District Councillor
Corry Cashman
Phone 01296-668565
c.cashman@zen.co.uk
Link to AVDC Web Site
District Councillor’s News: January 2012.
The Speaker’s Parliamentary Seat
In the District Councillor’s News of June 2010 I mentioned that a number of people had contacted me during the run up to the General Election voicing their concerns about the “convention” of the major parties not contesting the speaker’s seat in Buckingham constituency. After his re-election to the Buckingham seat, Speaker John Bercow said that he would “report to the House of Commons the views that have been expressed and invite the House to consider what approach should be considered in future”. At that time, rather than take no action on the concerns expressed to me, I wrote to the Speaker, passing on a summary of them. I should add that these concerns were about the effect of the “convention” on democracy and our constitution: they were not party political and came from people of various political persuasions and none. Not long after John Bercow asked the Procedure Committee to consider the issue.
I have now received a letter from our MP informing me that the committee has considered the matter and has “concluded that they do not support any change to the status quo”. Should anyone wish to see a copy of John Bercow’s letter please let me know. (February 2012)
Cheddington and new Planning Policies.
Two of the coalition government’s stated aims have been to simplify planning laws and to encourage greater community involvement in planning matters.
At national level more than one thousand pages of planning law would be reduced to 58 pages under the Draft National Policy Framework, which is currently out for consultation. However, the draft has already caused considerable controversy with claims that “it would seriously weaken the protection for the countryside” being expressed by organisations such as the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the National Trust.
At district level the Vale of Aylesbury Plan, which the district council is now preparing, will require Aylesbury Vale District Council to establish how many jobs and homes need to be provided in the Vale up to 2031. At appropriate stages the council is required to consult on the plan with parish and town councils and the public. Early indications are that up to 12,000 new jobs may need to be provided. Also up to 24,400 new homes may need to be provided. This figure included some 3,732 homes already built, as the plan covers the period from 2006. The figure also includes a further 7,178 homes, for which planning permission has already been given since 2006. Up to a further 13,300 homes may need to be provided making a total of 24,400. I emphasise the word “may” as the plan is still in very early stages of development, but is progressing.
At parish level Parish Councils have been encouraged to start preparing a Neighbourhood Plan. Cheddington Parish council has already begun the process. These plans will involve local communities in planning for their future development. When a plan is in place, subject to conforming with national policies, it will become part of the District Plan; then planning decisions relating to that parish will have to be made in accordance with the Neighbourhood Plan. However, the legislation for Neighbourhood Plans is not yet in place. (September 2011)
District Council
Councillor John Cartwright has been re-elected as Leader of Aylesbury Vale District Council. The membership of the cabinet, apart from two new appointments, remains the same. (July 2011)
High Speed 2 (HS2), the West Coast Main Line (WCML) and Cheddington Station.
I have already reported in previous months on the alternatives to HS2 which have been suggested by opponents of the scheme. For example one such scheme envisaged the upgrading of four existing main lines (the Chiltern, Midland, East Coast and our own West Coast) to increase passenger capacity.
In the meantime I have examined the 2010 Atkins report, produced for the Department of Transport, which was commissioned to look at possible alternatives to HS2. One of these examined the implications of upgrading the WCML and the Chiltern line between London and the West Midlands so that these lines, between them, could carry more passengers and extra trains. The cost of this (at 2009 prices) would be £3.676 billion for the WCML and £8.780 billion for the Chiltern line, making a total of £12.456 billion. One point of local interest is that improving the ‘bottleneck’ at Ledburn Junction, just to the north of Cheddington Station, would alone cost just under a quarter of a billion pounds.
