The EU has a new Executive body in place - the Commission - which was voted into office in February by the parliament.

Initiatives are starting to emerge.

On Climate Change, the new Commissioner (who was the Danish Minister for the Environment and chaired the UN Copenhagen summit last December) has proposed how to reinvigorate world talks to deal with Climate Change. She proposes - rightly in my view - to raise the EU’s own goals to cut back our emissions from 20% to 30% by 2020. Attached is the detailed document if you would like to read it.

On the Economic financial crisis - mainly but not only in Greece - the creation of a European Monetary Fund is being discussed. The underlying problem is that the countries wehich chose to join the Euro-currency zone thus agreed to run their economies with German discipline and to give up the right to devalue their currencies. Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal promised to do that, did not, and are now suffering. The UK stayed out - both Conservative and Labour preferring to continue devaluing our currency.

Visit Brussels in April !

For anybody who would like to visit the parliament in Brussels, Julie Hirst is organising a group to come on 7th and 8th April. You can email her for details on julie_hirst2000@yahoo.co.uk

General Election ?

In Brussels, EU business will continue - because there is always an election somewhere among the EU’s 27 member states

UKIP disgrace continues

Nigel Farage has been fined about 3000 euros (the maximum possible under the rules) by the parliament’s President for the insults he made to Belgium in the chamber last month and which he refused to withdraw. Yesterday another UKIP MEP, the Earl of Dartmouth, was ejected from the chamber for his language. In the previous parliament (2004-09) two UKIP MEPs were sent to prison in the UK.

All the best, Bill ND

The new Commission

was voted into office by MEPs on Tuesday. They will serve until October 2014 as the leaders of Europe’s executive body. Liberals have 8 out of the 27 portfolios, a very strong share for us.

Tory disarray grows in Brussels : now Tory councillors also isolated

Last year, Cameron pulled his MEPs out of the big centre-right alliance in the European Parliament - a stupid move which damages Britain’s ability to win votes.

Now Cameron has made matters worse - by forcing his Tory councillors to pull out of their alliance in the Committee of the Regions against their wishes.

The Committee of the Regions is a part of the Council of Ministers, totally powerless but noisy.

Here are details of what happened :

- Unlike the European Parliament, where Tory MEPs knew that they would have to leave the EPP, it was anticipated that the Tory councillors could remain within the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions (where the four political groups were, until last week, the EPP, the Socialists, ALDE and the UEN)

- Last week however Cameron ordered the Tories to leave the EPP in the CoR

- Under CoR rules, the requirement to establish a Group is 6 parties, with 9 full members and 9 alternate members

- The Tories have been unable to do this as several of their ECR partners in the Parliament are not represented in the CoR and the Polish Law and Justice Party had committed to stay within what was the UEN

- The UEN held its constitutive meeting last Thursday, where it changed its name to the European Alliance and chose the Polish Law and Justice Party representative as its Leader

- This Group has many protectionists in it and for that and other reasons the Tories, while having had discussions with them, have not applied to join it

- The EPP then held its constitutive meeting and confirmed in a press release that the Tories had left

- This means that the Conservatives are currently unaligned within the CoR; they do not belong to any Group

- It is not impossible that they will join the European Alliance or seek to create another splinter group later (if they are able to find the numbers which they have until now been unable to do)

- Other non-aligneds in the CoR include the Greek Marxists and the Spanish Mayor of Cordoba (who comes from the United Left party which brings together communists, anti- capitalists, republicans and radical greens)

Liberal MEPs are the most successful in the European Parliament

If you wished to follow voting patterns in the parliament, Votewatch.eu is an excellent website. In the first six months since the European elections in June 2009, you would see that the Liberal MEP group wins more votes than any other !

Votewatch.eu uses the European Parliament’s own attendance, voting and activity data - available through the Parliament’s official documents - to give a full overview of MEP activities, broken down by nationality, national political party and European party grouping.

The following link shows how MEPs voted for the inauguration of the new Commissioners http://www.votewatch.eu/cx_vote_details.php?id_act=320&lang=en

The Economic crisis in Greece

Greece is paying the price for not living up to its promises. When it abandoned the drachma currency and joined the euro, it undertook to have German-style discipline in the running of its economy (instead of bribery, lying, laxity etc). But successive governments did no such thing. So now, Greece will be obliged by the EU to accept discipline. It will be painful but in the long-run it will benefit the Greek people.

