Hertfordshire County Council abandons recycling

Despite its repeated claims to be "technology neutral" (for example here, here and here), the Conservative County Council's carefully designed tendering process has produced a shortlist of four incineration companies. And, despite claims that New Barnfield wasn't necessarily in line to become the dustbin of Hertfordshire, we're told that all four bidders are "looking at" New Barnfield.

This is a disgraceful betrayal of local residents by the Conservative Party, not least local Tory Councillors who have participated fully in the County Council's cabinet decision making.

At three public meetings, local people have rejected the incinerator. It is the wrong solution - not just because of the pollution, noise and health concerns, but because it has no flexibility as recycling increases. According to the County Council's latest waste newsletter, the County produces 525,000 tonnes of waste per year.

Recycling rates in Hertfordshire have increased from:
15% in 2001/02 to
36% in 2006/07 to
44% in 2009/10.

The County Council's target is 50% by 2012, so there's little doubt that will be met.

But the County Council has no target to increase recycling over 30 years of the incinerator contract! With 525,000 tonnes of waste generated, and 270,000 expected to be burnt, the County Council is apparently expecting recycling rates to fall to 48.5% by the time the incinerator is built!

The reality is that all of us are recycling more than we did a few years ago. And it's reasonable to suggest that we'll recycle more in a few years time than we do today. Incineration contracts, lasting 25-30 years, are too inflexible to cope with this. Unless, of course, the County Council abandons recycling targets.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is always a deeply moving occasion, but this is especially so this year with the tragic deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan.

As I stand at the memorial in Welwyn Garden City today, I will be thinking of them, their comrades, their friends and families.

War is always terrible, but the true horror is inflicted on these people, and not on those of us whose daily lives are safer because of their dedication, skill and sacrifice.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.

Presenting the anti incinerator petition to the County Council

Along with about twenty local residents, I presented the anti-incinerator petition to the County Council's waste panel this afternoon. Here's a summary of what I said:

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to present this petition today. You chairman have said that the County Council has not decided either on the technology or the site for waste processing. Yet local residents are still worried.

Firstly, because your officers are giving us a different message. Your assistant director Richard Brown has described New Barnfield as your "preferred site" and your Head waste manager Ray Greenall has referred to "the planned disposal facility at New Barnfield." (para 6.8).

Secondly, because the County Council appointed incineration specialist Ramboll as its adviser, and has produced a shortlist of six companies, all of whom build incinerators. Is it any wonder we're worried?

Thirdly, because of the lack of consultation. Derrick Ashley met the Welwyn Hatfield Environment Network. In Welwyn Garden City. But no one from the County Council has spoken to residents in Hatfield. Hatfield South Tory County Councillor Stuart Pile has so far failed to attend three public meetings. I wonder if council officers would have engaged so little with local residents had Hitchin been under threat? But it gets worse. In a report to this panel meeting (para 5.3), your officers make clear that they want to inform local residents. But not about the emerging technology and not about the likely location. If there was ever a sentence in an officer report that cried out for member scrutiny, this is it.

Fourthly, we fear that you have sacrificed New Barnfield on the altar of expediency, simply because you own the site. You know it is not a suitable location. It's in a residential area. It's right next to Southfield School. You're spending public money in clearing the site. When your Development Control committee decides on a planning application, you'll have landed them with a clearly unsuitable site. You're not being fair to your colleagues.

Fifthly, incineration is the wrong technology. The County Council has made vast strides over the last five years, increasing recycling from 15% in 2001/02 to 36% in 2006/07 (table 3 on page 9). Your officers tell us you're now at 44%. Where will this figure be in thirty years time at the end of an incineration contract? With younger people keener to recycle, with global warming being of ever increasing concern, recycling rates will go up. In particular, we will recycle more paper and plastics, the materials that incinerator rely on. If you choose a 25 year incineration contract, you are opening yourself to trouble. You provide no flexibility for future reductions in waste or the inevitable increases in recycling. You should recycle, not burn, our waste.

So what do I want you to do? Four things:

1. Despite paragraph 5.3 of your report (above), talk to local residents. Listen to their concerns;
2. Be aware - long term decisions (a 25 year contract) require long term analysis (25 year recycling forecasts);
3. Undertake your long term analysis, not in private, but in a way that allows for public scrutiny; and
4. Recognise that New Barnfield is not a suitable site. How will you recognise this? Come and visit!

I'm grateful to the local residents who came to see the petition presented. We didn't change the County Council's mind overnight, but we made a start.

So highlight of the day: the continued enthusiasm of local campaigners

And lowlight: Liberal Democrat Councillor Geoff Churchard speaking in favour of incineration and saying that "we need to re-educate the public." Better re-educate the County Council first, Geoff! Or even allowing some debate would be a start...

Second lowlight: Hatfield South Tory Councillor Stuart Pile sitting on his hands (again) and not saying a word to the panel. Remind me again what he was elected to do?

Grant Shapps won't save New Barnfield!

Grant Shapps MP has set up a website campaign against the County Council's threatened waste incinerator at New Barnfield. But there's just one problem (apart, obviously from his support in the June 4 elections for Councillors like Stuart Pile who take part in County Council cabinet meetings to support incineration). The problem is that Grant doesn't oppose incineration! He's told the Welwyn Hatfield Review that "energy from waste might be a good idea."

But it gets worse! Hatfield's MP has found an appropriate site for a waste incinerator: right next to the University at Roehyde! So Hertfordshire County Council Tories want the incinerator in South Hatfield. Grant Shapps MP seems to want it in West Hatfield. But there is an alternative. As I said two years ago, I want neither.

QEII not closing - shock!

I campaigned long and hard against the desire of the East and North Herts Primary Care Trust to move key services like A&E from the QEII to Stevenage. Indeed, my very first blog post as about this subject. I shared local residents' anger at the PCT's decision.

But that doesn't mean the QEII is going to close. We've already got a new GP health centre, where local residents can see a GP without an appointment, any time between 8 am and 8 pm seven days a week. We'll have an urgent care centre, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And the QEII will also keep:
- an outpatient unit;
- ante/post natal care;
- diagnostic facilities (e.g. x-rays and blood tests);
- a rapid assessment unit;
- intermediate care beds for those who no longer need to be on an acute hospital ward, but need further care before they go home; and
- a range of therapy services.
[source]

So the question has to be asked - why is Grant Shapps MP claiming the hospital will close? Coming on top of his opposition to the new GP walk-in centre, is he desperately trying to stir up residents' worry? Is there a general election approaching?

Does the Council think Hatfield is rubbish?

We all know that the Council doesn't do much to help Hatfield town centre. But this photo taken by Labour Councillor Colin Croft shows just how keen they are not to do anything.

Colin says, "It's a disgrace. Food rotting, bad smells and people have to walk by it all."

By allowing Hatfield town centre to decay in this way, the Borough Council is simply driving potential shoppers away from local businesses.

This would never be allowed in Welwyn Garden City town centre, so why does the council find it acceptable in Hatfield?

Hatfield incinerator - the Tory plan continues!

I've made clear my opposition to the Conservative plan to build a massive 270,000 waste incinerator in Hatfield. Indeed my second post on this blog referred to my opposition to waste incineration in principle.

But I've continued to be struck by local Conservative claims that they oppose the incinerator too! The lie to this claim is demonstrated in this week's County Council press release, where it is announced that they are engaging in detailed negotiations with six companies - all of whom build incinerators!

At the County Council Cabinet meeting that made this decision, local Tory Councillors Richard Smith (Welwyn) and Stuart Pile (Hatfield South) were again present. And neither is reported as uttering a word of objection to these plans - just like at the meeting which made the original decision to propose Hatfield as the preferred site!

Truly, the Conservative Party wants to make Hatfield the dustbin of Hertfordshire!

Grant Shapps MP quits second job

Last month, in the light of the ongoing scandal about MPs' behaviour, I wrote an integrity pledge in which I promised that, if elected as the Labour MP for Welwyn Hatfield, I would "not accept any other paid employment or company directorship while serving as an MP."

Serving as a Member of Parliament is perhaps the greatest honour society can give, and I believe that it should be a full-time job. Congratulations, therefore, to Grant Shapps MP who has this week resigned as a director of the printing company he owns. Four years late, but welcome when it happens!


