Cllr Adrian Smith

PRESS RELEASE

ISSUED 13 JANUARY 2010

TWO PAGES

Special refuse collection this week

A SPECIAL refuse collection service will take place in Hinckley & Bosworth this week for all those residents whose black bins were not emptied last Thursday and Friday because of the bad weather.

The additional collections will take place on Thursday (14) and Friday (15), with affected householders requested to present their black bins on whichever day their collection normally takes place. So anyone whose bin was missed last Thursday should present their bin this Thursday.

On this occasion, the crews will also collect additional bags of refuse that may have accumulated due to the delayed collection.

The special service will operate in addition to the plastic and cardboard recycling collections scheduled on these dates – so residents are asked to present these for collection also. Due to the additional refuse collection, the brown bin garden waste service has been suspended for Friday 15 Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 January. Please note these arrangements are subject to weather conditions.

Blue box/ bag recycling collections were also affected by the weather throughout last week. All residents who did not receive a scheduled blue box collection last week are asked to retain their recyclables until the next scheduled collection date shown on their calendar. Any excess recyclables should be placed in plastic bags and presented with the blue box on the collection day.

Alternatively, residents can make use of the recycling sites provided throughout the borough.Please visit www.recyclemore.co.uk for details of the nearest site.

The Borough Council would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents by this disruption to services.

ENDS

Following on from yesterdays note about waste collections in the snow:

The council were unable to collect black bins from some areas this Wednesday and Thursday, and so have arranged (weather permitting) additional collections for next Wednesday and Thursday.

The scheduled composting and recycling services planned will be carried out as normal.

Just a note that has been distributed from the council this morning:

The refuse teams are making collections from streets where it is safe for them to do so, though they are having to make these risk assessments as they go. They are keeping a full map of any areas that they are unable to collect from.

The council advice is for residents to leave refuse and recycling out as normal, but if it has not been collected by 5pm on the day it normally is collected, then it will be collected in the next cycle.

The council apologises for the inconvenience this may cause to residents.

Disappointed with this - there seems to be one or two people with 4×4’s who have a fixation with this park.

Damage at a park in Burbage

Police are appealing for witnesses following the report of criminal
damage at a park in Burbage.

A bollard preventing vehicles from entering the Rugby Road recreation
ground was knocked down, sometime between 1pm on Tuesday December 1 and
9am on Wednesday December 2.

Police believe a vehicle was used to knock the bollard to the ground.

PC Paul Bingham, the officer investigating the incident, said: “We are
hoping that anyone who has information about the incident will contact
us.

“There were tyre marks left on the park so we believe that a vehicle was
used to knock the bollard down.

“The bollards were put in place last year following a number of vehicle
related anti-social behaviour issues on the park. When vehicles had
access, the grass was frequently damaged and people in the area, such as
dog walkers and children, would no longer be able to use the park as
they wished.

“We are appealing to all residents in the area to contact us if they
witnessed the incident or know who is responsible.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact PC 1288 Paul Bingham on
Leicester (0116) 222 2222, follow the instructions to leave a message
for an officer and when prompted key in his identification number 1288.
Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers free* and anonymously on
0800 555 111.

* Some mobile phone providers may charge for this call.

Issued on 08/12/09 at 09:56
Crime reference number: SH07827/09-5

Dear Friend
Lots going on in Europe. But I restrict this report to two major events, because otherwise it would be too long.

