Nick was responding to David Cameron’s speech on the economy yesterday, in which he announced plans to scrap taxes paid by basic rate taxpayers’ on savings interest and raise the level of non-taxable income for pensioners by £2,000 a year, and to Gordon Brown’s interview on Sunday, in which he spoke about government plans to bring forward £10bn of spending on public works, digital technology and environmental projects, claiming the programme would create 100,000 jobs.

Nick said that, to be taken seriously, David Cameron would have to identify what cuts he would make in public spending to fund his proposed tax cuts.

First we have an expensive VAT cut that doesn’t help people and now the Prime Minister announces he will create 100,000 jobs without any idea of how.

David Cameron is now offering his own fake giveaway. Cutting savings tax will mean someone saving £100 will only get an extra 40p a year.

As Nick has said, “If David Cameron is going to be taken seriously he has to identify what cuts he will make. How many fewer police officers will there be on the street and who will have a smaller pension?

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party with a detailed plan on how to put Britain on a green road out of recession. We have set out how we would make big, permanent and fair tax cuts, giving £1,000 in income tax cuts to families on average incomes.”

Green Road out of Recession

Before Christmas, Nick Clegg set out Liberal Democrat plans to put Britain on a Green Road out of the Recession, creating jobs and leaving a legacy that will save energy, put money back into people’s pockets and fight climate change.

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the VAT cut. The vast majority of that money will be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away.

The Green Road out of the Recession proposals to create jobs include:

· A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year
· Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more
· Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses
· Buying 700 new train carriages
· Reopening old railway lines and stations, opening new ones, electrifying the Great Western and Midland mainlines and beginning the Liverpool light rail network
· Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years 

Download the plan: http://www.libdems.org.uk/assets/0001/0042/GreenRoadOutofRecession.pdf

Only the Liberal Democrats have the man (Vince Cable) to do the Chancellor of the Exchequer job, and the policies to really tackle the recession.  

In fact this seems to be getting worse. It is very noticeable on my regular walks in the area that many dogs have been allowed by their anti-social owners to foul the pavements in our area.

This matter was raised at the Local Action Team (LAT) meeting in November, when it was mentioned that the Horsham District Council Street Scene Team were doing early morning patrols in the area, speaking to dog walkers and providing bags. I was unable to attend the November meeting as I was at another meeting, but clearly the resources being allocated to resolve the current level of dog fouling is completely inadequate.

I will raise this matter again at the next LAT meeting; please let me know if your pavement is being fouled.

I have written to two Lib Dem MPs to congratulate them on being successful in the ballot to be able to introduce a Private Members Bill in Parliament, and to urge them to adopt the Fuel Poverty (Eradication) Bill, which will reinstate the duty to end fuel poverty and compel the Government to take proper action to meet its targets.

I was appalled to learn in October of the High Court judgment that ruled that the Government’s duty under the Warm Homes Act was in fact merely discretionary.  I know that this was not what Lib Dem MPs thought was being enacted at the time.

The Government have been repeatedly censured by their own Fuel Poverty Advisory Group for their failure to fulfil their duties under the Warm Homes Act.  If the Lib Dem MP’s take up this Bill, this will ensure that the Government is not allowed to wriggle off the hook completely.

The Bill specifically requires the homes of the fuel poor to be brought up to the minimum energy efficiency standards currently enjoyed by new homes.  It also requires the use of social tariffs to limit vulnerable households’ exposure to high energy bills.

Over 5 million households are currently in fuel poverty, and parents and older people will face the impossible choice between fuel and food this winter.  This Bill will not only provide a long-term solution to fuel poverty but also a much-needed boost to Britain’s construction industries.  It will also help reduce carbon emissions.

Many people in Arundel & South Downs will benefit from the success of this Bill and I hope the MPs’ will introduce it as a Private Members Bill.

The Mobile Waste Service Task Force today agreed to issue a final reminder about the free home composting bin which is available to residents of the Chanctonbury area of Horsham.

The County Council will be sending a leaflet about this to all Parish Councils in the area for them to include in Parish Magazines and other mazagines circulating within each area as appropriate. The offer ends on 31  March 2009 - so if you have not ordered your free bin yet contact County Waste Management soon!

The Task Force also learned that Horsham District Council will soon be considering the introduction of a second green bin service to be rolled out across the District. The cost, for those who need a second bin for their green waste (unless they are happy to take this waste to the local Mobile Waste Centre), is likely to be £20 for the purchase of the bin with a collection charge of £79 per annum. The  existing green bins will continue to be collected free of charge (part of your Council Tax bill) - Horsham is one of the few Districts in West Sussex not to charge for the collection of the first green waste bin. So if you can compost your green waste it is cheaper to claim your free composting bin than to pay for the extra weekly green waste collection!

Finally, the start date for commencing the roll-out of the new kerbside mixed dry recycling collection service remains as July next year. The Chanctonbury area will be first on the list for the new service, but only part of the area will receive the new service from July, the rest will follow in turn over the rest of the year and into 2010. It is expected that it will be two years before the whole of the District is covered.

