PUBLIC MEETING: TUESDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2003
Commentary by J. Brock (FINN)
A public meeting was held in the Court and Council Chamber of the Town Hall at 1700 on Tuesday, 18 November 2003. Thirty-eight people were in attendance. Present at the start of the meeting were Councillors Birmingham (JB), Cheek (JC), Luxton (SL), Edwards (RE) and Hansen (IH). They were joined later by Cllr. Cockwell (RC), and Summers (MS), who had been at an extended F. I. Development Board meeting. Councillor Jan Cheek, this month’s chair, began with written questions.
Q1-P1: Could the Council Give an update on the minimum wage debate?" Are the Islands looking at Legislation in the near future?
JC: I can confirm this is still being discussed but I don’t see any imminent legislation on the subject. I personally would like to see a minimum wage, set at a realistic level, not a particularly high level in the near future. But I think I will give my colleagues a chance to speak.
JB: I am quite supportive of the idea, alongside a minimum working week. I would like to see there be a minimum number (he meant maximum) of hours allowed.
RE: I don’t really think it is necessary presently, especially when we have tax rules on benefits in kind. Accommodation, heat, light, food, there are actually tax assessments put on that at £7,000.00 a year. That really pushes the whole thing up quite considerably. We know that there are some people who aren’t well paid. If we look at it closer we will find that our fishing vessels off the coast and even those fishing within the 12 mile limit would not be operating to the same rules. We have Falklands Flagged vessels fishing in Falkland Islands waters that are not subject to the same rules that the people at MPA have to follow.
JB: The way things are at the moment, there are very few if any rules what we’ve been talking about introducing.
JC: Well, if you read the human rights report, allegedly, the worst are the MOD sub-contractors at MPA, where they pay something like $400.00 a month.
RE: Yes, but those contractors get uniforms, they get accommodation, lights, food and so on. That’s worth £7,000.00 a year.
JC: But you are double counting there with the heart and the light.
RE: But it’s worth £7,000.00 .
JC: That’s arguable.
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Note: A Subject per day will be placed in the record. Also note that personal items have been taken out.
TOURISM:
The Endeavour will be calling into Stanley on Thursday the 20th November
2003 at 1200 noon. There will be 2 passengers and 68 crew. On the 21st
November 2003 there will be 103 passengers embarking the vessel. The
passengers will arrive in Stanley at approximately 1245hrs when they will
embark on a one hour tour of Stanley. There will be lunch in the Goose and
then another one hour tour. Passengers will board the vessel at 1700hrs.
Professor Multanovskiy will arrive in Stanley Harbour tonight at 1700hrs.
Passengers will arrive in Stanley on the scheduled LanChile flight on
Saturday 22nd November 2003. The passengers will board the vessel upon
arrival in Stanley. The Multanovskiy will return to Stanley on the 19th
November after the second Falklands Odyssey cruise.
Debbie Summers
Sulivan Shipping Services Limited
Stanley
Falkland Islands FIQQ 1ZZ
http://www.sulivanshipping.com
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amended
PUBLIC NOTICE
THE PLANNING ORDINANCE 1991
NOTICE OF PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED
Notice is hereby given that the following applications for planning permission have been received:
| Plan Number | Applicant | Development |
| 31/93/R03 | Historic Buildings Committee | Renewal of temporary planning permission for the siting of a Portakabin with mono-pitch roof at Plot 40, Lookout Industrial Estate, Stanley |
| 74/97/R03 | No.1 Electrical (Falklands) Ltd | Renewal of temporary planning permission for the use of one room of private dwelling as an office at 20 Eliza Crescent, Stanley |
| 97/96/R03 | FIC | Renewal of temporary planning permission for accommodation camp to house 40 persons between Homecare and Fitzroy Road, Stanley |
| 169/98/R03 | FIDC | Renewal of temporary planning permission to extract and remove calcified seaweed from the sandbed at Ruggles Bay, Lafonia |
| 160/03/DP | Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust | Detailed planning permission for siting of "Charles Cooper" bow for display at Government Dockyard, Ross Road, Stanley |
| 167/03/P | FIDC | Planning permission to take down existing chain link fence and erect a bund at Lookout Industrial Estate, Stanley |
| 169/03/P | FIG | Planning permission for drop off zone for the disabled at Falkland Islands Community School Sports Complex Parking area, Reservoir Road, Stanley |
| 170/03/P | Angela Baber | Outline planning permission to enlarge existing plot at 5 Narrows View, Stanley |
| 171/03/PB | Carl Freeman | Planning permission for erection of shed for secure lock up of gardening and maintenance tools, boating equipment at Land West of Beaver Hanger, Moody Brook Road, Stanley |
| 172/03/P | FIG | Planning permission for relocation of communications tower located at Megabid New Offices, Airport Road, Stanley |
| 173/03/P | M.T.Clark | Outline planning permission to relocate peat shed and change use to garage to reduce parking congestion at 7 Fitzroy Road, (access from Davis Street), Stanley |
| 174/03/PB | FIG | Planning permission to change from a dwelling to residential and day care facility at "Wardens House", Thatcher Drive, Stanley |
| 175/03/PB | Pauline Sackett & Iain Thom | Planning permission to change roof on kitchen at 25 Ross Road East, Stanley |
| 176/03/PB | Tracy Freeman | Planning permission to erect dwelling at 26 Hansen Hill, Stanley |
| 177/03/PB | Mr I & Mrs S.Summers | Planning permission to erect dwelling at 1 Anderson Drive, Stanley |
| 178/03/PB | Nigel Bishop | Planning permission to build garage at 7 Eliza Crescent, Stanley |
| 179/03/PB | Fighting Pig Band | Planning permission to extend existing building at "The Trough", Airport Road, Stanley |
This application may be inspected during normal office hours at the office of the Secretary of the Planning & Building Committee, Environmental Planning Department, Malvina House Gardens, Stanley. Comments on the applications should be made in writing and should be sent to the Environmental Planning Officer, Environmental Planning Department, PO Box 611, Stanley, within 10 days of the date of this notice.
