Today there will be a march and rally meeting at Shire Hall Gloucester at 1.00pm marching to Gloucester Park for a rally at 2.00pm. Speakers will include Paul Kenny General Secretary of the GMB Britain’s third largest Trade Union and Nina Franklin the NUT National President.
Public sector workers are being asked to pay an extra £3bn a year.....this is the same amount as the banker’s bonus tax that raised almost the
same amount. Why are workers having to pay a contribution to
reducing a deficit they did nothing to cause? Unions want proper
negotiations and have done fair deals before. As a UNISON member I fully support the day of action for pensions justice - a
chance to stand up for decent pensions and tell ministers to start
negotiating.
"The Government is complaining about a one day strike, we are complaining about their stealing our pensions for ever. The Tories economic philosophy only prospers through inequality - join us on the March." John Marjoram, Stroud Mayor
“Most public sector workers are modestly paid, they have had their pay frozen, while the price of basics is flying up. The Government claims that public sector pensions are ‘gold-plated’, when in fact most of our members are women whose average pension is less than £3000. Our members overwhelmingly voted to support strike action even though many have never been on strike before. They are taking action because they know the proposed changes are not fair.” Simon Cormack, UNISON
Today will see the first mass strike in the UK for four decades. 17 unions, including the biggest ones Unite, UCU, Unison, various teaching unions and PCS, have balloted to strike on pension reform which will see an estimated 3 million off work. Demonstrations and pickets are planned across the country - see http://www.n30strike.org for a complete list. Amongst the strikers are 18,000 Border Agency workers are expected to strike leaving the government having to employ sinister private security firm Serco to take over for a day. Even the National Union of Probation Officers voted to join the strike four-to-one. For more information on the pensions issue see: http://pensionsjustice.org.uk/
Click read more to see; "Pensions Justice: Why I Support the November 30th TUC Day of Action." by John Pemberthy, Secretary Gloucestershire Districts Trades Council.
Here's the Green Party's response out a few minutes ago...
OSBORNE'S BACKWARDS BUDGET IS FORMULA FOR FAILURE ON GREEN ECONOMY AND JOBS
- Cash boost for big polluters shows Osborne 'dangerously colour blind on the green economy'; Britain needs a Green New Deal - Chancellor reveals plan to 'rip up environmental and social protection laws' - 'Government failing to address UK's biggest crisis: the jobs deficit' - Ruling out Robin Hood Tax on financial sector is 'huge mistake'
Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement today, setting out the Coalition Government's strategy to deal with the UK's stagnating economy. The announcement coincides with a number of pessimistic predictions which set the British economy on course for a double dip recession next year (1).
Responding to the Statement, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion and leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said: "Today's budget announcement exposes just how dangerously colour blind the Chancellor really is when it comes to the green economy and the low carbon industries which can help lift us out of recession. And the fact that the Osborne is taking £250 million away from hard pressed families to fund a big cash boost for some of this country's most polluting industries - whilst also rushing through major cuts to the flourishing solar industry - simply beggars belief. Why agree on a much needed carbon tax to drag the UK's energy intensive industries into the 21st century and pay for their contribution to the climate crisis, but then be scared into giving millions back because a few vested interests like Tata call your bluff?
"This backwards and expensive merry-go-round shows that the Government is completely clueless on how to manage the low carbon revolution - and risks relegating the UK to the backseat when it comes to climate change and renewables. Furthermore, the decision to scrap the 3p rise in fuel duty is scandalously short sighted and will set back our efforts to tackle transport emissions and air pollution. Instead, the Government should reverse the increase in VAT brought in at the beginning of the year - a better way of helping those finding it hardest to cope, as well as helping the economy to recover."
'Threat to our natural heritage'
Lucas continued: "What is also clear from today's statement is that our valued countryside and environmental heritage is now seriously under threat from this Government's bias towards big business. The Chancellor's intention to scrap the so-called 'red tape' which protects the UK's forests and fields from over-development, and reform the planning laws in favour of developers, is a call to arms for anyone who cares about conserving our natural heritage."
On inequality: 'Nothing to see here'
"This budget package - which looks suspiciously like a panicked Plan B rather than a Plan A Plus - does nothing to address the deepening inequality which is harming hard working people up and down the country. Osborne refuses to address the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots, and the persisting culture of entitlement in the financial sector that has allowed the earnings of top Barclays executives, for example, to increase by a stratospheric 4899.4% since 1980, whilst wages for the average worker have only seen a threefold increase (2).
"The fact that the Government has confirmed it will not support a financial transactions tax such as the Robin Hood tax, or offer anything new to tackle tax avoidance and evasion, tells us all we need to know about the commitment to social justice amongst the Cabinet's millionaire ministers. And ripping up social protection laws is not the way to value our workforce and generate new jobs - indeed, industrial relations experts have shown that there is no 'clear-cut link' between employment protection and levels of unemployment."
On public infrastructure spending: 'Missed opportunity to switch to green quantitative easing' "Construction and road-building corporations are lobbying for more Government spending rather than austerity cuts - but the Chancellor lacks the courage or political vision to channel this billion pound spend into the job rich, green industries of the future. If we invested heavily now in a major Green New Deal programme to create new state-owned renewable energy and an increase in energy efficiency measures to help bring down bills, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as remain internationally competitive in the green technology race."
The 'jobs deficit'
The Green MP concluded: "Ultimately, the constant downgrading of the UK's growth forecasts is the clearest proof we need that the Coalition's cuts plan is completely failing even on its own terms - with the Chancellor merely tinkering around the edges on our most urgent problem: the jobs deficit. With unemployment at its highest rate since 1994, and more than one million 16-24 year olds out of work, the myth that the private sector would step in when the Government scaled back public spending to magic up jobs out of nowhere has been exposed as nonsense."
Like many I have been outraged by the moves to privatisation of our
health service. Below is my letter to HNS Glos - do please also consider
writing. See my video here
of the recent talk by Wendy Savage and my edit here
of the Stroud march and protest speeches.
