WILL CLEGGMANIA ONE YEAR ON BE AN ELECTION ISSUE?

Do you remember a year ago this week when the Lib Dem's topped the pre election national opinion polls after strong showings by their leader Nick Clegg in the live TV debates?

"Just think how many times you've been given promises from these old parties. and when they get back into government, you find that nothing really changes at all, we can do so much better than that this time"

Said Nick

Well having signed a pre election pledge to scrap tuition fees and warning all that would listen about the Tory's VAT bombshell, he then of course went on to support the rise in tuition fees to £9000 and back the increase in VAT to 20%. It seems he was right in his pre election warning to us all apart from of course telling us that his was one of the same old parties who would do anything and say anything to get into power..

The following big dip in national support for the Lib Dem's since is therefore understandable but what effect will it have locally in the forthcoming Borough Council Elections?

Well it will have some effect of course, no local party can ride out the unpopularity of their Westminster Leaders, but some local voters may look to more local issues, but there also it seems that the picture is not too rosy for the Local Lib Dem's.

Despite there brave attempts to rewrite the local press headlines people I speak to rate their four year term in office a lot lower than they themselves do. The Focus leaflets may tell us that they saved the market and managed the books efficiently, but on the doorstep voters say they have wrecked the market and cut services to the core. The fountain is either "a wonderful new addition to the street scene" if promoted by the local Lib Dem team or "Another waste of bloody money on something which never works" if you ask the public.

Shortlisted for "Most Improved Council" they tell us and show us their certificate withe competition was only open only to Lib Dem Councils who form part of the Liberal Democrat Group at the Local Government Association.

The problem the local Lib Dems have though is that on May the 5th it will be the public at large who will be casting the votes and expressing an opinion, not just their own membership.

But local Lib Dem campaigners are if nothing else an optimistic bunch, despite all signs pointing understandably to a melt down in Lib Dem support, Two sitting Northampton Borough Councillors I spoke to were adamant that the party will hang on to power at the Guildhall on May 5th.

Others are less bombastic and point to a reduction in their overall number but "not in my seat"

The truth of course is that none of us really know how the elections will turn out, everyone expects a rise in Labour's vote given their new role in opposition to the Tory dominated coalition with the Lib Dem's. The obvious victim of any Labour rise will be those who beat them into second place 4 years ago and that leaves a lot of Tory seats as well as Lib Dem seats in the balance.

As the only Independent elected I too must see off a rise in any Labour vote if myself and Malcolm are to take 2 seats in Castle Ward, but don't write off the Independents and non aligned candidates as many did at the General Election.

Then because of those awful TV debates anyone standing as a non Tory, Lab or Lib Dem candidate were sidelined and ignored and as I have said elsewhere, many voters went to the polling station to vote Brown, Cameron or Clegg without a thought as to who their local candidateswere . How else can anyone explain the ridiculously good result for Labour's Clyde Loakes polling nearly 10,000 votes and securing second place as an absent and non interested candidate?

The County Elections of 2009 are therefore probably a better measure of the support out there for the candidates and it will be interesting to see what effect the cooperation of non aligned candidates who are not standing in the same seats against each other or supporting each other in seats, has this time has on the result.

In Castle Ward in 2009 I topped the poll with 38.9 of the vote and the Green Party polled over 10.4% given that we are supporting each other this time and have 3 three candidates between us for three vacancy's then a collective vote from our supporters on the doorstep could secure over 50 % of the vote! But of course the new wards and changes to boundaries throw another unknown factor into the complex mix.

The picture I paint above is in pointing out the differences between voting habits and results at national and local levels, the 35-40% who vote in Local Government elections it would seem are less likely to be swayed by national events or trends and more likely to be strong supporters of their party's or local Cllrs.

But the Lib Dem "swingers" (no there is another blog posting, altogether) could make the real difference, will they go red? or blue? or look to the Independents and others to find a new home for their vote?

If you are an ex Lib Dem supporter I would welcome your views on where your vote may be cast this time, as always, all comments are very welcome.

TUESDAY TICKLERS

14 CANDIDATES MISSING IN INACTION

It is an absolute insult to the electorate of Northampton that her Majesty's official opposition in Government can fail to stand candidates in 14 of the 45 contested seats in this years Borough Council Elections.