The CLC meeting will start at 7 pm in Partridge Green Village Hall and there will be discussions on: -

*Flooding in our local area

*Waste Management update (the new facility to deal with all County household waste at Warnham near Horsham Town)

*Highways and Transport Schemes to be funded by developer contributions

*Highway Works Schedule 2009/10

*Community Initiative and Village Shops Programme funding.

Everybody is welcome to attend and there will be a public forum during the evening when people can make their views known on local issues and ask questions. Hopefully all those concerned about possible flooding in their area will attend, comment and ask the appropriate authorites how they are working together to reduce the risk of flooding. In addition, under the developer contribution debate I will be asking the CLC to approve, in principle, support for the proposed new daily, two hourly 106 bus service between Henfield and Worthing from Easter next year - support from local people at the meeting would be appreciated.

Following my meeting a few months ago with Chris Chatfield, Managing Director of Compass Travel, good progress is being made on the possible start next Easter of a new direct, two hourly daily bus between Henfield and Worthing via Upper Beeding and Steyning. (It is suggested that the first bus would leave Worthing at 7.15 am and return from Henfield at just after 8 am, reaching Worthing just before 9 am. The last bus would leave Worthing at 5.10 pm and return from Henfield just after 6 pm, reaching Worthing just before 7 pm.)

I have raised the matter with Bramber, Steyning and Upper Beeding Parish Councils, and Henfield Parish Council has also considered and welcomed the proposal (and asked their County Councillor to do the same). I have discussed the proposal with my colleagues on the Chanctonbury County Local Committee and intend to make a formal proposal regarding funding at the next CLC meeting at Partridge Green Village Hall on Tuesday 2 December.

Chris Chatfield has also had a very positive response from Henfield, Steyning and Bramber Parish Councils and Horsham District Council, although he has yet to meet with Upper Beeding Parish Council and Adur District Council (which will also be served by this new bus service).

The Public Transport Officer at the County Council is keen to increase the number of commercially sustainable bus routes in the County and has given a ’supportive but cautious’ response. There could also be some direct County Council financial support in relation to school transport which would give income for the route.

His caution about the proposal is mostly about the second year, as, if the number of passengers is good, but not financially viable without local authority support, the service would have to stop since the majority of the possible funding would only be available for one year.  

In my view, since many local people have been saying for a long time that they want this new bus service (and this is reflected in the support from most of the Parish Councils), this is a risk worth taking. If this ‘kick-start’ funding for the first year of operation is approved, for it to continue after that first year it will be up to local people of all ages to use the new bus service. 

Upper Beeding Parish Council having agreed last week to recommend the Chanctonbury County Local Committee to use of some of the planning development contributions related to transport towards the cost of upgrading the existing Footpath Right of Way to a bridleway for the above cycleway, I learned today (11th) that the landowner of the Footpath route from its junction with the Downs Link to its junction with New Hall Lane would object to such a proposal.

Since it would appear that there is no alternative route which meets the health, safety and security concerns of landowners, it looks as though, unless local people have any other ideas, the scheme is dead. Although there is the fallback of an on-road footway this would be much less safe and considerably more expensive, which would probably defer any such scheme for very many years.

I am very sorry about this as many people have taken the trouble to express their support for such a cycle route which would enable the development of bridleways either side of the Downs Link, towards building a network of cycle and equestrian routes between the small towns and villages of the Adur Valley.

I thank all those local people for their support for this idea.

Upper Beeding Parish Council also agreed at it’s meeting last night to recommend to the Chanctonbury County Local Committee that planning development contributions related to transport schemes could be used to help fund a new footpath from Silver Birches in Small Dole to Woods Mill.

This scheme was suggested by former Lib Dem District Council candidate, Marian Brown, to enable Small Dole residents to visit the environmental centre without having to get into their cars for such a short distance.

The Parish Council is also supporting the possible daily bus service running every two hours from Henfield to Worthing, subject to confirmation of support from villagers. Hopefully the next Upper Beeding Parish newsletter will contain an article about this and people will respond to the Council in good numbers.

I will also be supporting these two schemes at the next Chanctonbury County Local Committee meeting.

I recently had to complain yet again about some poor aspects of this year’s grass cutting of highway verges and that some verges continue to be ignored.

From colleagues on the County Council I know this is a problem throughout the County so I welcome the news that a new contract for grass cutting is being issued for next year. I understand that this will provide contractors with electronic maps of all urban grass, so hopefully this will ensure that no areas are missed in future.

We will still have to on our guard for poor standards and to report them to the County Council whenever they occur! I will post the work schedule for grass cutting as soon as I am informed.

It is being reported at the Countryside Access Forum for West Sussex meering tomorrow that the Inspector’s report on the re-opened South Downs Inquiry, which formally closed on Friday 4 July 2008, is expected to be submitted to Defra at the end of November 2008. It is, however, unlikely that the report will be available to the public until a decision is reached.

It is expected that an announcement on the decision will be made in Spring/Summer 2009.

Hopefully the decision will be to proceed with the establishment of a national park for the South Downs which will be formally approved by Parliament before the next General Election, which must take place by June 2010.