East Riding Snow Clearing and Gritting Update - 15.00hrs 2nd December 2010

Update for Thursday 2 December 3.00pm


During this morning the fleet of gritters have been focused on keeping the roads open on the snow clearance network covering all ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads which is around 800km of main roads across the East Riding. Garrowby Hill and the higher parts of the wolds continues to be a massive challenge for us as we continue to get snowfall and drifting caused by strong winds. The main roads are passable with extreme care. However, there are very difficult driving conditions in rural locations on the high ground.

Wind blowing snow around has been the biggest problem this morning. We have been constantly ploughing along the A165 Bridlington to Hull road, problems in Withernsea which has been the feature of continued ploughing and on the higher ground, particularly across the Wolds where we have had seen extensive drifting this morning. For example, one road was ploughed through clear and 30 minutes later there was a 3 ft drift back across the road which gives you an idea of some of the issues we face. We have engaged a number of farmers to get a road into some villages which became cut off around Sledmere, Garton, Huggate, Warter, Bempton, Flamborough, Swinefleet.

Scattered snow showers continue to blow in from the North Sea and with the swirling wind this has meant concentrating on the main road network.

Staff deployed from bin collections, street sweeping and gully emptying have been out removing snow and set out below provides an idea of the areas we have been working in.

Hedon Depot

Aldbrough, Burstwick, Main Road, Pinfold, Newbridge Road areas, Hedon Market Place, St Augustines, Inman's Road
Topping up all Salt bins

Preston
Topping up all Salt bins

Withernsea
Town Centre shopping area, the promenade including o/s toilets

Hornsea
Greenways estate shopping areas. Town centre paths
All Salt bins

Keyingham
Main Road shops and Post office area

Carnaby Depot

Driffield

Eastgate North, Main Street Shops

Bridlington

Kent Square, Kent Road, St Annes, Kirk Mews, Bridge over well lane by pass, pinfold lane, St Aidens, Chapel Street, Footpath along the prom and steps

Beeford

Leonards Close

Willerby Depot

Town/Village centres and areas of high foot fall in :

Beverley
Willerby
Anlaby
Anlaby Common
Hessle
Cottingham
Brough

Goole Depot

Cleared and gritted the following
Boothferry Road full length including the precinct, Pasture Road

Market Weighton Depot

High Street, Princess, Road, Southgate, Scotts Croft, londesborough Road


The above list continues to change as we endeavour to support all major areas at this time.

A decision will be made at 6.45am in the morning on whether bins will be emptied on Friday.

The latest forecast is that there will still be snow showers off the North Sea this evening but the keen wind will die away later with less showers moving inland and these will be confined to the coastal strip. In rural areas, temperatures will plummet to -10o so residents will notice a penetrating cold night.

It is expected that snow showers will become light tomorrow but there will be little thaw because temperatures will struggle to get above freezing throughout Friday. A similar picture is expected on Saturday.

The Council continues to work excellently with the Police and we have a police officer in our control room so we have direct linkages and we can take action to support our communities.

The situation is changeable and I am reassured that the Council is doing its very best.

A cold afternoon on the 'Don't Advertise Your Vehicle to Criminals' campaign

I spent a very cold afternoon as part of the Howdenshire Neighbourhood Action Team's 'Don't Advertise Your Vehicle to Criminals' campaign - urging motorists not to leave gifts for opportunistic thieves.

Pictured with PCSO Rachel Matthews, Howden Town Council Chairman Hugh Roberts, and Martin Branton from the East Riding Safer Communities Team.

"Shopping on the back seat of a car is the only excuse needed for thieves to take a chance and break a window; other items most likely to tempt thieves include handbags, laptops, Sat Navs, mobile phones and cds. Drivers should also bear in mind that often the window repair costs more than the property stolen."

PC Richard Beeforth, crime reduction officer for Humberside Police, said: “These offences are being committed by opportunist thieves wandering about looking into cars for items to steal. Our advice is don’t leave anything on display to tempt a criminal to break into your vehicle.”

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s 15 Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) including volunteers and the police are working to spread the message.

Packs placed on vehicles tell thieves "Don't Bother" and leaflets are being left at points of sale such as local shops, customer service centres, libraries and post offices.

The Police advice to motorists is:

• Remove the ignition key and lock all doors and windows when leaving a vehicle, even when filling up with fuel or popping into a shop.


• Use an electronic engine immobiliser or steering wheel lock to prevent vehicles being stolen.


• Park vehicles in a well lit open place.


• If driving a van remove expensive tools and equipment from the rear, especially overnight.


• When parking in a car park look for the “Park Mark Safer Parking” .

If the Private Sector were to deliver Public Services what would be different?

