The Andover job club previously based at Andover Colllege closed on February 10^th but the same services are still offered by the Alamein Community Association job club at King Arthurs Hall.

The Alamein Job Club is funded by the European Social Fund and resourced by the Community Association, Everybody On-Line and the Church Army family worker.

The club is open to anyone looking for advice or help on job seeking. It offers an opportunity for those looking for work to meet in a relaxed atmosphere with internet access and local newspapers to find job information and get advice on looking for jobs. Information and advice is available on job searching, interview skills, CV writing, completing application forms and much more. Training sessions on job searching are provided and travel costs to the job club will be reimbursed.

The Job Club meets every Tuesday from 1:00pm – 3:00pm in King Arthurs Hall. For more information call Petra Goodens-Husband on 01264 358443 or turn up on the day.

Would you like to work with young people?

Are you looking to gain experience in working with young people and receive training?

The Alamein Community Association in partnership with Fusion and the Turnaround Project are looking to start a new youth club. However we need volunteer youth workers; we can offer you a training package and a high level of support. If you are interested and want to find out more; please come along and see what a normal youth club night is like.

Come along to an open meeting at

King Arthurs Hall tonight from 7:00 - 9:00pm.

For more info contact Chris on 01264 335237 or email cmdavies76@yahoo.co.uk .

Andover Lib Dems are backing local calls for a review of bus services in the town. I am not happy with Stagecoach’s proposals to reschedule local services in January. The new routes and timetables represent a cut in services. Stagecoach has been forced into this position because of lack of funding from the Tory controlled county council.

St Mary’s councillor Rod Bailey and I have held discussions with county councillors on the matter and Rod has called for a report on the new services to be brought to the next Andover Forum. We believe the county and borough council should be looking for ways to increase not cut local services.

We are also fully behind the campaign to bring Sunday bus services to Andover. Our parliamentary candidate Tom McCann recently met local campaigner Barbara Carpenter and gave his full support to her petition for Sunday bus services. The petition is available in many shops around town or from len.gates@andover.co.uk.

Tom said “local shops are now open on Sundays and many other events take place in the town centre after the buses have stopped running. The local councils should be looking at ways to encourage people into the town centre. Not everyone has access to a car or wants to use one. A good public transport service is essential to the economy and future of Andover.”

After the shortsightedness shown by the county council (see below) it was a pleasure to talk to Mrs Barbara Carpenter of Roman Way who, rather than complaining about the lack of buses, is doing something about it. She has recently started a petition calling for more buses in Andover, especially on Sundays. The petition has widespread support particularly among  older residents who rely on public transport and who are unable to get any where on Sundays unless walking or paying for expensive taxis.

This lack of buses was highlighted on Remembrance Sunday when many residents who would have liked to get to the Remembrance Service  in town were unable to do so. It is also a problem in the evenings where in many areas buses stop at 6:00pm or earlier.

I have discussed this with bus operators and the willingness to extend services is there if the local council supports them. I will be asking what we can do to support and improve services. Unfortunately some councillors see this as a waste of time and some have blamed the government for lack of subsidy, claiming all the money has been spent on free bus passes. None of this is true and even if it were this is no excuse for not trying to improve the existing services.

Free bus passes are no use when there aren’t any buses to use them on. Our shops are open on Sundays why not run bus services so residents can use these shops. Not everyone has access to a car, not everyone wants to use their car. We should be encouraging environmentally friendly alternatives, what better than a public bus service. Our Victorian ancestors were proud to promote public services we should do the same.

If you would like to help Barbara’s campaign please let me know and I will pass your details on.

I am pleased to report that after my representations to the Co-operative they have reviewed their decision to close the shop on Atholl Court.

The original announcement made last Thursday prompted a strong response from local residents with protests outside the shop and a petition of over 700 signatures calling for the shop to remain open.

