THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK AND HAPPY 2013

I would like to place on record my thanks to all of the staff at Warwickshire County Council and Rugby Borough Council for their hard work and dedication over this past year. I also salute the numerous volunteers who tirelessly donate their time and effort to our communities.

The combination of council employees and community activism means that Rugby enjoys remarkable services throughout the seasons. It is a pleasure to hear enthusiastic reports from residents who enjoy a level of service that often surpasses their expectations.

I wish everyone in Rugby and the surrounding villages a happy Christmas and prosperous 2013.

PLANS SUBMITTED TO BUILD OVER DUNCHURCH FIELDS—A CALL TO ACTION

Re: Plans submitted to build 50 properties on Rugby Road, Dunchurch

The council’s Planning Office has received an application from agents acting on behalf of Bilton Grange Preparatory School. The submission applies for permission to build 50 properties on the field adjacent to the school’s drive on Rugby Road. Everybody in Dunchurch should be alarmed by this proposed development. I am encouraging villagers to join me in a campaign to fight the plans.

This development would obliterate a green space important to the village. Furthermore, it would blur the delineation between Rugby and Dunchurch and increase traffic onto Rugby Road, Northampton Lane and Cawston Lane, especially at peak times. Parking in the village, already a problem, would become more difficult and local amenities would be stretched at a time of cutbacks.

In addition to these immediate problems, the broader future of Dunchurch is threatened. Residents enjoy living in an independent village, separate from Rugby and with a distinct identity. If this development is approved, the precedent for building on green spaces in Dunchurch will have been set.

Once  development has taken place on Rugby Road, we could easily expect developers to target the fields opposite existing homes on Cawston Lane and Northampton Lane.  Dunchurch could also be expanded in a South-Westerly direction, in the area of Sandford Way and Southam Road. This would see Dunchurch rapidly increase in size, becoming an extension of Bilton to the North and Cawston to the West.

This is very real threat: the government has recently legislated to liberalise national planning laws. Community action is therefore more important than ever.

I urge villagers to join our campaign to fight this development by signing the petition that will shortly be circulated. It would also be very valuable if you could write with your objections to Rugby Borough Council’s planning department. In my role as Borough Councillor I will be making waves in the council chamber and lobbying for refusal. I will keep you updated with any news.

A Review of the Police Commissioner Debate

From left to right: Alan Stothard, James Plaskitt, Ron Ball, Fraser Pithie and Howard Roberts.

 On Wednesday 31st October I was delighted to host a debate between the three candidates vying for the post of Warwickshire's first Police and Crime Commissioner:  Ron Ball (Independent), James Plaskitt (Labour) and Frase Pithie (Conservative).

The meeting was held in Dunchurch Village Hall. Despite poor weather the candidates commented that the turnout of around 150 was the largest they had addressed so far in the campaign.

The meeting was expertly chaired by Mr. Alan Stothard, Dunchurch resident and chairman of the standards committee at Rugby Town Hall.

Questions ranged from how to finance the police, how to tackle rural crime, whether the post will be free from partisan influence, how to ensure hate crime is addressed and what the general philosophy of the candidates are in relation to policing.

All three candidates were perfect gentlemen who obviously care greatly about ensuring Warwickshire is a safe place to live. I was impressed by their knowledge, commitment and genuine appetite to perform the role.

I hope that the meeting allowed the people of Rugby to form a clearer view of how to vote on the 15th November.

HEAR YOUR POLICE COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES DEBATE RURAL CRIME

Next month we, the people of Warwickshire, will be voting to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner. The person elected will control local police funding, have the power to employ our Chief Constable and set the objectives for policing in Warwickshire. An important role I am sure you will agree.

Many of the you have raised with me concerns that looming police budget cuts could see rural officer     numbers fall, meaning that crime in our villages increases. The new Police Commissioners will have a great influence on whether our villages remain safe places to live.

