Call for debate on electoral systems

More than a month on from the publication of the Review of Electoral Systems, where’s the ongoing process that the Government promised? Where are the opportunities for public involvement?

See my comments on 29th January on this blog - Nothing has gone beyond the confines of Whitehall desks yet. No voter has yet been asked for their experience of elections. So campaigners are cranking up our campaign. The website is live - see here. They have some excellent simple steps you can take to support the campaign.

Old Bras wanted in Whiteshill

This is a strange one but I learn that bras that have come to the end of their supporting life are wanted for charity by Whiteshill School. It seems the bras are needed for recycling into packaging material - why bras?

School governor Gilli Williams said in The Citizen that the bras would be sent to Soroptimist International of Cheltenham and District: "The charity is raising funds to build a medical centre in the deprived village of Sika in the Gambia. Money will be raised for the project by recycling the unusable bras. Any bras that are still wearable will be donated to poor women for their own use, or to sell at market. Start spring-cleaning early and turn out your underwear drawer now."

Ditch the ward name?

The name of the local Stroud District Council ward for this area is 'Over Stroud' - nobody knows where that is - it is meaningless - in my view it is time that our local communities were more easily recognised. It would seem many others think the same if the initial response to my question about this is anything to go by - but what to call ourselves??

Thrupp Parish Council are trying to change their name to Brimscombe and Thrupp Parish: consultation is underway at the moment. That is easier but we are made up of several areas...

One suggestion is Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward? To my mind this is the best option I have heard so far - and one I have used informally - but is difficult - 'Over Stroud' ward as it currently stands does cover most of Randwick but it does not include Lower Randwick - however adding 'Upper' to the name - 'Upper Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward' makes it too much of a mouthful.

For me 'Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward' is the most accurate and helpful description. It is worth noting that Cainscross ward covers Ebley, Cashes Green, Dudbridge, Westrip, Lower Randwick and much more than just Cainscross. Many other wards are not accurate descriptions but to me this suggestion is loads better than the current "Over Stroud."

This morning I met Cainscross Clerks and a councillor in Cainscross and they were happy to look at the idea of us using 'Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward' - clearly they have not discussed at length or taken it to Council. My own feeling is that we would need the support of all three Parish Councils if we want a name change. I've emailed Parishes for their consideration and poss debate - it would also be good to invite views from local residents via the Runner, Warbler and Four Wards?

Anyhow here are some of the responses gleened from emails when I asked about changing the name - listed anonymousy as I did not seek permission to print here - but folk can leave public comments on the comment facility below:

"You have my full support on this. I have always hated the nomenclature 'Over Stroud' which to my mind is completely meaningless and gives absolutely no indication of who - or indeed even where - we are! Upper Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill sounds great. It does what it says on the packet!"

"I could not agree more with you, we are not over stoud, we are Ruscombe, whiteshill and Randwick. So lets get it changed, over stroud has no meaning."

"Why the change? Is it really necessary as these things generate a lot of froth and a name is
only a name after all!"

"Ruscombe, Whiteshill and Upper Randwick ward is a bit of a mouthful? Prefer Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward"

"Personally think it is a good idea"

"I would echo (the last persons') sentiments."

"I agree, we live in real villages not in a cloud. The only problem with Upper Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill is there is a likelihood that it will get shortened to Randwick. I don't have a real problem with this as to my mind both villages have a similar nature but I do know that some people get very upset if Ruscombe is missed off of Whiteshill and Ruscombe despite the fact that you can't see the join in the villages. A shorter but less recognisable name would be "Light Wood Ward" as Light Wood is in the centre of the ward, but as it is a wood not a village I am not sure how many people would associate with it."

"Sorry but in my opinion Lightwood Ward is not unacceptable at all - as those of us in Upper Randwick living in Far Westrip, Westrip, Sandpits Lane Ash Lane and even at the top of Foxmoor Lane live nearer to Doverow Woods and the Fuzzies and have no affinity to Light Wood except that it is at the opposite end of of the same Parish. The best suggestion so far in my opinion is Upper Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe As for Upper Randwick being shortened to Randwick what about Lower Randwick Ward which will still continue to exist whatever Over Stroud is renamed?"

"Yes change the name - almost anything better than Uber Strood"

" Names are importtant. Identities are important: they help create communities. I think we need to change the name."

"Yes change it"

"I think that the use of Upper Randwick is too artificial. The villages are called Randwick, Ruscombe and Whitshill. Lower Randwick just refers to the lower part of the parish, there is nowhere called "Upper Randwick". Therefore my vote would go to Randwick, Ruscombe and Whitshill Ward. I would also support this as an enlarged combined parish but this is another issue altogether."

Note there is no suggestion of changing ward boundaries at present although I think that could be useful in future as the current overlaps are unhelpful.

Ruscombe & Whiteshill news incl basketball pitch

I missed the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 21st February 2008 at the Village Hall, Whiteshill due to another meeting but here are some highlights and additional info - read in full minutes on their website...and indeed read them there each month....

Staining the Multi-play equipment
This will cost approximately £80 using a stain preservative red/brown, which will cover the graffiti - but Parish are checking first the chemicals contained in the stain

Police presence for Playing field
The Parish have requested a police presence in the playing field area to discourage antisocial behaviour

Basketball?

Photo: Where should a basketball hoop or pitch go?

There was a report from the playing field committee where a local teenager, Kieron, attended to address the committee regarding the possibility of a basketball pitch. I had met Kieron when I was first canvassing nearly 2 years ago and he had suggested a basketball hoop - my own initial efforts to raise this issue led to interest but nothing happening and I have to confess months went by before I was reminded that nothing had happened - I should have done this earlier but suggested to him that he presents the case with his friends direct to the committee. He has now done this and investigations are underway.

A full size pitch would be 40’ x 94’ and would fit where the bike ramps are currently, or on the other side of the football pitch. The preferred location would be by the bike ramps. Another option is just a hoop? Grants are being investigated and Kieron agreed to find out more information about the requirements of the pitch plus numbers of potential users of the pitch. A full size pitch could also double up as a tennis court. There was a suggestion that the children help run the management of the basketball pitch and also organise a tournament to ensure regular use. A grant will be essential to the go-ahead of this project. Certainly in my view many Parishes are good at providing stuff for younger children like swings etc but not so great for older kids - here is something wonderfully positive - let us hope it bears fruit....and talking of fruit....

Community Orchard
An information board is planned to let us know what is what in the orchard. Meanwhile the rough area next to the play area will need clearing again soon. This could be a project for the Supervised Prison Work Parties – this will be discussed after more information available concerning the service.

Railings along Ruscombe Road
These are damaged and broken in places. A quote for refurbishment is being sought.

Lower Street
I've had lots of correspondence on this - recently seeking particularly that now the work has started that the footpath reopens as soon as possible - the Parish are also wanting to ensure that the stone to be used on the repair of Lower Street is real stone and not reconstituted stone above ground level

School planters
The school said that they would be happy to plant and look after any planters placed along the railings by the school. The Parish are also seeking local opinion regarding placing a bench seat by the bus stop near the playing field car park.

Street Lights
The Parish map has been updated and lights to be left on after midnight have been clearly marked. There is also one new lamp request between the playing field and the school on the footpath – there is a telegraph pole in the correct location.

Laburnum Crescent questionnaire responses
Four responses were received, 3 of which indicated that they would like a flowering tree. The last tree was damaged by the gang mower, so the replacement tree will need a better tree guard. Prices are being sought. Great stuff that community has been consulted - I suggested a new tree many months ago - see previous blogs.

More on Purton Hulks

The Citizen have covered Paul Barnett's efforts to preserve dozens of wrecks - he sounds like an amazing man who has focused all his energies into this project with the Purton Hulks - he even joked with me that his daughter was to be called 'Purton' when she was born - anyhow his Dad lives in Whiteshill so some might know him....

The latest news is that he now has the backing of TV archeologist Dr Mark Horton - Horton is best known for his appearances on BBC TV's Coast and Channel 4's Time Team and he is now endorsing Paul's efforts to preserve the Purton Hulks, on the banks of the River Severn near Sharpness. See previous blog entries on this here.

The hulks are under threat and need protection from the public - but as Paul has said: "The only way to protect them is to help the public know more about them and love them." I understand from talking to Council officers about this issue that there is a meeting at the site on 7th March - I am hoping there will be more moves to protect them.

To find out more or help Paul's research, email him at barnadillo@aol.com or ring 07833 143 231.

Join protest on Monday against Airport expansion

Any folk out there in Gloucestershire want to join a small friendly protest in Gloucester on Monday 3rd March against the planned Airport expansion - details below along with your last cahnce to submit something to Heathrow consultation and other bits re Airports.

Photo: Crow in neighbours garden

STAVERTON ACTION: Airport Expansion Plans Make No Sense! Sometimes common sense is a scarce commodity at our local City Hall. With the Council set to approve expansion of Staverton airport it looks like common sense is taking an extended holiday! This sad situation needs fixing so campaigners will be holding a candle lit vigil for the restoration of common sense. We will present Councillors with elegantly wrapped gifts of common sense with messages concerning the Airport plan. Messages like:
- More and bigger planes is definitely expansion so let's stop pretending that the Airport development is a safety project
- By signing the Nottingham Declaration the Council committed itself to reducing carbon emissions but the Airport is heading in the opposite direction. Isn’t that rather stupid?

I have just heard today that the Airport part of the meeting will now be held in secret - public and press not allowed. This is indeed strange and there seems little justification if any for such a move - more worrying still is that Cabinet and Full Council meet soon after so a decision could be made within 10 days - please join us!

Details: Where: Outside the coming meeting of the Gloucester City Council scrutiny committee (rubber stamping committee?). The Airport plan is on the agenda for 'debate' at the Council Chamber, North Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester. When: From 6:00pm on Monday 3rd March. Background info on why Airport should not expand: see campaigners (if I may say so excellent) response to the Joint Airport Scrutiny Working Group report at:
http://tinyurl.com/2ythce

HEATHROW LAST CHANCE TO MAKE SUBMISSION: We have until midnight Wednesday - tomorrow - to oppose the expansion of Heathrow airport. I will enclose link to Caroline Lucas' submission for those who may want ideas. Please send your protest to: heathrowconsultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Caroline Lucas has submitted damning evidence to the Government's consultation on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, and today labelled the plans for a third runway as ‘irresponsible, deceptive and environmentally disastrous’. In her consultation response, Dr Lucas condemns the proposals, citing the devastating effects on climate change, noise and air pollution, as well as risks to public safety that would be caused by expanding Heathrow capacity from 430,000 flights to between 700,000 and 800,000 flights per year. She goes on to criticise the "flawed" and 'leading' methods of the public consultation, accusing the Government of continuously 'moving the goalposts' in their arguments. See full submission here:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3337

OTHER HEATHROW STUFF:

Virgin poll removed: I was going to also circulate a poll being carried out by Virgin Atlantic to encourage support for Heathrow expansion - it seems to have backfired with 87% voting against expansion and they have just now removed the poll! See here.

Greenpeace action yesterday: Also yesterday you may have heard that four Greenpeace campaigners watched a plane land at Heathrow - one of the 32 daily flights between Heathrow and Manchester. As soon as the passengers had disembarked, they walked through the double doors at Terminal One, crossed the tarmac, climbed onto the fuselage and hung a banner reading "CLIMATE EMERGENCY - NO 3rd RUNWAY" across the plane's tailfin. The campaigners have now all been arrested. Read the full story here.

Other actions: Write to Gordon Brown asking him to get serious about climate change and stop Heathrow expansion - see here. Join Greenpeace Stop Heathrow Expansion Facebook group here. And SW Air Action here.

Reply to SNJ letter attacking me on population

Last weeks SNJ had a 'blistering attack' on me from the husband of a Tory District councillor for my suggestion that we should consider stopping at two children (see previous entries on 5th and 12th Feb in my blog)...

Photo: View across to Folley Farm

...I don't mind the attack but I do take offence to the fact that he distorted what I said - I hope this was accidental rather than political. Indeed he put words into my mouth that I never said like a quote on China - but no worries my reply is below - probably wont make this weeks SNJ - that is assuming they will allow a reply...

Anyhow bearing all that in mind it was interesting to read the article in Saturdays Guardian by George Monbiots partner on the dilemas of parenting in the age of eco crisis. She writes: "Eco activists spend their lives agonising over the planet's future - but that doesn't stop them having children." See the article here. Alot of what is said in this article was also apparently covered in the Friday night Coffee House discussion on "What should we tell the kids about the enviroment?" I hope a write up of that will come soon on the Coffee House section of the website as by all accounts it was a great discussion. Anyhow here was my reply to the SNJ letter:

David Binns disappointingly misrepresented my views regarding families considering stopping at two children to relieve the world's resources (20/02/08). To suggest that I see children as "possessions" or "commodities" is preposterous. I have also never "admired" China's one-child policy, indeed it has significant problems. Many developing countries have, without coercion, reduced their fertility rate by better schooling and contraception.

Grain prices are rocketing. How will another 3 billion be fed and housed? It is surely common sense that stabilising or reducing population would ameliorate almost all environmental impacts? This is a sensitive issue and population reduction is only a part of the answer: we need to also eat less meat, travel less, insulate our homes and all the other things Greens have been banging on about for years!

