The problem with alcohol price fixing - sorry Mr Cameron but I can't agree with you on this....

I heard someone say recently, "Pubs are like churches - not used all the time but there when you need them and both sadly suffering from falling rolls".

Often we hear about the ‘drinking culture’ in this country – true perhaps, but we shouldn’t necessarily be ashamed of that. This week, I had the great pleasure of listening to Lee Le Clerq from the Beer and Pub Association, who got me thinking about this.

I, for one, think alcohol is OK. Pubs and drink bring enormous enjoyment and benefits to individuals, communities and society as a whole.

What is not OK is the bad behaviour that too frequently accompanies alcohol consumption, serving alcohol to children or drinking to the extent that it causes physical or mental damage.

Alcohol has a dark side and its impact on individual health, family stability and our streets are all too apparent. However, let’s not lose sight of the fact that around 90% of the adult population drinks alcohol and most of us do know how to behave ourselves. Most licensees don’t sell alcohol to kids and thankfully most of us will not be burdened by alcohol-related illness.

The decline of the Local Pub

The government’s 1989 Beer Orders were introduced to reduce the apparent monopoly big brewing companies exercised in the pub sector. Today, the largest pub companies own many more pubs than the biggest national brewery estates back in 1990 – so large monopolies have in fact been replaced with larger ones.

The vast majority of these premises are tenanted or leased so while the pub company will own the freehold, the licensee is often committed to certain supply agreements in return for a low cost entry to the trade; the pub is run as an independent small business with the licensee responsible for its operation.

We then saw the introduction of the smoking ban in pubs, something I have serious issues with. I would have much preferred air quality legislation to force pubs to install appropriate extraction and filtration to maintain acceptable standards.

In addition, I don’t think a year has passed since the Licensing Act came in when we have not seen yet more laws, and dozens of regulations and restrictions primarily aimed at the pub trade. So much legislation in fact, that the government has found it necessary to run three separate series of road shows touring the country to explain the powers within the legislation.

Would minimum pricing help the pub industry?

The issue of minimum pricing is something largely driven by the public health lobby. A modelling study, carried out by Sheffield University in 2008, claimed that a 50p per unit minimum price would bring about a 6.9% reduction in overall alcohol consumption. This would, they predicted, lead to 97,700 less hospital admissions per year and the saving of around 3000 lives.

Since 2008, overall alcohol consumption (without minimum pricing) has dropped by more than 6.9%. As a nation we are now drinking 13% less than the peak in 2004 and yet – according to the health lobby - we are not seeing any such savings in lives or hospital admissions. On the contrary, these continue to rise. Of course there is a link between price and consumption but the link between national consumption levels and health is not as simple and clear cut as the Sheffield model suggested. They are currently revisiting their studies at the request of the Scottish Parliament and it will be interesting to see what they have to say this time around.

So, would a 50p unit price suddenly make the pub a significantly more attractive option than drinking at home? I suggest not.

Let’s consider 80p a unit, favoured by some members of the Scottish Labour Party. A pint of beer in packaged form in a supermarket would cost £1.60, still considerably cheaper than the same quantity in a pub. However, the cheapest bottle of spirit on a supermarket shelf would be priced at £24. The implication here is that at this price why anyone would buy blended whisky, when for very little more one could buy a 10 or 15 year old single malt? This would almost certainly signal the end of the Scotch whisky industry as it exists today, as the ‘wee dram’ became an elite beverage, only for the wealthy.

We’re told that sensible, moderate drinkers would be unaffected by minimum pricing but the evidence does not appear to support this. Would this reduce the consumption by heavy or dependent drinkers? Perhaps they would just spend a greater proportion of their income on drink, and as for deterring under-age drinkers a great many rarely pay for the alcohol they consume anyway.

Indeed, minimum pricing could be counter-productive by leading to an increase in the production and consumption of ‘moonshine’. Illegally produced alcohol is incredibly dangerous, sometimes containing levels of methanol high enough to cause instant blindness. What will be the cost to the NHS when those who want to drink turn to illegally produced alcohol, because they do not have the means to buy it legally, either in pubs or from shops?

The EU may have something to say if the Scottish Parliament tries to bring in minimum pricing, as there are indications that it would be illegal under UK legislation, namely the 1998 Competition Act, and these are laws that are not devolved to Scotland for them to amend at will.

What would the Office of Fair Trading do as the body responsible for monitoring price fixing in the UK? Will it take action against the Scottish Parliament if it embarks on such a scheme, or would it ignore it? There is no minimum pricing on anything anywhere in the EU so why start with alcohol?

I have often voiced my concerns regarding the ‘Tescofication of the high street’ and some of the large supermarket pricing policies are cynical, and have a detrimental effect on the suppliers, particularly farmers. The Government has recently announced the ‘below cost’ minimum pricing option which simply takes into account excise duty plus VAT which should ensure that supermarkets cannot sell alcohol below this price. This is, I think a positive step and goes a long way to address the issue of alcohol being a ‘Loss Leader’ for the supermarkets - so perhaps a little good news for pubs here.

The dilemma ....

We’re all consumers and the overwhelming majority of us use supermarkets. Do we really want the government artificially increasing prices to protect us from ourselves when the overwhelming majority of ‘ourselves’ need no such protection? If an argument is made for minimum pricing, why should it stop with alcohol? The NHS spends three times as much on combating obesity as it does on dealing with alcohol abuse. Would the next target be McDonalds? How dare they sell a calorie laden burger for only £1.99! Then there’s the inestimable environmental damage caused by global aviation. What if those advocating minimum pricing decide that we should no longer allow hard-working families to holiday abroad at ridiculously affordable fares?

The industry knows that it is necessary for sale of alcohol to be licensed, regulated and monitored. Pubs understand their responsibilities. It’s important that everyone who retails alcohol understands the regulations and complies with them, and the vast majority of our pubs do so. There should be no state interference in fixing prices – especially when the consequences cause more harm than good.

The budget - the facts on pensions and tax

There has been much criticism of this week’s budget, especially from the Labour opposition and the press, particularly on the issue of the freezing pensioner personal allowances.

I think it is important to look at these changes in full and to take into account other measures announced by the Government in relation to pensioners.

