Caroline Lucas tops list of MPs making most impact

Not one of my regular reads but 'Conservative Home' has just done an analysis into the impact that MPs are making. See here. Caroline Lucas comes first by a very very long way, with 387 media mentions since election. Neil Carmichael doesn't make the list. Caroline has also been named MP of the year - see here - well done Caroline indeed.

Trader interview: hoax or not it is disturbing

I was forwarded a link to a YouTube of a BBC interview - the interviewer was shocked by the traders 'honesty' about the likely collapse of the Eurozone - it is 3minutes and worth a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsDjTbP7TS0

Interestingly stories have started emerging suggesting this might be a hoax, but apparently not so:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/27/trader-goldman-sachs-bbc-hoax?newsfeed=true

Green Party's Derek Wall comments on his blog: "Markets can only think instant profit. Speculation is going to kill the economy. Capitalism is going to kill the planet. Politicians like Clegg, Cameron and Miliband race to see who can do the most for bond traders. We must resist or face oblivion."

All depressing stuff on such a beautiful day but there comes a time when we have to face up to the total unsustainability of our economic system - see Stroud Green councillor and economist's comment a couple of weeks ago on the Eurozone troubles: http://gaianeconomics.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-bald-men-fighting-over-comb.html Molly also has a link to a suggested way forward.

Full Council motions: Veolia, ethical investments and a local bond

One of the Veolia campaign logos

Yesterday I covered the main item of Thursday night's Full Council meeting in Stroud - well some items were carried over from last week's Full Council meeting to Thursday night. Well there were three motions - two by Labour and one Green motion - first up was one re procurement and awarding contracts. This was a move to try and ensure Stroud pays particular concern to issues of grave misconduct when awarding contracts. Well we heard that this had not been defined and so made it difficult - indeed well over a hundred building companies caught for price fixing were not seen as gross misconduct - it makes you wonder....Greens supported the motion but it fell as it was not seen as workable.

As noted during the evening by Cllr Nigel Prenter, who put forward the motion, one of the issues was around Veolia - he made a case for really considering contracts in the future with this company - an issue I've covered a fair few times on this blog - see for example here and here - also see more info at the campaign website at: http://www.bigcampaign.org/veolia/ I welcome that this issue was aired at Council and hopefully will be a early warning shot to certain companies.

The next motion was another call for ethical investment - this is something Greens have pushed repeatedly  - see for example here a Green proposal to the budget meeting in 2007 - it seems the law is stacked lots against us but I still consider we can get further than is being suggested. This motion also fell with Tories voting against.

Lastly was the Green Party motion put forward by Cllr Molly Scott Cato and Cllr Martin Whiteside. This was about developing local bonds. Here is the motion: 'Stroud District Council undertakes to explore the feasibility of financing a fixed proportion, say 10%, of its borrowing in connection with the Housing Revenue Account by the issue of a bond to be made available only to residents of Stroud District. This would enable a secure and rewarding investment opportunity for local people and anchor the value of capital within our local communities'

Stroud looks set to have to borrow £100m - an issue covered elsewhere on this blog - well wouldn't it be great if some of that could be raised locally. As Cllr Scott Cato has said there are two sides to every borrowing plan, since somebody's debt will be somebody else's credit. In this proposal the profit that is made from our debt accrues to local people - they are given the opportunity to benefit financially from the fact that we are all, as a community, going back into debt. This is a proposal to explore this issue further and has my full support.

Local authorities must identify new sources of financing. Indeed I applaud Cllr Debbie Young and the Tories for already looking at different models. They are already on top of alot of the issues around this. However there is still a grey area and no one could clearly rule out bonds in the way Molly suggested. It does appear that we can't make a bond for just local people but surely it could be advertsied for local people. I think it needs more work to look at this - sadly the call for a feasability study was rejected but I hope still this will be looked at more.

See article in the Times here: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/public_sector/article7032735.ece  Barclays 'wolves' are on to the need for borrowing, so the ability to reduce extraction of value from the local economy is crucial (see this article: http://www.barclayscorporate.com/inperspective/business-strategy-and-insights/localauthoritybonds/)

Stroud Valleys Water Forum tonight

This evening we have had presentations from David Graham from the County Council re the Flood and Water Management Act and Anthony Perry from the Environment Agency. We were also joined by Jon Beckett who has the responsibilities at the District Council. Nearly 20 of us had an opportunity to consider the changes coming and what the act might mean - it talks for example about more partnership working, a local strategy, the County taking over SuDS and registers of assets - it seems not alot of this is clear yet but we make clear our enthusiasm for participating in the consultation process.

We will have to see what role we will be able to play in bringing about a vision for the catchment....but hey I'm for bed now - can't share more! Well a couple of quick points before I go....

Water 21 update their website

Water 21 website has been updated. It includes stuff re Ruscombe Brook in the Action Groups section including some downloadable stuff: http://www.water21.org.uk/

National Flood Forum says new planning laws could lead to greater risk of flooding

We had a brief mention of this issue - see their press release here - the proposed National Planning Policy Framework will put communities at greater risk of flooding - it replaces all existing national policies and guidance, including PPS25, the Planning Policy that governs how Flood Risk is assessed.
This gives councils clear guidance on how to avoid development in areas of flood risk and it gives developers clear guidance on what information they need to provide.  Without this Policy, each council will have to make up its own mind on how to assess and take account of flood risk. The new Framework keeps some key words from the PPS, but has removed the definitions, context and technical guidance that gives them meaning - without definitions, the words have little value.

Next meeting

Tony Bostock, Director of the Severn Rivers Trust http://severnriverstrust.com/
is able to come to talk to the Forum on the 16th November, to discuss how we can link the forum with the work of the Trust and how we might be able to initiate/join/get access to projects and funding. Anyone interested reading this do get in touch.

Carmichael branded hypocrite

The Daily Telegraph, BBC and others covered the story this week of our MP Neil Carmichael who struck a deal with energy giant RWE npower to site a wind farm on his farmland in Northumberland (see Telegraph here). His opponents of the Northumberland plans have branded him a "hypocrite" because of his opposition to the Stinchcombe plan here in Stroud District.

Carmichael's project in Northumberland is proposed for Bavington Hill Head Farm, one of two tenanted farms owned by the MP in Northumberland. Carmichael is reckoned to make about £60,000 a year if it happens. Mr Carmichael's view is that the sites are very different. Having not seen the Northumberland site otherthan photos and plans it is hard to judge, but a brief look makes it hard to see why they are so different.

