Incompetence or Corruption?

The events of recent days have shown this current Government to clearly be incompetant, but much more worryingly the appearence of what may be corrupt practices within the Labour party really must undermine everything the Prime Minister claimed he stands for. Following on from the cash for honours scandal it appears that a Labour government that promised to be whiter than white is now both morally and politically bankrupt. With no vision for the future and lacking the competence to govern, surely Mr Brown is now regretting his decision not to go to the country when he had a fighting chance of winning.
I think that therefore the country is in for a period of drift and mismanagement while the government turns in on itself.

Housing Cock-up or Conspiracy

Is the Government trying to complete kill the housing market? Because it seems to be. The imposition of HIPS on all properties by the year end is just thing to stop all activity. Things are slow enough as it is but without people being willing to sell flats and small houses (for which HIPS will be a proportionately greater cost) then there will be fewer buyers for other properties. With 67% of agents already reporting a fall of properties coming onto the market, it is appears likely that the market will be near stagnant before Christmas.

Resign!

Tonight following a terrible error of judgement and the poor performance of those working for him, there will be a call for the resignation of a public figure - Steve McClaren the England Football manager. He might not go tonight, but following England's failure to qualify for the European Championship, following a very poor performance, it is inconceivable that he will still be in place for the next major competition.

This should be a lesson for all those in public life - those in positions of responsibility must in the end be accountable for their actions and those who work for them. When they get it very wrong they have to go. In the week that the Government has lost the confidential details of millions of people perhaps the Chancellor and Prime Minister should be considering their positions rather than pinning the blame squarely on the actions of a junior employee (who has now himself resigned).

Labour Free Zone

Last week, Caterham Valley Councillor Peter Longhurst resigned from the Labour Party. He cited personal differences with national policies covering Health, Education, Iraq, Local Government, Housing and Planning as the reason behind his decision.

To those of us who serve with him on the council Councillor Longhurst's decision isn't too surprising as he has been an especially vocal critic of the Government's approach especially on Planning and Housing matters.

Councillor Longhurst's move means that the Labour Party no longer has any councillors in Tandridge.

Rumours of Sexual Assult in Hurst Green

Local residents may be interested in the following from Surrey Police:

'PC Dave Every, PCSO Lisa Cobby and PCSO Stephen Winch are aware of rumours circulating throughout Hurst Green regarding alleged sexual assaults. These rumours are obviously causing some concern for local residents. However these rumours of Sexual assaults appear to be fictitious. Investigations by PC Every and the PCSOs has so far identified one victim of an assault that was not sexual. Surrey Police has no information to suggest that these kinds of offences has taken place in Hurst Green or Oxted and records show no offence has been reported to Police. However if you have been the victim of a sexual assault or any other crime please report it to Surrey Police immediately. Oxted and Hurst Green still remains a very safe Police to live and Surrey Police will take all reports of this nature extremely seriously. Anyone with information that can assist Surrey Police is urged to contact myself, PC Dave Every, or Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222, or Crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111'

Tandridge voted into top 40 by Residents

The results of a recent government survey show Tandridge District Council residents continue to be among the most satisfied in England.

Every three years, all councils have to carry out satisfaction surveys.The key result of the general survey shows the percentage of respondents expressing overall satisfaction with the Council is 62%, which keeps Tandridge in the top 40 of all councils in England for the past six years. And even better, 82% of residents satisfied with the area as a place to live and 84% of council tenants are satisfied with their accommodation.

It is good to know that by and large people are happy with both Tandridge and the Council, but that is no reason to rest on our laurels and so we will continue to try to improve both the services the Council provides and the environement in which we live.

In Touch

Oxted South Conservatives regularly produce an 'In Touch' newsletter, distributed to every house in the ward. The Winter 2007 edition can be accessed via this link.

