Tory Chief criticises North Yorkshire Times

Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire have welcomed the support of a Tory Shadow Cabinet member over the row about the North Yorkshire County Council’s free news sheet, the North Yorkshire Times. Speaking this week to over 150 elected councillors from across the country, Caroline Spelman, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said that Council publications “threaten local newspapers” and that “councils should reconsider providing them.”
Her comments come only four months after the Labour Minister for Culture Ben Bradshaw referred to local authority “newspapers” as “propaganda sheets masquerading as newspapers”.
Cllr Bill Hoult, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at North Yorkshire County Council, attended the conference. He comments:“It is good that national politicians are waking up to the reality that these so called newspapers that only peddle good news and are paid for by Council Tax payers are a direct threat to local newspapers in the area.”“The North Yorkshire Times costs £500,000 a year of taxpayers’ money to produce and, as the County Council has discovered, is not that widely read.”“We hope that the Tory chiefs at the County Council will now listen to us and the views of Tory Central Office and close this free sheet down.”

Blinkered Approach to Winter Gritting

I have been asking for winter gritting outside doctors’ surgeries, especially where a short detour from a main road would achieve this. With the County Council reclaiming responsibility for winter maintenance (from the Borough Council) there has been the opportunity to take a fresh look at what the community needs. However, not only has the County refused to consider my request they have decided to reduce overall the number of roads gritted in the Harrogate District. There seems to be a blinkered rather than a common sense approach to this critical safety issue.

Fresh Start For Britain

Just back from a very excellent Libdem annual conference in Bournemouth. Whether it is raising the tax threshold to £10,000, stopping prisons from becoming crime academies, proposing a fairer deal for farmers, ensuring green, affordable and secure energy supplies or devolving more power away from Whitehall, (plus many other progressive policies), the party has an exciting agenda to put before the country in the forthcoming election. As the only party that has serious debates at its conferences, it is a pity the media misinterpret debate as disunity. Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and their very able, united team offer a Fresh Start For Britain. Read Nick's closing conference speech at http://www.libdems.org.uk/

Profligate Use of Refuse Sacks

I'm fed up with the bin men leaving me too many black sacks. O.K. it's a small thing, but at a time when Harrogate Borough Council is way below average on recycling, why don't they conserve resources better? My wife and I hardly ever put out more than one black sack, but we frequently get left two in exchange. I've protested to the council but they seem unable to prevent this happening. Apart from the waste it send out the wrong message when we should be minimising waste. The other day we didn't put out any rubbish at all - but we still got left two new black sacks. We are swimming in them!

Tremendous by-election result in Starbeck

Yesterday saw the election of Liberal Democrat Cllr Janet Law to the Starbeck ward of Harrogate Borough Council (HBC), following the sad death of Cllr Granville Ward. (Someone, not us, called the by-election with indecent haste).

Inspite of the challenge of an August election the Libdems had a tremendous result:
Libdems 886 (63%), Tories 252 (18%), Independents 178 (13%), Labour 82 (6%).

We fought a positive campaign, but were faced with some scurrillous stuff from some of the opposition.

Well done, Janet, and best wishes for your new role, alongside our colleagues Cllr Philip Broadbank (HBC) and County Cllr Margaret-Ann de Courcey-Bayley in Starbeck.

Thank You

Thank you to the residents of Harrogate Oatlands for re-electing me to North Yorkshire Council [Oatlands division is the whole of Stray Ward and half of Hookstone Ward]

I will use my best endeavours to represent everyone in the division and welcome contact on any matter, however small. Call me on 01423 528330 or email on cllr.keith.barnes@northyorks.gov.uk

The total cost of services provided by the County Council will amount to £899m in 2009/10, covering education, social services, highways, waste disposal, libraries, public transport, countryside services, trading standards and others. £237m of this will be raised through Council Tax. As County councillors we have a key role to play keeping in touch with our electorate, and in ensuring that services are delivered effectively and efficiently.

Please vote Libdem on June 4th.

Thank you for all the support I have received on the doorstep in recent weeks and for many interesting conversations. They all make me a better, listening councillor.
Please vote Libdem on June 4th for both county council and European elections.
Across North Yorkshire the Liberal Democrats have campaigned and will continue to campaign on:

• Axing the council tax in favour of a fairer system: lower council tax in the interim
• Adopting more environmentally friendly policies to reduce carbon emissions, and fighting for more Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Developing fairer school admissions policies
• Getting better cooperation between County and District Councils
• Maintaining Adult Education Services
• Improving Youth Services
• Better project management of capital expenditure to improve costing of projects and reduce overspanding
• Increasing support to local businesses to help ease the economic downturn
• Saving post offices across the county
• Caring sensitively and effectively for the most vulnerable in our society

Europe: Stronger together, poorer apart

Some Euro Myths:

1. "We get no benefit from being in Europe". The truth is that the UK gets enormous benefit such as safer food, consumer protection, workers' rights, cheaper flights, a single trading market, environmental protections, student exchange, protection of intellectual property, cheaper phone calls and of course, peace. We would be an isolated country outside Europe.
2. "Most of Britain's red tape comes from bureaucrats in Brussels". Actually, over a recent four year period, Whitehall produced 2634 more regulations than the combined totals of EU directives, decisions and regulations.
3. "The Common Fisheries Policy is bad for Britain's fish" Untrue. Without international cooperation Britain would be unable to stop foreign fishing fleets over-fishing our stocks as they migrate through international waters.

The Liberal Democrats aim to put Europe's house in order and create a greener, more prosperous continent. Goto www.libdems.org.uk or www.eldr.eu