In the UK, immigration is the main driver for population growth, but David Binns is mistaken that abortion law has caused this. It is Government economic policies which result in for example the NHS and agriculture relying on migrants. I welcome these migrants contributions, but we need policies to reduce the causes of migration: not just today, but also the forecast mass migration caused by environmental degradation from our CO2 emissions.

However where David Binns talks of reducing consumption he is spot on. Yet the three main parties plan ever more economic growth driven by ever more consumption. What we need instead is to create an economy that gives access to things we all need, like warm homes, healthy food and creative rewarding work without the ever increasing overuse of resources. An economy that meets human need and not the greed of a few.

Philip Booth

See another reply to David Binns letter here.

Local bits and bobs: other WaRblers, Revellers and more

WaRbler newsletter - last night I was at a very pleasant meeting discussing the contents of the Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish community newsletter - see previous issues here - we have easily found plenty of news for what looks set to be a two page edition again - but do contact the editor via the link if you have items to include in the next edition - I was interested in a search to find a huge variety of other communities with newsletters called The Warbler - see Pineywoods Sierra Group in Texas, Friends of the Welty Environment Centre in Wisconsin, the Audubon Society of Portland, the Alan Devoe Bird Club, Chatham, NY and many more.

Photo: Middle Spring, Ruscombe

Bread Street Street party - Some residents in Bread Street are looking at holding a street party in the summer this year. Many people have moved into the area in recent years and it is hoped to have a good time and also give newcomers and old timers a chance get to know each other better. Do please contact me if you think you can help organise: 01453 755451.

Randwick Revellers Pantomine - by all accounts 'Mother Goose' was a triumph - I missed it again due to Green party conference but from talking to folk and the write up in the Runner it is clear all went very well.

Hamwell Leaze - this green space along the Ruscombe Brook has been included in a successful bid with other green areas by the Stroud Valleys Project for a £18,000 grant to help clean up and put biodiversity back into some neglected urban green spaces. As SVP note it isn't just song thrushes, great crested newts, bats, otters and kingfishers whose numbers are plummeting - it is also sparrows, hedgehogs, grass snakes and slow worms.

SVP walks and events - Stroud Valleys Project have a number of very local events planned - contact them direct but they include a walk to Doverow Hill on 1st March, a birdwatch at Hamwell Leaze on 29th April, a Bluebell walk in Randwick on 11th May, a flowers of Selsey Common event on 11th June plus pond surveys in Cainscross, pond dipping at a primary school in Cainscross. Plus every Tuesday and Thursday SVP help landowners to improve their wildlife - call Richarch or Nadine on 753358 for info.

Gloucestershire Curiosities - a talk on 28th Feb at 7.30 by Hugh Conway-Jones at Randwick Village Hall - a Randwick Historical Assoc event but open to others £3.50.

Children's Centre at Cashes Green Drop-in session - see what they have today 9am to 12 noon and be able to talk about the services your family would like to use there.

Youth Pod - in Stonehouse youngsters aged 13 to 17 have a place to socialise called 'The Pod' - sofas, games consoles, a kitchenette, posters etc - Cllr Karon Cross - District councillor for Cainscross - is seeking one for central Cashes Green area. The County have said no but I have offered support for the proposals - although clearly siting is important to ensure problems are not created.

Whiteshill recycling - Blog readers may recall that some Whiteshill residents have been woken at ridiculously early hours by noisy recycling - I have spoken with SDC officers and written an email - one resident has also now after several letters received a positive response from saying that the route for recycling will change in near future in order to give that area 'some 'respite from early morning noise. That has already happened with a post 7 am collection on the Plain. Clearly someone else will now suffer until the review of contracts in April 2009 but perhaps at least the suffering is shared?

Labour's failure on fuel poverty

I give a huge welcome to news that Friends of the Earth have told the government to come up with a plan to tackle fuel poverty by Friday or face a judicial review.

Photo: Mists across Ruscombe Valley - and wow did the valley look wonderful this morning in sunshine and frost

I have watched in dismay as the failures by Government on this issue mount up - they started with such great intentions to abolish fuel poverty altogether yet we now we have more than 4.5 million households in fuel poverty - the highest since Labour has been in power - along with obscene excessive profits being made by power companies.

Worse still the government has proposed cutting the funding for the UK's only fuel poverty charity by a quarter. This is madness and will hit the poorest even harder. See local Green party news release here.

Online Green news

I recently came across this website - and find it one of the best for covering general green news in the UK - could almost recommend it as a home page but then I guess Ruscombe Green is homepage for most?! See more re why the website 'eco' was set up here.

Coal: single greatest threat to climate

Here's an important action from Greenpeace -

Cartoon reprinted here with permission from the local artist - not relating to this blog entry but have to ask why aren't there more Green cartoonists around?

We know that if we are going to succeed tackling climate change we must generate far more energy from clean sources and shut down our old, dirty power plants - yet the government seems unable to make the break from fossil-fuel power generation.

In around a month's time Secretary of State for Business John Hutton will decide whether construction can begin on the first coal-fired power station in over 30 years at Kingsnorth in Kent. If it gets the go-ahead, and all the indications are that it will, then any realistic chance we have of reducing our CO2 emissions by a meaningful amount will fly right out of the window. Just in case you need a reminder about why this is such bad news - coal-fired power generation is the most environmentally damaging means of generating electricity yet devised. In fact, in carbon terms, coal is the dirtiest fuel known to man.

How concerned should we be? Well, the world's most respected climate scientist, Jim Hansen, is so worried about plans for new coal plants in Britain that he recently took the unprecedented step of writing to the Prime Minister to remind him that "the single greatest threat to the climate comes from burning coal" and that Brown held "the future of the world in his hands". The government is putting its faith in 'carbon capture and storage' (CCS) technology which promises to extract the CO2 from the power generation process before it is released into the atmosphere. But the trouble with CCS is that no-one knows when - if ever - it will be commercially available. Definitely not before Kingsnorth comes on stream in 2012, and almost certainly not in the following 10 years when another six proposed new coal plants would enter service.

Kingsnorth would not be using carbon capture and storage technology for at the first decade of operation - if at all. And in that time is would release more CO2 into the atmosphere than the 30 least polluting countries combined. So this proposal has to be stopped in its tracks - it really is just that simple. Many people now recognise the seriousness of the situation and they are mobilising opposition. You can help by keeping up the pressure on John Hutton - please take a few minutes to write to him and urge him to reconsider approving Kingsnorth and other new coal plants lined up behind it.

Email Secretary of State for Business John Hutton to say that we need a public inquiry over Kingsnorth: http://www.email.greenpeace.org/fvmgdgfa_kxxvkvxj.html

No to compulsary education for 3 year olds

Congrats to the SNJ this week for running their front page with the campaign started in Stroud against the new compulsory pre-school curriculum - when I first signed there was barely a hundred names, the campaign has now attracted 5,362 supporters and climbing - see my blog from 21st December 2008 and campaign site here.

Photo: Den making
Best-selling children's author Philip Pullman has joined the growing lobby of prominent children's writers, educators and academics who have put their name to the online Downing Street petition. Author Dorothy Rowe was also one of the first signatures and Steve Biddulph and Melinda Messenger.

Under the Early Years Foundation Stage policy framework, which will apply to around 25,000 nurseries and registered childminders from September, children could be expected to meet up to 500 targets between birth and primary school including continual assessments on writing, problem solving and numeracy. This is complete and utter madness.

The Open Early Years Education campaign (Open EYE) who set up the petition rightly say that this so-called 'nappy curriculum' could harm children's development and place unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on those who care for under fives.

Stroud therapist and former teacher Gabriel Millar is quoted saying: "It's a flagrant violation of the rights of parents to choose how their children are educated. Writing too early, before they have motor skills, stresses children and leads to a sense of failure. It has been seen to turn them off learning. We just want the framework to stay as a guideline as it has been since 2002."

It is good to see that Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, is to table an early day motion reiterating the views of Open EYE. Please consider signing the petition:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/OpenEYE/

A Community Farm for Ruscombe/Randwick?

Today was Hawkwood Farm Day for Stroud Community Agriculture - harvesting carrots, clearing weeds, mucking out, making compost and cutting wood then a picnic lunch - and visitors were welcomed to get a taste of how it all works - I joined them as a local farmer and some local residents were interested in pursuing the idea.

I've been a big fan of this type of project as it is one of the most sustainable ways that not only reconnects people with the land, natural cycles and their communities but is also a great way to tackle climate change, lessen the effects of Peak Oil and reignite interest in local, healthier food - I could go on but basicallyas their website says: "consumers commit themselves to supporting the farm and providing a fair income for the farmers. The farmers can then develop the health and fertility of the farm, its wildlife and environment. All the produce from the farm is shared between the supporting consumers or sold locally if there is a surplus."

It works out at about £35 per month which provides a weekly veg box for two adults but they also have a bursary and possibility of working for your veg box. Anyhow as folk sat about with their shared lunches in the barn - the cows poking their noses through to check out the conversations - we were able to ask questions - there were also visitors from Maidenhead and Staffordshire who were interested in setting up new CSA projects - plus a guy from Brazil.

My own view is that Glos County Council should be looking to use their large areas of farming land for such community uses - I've raised the issue several times in the past (see here) - however while there is lots of support for the idea it comes down to maximising value - and at the moment most politicians don't seem to get it - local food is increasingly vital and a crucial part of making our communities more resilient.

Anyway it was a fascinating day that renewed my enthusiasm for something to happen more locally - who is game for a local CSA Orchard project or veg scheme? There are possibilities of land available locally and already I have a handful of interested folk? Who else - if this is to happen we need a few more to help initiate a scheme.

Read more about Community Supported Agriculture on the Soil Association website here - it includes excellent info on how to make a CSA happen.

Rugby Club go naked for Whiteshill church

The Rylstone WI Calendar Girls have alot to answer for since they produced their naked calendar - across the country it has sparked various versions - in Stroud we have seen the Full Monty Girls produce calendars in aid of Rosie, a girl who has severe autism, steam enthusiasts produce their charity calender called 'Raising Pressure' in aid of Cancer Research - there may well be others locally but now we have Cainscross Rugby Club...

Photo: Helen Mirren from the movie and Citizen headline from a week or so ago with news of the threat to our church.

The SNJ reports that members Club posed naked on the pitch for a calendar to raise money in memory of teammate Chris Mills. The 30 members past and present , who are aged 16 to 65, bared all to help support St Paul's Church in Whiteshill where Chris is buried.

The club has so far sold 30 copies at £5 each. They can be bought at Cainscross Rugby Club on Saturdays, Cainscross Parish Council offices and Total Garage in Dudbridge. For more information, call the garage on 01453 758156.

Church in trouble

As noted before on this blog our 170-year-old parish church could shut unless a solution can be found. St Paul's at Whiteshill has been in the red for several years and we could soon be facing a use it or lose it situation.

The Rev Brian Woollaston, who often only preaches to about 15 worshippers altogether at two services on a Sunday, is quoted saying: "We have to try to get across to people that the church doesn't operate on fresh air. The problem is everybody thinks somebody else pays."

The Church of England has over the years increased the number of churches each vicar is responsible for and relies upon unpaid clergy and lay preachers to solve similar problems. Mr Woollaston, is supported by a non-stipendiary assistant, the Rev Denise Cole, who is also in charge of parish churches at nearby Paganhill and Randwick. Randwick is separately financed, but Whiteshill and Paganhill together cost around £730 a week to run. St Paul's treasurer Geoff Lavis said there is currently a shortfall of around £130 a week, just to break even.

The Diocese of Gloucester has nearly 400 churches: some 90% of them are listed buildings and 38% of those were listed grade one. Clearly the upkeep of these churches can be very expensive - and Church buildings are basically the responsibility of the parishes. It involves not only maintaining the building, but paying for the daily running costs, for example the heating and lighting of the church.

At the recent public meeting many ideas were put forward about how money could be raised - one suggestion I liked was a conference centre - with still using the chapel on the side.

Channel 4 censor Green Political slot

Just had a couple of days in Devon with family - back yesterday in time for three meetings at Ebley Mill - one being Full Council and the Council tax setting - Greens, I think, were the only ones to abstain - all the rest voted for the budget - which is a good budget in many ways but, as noted, in our view more should be done to tackle climate change - it lacks urgency - but I've covered all that in previous blogs so enough of that - I did promise in the last blog more re the Green party conference - see my write up here.

Photo: Stroud Greens with SW three Euro candidates at conference and below Sian Berry

Anyhow at conference I was flattered to be asked to join Siân Berry's campaign team for her to become London Mayor - not sure I have time to support and they have some excellent folk already - but all that aside I have to say I was shocked to hear today that Siân had been censored by Channel 4 - see more at:
http://www.sianformayor.org.uk


Channel 4 have just screened the Green party's Political Slot film - in the original film, Siân explained how Greens on the London Assembly won a big pay rise for cleaners in the Fire Brigade by using their power of the Mayor's budget to create the London Living Wage Unit. But Channel 4 didn't want folk to see that. So they cut it out.

They were happy to let us tell about how Greens introduced a scheme to provide advice on greening your home, and how we've won funding to increase the amount and quality of green space in East London. And those are great achievements - but why is it that we're not allowed to tell you that there's more to Green politics than the environment? We don't know. But it has left us asking how many cleaners at Channel 4 are on poverty wages.

