Elected members we won't see standing in May

Rumour has reached Newbury Politics that a number of elected members are set to retire from the District council this May. These include Cllr Adrian Edwards, Cllr Geoff Findlay and Cllr Ellen Crumly. Can you add to the list?

NWN Readers back incinerator

According to a poll in the NWN, 51% of local residents back the incinerator at Chieveley Services. 39% are against it, with 10% saying that they do not care. So why all of the objection from local politicos?

Newbury Liberal Party?

A letter in the local paper today suggests that there is a new party for the Liberal minded in West Berkshire. The Newbury Liberal Party is being established by Stephen Graham of Newbury, and seeks to bring an end to the dominance of "two tired tired political parties who lack energy and credibility".

UKIP plan to field " a number of candidates"

The Newbury branch of political party UKIP are planning to stand candidates in this years local elections, led by general election candidate David Black. The party have been very vocal over recent months, and are hoping to boost party membership in the process.

Incinerator - Quarry planning conditions "in breach"

It was revealed at a meeting concerning the proposed incinerator in Chieveley last night that Grundon are reportedly in breach of the planning consent given to allow the firm to set up a quarry in the area. Grundon were given permission to quarry the site for a period of twelve years, on condition that the site was returned to greenfield or agricultural usage at the end of that period. There is now speculation that the application for an incinerator is to prevent a legal challenge from West Berkshire Council, and to allow extraction of minerals to continue at the site.

As this story develops, what will the political implications be? Why did the council not enforce the original planning conditions, and who gave permission for this site to be used in this way in the first place?

Incinerator - Benyon's hands are "tied"

Members of the public attending a meeting concerning the proposed incinerator in Chieveley last night were left asking whether their MP was supporting their cause or not. Assistant to Richard Benyon MP Michele Di Angeli was present at the meeting, and said that "Mr Benyon supports the residents in their fight, but his hands are tied on this matter".

Calls for CCTV review - Damaging the Tories?

Newbury Today are today reporting that calls for a review into the CCTV problems in West Berkshire continue to grow. West Berkshire Lib Dems and Labour continue to press the issue, with traders in the town also voicing concern. It would appear that CCTV images have also not been supplied to police.

Having looked at the forums last night, Newbury Net has a thread which suggests that just 28 cameras can be seen in the new Windsor control facility but none of them can be operated. The Labour Party have claimed that only 24 cameras are working.

Speaking of the Labour Party, Richard Garvie has claimed on the Newbury Today forums that he will publish emails from the council which will prove that the council set out to mislead him and others. Newbury Politics have offered to publish those emails on this site.

This story does not appear to be going away any time soon.

Predicting this weeks news

It is always difficult trying to predict what will appear in the weekly paper, but every week I shall try to predict some of the stories that will appear in the NWN.

1. CCTV. Nothing appeared last week. Diddly SQUAT. After two weeks of intense pressure on the Conservative Party (and Cllt Stansfield in particular), everything suddenly went quiet. The council claim there is no interest, but with almost 10,000 views on the Newbury Today website, it would appear to be the biggest story to have hit the paper in some time. If anything has wounded the Conservatives in recent weeks, it is the way that CCTV has been handled. Chance of appearing? 60%

2. GAMA Decision. Cllr Swift-Hook and his Greenham colleagues will be revelling in the knowledge that they defeated this proposal, especially after strong comments in favour of the proposal from Cllr Stansfield. Chance of appearing? 100%

3. West Berkshire long term debt. A very curious story appeared in the paper last week, quoting long term debt at West Berkshire as £49m, almost double what it was twelve months ago. Labour seemed to last a glancing blow on the Conservative Party, but this story will surely run and run? Chance of appearing? 50%

4. Incinerator. Front page and additional pages last week. Almost everyone opposing it. I will bet my house on there being something in the paper this week. Chance of appearing? 100%

What do you think? Comment below.

Newbury precept frozen

Newbury Today are reporting that the council tax precept that goes to Newbury Town Council is to be frozen for the coming financial year. This means that each Band D resident will be paying £71.97 each.

MP getting splinters

Newbury MP Richard Benyon has told Newbury Sound that he wants to be fully involved in discussions about the proposed Chieveley Incinerator. What he doesn't say is whether he is personally for or against the plans. Could this be because the Government fully supports incineration, and that if this decision goes to a Government inspector it is likely to be approved?

Time to make your mind up Richard.

GAMA Car Park REFUSED

Newbury Sound report that plans for a giant car storage facility on part of the GAMA site at Greenham Common have been refused at a planning meeting last night. One person claiming voctory is Julia Swift-Hook (Lib Dem, Greenham), who pledge to lobby the White House and the Pentagon to stop the proposals.

What's going on with Labour?

After a poor showing at the general election in Newbury, the Labour Party looked dead and buried here in West Berkshire. But for some reason, the local Labour movement has now exploded into life and one of the most talked about local politicos is their spokesman Richard Garvie. In what is traditionally a Tory / Lib Dem marginal, Labour seem to be doing all of the running and it appears to be paying off. CCTV, unsustainable development and student fees / EMA protests have all brought attention to Labour. The big question is, where did the momentum come from and who is Richard Garvie?

With many expecting 2011 to be the year of a yellow fightback, it would appear to be the Lib Dems who are now looking over their shoulders. Can Labour take seats from the Lib Dems. or will the Conservatives be the main benefactors of this situation? What we do know is that this will be an interesting campaign for the neutrals.

BNP to stand four candidates?

Just when we though that the BNP had called it a day in West Berkshire, word reaches me that the BNP are looking to stand four candidates in the 2011 local elections. Word has it that they will stand two candidates in both Thatcham North and Thatcham West.

The Three Amigo's (or is it the gang of four?)

During recent meetings with local politicos, it has become apparent that there is a small group of district councillors looking for a new home. It started off with suggestions that there could be three Lib Dem members prepared to join forces with the Green Party or UKIP. Now it appears that four Lib Dem members are looking to stand as independents.

More on this as we get it.

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The Newbury & West Berkshire political landscape

Being in the south of England, Labour don't really have much of a presence here (until lately, at least). The seat is traditionally a Conservative / Liberal seat, and until 2005 had a Lib Dem MP (David Rendel). The current MP is Richard Benyon (Conservative), who is also an Environment Minister. Local politics is in the form of a unitary authority, currently with 36 Conservative members and 16 Liberal Democrats.

Labour, The Green Party and UKIP are all active in the district, as are the Apolitical and English Democrats. There is at least one local independent candidate (Brian Burgess) who is also Chair of the local retailers group. The BNP did stand candidates at the 2007 local elections, but have not really been heard of since.

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