1. We must remember that the freezing of the personal allowance has no impact on 5 million of the poorest pensioners. Of the 4.4 million pensioners above that there is absolutely no loss in cash terms to pensioners.

2. Whereas there is an average ‘real terms’ (taking into account inflation) loss of £1.60 per week as a result of the freezing, the Government has just announced that the pension will rise by £5.30 per week. This is the biggest ever rise in the state pension and comes at a time when inflation is continuing to fall. This means spending on the basic state pension is over £1.2bn higher in 12/13 than if the Government had stuck to Labour's uprating policy – equating to £120 extra a year on a full basic state pension.

3. We must also take into account that for the Government has now frozen Council Tax in many areas across the country, this has been frozen in the East Riding of Yorkshire for two years running. This tax almost doubled under Labour but our freezes mean that for the past two years Council Tax has effectively been cut in real terms. Pensioners in particular benefit from this as they are generally on fixed incomes.

4. It must also be remembered that all pensioner benefits have been protected. Winter Fuel allowance, free TV licences, bus passes etc. The Government has of course raised cold weather payments which were recently paid to local residents in our area.

5. The poorest pensioners also benefit from the triple lock in 2012/13 through the decision to uprate the Pension Credit Guarantee Credit to match the cash rise in the basic state pension; and the Warm Homes Discount means more than 600,000 of the most vulnerable pensioners will also benefit from a £120 discount to their fuel bills.

6. In terms of other pressures such as utility bills and fuel bills the Government has acted. Fuel is now between 25-30p per gallon cheaper than it would have been had the previous Government’s plans continued. The Government cut fuel duty by 4.4p per gallon when the coalition we came in to power and we scrapped Labour’s fuel duty escalator and we also delayed there inflation rise. Despite protestations by many local MPs the inflation rise will go ahead in August but there will be no above inflation rises until oil drops to below £45 per barrel. The recent rises in fuel are because of international demand and uncertainties, issues the Government has little control over. In terms of heating bills the Government made controversial changes to feed-in tariffs to avoid rises been put on to domestic bills.

There have been a number of independent assessments of the budget. One which is worth reading is the respected Institute for Fiscal Affairs who yesterday pointed out that pensioner households for the financial year of April 2012 onwards will actually see their average incomes rise above inflation to the tune of about 0.5%. Their assessment concludes that even after all the future changes are applied, pensioner households are the least affected of any income group in the country. They also confirm that the richest in our country are the ones who will see the greatest loss of income.

Much mention has also been made of the 50p tax rate. There was a reason why Labour only introduced the 50p rate for their last 36 days in power. That being that it was recognised that it could kill investment and be hard to collect. This has now been confirmed by the independent Office of Budget Responsibility who concludes that it has not brought in what was expected. The changes to the rate cost the taxpayer £100 million but the Government has off set that by increasing other taxes on the rich that will raise an additional £500 million in return. We must have a tax system that makes those at the top pay the most but that does not deter investors. Just yesterday as a result of these changes a major employer, Glaxo Smithkline, has said that they will now create 1,000 new jobs in the UK as the budget has now made the UK a place worth investing in again.

The public finances remain in a mess. This wasn’t the Conservatives doing and the Government still has to make tough decisions to bring debt under control. The changes affecting pensioners are not targeting them and hopefully you can see from reading the above the Government has done much to shelter pensioners from the worst of the cuts.

Holme on Spalding Moor Heritage Project

On Saturday Holme on Spalding Moor Village Hall hosted a Consultation Workshop to kick start a new and innovative Heritage project, the brainchild of local residents Gordon Howcroft and Alec Wild, and the support of HOSM Parish Council.

The aims of the project is to draw the attention of the villagers to the beautiful countryside that makes up the parish and to show how well placed HOSM is to connect the extensive cycling/walking/heritage schemes that exist not only within the Parish but also the neighbouring parishes and towns. These include the big skies bike rides at Market Weighton, Pocklington and Newbald, the Wallingfen Way connecting Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave, the Howden 20, and the Bubwith Rail Trail.

The project also aims to establish a Heritage/History Group to look to best preserve the wide variety of heritage held within Holme on Spalding Moor, by asking villagers to offer documents and photographs of interest for scanning into a digital archive, and by encouraging volunteers to converse with older villagers who have personal experiences of living and working in the community - to record these stories for posterity.

It is acknowledged that HOSM does not exist in isolation, therefore it is also hoped to forge links with the neighbouring parishes to create a broader project for the benefit of the wider community.

The organisations that took part in the workshop event were:

Blackburn archive
76 Squadron
Cityscape maps
Pocklington Canal Amenity Society
Pocklington Gateway Partnership
Market Weighton Bradley Way
VHEY
Howden Civic Society
Wallingfen Way Project
Sam Marriage, Conservation Farming
Meadow Foods
HOSM School
Hull University, Valley of the First Iron Masters
Yorkshire Museum of Farming

The workshop was only the beginning and further plans include:

To bring together volunteers and source training as required
To prepare a funding bid for Heritage Lottery Funding
To progress the scanning of pledged documents
To continue recording personal histories, some of which has already begun
To purchase the required computer equipment and software to carry out the recording of data, documents and interviews.
To design and print high quality maps, interpretation boards and way markers that will form the basis of the self-guided walks and cycle trails.

Holme on Spalding Moor School children were asked to enter a competition to design a logo for the project which was judged by those people attending, local MEP Godfrey Bloom presented the winning logo at the end of the workshop.

“Projects such as this are essential in many ways – Pictures and photographs are long lasting but memories are lost with the passing of time, preserving the local history for our descendants to view and listen to in the future gives us all an opportunity to be the custodians of the past.

As someone who spends a great deal of time mountain biking I can confirm the benefits, to see more people walking and cycling has obvious implications for better health, and this is made easier if they are able to follow established paths and trails. The more people that use the paths and trails the more they are looked after. There are untold opportunities for local communities to benefit from increased tourism, be they local pubs, cafes and shops, or the local farmer’s wife living alongside the paths or waterways selling cups of tea and scones from her kitchen. The beautiful Howdenshire area is rich in history and tradition and the people are warm and friendly, let’s take the opportunity this project offers to consolidate our past and ensure a sustainable future for our children”.