You can see the full, uncensored broadcast at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSSjGnj6g7k

Fortunately, not everyone wants to stop us fighting poverty pay - organisations including the NUS, Unite, UNISON, the Fawcett Society, and Oxfam have made Siân a Patron of the new Fair Pay Network, to be launched on Monday.

Spring Green party conference in Reading and a blog holiday

After work on Friday I set off to Reading on the train - came back last night and have to say it was lots of fun - more of that soon in a post but it is half term and I probably wont be scribbling stuff on this blog for a few days - a blog holiday - there will be some reports of conference already on the national Green party website.

Photo: Conference, voting and Mark Steel below

However I will mention the speech by comedian Mark Steel who highlighted the terrible state of our rail services and reinforced calls for it to be brought back into public ownership. Indeed it took just an hour for me to get to Reading from Stroud (all be it a few mins late) but works on the line returning home meant the journey was over 2 and a half hours - John Marjoram was equally unhappy - being delayed by over an hour in getting to conference due to train cancellations. It is grossly insulting to see the profits these companies and shareholders are making yet the service they provide is basically, as Mark Steel said, "c***".

A46 reopens: relief in Whiteshill

Relief in Whiteshill village was apparent on Friday - the reopening of the A46 has led to a dramatic drop in traffic although many of us still fear levels will not return to pre-A46 closure levels as people get used to new routes. Over 1000 tonnes have been moved to add the 37 piles - each up to 19 metres long - a cost of £1.2m.

Photo: beautiful sunny mornings over Farmhill

The football poem

I f the earth were only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it marveling at its big pools of water, its little pools and the water flowing between the pools. People would marvel at the bumps on it, and the holes in it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the ball, and in the water. The people would declare it precious because it was the only one and they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come to behold it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and wonder how it could be. People would love it, and defend it with their lives, because they would some how know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it. If the earth were only a few feet in d i a m e t e r.

Author unknown

 Special thanks to John McConnell,
Founder of Earth Day, for this submission.
January 2000

Whiteshill pancakes

I missed the pancake races at Whiteshill shop on Saturday but my partner tells me they were great fun - and I see today the SNJ report some 30 people competed. Congrats to Mary Watkins the organiser - over £1,000 raised towards repairing the shop roof and getting a new toilet after the arson attack.

Photo: Todays SNJ

Why the price of 'peak oil' is famine

This evening was a fascinating presentation on biofuels - Dave Cockcroft and Martin Quick gave talks and showed the film "The Myths of Biofuels" - see it here.

Photo: Martin and Dave with David Fridley of Lawrence Berkeley Labs and San Francisco Oil Awareness on the video.

Apart from explaining the differences between the types of biofuels and the very grave concerns attached to some we also got treated to data about Stroud District - basically even if we covered all the available land with biofuels we could not produce enough for our own transport needs - so conclusions seemed to be moving towards the Transition Energy group putting its energy behind projects that use biofuels for heat ie 4 or 5 times the energy.

The Telegraph today had an article by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard - who became one of the first mainstream journalists to point out the grim corollary between oil depletion and famine. I enclose it below but there is still a way to go as the article was surrounded by an advert for the new Porsche Cayenne 4x4 sports car! It also hasn't got all the analysis of the film we saw this evening....

Nevertheless it should highlight the absurdity of DEFRA who are increasingly deprived of funding while the UK government is shrugging off its responsibility towards home grown food, farming and food safety. Indeed it's policies are more and more crafted towards relying on cheap imports that look set to become ever scarcer.

Why the price of 'peak oil' is famine
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Wednesday 13 February 2008 Daily Telegraph

Vulnerable regions of the world face the risk of famine over the next three years as rising energy costs spill over into a food crunch, according to US investment bank Goldman Sachs.

"We've never been at a point in commodities where we are today," said Jeff Currie, the bank's commodity chief and closely watched oil guru.

Global oil output has been stagnant for four years, failing to keep up with rampant demand from Asia and the Mid-East. China's imports rose 14pc last year. Biofuels from grain, oil seed and sugar are plugging the gap, but drawing away food supplies at a time when the world is adding more than 70m mouths to feed a year.

"Markets are as tight as a drum and now the US has hit the stimulus button," said Mr Currie in his 2008 outlook. "We have never seen this before when commodity prices were already at record highs. Over the next 18 to 36 months we are probably going into crisis mode across the commodity complex. The key is going to be agriculture. China is terrified of the current situation. It has real physical shortages," he said, referencing China still having memories of starvation in the 1960s seared in its collective mind.

While the US housing crash poses some threat to the price of metals and energy, the effect has largely occurred already. The slide in crude prices over the past month may have been caused by funds liquidating derivatives contracts to cover other demands rather than by recession fears. Goldman Sachs forecasts that oil will be priced at $105 a barrel by the end of 2008.
advertisement

The current "supercycle" is a break with history because energy and food have "converged" in price and can increasingly be switched from one use to another. Corn can be used for ethanol in cars and power plants, for plastics, as well as in baking tortillas. Natural gas can be made into fertiliser for food output. "Peak Oil" is morphing into "Peak Food".

Land use for biofuels has shot up from 12m to more than 80m hectares worldwide over six years. Biofuel provides 3pc of global energy needs, which will rise to an estimated 10.6pc by 2030. In a pure market, sugar cane would be the only viable biofuel with a cost of $35 a barrel (oil equivalent). The others are sugar beet ($103), corn ($81), wheat ($145), rapeseed ($209), soybean ($232), cellulose ($305). Subsidies drive the business. The US offers tax relief of $1 a gallon for biodiesel. The EU has a 10pc biofuel target by 2010.

Graphic: showing increase in land given over to biofuels

The crop switch comes just as China and India make the leap to an animal-based diet, replicating the pattern seen in Japan and Korea, where people raised their protein intake nine-fold as they became rich. It takes 8.3 grams of soya or corn feed to produce a 1g weight gain in cattle - compared with 3.1g for pigs, 2g for chicken and 1.5g for fish.

Mr Currie said investment cycles in energy typically last about 10 to 12 years as producers struggle to catch up with demand. However, this cycle has been short-circuited by politicians after barely six years.

"The political environment is extremely hostile. The world is looking like the 17th century under mercantilism when countries saw economics as a zero-sum game. They exported as much as they could to get gold, and erected enormous barriers. China looks like that, so does Russia, the Mid-East and most of Africa and Latin America," he said.

While the West has much of the skill for developing energy projects, it is blocked by nationalist petro-states from investing directly.

Transition Towns crucial role to play

There are many ways of changing the world - the wave of interest in Transition Towns has, in my view, been one of the most positive recent developments - see here one view about Transition Towns from Dr Rupert Read - see his article here in GreenWorld - a briefer summary is below taken from his blog - and is followed by Nailsworth's Fi Macmillans' reply.

Rupert writes: More and more people are talking about how 'Transition Towns' (www.transitionculture.org) might change the world and save us from oil depletion and climate catastrophe. But there is I am afraid one critically important respect in which this bold hope could not possibly come true. It is this: The Transition Towns movement alone cannot save us, because, within the existing economic system, some communities reducing their use of fossil fuels is received by everyone else as a price signal that it is OK to use even more fossil fuels. I.e. For every litre of petrol that (say) Totnes does not use, everyone else in Britain is very slightly incentivised to use more petrol, by the price not going up as much as it otherwise would.
Transition Towns alone can only function as demonstration projects. They show what is possible. But in order for them to be part of a movement of movements that actually reduces overall use of fossil fuels, legislation is needed. Legislation that enforces lower overall use of fossil fuels (e.g. through carbon rationing), and/or that forces everyone to try to become a transition town.

That is why I believe that both local action and political commitment are required. Unless we force political change, then Rob Hopkins's 'Transition Towns' vision of how why might make a transition to a saner future will remain a fantasy or a myth, rather than the reality we absolutely desperately need it to become.

Fi writes: As Rupert says, one of the important functions of Transition Towns is to enable demonstration projects for a more sustainable future. The success of the Transition Town initiative, both here in Stroud and nationally, has been that it enables a grassroots response to concern about Peak Oil and climate change. As a grassroots organisation, with real people, we can develop projects and change our behaviour, supported by fellow Transitioners. We can be working examples of the low-carbon life that will be the future for all of us. Economic systems and legislation are theoretical frameworks which guide our behavioural choices. Yes, they are important, but action is where it is at.

In Transition Stroud we are now working with the District Council and Local Strategic Partnership to develop co-operation, raise awareness of the issues and to change policy. This is not a 'fantasy'. It is real engagement with politicians and the community. Our last sesssion on planning issues identified how the Planning Department can support the decentralisation of energy production.

Last year, we arranged for Richard Heinberg ('The Party's Over' - Peak Oil expert) to speak here in Stroud. We engaged the District Council around the issues, and Heinberg made a special presentation to the Council. On the back of this, we started dialogue with key council officers, using the Portland, Oregon Transition Plan as a working model for change. Jointly this led to the creation of a Think Tank to develop a district-wide adaptation plan to Peak Oil and climate change. Transition Towns and the Green Party. Ideal bedmates.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Every year this exhibition is sensational - it usually comes from Bristol or London to Twigworth's Nature in Art - it will be there until 2nd March. However my visits to see these photos have been blighted by the sponsorship...

Shell sponsor the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition - See my previous comments about Shell's sponsorship here and more here - the good news is that the hypocrisy behind the sponsorship deal has finally come to an end after more than two years of campaigning. The BBC Wildlife Magazine have dumped Shell, a decision, no doubt, helped along by the likes of Rising Tide, People and Planet, Friends of the Earth and Art Not Oil - and hopefully letters from local Green party members.

I read that last month Bristol based activists organised a Polar Bear 'die-in' at the offices of the BBC, invading a cheese and wine do put on for local business leaders and their political puppets. Protesters drew attention to the irony of Shell sponsoring anything to do with wildlife, when its bosses refer to the melting of the icecaps as a 'business opportunity' because it will make drilling for the ever more elusive black gold that little bit cheaper.

Jeremy Clarkson, ID cards and identity fraud

Labour do seem to have gone cooler on their plans for new ID cards - I hope they drop them completely - see previous blogs - but I am not so sure they will see sense - indeed from 2009 foreign nationals - that includes my Norwegian partner, who has lived here for 21 years, her grownup daughters and grand daughter who have all lived here - will it seems be forced to carry the cards from 2009 together with those that 'volunteer' to join the scheme. This huge bureaucracy for what?? There is no evidence it helps with terrorism or fraud......

SchNEWS carried a piece about this in their last issue - I've used some of it for this blog - basically the country is just a little short of dosh at the moment, having spent the entire NHS budget propping up Northern Rock. Add to that the more than minor embarrassment that government departments seem to lose hundreds of laptops a year full of personal details about all of us. If you've got a child then the chances are your bank account details were lost by Revenue and Customs - while the same government department lost details of 300 'high value' tax-free savings accounts. And now the Ministry of Defence, which loses 600 laptops a year, has misplaced the details of 600,000 people who have applied to join the armed forces.

Jeremy Clarkson recently published his bank details in his newspaper column, rubbishing the idea of identity fraud. He was soon amusingly proved wrong as one cheeky wag set up a direct debit for £500 per month from his account to a diabetes charity. Clarkson was forced to publicly admit he was completely wrong - eating humble pie this time as opposed to custard, as he did when a protester gave him one in the face at Oxford university a couple of years ago).

Anyhow despite the fact that the Passport Agency, Home Office, NHS have all attempted huge IT projects that have ended in fiasco I am not convinced the GOvernment will drop ID cards (See more re Governments record in my press release from 2005 ). I would strongly urge folk to read more and sign up for regular news from NO2ID at www.no2id.net

Haresfield majestic beeches

I have raved before in this blog about the wonderful beeches up near Haresfield Beacon - well a £17,000 grant to the National Trust means there will be a three-year wood pasture restoration project at Haresfield.

Photo: One of those great trees

The work will ensure the long-term survival of several important areas on the flanks of Shortwood at Haresfield, which is a spectacular spur of the Cotswold escarpment. The project includes thinning dense ash trees to prolong the lives of the majestic 200-year-old beech trees at the spot.

It will also allow the next generation of beech to come through at Shortwood, which is apparently visited by 100,000 people a year. The National Trust's Haresfield Estate is 174 hectares of beech woodland and open grassland.

National Trust warden Michelle Oliver is quoted in the local press saying: "Our concern is that there is a real danger of the older trees slowly dying off without suitable trees developing to take their place. A failure to create space for future veteran trees, with their unique niches and deadwood habitats, would mean a loss of specialist invertebrates, a gradual loss of biological interest, and eventually the disappearance of this important habitat as a whole."

I have been in touch with Michelle Oliver about more publicity for the project locally as some might wish to get involved - I am hoping she will put something in The Runner, WaRbler and Four Wards newsletters soon.

Still no guidelines from English Heritage

As you may remember I noted that locally Lydia Savage made the national press for trying to put in secondary glazing - she was refused by SDC with the support of English Heritage and they got further coverage in The Guardian and Radio Glos last November. See my blog from 24th September 2007.

