Political – Local

Development Framework – Pollution Levels 18th August 2011

Brian Riley Political - Local ,

The Draft Core Strategy for Babergh is considered by the Council’s Strategy Committee.

The document is 116 pages plus appendices. Regrettably there is no comprehensive table of contents (page numbers are omitted) nor is there an index. The obvious question is whether this is deliberate. A document which has taken years to put together is debated for less than a day. How many councilors in the towns and parishes will read through the document?
However Page 6 Key Environmental Issues includes:
CO2 levels of emissions in the Babergh District are above regional and national averages and this part of East Anglia is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is therefore important that we look at ways to contribute to reducing climate change in the district including more sustainable energy generation and energy use / conservation.
Traffic congestion, and air pollution due to traffic are also important issues in some parts of the district. The potential pollution hotspots relate to the A12 and A14 trunk roads and the A131 southern approach to Sudbury, which carry relatively high volumes of fast-flowing traffic. The Ballingdon Street, Cross Street and Church Street area of Sudbury has been designated an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) as a consequence of traffic  congestion and air pollution.
The above average pollution level assertions apparently come from a 2008 publication from Suffolk County Council. Page 55 of the Development Framework gives an indication of some of the measures to be taken to reduce greenhouse gases but nothing is specific. I suspect that the figures and the conclusion are out of context or otherwise flawed. It’s possible that the A12/A14 Copdock interchange has been monitored but this junction is not representative of the District. (see http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=611500&y=241500&z=3&sv=611500,241500&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=611500&ay=241500)

The hunt for truth (and its consequences) continues.

Misleading Headlines 25th July 2011

Brian Riley Local Colour, Political - Local

The SFP headlines herald the non story of the year. You would imagine the rules are already published or else are about to be published as soon as the Council can impress the seal on the order. Not so. Two thirds through the article we learn from Paul Little (Babergh’s Community Safety and Leisure Manager) that “the plans were in their “early stages” and required further consultation”

I was first brought into this matter just after I was first elected in 2007. Hadleigh Town Council had sponsored a meeting to discuss the desirability of making our High Street (and its environs) an alcohol free zone. The meeting was overwhelmingly in favour and now nearly four years later we learn that the plans are in their “early stages” and required further consultation.” The last time I enquired I was informed that draft orders would come before the Council in June/July (just gone). What’s the betting that we’ll still be sitting around this time next year talking about early stages and further consultation?

Bailiff Issues 25th July 2011

Brian Riley Money Matters, Political - Local

I’ve been in touch and advising a constituent in Hadleigh South regarding his debtor relationship with Babergh & Ipswich District Councils. Today we have a four person meeting in Corks Lane with the Recovery Officers to see if we can move the issues forward.
Basically my “client” had two rental properties in Hadleigh & Ipswich which were repossessed by the building societies. This is acknowledged but it has proved very difficult to get the right paper work from the building societies, who are dragging their feet for reasons one cannot imagine. For my “client” any outstanding taxes up to the re-possession are the responsibility of the Official Receiver (for bankruptcy). After the repossession the responsibility for the taxes lies with the Building Societies.Meanwhile the Councils have my “client” as the person responsible for the taxes due to a lack of the proper papers in the proper places. My client insists that he has provided all papers necessary but has unfortunately not brought his files.  Nevertheless it is accepted that responsibility for the taxes has moved from him to the other entities and the officers provide my “client” with a definitive list of what is acceptable and from my client’s view what is available.Overall, from my point of view a successful forty minutes. The officers fully understand the position and can do their own checking. The client has a definite promise that if his papers are in order then he can be exited from the discussions. In the meantime all recovery operations (court appearances, bailiffs etc., are suspended). The client regards the day as successful because we can both see light at the end of the tunnel and he can be free of concerns in this area.

Hidden Millions Wednesday 20th July 2011

Brian Riley Money Matters, Political - Local

We have a Members’ Briefing at Babergh to be apprised of ways forward with regard to the integration and the budget issues.  We are invited to ask questions and my question on the budget was as follows (btw it is long preamble followed by a short question):

Ten years ago our predecessors faced with a ignificant deficit in the pension fund decided to commence paying down that deficit by £1miilion a year.

This decision was very high minded and made in happier times of higher interest rates, a pensions fund friendly tax regime and a central government that believed in otherwise benign financial policies.

Since April 2000 we have paid down £10 million and as at the 31st March this year the deficit stood at £12,557,000.

More interesting is the way the deficit has fluctuated.