Grant Shapps tells the Welwyn Hatfield Times, that he took the decision "so that he would have no outside interests that could distract him from his work as an MP."

So how is that different to 2005 when he was first elected?

Save the Hilltop Hall

Last October, a campaign by local residents persuaded Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council to reject a planning application to shoe horn yet another take-away into the Harrier Public House at the Hilltop shopping area in South Hatfield. Brewers McMullens lost its bid to cut into the Assembly Hall in order to sell us more take aways.

Sadly, Mcmullens is trying again. If successful, the plans will bring more litter, noise and disturbance to local residents. It will also reduce the size of the hall, an important local community facility.

I've given the campaigners my support, and they're reinstating their facebook campaign group.

Congratulations to Councillor Kieran Thorpe

Congratulations to Kieran Thorpe who, on an otherwise bad day for Labour, gained the Hatfield South borough council seat from the Tories.

Why did we win when Labour was doing so badly elsewhere? Mainly, of course, Conservative arrogance by proposing a massive waste incinerator in South Hatfield. Kieran spoke at our recent public meeting against the incinerator and impressed nearly 100 local residents with his passionate defence of his town. But there's a second reason too - lots of hard work by lots of people!

Well done Kieran! Well done the team! And commiserations to Sue Jones who lost her seat on Herts County Council after eight years of dedicated service to her constituents in Welwyn Garden City South.

Great news for the NHS in Welwyn Hatfield

I'm very pleased to report good news about our local NHS. From today, there's a new service in Welwyn Garden City that will enable local residents to see a GP or nurse at any time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week. Local people can attend with or without an appointment any time during opening hours.

The new service, run by local GPs, is situated at the new Spring House Medical Centre on Ascots Lane, next to the QEII hospital. The new service will be of particular benefit to local residents whose working hours make it difficult to see their GP or whose GPs have too few appointments, making it hard to make an appointment. There is no need to transfer registration to the new medical centre to take advantage of its services - you can keep your current GP, but use the new centre when it is more convenient.

More details are available at the Spring House website.

Sadly, the local Conservative Party opposed the new centre, claiming with absolutely no evidence, that existing GP surgeries would close if this new service was opened. That hasn't been the case, and I for one am grateful to the Government for ignoring Conservative opposition and for providing this additional service.

Vote Labour in the European Elections

Labour's team of candidates for the European Elections on June 4. From left to right are Chris Ostrowski, Sherma Batson, Richard Howitt MEP, Beth Kelly, Nigel Gardner and James Valentine. Katie Curtis was absent for this photograph.

Labour's MEPs have a good record of working hard for Britain, and more details of this are available on their website. Richard Howitt is number one on Labour's regional list, and his website lists much of his work for the East of England regional constituency:

"As your Euro MP, I aim to be an effective voice for the East of England in Brussels. But beyond that there are improvements I want to see – to the every day lives of working people, for those who are disadvantaged or discriminated against in any way, for people around the world who face a daily struggle just to stay alive. They are things I know you care about too. I use my position, at every opportunity, to achieve change for them, on your behalf.

My priorities are:
• Bringing regional aid to help with the regeneration of our towns and countryside – working for more success now that European regional aid has been reviewed.
• Ensuring that big businesses act in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
• Using EU powers to fight discrimination and promote equality in all fields, and to give working people rights which directly benefit their lives.
• Arguing for a fair deal for developing countries – particularly through the promotion of ethical trade.
• Standing up to defend human rights around the world, and pushing for increased European action.
• Making sure that we play a full part in the future of the European Union, including full support for enlargement to the Balkans and Turkey."

Beth Kelly is number two on Labour's list. A Hatfield resident, she has a great understanding of local residents' needs, and I'll be very pleased to vote for them on June 4.

Update: Congratulations to Richard on his re-election.

Personal integrity

This is the text of a letter I've sent to local papers at the end of last week.

Sir,
I am just as shocked as all local residents about the scandalous, if not corrupt, behaviour of a number of MPs of all parties as exposed in recent weeks. It can hardly be surprising if some people will think that all politicians are looking out for themselves, given that this is clearly true for a number of MPs.

I still believe that the great majority of politicians, both locally and nationally, are motivated by a commitment to public service. But how are voters to tell the difference between ethical and selfish politicians?

To help local residents make their decision, I pledge to everyone in Welwyn Hatfield that, if elected as the Labour MP for Welwyn Hatfield:
1. I will make my only home in Welwyn Hatfield, and will not establish or claim for any second home at any time during the five year life of the Parliament;
2. I will not accept any other paid employment or company directorship while serving as an MP;
3. I will publish receipts for every penny that I claim in expenses in serving local constituents;
4. Just as I did when supporting the local hospital campaign, I will always put the concerns of local residents at the absolute top of my priority list;
5. I will tell people my real views even when I know they will disagree with me; and
6. I will never promise what I know I cannot deliver.

I should pay tribute to Conservative blogger Iain Dale whose original pledge and subsequent letter to the London Evening Standard inspired my decision to make this pledge. In a number of ways, my pledge is different to his, and hence personal to me.

I'd very much welcome comments, particularly from Welwyn Hatfield residents, about what promises they expect politicians to make about matters of integrity.

Politicians and ethics - Lord Peter Truscott

I wrote the following three weeks ago, but decided to wait till the news had been confirmed. In the light of the stream of Telegraph revelations about corruption in the House of Commons, it seems dated, but I think it's important that this example of appalling behaviour isn't overlooked.


"I've previously criticised local Tory Councillor Paul Smith who abandoned his constituents while still claiming allowances to chair a meeting that he wasn't turning up to. Thankfully, he's now resigned from the Council, and Hatfield East will have the opportunity to choose a Councillor who prefers representing them to spending three months on Big Brother.

But it has to be accepted that such behaviour is not the sole preserve of the Tories. Peter Truscott was the Labour Member of the European Parliament for Hertfordshire from 1994 to 1999. He's now due to be suspended from the House of Lords for twelve months after a disgraceful incident in which he was filmed offering to promote

amendments to legislation in return for cash.

He'd told Sunday Times journalists that he had to be a “bit careful” and could not table the amendment himself, and then told the BBC that "to suggest I would offer to put down amendments for money is a lie". This is what Wikipedia calls a "non-denial denial", a phrase popularised by Bernstein and Woodward.

Random fact about Peter Truscott: when his wife reported his disappearance to the police, he was found in Bath - which he claims to be his "main residence" in a manner which enables him to receive £70,000 in allowances for overnight accommodation at his £700,000 second home in London.

It's very common to think that politicians are in it for themselves. I'm firmly convinced that well over 99% of politicians are only interested in serving the public. But those who betray the public trust, regardless of party, need to be exposed for their activities.

Declaration of interest: I was Peter Truscott's agent very briefly before his election in 1994. We fell out before the election, so I take no credit - or shame - for his surprise election."

Update: One of the ways in which this seems out of date is my use of the 99% figure. In Parliament, at least, a lower figure is clearly called for.

South Hatfield Fete

It was a pleasure to spend Saturday afternoon at the South Hatfield Fete. A large crowd of Hatfield residents gathered for a great afternoon, and many signed Labour's petition against the Tories' incinerator plans.

Pictured here is Kieran Thorpe, Labour's candidate in June 4's Hatfield South by-election (the by-election following yet another Tory resignation), and Alf Appleby who was a Labour Councillor for the area for 40 years.

CCTV makes Hatfield town centre safer

Excellent news from Hertfordshire Police. According to a report in the Welwyn Hatfield Times, residential burglaries in the town centre fell from 10 between November and December 2008, before CCTV, to four between January and February 2009 - after the installation of the CCTV.

Non-residential burglaries fell from 20 to four in the same period. On top of this, the number of crimes detected in the town centre rose from 95 in the last two months of 2008 to 112 at the start of 2009.

So who do we have to thank for this excellent news?

Back in June last year, I set the residents' campaign group Action Hatfield, and we wrote a charter which said "The CCTV, promised for the new town centre, should be installed now. If cameras and screens have to be bought, they should be bought now."

Certainly not the Borough Council who originally wanted to buy a mere six cameras for the whole town centre, before being persuaded to install ten.

Well done, Action Hatfield!!