Photo: Middle Spring, Ruscombe

Last month a BBC radio producer at Bush House invited them to take part in a debate with EH on air in connection with a conference that was taking place involving EH and the National Trust. It has been rumoured for a while that the new green EH Guidelines for energy conservation were to be released and publicised at this conference. Indeed the National Trust asked local authorities to review their procedures to permit preservation of historic buildings -but not a word about EH.

Richard Savage did a pre-recorded interview for the morning show "World Update" but no news of the conference. Apparently it turned out to be an invitation-only conference at the Royal Society on 24 and 25 January involving 100 people. EH does appear to be in a dilemma. New Building Regulations are being published in the spring and they have to decide whether to go ahead and release the information about the guidelines or just sit on it.

When in doubt, set up a website

It seems they have - see here. Anyhow it seems the upshot is that we have no guidelines for another quarter year and that means the Savages either apply in the present confused situation with virtually no policy guidelines or bide their time. Not satisfactory but good on them for keeping up the pressure.

More photos of drains!

I never thought I would get so interested in drains....see many previous posts - these three drains are in Humphreys End at the end of Ruscombe road - a lot of the newer silt piled up has now been removed - indeed I didn't know there were three drains - always thought there were two there!

Anyhow the nature of the bank and siting of the drains means they clog up very quickly - indeed it was 18 inches deep in water just a couple of weeks ago.

I have sent these latest photographic masterpieces to Highways - they have already got back to contractors about the importance of removing silt away from drains and in cases like Ash Lane to remove the silt completely - it seems more radical action is needed if these drains are not to continue to block regularly - as the photos show they are already half covered in debris yet were only just cleaned.

Painswick Gateway project moves ahead

On 22nd January some 200 people packed the hall to hear about the latest proposals for the library that is threatened with closure - I didn't go but have talked to some who went - and you will see from my blog many entries on this topic previously outlining the hopes and more - for more info read the report in latest issue of the February Beacon - download from here.

Basically the community are being offered the library building by GCC for £112,000 on the basis that it would remain a public building for 3 to 5 years and would be a focal for a wider community project. Various other bits were also promised including a guarantee for library services for at least 2 years. I have to say this is very disappointing and in my view goes no where near far enough in fulfilling the County's responsibilities for library services to Painswick.

190 pledges for money have been made by Painswickians so far - there was a huge debate after the presentations about whether the project, which is hoped to also include a multi-use centre, some small commercial activities and more, should go-ahead. In the end the vote went 137 votes in favour, 56 against and 10 abstentions - so the project looks set to go into the next phase.

93 and 230 buses: still no Sunday service

One resident asked: "I am a holder of a season ticket for stagecoach & want to be able to use it on Sundays from my village – to get to various locations…why does the 93 & 46 not service our village on this day of rest/leisure?"

The Bus Timetable answer was: "At present the Whiteshill is serviced by the Stagecoach 93 and the Cotswold Green 230 buses, both of which are Monday-Saturday services only. The 93 Sunday service has been split between the 14B and 46 routes where they are both heavily subsidised by Gloucestershire County Council. Unfortunately there are no current plans to change these routes to include Whitehill, however I will pass the matter onto the Transport Planner Officer."

What do others think?

A Mighty Heart and Afghanistan

I saw 'A Mighty Heart' on DVD which tells the true story of how on 23rd January 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane, also a reporter. On the day before, with great care, he has arranged an interview in a café with an Islamic fundamentalist cleric. The film tells the story of what happens when Danny does not return - it is an extraordinarily powerful story about Danny's wife - about how we cannot let hatred eat us up, the importance of dialogue and so much more - an amazing woman indeed. It also highlighted the importance of having organisations like the Committee to Protect Journalists - read about their important work here.

The story was linked to what was also going on in Afghanistan - and reminded me that Gordon Brown last December said we're "winning the battle" there. In January, George Bush told the US Congress, "Afghanistan… is now a young democracy where people are looking to the future with new hope".

But now the truth is out.

Three recent reports over the last couple of weeks all reach the same conclusion. The US led forces in Afghanistan are not winning and the country faces a humanitarian disaster. The United Nations reports that Afghanistan is the fourth most impoverished country in the world, with life expectancy falling to 43 and health services now virtually non-existent. See my previous blogs on Afghanistan by using search facility and my comment last September re withdrawing troops.

As for Iraqis, under George Bush's supposedly successful troop "surge", they face new levels of desperation and insecurity. Stop the War is asking its supporters to commemorate the great
two million strong demonstration of 15 February 2003 - the largest protest in British history - by joining a demonstration on its fifth anniversary this Friday - A DAY FOR IRAQ.

I'll finish this post with Caroline Lucas MEP who this week will call for the UK to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Speaking alongside former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg at a meeting organised by Brighton Stop the War group on February 13th, she will say....“The global War on Terror has been a spectacular failure. Not just the deepening chaos in Iraq, but the increasingly dangerous rhetoric and military build-up towards Iran, and the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even the early limited gains for women and girls in some urban areas of Afghanistan have been reversed by an explosion of rape and other violence against women. The war in Afghanistan killed over 6,500 people last year, and it cannot be won. It has failed to bring peace, development, or freedom. Instead of eradicating terrorist networks, it has spread and multiplied them. The answer is not to increase troop numbers, as both the US and our own government is planning to do. The only real chance for peace in Afghanistan is the withdrawal of foreign forces as part of a wider political settlement, including the Taliban, and neighbouring countries like Iran and Pakistan. And that’s why groups like Brighton’s Stop the War are such an important part of building a movement for genuine democracy and human rights. A movement that here in Brighton has already seen the phenomenal energy of so many campaigners fighting for the release of Omar Degayes from Guantanamo.”

Bob Nightingale moves on

Bob Nightingale, who has been so helpful with the Ruscombe Brook, is moving to take up a more senior post in Tewkesbury - at least he wont be short of drainage problems there!

Photo: Local spring


Here is the letter sent to him:

Dear Bob, The Ruscombe Brook Action Group is extremely sorry to hear that you will be leaving your post as Drainage Officer at Stroud District Council.

All members of the group would like to express to you our gratitude for the hard work and progress that you have helped the group to achieve since its inception. You have been consistently calm, good-humoured and non-bureaucratic in your approach to solving problems, always finding negotiated solutions to suit all parties. The group has benefitted hugely from your extensive knowledge and expertise which you have generously shared with us.

You have offered your time in the evenings and weekends to support the work of the group, and in particular you were generous in offering considerable guidance to the University of Gloucestershire MSc student who successfully completed his thesis on the topic of sewage pollution in Ruscombe Brook.

Needless to say all the members of the Ruscombe Brook Action Group will miss you both professionally and personally, but wish you all possible good fortune as you take up your new position. Every good wish to you Ruscombe Brook Action Group Zarin Hainsworth, Philip Booth, Helen Patrick

Breed less, consume less and a possible Cotswold 'eco-town'

In advance of the Green Party conference, the BBC's Westminster Hour on Sunday spoke to the Greens' South of England MEP, Dr Caroline Lucas (not sure how long they save the recording for - usually only a week - transcript here).

Photo: Clare Sheriden, Green Parish councillor in Stonehouse with her home

After the SNJ doing an article on me saying that we should breed less and consume less it was interesting to hear Dr Lucas also speak on the subject of population control. She also talks too of the desirability of our eating less meat but good quality, animal friendly meat- and about farmers getting higher returns for good quality animal-welfare products.

Eco-towns

Caroline Lucas also spoke of her worry about the rush to build "eco-towns". Controversial plans for a string of eco-towns have sparked nationwide protests - the demonstrations against the developments have begun two weeks before Housing Minister Caroline Flint is due to announce the 10 locations she has chosen for the first "eco-towns" that could mean 20,000 homes plus services. One of those will apparently be "on the edge of the Cotswolds" but the location remains secret.

Like Caroline I am deeply suspicious about this government policy that seems to have been just brought out of a bag - they risk being a high profile gimmick which deflects attention from the much bigger job of actually retro-fitting our existing housing stock - 25 million existing homes that desperately need insulation, desperately need energy efficiency.

Greens also have some considerable concerns about the figure - Gordon Brown's stated policy is to build "three million new homes" - this seems extremely high - the first priority should be to bring existing housing stock into proper use. There are a lot of empty properties out there that need to be brought up to use. But of course we do need more housing. What we want to make sure is that the housing is where people need it.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England is also unconvinced and is asking the government to clarify how it will pick the 10 sites. Its planning expert, Kate Gordon, points out that, once the government has put its seal of approval on places, it will be far harder for local authorities to object and justify taking on expensive legal counsel to fight the plans. 'We support the idea of eco-towns, but they must be in the right place and developed in the right way. The most sustainable approach would be to regenerate existing quarters of old towns,' said Gordon.

The Wildlife Trusts are also dismayed at the lack of attention being given to ecology. Its chief executive, Stephanie Hilborne, said: 'The government's proposals make a mockery of the term '"eco-town". We need to see the planning system being used to avoid insensitive development and restore and create new wildlife habitats.'

Work begins on Lower Street

Incredibly after so many many months work has begun on repairing this road in Ruscombe - I have discussed with some residents the work and with the Highways Engineer - the area is now fenced off and I understand today that pedestrian access is closed - this surprised me as I wasn't aware of notices - anyhow the work will take 6 to 7 weeks and they will work from 7.30am to 6pm. There will be no parking bay and the wall will be faced with something looking like stone but not stone and not concrete face.....see Label below for previous posts.

Ancient Yew Group

I was delighted a while back to get an invite via the diocese, to a meeting of the Ancient Yew Group at Westonbirt in March - but was v disappointed to already have another meeting on that day so will miss it - Yew have fascinated me - well no, any big trees fascinate...

Photo: Painswick Church

Painswick's churchyard is famed for its yew trees which date back over 200 years. Indeed some were planted as long ago as 1714. They are kept immaculately clipped - and every September, the "clypping" ceremony takes place - but not with garden shears. The word is from the Saxon "ycleping", meaning embracing, and this ritual is, in fact, a service of dedication when villagers hold hands to encircle the church. The Yews number 99 - no more and no fewer. - and anyone in Painswick will tell you that any hundredth tree planted will fail to thrive and will die - killed by the Devil himself.

The Ancient Yew Group would take less interest in such young trees - they have been counting the nation's yews - and are interested in the ancient yew - which by the way may be 1,000 years old or more, as opposed to a mere "veteran yew" with just 500 years to its name. Painswick's Yews barely rate!

Sadly we are losing Ancient Yews all too rapidly - at least 150 have been lost in the past couple of years. The reasons given for chopping them down include concern about "health and safety", accidental fires, overpruning, and overgrowth. The Ancient Yew Group say these reasons "are not acceptable" - I couldn't agree more.

They envisage a better, safer world for yews, with legal protection, a national consultancy on their care and feeding, research funding for studies into their growth patterns and history, a charitable trust for their conservation and somewhere, some day, a neglected churchyard bursting with yews, to be home to an ancient yew information centre with, let's hope, a teashop, perhaps serving cakes...

Indeed the destruction of yew populations all over the world means that the UK can now be regarded as “a Noah's Ark for the conservation of ancient yews worldwide.”

This is an awesome responsibility, and places a considerable burden on the Church. As owners of more than 80% of these trees, the Church becomes “the guardian and custodian of our ancient yew heritage.”

The Ancient Yew Group has already amassed loads of info about ancient yew trees - their latest figures show that of our 450 largest girthed yews (above 20ft) 48% are found in English Churchyards, 34% in Welsh churchyards, and only 18% at non-churchyard sites. Since most of these trees are likely to be approaching, or are more than 1000 years old, we need to ensure that there is no further unnecessary loss of these botanical treasures.

In the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 29th December 2007there was a good article entitled "Raiders of the lost bark:the last crusade." I enclose it below;

James Douglas on the group fighting to save Britain’s venerable yew trees — a heritage for the world

A new history of the yew tree describes Britain as a veritable Noah’s Ark of outstanding veterans. According to its author, Fred Hageneder, we have the highest density of them in Europe. Worldwide, the only comparable stands are those in Turkey and the Caucasus, which, unlike our own gloriously accessible giants, are largely concentrated within impenetrable mountain forests. “Britain,” he says, “has a special responsibility to protect these trees because they effectively belong to the world’s, not just our, heritage.”

Tim Hills, co-ordinator of the Ancient Yew Group, which lobbies to raise the awareness of the trees’ unique but fragile British heritage, supports Hageneder’s view that it’s time outstanding examples of the species received a special form of “Green Monument” designation.

Currently, Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) are rescindable if a tree is thought to be dead, dying or dangerous, a hopeless protective mechanism for an aged yew that, to the uninformed, can sometimes look just like that. In any case, they are seldom placed on churchyard trees, which is where around 80-85 per cent of Britain’s oldes examples are to be found.

Yet yews are where nature and history coalesce most exactly. Our ancestors, marvelling at the miracle of a tree that could grow so old and keep its greenery all year, revered them and used them as meeting places. This naturally led to the building of churches at these important sites. Many surviving yews predate their associated churches, making the present loophole in heritage protection all the more deplorable. Partly, this may be due to some negative traditions bound up with the tree. When I meet Hills, he is steaming over a recent episode of The Archers: “One character rang up the vet to report four dead cows. I immediately thought: ‘Oh, here we go, more propaganda about deadly yews.’ Yet every farmer I’ve met has long been aware of the dangers of the leaves to livestock.’”