I immediately contacted the Co-op and relayed local concerns about their decision and asked for them and council officers to meet to seek a solution which would keep the shop open. Over the past four days I have spoken to the Co-op and Test Valley officers on a number of occasions and as a result of these discussions the Co-op have decided to keep the shop open for at least three months while we review the situation.

They have agreed to meet Test Valley next week to discuss the lease. Hopefully these discussions come up with a revised package acceptable to the Co-op. If this fails I will be working with council officers to find an alternative operator to keep the shop running.

Yesterday I went to the 2nd birthday celebrations for the Askalot community shop in Atholl Court. As usual the shop was filled with local residents.  This facility has been a resounding success due to the hard work put in by organisers and also the commitment of local people to the shop. Congratulations to Marianne, Petra, Christine, Chris and everyone else who made the day a success.

What a pity this celebration was marred by the bad news about the Co-op next door. See above.

Figures obtained by Andover’s Lib Dem councillors indicate the decision to close the lower Guildhall and open a new community facility in Union Street has cost Test Valley over £200,000 and could cost even more.

I asked for a breakdown of costs at a recent council Scrutiny committee meeting. I also requested details of usage of both the Rendezvous and Guildhall and comparison of these figures with those previously seen before the closure of the lower Guildhall.

Running costs for the Rendezvous and Guildhall over the past year totalled £85,000 and a further £4,000 has been spent on maintenance of the Guildhall. Income from the two venues over the same period was less than £14,000. The council previously received just under £14,000 a year in rent from the two shops converted into the Rendezvous.

The total cost over the last year to council taxpayers is £89,000. A similar loss is expected next year. To this must be added the capital costs of £114,000 to set up the Rendezvous.

This does indicate the council were premature in closing the lower Guildhall before they had a lease signed by the new tenant. The only good news is that usage of the Rendezvous is increasing but, not by the previous users of the Guildhall. This has led to a substantial loss of income which we are unlikely to replace. We were told the lower Guildhall had to be let out as a restaurant because it was costing too much money to retain it as a community facility. And now we find even more money is being spent on the Rendezvous. In the current financial climate we must consider whether this is acceptable and review the situation again next year.

Residents are probably already aware that councillors’ surgeries takes place every Saturday morning from 10:00 to 12:00 in either the Guildhall or the Rendezvous. In addition to this I am organising surgeries every Thursday in September from 12:00 to 1:00 in the Askalot shop on King Arthur’s Way. The first will be this coming Thursday 3 September. I am also happy to hold surgeries at any other suitable venue in the ward.

It is now over a year since public access to and use of the lower Guildhall was ended and the alternative community facility was opened at the Rendezvous. Since then the lower Guildhall has lain empty and the Rendezvous underused and derided by many of the community groups relocated in there.

Previous attempts by me and Cllr Mike McGarry to find out how often the Rendezvous is used and how much this has all cost have been met with the answer that no figures will be available till the end of the financial year.

Test Valley must now have full figures for 2008/2009 so I have tabled the following questions through the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Can officers update me on the following?

• Current usage of the Rendezvous:

How many hours per week is it used compared to usage of the lower Guildhall?
How many hours per week is the upper Guildhall used?
How many previous users of the lower Guildhall now use the Rendezvous?
What proportion of the total usage of both is private hire as opposed to council use?

• Income from the Rendezvous and Guildhall:

What was the revenue from the Rendezvous and Guildhall over the past year? How does this compare to previous income from the Guildhall?
What was the rental income from the two shops which became the Rendezvous?
What was the business rate for the shops and what rates are now paid?

• Set up and running costs:

What were the set up costs for the Rendezvous?
What were the running costs for the Rendezvous and Guildhall over the past year?
How does this compare to previous costs for the Guildhall?
What maintenance if any has been carried out on the Guildhall over the past year and at what cost?

• For the future:

What is the projected income from the upper Guildhall and Rendezvous for the current year?
What are the expected running (admin) and maintenance costs for the two buildings over the next year?

I look forward to full and detailed answers at the next meeting in Romsey on 8th September.