Dear Jan
Stubbings,
I write to join others in calling on the board of NHS
Gloucestershire to halt the proposed transfer of Gloucestershire’s NHS
Community Services (including nearly 4000 staff and nine hospitals) out
of the NHS and into a “social enterprise”. It is clear from the legal
advice that I've heard that NHS Gloucestershire can legally keep
services in the NHS and does not have to open the services up to private
sector competition. For instance, they could set up a new NHS trust
(there is no legal barrier to this; it would be a matter of Department
of Health approval).
I have been disappointed by the level of
consultation with the public about the plans. I have spoken to literally
dozens of people on this issue and it is clear people want their
services kept within the NHS. Please can you help ensure that the board
pursues one of the options still open to them to enable this. In many
other areas in England other Primary Care Trusts have chosen to place
these services in existing trusts or newly created trusts and have not
considered a Community Interest Companies to be appropriate.
As a
private company, the proposed social enterprise will be required to
turn a profit and I believe will be forced to cut corners in patient
care to do so. As a private non-NHS body it will be saddled with extra
VAT and substantial extra costs for administrative functions that were
previously provided centrally by the NHS. The new organisation will no
longer be publicly owned or accountable, and the public will have little
right of redress if problems occur.
I am concerned about what
will happen if services are judged to be failing or at the end of the 3
year contract; past evidence suggests contracts will go to multinational
companies, as has happened in Hull. Even the award-winning social
enterprise Central Surrey Health could not compete for a contract for
community services, and these are to be provided by a private healthcare
company owned by Virgin.
I hope very much you will be able to
act on these points and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours
sincerely,
Cllr Philip Booth, Stroud District councillor for
Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe ward
Letters can be sent via email to
jan.stubbings@glos.nhs.uk or in the post to Jan Stubbings, Chief
Executive,
NHS Gloucestershire, Sanger House, 5220 Valiant Court, Gloucester
Business
Park, Brockworth, Gloucester, GL3 4FE.
Tomorrow night local groups are meeting to discuss the Whiteshill and Ruscombe Playing field - issues like replacing the fence and more will be discussed - but there will be general celebration that the Whiteshill Guide and Scout Hut were one of only three projects to gain NatWest funding locally.
The number of Projects applying totaled 7000, 452,000 votes were cast and the total prize fund of £3 million has been divided into 474 awards. They have been awarded £6,275.00 towards the refurbishment works. Well done indeed to all who helped organise the campaign and project. This money will help towards the £25,000 worth of works they have planned
in trying to make the building more sustainable and continue to serve
our community in the future. See more re project here.
The others projects to benefit in our area were NCT Little Bundles & Gloucester Excelsior Training Band so many congratulations to them also.
Not so lucky at the moment is the Guide Hut in Randwick - various plans were being progressed by the community - see here - but now it seems it is for sale. Is it still poss to save for some community use?
The Severn Wye Energy Agency, a non-profit company and registered educational charity has managed several projects on behalf of the 6 Local Authorities throughout Gloucestershire, including the Gloucestershire Warm and Well scheme that is a heating and home insulation grant scheme that has improved the energy efficiency of over 34,000 homes since the scheme began in 2001. They have a pretty good track record, so it is good news to hear that Stroud District Council have provided funding so they can offer detailed home energy audits to householders in the Stroud area at a discounted price.
Below is some information from them about what is included in the survey - this is very different from some of those so-called ‘get rich quick’ companies who do not have the interest of the client or their property in mind. You can see some of their work at: www.target2050.org.uk Click read more to see more.
"Failing on Fuel Poverty? Challenges and Solutions" will be on Thursday December 8th at the Imperial Hotel (opposite Stroud Railway Station) from 7pm-9pm. The keynote speaker will be Dr Brenda Boardman MBE from Oxford University, one of the UK’s leading experts on fuel poverty and the author of several influential books and reports including ‘Fixing Fuel Poverty’ and ‘40% House’.
I was asked to be a speaker at the event to share the work I did chairing the inquiries at Stroud District Council and helping get the Energy Strategy for the Council launched - by the way it passed at Cabinet a couple of weeks ago. However I have a District Council Scrutiny meeting that evening so sadly will be unable to attend - however I applaud the organisers for putting this on and raising the issue locally.
The talk is part of the national Warm Homes Campaign and it is local fuel poverty charity Wood U Waste who are organising the public meeting to explore the current crisis and the new policies needed to assist millions of households.
Other speakers include Brian Oosthuysen (Glos County Council), Neil Carmichael (MP) and Kaye Welfare (SWEA). They will also be launching our Donate Your Fuel Allowance Appeal seeking to raise thousands of pounds to help four local organisations - see my previous blog here.
Meanwhile Caroline Lucas MP commented this week: "It is completely unacceptable that millions of people across the UK are still struggling to keep their homes warm and protect their families from the cold - with excess winter deaths reaching 25,000, increasing by 38% during the cold snap last December, and over 5,000 households in Brighton Pavilion alone stuck in fuel poverty. If the Government is serious about eradicating fuel poverty by 2016, it must radically improve housing standards, curb the power of the big energy companies to charge what they like, and put in place measures to help fuel-poor households. In the meantime, I urge people to contact the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to get advice on staying warm this winter."
Ruscombe fields on left near Farmhill face poss development
Regular readers will have seen my initial comments on the Core Strategy - well Thursday night was the big vote at Full Council on housing numbers. Also at Full Council was the incinerator motion - see my last blog yesterday and a motion re borrowing £100m for our Council houses plus some other items like the creation of a Parish Council at Moreton Valance.....anyway to the Core Strategy....
Behind the scenes some horse-trading and discussions have been had - this is about trying to maximise buy in to Core Strategy - after all it is vital that there is some cross-party agreement especially as by May there could be a change in the balance of power - at the moment with the balance is precarious with the Tories relying on an independent Tory to hold the majority. Sadly Labour appear not to have played such an active role in this - am not sure why - indeed they seem to be trying to overturn the results of the consultation and argue for dispersal of housing to every community (80 dwellings in 40 settlements incl Ruscombe valley).......
Dispersal did not come out in the consultation as being most wanted by the people of Stroud District. Are we therefore going to ignore what we have been told by the people of Stroud? Some dispersal maybe suitable but there is still room in the proposals for that in the Neighbourhood Plans.