This association of yews with death and poison is widely exaggerated. In fact, for many European mammals, they are a food source. Mixed woodlands containing them attract higher bird numbers than those without. The thrush family so thrives on the fleshy scarlet “fruits” (arils) that mistle thrushes fiercely assert territorial rights over them, thus preserving access to a personal, late-winter ration.

While dense, light-denying canopies deter vegetative growth beneath them, the notion that they poison the soil is nonsense, says Hills. “I’ve seen trees with cyclamen and orchids, as well as ivy and elder, growing within a few feet of the trunk.”

The fact that some people find yews morbid and oppressive doubtless derives from their familiar location in churchyards. “All the gravestones around them are a reminder that one day it’s going to be you,” agrees Hills. But a less doomy twist would be to view them as symbols of rebirth or immortality.

The truth is that a yew is the oldest living organism any of us is ever likely to see. To illustrate the point, we drop in on the Portbury Yew, in the village churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, just outside Bristol. A man painting the lychgate confides his fears that the old tree “won’t last much longer, because it is completely hollowed out”.

But while the inner heartwood may indeed have rotted so thoroughly as to leave a damp, cavern-like inner chamber, it is actually very much alive and thriving. The canopy above is broad, thick and soaring. The knotted and gnarled bark, beneath its dry flakes, has beautiful flat, flowing, multi-coloured strips from shades of orange to grey. If Paul Gauguin ever turned his idiosyncratic art to painting a tree trunk, it would surely have looked something like this.

But most remarkable of all, about 10 feet up within the “cavern”, two fat, trunk-like shoots have burst out from the inner bark and, over countless decades, reached down to implant themselves in the soil. “As the remainder of the outer trunk rots away, these internal roots will grow up as trees themselves within the shell,” explains Hills. “Sometimes, with yews, we cannot be sure whether we are looking at the original tree, or one that started life within a decaying, older stem.”

All this makes the species the subject of endless conjecture about age. The oldest tree in Europe is said to be the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, considered between 3,000 and 5,000 years old. The Portbury Yew has a notice saying it is “thought to be” 2,000 years old. Tim, who is regularly called upon to pronounce on the subject, refuses to speculate. “Since its heartwood decays, it becomes impossible to give an accurate figure. All I usually say is that, with a girth of l6ft, you are probably looking at 500 years, and 700 to 1,000 years or more at 20ft.”

Many old specimens look messy, or “past their best”, and some are felled as a result. “Unfortunately,” says Hills, “the churches of England and Wales have no specific policy guidance on their treatment. Parochial church councils seldom have the expertise to look after them and too often the chosen option is to lop off naturally drooping branches, which may be centuries old themselves, or cut down the tree entirely.”

Even when, as at Portbury, a yew is clearly cared for, funds can be tight; and if it is a choice between repairing the roof or surgery on the old yew, it’s the latter that will lose out. Hills believes it is time central funding was made available for parishes to get advice and information from fully qualified tree surgeons. But in the meantime, he urges anyone concerned about a tree to contact the group before taking action. Otherwise they could be lopping off a branch of history.

Yew: A History by Fred Hageneder is published by Sutton (01453 883300) at £25.

LOG IT
+The Ancient Yew Group has recorded 440 yews with a girth above 20ft, and a further 470 whose girths are between 16ft and 20ft.
+ While 750 of these are in churchyards, an increasing number of survivors are being discovered in the wider landscape.
+The group maintains a gazetteer of examples on its website. It is keen to hear from the public of any further examples, particularly those with trunks l4ft in circumference, or any with hollowed out interiors. See www.ancient-yew.org

SW Green Party AGM, Euros and One Tonners

I saw a great green free running video at the weekend but more of that in a mo...

Photos: SW Greens in Cheltenham, new SW Secretary, Anna and Coordinator Charlie, Ricky Knight, plus various other Greens in meeting

I had a good day Saturday in Cheltenham - started off at 9.45 with a meeting of Gloucestershire Green parties then at 11.15 we went into the SW Greens meeting - some fifty Greens from as far as Cornwall and Bournemouth meet to look at stuff like the Euro campaign - the elections are only 16 months away!!

Greens have already elected the two lead candidates, Ricky Knight and Roger CO but here was a chance to grill a load of other candidates fighting for other places in the list. Each candidate made a presentation and we also got the chance to grill them - see the news release here. Ricky will make an excellent candidate and MEP when elected - he knows his stuff and also has a great sense of humour.

Of course we also had the AGM stuff to talk about, officers to elect and more.

Photo: Euro candidates waiting to be grilled

Cheltenham Green party put on a wonderful lunch - and we also had a presentation from Cheltenhams' One Tonners - that is based on the idea of climate justice and Contraction and Convergence, which means we all have to live on a personal carbon allowance of One Tonne a year - based on what science dictates, not what politicians think people will want. The session looked at how we can reduce our own emissions and that doing so can be fun - of course a key element of it is that we need to get Governments to act.

Photo: Cathy Green presenting One Tonners

The One Tonners showed several good videos to illustrate their talk - the one with free running in it is 'Eric Prydz another brick in the wall' - it is on

green.tv's new green music video channel - Swedish producer and DJ, Eric Prydz, with his remix of Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' - the tune's called 'Proper Education' and the video has a green message focusing on climate change and the issues surrounding global warming. Set in a London estate, it shows a gang of young people breaking into local flats, in order to switch appliances off standby, change light bulbs for energy efficient alternatives and place bricks in toilet cisterns.....

Photo: Some of the Euro candidates

Anyhow got home after 6 to plough through loads of emails - not sure why but they seem to be on increase at moment - perhaps folk getting back to it all after Christmas and New Year - anyhow must to bed now...

Rachel Carson Play success

Last week I was fortunate to see the new one woman play about the environmentalist Rachel Carson - entitled ‘Breaking the Silence' - it was met with massive applause at The Space on Friday 8th February - indeed the audience insisted Liz Rothschild, who played Rachel Carson, come out three times to accept their appreciation of her performance in this powerful play.

Photo: Liz Rothschild in play at The Space

2007 was the centenary year of Rachel Carson’s birth. “Breaking the Silence” was written and performed by Liz Rothschild (i) - a totally compelling performance - this engrossing play was a joyous celebration of the natural world - and we should not forget that Rachel Carson’s discoveries remain as urgent as they were in 1962 - don't miss it when it comes again (see below)!

Having had ME/CFS, pesticides and organophosphates have been something I have followed with interest - many consider that in some cases there is a strong causal link between ME/CFS and pesticides - anyhow it is great this play is shedding light on the fact that problems still remain - just recently we have seen new EU legislation giving some protection from the harmful effects of pesticide spraying but still there is no legal obligation on farmers to inform nearby residents of their spray plans (ii) and calls to reduce the 31 million kg of pesticides sprayed on UK crops each year have not been answered (iii).

Many common pesticides are potentially harmful to human health even in small doses. An estimated 30% of our food has pesticide residues and it costs taxpayers £100 million per year to remove pesticides from our household water and more millions in health problems. It is time Governments listened to Rachel Carson and those today calling for much tighter regulations - and what about a tax on pesticides for their so-called 'side-effects'.

In the question and answer section with Liz afterwards for those who stayed behind - ie virtually the whole audience - I was interested to learn that the play can't be shown in States and not on radio here - possibly a film on the way? However surely this play if it were on radio would actually increase interest in any possible film or are there other reasons?

Play returns

The play returns to the Stroud area on Friday 7th March at Ruskin Mill Old Bristol road Nailsworth. Tickets £6 or £5 concessions from 01453 837 537

Notes:

(i) Background to the play.

Liz Rothschild is a performer, director, writer and workshop leader. She trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic, worked at Derby Playhouse, Oldham Coliseum, the Sherman Theatre and Theatr Clwyd, and has toured with Northern Studio Theatre Company, Riff-Raff Company and the young National Trust theatre company. She currently directs a theatre company for people with learning disabilities for Reach Inclusive Arts in Swindon, and runs an inter-generational arts project, Bridging the Gap, in Faringdon, Oxfordshire. In the last 10 years, she has also written, produced and directed three large-scale community theatre productions, working with adults and schools. Deeply involved in environmental issues, this is her first one-person show, which was inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1962 groundbreaking book, ‘Silent Spring’.

Liz Rothschild said: “The show is not a history lesson, nor is it about fear and despair. It is a love story. Through it you meet this remarkable woman, experience the natural world as she did, and hear stories she never told in her lifetime, and how they reverberate today.”

‘Breaking the Silence’ is directed by Sue Mayo, designed by Sue Condie, and performed to a specially commissioned soundscape by Joseph Young, inspired by the sounds of the natural world. The show will tour theatres, arts centres, farms, village halls, colleges and conferences For more information about the project, visit:
http://www.rachelcarson.co.uk/

(ii) See Green party news release from 24th October 2007 here.

(iii) See Pesticide Action Network UK:
http://www.pan-uk.org/

Puckshole earth and river plus more on drains

Puckshole earth bank: I have had calls from two residents in Puckshole - the company that repaired the new bank where there was the landslip appear to have left a pile of extra earth on the edge of the road - effectively they have made the road narrower by a little - one resident reports that earth is washing off this pile into the drains and is concerned about blocking drains (see photo). Highways have now checked the site but I understand that they report that they do not intend to take any further action.

Puckshole river: the District will now try to contact the owners of the fields regarding the 'river' going along the road (see photo) to see if the causes can be tackled. See original blogs on this here.

More on drains: below is a letter sent to Highways and the County's Cabinet member for the Environment:

I have had phone calls from several residents about the unsatisfactory state of drains. These have all been attended to very promptly after calls to the drains hotline. However there seem to have been on-going problems at a number of road drains over recent years in the Randwick area - and no doubt other areas.

The level of rainfall during the last year would indicate very strongly that many drains are insufficient to cope with the quantity of water. Indeed Highways report that while there is only a yearly clean of drains they do, after every heavy rain, deal with drains in Randwick (i). This is still unsatisfactory as often these drains block very quickly and cause flooding across roads before Highways can get to them.

I am sure the county council is acutely aware of the need to adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change, which include more intense and frequent rainfall (ii) and that the existing highway drainage system was not designed to cope with the type of storms we can expect now. I am also aware that the County has invested in redesigning some local key drains like at Ash Lane and Humphreys End so that they can cope with larger flows of water/debris etc. However they are both still inadequate to cope despite apparently the Ash Lane site having the largest tank available.

1. Drainage review - I would welcome news on how the County plans to review drainage and in particular what extra investment is planned for this in the light of the recent budget? In particular whether Randwick can be included in improvements.

Two other key connected issues I would welcome more information on:

2. Urban drainage can’t be looked at in isolation and what goes on in the catchment – for example river flood prevention schemes will almost always have an impact on the free flow of drainage systems. I know the County are looking at flooding issues seriously and would welcome news on how this will be considered within Highways following the County's report on flooding. I understand there are some good examples like the Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan where a new plan is delivering an integrated and sustainable approach to sewerage and drainage master planning. Clearly there is also the issue of development planning and new build on floodplains: it is not necessarily the case that the development shouldn’t go ahead, but specific, detailed and early consultation is vital. In Holland I understand houses in the worst flooded areas are now built on poles so that when flood waters rise so do the homes.

3. Sustainable Urban Drainage systems: some councils like Oxford seem to be using these effective techniques more widely in Highways than Gloucestershire does. Indeed it would appear at present there is not a policy document on this within the County? I accept the Government is failing to lead on this issue and I have had much unproductive correspondence with Ministers and Defra, however SUDS is clearly the direction we should be moving in.

Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District councillor for the Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill ward

Notes:

(i) Key drains in need of additional attention include:
1. The dip at Humphreys End was nearly a foot deep in water
2. Bottom of Redhouse Lane
3. Far Westrip - opposite telephone box
4. Ash Lane
5. Two sites near Court Farm, Randwick

(ii) The existing highway drainage system was designed to cope with storms which occur once every 40 years. Over recent years these severe storms are occurring with increasing frequency, with the type of storm that used to happen once every ten years now occurring once or twice a year. The situation is not helped by the increasing proportion of land, especially in built-up areas, that is now paved, lessening the water's ability to simply drain into the ground. This can only get worse with more houses, businesses and roads in the pipeline.

West Papua: Government ignores facts

During every single year of the 45 years of Indonesia's brutal occupation of West Papua, successive UK Governments from Harold Macmillan to Gordon Brown have supported and conspired with the Indonesian Generals who rule from Jakarta...from Sukarno, via Suharto to Yudhoyono.

Photo: Flying the West Papua flag in Stroud (see earlier posts)

The reasons behind this seem to be clear - and they don't seem to have much to do with either human rights or the rule of international law. Some would say the interests of BP, Rio Tinto, BAE Systems etc are more important.

I have covered this topic before in this blog but I have to say I have been shocked by the latest incarnation of Britain's collusion with the Indonesian Government which has appeared in the form of a letter about the 1969 "Act of Free Choice" (known by Papuans as the 'Act of No Choice') - it came from the current UK Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for the UK's relations with Indonesia, Meg Munn MP.

In that letter, dated 14th January, Meg Munn talks about the 'Act of Free Choice' as if it really was an act of free choice - showing shocking ignorance - deliberate or otherwise - of the facts. She also says the Government 'do not support a re-visitation of the 1969 Act of Free Choice'. Here is my letter to her below -= others may also want to write?

