SBC in School Safety Shocker

It seems Health & Safety rules have passed at least some SBC-run schools - for about 25 years! - when the Paper Boy was at school in "that England" in the 1980s you weren't allowed in the wood- or metalwork workshops if you had long hair, a tie on or anything that projected from your body by more than half-an-inch.

The final arbiter of this was "Stan" who apparently lived in the workshop since nobody ever saw him arrive or leave - and every workshop the Paper Boy has been in since has had a "Stan" - and his sole raison d'etre and entertainment was scaring the life out of the unversed users of the workshop with stories of fingers drilled off and eyeballs pulled out by spinning lathes, and the like. He was also the one that sent you to the stores for a long stand (or for variety - a long weight), left-handed screwdrivers, tartan paint and the like.

Obviously a life in the Borders is less valuable now than one in England was 25 years ago.

Duns councillor welcomes new houses - 50 objections

The BBC News website reports that the SBC Councillor for Duns (previously mentioned here for bizarre letters to the Berwickshire News) has welcomed the plans for 62 additional houses in the town despite 50 objections received by the planners at SBC. Is this a wise move less than 6 months from election day?

London, Paris, Milan, New York, Galashiels???!!

The erstwhile leader of SBC has welcomed the opening of Asda in Galashiels and the impending opening of the new improved Tesco, claiming it confirms that Gala is the retail capital of the Borders.

It doesn't mean it's any easier to get to from the eastern Borders and it certainly doesn't compare with other comparable towns for choice. The highlight in Gala for the Paper Boy is the independent baker that's not Greggs on Channel Street.

Recycling - Pay per bag if you're a school

Seemingly hell bent on being the most laughable local authority in the country, SBC are levying a charge of 60p per bag of recycling collected from it's own schools. You couldn't make this stuff up.

St. Kevin @ the BBC

A report citing St Kevin of Duns appears on the BBCNews website airs his complaint at Selkirk Sheriff Court about drunken youths and the amount of court time it takes to deal with them.

SBC Leader considers standing down in May 2007

BBC News website reports that the erstwhile ex-SNP-turned-independent leader of SBC is considering standing down at the May 2007 elections. One consideration is that he wants to start a family but leading SBC is a 100% commitment others mentioned are "private sector job offers" and electoral ward changes. As part of the electorate, one hopes (optimistically rather than realistically) that there is no nepotism involved.

For those not versed in Scottish politics - the SNP is a party that is campaigning for Scottish independence, the Conservatives (full title the Conservative and Unionist Party) are pro-Unionist or alternatively anti-independence. Strangely the leader of the SBC resigned the SNP whip to become independent and lead a coalition with the Conservatives.

And they say "Power Corrupts"....

Recycling rate trebles

BBC News reports that the quarterly recycling rate in the SBC area has reached 29.93% - up from 10.4% last year.

No room for complacency though because to reach this year's annual target of 25% a higher recycling rate needs to be sustained until summer.

As previously mentioned here those in charge at St. Boswell's need to look at offering more kerbside recycling - because ultimately making it easier increases the recycling rate.

Flodden Memorial Revealed

The BBC reports that a memorial to the fallen of Flodden and the mercy shown by the Prioress of Coldstream Priory to the dead and injured has been unveiled on the 493rd anniversary of the battle, September 9th.

Bloggees of an Irish persuasion will note that we should all be celebrating 11 days later given the 'stealing of 11 days' when moving from Julian to Gregorian calendar in the middle of the 18th century (the Battle of the Boyne was on July 1st 1690, not 12th as is commemorated today).

Greenlaw Town Hall misses out on Restoration Final

BBC News reports that the winner of the Scottish heat of BBC2's Restoration Village is the oldest lighthouse in Scotland rather than Greenlaw Town Hall. I'm sure this isn't the end of the road for Greenlaw though - many of the other Restoration contenders overlooked by the voters in past series have gone on to progress through their transformations without the baggage of being a regional or overall winner.

If you wish to find out more about Greenlaw Town Hall and proposals for it's restoration, please visit the Greenlaw Town Hall website http://www.greenlawtownhall.bordernet.co.uk/ and optionally register your support there.

More on Flodden Day from the BBC

The BBC had this tucked away on their "In Pictures" section. Still 3 days late according to the timestamp on it though.