Larger sites offer best opportunities to bring in employment - we really do need that - we have too much out commuting and it is vital we try to turn that around - this is our opportunity. The larger sites are also often more realistic and deliverable, they offer better use of existing infrastructure, and there are some arguments that these will be lower carbon.
Anyway the discussions prior to the Council led to some cuts in the number of houses in Stroud Valleys from a max of 1,000 to 800. This makes sense. It was put forward in an amendment by the Lib Dems calling for 300 to 800 homes in Stroud Valleys and 1600 jobs; 200 to 500 homes NE of Cam and 1500 jobs; West of Stonehouse 1000 to 1,500 homes and 3,000 jobs, Hunts Grove 500 to 750 homes, Aston Down 100-200 homes plus employment; Sharpness - 200-250 homes plus employment. An extra item was added to the effect that parishes that indicate they want extra homes should be included ie through the Neighbourhood Plan.
Anyway to cut a long story short that was accepted - I have been interrupted several times writing this blog so apols if it doesn't hang together - wanted to get something out. Basically the possibility of development in the Ruscombe fields (photo above by Mike Gallagher) and Callowell is still there - but as noted in the previous blog they are part of the alternative strategy not the preferred. It will be vital that as many residents as possible participate in the consultation which is now set for Jan/Feb. More on that nearer the time.
The Green group did put an amendment in re sustainability (click read more below) - it was lost - only the 5 Greens voted for it - this in spite of the fact that everyone said they supported it in principle, they just thought this was a meeting to discuss numbers not principles! To me the whole issue of quality and quantity cannot be separated. Residents will be far happier to have well designed new homes than what goes up in many places today - as I said at the meeting higher densities are also possible if the design is right - some of the highest density housing is in our Cornish fishing villages where many want to live.
Anyway I have to dash now but hope this is a useful update.
Last night the Full Council meeting went on till 11.20pm ish - I will cover the Core Strategy stuff tomorrow if I get a chance - sadly the incinerator debate didn't start until about 10.50pm but the good news is that the Green/Lib Dem motion (see below) was passed unanimously! Tories supported it although it conflicts with Tory County policy. This means Stroud District have called on the County to pause their decision re an incinerator.
As regular blog readers will know the County are currently going through a selection process defined by
the EU for large public projects. They are at the stage of
two final bidders, and at this stage there is no obligation to award a
contract. Even with a selected final bidder they still have to get planning
permission and Javelin Park has to be in the Waste Local Plan which is
due out in January. The County could, however, still vote it through at full
council in January and commit to a conditional contract straight
afterwards. But what this motion sought was a reconsideration of Mass Burn
Incineration or MBI for short. This contract will be the single most
expensive the County Council has ever negotiated. We need to get it
right.
Already Cheltenham Borough have passed a similar motion so there is now very clearly voices saying no to the County. If the County decide not to go ahead with Incineration they will have to start the whole process again. This would mean a delay of
perhaps 18 months - this is undesirable but it is surely better
to get it right and not make a very expensive mistake.
As the brief debate showed there are many
reasons why MBI is just not the right choice. I've argued elsewhere on this blog about that but had wanted to make several points in the debate last night. Sadly a large number of councillors found the meeting too late and wanted to get home - I can't blame them but we did miss an opportunity to debate more fully - the Chair went to the vote before my turn to speak when it was clear there was cross-party support for the motion.
Labour added an amendment to the incinerator motion - not sure I got precise wording but roughly "SDC will explore the option of alternative routes for disposal of its waste if GCC continues with its reckless proposal for a MBI." Cllr Debbie Young requested a change of wording to "will continue to explore" on basis of SDC's work to date on AD and asked for removal of "reckless" on grounds of continuing to need to work with GCC on AD. Changes were agreed by all.
Sadly the debate did contain some misinformation e.g. one councillor saying the fly ash would be sent to Wingmoor Farm, which both bidders have said they won't do. There were also unanswered questions - I was hoping to note the 204 lorry movements forecast for the site.
There is so much more we could have said to add to the case about why we need to relook at it. Even the Appointed Inspector in his letter regarding the Waste Core Strategy suggested there were a number of unanswered questions. For example he says: "On the evidence that I have read so far, I consider it far from certain that Javelin Park, Wingmoor Farm West and, especially, Wingmoor Farm East will be developed as set out in the Plan." He also says "I am not clear why a dispersed pattern was dismissed" - indeed there is a strong argument for several smaller flexible solutions which cut transport costs - these don't seem to have been considered fully despite many of us arguing for them.
Last month there was also a report by Eunomia suggesting that Britain may have an oversupply of residual waste treatment infrastructure by 2020. I understand Gloucestershire’s PFI funding was withdrawn for the very same reason. The economics don't stack up well. The MBI contract is for 25 years with an option of a 5 or 10 year extension; who knows what waste technology will be around then? It is not a flexible solution like other technologies like Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) so what happens if waste streams drop? 20 years ago we could not have forecast current waste levels. Many of us consider rising prices in fossil fuels and metals will lead to very different ways of dealing with our waste. Indeed it is crazy to be burning valuable resources - many know the example that the energy required to recover a tonne of aluminium from waste is a mere fraction of the energy required to extract a tonne from mined bauxite.
Tory Nick Herbert MP has spoken in favour of tax on incineration; this would make the economics of incineration even more costly and uncertain. Furthermore the Conservatives “Quality of Life” report a couple of years ago says “a ban should be established by 2012 on the incineration of any untreated biodegradable and recyclable waste (i.e. waste which has not passed through a pre-treatment process)”. Will that still be considered?
I welcome the County's aspiration for 70% recycling across the county - in some ways a hard target but there is evidence that 80% are achievable. MBI does not offer us the flexibility we need.
There was talk at the meeting about the impact emissions will have on crops and the area. In terms of the emissions from an MBI it is clear expert opinion is divided. A 2008 report by the British Society of Ecological Medicine, for example suggested an expectation of very significant numbers of addition cancers within 7.5km of a typical EfW plant. We have seen similar debates in the past over tobacco and asbestos. However more importantly perhaps is the public perception of the health issue. Surely this is a factor that should be considered?