(pictured with Godfrey Bloom MEP and Gordon Howcroft)

Goole College & Hospital to share site

I recently attended a really positive meeting of the Goole College Consultative Forum along with Andrew Percy MP, local ward members, representatives of local business/employers, College staff and others. The topic was the proposed partnership between Hull College and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which could see the College open a campus in underused parts of the Goole and District Hospital site, and eventually relocate completely.

The partnership could see the utilisation of unused areas of the Goole Hospital site as a base for Goole College, (part of the Hull College Group). This exciting development would enable the College to develop a new range of education and training programmes to complement the existing offer available. The partnership would also help Goole Hospital maximise the use of their estate for the best public value.

The potential development - which still requires the formal support of the Board of the hospital Trust and the College - will be consulted upon with staff, users and local residents over the coming months, and the Consultative Forum was just the first opportunity.

The proposals include the development of provision in two phases; the first beginning this September 2012, which would see an increase in courses in health and social care, employability skills and higher level professional qualifications. The second phase, in September 2013 would see the College moving out of its existing buildings on Boothferry Road and transferring all provision to the Goole Hospital site. This would enhance growth in both further and higher education provision. This two-phase approach is designed to provide the opportunity for community feedback and partnership development to be fully considered.

It is important to recognise this is NOT about closing hospital wards, NOT about cutting services and NOT about reducing the courses offered by the College. It is about fully developing underused and under-utilised areas of the hospital estate.

There will be no impact on bed numbers as a result of any agreement that is reached between the partners. It is planned that any development will be self-contained, with separate entrances and exits between the hospital and the college areas.

The proposed partnership potentially provides a wealth of opportunities for young people and adults within Goole and surrounding areas. The planned Goole College offer will include a ‘ladder of progression’ from level one to higher education degree courses. The College will also be able to offer a number of shorter courses in response to community need.

Health and social care students would be able to gain access to the expertise and knowledge of professional medical staff, whilst developing skills through work experience within a specialist hospital environment.

Depending upon the outcome of the consultation Goole College would work closely with partners to consider the best potential outcome for the current site to meet local community need. Official consultation on the plans will open shortly for individual response on the Goole College website – see http://www.goole-college,co.uk./

I certainly welcome the idea of collaborative working between Goole College and the Hospital, if there is an underused modern building available at the hospital site with scope and space for significant further development, it would be economically beneficial and savings could certainly be made if the College was to relocate from its present old building with its high running and maintenance costs.

The improvement of the learning facilities in an attractive environment, and to increase the courses provided in health and social care can only be a positive, not only for Goole but the wider area, including Howdenshire. The positive response from the business representatives and employers at the Forum meeting was reassurring, as they recognised it would mean courses more reflective of their training needs, thus ensuring that students have the necessary skills to respond to employers and also take advantage of the new and exciting prospects coming to our region.

The teaching element offered by the College could certainly benefit the hospital and the patients through direct links with its courses including catering, hair dressing, preparation for child care, and maintenance studies.

I would certainly hope to see the College providing bespoke teaching and training, and it may be that a training ward could be established to benefit the wider area. I would urge the College and the NHS to be radical in their thinking as to how by working together in partnership, just with each other but with other public service organisations too, they can create a great example of how to save costs and collectively deliver the same or better for less.

I just hope that traditionalism in Goole doesn’t get in the way of this exciting opportunity for the Town and the surrounding area. This is a chance for Goole and Howdenshire to state absolutley that it's open for business!

Andrew Percy MP says, "I’ve previously discussed the plans with the Hull College Group and the Hospital Trust.

The partnership would be the first in the country and has the potential to be incredibly positive for Goole’s young people. It would also see an extension of further and higher education courses in the town.

Clearly, there is more to be worked out in the finer details and there will be snags along the way but this is a really exciting development. see more at http://www.andrewpercy.org/

Change of access to proposed Spaldington wind farm denied

This week the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Planning Committee, voted against the officers recommendation, supported the local opposition and refused planning consent for an alternative access route for the construction of the proposed Falck Renewables 5 turbine Spaldington Airfield wind farm.

Both Spaldington resident Alison Taylor and I spoke at the meeting to support the community’s objection, and needless to say the Committee members shared our concerns, saw the application for what it was and threw it out, stating the unacceptable impact of the amenity of the area as the reason.

The frustration with this application was that the company already has an adequate access approved by the planning inspector at appeal – and I could see no reason whatsoever why this agreed access couldn’t be used, and now after the refusal by the Committee the company will have to use this route. Ok, it may inconvenience the landowner a little – but he’s going to make a pretty packet out of this wind farm so this is a small price to pay.

The audacity of the applicant to try and pass on the problems of ‘potential traffic HGV movements conflicting with other businesses located on the Airfield site’ to Mr & Mrs Taylor’s business, located just 150m from the proposed new access road was jaw dropping. Not to mention the extra 200 HGVs of aggregate required to construct this proposed access. I thought it rather telling that Mr & Mrs Taylor had not been consulted by Falck Renewables on this proposal, even though the change of access was to be so close to their home and business.

I can’t envisage for a minute the applicant appealing the Planning Committee decision – One can only imagine the conversation with the Planning Inspector – “Erm, errr sorry but we supplied you with duff information at the appeal, we’d not thought it through, and we’ve now changed our minds”. I’m sure they would get short shrift from the Inspector.

I described it as a ‘dog’s dinner’ of an application and this is exactly what it was. Falck Renewables have put the village of Spaldington through the mill with the original wind farm application – and still they continue. In the opinion of many, this application was to minimise the disruption to the landowner on whose land the wind turbines are to be built – nothing more and nothing less.

Meeting Blog Readers

At a meeting in Holme on Spalding Moor this morning three people approached me and introduced themselves as readers of my blog. It was great to meet Gareth Jenkins, Simon Hazlewood and Beth Jenkins, I thank them for their warm words of support and for them saying that I should never allow the system to stop me from blogging.

I regularly look at the blog statistics including readership numbers, page hits and referrals, and so far during the first the first two months of 2012 readership has risen to the highest levels ever and new reader numbers have also increased. Many thanks to all readers – it makes it all worthwhile, and please be assurred that I will continue.

