Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be Prime Minister?

Interesting isn’t it how the Prime Minister goes on television again this week to remind the nation that he’s “getting on with the job”?  It’s also becoming a force of habit for Mr. Brown to use this comment as a diversion when his party have taken a beating at the ballot box.  Labour aren’t having a good time of it lately, first the local elections, when they polled the fewest number of votes of any of the main parties here in Pendle and elsewhere.  Then came the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, a wonderful win for Edward Timpson with a huge swing to the Conservatives.  Followed up by the Henley by-election where Labour trailed in fifth and lost their deposit.  Next came the Howden and Haltemprice by-election, Labour didn’t even manage to field a candidate against the highly principled and respected David Davis.  Then came the council by-election in Park Ward in Blackpool, a Conservative victory for Peter Collins with a majority of over 500 in what was previously a solid Labour area.   This week it was the turn of the good citizens of Glasgow East who voted for a Scottish Nationalist to be their Member of Parliament in what had been one of Labour’s “safest” seats. 

What is becoming increasingly obvious is that people all over Britain are becoming fed up with the current government, and they are looking for meaningful change.  The government are sending out signals of being in office but out of ideas and of being devoid of rational thought, things have become so bad that people on their own side are looking to replace their leader.  This isn’t a good long-term proposition for either the people of Pendle or the country as a whole.  People deserve a government with a clear and cohesive programme for the future, the general election can’t come soon enough.

Town Councillors Are NOT Professional Politicians

One important issue I would like to clarify about Nelson Town Council is that our 24 members are not professional politicians, we are not paid from the public purse in any way, shape or form.  We do not receive allowances to cover expenses such as telephones, broadband connections, stationery or stamps, we are all volunteers from different walks of life who freely give our time to work for the betterment of our town.  My colleagues and I are acutely aware that both the cost of living and local taxation have risen considerably in the last two years, and are committed work to provide whatever services we can at the most affordable level.  The only person connected with Nelson Town Council who will receive any remuneration from the Town Council will be our Town Clerk, a salaried position, paid in accordance with local government guidelines.

Town Council Working Party Meeting

The Working Party responsible for making the recommendations that Nelson Town Council will operate to met tonight (23 July).  We agreed that we would recommend to the full meeting of the Town Council on 30 July that we should operate with three sub-committees.  These will cover Planning, Finance & General Purposes and Community Services. 

The Community Services Committee will exercise the Town Council’s powers with regard to Highways and Transportation and the physical environment of our town.  It will consider and make recommendations on issues such as car parking, crime prevention, events, leisure and tourism, youth facilities and urban regeneration.

The Planning Committee will consider all planning applications and orders relating to Nelson and submit comments to the planning authority.  In addition, the committee will be responsible for the Town Council’s proposals for Nelson’s transport strategy and exercising its interest in licensing issues.

The final committee is the Finance and General Purposes Committee.  This will exercise the powers and duties of the Town Council with regard to matters related to finance, legal and administrative issues.

At the meeting, the group chairman, Cllr Brian Parker reported that 17 applications had been received for the position of Town Clerk.  Cllr Parker also reported that interviews for this position would begin shortly, and councillors present made recommendations as to the questions which would be asked of the candidates invited to interview.

Councillors present at the meeting also agreed that we would continue to press Pendle Borough Council with regard to finding an office from where our Town Clerk would be able to work from.  We agreed that the ideal place would be from an office within Nelson Town Hall itself, subject to borough approval.

From my own standpoint as both a Town Councillor and Nelson resident, it is very reassuring to be able to report that we are now beginning to build the framework we will use to further the interests of our town and add value to our residents’ lives.

Is Britain Heading For Bankruptcy?

I don’t often comment on national political issues, but the issue of the horrendous levels of national debt being built up by the current government is becoming a real cause for concern.  We have seen alarming facts appearing over the last few days revealing that public sector debt has now reached the point of being £18,000 for each and every taxpayer in Britain.  This level of government borrowing is completely unacceptable and the figure suggested for each taxpayer easily exceeds what many people earn in a year.  Now we have the spectre of the Chancellor of the Exchequer telling cabinet colleagues they shouldn’t ask for any further increases in their departmental budgets.  I have a nasty feeling that the country is heading for serious financial difficulties, and that the government has neither prepared the country or itself for what is on the way.  The principal concern is that following the plundering of private pension funds and people’s hard-earned savings and the sale of large parts of the national gold reserve at the lowest possible price that the government will not be satisfied until the country is bankrupt, along with most of its citizens.  Britons were warned back in 1992 that the return of a Labour government at any point in time would lead to higher taxes and higher prices, this is exactly what we are now seeing.

Please End The Petty Smear Campaign Against Mr. Stephenson

Over the past month I have become increasingly dismayed at the tactics being used by leading members of Pendle’s Labour Party to smear and discredit the name of Pendle’s Prospective Conservative MP, Andrew Stephenson.  I believe certain people involved in Pendle politics are attempting to achieve their objectives by whatever means, whether they be fair or otherwise.  Mr Stephenson is a friend and colleague, all he has sought to do since he became Pendle Conservatives’ Parliamentary Spokesman is to present an open and honest record of what both he and the local Conservative Party have been doing to help the people of Pendle.  Our opponents are now attempting to use whatever tactics they are able to muster in order to discredit Andrew’s campaign to build a better Pendle, sadly, this has much to do with the meeting which decided the control of Pendle Borough Council.  The basis of the attacks is founded on the fact that certain councillors were denied access to the levers of power, they can’t handle what happened and are playing the sort of petty politics we have sadly become accustomed to in Pendle over recent years.  Please, ladies and gentlemen, can we go back to acting in the interests of the people who elected us, and not resort to this?  Is it too much to ask?