Lastly for this blog we could have also drawn attention more to public opinion - it seems very clear to me that the vast majority are against this - anyway in one part of the consultation in 2009 the results suggested said that in the trade-off between environmental, flexibility and cost factors the public rated them all about equal ie: Environmental factors the most important (98% of respondents) Flexibility second most important(91%) Costs were the least important (89%). However the unpublished report showed that under “very important”, respondents actually rated:
Environmental factors as most important (70%) Cost and flexibility at 35% each.
The County’s published figures are a sum of the “most important” and “important” results in each category which in my view makes nonsense of what the public said. Anyway we can only hope now that our county councillors listen.
Click Read More for the Motion on Incineration Proposals
Reductions in local government budgets will leave many rural
residents disadvantaged, says a report by the Rural Services Network, which represents
93 rural councils and a host of other public rural service providers. The full document can be downloaded by clicking here while a brief report can be found here. However in this blog I wanted to highlight the planned cuts to Disability Benefits - this is an issue I've covered many times on this blog - and it is clear many disabled people face the double whammy of cuts to their benefits but also rural services. Click on read more for info taken from campaign material circulated locally.
I must also mention Health Minister Simon Burns who compared 38 degrees supporters to zombies!! I have to say that was pretty shocking - see video clip and petition here.
OK that title wasn't quite what I meant....The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change reports this last week that rising sea levels will increase the
vulnerability of coastal areas, and
the increase in "extreme weather events" will wipe billions off national
economies and destroy lives - see Guardian here
- we've heard it before but again it seems the scientists are not being
heard. No massive plan of action to bail out the earth?
Well the good news is that moves are afoot to create a crime of ecocide -
already momentum is building behind lawyer Polly Higgins for such a
change. The exciting news is that Stroudies can hear Polly on 10th March
in Stroud - click on the picture to see the poster with details....and rather than ecocide saving us I meant making it a crime might!
See Polly
Higgins writing in The Guardian this week: "Put in place a law
of ecocide and the door is locked to any further
destructive activity that is adversely impacting on our land as well as
our people. Ecocide is a crime against humanity, nature and future
generations and the tar sands proposal is one of the largest ecocides in
the world....it's all about getting a sense
of perspective; while an oil spill might not constitute an ecocide for
the purposes of the law, the destruction of land the size of England and
Wales most certainly is a crime of enormous proportions....Ecocide
is not a crime of intent, and that must never be forgotten. No one is
intending to destroy the world, but we have put profit first without
looking to the consequences. Now we know just how damaging oil
extraction has become, and we know that it creates one legacy that we
cannot afford to ignore any longer."
Aung San Suu Kyi has announced she will stand as a candidate to be an MP in by-elections due soon in Burma. This does certainly not mean that problems in Burma are finally solved. There is still a long way to go, and Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma will continue to need our support. I have copied and pasted the Burma Campaign's Q and A on the recent developments as I think it is a useful summary to set the record straight. Sadly some press reports seem to indicate all is now well - well there is still a long long way to go. As someone who has long tried to support this country since a visit in the early 80s I would urge people to sign up to the campaign and where possible consider a donation.
Click read more for a short Q&A follows on recent developments and what they might mean.
Will we get better broadband? Here in Bread Street it is a diabolical connection and I hear in many parts of the ward. When I first raised this issue locally nearly 2 years ago there seemed little interest amongst authorities but in recent months the interest has mushroomed - see here. Here is a great way to help make our voice heard and it will only take a few moments....
Help provide the evidence to bring high-speed broadband to rural Gloucestershire. Take part in this survey now …www.gfirst.co.uk/broadband
Here is what they say: The Borders Broadband project, which covers rural Gloucestershire, has Government funds to attract commercial telecoms suppliers to provide the infrastructure needed for high-speed internet services. This will benefit businesses, individuals and communities. To persuade the private sector that investment in rural broadband infrastructure is worthwhile, we must demonstrate real demand for high-speed broadband. This is why it is essential you fill in the survey now and ask others to do so.
Household surveys can be completed online at www.gfirst.co.uk/broadband (Complete it from your home computer as there is a question to measure speed). Hard copy surveys are also available from libraries, GRCC and from some district and parish councillors. Our parish, as far as I know, doesn't yet have a broadband champion - please think about taking on this role - contact Chris Cowcher at GRCC to find out more (01452 528491 or christopherc(at)grcc.org.uk). If you run a business, please also complete the business survey which is also available online at www.gfirst.co.uk/broadband.
Last week the Stroud Valleys Water Forum, which I initiated as a way to bring the local flood and brook action groups together, organised the Severn Rivers Trust to join our bi-monthly meeting. Although we are in the Severn catchment we had never met up with them before - partly they are based around the main areas of work so the Frome hasn't had such a look in and partly our lack of knowledge about them - they have also grown very rapidly in the last couple of years.
Anyhow Tony Bostcock, a Director of the Trust, joined us and gave a totally inspiring talk about their activities. We also look set to tap into their knowledge and access to funds to improve habitat locally. The Severn River Trust is one of some 70 river trusts and looks to turnover £500,000 this year trying to address issues like the massive soil erosion and restore many species like eels - we learnt that the 354km river has a 11,000 plus sq km catchment and have many projects the length of it - for example they are looking at attenuation at the head of the river in Wales where the land is being returned to being a sponge.
So what next?
We agreed that Tony would join us for to walk a stretch of one of our waterways to see how interesting they are, and undertake a survey on wildlife etc to see about possibilities - in so doing he will show us how to do these surveys so we can begin to map all the rivers around us from that sort of perspective.
We are delighted he expressed an interest in becoming involved with the Frome - but we need to give him some info first. It was agreed that a section of the Painswick stream was probably best for the walk, and that we would try and do it soon on a Sunday. Anyone want to join us?
We meet again in two weeks to discuss whether to formalise the Stroud Valleys Water Forum into some structure - not sure it is necessary at the moment especially as individual groups have structures - The Ruscombe Brook Action Group even has a formal partnership agreement with local Councils and other bodies. Anyway let's see what the discussion brings...
