Christine Headley

Last night I went to the Cheltenham Literature Festival to hear Vince Cable speak. I had expected the talk to be about his book on the credit crunch, “The Storm” , but it turned out to be more about his memoir, “Free Radical”, to be published on 1 November. This sounds like a must-read.

He had spoken earlier in the evening as one of a panel (along with  Stephanie Flanders from the BBC and John Micklethwait of The Economist), so didn’t go into as much detail on the banking crisis as some in the audience would have liked to hear.

It wasn’t the first time I had heard Vince speak on “The Storm”. At Conference I happened to be in the room - not having left the previous lunchtime fringe meeting - when it became clear that something involving books was about to happen. Not overcome with enthusiasm for the walk back to the conference centre and the next session, I hung around. It turned out to be Vince, Paddy Ashdown and
Shirley Williams talking about their new books. Unfortunately, there had been a complete SNAFU on the publicity side - no advertisement or listing had appeared in any conference document, there had just been a notice on the LibDem Image stall (which I had visited and not noticed). So in a room with seating for 300 and space for many more to stan, there were fifty of us spread around.

It was the most amazing treat. Vince explained that he had written his book in order to understand the credit crunch himself. Paddy started off with moving recollections - described as the best and worst days of his life, one after the other - of a visit to Bosnia in the early 1990s, and later told a familiar story concerning casework on a cold night while he was still a prospective parliamentary candidate. Shirley read an extract from her book and then ran through a few highlights.

Vince warmly recommended Gillian Tett’s book on the credit crunch, which he said had helped him to understand it.

Incidentally, while I have given links to the books on the Amazon website, I must encourage you to buy them (if you wish to) from a local bookshop that really appreciates your custom.

Yesterday I was out with the petition for the speed limit in Amberley to be reduced to 20 mph.

The limit is currently 40 mph, because that is the speed limit on the Common (to preserve the cows!) and apparently the National Trust won’t let it be reduced in the built-up area. Residents have been concerned by this for some time. Part of the village is very narrow and steep; however, the street lighting (such as it is) is not enough for a mandatory 30 mph limit. The school - just to the south of the crossroads - is slightly away from the main residential part of the village, so there is a lot of concern about the safety of children walking to school.  Boy racers see the 40 mph limit as a challenge.

Before the County election I started a petition, but during the campaign was more interested in canvassing, though I had the petition with me. The post-election leaflet had a short version of the petition on it.

There has been considerable enthusiasm in Lower Littleworth and Theescombe, along the lane to the north of the main part of the village, and I think this could be fertile territory for a Quiet Lane, as is coming to fruition in the more rural part of Rodborough.

I was asked to take sheets in to the Post Office and did so about a month ago; I collected the completed sheets yesterday morning and they make a significant addition to the number of signatures - even discounting several people who have now signed three times! I took the petition house to house yesterday afternoon with considerable success. we now have over 100 signatures from a widespread village of less than 400 homes. However, there is more to do and I will be out again today and later this week.

I return from holiday (having easily resisted the temptation to post to mycouncillor from various European internet cafes) to a 70-page report from Tribal and one of 16 pages from KPMG, both addressing the problems of Stroud District’s council housing.

Some weeks ago, it was  discovered that the housing revenue account had been overspent by up to £ 1.2m. At this point Stroud District Council (SDC) commissioned these reports, arranged policy seminars for councillors and set up special cabinet, scrutiny and council meetings for September. Subsequent investigation has brought the figure down to £873,000 - quite bad enough!

Starting to read the Tribal report last night, I was surprised to find it is all about the Future of Stroud’s Council Housing, rather than the whys and wherefores of the overspend. Seems to me that the baby is ready to be chucked out with the bathwater.  According to SDC’s website, there are three reports - I look forward to finding out what the third is about.

Some years ago, SDC tenants voted to remain so and not be handed over to a housing association, or any of the other options presented by the government at the time.

