Barry Stamps Political Diary

At long last the County Council carry out drainage work in Church Eaton Road

2009-05-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

At long last the County Council are carrying out work to improve the drainage on Church Eaton Road just outside Haughton. Over the past couple of years I, along with both Haughton and Church Eaton Parish Councils, have been pressing the County Council to get something done.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been promised time and time again that work was going to be carried out, but all the County Council managed to do was to suck-out the drains which had little effect on the water which flooded the road after even the slightest shower! However as one or two residents have already commented surprise surprise now that the County Council elections are just a few weeks away more substantial work has started. I have to say I do agree with that sentiment and just wonder if they would have bother to do anything if the election was not coming up!

However I must thank the County Council for actually making the effort whatever their motive might be as the state of the road was getting beyond a joke and many local residents feared the lane would become impassable to all but the largest 4x4 if nothing was done!

The work here must however be just the start for further work in this area and I know many residents will be looking with fresh hope that their flooding problems will now be solved!

I told you so ......

2009-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I don’t like to say I told you so, but after I questioned who actually owned the missing barriers on Doxey Road Bridge the County Council remembered they had actually paid the contractor for the work, and yes they did own the barriers. They also asked the police to investigate claiming they had been stolen. It’s not surprising that the missing barriers suddenly reappeared!

Why no one else had though to ask that simple question is beyond me, and had I not raised it the County Council would have taken weeks getting new barriers made and installed. Only then would they have realized they had already paid for the work but it would then have been too late as they would be faced with another bill.

Of course there would have been two losers in this situation. Firstly local residents who would faced weeks of delay while the temporary traffic lights made the bridge safe, and secondly local taxpayers would have had to pay the bill twice!

Why is the County Council dragging their feet over the Doxey Road bridge?

2009-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to hear that sub-contractors work for Wrekin Construction had removed safety barriers from the recently rebuilt Doxey Road bridge because they were worried they would not be paid for their work as Wrekin had gone in administration a few days ago. Removing these barriers has not only made the bridge dangerous, but has also meant that both local residents and the hundreds of people travelling to Stafford from Haughton and Gnosall are once again inconvenienced by the temporary traffic lights that have now been installed.

While I sympathize with the firm in question, one is left wondering how the County Council allowed this situation to develop. If they have already paid Wrekin Construction for the work surely the barriers belong to the Council and the contractors had no right in taking them away. If this is case why has the Council not taken action to get then returned immediately?

On the other hand if the bill has not been paid the Council has the money to replace the missing barriers without delay! In either case I cannot understand why the Council is talking about putting temporary concrete barriers in place in the next few days and then reinstating permanent barriers ‘at some point after that’.

As a week as already passed since the original barriers were removed I must ask why the County Council are dragging their feet. If barriers like this are damaged on the motorway they are replaced in hours – not weeks, which will be the case in Doxey.

Leaving the bridge in this state is an absolute disgrace!

Stafford Hospital - Replace the Management Board

2009-03-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

It’s difficult to come to terms with the appalling news about Stafford Hospital. Everyone knew that the report from the Healthcare Commission into the above average death rate at the hospital would be bad, but I’m sure no-one was prepared for what the finding were. Perhaps we should have realized that something was afoot when Toni Brisby the Chairman of the Trust and Martin Yates the Chief stepped down from their post a couple of weeks ago.

At the time all the local press reported that both had resigned from their post, but it has now emerged that in at least Mr. Yates case he had merely stood aside and was still on the hospital payroll and was receiving his full pay! What is interesting is that no one at the Hospital or indeed on the Board tried to put the record straight, instead everyone seemed to want to hide exactly what was happening. By taking this stance the two people who could answer the questions and criticisms about the hospitals failings effectively side stepped the issue and left other people to pick up the pieces.

In my mind this leaves yet another cloud over the current Hospital Board. First and foremost public confidence in the hospital has to be rebuilt and I’m concerned that with way the current board has acted over the past months this will be an impossible task. Perhaps the only way this can happen is for the whole of the management board to be replaced. With this in mind I do hope the Health Secretary Alan Johnson will see fit to remove the whole of the existing board and replace it with members in which the local community can once again have trust!

Greenway Footpath - Good Work But ............

2009-02-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

The recent work to extend the hard surface on the Greenway footpath from the A518 road bridge to the west of Haughton to Lowfield Lane on the outskirts of Gnosall will be welcomed by everyone who uses the route. As I live near to this path I know just how popular it is with horse riders, cyclists, joggers and walkers and this new extension will only add to everyone’s enjoyment.

