The truth about tax

I am sad to see the Labour party both nationally and locally is still in denial about their failure to manage the economy. Most disappointing is the continuing efforts to deny their tax policies which favoured the rich at the expense of everyone else. The coalition has been changing tax and cutting tax for lower earners as promised in the Lib Dem manifesto and the coalition agreement.

I am indebted to Carl Mimms of Hull for the following summary which illustrates the point. No further comment is necessary.

Income

Tax rate

2009/2010 Labour

2012/13 Coalition

% change

£10,000

7.8%

5.7%

Cut by 26.9%

£15,000

11.3%

9.5%

Cut by 15.9%

£20,000

13.7%

12.4%

Cut by 9.5%

£30,000

15.4%

14.8%

Cut by 3.9%

£50,000

22.4%

22.1%

Cut by 1.3%

£100,000

28.6%

30.1%

Increased by 5.2%

£150,000

31.0%

33.4%

Increased by 7.7%

£200,000

33.3%

38.8%

Increased by 16.5%

£500,000

34.7%

43.0%

Increased by 23.9%

£1,000.000

35.1%

43.6%

Increased by 24.2%

£2,000,000

34.7%

44.3%

Increased by 27.7%

Lorry controls on Cricketers Way

For many months residents of Cricketers Way have commented on the unsafe reversing of lorries delivering to local stores. This was a matter I raised with Test Valley’s highways department about two years ago.

After my initial requests surveys of lorry movements were made and the highways officers wrote to the store asking for a review of safety regulations. Lorries should only reverse along the access road under supervision of a member of staff with adequate training and appropriate hi-vis clothing.

Despite this there have been a number of occasions when the rules have been flouted. Town councillor Barbara Carpenter and I have since been working with residents, highways and environmental health officers to ensure the safety rules are obeyed.

A Freedom of Information request showed no action had been taken after my previous calls to the highways department. I therefore requested the council undertake a survey of traffic movements to ensure drivers were following safe practice. That survey has now been completed and incidents “not in accordance with company delivery procedures” were observed.

This will now be taken up with the company and the council will be seeking confirmation of their agreed procedures and actions they may be taking in light of what has been witnessed.

£28 million present for Hampshire schools

Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given schools in Hampshire a £28,056,000 Christmas present.

The cash is the result of an increase in the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have. Last years funding was £16 million.

The Pupil Premium is a major Liberal Democrat priority that is being delivered by the Coalition Government.

In Hampshire 35,230 pupils are expected to be eligible, meaning that our schools are set to benefit from £28 million funding to support disadvantaged children.

The Pupil Premium covers any primary or secondary school pupil that has been registered for Free School Meals in the past six years. For 2013/14, the Premium will be worth £1.65bn, or £900 per pupil, in total.

I am very pleased to report this grant. Liberal Democrats are building a strong economy and fair society where everyone can get ahead. To do that we need to make sure that children are not held back by poverty and disadvantage. For too long, social background has been a deciding factor in a child’s chances for the future.

I am proud that the Liberal Democrats are helping every child in Andover and across Hampshire to reach their full potential. This money does not just help the poorest children, it helps every child. Fewer children falling behind will mean less disruption in class and a better education for everyone.

Announcing the settlement Liberal Democrat Schools Minister, David Laws said: “We are already seeing across the country how the Pupil Premium is making a difference to children’s lives. Extra tuition, better IT resources and closer work with parents are all examples of how the Pupil Premium is being used to support the most disadvantaged pupils and benefit all their classmates too.”

“That’s why I’m so pleased that, next year, we’ll be extending the Pupil Premium to another half a million children, and increasing the money that schools get to £900 per pupil. This means that, as a result of Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government, more children will get a better start in life.”

By 2015, it will be worth a total of £2.5bn a year to schools in England. To see how much Andover’s schools are benefiting visit this link

Northern Avenue flooding update #2

Several days now without ther road being flooded – at last the highways engineers are getting on top of the problem.

The road was closed overnight Thursday for surveying and repair work. I have been advised by Hampshire Highways that crews worked until 5:00am Friday morning. They managed to clear the upstream section of pipe of roots and silt and complete the camera survey of the cleaned pipes. Unfortunately there was a lot of silt and tree roots in the pipe so they couldn’t clear the downstream section to the River Anton but this is organised for Sunday evening. They should not need to close the road to carry this out.

Northern Avenue flooding update #1

16:45 Monday

I am pleased to report that I have been advised by Hampshire Highways that Northern Avenue was re-opened at 15:15 this afternoon, in time for the evening rush hour. Although heavy rain is forecasted up to 18:00 hours this evening, as the entire system has been pumped clear of water, they are hopeful as they can be that the system will cope this evening and no further flooding will occur.