Britain, by staying out of the euro, refused to run its economy in a disciplined way : and now we have huge government debts and our international credit rating is on the verge of being downgraded.

Yes, it is a crisis for Europe. The good news is that “Europe” normally advances during a crisis - because, when there is no problem, national leaders take no action.

Out of this will come a stronger more cohesive Europe, a little better equipped to deal with world-scale problems together.

All the best,

Bill

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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:

Bill’s European report - he sent this 2 weeks ago, so I’m a bit late posting.

Dear fellow Lib Dem in the East Midlands,

A report-back from the parliament.

Two important votes are approaching

1.  the General Election in Germany on 27th September

2.  the referendum in Ireland on 2nd October about the Lisbon Treaty

One of our Irish Liberal MEPs emailed : “Many people have been asking me whether they can help in any way in the Irish referendum campaign, and the answer is that  a national referendum is, by definition, an internal national matter, even where, as in this case, the repercussions have an effect across Europe.

That being said, Irish people resident in Belgium and indeed all over Europe have set up a “Europe for Ireland” group to promote a Yes vote to the Lisbon Treaty and which is helping in whatever way it can within the rules. Anyone interested in contributing should visit their website at: http://www.europeforireland.eu/

As they say on their website : “Whether you are Irish or not, we need YOUR help… You can send us an e-mail of support, sign up for updates, donate, join us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Linked In , contact your family or friends in Ireland, tell us your ideas/suggestions as to what we should do.”

The big event in the parliament this week in Strasbourg

was the vote to install a President of the Commission in office for the next five years.

The Commission is the EU’s executive body. For the past five years its President has been Jose Manuel Barroso, a former prime minister of Portugal. In the opinion of many in the parliament, he has been “re-active” rather than forward-looking and has not given the lead that Europe needs.

The right to propose a new candidate, according to the EU treaties, lies exclusively with the 27 heads of national governments. Earlier this year they nominated Barroso for another five years but the leaders did not set out any targets for him or any programme of work, preferring him to remain their obedient servant as events unfold. Many in the parliament were deeply dissatisfied with such a conditionless proposal. So, instead of immediately confirming the national nomination, each political party put Barroso through a hearing. The Christian-Democrats supported Barroso, being one of their own. The Socialists and Greens did not want to vote until after the fate of the Lisbon treaty is known. The Conservatives, on their own, were irrelevant. So Barroso needed Liberal support. We liberals gave him two hours of live questions. During our hearing, Barroso put on a virtuoso performance, saying that in a second term a president is much stronger and he would fight for a strong united Europe like never before. We extracted a promise that there will be, for the first time, a Commissioner specifically responsible for Fundamental Rights and Civil Liberties (which of course is a priority area for liberals). He was warned that, over the five years, his leadership will be carefully monitored - with the threat that the parliament can dismiss him. Afterwards, our Latin liberal MEPs commented “He is Mediterranean too so he knows how to put on a seductive performance. But we are not taken in and remain sceptical.”

The full parliament voted on Barroso’s appointment on Wednesday morning. With our support he won a majority with 382 out of 736 votes.

He won because the centre-right won most MEP seats in June European elections, and because the other parties did not put up alternative candidates. A year ago we Liberals discussed putting up a candidate for President of the Commission, but concluded that we could not find a candidate who was willing to spend a year seeking votes in the 27 countries, with no expenses refunded, and no likelihood of winning. But the idea of alternative candidates will be stronger in 2014, and it is possible to foresee that the first directly-elected European President is already alive and now at school somewhere.

The influenza pandemic

The first case of H1N1 inside the parliament was confirmed on Monday. The medical centre is planning for a peak of cases in the second half of October when 20% are expected to be absent from work.

I attended a briefing by a Dutch expert. He complained that “It is the same virus everywhere, but there are 27 separate uncoordinated national plans for dealing with it.” There should be a single European centre, as there is the CDC in the USA. (see http://www.cdc.gov/) but Europe’s national capitals are unwilling to share their powers, as usual.