In my opinion, and I would like to put this on record, any further significant upgrading work on the WCML has to threaten the future of Cheddington station. Fewer stops on a line make it easier to run additional trains and to carry more passengers. The greater the pressure on the WCML to carry more passengers and extra trains, the more the future of Cheddington station would seem to be threatened. (July 2011)
Proposed Closure of Cheddington Station Ticket Office -Update--------------------------------------------------------------------- As well as Cheddington Station over eighty other London Midland stations are affected by these proposals. The consultation produced over 18,000 objections and one of support. Most of the objections take the form of petition signatures (14,583), tenplate letters and emails (626), pre-paid post cards (3271) or individually written letters (706). Of the individually written letters nearly a quarter, 165, were from Cheddington residents. Five MPs including our own MP John Bercow also objected. The district council has also, at my request, done so. I am still, as of 12 April 2011, awaiting a response from the cabinet member for transport at BCC. Passenger Focus (the rail 'watchdog')has now also objected to the proposals raising issues such as the accuracy of the data supplied – disabled travel – travelling with buggies – toilets – warm waiting rooms – access to staff especially during periods of disruption to services – ticket machines offering a limited range of tickets and so on. One possible way forward could be for the various community organisations in the Cheddington area to write to London Midland setting out a list of issues and problems arising from this proposal and requesting a meeting with the company at which these could be discussed and LM could be offered the opportunity to respond. I am advised that copies of such a letter should also be sent to the Department for Transport , to Passenger Focus and to our MP John Bercow. (I have all the addresses for these). Equally importantly, I am advised, that a transcript of the meeting with LM also be sent to these parties. The rationale behind such a meeting is that it would give some element of agenda control to our community organisations and ensure that Passenger Focus , the Department for Transport and ultimately the minister who has the final word on this are fully aware of our feelings when it comes to making a final decision in this matter. 5th April 2011.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Council Tax 2011 – 2012 The 2011 – 2012 council tax, payable from this April, will remain substantially the same as last year’s. Some small increases will occur in parishes where the parish council has increased the parish precept. Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Thames Valley Police and the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority are keeping the tax at last year’s rate. The total council tax bands for Cheddington are: Band A: £995.19 Band B: £1161.05 Band C: £1326.93 Band D: £1492.79 Band E: £1824.53 Band F: £2156.26 Band G: £2487.98 Band H: £2985.58 (April 2011)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HS2 Update. The district council’s position is that it opposes HS2 and does not advocate a West Coast Main Line or any other route. The Council voted, on Wednesday 23rd February, to spend up to £100,000 fighting the Government’s HS2 plans. The vote went 48, or thereabouts, in favour with 2, Councillor Avril Davies and myself, abstaining When I spoke I stated that I did not support the Government’s preferred option to the west of Aylesbury, on the grounds that mitigation arrangements to minimise the effects of both aural and visual pollution were both inadequate and unimaginative; they amounted, in my opinion, to little more than a series of random gestures. I further stated that in a time of economic crisis, with massive council spending and service cuts being implemented, I could not justify the spending of up to £100,000 of Aylesbury Vale council tax payers’ money in this way. There is apparently around £1,000,000 available for a fighting fund already. <------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Handyman Service.
This scheme is designed to help people with disabilities and anyone aged 60 or over, living in Cheddington and the rest of Aylesbury Vale, stay safe at home. It provides a professional service for the smaller jobs around the home that improve security and help make people feel safer. The council's handyman makes improvements by changing or adding new locks, bolts, window restrictors or door chains and installing smoke alarms. The service is completely free and the handyman will also give advice about what people can do themselves to make their homes safer. Jobs normally take an average of two hours and can usually be carried out on the day. This service, launched in 1997, is a popular one and has already helped more than 6,000 people. For further information: Tel 01296 585605 e-mail envhealth@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk } (October 2010)
High Speed 2 (Update)
At the June meeting of the District Council I asked the Leader of the Council John Cartwright to provide an update on the High Speed 2 (HS2) proposals. He reaffirmed that the Council remained opposed to all of the routes proposed (including the one through Cheddington - the “route 4” option). He said that the business case for HS2 was not a convincing one. The Council had recently hosted a “summit” conference on the issue and would be hosting another one in October. Our MP John Bercow had also promised to invite the Secretary of State for Transport to visit Buckingham constituency. Having myself attended the “summit” I can confirm that it was a useful meeting which brought together all of Buckinghamshire’s councils, most of its MPs, including John Bercow, local councillors and around forty local organisations and groups. The meeting addressed in some detail the pros and cons of all of the routes proposed, as well as suggesting a variety of alternatives to HS2 for example lengthening trains and improving signalling to allow a greater frequency of trains on existing routes. In July Lord Mawhinney produced a report on “High Speed Rail access to Heathrow Airport”. The report recommended to government a “minimum cost” approach which would mean no link to Heathrow and a terminus at Old Oak Common in west London rather than at Euston in central London. Public consultation on the “route 3” option (which runs to the west of Amersham, Wendover, Aylesbury and Waddesdon) is due to take place in the new year. (September 2010)
See immediately below for earlier items on this topic.
High Speed 2 Train from London to Birmingham.
