Time To Join The Real World Clive

I have read with considerable anger and disgust this morning that Labour peer Lord Clive Soley has been complaining that the £160 per day allowance paid to members of the House of Lords is insufficient.

How hypocritical is it possible for this man to be?  It was left to a national newspaper to point out that Lord Soley also earns £29,000 a year as a campaign director.   Lord Soley should put a sock in it and think about how ordinary working folk round here make ends meet on earnings of £40-£50 per day.

£29K per year as well as your £160 a day allowance, not bad money if you can get it Clive.  Many ordinary working folk like myself can only dream of earning sums like that.  Time for regime change I think.

Norwich North Success

The Conservative victory in the Norwich North by-election is most encouraging to Conservative activists and supporters throughout the country.  Conservative Chloe Smith claimed victory in a constituency which has returned a Labour MP for 45 of the the last 60 years achieving a swing of 16.5% of the vote, well done Chloe!

If the 16.5% vote swing Chloe Smith achieved in Norwich North was replicated in a General Election, a Conservative government would be returned with a majority of some 218.  I wholeheartedly agree with Conservative leader David Cameron when he says Chloe Smith’s win was a reward for our party having been honest about the need to properly control the public finances and offering people a real opportunity to positively change our country for the better.

Reception For Sajjad Karim MEP

On Saturday, July 18th, I had the honour of being invited to attend a reception held in honour of Sajjad Karim MEP at Brierfield Community Centre.  The reception was organised by AFC (Pendle)  and was a tremendous success.

AFC (Pendle) had organised the reception to celebrate Sajjad’s recent re-election to the European Parliament.  Speakers at the event included AFC Pendle’s leaders Mr. Abdullah, Mahboob Ahmed, Prospective Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson,  the new Conservative leader of Lancashire County Council County Councillor Geoff Driver, Councillor Faraz Bhatti, Councillor Tony Beckett and Sajjad himself.

The event left a good number of Conservative representatives, myself included, feeling that good  and positive progress continues to be made in attracting new supporters to our party.

Planning Issues Continue to Create Controversy

Over the past month, I have attended three meetings of the Town Council Planning Committee.  Most applications which have been submitted have related to kitchen extensions and relatively small and unobtrusive schemes which we have had little or no reason to express an opinion upon.

Then there was the subject of the application to super-extend the house next door to where I myself live in Bath Street.  This application has caused a great deal of controversy in my neighbourhood, with every resident who lives in a neighbouring property raising serious concerns about the scale of the proposed modifications.  Of course, I’m prohibited from speaking on this issue in Town Council meetings, and I was also prohibited from voting on it when it arose at a planning committee meeting.  I declared a personal and prejudicial interest and left the meeting whilst this application was discussed.  The planning committee did object to the application on grounds of its sheer size and the impact it would have upon the local area. 

Councillor Sheena Dunn, the Borough Councillor who looks after Southfield has advised me that the proposals breach seven sections of the Pendle planning code, and has ensured that this application will be heard by the meeting of the Nelson Area Commitee on 3rd August.  Councillor Dunn, like myself is unable to speak or vote on the matter, as she herself is also directly affected by the application.   Councillor Dunn has advised that the committee meeting commences at 7pm at Nelson Town Hall, I would strongly suggest that residents affected by this application attend the meeting and if you wish to speak, please let the borough council know, and this will be arranged.