Gilberdyke / Newport Tip woes continue

Last evenings meeting of the Tip Liaison Committee was very frustrating, not only because no representative from the Environment Agency turned up – but descended further when it was confirmed that work had been carried out on the site last Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday which was outside the permitted hours of operation. This created an horrendous stink and spoiled the otherwise sunny weekend for a number of residents.

This working is only permitted if approved by the Council and the Agency – needless to say an email exchange between City Plant and the Agency clearly states that it was planned to ‘doze waste into the void over the weekend’. There is no evidence that the East Riding of Yorkshire Council approved the work.

To move clay or restoration materials over a weekend when people are at home is one thing, but to deliberately move stinking waste around the site is something totally different, and in my opinion totally unacceptable, and says a lot about City Plant Ltd.

The only conciliation is that the City Plant Ltd have apologised to Roy Hunt and I as the Community Representatives for not letting us know about the planned work, and confirmed that there will be no further weekend working in the foreseeable future.

I have received the following update form the Agency regarding the problematic landfill site.

Current situation as of 15th March 2012

City Plant Ltd have now begun to move waste from the overtipped areas of the site to other areas of the landfill.

* The deadline for this to be complete is the end of May 2012
* Waste will continue to be brought into the site during this process

Odour

We are aware there have been odour issues with the site in the past and despite considerable efforts to address these the problem has not been fully resolved.

As with any landfill site, there will always be some odour while fresh waste is being brought onto the site. However, much of the odour is also caused by landfill gas (produced as the waste decomposes). The existing system for extracting and burning gas at the site was upgraded in late 2011 and further improvements have been made this year, although there is still work to be done.

Unfortunately, moving the waste is likely to make the odour worse in the short term as the waste being moved may have been at the site for up to 6 months. While measures to limit the odour will be taken it is not possible to stop all odours from the excavation and movement of waste.

However, while moving the waste will have a short term negative impact, it does mean that by the end of May the majority of the site will be in a condition where it can be sealed with a cap and covered with soils for the planting scheme to commence. This also means that the site's gas extraction system can be expanded to collect and burn most of the landfill gas produced by the waste.

We will expect the operator to cap and restore the site and install additional gas extraction as soon possible after the waste has been moved within the site. We will update you on the timescale for this work as soon as we can.

The Big Society is alive and kicking in Eastrington

I was proud to be part of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Corporate Communities Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee that looked into ‘Promoting the Big Society’, I had suggested that the Pretty Up Eastrington (PUE) Group was a great example of the Big Society in action and Jane Irisa (pictured) from the Group attended to give a very interesting and inspirational presentation.

The PUE project ticked all the boxes when it came to what the Big Society is all about – a society where individuals and communities have more power and responsibility, and use it to create better neighbourhoods and local services. It aims to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building a big society that will take power away from politicians and give it to people.

To develop the ‘Big Society’, cultural change is needed so that individuals take social responsibility, and an increase in community activity is supported.

But this concept is far from new, in my grandparents era it was quite normal for a community to ‘muck in’ to help one another, this is not radical in that we can learn from the past – what is radical is that politicians must devolve more power, decision making and spending to local communities and we must roll back the ‘Nanny State’.

Communication is the key to the ‘Big Society’ - in today’s times people can through the internet readily access information and examples of good practice which they can put to good use in their communities, this we saw during the heavy snow last year which coupled with the Councils winter payments grant acting as the catalyst, empowered many to take responsibility for snow clearing. Just as in the pre ‘Nanny State’ era.

Founded and inspired in 2008 by Jill Cole, Pretty Up Eastrington (PUE) began as a small group of local enthusiasts in the local pub, who had lots of ideas and examples of good practice from other communities. With help and advice from East Riding Voluntary Action Services (ERVAS) the group was able to formalise its structure with a constitution in order to manage fund raising properly.

The group has developed its own website; a facebook page, a photomontage on YouTube, and regularly communicates with the community through traditional means with regular articles and updates in the Parish magazine and has also been featured frequently in local newspapers.

PUE work closely with other village groups as well as Eastrington Parish Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Councillors and national charities like the Big Tidy Up campaign. The Group values its links with other groups and individuals in the village who are also working to make Eastrington a great place in which to live. The Group enjoys great support from Eastrington Parish Council, local Councillors, the Eastrington Golf Society and a number of local farmers and businesses.

The Group’s core mission is to work with, and for the benefit of the whole village and everything they do is based on making their village tidy, pretty and a nice place to live. Their activities help to create a better community spirit, encourage cooperation and communication especially between old and young, and newcomers and established residents of the village. It’s about local people taking responsibility for their own environment.

The Group have also organised the first ever Eastrington Open Gardens Weekend, and an Easter Family Fun Day as well as having a stall at Eastrington Show, and supporting other village activities and fund-raising events including the village open days, the school Gardening Club and the Church’s scarecrow festival.

By fostering good neighbourliness and encouraging creativity, and by learning skills from one another, they have been able to achieve a great amount including the planting flowerbeds around the village, providing hanging baskets, tubs and wall baskets, painting the church gates and railings, helping with village snow clearance efforts and harvesting and sharing fruit. The Group is constantly looking to develop friendships with all ages, seeing neighbours getting to know their neighbours, celebrating their community and playing an active role in society, and having some fun in the process.

The Groups fundraising activities have provided lasting community assets including welcome signs on all four approaches to the village, (I provided the bricks!), litter bins, a village notice board and a school greenhouse. The school greenhouse acts as a focus for the gardening club, fostering a love of nature and an interest in the environment among young children. A knitting and craft club was established to produce items for sale in aid of the Groups projects, lots of tips were picked up from experts including veteran village gardeners and fundraisers, which has enabled the Group to now produce such things as Christmas welcome wreaths, wine (not for sale I may add), juice, jams, pickles and chutneys - details of which can be found here.

Monthly litter picks on the approach roads into Eastrington are organised, and a great many bulbs have been planted in the verges, together creating a pleasant sense of welcome and a spectacular display when driving into the village during spring. This theme is continued in the village with raised beds, tubs, hanging baskets and wall baskets. Much work has also been done at the village pond and the railway station.

There are future plans to develop an allotment and a community orchard.

The group meets regularly at the local pub in Eastrington or the village hall.

