We thank all who attended, or who watched on line – members or not – AGM/ QUESTIONTIME Saturday 28^th May 2022. This was very successful. One can report it ran to time except for the Question & Answer session which was chaired as has been recent practice by one of our Councillors. But the questions were pointed and valid and all thought worthwhile judging from the applause when the meeting ended albeit just over 15 minutes late.

There are still many challenges to face down from HM Treasury cost cutting driving the reduced peak hour services to  hourly or higher  fares and cutting back on the threshold for cheaper off peak fare availability. Is that the right way to win back custom post pandemic? We need your help and support.

FYI – Our new agreed “business  brand ” name approved at the AGM Business part of the meeting is now “ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS” reflecting a broader remit to cover  users of all forms of transport within the Tendring District.  A new domain name will be shortly linked to our existing website so searches under the old and the new will trigger a response. It will take longer to go through the process to change.

In the meantime  cheques for e.g. should still be made out to our historical name “ONTRACK, The Walton On Naze, Frinton On Sea,  Kirby Cross, Thorpe Le Soken Rail Users Association” and sent to Mr A C BAXTER  the new Hon Treasurer, 29 Ferndown Road, Frinton On Sea, Essex CO13 9LT (Use e-mail contact if you desire to obtain information as to how to pay electronically).   David J Bolton Snr remains as Hon  Secretary and John Smock remains as Hon Chair. But a plea  for the younger bloods to take up the challenge as the current team are now all retired and entering their final years.

All our speakers made valid useful informed contributions. There was we think a good interaction and exchange of views which all  found useful.  We are  pleased that our County Councillors  and local District Councillors could engage directly with the rail industry and stakeholders  representatives present.

One comment made, at end of the meeting,  by one of our councillors,  was that our Tendring District Council should seek to be more proactive in developing and identifying Tendring District priorities: e.g.  engaging  with the grass roots and developing from the ground up with  those who are best placed to inform and advise as to what those infrastructure  priorities and services improvements  should be for the Essex County Council Officers responsible for overseeing Essex Transport policies and strategies for infrastructure public transport and rail.

N.B. Our speaker’s comment on placing housing where there is transport available is pertinent given the creation of new garden communities on the borders of Colchester and Tendring Districts and housing developments across the district. Also noted the BBC NEWS report just over a week before of research linking educational failings to poor transport and with the Clacton area/ Tendring District being one of the areas under the spotlight.

Present were  

• Greater Anglia Railways (who gave a overview of the post pandemic state of play),
• Network Rail  (who also gave an overview of operational and  infrastructure related issues),
• Transport Focus (who spoke on what satisfies passengers).
• Derek Monnery Chair of Essex Rail Users Federation,
• Paul Beevers (Retired Property Management Consultant and past Director of Housing at the Greater London Authority speaking on Housing and Transport)   also contributed.
• Trevor Garrod of East Suffolk Travellers Association,
• Cllr Mark Platt Essex County Council

We thank those who came and spoke and  also and for the leadership of the Gospel Chapel for being willing to host the event and for the Christian Digging Deeper Group for use of their ZOOM for a live feed and also for the Frinton Free Church for loan of IT cables.

FINALLY Tony Baxter has produced an excellent report on the declining service that has apparently driven the reduction in passengers over the last 40 years where as the population has not quite doubled.

AGM Documents web page >>