Western Sahara EU vote today

I wrote to our SW MEPs as today the European Parliament will vote on a resolution to refer the new EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). I noted that:

    • Western Sahara is not part of Morocco; it is listed by the UN as a non-self-governing-territory
    • In a legal opinion for the UN Security Council in 2002, UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell concluded that exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara would breach international law
    • The Saharawi people have never been consulted on their wishes nor has the European Commission produced any evidence that the Saharawi have benefitted from the previous agreement
    • European Parliament’s Legal Service recommended in 2009 that the EU either suspend the FPA or ensure that EU vessels do not fish in Western Sahara’s waters

The campaign group, Western Sahara Campaign, that I have long supported notes - click read more to see more:

Glos libraries case in Birmingham

I have been trying to follow the Glos Libraries case in Birmingham this week - emails and talking to someone attending. It is a huge achievement by campaigners to get the case this far. I remain optimistic that we have a real chance of success with this case as Glos County have in my view failed dismally to consult properly or take account of the impact on vulnerable library users.

Helen Mountfield QC has been presenting the cases against Gloucestershire County Council and Somerset County Council (whose case is being heard at the same time). The main points Helen made in relation to Gloucestershire were summed up by campaigners as:

• Shortcomings in the decision making process - the needs of local communities and all library users were not taken into account when formulating the library strategy. Several points of evidence (minutes of council meetings etc) were presented showing councillors and officers referring to geographical spread and usage levels as the ONLY criterion in decision making.
• A great deal of focus on shortcomings in GCC's consideration of equality legislation and disproportionate impacts on particular section of library users (eg. the elderly, disabled, parents, young children, people in deprived areas). It was argued that GCC have only considered these issues retrospectively after the library proposals were formulated and announced, and that they were not properly analysed, taken into account, or mitigated or reflected in the final strategy.
• Shortcomings in the consultation process were highlighted - the way information about closures and cuts was presented in the consultation documents was criticised (i.e. little reference to mobile closures), no consultation sessions held in several libraries facing severe cuts or closure, and consultation data that was collected was not adequately analysed and reflected in the proposals - not least as the consultation continued after the proposals had been approved by cabinet in February, and some users (i.e. mobile library users) were not consulted until after a final decision to withdraw their service had been made and started to be implemented.

Today, James Goudie QC, representing Gloucestershire and Somerset County Councils, is presenting the defence arguments.

Click read more for press coverage links.

Strong cross-party call for scrutiny of NHS by our County Council

Well last night at an Extraordinary Stroud District Council meeting we discussed a motion calling for proper scrutiny of the changes in the NHS to set up a social enterprise. First that then the Judicial Review, more about the debate plus some of the press coverage.....a bit of a long blog this morning and rather hasty - hope it makes sense!

Photo: from Matt Archibald - see his collection from march here.

It was a Green Party and Labour Party motion that in the hurry was, in my view, not worded as best as it could have been -  I suspect also there was not an understanding of the strong cross-party concerns about the changes to the NHS and the lack of scrutiny around those changes.

Anyhow it was a couple of hours of not very impressive democracy - virtually no one seemed able to defend the social enterprise - a couple of Tories made some noises but it seemed clear that all were happy to see more scrutiny of the changes. However in attempts to water down the language of the motion the Tories put forward an amendment that made no sense. I called for the solicitor to rule on it but amazingly it was legal - it therefore meant the Tories had to put another amendment to improve it - sadly this also made little sense!!!!! By this time we were all getting a little frustrated....

Anyhow other attempts at amendments were made then a Tory, Gordon Craig made a bold move...he only made very slight changes to the original amendment that retained the key line: "We demand proper scrutiny by the Health Community and Care Scrutiny Committee so that assumptions being made can be tested and alternative proposals can be considered."

This got through unanimously - well done Gordon. With a unanimous result it will have much more impact on Steve Macmillan (chair of the health scrutiny) than if we had won on a narrow vote. However Gordon was very wrong when he claimed that our NHS was not efficient - see report here.

Judicial Review?

Anyway a quick aside - my video of the Stroud Against The Cuts 'Save Our NHS' march can be seen at: http://youtu.be/g7s0vTzuNeA You can also see more re the Judicial Review here.

Cllr John Marjoram and Caroline Molloy of Stroud Against the Cuts have now had discussions with the solicitors. The current state of play is that the transfer of 3000 Primary Care Trust staff out of the NHS and into what would be the largest "Community Interest Company" in the country is off whilst NHS Gloucestershire management assesses their legal position.

In the mean time I understand that NHS Gloucestershire has given us an absolute guarantee that they won't transfer anyone or anything out of the NHS without giving us 3 clear days notice. Whilst we still hope they will see sense and halt a process no-one wants, if or when they do give such notice, the claimant intends to lodge a formal Judicial Review application, which will be backed by any necessary injunctions to halt the transfer.

I understand we have had legal opinion that we have a good case that they cannot just quietly hand thousands of health workers out of the NHS and over to a handpicked private limited company. 

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has joined the debate - she said to the Glos press: "By drafting in private companies to deliver essential healthcare, the county risks undermining the very principles on which the NHS is built."

Keep checking the Stroud Against The Cuts website for the latest on the transfer and the legal situation. Finally a fighting fund has been established - for although we have obtained Legal Aid, the initial cost to get Michael Lloyd’s case into the  into the Courts will be in the region of £5000 plus. If we win the case we will get the money back. Please send cheques to John Marjoram, saying if you want your money returned if we win. Then he will pass on to the treasurer. Send to 8, Castle St Stroud, Glos GL5 2HP cheques to read, “Keep Gloucestershire’s NHS public”.

Last nights debate

One issue I was very disappointed that was not answered by the Tories was around why we have got to this place with no scrutiny of the changes. Legislation requires our County Council to ensure that its' scrutiny committee has the power to scrutinise the planning, provision and operation of health services. They have these powers.

Yet it appears that despite the most significant changes ever to our NHS, they have not used these powers. Cllr Stephen McMillan, Chair of that Scrutiny committee, replied to my concerns in a letter stating that since September 2010 the County Scrutiny committee has been sent reports  about the development of the social enterprise but that they only discussed the matter at a meeting in September this year. 

Well that September meeting was only due to public uproar. And when they discussed it, they appear to only have spoken to the Chief Execs in charge of pushing through the changes. Where was the chance for an alternative view? One person likened this to a judge disallowing any evidence from the defence then inviting the jury who are all in his or her pocket to reach a decision.