The best counter-measure, he said, is to be vaccinated. There are two to have :1. against seasonal flu, 2. against H1N1 not yet available but coming soon. The mortality rate of H1N1 is very low : the risk is not of dying but if you have to go to hospital the danger is that the hospitals may already be full. In August, the UK was sending ill patients to Sweden.

Looking further ahead, he said that nobody knows how it will develop. Spanish flu in 1918 was very mild but suddenly turned nasty in 1919 and killed forty million people, the most being in the under-fifty age group perhaps because they had not experienced a previous strain unlike their elders. The danger in 2009-2010 is that H1N1 (mild but very infectious) might meet Avian flu (with 60% mortality rate among humans who catch it but bad at transmitting itself between humans) and mutate into a vicious strain which combines high-mortality with high-infectiousness : if that happens, he said, we shall all be in very big trouble.

Forest Fires

There was emergency debate about the violent fires along the Mediterranean this summer. Points made that over 400,000 hectares of forest have disappeared in the past decade, the severity of fires has been increasing over recent years, many have been started by arsonists, and with higher temperatures expected in the future due to global warming, worse can be expected.

All the best, Bill

1) Flooding - following contact from some residents on Goosehills Road after the extremely strong rain we had earlier in the summer, I have been involved with trying to ameliorate the problem. So far, between myself and my colleagues we had the drains on Goosehills Road repaired, and the gutters re-swept as they were full of debris that was being swept into the drain. We are now waiting for another deluge to see whether this has had the desired effect.

Colleagues across the town are engaged in similar efforts in their areas.

2)  Rugby Road development. Following an outcry from residents around the Johns/St James’ Close area, I spoke against the proposed development of new modernist dwellings on Rugby Road. The main areas of concern were that the designs were totally out of keeping with the area, violated the Burbage Visual Design Statement, and would involve a considerable loss of amenity for the rear neighbours. There were a host of subsidiary problems, that I won’t go into here.

Unfortunately the Planning Ctte decided to vote through the proposals, despite the opposition of the ward Councillors and the entire Parish Council, leaving some extremely angry residents.

3)  Flamville Road - we are now waiting for the decision of an appeal on the proposed development on the rear of a property on Lychgate Lane, opening onto Flamville Road. This was an application that I spoke against in the early part of the year, in support of the surrounding residents efforts via letters and petitions, and was successful in getting it turned down.

The applicant appealed the rejection, and there has been a lot of work from the residents writing to the Inspector in charge, re-stating their opposition to the size of the proposed dwelling, and the likely impacts on drainage and parking.

A decision should be due in about a week.

4) Colts Close. There will be some further movement on the Colts Close issue over the coming months, though it remains confidential for the present time.

However, one of their spin off organizations, EDGE, is involved in a campaign to try and elevate the status of vocational courses. I support this wholeheartedly, as I believe that the current methodology of giving young people a choice between academia and damnation fails them greatly.

You can find out more about their campaign by following this link:

http://www.edge.co.uk/project/six-steps-to-change-manifesto-2009

Or by watching the video below, and voting in the poll above:

The appalling weather mean that all the activities had to be moved into St. Marys Church  and Church Hall, but since this had been a planned contigency it didn’t effect the day too much.

An excellent turn out of parents and children,  sampling the face painting, den building, skittles, clown lessons, Wriggly Readers and Regio Emilia learning amongst others.

This years theme for the national Play Day was about making time for children to play, and hopefully a lot of the parents found it useful, even if only to keep their children entertained for the day - hopefully the will have found some interesting groups and activities that are around, and will have enhanced their knowledge about the importance of play - I certainly did.

Full marks to all the staff and volunteers - good planning and hard work stopped the rain spoiling the day!

Council Offices, Argents Mead, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 1BZ

PRESS RELEASE

ISSUED 4 AUGUST 2009

TWO PAGES

Agreement signed and sealed for Bus Station Site

The Borough Council and Bus Station development partners, The Tin Hat
Regeneration Partnership have signed a Development Agreement which sees both
parties legally committed to work together to redevelop Hinckley’s town
centre bus station site.

The Tin Hat Regeneration Partnership comprising Wilson Bowden Developments
and Centenary Ashcroft were selected last year by the council and their
advisers, as the preferred development partner for this landmark project.
This followed a rigorous selection process and public consultation, when all
three of the three short listed schemes went on display in the town last
summer. Additionally, the Tin Hat Partnership’s concept proved to be the
most popular with the public.

Since the selection process, the Council and The Tin Hat Regeneration
Partnership have been working together closely in evolving the proposals and
securing the Development Agreement.

A planning application for the scheme, known as The Crescent, is due to be
submitted by Spring 2010 and will comprise a major new food store,
Hinckley’s first multiplex cinema, restaurants, new shops and a 500 plus
space car park.

A start on site is expected in 2012 with a scheme opening in 2014. Further
consultation will take place with local residents and businesses on the
scheme during September, ahead of the planning application.

Council leader, David Bill, said: “I am delighted that we have passed this
important milestone bringing forward the redevelopment of the Bus Station
site and in particular the delivery of a multiplex cinema which the
Borough’s residents have wanted for so long. I am also pleased that the bus
station will be modernised and hope that this will encourage the use of
public transport. The design of the new centre complements the street scene
of central Hinckley and will improve the variety of shopping available in
the town.”

Will Robinson, Retail Director of Wilson Bowden said: “The signing of the
Development Agreement demonstrates the level of all parties commitment to
this key project in enhancing and securing Hinckley Town Centre’s retail and
leisure offer and we are already in detailed discussion with retail and
leisure anchor operators. We will now be working closely with the council
in working up the planning application and look forward to working with both
the council and people of Hinckley to deliver a landmark project of which
everyone can be proud.”

Bill Cullen, Deputy Chief Executive of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
said: “I am pleased with the level of progress that we have achieved with
our development partners to get the scheme to this stage, particularly given
the challenges of the current economic down turn. Whilst this has led to
all parties having to consider the implications for the scheme, a lot of
work has been going on behind the scenes to bring it to this key stage.
This gives us confidence that we will have a fantastic and vibrant mixed use
leisure and retail complex that the town can be proud of in years to come.”

ENDS

Doubtless there are some people wondering who paid for this junket - the answer is partly the Chinese government, and partly myself. The only contribution  of the council was a small box of business cards and some plaques to give as gifts. I believe that there is a reciprocal visit beign arranged, but I have no idea of the financial arrangements for that.

I’ll be putting some detailed stories up on here over the next few weeks, along with some photos and others bits and pieces.

All in all, a tremendous day for both participants and spectators. The weather held for the day, which was always a worry after the re-scheduling of Hinckley.

The floats were excellent, clearly an awful lot of work and enthusiasm had gone into them as ever. The Carnival field was very well supported, with probably 30+ local organisations holding stalls or doing something in the arena, as well as the fairground rides and stalls. Hundreds of people throughout the day.

Everybody seemed in very good spirits, and all the stalls seemed to go well - ours certainly did well.

Full marks to the Carnival Committe, a triumph in my opinion.

He will be replaced by Inspector Rich Ward.

We all wish them well in their new appointments.

The thunderstorm yesterday afternoon brought an extremely concentrated burst of rain over Burbage - 27mm in 20 minutes - and this completely overwhelmed the drainage system, resulting in more flooding on Brookside and Southfield Road.

I visited one lady who had had her ground floor more or less completely flooded out. the council staff did a sterling job delivering sand bags, but the sheer speed of the deluge made it impossible to react quickly enough to stop water entering properties.

Severn Trent staff and contractors were about, cleaning up some of the debris and calling insurers on behalf of residents.

Severn Trent water are responsible for maintaining the water courses in the area, and keeping them clear of obstruction. There is very real concern that this is not being done effectively, and this is exacerbating the problem of overwhelmed capacity in the drains and Sketchley Brook.

This was something of an exception, in terms of the intensity of the rain, but the flooding events on these two roads are increasing every year.

The proposed redevelopment of the Johnsons site on Rugby Road may present an opportunity to sort some things out with the drainage basin of the Sketchley brook, since this development will likely effect the brook up and downstream.

The Liberal Democrat Councillors in the area will be pressing Severn Trent to do all they can to mitigate any problems in the area.

Some interesting news from the betting exchange BetFair on the General Election.

On the date of the next GE alone, punters have already wagered £292k - the odds have it 1/5 to 9/2 in favour of the GE being held after December 09.

On the majority makeup of the Commons punters have already put their hands in to their pocket to the tune of £563k - they have got the Conservatives on 40/85 for a majority, against Labour at 13/1 - but here is the kicker - No Overall Control is quoted at 14/5. Clearly there is a feeling that the Conservatives will win, the doubt is about by how much.

Rather bizarrely Betfair hasn’t updated their Leaders bets from when Ming Campbell was in the Leadership of the Lib Dems - obviously the odds on him being Leader after the next GE are rather long.

I now have finally had time to rest after all the excitement of last week.

We were delighted to double our seats at County Hall, taking Burbage Castle in addition to holding the two seats we already have in Hinckley. We were gutted to miss out on Mallory by 38 votes, but we are confident for next time.

The European elections were just as good for us in Bosworth - not only did we contribute to getting Bill Newton-Dunn re-elected as MEP for the East Midlands, but our local vote made strong gains. Last time we finished 4th, this time we were 3rd but only 9 votes behind UKIP for second after two recounts.  Last time out, our 4th place made us 17th equal out of all the constituencies in the East Midlands - the result this time put us in 3rd.

Particularly gratifying was the fact that we got more than double the Labour vote, the first time we have beaten them in a Parliamentary election in Bosworth since 1987.

By contrast, the Conservative performance in Bosworth was the worst Conservative performance in the region.

Full results for the region can be found at:

https://secure.theelectioncentre.com/results/display/?region=4

All this bodes well for the Parliamentary campaign when it emerges.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to wave a small salute to John Moore & Mary Sherwin (who were gracious in defeat) for their service to Burbage Castle.

Technorati Profile

Today I’ll make an exception - yesterday was a great day to be a member of the party that successfully tabled a motion in the House of Commons, in support of the right of former members of the Gurkha regiment to live in Britain without restriction.

As has been reported all over the news, the motion was supported by the Conservatives and enough Labour backbenchers (27) to carry - Gordon Brown’s first defeat as Prime Minister.

I’m not going to go into any of the political commentary, but suffice to say it was a great victory for our country as a whole, and must surely lead to a change in the law for Gurkha’s.

This was purely an experiment, so imagine my surprise when the following advert was served up:

“Leicestershire County Council - Leicestershire County Council for Singles, Friends, Soulmates, Dates & Lovers.”

I can only assume that some extraordinarily misguided dating agency is trying to use location specific keywords to attract clients.

If not - and I dare not click the advert myself for fear of what I might discover - and this is a genuine County Council  campaign then I am almost speechless.

In any event, a quick look around the Conservative administration leads me to conclude by saying ‘Don’t Fancy Yours Much!’

Every single communication will be given our fullest attention, but I thought it was worth acknowledging the sheer volume coming from Thornton.

A number of people have contacted Burbage Councillors in recent weeks to ask whether we knew why ’site entrance’ and ‘lorries turning’ signs has suddenly appeared at the bottom of Rugby Road, by the M69 junction.

Obviously this location has particular significance in terms of the current consultation process on traveller sites and housing allocations within the Borough - naturally many people were concerned that this may be preparatory work for an unwanted site.

I am pleased to say that this site is simply a temporary site to allow contractors working on behalf of National Grid to carry out refurbuishment work on the overhead power lines and pylons that cross the fields there - this is part of a complete refurbishment of the overhead lines running from Coventry to Enderby.

If anybody has any further concerns about this site, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Well, it’s been saved. By all accounts the local residents are delighted.

It was by no means an easy decision, but I think we have made the right one. We have stood by our election pledges.

This is part of our wider project of protecting green spaces within the Borough - Mount Road, Big Bit etc.

Are mobile phones penetrating the fabric of society too much?

I know a few people in the Liberal Democrats who are quite committed Christians and one such chap jumped on the Underground in London the other day, after having a fairly large stroke of luck at work. Being a Christian he thought about offering a silent prayer of thanks, but he then caught himself thinking “Oh I can’t, there’s no signal on the tube.”

And so it has come to pass that Vodaphone are once again sniffing around the Rugby Road site, and apparently have started unauthorised test trenches.

This site was rejected several years ago, and all the reasosn for the rejection remain completely valid today.

I have written to the consultants operating on behalf of Vodaphone stating my oppositon to this site.

I’m not against mobile phones, or masts in principle - but there are several siites available right away from peoples houses and bothering nobody.

This is virtually in peoples front gardens.

The results of the survey were an overwhelming ‘No’ he should not be released - over 90% I believe.

As you may have read in the Leicester Mercury, Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph, Leicestershire County Council are spending £6,000 on fitting satellite navigation to their lawnmowers, apparently because they keep getting lost and nobody is sure which bits of grass have been cut.

Pleasingly, I got a quote into all three of the above papers, along with the Taxpayers Alliance,  and the Leicestershire branch of the Allotment and Leisure Gardners - all expressing the view that it is an astonishing waste of money, especially with the economy the way it is.

I wonder whether sat nav monitoring has been fitted to any other County Council vehicles - the gritting fleet perhaps? The Leaders limousine?

I appreciate that they are trying to improve the grass cutting service, but monitoring of the service could surely be achieved much cheaper, and probably more effectively.

On a final point - I was under the impression that the County Council used contractors for grass cutting - do they nor provide this sort of oversight?

The latest in a string of achievements for the Lib Dem administration.

These are astonishingly difficult times in which to construct a sensible budget - not just because of a poor economic outlook per se, but because of the volatility that poor outlook is causing. In light of that, great credit is due to our Finance portfolio holder, Keith Lynch, for  putting such a good budget together with the assistance of our fantastic finance officers.

The Conservatives voted against the budget, though predictably they did not produce an alternative budget of their own, they just sniped from the sides.

We have kept Council Tax rises down to 2.9% - one of the lowest rises in the country.  Coming hot on the heels of the ‘Excellent’ award from the CPA, this is a great refelction on the Liberal Democrat administration.

1) The Socrates education programme - through its Erasmus and Lingua subsidiaries - offers language students and their teachers the opportunity to spend time in another EU country. Something called Comenius promotes multilateral partnerships - whatever they are - between schools throughout the member states.

2) The Leonardo scheme is very similar, except it is focused on apprentices - applications need to be made by colleges/school rather than individuals.

3) Something called the Youth programme helps young folk take part in voluntary activity throughout the EU.

4) Those aged between 16-18 and still at school you may be eligible to visit the European Parliament under the Euroscola scheme - a few days sitting in on meetings and learning about the EU and its workings.

Of course our young people do have the opportunity to live and work anywhere in the 25 member states as well.

I say a thorny issue, but really all sides were in agreement - there must be no travellers sites in Burbage.  The rumpus was caused by the two Conservative County Councillors trying to claim that a site will be built near Rugby Road.

Fortunately the public requested to hear from us, and David and Stuart were able to give the solid assurance that no site will be built in Burbage - even if that means throwing the whole LDF process out, and starting with a blank piece of paper.

The whole meeting was conducted with a good temperament, and I hope that everybody got the answers they were looking for. People often say that huge suburban housing estates like those we have in Burbage have no sense of community - I think that was proved categorically wrong last night.

Other villages in the Borough are feeling very aggrieved about the fact that they are on a list of preferred options, and nowhere in Hinckley or Burbage is - but there are sound reasons for it.

If anybody is unclear about how they make their views known on this issue, then they can write to Richard Palmer, at HBBC, and that will be received as part of the consultation project. In addition to this, we are resending all the consultation documents, and there will be a new exhibition/consultation scheduled for Burbage.

I have agreed to go and look at the existing sites in the northern Parishes, at the request of the Conservative County Councillor, so he can demonstrate the difficulties they already face.

I shall report back here.

A little something you may have missed:
The Leicester Mercury reported on 18th February 2009 that
Leicestershire’s convicted murderer Colin Pitchfork has been given a
date (April 30th) to appeal for immediate release from prison.

Pitchfork was the first murderer  convicted in this country from DNA
evidence. He brutally murdered schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth
in Narborough in 1983 and 1986 respectively.

Please let us know your views:

Should Colin Pitchfork be released from prison? Please answer YES, or
NO, or DON’T KNOW, and add any comment that you wish to make.

We will forward the completed survey results to the Home Secetary, and
add to our website www.neighbourhoodwatchleicester.net

Please let us have your replies by Friday 27th February 2009

The numbers in detail:

45,000 + 12 = The number of homes expected to be repossessed in Britain in the next twelve months.

200,000,000 = The amount in pounds that the government has set aside to help.

6000 = The amount of households that the government estimate will be assisted (note, not saved).

These figures are taken from a brief introduction to the new Mortgage Rescue Scheme, that I received in my council post this morning.

The aim of the scheme is to assist households who own their own home, but have got into difficulties with their mortgage repayments due to the prevailing economic conditions. The MRS is designed to be a safety net for families at risk of homelessness if the bailiffs turn up and ask for the keys.

They offer two ways out of such a situation - (a) shared equity with a third party Registered Social Landlord, with resulting substantial decrease in mortgage repayments or (b) A government mortgage to rent, that effectively allows the occupants to remain in the property as a Registered Social Landlord tenant, on an assured short hold tenancy on a sub-market rent.

I think this is a laudable effort, there are a surprising number of families sold completely unsuitable mortgages - partly their fault, sure -  who are now on the ropes. Hopefully this could be combined with a number of other efforts,  such as the financial education classes for parents scheduled to begin at SureStart centres.

However, like most efforts of the Labour Government, it is stupidly complicated and virtually nobody is eligible for the relief.

To qualify households must or must not:

1) Be eligible for assistance under Part Seven of the House Act (1996) - how many families do you know who keep a copy of that on the coffee table? Essentially it means that for priority status there must be either (a) dependent children in residence (b) a pregnant woman (c) someone who is designated as vulnerable or in possession of a disability. Single people or childless couples are not eligible.

That’s quite reasonable - it’s aimed to protect families.

2) The home in danger must be the primary residence, not the second home by the seaside. Again perfectly reasonable.

3) The house in question must not be worth more than £145,000.

I think that’s daft - the bulk of family homes in Hinckley & Bosworth (and I imagine elsewhere), and I’m talking particularly about new builds, tend to start at £150,000.

How did they arrive at the figure of £145,000? Setting such an arbitrary limit seems to exclude most family homes.

4) Homeowners in negative equity need not apply.

Utterly stupid - surely the families most at risk of being booted out of the house are those who are in negative equity, and have suffered resulting financial problems?

5) Gross household income must not exceed £60,000 per annum. I think that’s reasonable, if you have £60,000 income you should be able to sort your own solution out.

6) No outstanding charges or ownership disputes on the property.

It seems reasonable, but I would submit that the most vulnerable families are also the most likely to have such charges against them.

It seems to me that to be eligible for this scheme, you have to be in a financial position where you do not need it anyway. The restrictions are such that they effectively exclude those most likely to need it.

I would rather the £200 million was spent cracking down on shonky forms of credit - ‘payday’ loans, logbook loans and so on. I think it would help a great deal more people, without all the bureaucratic nonsense.

To further complicate matters there are a number of other options:

Unemployed homeowners may be eligible for Mortgage Interest Support, and those who have suffered an ‘income shock’ may be eligible for the also recently announced Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme. The Council operates a Homeless Prevention Fund in addition to this.

I can’t keep up with all the jargon and over complication and I receive regular briefing notes - what chance have the average family got to understand the various options that they almost certainly wont be eligible for?

Why can’t we just roll it all into one programme called ‘Help’ or something similarly self explanatory?

I have changed the straw poll question on the right hand side to canvass some opinions on this - your responses and email addresses remain hidden.

The charity is called ‘Milele’ which apparently means ‘Forever’ in Swahili.

The aims of the Charity are thus:

It is an educational sponsorship programme that will provide school fees, books, uniforms and other assorted kit, plus one meal a day at school.

They also have a healthcare element, providing routine things like vaccinations and mozzie nets. Some emergency care is also available.

A Charity Launch Ball has been arranged for 20th March 2009 at the Sketchley Grange Hotel, Burbage. It’s £30 per person, £20 discount if you purchase a table of ten.

This launch event is critical - the more money they raise here, the more kids can be sponsored this summer.

If you would like to go then contact Amy on 07950329398 or milele@live.co.uk

www.milele.co.uk is also worth a look.

I’m going to do my best to get to the ball, if only because my vision of Africa has been formed almost solely through the medium of Zulu! and I probably need educating. I am also hoping/assuming that the charity theme song will be ‘Forever’ by KISS.

Last week while attending the launch party of the Earl Shilton SureStart Children’s Centre (highly recommended) I came across a flyer for a website called www.dad.info 

This website is essentially a one stop shop for all things fatherhood. It deals with everything from what to do from the moment yoe learn you are to be a father, to the more complex areas of money, relationships, health and pretty much everything in between.

I’m pleased that at last some efforts are being made to support fathers, and especially those that may not be in a relationship with the mother of their children.

What is even more pleasing is that these efforts do not stop at a website, they include special sessions and events for dads at the childrens centres and other men friendly activity.

We had big support from the local residents, including 217 petition signatures, several letters of objection and one member of the public spoke. Both Stuart Bray and I attended the meeting and opposed the application.

The committee concurred with the view of the officers, ourselves and residents and unanimously rejected the application.

I always thought that boredom couldn’t be measured, but it seems that £199+VAT may now be the standard unit.

This seems to be happen quite a lot at the moment - I have also been added to a rather strange email list from some anti-european organization (Is this because I write so much about Europe on here?).

Normally I would be annoyed by this, but some are quite good - the RSN does seem to be quite useful, offering what it calls a rural take on all the news of the day. It contains a wealth of information that I otherwise would not have found out about, and does seem to be vaguely intelligent in its style.

I await the next email list I am subscribed to.

Now, I’m not as keen on the laws of Human Rights as some of my party colleagues, but I think in this case the 17 judges got it (unanimously) right.

It cannot be right that the government wishes to run the country on the basis that at some point in the future all citizens may commit a crime, and therefore storing their DNA data is a useful deterrent and tool to help solve those future crimes.

It is an oft quoted line in politics that any given Government is finished once it stops trusting the citizens it represents. I think the current Government has passed that threshold, and is accelerating at an alarming rate.

However, I do keep an eye on some of the odds that bookmakers are quoting for various scenarios. It makes interesting reading. Take for example these odds from BetFair:

13/5 for a result of No Overall Control at the next General Election - 5/7 Conservative majority - 6/1 Labour majority.

Clearly the bookmakers have less faith in David Cameron’s prospects than the pollsters - while he is ahead here, the short odds on a potential hung parliament indicate that the feeling is that he will win, but not by enough to form a Government. I have to say, I agree with that assessment.

Election Date:

It seems the bookmakers feel the Gordon Brown will see out his maximum term - it is down to 8/15 for an election in Spring 2010. However, what is interesting is that the odds of an election being called earlier go no longer than 7/2 - that suggests to me that an early election is not quite off the cards yet.

Chancellor to go?

Most interestingly perhaps are the odds judged for Alistair Darling’s survival:

8/15 to go before the end of the year - 7/11 to go between January and March - and 2/1 to go before September next year. Doesn’t get any clearer than that.

I think bookmakers are a far more reliable source of political opinion that pollsters - they have much more to lose with bad predictions. I find myself agreeing with their predictions much more than any of the pollsters. Perhaps the most compelling reason for trusting bookmakers more is simple methodology - polls only really work as a binary, and hence they only really work with two political parties. Betting odds are much more suited to multiple variables, and I think it shows.

More interesting odds as I discover them.

The centres themselves are amazing, very well equipped and genuinely focused on bringing together a range of services under one roof. In our Borough though, the real value is in the outreach work that has been the foundation of the scheme - Hinckley & Bosworth is a geographically challenging place to deliver services in, and I hope that the SureStart model will be used for other projects.

As I have said elsewhere, I think the most interesting period for SureStart will be after Christmas when parents and families start to feed back to us on what services they still need, what thye like about the programme, and what is less popular. Could be a few surprises.

I will be going to as many open days as I possibly can.

There was a certain inevitability about the fact that someone is already doing it better. www.europarl.tv is essentially two Dutchmen, a camcorder, and a good grasp of YouTube. They have made a selection (some 500+) videos about the European Union and its member states, primarily in English. Graham Watson has clearly realised they are a good bet, and took part in this video:

The note on their YouTube page says that they need investment to develop this as a journalistic endeavour. Might I suggest that some of the presumably vast pile of dosh the EU spent on producing their in house nonsense would have been better invested here?