I was invited to give a speech to the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce lunch held in Goole this past week. I chose the theme of - "If the Private Sector were to deliver Public Services what would be different?”

(Pictured with Chamber Chief Executive Iain Kelly)

I covered a number of issues that are close to my heart, including my thoughts on how the Council, Police, Fire, the NHS and other public services organisations could work closer together to deliver services more locally, and more efficiently to save money, including how we could make best use of public service assets.

I also spoke about the thorny issue of Business Rates collected in the East Riding by the Council on behalf of central Government, where the money is put into a central pot, before the Government divides it up between all the Local Authorities in England using a fiendishly complex mathematical formula to determine how much to pass back, telling us how the money should be spent and how this flies in the face of localism and really needs a major overhaul!

Being more radical – I also explored alternative ways of raising money to be spent on public services locally, and how greater local accountability and democracy could be introduced - particularly if the decision makers got it wrong we could throw them out!

As expected I did give my thoughts on Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), but more importantly I certainly listened to the views of the representatives of the business community who attended.

The whole speech was designed to be thought provoking; I hope I achieved what I set out to do?

Gilberdyke's new roadsweeper/gatemen

I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the services provided to the village of Gilberdyke by two recently retired employees, Bryan Coultish who for many years kept the village clean and tidy as the road sweeper, and Mel Gregory who was a part-time play area gateman.

The retirements meant that the remaining gateman, volunteer parish councillors and Memorial Hall Committee members stepped up to open and close the play area gate every day. This also gave the Parish Council time to re-evaluate the position of road sweeper and gateman, and subsequently one job-share position has been created.

The Parish Council is pleased to announce that as from today Terry Wilcox and Stephen Carlill (pictured with Parish Council Clerk Sue Nicholson and I) start in their new role as road sweeper/gateman on a job share basis. Dave Branton will continue in his part-time post of gateman for the play area.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank both Mel and Bryan for their long service and hard work over the years, especially Bryan for keeping the village spotless and so tidy, and to wish both a long and happy retirement.

East Riding Youth Assembly's Big deb8

I was fortunate to be able to spend some time watching the East Riding of Yorkshire Youth Assembly on their ‘Big deb8’ day as part of the national 11 Million day. This all took place in the Council Chamber, and along with the dozen or so Councillors who turned up to watch – was made to sit upstairs in the public gallery!!

I have been involved with and a great supporter of the East Riding Youth Assembly since becoming elected, and have previously been part of the 11 million day including being on a mock picket line outside County Hall at one point.

I sat through the debates on transport, young carers, and raising the school leaving age to 18. Each was excellent with a great deal of participation from the majority of the Youth Assembly members present, who bar none came across as being confident and able to eloquently put forward their views. In fact there were more contributors then I have ever seen at any Full Council meeting.

Watching the young people in action provided a great reassurance that the future of democracy in the East Riding is in very safe hands, and I hope some of these fantastic young people are elected to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in the very near future.

Many thanks to Council Youth Officers Jayne Clark and Richard Moulson for organising the event.

All aboard the 'Wallingfen Way' open top bus tour

On Sunday people from Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave took part in a consultation event with a difference – a continuous open top bus tour between the three villages, dropping off at a presentation held at Newport Village Hall as part of the Wallingfen Way project.

(Pictured with Sheffield University Student Kate Jackson and North Cave Parish Council Chairman Steve Skipsey at the beginning of the bus tour)

The Wallingfen way project is a visionary initiative, set up by the three village Parish Councils aiming to remove a ‘scar on the landscape’ (the B1230) and replace it with a distinct rural community corridor, known as ‘The Wallingfen Way’. The project aims to reinforce the distinctive character and identity of three Howdenshire villages, Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave, to reclaim the road for the local community.

The project began when Newport and Gilberdyke Parish Councils came together because of a mutual dissatisfaction with the main road through the two villages. The road was bisecting the villages and became a ‘bully’ that prevented growth of the communities and their identity. North Cave joined the working group shortly afterwards with a different set of problems. The narrowness of the road caused many traffic problems, which need resolving, and it was hoped that the introduction of North Cave would have a positive effect on the project as a whole and add weight to the argument for the rural community corridor. An Urban Analysis team was brought on board, led by Dr Lindsay Smales, and, following extensive community consultation and analysis, a design brief was drawn up.

Leeds Metropolitan students were also involved to uncover the real problem areas along the road and pose suggestions for solutions.

Initial funding was won from LEADER, a program financed by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development and DEFRA. The program is being overseen by Yorkshire Forward as part of the Rural Development Program for England.

As part of a six- week live project, students of the University of Sheffield joined the design team in October this year.