Indeed in my first meeting in our Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee in June I also raised serious concerns as this Council had not received a report from our representative on the County Scrutiny committee regarding the changes. I have since learnt that out of 7 previous Scrutiny meetings we have only had reports at three - I wasn't on that Committee then but it seems those did not cover the changes.

So I still don't know why our County scrutiny committee failed to scrutinise. Next week we have a scrutiny meeting at which I hope to raise the issue again to see if some light can be shed.  I've also written again to Cllr Stephen McMillan.

Surrey example

I have already noted the very recent case of Central Surrey Health - this has been the official flag bearer for social enterprise in health. Frances Maude and David Cameron gave them the first ever Big Society award last November. We have just seen Central Surrey Health attempt to win a competitively tendered NHS contract. They failed. The £500m contract went to a private company. Many are now wondering if Surrey Health can retain it's core business. If this award winner can't what hope is there for others?

Does this not add weight to those who are suspicious that the government plans to break up the NHS and allow private corporations in through the backdoor?

We have also seen news in the last week or so that patient care is under threat at more than 60 NHS hospitals which are “on the brink of financial collapse” because of costly private finance initiative schemes (see here). Companies who run such PFI schemes boast profit margins of up to 71 per cent on the projects! Privatisation is just not good for our health service.....OK that was an understatement....

Anyway click on read more to see some of the questions we want the County Scrutiny to consider and some of the press links. Another blog tomorrow on other items from the Council meeting but now I need coffee and must get to work....

Find out more about Cashes Green Community Land Trust

At last the next stage of this development. We have all been waiting so long - it will be great to see the latest plans.

Find out more about the Community Land Trust, see the latest plans and find out what type of homes will be available - on Sat 15th Oct 2.30pm - 4.30pm at Cashes Green Primary School.

Free energy conservation course

The first of four free workshops is next week - see details here - it will be on Energy Conservation on Tuesday 4th October 7pm to 9pm. The session will focus energy conservation and looks at the range of retrofit insulation and draught proofing options that can help to reduce the energy demand of your home.  The session will cover cavity wall and loft insulation, insulating solid walls (internally and externally), insulating solid and suspended floors, as well sloping ceilings and roofs.  Costs and DIY potential included. Tutor:  Dave Judd. To book the free place ring Stroud College 01453 761126  (course X2HN-AUAST). See our films re Stroud Eco-Renovation Open Homes here.

Stroud FM needs our help

Stroud FM has grown to be a wonderful celebration of our communities - see here my letter to press for it's first birthday. Well now it faces closure. This is totally dire - and just at a time when we want to build more community. Like many community organisations Stroud FM has found it extremely difficult to raise revenue and secure funds to continue programming. The directors have taken the reluctant decision to seriously consider closing at the end of this month.

Clare Jackson, vice chair of the board of directors, commented, “It has been a very tough decision to make but with our overheads climbing and funds drying up we have no alternative but to consider closure. We are not giving up hope and ask the wonderful people of Stroud to help keep us on air by making donations to our fighting fund.”

Stroud FM realised it was having financial difficulties in July and called an EGM after which some funds were raised from grants but not enough to maintain the station. Stroud FM went on air in 2008 and now has 56 regular volunteer presenters with a wide range of programmes from the popular news-based Drivetime show through to specialist music programmes. It also broadcasts niche local interest shows such as The Locker Room, which covers local sports, The Skateboarding Show and the environmental-based Transition Show. However, the station has not only concentrated on programmes.  It has also trained 300 people in broadcasting and IT skills. It has run classes in schools and youth clubs and trained recovering addicts and the long-term unemployed.

They have also introduced a wonderful Listen Again service for some shows - the Transition Show every Friday from 2-4pm is one of those and very very worth a listen. Just click this link, and save the site as a favourite and return once a week for a new show: http://podcasts.stroudfm.co.uk/index.php?cat=The%20Transition%20Show




For further information or if you can help in anyway please call Clare Jackson on 01453 757492 or 07976 536840: http://www.stroudfm.co.uk/

Video: Stroud Against The Cuts 'Save Our NHS' march

My last blog covered the press release of the march today. Below here is the video I've put together - it was hard to keep it to under 10 minutes as I had a fair bit of footage of speeches - and the speeched were all really great - indeed hard to find the good bits as they were all good - my little digital camera's speaker is no match for crowded noisy demos and predictably my battery and memory card both ran out so I missed some good bits.....particularly the mention of Labours' role in the moves towards privatisation.

Anyhow it is a taster of the march and speeches for those who missed it.... a great atmosphere and filled with some hope that we can stop this ridiculous move to a social enterprise.


Link to video: http://youtu.be/g7s0vTzuNeA

Stroud Against the Cuts: save our NHS march

Todays march and protest in Stroud to save the NHS saw over 500 people - my video is publishing now so hopefully will be available first thing in the morning.  We are top story on
BBC Gloucestershire's website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-15046892

And the following report went out on BBC Gloucestershire TV news - you can even see a glimpse of me videoing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OohDEeogcBI

Here's the campaigns press release below - but we can all be proud in this area that it is Michael Lloyd (pictured below), a local resident, former member of the Ruscombe Brook Action Group and former Randwick Wap Mayor who is the one leading the battle for the Judicial Review:

Over 500 people attended a demonstration in Stroud today to protest against plans to take local hospitals and community health services across Gloucestershire out of the NHS, and into a ‘Community Interest Company’ which is being badged a ‘social enterprise’.

The crowd, with shouts of ‘Whose NHS?  Our NHS!’, ‘The NHS is not for Sale’ and ‘Social Enterprise – No way!  We Demand Our Say!” wound through central Stroud, before listening to speeches outside Stroud's Subscription Rooms about how the plans are being fought both through legal action and through community and union action.

Caroline Molloy of Stroud Against the Cuts said “We’ve told them that they are breaking the law if they just quietly hand our NHS over to an unaccountable social enterprise. Our legal advice is that we've got a very strong case and we're prepared to fight this all the way, if that's what it takes to stop them.“

Demonstrators heard that Stroud Against the Cuts were backing a legal case which has been launched by Stroud resident Michael Lloyd, to stop the transfer of over 3000 NHS health staff out of the NHS, which is due to take place on 1st October.  John Marjoram, Stroud’s Mayor, David Drew, Stroud’s former Labour MP and Tanya Palmer of Unison South West all launched impassioned pleas for a public NHS, publicly owned and accountable. Chris Moore of Stroud Against the Cuts pointed to the example of Sentral Surrey Health, the first big health social enterprise, which has recently lost out on a contract to Assura Medical, a private healthcare company owned by Virgin Healthcare.

