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Numerous local issues |
| Hi all - Lots to report this time: 1. Housing development update Nottingham Regeneration Limited have now agreed to meet me (and the two other MPs who have criticised the process, Paddy Tipping and Vernon Coaker) on the 29th. We've also arranged to meet a number of environmental groups that day, notably Notts Wildlife Trust and the CPRE, to reinforce our case. Seriously grateful thanks to everyone who has helped keep up the presssure on this. Meanwhile, I have a second meeting with the promoters of the proposed major brownfield site at Stanton Ironworks. This would almost certainly more than satisfy the entire housing need between Nottingham and Derby for the next generation, but it would need a better access road over a green area. In principle this seems to me a more acceptable approach than concreting over a whole area, and if the details are promising I expect to support this. 2. Ercisson/Siemens/ HSBC I've asked for a meeting with HSBC management about the prospects for the site (by Beeston Station)and will be seeing them on the 26th. The twin objectives are to get a honest appraisal of the prospects for new employers coming to the site (to help Ericsson employees decide whether to stay in the area) and to propose a joint marketing initiative for the site with funding from several quarters - more details when I've talked to them. One issue here is flood protection, as the Environment Agency has blocked some plans for site development pending resolution of the Attenborough issue. So: 3. Environment Agency I'm seeing them at the beginning of April to get an update on when they expect to resubmit flood protection plans and what their proposals are likely to be - this is now equally important for Attenborough and Rylands residents as well as many others who have flooding concerns. i'll report back in two weeks. 4. Integrated transport breakthrough A project that I first proposed two years ago has finally come to fruition, with the help of enormous efforts by my Kimberley council colleague, Richard Robinson: a shuttle bus from Ilkeston to Cossall to Awsworth to IKEA to Kimberley to West Nuthall to the Phoenix park tram stop. It should start on November 1, and run 364 days a year, all day and early evening. The idea is to give people in the north of the borough good integrated access to the tram as well as shopping options in tthe other direction. Despite support from British Land (the owner of the IKEA site) it was hard to get a workable package until Graham Spencer in Awsworth had the bright idea of contacting Ilkeston Tesco - they have now come on board and will co-finance it. Although the route doesn't currently cover the B600 and East Nuthall, I hope to get extensions in due course if it's a success. It will link in with the bus from Eastwood and Giltbrook to IKEA. We can't improve the environment *just* by raising taxes on big cars - we need to provide good public transport alternatives, and I'm thrilled (and relieved) that it's worked out. 5. Tibet Obviously an issue deserving a separate piece, but this is just to note a local aspect. I've been working with the Dalai Lama's team to bring him first to Westminster and then to Nottingham, and as you have probably seen he'll be giving a seminar at the Ice Stadium in late May on peace, Buddhism and the environment. When I started on the project it didn't have a major political dimension, but as things stand it will give us a chance to show solidarity with Tibet as well. Consumer warning - partisan corner! With a general election just a year or two away and Broxtowe a target seat, I'm now getting more or less weekly attacks from the Conservatives. As I've always tried to keep my emails fairly non- partisan and I don't want to spoil that, I'm just going to add a section for the party political issues at the end. That way, if you don't want to see them, you can just read the earlier part and then press "delete". There are two this week. First, Broxtowe Conservatives have demanded that I support a Conservative motion calling for a freeze on post office closures. The problem about it is simply this: the only reason that closures in Broxtowe were limited to three branches is that the Government has promised the Post Office £1.7 billion of subsidy and investment; without that, the Post Office estimates that it would need to close two thirds of its branches. The Conservatives, who have said that they will make cuts in some areas to finance spending in others, have flatly refused to commit to honouring the subsidy. So they're simultaneously demanding a freeze in closures while cutting off the funding that enables most of our branches to survive. I'd like to invite Broxtowe Conservatives - who were late to support Bramcote Hills in the consultation and never bothered to petition for the Rylands branch - to try to get a commitment from their leadership to at least maintain the subsidy. On a more useful note, I've asked the County Counicl to look at Bramcote Hills and Rylands for the 'Essex solution', involving restarting the branches with additional County services. Notts has expressed interest, but it will require the post Office to cooperate, which they've shown little sign of doing so far (they declined my Freedom of Information request for details on grounds of commercial confidentiality) . Second, the question of whether Gurkhas who have served Britain should be allowed to settle in Britain on a decent pension. All Gurkhas who served since 1997, when Labour took over, have been given that right. The Conservatives, who refused to do any such thing for 18 years, are demanding that it be made retrospective to cover their period in power. I see a good deal of hypocrisy in politics, not all from one side, but this must be something of a record. On which fierce note, I'll leave you for now! Best wishes Nick |