Glacial is the pace of getting 20mph in this area - we've had campaigns, agreements, petitions and more...well now comes the County's Community Offer......it means another 20 mph working group which I've already requested to join. It will look at questions like those below - many of which we have already answered.....My blog has covered lots on 20 mph over the last years like the 500
words in The Citizen here, the
report I wrote here
and the letter last year to GCC councillors here.
As a starting point the working groups need to be thinking about some of the following questions: · What roads in the parish would be covered by the reduced speed limit? · What type of scheme would be acceptable and affordable to the community (speed limit campaign, advisory speed limit, or a traffic regulation order changing the speed limit)? · How will the parish demonstrate community support for spending local funds on the scheme such as a petition or open meeting? · How will consultation be carried out and who will respond to consultees? · What natural traffic calming features already exist and what additional features may be required? · What speed survey data is already available? · How many speed limit signs would need changing?
Would you like an artisan loaf, handmade with love, delivered to your door? Sour dough, Italian foccacia, ciabatta, Pain Viennoise, wholemeal, rye and more. For some people getting to the shops can be difficult here's a chance to have quality bread delivered to your door. Some folks may have seen my blog here about local bread maker Clair Griffiths well if there is enough interest we could be having bread delivered! Please email her to let her know you are interested - if she gets enough then she'll start a trial scheme....
Here is what she writes to the next edition of theWaRbler: "I have been making my own bread daily for years now, and everyone who tastes it wants some for themselves! I try to pass on the skill of making it, but for some this isn't possible, however eating it is their pleasure! I'm hoping to be able to supply our local community (Ruscombe, Whiteshill & Randwick) with a regular service of good quality, organic artisan breads, but I would like to get a feel for how many of you out there are really interested...I would appreciate you sharing your interest ~ thank you - Claire Griffiths. Email Claire if you are interested: chickpeas(at)hotmail.co.uk "
I've not been great updating some of the other meetings I've been too - last week got to the Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish and last night to Randwick Parish.
Some of the issues I covered in my District councillors spot included:
Well the big one is the Core Strategy - see my blog discussion here - I sought support for rejection of some of the local sites identified from housing.
Incinerator - noted the Green/Lib Dem motion to Full Council next Thursday - more on that soon.
Randwick Allotments - great disappointment - the Parish ruled out the playing fields due to objections and has not had any joy with asking local landowners.
Parish Councillors: Malcolm Elliot and Jane Godsell have both stood down from Randwick and Greg Dance from Whiteshill and Ruscombe. Chris Gardner was elected to Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish last week - great to have him on the team.
Whiteshill and Ruscombe Playing Field - this caused fireworks amongst Parish councillors - partly in my view it was a misunderstanding between some councillors - basically there is a consultation out regarding the playing field - I have already made a submission. The controversy is over the fence that was removed from the playground area - it was removed for safety reasons - should it go back? There is a loud and vocal group that think yes to protect children and keep dogs out. Others who think that it should go back but not be straight - this is after all a once in many years chance to make it look nicer....and there are even folk who don't want the fence back.
Grants to local groups were issues - sadly the CAB did not get recognised in the way I think it should but other local group sdid get funds.
Precept - a poss 17% rise in Whiteshill and Ruscombe and 5% in Randwick - no decisions so much could change at their December meetings - I've said before I think the precept must rise as more responsibilities are falling on Parish Councils as other Councils shrink - the amount is only several pounds a year and while times are hard and getting harder it is vital we still build our communities for all - indeed it is our communities that become all the more important in difficult times.
Lots more I can write but run out of steam for now - you can of course go the Parish websites and see their minutes - they also have details of their meetings and both offer the public a session at the beginning of the meeting to talk.
I've several times raised the issue of legal loan sharking - see for example here - I've also advocated joining our local Credit Union of which I am a member - see here. Well it was good to see that the Daily Mirror has this week launched an appeal to its readers to join the fight to end legal loan sharking. They are asking people to sign the 'End Legal Loan Sharking' e-petition on the Government's website. If they obtain the 100,000 signatories required then the issue is eligible for a debate in the House of Commons.
The report author, Faiza, writes: "Economic inequality in the UK is the highest in recorded history. In 1979 we were similar to the Netherlands and now we’re one of the most unequal countries in the developed world. From the riots in England to the global Occupy protest movement, the growing gap between the rich and poor is becoming harder to ignore. We need to win the argument that tackling inequality is necessary, desirable and possible – please read the reports and share them with your friends."
"The councils had claimed "hyperbole, exaggeration and hysteria" on the
part of the campaigners. But Judge McKenna, reflecting on how the case
had been conducted, described the campaigners' approach as "perfectly
reasonable" and "proportionate" even in the areas where their legal
claim had not been successful.....Meanwhile, rather puzzlingly, leader of Gloucestershire council Mark Hawthorne told Channel 4
News that the case had been lost on "a very small technical point" –
a direct contradiction of the judge's own remarks just beforehand, in
which he called the breach of equality duties involved "substantive, not
merely a technical or procedural defect"."
A consultation on dog fouling is out and will run until 30th January 2012 - after which time responses will be considered and a final report taken to April’s Cabinet meeting. As folk will know this is a continual problem in a few areas of the Parish and I welcome many of the proposals being put forward by the District Council.
Dog fouling continues to be regarded as one of the key priorities in
the minds of residents - it came out fourth in a survey I did re local issues for the ward several years ago. As well as being highly anti-social,
dog faeces, we know, can cause ill health effects,
especially in young children, including toxacariasis which can, in extreme cases,
lead to blindness.
What are
the District consulting on?
To help reduce the problem Stroud District Council is consulting on the
introduction of dog control orders.The specific control orders the Council believes would enhance the
district relate to:
Failing to
remove dog faeces
Not keeping a
dog on a lead
Not putting,
and keeping, a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised
officer
Permitting a
dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded
Click read more to see more about the proposals and how you can participate in the consultation. In the meantime I have contacted the Parish Council's in the area to see if there are areas we would like added to the areas for walking with dogs on leads or complete exclusion. What do other folk think?