Following discussions, it became clear that the problems the villages were facing did not just end with the B1230. Gilberdyke and Newport were suffering with a lack of visible community identity and the road was exacerbating this problem. The students conducted further community consultations to uncover the true identity of the villages. ‘Roadworks?’ events were held in the three villages over the course of a week. Workshops were also run at Newport Village School to understand the younger community’s aspirations.

The consultations highlighted not only the lack of awareness about the project itself, but also the frustration of the community, waiting for long-term improvements. The students have developed short- term and long- term visions for not only the B1230 but also the surrounding public spaces that could be developed. They looked at short-term ideas that could be instigated by the community itself and would allow tangible improvements over the next few years, at little cost. It was hoped that by populating empty spaces along the road the village identity would become more apparent to drivers and this would encourage them to travel with more care.

The ideas and findings were presented on the continuous open top bus tour. Special bus stops were placed in each of the villages, which gave the community a chance to see the students’ ideas and catch a ride down to the accompanying exhibition in Newport Recreation Hall on the vintage open top bus.

The event was well received by the 40 + passengers who attended. We received positive feedback regarding the exhibition and the bus event itself - people used that opportunity to discuss their ideas, give us direct feedback on our proposals and voice their opinion regarding the future of the Wallingfen Way and its villages. There was some concern amongst certain residents that this would not necessarily lead to any developments due to a lack of funding – but they appeared to be reassured when the different time frames for various parts of the project were explained, ranging from the next 12 months to the next 20 years.

Hopefully this event raised awareness for the project, and that it is moving forward, and gave the community another chance to give feedback on the project as a whole. I hope that the work will spark enthusiasm, publicity and support for the project and leave a legacy of ideas for the local communities to take hold of and adapt as they see fit.

For more information on the Wallingfen Way project please click here

North Cave residents to have their say on design of new Froscoles Bridge

Residents in North Cave are being encouraged to come and find out more about the next stages of a scheme to reduce the risk of flooding to 31 properties.

On Wednesday 10 November staff from the Environment Agency are holding a drop in session at North Cave Village Hall from 3pm to 7pm.

The Environment Agency has already completed the first two phases of the scheme.

For the first phase of the scheme a new overflow channel was created at Low Mill. The new channel carries extra water in times of heavy rain where North Cave Beck used to overspill onto the surrounding area.

For the second phase of the scheme part of North Cave Beck at Townend Lane was widened. The work has increased the capacity of the beck by approximately 15 per cent, which will improve water flow during times of heavy rain, reducing the risk of flooding in the village.

Work is due to start on the next phase of the scheme at Froscoles Bridge. The arches of the bridge don’t allow enough water to flow underneath when it floods which causes water to back up and flood nearby properties. The Environment Agency will be replacing the bridge, which will allow water to flow through more freely.

The Environment Agency would recognises that is still more to do to reduce the risk of flooding, and are holding the event so they can show the residents of North Cave their plans for next phase of the scheme. Members of North Cave Parish Council Flood Committee will also be at the event to answer any questions.

North Cave experienced flooding from North Cave Beck on a number of occasions, most recently in November 2000, February 2001 and June 2007. The most severe flooding in North Cave occurred in 2007 when widespread flooding was caused by very heavy persistent rain falling on already saturated ground.

Although the process of the flood relief work in North Cave has been long and often frustrating since the June 2007 flooding, we have seen some tangible results over the past year or so with the excellent work already undertaken by the Environment Agency as part of the first two phases.

I am acutely aware of the delays and difficulties involved with the decision making process, when it came to the design of the replacement Froscoles Bridge, which was agreed many months ago, before a late intervention by ‘interested parties’ required the bridge being redesigned to be capable of taking a ‘horse and trap’. I hope the new plans are in tune with the wishes of residents and the project can move forward quickly.”

I applaud the members of the North Cave Parish Council’s Flood Committee, for the tireless work they have put in over the last 3 years, and also to the Environment Agency’s Keith Crawford for what I’m sure has been a frustrating project for him – Thanks to all who have stuck with this!

Photo courtesy of Paul Harrop

'HSBC The Worlds Local Bank' - but not in North Cave!

Despite the efforts of North Cave residents, the Parish Council, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and David Davis MP - HSBC have refused to reinstall the cash point machine in North Cave after the attempted robbery in June.

I share the feelings of residents when they tell me they’ve been treated shabbily by HSBC, and I would not blame North Cave’s HSBC customers if they all decided to move their accounts to another bank, particularly one that supported rural communities rather than penalised them. Perhaps a bank whose cards are accepted free of charge at the Post Office?

