THE ANSWER MY FRIEND IS BLOWING IN THE WIND

Most of us are familiar with Network Rails "wrong kind of leaves" excuse to explain "leaves on the line" type delays to rail services. But where Network Rail lead, Northampton Borough Council are sure to follow with increased gusto and even greater hilarity and exposure to public ridicule.

Let me explain all:

A Northampton housing tenant informed me this week that the great mass of leaves outside his block of flats had got so out of control that they were now not only a danger to elderly residents who couldn't use the footpath without risk of slipping but also that the piles of leaves were attracting vermin looking for suitable nesting sites. Its not as if the leaves have suddenly accumulated, most of them have been there since the Autumn! So as a responsible citizen he contacted his landlord "The Council" to ask for them to be removed. He got a very speedy reply, in fact he got two.

The first came from a Customer Relationship Coordinator in the Neighbourhood Environmental Services directorate which informed him that:

"Leaf clearance is conducted by this department up to the edge of the Cartilage (sic) of the property but not encroaching onto pathways or garden spaces. This remains the responsibility of our Housing Department to maintain"

The second response came from a Housing Services Team Leader in the Housing Department who told him:

"I can confirm that Northampton Borough Council does not provide a programmed leaf removal service to any land owned and managed by the Housing Services Directorate"

It then went on to say inevitably that "in light of financial pressures" there are no plans in the future to change this.

So despite the tenants paying a service charge within their rent for "cleaning and maintenance" of communal areas, and despite the Housing Department being responsible for the up keep of their own communal gardens, picking the leaves up to stop people slipping on wet paths, or to stop rodents nesting within them is not it seems within their remit?

I raised this case on behalf of the tenant at this weeks Council Budget meeting and the Portfolio Holder for Housing Cllr Sally Beardsworth informed all present that the tenant should "Do what I have to do at home, and pick the leaves up for themselves" An extraordinary response given that the tenants already pay the council to pick them up for them? I wonder if Cllr Beardsworth would feel any different if she had a paid gardener, who told her that leaf picking wasn't in the contract? And are the tenants in the blocks of flats supposed to take it in turns at being the Floating Leaf Wardens?

It was a callous and unforgivable response from the portfolio holder, and a pointer perhaps to the levels of service our housing tenants can expect to get for their money in the future? Perhaps if the Council now admit to not being able to afford to provide a simple service like this, then the Council will consider repaying to the tenants all the money they have taken off of them in the first place to do so?

So it seems that these leaves will remain outside this block of flats and indeed others, because their in the wrong place for the contract. You see we now have "Highway Leaves" "Housing Leaves" and I guess within our parks even "Leisure Leaves" and whether or not they are picked up and taken away to prevent a fall or remove the risk of rat infestation is dependent purely on which way the wind blows.

Meanwhile in the Council's budget we noted a bid for £25,000 of new money to deal with "rat infestation of housing communal areas" which will have to be paid to an outside contractor after the Council closed down its Pest Control service last year as a budget saving.

So we cant afford a council rat catcher? we cant afford to pick up leaves outside our housing schemes, and we can't even afford to bring in an outside rat catcher to remove the rats from the uncleared leaves which shouldn't be there in the first place without making a bid for new money in the budget?

What a sorry state the Liberal DemocRATS on Northampton Borough Council have now got us all in.

Perhaps they should take a leaf out of Homer's book (from the Iliad than than the Simpson's) when he said "A generation of men is like a generation of leaves: the wind scatters some leaves upon the ground, whilst others the burgeoning wood brings forth _ and the season of Spring comes on. So of men one generation springs forth and another ceases"

So role on Spring 2011, I think a new generation of men and women springing forth at the Guildhall is desperately needed!

Meanwhile will the last one to" leaf" the Guildhall please switch out the lights?

£50 + LIB DEM INFLATION = £350

"The way we plan for the future, the pattern of uses for buildings we promote, the jobs and housing we encourage and the street scene we create in our town centre will all determine whether specialist retailers will want to come here.Increasing the number of people living and working in the town centre is part of this. An office development in Angel Street and a new hotel in St John's would increase the number of people in the town centre during the day and in the evening."

So said Cllr Richard Church, the Liberal Democrat portfolio holder for regeneration when asked in August 2008 what his party's plans were for the Town Centre. Its all part of creating a "City of Culture" where people not only shop, but work, and play and of course LIVE in the heart of Northampton.

But of course living in the centre of town brings its own problems, I live on the edge of town and gladly pay my £25 a year for a residents parking scheme to protect a space for my vehicle, but if you live in Sheep Street? or Castillian Street? or maybe on the Market Square itself? parking your car is a bit more difficult. Of course town centre dwellers are green in many ways, often they have everything they need within strolling distance, and car use is usually limited to getting to and from work and for leisure trips, but where can you park your vehicle?

Well for as long as I can remember, Car owners living in town centre could buy a "residents" permit allowing them to use the Councils car parks to park their cars. It was a sensible way of using space often empty in the evening and whilst the £50 was double the cost for residents just outside the town centre and it was an additional cost, it was accepted as part of the cost of convinience of living so close to all the facilities and there was an understanding that there would an administrative charge of issuing the permits.

So how is Cllr Church and his Lib Dem Colleagues going to encourage more people to choose the Town Centre as their preffered place of residence?

Well for a start they are going to raise the cost of them parking their car by 600% !

Yes that's right 600% at a time when we are all struggling to make ends meet and where the increase of Council Tax proposed by the Council is running above inflation at 2.47% the residents car park charge for those residing in the town will rise from £50 to £350 in one fell swoop.

But worry not, this is one of the income and efficiency moves that Cllr Brian Hoare said we would all like, so I am sure those effected will feel only too happy at the increase. After all they have been consulted right? There ward Councillor was consulted surely? No such luck on either count, as with the rest of the budget this underhand, sneaky and imposed car parking tax was once again hidden away in the minute detail of the budget book.

So as always with the Northampton brand of Liberal Democracy it is say one thing and do another, and they wonder why their star is no longer in the ascendancy?