However I was surprised when I stopped on the road bridge on Lowfield Lane and looked down on the end of the new path. Firstly for some reason perhaps only known to a few privileged people the new hard surface finishes a couple of hundred yards short of the bridge itself and secondly the only way to access the path from the lane is down a step set of new steps cuts into the embankment.

This lack of easy access is a real pity as I’m sure walkers from the centre of Gnosall will use Lowfield Lane to form a short circular walk back to the village. The steps however will make access difficult for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with small children in pushchairs. I’m also concerned that as the new hard surface finishes short of the bridge walkers to and from the Haughton direction will be forced to walk on the uneven and muddy old track bed.

Surely with a bit of thought the path could have been completed to the same standard all the way to the bridge and a gentle sloping access path could have been installed to make access at this point easy.

I will be writing to the County Council asking that when the next phase of the footpath upgrade to the centre of Gnosall is carried out that the access be remodelled so no one is prevented from getting to the path from Lowfield Lane

What a Performance - Seighford Village Panto

2009-02-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I had the good fortune to go and watch the Seighford Village Pantomime and what an excellent and enjoyable couple of hours it turned out to be! Over the years I’ve developed a real hatred of pantomimes, probable fuelled by the fact I was made to go to one as a child and the experience stuck in my mind. But Seighford’s production has certainly changed all that!

While the title of the show was “Jack and the Bean Stalk”, this children’s favourite had been rewritten to tell the story of the village of Sinford which was suffering under the oppression of the local landowner Lord Sinford. The story revolved around the fact that Lord Sinford wanted to turn the local WW2 airfield into an international airfield which would have devastating effects of the local village especially from excess noise. To make matters worse the cottage belonging to Jack and his mother was to be demolished to make way for the scheme.

Andrew Hetherington – Seighford’s vicar play the part of Lord Sinford to perfection and strutted around the stage in ridding habit and dark glasses hurling abuse at the residents of Sinford and the audience just for good measure.

As with all good pantomimes everything worked out well in the end which never really seems to happen in real life. As the audience left Great Bridgeford Village Hall there was much speculation as to whether or not the show had been modelled on any real village or events. I certainly wouldn’t want to enter this debate apart from saying I always thought pantomimes were just made-up stories, but then again I could be wrong !!!!!!

Congratulations to everyone who took part in bringing the whole community together for such a great afternoon of family entertainment. I'm really looking forward to the next production

Wollaston Lane - The Road the County Council Forgot!

2009-02-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

I do think that Woollaston Lane at Church Eaton must be in the running to be crowned the worse road in Staffordshire! I’m not surprised that I’ve had yet another telephone call about its poor state. The road is almost impassable through floods, mud, and deep pot-holes and this is despite the fact both me and Church Eaton Parish Council have reported it to County Highways on numerous occasions.

Its obvious that because this particular road is a narrow country lane in deepest Staffordshire which only serves a few farms and houses and has little through traffic the County Council are not interested in its upkeep! However this is certainly not good enough. The resident all pay their Council Tax to the Council, but get little in return. If I lived there I would certainly feel aggrieved and would want something done.

Once again I’ve written formally to the Council asking for immediate action, and I know the Parish Council are doing the same. However I’m not holding my breath. Lack of money and little political will or effort, will I fear mean nothing will get done and the residents will just be left to make the best of a worsening situation.

One has to ponder why a road in the middle of Stafford would not be allowed to get in this state, while a road in the rural area is?

Government announcement good news for Derrington, Seighford, Hyde Lea, and Burton Manor

2009-01-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today’s news that the Government are proposing to invest £6Billion in expanding the use of hard shoulder running to easy congestion on busy motorways will be welcomed by residents of Derrington, Seighford, Hyde Lea, and Burton Manor. For sometime now these householders have lived under the threat that one option being considered to alleviate any congestion on the M6 as it passed their homes was to widen the road to four lanes in both directions. Such a move would devastate the environment and increase noise. However today’s announcement has effectively kicked this plan into touch.

As I suggested last year a more workable, and in my opinion, more acceptable plan would be to use the hard shoulder at times of heavy congestion as an extra lane – a technique already successfully used on the M42 to the south of Birmingham. And today this is just what Geoff Hoon – the Secretary of State for transport announced.