Council Report

At the quarterly meeting of the full Council last Thursday the two overriding messages should have been 1. unity at how well the Council (and especially its officers) does at meeting the needs of local residents given the financial constraints put upon it by central government; and 2. a common protest at the interference by unelected government inspectors in overturning the democratic decisions of elected councillors on planning matters which have been taken in accordance with plans already approved by the government!

I say should have been, as while many fellow councillors made with the points outlined above it was a shame that not everyone united to vote for a stand to be taken against the current centralising, Gordon Brown knows best, government.

That said, there was general appreciation expressed all round about the success in extending weekly recycling, including for plastics to Oxted South.

Queens Speech - Plannning Reform

One of the key measures annouced in Tuesday's Queen's Speech was a Planing Reform Bill. The main purpose is to 'streamline' the procedures for gaining planning permission for major infrastucture projects (Motorways, Nuclear Power Plants etc). While it is clear that the current system can lead to a very long and drawn out process which the Government are right to target for reform, it does unfortunately appear that the role of local communities in making planning decisions will be further diminished, with Central Government taking an even tighter grip over the decisions that impact our lives.

Oxted Station Access.

As Oxted residents (and those travelling to Oxted by train) will be very aware, the southbound platforms are currently only accessible via a steep set of steps making it impossible for the disabled, and those pushing buggies (not to mention anyone with a lot of luggage) to manage.

It is therefore very good news that Network Rail are to install lift access next summer. It will make the lives of many just that little bit easier and hopefully help reduce car journeys too.

Ajax approved

At last Thursday night's Development Control Committee, Tandridge Councillors approved the plans to redevelop the Ajax site on the Holland Road to provide a nursing home, medical centre, light industrial units and some office space.

While most councillors present were concerned what that would mean for traffic movements along Woodhurst Lane, Hurst Green and Holland Road (and also for parking on the highway outside the site) the general feeling was that this was as good a proposal as were likely to get, combining job opportunities, a vital contribution to local infrastructure and a traffic volumes some 76% lower than they might otherwise have been.

Could Europe Finish Brown?

It used to be commonly accepted wisdom that there were no votes to be won on the issue of Europe only votes to be lost.

Brown appears to be proving the latter bit right. In my mind his decision not to call a referendum over the 'reform treaty' is helping to contribute to perceptions that he is deceitful and running scared. It can be no conincidence that an opinion poll in today's Independent gives the Conservatives an 8% lead over Labour, a week after he signed up to the treaty.

Also reported today is that the former French president Valry Giscard d'Estaing has ststed that key parts of the European constitution remain "practically unchanged" in
the new EU Reform Treaty, M. Giscard d'Estaing, one of the architects of the EU constitution, said that the central proposals of the rejected document had been retained in the new treaty.

We need a referendum on this treaty, and if Brown doesn't listen it looks like he will pay with his job (although possibly not until 2010)

East Surrey Hospital: Critical Condition.

For a good summary on the appalling state of East Surrey Hospital's management I recommend you look at the front page graphic of yesterday's Surrey Mirror.

The sooner local people can get more control from unaccountable quangos, the better.

Third Place not good enough for third party

Big words from Nick Clegg the Lib Dem leadership contender, who intends to come at least 2nd in the next General Election.

Given the Libs are currently polling at around 12% this seems to be fantasy land and in terms of managing expecations of his party an odd strategy. The main question is which of the main parties does he think they'll replace. Our local Liberal opposition certainly doesn't appear to have any realistic alternative proposals for running the council - assuming the national party is no different I can't see them managing to create clear yellow water between either the Conservatives or Labour Parties.

2 Years to fix a light

And counting.

There is a footbridge near my house which runs over the railway line. At night is is very dark and there are a lot of obstacles. According to one local resident, who asked me to take up the case, it has been broken for between 2 and 3 years. In that time he has been corresponding with the County Council to no avail. On his behalf I have tried to find out what is happening, but it still seems that it will take the County Council contractor and EDF Energy to be on site at the same time and seemingly that is an impossible task. A date has yet to be found.