A number of residents have spoken to me about the phone box in Little London. This has been unusable since being hit by a car. Even in these days of mobile phones BT phone boxes are still important especially in remoter areas like Little London where mobile coverage can be intermittent. In this case the phone box is also an important local land mark. These red phone boxes are part of our heritage and should be retained in situ and working wherever possible.

I have contacted BT, who are aware of the damage, and advised them of the need to repair this box as soon as possible. I await news of when the repairs will take place.

Alamein Community Association was set up in 2007 to promote the benefit of all the inhabitants of Alamein ward, to provide facilities in the interests of local residents and to maintain the King Arthur’s Hall for the benefit of local people.

A set of priorities were agreed in 2007 and the association set out to work with other groups to achieve these. After two years work by a number of agencies all of these have been achieved including computer classes and IT access, after school clubs, health advice, evening classes, bingo and other social events, arts and music projects (including the film Inside Out) and a community newsletter. The association has built links with many other local groups and obtained funding of over £38,000 for local projects.

The association now hopes to build on that success by finding more funding for the coming year to increase its work in the area and involve more local residents from across the ward in its activities. It aims to expand the facilities and use of King Arthur’s Hall and become a voice to represent the people of Alamein ward.

Meetings are held monthly in King Arthur’s Hall and all local residents are invited to come and join in this exciting project. The next meeting is on Tuesday 4 August at 6:15 in King Arthur’s Hall.

If you’d like to find out more about the association and its activities, please call Marianne Piggin on 01264 368623.

Yesterday’s meeting was a fairly short one. It was too hot in the Guildhall to stay for too long. I wonder how much hotter it will be when we have a pizza restaurant downstairs.

Among items on the agenda were the regular updates of the council’s finances.

The treasury management report showed how well council officers had managed the portfolio getting a 5.6% return on investments. However this is unlikely for the future where returns are liekly to be only about 1% leading to inevitable pressure on future budgets and council services. The capital expenditire report showed worrying slippages in projects meaning important projects such as refurbishments on Walworth Indusatrial Estate and improvements to the lifts and toilets in the Chantry centre are behind schedule. I was told that this work will be completed in the summer and I will monitor progress to ensure it is.

I joined Cllr Rod Bailey in questioning why the council had suddenly found a £1 million surplus. This was due to underspends and additional government funding which surely should have been known about before the very severe cuts implemented early this year. I was unable to get assurances that this money would be used to protect or improve essential services rather than just be squirreled away in the council’s savings accounts.

The annual general meeting of Alamein Community Association takes place at King Arthur’s Hall, King Arthur’s Way at 6:30 on Tuesday 30 June.

The community association was set up to represent  residents across Alamein ward and has been very succesful over the past year. Come along to find out what they’ve done and how you can get involved.

The evening will include a showing of “Inside Out” the film made by, and featuring local residents. Refreshments will also be supplied.

See you all there - Your community association needs you.

Today I visited Andover Guildhall to see the return of PHAB.

As one of the long term users of the Lower Guildhall PHAB they were very much a part of the town centre scene and it’s good to see them back in the Guildhall in the High Street. Their forced removal to the Rendezvous proved to be a disaster with next to no-one attending their coffee mornings and complaints about the alternative facility especially about the poor quality of the toilets.

Attendance in the Upper Guildhall today was similar to previously attained in the Lower Guildhall and many locals welcomed them back.  I wish them well for the future and hope those councillors who foolishly voted to relocate charities from the Guildhall to an unsuitable side street shop will now admit their mistake.

PHAB will be in the Upper Guildhall on Thursday’s for the next month at least. A lift is available for those unable to climb the stairs.

Regular readers will know I have been calling for additional dog bins and rubbish bins in the ward. I am pleased to report the campaign is beginning to have an impact. In addition to the new bin previously reported on Hadrian Road. TVBC and Testway Housing have now installed extra bins on King Arthurs Way and Roman Way.