The Labour Party's latest ineptitude means that in many areas of the town including Boothville, Rectory Farm, Park, East Hunsbury and Upton that voters can only choose between Conservative and Lib Dem candidates, and at a time when Local Government cuts are being imposed at our Town and County Hall By A Tory Lib Dem coallition then that choice is the equivalent of a condemned man being asked if he wants to be hung or shot.

There are also no Labour candidates standing in Parklands, Phippsville, Nene Valley or West Hunsbury, but at least in these seats people wanting to vote against the coallition can choose from Independent, (Nene Valley) Christian Peoples Alliance (Parklands West Hunsbury) UKIP (Parklands) or Green (Phippsville)

What really surprises me about all this though is that up to now we have been told that Labour's local difficulties were all my fault, and confined only to Northampton South, but as can be seen from the list above, and after less than a year without Ms Keeble (Porter) on the scene the organisation in the Northampton North Constituency seems also to have collapsed.

Well I hope the regional party don't try to pin this one me as well! Or perhaps it was John Dickies fault? or Geoff Howes or Peter Evans? One thing is for sure, it would never of happened with Anjona Roy as Agent, but of course they expelled her as well!



THANK GOD FOR RADIO FOUR

I get a lot of stick from Mrs Clarke and the kids for my car radio listening choice but I care not, as it seems this is the last vestige of the truth left on the BBC and or within the British media. This morning their was a very enlightening interview with Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif about the defection of Libya's ex Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, remember him?

A high profile defection, we were told, organised through M16 who would now throw daylight on what really happened at Lockerbie and at the Libyan Embassy when PC Yvonne Fletcher was gunned down.

Anyhow now it seems as if Moussa Koussa actually left Libya for Tunisia on sick leave some time ago and made contact with the Brits not because he wanted to share all Colonel Gaddafi's closest secrets with us, but because he is receiving treatment every three months at the private and exclusive Cromwell Hospital in London!

As for those juicy details on past crimes of the Libyan state, as most of us imagined, Saif Gaddafi said

"We have already told the British Government everything they want to know about Lockerbie and the embassy shootings, they know everything"




THE BOLTED HORSE HAS DOOR AFTER STABLE THE SHUTTING (please re arrange)

Still on Libya, the Commons’ Committee on Arms Export Controls has just released a damning report on Britain's Arms sales to? you guessed it Colonel Gaddafi's regime in Libya. It seems that successive governments are guilty of selling weapons to Libya and other dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East just four months before Gaddafi’s regime slaughtered hundreds of protesters, a damning report reveals today. Ministers approved the export of sniper rifles, bullets, tear gas and other ‘crowd control’ ammunition to Tripoli shortly Gaddafi ordered his military to crush a pro-democracy uprising.

Gaddafi used the UK-made arms against the rebel uprising in Libya were an estimated 1,000 Libyan citizens have been killed since his violent crackdown was launched. Since 2009, Britain approved export licences worth £2.3billion to 16 states over a 21-month period. Military export licenses to Libya alone since the start of 2009 totalled £61.3million, according to Department for Business figures.

The UK also awarded Bahrain £6million of licences covering sub machine guns, sniper rifles, CS hand grenades, smoke canisters, stun grenades and riot control agents. At least 26 citizens have been killed and 1,000 injured in Bahrain as the Gulf state cracked down on freedom campaigners.

Britain also approved arms licenses totalling £1.7billion to Saudi Arabia, £20.4million to Egypt, £276.9million to Algeria and £52.8million to the United Arab Emirates. Body armour and night vision goggles have been approved for Yemen, small arms ammunition for Syria, and sniper rifles, aircraft components and armoured personnel carriers for Saudi Arabia.

Oh, and now Foreign Secretary William Hague is hinting on arming the rebels as well.

Its a dirty and lucrative trade War! and Government!

IF ITS GOOD ENOUGH FOR SUPERGRAN!

And they're off and running................................Well almost.

Today myself and Malcolm Mildren put our nomination papers in as Independent candidates for Castle Ward in May's Borough Council Elections, once again taking on all the Party interests

So expect heavier traffic on the blog and more anonymous comments from the party hacks. Anyhow to wet your appetite and to prove that Supergrans are not just for High Street jewellers security, I paste below our first newsletter, hitting doormats as we speak.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge:

THIS IS NOT LIKE IRAQ! IT'S FAR MORE DEVIOUS

Did I dream the whole economic deficit episode? Were we not so broke last week that our County Council were sacking lollipop wardens and turning all the lights off at midnight? Did I imagine the government making newly trained pilots redundant and scrapping orders for new jets to sit on now plane less aircraft carriers?