Here below is more info but I recommend seeing the full reports at: www.stroud.gov.uk/dog
Failing to remove
dog faeces
The Stroud district would be subject to an order requiring owners to
clean up after their dogs in all areas open to the air, to which the public
have a right of access, in accordance with the Clean Neighbourhoods and
Environment Act 2005, that are not subject to any exemption under that Act.The Council is of the opinion that there are no areas to which the
public has a right of access where it would be acceptable to allow a dog to
foul and not clean it up. Any individual witnessed not picking up after their
dog would be subject to enforcement action.
Permitting a dog
to enter land from which dogs are excluded:
In relation to the exclusion of dogs from specific designated areas, the
Council would consider those areas where the advantage of excluding dogs will
be to the benefit to the public at large.The Council is of the opinion that there are certain areas of the
district where dogs should be excluded. In particular all enclosed children’s
play areas and specific areas where children’s play equipment is located within
larger parks or playing fields or areas regularly used by football or other
sports clubs. In these areas the
potential for children to come into contact with faeces and residual dog
faeces, (the faecal matter that remains once a dog owner has removed the
majority of excrement) is high. Reducing the possibility of children coming
into contact with dog faeces by excluding dogs is self explanatory.
The Council has already identified as potentially
benefiting from dog exclusion zones all enclosed children's play areas where play equipment is provided for
children's use.
The Council would specifically welcome your comments regarding
those areas you or your business feel would benefit from dog exclusion. In
particular if you run or manage an area where dog faeces is a problem and wish
to make a case for proposing a dog exclusion zone please do so. The Council can
then consider these as part of the process.
Areas subject to a
requirement to keep dogs on leads:
In relation to keeping dogs on leads the Council would look to designate
specific areas where the advantage of doing so in terms of a benefit to the
public at large can be demonstrated.The Council is minded to introduce a control order maintaining
that on specific footpaths to include, but limited to, those footpaths to and
from schools and those other footpaths where incidents and complaints of dog
fouling are high. Keeping dogs on
leads on footpaths to and from schools would reduce the amount of dog fouling
that currently goes ‘unseen’ by dog owners. A dog needs to physically stop to
defecate, if on a lead, the owners would certainly be aware of it.
If an authorised Council Officer witnessed a dog running free in a
‘dogs on leads’ designated area, action could be taken. Likewise if the owner of a dog fails, when asked by an authorised
officer to put their dog on a lead, a further offence may be committed.
If you run or manage an area where dog faeces is a problem or are
a parent who walks a child to school along affected footpaths, and wish to make
a case for proposing dogs be kept on leads please do so. The Council can then
consider these as part of the process.
A list of areas that the Council has already identified as potentially
benefitting from dogs on leads zones are detailed on the website - the only one identified at the moment in this ward relates to allotments.
How do I respond
to this consultation?
Please contact the Council in one of the following ways to let us know
your thoughts on the proposal and any areas you feel would benefit from a Dog
Control Order.
BREAKING NEWS: The High Court has ruled Gloucestershire
County Council’s plans for our public library service to be unlawful.
Below is the statement from the campaign group - huge congrats to all those who worked so hard. The judge ruled that both
Glos and Somerset Councils had failed to take account of their equalities duties
when pushing through the cuts, condemning both council’s approach as
“bad Government”, and that it was “important to the Rule of Law” that
the decisions be quashed.
Update 10pm: Cllr Hawthorne has apparently told the press that the council "lost on a small technical matter". This is absolutely NOT the case. The judge said "the decisions under challenge were not just unlawful but bad government" hence the total quashing of the library plans and telling them they have to start again. It was VERY serious that they lost on this point. The judge said it was a "substantive error of law" and a "substantial breach".
Many of us have repeatedly warned that the route the Council were going down was clearly wrong. Yet these warnings were ignored. I have been astonished by the party politics played at the County over this issue - some will know that I was attacked in the press over a comment I made about a spoof video on the libraries - later the Press Complaints Commission apparently found the Glos Echo editor in breach of the press code of conduct - I've not received an apology or even a retraction of their articles from their website. I am sure Council Leader Hawthorne was trying to distract from his actions to close libraries....anyway many of us accept cuts need to come and action needs to be taken but the way they did it took no account of vulnerable people. Why did they fail to listen? Now taxpayers face the expense of their failures.
See further coverage on the libraries case see: The Independent: Library closures challenge allowed http://ht.ly/7vaxW
At this morning’s hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London,
His Honour Judge McKenna ruled in favour of Gloucestershire and Somerset
library users on the grounds of equalities. A statement
from Public Interest Lawyers gives more of the legal detail.
Here is our statement in response to the news:
We are delighted with the outcome of the judicial review. This
outcome follows the proper scrutiny of Gloucestershire County Council’s
library plans in court; scrutiny which was never allowed under the
councils own processes. The judge’s decision to rule in the claimant’s
favour on equality grounds is a real vindication of our campaign, which
has long argued that the removal of public library services from the
most disadvantaged, deprived and vulnerable members of our community is
grossly unfair. We are also pleased to learn that the council have been
denied permission to appeal the decision.
However, as Gloucestershire tax payers we regret the inevitable
expense that will now be incurred by the county, and which could have
been avoided if only the council had listened to and engaged with
service users – they have seriously let their taxpayers and electorate
down. Over the last year library users and retired professional
librarians have repeatedly warned the council that they were in breach
of the law, but party politics was always placed before these concerns,
which were again and again dismissed.
Gloucestershire residents should never have had to go through
this stressful, upsetting and expensive process and serious questions
now also need to be answered by the secretary of state Ed Vaizey. It is
Mr Vaizey’s duty to intervene when authorities are not meeting their
obligations to provide a library service available to all who wish to
use it. Why were Gloucestershire County Council allowed to continue down
this destructive path? In opposition Mr Vaizey was a vocal critic of
library closures yet our many pleas for help have been ignored whilst
library users were left to fight this alone – it is clear that he left
his convictions at the door on entering office.