There was some hope when Bank Machine Ltd, an ATM company who installs ‘Free To Use’ ATMs contacted me offering to look at locations within the village where a replacement cash machine could be installed, but sadly a suitable site has not been found.

One site was identified but unfortunately the high costs of the installation that would be required to alter the building meant that it is not a suitable option. Sites for an external stand alone ATM machine where also considered but none were found suitable.

I know that banks and bankers are not high on people’s lists of respectable professions - and the actions of HSBC in choosing not to replace the ATM in face of what their customers from North Cave and surrounding villages wish, does nothing to dispel these thoughts.

HSBC The Worlds Local Bank - but not in North Cave!

Proposed 20mph casualty reduction scheme for Gilberdyke

Gilberdyke Parish Council is working with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) on a proposed 20mph casualty reduction scheme or zone for roads ‘within the village’. The Parish Council consulted residents at a public meeting in August at which people were able to put forward their views. The proposal was quite popular with residents and received a great deal of support.

By cutting average speeds to 20mph or less, experience has shown that injuries on the road can be reduced significantly. This is because road users have more time to react to danger.


As well as reducing the chance of collisions, slower speeds can mean that in any collisions that still occur, injuries are less serious. Young children and vulnerable road users are especially at risk and a 20 mph zone can help to reduce this risk. The casualty history in the area is that there have been 7 casualties, including 4 serious injuries in the previous 5 years. The scheme is to be funded from the ERYC Capital Programme and is "ring fenced" to contribute towards the Councils casualty reduction target.

Following the public meeting, the ERYC conducted further consultation over the affected area, with every household receiving a consultation leaflet. Residents were asked to complete and return the consultation form. Of the 364 leaflets returned, 291 (80%) were in favour of the scheme, 64 (18%) were against, and 9 (2%) were returned with no clear decision.

It has been confirmed that after feedback from residents and others, that no speed humps are proposed for the scheme. However two 2 speed reactive signs are planned to be installed on Clementhorpe Road/Scalby Lane to remind drivers of the speed limit on the long straight.

The next stage is for the ERYC engineering team to draw up the scheme and for the formal traffic orders to be progressed, which, upon completion of due process, will render the 20mph legally enforceable.

I have also asked the ERYC to look at the feasibility of having a ‘Peak Hours Waiting Restriction’ for the section of Clementhorpe Road that runs from the Memorial Hall corner to the school and beyond. This would be in addition to the 20mph zone and would address the parking problems we see outside the school at drop off and pick up times.

Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave 'Wallingfen Way' project hits the road

Wallingfen Way is a visionary concept aiming to remove ‘a scar on the landscape’ (the B1230) and replace it with a coherent boulevard known as Wallingfen Way, a distinct rural community corridor. The Project aims to reinforce the distinctive character and identity of three Howdenshire villages, Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave, to reclaim the road for the local community.

Following recent 'Roadworks?' public consultations the Live project team present an open top sightseeing tour.Look out for the 'wallingfen way' bus stops on the day or check http://www.wallingfenway.org.uk/ for more information closer to the day.

An accompanying exhibition of our visions for the future of the B1230 will be on display for one day only at the Recreation Hall in Newport on the 31st October between 1pm and 4pm.

This event is organised by Students of the University of Sheffield as part of a 6-week live project focused on generating short term and long-term visions for how the B1230 can be improved.

'The Wallingfen Way' is an initiative of three Howdenshire parish councils of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave. For further information please visit http://www.wallingfenway.org.uk/

Re-offending - are much harsher non-custodial sentences instead of prison the answer?

The following is a speech I gave at the full East Riding of Yorkshire Council meeting today:

Those members of the Council's Safer and Stronger Communities Overview and Scrutiny committee and others know how frustrating the issue of re-offending is and how locally it is costing the East Riding in excess of £23 million per year…. Clearly short term prison sentencing is not working with some 60% of those serving less then 12 months going on to re-offend.

Since the last meeting meeting of the committee I decided to tackle recommendation (b) on page 95 head on (that representation be made to the Government on the need for stronger leadership and direction on ways to handle short term offenders who have alcohol or drug related problems so that they could be fully absorbed into the rehabilitation process) and took the opportunity to raise this directly with the Justice Minister, the Rt. Hon. Ken Clarke MP in a written question prior to his speech last week in which I asked:

"Prison sentences fall into two distinct categories - less than 12 months and over.

The evidence shows that short-term prisoners go on to commit the majority of re-offending. Why?

A prisoner serving over 12 months will benefit from rehabilitation programmes in prison, once released will be on licence and under supervision by the probation service.