I must have done because now all three main political party's are falling over themselves to sound out the War Clarion as Britain engages in yet another costly campaign in the desert and pretends to us all again that it has nothing to do with OIL

How stupid do they really think we are? and having armed and sucked up to Gaddafi for so long are we now expected to just forget the huge part we played, right up to the release of the Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in protecting his reign?

And is a civilian life taken in Yemen or Bahrain by their government forces worth less than the life of a Libyan citizen?

These are all questions we must all ask ourselves and answer before we accept any moral justification for Britain involving itself in yet another Middle East meltdown. Why o why a nation like ours supposedly bankrupt wants to jump in both feet first is any ones guess.

Gaddafi is not liked in the West and few from any side would mourn his passing but Libya is a country divided The North and West in favour of Gaddifis reign continuing under him and his son Saif and the East equally determined to overthrow the state. Therefore the UN resolution to enforce a no fly zone and to prevent attacks on civilians was just in its formation and supported by the Arab League with its votes because it made sense.

But is there anyone out there still willing to believe the British or French military when they say they are simply endorsing the UN resolution? Shots of a Libyan jet being brought down on Saturday morning were used as an example of Libyan government aggression against the rebels. Then just a few hours later when it was no longer possible to deny that the fighter jet actually belonged to the rebels and was being used against government forces the BBC changed its tune but not composer by describing its bringing down as still an act of Libyan Government aggression but this time by ground to air troops against a rebel plane!

It seems now as if the civilian rebels have tanks and planes! This has all the hallmarks of a bloody civil war with little signs of an early victor.

This conflict for the West is about Regime change. pure and simple, Gaddafi has had his day and they now need to dispose of him and interfere in the election of tommorrow puppet to the West, and the realisation today (Monday 21st March 2011) that voices in the Arab League are questioning the intent and actions of those carrying out the UN resolution paint a dark picture for the west's involvement from here on in. Already the end game is uncertain, the planning? non existent and the questions as to compliance with the UN resoltion already being questioned by the Arab League, India and others. Call me old fashioned but shouldn't we set the plan for all to see and have clear objectives laid out and decided upon before we start shooting people? Shouldn't we ensure that those plans accord with international law before we go messing around in the internal conflict of another sovereign state

I am not a pacifist. I don't like war, who does? I voted against the Iraq war in the Commons because the case was not proven and I equally supported the action on Serbia/Croatia because it was and it was obvious to anyone that only force alone would stop an humanitarian crisis from continuing, but who are our current political leaders kidding when they try and tell us that civilians dying at the hands of British supplied arms in Yemen and Bahrain are less deserving than civilians dying at the end of a British supplied gun in Libya.

But the real nasty taste left in my mouth from all the weekend news was the race by Clegg and Milliband to jump aboard any passing war horse. we are fully behind the Prime Minister and his actions they said. Well did they ask their respective memberships? of course not and it sums up all that is wrong with British Politics today. Around the Country Labour and Lib Dem candidates will be knocking on doors before the local election polls trying to defend the stances of their respective parties which they themselves had no say in formulating. as we speak a vote in the Commons will be conducted with a Free Vote (if you believe that then you really are gullible) to decide on whether or not we undertake Military action which has already begun!

Over in Palestine there will be continued confusion as to why only some UN resolutions are acted on by the West whilst others are ignored for years and years and years. And in Yemen and Bahrain families will be burying their loved ones with no hope of international support or intervention simply because their OIL flows are either not significant or they flow in a different direction!

Forced regime change in Libya? NOT IN MY NAME. Selective action to cover up the self interest of the West? NOT IN MY NAME. A Party leader telling me how to think and who to support? NOT HERE

WARNING LOFT POLICE OPERATING HERE

When an old friend from Cotton End contacted me to tell me the Council had sent him an enforcement notice and were chasing him for £221 because he didn't have the correct notification in place before he commenced work on insulating his loft, I thought he was the victim of some sort of scam.