Don't vote Conservative for Hertfordshire County Council, June 4

The Conservative County Council record for Welwyn Hatfield. Just for starters:

· Losing £28 million in the Icelandic banks;
· Planning a massive and unpopular waste incinerator in Hatfield;
· Closing New Briars School, despite “value added” figures in the top 2% in the country; and
· Allowing our roads to fall into disrepair.

Vote Labour for Hertfordshire County Council, June 4

Labour’s plans for Hertfordshire County Council:

Beating the credit crunch
Labour will make the County Council rise to the challenge of creating employment and supporting working people through initiatives such as increasing apprenticeships and expanding financial advice services.

Safeguarding the Council’s finances
Labour will launch a full enquiry into the Tories loss of £28 million of Hertfordshire tax payers’ money to ensure the lessons are learned, and public money is protected for use on the services we all need.

Adult Care
Labour will introduce robust contracting arrangements for home care providers to avoid the chaos and distress caused by last year’s changes. In the longer term we will look to bring the service directly into County Council control.

Proper youth provision and free transport for young people
Labour will expand the services to young people, on Friday and Saturday evenings, where there’s the greatest need and the least provision. But it’s no good providing more if no one can get to it. Labour will therefore look at ways to provide free transport for our young people.

Ensuring our children are safe
Labour will invest money in services to families, schools and our communities which aim to prevent children and young people becoming so needy or at such risk in the first place, and to increase their wellbeing.

Abolishing the streets of shame
Labour will ensure that highways maintenance is fast, efficient and long term. Labour believes it’s better to prevent potholes but when they do occur they must be repaired quickly, durably and efficiently. Safety must be our number one concern.

Hatfield Incinerator

Hatfield South's Tory County Councillor Stuart Pile is being utterly disingenuous in this week's Welwyn Hatfield Times (story not online) where he criticises claims that the County Council wants to build a 270,000 tonne waste incinerator at the New Barnfield library/ Southfields School site in south Hatfield.

But he gives the game away when he says, "at the moment", his plans would include opposing the site's use. Councillor Pile is clearly setting himself up for a second u-turn. As I've said before, on October 20, Stuart Pile attended a County Council cabinet meeting which voted for:

• a 270,000 tonne EfW + CHP plant at New Barnfield, South Hatfield is included in the OBC as the proposed reference site.
• Relocation of the Central Resource Library, the Schools Library Service, Library Service administration accommodation, Mobile Library Service, Technical Support Services and Distribution to suitable alternative accommodation, and
• Relocation of the Key Stage 3 part of Park Education Support Centre to suitable alternative accommodation.

The minutes of the meeting are clear: Stuart Pile is not recorded as either speaking or voting against the decision to build the incinerator and move the library and school education centre.

If he's opposing this decision "at the moment", why didn't he vote against it at the County Council cabinet meeting on October 20. And if he's only opposing the decision "at the moment", is he going to persuade his colleagues not to continue their work, such as commissioning an environmental impact assessment for the New Barnfield site? (Answer: no, they've already done this).

As a member of the County Council cabinet, Councillor Pile is responsible for a series of decisions that are leading inexorably to the development of a massive waste incinerator in Hatfield. His subsequent and weak denials should fool no one.

Hatfield Tories want to make Hatfield the dustbin of the county.

Update: Join this new facebook group to campaign against the incinerator.

Hatfield town centre - Council inaction continues

Hatfield town centre symbolises everything that is wrong about the Conservative rule over Welwyn Hatfield. First, it took a whistleblower last May to reveal to the public what the Council knew - that the town centre redevelopment had been put on hold. Then, while the Council did nothing, I organised a public meeting, leading to an action plan to seek to make the town centre safe and attractive for local residents. It was Labour who campaigned against the ugly boarded up shops, and complained when the Borough Council took no action.

I helped set up and chaired the Action Hatfield campaign to get the action plan implemented, while local Conservatives did nothing but criticise. Then, when the Government gave the Borough Council £3 million for development, the Tory response was to ring the death knell for the town centre.

So it should really come as no surprise that, it has taken four months after receiving the money for the Council to come up with a plan. It's going to call a meeting. Next month.

It's nothing short of a scandal that the Council take so long to do so little. But, equally, it's sadly no surprise.

Hertfordshire students vote Labour

Congratulations to Sree Dasari, the new President-elect of Hertfordshire University Students Union. Sree is a Labour Party member and was supported in his election campaign by many members of the university's Labour students society.

In his new role, Sree will work for many improvements for his fellow students, including weekend Uno shuttle bus services for both College Lane and de Havilland campuses, getting more students involved in the new forum activities and fixing food prices for all students and staff members.

Sree has already launched a major campaign to extend library opening hours during term breaks, a fight I'd gladly have backed during my days at the university.

NHS officials must be sacked!

I've criticised Hertfordshire's Primary Care Trust before - well, many times - on this blog. I've described them as incompetent, and attacked them for going back on promises made to local residents.

But I've never been as shocked as I am today. Incredibly, the Primary Care Trust has now come out and said that it sees patients as "hostile." The offensive words are used in a job being advertised today.

This is utterly unacceptable. To refer to NHS patients in this way demonstrates that the management of the Primary Care Trust has lost all compassion for patients, and now sees them as opponents rather than seeing them as the very people whom the NHS was established to serve. Such language has nothing to do with Health and it has nothing to do with Service.

I've written to the Primary Care Trust's bosses at the East of England Strategic Health Authority. I've demanded that disciplinary action is taken against senior managers in the Primary Care Trust. The management team has already lost the confidence of most people in the Welwyn Hatfield area, but they have now lost the respect of all decent people.

Update: reply from Sir Neil McKay, the Chief Executive of the Strategic Health Authority: "When I read the offending paragraph I was as surprised as you were. I know that my colleague Lee Whitehead has spoken to you and you should have received an e-mail from Juliet Rodgers the Assistant Director of Communications with the Hertfordshire PCT. Can I add my regret that this was written. I have raised the matter with Anne Walker the Chief Executive of the PCT and I am confident that such unacceptable sentiments won’t appear in the written word published by the PCT again. I know these comments do not represent the views of the Boards and staff in the NHS in Hertfordshire. Thank you for drawing this matter to my attention."

UK will ‘head for the rocks under Cameron’ – Tory MEP

Christopher Beazley has been a Conservative Euro MP for Welwyn Hatfield, and for the rest of the East of England since 1999 (having previously been the Tory MEP for Cornwall for ten years). His late father, Peter, represented neighbouring Stevenage, so no one can say that Christopher Beazley isn't steeped in Conservative politics.

So when he tells the East Anglian Daily Times that, "I cannot watch my country head for the rocks, which it will do if Cameron becomes Prime Minister," we should all take him seriously.

Apparently, there's "anti-European hysteria in the [conservative] party" so he won't be standing in the European Elections on June 4. Not that I was planning to vote for him anyway!

Photo credit: East Anglian Daily Times

New Tory says Liberal policy worse than baby rape

Many years ago (in 1997) Sam Smith became a Labour Party member. No longer, thank goodness. On Thursday last week, he joined the Conservative Party. Local MP Grant Shapps and Council Leader John Dean were fast to praise him, and keen to be photographed with him.

Grants Shapps MP said, "Sam shares our practical approach to solving the problems in Welwyn Hatfield and beyond." And John Dean said, "I'm so pleased he's decided to put his backing behind us."

How gutted they must be, then, when Sam Smith showed his true colours just 24 hours later, saying that, "Liberal policy [on drug liberalisation] poses a greater threat to our children than Tanya French does."

I certainly don't support drug legalisation, but I don't believe in comparing those that do to baby rapists. The Conservative Party is welcome to its offensive new recruit!

Monks Walk sixth form

It's two years since I last spoke to the assembled sixth form at Monks Walk, and it was just as much a pleasure to visit the school this morning, especially on the day that many exam results had arrived.

With the general election probably next year, the whole sixth form will get to vote, and I believe that it's important they do so. The choice about whether Gordon Brown or David Cameron will lead the country as we continue to deal with the world's economic problems is a key one, and students like those at Monks Walk who will be affected by that decision for many years to come. I stressed therefore, that their activities, for example through campaigning, political involvement or campaigning, could really help improve the world we live in.