Had this been a closed end situation we would have expected the deficit to reduce on an annual basis by £1million a year. But is hasn’t. Over the past  five years the deficit has ranged from a high of £31,469,000 to a low  £6,242,000. The biggest change being in  2010 when the asset appreciation was £11 million. So our annual contributions can be and are dwarfed by the proper and skilful employment of the pension fund assets.

So where am I going with all this? After ten years we should review our pensions deficit funding policy.

We should look at the optionality of that £1million a year and if we can stop it we should.

We should then immediately transfer £500,000 of that money to our revenue reserves so that if we need to pull this money back because the deficit goes substantially against us then we can use it – and in the meantime we keep it in the sock under our bed ready for a rainy day – of
which more are promised.

The remaining £500,000 we should use to plug our current operating deficit – which means preserving services and the jobs associated with our front line. Already we are seeing services and standards disappearing before our eyes – cash payments downstairs for example – the removal of abandoned cars for instance and so on. We have a distinct opportunity to review our options and focus upon the current needs of our residents.

So my question and I hope our question is this: As  the officers and Councillors on the SFP have said that nothing should be regarded as too sacred to touch, can we  look at the pensions deficit pay down plan and if we can put that money to better use?

…I think the simple answer is “Yes”.

Well, it was not as easy as I expected but I did get my “yes”.

One Councillor thought I was advocating cutting pensions for the lower paid employees. – so it let me go back to him after the meeting and everyone else who might not have been hearing me properly along the following lines:

“Your comments at today’s meeting indicate that I had not expressed myself properly or else that I was mumbling (both possibly true).

It has never been (and hopefully will never be) part of my proposals to reduce the pensions or other income of the lower paid employees. My family had the smell of the workhouse in its nostrils and whilst society has progressed over the years, the safety nets are not always in the right place”.

The only other written comment I received was that I must have big feet if I thought I could salt away £500,000 in my sock!

Tesco Wednesday 6th July 2011

Brian Riley Local Colour, Political - Local

 Babergh District Council Development Committee hear an application by Tesco to build a supermarket just off the Hadleigh High Street. The voting went eight seven in favour of a refusal. Mainly because of local democracy as nine out of ten people do not want the supermarket.

When we look at the voting make up, the pro’s include what I call the payroll vote (the Chair and Vice Chair) who realistically cannot be expected to vote against the Officer’s recommendation. Others include those who are never known to vote against the Officer’s recommendation, those who are so far away that they never visit Hadleigh except for meetings and have very little interest in the outcome (and can’t understand what the fuss is all about) and finally those who are bullied and cowed and frightened of thunder (a.k.a. fear of being on the losing end of an appeal).

The objections ranged over a number of issues and in each case but one we were told that the reasons for declining the application were inappropriate. Consequently the committee was advised that if the application was to be turned down then the only valid reason could be that the design and materials were inappropriate.

The objections and the Council Officer’s rebuttals were as follows: •

  • The Retail Study was flawed to the point of being defective – Retail Studies no longer for part of the planning approval process.
  • The application is not economically appropriate to Hadleigh and experience in other market towns in East Anglia suggests that High Streets die when Tesco opens up.- What happens or does not happen to High Streets are not matters for consideration by the Development Committee
  • Flood – retail usage of flood plain is allowed. The base of the building is to be raised to meet safety requirements – the car park unfortunately will be under water from time to time.
  • Traffic density – not a problem according to Suffolk Highways (see also road safety).
  • Road safety – not a problem according to Suffolk Highways – despite inappropriate splay lines for vehicles entering and egressing the site and every access into the town being single lane at some point
  • Local democracy – despite nine out of ten people not wanting the development – local democracy is not a factor in the planning process.
  • Wrong site – the town is growing towards the north. The development will bring people from the outskirts into the centre of the town. The site is designated for retail development and that is that!

And so it goes on until the only valid reason for refusal is that we do not like the design. The developer was allowed five minutes to make his presentation, objectors and supporters were restricted to three persons and three minutes each. As a ward member I had unlimited time (subject to the maxim “the brain can only absorb what the backside can endure!”. So I had the time (about twelve minutes) to develop ideas and themes, (The problems with the three/five minute restriction is that there is a tendency to cram information into the time available rather than as Cicero’s wife advised – “make a shorter speech!).