So I asked him for copies, and subsequently fell off my chair! It seems as if the new Tory/Lib Dem government  from October 2010 have been insisting on new rules first introduced by a Labour Government in 2006 being imposed on us more rigidly to correctly monitor the size of our wedge! In other words, how thick is your insulation? But the Lib Dems on NBC it seems have gone one step further.

My friends above had a new roof constructed by a friend in the trade and being climate friendly decided to upgrade the loft insulation at the same time. They shouldn't have been so eco minded as that act of green conscience has now cost them an additional £221.

The Council (who are never shy in issuing penalty notices or taking firm action against wrongdoers, see http://tonyclarkeindependent.blogspot.com/2010/02/theres-no-t-in-democracy.html) have told him "it is an offence not to send the notices required by the Building Regulations for change of use; failure to do so could make you liable to a fine. In addition, notice can be served on you requiring you to cut into, lay open or pull down sufficient of the works to ascertain whether there has been any contravention of the regulations" and then they threaten him with legal action if he doesn't comply.

He is fitting loft insulation for Christ's sake!!

Confused I did a trawl of the net and found that most Councils complied with the new law in as much as asking householders to apply for permission and be subject to inspection, but they sensibly waived the fee. It also seems that the measure is very hard to police and most councils sensibly turn a blind eye to everything but new build. But when has Liberal Democrat controlled Northampton Borough Council ever done the sensible thing?

The cost of getting someone in to insulate an average size loft is around £250, if you do it yourself then its a lot cheaper about £5 per sqM.

But in Lib Dem Northampton you can now add £221 to that bill! Hardly encourages you to be green does it? Best just leave well alone I guess?

The 2007 Liberal Democrat Manifesto for the Borough Council elections also told us that:

"To maximise the impact of environmental improvements we will investigate schemes to encourage home and building owners to 'retrofit' these environmental improvements to existing buildings. This may include increased insulation, solar heating schemes, grey water schemes etc."

Just how is charging an extra £221 encouraging home and building owners to retrofit insulation? Another meaningless Lib Dem promise sold out at the altar of High Conservatism. At least Cllr Perkins will be pleased.

Its not the Lib Dem's that are green it is us for ever believing them to be eco friendly in the first place

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR SPRING BOROUGHS RESIDENTS

Over the next few weeks residents of Spring Boroughs, will be asked for their views from three different sources for three different studies. It is important that residents understand what they have to do by law and what they can choose to do or not do if they wish:

1) 2011 Census: This is a purple booklet sent in an A4 envelope with “Household Questionnaire” written on the top, It is very important that you fill this form in and return it in the envelope provided. This is a legal document and failure to return it could lead to a fine of up to £1000. if you have any concerns on this form phone the Census helpline on 0300 0201 101 PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU COMPLETE AND RETURN THIS CENSUS FORM

2) Northampton Borough Council consultation on regeneration: You will receive a letter about this, and you can choose to take part or not, consultants appointed by the Council will conduct interviews door to door to ask your views on the future regeneration of Spring Boroughs, including sensitive questions on which blocks of flats you feel should be demolished! Unlike the census you can chose to take part or not in this study and if you do just be open. The survey is anonymous and the residents association will be holding public meetings to discuss the outcome further

3) Northampton Borough Council will also be engaging different consultants to carry out a “Stock Condition Survey” in other words asking council tenants if they can inspect their properties to find out what repairs need doing, again this will be done block by block, door to door. And again the choice is yours as to whether or not to participate.

I initially had some real concerns over these surveys all being carried out at the same time and also about their content, and I remain worried that they might raise fears in the neighbourhood about the future of peoples homes. I have raised these concerns with the council and told them that I considered opposing the last two of these studies. But if we are ever to get the council to act on our needs then we will need to provide the evidence of their neglect of Spring Boroughs and of our homes. So whilst I believe the questionnaires could have been conducted better by Caspar or the Residents Association without the need to waste any money on consultants, I have decided not to oppose them, but instead I leave it to you to determine what information you wish to give.

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS OVER ANY OF THE ABOVE STUDIES AND QUESTIONAIRRES AND OR WANT ADVICE ON ANY ASPECT OF THEM, THEN I AM HERE TO ANSWER THOSE CONCERNS. PLEASE RING ME ON 07971040166 or email me at tony.clarke@email.com and I will do my best to advise you.