I was, as before, very impressed indeed by the quality and enthusiasm of questioning. I'm sure that, following the exam results today, many of the students will be heading for university. So I was sure to stress that Labour's expansion of higher education would give them much more opportunity to do so than just ten years ago. Good luck to all the students!

Welcome for new GP health centre at QE2

Congratulations to local doctors for winning the contract to provide the new GP-led health centre at the QEII. Open from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days per week, the centre is great news for everyone who works during the day and those whose local surgery is often busy. I've praised it warmly.

But it's interesting to examine the record of local Tory MP, Grant Shapps. He set up a website to oppose the new centre. And, as recently as December, he was warning that the Government plan for the new health centre would "threaten our GP Surgeries." Now, he's welcoming the decision, even if cautiously. Great news! Well done, Grant! As St Luke said, there's joy in heaven over the repentance of any sinner!

Councillor Paul Smith must resign!

Following the revelations that Councillor Paul Smith had not attended a council meeting since November, and following Labour's decision to start a petition calling for his resignation (photo, left), comes further shocking news.

Not content with abandoning his council meeting duties (and notably, as chairman of the environment committee, responsible for scrutinising the council's disastrous decision to chop down the Poplars at Stanborough), it now seems that Councillor Smith wanted to abandon his constituents for three months over the Summer too!

According to his own facebook site, he applied to Big Brother and got through round 1 of the auditions! Good luck Paul, with your celebrity career, but remember you've got constituents here too!

Councillor Paul Smith

This week's Welwyn Hatfield Times reports that Tory Councillor Paul Smith has been being paid £8,400 a year as a Borough Councillor, while not turning up to any council meeting since November. The paper says that he has missed:

• Six planning committee meetings.
• Four full council meetings.
• One environment and overview scrutiny committee meeting - for which he is paid £3,790 for the role of chairman

If he can't play his full role and represent his constituents, it's time for him to announce his retirement.

The Labour Party has been collecting signatures on our petition form, asking Paul Smith to resign from the Council so that someone with more time can represent his constituents. If you agree, download this petition form today, collect some signatures and post it to the Welwyn Hatfield Labour Party, 10a High View, Hatfield, AL10 8HZ.

Update: more news here

Why are Conservative Councillors silent about Commonswood Nature Reserve?

If Lafarge submit their threatened planning application to build homes right on the doorstep to Commonswood Nature Reserve, then it will be Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council which makes the decision whether to go ahead.

At last week's public meeting, Margaret Birleson, the Leader of the Labour Councillors on the Council expressed her opposition to any housing that would damage the nature reserve. But what about the Conservatives? Their Councillors were uncharacteristically silent at the public meeting. But here's Councillor Mandy Perkins, the Executive Member responsible for Planning, failing completely to say that the Nature Reserve is special, or that it needs to be protected at all costs. So my question is: why the silence?

Commonswood Nature Reserve

Over a hundred local residents crowded into Howlands Baptist Church last night to learn from Commonswood Nature Watch about the threat from Lafarge to build next to the Commonswood Nature Reserve at the south of Welwyn Garden City.

This is an amazingly special piece of land. And not just because it was a Labour led District Council that bought the land to establish the Nature Reserve in the mid 90s (and worked in partnership to buy this jewel for only £5,000). According to the authorative presentations at last night's meeting, the reserve has 26 species of butterfly, 245 plant species, 24 mammal species, 98 bird species, 2 species each of amphibians and reptiles, 9 types of grasshopper and 14 species fo dragonfly. Many of these have Biodiversity Action Plans to protect them.

As I said at the meeting, this land is some of the most valuable in the whole of the Borough. Not just because if the biodiversity, crucial though that is. But I've always believed that green land close to where people live is the greatest amenity to local residents. This is the bit of the greenbelt that must be protected at all costs.

Despite alarmist statements from other political parties, for example Grant Shapps MP saying not once but twice that the Nature Reserve itself might be built on, this is a crucial issue. The Borough Council must surely reject any proposal from Lafarge. I'll do all I can to persuade Labour Councillors to oppose the development if it comes to a vote at the Council. What will Tory Councillors do? Silence so far.

Update: more here on the Conservatives' silence.

Well done Welwyn Hatfield Council

A week ago, I strongly criticised Welwyn Hatfield Council for abandoning vulnerable meals on wheels recipients to be cold and hungry, without what must often be their main or only meal of the day. So outrageous was this that Noel Edmonds himself had to step in to help!

In my post last week, I said, "I don't care if senior council officers have to deliver the food themselves. ... Surely, the most vulnerable should come first?"

And, what do you know? It's happened! On Friday, the meals were "delivered to clients in most need by volunteer officers from the council including Chief Executive Michel Saminaden and senior officers." Well done, Michel!

And congratulations also to the Council for cancelling the February 7 Farmers Market. While it's appalling that there was "still compacted ice in the town centre", the last thing we wanted was elderly local residents being encouraged out onto the ice.

Update: This is quite shocking. I'm praising the Council again. I raised the issue of the compacted ice at the Hatfield Town Centre forum meeting this evening, and received an assurance that salt would be hand-spread in the event of future snow. It's particularly at times like this, with the Council responding to criticism of its mistakes, that involvement in politics really feels worthwhile.

Cold and hungry in the snow?

South-east England has the worst snow it has seen for 18 years, and there's certainly loads of it about in Welwyn Hatfeld.

So how does Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council respond? By suspending the meals on wheels service to elderly and vulnerable people across the borough.

Those who get the meals on wheels service are "unable to cater for themselves due to poor health" and have to be referred for meals on wheels by their GP surgery, social worker or warden.

I don't care if senior council officers have to deliver the food themselves. I don't care if they have to go round to residents' homes and cook the food themselves on the hob. Surely, the most vulnerable should come first?

Welwyn Hatfield Conservative Councillors - courteous or just plain rude?

There have been too many examples of sheer rudeness at Welwyn Hatfield Council, and I don't think the public are impressed. Letters and emails I receive from local residents indicate their disatisfaction with the yaa-boo politics of Prime Minister's Question Time, and the local council isn't much better.

So full credit to Labour and Liberal Democrat Councillors for their recent motion at the January Council meeting, that:

“This Council is concerned about recent unnecessary personal attacks on members during debate and resolves that it should uphold common courtesybetween members and discourage personal attacks.”

And full credit to the 34 Councillors whose support saw the motion passed.

But sadly, Conservative Councillor Clare Berry, Conservative Councillor Doug Berry, Conservative Councillor Hannah Berry and Conservative Councillor Steven Markiewicz seem to think that courtesy is over-rated.

But at least this explains why Clare Berry didn't reply to my emails about the Stanborough Lakes trees massacre!

Stand up to hatred

Having attended the local Holocaust memorial Day commemorations in both 2007 and 2008, I was very disappointed not to be able to take part in this week's commemoration in Welwyn Garden City.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust rightly asks us to stand up to hatred, an issue which is very important to me locally, as well as being important internationally.

But it's not just genocide that is the problem. The appalling ongoing conflict both in the south of Israel and in Gaza is a dreadful reminder of how it is the innocent who always suffer most in war. I'm pleased to endorse the Disaster Emergency Committee's appeal for Gaza and its TV advert:

Meeting the Welwyn Hatfield Islamic Society

It was a pleasure this evening to spend a couple of hours talking to the committee of the Welwyn Hatfield Islamic Society about the concerns and ambitions for their community. I was very impressed with the very wide range of support that the charity provides for local muslims, with, for example, a phone line that can be called at any time for emotional support.

We discussed local, national and international issues, notably their desire to build bridges with the rest of the local community and their fear that muslims are sometimes demonised because of events which they are the first to condemn. I was struck, too, by their praise for the local area and how pleased they were to be living here - a more positive attitude than many local residents! And we spoke at length about the recent terrible events in Gaza, and what might be done to start the process towards peace in the Middle East.

There were over 1,000 muslims in our community at the time of the 2001 census, and I've no doubt this number has increased due to the young age of many local muslims. It's shocking to me that such a significantly sized community doesn't yet have its own community centre, for use for daily prayer, sunday classes and other community uses. I have no hesitation in adding my support in respect of their need for a community centre, and I'll be talking to the Borough Council to see what can be done to help.

