Robert Inwood

Liberal Democrat Councillors will propose that there should be no increase in North Herts Council Tax at this evening’s Council budget meeting. The Conservative cabinet is proposing a 1.5% increase. 

Liberal Democrat leader Steve Jarvis said, “At a time when many people are seeing their incomes stay the same or even fall the Council should not be increasing the tax it charges local people unless there is no alternative. We have identified that, mainly by cutting spending on yellow lines and traffic wardens, a zero rise is possible.” 

“In those circumstances I hope that other members of the council will support our initiative.”

Budgets are going to be tight for years, if not decades. There isn’t going to be any extra money - in fact, there may be less money in some departments across the public sector.

 Residents in Burns Road and Coombelands are justifiably concerned about plans just released to overdevelop land at the end of two of the Town’s longest cul-de-sacs. Building at the end of these roads will result in a dramatic increase in the number of cars and car journeys along the two roads.

  As Your Lib Dem Councillor for Palace ward i was concerned to hear at a

meeting that consideration is being given to closing the Betjeman Road Play Area.

The Play Area was  built with funds from the developer (known as S106 money) and now the

Council appears not to want to maintain it. Most people want the play area kept open. Some

anti-social behaviour is not a reason to close it.

The Council should monitor it better and the police should police it better

The performance of North Herts Council has been judged to ”meet only minimum requirements” in a nationwide independent assessment of councils – scoring two out of a possible four. The assessment was conducted by the Audit Commission as part of their “One Place” evaluation of local public services across the country. 

Leader of the opposition, Lib Dem Councillor Steve Jarvis said “Many people will recognise the Audit Commission’s assessment that ‘The Council has modest ambitions which do not set a clear vision beyond the short term.’ North Herts is nice place to live but The Council doesn’t do much to contribute to this.  “This probably explains why people in North Herts are less happy with their district council’s services than people in England as a whole.” 

The One Place evaluation includes assessments of the County Council, all the District Councils in Hertfordshire, the police authority and the health authorities. You can see details at http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/infobyarea/region/area/Pages/areaoverview.aspx?region=50&area=359

North Herts Council has refused to sign up to the 10:10 Campaign which seeks to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. Labour and Conservative Councillors refused to back a Liberal Democrat proposal that the Council should sign up to the campaign at a Council meeting on Thursday. 

Liberal Democrat leader Steve Jarvis said, “The Council says that it is committed to cutting carbon emission, but apparently its not prepared to sign up to a public target to do so because they say they might not be able to meet it. Many people will think that it would be better for the council to try and perhaps not quite meet the target rather than not even trying. “Other Councils, of all political persuasions, have signed up, many businesses and individuals have signed up and both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have said that they will ensure the government signs up if they are in a position to do so after the general election.  “Why is something that so many other organisations can do just too hard for North Herts Council?” 

10:10 is a project to persuade individuals, companies, organisations and the government to achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.

North Herts Council has finally abandoned its plan to spend nearly £11 million pounds on new council offices.

The cabinet eventually recognised that the plan, which the Liberal Democrats have opposed ever since the start, was the wrong way to proceeed.

Commenting Lib Dem leader Steve Jarvis said, “I’m glad that the cabinet has finally seen sense and abandoned this ridiculous scheme. What a pity that they wasted so much time and money before doing so.”

  It was a great honour for me to meet up with the Gurkhas,

For the last few years North Herts Council has set itself the target of increasing the Council Tax by less than 2% above the rate of inflation. This is too high and every year the Liberal Democrats propose a lower rise.

Now inflation is negative you might have expected smaller increases, but the Council has decided to change its target. Now it is 2% above inflation, unless inflation is negative, in which case it is 2%. So the lower inflation is the more you will be asked to pay in real terms.

Not a great way to help people when times are hard.

Lib Dem leader Steve Jarvis proposed sticking with the old target, but the Conservatives AND Labour said this would be terribly risky and voted it down.

For some reason almost every Conservative Councillor voted against a motion calling for the County Council to look at better waste disposal solutions than incineration at the council meeting on Thursday.

Some just repeated that it is better than land fill, which is true, but there are many solutions that are better still. Anaerobic digestion would be cheaper and environmentally preferable for example but, for some reason the Conservatives don’t think that it should even be considered.