I have been asked whether council staff or contractors who clear up litter should also be collecting bottles: some residents have found that these are not being picked up and find these items of rubbish some of the most worrying.
I can confirm that it IS council policy to collect these items. If you find that these are not being collected then let me know.
Labour’s desperation in the face of a possible meltdown in both county and European elections has led them to using smear tactics.
In St Albans they have issued a libellous leaflet about me which is in the hands of my solicitors: so far we have had a private apology. (Labour have no county council seats here so it is not clear why they bother).
It is small wonder that people are disillusioned with politics and especially with the Labour Party.
Today’s Observer:
Editorial: ‘This Thursday’s vote is being held in a uniquely febrile climate. it should be about Europe; it will be about eh expenses scandal. On both counts, it is a moment to reward the principled consistency of the Liberal Democrats.’
Andrew Rawnsley: ‘If you want to maximise the chances of securing serious constitutional reform, then the party to vote for is the Lib Dems.’
Voting intentions at the next General Election, according to ICM in the Telegraph:
Con 40%
Lib Dem 25%
Lab 22%
For full details follow this link:
St Albans City and District Council is celebrating its high court victory preventing thousands of new homes being built on the green belt in and bordering the District and creating a continuous urban sprawl between neighbouring communities.
Cllr Robert Donald, Leader of St Albans City and District Council, said: “This is a great victory for our council but above all for our residents. It is a real David and Goliath moment. This shows we were right to take legal action despite being originally advised there were high risks and that success was not guaranteed. This result illustrates our unequivocal commitment to defend the green belt and to safeguard the unique character of the natural landscape and the mix of historic city, towns and villages around our District. These proposals would have ruined this unique character for ever. We recognise this is only one battle won and not the whole campaign. I will go on challenging increased housing development proposals in the green belt as long as and as far as I possibly can to save our District from becoming just another Greater London suburb.”
In a landmark legal case the council has successfully challenged the proposals in the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy (the Plan) that related to the development of potentially 5,000 plus homes to the East of Hemel Hempstead, within St Albans District, and more than 1,000 to the west of Hatfield/Welwyn Garden City, actually bordering the District.
This is the first time that any council has successfully brought a legal action in England asking for parts of a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) like the East of England Regional Plan, to be quashed.
The government will now be forced to re-examine these particular site proposals in the regional plan. The council will also have to review its current draft Local Development Framework Issues and Options planning document, in the light of this legal decision, and this may mean a small delay in publication and the start of the consultation period.
The council issued legal proceedings, along with Hertfordshire County Council, against the government in June last year seeking to quash those parts of the Plan that relate to proposed housing growth east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield.
Following a three-day hearing in the High Court that ended on 20 May 2009, Mr Justice Mitting found that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government had not conducted a proper environmental assessment in preparing the Plan. He also ruled that the parts of the Plan that relate to the housing growth to the east of Hemel Hempstead and the west of Welwyn/Hatfield be quashed.
He ordered that the Secretary of State pays the council £15,000 towards over half its legal costs.
Cllr Chris Brazier, deputy leader and portfolio holder for Planning and Conservation, at St Albans City and District Council, said: “The council challenged the East of England Plan in the interests of our residents. I am pleased that the High Court have accepted our arguments that the proposals in the Plan for additional housing were not properly assessed as to their environmental impact.”
This site has received a record breaking 6,000 hits so far this month: last month there were over 4,000.
Thank you for reading!
Sopwell Lane near Hare and Hounds: existing black top footway will be redone.
Bardwell Road: path pipes will be redone where necessary.
Clarence Road: carriageway patching is on its way.
‘Pathpipes’ are the metal covered drains which cross the pavement taking water away from housefronts into the gutter. After a seemingly endless struggle, I got Herts Highways to redo the ones in Albert Street last year.
As residents will know, I have been concerned about the length of time that burst mains are left unattended by water companies.
The latest to have been left too long is the one on the pavement outside 120 London Road – I have asked in the first instance Herts Highways to chase this. If this does not produce results I will as before go to the press.
Recent weather has highlighted flooding problems at:
– junction of Gainsborough Avenue and Clarence Road
– opposite the junction of Beaumont Avenue and Sandpit Lane
I have reported this to Herts Highways.
If there are any others (and I know there are – have already reported Stonecross and the top of Verulam Road) then please let me know.
I now have a date for a meeting which will take up the issues that parents have raised with me both in private and in public. The meeting will be between me and key county council officials.
These include:
– the efficiency of the administration of the school places allocation system
– anomalies over distances
– the operation of the continuing interest list, and particularly whether those who have received one of their ranked schools should be treated the same way as a parent who has received none
– whether there could be a swap shop so that parents who genuinely wanted to swap a school place with another could do so easily
– the operation of the siblings rule where people have moved out of an area.
This is not a comprehensive list.
And yes: I would have preferred a much earlier date.