Labour can’t win here

Local residents have been asking the question – who will really stand up for Andover?

With Labour coming a distant THIRD in our area at the last election, and FOURTH at the recent Eastleigh by-election, and with JUST ONE Labour County Councillor across all of Hampshire, many local people have ruled Labour out of the race for this May’s crucial County election.

The choice for residents is expected to be between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

 Andover Voice spoke to Sarah, a local mum, about her views on the up-coming choice for local people. Sarah told the Voice, “Many of my friends and neighbours simply don’t trust the Conservatives – they’ve let our area down so badly and I’m worried about their cuts to local services like Sure Start centres will affect my children’s’ future.”

“I’m backing the Lib Dem this time: Len Gates and the local Lib Dems work hard all-year-round and have been fighting alongside local people for an end to the Conservative County’s school places shortage crisis, while trying to stop the cuts to our local services”, Sarah added. “Andover residents want a strong team to stand up for our area and put Andover first.”

Thank you Sarah for your words of support.

Crossing condemned

Roman Way Crossing

Councillors promised road improvements and traffic calming outside RomanWaySchool, including a safe crossing to the bus stop. But contractors put the crossing in the wrong place, closer to the busy Newbury Road junction. Residents have condemned the new crossing as useless and dangerous. Parents are also worried about increased traffic past the school despite county council claims there is no problem.

I agree with the residents and parents. The crossing is not good enough and must be improved.  I am pushing highways officers to improve road safety on, and approaching, the new crossing.

Michael Gove: Don’t scrap climate change education

Today I received the following.Can I urge everyone to read it and sign the petition.

The government are considering scrapping climate change teaching in schools.

As a Geography teacher, I know full well how important it is that we teach children about climate change. I never thought I’d see the day our government would consider allowing three quarters of children to leave school with no proper education about climate change. But that’s what they’re proposing now.

It’s not too late to persuade the government to change their minds on this. These plans aren’t set in stone yet – they’re still open as part of public consultation. Plus the government have been struggling in the polls recently and have one eye fixed firmly on the next election. A huge public outcry now will leave them in no doubt that this decision could cost them crucial votes in 2015.

I’ve started a petition to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, demanding that he protects climate change’s place in the national curriculum. Click here to sign it:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/climate-change-education Under the government’s new plans, children will not be taught about the impacts of climate change unless they study GCSE Geography – a course that was only taken by 27% of GCSE students last year.

I have been a Geography teacher for more than 25 years. During that time I have taught my pupils dozens of different topics, from map reading and geology to volcanoes and earthquakes. But nothing I’ve ever taught my students has been so important as what I teach them about climate change now. We can’t afford to lose that – and neither can they.

 

Sign the petition to protect climate change education: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/climate-change-education

The challenges man-made climate change poses to human beings are huge. In my classes, children learn about these challenges and why they are relevant to them. They learn why it is adults tell them to recycle, switch off their computers and close doors to keep the heat in. And the truth is, children love learning about climate change. At the same time, they are learning to respect the world around them and to value human life. These are values that many of them will carry with them for the rest of their lives. They are the best possible weapons we can give them to help prevent disastrous climate change in the future.

Together, we can show Michael Gove that his plans are wrong – for our children, our planet, and our future. Sign the petition now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/climate-change-education

 

Thank you for standing up for our children’s education. Margaret Hunter, 38 Degrees member and teacher from Oxfordshire
















			
			
		

		


			

				
Test Valley to charge for wheely bins

				

			


			
So Test Valley Borough Council has decided to charge residents £25 for new wheely bins. Surely supplying the bin is part of the rubbish collection service.


Does Tesco charge for the use of supermarket trolleys?


What next – extra charges for actually emptyjng the bins into their lorries?

			
			
		

		


			

				
Disgraceful tax increase

				

			


			
I am appalled by Tory controlled Test Valley Borough Council’s decision to increase our council tax by over 4% (see previous post). This comes at a time when the majority of Andover’s residents are lucky if they get any pay increase at all.


Listening to the debate at the council meeting what came across was that the increase could be imposed without fear of sanctions so they’d do it. The decision means the council loses £60,000 of government grants to keep council tax down. At the same time councillors voted to put a further £1.6 million tax payers’ money into reserves to fund future vanity projects.


TVBC already holds over £76 million in the bank and has for years used the interest from that money to fund services. Those days are gone and the Tory leadership can no longer balance the books without imposing increases on Andover’s residents. Two years ago they promised to freeze parking charges only to put them up a year later. What lies in store next year?


Almost every other council in Hampshire has frozen charges. If the county council can freeze charges then so should TestValley. The arrogant assertion by one councillor that this is “a small increase, soon forgotten” is disgraceful.


The increase was supported by just 21 of the borough’s 48 councillors. The bill must be paid by every one of the borough’s taxpayers. Councillors should look after the interests of those taxpayers. They have failed miserably.

			
			
		

		


			

				
Tories’ 4.1% council tax hike

				

			


			
At the Test Valley Borough Council meeting held on Friday 22 February the council voted to accept the Tory controlled Cabinet’s recommendation to raise Council Tax by 4.1%.  A proposal by the Liberal Democrats to freeze council tax for another year was defeated.