 If there are other areas which need extra bins please let me know.

Test Valley Borough Council has now set its budget for 2009/2010 after a 2 ½ hour debate during which the Liberal Democrat opposition questioned many aspects of the proposals.

Test Valley’s council tax will rise by 4.5%, 23 vacant jobs have been deleted and a further 20 – 30 redundancies are expected. The Lib Dems argued that while the increase in council tax was inevitable it should be tempered by a freeze on increases in fees and charges, set to rise by 5%. Deferring increases in charges would cost the council £50,000. This could be more than met by savings in the cost of councillors and the mayoralty we argued. The mayor’s office currently costs taxpayers £126,000 a year. A further Lib Dem proposal to reduce councillor numbers to save an additional £500,000 per year from 2011 was also rejected.

I am disappointed that we lost the vote but feel we did win the arguments. It was heartening to hear that the economic portfolio holder is willing to work with us to look for future cost savings. This problem is not going to go away we will need to continue to look for economies throughout the council and that must include the cost of the councillors themselves.

Test Valley’’s Liberal Democrat group are proposing amendments to the Borough Council’s 2009-2010 budget designed to reduce costs and soften the impact of the credit crunch on local taxpayers. A number of measures are being considered and these will be tabled at the council’s budget meeting on 23 February. Among the proposals are:-

The deferral of increases in council fees and charges for one year.
A reduction in the number of Council Cabinet members.
Savings in the cost of council meetings in line with savings elsewhere in the council.
A review of the number and cost of Councillors in the Borough.
A review of the cost and need for a Borough Mayor.

Many of the proposals are long term objectives which could result in savings of several hundred thousand pounds per year. The council is currently facing budget deficits of between £1,300,000 and £2,000,000 over the next two to three years.

It is becoming increasingly clear that we face a long and deep recession and the Council must take the necessary steps to prepare for this. For many years we have relied on investment income to balance the books. This will no longer be possible. We need to rebalance our income sources while looking at cost savings across the Council. This must include the costs of Councillors as well.

Andover Lib Dem councillors are calling for a purpose built lorry park for Andover. I and St Mary’s councillor Mike McGarry have tabled the following motion to next month’s borough council meeting

“Council notes the increase in the overnight parking of heavy commercial vehicles in Andover’s town car parks and on residential roads in and around Andover.
Council believes the parking of commercial vehicles in public car parks and on residential streets is unsatisfactory for the drivers of these vehicles and unacceptable to local residents.
Council therefore resolves to investigate the establishment of a purpose built lorry park in the Andover area.”

Andover is an important centre for the distribution industry and needs adequate facilities for lorry parking. It is unacceptable that lorries are parked in residential areas and public car parks because there is nowhere else for them to go.

Mike McGarry added “This is an issue I have raised on a number of occasions at planning meetings. There are plenty of possible sites that could be used. The council must take action to deal with this problem and find a suitable site.”

Tell us what you think - does Andover need a lorry park?

Test Valley’s Tory administration has been slammed by a leading Liberal Democrat councillor for overcharging the bereaved and youth groups with its proposed increase in charges for services.

In  a statement issued before the borough’s Overview and Scrutiny committee meeting Cllr Cooper said “A Cabinet decision to increase most of Test Valley Borough Council fees and charges by an inflation busting 5% - and other fees and charges by as much as 100% - was rubber stamped last Wednesday. The main increases impact especially on youth groups and the bereaved. The Cabinet members present were Cllrs Hatley, Busk, Giddings, Hawke and Nokes. Cllrs Carr and Boulton were absent.”

“Some of the key changes are outlined  in an email I have sent to Overview and Scrutiny Chairman, Cllr Drew, in an attempt to call-in the decision for further consideration. At present, call-in at Test Valley is quite difficult. Call-in either has to be agreed by the Chairman and vice-Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny who are members of the administration OR has to match a whole set of criteria.”

