Council leader fills his office with luxury armchairs

At the last Test Valley Council meeting, Leader, Ian Carr was asked whether he thought being Leader of the Council for 13 years was about 10 years too long. The question was posed by his Liberal Democrat opposite number, Mark Cooper.

“Cllr Carr is exhibiting behaviour which suggests he is increasingly detached from his Council colleagues,” says Cllr Cooper. “A recent excellent piece of work done by a Councillor Panel on improving Test Valley’s recycling rates was summarily dismissed by Cllr Carr at a recent Cabinet meeting; he has recently granted himself significant extra powers without reference to either Cabinet or Councillor colleagues and now he’s equipped his office in Test Valley’s Andover Headquarters with luxury armchairs.” (see below)

“The furniture, I’m told, is ‘not bog-standard furniture procurement’ but is second-hand, and re-conditioned by a local supplier. It cost £1,400 which came from the Council’s Estates Services budget.”

“I can’t see why Cllr Carr would want to fill is office with a number of Chesterfield leather settees and armchairs, unless he’s going to entertain his political cronies,” he says. “If that is the case, he should buy the chairs out of his Leader’s allowance rather than use Council taxpayers money to buy them.”

Car parking charges to rise

Test Valley’s Tories have broken their election promise to freeze parking charges. The picture below is taken from an election address delivered across Alamein ward only a year ago by Cllrs North, Brook and Whiteley.

Barely a year later they have quietly dropped this promise and allowed the leadership of the council to raise parking charges to help balance the books. Meanwhile they hold over £76 million in reserves and spend a staggering £1.3 million on councillors and their meetings.

The only murmur of dissent came from Cllr North who was quickly told to shut up. The other two have failed to comment on this disgraceful deceipt. I have tried to follow the decision process and found the original recommendation by the council’s cabinet was not taken to full council as originally planned. Nor was it discussed by the council’s scrutiny committee (where Cllr North as vice chairman cancelled the meeting when it could have been raised). It was postponed a number of times until finally sneaked through without the usual fanfare of press releases we have come to expect from the council leader and his cronies.

Notices have appeared in all the council car parks less than a month before the increases are due to come in to force and details are hidden away on the council’s website where it takes time and effort to find them. Full details of the charges are available here New Parking charges

Shepherds Spring Housing update

In a surprise move the recommendation to approve plans for 50 homes at Shepherds Spring has been withdrawn. Test Valley planners have asked for more details from the highways department on the effect of the plans. Residents have always argued the highways surveys were inadequate and parents are concerned that the new access road will put children’s safety at risk.

Now it seems the planning department are finally listening and asking the same questions we have been asking. As a result of this no decision was made at Thursday’s planning meeting as we expected. I expect the plan to be resubmitted at another planning meeting perhaps as soon as the end of this month. I hope to see the planners have listened to local concerns and recommend refusal of the plan.

This laln is overdevelopment of the area and a threat to road safety. We will continue our campaign until the plans are rejected. I have already written to all the members of the planning committee urging them to reject the proposals. You can read a copy of my letter here Letter to NAP. I will also be speaking against the application when it finally comes to the committee.

The county council must start again with a safer and more realistic plan. In the meantime they should tidy up the site and use the land as allotments. I will keep telling them this in the hope they listen to commonsense.

Shepherd Spring Housing development – the battle continues

Opposition to the county council’s proposed overdevelopment of the old Shepherd Spring school playing fields is growing and residents have taken their campaign to the local press and radio.

On Thursday town councillor Barbara Carpenter was interviewed on Andover Sound (Andover Sound News) about the plans and on Friday the Andover Advertiser featured the objerctions. The photo below (courtesy of Andover Advertiser) shows local residents opposed to the plans.

There is another meeting of the Roman Way Forum next Saturday (11th February) where the application will be on the agenda and the next steps of the campaign to persuade the county council to drop this inappropriate plan will be discussed. All residents are invited. Come along and make your views known.
Follow this link for the full agenda and minutes of the previous meeting Roman Way Forum Agenda 11 February 2012

Street pastors succeed in Andover

Just over a year ago I attended the inauguration of Andover’s street pastors. These are church volunteers who give their time to go out on the streets to care, listen and dialogue with people. They are not there to preach nor to convert but to practice what they believe in, to care for their neighbours. Over the last year they have gone from strength to strength and earned the support and respect of the police, businesses and the public. I was privileged to attend their first anniversary meeting where a number of new pastors were enrolled allowing them to send out teams on Saturday’s as well as Friday nights. The also go out on Bank Holiday Sundays.

Last Saturday I was invited, along with Cllr Nigel Long, to join them on patrol and his report of the evening can be found at http://nigellong.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/01/30/street-pastors/.

I fully endorse all his comments and thank Bev, Barry and all the team who showed me the excellent work they do. More information about the work of street pastors can be found at http://www.streetpastors.co.uk/

RESIDENTS SAY NO TO MORE HOUSES

Residents of Roman Way and Swallowfields are urging Test Valley Borough Council to reject plans for new houses at Shepherds Spring School. The plans, drawn up by Hampshire County Council, are for fifty new homes on the school playing fields with access between the existing school buildings.