However the M6 battle is not yet won, as I still feel much more could be done to reduce the noise and environmental pollution from the existing road. Sound barriers are desperately needed to protect Derrington and Seighford, while improvements to the existing sound prevention measures must be carried out to ensure better protection for Hyde Lea and Burton Manor.

How long does Christmas last in the wonderful world of Tory Town?

2009-01-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Just how long can Christmas last?

Well if it’s left to the Tory run Borough Council it appears it can drag on into the middle of January. You only have to walk through the Market Square or down the main street to see what I mean – the town Christmas tree, the nativity crib, and most of the overhead Christmas lights are still up!

I’m not sure if this is yet another sign the Conservatives have run out of money and can’t afford to take the decorations down yet, or whether it is another plan to save money and they intend to leave them up until next year! Then again it could be just a marketing ploy to get more people to visit the town, as Stafford will be the only place in the UK to have an Easter tree and Easter lights!

Appalling treatment for Blue Badge visitor

2009-01-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

I know the Council is short of cash, but trying to charge a disable motorist £70 because she placed her blue disabled parking badge upside down is beyond a joke.

A couple of days before Christmas I got a telephone call from a local lady who was extremely worried she had got a parking ticket while shopping in Sainsbury’s. It appeared she had placed her blue parking badge in the widow so the details could not be seen. She had struggled across the car-park and found the warden to show him the pass was valid. However he told her that because he had already issued the ticket the computerised system would not let him take revoke it and she would have to appeal.

I took the case up on her behalf and after two e-mails and a letter, in which I had to send copies of both sides of her parking badge, the parking fine was scrapped.

I certainly learned three very important lessons from this incident. Firstly the Council’s system of issuing parking tickets is so inflexible that even putting a disabled parking badge upside down would generate a fine. Secondly the Council seem determined to make visitors to the town feel unwelcome, and thirdly the Council’s car-parking fines collection service is run from Stoke-on-Trent and that all communication must be by e-mail or letter. No wonder the Conservatives are worried that the income from car-parks is well below the expected level if this is how motorists are treated! But in the other hand, making it difficult to appeal against a parking ticket might just be a ploy to ensure that they do not loose any more money than they have too!

Failing cats-eyes - something must be done!

2009-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

The dangers of the A518 are well known to everyone in the area. Over the last year the number of accidents on the road has grown steadily. However despite this the County Council seem reluctant to do anything to improve the situation. Now another problem has arisen – more and more cats-eyes are failing. This means many stretches have little or no centre line markers. As the bad weather took a real hold last week the problem was really noticeable. Frost and fog made driving on the road even more dangerous, but the poor visibility really highlighted the lack of cats-eyes. Even I found myself wandering across the white line as I drove between Haughton and Gnosall despite the fact I use the road daily and thought I knew it like the back of my hand!

I've already raised the issue with the County Council and have asked them to take immediate action to replace the faulty reflectors, but I’m not holding my breath. My real worry is that unless they do take action now a really nasty accident could occur especially as the weather-forecasters are predicting a really bad winter!

Another wonderful display of Christmas lights

2009-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone who decorated their homes in Haughton with Christmas lights should be really proud of their efforts as once again the Village was the talk of the area. I've lost count of how many people stopped to tell me how much they had enjoyed the display and that for many a visit to Haughton was now a Christmas tradition. You can always tell just how popular the lights are by the crowds of people that can be seen wandering around the Village on the run-up to Christmas. However as twelfth-night is now just days away the crowds have gone and the Village has an empty almost lonely feel, especially as the nights are now cold and foggy.

Having said all that for me two questions still remain to be answered.

Firstly it will be interesting to know just how much was raised for charity by the houses who always organise collections, and whether the pervious years totals will be exceeded even given the current poor economic climate?

Secondly why were there no lights outside the shops? I’m not blaming the tenants as I believe in previous years these lights were put-up by the owners of the building. But I do hope by next year someone has made arrangements so there is not such a black hole in the centre of the wonderful village display!

Growing bill for Church Eaton planning appeals

2008-12-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to be able to attend and speak at a informal enquiry at which the new owners of a piece of land adjacent to 6 Smithy Croft in Church Eaton were appealing against the Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a new bungalow on the site.

This particular appeal was somewhat unusual as it was the fifth on the same site, as after the Borough Council had refused the four previous applications, the then owner appealed only to find the refusal was confirmed by four different planning inspectors.

