Viewpoint: Comparing Maidenhead of the past to now

Council and developers are cause of problems

In Viewpoint (March 14) Malcolm Stretten (not a lord) was describing the disaster that Maidenhead has become. I completely agree with him.

He says he came to Maidenhead in 2007, I arrived 26 years before that in 1981.

It really was a sleepy little riverside town then. We had a proper bus station, a big post office.

Woolworths was still here, Skindles and the Valbonne nightclub was still open.

I don’t recall there being a set of traffic lights anywhere in town. I think the ‘Tiser was 15 pence.

In the late 90s on Friday and Saturday nights Maidenhead was rocking.

There was Cinderellas, later to become Zoots. The Bar Soviet, The Slug and Lettuce, Smokey Joes, Heroes restaurant.

At weekends you would have had problems driving through the town centre because of all the people wandering about.

Now the people and the places have all gone. I drove through Maidenhead on a Saturday evening a few weeks back. I saw just two people walking along Queen Street.

Maidenhead has definitely gone downhill.

Of course, the problem is the council and developers. Developers must develop; it is their raison d’etre.

Malcolm asks why they can’t be encouraged to go north.

I think the problem is money. There is hardly any manufacturing in the north anymore and not many jobs.

Another problem is that councils are just no good at what they are supposed to do.

They think they are good at town planning, but they’re not.

Just look at Maidenhead or Woking or Slough. They let developers put up the most awful buildings.

Council planners have stopped the Oakley Court Hotel improving their sports facilities, because of concerns over the impact on the greenbelt, yet the same planners have allowed 1,500 houses on some of the best green space in Maidenhead, go figure!

They spend vast amounts of our cash on stupid road improvements that don’t improve anything.

Did the daft changes to Norfolk Road make a difference?

Ask any lorry driver going to the Cordwallis Trading Estate trying to negotiate the turn without taking down the road signs.

We’ve also got the idiotic chicane by the railway bridge on the Maidenhead Road in Cookham, what was the point of that?

Wokingham council spent £5.5million on the California crossroad, only to turn it into something that no one knows how to negotiate. It is so stupid it even featured on GB News.

They also think they are good at investing, but they are not.

Thurrock council is a good example.

They invested in solar farms, only to be plunged into hundreds of million of pounds of debt, instantly bankrupting the council.

Kids with special needs and pensioners paid the price through massive cuts in services, yet no councillors were made accountable, they just walked away.

I think in future when any party wins an election, either local or general, we should replace the phrase ‘In power’ to ‘in service’ just to remind these clowns who has the power and who they work for.

KEITH CHAPMAN

Cornwall Close

Maidenhead

Conservatives thrive on robust, open debate

A recent letter writer (Viewpoint, March 14) feigned surprise that Maidenhead Conservatives hosted a meeting with Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Conservative MP and cabinet minister, as a guest speaker. Frankly, the real surprise is that anyone would find this remarkable.

While some on the left cling to silencing dissent, Conservatives thrive on robust, open debate – a principle worth celebrating, not questioning.

Maidenhead Conservatives offer something special: a chance for anyone with a conservative outlook to join a vibrant community and hear from top-tier speakers.

Our recent event with Sir Jacob was a triumph – new members mingled, and Sir Jacob gave a well-considered account of why governments often find their way blocked when trying to fix Britain’s problems and suggested some promising solutions.

This is what we stand for: ideas, energy, and engagement.

Cllr JOHN HARRISON

(Bracknell Forest Council)

Maidenhead Conservatives

Voluntary Car Service to end after 40 years

After over 40 years of transporting clients as Maidenhead Voluntary Car Service, we have reluctantly agreed that as of April 30, 2025 the service will close.

This decision has not been taken lightly but, following the COVID epidemic in 2020, we do not have enough support nor funds to continue.

We would like to thank all our clients for the support over the years and also to thank all the wonderful volunteer drivers without whose help we would have been unable to offer this service.

Lastly, but not least, we must thank the Louis Baylis Trust for their financial support over the years, that enabled the bureau to continue for as long as it did.

THE TRUSTEES

Maidenhead Volunteer Bureau

Email might be safer for Christmas cards

Your correspondent, Caroline Gillies (Viewpoint, March 28) is not alone in finding her Christmas cards posted in Taplow going astray. Mine, posted in central Maidenhead, have suffered the same fate.

One card I popped in the postbox around December 18th was postmarked on the 24th and arrived at the recipient in Belfast on February 8th!

To be fair, when I complained that I had found the post left in the lobby of our building at about 8.45pm on a Saturday evening it was investigated by the delivery roundsman who called to seek further clarification, as he was asleep by then!

However, a parcel which was delivered on January 28th, I found out, after asking for proof of delivery, was shown as being pushed through the door of a property at 62 – not my door and a mile or so away from East Road!

One can only hope that the acquisition of Royal Mail's parent company by a Czech billionaire last year will bring some staggering changes otherwise, Caroline, I will be joining you and emailing all my Christmas (and birthday) cards!

MERVYN BUSTON

East Road

Maidenhead 

Data protection policy is one for the ages

Have you noticed that these days, whatever you do, wherever you go, people are constantly demanding your date of birth?

The worst offenders of course are the NHS and GPs (remember them?). I’m particularly suspicious of the medical world constantly demanding my date of birth. I suspect we may all be on to an NHS database with DOB matching up with, in certain cases, DNR. Computers, as we all know, love numerical sequences.

Here’s a thought. Would you go up to a perfect stranger in the street and say ‘How old are you?’ No, I don’t think so. Some people might even punch you in the face.

I recently was trying to buy some new buildings insurance for our house. That is such a tedious experience at the best of times, while you are constantly warned that false statements may mean your policy is invalid, your children may be taken away from you, your claim will not be met etc. Of course, they’ll probably try to avoid paying even if you don’t make false statements.

Anyway, this insurance company’s tech was not working – believe me it wasn’t because of my date of birth. It was just not working. I received an email confirmation of a saved quote I’d done online, clicked to return to it and it said ‘You have no saved quotes’. So, I called them.

A young woman whose DOB probably ended with something nice like 1998 asked me the following questions. 1) What is the 15 character policy reference number? 2) What is your email address? 3) What is your postal address including postcode and then…what is your date of birth?

I said ‘Why the hell do you need my date of birth?’ She said…wait for it, ‘data protection, sir’.

So there it is, that stupid catch-all ‘data protection’. You see, I know several friends’ dates of birth, my wife’s date of birth, so how is quoting your own date of birth proof that you are who you say you are?

So I would suggest next time you go to see your doctor or attend hospital, when someone demands to know your date of birth you simply say ‘And how old are YOU?’

MALCOLM STRETTEN

Riverside