Royal Anglian Regiment Tuesday 21st June 2011

Brian Riley Local Colour, Nice Things, Political - Local

I receive a very nice letter (see pdf below) from the Assistant Regimental Secretary of the Royal Anglian Regiment acknowledging the donation raised by the raffle at the party Spring Get Together earlier in the month. The Royal Anglian Regiment is the Regiment of the ten Counties of East Anglia and the East Midlands and was the first Large Regiment of Infantry in the British Army. The Royal Anglian Regiment is a line infantry regiment. The 1st Battalion is currently in the mechanized infantry role, the 2nd Battalion in the light role and the 3rd Battalion is a Territorial Army Battalion. The 1st Battalion is also called the Vikings and are a very local regiment. The ‘Vikings’ went to Afghanistan in 2007 with the 12th Mechanised Brigade, as part of Operation Herrick. They assumed full responsibility for the north part of Helmand Province, in the south of Afghanistan. We are aware of acquaintances who have Viking relatives.

The Spring Get Together has been held for three years and each time the raffle proceeds have gone to the regiment.

Royal Anglian 110620

Babergh District Council (5) Tuesday 14th June 2011

Brian Riley Political - Local

The minutes of a meeting of the Babergh District Council Overview & Scrutiny (Stewardship) Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh on 14th June record:

It was resolved that Mr B Riley be elected vice-chairman of the committee for the ensuing year. 

This is a step on the greasy staircase- the important thing is to remember that I am elected to represent the people not to be led by the
Council Officers.

Do I need to change the corporate motto to “Memento Mori” or perhaps “Respice post te! Hominem te memento!”

In ancient Rome, the words “Memento Mori” are believed to have been used on the occasions when a Roman general was parading through the streets during a victory triumph. Standing behind the victorious general was his slave, who was tasked to remind the general that, though his highness was at his peak today, tomorrow he could fall or be more likely brought down. The servant conveyed this by telling the  general that he should remember, “Memento mori.” It is further possible that the servant said instead, “Respice post te! Hominem te memento!”: “Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!”, as noted by Tertullian in his Apologeticus.

Sitting at the top table let me get a few matters on the list for future review. The two main ones are:

  • The Housing Panel is to be requested to investigate as to whether the targets are stretching and need to be revised. –
    We are targeting to deliver 100 houses a year against a waiting list of 1700 people for social housing. Even if the waiting list is overstated by 100% it will take us more than eight years to clear it (assuming no future additions to the list).
  • Procurement Card – Director of Finance is to investigate with Audit as to what checks and balances are in place for its use.

The latter arose from the use (and possible mis-use) of credit cards in Suffolk County Council. Babergh seemed quite pleased that they didn’t use credit cards – instead we discovered that they use procurement cards which were settled upon receipt of statement – so not involving any “credit”.  It really is the case of having to learn a different way of thinking.

Babergh District Council (4) Friday 3rd June 2011

Brian Riley Political - Local

I attend a joint Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ workshop to meet the new joint Chief Executive and to share views on ways forward. There was a lot of mixing and shifting around and to begin with I found myself with a friendly group from Mid Suffolk.

I immediately made friends by promoting the needs of our towns over the villages since the former are the main providers of jobs and economic well being. So after a quick fifteen minutes it was time to sum up the discussions and give a report to the remainder of the groups. I volunteered myself as spokesperson, introduced myself to the new CE and after pleasantries about the difficult and challenging tasks the executive was undertaking let fly with both barrels:

First we never want to hear again the words “There is no alternative” because whenever those words are spoken we have learned that there are alternatives but they are being hidden from us.

Second if we are saving all this money (the main reason for the proposed merger of the Councils) then we can abolish car parking charges. They don’t work and their removal would bring life and regeneration into our market towns.

Well I sat down to appreciation if not applause and I have got one of my aspirations onto the agenda and I suspect that it will be a case of watching this space and seeing how many adherents I collect.

Babergh District Council (2) Thursday 19th May 2011

Brian Riley Political - Local

The big day arrives. This is the first formal full Council meeting of the new session. We elect (appoint) the chairpersons of various committees and then do  the same for the committee and task group members. If everything has been done properly by the political leaders then the elections are a formality. I get to keep my places on the Overview & Scrutiny (Stewardship), Licensing & Appeals Committees and a place on the Information Management & Technology Group. I drop the appointment as a Babergh representative on the management committee of the Hadleigh High School Dual Use Leisure Centre and instead I am appointed a trustee of the South Suffolk Leisure Group which is to receive a  £2million new fully equipped building in Hadleigh.

I get the sole nomination to the University College Suffolk Foundation Board formerly occupied by Cllr Sue Wigglesworth.
Sue received a “from the floor” nomination. I expected a vote off but we are informed that the Board may no longer be meeting and that the decision should
be deferred until fuller details are to hand.

Now what kind of representative do we have, who doesn’t know whether the post she occupies still exists but if it does that she wants it.

It’s like watching a dog protecting a biscuit!