Conned out of winter fuel allowance?

A great letter from Labour colleague, Greg Sheldon, in today's "Express and Echo" - I can only concur with his views, although I would prefer to use the term "Conservative-led government propped up by Liberal Democrat passengers" for the ConDemNation.

Helping pensioners should be a priority

I NOTICE that George Osborne left out one paragraph of his Budget speech.

The one where he removed £50 from the winter fuel allowance for pensioner households, and £100 for those over 80 years old.

Presumably he is unaware that fuel costs are continuing to rise, not fall.

If this is the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government ensuring we all share the pain it seems a very strange thing to do, while at the same time promising that they plan to remove the 50 per cent tax rate for the rich as soon as possible.

Helping pensioners would seem a greater priority to most people, I am sure.

Greg Sheldon
Labour Lead Councillor
For Economy and Tourism
Exeter City Councillor

Am I qualified?

Various voices have questioned the suitability and capability of candidates in the election to Exeter City Council on 5th May.

It has also been said that voters can assess the calibre of a candidate with 5 mins.

Many residents in Cowick have had those 5 mins with me and I am sure that many think I can make a good Councillor.

But what of those who haven't had the opportunity of meeting me? Let me take this opportunity of outlining some of my experience.

There is no training, apprenticeship or even a formal exam I can pass - the only qualification I have is that I live here in Exeter, and so am entitled to stand. I am willing to put myself forward, and have my face and views stand up to scrutiny.

I have the passion and desire to do my best for the people of Exeter, along with honesty, humility, understanding.

I think I am a progressive, radical optimist, but believe I am aware of my own limitations and the limits of what can be achieved.

I'm told by others that I have an active, inquiring mind that I believe can be utilised to scrutinise the actions of others, to debate issues and put forward my own passionate view on causes I care strongly about, but always reflecting the concerns of local residents.

I hope I won't promise something that I can't deliver.

I will own up if I make a mistake.

I am a good listener and will not only listen to those that shout loudest, but also all those who complain with a whisper.

I will explore all possibilities if I feel I can help someone, but I would not give false hope to those if I can't come up will a solution.

And I hope I can retain these hopes and desires without becoming cynical.

And let's remember that the process of becoming a councillor isn't like a job interview where you have to convince maybe 5 people of your abilities - I have to face an electorate [in Cowick, some 4000+] and convince a majority of them to come out and vote for me.

I've spent the last 6 months working alongside Cllr Heather Morris, allowing the voters of Cowick the opportunity to get to know me - meeting them in the street, talking to them on the doorstep and the phone, giving them news and information about me. My thoughts and my views have been published in letters, newsletters and this very blog.

So I ask you, am I qualified to be a Councillor? Well, only you can decide.

Notice of Election

The official Notice of Election has been published today, but the relevant documentation has been around for a few days so it's time to round up people on the Register of Electors to nominate me - I need a proposer, seconder and 8 others to sign a form and hope that the nomination is accepted.

Deadline for the return of these forms is no later than NOON on Monday 4th April 2011 - but along with Dom Collins, Labour Campaign Organiser, I hope to return mine completed form sometime the week before.

One stop website for info on Tories 2011 Budget of CUTS

Here's a link to a website that offers quick and easy access to all the latest information from across central government on the 2011 Budget.