Tribute to David Kerr

David Kerr had been one of Labour's County Councillors in Welwyn Garden City for eight years when I was first elected to join him in 1997. He was a great assistance to me in my new role, and I continue to be grateful to him for his support over the four years that our service overlapped.

David also worked as a GP and was a Labour MP in Wandsworth from 1964 to 1970.

Sadly, David died at the beginning of last week, and there's a fulsome tribute to him by his friend and Parliamentary colleague, Tam Dalyell.

This photograph is cortesy of UPPA/Photoshot, and dates a while. The Welwyn Hatfield Times has a more recent one in its obituary.

Tory policies on homelessness?

Local MP, Grant Shapps deserves credit for introducing the policy issue of homelessness to the Conservative Party. After all, the Conservative Party
doubled homelessness between 1979 and 1997 (see page 59 of Parliamentary research paper) and completely ignored homelessness in its 2001 and 2005 manifestos, whereas it has been recognised as a priority (and still is a priority) for the Labour Government - which has been reducing the numbers of people who are homeless.

Indeed, Grant has repeatedly raised the issue, writing eight reports and even sleeping rough in a positive publicity stunt.

But does it mean anything? Would a new Tory Government really be different to its predecessors? Surely the answer is to be found by reading Grant's "Conservative Blueprint For Tackling Homelessness", published on Christmas Eve?

Sadly not. A series of charities have lined up to query the absence of a detailed plan to actually do something.

1. A spokesperson for Shelter called on the Conservatives to accompany its blueprint with explicit plans to build new homes. ‘The Conservatives have the opportunity to present more than just paper policies on housing and become the champions of building much needed new homes at a local level,’ she said.
2. Jeremy Swain, chief executive of Thames Reach, said the Conservatives’ criticism of the way rough sleepers are counted needed to be accompanied by its own detailed action plan for ‘getting them off the streets’.
3. Balbir Chatrik, director of policy at Centrepoint, called for more detail on how homeless young people would be helped.
4. Robert Smyth, research and policy manager at Look Ahead Housing & Care, said he would have ‘liked to have seen a commitment to providing the necessary resources to achieve these aims’.

Eight reports, but still no real detail in the policy! The privilege of opposition, of course, is that politicians don't have to produce any detailed proposals. But it hardly suggests that the issue is a Conservative priority when policy detail is so lacking for so long.

Turn the heating up - it's cold!

With temperatures heading for minus four degrees as I write, it's been confirmed that eligible local residents will be entitled to a £25 cold weather payment. It's important therefore to keep the heat turned up.

And it's just as important to keep a Labour Government which:
- tripled the cold weather payment from £8.50;
- introduced the Winter fuel payment, now worth up to £400; and
- is paying a £60 Christmas bonus

As opposed to a Conservative Government which chose this very week to promise £4.1 billion in spending cuts.

Happy Christmas from everyone at The Mixed Group

As for the last two Christmasses, it was a pleasure to work with Sean Cox MBE and The Mixed Group to help serve Christmas dinner to over a hundred people in our community who would otherwise be alone at Christmas. A very happy Christmas to all diners, volunteers and fundraisers!

Hatfield Tories confirm town centre betrayal

Confirming the fears I expressed last week, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Leader John Dean, has confirmed the Conservative Party's desire to abandon the Hatfield town centre redevelopment plans.

Taking the lead from Grant Shapps MP who had bizarrely described the Government's decision to give the Borough Council £3 million as a "fatal blow" to the town centre, John Dean has rung his party's death knell for the agreed scheme. He is quoted by the Welwyn Hatfield Times as saying that this news has "put paid to the original scheme, yes. We're going to have to go back to the drawing board."

I disagree.

We're not going to get the new town centre in the middle of a recession. But, when the downturn ends, the people of Hatfield have every right to expect the new and top quality town centre that the council have promised them.

Any other approach would involve:
- a new planning consultation
- a new planning inquiry
- potentially a new year long consultation process
- perhaps a search for a new developer
- and endless costs for consultants

Far better, I believe, to proceed with the plan we have now.

So what can we do? Hatfield residents should be confident that this decision can be overturned. Last time the public were asked about the Council's handling of the town centre, the local Conservatives were given a very bloody nose. We must make them think again in 2009.

Hatfield town centre update

Two announcements were made yesterday:

1. The Government gave the Borough Council £3 million over two years. Good news, surely! You can do a lot with 3 million pounds.

2. The Conservative Party rushed in an unseemly haste to ring the death-knell on the Hatfield town centre redevelopment.

So why did they do this? The town centre development does not rely on Government money. It didn't a year ago, even back in April when Wilkinsons signed up to be one of the anchor tenants.

Sadly, no amount of Government money would start the development today - major shops just aren't signing up to open stores in Hatfield because of the global economic recession.

And, when the recession comes to an end, and shops become prepared to sign contracts again, will extra Government money make a crucial difference? I've no doubt it would help. But it's a strange sort of bid that says "Give me money today because I'll find it helpful in three years time."

So why has the Conservative Party jumped the gun to call a stop to the town centre development. Could it be that party political point scoring has suddenly become more important than supporting the town?

Of course, I wish the Government had given us more money, and we should certainly ask why:

1. Bid writing is a professional skill. Is the Borough Council any good at it? Did we use experts?

2. How did we lobby? Did Grant Shapps MP meet the responsible Minister? Did he take the Council along? Grant and I have discussed cross-party lobbying of Government on other issues, did the Council consider that here?

But we also need to focus on what we want. We've got plans agreed with the public. We've got one major store signed up. We've got a developer (albeit no longer under contract). The Council should seek to negotiate to give St Modwen the extra time they will inevitably need, but with a commitment to build the promised and agreed town centre as soon as the recession comes to an end.

Isn't this obvious? But thanks anyway to the Welwyn Hatfield Review for calling me a "staunch campaigner" for saying it!

Credit where it's due

Welwyn Hatfield Council Leader John Dean has today had a letter published in the Welwyn Hatfield Times.

I've not always been Councillor Dean's biggest fan, but credit where it's due. He generously says, "It was remiss of me not to acknowledge fully the contribution of local people in my recent letter to Hatfield residents regarding the town centre. It is quite right that the members of Action Hatfield have contributed greatly to the improvements being made and I'm grateful for it."

Thanks John, it's much appreciated. By myself and all my Action Hatfield colleagues.

Hatfield newsletter

Labour's latest newsletter for Hatfield, currently being delivered across the town. If you don't get yours immediately, one of our deliverers may be away - send me an email if you can help in your area!

Welwyn Garden City newsletter

Labour's latest newsletter for Welwyn Garden City, currently being delivered across the town. If you don't get yours immediately, one of our deliverers may be away - send me an email if you can help in your area!

Waste incinerator at New Barnfield, Hatfield - the Tory deceit

Some local Tories are looking forward to seeing a waste incinerator in Hatfield. Erstwhile Tory candidate Stanley Laver-Walton (under a pseudonym), the man who claimed that Hatfield town centre campaigners wanted the town centre to fail, said last year that the incinerator was good news for Hatfield.

The Tory hierarchy is more circumspect. County councillor Derrick Ashley, executive member for planning, external relations and waste, told the Welwyn Hatfield Times at the end of September that, "The inclusion of New Barnfield in the bid for funding does not mean this site will definitely be chosen."

On October 30, Grant Shapps MP's researcher expressed the MP's concerns, saying that he and "Stuart Pile who is your local Herts County Councillor and we are united in this battle."

But back on October 20, Stuart Pile attended the County Council cabinet which agreed:

• That a 270,000 tonne EfW + CHP plant at New Barnfield, South Hatfield is included in the OBC as the proposed reference site.
• The immediate initiation of a project to achieve the relocation of all of the current service activities on New Barnfield by April 2011 at the latest
• That the following projects be initiated:
• a) Relocation of the Central Resource Library, the Schools Library Service, Library Service administration accommodation, Mobile Library Service, Technical Support Services and Distribution to suitable alternative accommodation, and
• b) Relocation of the Key Stage 3 part of Park Education Support Centre to suitable alternative accommodation.
• That further reports be brought to Cabinet concerning those projects, either within annual business cycle processes or as and when required, to enable the vacation of the site of New Barnfield and having regard to the progress of the Waste Procurement Project.

Sounds to me like the Conservatives are pretty determined to dump the incinerator in Hatfield.