Green  -  716 (21%)

Conservative  - 1196 (35%)

Christine Headley (Liberal Democrat)  1061 (31%)

Labour  - 415 (12%)

Turnout 47%

While I would have preferred to win, this result is not in the least depressing and reflects the work I have put in over the last year. The next campaign starts now!

A further instalment  from Gloucestershire LibDems’ county council manifesto.

* ensure school buildings and facilities are fit for purpose

A Liberal Democrat run council will act to remove all temporary school buildings attached to schools, ensure ICT facilities are up to date, and support outdoor areas at school. We will work with government to fast track funding for the county from the ‘Building Schools For Future’ programme.

* stop house building on the flood plain and protect the green belt

Liberal Democrats will work to stop government plans to build  houses on the green belt and on flood plains. We opposed the Tory council bid for ‘growth point status’ that encouraged accelerated house building on green fields.

* adopt new estate roads more swiftly

The county council is too slow to adopt new estate road, with some remaining unadopted five years and more after they were built. Our administration will put in place new policies to tackle these unnecessary delays.

What will Gloucestershire LibDems do for the county’s transport needs?

* tackle the £130m backlog of roads maintenance backlog

A Liberal Democrat council will set out a clear plan for quality road repairs around the county.

* enough salt to keep our roads safe and open in winter

No more begging from other councils for salt to keep our roads open in winter. We will make sure we have a full supply of road salt for our needs.

* A fast rail service to London is important for the county economy

We will press the government to secure funding to deliver the dual tracking of the line between  Kemble and Swindon to speed up services to the capital.

* cycling keeps you fit, it’s great for the environment

The county needs a network of cycle hire facilities for local and visitor use - new dedicated cycle paths will be encouraged.

A crucial instalment from Gloucestershire LibDems’ manifesto for the June county council election. We will:

* halt the building of the massive waste incinerator for the county

A Liberal Democrat run council will halt the building of a massive waste incinerator in Gloucestershire.    We will plan for alternative environmentally friendly waste disposal options.

* countywide organisation to co-ordinate recycling improvements and waste collection

A countywide waste partnership is necessary to co-ordinate the waste collection and recycling facilities in Gloucestershire.

* increase recycling target to 70%

We will raise the target for recycling waste to 70% from the Tories’ 43%. Increased recycling will reduce landfill and remove the need for a massive waste incinerator.

More from Gloucestershire LibDems’ manifesto for the June county council election:

* 20 mph safety zones around all schools

We will commit to a countywide plan to deliver 20 mph safety zones and safer routes to school around all schools in the county over the next four years.

* transport for young people

A Liberal Democrat run council will develop a transport system that young people can use during the daytime and evening.

* teachers to support children who stay in hospital and recover from illness at home

Tory council budget cuts to fund teachers who provide education support to sick children will be reversed. Children who stay in hospital or are recovering at home deserve education support.

Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats have published their manifesto for the county council elections, featuring ’six to fix’. Top of the list is to ‘end the poor one-star service and deliver first class personal care for the elderly and disabled.

In more detail -
* A Liberal Democrat run council will secure a high standard of care for elderly and disabled people in the county. We will implement the 21 recommendations of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. We will deliver a three-star service.
* Care charges for elderly people will not rise above inflation. (This is also the sixth in the ‘to fix’ list.)
* Quality care and support will be provided so that people can stay in their own homes.
* A Liberal Democrat run council will provide support for carers. Extra support services will be developed to support elderly people who take on the role of carer.

Yesterday I had an interesting meeting with the council officer responsible for waste collection, and have also been enquiring what neighbouring districts are doing. The answer to the second is ‘disposing of food waste mixed with garden waste, and charging for the garden waste’.

ODD FACT – The In Vessel Composter (IVC) at Sharpness (in the Stroud District)  requires a mixture of food and garden waste. Stroud Conservatives prefer to have food waste sent to Leominster, 50 miles away, for processing because of their blinkered attitude towards the collection of garden waste.

Some garden waste cannot be processed at home. It surely makes more sense to send it to a local IVC than to landfill, as at present.