With short sentences of less than 12 months, the prison service has neither the time nor the opportunity to rehabilitate the prisoner, they are mollycoddled during their stay, and released without supervision or support.... an offender can leave the prison gates with £40 in their pocket and nothing else… no one to meet them, no job, no accommodation and still maintaining drink and drug habits – is it any wonder they go on to re-offend?

Do we need to look seriously at short-term sentencing and whether this is the most effective way of tackling re-offending?"

It was great that Ken Clarke covered the subject of re-offending in much detail as part of the speech - obviously this was nothing to do with my question - but it’s re-assuring to see that he's looking to tackle head on the problem of re-offending which costs the East Riding of Yorkshire so much money.

To quote the Minister he said "Prison needs to do more than keep criminals off the streets. It must try to prevent them from committing more crime against more victims when they come out.

The biggest failure of the present system is re-offending. Nearly half the people in prison come straight back out and commit another crime in less than twelve months. Absurd. Under New Labour, we had an underclass of people in our broken society who walked out of jail and straight back into crime, again and again.

Fifty three thousand criminals were jailed for six months or less in 2008. Nearly two thirds of them committed another crime within the next year and were sent straight back to prison again. And that was only the ones who were caught and convicted again. Thousands of further crimes against new victims. Quite absurd."

Three key points of the new Government policy are

• The introduction of a 'rehabilitation revolution' that will pay independent providers to reduce re-offending paid for by the savings this new approach will generate within the criminal justice system.
• The conducting of a full review of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting re-offending.
• Ensuring that sentencing for drug use helps offenders come off drugs.

I get the feeling someone is at last listening… In the near future I look forward to seeing much harsher non-custodial sentences that really work, less people sent to prison, and I look forward to seeing significant improvements in re-offending rates when the scrutiny committee next looks at the issue.

Remember ladies and gentlemen Prison works - but not for all!

Students from University of Sheffield descend on the villages of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave to consult on the future of the B1230 road

Pictured with the University of Sheffield studensts and North Cave Parish Council Chairman Steve Skipsea

Students from University of Sheffield are descending on the villages of Gilberdyke, Newport and North Cave as part of the award winning ‘Wallingfen Way’ project, looking at how the B1230 road running between and through the three communities can be improved in the long term.

The students are holding a series of consultation events to gather information from local people on the possible improvements they would like to see to the road and it’s environment.

The first event was held in North Cave today (Tuesday 12 October), with two further events being held at Newport’s Canal crossing and outside Gilberdyke’s shops - both starting at 10am on Friday 15th October.

A further inducement can be seen in the photograph left - I did try one cake, but only one - it would have been rude not to!

Separation distances between wind turbines and affected residences

I have submitted the following motion to be debated by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council at the Wednesday 13th October 2010 full Council meeting.

"That this Council

1) asks the Secretary of State to give urgent consideration to reviewing the government’s planning guidance on renewable energy as clarification is needed on national minimum distances between wind turbines and affected residences taking into account the size of the turbine

2) then undertakes a review of its ’Interim Planning Document on Renewable Energy’, which could include minimum distance criteria between wind turbines and sensitive land uses such as residential dwellings, rights of way and roads.”

The motion was approved by the Council with only the 3 Labour Councillors voting against!

At almost exactly the same time the Goverment Policy for onshore wind turbines was being discussed by MPs and the Minister at Westminster, a recording of which can be seen here

The following is the speech I gave to support the motion:

The East Riding is already carrying more than its fair share of the country’s EU and National renewable energy targets in those applications that have been approved. The capacity of the East Riding to accept more wind farms is perhaps open to question – BUT what is clear is that particular areas will be saturated, and when all those already approved are built would be in effect windfarm landscapes. Herein lies the problem – many wind farms have planning consent, but apart from Lisset none are yet built.

Over the last 3½ years the Council Planning Committee has considered windfarm application after windfarm application – some have been approved, some have been refused – and of those that have been refused and appealed - all have been approved by a planning inspector.

When looking at the applications the Planning Committee has approved – each has been in a location away from properties… These include the Twin Rivers site, the Goole Fields site, Sancton, and the site near Burton Pidsea….

If one looks at the windfarms that have been approved, either by the Planning Committee or the Planning inspector it is clear that the physical size of the turbines is generally increasing, but worryingly we are seeing more turbines planned to be built ever closer to properties.

The Goole Fields application saw no properties within 750m and only 3 properties within 1,000m

The Sixpennywood application saw 2 properties within 750 and a further 3 within 1,000m

Withernwick then saw 5 properties within 1,000m

Monkwith saw 1 property within 750m and 12 within 1,000m

Then came the Spaldington applications…. of all the windfarm applications we’ve considered - I can’t recall anywhere seeing a proposal for so many properties within 1000m of 126m high turbines … 33 in this case… and worse still out of the 33 – 8 are within 750m - which is unbelievable. Also the centre of the village is only 1,000m away from the nearest turbine.

