Mr Cameron received more support from business leaders yesterday, with 20 executives signing a public letter backing his European stance.
The signatories included Sir Anthony Bamford of JCB and Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise, head of Next.. Other backers included Tim Martin of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain.
Their letter praised the Prime Minister for standing up for “an outward-looking and competitive Britain” by rejecting a new treaty.
Bus service alterations during the 2012 Games
Games Local Engagement Team
11th Floor - Green Zone Palestra 197 Blackfriars Road London
SE1 8NJ
I am writing to provide details of proposed bus service changes relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Transport will be integral to the success of the 2012 Games. As well as ensuring athletes, key officials and thousands of spectators get to their events on time, we also need to keep London moving.
The comprehensive London Bus network will be maintained and enhanced next summer to cater for the anticipated demand. There will also be some diversions and bus stop changes, in response to temporary road changes that are needed to help make the Games a success.
These traffic management changes, including those on the Olympic Route Network/Paralympic Route Network (ORN/PRN), will involve some side road closures and turning restrictions. The changes will be in place for the minimum time possible but, where diversions are needed as a result, we have worked hard to minimise disruption to passengers and local communities. Nevertheless, there will be changes for passengers and some stops that are not able to be served.
Full details of planned changes across London are available from tfl.gov.uk/gamestravel. Background information is also included. Please note that these are subject to change as Games delivery partners finalise operational plans, such as local traffic management plans around venues.
A number of events, such as the marathons and cycle road races, take place on London's roads themselves. On these occasions, further temporary bus diversions will be needed. These are still being developed and we anticipate being able to provide you with details in the new year, with all changes confirmed by April 2012.
Commenting on the plansWe have already received comments on the plans from London borough officers, the Metropolitan Police and London TravelWatch, and are now engaging with political representatives and local stakeholder groups across the Capital.
If you have any comments on the plans, please write to the above address or email
ORNandPRNengagement@tfl.gov.uk by 27 January 2012. You can find out more about transport plans for the 2012 Games from tfl.gov.uk/2012. Yours sincerely
Leon Daniels Managing Director – Surface Transport
On 16th November 2011, the Government announced a new incentive to encourage thousands of small firms that don’t currently employ apprentices to take on a young apprentice aged 16 to 24. This will support up to 40,000 new Apprenticeships.
The incentive is for employers with up to 50 (and in some cases up to 250) employees and comprises a payment of £1,500 payable in two stages. It will be available to small firms in all industries and for Apprenticeships at all levels from April 2012.
Details of how the new incentive will be administered and when employers will be able to express formal interest in it are currently being developed and will be announced as soon as possible. Updates on this development will appear on this website.
The incentive is part of a wider £1 billion package of support to encourage small businesses to employ young people.
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No local councillor would be worth his, or her, salt if potholes did not fill up significant volumes of the inbox. We know very cold weather such as from last year makes potholes worse and creates new ones. Last winter was terrible for many reasons - trains, airports, shopping - and this winter could be bad again. However, as a result from last years pothole misery, Eric Pickles PM (the Conservative Local Government Sec of State) gave councils money to repair potholes.As a result of this extra funding, New Malden neighbourhood committee received £71,000 which was put work straight away. Conservative councillors fed into the local neighbourhood committee and all potholes which residents reported were filled and/or repaired. Not every single pothole can be fixed straight away but we prioritised the most dangerous or troublesome ones to fix first. This may happen once again this year and we need residents to let councillors know straight away so we can put them into our works programme. Please drop us a line or E-Mail us,You can also report it directly to the Council on the call centre number,but remember to ask for a complaint number so that you can check what action is being taken or we can do that for you. call centre number 02085475002
This is what the Conservative Minister Grant Shapps MP and Minister of State for Housing & Local Government says about the New Home Bonus.
New Homes Bonus ensures that for the first time communities start to see significant benefits from housing development and growth in their area.
For too long, a top-down, centralised system of housing targets pitted communities against developers. It left local people, who best know their neighbourhoods and the pressures they face, without a voice and unable to offer their views on where homes should be built, and how many their area could accommodate. Housebuilding fell to its lowest levels for any peacetime year since 1924 and house prices doubled in the decade from 1997 - leaving increasing numbers of people unable to get a foothold on the property ladder.
But the changes we're making to the planning system will give residents a much greater say over the future development of their local area, including protecting local green spaces and the Green Belt. And where homes are built, it is right that local people share in the prosperity and growth that this will bring to their community.
New Homes Bonus funding can be used however communities see fit to improve their local area - and I would urge all councils expecting to receive funding to speak to their residents about how they would like to see it spent locally.
