Ellee Seymour

I was hoping someone from Defra with a nuance of intelligence would have picked up on some of excellent points raised in this Sunday Times article on freeing our congested roads by using our rivers and sea more.

Each barge can carry the equivalent of more than 20 lorryloads, it surely must be an answer to so many of our problems. And as barges are already used in London to transport its rubbish out of the city (see pic), why not develop our waterways as a means of transporting other cargo around the country?

Well, it might have been a good idea at the weekend, but any hopes of it becoming reality have been scuppered by the latest Defra cock-up. They have given British Waterways a drastic £7 million drop in funding due to a £200m overspend - blamed partly on bird flu fears and new farm subsidies.

Why can’t they blame themselves for once, Margaret Beckett coming top of the list for letting down the British public again, for their incompetence.

This latest cock-up will result in the possibility of some of our waterways being closed, as well as 180 job losses, and more on the cards. I naturally wondered how Minister Miliband was engaging with his public on this important topic, but surprise surprise, not a word.

Unfortunately, I’m sure there will be many more stories like this to follow, it will be interesting to see what Miliband says in his feeble attempt to bridge the gap between politicians and the public.

No wonder so many A-listers want a Norfolk seat, it is the perfect base for a healthy, politically active life, as Jack Chase, will vouch, who is 100 today and still serving as a parish councillor.

He is almost certainly the country’s oldest parish councillor and remains as committed as ever to tackling the issues in his village of Caister, near Great Yarmouth.

A pity the web link did not include his pic, he looks amazingly well and has a wonderful smile. Incredible to think he has been a councillor for nearly 80 years - it must surely be a record. That’s why he has been rewarded for his public service with the freedom of the borough, joining an elite list including William Pitt the Elder and my hero Lord Nelson.

Jack confessed to being a bit of a rebel in his earlier days when serving as a Tory borough councillor, he says he was something of a “non-conformist”. He is obviously a man with true spirit, no wonder his chairman refused to take no for an answer when he wanted to retire last year.

His other passion is golf and the former seven-handicapper played up until last year, a healthy combination which obviously kept him both physically and mentally alert.

Come to think of it, there can’t be many centenarians in the world like Jack who are still politically active. I hope this remarkable man enjoys blowing out his candles today, it would be a nice touch if David Cameron sent him a congratulatory telegram and a nice bunch of flowers.