Stroud Against the Cuts has launched a fundraising appeal to ask people to contribute to the community portion of the legal costs.  Cheques made payable to ‘Keep Gloucestershire’s NHS Public’ can be sent to Bernice Boss, Treasurer, Keep Gloucetershire’s NHS Public, c/o Stroud Against the Cuts, The Exchange, Brick Row, Stroud, GL5 1DF.

Better Broadband on the way?

Last year I called on the District Council to lead on a campaign locally for better Broadband - see here - it did not seem at the time there was so much interest but lots has happened. I can't claim all the moves since then are the result of that call!! Nationally the government have given it higher priority and locally we have seen the Minister Jeremy Hunt come to Stroud last week - I sadly missed as I was at a Parish Council meeting but by all accounts things are moving in the right direction. It was also good to see Stroud District Council leader Francis Roden in her comment piece say "we are going to pull together on this one, and really demand that we keep up with the urban areas." However there is still much work to be done - as Frances Roden says: "...look out for press reports as we all need to get involved."

Parking charges for Nailsworth?

Last night I was at Ebley Mill from 6pm - the Full Council meeting finished at 11pm and that was with deferring 3 motions to next Wednesday night.....anyhow one of the items was parking - 3,000 signatures protesting at Nailsworth getting parking charges were presented to the Council.

Well I had some sympathy with the District Council's proposals to try and bring parking charges across the District into line. Parking charges are not fair at the moment - Stroud and others pay, Nailsworth and others don't. However the proposals put forward are not the right way to address the problem and also don't consider all the options.

A good case was made by Nailsworth to relook at the issue and Green councillor Simon Pickerings' recommendation that an Impact Assessment of any changes should be made, was accepted by the Cabinet member responsible for the proposed changes. There are indeed many issues like the pressures on the Morrison car park which would presumably remain free. As traders have noted coming at this time the charges could be very damaging to the local economy. See the Nailsworth residents campaign website here: www.nprag.org.uk/

For me the real unfairness lies in the free parking offered by out-of-town centres and supermarkets. I know of several people who have said they prefer Cribbs for shopping as the parking is free - forgetting that the extra petrol they use to get there wipes out any saving and more. We should also not forget a significant number of people don't have access to a car.

It has been suggested that the Sustainable Communities Act may allow us to levy non domestic rates on all car parking spaces - with a power for the council to allow discounts if the supermarket or other store, sources a stated percentage of goods for sale locally. In addition to boosting the local economy, this proposal would also enable districts who provide town centre public car parks to subsidise them from business rates collected from the supermarkets. However when I looked into this it would appear that the government's response to Exeter City Council's proposal for this was dismissive last year - although there maybe room for discretionary business rate discounts and small business rate relief.
Another aspect raised by Greens was the possibility of Town Council's like Nailsworth running those car parks themselves. This fits with moves towards localism. I am delighted that the Council is going to relook at this issue and hope they will consider different options more thoroughly.

County charity warns government's Fuel Switch drive wont help vulnerable

Stroud-based charity, Wood U Waste (i), has warned that the government needs to ‘live in the real world’ as it develops plans to get more households to fuel switch to help cut rising energy bills.
 

National Energy Action says the average energy bill in 2004 was £580. By 2010 this had risen to £1,194. This winter households will face further bill increases of up to 20%.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne announced this week at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Birmingham that he wanted to ‘get tough’ on the Big Six energy companies. He said they needed to simplify tariffs and make it easier to get a better deal on bills. However he was also quoted saying that many people ‘can’t be bothered’ to hunt for a better deal and would rather spend time hunting for a £25 toaster on-line than researching energy savings.

Debbie Hewitt, project manager at Wood U Waste, runs a project that helps vulnerable households in Gloucestershire to fuel switch.  She warns that assisting those at most risk from rising fuel bills is not as easy as politicians seem to think. She said in a press release earlier this week: "We have worked with numerous groups of elderly people around the Stroud District and there is one message that comes across loud and clear. In the real world, the majority of people over 60 are not confident on the internet and are therefore excluded from searching for better energy deals online. Where is the government funding to empower the elderly to access these fuel switch sites?”

Central Government has a target to eradicate fuel poverty in all households by 2016. It has already missed its first target on eliminating fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 and looks set to miss this one as well. We know only too well that Fuel poverty contributes to excess winter deaths - see here - when the Warm Front scheme ends in 2013 as proposed, England will have no publicly-funded scheme to help households in fuel poverty. Having been re-launched in a slimmed-down form in April, the scheme is likely to reach about 50,000 households in each of the next two years; vastly short of the increasing numbers of households experiencing fuel poverty. The scheme no longer offers a benefit entitlement check, which in the past picked up many households who were entitled to a qualifying benefit and, as such, improved family incomes. We can hope the Green Deal will help fill some of the gap.

Locally at the next Scrutiny meeting we will be looking at the Energy Strategy for Stroud's Council housing - this is what I have been pushing for a number of years and recommended as chair of two scrutiny inquiries. I have also met with Officers on numerous occasions to give input to the strategy. I am delighted it is now coming forward - more on that soon - but equally I have concerns that in the current climate not enough will be done...

Grand Designs Live in Birmingham

Last night as noted in the last blog it was Full Council and more of that in a while but wanted to plug Grand Designs Live which is returning to Birmingham for its 6th year. The show is running from the 7th-9th October and is set to be bigger and better than ever with over 500 exhibitors and workshops and talks. 

As a green blogger and organiser of the Eco-Renovation open Homes event I have been invited to the press opening - sadly work and family commitments mean I can't go - a great pity indeed as by all accounts it is a good place to get ideas - indeed buzzing with them - although there also looks set to be some very ungreen ideas and evermore consumerism...if you go I am sure it is possible to search out the greener options...

One feature of interest is ‘Kevin’s Green Heroes’ - Kevin McCloud, who was in Stroud last night at the Ecotricity event, celebrating refurbishment, reclamation and new projects in Stroud....anyhow Kevin is still moving ahead the exciting project at the Cashes Green Hospital site. He also helped launch the Eco-Renovation Open Homes event (see left) last year and opened the Hamwell Leaze Boardwalk - this is still underused and too little known about - go and see it and walk it!!! See my brief film of opening here. Anyhow for the second year at Grand Designs Kevin is celebrating green design hereos: "a showcase and launch pad for a host of new products, eco-products and technologies, that aim to improve housing and our way of living in future, ensuring government home efficiency targets are met. This year’s pick includes flat pack chairs held together by recycled elastic bands and home accessories made from recycled car tyres." 