The Lisbon Treaty
will come into effect, thank goodness, on 1st December. It will improve the way the EU of 27 operates.
a. More democratic control as the European Parliament, representing the people, takes a full half-share control of all legislation. See http://euobserver.com/9/29036/?rk=1 And the other chamber, the Council, representing the 27 governments, must hold its meetings in public from now on and taking more votes by majority voting.
b. no “President of Europe”, a concept invented by the media and by euro-sceptics to alarm the public and to sell newspapers. The Council will have a president for two and a half years who will provide much-needed continuity (against the habit of rotating the presidency every six months around the countries).
c. the way the Council president, and the “Foreign Minister” were chosen reveals how continental politics works (which is not understood by winner-takes-all in the UK).
The Christian-Democrats got first pick because they are the largest party across the EU. They wanted someone from a small state who would not overshadow Merkel or Sarkosy - hence their Belgian Van Rompuy. They now have the current presidents of the Parliament (Polish Busek) and of the Commission (Portuguese Barroso). Second in line were the Socialists who could choose the Foreign Minister : they conferred among themselves and compromised on Cathy Ashton from the UK. The Liberals, the third party across Europe, will get a higher than justified number of the 27 new Commissioners. The euro-sceptic parties naturally get nothing.
The UK Conservatives, having quit their alliance with the CDs, have excluded themselves from any EU power for many years to come until they come to their senses.
d. the 27 new Commissioners are now being nominated, one from each member state. Their portfolios will be allocated to them by Barroso. Between 11 and 19 January, each will be subjected to a public live on-the-stand three-hour interrogation before a European Parliament committee. Then the full parliament will, or not, vote each of them into office until 2014 (but can cause any of them to be dismissed later if they lose the confidence of a majority of MEPs).
e. the EU’s External Acton Service will be developed. It means EU representative offices throughout the world. This will, eventually, save a lot of money for taxpayers, because the current arrangement of 27 separate European embassies in every world capital but speaking with only one voice (that of the current Council presidency) is wasteful and “duplicated” (27 times).
PS there is an interesting rumour that what forced the recalcitrant Czech President, Klaus, to suddenly give up his resistance and sign was…a call from Washington DC, telling him to stop blocking a united Europe which the USA would prefer to have at its side.

The world conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen from 4-18 December
18-20,000 people are expected to fly in for the conference. Prices of hotel rooms have tripled. 65 heads of government will be there plus Obama and Wen of China.

Is our planet warming-up due to gas emissions caused by human activity ?
Nothing is certain. Until the planet boils, nobody cannot be 100% certain. The scientific consensus is that it is warming up and the warming is 90% likely to be caused by human beings. If experts tell you that “your airplane is 90% likely to crash but you are free to ignore our warning and go ahead and board”, what do you do ? Two MEPs in our region, the Tories’ Helmer and UKIP’s Clark say it is not caused by humans.. Helmer called me a liar on live tv in June for revealing his stance - yet this week in the parliament he is publicising a seminar called “Nature, not Human Activity, rules the Climate”.
Nick Griffin of the BNP said this week in the parliament that it is all a conspiracy to bring in world government.

What is the agenda at Copenhagen ?
During the two weeks there are two separate negotiations happening at the same time.
The first week is open and, apparently, anybody can attend and give their opinion in the working-parties. In the second week, more senior people take over and the meetings are closed. But the seniors will lack the detailed knowledge, so the outcome can only be a general political agreement with the details filled in later.
One negotiation is the ongoing follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol by its signatories.
The other negotiation is more general but China, India and the USA are involved. (How different the situation might be if the “hanging chad votes” in Florida in1992 had not got George Bush Jr elected and instead Al Gore had become president).
Why two separate negotiations ? The USA refuses to join the Kyoto Protocol. China and India refuse to accept reductions.

Personalities
Chairing the world conference is the Danish government.
The EU works as a single team, with one negotiator for all five hundred million of us. He is a bespectacled Spaniard called Artur Runge-Metzger.

Know Your Acronyms
If you decide to follow the conference on-line there will be many acronyms being used.
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
AWGKP Ad-hoc Working Group on the Kyoto Protocol
LULUCF Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry
LCA Long Term Cooperative Action
MRV Motivation, Reporting, Verification
EST Environmentally Sound Technologies
SLTV Shared Long Term Vision

Tricky negotiating points
- Oil-exporting countries want to be compensated for loss of future revenue
- Russia wants credit for its major reductions in emissions since 1990 (due to the collapse of its economy).
- How to count all the trees in all the forests ? (important because they count as “off-sets” against emissions)
- Which gases to be included beside Carbon Dioxide ?
- Who will pay ? We in the developed world will pay, but how much will come from governments and how much from the private sector ?
- Do governments of developed countries own technology and intellectual property rights ?
- Who will be in charge of the financial fund, worth perhaps 200 billion?
- What does “legally-binding” mean ? (If China or the USA re-neg on the deal later, do the rest of the world have to invade them ?)