Further work is planned, including a camera survey tomorrow evening. I have asked that any faults in the drain system are rectified as soon as possible.

Flooding chaos causes road closure

Local residents have been aware for some time that there is a major problem with drainage on Northern Avenue with the entire road being covered with water almost every time it rains. Many people have reported this to Hampshire County Council but the only visible response to date has been for contractors to arrive on Sundays to pump the water away.


Today saw yet another attempt to clear the flood waters. I spent some time watching the work and talking to the contractors after which I emailed a letter to the local county counciillor asking for urgent action to deal with this. You can read my letter here.
Letter to Pam Mutton 25 November

Mrs Mutton has since responded and advised me that Northern Anvenue is to close. I have replied to her and county council officers as follows.

Dear Pam

Thank you for your prompt action on this matter. It is good to see something is finally being done. However to close the road at short notice may cause major disruptions in the area during Monday morning’s rush hour. Can I have assurances that the road closure will be adequately managed, publicised and signposted so that disruption is kept to a minimum? I am particularly concerned that this closure may lead to traffic jams on the Andover ring road system and rat running through residential streets to avoid the inevitable congestion.
I assume this drastic measure is a consequence of the failure so far to adequately deal with the problem and keep the road open. If so it would be useful for residents to be informed of what measures have been taken so far and what effect these have had on alleviating the problems.
It would also be good, as I said in my letter, to have some indication of what remedial measures are planned to prevent further flooding.
I, and other residents, would also hope to hear as soon as possible how quickly we can expect a satisfactory resolution to this matter.
I look forward to your response.
Regards
Len

Watch this website for further details on this unfolding story.

Andover Trees United

A new seven acre woodland, part of the new Queen Elizabeth Wood Andover, and one of the nation’s 60 Diamond Woods to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee, is being planted at Augusta Park. The wood is next to the new playing fields on the north east side of the development. Planting and management is being carried out by a local community group, Andover Trees United.

The aim of Andover Trees United is for every young person in the town and surrounding villages, over a ten-year period, to have contributed to the woodland by planting a tree in their school nursery bed and later moving it to the woodland itself. The woodland will be there for schools, young people and the whole of our community to plant, maintain and enjoy.

November 26th to December 7th 2012 is the planting fortnight.

Many helping hands are needed for this and for replenishing the school nursery beds afterwards. Offers of help for half a day or the whole fortnight will all be gratefully received. If you wish to be involved there are a variety of tasks available not necessarily physical.

If you would like to help with the planting or join the team of School Support Gardeners to help by planting up school nursery bed, please contact Wendy Davis at [email protected]

You can find more details of the project at
http://earthrestorationservice.org and http://www.transitiontownandover.org.uk/8.html

Services under threat

Many residents have expressed shock about further library cuts made by Conservative-run Hampshire County Council: this time the axe has fallen on 29 mobile libraries across the County.

This is a bitter blow to the community. Mobile libraries are a lifeline to a lot of people living in rural areas, particularly elderly and disabled residents. I am particularly disappointed to see they have ignored local residents’ views and cut the library service to Enham Alamein.

The Conservatives have designated Andover library a key library but won’t increase opening hours to the target 50 hours for another two years.

Now museums may be under threat as well

Local people have been put on red alert after it emerged that Hampshire Conservatives have put all of the County’s Museums, Arts Centres and Cultural Services under threat of closure. Hampshire County Council plan to handover control of these vital services to a ‘Trust’, meaning local people no longer have a say on how they’re run, and putting them at risk of more funding cuts and even closure.

Labour out of race

As the Police and Crime Commissioner election day approaches, local residents are asking the question – who will really stand up for our area and keep us safe?

The choice for local people is between the hardworking experienced Lib Dem David Goodall, and the Conservative
candidate with links to a jailed £29 million fraudster. Labour and UKIP came a distant third and fourth place last time
and can’t win in our area.

The Liberal Democrats have a proven record of action for local people, from working to reduce anti-social behaviour, getting road safety improvements, and fighting for local services. In contrast, Hampshire Conservatives are cutting services used by the most vulnerable – the youth service, children’s centres, care for the elderly and bus passes
are all at risk.

The Conservative’s Police & Crime Commissioner candidate doesn’t even have the backing of his own party – several prominent local Tories have called on him to stand down.

The only real alternative to the discredited Tory is David Goodall. To read David’s manifesto click here.
pcc-manifesto

Police investigate Tory candidate

Thames Valley police are reported to be investigating whether the Tory candidate for police commissioner in Hampshire has committed electoral fraud by misrepresenting his home address.

Michael Mates openly admits to living in West Sussex but has declared his address as a flat he rents in Winchester. Candidates must live within Hampshire both at the time of nomination and on the date of the election. For more details visit election fraud investigation