This is the background to this motion….

An adequate separation distance between wind turbines and properties is important for a number of reasons, with visual impact and noise being the main concerns.

Visual impact is quite easy to determine, imagine living within less than 750m of the Lissett windfarm to get a flavour of the overpowering nature of 125m high wind turbines. Imagine having to live with the constant movement…

Noise is much, much more complex.

The starting point for noise impact is the 1997 ETSU Guidance, which is based on average background noise levels at residences likely to be affected by wind turbines. This is open to abuse by windfarm developers as it based on average background noise levels, which can be affected by a number of factors. I have real issues with, and serious concerns over the way the background noise data has been gathered by some applicants - particularly the locations chosen for noise measurements and the so called farming activities that have taken place around the equipment during the period of measurement – including the running corn dryers or constantly working the land in the vicinity of the noise measuring equipment – thereby giving a higher than normal reading.

Then planning conditions are applied to limit the noise of the wind turbines to be less than say 5db above background noise levels – so if the background noise level is inflated the noise from the turbines can be somewhat greater, allowing for the larger turbines to operate at a fuller capacity.

It is acknowledged by many that this 1997 government guidance is outdated and flawed – after all it was put in place a long time before we as a Council were looking at these massive 2 and 3 MW, 126m high turbines.

This can be addressed very easily by ensuring that there is a minimum separation distance between a wind turbine and a property, as the noise diminishes with distance.

The second part of the motion adds a localised dimension to address separation distances, not only between wind turbines and residences, but also roads and rights of way. I have included roads because the skid marks on the road, observing the traffic travelling on the A165 between Beeford and Lissett, and talking to others, shows that drivers are distracted by the closeness of one of turbines to the road. The lesson from this does not appear to have been learnt as we saw a 126m high turbine proposed to be located with 60m of a highway as part of the Spaldington Common application – so much for fall over distances!

The response of the Secretary of State to the first part of the motion will determine how the second part is addressed. No one is exactly sure what the Government’s Localism Bill will contain when it comes to local decision-making regarding planning applications. But what is certain, the Council will need a policy on renewable energy that is fit for purpose.

This is not about preventing wind farms, it is about making sure turbines are located in areas that cause least problems for residents… it is about stopping our East Riding villages and hamlets being swamped by huge wind turbines being built unacceptably close.

Prison Works - But not for all

I posed the following question to Rt. Hon. Ken Clarke MP prior to his speech at the Conservative Party Conference this week. Unfortunately time ran out so I could not ask the question live - but it was great that he covered the subject of re-offending in great detail in the speech - obviously this was nothing to do with my submitted question - but great to see that he's looking to tackle head on the problem of re-offending which costs the East Riding of Yorkshire almost £23 million per year. I first wrote about this in January of this year which can be found here

Prison works - but not for all.

"Prison sentences fall into two distinct categories - less than 12 months and over.

The evidence shows that short-term prisoners go on to commit the majority of re-offending. Why?

A prisoner serving over 12 months will benefit from rehabilitation programmes in prison, once released will be on licence and under supervision by the probation service.

With short sentences of less than 12 months, the prison service has neither the time nor the opportunity to rehabilitate the prisoner, they are mollycoddled during their stay, and released without supervision or support.... an offender can leave the prison gates with £40 in their pocket and nothing else… no one to meet them, no job, no accommodation and still maintaining drink and drug habits – is it any wonder they go on to re-offend?

Do we need to look seriously at short-term sentencing and whether this is the most effective way of tackling re-offending?"

In the speech he said, "Prison needs to do more than keep criminals off the streets. It must try to prevent them from committing more crime against more victims when they come out.

The biggest failure of the present system is reoffending. Nearly half the people in prison come straight back out and commit another crime in less than twelve months. Absurd. Under New Labour, we had an underclass of people in our broken society who walked out of jail and straight back into crime, again and again.

Fifty three thousand criminals were jailed for six months or less in 2008. Nearly two thirds of them committed another crime within the next year and were sent straight back to prison again. And that was only the ones who were caught and convicted again. Thousands of further crimes against new victims. Quite absurd."

The full speech can be found here

The Government Policy is now:

• We will introduce a 'rehabilitation revolution' that will pay independent providers to reduce re-offending, paid for by the savings this new approach will generate within the criminal justice system.
  
• We will conduct a full review of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting re-offending.
  
• We will ensure that sentencing for drug use helps offenders come off drugs.
  
• We will implement the Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996 to allow deductions from the earnings of prisoners in properly paid work to be paid into the Victims' Fund.
  