Devastation at Stanborough Lakes

Sadly, and as previously feared, this morning at 9.00 a.m. Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council engaged in an orgy of destruction at the Stanborough Lakes south car park. More photos (warning: distressing) are available.

So there you are: a Conservative Council that doesn't believe in conservation. Now what does the Tory logo look like?

The destruction was undertaken by contractor, Cleartrack, who were commissioned to produce the original recommendation whether to save or destroy the trees.

Mike Hobday MBA

Thanks to the staff and my colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire for their support while I was studying for my MBA. Thanks too to my family for supporting me during my studies.

Hatfield's Christmas lights - by Scrooge

With Hatfield town centre needing every support possible to encourage shoppers, you would think that the Borough Council would do all it could to help local businesses.

It might, for example, follow the advice of local campaign group, Action Hatfield whose charter back in the Summer asked the Council to plan "for decent Christmas decorations."

Or it might adopt the Scrooge approach.

In praise of Sean Cox MBE

I've previously praised Sean Cox of The Mixed Group, for his leadership of the local charity which hosts a Christmas Day meal for the lonely and elderly in our community. It's a great occasion, and I've been delighted to lend a hand on the last two Christmas days.

But now I've got a new reason to be grateful to Sean. As reported in this week's Welwyn Hatfield Times (story not online), he has persuaded (challenged) Grant Shapps MP and I to share a tandem for a ten mile sponsored ride to raise money for The Mixed Group. Now I really have to lose a little weight and get fit!

Why voting matters!

One thing you don't want to be blamed for!

Hat tip: Tom Harris

Black hole in Hatfield town centre finances?

The Welwyn Hatfield Times reports today, based on a document that has been leaked from within the Borough Council. Basically, St Modwen has identified a new “financial hole” in the finances of the town centre development. While I accept that they have incurred some unexpected costs, for example servicing the costs of the money they have invested so far, the amount they are asking for (which I should stress is money for the partnership, not money for St Modwen) is shockingly high.

Fortunately, the Borough Council has known about this for some weeks, and they are bidding to the Government for a pot of money which has been available for areas that will experience population growth.

We will all want some time to consider this, but the key thought that occurs to me, having now read the leaked document, and having spoken to St Modwen for two hours last night is this: regardless of the details of the financial hole (and the Borough Council have property consultants scrutinising the figures), there is an over-arching need for the development to go ahead. We can argue about what has just happened (certainly we should) but that should not detract too long from the need to have a new town centre. This suggests that we need the Government to use this ‘Growth Area Fund’ for Welwyn Hatfield and we need the Council to use a substantial amount to ensure the development happens.

We need, in short, a constructive way forwards from the mess we are being landed in today.

Racist attack and BNP posters

I'm sure it is no coincidence that the recent serious racist attack in Hatfield and the current spate of BNP posters on lampposts are happening at the same time. Or that the BNP posters are concentrated around schools and the predominantly student areas of the town. A nice welcome for overseas students coming to Hatfield.

Speaking to the police today at the Hatfield Farmers' Market, it's clear that they take this very seriously, and have patrol vehicles watching overnight for the fly-posters.

But what concerns me is the delay by the County Council in removing the offending posters. They've known about this for weeks, and, last Monday, offered removal within seven days. Under the circumstances, this seems appallingly lax. I've written to the Council's Environment Director John Wood to urge him to take more urgent action.

Update (Sept 10). So Monday's deadline came and went. I've gone back to the County Council to ask what is going on.

Stanborough Poplars - there is an option 2!

Thanks to the Stanborough Poplars website for the use of this image and for hosting the results of my freedom of information request. The council released six documents, but the key one is the arboricultural report.

This report, albeit written by a tree felling contractor, makes clear that there is an option 2 -to reduce the height of the trees to 5-6 meters and then reduce them every 2-3 years.

So why has Clare Berry rejected it? One thing's for sure - she can't be bothered to reply to my emails! Still, none of the cabinet really like talking to the public!

Lombardy Poplars at Stanborough Lakes

On July 23, Welwyn Hatfield Council announced its decision to fell all 673 Lombardy Poplars at Stanborough Lakes. According to a report commissioned by a tree felling company, the trees are weak and may fall over in high winds. The Council planned to remove the trees during Autumn 2008 and replant 150 trees and a number of smaller trees fifteen months later.

Bizarrely, and to the strong anger of a public meeting at the Lakes, the report was not published. Council officers told the meeting explicitly that Councillor Clare Berry had already made the decision and that the public were not being consulted. A campaign website and a facebook campaign were both established to fight the decision. Following the outrage, the Council changed its mind. On August 13, it decided that the decision had better be subject to public consultation after all, and the decision would be made this Autumn.

Update, September 1: This report of Monday's council meeting makes depressing reading. Tory Council Leader John Dean congratulated Clare Berry, the Cabinet member for the environment, for "for not bothering to go" to the council's own public meeting and she, from that position of ignorance, claimed that the meeting at the Lakes "was hijacked by the vociferous few." So much for listening to the public!

Save my surgery?

So the local Conservatives have launched a new campaign to save GP surgeries. Only one problem: they're not under threat!

It's only a years and a half ago that all politicians in the Borough were united in wanting more services at the QEII. It’s frankly bizarre that the Conservative Party now wants fewer services there. The proposal for a new new GP led health centre, 8am-8pm seven days a week will mean that local residents find it easier to see a GP. Whether making appointments after returning from work, or being able to "walk in" when their surgery can't offer a quick appointment, this is good news for patients. The quick access for the GPs to the faciities at the QEII will also help improve the quality of care.

I am shocked that the Conservative Party is claiming that GP surgeries will close. The proposal explicitly states that "The new access fund monies are for new capacity and are not for the
expansion or replacement of existing surgeries or health centres."

This is scare-mongering of the very worst kind, playing on people’s fears for their health for petty party political benefit. I just hope the Conservatives will apologise when no surgeries are shut!

Marsden Road and Hatfield Post Offices

Quite naturally, local residents are concerned at the consultation by the Royal Mail Group, proposing closures of three Post Offices at Marsden Road in the Handside Area of Welwyn Garden City, at Salisbury Square in Old Hatfield and at Roe Green in Hatfield.

They are right to be worried. The Labour Government is putting £1.7 billion in subsidy into the Post Office network. Post Offices are expensive - we increasingly send emails instead of letters, buy cards at Clintons not the Post Office and renew our car tax online. The Conservative Party refuses to match that promise. If a Tory Government were elected, seemingly still more Post Offices would be under threat.

In an attempt to shed light rather than heat on the issue, I have conducted a survey of local residents. 5,000 survey forms were distributed to local resident living around the threatened Piost Offices, asking what solution that wanted. These are the results:
- increase income tax to subsidise the Post Office – 20%
- local residents should ship less at supermarkets and more at local shops – 50%
- local councils should pay local Post Offices to share the provision of local services – 83%
- Post Offices should be allowed to close – 4%

Local opinion is clear. The public do not want the Government to increase taxation to subsidise loss making Post Offices. But they do want local councils to share costs with local Post Offices - just as Essex County Council are doing.

I'll keep you posted on their response.

Update: Neither council is interested. What utter hypocrisy when they are making such a fuss about the closures!

Further update: congratulations to the local Post Office on having a cash machine installed, this will be really helpful for local residents.

Graffiti in Hatfield

According to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council officers speaking at Thursday night's meeting, this boarded-up pound shop in Hatfield town centre has been owned by the Council since 2006.

The meeting was told that this graffiti, the words "Smackfield Brown" and a syringe, a reference to heroin use in Hatfield, has been present since 2004.

I've reported it today to the Borough Council on the graffiti section of their website (ref: 8173). As that page of the Council's website says, "Graffiti is an illegal, anti-social activity that can create a negative impression of an area and contribute to people's fear of crime." I'll keep you informed how long it takes the council to remove this drug linked graffiti from their own building!

Update: No action in week 1, but in week 2, an undercoat has been painted! You can still read the graffiti, but I guess it's a start. It's a pity that there's still so much graffiti everywehere else in the town centre.

Second update: Week 3, second coat! Seems to have done the trick!

Welwyn Hatfield Council starts to work on town centre!