A number of residents have submitted written objections highlighting landscaping, noise, loss of a green field site, and poor access and traffic congestion as reasons for refusal. Objections have also been lodged by Andover Town Council, Sport England. As a former member of the borough’s planning control committee I fully understand their concerns and support their objections.

A petition of over 150 names opposing the development has also been delivered to the council. This describes the plan as overdevelopment, which will waste an important local facility. “The new development will generate unacceptable levels of additional traffic which will harm the local environment” they say. “It fails to address important issues such as adequate screening to prevent overlooking, sufficient measures to control noise pollution and most importantly a proper traffic management program.”

Andover Town Councillor Barbara Carpenter, who is leading the no campaign, said “Our most serious concerns are about the extra traffic. This plan will mean an extra 50+ cars entering and leaving the site between school buildings and onto the already busy Smannell Road, close to the existing Newbury Road junction. This is not good for existing or new residents. We hope the council will reject this plan and the developers come up with a more acceptable use for the land.”

Campaigners have been told the matter is likely be decided by the Northern Area Planning Committee in March. They are urging everyone in the area to continue submitting objections up until then. The Planning application number is 11/02729/OUTN and anyone can lodge comments. For further details contact
Barbara Carpenter on 01264 338388, [email protected]
or me on 07793 607190, [email protected]

The picture shows town councillors Barbara Long and Barbara Carpenter delivering letters of objection and the petition to TVBC offices

Town Councillor in Action

During the debate over an Andover town council a number of people argued that it was an unecessary, costly extra layer of local government. Over the past year the new members of the town council have proved them wrong. These unpaid, local representatives of their communities are taking action to get things done while their overpaid counterparts on the borough and county council have continually failed to deliver.

A perfect example is the excellent work being done by Babrara Carpenter Lib Dem town councillor in Alamein ward who is doggedly campaigning for imrovements in her local area. In the last three months she has lobbied the county council highways and succeded in getting dropped kerbs for a disabled resident, repairs to the footbridge over Newbury Road and extra grit bins for areas missed out in last year’s distribution of bins. Andover Lib Dems getting things done for the community.

Repairs on Newbury Road bridge

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Viking Way grit bin

Newbury Road bridge grit bin

£1 Billion to tackle youth unemployment

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has launched a youth contract to ensure jobless in Test Valley can earn or learn. Starting next April the youth contact will provide work experience for all local unemployed 18 to 24 year olds who want it. Thousands more new work placement incentives over the next 3 years will encourage employers to take on young apprentices. “We can’t afford to loose the skills and talents of our young people. These plans will help the next generation to build the new economy we need” said St Mary’s councillor Nigel Long.

Thousands of pounds for investment in communities – [Cllr Katherine Bird]

The Coalition Government has published proposals to end the requirement for councils to offer a discount of between 10-50% on council tax if the home is not someone’s main residence.

In Test Valley it is estimated that last year, the council missed out on £55,000 because of discounts on second homes. These reforms will give councils thousands of pounds back to support services and investment in communities.

Additionally, the proposals go further to tackle the problem of long-term empty homes, which are a waste of housing. The reforms will give local authorities more freedom to tackle the problems of empty homes in their area.

Liberal Democrat Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell has announced that councils will be allowed councils to charge an Empty Homes Premium on council tax, of up to 50%, on any home left empty for two years or longer.

Commenting, Katherine Bird said:

“We have a real housing problem in our area, with young people unable to get on the property ladder because there aren’t enough houses available. Yet we have up to 285 second homes standing empty while their owners may live miles away.”

“Ending the mandatory discount will bring thousands of pounds back to our councils, something Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for. Councils will be able to use this money to support services and drive investment in our communities rather than helping those who can afford multiple homes.”

“Together with the reforms to tax long-term empty homes, these plans will help bring back scores of homes into use over the coming years, easing pressure on our housing stock.”

More Housing in Alamein

I read with interest the comments of the Alamein councillors on the possibility of a further 360 houses at East Anton. The three have continually championed development in the area, claiming credit for every new stage and turning up for every photo opportunity. Why the sudden change of heart?

Extra houses in the area have always been a possibility, particularly on the secondary school site. Mrs. Whiteley, as vice-chair of the Planning Committee, is well aware of this. The arguments these councillors now put forward against the extra 360 houses apply equally to the already-approved 2500. And they ignored every one of them. They did not, as Cllr North claims, “warn against further development.” They weren’t members of the council when the plans, increasing the development from 1700 to 2500 homes, were approved.

They have on many occasions claimed “less conversation more action.” But, when asked to support residents opposing the diversion of Smannell Road through Augusta Park they faded into the shadows. Are their latest statements mere political spin or will they now admit the policies they championed are flawed?

If they are serious in opposing further housing in the area they must come up with an alternative use for the school site. The council’s plan is for “a new community at East Anton.” Communities are much more than houses. They require leisure, commercial and employment facilities as well. Will the councillors now actively oppose these plans for more houses and fight for the extra infrastructure the area, and town, so desperately needs?