One item that took my interest was 'Resilica' - a worktop and surface material which is hand made in the UK from 100% recycled glass waste - produced using solvent free resin. The water used in the manufacturing process is recycled where possible with the process itself a ‘cold’ one, with minimal imbued energy. Every piece of Resilica is cast to order to minimize manufacturing waste and is manufactured entirely and exclusively in its UK factory thus minimising the carbon footprint.

See more at: http://www.granddesignslive.com/

Planning delegation: there will be no consultation

Where will all the houses go?

I just blogged earlier on concerns re planning legislation - well there were plenty of those concerns noted this evening - I'm back home now after a long Council meeting - two of the big issues discussed relate to planning - the first the number of houses we have to take in this area - sadly we can do little but accept the report - not to do so would leave us even more open to challenge by developers. This makes a nonsense of any of the government saying we can decide where houses can go - there are so many pressures but hey I'll save that for later...

The second paper had a number of items bundled together - public speaking at Development Control Committee and a framework to develop the new charges for planning applications - these were not contentious but the item that was relates to planning delegation...

Last November Council voted - see my blog here - to make changes to planning delegation and to review those in a year.  Well instead of that the Conservatives decided to bring forward that review and worse still did so without any proper consultation with the Parish and Town Councils. I asked a question whether the Council would consult with Parish and Town Councils as we agreed at Full Council last November and the answer was a 'no'!!!! I then spoke in support of a Lib Dem amendment to have the part referring to delegation removed but this was voted down by Tories - well one Tory voted in support of the amendment. Labour also put a couple of amendments which also both fell.

For me whether or not the planning delegation changes have led to improvements is not key to this issue - we agreed to consult and now haven't. Is it any wonder that people lose faith in democracy? Arh it's late and I must be up early so I'll finish this for now......

Concern at planning legislation

From National Trust campaign site

Concern around changes to planning legislation continue to grow.  Among the proposed changes is the removal of brownfield sites as a priority for development, gone too is much of the requirements around sustainability like developments minimising need to travel and protection of green fields other than specially designated areas. Tonight we will debate the housing requirements for Stroud - already there is absurd pressure - yes we need new homes but this seems to be a charter for developers.

Worth a read is George Monbiot at: http://www.monbiot.com/2011/09/05/terra-nullius/

He writes: "Impervious to experience, strangers to reason: the communities secretary Eric Pickles and the Chancellor George Osborne have learnt nothing from the economic crisis. They claim that laxer town planning “is key to our economic recovery”. But the European countries hit hardest by the economic crisis – Greece, Italy, Spain and Ireland – have weak planning controls and urban sprawl. The nations which have proved most resilient have tougher laws and compact settlements"

Sign National Trust petition here: https://www.planningforpeople.org.uk/

38degrees campaign also have a petition: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-countryside

Make your own Robin Hood video!

This blog has followed the Robin Hood Tax which seems to have morphed out of the Tobin Tax - support is growing - Greens had a motion last year at conference, the EU support it and now the campaign is shifting up a gear - you can join in by making your own video - see: http://www.robinhoodtaxvideo.org/en/public/3819/

NHS social enterprise in Glos will not be safe

The protest to stop Stroud hospital and NHS services leaving the NHS is this Saturday at 10.30 - see here. Well I've just read in The Guardian re the story of Central Surrey Health losing out on a bid to Assura Medical (a private, for-profit company where Richard Branson's Virgin is the majority shareholder) - see here.

This is of huge relevance to the proposed handover of Stroud Hospital and Gloucestershire NHS Health services to Gloucestershire Care Services Community Interest Company (a 'Social Enterprise' like Central Surrey Health). It is exactly what we have been predicting will happen in three years times to our health services if the handover goes ahead. Central Surrey Health was the UK’s first social enterprise to leave the NHS and set up as an employee-owned business four years ago. It was even selected by the Cabinet Office to help mentor employee-owned organisations coming out of the public sector. At the Stakeholder Drop In last night in Stroud, a campaigner was specifically told that Central Surrey Health had been looked at as a model by Gloucestershire Care Services.

Click on read more to see the letter sent to the press by many Stroud Town councillors re their concerns.

Glos libraries case in court next week

The case will be heard next week in Birmingham - it is scheduled over three days (Tuesday 27th - Thursday 29th), although there is a chance things will be concluded in two days. It is possible a judgment will be given there and then, or we may have to wait a few weeks (or even months) to hear, although the lawyers think it likely that a decision will be made on the day, with reasons to be released later. More money needed to help - see here if you can help.

Video: a look at internal insulation

Here's another video from our Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend, this time looking at internal insulation. It is a great introduction if any of you folk are thinking about embarking on this:

Ruscombe Green takles 10th place in UK councillor blog list

Delighted to see I make the top 10 of UK councillor blogs. See full list at Total Politics here. Plus I am in at 169th place in the UK bloggers list - see more here.

Just criticism for dire fire control centre project

The BBC report that the project aimed to replace 46 fire control centres with nine state-of-the-art regional centre has wasted £469m. The plans were for the county's dedicated control room at the combined emergency TriService centre at Quedgeley was due to close and move to a headquarters in Taunton. The plan to replace 46 smaller control rooms was scrapped in December 2010.

The public accounts committee has just said that the Firecontrol scheme had not achieved any of its objectives and that eight of the centres were empty "white elephants". The BBC report that Fire Minister Bob Neill said Labour must be held accountable for the "comprehensive failure". Margaret Hodge, who chairs the MPs' committee, said the project had been "flawed from the outset" and one of the worst wastes of public money for many years. "The taxpayer has lost nearly half a billion pounds and eight of the completed regional control centres remain as empty and costly white elephants."

The MPs' report said the IT system "was simply never delivered" and that the empty buildings cost the taxpayer £4m every month to maintain. This was indeed a complete failure by Government to listen - Stroud District at a Full Council meeting even joined in and voted against Labour plans to scrap the TriService at Quedgeley in Gloucestershire (see here).