Local residents will wait with interest to see if anything happens, but I for one am not holding my breath.

Hurst Green - What Concerns Us

So what are the main issues in Hurst Green at the moment? This was a question I was asked yesterday afternoon by a journalist new to one of the local papers.

Good Question. I didn't think that there was one overall answer but I said that the following are all subjects of interest to some local people:

The Ajax Fire and the proposals for redevelopment of that site are of interest, both to those living by the site and more generally as additional heavy traffic goods traffic along the Hurst Green and Holland Roads would be unwelcome.

Crime and anti-social behavior isn't too much of an issue, but big groups of kids hanging around on street corners can be intimidating and the riding of mini-motos on roads and in public spaces by a small minority is an accident waiting to happen.

Back garden developments continue to be an issue for those directly affected and the building of more and more homes without an consequent improvement to local infrastructure concerns many.

The extension of weekly recycling from the beginning of the month which now includes plastics has been positively received.

However, in terms of comments I am given, probably the biggest issue and this is common across the whole of East Surrey is the state of our local roads. Popes Lane remains a disgrace. It is an example that even when work is done the quality is sometimes substandard.

Ming Decides

You know when your party has become increasingly irrelevant when your leader resigns and it doesn't even make the front page of the Times. I feel sorry for the Lib Dems, but with the Iraq war no longer a big issue and resurrgent support for the Conservatives - there currently seems little point to a second left wing party in British politics and this is refelcted in their poll ratings 11-12% down from 23% in 2005. Perhaps a new leader will make a difference and give them a new direction.

Protecting Children from Harm

This was the reason Surrey Trading Standards gave for asking Tandridge District Council to add additional conditions to the Liquor licence held by Sainsbury's at Warlingham.

This followed a number of reports of children buying alcohol there, followed up by a Trading Standards 'sting' on the store when a volunteer under-age teenager was sent in to try to buy booze. The teenager was served.

We clearly need to protect our children from abusing alcohol, but reading the decision of the committee I was please to see the balance that was struck. Instead of taking away or suspending their licence the firm was forced to introduce a training programme to ensure staff know what to do - with proof required to be produced that the training has been completed. Hopefully this step will stop the under-aged sales without impacting on those who are old enough to buy it.

If local residents want to alert Surrey Trading Standards to any other shops that sell to children they can call 01372 371700

100 Day Premiership

Only with some distance from the events of Tuesday has it really dawned on me - Gordon Brown has no new ideas of his own and absolutely no new direction for the country. Tuesday's Comprehensive Spending Review should have been the opportunity to set out the strategic vision for the rest of his premiership (or at least for the next 5 years) - it being the result of a couple of years work in HMT and 10 years or brooding. Instead the main focus appeared to be on stealing Conservatives ideas on inheritance tax outlined only days before. The rest of it was just tinkering at the edges.

At the end of his first 100 days it looks like the Prime Minister has run out of steam. Labour look to be on catch-up for the rest of this Parliament with the Conservative Party setting the agenda.

The non-election fiasco was a mistake for Brown, but he would have recovered. In retrospect I think Tuesday's non-event CSR will be marked as the beginning of the end of his premiership.

Tandridge Council Tax Payers to Pay for Brown's Mismanagement

Buried within the documents produced by the Treasury this afternoon are some figures for local government spending. Despite giving councils more responsibilities, such as paying for free Bus passes for the elderly, Government grant will only go up by 1% (and that is in total). For councils like Tandridge where Government settlements have normally been worse than the average, we are looking at real reductions in Government funding - which will have to be met with higher taxes locally, cuts to services (or even more efficiency savings).

I think the - non-partisan- local government association put it best:
”This is the worst settlement for local government in a decade. Councils will continue to work hard for the people they serve but they face tough choices. The Chancellor’s announcement will mean above inflation rises in bills for council taxpayers and businesses, and there remains a black hole in funding for the care of the elderly.”

We are now all paying the price for the Prime Minister's profligate spending when the economy was doing well.