CAN WE COUNT ON YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, so as the Lib Dems on the Borough Council begin their feeble attempts to convince an election ready public that they have led us well at the Town Hall for the past four years I thought I would ask a public question of their leader. I have asked it before.............twice......................and got no answer, perhaps today in print and with an election in the air I will be more successful.

You see about 2 years ago a sitting Liberal Democrat Councillor, knocked on the door of one of their elderly constituents just before Xmas and told them that they (the Cllr) were in so much debt that if they didn't find £150 then the bailiffs would be paying them a visit! And then in a complete reversal of the normal councillor/constituent relationship the Lib Dem Cllr asked the pensioner to lend them the £150 with sincere promises to pay it back.

Now obviously the words "promises" and "Liberal Democrats" do not sit well together in the best of circumstances, but here we had an elected member of the Borough Council going far beyond asking someone to lend them their vote. Disgraceful I hear you cry, but we have only just begun.

The money was not pf course paid back, so the pensioner wrote to me and others asking if I we could intervene. A telephone call with the Chief Executive and the Borough Solicitor determined that the matter of money owed was of course a private civil matter between the two people lender and recipient, but the Councillor in question may have bought the council or their office into disrepute, so a standards board complaint could be raised. This could if the Cllr was found in breach of the code lead to them being suspended for a period of time or even barred from the council, but as the Cllr in question has only attended a handful of meetings since their election, this would have been a reward not a penalty and still would not have got the pensioner his money back.

So after mulling things over I decided instead to call upon the moral compass and good nature of the Leader of the Council in his role as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group to help me resolve the matter, my request was simple.

"Brian. this sort of despicable behaviour reflects badly on all of us, will you please raise this matter with your group, and can I ask that the debt is paid by the Liberal Democrat group from their funds and then reclaimed from the Cllr from their expenses"

I told him I had no appetite for a pointless standards board meeting, particularly as the Cllr in question would not be standing for re-election (thankfully) and left it with him to resolve internally and come back to me once it was resolved. (so much for comments from the Lib Dem benches as to me being over political, for once I cared nothing for the political fallout, I just wanted the old guy to get his money back

Surely in the Spirit of collective responsibility the Liberal Democrat group would want to deal with and remove this stain on their reputation? No such luck, despite reminding the Leader of the Council of my request he refused to update me as to his or the groups actions.

Another Lib Dem member on the Council, obviously with a conscience informed me when I raised it with them that the group had decided not to pay the debt on the Cllr's behalf.

The weakness of leadership in such a situation is depressing, the lack of willingness by the collective whole to act decently to correct the wrongs of one of their own staggering. But now at least you know the measure of the people you are dealing with on the doorstep over the next few weeks.

£150 wouldn't even buy them a focus leaflet, and I still give Brian Hoare the opportunity through this page to tell me he has now dealt with this matter or plans to do so, but it should not have taken me to write these words to spur them into action, their inaction so far on this matter speaks far louder than my words ever can

BLOGGERS BLOCK?

February was a write off me in the blogger stakes I am afraid, starting fears that I might be suffering from Bloggers block? No such chance for the local politicians in the run up to Mays Borough Council Poll.

My absence was more to do with Cllr overload as case work reached record levels, it seems as ever the more you do, the more you will be asked to do. The problem with being an Independent though is that frustrated voters from across the town contact you when their own Councillors have failed to deliver for them! One such case I am dealing with at present has been ignored by the two local Lib Dem Cllrs for over two years now. Well when I say ignored I don't mean totally ignored, as they did manage to make an initial visit and talk the elderly couple involved into donating £40 for Liberal Democrat funds!! More of that later. And how about the other Liberal Democrat Councillor who borrowed £150 from an old aged pensioner in their ward two years ago and still hasn't paid it back? That will loosen my keyboard strokes in the near future no doubt! The leader of the Council Cllr Brian Hoare is aware of the above of course and I even gave him the chance to get his group to repay the elderly gentlemen the "Loan" so as to save the council any future embarrassment. But like most other requests for decency and compromise it fell on death ears.

February also saw me very busy assisting an old friend and comrade Ann Timson who so bravely tackled six smash and grab robbers outside Micheal Jones Jewellers with just her handbag as a weapon.Having promised An I would deal with the press fro her I was perhaps not surprised but overwhelmed when with worldwide media frenzy that followed. Ann gave limited dignified interviews, ignored the press pack and refused to take a penny for her troubles, as a result a lot of local and national charities will benefit. More of that too later.