This issue is something I campaigned against as long ago as 2005 - see Green party press release here. Here is some of what I said then: "The Government's track record on large scale technology projects is very poor. This latest report lists 70 Whitehall computer projects having difficulties. This comes on top of a history of the failures that include tax credits payments, immigration and national insurance records and the Criminal Records Bureau. Among the most spectacular computer fiascos are the new £6bn NHS national system for booking operations, which is more than a year late and has so far arranged 63 appointments; the Passport Office spending £12.6m to clear backlogs when system failed; the computerisation of magistrates court records, up from £146m to £390m; and the tax credit system - damned by the parliamentary ombudsman - that has contributed to £1.9bn in overpayments that now have to be clawed back." 

Video: random energy saving ideas from the Open Homes weekend

A collection of lower cost energy saving ideas from Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend organised by Transition Stroud. Here's my latest video picking up some of the ideas from the weekend:

Cuts will hit disabled people hard

Randwick view

As the second half of this blog post shows people with disabilities look set to be hit hard by cuts. But first at the recent Green Party conference calls were made for the removal of ATOS from incapacity benefits assessments.

I fully supported the vote, that saw an emergency motion pass calling on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to stop using IT firm ATOS as its assessor of benefit claimants. Concerns have been raised for a while over the company’s suitability to conduct assessments, ranging from the lack of disabled access at their assessment centres to the shocking fact that 40% of their decisions have been found to be wrong on appeal (see Guardian here).

Jillian Creasy, Green councillor for Sheffield Central who also works as a GP, said: “ATOS’s computer-led assessment is far too blunt an instrument to assess a benefit that is vital for so many. For example, the box-ticking exercise is close to useless for assessing a condition such as autism. Not only that, but the number of decisions that have been reversed means that an awful lot of taxpayers’ money has been wasted. Disabled people should be afforded the dignity they deserve throughout any assessment process, and should not be presumed guilty or treated like they’re avoiding work. ATOS has no place in such a sensitive area, and we urge the government to sever all ties with the company.”

Meanwhile a Community Care magazine report on government figures shows "Seventy thousand more families with disabled children than first thought will see their benefits slashed under Welfare Reform Bill plans". An updated Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) policy briefing has revealed that 170,000 families will now be affected by the plans to halve disability premiums. Campaign group Every Disabled Child Matters is urging the government to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment that takes these latest figures into account.

Scope have produced a map of how cuts will hit disabled people - see here - Gloucestershire is rated "Bad" 134 out of 152 councils in England. The cuts will indeed impact hard but I do need to note a word of caution - it is easy just to look at figures - it is more important to see how the cuts will impact and what is being done to change the way services are being provided. Gloucestershire are looking at some innovative ways and I welcome their approach but am also concerned....a blog on this soon I hope!

If you are Bristol way on Saturday 22 October the Hardest Hit Campaign will hold a rally and march there from 12 noon on College Green. Many look set to attend from across the area - see more details here: http://falseeconomy.org.uk/campaigns/item/the-hardest-hit

I've covered a bit of the Green Party conference on this blog but wanted to cover more on some of the motions passed. Here are a few I've picked out that I haven't covered elsewhere:

Legal Aid and Justice for All Motion. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill is at the Committee Stages of the Commons. If passed, it will remove access to advice for 650,000 people a year in employment law, welfare benefits, housing, debt, immigration, etc. In light of this, Conference calls on the Green Party Campaigns Committee to support the "Justice for All" campaign which campaigns for everyone, no matter what their financial means to be treated fairly under the law and for free legal advice.

This is a key issue I've covered before - see here.

Robin Hood Tax Motion. Conference welcomes the endorsement of a Robin Hood Tax by Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy and calls on the UK Government to follow the lead of France and Germany in regulating speculation on international financial markets and generating the revenue needed to fund public investment. Conference calls on Green Party Parliamentarians to raise this with the UK Government in advance of the G20 meeting in November at Cannes.

See previous blogs here.

Nuclear Waste Disposal Motion. We call on policy committee to develop a policy on legacy high and intermediate level radioactive waste in time for Spring Conference 2012. The policy to be based on best environmental practice, not political expediency We also call on Conference to support Allerdale and Copeland Green Party and other local groups, including West Cumbria Friends of the Earth, Radiation Free Lakeland, and CORE in their work to oppose the deep geological disposal plans and to call for alternative disposal methods to be revisited. In particular lobbying local authorities not to proceed to the next stage of the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) process (January 2012), at which stage the right of withdrawal would be severely compromised.

NHS Listening Exercise Motion. The Green Party reaffirms its commitment to a fully publicly funded NHS and its opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill, deplores the fact that the Conservative / Liberal Democrat government ‘listening exercise’ has (unsurprisingly) proved to be a sham, and demands that the Government abandon forthwith in its entirety this Bill which, if passed, will lead to the marketisation and privatisation of the NHS, having no lesser ultimate consequence than the complete destruction of our National Health Service. Conference calls on GPEx to make active campaigning against this Bill a priority.

See more NHS here.

Emergency Motion on National Planning Policy Framework. Conference condemns the Coalition Government's proposed National Planning Policy Framework. The Green Party believes a function of the planning system is to protect people and the environment not to generate unsustainable economic growth. The abolition of targets for building on brownfield land, the lack of any understanding of sustainability coupled with a presumption in favour of development will make it a developers' charter. Conference calls on elected Greens at all  levels of government to campaign vigorously against the NPPF and for the Green Party as a whole to campaign against these proposals to ensure we protect our communities, countryside and quality of life from unrestrained development.

I've noted concerns before. Both local Parishes are together looking at Neighbourhood Plans on 22nd - I can't be there as it is Full Council but have written some notes including: "Many residents locally have expressed enthusiasm for drafting our own Neighbourhood Plans in order to shape our communities. However I am getting a lot of concerns expressed when they learn that any such plan can only commission development, not prevent it. NPPF's stated "presumption in favour" of development contradicts the  government's claims to be empowering communities through its 'Localism' agenda. This is not what most people understood 'Localism' to be about - at the moment the contradictions are stark and deeply disappointing. I do hope there will be changes when the bill is finally written. This is not to say that I am not supportive of plans - only raising a concern that needs very careful consideration."

Emergency Motion on the English Riots. Conference is appalled at the outbreak of violence, looting, arson and murder that took place in English cities in August. The riots were a manifestation of anger that has deep roots and obvious triggers. The roots include inequality, loss of social cohesion, cuts in local public services, unemployment, increasing poverty, resentment against the police, consumerism and gang culture. The triggers were the Police’s killing of Mark Duggan and their exceptionally inept handling of its aftermath. To address these problems we advocate immediate action to reverse the cuts in public services, increase support for disadvantaged communities and provide a 100% earnings disregard for work of local benefit. In punishing rioters there should be more use of restorative justice and community payback orders. There must also be an independent inquiry into the death of Mark Duggan and its aftermath. These measures, however, will not deal with the roots of the problem. We call for a public inquiry into the deeper causes of social breakdown which lie as much in the excesses of the powerful as in the conditions of the powerless. This inquiry should seek to create a consensus for remedial actions which need to be as radical as those that created the welfare state 60 years ago. Conference calls upon our elected representatives put forward these measures at every relevant opportunity.

