Lib Dem leadership contender visits Yate

Tim Farron MP, one of the two contenders for the Leadership of the Liberal Democrats, met local party members at Poole Court this week for a no-holds-barred question and answer session.

He answered a wide range of questions from the crowded meeting, ranging from the economy and defence to how to rebuild the Lib Dems after the disappointing result at the General Election.

The other leadership contender is Norman Lamb MP, who visited Yate in February. The result of the election will be announced on 16 July.

In line with the national trend, local membership of the Liberal Democrats has risen considerably since the General Election.

Leaders' debate - could YOU help the Lib Dem campaign?

What did you think of the Leaders' TV debate? Want to help Steve Webb's campaign?

It's really easy to join the @LibDems - you can find out more here and join for as little as £6

What's made of plastic, paper, and foil and is not recycled in South Glos?

Answer - lots of those "paper based liquid food and drink cartons". The sort that you buy fruit juice in, and maybe milk from the corner shop. They're actually rather clever multilayer cartons, but this makes them hard to recycle. The manufacturer has set up a dedicated recycling plant - big enough to deal with a fifth of all the liquid food and drink cartons used in the UK.

They offered local councils FREE recycling bins. South Glos could have had five special collection points, with all the cartons taken away free for the first two years.

Lots of other councils have accepted - but what has South Glos done? Turned the offer down!

Emma Bone (Prospective Lib Dem MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke) said "I'm simply astonished... Lib Dem Councils up and down the country have already signed up to this free win-win scheme”

Lib Dem Councillor Peter Tyzack (Pilning & Severn Beach) commented “I am amazed and appalled that the Conservative administration didn't sign up to this free scheme to recycle them. We get fine words from them promising to improve on the previous Liberal Democrat led Council’s recycling rate but no real action!"

Update - It is now reported that the Executive Member for Communities will meet the company this week. Maybe the Tory South Glos Executive is having a rethink?





Our colleagues Emma Bone and Peter Tyzack with just a few of the cartons that South Glos could have recycled

Renewable energy

It was good to see the new wind turbines installed at Avonmouth recently. They're certainly an impressive sight - this photo was taken from Portishead.

In the meantime, we're doing our bit to make small-scale renewable energy cheaper. A while ago a £50 fee was introduced for people wanting advice about permitted development - in other words, whether or not you need to put in a planning application. It turned out that they were even charging for advice on applying to put in solar panels and the like - just the wrong message when you want to encourage them! Now, after pressure by Lib Dem councillors, the charge has been removed completely for advice on renewable energy proposals.

P.S. Those wind turbines weren't the first renewable energy project at Avonmouth. Back in the Eighties the Wessex Water sewage treatment works, which generates electricity from methane, was connected to the mains network. The Evening Post headline at the time was "Power from the people"!

Steve Webb short video

Steve's got a (very) short video about the members' debate on the Lib Dem manifesto.

Click here to watch the video (opens in a new window)

Then click here to take part in the manifesto debate.

TV programme - Steve's been on again / the elderly and inflation

Steve Webb was on TV again today, on the BBC 's Politics Show. He was talking about how the next Lib Dem manifesto will be developed, using lots of online discussions. If you missed the programme, for the next week you can see it on Politics Show latest edition - Steve's on towards the end.

There was also an interesting piece in the BBC West insert in the programme about old people and how the rate of inflation for what they buy is much higher than the average for the rest of us, because for example they spend a much higher proportion of their income on fuel. To see this (as text) follow this link: Old and Cold

Steve Webb on the box!

This week Channel 4 is showing a short TV programme about how Steve is in regular contact with many constituents using new technology such as email. The programme is presented by Steve and features three local people talking about their experiences. It was filmed partly in Yate shopping centre and partly in Steve's constituency office.

The programme will appear in the ‘Political Slot’ which follows Channel 4 News, shortly after 7.50pm, and should be shown on Wednesday 31st January (though these things are sometimes changed at short notice).

More trolleys, logging at Ridge Woods?

Sue Walker and I (Paul Hulbert) went walking in Ridge Woods Nature Reserve yesterday. We came across yet another stray trolley. Suie is arranging for it to be collected.




More worryingly, we also saw several people (one equipped with ear defenders and hard hat) cutting up a large log with a chainsaw on the pathway and then carting it off to a nearby house:

Note that we didn't see where they got the log from. It's possible that they got it from somewhere legitimate, and just took it up there to cut up. But it looked suspicious...

We read it there first - Steve Webb's blog and the Sustainable Communities Bill

Blogging is a good way of keeping people up to date. Yesterday Steve Webb's blog reported the debate on the Sustainable Communities Bill at least an hour before it was reported on Radio 4.

This Private Member's Bill, which has wide cross-party support, aims to give communities powers to tackle issues like the closure of post offices and independent shops, and threats to build on valued green spaces.

To take one example, between 1999 and 2004 no fewer than 3700 post offices closed - that's one in five. Many closed because the Government took services away and made them uneconomic. Other local post offices closed because the shops they were in were taken over by big supermarket chains that didn't want to run post offices. Now the Government is talking about closing up to another 2500.

But will the Government give this bill parliamentary time, or will they kill it off? (like they did with the recent bill to bring mobile phone masts under normal planning controls) - we'll have to see.

To read more about the Sustainable Communities Bill, click here.

Trolleys given the cold shoulder

Cllrs Ian Blair and Mike Robbins found themselves with more than they bargained for when they went looking for stray supermarket trolleys. This one behind Cranleigh Court shops, Yate, came complete with a redundant fridge. "I found ten abandoned trolleys in half an hour" said Mike. "There seems to be an amphibious version as well - they seem very fond of the River Frome".

Railway to remove trees, build up embankment near Rodborough

Network Rail are planning major works on the embankment on Westerleigh Road, Yate, facing Rodborough. They intend to clear all the vegetation off the embankment, build up the embankment in layers and widen the bottom of the embankment. Then they would put top soil on and reseed with grass mix. This would be about 3 months work. There would be a temporary road access somewhere opposite the entrance to Rodborough.

We can’t argue with safety works, but this is a lovely small piece of woodland. Many species of birds breed there regularly. Without these trees, people in Rodborough are going to feel that the trains are almost in their living rooms.

South Glos has asked Network Rail to do replacement planting, but there is bound to be considerable disruption. They are going to bring in about 13,000 tonnes of material – that’s about a thousand lorry loads.

The photo shows Steve Webb MP visiting the site with local councillors Alan Lawrance, Kay Crowe and Paul Hulbert.

Footnote - Network Rail is also talking about removing vegetation from the cutting behind Robin Way, Chipping Sodbury. We’re trying to find out more, and we’ll let you know as soon as we do.