“The decision of the Cabinet is a resolution not a recommendation. So FIVE Councillors from the 48 total that makes up Test Valley Borough Council have made a decision that may markedly impact on the pockets of a large number of people at a time when it is quite clear there will be economic stress and anxiety through 2009-2010.”

The fee increase recommended by officers was 5% based on inflation on September 2008 but inflation is now estimated at 3% and forecast to drop to as low as 1.8%. Under these circumstances the proposed increase in  charges are unacceptable. Within the proposals are a number of increases well in excess of inflation such as 15% increases for cemetery and burial charges, and up to 80% for some youth sports facilities.

The committee agreed not to call in the decision but to refer it to the committee’s finance panel which I chair. We will meet before 14th January and review all of these charges to ensure local residents get value for money and that they are not overcharged for services.

Andover’s new Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) located in Scott Close, on the Walworth Industrial Estate, will open to the public at 8:00am on Wednesday 3 December 2008. The existing Household Waste Recycling Centre at Shepherds Spring Lane will close permanently at 4:00pm on Tuesday 2 December 2008. Diversion signs will be in use to redirect users from the old HWRC to the new site once it is up and running. The new centre’s opening hours will remain the same as those of the existing facility.

County Councillor Robin Hughes said, “After several years of waiting, a bigger and better Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) for Andover will open in early December. I congratulate the contractors and the county officers for completing this new facility ahead of schedule. Local residents will no longer have to put up with cars parked nose to tail back from the site and on to New Street and beyond.”

 The new  £1.2million Household Waste Recycling Centre incorporates a split-level layout, providing an upper area dedicated entirely to customers. Twelve containers for recycling and disposal, plus increased space for other recycling amenities such as a sales area and bottle bank. There is a separate access for lorries to the lower area to carry out bin servicing. This removes the need to temporarily close the site to the public during bin changeovers, so queuing times will be significantly reduced.   Extra parking spaces have been provided to improve customer access and has been designed to prevent cars queuing on the road outside the entrance in busier periods.

On Saturday I was contacted by a resident of The Oval, Cricketers Way who was very concerned about the heavy deposit of fallen leaves outside the flats. On investigating I found that there were leaves 1 - 2 inches deep. These were not only unsightly but also dangerous because they were wet and slippery. Several residents and visitors to the block commented on the need to clear the leaves as soon as possible.

 I contacted Test Valley’s Environmental Services and they arranged to inspect the problem and resolve it. The leaves were cleared and the whole area swept on Monday morning. My congratultions to all the staff in Environmental Services who responded promptly and effectively to sort this problem.

After the Tory controlled council’s vote to let out the lower Guildhall to a pizza restaurant it was agreed that the council would supply suitable alternative premises for the local groups who used the lower Guildhall. This alternative is the Rendezvous in Union Street.

Up till now the Rendezvous has been plagued with problems. Considerably more money was spent on converting the premises for use than had been planned. Usage is poor with only two of the organisations previously using the Guiildhall now using the Rendezvous. Attendance at events held there is much less than in the Guildhall with both PHAB and Mencap reporting considerably reduced takings since being forced to move there.

 All these points were raised at the recent planning meeting when the application  to convert the Guildhall was discussed and no clear response given. I have therefore asked that the council’s Scrutiny Committee look, as a matter of urgency,  at all aspects of the funding and usage of the Rendezvous.

The committee will at its next November meeting be getting a report on usage over the past year, costs incurred, revenue received and plans to improve the usage and facilities at the Rendezvous. We will then be in a position to decide whether a more detailed investigation is appropriate. My own view is that this will be necessary because the venue as it stands is totally inadequate and a drain on council resources.

Askalot Community Shop on King Arthurs Way  will be celebrating its first birthday on 18th October. To celebrate the success of its first year, Askalot will be hosting an afternoon of activities which includes face painting, balloon sculpting, book stall and more. A number of agency staff will also be on hand to provide advice on a wide range of topics Activities will be held at the shop from  12:00-3:00pm.