Green roof workshop video out now

A while back I made a shed with a green roof - see here - well I picked up lots more hints and tips last weekend at the Green Roof workshop which was part of the Transition Stroud's Eco-Renovation Open Homes. Katherine Kearns led the workshop, sharing how she made three green roofs in her garden in Nailsworth. It was interesting to hear and see - learn about some of the pitfalls and challenges. Huge thanks to Katherine....her's the 10 minute video I put together of the hour long workshop - hope I've caught the key bits.

Why are trans fats still legal in the UK?

No trans fats in these - see recipe here

The trans fats in junk food are responsible for the deaths of around 7,000 people a year in the UK – and teenagers are most at risk. Elsewhere, these toxic substances are banned. So why are they still legal in this country? That was the headline in Clare Dwyer Hogg's article this week in The Independent "Dying for a burger? Why are trans fats still legal in the UK?"

Read the article - it is an issue I've followed for many years and am disgusted that we have not taken action in this country. As the article says: "Within many shop-bought pastries, cakes, doughnuts, crisps, processed meats, soups, frozen food, biscuits, chocolate bars, breakfast cereals and takeaway food, exists an ingredient that the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared toxic in 2009. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil, otherwise known as trans fat, and it doesn't even have to appear clearly on ingredients labels. Have a look, and you might find it called 'shortening', or 'hydrogenated fats', maybe 'hydrogenated vegetable oils' (HVOs), perhaps 'partially hydrogenated vegetable oils' (PHVOs), or... not mentioned at all."

Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, and the Co-operative are now completely free of trans fats in their own brands, and have been for a while. So why not a ban? Last month it was announced that about 40 per cent of us will be obese by 2030! NICE report that of the 150,000 cardiovascular disease deaths this year, 40,000 could be preventable, with a combination of eliminating industrial trans fats, and lowering salt and saturated fat intake. That would save the NHS over £1bn. 

A voluntary deal with the food industry is no where near enough. What about all the little takeaways that often use oil containing trans fats. Worse still the new evidence coming to light shows that trans fats react with certain drugs (like those given to ADHD children) and exacerbate the psychotic effect and can increase levels of depression.

By contrast, in Iceland, Denmark and Sweden, among others, it doesn't matter where you choose to get snacks or fast food: a very low limit in the amount of trans fats that are legally allowed in cooking oil means the amount that any one person ingests is trivial.

On benefit? You can help stop privatisation of NHS

In Gloucestershire the primary care trust services will move to a social enterprise company on 1st October. Many people in the county believe this is wrong and not enough time has been given to ensuring a robust setup which can endure the fully privatised competition in a few years time. This transfer could very well lead to full privatisation of NHS services in Gloucestershire.

Solicitors and a barrister have been reviewing the case and have found that it maybe that NHS Gloucestershire have not abided by the law in the process. I understand they are confident of a review which would (at the very least, temporarily) halt the process.  However campaigners cannot afford to proceed without legal aid - only big business can afford to take on big business.

If you live in Gloucestershire and are in receipt of pension credit or income support or if you are on other benefits because you have a low income and you wish to help start a review which could prevent these services leaving, please call Hannah on 077 906 88473. It is vital this happens this weekend. You also need to use one  of the local hospitals or clinics regularly or have attended very recently. This would not be for things like seeing a consultant (these are contracted in from the 'acute' trust). It may be for things like Podiatric Surgery, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, A stay on a ward, Orthotist, District nursing, Rehabilitation, Speech Therapy, School nurses, Family Planning, Falls service and Podiatry.

Talking Big Cats at the Festival of Nature

At the Festival of Nature at the weekend one of the stalls that intrigued me was the one looking at Big Cats - an issue I've covered before in this blog. Well Rick Minter (pictured left) who has thoroughly researched the subject and written books - indeed another one coming out this October, "BIG CATS - Facing Britain's wild predators". See:
 http://whittlespublishing.com/index.php?view=product&product=184

Anyhow Rick approachs the subject with loads of sanity and spent the day answering questions from the public - he said that the main kinds of questions were...
-what are the cats?
-how did they get here?
-what to do if we come close to one? 

On the day he also had 12 people report sightings, mainly in known hot-spot locations. See this blog previously re sitings locally here and here. Infact just this week in Pangbourne near Reading there was a siting - see here - so not just Glos.

Many people's views are summarised in the attached photo of the sticky-dot survey sheet (click on photo to see details). As Rick himself says, to some extent this is self-selected voting, but sometimes people in the same family or group had different views and were able to discuss them together.

Rick added: "As I find at the talks I give, most people have a measured approach and recognise it is a tricky subject, as information signs could cause more trouble than they are intended to solve, and a large cat is rarely resident in one location for long as it moves in its territory. As you will also see from the results, many people feel we should try and learn more about these animals to inform our view, as difficult as that is for secretive and elusive mammals, and on a topic that is still unofficial. I think the overall exercise shows that many people are becoming acclimatized to the issues, and that education and outreach like this perhaps has a key role to play." 

The photo cat left is fibre glass but the other pic is impressive  of a possible big cat - my reproduction doesn't do justice to it but it certainly looks like a very big cat indeed.

At last a PV pilot

Thursday evening on 22nd sees Full Council with an interesting collection of reports and motions.  More on that later. However earlier in the day there is a report going to Cabinet which I am delighted to see: "TO CONSIDER AN EXPANSION OF THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AND INVESTIGATE A NEW BUILD PROGRAMME OF COUNCIL HOUSING". See report here. This is partly about a pilot of PV and whole house retrofit and has been a while coming....indeed as noted on this blog I have long sought the Council to consider borrowing say £10m to develop renewables. Indeed have used every opportunity to raise the issue....