Grant Shapps MP
This is what the LIB Dems would have you believe
Just as the largest ever investment programme into council housing in Kingston has been launched, the Liberal Democrat Administration has more good news for Council tenants with an announcement that over £500,000 New Homes Bonus Grant will be used this year to bring ten long-term empty three bedroom properties in the Norbiton/Mount Pleasant area back into family use.
WERE YOU ASKED ?????
Residents have contacted their Councillors about the problems of inconsiderate parking of vehicles which are blocking access to crossovers. This matter has been passed on to our traffic council staff who will work with the enforcement team to ensure that this matter is dealt with. Your Councillors will monitor the situation and ensure a satisfactory outcome. If this is somthing you have experianced please let us know.
We all know how hard the current economic climate is for small businesses and have heard a lot about high streets recently. That is why the New Malden neighbourhood committee - chaired by Conservative Cllr Ken Smith has made it possible for free car parking for people who want to shop in New Malden. Below is the council press release about this...
Free car parking in New Malden and discounts in local shops
Shoppers in New Malden are set to benefit from free Saturday parking in a bid to boost trade in the run-up to Christmas and to remind residents of the variety available on their doorsteps. As well as the free parking, shoppers will be able to show part of their parking tickets for discounts and offers at participating local businesses in the town centre.
This scheme is possible thanks to the Maldens & Coombe Neighbourhood Committee, who have organised the free car parking initiative at Blagdon Road multi-storey car park. Parking is free for up to four hours on the selected days. Keep an eye out for posters in the local shops for those offering discounts.
The scheme will run from Friday 25 November when the Christmas lights will be switched on, then every Saturday until Christmas Eve. The big switch on itself will take place at 5:30pm on 25th, with a festive parade along New Malden High Street, organised by the Malden Fortnight Committee.
Cllr Ken Smith, Chair of Maldens & Coombe Neighbourhood said, “It is important that we as a Council support our local shopping areas and maintain these as facilities for the local community. They especially need our support in the current economic environment and I am particularly pleased as Chair of the Neighbourhood that we have been able to put this scheme in place here.”
LIB DEMS insults Britain in the eyes of the world my calling us a a ‘pygmy nation ;
We Conservatives stand by the rights of our Country, it is now quite obvious to all that the Lib Dems are out of touch with the wishes of the majority of the people, it is little wander that they lost nearly all their local council seats throughout the country, Now they insult our Nation.
Is there no end to this parties odiousness .
On top of that they of course insult Pygmies, suggesting that they are inferier.
How much lower can they get ?
An election campaign leaflet which featured a claim about a former East Sussex MP's expenses was defamatory, a High Court judge has ruled.
The pamphlet was produced by Liberal Democrat Stephen Lloyd and used during the 2010 election campaign.
It described Conservative Nigel Waterson as an "expenses scandal MP".
Mr Waterson, who was Eastbourne MP until 2010 and lost his seat to Mr Lloyd, was cleared of any wrongdoing over his expenses claims.
Defamation proceedings were issued in December 2010 following the use by the Stephen Lloyd campaign of news reports in Liberal Democrat election newspapers that alleged Mr Waterson was an "expenses scandal MP" who had abused the system.
Mr Waterson's legal team said such news reports were used despite the fact that his expenses claims for a second home in outer London "were clearly proper and within the rules".
The High Court ruled on Thursday that damages and costs would be decided at a later date.
Following the summary judgement, Mr Lloyd said he had made an application for leave to appeal and would continue to "assess his options in the coming days and months".
"This is a highly technical ruling on the word 'scandal' and how people understand it," he said.
Mr Waterson said he was pleased with the court ruling "that I was the victim of damaging and baseless accusations by Mr Lloyd and his agent. It was a clearcut decision".
He said: "I have not sought to challenge the result of the election. We have achieved my specific aims today.
"The world and the people of Eastbourne now know that the Liberal Democrats campaign misled voters.
"Mr Lloyd should now consider his own position. The relationship between an MP and his constituents is one based on trust."
Spotlight on Fly Tipping
What is fly tipping?
Fly-tipping is the ‘illegal deposit of any waste onto land or a highway that has no licence to accept it.’ Illegal dumps of waste can vary in scale and the type of waste involved.
Tipping a mattress, electrical items or a bin bag full of rubbish in the street causes a local nuisance, and tipping household items and small-scale building or garden waste in open spaces reduces their amenity value to the community. At the other end of the scale there is a growing trend for large-scale fly-tipping which involves several truckloads of construction and demolition waste being tipped on a range of different types of land.
Why do people fly tip?