Border Postcode Battle

There is an item from the BBC's Reporting Scotland on the BBC News website (link may not work outside the UK or on AOL for various technical reasons) highlighting the angst of people in Scotland being subjected to English postcodes - even in some cases having "Berwickshire, Scotland" substituted with "Northumberland" on their post. Residents are concerned by the response from various organs of officialdom - from whence will the fire brigade come when the house is ablaze? what about the ambulance? the police?

Again no mention of the similar but opposite fate of the residents of Cornhill & district being subjected to Scottish postcodes - despite being firmly in England.

The Papershop is firmly within Scotland and in almost all instances Coldstream is placed in Scotland by officialdom - apart from when the PaperBoy checks his ADSL account where Coldstream Telephone exchange is listed as "Coldstream, Northumberland" despite having a BT exchange locator code that places it firmly in Eastern Scotland.

Better late than never ?

BBC News website has finally caught up with Flodden Day in Coldstream and puts a figure of 300 on the equines - entirely possible - but no mention of when Flodden day was nor why it took them over 3 days to get it on to the website - after all my newsgathering operation (1 part-time operative) managed to get it online in 6 hours.

Berwick Gull Cull Petition

BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC News website have been running with the story from the Berwick Advertiser (sister paper of the Berwickshire News) that there is a petition calling for the cull of gulls in Berwick - exactly the same problem as in Eyemouth as reported in last week's News. The petition has reached 1000 signatures apparently.

Of course it could be that the number of gulls is increasing due to the food waste that's left lying around by the populace and that the answer is to reduce littering and to increase the frequency of public refuse bin emptying.

Water Shortage

Scottish Water have issued a plea to some customers in the Borders to use water wisely because the unusually hot weather combined with the school holidays has lead to a huge surge in demand.

Huttonian was just commenting today on how non-verdant his valley is and I've mentioned to the Paper Girl how unusually low the Tweed looks.

Borders Crime Wave

As if to prove a point mentioned in the Paper Shop yesterday about crime levels - the BBC News website reports a warning from LBP:

Police have issued a warning for Borderers to be on their guard following two purse thefts in the area.

Greenlaw Town Hall

A report on the BBC News website informs that Greenlaw Town Hall - disused eyesore since the Paper Boy can remember (even in passing through before he lived in the locale) and surrounded by dog bombs as previously noted in the Paper Shop - is on the Scottish Shortlist for the Restoration programme on BBC2. So in theory at least it has a 1 in 21 chance of being chosen as the winning project.

Update: The whole list of 21 is in this story on the BBC News website

Cottage Hospital Closure Timetable Discussions

BBC News reports that NHS Borders wants to close the cottage hospitals by the end of October, redeploying the affected staff. Seems like it's being carried out in undue haste to the PaperBoy.

Cottage Hospitals fight to continue

The BBC News website reports that a legal challenge to the decision to close Jedburgh Cottage Hospital is likely. Given that it was closed as part of the same operation that closed Coldstream Cottage Hospital it seems likely that the review would include the decision to close that too.

The review request revolves around the veracity of the figures produced by NHS Borders that 15% of Cottage Hospital beds are in the Borders where only 2% of the population lives.

Official: Cottage Hospitals to close

In a body blow to the communities of Coldstream and Jedburgh the Scottish Health Minister Andy Kerr has approved the plans by NHS Borders to close both Cottage Hospitals.

MP calls for digital map removal

Another local story on the BBC News website - the headline sounds far more alarming than the reality of course....

A Borders MP is calling for Digital UK to withdraw some of its leaflets for television switchover in his region.

Lib Dem Michael Moore says maps miss out Berwickshire from the Border TV region which will switch in 2008.

He says this is "simply incorrect" and has asked for the company to withdraw leaflets from public libraries.

Nice to see he's concentrating on the very blobby map (which had an estimated resolution of 5 miles either way) - rather than the accompanying text, which actually made sense whilst not telling the entire story.

Any readers who are getting ITV1 Border through your aerial, then you will be affected by the switch off in 2008.

Drinkers being sprited away

An interesting story on the BBC News website today where a Coldstream publican is claiming that 40% of his customers are being spirited away (by minibus) to an undisclosed licensed premises in England so they can enjoy a smoke with their pint. He's quoted as saying "We are still trying to find out what pub it is but unfortunately everybody is keeping quiet about that" - surely it's possible to either board the mysterious minibus or to follow it. Anyway there aren't that many pubs on the other side of the border within sensible distance and again I don't think it's beyond the wit of man to check them out.