As a Councillor I see many local residents objecting to planning proposals, but the development of this residential site in Church Eaton has certainly raised far more objections than any other I have known. From the outset I was always against the plan to build on what was part of the existing garden of No6 as I felt the site was far too small. Also as it was crossed by a sewer pipe and drainage culvert there was even less room to develop. This meant that all the proposed buildings on the site were always going to be compromised, and this last application was no different. Indeed the only way it could be fitted on and meet the objections of previous planning inspectors was if the kitchen and one of the bedroom windows were to be glazed with obscure glass.

What is clear from this whole sorry saga is that this relentless attempt to get a dwelling built on this plot is costing local council tax payers £1000s. As every time the owner appeals against the Council’s decision planning officers have to prepare the Council’s case, and as the last appeal was an informal enquiry had both a planning officer and one of their solicitors tied up for the whole day giving evidence.

While I don’t object to anyone using the full power of the law to taking their planning application to an independent inspector surely there has to be cut off point. I’ll certainly be raising this question with the Council’s Planning Manager and Head of Legal Services in the next few days as I don’t see why tax payer should have to foot even more bills if the owners of the piece of land make yet another application. Five planning applications, five refusals, and five appeals turned down must surely be enough!

Are bridge work delays the main cause of traffic queues

2008-11-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

I don’t think anyone was surprised to hear the news that the replacement bridge at Doxey was at least two weeks behind schedule. Over the weeks while work has been going on I’ve been making regular visits to the site and it was clear from the start that the deadline for completion was never going to be meet!

Unfortunately this delay means not only will the residents of Seighford be forced to make the long detour through Bridgeford or Derrington for sometime to come but also the residents living in those villages will have to put up with the increase in traffic while this detour is in force.

Another knock on effect of this bridge closure is that during the morning rush hour traffic is backed up along the Newport Road from the Westway traffic lights to at least the Castle. On some days the queue even starts at the motorway bridge on the Gnosall side of Western Downs. I’ve certainly had a number of complaints about this problem and as I told the callers that while the problem was partly being caused by the extra traffic I thought the real reason was the County Council’s Highway Department was using the Westway lights to hold back vehicles so the centre of town did not become gridlocked.

Having raised the problem with one of the leading County Councillors I see from time to time my thoughts were confirmed. He said he had already asked for something to be done about the problem after he had got caught up in the jam and some slight changes to the light phasing had taken place. However having tried the route myself a couple of days ago nothing had really changed. Ok the queue had been reduced by a few hundred yards, but I was still caught up for nearly twenty minutes.

I only hope the bridge in Doxey is opened soon and no further delays to the works programme takes place as this will allow some drivers to find an alternative route into town. However the County Council must think seriously about the way it uses the traffic lights on Westway to hold back traffic as this is certainly an inconveniencing many residents who live to the west of Stafford town.

Poor work on Haughton pavements

2008-11-18T07:11:00.001-08:00

As residents of Haughton will know over the past few as a gang of County Council Highway Department workers have been resurfacing the footpaths in part of the Village. However to say that the quality of work is variable is an understatement.

To give the County Council their due they have delivered a leaflet to each household that was effected by the work warning residents that they should take care not to walk the tar into their homes and to not drive vehicles across the new surface for at least a couple of hours.

Well that is where the problem started. I had a telephone call from a resident of Church Close who asked me to go and have a look at the pavement outside her home. As son as O got there I could see there was a problem! Taking the Council’s advice she had left her car on the road overnight but even so the car a left quite a deep track across the new surface, and looking along the road it was clear this was the same at nearly every house.

To make matters worse the way the surface had been laid did seem rather poor. Along the back of the pavement where it joined hers and her neighbour’s gardens there were quite big gaps some of which even had small weeds growing in them. We both wondered what would happen in a few months time when the new seasons weeds began to grow?

I have to say that I’m at a loss to know why this work was left until the middle of November when the weather was cold and damp and the pavements were covered in dead leaves. Surely it would have made more sense to do this resurfacing in the summer when there was more chance of the pavements being dry. I’m certainly not aware of how much this work has cost, but I do worry it has been a waste of Council Taxpayers money and that even more will need to be spent to put the problems right.