• We will consider how to use proceeds from the Victim Surcharge to deliver up to 15 new rape crisis centres, and give existing rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding.
  
• We will carry out a fundamental review of Legal Aid to make it work more efficiently.
  
• We will introduce effective measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and low-level crime, including forms of restorative justice such as Neighbourhood Justice Panels.

Goole College Consultative Forum

I was invited to be part of a new Consultative Forum at Goole College and today we had the first meeting, which turned out to be especially enjoyable and very constructive. The more I see of Goole College - the more I am impressed with what I see, particularly the forward thinking demonstrated by Gary Warke the Deputy Chief Executive and David Caldicott the Centre Manager – the glass is certainly half full when it comes to the future.

This is typified by the relationship the College has developed to deliver the ATA (Automotive Training Arm) for BMW in nearby Thorne. This is a move away from the concept of College education having to be delivered in a College building – I certainly feel education can be delivered in many different ways and not necessarily in a formal educational building or establishment, and if this can be provided effectively and efficiently in partnership with business it is surely one way of delivering the same, or more, for less money.

HSBC continues in refusing to reinstate North Cave ATM cash machine

North Cave continues to cope without the HSBC ATM machine; with the company continuing to dig in it’s heels in refusing to reinstate the machine after the attempted robbery.

Needless to say the bank has replied to the Council subsequent to my motion to the last Council meeting, in the letter the HSBC still pedals the ‘questionable’ reasons it feels why a service to a rural community should not be continued, and refuses to listen to reason.

But there is good news - I have recently received an expression of interest from another company willing to install a free to use ATM in the village – I will be working with the company, Parish Council and residents to identify a suitable site and try and find a way forward.

Hull, Scarborough & East Riding LEP - Let's make the area a great place to do business!

With all the uncertainty over public sector cuts and the future of our economy it is entirely logical that a number of business leaders across the Humber region have real concerns about a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) comprising of Hull, Scarborough and the East Riding of Yorkshire - but does not include North and North East Lincolnshire.

Until the government decides exactly what LEPs will do, it is understandable why some people are still very unsure and skeptical as to what it will mean to them, and why many believe that a Humber focused LEP would be preferable to the Local Authority areas of the East Riding, Hull and Scarborough joining forces.

It we look at Goole, there are strong connections not only between Goole and North Lincolnshire, but also with Doncaster and West Yorkshire, with businesses trading with other businesses and people travelling from one area to another to work.

In the north of the East Riding the business connections between Bridlington and Scarborough are equally as strong, and in the west we see the same relationship between Pocklington and York.

The relationship between Hull and the East Riding is very strong in terms of business, travel to work and culture, no better example then when it comes to football with Hull City receiving a great deal of it’s support from the East Riding.

My understanding is that the LEPs are intended to be LOCAL, about PARTNERSHIP working, but most importantly about ENTERPRISE.

LEPs will be business driven, designed to facilitate enterprising people and businesses working together to strengthen, enhance and rebuild our local economy.

Business does not and should not have boundaries and I welcome the opportunity for the private sector to take responsibility for running significant aspects of our local economy. After all businesses want the best opportunities for business.

There are many other forums were businesses presently talk to each other and work together and I’m sure this will continue.

I firmly believe that forging links with neighbouring LEP’s, but also wherever they are in the UK will be an extremely important step forward in helping Goole and Howdenshire to become an even better place to live and work.

The Humber Estuary is vital to our economy and Goole is extremely well placed to take advantage of the opportunities it brings. Our inland location and ready access to the country’s central road network be it north, south, east or west places us in a great position to help drive the new Local Enterprise Partnership forward.

So does an East Riding, Hull and Scarborough LEP mean that we will cut our ties with North and North East Lincolnshire? Of course it doesn’t, put simply, it gives us the chance to work together to forge economic links in new and smarter ways.

There are many unanswered questions about Local Enterprise Partnerships, but before we are too quick to judge, let us see this as an opportunity not a threat and rather than wait to be told what to do, let’s take the initiative to work together like never before to make the Goole and Howdenshire area a great place to do business.

For me, as with most things, the glass is certainly half full when it comes to Local Enterprise Partnerships

Yes to Coalbed methane exploration in Howdenshire - But No to walking over local opinions

Scottish energy company Composite Energy will have to go back to the drawing board for a proposed 900m deep exploratory borehole in the search for coalbed methane on a site near Marr Grange Farm in Oxmardyke near Gilberdyke.

The Government’s planning inspector Mr K Williams ruled to uphold the decision of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee to refuse the application due to unresolved access issues.