To MEGG MUNN MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Dear Ms Munn,

I have been shocked to read that you have put your name to a letter about the illegal Indonesian annexation of West Papua. I am very concerned that you do not appear to understand the history. It is just not true that in 1969 the West Papuans ‘freely chose to become part of Indonesia’ in a ‘democratic vote’ called the “Act of Free Choice”.

Nobody who has studied the history of that region could possibly conclude that is the case. I would like to note that in August 1969 Brigadier-General Ali Murtopo, special envoy of the Indonesian dictator Suharto, speaking to West Papuans selected to take part in the “Act of Free Choice”, made this threat: “This is what will happen to anyone who votes against Indonesia. Their accursed tongues will be torn out. Their full mouths will be wrenched open. Upon them will fall the vengeance of the Indonesian people. I will myself shoot them on the spot.”

And at the same time, Suharto sent this clear order to his military forces in West Papua: "See that the [act] on West Irian's [Papua’s] future status will yield a clear pronouncement in favour of Indonesia."

Two of your Government colleagues have taken a different view:

“[In the Act of Free Choice a] 1,000 handpicked representatives … were largely coerced into declaring for inclusion in Indonesia”. (Foreign Office Minister Baroness Symons, House of Lords, 13 December 2004.)

“We recognise that it [the Act of Free Choice] was extremely flawed”. (UK Government spokesperson, Baroness Royall, House of Lords, 8 January 2007

Are you aware that had either of these two statements been made by a West Papuan man or woman rather than by British Government Ministers, he or she would now be serving a 10 or 15 year sentence in an Indonesian prison or worse? I understand that daring to disagree with the “official version of history” in Indonesian-occupied West Papua is to put your own and the life of your family’s in danger.

The truth about the “Act of Free Choice” is paramount. I would welcome clarification on this matter.

Yours sincerely, Cllr. Philip Booth

E-MAIL Meg Munn MP on: msu.publicin@fco.gov.uk
For more background reading see the article "The UN & the Act of Free Choice" by British historian, Dr John Saltford at: http://www.angelfire.com/journal/issues/saltford.html

Burma: a move away from democracy

This evening the regime in Burma announced it would be holding a referendum on a new constitution in May, and elections in 2010. This is not the breakthrough for which we have been campaigning (see previous blog entries). In fact, it is an attempt by the regime to cling on to power by insisting the military have 25% of seats and a veto. The Burma Campaign have just released a press release here. The regime lost the election in 1990 and so ignored the result - it seems this time they plan to rig every stage to ensure military victory.

As Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign said: “It is about preserving military rule and avoiding economic sanctions. The international community must not be fooled again. The United Nations Security Council must take action. In addition, the UK and EU must impose further targeted sanctions to help force the regime to the negotiating table.”

Whiteshill: Car on fire and local crime priorities

Last week many will know there was a car on fire in Whiteshill playing fields - it was videoed by a local resident who also caught the shop fire on video - here is what they wrote about the car...

Photo: Dusk near Westrip

"Yet again we have been awoken by youths in the village car park this time stuck in the mud .....setting fire to a car...fire engines getting stuck in the mud!!!!! We lost 3 hours sleep last night but at least that's one less car on the road!!!!!!"

I also have just heard back from the recent local Neighbourhood Panel Meeting for Stroud Urban area. The current three Urban Priorities that had been set at the last meeting:

1. Anti-Social Behaviour – Park/Bank Gardens Stroud
2. Criminal Damage – Park/Bank Gardens Stroud
3. Speeding – Nouncells Cross and Whiteshill

Infact Bank Gardens and Park Gardens have shown a dramatic decrease in crimes and incidents being reported. A further 6 people have been caught and fined for speeding in the areas set as the priorities. In regards to the Whiteshill area it was noted that National Express coaches had been stopped by Police from using Whiteshill as an alternative route and this had resolved part of the problem reported. Again Speed checks had also been carried out - there are still plans for flashing signs.

The group also had a discussion about new priorities - this included concern re Nouncells Cross and also concerns re youths congregating around the Spar shop at Cashes Green and surrounding roads and alleyways. Some residents feel that youths are intimidating the elderly and additional patrols are needed in the area - unfortunately the Spar shop had failed on tests re selling alcohol to people underage. Another Test Purchase Operation is planned for the near future.

There is also a Mosquito at Cashes Green - some wondered if it was working - the responsibility of switching it on lays with the owner of the Spar shop - I am personally against the use of Mosquitos - see my comments here. Discussions also included concerns like problems at Whiteshill with the car park and playing field being main concerns for
Anti-Social use of motor vehicles during evenings and weekends. Indeed cars have also been damaged many times in the car park.

The decision on 3 priorities for agencies to address were agreed. Anti-Social Behaviour in Park and Bank Gardens had decreased significantly and this priority could be replaced. Due to the concerns of Anti-Social Behaviour in Queens Drive and the surrounding area of Cashes Green it was decided that this would be the first new priority. It was decided that high visibility patrols would be increased in the area and the council would look into the litter problem with perhaps providing more bins etc and the Neighbourhood Warden SM would also be involved with patrolling the areas.

With the high concerns of Nouncells Cross and the Anti-Social Behaviour increasing it was decided that it would become the second priority extending to the top of town with an increase in patrols in the area. This was agreed.

Speeding was a main concern for many areas and after a short discussion to specify which areas would be covered it was decided that Speeding in Bisley Old Road, Whiteshill, Folly Lane, Lansdown Road and Westward Road would be the main areas of patrol for the third and final priority.

One issue I put forward is that we need to renew our Neighbourhood Watch schemes - many new residents have moved in and some of the schemes could do with more new blood - although my own view is that they should act more like Neighbourhood Care schemes that look out more for the less able or more vulnerable in our communities.....

CuckooRow win best band

At the 7th Annual Undiscovered Youth Talent Contest in Stroud there were some 25 acts - there maybe others who took part who are local to this ward but Freddie Whittaker lives just down from Whiteshill and has helped with the Ruscombe Brook Action Group - and with Aimee Balinger and Meri Wills they make up Cuckoo Row - they've been mentioned before on this blog - see here - also get their album 'Lost on Cuckoo Row' from Kane's Records, in Kendrick Street, Stroud - See their album reviewed in The Citizen here. Hear some of their music here.

Half-term Art Workshops for children

Art Workshops at Maypole Hall, Paganhill

Mon 18 Feb 10-12 only
Tues 19 Feb 2 - 4 only
Wed 20 Feb 10-12 only
Thurs 21 Feb 10-12 & 2-4
Fri 22 Feb 10-12 only

For 6-12yrs - under 6's with adult £2 and rest £5 per session or 3+ Sessions £4. Limited places so book now! Val - 01453 759296 Gypsy - 01453 821060 e-mail - vsaunders@toucansurf.com

Photo: Ruscombe valley

Call EU to tighten recycling targets

A Friends of the Earth campaign email urged me to help build pressure for binding recycling targets in the new EU Waste Framework Directive. This is critical and I would encourage others to also email Stavros Dimas, the European Commissioner for Environment, here.

Photo: Ruscombe Wednesday morning

However it is my view that Friends of the Earth have not aimed high enough - they are right to call for a transformation in how we address waste in Europe, moving away from disposal and towards prevention, reuse and recycling. Research has clearly shown that recycling and waste prevention are good for the climate but FoE are calling only for a minimum of 50% of municipal waste and 70% of construction, demolition, industrial and manufacturing waste by 2020.

Flanders is already at 70%: it is possible we should be aiming much higher and as the FoE action allows you to change the email I made that point in the introduction of the email action.

Green party's 25th AGM: a warm welcome to newest member Kathy Dimock (aged 100)

This evening I had a fascinating training session at the Subscription Rooms in Stroud on how to make scrutiny work - ambitious scrutiny - how to raise the bar for serious change rather than looking for slight improvements. No doubt more of that in coming blogs as I sit on one of the Scrutiny panels - but wanted to note last nights' Green party AGM....

Photos: Kathy Dimock, aged 100 being interviewed by BBC, Green members arriving, the most incredible carrot cake, falafels and more, John Marjoram reading Caroline Lucas' statement welcoming Kathy and then presenting her with flowers and lastly John Meadley talking about Green business.

Well it was a good evening - see news release here (which includes the statement from Caroline Lucas MEP and more about the evening)...the evening started with Kathy Dimock being welcomed to the party - I had a brief talk with her - sort of excing talking to someone who has seen so much!! And very refreshing - she has never joined a political party before but wanted to join the Green party....that was followed by a talk by John Meadley about business - it was a good talk about greening business and I intend to try and write up some of it for the Glos Green party website.

After that was more cake - and it was very good cake - then Green party officers like John Marjoram as Coordinator and myself as Press Officer gave short presentations about the last year - I rather threw together some stuff - bits included...over 100 individual letters and 180 news releases sent to local papers: over 80% of those will have found there way into at least one of the 6 local newspapers....the Gloucestershire Green party website is updated virtually daily with news items and reports.....It has led to many phone calls from press picking up on items (apparently a BBC Glos reporter says he looks at this blog everyday) plus numerous emails and comments about particular issues and comments - one I liked last week: "Still enjoying your blog which is the best thing since the late lamented Dennis Mason's SNJ." I also noted the 15 or so consultations that we've taken part in - local and national like on flooding, Sustainable Community Strategy consultation, Brimscombe Port Area Action Plan etc etc....and more but it is late now and I want bed so quickly to finish this ramble...

After those presentations more bits of boring AGM and then the votes for positions - Elinor Croxall replaces John Marjoram who wont be going into even slight retirement - he seems more energetic than ever and wants to work more on the Town Council stuff. I am back in for a seventh year as Press Officer but have noted my enthusiasm for someone else to help...

Staverton: counter report published

CASE are local residents concerned about plans to expand Gloucestershire (Staverton) airport. I have been helping them and other groups and individuals a little to produce a counter-report to the one produced by Cheltenham scrutiny committee. The authors of this new report by Neil Marshall and Richard Conibere have done an excellent job...also in this blog other info re the airport's campaign...

Basically as regular blog readers will know the airport business plan proposes that the two owners of the airport, Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City Councils will provide the funding for the £3.4M expansion in the form of a loan. In 2007 the two councils set up a sub-committee, the Joint Airport Scrutiny Working Group (JASWG), to examine the airport's plans.

Cheltenham Borough Council's Economy and Business Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee have since recommended that Gloucestershire Airport's business plans is approved and supported. Although the scrutiny committee voted to support the airport's business plan, they also decided that a 'cap' on the number of flights will be part of the airport's green policy, to be prepared in 'early 2008'.

No one I have spoken to can argue that the JASWG report is balanced, or that it properly evaluates the options open to the Councils.

Anyhow the CASE response to the JASWG report is available at:
http://tinyurl.com/2ythce

The JASWG report itself is available online on the Cheltenham Borough Council website :

* JASWG Report http://tinyurl.com/ywh8ju
* Appendix A http://tinyurl.com/2ewswv
* Appendix B http://tinyurl.com/yqwtjw
* Appendix C http://tinyurl.com/23wh4h
* Appendix D http://tinyurl.com/yo7nkx

CASE, FoE, Green party members and others will be lobbying the Cabinet to explain why they do not think that the Councils should support the Airport business plan. The Scrutiny Committee voting was not unanimous, and some of the members will be preparing their own report that expresses their view that the Cabinet should not support the business plan. Cheltenham Borough Council's final decision about whether to support the Airport's business plan will be made by the Cabinet on 12th Feb 2008 at 4:00pm at the Municipal Offices in Cheltenham. The meeting will be open to members of the public, should you wish to attend.

Also other news on the campaign:

CASE campaigners joined forces with other campaigners from across the South West yesterday to discuss major concerns about airport expansion with the region's MPs at Westminster. The campaigners used the occasion to launch a new umbrella organisation, "AirportWatch South West", which will represent a powerful unified voice to fight issues such as increased noise disturbance for local communities, increased traffic congestion, and huge rises in climate changing emissions from aircraft, balanced against unproven economic benefits from regional airport growth. Here's part of the news release...

Airports at Staverton, Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Newquay and Plymouth are all facing plans for major expansion over the next seven to 20 years. MPs, including Martin Horwood (Cheltenham) and Giles Chichester (MEP for the South West of England), plus Steven Race representing Ben Bradshaw, Minister for the South West, heard presentations on issues of climate change, noise, green belt and why the supposed economic benefits claimed as justification for expanding regional airports remain unproven.

AirportWatch SW spokesperson, Susan Pearson said: "We were very encouraged by our reception from MPs who asked thoughtful questions when discussing the issues with us. They stated that they would help us ask questions in the Commons, which could gain us information we might not normally have access to. The MPs were particularly interested in discussing the economic arguments for expanding airports, which are completely unsupported by any rigorous data. At the end of the meeting we made a direct request asking them to push for a review of the 2003 Air Transport White Paper of 2003, on which all UK airport expansion plans are based. It is now five years out of date and failed to take account of tourism deficit, which has grown from zero in 1997 to £18 billion, as more and more money is taken out of the UK than is brought in by overseas visitors. Government data shows a clear link between the rise of cheap flights and this massive tourist deficit, which translates as a loss of many millions to the South West."