On May 1, a whistle blower leaked the news that the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council knew that the regeneration of Hatfield Town Centre had been put on hold. On May 16, I organised a public meeting and 200 local residents came along to find out what was happening. The Borough Council refused to attend, and it received a lot of criticism for that decision.

Yesterday, more than two months after the leaked news came out, the Council finally held a meeting to talk about what was happening and to answer questions. The meeting was an "invitation only" one for local traders. The public were not invited.

As chairman of the Action Hatfield campaign, I was one of the few people to receive an invitation, although Action Hatfield supporters, who had been demonstrating outside the meeting, were allowed in at the last minute.

So what did the Council say? Firstly, despite Council Leader John Dean previously affirming that he was "unaware of the situation" regarding the delayed town centre, he has now said that he knew in April.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the Borough Council now has a plan for the town centre! I can best quote from the Welwyn Hatfield Times who said that, the Council has taken "a lead from the recently-formed Action Hatfield campaign." In fact, the Borough Council's plan relies almost entirely on the Action Hatfield charter for the town centre. Plus one new item: a Christmas tree! Clearly, it's either a very good charter, or the Borough Council have precious few ideas of their own. Or both perhaps!

But the Council's current plan is a sadly watered down version of the charter that local people want. The council's plan doesn't come with a budget and its hopes for town centre safety are based on a grand total of six CCTV cameras. Traders at the meeting were united in their view that protecting the town centre would require more than six cameras. I asked the Council Leader to think again. Let's see what happens!

Congratulations to all Action Hatfield supporters. This isn't yet a victory. But the town would never have made the steps we took last night without such a strong voluntary effort from local residents. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Action Hatfield makes town centre safer

According to the restaurant manager, the pavement outside Pizza Hut in Hatfield has been like this for 2½ years. People might have tripped up. The paving stones might have been thrown through shop windows. The area has been an eyesore.

And, during this time, what has the Borough Council done to resolve the problem? Nothing. Yet, with help from local Labour Councillor, Colin Croft, it took three emails to get Hertfordshire County Council to agree to make repairs.

Why couldn't the Borough Council have sent those emails?

Labour Gain in Hatfield Central

Congratulations to newly elected Labour Councillor, Maureen Cook, who has just gained the Hatfield Central council seat from the Conservative Party. Maureen's victory is a victory for all Hatfield residents who are rightly fed up with the Tories' mismanagement of Hatfield's town centre and their dismissive attitude to the town centre campaign.

But it is also a positive vote for the Action Hatfield charter which Labour explicitly endorsed in the campaign. Hopefully, the Tories on Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will now start to take notice of our concerns.

Want to help the town centre campaign? Sign the petition today! Thank you.

Update: Congratulations also to Margaret White, who won the simultaneous Hatfield Town Council by-election, also winning a seat previously held by the Conservatives. Result now available.

Councillor Nick Atkinson

Nick Atkinson, Tory Councillor for Hatfield West, has written to the Welwyn Hatfield Times to describe the Action Hatfield campaign to save Hatfield town centre as "opportunist."

This comes on top of Stanley Laver-Walton, the Tory candidate in the current Hatfield Central by-election, writing on Grant Shapps MP's website (under his pen-name of Aracnid) alleging that town centre campaigners want the town centre to fail!

In fairness to the Tories, local Council Leader, John Dean says that he wants to work with Action Hatfield. Which of them should we believe?

Action Hatfield launched

Following the recent public meeting about the town centre fiasco, I am pleased to report the launch of Action Hatfield, the campaign group set up to promote the need for town centre regeneration and to campaign for interim steps to improve the current appalling condition of the town centre.

Action Hatfield has a website and a facebook site which has already been joined by over 250 local people. This demonstrates very clearly the strength of feeling, among all generations, that the Council have let the Hatfield community down badly.

Action Hatfield will be campaigning for the Charter discussed at the public meeting:
1. That Hatfield Town Centre needs the long term regeneration as promised to the people of Hatfield
2. That urgent interim renovation is also required, and this will support shops, the community and the various partners in the regeneration of Hatfield town centre;
3. That St Modwen’s offer to give their expertise and other support to an appropriate collaborative approach to promoting the town centre on an interim basis should be accepted;
4. That the Borough Council should offer its expertise and support at a senior level;
5. That a town centre forum should be established, including the Borough Council, St Modwen and other stakeholders to oversee the interim steps required;
6. That the Borough Council must keep local residents informed;
7. That the steps required include the following:
a. Keeping the town centre Post Office;
b. Installing shutters to enable shops to be protected without boarding up;
c. The Borough Council and St Modwen should ensure that all their shops are let, even if at a low rent;
d. The CCTV, promised for the new town centre, should be installed now. If cameras and screens have to be bought, they should be bought now.
e. Toilet facilities are urgently needed in the town centre;
f. The door at ASDA to the town centre must be kept in use;
g. The banks should be encouraged to open on Saturdays;
h. We need more police patrols, especially in the evening;
i. The whole town centre needs sprucing up – repairs to the brick paving, resolving uneven surfaces where tree roots cause danger of tripping, cleaning the town centre, clearing rubbish from, weeding and planting the shrub beds, cleaning benches of algae and moss;
j. Reinstating the lighting where required, including through the passage between the old Post Office and the taxi office;
k. Planning for decent Christmas decorations.

Trip hazards in Hatfield town centre

This photo was taken on the path from the old Post Office to the taxi office. I have reported it to the County council (reference ID 7617) but, unfortunately, this example of neglect of the town centre is not atypical.

Update: repaired, no thanks to the Borough Council who clearly hadn't been aware of the dangerous state of the town centre.

More trees in Hatfield town centre

This part of the town centre, outside Nat West Bank, was never about to be redeveloped. So no excuse for the council in not planting a tree here. How can Hatfield compare with Welwyn Garden City when it looks like this?

Boarded up shops in Hatfield town centre

Hatfield Councillor Colin Croft and I examining the state of the town centre. Over half a dozen boarded up shop units is far too many. Not even one would be allowed in Welwyn Garden City. The Borough Council and St Modwen, as the shop owners, should help the shop keepers by installing raisable grills that would protect the shops without looking so ugly and off-putting to shoppers.

Hatfield Town Centre action plan

Thanks to the 200 people who attended Friday's public meeting to discuss the announcement of delay to the regeneration of Hatfield Town Centre. Regrettably, both St Modwen, the town centre developer, and the Borough Council declined my invitation to attend, speak to local residents and answer their questions.

At least St Modwen offered me a private meeting on Thursday evening, and I reported on this at the meeting. They said (I believe honestly) that they are still committed to the town centre development, but are experiencing genuine problems letting shops because of the international credit crunch, with only Wilkinson firmly signed up so far. St Modwen kept the Borough Council fully informed of their problems in letting the planned new shops, meeting the Council twice each month.

My criticism of the Borough Council is three-fold:
1. Their compacency, allowing delay after delay to the redevelopment, until the credit crunch imposed a further delay. Had the redevelopment been delayed for just a year less, the lettign would have started before the credit crunch and building work would have started;
2. Their failure to inform the public about the problems being experienced - until the news leaked out on election day;
3. Their allowing the town centre to fall into decay - especially compared to Welwyn Garden City.

The public meeting drew up a desired action plan and agreed a team to put it into effect - more news to follow.

Hatfield Town Centre meeting

As I said last week, the Welwyn Hatfield Times report on the town centre redevelopment has deeply alarmed the shopkeepers and local residents who I have been talking to in recent days.

As a result of this, and to enable local people to contribute to a discussion on what happens now, I have arranged a public meeting, to which I have invited town centre shopkeepers, local residents, the Borough Council's chief executive and the director of St Modwen, the town centre developer.

The meeting will be at the Lord William Cecil Memorial Hall, French Horn Lane, Hatfield, at 7.00 p.m. on Friday 16 May.

I hope that local residents will come along for I hope will be a positive meeting.

Hatfield Town Centre

According to the Welwyn Hatfield Times, the redevelopment of Hatfield Town Centre "has been put on hold indefinitely." Three issues immediately arise from this:

1. This is a dreadful shock for local residents. The town centre features boarded up shops that would never be allowed in Welwyn Garden City. Why does the Borough Council care so little about Hatfield that the town centre can be in such a sorry state.