At the time when the application was before the Planning Committee the members supported my proposal that the Marr Grange site be refused on the grounds of the access along Marr Lane, a very narrow road with a history of subsiding into the dyke alongside, and repeated damage to the water main in the roadside verge. It was determined that the road was unable to cater for a great number of 32 or 34 tonne lorry movements. The preferred access was a more direct and shorter route directly from the much wider and more substantially constructed Tongue Lane. The Market Weighton Internal Drainage Board and Gilberdyke Parish Council had highlighted this, and the Committee agreed the risk was unacceptable.

The ERYC Planning Officers had recommended approval and subsequently employed a consultant, but unfortunately neither could support the reason given for refusal. This led to the Council Officers offering no evidence at the public inquiry held as part of the appeal process. It was left to Peter Clark, the recently retired Clerk to the Market Weighton Drainage Board and I as the local Councillor to come up with and present the evidence, challenge the applicant’s witnesses and be challenged by their Barrister. But I guess the end justified the means and we won the day.

The company use a pioneering method of drilling, it is hoped they are successful and that a large and reliable gas field is found, as this would bring a tremendous boost to the local economy. It would also help to reduce the imports of gas from foreign lands, some of which are controlled by unstable and unpredictable governments.

I therefore hope that the company will learn from this appeal decision and realise they can't walk all over local opinion, and now go back to the landowner and renegotiate a more direct and shorter route from Tongue Lane to the proposed site. Ironically this would mean any temporary road from a highway to the drilling site being much shorter than originally proposed from Marr Lane.

Opening of the year at Goole College.

In my role as Chair of the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team (LAT) I was invited, along with Andrew Percy MP and Goole Town Councillor John Frost, to attend the opening of the year at Goole College. It was great to see all the students, many on their first day. Andrew gave a short speech saying how he remembered vividly his first day at college some 16 years ago, as he said this I was casting my own mind back even further, some 32 years, to my first day at Harrogate College.

Pictured with Elaine McMahon, Andrew Percy MP and David Caldicott)

Andrew also related to a previous visit to the College and volunteering (?) for a haircut, well as you can see from the photograph it was perhaps me that should be volunteering this time.

Elaine McMahon the Chief Executive and College Principal gave the students a very warm welcome and spoke passionately about the College, and how proud she was of it's excellent OFSTED rating. After a chat to some of the students we were invited to sit down with Elaine and Centre Manager David Caldicott for coffee, croissants and plum jam made from the fruit of the tree outside her office window.

The conversation was very frank and wide-ranging, including student funding, Adult Learning Grants, building on the links with local businesses, immigration, and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS).

I promised to revisit the College in the near future to work with Elaine, David and other staff to explore ways of how the Local Action Team can help the College in building partnerships, not just with business, but also the Police, Fire Service, NHS and Voluntary Sector.

Andrew Percy MP said he would also look at how he could help with other issues raised.

It is not surprising that under the leadership of Elaine McMahon and David Caldicott, and the commitment of the staff, Goole College is rated so highly by OFSTED.

(Photograph courtesy of Sean Stewart)

Hull, East Riding & Scarborough Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) - 'Enterprise' is the key to making it work

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council together with authorities in Hull and Scarborough have put forward proposals to the Government to establish a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). This is something I really support as it will radically reshape the way business and local government work together in the future. I certainly feel that the word ‘ENTERPRISE’ in the title is the key to making the LEP work.

The Country is facing economic problems that need bottom up solutions from local communities. The proposal fits together well, not only geographically and economically but specifically in the areas of business, planning and infrastructure decisions, tourism, renewable energy and transport. As the leader of the ERYC said, “The way we intend to work will recognise the distinct but closely-related needs of city, coast and countryside.”

The key is for LEPs to be locally focused and have the flexibility to determine their own agenda, rather than have it handed down to them by Whitehall. The proposed East Riding, Hull and Scarborough LEP can rewrite the economic geography of our area to best serve the needs of local businesses, we will no longer be part of the overly large and somewhat unrepresentative QUANGO that was Yorkshire Forward and the top-down prescription approach taken by the previous Government.

The LEP will be the vehicle through which we re-build our local economy. The proposal put forward by the three Council’s is quite radical and innovative in its approach - identifying the challenges facing our local area and how we are to tackle them, and how important it is that our local area determines its own economic development and how private sector job growth is driven, by bringing council and business interests closer together to create the conditions for business to thrive and prosper.

The Government is keen to see partnerships remain proactive and maintain momentum. Over the coming weeks Ministers will consider the proposal in detail, looking at how it will support economic growth, before providing feedback to us ahead of the publication of the White Paper on sub-national economic growth and the introduction of the Localism Bill – something I personally hope to see sooner rather than later.