Great to give time to Marie Curie Cancer Care

(pictured with Alison Taylor, Pauline Hornsey and Cathy Screeton)

This week saw the start of the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal. It was a pleasure to again donate two hours of my time on Friday morning to sell daffodil pins in support of this very worthwhile cause. Two of the local Marie Curie volunteers (or the ‘ladies who do lunch’) Alison Taylor, Kathy Screeton and I donned the trademark bright yellow tabards and funny tall hats to stand in Howden with our boxes of daffodils and collection boxes, whilst the charming volunteer Chairman Pauline Hornsey, ably assisted by her mother Dorothy and Cynthia Radcliffe manned the tombola stall in the Shire Hall.

Although the East Riding of Yorkshire Council undertaking major works on the footpaths in the Town’s Market Place is very welcome, it did mean that the area was not as busy as usual because of the lack of parking, but we still managed to raise almost £300 in next to no time.

Many thanks to all those who gave a donation and it was great to see so many people walking around the Town wearing their daffodils – including at least one of the Council workmen!

During March there are 95 collection boxes left in many Goole and Howdenshire shops, super markets, garages etc. where daffodil pins can be purchased for the price of a donation.

Please wear your daffodil pin this March and help Marie Curie continue to care for people with terminal cancer and other illnesses.

Latest Spaldington wind farm company is prepared to listen

Last Friday a first informal meeting was held between the latest Spaldington wind farm applicant RWE nPower Renewables, Spaldington Parish Councillors and Howdenshire ERYC Councillors Paul Robinson and Nick Evans, regarding the plans to build an 8 x 126m wind turbine farm north east of Spaldington village in an area called River Valley. A similar meeting had been held for HOSM and Foggathorpe Parish Councillors the previous evening.

(map above shows proposed wind farm in black along with the other consented wind farms in the area - shaded areas show 2km radius of each)

I had been in contact with the company’s Project Developer Nicola Bell from almost as soon as I heard about their plans, and I had been critical of their operation and the way that they were being viewed as cynically picking over the carcass of the failed Spaldington Common wind farm application thrown out by the planning inspector at appeal. I urged them to talk to the communities at the earliest opportunity and certainly before their plans were anywhere advanced, something almost all wind farm developers fail to do.

At the meeting it was refreshing to meet with a great deal of openness from Nicola and her team, some contrition for putting in the anemometer mast just before Christmas, and a willingness to listen and take on the views of the residents. They confirmed that after considering the appeal decisions to approve the Spaldington Airfield site but refuse the Common site they considered that their site was viable.

The proximity of the proposed turbines had obviously been considered by the applicant and they were able to confirm that they had no plans to site turbines closer than 750m to any residential property, and that their initial layout was not fixed and was expected to evolve after feedback from the Council, residents and other consultees. It was accepted that the proximity of turbines to residences was the most contentious issue with the previous two Spaldington applications.

The issue of access for construction traffic and turbine parts was also discussed, and RWE confirmed that whilst the main site access would be from the A614 at Welham Bridge, lorries carrying the materials needed to build the southern buttress for a new bridge over the River Foulness and stone for the track leading to the Spaldington side of the bridge would come through Spaldington village. It was pointed out that if there were no turbines on the Spaldington side of the river then RWE would not need to build a bridge and the considerable disruption to residents on Spaldington Main Street from the construction lorries could be avoided

The company seemed willing to listen to criticism and showed a willingness to change, and importantly understood why Spaldington people are so cynical due to how they have been treated by previous wind farm companies.

The message from the Spaldington Parish Councillors was quite clear in that RWE nPower Renewables need to understand that this is a rural area and residents value their peace and quiet and landscape. RWE acknowledged that they did not expect support from the community, but their best hope was to engage residents, have an open door policy, take points on board, listen to objections and communicate with people.

It is hoped further meetings will be held before a public exhibition in June with the planning application being submitted later in the year.

The Parish Councillors pointed out to RWE that their introductory letter stating that “Spaldington is almost 2km away” was inaccurate and misleading as in reality all houses on Spaldington Main Street and village centre are closer than 2km and some properties in the parish are only 800m – 1km from the closest turbine. RWE agreed to send out another letter clarifying the distances involved.

I concluded by stating that if other wind farm developers had been as proactive as we saw at this meeting, then we would have seen much less grief for the community over the past few years.

I feel RWE were a little taken aback at the research Parish Councillors had done. It remains to be seen whether RWEs offer to “work with the community” and “design a wind farm that is suitable for the area” amounts to more than just words - I sincerley hope it does!

Refurbished Holme on Spalding Moor pavilion is opened

It was a pleasure yesterday to attend the official opening of Holme Village Hall/Holme Rovers Football club refurbished pavilion.

The project has been planned and executed over the last two years and with the backing of the Football Foundation who provided 55% of the over £31000 total cost, and additional funding from Awards for All, Commuted sums, the Joseph and Annie Cattle trust, and local fundraising efforts by the Hall and Football club, work finally began in December 2011.

Many thanks, and a great deal of credit must go to my fellow Howdenshire ERYC Councillor Nick Evans who organised the event, and welcomed the guests of honour Howdenshire and Haltemprice MP David Davis, John Hawley (former Arsenal, Hull City, Scunthorpe, and Leeds player.

My involvement had been to act as a referee for many of the funding applications - which was an honour to be able to do.

In addition Adrian Morris from the Football Foundation, and Graham Turner from the East Riding FA attended and without their help and advice, and that of Peter Latham Warde of the Humber Playing Fields Association, the project would just not have happened. Members of the Holme Rovers management and coaching staff and members of the Village Hall committee also attended.

On a bright but breezy day Nick welcomed everyone, including first team players and supporters and explained how the project has inspired the 100% local Holme team who were nearly relegated last year but who are now giving a good account of themselves. They are now halfway up the league table, playing against teams from Hull, Goole and Beverley who have a much larger catchment area to draw from. In fact after the opening ceremony they went on to beat Eastrington 4-2 in their first home win of the season!

John Hawley complimented everyone involved with the project, and said how pleased he was to see that under 8 and 9 teams were planned for next year and also that the possibility of a women’s team was a great achievement for the football club. “The importance and success of grass roots sport cannot be emphasised enough” John said. For his comedy slot he pointed out that our MP, David Davis had “ always played on the right wing, almost made the premiership a couple of times, and when he did come off the bench onto the field always gave a good account of himself” .