County Council's Community Gang confusion

2008-11-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

Staffordshire County Council’s Highways Department have recently introduced “Community Gangs” – a group of workmen that would spend a few days in a Parish working on small highway tasks. At Tuesdays Church Eaton Parish Council meeting Mark Winnington - the County Councillor for the area - proudly announced that the gang would be Church Eaton Parish for the week beginning 10th November.

Unfortunately the Parish Council has not received any notification of the proposed start date before this announcement was made, so you can imagine the disquiet that rippled around the room. All the Councillors agreed that 6 days notice was not enough as they need to discuss and prioritise which jobs needed to be done. Somewhat deflated Mark agreed to go back to the Highways Department bosses to see if the gangs visit to Church Eaton Ward could not be put off to a later date.

This fiasco once again shows that the County Council are completely out of touch with the real world. OK they might be excited about the scheme, or they might need to get the money spent as soon as possible, but they have to realise that Parish Councils and local communities cannot be bounced into taking part and they deserve to have proper time to consider the scheme and plan what needs to be done. This is especially important given the fact that Mark pointed out that if the Parish Council could not identify what they wanted doing the workmen would soon find jobs that they felt needed their attention!

However Mark obviously took the message back to Highways House as the Parish Council has now received an e-mail to say that they should have received a letter a couple of weeks ago, but not to worry as the scheme had slipped and the gang would now not be in Church Eaton until 24th of the month!

One has to wonder how a scheme, which has only been running for a few weeks and also operates on a set timetable, can slip behind schedule? Does that mean an area that should have had the gang for five days might have got six days of work instead, or does it mean the County Council are incapable of organising even this simple task?

Congratulations!

2008-11-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulation must go to Giles and Mel Cottrill as they have now opened the new replacement post office in Derrington. As I said in an early entry in this diary (25th May 2008) the previous village post master decided to retire, which prompted the Post Office to look for someone else to run the office. Giles and Mel who already run the successful office in Haughton immediately stepped into the breach. Since that announcement they have both worked hard with the Post Office to get the new office up and running in the Village Hall. Hopefully their hard work will now pay off as local people and businesses use the facility.

However there has to be a word of warning! As I discovered when I visited Village Hall, the WI have arranged to run a coffee shop to coincide with the post office opening hours. I have to say the cakes and coffee are exceptional good and if I continue to use the post office on a regular basis I am worried my diet will suffer badly. Where else can you get a cup of fresh made coffee or tea and a slice of home made cake for just £1! Hopefully the coffee shop will bring customers to the post office and the post office will bring trade to the coffee shop!

Be sure the truth will find you out!

2008-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks local Conservatives have accused the Labour County Councillors for Stafford of blatant electioneering when they introduced the idea of the public voting to determine which projects should get a grant from the Local Members Initiative Scheme. This scheme, which has been running for a number of years, sees each County Councillor being allocated £10,000 to send on supporting local projects in their area. In the past this money has been given out on the whim of the councillor involved, but this new project now intends to end this practice.

Well tonight the real truth has been revealed. I went along to a “Councillor Question Time” in Stafford organised by the County Council. On the panel playing the role of the spokesman for the Conservatives was Cllr. Mark Winnington.

During the evening the new way of determining which projects would get funding under the Local Members Initiative Scheme was raised. Robert Simpson the Council’s Deputy Leader explained that Staffordshire was one of 14 Councils across the UK who are piloting schemes to get the public directly involved in deciding how local money is spent. He also said that the new voting process was also being tried out in Staffordshire Moorlands.

However when Mark Winnington spoke he told the audience the Conservatives on the Council had decided not to take part. In fact it turned out that they were the only political party not to get involved!

It’s funny that when the Conservative candidates in Stafford for next years County Council elections were making such a big fuss they conveniently forgot to say their party had decided not to take part. Instead they left everyone with the impression that they were being sidelined by Labour, who had just changed the process in an attempt to “buy” votes!

When I was a County Councillor I was always concerned that it could be thought that I was trying to buy votes as I was solely responsible for recommending who should receive my money. I personally welcome this idea that the decision of where the money goes is in the hands of the community, although I have to say there must be safeguards put in place to ensure small community groups are not swamped by their bigger neighbours, who because of their size, can secure more votes!

Council's decision on polytunnels

2008-10-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of years the number of polytunnels being used by local fruit farmers has increased tremendously, or at least that’s how it appears. While I have to say I’m not against farmers diversifying and expanding their businesses this cannot be done without consideration for other people.