We would like to thank supporters of the campaign locally and
nationally, and urge all Gloucestershire library users to keep a close
eye on the county council’s activities in the coming months to ensure
they do their job properly this time round. We also need to be vigilant
to cuts which may be planned for the future. Libraries are more
important than ever in times of financial crises, when education costs
are rising astronomically and many people are losing their jobs. We
hope that come the next county council elections, voters will remember
the arrogance displayed by the Gloucestershire County Council
administration on this issue.
Last Saturday I went to the great new exhibition at the Sub Rooms - it is the Stroud Photo Ages second Community Photographic
Exhibition featuring photographs of Stroud District residents at work
and play. Last years exhibition of a photo of a Stroud resident every age until over a 100 was excellent - this year's does not disappoint. Local photographers of all levels were invited to take two
photographs of their ‘subject’, one at work and one at play and include a
caption telling us about the person.
The caption's are part of the charm - you will, I am sure, recognise many residents including those living in this ward.
The exhibition runs until to Friday 2 December and is open 10.00am-5.00pm (Goodwill Evening until 9.00pm) and 10.00am-4.00pm Saturdays. Closed Mondays & Sundays.
On this video there are highlights of a talk by Professor Wendy Savage from Keep Our NHS Public
with info about the local situation in Gloucestershire. The talk was
organised by Stroud Against the Cuts on 7th November at the British
School in Stroud. Apols for the quality and editing in places - I hope
it still gives a flavour of the evening. Matt Archibald who filmed the
event hopes to add more videos to his YouTube Channel in the very near future.
Take Action! For a year health minister Andrew Lansley has been refusing to publish a civil service report on the risks he's taking with the NHS. Now the Information Commissioner has ordered him to publish it. But he could still keep it hidden for another month – until after more key votes have taken place. 38 degrees have launched an email campaign - if the report on the NHS is released immediately, it could persuade key members of the House of Lords to stand up to the government. Please join me in taking action at: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-secret-report
When the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) helped expose the UK's arms sales to Libya, Bahrain and other repressive regimes earlier this year, the government was forced to revoke more than 150 export licences. Now that those uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa no longer dominate the media headlines, it seems the UK government hopes its role in arming the region's repressive regimes will be forgotten. But it is still arming dictators and human rights abusers today.
Early Day Motion 2166 is a parliamentary petition calling for an end to arms sales to repressive regimes. Please help raise the profile of this issue in Parliament by asking your MP to sign. Caroline Lucas has already signed.
Here is what CAAT write: Torture and other human rights abuse continue under Egypt's military rulers. Last month, one prisoner was tortured to death and 27 people were killed when protesters were mown down by armoured vehicles. The UK government continues to issue licences for arms exports to Egypt, as well as to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other authoritarian states. Within days of Gaddafi's death the UK announced its plans for an arms sales trip to Libya. Even before the dust has settled on the conflict, and while huge stocks of weapons already in the country remain unsecured, the UK's priority seems to be considering how to sell more. As arms sales Minister Gerald Howarth has said: "Frankly I want to see the UK business benefit from the liberation we’ve given to their people."
You can email your MP, like I have done, by going here.
Caroline Lucas has called on the House of Commons authorities to step up efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of the Parliamentary Estate and make a far stronger commitment to sustainable procurement. It was disturbing to read last month Caroline Lucas talk about the working practices of Parliament - well now in an Early Day Motion tabled this week she highlights failures to lead on green commitments - take for example:
- the reality that in many buildings on the Estate, it is impossible to turn down the radiators - which are often on at full blast even in mild weather. - the House of Commons refusal to offer MPs the option of recycled Christmas cards, on the spurious grounds that recycled card would be of a 'significantly inferior' quality
- a failure to replace bottled water with tap in meeting rooms.
Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, commented: "While I welcome Parliament's Environmental Improvement Plan and appreciate the efforts being made by the Environment Team, I am concerned that the pace of change towards making the Estate truly green is far too slow. It is incredibly inefficient, for example, that radiators in buildings across the Estate are on full blast, and cannot be turned down manually even in the mild weather - making the offices of many MPs and staff unbearably hot and stuffy. Furthermore, I find it ridiculous that bottled water continues to be provided in committee rooms instead of tap water, despite the obvious environmental benefits that this change would bring.
"And the idea that MPs should be refused the option of sending Christmas cards printed on recycled card to their constituents and colleagues on the grounds that the recycled material would be, according to the Speaker's Art Fund, 'significantly inferior', is shocking. It's clear that the House authorities need to prioritise environmental improvements to ensure that Parliament is leading by example in its green performance - as well as adopting a more ethical procurement policy which phases out non-Fairtrade products where Fairtrade alternatives exist."
Notes:
Caroline Lucas is the primary sponsor of EDM 2398, Environmental Footprint of the Parliamentary Estate: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2398. It is also sponsored by Mark Durkan MP and Bob Russell MP.
Tamzin Malleson, lives locally and is the pathologist Kate Wilding in the ITV detective series Midsomer
Murders - she is married to actor Keith Allen. Well I also discovered she is co-curating and showing work
at an exhibition – Roots – in Stroud Music Centre. It opened today but it's last day is tomorrow, Sunday. It is well worth a look....and wow must they have worked hard to turn it into a gallery for the weekend.
The exhibition was a lot of fun - it featured mixed media by local, professional
artists, including sculpture, light installation and paintings.
Tamzin is quoted in Cotswold
Life saying: "I’m so pleased the music centre is finally being
rescued. After being empty for some years, it’s now being renovated by
the
sculptor and inventor Daniel Chadwick, who will also be taking part in
the exhibition."
Infact Daniel will be making and selling his own
pizza ovens from the site!Great stuff indeed.
This Thursday at Cabinet I hope they passed the Energy Strategy that came out of two inquiries I have chaired - one into climate change measures and the other into Decent Homes standard and how we can tackle fuel poverty. This is great news and sets the framework for action locally. As Glos-based Wood U Waste have already highlighted we look set to miss national targets re fuel poverty. As the Energy Strategy shows there is much we can do - it will need resources. Those are already being identified and Greens will be pushing to ensure this area is a key target.