Well it is only a pilot but it does hold potential. One example they give in the report is research at a Housing Association in Somerset which is installing PV to 1,200 properties by the end of March 2012. The following provides some headline facts:
• Investment of £10 million on 1,200 units with a payback within 10 years
• Estimated income of £3.7 million per year, working on an Investors forecast of 10% to 15% Yield
• The area of work is a "Triple A" rated investment and is therefore very attractive to investors
• Developed a Special Delivery Vehicle to retain the full FiT and handle Corporation Tax
• Stressed the importance to undertake research in terms of choosing the right PV panels
• Used a "Back Office" package to effectively monitor the outputs
• By using their Framework the procurement process could be reduced by 6 to 9 months

Gloucester Cathedral will be in West Glos!!

As widely reported in the media, the Boundary Commission for England has published its proposals for revised parliamentary constituencies. See:
http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/whats-proposed/south-west/gloucestershire/

The Stroud and Cotswold constituencies are unaltered in Stroud District. At 79,126 electors, Stroud is the largest constituency in Gloucestershire, with an average of 77,035 for the six proposed constituencies. As before, the Cotswold constituency contains the Kingswood, Minchinhampton and Wotton-under-Edge wards of Stroud District.

The Boundary Commission report is merely the start of a process of reviewing constituencies, and like all the parties, the Greens will be examining the proposals in more detail as the review proceeds. We don't approve of a reduction in the number of seats overall and are concerned about increasing the ratio of constituents to MPs, as we believe it will lead to weaker democratic representation for voters.

The proposal to put Westgate into West Glos however is creating many comments and much concerns. Click on read more for a comment from local Green Gerald Hartley.

Eco-tube videos: worth a look

 Just in case you folks out there haven't come across Eco-tube here are some of their latest videos:

The video that Nespresso would rather you didn't see - their coffee is still not fairly traded:
http://www.eco-tube.com/v/ACT/Nespresso_and_George_Clooney.aspx

Harry Potter does battle against Walmart:
http://www.eco-tube.com/v/FUN/_Harry_Potter_and_the_Dark_Lord_Waldemart.aspx

Incredible new wind turbines from Japan
http://www.eco-tube.com/v/ENERGY/New_Wind_Power_cheaper_than_nuclear.aspx

Eco Fascism – Green Terrorism – debate on U.S TV:
http://www.eco-tube.com/v/TALK/Eco_Fascism_and_Green_Terrorism.aspx

Greenpeace campaign against Volkswagen:
http://www.eco-tube.com/v/ACT/Volkswagens_Dark_Side.aspx

Plus not an Eco-tube film but one on our Transition Stroud site by Richard Heinberg, "Who Killed Economic Growth?" - about 5 minutes long:
http://www.transitionstroud.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=216

GM film worth a look

The Forest of Dean Friends of the Earth have a great newsletter which picks out all sorts of bits of news. In their latest issue they cover a new film about GM and 10 reasons to avoid GM. I've copied below from the newsletter - the 23 minute film is also worth a look - click read more to see.

Caroline's conference speech

Videos of the Green Party conference last weekend are now just coming out. This one is Caroline Lucas' full speech.- - she has just been named MP of the year in the Scottish Widows & Dods Women in Public Life Awards - just 16 months after she was elected as the first Green to enter the UK Parliament! Well done indeed.


You can also see Darren on DSEI Arms Fair in London here. Incidently Caroline is primary sponsor for an EDM in to ban the UK sales of weapons to authoritarian regimes. Cameron supported the Libyan uprising, yet last year the UK issued over £200 million worth of equipment requiring export licences to the country, providing Colonel Gaddafi with resources including tear gas, crowd control equipment, and ammunition for wall and door-breaching projectile launchers - we must put an end to selling arms to repressive regimes.

Bankers let off the hook

Demo this year - see here

The radio has been full of how the Government intends to implement the recommendations of the banking reform report. Anyone listening would think all the problems will be solved.

Sir John Vickers, chairman of the Independent Commission on Banking, published his final report on banking reform yesterday which includes the ringfencing of banks' high street businesses from their "casino" investment banking arms. Well there are some steps in the right direction but the report sadly falls far short of what is needed - see my post back in April here.

Caroline Lucas, MP commented: "While the Vickers report includes some steps in the right direction, the fact that it fails to offer truly wide ranging and meaningful proposals for bank reform reveals a fundamental flaw at the heart of the ICB. The Commission's narrow remit renders it powerless to address the issues key to creating a safe and useful banking system - such as the nature of credit creation and tax reform, as well as bankers' bonuses.

"We are still in recovery from the biggest financial crisis for 80 years and struggling to keep our heads above the deep waters of recession, whilst spending billions on 'too big to fail' subsidies for the largest banks (see here). Yet all the ICB can offer UK taxpayers is a limp collection of compromises which will fail to protect us from future banking catastrophes. For example, simply ringfencing 'casino' investment banking and high street banking won't work - not least because contagion can still spread between the two. These are different operations requiring different regulations, which only a complete structural separation between retail and investment banking can provide. Add to this the fact that Vickers suggests giving banks until 2019 to get their houses in order and it seems that the intense lobbying by the banking industry has really paid off."

"Ultimately, no one is asking the crucial question - what should a good banking system look like?  We need to do far more to ensure universal access to low cost banking services, and to force banks to provide affordable finance to small and medium businesses. We also need far more diversity in the banking system in the shape of, for example, mutuals and credit unions - in order to reduce our exposure to market instability and protect us from the worst effects of casino capitalism. By increasing the number of smaller banks, we can boost competition and choice in the UK banking sector, where the majority - 85% - of current accounts are held by five banks giants.

"Compare this with Germany, where only 13% of banking assets are held by the large international banks, with local and mutual banks accounting for 70% of the sector - where SMEs can expect far greater financial support, and where the 'too-big-to-fail' subsidy comes in at 38% lower than ours."

Fluoridation is now effectively dead in England

UK Councils Against Fluoridation report the good news that the Health Authority have abandoned plans to fluoridate the North West. This is great news as it makes any plans for fluoridation across England and Gloucestershire less likely. The Chief Executive of the North West Strategic Health Authority, Mark Ogden, concluded they would not have enough time to carry out the detailed 'public consultation', that the costs of any such consultation would be very large, and that the capital costs of the project would be around £200 million which was far higher than had been expected initially, and in the present financial crisis is unaffordable.

"Fluoridation is effectively dead in England, even if it is a bit slow to lie down - now let's see it abandoned in the rest of the World!" UK Councils Against Fluoridation

See more at our Safe Water Campaign for Gloucestershire website here. I do hope the UK Councils group are right. However I note that the pro-fluoridation lobby has failed to lie down so far despite the huge and growing evidence against water fluoridation. We'll see - we wont be disbanding the campaign group yet!