In March the Government announced details of its preferred High Speed 2 rail route from London to Birmingham. This would pass through Buckinghamshire to the west of Wendover, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury and Quainton. The line is planned to be built by 2026 and requires a new rail corridor 100 metres wide. Some 30 trains per hour, running along it at 225 miles per hour, will be able to carry over 1,000 people each or will carry freight.
The District Council produced an explanatory leaflet for distribution to all Vale households which stated that “a better value for money route would be along the West Coast Main Line corridor”. The West Coast Main Line (WCML) corridor would follow the existing west coast main line from Euston to Milton Keynes via Tring and Cheddington.
The County Council also produced a leaflet, which opposed the government’s preferred route, and claimed the support of the county and all district councils in Buckinghamshire for a West Coast Main Line alternative.
I wrote to the Leader John Cartwright, expressing my concern about the content of the District Council leaflet, distribution of which was to begin before councillors had the opportunity to discuss the matter at a council meeting.
When the council meeting did take place it became clear that there was a wide range of views on HS2. Many councillors felt that there was a need for much more information on the proposal. I asked the leader of the council, Councillor Cartwright to “set the record straight” by withdrawing his advocacy of the WCML corridor and to inform the people of Aylesbury Vale, other Buckinghamshire councils and the Secretary of State for Transport of this.
The situation has now changed somewhat. Up to the time of writing (20th April) there have been the following developments:
1: The AVDC leaflet expressing the view that the West Coast Main Line corridor was “value for money” has been withdrawn. Apparently 5,000 or so may have already been distributed but the remaining 63,000 will not be.
2: The Bucks County Council leaflet, which also advocates the WCML corridor is to be withdrawn from circulation.
3: The District Council’s Chief Executive is to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, to other Buckinghamshire councils, parish councils, residents and to other interested parties advising them of the cabinet's opposition to the HS2 in principle.
4: However the County Council and at least some of the district councils appear to continue (apparently with little evidence) to support a WCML corridor option.
I shall continue to press for clarity and transparency in this matter. I will keep you informed on all aspects of the HS2 proposals. (May 2010)
High Speed 2 (HS2) Update.
Possibly because of the recent General Election, there have been no further developments since my last report. (18th May 2010)
Cardboard Recycling at Cooks Wharf
In February’s Village Newsletter I wrote that it was unlikely that any changes to Cheddington’s present pattern of waste and recycling collections would occur in the next two years. This still remains the case. However, in the meantime a number of people have asked how they can recycle cardboard without having to travel to the Aston Clinton household waste and recycling centre. There is a cardboard recycling container at Cooks Wharf where cardboard can be deposited. The container is in the car park which is the first turn left immediately after going over the canal bridge at Cooks Wharf in the Marsworth direction. (July 2010)
My Allowance and Expenses
My allowance and expenses for the last full financial year (2009–10) were:
Basic allowance: £ 5,304
Mileage allowance: £ 512.40
Parking: £ 4.50
Train fare: £ 24.80
TOTAL: £ 5,845.70
The above figure does not include any costing for the laptop computer on loan to me from the Council. The mileage allowance includes attendance at site meetings all over the Vale for the development control committee. (July 2010)
Post Election
A number of people contacted me during the run up to the General Election voicing their concerns about the “convention” of the major parties not contesting the speaker’s seat in Buckingham constituency. Referring to this issue upon his recent re-election to the Buckingham seat, Speaker John Bercow said that he would “report to the House of Commons the views that have been expressed and invite the house to consider what approach should be considered in future”. Accordingly, rather than taking no action on the concerns expressed to me, I thought I should write to the Speaker, passing on a summary of them. I should add that these concerns were about the effect of the “convention” on democracy and our constitution: they were not party political and came from people of various political persuasions and none. (18th May 2010)
Cleanliness and good Hygiene practice in Aylesbury Vale Restaurants, Cafes, Takeaways and Pubs
Most establishments throughout the Vale maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. The District Council has now introduced a star rating system, based on inspections of premises made by its hygiene inspectors, and it is making this information available to the public.
5 Stars = Excellent
4 Stars = Very Good
3 Stars = Good
Stars = Fair
1 Star = Poor
No Stars = Major Improvement Required
These ratings can often be seen displayed in the window or on the door of the businesses concerned. However, if they are not, then you can check them on the District Council’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/scores (January 2010)
Corry Cashman.
Telephone: 01296 668565
c.cashman@zen.co.uk