure of their club.

In September 2003, the council performed a U-turn. The council's arboricultural officer, John Booth, maintained there was no arboricultural reason for felling the trees but planning officers said that "the community value of the potentially improved facility does, on balance, outweigh the loss of the two mature birch trees". The club first submitted proposals to build a new pavilion in July 2002.

The club finally received the backing of councillors who consented to the development after the tennis club offered to replace the two trees with another silver birch and a maple tree. Council planning officer Duncan Inwood said, "There are competing issues that relate to the value of the trees that will be lost and the community value of the proposal itself." Councillor Ray Baxter, who opposed the development on previous occasions, said, "We have had two refusals. If the applicant had felt we had made the wrong decision, he could have gone to the Government inspector. But he hasn't appealed against it so he obviously doesn't think we were wrong." Councillor Joan Travis said, "This club needs to be supported. Tennis is becoming less popular with young people and I think we should let the club improve its facilities."

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