Not only are large areas of countryside around Bradley, Gnosall, Haughton and Derrington a sea of reflective polythene during the summer, but the tunnels also cause considerable water run-off and always seem to be accompanied by rubbish related to fruit grown and picking.

Last year I arranged for one local couple to meet with the Council’s Chief Executive, Head of Planning, the Leader of the Council, the Leader of the Labour Group and myself to tell us the problems they faced as they lived near to one of the fields that were covered by these tunnels. To cut a long story short, the Council’s Officers were instructed to go away and take legal advice has to what controls the Council might have over these structures, especially in light of a High Court decision which had found, in 2007, that a farmer in Surry did need planning permission for some polytunnels he had erected.

Since that time I have been pressing the Council for some feedback which I have to say from all the informal conversation I had had with various officers looked as if the Council were not in a position to insist on planning application being needed in Stafford. However how wrong could I be! I’ve now received an letter from the Councils Planning Manager saying that following further investigation, and in the light of other court cases the Council’s legal team and the planning department now did feel that the majority of the polytunnels in this area do indeed need planning permission and on that basis the Council had written to the farmers concerned pointing out this fact.

Hopefully sense will now prevail and that a middle way can be found to allow the farmers to carry on their businesses while at the same time allowing the environment to be protected and the effect these tunnels have on the lives of local residents be kept to a minimum.

Doxey Bridge temporary footpath causes concern

2008-10-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well work on the replacement bridge at Doxey is well underway. A couple of days ago I popped down to see just what was happening and was amazed to see the whole of the bridge had been removed and there was just a gapping hole where the road used to be!

However what I found even more amazing was the state of the footpath the Council has installed to allow pedestrians to reach the temporary footbridge across the stream. This long path is surfaced with what looks like road plainings which have obviously been compacted. However in places this surface is coming loose. The path itself is extremely steep as it falls to the level of the stream and the climb back towards the road is hard work. A climb that is made even more difficult and quite dangerous with this loose surface.

As I reported in an earlier entry on these pages (22nd August 2008) Staffordshire County Council would not re-route the Rural Link bus service - which incidentally is now know as the West of Stafford Link since ABC Coaches took over the service – so passengers are forced to walk across this temporary bridge to complete their journey. As this service is used by some elderly travellers I am concerned that the poor state of this path is a real hazard. Carrying heavy shopping bags up and down the slope is bad enough, but trying to stay on your feet and avoid the loose patches is the last straw.

I have already drafted a letter of complaint to the County Council asking them to make urgent repairs to this path.

No Council cash in Icelandic banks!

2008-10-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days the full extent of the crisis in the Icelandic bank system has dominated the news headlines. While hundreds of ordinary people have been affected by the Icelandic Governments decision to take control of the Countries banks many local Council’s are also facing the prospect that many million of pounds of their money is now also involved. While it is still unclear just how much public money is at risk it is thought the total could be around £1Billion!

This news certainly started alarm bells ringing and I was not the only Councillor to seek assurances that Stafford Borough Council did not have any money invested in Icelandic banks.

I really pleased when Malcolm Vickers, the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive who has ultimate responsibility for Council finances, told me that the Council was not affected. Indeed it turned out that the Council’s independent advisors had suggested earlier in the year that investments in Icelandic banks should be avoided, and at that time the Council’s Treasury Management Team had removed the banks from the list of those the Council would do business with.

During the conversation with Malcolm I also discovered that the Council had around £26Million currently invested, and I thought we were short of funds!

Budget deficit predicted to increase but the Council still produce glossy magazines

2008-10-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Mike Heenan – the Council’s Cabinet member for Resources - was quoted in the press as saying that because the Council was facing a £1Million budget deficit he could not rule out future job cuts or reduction in services if “unreasonably high” increases in Council Tax were to be avoided. Indeed regular readers of these pages will remember I prediction last month that services would need to be cut or charges increased if the Council's looming budget gap was to be bridged! (14th September)

Well today two interesting items appeared in my post from the Council.

Firstly the Members Digest had a Cabinet report on the Council’s Financial Plan for each year until 2012/13. This makes extremely bleak reading as it shows the budget deficit rising year on year until it reaches over £1.7Million in 2012/13. It will certainly take a lot of job cuts and massive reductions of services if this gap is to be made up!