The likely outcome ?
The hope is for a single political agreement on 18 December. The details would be filled in during 2010 but may take until 2012 for one final document to be in place and signed by all countries of the world. Denmark, as the chair, has to produce a 5-8 page document by 18th December. Cynics suggest that it is already drafted. Negotiations may continue through the night until 5am on the last morning of the second week, because at the last conference Russian officials refused to wake up Putin during the night.

The committee have found against Mr Tredinnick. The full judgement can be found here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmstnprv/66/66.pdf

Not had one in Hinckley yet!

Disappointed to see that the Planning Inspectorate overturned the ruling of the Planning Committee, and granted planning permission for a new dwelling on Flamville Road in Burbage - despite the protests of the Parish & Borough Councils, and the local residents.

Below is the official ruling on this:

Main Issues
3. I consider the main issues to be the effect of the proposal on the character and
appearance of the streetscene and on the living conditions of surrounding residents
by reason of overlooking of 12 Flamville Road.
Reasons

4. The site, which has a front and side to Flamville Road, forms part of the rear
garden of 60 Lychgate Lane, one of a pair of semi-detached properties. Flamville
Road is a cul-de-sac that runs along the side of No 60 and then has two branches;
Appeal Decision APP/K2420/A/09/21082452the western branch has semi-detached houses to both sides and the eastern
branch, which the site fronts, has semi-detached houses on its southern side only.
The semi-detached houses are of modest scale with narrow separation between
them. The exception is a new terrace of three properties with a central gable
feature opposite the main Flamville Road access. There are no footpaths or verges
to the two arms of Flamville Road, although the main access is wider, with a clear
verge on the western side and a hedge covered verge to the east.

5. The proposal is for a detached two-storey house with a garage and two parking
spaces facing the eastern arm of the road and a front elevation facing the main
Flamville Road access. It would adjoin a garage in the rear of No 62. The Council
do not object to the principle of residential development or to the proposed design,
which would reflect the design of surrounding properties. The Burbage Design
Statement 2006 indicated that Lychgate Lane / Flamville Road area has a mix of
housing from Victorian cottages to a few modern detached houses.

6. Whilst the house is detached, I do not consider that this would conflict with the
regular pattern and spacing of semi-detached properties, as there are no similar
properties on the northern side of the eastern leg of Flamville Road. The opposite
side of Lychgate Lane has a variety of detached and semi-detached houses and
occasional bungalows, so that variety within the area is apparent. In addition, the
new development of three terraced houses already interrupts the flow and rhythm
of the semi-detached houses on the southern side of Flamville Road. The footprint
of the proposed house, although different from the nearby semi-detached houses,
would reflect that of the new development opposite and would not introduce a
conflicting note.

7. The house has been designed to front both frontages of Flamville Road. Whilst
different to the semi-detached houses in the area, this would produce an active
frontage to both elements of Flamville Road and would provide an enhanced
appearance and aid integration of the new dwelling into the area.

8. For the above reasons, I conclude that the proposal would not harm the character
and appearance of the streetscene. It would comply with saved Policy BE1 of the
Hinckley & Bosworth Local Plan 2001 [LP] that aims to ensure a high standard of
design to secure attractive development that will safeguard and enhance the
existing environment.

9. The property would have an elevation facing the semi-detached houses on the
southern side of Flamville Road. There would be a ground floor lounge window and
two first floor bedroom windows facing No 12, which is directly opposite the site.
There would be some 17 metres between facing windows across Flamville Road.
The Council in support has referred to Supplementary Planning Guidance: New
Residential Development [SPG], revised in 1997, although this was not referred to
in the decision notice. This guidance has been adopted following public
consultation and I attribute moderate weight to it although it was produced in
advance of Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing.