David Davis then spoke and also praised the efforts of the organisations for their fund raising capability, and the fantastic facility that we now had on offer, thanking the Football Foundation for supporting the project. He commented on how this has raised the morale of the team. and wished everyone success for the future. David with John Hawley’s assistance cut the ribbon to officially open the Pavilion.

We were given an impressive tour of the building that sports Solar Powered Hot water, double glazing throughout, cavity wall insulation and low energy lighting.

Other donors included Rowlawn who had generously supplied turf for the front of the building, and Dulux supplied numerous tins of quality paint for the interior. Volunteers had even worked during the Christmas break to move the project to its completion.

A real “Team Effort” - well done to Nick and all those involved.

Why renewable energy is about more than just wind turbines

The East Riding of Yorkshire is a great part of the UK for harnessing renewable energy, and the skilled workforce to manufacture the means to do so. The area is somewhat windy and as a largely agricultural part of the country is capable of producing biomass. But of equal significance, the southern border is formed by the tidal rivers of the Ouse and Humber with the North Sea to the east - the sea and rivers are used to ship parts for wind turbines, but as very predictable sources of renewable energy themselves, they continue to remain untapped.

On-shore wind turbines in the East Riding of Yorkshire have a devastating effect on rural communities and moreover, have proven to be inefficient and unreliable, so it is very frustrating that there is such emphasis on them whilst so much potential remains unexploited in our rivers and the North Sea.

To put things into perspective, one only needs to consider the 4,000 megawatt Drax power station providing the backdrop to the twelve turbine Rusholme wind farm on the banks of the River Ouse. Depending on the criteria used, it would take anything up to 4,000 of these wind turbines to replace the power supplied by Drax – and that's provided the wind was blowing.

Over recent years, the Council has seen an increasing number of wind farm applications with the wind farm companies having taken what appears to be a cynical approach as they collectively built up a portfolio of approved planning applications for turbines, yet without beginning construction of any significant number. That is up until now. What we are now beginning to see is an invasion of turbines by stealth. People will soon realise that they are to be living in a wind turbine landscape as many of the permitted turbines are constructed, and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it.

In the late 1990s we saw the then Prime Minister posing, posturing and being photographed in front of wind turbines in order to demonstrate his ‘Green’ credentials. They 'ticked the box', and whether the machines worked or not was of little importance - it was all about image. Needless to say, subsequent Prime Ministers have continued in the same vain. Unfortunately, wave and tidal power technologies are installed in, or under the water where they are not easy to see, and the link between growing crops for biomass is difficult to capture in a photograph – these alternative methods of energy creation are somewhat less camera-friendly than wind turbines when trying to convey that all important green image.

It takes a great deal of courage to say we’ve got this wrong, especially when so much stock has been put into creating an illusion of 'greenness'. But does it make sense to hobble along with heavily subsidised wind technology that clearly neither offers solutions to energy security, nor protecting the environment and producing cheaper electricity?

What is required is an injection of realism and fairness. Renewables? Yes, but only when it is a balanced and a level playing field created on which there are those same financial incentives for the development of wave, tidal and biomass.

I fully support the stance taken by 100 Tory MPs who recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking for a reduction in the subsidies given to wind energy.

From fat at 49 to fit at 50

Way back last July I set myself a couple of things that I’d like to do by the time I was 50 (this weekend). I'm sure you’ll be pleased to know I missed both of ‘em..

I set out to lose 60 lbs in weight - I missed it - I lost 61 lbs during the past 32 weeks!

I set out to do 50 km on my mountain bike on road, track and trail in one hit – I missed it by 2 km and did 52!

Many have asked me how I managed to do this and what was my secret - for me it was:

1. Find the reason why
2. De-clutter your mind
3. Eat less and eat well
4. Cut out beer
5. Drink 2 glasses of red wine daily as a reward
6. Find an inspirational coach/trainer and a good gym, and buy a good bike
7. Create a playlist of motivational music and work out to it - in my case it included this, this, this and this
8. Don’t listen to those who say you can’t do it, or you’ve lost enough already, or you look ill.
9. Break down your goals into 'bite sized' pieces then be determined and single minded about achieving them
10. Enjoy the journey

Many thanks to the staff at the ERYC Goole Leisure Centre gym and in particular my coach Alysia Mason (pictured) for making me believe I could do it!

City Plant Ltd agrees to reduce the height of the Gilberdyke / Newport Tip

As the clock was ticking down on the Gilberdyke/Newport Landfill Site Tip operators City Plant Ltd agreed to move around 70,000 cubic metres of waste from overtipped areas of the site to bring the height down to the levels stipulated in the Environment Agency permit. The proposal has been accepted and approved by the Agency following an Enforcement Notice served last month because the tip operator was not complying with the permit’s condition regarding height. City Plant Ltd has now agreed to reduce the waste to levels set out in the permit by using available capacity in other areas of the site.

The company has also demonstrated that there will be remaining capacity on the site even after the waste has been moved. This has been independently verified by Environment Agency contractors who spent a day at the landfill to make sure this was a workable solution.

It has been confirmed that the Environment Agency has withdrawn the original notice and served City Plant Ltd with a revised Enforcement Notice which allows the company to resume taking in waste - but stipulates that it must act on its commitment to reduce the height of the landfill in certain areas. The operator has two months to appeal against the revised notice.

Environment Agency Regulatory Officer Leigh Sayers said: “We are pleased that City Plant Ltd has responded promptly to our enforcement action and come up with a viable solution. The notice has served its purpose and as a result the company will no longer be prevented from taking in waste. “It is important that we control the amount of waste at the site and we will be making sure that City Plant Ltd puts its plan in place and complies with its permit. Our action has delivered a positive result which could see the site filled earlier than anticipated.”

The visual height of the landfill is the responsibility of East Riding of Yorkshire Council as the local planning authority.

I am a pleasantly surprised that City Plant Ltd has undertaken to reduce the height of the Tip to the levels stipulated in the permit, and this should not be taken lightly. Clearly the threat of a stop notice served to focus the minds of the company. There is no doubt that the Environment Agency had to lift the stop notice when the Company committed to reducing the height to the required level. What is not clear is the course of action the East Riding of Yorkshire Council will take as far as enforcement, because the levels in the EA permit are somewhat higher than those levels conditioned in the recent planning consent issued to City Plant Ltd.

