I have managed to badger Herts Highways into:

- replacing the keep clear markings at the junction of Stanhope Road and Grimston Road

- Rstoring the give way markings at the bottom of Carlisle Avenue.

I am awaiting news as to:

the completion of the patching works on Beaumont Avenue

the restarting of the aborted patching works on Spencer Street.

One of the most noticeable facets of the local election campaign was the fury of local residents over roads and pavements. Many have noticed how much it gets better if you cross the border into another county. So it can’t just be Government underfunding (although that doesn’t help). The Herts Highways system isn’t working. And that is a political matter which will inevitably feature when people vote in the county council election next year.

I really think we are finally there. As far as I can tell the noise from the announcements has been turned down. So thanks to local residents who kept me informed, to the Herts Advertiser and the BBC for giving this publicity, and finally to the District Council who issued the all important noice abatement notice.

First Capital Connect is used to brickbats but the latest episode concerning St Albans City Station seems pointlessly trivial.

Their PA system has been annoying residents for some time and has recently been made even louder. I have now involved St Albans District Council, the Herts Advertiser and the BBC. Between us we are now at last hearing some concilatory noises from FCC. Today, certainly, the pointless stream of Sussex stations wasn’t there, nor the even more pointless warnings about smoking. And even the man on the tannoy was not shouting his head off.

We only wanted the volume turned down a bit. Now we have had to involve environmental health, two media outlets and the time and anxiety of the neighbours.

What is it about the word ‘customer’ that FCC don’t understand?

Liberal Democrats on the East of England Regional Assembly attempted on Friday to restore common sense to the controversial process for increasing the number of the gypsy and traveller pitches in the region.

A Liberal Democrat amendment tabled at EERA’s meeting in Norwich would have allowed district councils in Hertfordshire and elsewhere to resist their new pitch allocations if they were able to prove through their local planning process that the provision could not be met. This would have been of particular use to district councils in the green belt or which were largely urbanised.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat groups on both the regional assembly and Hertfordshire County Council Chris White said: ‘This was a measured response to a process which had quite frankly lost the plot. I am delighted that a number of Conservative led authorities like Southend supported us. I remain stunned, however, that the Conservative representative of Hertfordshire County Council broke away from his own colleagues and led the charge to defeat the amendment.

‘I am sure communities in many parts of Hertfordshire – already under enough pressure from the destruction of the green belt – will be wanting an explanation from him and from the County Council.’

The amendment was defeated as a result of Labour and Conservative votes.

Chris added: ‘Hertfordshire needs around 115 pitches, according to independent research accepted by EERA. As a result of this vote Hertfordshire will now have to find space for 176 pitches – it is difficult to imagine how anyone could regard this as proper process.

‘Councils which object will now have to invest resources in fighting this in the Examination in Public or through the courts.’

Council tax for Hertfordshire County Council is set to rise by 4.5% - again more than the rate of inflation.

You may ask: why? It’s quite simple: the Labour Government has underfunded Hertfordshire and a number of other county authorities in this part of the country. Some councils meanwhile have had grant increases nearly six times what we have in Hertfordshire.

There has to be something wrong with the system! And you will be paying for it!

Herts Highways have now confirmed that they intend to resurface Beaconsfield Road and Lemsford Road over the next twelve months.

 Chris says: ‘Long overdue but good news. As ever with Herts Highways we need to be careful in case they change their minds!’

 Local Liberal Democrat county councillor Chris White has attacked First Capital Connect’s use of public address systems at the City Station.

 ‘I have been approached by residents dismayed at the increasing volume of station announcements.

 ‘Many of the announcements are entirely pointless – like lists of stations in Sussex that no-one from St Albans will ever go to or the fact that “This is a No Smoking Station – Please extinguish cigarettes, pipes and cigars”.’

 He added: ‘Because of the continuous stream of pointless drivel, important announcements like platform changes are often missed. The result is that these are now even louder. Approaching the station the other day I really thought that there was a public order disturbance – but it seems that a train had been cancelled.’

 Chris has written to First Capital Connect: ‘I got a reply that was a study in complacency and indifference. I have now asked the district council to intervene.

 ‘Not only are those on the platform now deafened but local people are constantly disturbed by behaviour that would not be tolerated in any other commercial company.’