10. SPG indicates that the Council will negotiate to try to achieve a minimum
separation distance of 25 metres between facing habitable room windows. The
existing properties across the western arm of Flamville Road have a separation
distance of around 15 metres. Whilst less than the distance recommended in SPG,
bearing in mind that the ground floor windows face a highway with its attended
lowering of privacy, I do not consider that the interaction between bedroom
Appeal Decision APP/K2420/A/09/21082453 windows at a distance of 17 metres would have an adverse impact on the living
conditions of residents.

11. For the above reasons, I conclude that the proposal would not harm the living
conditions of the residents of No 12 by reason of overlooking. The proposals would
comply with saved LP Policy BE1, which aims to ensure that there should not be an
adverse affect on the occupiers of neighbouring property.

12. The residents of No 62 also have concerns in respect of living conditions. The
properties would be some 25 metres apart and the main two-storey element of the
proposed house would lie next to No 62’s garage, with a single storey element
projecting along the boundary. I consider that the distance and the relationships
of the proposed house to the house and garden at No 62 would not have an
unacceptable impact on living conditions through loss of light, overlooking or loss
of outlook.

13. Concern has also been expressed in relation to the access and parking situation in
the area, as many properties do not have or use off-street parking. The access
exists and, whilst close to a corner, is on a minor cul-de-sac where traffic speeds
are likely to be low. The proposal would have three off-road parking spaces, which
the Council consider adequate for the size of dwelling proposed. A new access and
of-street parking have been provided off Lychgate Lane for No 60, so I do not
consider that the proposal need give rise to any significant amount of on-street
parking.

14. In respect of flooding, it is indicated that this is an existing problem of run-off from
the adjacent highway. Soakaways are proposed for the house that would need to
meet regulatory standards and I do not consider that the proposal would contribute
further run-off that would have an impact on the existing problem.

15. For the reasons given, and taking all other matters into account, I conclude that
the appeal should be allowed.

16. I have considered the conditions submitted by the Council having regard to the
advice in Circular 11/95: The Use of Conditions in Planning Permissions. I have
adjusted their wording where necessary in the interests of clarity. I agree that a
condition relating to materials is necessary to ensure that the appearance
contributes to the character of the area.
Andrew Jeyes
INSPECTOR

Normally, at this stage of a newly elected parliament, the major task is to hold individual hearings of the 27 candidate Commissioners who would have been proposed, one by each national parliament (or government, in truth). But this cannot happen because the Lisbon Treaty is still not in effect. If the President of the Czech Republic signs it soon, then the planning is that the Treaty will come into force from 1st January. Meanwhile the new candidate Commissioners will be interrogated probably next month - and then MEPs will vote them into office for five years, or reject them.

Also in preparation for the Lisbon Treaty coming into effect, the other legislative chamber, the Council, will be debating who they want as their first “president” to serve for two and a half years. Blair is touted for the job by the British newspapers who love to create controversery in order to sell their papers. But I doubt very much that he will get the job : he talked nicely about Europe but did very little to move the UK to the centre and he attacked Iraq with George Bush. Whoever is appointed, they will NOT be President of Europe (as the UK press also loves to proclaim). He or she will simply be the president of that chamber. The Parliament has its own president, Jerzy Busek from Poland, and the Commission has its president, Jose Manuel Barroso from Portugal.

The first reading of the EU’s 2010 Budget has gone smoothly. Now the draft passes to the Council of Ministers for their second reading - and finally back to us for our second reading in December.

A few months ago (if not years) I blogged about the European Union’s online TV service. At that time EuroParl TV was dreadful, it really was unusable.

Happily they have been steadily improving the site, and it is now a useful and interesting resource to help understand what is going on in Brussels. In particular it is nice to have an deliberately pro-European source of info, as opposed to traditional media in the UK.

Here’s a sample: