Floods and Holidays

The floods go on. Fellow residents have been in touch to report their experiences and while not on the scale of those seen in he west of England and along the Thames corridor, it still is distressing for those impacted, especially when resources have to be focused on those most affected.

But to me the main lesson appears to be that we are not able to quickly deal with any prolonged and widespread impact on our infrastructure. If, as the scientific advice indicates, we are to experience more of these extreme weather events over the next thirty years as part of the climate change process we will need to adapt and invest in our crisis management infrastructure. This will need to be done at both a national and a local level. Flexibility will be required

I am going on holiday tomorrow to the Lake District for a week, road conditions allowing, so please excuse the lack of posts.

The summer is here

I don't mean the fact that we have had one day's respite from the rain, rather than things have the sense of winding down and desks are being cleared ahead of people going off on holiday.

Good examples of this are yesterday's announcement of the Housing Green Paper and today's announcement on future railway investment. I admit I haven't read either in much depth, but at first sight it looks like both are little more than rehashes of previous initiatives. But (on the Green Paper at least) I will suspend my cynicism and give it a read over the next couple of weeks to see if it will do anything to give power back to Tandridge residents to set local priorities.

Floods

Luckily there have been none around in Oxted South (to my knowledge at any rate - please correct me if anyone knows better), but unfotunately other parts of Tandridge have been more affected.

But it does show the importance of planning for these less frequent but high-impact events. I hope the post crisis analysis demonstrates that these crisis are best avoided by joined up planning (ie house building decisions being properly informed by flood risks) and properly funded defences and local preparedness. Perhaps it is time to return responsibility for local flood defence work to local authorities, leaving DEFRA and the Environment Agency to focus on national strategy.

Half-right (well sort of)

The Ealing and Sedgfield results were definitely signs of a continued Brown bounce and were not a good night for my party - but while the Lib Dems defied my predictions and did OK on the night, the opinion polls in the Sunday papers still show their vote being squeezed on a national basis.

So going into the summer (?) break it looks like Labour have the most to crow about with both other parties needing to do some work. The lesson for my party muct be to turn the proposals from the Conservative policy groups which are now reporting into concrete policies with which to fight any Spring 2008 election.

Brown Bounce or Tory Triumph

Late today we will see the results of the Ealing Southall and Sedgefield by-elections. These will give us some better insight into how the parties are being percived by the voters at large.It is hard to predict what the precise result will be, all I would dare to suggest is that the Lib-Dem vote will be low.E

Fire, Fire, Pour on Water

Given the recent fire at the Ajax site in Hurst Green I was please to see today two initiatives from Surrey County Council to reduce the risk to Oxted South residents.

A brand new state of the art fire engine has just been delivered to the Surrey Fire and Rescuse Service at Godstone. The new appliance boasts new technology which is both more effective at fighting fires, uses less water, causes less water damage and is better for the environment.

The County Council have also lauched an anti arson campaign at teenagers. I think it is vital that this message gets across. Last month's fire mercifully involved no injuries, but so easily could have done, if the gas cyclinders found on site had not been old and empty So well done Surrey for working to deal with these risks.

Boris has decided

And now it is the turn of London. I am delighted that Boris Johnson has thrown his hat into the ring and am sure that he will win both the Conservative nomination and the mayoralty itself.

Fornightly Refuse Collections Slammed

Today's coverage of report by MPs into the shift by a significant number of local councils to fortnightly waste collections, a move supported by the Government.

The idea that it will promote recycling without posing a health hazard doesn't appear to be backed with sufficient evidence and the MPs found that it is more likely to lead to fly tipping.

Clearly we need to recycle more. But the best way of doing so will be to make recycling easier and more attractive for people to do. Just reducing the frequency waste collections without resident being provided with alternatives is short sighted. That is why Tandridge has chosen not to go down this route.

However there are things that we can do now to reduce landfill from food waste - e.g. by promoting home composting. And the most effective way of reducing unwanted waste must be to look at the source by reducing unnecessary packaging of products.

State Abuse of Power

Iain Dale's blog drew my attention to a Sunday Telegraph article which has made my blood run cold. Two young children, a new baby and a two-year old, were taken into care when a doctor suspected abuse. While the parents have now been cleared of any wrong doing, social services have told them that their children are never going to be given back and they will lose all communication with them - they are to be adopted by a childless couple - and there is nothing the parents can do about it.

That is clearly wrong and just shows how much the state can do in certain circumstances without any form of redress for those affected.

Healthy Tandridge

I received yesterday the 2007 Health Profile for Tandridge, which makes interesting reading.

The good news, and it is mostly good news, is that life expectancy is above the average for England and it is increasing. Early deaths from cancer, strokes and heart disease is lower and people tend to live healthier lifestyles than on average.

However there are still challenges. The proportion of the over 65s is greater than elsewhere, 1 in 5 adults are classed as obsese and 1 in 7 binge drink. And it is still the case that 4,100 people live in low income households. This includes 1,300 children.

Looking specifically at Oxted South, life expectancy is 81 for men, 83 for women and the number of low income households about average for the district.

Click here if you'd like to read more details.

What about the Green Belt?

Most of Tandridge is Green Belt land, so yesterday's annoucement by Hazel Blears that house building will take priority over environmental concerns clearly raises the prospect of a significant change in the character of our local area, one which will be seen as negative by a majority of residents.

While Brown's spokesman has since denied that the Green Belt is at significant risk, what he cannot deny is that current government 'guidance' to planners states that they have to identify new sites for housing for the next 15 years, regardless as to whether they would actually be needed. There is no expection made for districts like ours where this will in practice mean building on the Green Belt.

Whatever the actual outcome it seems clear that Brown's Government remains as committed to imposing its own will on local areas as Blair's was. Local people are still not going to be able to take the decisions that matter most to them. Tandridge needs new housing, but local experience has shown that we are able to provide this without having to resort to green belt building.

The Grand Tour

I attended my 'new member' induction at the council offices yesterday. After an introductory talk by the Chief Exec the five of us new boys and girls got a tour round the various departments where we were given more details on what goes on behind the scenes.

And for those of you out there who think the life of a Councillor is nothing but freebies and expenses paid junkets I should record for the record that I am now the proud owner of a pencil made from a recycled coffee cup. I knew there was a reason I wanted to be elected....

Boris 4 Mayor

Although outside of London I and many fellow residents in Oxted South have a very real interest in who governs the capital. Many of us work there and Croydon and Bromley both border Tandridge's northern boundary.

So today this blog comes out in favour of Boris Johnson for London's next Mayor.

Boris is a clever, popular and effective Conservative. His buffoonish image masks a great intellect, but he is an effective manager and communicator. What's more he would be a substantial rival for Ken Livingstone, who after nearly approaching 8 years in the job is tired and increasingly ineffective.

All that's needed now is for him to be convinced that he should stand.

29 Years 364 Days

Today is the last day of my 20s. Apart from feeling old and maudlin (something I didn't expect to experience until tomorrow) it has prompted me to look back on my last decade and consider the milestones.

Graduated
Started Work in London
Bought first Flat in Bermondsey
Became Politically Active
Bought Second Flat in Rotherhithe
Found God
Bought House in Oxted,
Married Helen
Eldest Daughter Born
Joined St John's Church PCC
Elected to Tandridge District Council
Youngest Daughter Born

In retrospect I doubt any future decade will be anywhere near as momentous. They say age brings wisdom, but it appears clear to me now that you make your most important decisions early in life.

All Washed Out

Watching a bit of Channel 4 News a few minutes ago made me really feel for those poor families who are still flooded out of their homes. Thankfully no-one local to me is impacted, but it does again show that we can be very under prepared as a nation for some of these natural tragedies. And if climate change continues to bring more of this dramatic weather interspersed with long dry spells then investment in our physical infrastructure and preparations for crises needs to increase.

While some of that is an issue for government - most will be for the private sector; households and businesses. For that to happen I feel that the media coverage of environmental issues needs to change, from being purely focused on encouraging us all to act altruistically for the sake of the planet and future generations, by recycling and using less energy, to also bringing home that we may need to prepare to make changes to our homes and the way we live to cope with the climate change that is already happening.

This was brought home to me at a breakfast briefing I attended a couple of weeks back, where one of the speakers, an Oxford Professor, made it very clear that the next thirty years of climate change has already been determined one way or another, there is nothing we can do to reverse it and we need to react now to the challenges that will bring or face the consequences of doing nothing.

Where's the radicalism Mr Brown?

The new PM's statement on the constitution, while containing some good proposals to limit the use of Prerogative Powers and increase scrutiny over key public appointments has done little to answer the biggest questions facing our constitution. His appointment of regional ministers makes clear that he is not committed to local democracy, but quite the reverse, entrenching the power of central government over local issues.

So I have two questions

1. Why did he not attempt to complete the devolution settlement? Limiting discussion of English issues to English MPs is the only fair and practical solution to Scottish and Welsh devolution.

2. Why did he not return the powers held by the regions to local communities? That together with giving local people real powers over planning, local quangos like NHS PCTs and the police would do more to reengage people with politics than gimmicks like citizens juries.

Not Balls

There aren't many professions where after 24 hours in the job you are expected to be an expert, but being a Government Minister is one.

So my hat goes off to Kitty Ussher , Ed Balls' successor as Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, who this morning had to give the opening address at a conference I attended. She made a creditable attempt at putting into her own words a summary she had probably little time to read let alone understand.

Residents' Station Parking Concerns Recognised by County Council

At last a solution appears to be in sight for the problems faced by residents of Mill Lane and Hallsland Way.

For those who don't know the area, every morning a large number of cars are parked on Mill Lane at the junction with Hurst Green road. This situation is treacherous for local residents as cars have to enter and exit the road 'blind' to oncoming traffic and for pedestrians it is even more dangerous, with the lack of footpath forcing parents with buggies to walk in the road where they are not seen by approaching vehicles.

Following campaigning by local Conservatives, especially by former Tandridge Council Chairman Barry Compton, Surrey County Council now plan to place parking restrictions between 7.30 and 9.30 am each weekday morning to prevent a build up of cars at this busy junction,and one on Hallsland Way to prevent the problem spreading.

However it is likely to be a number of months before this is implemented and with a full station car park, it is clear that this is a far from ideal state of affairs for commuters, and it is clear that a longer term solution is needed for the ever growing numbers of commuters who use Hurst Green station.

Two last thoughts on the reshuffle

What message is Gordon giving to world about the quality of his own parliamentary party if he is having to appoint so many outsiders. Are there not any Labour MPs and Peers good enough to do those jobs?

And what does this mean for the reform of the House of Lords? Appointing five new peers in the first week to do Ministerial jobs is hardly consistent with supporting an elected upper house.