It will also be an opportunity for members of the public to meet Petra, the new Askalot Project Co-ordinator, who is based in the shop Monday to Thursday 9.30 -2:00pm.

For more information, please contact Petra on 01264 358443.

The Daily Mail has recently identified Hampshire as one of the most wasteful local authorities. Among some of the more wasteful items are £12,000 on new taps and £1.25 million on new furniture. The following article recently appeared in the Daily Mail (July 4th 2008); highlighting some of the ways that Hampshire County Council are spending your money.

Council in hot water over £12,000 taps:

 A council criticised for spending thousands of pounds on bottled water has brought six designer taps costing £2,000 each. Hampshire County Council bought the Zip Hydrotaps as part of a £40million taxpayer-funded renovation of its HQ in Winchester. Some £1.25million was spent on furniture alone, including designer desks and chairs. Earlier this year residents were furious after it was revealed that the council was spending £141,000 every year on bottled water for staff. Hampshire County Council claimed it got a discount when ordering the taps, which are said to ‘dispense freshly filtered, chilled and boiling water with an impressive flow rate’. But Lib Dem opposition leader Adrian Collett yesterday described the purchase as ‘extraordinarily extravagant’. Meanwhile the Tory run council continues to cut bus services, close care homes and schools, and reduce investment in libraries, roads and other facilities.

Residents have no doubt seen Friday’s Andover Advertiser. I am grateful to the paper for giving me the opportunity to talk about some of the plans your local Liberal Democrats have for improving Andover. I would welcome comments from residents on these or any other Lib Dem proposals for Andover

 I must, however, correct one small error in the reports. When discussing the need for improved community facilities I highlighted the fact that there is no community centre on Roman Way not River Way as reported. I am currently discussing this with a number of local residents and interested parties and would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in getting involved in this project.

River Way, of course has the Phoenix centre and I see no reason why a similar centre couldn’t work on Roman Way if there was sufficient local demand.

I have received the following from Hampshire Trading Standards.

Congratulations Mrs X, you are the guaranteed winner of a cheque for £10,000

Although not scams in the normal sense of the word, these mailings have caused problems for several people.  They are the type of promotions you will find enclosed with  mini catalogues, usually  unsolicited. They come in many formats with each envelope stating that ‘important documents’ are enclosed. This is a ‘Special Priority Letter’, ‘The super cheque you have already won’ and ‘your prompt reply is essential’ clearly written on the front.  All gimmicks to wet your appetite.

The whole purpose of the mailings is to encourage you to place and order with the company,  but all too often the way they are written leads you to believe  you have won thousands of pounds, and in order to get your ‘winnings’ have to place an order.  Most people don’t want the goods at all but feel that they can’t miss the opportunity of winning this ‘guaranteed’ reward

The small print – often called Rules of Game, Terms, etc, will tell you the truth.  You will know them when you find them -  either on the inside of the envelope you throw away, or in a single paragraph of pale grey block capitals on the back of an insignificant slip of paper, or tucked away under a fold of paper well away from the main marketing ‘puff’.    Quite off-putting, but puts the company in a legally safe position. 

Usually the title of the draw will be along the lines of  ‘Winner of a £10,000 cheque” so that every time they use it, they are not telling saying you are a winner, they are quoting the name of the game.   Yes, you will win a cheque, as will everyone else who sends back their form, but it will only be for £1 – £1.50 and can only be used on their products – and you don’t have to place an order, you can enter the draw separately

These sales gimmicks are used very successfully  by many companies, these are often foreign companies often using a British P.O. box

Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) receives hundreds of complaints about this type of advertising, and  are looking into taking action against several companies.

My advice - ignore the offers and report them to Trading Standards.

Questions have been asked recently concerning Test Valley’s Housing Benefit payments. The matter was discussed at this evening’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee where I am the Economic Portfolio lead member. Debate centred around the report to OSCOM on the economic portfolio review.