How the Budget will affect Local Government

Budget announcement - LGA on the day briefing 23 March 2011

LGA Key Messages

• Local government has recently been handed one of the toughest settlements across the public sector. Formula grant (excluding police grant) is being cut by 12 per cent next year, but cost pressures in areas such as adult social care, children’s protection, waste management, and flood defence will continue to mount.
• As a result, we estimate that local government faces a funding gap in the order of £6.5 billion in 2011-12. This gap reflects the difference between what local authorities across England would need to spend to maintain frontline services in their current form and the income they will be able to raise from grants, fees and charges, business rates and council tax.
• No further reductions in public expenditure beyond those contained within the Spending Review were announced in the Budget.
• Repairing local roads – the LGA has been lobbying for additional funding for local authorities to repair damage to local roads caused by the recent winter's severe weather. We are very pleased that our work has been reflected in today's Budget announcement which confirmed an additional £100m for councils to deal with road repairs. The additional money is on top of the £100m announced in February, meaning councils will have an extra £200m for road maintenance.
• Enterprise Zones – the creation of 21 Local Enterprise Zones should help promote private sector growth by stimulating businesses to locate inside them. We are pleased that government has decided that Local Enterprise Partnerships should determine their location. This will require local knowledge and careful consideration – not least because of the impact of an enterprise zone on adjacent areas, where there is a risk of displacement. The ability to retain business rate growth inside the zones over a 25 year period is a welcome source of funds to local councils in the local enterprise partnership area.
• Small Business Rate Relief – councils welcome the extension of the temporary increase in Small Business Rate Relief, announced in 2010, until October 2012.
• Planning reform - councils have no wish to block growth and development and welcome the Government’s emphasis on existing commitments to reduce national prescription and bureaucracy, including drastic reduction in the 2,500 pages or more of national planning policy.

A full briefing document from the Local Government Association can be found here.

Exonia Park letter

Since being elected to Exeter City Council in September, Cllr Heather Morris has worked alongside the Residents Association and individual residents at Exonia Park.

She has identified both local issues and national concerns, many of which are being covered by the Justice Tuesday protests organised by the Park Home Owners' Justice Campaign.

I support the aims of this campaign and will work with Heather to assit the residents of Exonia Park in whatever way I can.

Cowick Street Improvements

Exeter City Council has allocated £200,000 to improve Cowick Street.

The aim of these improvements is to make the main shopping area more attractive to shoppers and pedestrians, and to enhance the quality of the historic centre of St Thomas.

Two consultations have already been held to develop the proposals, in April 2009 and February 2010

An exhibition and a further 2 days of consultation to allow residents will be held in Cowick Street next week to allow residents and businesses to view public art proposals and the final scheme design.

It is hoped that the work can then start on site in the Summer.

Direct Mail 1

The first Direct Mail letter of the campaign is stuffed, labelled and stamped ready for collection by Royal Mail.

Cowick Hil traffic survey - the results

So here we have it - the table of results from our traffic survey. The majority of people who responded are happy with the situation as it stands.

The survey raised many other issue, particularly that many of you in the area are concerned about speeding, and that there needs to be a way of enforcing the 20 pmh zone that exists in the area.

We will continue to consult with the relevant bodies to try and come up with an effective solution to this problem

The P Bus

Over the course of canvassing, I and my team have received many comments about the route of the P bus.

Earlier today I set out on adventure to experience for myself the delights of the route from High Street to Crossmead and back.

What follows are my thoughts as and when they occurred on the journey.

[The times in the square brackets are the scheduled times as per published timetable / followed by a time - early or + late]

P BUS - a log for Thursday 10 March 2011

10:25
Arr High St - timetable lists next P due @ 10:35 - but P not yet showing on interactive display
NB many buses along High St not parking parallel to kerb. This could cause difficulties for passengers with mobility issues [eg pushchairs] to get on and off. Also impedes on-coming traffic

10:30
And still no info on P - but I do know that A due in 6 min and E due in 17

10:31
Oh and now another E has popped up, due in 6

10:35
Bus due, but no sign of it and no idea from the sign when it might arrive

10:36
Bus arr - and yes it parks at angle. Why?

10:37 [10:35 / + 2 min]
Bus dep

10:39
On-coming P in final of 4 along narrows beside Tesco Metro and blocks our access through.
Drives ought to show more courtesy to each other

10:40
Truck outside Samuels impedes progress. Even though we have right-of-way, on-coming K forces its way through.
This truck parking here probably prevented the previous P bus seeing that he would cause obstruction

Q Could there be some method of organising this stretch of road so that only 3 buses max go through at a time? Any more is more than likely the block the exit onto the wide bit High Street

10:42
Arr Top of Fore St13 passengers on- board

10:46
Arr St Thomas library
7 off/7 on

10:47
Turn into Buller Rosd clear, but does queuing go get into shopping normally cause problems?