All that coupled with two councils at the Town and County Halls both cutting services to the bone and both blaming the other party in power/opposition for doing so whilst conveniently forgetting that it is their own Tory/LibDem coalition at Westminster who is really responsible in the first place for their cuts agenda.

Oh and apologies I took a week off in beautiful Dubrovnik during half term with my wife to boot so a very busy 21 out of 28 days of February, but a silent blog.

It's now time to make up for the gap in normal service!

CARELESS DRIVING COSTS LIVES

I was once a passenger in a vehicle when the driver inadvertently ran over and killed a small black and white cat.

The driver concerned for the cats owners stopped and made enquires as to its keeper. The first door knocked gained him the information that the cat belonged to an elderly lady next door. He knocked on the Lady's door and when she answered he said

"Sorry to trouble you my love but I understand you used to have a black and white cat?"

The lady was distraught but under no false illusion as to the nature of his question.

Sometimes being blunt can be the best option!

At the other end of the spectrum we have Northamptonshire County Council Tory Group who faced with telling the public that their services are to be decimated at the request of their political masters (Tory and Lib Dem) in Parliament continue to prevaricate and avoid telling us the truth. So far they have revealed just £53m of the total £68m cuts without in many cases explaining how they will be implemented. In addition there is another £15m of cuts still not identified even though the public consultation ends next week!

In fact it gets even worse as at this mornings Full Council Meeting (called by the opposition parties, after the Tories cancelled the December meeting) Cllr Parker, the Tory portfolio Holder for finance informed us all that it is now a further £20m of cuts not £15m! Making it £73m in all.

Now I don't want to draw too much on the analogy of the poor squashed cat, but the driver then was driving well within the speed limit, whereby the pace and speed that the Tories are forcing through these cuts both locally and nationally risk more than the lives of a domestic pet.

Get this budget wrong and inquest after inquest in the future as to lives possibly lost through lack of care provision of the elderly left without attention in their home, of Mental Health sufferers unable to cope with life after reductions in their care programme, of young schoolchildren involved in accidents on our roads where no lollipop man/lady are present to help them, all these will come back with the same verdict, a local authority who cut too fast and too quick the services that very vulnerable people rely so much.

So for every ones sake I ask them to collectively  take their foot off the peddle to slow down, to think harder and longer on what they are doing, and above all I ask them to come clean now as to how severe these cuts really are, so we can all judge the folly of this Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition decimating Local Government Services way beyond what is safe, all in the name of political expediency and ideology.

NBC's DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

In 2005 two giant 4m earth bunds were constructed at Delapre Abbey, Northampton, to prevent illegal traveller encampments and joyriders using the parkland for their own purposes. The bunds were not welcome by local residents who wanted a less visually restrictive measure to be used to stop vehicles entering the site. Log posts maybe? or a fence? or railings? Anything but a 4m earth bund restricting the views across the historic gardens and battlefield at Delapre.

The then Tory Council at the Guildhall went ahead regardless. A local haulage company who had been involved in building many similar bunds across the town were engaged to carry out the works and the bunds were erected. Local Residents fought the plans to no avail. Two of those local residents Pam and Paul Varnsverry cut their political teeth on the issue, Pam even handcuffed herself to the gates to prevent the lorries entering the site and they both launched their local Government careers on the issue.

It was no surprise then that the Lib Dem manifesto for the 2007 NBC election contained a pledge to remove the bund, and Planning permission was granted very quickly to enable it's removal. but who would take it away and who would pay for these works?

Then to pour oil (literally) on troubled waters 3 individuals who had worked in different capacities for the company carrying out the works came forward to the Council and signed written affidavits to the effect that the bunds were constructed illegally with contaminated material. Christopher Merry a driver for the firm told the Borough Solicitors department that he took contaminated soil from the Express Lifts site in Northampton which probably contained diesel, cyanide and oil to be mixed with clean soil at the yard of the company and then take the contaminated material to Delapre Abbey for dumping into the bund. Thomas Ryan who was part of the team constructing the bund at Delapre signed his statement to say he witnessed contaminated soil from Mainline Construction, Telford Way Kettering and from the railway yards at Bletchley being tipped at Delapre for the use of constructing the bund. he said that whilst levelling off the soil on the bund he noticed that it was a dark blue colour. A third employee of the firm, Richard Gent also offered to sign a statement but the council said it would not be necessary.

