Recently updated we now have street view and some you can see what ornaments are on your windowsills, you can see the children in the school playground, who is having a coffee outside Real Flavours, even who is nipping to the pub of a lunchtime.

More information at http://www.google.co.uk/help/maps/streetview/
What are your streetviews on this, good, bad or indifferent?

Also in the plans are the loss up to 650 council jobs, does that mean that the total claims for expenses will be lower than the £879,598 for last year, somehow I doubt it.

The entry was by Phil Hackett, the Chief Executive of Shakespear Country, the official Tourist Board for Stratford-Upon Avon, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Kenilworth & the Cotswolds. Take a look at the site, he talks of a drive out which brought him to visit our Castle.  He mentions it being one of the last of its type, a quadrangular castle that is built of brick.  He says it is such a wonderful place but the thing that makes it so interestin is that it’s not a ruin.

Here is a petty one, is it or isn’t it a ruin? Phil Hackett says not because it was never finished, I say it is because it falls into dictionary definitions but English Heritage say remains, this also is a synonym of ruin. What say you?

Is there nothing more interesting I hear you say, this is Kirby so you tell me.

Luke Bowyer a young Kirby resident of  6 organised a table top sale and collected £325 for Haiti earthquake survivors. The Royal Oak has made it into the top 10 restaurants guide in the Leicester Mercury last week. Kirby House is one of the care homes earmarked for closure or sale, which in turn could save the conservative run council £1million a year if sold to the private sector. So just £69 million left to find.

The next event on the calendar is Shrove Tuesday on the 16th February when it is time to eat the items Christians are not permitted during lent, hastily followed by schools half term from Monday the 19th of February to Friday 23rd.

What else has been happening or about to, let us know?

According to Blaby District Council neither would this one be as Barry Drive is officially within the boundaries of Leicester Forest East, also pointed out in the November post along with only one application which was declined.

So what we ask is this, is the chip shop fact or fiction and if true would it be welcome? I say fiction having spoken to the planning department at the council late last year and given the area where they wish to locate it. Would I welcome it, for the number of times I would use it, no loss no profit really, but what say you?

I contacted the council twice today, the first this morning simply to enquire if the collections would go ahead given the weather prior to carting it all out, the answer was “yes they are out but we don’t know yet if they will last the day”. That’s fair enough, I made sure all rubbish was available to take, card & paper in one extra bag and cans & bottles also in an additional bag given the number of weeks since the bins and boxes were taken for recycling.  It is now 4.15 and my drive looks as if it’s replaced the tip at Whetstone.

The second contact was to ask if the items for recycling are still being collected, yes hopefully they are, “they have been out since 7.30 this morning but the side roads are bad and the lorries are extremely heavy given the excess weight from Christmas, Leave it out until 5pm and if they haven’t been collected there will be a full pick up next week”, oh good because then it can all be brought back to keep the drive warm in the snow.

The gritters were not too helpful then, they weren’t where I live either, did they come out at all? Perhaps it’s time that the council started working on a rota system like many other services do. A rota does not mean you have to work Christmas day and Boxing day, but it would mean that there would not have to be a massive and troublesome collection after Christmas.

The July fortnight, no Shops open on a Sunday and the  Monday to Friday and 9 til 5 jobs are becoming more scarce. Is it not time the council boarded the 21st century? It’s a good job that nurses, policeman fireman, prison officers and postmen don’t work that way, imagine the excess that would gather up. And I bet that council workers were glad that they could find shops open when they needed one outside of 5pm and a weekend.

Thanking you for your continued support in 2009.

I  contacted Anstey and Groby Parish Councils to ask if they would be able to tell us what their budgets are for village Christmas trimmings in comparison to ours when I asked. Anstey Council have a contract and have now spent in excess of £30,000, Groby informed me that as they did not have the figures at hand they will take my number and return my call, I was not expecting an immediate response so was not disappointed, I’ll wait, they sounded genuine enough!

I then contacted our Council to ask what, if any our budget is for village trimmings at Christmas. Speaking to head of finance who was pleasantly approachable,  the reply was as follows:-
“The Parish Council is delighted that village residents are debating an issue that they feel strongly about and one that has only very recently been brought to the attention of Councillors. The next meeting of the Parish Council is set for Thursday 7th January 2010. An item called ‘Christmas Lights’ has been added to the agenda that will be posted on notice boards in advance of the meeting. Parish Council meetings are open to the public. Meetings start at 7.00 pm in the Council Chamber and members of the public are invited at speak at 8.00 pm or at the conclusion of the meeting, whichever is the earliest. May I take this opportunity to wish all followers of this web site a very happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

With best wishes, Dr. Kevin Tansey, Chair of the Finance Committee, Kirby Muxloe Parish Council”

Honest but as expected, and not just because of the current economic climate but because they have to adhere to policies and procedures.

So it seems  we have a few weeks to think about what we want to see, and where we would like to see it, put our opinions across at the meeting, maybe a few months to come up with some suggestions, and a year to wait for an outcome whilst they tinker with the budget. It may not be what we wanted but it is more than what we have had.

Thoughts?

I contacted the Parish Council today to ask for their current position on christmas trimmings, I had to leave a message and nobody has got back to me as yet, I will let you know the response if and when I get one.

In the December publication of “The Kirby Comment” Parsons Patch informs us, that because of the dreadful state of public finances  expenditure has to be reduced by £70 m over the next four years, “inevitably some services will have to be reduced”; that will be our lights then. He is however looking forward to the Christmas season and especially carols around the tree, so he has our tree…….  in his pocket maybe, I do hope the baubles don’t break we will not afford replacements, not in this economic climate!