Here were some of the quotes sent to press:

Cllr Philip Booth, a Stroud District councillor (Green), who has been campaigning in Gloucestershire against the expansion of Staverton Airport said: "Massive expansion plans for all the airports in the South West mean a severe downturn in quality of life for local communities as noise disturbance and local traffic congestion increase. Aviation is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions, which cause at least twice the environmental damage than if they were released on the ground.

“The economic and environmental arguments against airport expansions are overwhelming. Why should we exempt aviation from cutting CO2 emissions? It would be unjust and economically absurd to allow aviation to expand and then need to demand even further cuts in emissions from other sectors. But even if we set aside climate change - which we cannot afford to do - it is hard to make a case for aviation in a world where oil is running out, unfair subsidies are rife and these airports lead to so many pounds being spent abroad."

Expansion of airports across the region make no sense at a time when the UK has not yet been able to achieve Government targets for cutting emissions.

Philip Booth added: “The driver for airport growth is the increase in budget flights, yet it is cheap flights that are squeezing tourism in the South West’s, the region’s biggest industry. Only last week, national hotel chain Travelodge gave evidence at the House of Commons showing that unfair tax breaks to short haul airlines ‘are slowly bringing the curtain down on regional tourism,’ losing the UK £19 billion a year.

Nationally, AirportWatch is an umbrella organisation for groups fighting airport expansion all over the UK. It includes Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the National Trust, the Women’s Institute, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, RSPB and the Woodland Trust under its banner.

Latest on Gloucester City and Planning Applications...

Gloucester City Council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee deferred their decision on the airport business plan while they wait for the airport's response to Cheltenham's proposal for a ceiling on the number of flights. Once the scrutiny committee have made a decision their recommendation will be sent to the Cabinet, who will make a final decision for Gloucester.

The planning applications submitted by the airport have still not been considered by the Tewkesbury Borough Council planning committee. The committee will not consider the four planning applications made by the airport until their March meeting at the earliest. Clearly the planners see the expansion as an issue, as they have spent over a year (since Dec 2006) analysing the applications to judge if, and to what extent, there will be 'intensification'.

For details lots of good info go to the CASE website at www.case-online.org.uk

Ruth Kelly's contempt for environment and democracy

Ruth Kelly’s support for Heathrow's expansion reveals ‘utter contempt’ for the environment and for local democracy. The Government’s support for the expansion of Heathrow airport demonstrates a complete contempt for the health of the environment and for local democracy.

Photo: Except of course that Boris wants a completely new Airport to the East of London. Meanwhile plans are afoot to expand London City Airport, increasing flights by 50% over the next 3 years and more than doubling them by 2030 according to the BBC.

Green MEP for the South East Caroline Lucas is quoted saying: “Any government which, on the one hand pledges to make a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020, and in the next breath gives the green light to the greatest expansion of aviation in a generation is guilty of either the most shameless hypocrisy, or the most unforgiveable ignorance and stupidity. Despite the promises which were made by previous Labour governments to limit further expansion, this Government has persisted in a deceptive campaign for a third runway which its own figures estimate will result in a record total number of 702,000 flights using Heathrow every year. This will almost double the number of flights recorded last year if both a third runway and the end of runway alternation are agreed."

Those figures basically translate into nearly 500 extra flights a day, and more noise and more emissions. The figures are by now well known: a third runway would require the demolition of over 750 houses – perhaps significantly more - including the entire village of Sipson. More than 3000 people would lose their homes. Schools, pubs and churches would all be demolished. Whichever way you look at these proposals, they are a social and environmental nightmare.

See also Kev's Climate blog here and the questions he put to her. She has yet to respond. Apparently Ruth Kelly has been savaged by the back benchers over her plans to expand Heathrow.Let us hope all this pressure starts to wake her up.

Call for Free Running sessions at Stratford Park

Some will know that Randwick young folk were involved in the Free Running accident reported in The Citizen today - see below - it was serious - very serious - last year a teen ended up in hospital after an incident in Cheltenham that some claimed was also Free Running - in my view we need to be acting to support this new sport - to work within the law and ensure that such risks are not taken.

Photos: See more Parkour photos here

I've now written to various Council Officers to see what ways forward are best - see my earlier comments on the blog re this here - I have hopes for Stratford Park - Moberley Centre in Brent for example runs sessions - the training focuses on developing the fundamental attributes required for movement, which include balance, strength, dynamism, endurance, precision, spatial awareness and creative vision. Anyhow when I hear more I'll scribble another blog...but here is The Citizen piece...and nice to see responsible reporting about such issues....

TEEN FREE-RUNNER FELL THROUGH A SHOP ROOF

A Free-runner practising on a shop roof surprised staff when he fell through up to his waist.Fire and rescue crews and paramedics were called to the roof of Peacocks in Russell Street, Stroud, last week on Wednesday.

"We were in the shop," said assistant manager Jenny Beard. "We could hear them running across the roof. It was very loud. "There was a loud bang and the roof came in. He did not appear to be injured. He fell in up to his waist in the roof. The fire brigade were here too."

The hole in the pitched roof has been covered temporarily with plastic sheeting. A 17-year-old free runner, Hunter Hubbard, claimed he saw what happened but said the youngster concerned was not hurt.

"I was up there with a few friends and we were sitting, as it was not a good idea to be up there," said Hunter, from Paganhill, whose hair-raising rooftop antics have been reported in the past by The Citizen. He claimed: "Another kid wanted to do it. He was okay and managed to climb out. We ran away and went back to check he was okay."

At the time, police issued a warning to youngsters to stay away from rooftops because of the risk of injury and damage to property. Inspector Nick Holmes, of Stroud police, stressed the enormous risks involved in practising free-running, or Parkour, on tall buildings.

"In this particular incident the potential for fatal or serious injury was considerable given the height of the building and the route taken to access the rooftop," he said.

"It was surprising that no one was seriously hurt, given the circumstances. As well as substantial police resources, paramedics and two fire crews were called to the scene. Police don't want to stop youngsters from practising their chosen sport, but they need to exercise some common sense and do it where there is no risk to property or life."

Four boys believed to have been engaged in free-running in the area, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old from Randwick, a 16-year-old from Painswick, and a 17-year-old from Stroud, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. All four have been released on police bail until February 21.

Government plan to medicate whole of UK

Government are once again pushing plans to fluoridate national water supplies - apart from the health risks and the fact that it doesn't work so well, medicating people without permission breaches European Human Rights conventions - See my news release here. Locally in the Safe Water Campaign group we have trying to increase awareness about this issue with stalls, talks, leaflets and more - sadly too many people still confuse fluoride with chlorine - quite a different kettle of fish.....

Photo: recent stall in Stroud

Parkour: should it come to Stratford Park?

This evening I met with a youth worker and couple of young people to talk more about Parkour - it was great to learn more - they had contacted me after they picked up on an item I had written on my blog after the SNJ covered Hunter.

Photo pinched from Hunter Hubbard's website

It does seem to me that we have a culture that encourages Parkour/Free Running with James Bond films and Madonna videos - yet at the same time there are good reasons to be concerned if young people are trespassing or occasionally damaging property or themselves. It is surely great that these young people are honing and developing their athletic skills, rather than succumbing to lethargy and obesity.

The young people I have met who participate in this new sport are keen to share their knowledge and issues of safety with others - they were talking of wanting to make a film that would include more re the safety aspects - to me if we ignore the issue it could lead to more accidents as people try out tricks, use dangerous locations etc - so a film about responsible Free Running - not that they would call it that - is surely good... indeed it is crucial to get that message out if we are to avoid serious accidents.

Skateboarding is now widely accepted: I think the time is right for Free Running sessions to be organised in Stratford Park like at other sports centres? I only wish I was a little younger and fitter to be able to join in!! In the meantime I will follow up on this issue to see if their might be possibilities at Stratford Park?

At the moment maybe only 30 to 40 young people in the Stroud area are participating but it looks set to grow as it gets more media coverage nationally and more films use it - infact I saw a couple of weeks ago the film 'Breaking and Entering' (Juliette Binoche, Jude Law, Robin Wright Penn) that has some great sequences....

Stop at two children to save planet?

For interest I enclose below an article in SNJ tomorrow - it is apparently the number three most read story on the SNJ website today after post office closures and a donkey to help Chalford residents!

It sadly has some misquotes and emphasis in the bits attributed to me - indeed I noted that Chinas' policy also had serious bad consequences - mind it is hard to get across an issue in a short article - to me population is only one amongst dozens of other areas we need to be considering when tackling climate change - sadly this article makes it look a little like it is one of the key answers...Do leave a comment about what you think....

Stop at two children to help save the planet says councillor
By David Wiles

A PROMINENT district councillor and environmental campaigner is calling for couples to limit themselves to having no more than two children to help save the planet. Cllr Philip Booth (Green, Over Stroud) says a 'stop at two' policy would help preserve the world's natural resources.

"If we're talking about climate change, we've got to look at how we're consuming resources," he said. "The problem is the more people we have on the planet the more we're consuming. If a family has got four children, they're often consuming more than other families."

The 47-year-old, who has no children of his own but has two grown-up step children, said the idea should be encouraged as one of several measures to reduce consumption, including eating less meat. He said China's 'one child' law had had some success, reducing population growth in the country of 1.3 billion by 300 million over its first 20 years. But he stressed that a 'stop at two' initiative would have to be optional.

"It would be an individual choice," he said. "I would like to see it implemented through family planning. We have some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the continent. People are probably not choosing to have children."

Government projections show the UK population will rise from 60 million to 71.1 million by 2031 and reach 78.6 million by 2056.

"We should be looking to make people aware that population is still really an issue", he said. "I think there would be more support for it if people were aware of some of the issues."

He said the 'stop at two' initiative, which is not Green Party policy, was popular in the 1970s and had again come to the fore in the last five to six years.

"There are a number of people in the green movement who see it as a complete side issue," he said. "But I think we've got to do everything we can to stop climate change."

*Cllr Booth raised the 'stop at two' issue in a letter to the SNJ (See below).

See Green party policy on Population here:
http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/mfss/mfsspp.html

See Optimum Population Trust:
http://www.optimumpopulation.org/

Letter in SNJ:

Alistair Mainwaring suggests "old earth has been subject to weather patterns of hot and cold for 4,500 million years" (SNJ letters 9/01/08). This is true, but if trends continue as expected, the projected changes will be catastrophically greater than that already experienced. The idea that climate change is not, at least partly driven by man-made activities, is now only held by cranks or perhaps those with a financial interest in denying reality. The needed level of reduction in greenhouse gases is still disputed, but few scientists call for less than a 60% reduction and all the latest indications from the Tyndall Centre and others are that at least 90% is needed. Far from the Green party being unrealistic as Alistair Mainwaring suggests, we seem to be the only ones that appear to be listening to the scientists and developing the necessary policies. Although recent research by the Institute for Public Policy Research, RSPB and WWF calls for an 80% reduction in emissions and shows such a cut is cost-effective without damaging the economy. However Alistair Mainwaring's call for lower world population to help tackle emissions is spot-on. Last year the Green party had a Coffee House discussion in Stroud on this issue as a perpetually expanding economy, with perpetual population growth is not desirable or possible. It is surely time for encouraging a "Stop at Two" children policy and for full access to family planning worldwide which would also be good for women's health and rights? Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District Green Party. Ruscombe, Stroud, Glos.

Rats on the increase

My new neighbours cat caught 6 rats in it's first week of life here in Bread Street - apparently they are on the increase locally...2007 was the worst year on record for rats reported to Stroud District Council’s pest control team. Officers were called out to 1,568 homes last year compared with 1,008 in 2006.

Photo: I met this fellow just after Christmas - a friends pet rat that was very friendly indeed

It is difficult to know for sure why there are more complaints but milder winters (climate change again?) are thought to be a factor. It is certainly a national problem. Locally the District are trying to increase capacity by exploring new ways of working to reduce the number of revisits required per treatment and also trying to show residents how to make their homes less attractive to rats - and encourage catering businesses to store food waste properly. Over-feeding wild birds; putting refuse sacks out the night before collection and open compost heaps can all encourage rats to visit homes and gardens.

100 year old joins Green party

Kathy Dimock will be a 100 on 1st March and has decided to join a political party for the first time in her life - the Green party - her daughter met John Marjoram on his bench on Thursday mornings where he sits to meet the public - the conversation led to her mum's interest in joining - she will be welcomed officially at our AGM on Wednesday in Stroud - see news release here.

Hunts Grove Public Inquiry and post office closures

This morning I attended the Public Inquiry - good to see 4 Whiteshill residents amongst the Public Gallery which made up probably a third of members of the public!

Today it was the turn of MPs David Drew and Parmjit Dhanda who gave evidence. They had already submitted reports so were mainly there to answer questions - have to say I was surprised by Parmjit going off on a bit of a tangent over PPS3 planning guidance - he even seemed to be issuing new advice as a Minister but I'll have to check that!

Anyhow David Drew made some useful points - which he has done all along re dispersal - but they don't stack up with the reality - indeed his Government seems intent on killing off local villages - I would liked to have asked the inquiry how many homes are needed in a village to keep a PO open?

