Liberal Democrats are getting increasingly anxious at the growing threat of over development in Surrey. The Inquiry into the new South East Plan has recommended an increase in housing numbers, with Green Belt reviews in parts of the county. In addition the government has just published a housing Green Paper which makes it clear that Gordon Brown's government wants to see an increase in housing even beyond the levels set out by the Inquiry.
A decision not to implement a proposed council tax discount for pensioners has been explained by the council's leader Councillor Alan Taylor and Finance Portfolio Holder Councillor William Hobhouse. At the recent full council meeting, there were questions about a council cabinet decision not to proceed with the discount because it would mean increasing the burden to all taxpayers in the borough and would not be targeted to benefit only the less well off.
Leader of Rochdale Council Alan Taylor is looking at extending the 'Good Guy' scheme for fireworks to alcohol. The Good Guy scheme, which was pioneered in Rochdale last year has been rolled out across much of Greater Manchester. It currently allows retailers to refuse the sale of fireworks before 15 October and after 10 November. Only a selected few retailers are allowed to have a year-round license to sell fireworks. The Council are now looking at more ways to regulate the sale of alcohol in the Borough.
Residents of Balderstone and Kirkolt were delighted this week to hear that they have won the fight to overturn a decision by mobile phone company T-Mobile to erect a phone mast in their local community. In August of this year, an appeal was heard by the planning inspectorate, granting permission for T-Mobile to build a new mobile phone mass on Sandbrook Way.
Tim Farron, Lib Dem MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming questioned the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn on the adequacy of the Hill Farm Allowance top up. Mr Farron, who yesterday called on Mr Benn to ensure that the HFA top up was delivered on time, asked if he thought the amount pledged was sufficient given many farmers' circumstances.
Gordon Brown has been warned not to "rat" on EU pledges to generate 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020. In an exchange at Prime Minister's Questions today, acting Lib Dem leader Vince Cable asked Mr Brown: "If the government is fully committed to the 20% target for Britain, why did his own energy minister go on television yesterday and say he wanted it cut from 20% to 10%, under pressure from the nuclear lobby? Vince warned the PM could end up looking "less green than Blair".