The next Planning & Building Committee meeting at which these applications will be considered is due to be held on Thursday, 4th December 2003 in the Liberation , Secretariat, commencing at 9.00 a.m. Members of the Public may attend to observe the workings of the Committee.
Environmental Planning Department
P.O. Box 611
Stanley
Public Notice No: 11/03
Dated this 18 November 2003
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 19 NOVEMBER 2003
CLEARWAY:
In a packed public meeting last night, Councillors responded to the frustration of front road business owners who say they have suffered decreased custom since the introduction of the Ross Road clear-way. Asked by business owners whether Councillors would trial a one-way system before the end of the cruise ship season, they replied that they would be examining the situation today in a meeting of the General Purposes Committee. Councillors acknowledged the 300-strong petition that was handed in, in favour of a trial one-way system but they gave no guarantees that they would put an end to the clear-way. Cllr. Mike Summers said he feared a one-way system would lead to more traffic on John Street, making it unsafe for children going to and from the Infant/Junior School. During a half-hour long debate on the subject, Cllr. Birmingham angered some members of the public by suggesting business owners should not be allowed to raise their individual concerns at the meeting. Business owners also objected to the special dispensation given to the Coach Company to park outside the Upland Goose Hotel when dealing with passenger exchanges. They asked that their businesses be given the same consideration as the Coach Company. I asked Anna King (AK) from the Harbour View Gift Shop what she made of the meeting.
AK: I felt it was the only public forum in which we could voice our grievances about the Clear-way because it has affected three businesses quite badly. Customers cannot park in the Jetty Centre car-park and they can’t park outside. Even if they did want to park in the Jetty Centre car-park, they can’t on cruise ship days. And, we have been provided with one, perhaps two parking spaces, actually, on Philomel Hill for the Harbour View Gift Shop. And that actually doesn’t leave enough space for our customers. The Jetty car-park is dreadful. This is really affecting our business so we would like to see a one-way system in place very quickly.
SG: And Councillors said they would discuss it at General Purposes Committee. Do you think it’s going to make any difference?
AK: Cllr. Summers seemed to think that they needed to run the trial right through for more than a year to see how it worked over the cruise ship season but that’s as much that they will discuss. I don’t think they are willing to even try a one-way system. We had this in place since March, I think, and I think the trial has run for long enough and another experiment should start. People would agree with us if they had their businesses in the front road.
SG: In other news from the Public meeting, Cllr. Summers assured the audience that despite anticipated Argentine intervention over a second LanChile flight, Councillors would only do what was in the best interest of the Falklands to obtain the flight next season. He said it would not be a case of doing absolutely anything. That comment was in response to a suggestion by Cllr. Roger Edwards that the Falklands had been blackmailed into signing the 1999 Anglo/Argentine Agreement to re-establish the LanChile Link. Cllr. John Birmingham said he objected in the strongest possible terms to Cllr. Edwards’ comments.
COURT NEWS:
Albert Capra pleaded guilty to drink driving in Court this morning. The BFBS Tele-coms technician from MPA was seen by Police driving around Stanley at only 15mph on November 16th. They followed him to where he was breathalised and they found he was over the limit. He was fined £500.00 and £70.00 costs and disqualified from driving for two years.
Tamar Crew member will appear in Court tomorrow morning on charges of assault by beating and providing false information to an Immigration Officer.
SHIPPING COMPANY PUTS BACK WORK WITH ABATTOIR:
More news from yesterday’s meeting of the Falkland Islands Development Board. The shipping Company Maersk has told FIDC that it does not want to serve the Abattoir until September of next year. General Manager, Julian Morris, told the board he had said to the company, if you leave it until the second half of next year, there is going to be nothing here for you to come and pick up. As recently as 8 weeks ago, they had said they would be here from the first week in January. But despite Mr. Morris'’ requests, that they come down for a trial period, the company said they wanted to come down and make a profit from day one. FIDC say they are now working on the assumption that exports for the next season will all be heading to the UK.
And, on the legal separation of FIMCO from FIDC. Gred Bradfield from Falkland Landholdings said he was worried that Board Members of the new Company might not be experienced enough to manage the budget. So, it was agreed that the new FIMCO budget will be kept by FIDC. The FIMCO Board will have an advisory role.
Roger Spink said that plans to pay Chilean Sominivic workers a quarter of the rate of that of local workers may well cause problems with Immigration because of the human rights issues involved with paying fair wages.
DECISION MAKING CHANGES:
The Falkland Islands Government are proposing that in future, all eight Councillors should sit on Executive Council. They also believe the number of Government Committees should be reduced and the remaining Committees be given limited executive powers. The idea is part of a package of proposals regarding changes to the Government decision-making process.
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