Most people fly-tip to avoid paying the disposal fee called the landfill tax. Household rubbish is already paid for through council tax, but other waste is not, and a charge is generally made to have this waste collected or to drop the waste off at a licensed site yourself.
What are the punishments?
There are several pieces of legislation relating to fly-tipping. In England, Wales and Scotland, the main legislation is the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990), Sections 33, 34 and 59. However, the recent Clean Neighbourhoods Act 2005 also makes some extra provision for tackling fly tipping.
The following punishments can apply:
Fly-tipping fines are up to £50,000 and/or 12 months' imprisonment in a Magistrates Court. If the case goes to the Crown Court fines are unlimited and a sentence of up to 5 years in prison can be awarded if hazardous waste is dumped. A fly tipper will be disqualified from driving.
The person found guilty of fly tipping is now liable for the costs incurred by the Council in investigating and clearing up the incident. It is an offence to permit or authorise fly-tipping on land where a Waste Management License is not held. Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the owner of the vehicle. The police and courts have powers to seize vehicles used for fly-tipping and either sell or dispose of them.
Tonight I have been asked to Chair the AGM of the Arthritic Society in New Malden, I will look forward to meeting the same people as last year Tina , John ,Joslin and of course the members.
The voluntary work they all do in one more testament to the goodness of people that surround us, they are not the ones who pass on the other-side of the road.
I am sure I talk for everyone in New Malden when I say a big thank you to all concerned.
Cllr David Fraser and myself were called to see the vandalism of the War Memorial in Old Malden the day after it happened, words cannot express our anger at the wanten crime.
Today Ken Livingstone’s attack dog Liam Byrne, whose record as Chief Secretary to the Treasury shows that he's not very good with numbers, launched an attack on Boris Johnson's record as Mayor that has blown up in his face.
Mr Byrne attacked Boris over his commitment to the job using the number of meetings he has held as Mayor as the measure.
However, he failed to do his sums properly.
What the official records show is that as Mayor, Boris Johnson has held more than twice as many meetings per month as his predecessor.
If meetings matter so much, then Boris Johnson is twice the Mayor Ken Livingstone was.
On top of more meetings, Boris has visited more boroughs, more often, in just three and a half years as Mayor than Ken Livingstone did in his entire eight year term.
If Mr Byrne wants to talk numbers how about these?
These are the numbers that matter to Londoners.
WORKS IN PROGRESS (24-10-11)
KINGSTON
NEW MALDEN
History teaches us to vote ‘No to AV’
March 11 2011 12:01AM
For the first time in centuries, we face the unfair idea that one citizen’s vote might be worth six times that of another
Sir, Our nation’s history is deeply rooted in our parliamentary democracy, a democracy in which, over centuries, men and women have fought for the right to vote. That long fight for suffrage established the principle of one man or woman, one vote. The principle that each person’s vote is equal, regardless of wealth, gender, race or creed, is a principle to which generations of reformers have dedicated their lives. It is a principle upon which reform of our parliamentary democracy still stands.
The referendum on May 5 that threatens to introduce a system of “Alternative Voting” — a voting system that will allow MPs to be elected to Parliament even if they do not win the majority of constituents’ first preference votes — also threatens to break this principle.
For the first time since 1928 and the granting of universal suffrage, we face the possibility that one person’s casting ballot will be given greater weight than another. For the first time in centuries, we face the unfair idea that one citizen’s vote might be worth six times that of another. It will be a tragic consequence if those votes belong to supporters of extremist and non-serious parties.
Twice in our past the nation has rejected any threat to the principle of one citizen, one vote. The last time, in 1931, Winston Churchill stood against the introduction of an alternative vote (AV) system. As he argued, AV would mean that elections would be determined by “the most worthless votes given for the most worthless candidates”. He understood that it was simply too great a risk to take.
The cause of reform, so long fought for, cannot afford to have the fundamentally fair and historic principle of majority voting cast aside; nor should we sacrifice the principle that generations of men and women have sought: that each being equal, every member of our society should cast an equal vote.
For these reasons, we urge the British people to vote “No” on May 5.
Professor David Abulafia, Dr John Adamson, Professor Antony Beevor, Professor Jeremy Black, Professor Michael Burleigh, Professor John Charmley, Professor Jonathan Clark, Dr Robert Crowcroft, Professor Richard J. Evans, David Faber, David Starkey, Professor Niall Ferguson, Dr Amanda Foreman, Dr John Guy, Robert Lacey, Dr Sheila Lawlor, Lord Lexden, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Dr Richard Rex, Dr Andrew Roberts, Professor Richard Shannon, Chris Skidmore, MP, D. R. Thorpe, Alison Weir, Philip Ziegler, Professor Lord Norton