With the election to decide who will be Warwickshire’s first Police and Crime Commissioner taking place on 15th November I have arranged a debate between the three candidates. The debate will focus on the subject of rural crime. I hope it will give anyone interested the chance to hear the candidates debate issues relevant to our villages at first hand. There will be an open floor for questions.

The debate is free and open to all who wish to attend. Please just turn up on the night. The details are given below. I very much hope you will be able to attend—I look forward to meeting you there.

Rural Policing: The Views of the Police and Crime Commissioner Candidates

Date: Wednesday 31st October

Time: 7pm

Location: Dunchurch Village Hall

Duration: 1 hour

SPEAKING OUT AGAINST MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL WARWICKSHIRE

As you will recall, at the recent election I warned about the threat of major development in our villages. During a recent full council meeting I asked the council leader about projections for house building in the borough; it was revealed that villages will be used by the council in order to meet their target for new homes.

Following on from this revelation was the Government’s announcement that it is to consult on allowing the greenbelt to be built upon and house extensions of up to eight metres deep be acceptable without planning consent.

Nearby Wolston is the first village to be targeted by developers. I successfully persuaded the planning committee in February to throw out a plan to build 92 houses on green fields in Wolston. However, now the  developers are back with a plan for 80 houses. In building a case against the plans, Wolston Parish Council have asked me for advice and guidance.

Whilst Wolston is not in my ward, I have been happy to help their Parish Council because if they lose their fight to save green fields near them it sets a precedent that could see villages in this ward being under threat.

I am not against all development, but there are a number of brownfield sites in the town that are being ignored, some already have planning permission.  The developers know that clean rural sites are cheaper to build on and command higher prices. Nationally there are 400,000 prospective homes that have planning permission but are not being constructed.

I am pushing for our local planning officers to meet their targets by forcing builders to focus on urban sites that really need regeneration. The urban brownfield sites can offer affordable housing to help address the shortfall. It should not be the case that companies automatically seek planning permission for properties that will impact upon our beautiful rural areas—that should be a last resort.

Tidying up Stretton's railings

In early summer Stretton-On-Dunsmore Parish Council (a really well run Parish Council) requested that Rugby Borough Council repainted the railings along Brookside in the centre of the village. I visited the site and agreed that there was a serious problem.

After speaking to the Environment department at the Borough Council I was pleased to see that the railings were painted shortly afterwards: 

The rusting railings before action was taken

The gleaming railings after action was taken

Backing The NFU Campaign for a Fair Milk Price

At AJ Welton Dairy farm. Picture taken from the Rugby Advertiser

Dairy farmer, who work their fingers to bone to produce the milk we use, have been once again told they will be paid less for the milk they sell to retailers.

In the last two weeks Robert Wiseman Dairies, owned by Müller Dairies, Arla Foods UK, the UK subsidiary of Arla Foods Amba, as well as Dairy Crest, announced cuts to their milk prices paid to farmers as of August 1 of 1.7ppl, 2.0ppl and 1.65ppl respectively, following further significant cuts in recent months. 

Dairy farmers lose on average 11p for every litre of milk they produce. This is not sustainable especially since retailers make on average a profit of 34p per litre of milk they sell. I am backing the NFU as they call on the retailers to ditch their plan to cut 2p per litre from the price paid to milk producers.

Dairy farmers rise at 4am everyday, 365 days a year to milk the cows that provide the milk we use in our tea, baking and cereals. All we are asking is that the retailers pay them a fair and sustainable price.

The NFU (National Farmers Union) have declared that a failure to stop the rise will result in targeted demonstrations outside processors and retailers. They are also threatening to mobilise the public with a concerted consumer campaign to help them understand the crisis facing the dairy industry.

All of this co-ordinated action would be designed to put pressure and bring shame on the retailers and processors who have caused this crisis in the British dairy industry.”

I am calling on Rugby’s MPs (Mark Pawsey and Jeremy Wright) to raise the issue with Government and push for a voluntary code of best practice in contracts, to bring some balance to the relationship between farmers and processors.