Call for votes on candidates too

Below is the text of the Rugby Observer article printed on the 27th October (page 11). It reports on my call for open primaries to be used when choosing party candidates for next years local elections.

GIVING voters the power to choose their borough council election candidates is being proposed in a bid to shake-up local politics in Rugby.
 
Tory councillor Howard Roberts wants to see open primary elections held, whereby the electorate vote for the people they wish to be their candidates in council elections.
 
Under the present system a small group of party members - sometimes just a handful - select their candidates behind closed doors.
 
Coun Roberts, Dunchurch and Knightlow representative, has proposed the changes ahead of next May's elections when all seats on Rugby Borough Council will be contested.
 

WCAVA Awards

As you may have seen from previous blog posts and the local press I made a call in the summer for a new awards scheme to honour the unsung heroes of the Borough. After discussions with Council colleagues and officers, it has been possible to enhance an already running scheme that delivers the kind of award I envisaged. Obviously I am delighted.

My idea, which was tabled as a motion to Full Council, called for a new award system to honour those who are often overlooked but deserving anyway. As the Council explored options to facilitate my idea it became clear that the most rapid and effective method would be to enhance the current WCAVA (Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action) awards scheme while advertising the scheme more vividly.

What I am keen to achieve is recognition for the silent minority who engage in remarkable displays of selfless endeavour. I see these people in my role as Councillor for Dunchurch and Knightlow and I will be looking to nominate several people.

Details can be found on this news item of the Rugby Borough Council website: http://www.rugby.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=856  

Response to the National Planning Policy Framework

Below is my response to the consultation document on planning that has been published by the Department of Local Government and Communities. As will be evident I have some serious concerns, especially about the future of villages in my ward.

Dear Sir/Madam

I am aware that the preferred method of response to the National Planning Policy Framework is in the form of a questionnaire. While I appreciate this makes opinions easier to collate, I am responding in prose so that my thoughts on this important document are fully articulated.  

I do believe there are very many aspects of the National Planning Policy Framework that are laudable and would enhance the planning process: certainly the idea of using direct democracy in order for local communities to encourage needed development is a worthy thought. However, in order to avoid a response that is bland and unhelpful, I have focussed my comments on areas where I believe the National Planning Policy Framework needs more consideration.

Reception at Shire Hall

On the 17th September I was delighted to attend the Shire Hall reception held by the Chairman of Warwickshire County Council, Cllr. Morris-Jones. As ever this was a very pleasant evening.

Here I discussed cross-county issues with district Councillors from other Councils, Wards and Parishes. It was also an important time to collar County Council officers who I often do not get access to and probe them on several issues important to Dunchurch and Knightlow.

As the evening came to an end, spotting the famous "bear with ragged staff" that is synonymous with Warwickshire I couldn't resist getting a photo!

Sewerage in Bourton and Draycote

Smells from the sewerage system have been a long running blight on certain parts of Bourton-On-Dunsmore.and Draycote.  I worked with the past member, Cllr. Ron Ravenhall, to try and rectify the problem but little has been done by the water company.

I will be asking for a site visit from Severn Trent. They have made promises in the past but we still have the problem. The state of the   sewers is a health risk just waiting to happen. We need concrete action.

Furthermore I have passed information held by the Borough Council to members of the Parish Council. This should hopefully feed into the discussion pn this important topic.

Letter to the local press on the draft National Planning Policy Framework

Dear Editor,

Your letters page, which I often use as a barometer of feeling in the area, is frequently dominated with opinion on various planning issues. For me, this signals that development, both commercial and residential, is probably the most contentious issue that communities have to contend with.

Preserving the natural environment whilst also allowing for housing a growing population is a very delicate balancing act. The Government is currently consulting on a different approach to planning in a document titled the ' Draft National Planning Policy Framework'. Their intention is to reform the planning system so that it is less complex and more accessible, however it is predicated on the assumption that the UK needs to grow housing at an accelerated rate.

The consultation on this document ends on the 17th October. Given the outcome of the debate could substantially alter how planning applications are decided within our Town, I encourage people to read the document and contribute to the debate. The full document can be downloaded from the Department of Communities and Local Government website or it can be read in hard copy at the Town Hall.

I am happy to facilitate the passing on of views from residents of Dunchurch and Knightlow to the consultation and I am sure colleagues representing other wards would do the same.

Yours faithfully,
Cllr. Howard Roberts,
Dunchurch and Knightlow Ward

Proposal for a new Rugby awards scheme

Howard speaking on the recent motion he proposed

Cllr. Howard Roberts has recently proposed a major overhaul of the honours system available to the unsung heroes of Rugby. In a motion debated on the 26th July Howard proposed the motion  “That this Council develop a system of honours for its citizens who engage in exemplary community service“.

Howard’s proposed scheme would take nominations from the public. The nomination process will be informal so as to prevent this from being a process solely driven by the already empowered.

A politically neutral, stakeholder based panel would adjudicate and the intention is that local businesses will want to be associated with the positive garb of the achievements that will be unearthed. This sponsorship should hopefully make it a cost-free exercise for the Council.

A ceremony to reward the celebrated members of the Borough would take place in the Town Hall and be presided over by the Mayor. Hopefully at this ceremony it will be conveyed to the collected recipients our gratitude and pride in their work. 

Howard commented: “Through my work as a Councillor in the ward I encounter remarkable individuals regularly. This commendable minority enact a series of compassionate and powerful deeds over long periods seemingly unconscious of the difference they make, and without an expectation of honour or reward. Hopefully my proposal will be approved and we can start to apportion the praise they deserve.”