Of course we mustn't forget the private sector - especially private rented - I sent a letter on the housing crisis to local press last week. This is more difficult for a local council to play a key role but Government maybe making some changes in that area.....anyhow all this leads me to highlight the campaign locally for those not needing the winter fuel payment to pass it to those less well off.
Last year over 300 people in Gloucestershire died from causes directly attributable to the cold and poor living conditions. Four local organisations are helping to make a difference to the lives of older people who are at risk from fuel poverty; Care and Repair (Stroud) Ltd, Wood u Waste, Acorn Day Centre and the Uplands Care Service.
The campaign hopes to encourage those who do not rely on their fuel allowance to support by donating all or part of it. Their aim is to raise £10,000 - just 100 people giving £100. Donations can be made through our website or by sending a cheque to Wood u Waste: www.donateyourfuelallowance.com
I have reported over the years the campaign to stop expansion at Bristol Airport - like many I have submitted a number of reports and letters to try and stop this ridiculous and damaging plan. In the current economic situation with rocketing fuel prices forecast and the implications of climate change the plan is just plain absurd. It makes no economic or environmental sense. It has been quite a while since my last blog on this issue - sadly the latest news is not good.
Do read the full press release from the excellent campaign group, Stop Bristol Airport Expansion, as it outlines why there will be no Judicial Review. Click on read more - the responses by the judge in my view make little sense. The Government’s new aviation policy will be out for public consultation in the spring. We need a lot more from the Government than well-meaning words – we need solid legislation to regulate noise and carbon emissions.
Stroud District Green Party has accused the coalition government of killing off the jobs-rich solar industry with its announcement last week that the feed-in tariff for solar-generated electricity would be slashed by 50% next year. You can see our press release below - you can also hear that I was and am still angry. I am also angry at the nonsense on Panorama about rising energy prices - see a good article here that puts folk straight.
Anyway the changes to the tariff mean that the video I made of a workshop on the
Feed In Tariff as part of the
Eco-Renovation Open Homes weekend organised by Transition Stroud will be very soon out of date! Catch it before it is: http://youtu.be/3PQVZw6Qp4o
Here's the press release that went out at the end of last
week - since then Green MEP Jean Lambert has referred the matter to the
EU Commission as it impacts on our ability to meet targets re CO2
- see here:
"I fail to understand why the government would want to stifle an industry that has been so successful," said District Cllr Simon Pickering (Green, Slade), who works for Stroud-based green energy company Ecotricity.
"The move to slash tariffs will kill off a major growth industry and put thousands of jobs at risk - including many here in Stroud - and this flies in the face of the government's claims to want to promote private-sector jobs to make up for the cuts it is making to the public sector."
His colleague, District Cllr Philip Booth (Green, Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe), who has for the last two years been helping to develop an Energy Strategy for Stroud District Council's own housing stock, added: "This is a bitter blow. To slash feed-in tariffs in this way is punishing success. How on earth can the solar industry that employs over 20,000 people plan for a future if the rug keeps getting pulled from underneath them? The speed and scale of this cut is wholly unacceptable. Why not a gradual approach? We had been hoping to massively develop solar locally to offset some of the savage government cuts to councils, to cut our carbon footprint, cut fuel poverty and create local jobs. Now this will need rethinking. This government's claims to want to be the greenest are a complete sham."
The government plans are to reduce payments for domestic-size schemes from up to 43.3p per unit to 21p for sites of 4kW or below, with installations completed after the consultation ends on 12 December 2011 set to receive the new lower rate from 1st April 2012.
The Green Party believes the timing of the decision is particularly damaging as it wasn't supposed to happen until April, yet the government has chosen to bring it forward and cause massive chaos, just as it did with the solar installations greater than 50kw back in March.
Note for editors: The feed-in tariff scheme was introduced in April 2010 and has seen over 80,000 solar installations, the creation of more than 22,000 jobs and almost 4,000 new businesses.
See Guardian article by Caroline Lucas here: 'Solar has been too successful - that's why tariffs were cut.' In it she writes: "The feed-in tariff, a mechanism designed to support and stimulate the solar industry with clear points for "degression" as costs of installing and running the technology fall, has been highly successful in allowing homeowners, community groups, local authorities, and businesses to realise the benefits of solar....It has always been accepted that the tariff would need to be revised in line with falling installation costs, but the government's failure to take a more gradual approach to cutting the rates, to enable people and organisations to plan ahead and adapt accordingly, risks reversing the achievements of this burgeoning industry.....The timing of the decision itself suggests a worrying level of disorder behind the scenes. We know that this reduction wasn't supposed to happen until April, yet the government chose to bring it forward - causing great upheaval, just as it did with the solar installations greater than 50kw earlier this year."
In Business Green an article adds: "The Government’s arguments for the FiT cuts are so easily countered that there must be another reason for the government’s desire to push through cuts to incentives that are so deep and (more importantly) so swift that they will force many firms to the wall. The government’s own impact assessment shows the impact on energy bills of delaying the proposed cuts until April would equate to an increase in annual average energy bills of about £1 a year by 2020 - or to put it another way tuppence a week. Here is one theory. It is well known that there is a battle going on in the heart of government over the scale and ambition of environmental policies and the cost versus the benefits of taking urgent action to address climate change.....According to the parliamentary rumour mill, there is an increasingly tense battle behind the scenes between those who think decentralised energy such as solar should play a key role going forward, and those who believe micro-generation will always be too expensive and it is more sensible to focus the UK’s efforts on large scale centralised low carbon projects. Unsurprisingly, the Big Six energy companies are lobbying hard in favour of this centralised approach, which would allow them to maintain their dominance over the market and head off the risk of millions of homes installing technologies that could slash demand for energy by anywhere between 30 and 70 per cent."
Interestingly at a Green Party meeting this week we had a discussion about the Feed In Tariff and I was pleased to hear that while the cuts have thrown large parts of the industry into a spin - and indeed broken the trust of many regarding any future deals - there are some solar companies responding to the changes with gusto - cutting prices by buying in bulk to still make it viable and worthwhile. We will have to see how it works but as I said earlier this is just not the way to make changes.
BREAKING NEWS: The High Court has ruled Gloucestershire
County Council’s plans for our public library service to be unlawful. 