Councillor Hurst, leader of Test Valley Liberal Democrats said “the administration’s approach is to raise council tax because they can whereas the Liberal Democrat approach would be to freeze council tax because we can.”


He went on to say “It is important that the council recognise the financial difficulties that a lot of residents are in and that we need to do all we can to ensure that they keep as much money in their pockets as possible to support the local economy.  The council shouldn’t be taking more money than it immediately needs and simply putting it in the bank with no firm plans for using it”.


Freezing council tax was one of 3 options put to the cabinet by the Test Valley finance officer but they rejected it.   They chose to raise taxes by the maximum amount before government sanctions were triggered and a referendum would be required.   In so doing they gave up a government grant of £60,000 available if the council had frozen council tax.


“The suggestion that by giving Test Valley Council a dispensation to raise the rates by up to 4.1% that the government actually wanted us to do it was laughable” said Councillor Hurst.   “We proposed a council tax freeze and suggested that instead of putting all of next year’s £1.6m New Homes Grant into the bank 7% of it should be used to offset the proposed tax rise.  This would be equivalent to 0.2% of the council’s current investment portfolio”.


At the council meeting the Finance Officer was able to provide a positive assurance about the level of the council’s reserves even if council tax was frozen.


Councillor Hurst went on to say “we are not naive about this, we recognise that council tax rates will have to rise in due course as the current levels are not sustainable but this is simply not the year to do it.  The spectre of a triple dip recession still stalks the country and we have just lost our triple A credit rating.  If we can avoid raising taxes next year then we should”.


 


 

			
			
		

		


			

				
WORKING FOR AUGUSTA PARK

				

			


			
Picture 8 Augusta Park roads need gritting


Augusta Park residents were surprised to discover that after paying council taxes there for nearly two years the council is still not responsible for their roads. “I pay my council tax every month, so surely there must be some element of care for this?” asked one.


Residents are reporting empty grit bins, faulty street lights and, during the recent cold spell, dangerous, icy roads especially around Endeavour School. They were told this is not a council responsibility and contacted me for help. I spoke at Smannell Parish Council asking them to take responsibility for grit bins and have called on the county council to adopt local roads.


A development of this size needs an adequate and well maintained infrastructure. The council must take responsibility as soon as possible. The good news is that all roads on the west side of Augusta Park will be adopted in the next few months. The remainder should be taken over as soon as possible. I will keep the pressure on both councils to deliver and report back to residents on progress.

			
			
		

		


			

				
Still they deny climate change

				

			


			
evidence_CO2


Yesterday saw yet another climate change denier writing to the Andover Advertiser. The evidence for global warming is irrefutable as is the proof that this warming is a direct result of human activity. NASA reports that “Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.”


All this information is freely available. And yet there are those who still will not admit it and demand cheap energy from fossil fuels to power their unsustainable life styles. The evidence is there for all to see, rising sea levels, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets and increasingly erratic weather conditions. All are a direct result of our over indulgence in fossil fuels. We can all see the evidence if we choose to look.


No-one is arguing that wind farms, solar panels or any other alternative energy source is perfect. All have a part to play in reducing our dependence on carbon based energy. To dismiss them out of hand and insist on continued reliance on fossil fuels rejects the overwhelming scientific evidence of the need to change our ways.


We are not the owners of the Earth, just its custodians. We have a duty to future generations not to destroy it by ignorant self indulgence.


Picture – NASA website  http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ which provides links to all the evidence that climate change is real.


 

			
			
		

		


			

				
bus station costs soar by 20%

				

			


			
Bus station


Costs of the long awaited rebuild of Andover’s bus station have soared by £500,000 because of delays in completing the project. The initial cost of £2.4 million has now been revised to £2.9 million. The increase is because of last minute changes and delays with legal negotiations.


Once again the county council has failed to deliver on a major project and allowed the costs to soar. The bus station plans have been in place for over ten years. There is no excuse for the delays or the increased costs. Andover has been promised a new bus station the council should now deliver on that promise. What a pity it’s costing another half a million pounds of public money to do so.


Work is expected to start on the project in March. The new bus station will have extra capacity for buses, a new waiting room and café, and office space. The bus station will be closed for twelve months while work is completed.


 

			
			
		

		


			

				
Come clean on road repairs

				

			


			
St Johns Rd Team


I have put in formal requests to Hampshire County Council to release figures on how well they do at repairing roads.


It is a common complaint from residents that they report potholes and broken paving but no action is taken. Too often they are left with no option but to sue the council for compensation. Over £75,000 has been paid out for trips and falls in Andover alone. I have even heard councillors advise residents to sue the council for repairs to cars damaged by pot holes.


I requested details of the number of potholes and broken paving stones reported and repaired in the last year together with costs and time taken to carry out repairs. I hope to see money is being spent wisely and effectively to keeps our roads and pavements safe.


I also asked for details on Operation Resilience. The much publicised project to “future-proof” the road network has received over £6 million of government funding. Only 116 miles of roads were resurfaced in 2011/12 with just 77 miles of resurfacing planned for 2012/13. This doesn’t sound a lot to me. Perhaps too much money is being spent on compensating those suffering from the shoddy state of our roads and paths. Surely it’s better to repair them properly in the first place?