Particular points of concern were the level of Housing Benefit overpayment (£773,000), the time taken to process claims (29 days), and a number of cases where large amounts of money had been paid to residents with substantial amounts of cash in the bank. The level of overpayment is worrying but is small compared to the total amount paid out (£17,500,000).

Every effort is being made to reclaim that money. Delays in action are a result of staff shortages. I was assured staffing problems have now been resolved and the problem is being addressed. Staff shortages also meant the time taken in dealing with cases, currently 29 days, is worse than the council’s target of less than 22 days. Again the performance is improving.

Every effort is being made to recover money and take action against fraudsters and money has been recovered in several high profile cases.

I am concerned that where claimants with large amounts of money in the bank defraud the council of thousands of pounds they appear to get away with paying a fine whereas those claimants with no resources face legal action for relatively small over-claims. I have been assured by officers that every case is considered in detail and action taken is the most appropriate and effective in each case.

I and my colleagues will continue to monitor the performance of the revenues service.

It is now just over a year since the borough council elections and Alamein Liberal Democrats have been surveying local residents to see whether they are satisfied with the pepformance of their local council.

The surveys have been distributed to households in Roman Way, Viking Way and Lilywhite Crescent and dozens of replies have already been received.

Residents have raised concerns about antisocial behaviour, poor maintenance of roads and footpaths, traffic problems and bus services. Thank you to all those who have replied. I will be personally replying to all correspondants over the next few weeks.

Anyone who has still to return their survey please do so. All responses will be answered and forwarded to the appropriate departments for action. Further surveys will be delivered to residents in other parts of Alamein ward over the next month.

If you didn’t receive a survey and would like one please email me on len.gates@andover.co.uk and we will deliver one to you.

Local residents complained angrily this evening at the Andover Forum about charges for green waste collection in the borough. The current bag system was introduced after Test Valley decided the previously used wheely bins were not suitable for green waste.

When the bags were introduced the new system was intended to be self funding and assurances were given to the public that no costs would fall on non-participating residents. However the new system proved to be more expensive than expected and the annual cost for 2006/2007 was £3.99 for every household in the borough. The issue has been debated at the council’s scrutiny committee when I argued strongly that those residents using the green waste scheme should pay the full cost of the scheme. The majority group disagreed but did agree to increase charges by £1 per bag for the following year. It is expected that the scheme will cost £2.75 per household over the coming (2008/2009) year.

Defenders of the scheme argue that it makes a significant contribution of 5% to our overall recycling rate. While I accept that our recycling has improved I would prefer the council to spend money on real recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent to land fill rather than paying residents to collect grass cuttings to artificially massage recycling rates.

I and my Lib Dem colleagues will be raising the matter again next year when budgets are set and pushing strongly for a self financing scheme and a real increase of recycling of household waste.

Hampshire Conservatives over-charged council tax payers this year so they could bribe the voters with a lower increase next year - County election year. They denied it at the time, but now the truth is out. They have also announced some modest improvements to services to try to distract people from the major service cuts they are making. After increasing the council tax by 4.5% this year, when it was not  necessary to do so, they have now announced that the increase in election year will be 3.0%.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the County Council, Cllr Adrian Collett, said: “People are currently feeling the pain of the massive £43.38 Hampshire council tax hike this year - the last thing they needed when fuel prices are shooting up and the economy is struggling. This is having a particularly harsh impact on people on fixed  incomes, such as pensioners, who can do little about it but pay up and cut back on other things such as heating and food. Yet the Tories  think they can con people by having a lower increase during election year. People are not stupid and will see through this Con-trick.”

 ”The truth is that council tax didn’t need to go up so much this year, but the Tories wanted to get the money into the bank. In fact Hampshire has over £120 million of council tax payers money stashed away, much of which is only there due to over-charging now so that  future increases can be lower. How very cynical! The modest improvements to services are dressed up to sound good but while of course they are welcome, they don’t make up for the major cuts.”