Clock Ticks Down For Gilberdyke / Newport Tip Operators

As Chairman of the Gilberdyke/Newport Landfill Site Liaison Committee it is my understanding that unless a very late agreement is reached, as from mid-night tonight the Tip will be subject to an Environment Agency (EA) stop notice, meaning that no more waste will be permitted to enter the site until an acceptable plan to reduce the height of the waste mountain is put forward by site operators City Plant Ltd. which importantly must meet with the approval of the Environment Agency.

It should be noted that if agreement is not reached waste WILL NOT be allowed to enter the site, but some restoration (or engineering materials) such as soil, rubble and shredded tyres will be permitted, therefore we may see HGV movements from time to time.

On talking to the Council’s officers this morning I am reassured that the Tip is one of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) priorities, and officers are watching developments over the next couple of days with interest before considering what action the Council will take, I know that any enforcement action requires a methodical approach, which invariably takes time, but the first steps have been taken including measuring the precise height of the Tip last autumn, and recently sending the first stage of enforcement letter.

It is important to recognise that although the ERYC and the EA are both regulatory bodies they have been able and continue to work together to find solutions to the problems with the Tip , with a good example being the Council measuring the tip height and obviously sharing this with the Agency to prevent duplication. Unfortunately the ownership of the site changed in mid-December of last year which has made things difficult as the two regulatory bodies have had to deal with different people.

To reduce the height of the Tip will mean that waste will have to be uncapped and pushed into the remaining void space at the west of the site; this would create an almighty stink but it would be temporary, before it is recapped. What is not known is if there is sufficient capacity in the void to allow this to happen – or conversely if any space would remain to allow further tipping.

One thing is for certain; Whatever happens, I would not like to see any lorry loads of waste being removed from the site, as this would be intolerable for residents.

Ultimately I would like to see the tip filled, capped off and completed as soon as possible – and for HGV movements through our villages, to and from the site to stop.

I would also like to see something done with the gas that the capped off tip will produce consistently for the next 25 years, because I certainly don’t want the site to stink for another half a generation.

Help us to achieve super-fast Broadband in the East Riding

The Government has announced that it wants the UK to have the best broadband network in Europe by 2015, which means the East Riding of Yorkshire could see super-fast Broadband rolled out to many places where the existing service is slow and unreliable.... But to achieve this we need your help.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has the opportunity to bid for Government funding to secure a better service but needs evidence to show how current broadband is working for both businesses and individuals. A project has been established led by the Council to develop a Local Broadband Plan, detailing how investment in the broadband infrastructure will benefit the area and where that investment should be prioritised. The plan is expected to seek approval from the Councils Cabinet late in the summer.

To assist the development of the Local Broadband Plan, the Council has developed a dedicated web site to enable residents and the business sector to register their interest in getting a better broadband service. As well as seeking opinion how an improved service will benefit them the site allows current users to carry out a broadband speed test on their own connection and this will identify to the Council where internet 'slow spots' exist across East Riding to focus any investment as accurately as possible.
The site will be available between February and October 2012 and can be found at http://broadband.eastriding.gov.uk/

I would ask all East Riding readers to offer support for this project which has the potential to have a significant impact on the growth of our local economy and ensure all residents have the best possible access to internet services. To register your interest will ensure the Local Broadband Plan reflects the broadband provision across the East Riding area as accurately as possible.

Company not off to a very good start with yet another Spaldington wind farm application

So now we know, RWE npower renewables are planning to build an eight turbine wind farm on land north east of the Howdenshire village of Spaldington, on a site to be known as ‘River Valley Wind Farm’.

Many will be aware that residents of the village have, for the past two and a half years, been fighting off not one but two wind farm companies each wanting to construct overly large wind turbines close to the village. Last autumn one application for the five x 125m high turbine Spaldington Airfield site was granted consent at appeal, but the other for the Spaldington Common site was dismissed by the Government’s Planning Inspector.... Now yet another wind farm company is moving in on the community !

Interestingly the River Valley Wind Farm proposes to have one of the turbines located less than 790m from the site of the recently dismissed Spaldington Common Wind Farm. I understand this proposal is to be put out to consultation and residents will have their opportunity to comment - Where have we seen this before I wonder??

What is particularly frustrating is that detail regarding the number of turbines and their location within the site has come to light less than a week after the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee voted to approve an anemometer mast on the site.

Some would ask what difference it does make.

I would say it's a question of trust and openness and how the applicant is viewed by the community - sadly there is a perception that RWE npower renewables have not got off to a good start in this respect, particularly when one takes into account the application for the mast was submitted just before Christmas. This meant that the community of Spaldington, who had gone through so much the previous 18 months, instead of having a break, taking time to reflect, and recouping their financial losses, had to spend the festive season worrying about the threat yet another wind farm being imposed on them.

I spoke at the Planning Committee meeting, where I asked for the application for the mast to be deferred and suggested the applicant could provide some of the information pertaining to turbine size and numbers, and more importantly their location within the red lined area designated by the applicant for the wind farm.

I didn’t think this was an unreasonable request, certainly when compared to the unreasonable actions of RWE npower renewables so far in their quest to impose a wind farm on local residents. Unfortunately the advice given by the Council Officers did not support what I was requesting and although five members of the Committee voted to refuse the application, six voted to approve.

At the meeting I did acknowledge that the proposed site may be a good location for a wind farm and importantly I did support the Goole Fields application by the same company. Although I questioned if it would not have been better for them to have demonstrated a more open approach from the beginning.

The company has acknowledged its awareness of the recent appeal decisions on the Spaldington Airfield and Spaldington Common Schemes and has studied those applications, and has given careful thought to how their proposals would fit with the consented wind farm. They also state that they have taken into account the reasons for refusal for the Spaldington Common wind farm to ensure they can work with the community and key stake holders to design a wind farm that is suitable for the area. They then purport to recognise the importance and sensitivity of the recent decisions.

One resident summed it up his feelings by saying, “Is this some sort of sick joke – for me they appear to be acting like vultures picking over the carcass of a failed wind farm application”?

