Country Park RIP

[SeanC]

You might be interested in the closure of Beacon Wood Country Park, near Dartford, due to the cuts.

http://www.gravesendreporter.co.uk/news ... c_1_839837

We were planning to hold an event there in May but will be going elsewhere now.

I wonder if this is typical and if other clubs have been affected in a similar way by local council cutbacks to their country parks?

Those of you that have been there will know it's not the greatest for orienteering as it's very small, and to be honest we have enough other areas to keep us going, but it was a good training area as it had some good contours for down south (as it is an old quarry).

If Lafarge Cement are correct then maybe we can go back there in future when things settle down.

[Clive Coles]

Yes ~ the cuts are happening at the Foresty Commission as well ~ DEFRA are still insisting on the Commission reduce their budget by 25%. A number of experienced staff will be given redundancy notices later this year.

I found out earlier this week that the retail outlets at High Lodge (Thetford Forest) are being sold off. The first of many changes. This news does not in itself affect orienteering access but they cannot save 25% by just selling a shop and cafe facility. So we in East Anglia await further announcements.

You still have 4 days left if you, or your club, wish to send in views and concerns to the Forestry Panel who are considering the future of the Public Forest estate in England.
Your chance to influence the way access to forests and woodlands are managed in the future. The Government are still insisting they have to make cuts ~ there remains a risk that the public forests will be sold off to help balance the books.

[Gross]

The Government are still insisting they have to make cuts

Cuts have got to be made somewhere. Lots of money wasted in all government organisations & I'm sure the Forestry Commission is no different. If management are really keen to sort out the finances they would be looking internally first & maybe also they wouldn't threaten to go on strike to protect there glourious working conditions

[seabird]

Interesting one Gross.

I'd only observe that the majority of people I went to school with, who went into the private sector were able to retire on comfortable pensions in their early 50s (10 years or so ago). They may even be the same people who seem to be buying up our woodlands for their shooting syndicates and then denying access - indeed I have extended family members who have done just that.

Meanwhile I'm still working in the public services - and my pension will never match theirs.

Not complaining cos I enjoy the work - but all this talk of golden plated pensions is rather off the mark, for all bar a precious few.

It's time responsibility for this financial mess was placed where it truly belongs - the financial sector. We seem powerless.

[Red Adder]

When I started work in the mid seventies it was generally accepted that state / local govt employees were not paid as well as private sector and the good pensions were some recompense as part of the whole employment package. I know things have changed in fairly recent years but the rich that run this country have done a good job in dividing and conquering. Lets not forget that the bankers that precipitated the current difficulties still managed to trouser over £ 14bn in bonus this year. Pity a couple of them aren't O club members - they could buy up the odd country park for their fellow members rather than *****ing their bonus up the wall on ferraris and shampoo (and fees for tax avoidance accountants).

And don't forget the right still have eyes on destroying the NHS and public education and finally rolling back all the wonderful work of Atlee's 1945 govt.

[Gross]

If the public sector was to sort this out everyone would be better off

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... money.html

[Red Adder]

of course the private companies supplying over-priced stock do use the profits to pay their staff a (probably ptitful) pension - so us taxpayers could be said to be paying private pensioners as well.

[Clive Coles]

Not sure where these arguments regarding pensions are getting us ~ to return to the original post regarding the probable loss of land for orienteering use.

I think the problems we have with the public estate is either the application of financial constraints by successive Governments ( currently the 25% DEFRA cuts) , or conversely the availability of funding for specific "flavours of the month".

In East Suffolk at present there seems to be no end to the amount of funding that can be obtained from the EU to restore lowland heathland. This is the EU's overriding environmental "priority". Our local authority, with the approval of Natural England, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust, are therefore engaged in felling a mixed woodland on Sutton Common in the hope they can get heather to regenerate.

This programme was started 10 years ago on an adjacent private estate ~ that estate too benefited from EU/Government grants.

The success of heather regeneration is being questioned by many forest users and visitors ~ unfortunately the bracken and bramble has taken hold ~ it could be years before we have more heather cover.

They are trying to control bracken with sheep and Exmore ponies ~ this has resulted in miles of stock fencing being erected to enclose the sites and the provision of a handful of kissing gates so that access can be mainained along paths from one side to another. Orienteering options will never be what they used to be.

Looks as if another of our Orienteering areas will be out of our programme for some time. Will certainly need a new survey once the felling has been completed. We were to have used the area this season ~ luckily we switched the venue earlier in the year (before the news of the fellling leaked out) to utilise one of our FC areas in November.

It remains to be seen if Sutton Common will remain in public ownership. The conservation focused organisations are looking hopeful it might get off-loaded to them.

[70plus]

It's time responsibility for this financial mess was placed where it truly belongs - the financial sector. We seem powerless.

I think it has been placed there for some time now. The occupants won't accept it, though I suspect many are Teflon-coated.

[Big Jon]

"If the public sector was to sort this out everyone would be better off

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... money.html"

Ch***t almighty Gross, you've stooped to a new low, quoting the Daily Wail!

[Gross]

Ch***t almighty Gross, you've stooped to a new low, quoting the Daily Wail!

You know me Jon... once a Maggie supporter always a Maggie supporter [you can beat me up at Creag Mhic on Tuesday if it stays dry:)]

[King Penguin]

I'd only observe that the majority of people I went to school with, who went into the private sector were able to retire on comfortable pensions in their early 50s (10 years or so ago). Meanwhile I'm still working in the public services - and my pension will never match theirs.

Not consistent with my experience. 30+ years in private sector, several scrappy pensions from different companies, final salary scheme killed off decades ago. Contrast that with someone I knew in the public sector who managed to delay his redundancy until he was 50 so he could retire with a gold-plated pension made up by 10 years and paid as if he had worked to 60.