At Sheringham town community newspaper. North Norfolk England UK.

Good morrow good citizens of sleepy Sheringham and a thousand greetings upon you all with this, the 25th edition of hearsay. Well, although the weather doesn't seem to think so, our busy summer in Sheringham is finally over.

We can with ease, and relative leisure, take an un-barged stroll down the High Street without fear of being booted into the path of on-coming traffic by the hoards of marauding crowds, all jostling for a place in the "two meals for the price of one queue" at selected pub outlets around the town. However many of us locals did our personal shopping whilst the visitors were still tucking into a million and one "Atkins friendly Traditional Full English breakfasts. And one knows when the season is finally drawing to a close as you can actually see the Town Clock from the top of Station Road without hindrance. So that's it our friends and visitors have tailed off to a mere trickle and everyday normality has ascended over this tranquil and pleasant land. No, I don't mean that to sound disingenuous. I mean it.

Look around at the place. It has a serene calm about it. With the return of the school term normality arrived with new excitement. Especially for those little darlings whose "New" Ladybird pre-school nursery opened the other week. After the old one came to an untimely smoky end. Many of us gathered round as we so often do in this country in times of need and amassed a cool 50k or there abouts over the ensuing 19 months of uncertainty. It was a shame that a fair bit of the dosh had to be spent on a mobile room to begin with and shame on the insurers for not actually coughing up a bit more than they did.

But hey, that's all in the past now. Still, bigger and better as it is now, those little loves will become as smart and as bright as our very own celestial Mars in the night sky. Especially now they have their little well equipped reading room etc. etc. Also just for good measure the Black Thunder Girls came down from Radio Broadland to officially open it. Putting as it did Sheringham firmly in the limelight. Not only that but we had rival station, Radio Norfolk down the beach rattling on about Sheringham's much needed job vacancy for the pied piper. But I fear it will take more than a nursery rhyme character in funny trousers and feathered hat to rid our seafront from that four-legged foe. It seems that chip papers and careless people are our (Sheringham's) worst enemy. After all our seafront is being spoiled by rodents, whereas Cromer's is being spoilt by planners and designers. Especially when it comes to demolishing an all-important watering hole and replacing it with an ultra-modern lifeboat museum. Just a Mo though! (Sorry no pun intended.) Isn't that what they've already done at the East End here? Just think though, in Cromer they had a 3904-named petition against it's closure. Me thinks the same could have been said for opening it here instead. The Bathhouse would be aptly named, as underneath would be a sewage pumping station anyway. Now then, have you noticed lately, over in Cromer as indeed is happening here, loads of new protest and focus groups springing up all over the place? There seems to be an ever-increasing number of these new committees (Bodies) being set up all the time. Usually by small groups of folk who feel the need to moan and protest communicatively about just about every little injustice or, in recent times, with every little piece of redevelopment that any planner dares to mention. A few examples of late would be "Friends of Cromer's open green spaces", "Friends of Beeston Back Common", "Friends of Western Terrace" and last but by no means least the friends of the save our Tony from self destruction campaign"! Sorry, no, that was a joke, no really it was! Yes well I guess that was about as funny as introducing a no car policy for the day like they have had in Aylsham the other day. Can you imagine the introduction of that here in Sheringham? Catching on in Sheringham?

I don't think! Talk about the damage that having a Tesco might do to the local infrastructure and shopping. My goodness stopping cars from being able to drive within 30 centimetres of any shop doorway, as is now the case in town would, to some shops and certain drivers, I might add, prove to be disastrous. I mean not having the pleasure of being able to dump one's car on many of the double yellows in and around the town centre just might well cast many of our smaller establishments into premature receivership overnight. Now talking of Tesco I gather, as I write this, that the jury is out on the decision as to whether or not to allow planning consent for the Tesco proposals. EXCITING AIN'T IT? Whatever their decision, it will have been made by the time you read this so maybe more about that next time. Talking of next time, well the time after next actually. Yes in issue 27 the paper and I will be One year older. I guess most of you will be wondering how the editor has allowed this rubbish to be continued for so long? But hey, so I'm led to believe, most folks actually (sad as they may well be) enjoy reading these articles time after time. So I thought I'd test the water and invite you, in plenty of time to send in a card or two of good tidings, or sympathy and condolence if you prefer. Of course you don't even have to worry about the content so much as "its filling" 'cos the extra dosh keeps my barrister and brief happy though out the year. Which they say keeps their wives' needs in feathered hats and Nilons. I'm hoping that one loyal soul might take pity on me in recognition of my (our) literal annoying and penned persistence over the year. I have I hope tried to champion many a good cause over that time and highlighted many a wrong doing or annoyance from those who should know better. So until next time keep the letters coming in (printable please).
Yours Vic.

VOTE FOR INCOME BASED LOCAL COUNCIL RATES?

Good Morning - 'D' Band Rated Neighbour

Lib Dems launch scrap the tax campaign

The Liberal Democrats have today voted to abolish the unfair Council Tax, which is based on outdated property valuations and put a local income tax in its place. The vote took place at the Party Conference. Councillor Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, former Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich South. Welcomed the news and hailed it as a victory for the thousands of disgruntled pensioners who had been campaigning against the Council Tax. "We will be launching our scrap the council tax petition this week and hope to collect hundreds of signatures" Andrew added. The new system of local income tax will be based on ability to pay, and will cut huge amounts from wasted administration by removing duplication of collection services by using the Inland Revenue to collect the tax. "A real win win situation" concluded Andrew.