“£1 million extra for pot holes sounds good, but until this year the County Council had been putting £3 million extra per year into highway  maintenance, so this really means that the cut is only £2 million  instead of £3 million. £400,000 for carpets and double glazing in residential homes is also  welcome as far as it goes, but Hampshire should be properly refurbishing all its care homes to bring them up to proper modern  standards. Instead of that seven homes have been closed down due to  lack of money to refurbish them, while the Conservatives allocate 100  times this £400,000 (over £40 million) on modernising their Winchester ivory tower. Comfortable offices in Winchester are more important to them than modernising our care homes.”

“Is there any proposal here to reopen any of the closed care homes? No! Or to reinstate the £1 million cut in the Casualty Reduction Programme? No! Or to prevent this summer’s major round of bus service cuts (the fourth major round of bus cuts)? No. Any improvements to much-needed services are to be welcomed, but this is just a pre-election Con-trick!” he concluded.

Story supplied by Cllr Adrian Collett - Liberal Democrat Group Leader on Hampshire County Council

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley has condemned Test Valley’s recent increase in parking charges as “cynical and counter productive.”

“With petrol prices hitting 117p a litre across Hampshire” she says “visitors will be harder to attract to towns like Romsey and Andover. The Conservative controlled council’s move to introduce large increase in car parking charges in a post election year is both cynical and ill timed.”

 The higher charges are an extra tax on those who make essential journeys into town and could well drive shoppers away to larger towns.

Mrs Gidley added “We are at the start of a make-or-break opportunity for many businesses struggling to stay afloat. It seems perverse that the council is undermining their own efforts to help businesses at this crucial time by slapping large increases on parking charges.”

The increased charges were introduced to fill the large hole in council revenues left by the poor returns from rents on the borough’s run down industrial estates.

Local Labour party spokesmen have yet to comment on the increase in parking charges or on the government’s failure to manage fuel prices.

I am happy to join Smannell Lib Dem campaigner and transport consultant Nigel Gooding in launching a campaign to provide a greener, safer, reliable bus service to Andover Railway Station from Smannell, Little London and Enham Alamein.Nigel, who was responsible for establishing the award winning National Rail Enquiry Service, has undertaken a survey of public transport in the villages of Smannell, Little London and Enham. His findings found that despite daytime CANGO Hampshire County Council time services to Andover, no bus service actually went to Andover Railway Station. As a result residents of the 2 parishes were left with no alternative to use their motor cars and fight for a parking space at the under pressure Andover station car park. We have passed the details of their findings to Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Smannell and Enham Parish Councils Robin Hughes who said today. “It makes economic and environmental sense that Smannell and Enham to have the same opportunities as other parishes in terms of the provision of a commuter CANGO bus service linking road and rail at Andover Station.

For full details see the Smannell Lib Dem blog at  http://smannelllibdems.blogspot.com

Test Valley Tory leader Ian Carr has refused to allow borough councillors the right to debate and decide on the future of Farepass funding for hospital cars. “No, no. How many times to I have to say no” he said describing the scheme which pays for the elderly and infirm to travel to hospital as a “drain on resources.”

Successive Lib Dem councillors, led by Romsey mayor Mark Cooper, argued the policy which cuts funding for community car services to pay for free bus travel was flawed and should be debated and decided by full council but Carr refused to budge. The scheme will be reviewed by the council Scrutiny Committee during the coming year.

In August Test Valley Borough Council removed the skate ramp from Smannell Road because it was badly damaged by vandals. In November Cllr Phil North reported on his website that “he had secured from the portfolio holder for leisure Cllr. Caroline Nokes a date for a temporary one to be installed. The new facility will be in place by the 21st November 2007.”

Residents are still waiting over a month later for the installation to take place. I can report that the temporary ramp will not be installed because it could not be moved from its current location. There are no plans at present to replace the ramp at Smannell Road. I will be pursuing this matter with TVBC Leisure Department.