10:49 [10:42/ + 7 min]
Dep with 3 extra passengers

10.50
Bit of bus jam as on-coming P turns off Okehampton Road

10:53
Turn into Isleworth Rd made more difficult by car on yellow box junction

10:54 [10:49/ + 5 min]
Arr High Meadows/ Charnley Ave
8 passengers
Young child tells her Dad that she likes this - travelling on a bus - He responds [with an irony that child won't understand] "yes, this is luxury"

11:00 [10:50/ + 5 min]
Arr @ Crossmead 5 min late, and the time due to depart. so no wait for us.
Anecdotally, this appears to be unusual, must people I've spoken to mention arr here EARLY and having to wait 7 min

11:00 [10:00/ on-time
Turn into Barley Lane 6 passengers + 1 child

11:02
Right turn into Barley Farm Road - cars parked on RHSOn bend some cars parked on kerb in RHS. Drivers really don't know their Highway Code

Q: Do many passengers get on at stops on BFR? - none on this journey
Q: What stops people parking on LHSQ: Would shorter buses be more practical
Q: Do passenger numbers ever require these big buses

No problems with the turn onto Berkshire Drive and Bowhay Lane

11:05 [11:05 / on-time]
Arr High Meadow.Charnley Ave

11:07
Car parked near bus stop on Isleworth Rd cause bus to park in middle of road to pick up passengers

11:08
On-coming P bus met in Okehampton RoadIs

Q: Is Buller Road link useful - for Cowick residents? What about St Thomas?
Would it be better to use Okehampton Street directly onto Exe Bridges?

11:11 [11:12 / - 1 min]
St Thomas Shopping Centre
2 off/5? on 17 + 2 kids
Oh make that 16 as ticket inspector was one of the peolpe who got on
Appears everyone has paid correct fare

11:15
Bottom of Bridge Street

Green P&R coming down Fore St gives way to us

11:18
Parked at angle outside BHS - no obvious reason, as no other buses in lay-by

11:19
Passing P bus at junction with Sourh St

Courteous Dartline bus gives way outside M&S - drivers from rival bus companies seem to be more considerate than Stagecoach drivers. is this common?

Straight through narrow bit

11:20 [10:24 / - 4min]
Arr back in High St. Due to dep @ 11:24, so driver turns off engine - but is this because an inspector is on-board?12 + 2 Still no info on P Bus on info sign on opposite side of road.

Try the text messaging service - lists next 3 buses to arr at stop

Yet text message service informs me on next 3 buses due at stop. All are due before next P at 11:35

Walking along Sidwell St, I see a P bus heading to High St, so try text service again - tells me P is due at 111:35. That's right.

Since more than 3 services stop at the High St stop, surely it would be better to come up with a system that lists when each bus that stops there is due, rather than just the next 3?

Could there be some scheme to reduce the cost of fares:
Oystercards scheme?
Unlimited transfer for hour?
Carnet - 10 for price of 8?
Clip ticket - like Amsterdam?

Government to cut benefits

Today's "Express and Echo" has an article highlighting the recently announced changes to housing - and other - benefits.

Council to set out benefit changes for city residents

MORE than 2,000 Exeter residents will be affected by changes to the housing benefit system which is being introduced in April.

Throughout this month, the city council will be writing to each one to explain how the changes will affect them.Those clients who will be affected significantly will also be contacted personally to ensure that they are clear about the changes and any options they may have to prepare for or mitigate the change.

The council's website www.exeter.gov.uk has full details of the changes and contact details for information and support.

Ian Martin, Lead Councillor for Business Transformation and Human Resources, said: "Although we can do nothing other than implement these government imposed cuts, we can provide the best possible advice to all residents affected in Exeter. We are particularly committed to assist vulnerable claimants to cope so that we minimise the affect of any new pressures on other Council services, such as housing."