As the cost of dumping a lorry load of contaminated material can be anything unto £700 or more the temptation to dump it elsewhere at nil cost or for a no questions asked lesser cash in hand sum is great.

Despite all this potential evidence, and the Councils statutory responsibility to prosecute polluters, and make them pay for their crimes, no action has been taken against The company by NBC.

Cllrs Varnsverry (plural) now intend to stand for election in the newly formed Delapre Ward in May, and unfortunately for them after their previous involvement and with them being part of a Lib Dem administration who promised to remove the bund, it is still there! Mores the point the original planning application allowing for it's removal has run out of time.

So to enable the local Focus team to repledge themselves to removing the bund a renewal application was submitted to the Planning Committee last night. I attended the meeting to object. Not because I don't want the bund removed, the sooner it is gone the better, but simply because the Council were amazingly trying to give themselves planning permission without mentioning to anyone the probability of the site being contaminated! There was no mention in the Planning officers report of the soil being contaminated at all? No objection from the Environment Agency either? But we discovered last night that they had been told by NBC that the soil was inert! despite the Council knowing otherwise.

The Council had carried out a pointless surface water test at the site a year or so back to try and suggest the area wasn't contaminated, even though they are aware that only a bore hole testing of the bunds can provide the results they need. The waste transfer tickets from the sites contaminated soil were taken from and the tip tickets from Sita in Wellingborough showing lesser volumes weighed and tipped than were collected have never been examined.

So I reminded the committee last night of the information and statements held by the council and asked them why the Council including the Planning Committee wanted to be in breach of the Town and Country Planning Act? the act makes it clear that

"where there is a reason to suspect that a site may be contaminated and there is the possibility that the contamination may affect the proposed development, the applicant will be required to submit reports in support of their planning application"

Now I have no doubt that the bunds are contaminated but the act only requires that "there is reason to suspect that a site MAY be contaminated, and the Council's own advice goes one step further as part of the Northants Contaminated Land Group they inform all potential planning applicants that:

"Where development is proposed on land that may be affected by contamination, a risk assessment should be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for consideration before the application is determined"

So as the applicant why did they (NBC) not mention that the site may be contaminated? And why did the Council as the Planning Authority not insist on upholding the T&C planning act and their own ruling that a risk assessment should be submitted to them before the application was determined? Why were the Environment Agency told the soil was inert when the Council knew otherwise? and why when all this was pointed out to them last night did members of the Planning Committee simply sit on their hands and nod the recommended approval through without insisting on their own planning rules being followed.

More the point why when the Council have evidence of wrongdoing, why is no action being taken to ensure that the contaminated bund is removed by the company who dumped the material there in the first place? after all what ever happened to the doctrine that the "polluter must pay"?

I spoke to other individuals this week who were involved in this whole sorry affair including those above who gave written statements. the Council seem to want to ignore their evidence? They ask what reason the council thinks motivated them to offer to swear under oath to what they witnessed other than to allow the truth to out? during my conversations I was horrified to hear that other bunds across the town were constructed in exactly the same way! In Northampton East including at a local nature reserve, in Wooton Fields and on other sites where bunds were built to deter traveller encampments.

So we have now hit a new all time low. We have a completely toothless Council unwilling to take any action against alleged illegal activity and allow contaminated waste to be dumped by major companies, but remain extra vigilant to issue fixed penalty notices against people dropping cigarette butts.

We have a Planning Department happy to ignore and break it's own planning rules where the applicant is the Council themselves, and then also make themselves culpable in not presenting to outside bodies the truth as to any possible contamination when seeking their comments on their own application.

We have a planning committee who when presented with the facts as above chose not to ask me a single question in clarifying what I had told them and then sat on their hands as officers told them without explanation that nothing was wrong.

And we have a whole community being taken for a ride by being told once again that action is to be taken to remove the bunds when the truth is that no money exists or has been committed to undertake those works and where the body responsible for any alleged contamination is allowed to walk away with no questions asked.

I am often told that NBC is no longer Britain's worst Council, but their inaction, double standards, incompetence and unwillingness to uncover the truth over this matter makes me wonder if it is not just the bunds that have been contaminated?

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