Indeed one problem with squeezing homes into villages is that you often only get small numbers which means no 106 money to go towards playgrounds, libraries etc - not helping sustainability! See John Marjorams presentation to the Inquiry here. Sadly although Hunts Grove is not great it is better than the alternatives....

Anyhow The Citizen tells us today that across the county the death knell has sounded for 27 post offices - see my press release re post offices that went out Saturday - the closest one to us is Ebley - very sad as it is one of the friendliest places ever to get your stamps and more - a real part of the community.

Dire news re canal

Just heard this morning that British Waterways have withdrawn funding for canal - apparently they don't have the dosh - this is outrageous and blights development in Stroud - what of the housing in Brimscombe? Of all the other plans? More news soon and no doubt papers will be covered with it tomorrow.....

Photo: Canal near Brimscombe

Parish updates

Here are some bits and pieces of news - all issues covered previously but some updates...

Photo: Whiteshill viewed from Stroud

St Pauls and Church of the Holy Spirit Churches meeting - very well attended with lots of ideas about how to move forward - one I liked was the use of the main part of St Pauls as a conference centre - this seemed a good way forward but clearly all ideas need exploring...

Whiteshill orchard - two trees replaces and fences now repaired

Whiteshill considerate drivers scheme - 74 people (incl myself) happy to support but Parish want 80 beore proceeding.

Street lighting Whiteshill - The survey results so far show 9 people want lights left on, 16 people want one-third of lights turned off and 31 wants two thirds off completely - the Parish are now looking at specific details of results re individual lights requested.

New Village Agent for Randwick, Ruscombe and Whiteshill - the loss of Village Agent Pam Thorne was a blow but we now have Judith Newman - not met yet but have left her a message and lookforward to meeting her - wish her well in her new roll - contact her on 07776 245791.

Randwick Village Hall - the renovation project got through to the 500 shortlist for the Big Lottery Community Buildings Scheme - sadly turned down - at least paperwork and plans are looking good for future bids and it sounds like from reading the Runner that they are keen to invest in renewables - a Ground Source Heat Pump is being looked at - a new bid is now being put together. Good luck to them - this hall is a vital part of our community, it will be great to invest now for the buildings future.

Rubbish Cabinet

Well a Cabinet meeting looking at waste was on Thursday night - two presentations - Friends of the Earth and County Council...

Photo: Advert for Veolia in The Ecologist magazine - who have the contract with SDC

....the deadline for questions took us a little by surprise - Greens were the only ones to submit questions which were read out by others at the meeting - a little strange as I was expecting to ask my own question - anyhow they are below - I was also expecting to be able to ask more questions and had several prepared - however no one got the chance except Cabinet members - the Cabinet meeting will be on the webcast soon here - you can see the answers - not so satisfactory as the whole process is biased towards big incinerators...

One key issue unanswered is why in future tendering exercises, rather than leaving the choice of technology to the bidders, would it not be more proactive of the County Council to indicate, and seek bids for, the technologies which it would prefer? This could encourage more modern and flexible solutions bearing in mind that bidders may tend to suggest mature technologies which they see as financially safe. Anyhow lots more of this another time - but also see various previous blogs which cover this issue in lots of depth including our fears that Stonehouse looks set for a big incinerator....

Photo: Jackdaws

Also at Cabinet the SDC Independent Climate Change Panel's response, the highly controversial knocking down of properties in places like Highfield Road to 'realise assets', the Forward Plan and more...suggest the webcast if interested or happy to talk if individual queries re any of the topics...

1. What residual waste treatment tonnage is the County Council planning for during the period 2015 - 2040?

2. Would the County Council be prepared to lobby the Government to support a level financing playing field for a scheme involving a number of distributed residual waste treatment and energy recovery facilities compared to a single mass burn incinerator?

3. A distributed scheme, involving more modern technologies, some of which are more common in Europe, may be a more environmentally sound and flexible approach to Gloucestershire's waste disposal needs. Such a scheme may also be more acceptable to the general public. Will the County Council take any positive steps to enable such a scheme to be developed through the waste management planning and tendering process.

Local Post Office closures

Locally news leaked yesterday is that closures will include Uplands, Woodchester, Ebley, Forest Green and Horsley Post offices. This is just plain wrong - see news release I've just sent out here.

Photo: Demo to save Paganhill PO - I am under the 'f' of office in the sign!

At least Paganhill and Cainscross Post Offices appear to be safe - indeed politically I cannot see how the Paganhill one would be allowed to close - especially after so much public money was poured into it - see my previous comment here.

I also just discovered that Ebley Post Office have still not heard officially that they are due to close but have received the leaflets they must distribute telling customers they are closing!

Sign petition to stop HGVs on A46

A petition is being organised by a couple of residents in Painswick. Blog readers will know that residents are very fed up about the road subsidence and the fact that the HGVs will return and contribute towards the A46 problems plus of course impact badly on our villages.

Photo: Randwick woods

As noted in my blog Painswick, Pitchcombe and Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parishes along with Stroud Town have all written to the County expressing concerns about the lorries. The County's initial replies in the press are that weight limits will not be imposed. Many in the community see this as a missed opportunity to tackle the problems - it would be great if as many petitions as possible could be completed. Please let me know and I can email a copy or drop off a copy to folk in the ward. I am also happy to collect any completed forms.

Update: The authors of the petition have taken account of such views and the new wording adds: In order that the problems of the A46 are not merely shifted, the A4173 (Stroud Road, Edge) and B4070 (Slad Road) must also become subject to weight restrictions. The closing date has been put back to March 9th to enable as many signatures as possible to be added.

They hope to have forms back by the 9th February which is not really any time - although there maybe a few days extra if needed. Here is the wording:

To: The Prime Minister The Minister for Transport The Highways Department and Cabinet Member. Gloucestershire County Council

A46

The closure of the A46 between August 2007 and February 2008 is the fifth incidence of subsidence between the Brockworth roundabout and Salmon Springs since 2002. We the undersigned believe that heavy goods vehicles have contributed to this problem and we request that this section of the A46 be redesignated from an “A” road to a “B” road thus making it possible for weight restrictions to be imposed.

Employment Land Review and New Planning Bill Policy Panels

Earlier this week Stroud District councillors were treated to a Policy Panel - this is where we can learn more and also sometimes influence policy developments. This Panel covered two issues Employment Land Review and New Planning Bill....

Photo: Crown pub Monday night - I keep forgetting Vine Tree is closed then - and Carpenters - it was the third time I've gone up there for a drink recently only to find it closed on a Monday


Employment Land Review

As part of the Council’s review of the Local Plan and Local Development Framework, the Council commissioned GVA Grimley to undertake an Employment Land Review. This looks at the provision of employment sites and an assessment of future employment demand within the District - plus give advice on providing a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the scale, location, accessibility, marketability and competitiveness of sites in Stroud District. More here.

8000 or 9000 travel out of the District everyday!

I raised several concerns at the meeting - which refreshingly had a third of councillors attending - often I've been to Panels with only a handful of other councillors out of the 51. My concerns included the possible lack of flexibility in the plans which are based on current economic growth forecasts - I personally don't believe those - we cannot go on growing - oil prices are set to rise etc etc - anyhow there needs to be flexibility in the event of a recession. One of their estimates of increases in at least 6600 to 6800 jobs to 2026.

I also questioned the Councils role in putting money into promoting tourism when the survey revealed that we should be promoting higher quality jobs in the area - surely that money should be spent on the jobs we need rather than on jobs we can't fill? Clearly there are lots of complex issues here - I have addressed some previously on this blog and will perhaps look at this in more detail in a future one.


Planning Bill

The Planning Bill arguably represents the greatest change to Development Control in nearly two decades - see previous blog entry on this on 22nd January 2008. In short it means:

- A new Infrastructure Planning Commission, who will be determine planning applications for very large projects such a nuclear power stations,

- Changes to the appeals procedure, including the setting up of a "local" appeals procedure,

- Changes to off-site planning obligations (section 106).

The Planning Bill follows a consultation white paper of last year (I don't reckon they listened!) and is intended to respond to the Eddington and Barker reports on transport and land use respectively. I could go on loads but again made several points at the meeting - I fail to see how decision making by remote so-called independent planning commissioners can achieve greater public accountability?

Public acceptability of the planning system depends on transparency, public accessibility and democratic accountability - take these away and we undermine key elements of representative democracy. It seems consultation now is often about a process that attempts to re-educate the public....

Anyhow one of the Officers suggested that it might not be good to have a big application say for a new Airport locally. I disagreed - Uttlesford Council has achieved public trust with a major airport planning application - 16 public meetings, no one excluded plus 5 half day sessions for individuals/opponents, webcasts etc etc - people could see their views were being taken account of - involved and heard....it is possible and I have no doubts that Stroud would be up for the challenge - although clearly I do not want any local airport planning applications!

Drains, noisy recycling and Legionella in showers

An update on these three issues...

Photo: Calender by local photographer Mike Gallagher - this was the proto-type for one that the Ruscombe Valley Action Group was thinking about producing. Costs were too high and some were concerned we would not sell enough to make any money - anyhow I'm very pleased to have this and use it every day - of course need to turn the page to Feb now!

Drains

See many previous blogs on this topic - particularly 14th and 17th January 2008. Below is one of my emails to Highways which I enclose here to cover part of the background on this issue. Anyhow apparently the drains all get attended to once a year! The actual programme of maintenance is not available but the sites listed below are all, also attended to after heavy rain, as they are known areas that get blocked. Infact Ash Lane site had works last year to put in the maximum size drain to cope with the water - it still doesn't cope - in other countries they have drains much larger than that. In Norway I have seen monster sized drains! I think Highways may need to review this issue - anyhow Humphreys End has also had work done on it - so the answer to my question as to whether we could get the drains improved further by Highways is no.

This is unsatisfactory - and clearly an issue that needs taking further with Highways and the County - if flooding is set to get worse we need to put in more permenant improvements rather than unblocking on each occasion it rains...I'll write another letter but other residents could also write...

The other issue about contractors putting muck they clear out of drains on the side of the road will be addressed following our correspondence. At Humphreys End the muck sucked out or shovelled away was piled up around the drain - as soon as it rains again it goes straight back into the drain...the trouble is the muck is costly to dispose of so is easier to leave on site - however in some cases it will now be removed and in others contractors will be reminded to put it on roadside more carefully.

Lastly apparently the hole in the road near Court Farm some consider is due to water forced down BT pipes - they don't agree - a road closure may well be imminent if funding can be found to attend to it.

Re Drains/Gullies

There seem to have been on-going problems at a number of road drains over recent years in the Randwick area. The levels of rainfall during the last year would seem to indicate very strongly that at several sites the drains are insufficient to cope with the water. This could be due to the lack of regular maintenance or the need to redesign them to cope with larger flows of water/debris etc?

I have had phone calls from several residents about the unsatisfactory state of these drains, although I would like to note that they were attended to very promptly after my phone call to your drains hotline. In the light of this I would request that the following drains are reviewed to see if they can be improved. There maybe others but these are the ones identified as needing extra work so far:

1. The dip at Humphreys End was nearly a foot deep in water - the drain has now been cleared although debris/sludge etc has been piled up too close to the drain and will no doubt be washed down when we have more rain.
2. Bottom of Redhouse Lane
3. Far Westrip - opposite telephone box
4. Ash Lane
5. Two sites near Court Farm, Randwick

Noisy recycling

Some residents have been woken at 6.15 by noisy recycling. I wrote to the Officer concerned at the District to clarify the situation and also met with him yesterday very briefly. It would seem that Veolia, who have the contract, are of the opinion that from April next year they would be considering moving to a five day week. The impact of this should overcome the noise created during the early hours as their start time will revert to between 7am and 7:30am. This is not yet set in concrete but it seems likely that this will happen - although it is clearly a long way off!

In the meantime, there appears to be little that can be done other than to alert Veolia to the issue and in particular ask them to treat the matter of placing glass into the vehicle stillages (containers) more carefully during the initial collections each morning. Perhaps if others are also experiencing a problem it could be worth letting the District know.

Legionella in Showers

See my blog on 29th January about Legionella in the showers at Stratford Park. The good news is that the showers are working again. I have also received assurances that District councillors will be kept informed in future when such disruptions to service occur. I also requested they consider a discount when a service is prolonged. This issue will be raised with the contractors by District officers - to me it is unacceptable to charge full price for services when showers are not available - particularly when many including myself have some concerns re the dangers of chlorine and are keen to remove it after a swim.

See for example the Daily Telegraph regarding the dangers of taking baby swimming classes before the age of two - research indicates it may double the risk of a child developing asthma and chronic lung problems. Chlorine is also known to irritate some skin (especially some skin conditions) and has apparently been associated with skin rashes like eczema.

The other concern is triahalomethanes - why should they matter to you in pools? Well trihalomethanes are carcinogens that result from the combination of chlorine and organic compounds in water. These chemicals do not degrade very well and are usually stored in the fatty tissues of the body. At first glance, that may not seem so bad, but when you consider that some of those “fatty tissues” consists of the breasts, and by extension, mother’s milk, you begin to understand why some people are growing increasingly concerned. These chemicals also known as organochlorides have been found in blood and semen. The result of this are thought by some to be potentially extremely harmful since organochlorides can cause mutations in DNA, suppress the immune function of the body and interfere with cell growth. Various other research into chlorine also links it with other concerns - read more here.