We have seen this drip, drip, drip strategy employed by wind farm companies time after time, the application for the mast to let residents know a wind farm is on its way, forget about any consultation at this stage. Then we see some sort of public exhibition where a number of wind turbines are proposed, the residents start a campaign, letters in the press and public outcry, then the company says they have listened and remove a couple of the turbines from the plan – leaving the number that they wanted all along - they then talk about how the community will benefit from a pot of money they can offer, or even more direct as we heard at one application.

If one looks back to a previous application, a few miles from this site, the anemometer mast was refused by the Planning Committee – what happened? Did the company appeal? No…. They just went on to submit a planning application for a wind farm that included the anemometer mast. So it can be done.

What I would have liked to have seen with this application was some decency and good old fashioned up front honesty in the process for once, by having the applicant come forward with their full plans right at the beginning. Needless to say this opportunity was lost.

Gilberdyke & Blacktoft snow clearance measures go exactly to plan

Last evening we saw some 100mm of snow falling across the Blacktoft and Gilberdyke area, the snow began to fall in the late afternoon and continued into the early hours. Gilberdyke and Blacktoft Parish Councils had put together a joint plan after the serious snow of last winter, and based on the weather forecast and information from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) put the appointed contractor on standby, a local farmer (Martinsons from Blacktoft) with a 4x4 tractor fitted with a snow plough. Last night these measures put in place went exactly to plan.

The important lesson learnt from last winter was that it was essential to clear the snow from the roads as soon as possible after it fell, and before it became compacted by moving vehicles. Both Parish Councils accepted that the ERYC gritting and snow plough teams had responsibility for the primary highways and would be unlikely to plough the Parish roads, therefore they put together their own plan.

After a quick ring around, the Parish Council’s triggered the plan at about 10pm last night when it was evident that there was enough snow to plough away. The contractor, Andrew Martinson, then worked through until approximately 4.30am clearing the snow as it fell onto the roads in and out of the Parishes. After a few hours break Paul Martinson then took over for the morning shift, starting just after 8am.

This went exactly to plan and the roads in and out of the villages are now wet and more or less clear of all snow, whilst roads around other villages are still covered with compacted snow, although this is now thawing.

The cost for this is shared between the two Parish Councils, and will hopefully be reclaimed from a winter maintenance grant.

Goole area MEDiBUS now available in Howdenshire to take people to hospital

At the recent meeting of the Goole and Howdenshire Community Partnership, Parish Councillors from Eastrington and Gilberdyke raised the issue of the changes to the East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) number 155 bus running between Elloughton and Goole.

Residents have also approached me directly, and I share their concerns about getting to appointments at Goole hospital and/or their GP surgery following changes to this bus service.

Susan Oliver from the Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council (H&WRCC), who is the voluntary sector representative on the Partnership, has looked into this and the options available and provided the following information.

I am pleased to say that the Goole area MEDiBUS is available to take people in our area to hospital and medical appointments. Medibus provides you with transport from your front door to morning clinic or early afternoon appointments and transport home after your appointment.

It operates Monday to Friday and passengers are picked up at home. Pre booking is essential, and must be done no later than the day before a person needs to travel. However, most people book the service as soon as they know when their appointment is.

Fares are charged for the service but concessionary passholders travel free.

Although MEDiBUS has been operating in parts of the East Riding, for a number of years, the Goole area service is relatively new, and not everyone will be aware of it. We have asked for leaflets about the service to be delivered to shops, garages, etc. in the villages concerned, and this information should be out there within the next few days.

The telephone number to book (and for further information) is 08456 44 59 59

or visit: http://www2.eastriding.gov.uk/environment/public-transport-travel/medibus/#medibus

What happens if the Gilberdyke Tip operators walk away from the site?

In view of the Environment Agency issuing the enforcement notice against the Gilberdyke Tip owners City Plant Ltd. it raises the question as to what happens if the Directors decide in view of the action, to fold the company or walk away from the site?

This has concerned me for a while and is something I have raised on a number of occasions after the scenario was first mentioned by residents. After some investigation, answers from City Plant Ltd. and input from the Environment Agency (EA), it would seem that if the City Plant Ltd. Directors were to walk away from the site or folded the company for whatever reason, there is financial provision of up to £1.2 million for the tip to be capped off, restored and maintained as required - but is it adequate, and if not is there an asset value to the tip?

The basis of the provision is found in the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 [SI 2007 3538] with reference to Waste Management licensing and pollution prevention and control regimes from 6th April 2008.

The owner or applicant for an Environmental Permit (EP) must be able to provide adequate financial provision to meet the obligations of the permit. Some of these sites can include landfill with aftercare costs for a period of up to sixty years after closure.

Part of the solution can include a security bond, which provides an indemnity for the amount specified by the EA as 'financial provision'. The bond is not required if the client has sufficient 'upfront' funds. In the case of the Gilberdyke Landfill site approximately £650,000 is invested in a FillSecure bond, which has the potential to generate income to cover costs of approximately £1.2million. The FillSecure solution has been approved by the Environment Agency for ‘general application, and consists of a funding arrangement suitable for the cost effective management of financial provisions as required under EP permits to satisfy the long-term aftercare requirement, as well as operational and restoration costs’.

It is my understanding that unless this ‘financial provision’ had been put in place December’s transfer of the Environmental Permit from the previous owner to City Plant Ltd would not have taken place or been ratified by the Environment Agency. It has been confirmed that the Agency took the opportunity to revise the ‘financial provision’ to regularise the costs and to ensure that due to the changes in the site infrastructure and environmental requirements/guidance, any after care costs would be covered.

I am confident that in the event something does happen with City Plant Ltd, monies are available to the Environment Agency from this fund for the tip to be capped off, restored and maintained BUT is this amount of ‘financial provision’ based on the conditions of the EA permit, and since the height of the tip is way over, and in breach of the approved height limits as detailed in the permit, therefore is this provision now adequate?

The tip itself may not have a physical asset value but the methane gas caught within and being constantly produced for a significant number of years to come certainly does have a value, especially if it can be used to power electric generators to produce clean renewable energy like we see at other landfill sites. It is therefore reassuring that not only is there a significant bond in place, there appears to be a very saleable asset which should ensure the tips long term future care and maintenance.