Also in the post was the latest edition of a full colour, eight page, glossy magazine the Council had produced for its staff. While I certainly think staff deserve to be kept informed of Council activities I do wonder whether producing a magazine of this quality was the right ting to do. Currently the Council are experimenting with paperless meetings, and have recently written to everyone who gets a Members Digest - including all the Parish Council’s in the area - asking if they would prefer to have it sent electronically so that the Council could save the cost of the paper and printing. Surely in a time when the Council needs to save money the same thing could be done with the staff newsletter which could be e-mailed to everyone's desk at very little cost!

I’ll certainly be asking questions as to how much these gloss magazines are costing and whether the money the Conservative Cabinet have spent in producing them would not be better spent on ensure services to the public are maintained!

New housing land website - good or bad?

2008-10-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Earlier today the Borough Council launched a new website aimed at giving local communities the opportunity to see, and comment on, the areas of land that have been put forward by developers or landowners as possible sites for new housing as part of the evolving Local Development Framework.

Currently Government housing targets means that over 10,000 houses will have to be built in Stafford Borough in the next twenty years, and the areas of land outlined on this new website is just the first step in deciding where these houses will be built. The Council’s Cabinet are at pains to tell everyone that if all these sites were developed then over 40,000 houses could be built and that no decision has yet been taken as to which sites will be used and which will be rejected!

Everyone at the Borough Council have been told to stress this message and to tell residents not to worry. However I do think this will be easier said than done. I know for a fact that in many communities rumours are already circulating that this or that piece of land is down for development and houses will be built there whatever anyone says. Launching this new website is certainly not going to help matters as more possible sites are made public. Unfortunately the Borough Council appears to have no alternative. They not only have to be open with residents about sites that are down for consideration in their neighbourhood, but also need to publish the information so they can get feedback.

I for one have certainly spent an interesting couple of hours looking at proposed sites in this area and will certainly be making my views know to the Forward Planning Team on what I have seen. I’ll also be toeing the Council’s line by telling everyone I meet that nothing has yet been decided about any of the sites and that now is the time to get their comments in if they want to influence the final decision, which incidently will probably be made early in the new year.

Comments need to be in to the Council by 12 noon on Tuesday, 11 November so there is plenty of time to look at plans. Follow the “New Houses - where could they go” link from the Borough Council’s website homepage - http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk

Will objectors to the Seighford Driving Experience Plan get the representation they are happy with?

2008-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Once again the residents of Seighford, Ranton, and Great Bridgeford are under siege as the Borough Council has received another application to develop a driving experience centre on Seighford airfield.

Already opposition to the plan is growing as many people feel the new application is fundamentally little different from the first which the Council’s planning officers had recommended for refusal before it was withdrawn by the applicant.

Just like with the earlier application I expect the two Councillors for Seighford Ward will declare an interest in the application as they know the land owner. This means that these two Councillors will have to ask one of their colleagues to represent the views of local residents who are objecting to the plan. Already one resident as asked me if this is the right thing to do and whether it would be better if the residents themselves could appoint a Councillor of their own choosing. Unfortunately the Council’s constitution does not allow this to happen which I think is a great pity. By letting residents make the choice in cases like this, it removes any worry that those Councillors who have already declared they have an interest in an application can in someway still be in a position of influence.

However it must also be remembered that the objectors are only one side of the argument and there may well be some people who support the scheme. Again a way would need to be found that is transparent and open to allow them the representation they deserve without giving any suggestion they are at an advantage.

I personally think the choice of which Councillor takes on the task of representing local residents views in circumstances like this should be made where ever possible by the residents themselves even if this might mean that one is appointed by both objectors and supporter.

Changing the Council’s constitution is not an overnight process, although I will be suggesting to the Council’s Head of Law and Administration that a change of this kind is at least considered when the next review of the constitution takes place sometime next year.

Speeding traffic make road too dangerous for police!

2008-09-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

As I commented in these pages a few weeks ago, traffic speeding along Malthouse Lane in Church Eaton, is causing problems for local residents. On their behalf I wrote to the Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police and was pleased to get a letter in reply saying my request for officers to carry out speed checks on the lane had been passed to the local area commander.

A few days ago I got a telephone call from one of the police constables responsible for policing this area. He told me a copy of my request had finally found its way into his hands and he had visited the road and guess what, he thought it was too dangerous for anyone to carry out speed checks as there was no safe place where they could stand!

I will certainly be using this as ammunition with the County Council’s Highways Department to get something done!