2. Why did the news leak out at 1 p.m. on election day? Why does the Borough Council website still say (on May 3) that "Hatfield Town Centre Redevelopment is progressing well." Why have they still not issued a press release? If the news had been released just two days earlier, the Welwyn Hatfield Times could have covered the story and local residents would have been aware of the Tory Council's incompetence when they voted. The timing is shameful.


3. When Labour lost its majority on the Council in 2002, the town centre redevelopment plans were progressing well. Under the Tories, we have seen delay, more delay and further delay. Any one of these delays might be excusable. But, put together, they demonstrate again that the Tory Council simply does not care about Hatfield Town Centre.

Welwyn Hatfield Election results

The election results for Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council were as disappointing as the national results for Labour. In particular, though, it was disappointing to see hard working Councillors losing their seats after giving many years of good service to the community. I am sure that they will be back.

In the light of the results, however, it was a pleasure to spend Saturday morning at the Hatfield Farmers Market where I managed to get mildly sunburnt! I always find it useful to talk to local residents about their concerns.

How else, other than listening to the voters, can politicians learn. At least, that's my view. Sadly, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties were principally notable for their absence.

Sir Frederic Osborn School

As with my previous visits to local schools, it was a pleasure to meet and talk to over 100 sixth formers at Sir Frederic Osborn School in Welwyn Garden City today. As before, I was particularly impressed with the questioning and the strong views of the students, and by their willingness to engage in debate.

One of the points I regularly make when talking to schools is that they are the future of Britain, and it is in their interests to have their say in what sort of society we should be.

Conservative health spending plans

According to the front page of the Times, the Conservatives would spend an extra £28 billion on the NHS if they were successful at the next general election. Except that Andrew Lansley MP says that they have made "no public spending commitment." Who's Andrew Lansley? He's the Conservative front bench health spokesman. And the man whose interview led the Times to report the £28 billion spending promise.

Given that, presumably, the Conservatives can't find £28 billion without increasing public spending, perhaps they should make up their minds about what their policy is. Personally, I think the public deserve better.

Update: that said, perhaps we can believe him when he says that the public don't "completely trust the Conservatives." After all, he's just exemplified the reason why people don't politicians!

Letter published in the Welwyn Hatfield Review

Because the Review does not publish letters online, I repeat the letter published in the last edition:

Anne Wells of the hospital union staff-side deserves to be taken seriously when she says that hospital staff are fed up with uncertainty and want to move forwards to a new hospital structure in the East of Hertfordshire.

But just as deserving of certainty are local residents. Throughout the whole of the Primary Care Trust’s consultation on the issue of hospital location, there was insufficient information on what NHS services would be provided if we lost acute services from the QEII hospital. Even now, with the main decision apparently taken, local people still face uncertainty about what the Primary Care Trust is offering us.

There is talk of £750,000 for local transport initiatives like a shuttle bus – but no detail on its route or frequency. We do not yet know if the new £30 million Local General Hospital will be at the QEII, the former ambulance station or at another location in Welwyn Garden City or Hatfield. We do not know if patients referred by their GPs to the Hospital will be seen by consultants from Lister or by experienced GPs. There is talk of a possible midwife-led birthing unit, but no promise of a decision for several years.

This uncertainty is unhelpful. The Primary Care Trust must make it a priority to talk to local residents, to GPs and to patient groups and to the Borough Council about detailed plans for NHS care in the borough. We know very well what the Primary Care Trust is taking away, but far too little about what we might have in return.

NHS officials may not want a delay caused by a judicial review. But no one can accept a delay caused by a continued absence of detail. From my discussions with local GPs, even they feel uninvolved with this planning. The Primary Care Trust has not done a good job for Welwyn Hatfield over the last year – pulling out of the Hatfield Healthy Living Centres scheme, dropping Hatfield Hospital and bodging the consultation. If they want to start to win back local respect, they have to be open with the detail of their plans for our health care.

Specifically, what are their plans for health promotion in the borough, particularly in the poorer areas like central Hatfield and Peartree where health problems are greatest? Who will oversee the new health campus, and how will GPs and consultants be involved? How can they give improved and more local access to the NHS to the residents of whichever town does not get the Local General Hospital? It is time for the Primary Care Trust to tell us.

Mike Hobday

Record police numbers in Hertfordshire

According to figures just released by Hertfordshire Police, police numbers have reached record levels in Hertfordshire, with the county having 2,198 officers in September 2007. At the same time we also had 248 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) – a 50% increase since September 2006.

Hertfordshire may be a relatively safe area to live, but Labour's commitment to policing should help to keep it so.

Conservatives withdraw support for health group

In a bizarre decision, the majority Conservative group at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has withdrawn officer support for its health working group. The decision means that the working group will no longer officially exist and that councillors on the cross-party group will have to prepare and circulate their own agendas, minutes and reports, as well as organise their own meetings.

With even Liberal Democrat Councillors saying that the Government has given the Borough Council a "large settlement", only one conclusion is possible - local health care is not important to the Tories.

This is not just a shocking decision, it is short sighted. The Primary Care Trust is still deciding what health care we will have with the "slimmed down" QEII. Now, more than ever, the Borough Council should be playing a leading role in determining a view on what health provision local residents need.

Holocaust Memorial Day in Hatfield

Holocaust Memorial Day was marked in Hatfield this year with short readings and personal accounts of the Holocaust, prayers and the release of symbolic Black Balloons with attached messages of peace. As last year, it was a deeply moving experience.

Holocaust Memorial Day marks the commemoration of the day on January 27, when the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was finally liberated. But, even today, ongoing genocide is still a concern around the world, and we need to continue to work to prevent it and to stop it.

A monologue

To my utter shock, someone has written a monologue, partly about me! In fact, I'm mentioned in it seven times. It should be read in the style of Marriott Edgar's monologue, The Lion and Albert.

Background: the monologue refers to my oversight of the League Against Cruel Sports' successful prosecution of Tony Wright for breach of the Hunting Act and his successful appeal against conviction. Rather sadly, the monologue does not mention the next stage, namely the CPS appeal against the acquittal. Perhaps there'll be a few more verses to follow!

To Judicidically Review or not to ...

Following the decision by the East/North Herts Primary Care Trust to move acute care from the QEII to the Lister Hospital, a debate has started about the merits or otherwise of a judicial review application against the decision.

The argument in favour is this: the consultation was flawed - the County Council Scrutiny Committee discovered this, even if it let down local residents by not making a complaint about it. The Primary Care Trust abandoned the Hatfield Hospital option, without properly considering it. The cross-party Hospital SOS campaign has a reasoned opinion criticising the process, and this may or may not be sufficient to force the Primary Care Trust to think again.

But some criticise this. Retired (but not retiring) Conservative Councillor Dennis Lewis wrote to the Welwyn Hatfield Times to say that "a judicial review will achieve nothing but undesirable delay, which will feed the uncertainty which has bedevilled our health planning for the past decade." Strictly, of course, this is not true. The NHS has significantly more money than it did when the consultation started, and who is to say that a proper consultation would not produce a more sensible result, namely the more expensive Hatfield Hospital option that medical opinion favoured?

More pertinently, Anne Wells, who chairs the hospital trade union "staff side" writes to the paper to say that "we fail to see what a judicial review would achieve, apart from delaying the process and upsetting the staff even more."

There is a strong case for judicial review: that a flawed consultation led to a poor result for local residents. But it will be expensive - probably at least £50,000 - which will have to be raised locally. And it will extend the delay that I have roundly criticised before. What do you think?

Lister to be East Herts major hospital

Following a campaign lasting over a year to prevent the downgtrading of QEII hospital, the East and North Herts Primary Care Trust spent ten minutes deciding to "bring acute hospital services for east and north Hertfordshire together at the Lister hospital in Stevenage."

As I have made clear many times on this bloog and elsewhere, this was the wrong decision. It was badly made after a poor consultation. It was reiterated at the meeting that the public preference was for a major hospital in Welwyn Hatfield. In terms of letters, questionnaires and petitions, our case won out. But the Primary Care Trust were having none of it. They heard the various presentations, bizarrely telling them how good the consultation process was, and then spent ten minutes deciding against us.

So what does the Primary Care Trust plan now? Welwyn Garden City is to have a "local general hospital providing outpatient, diagnostic and minor treatments" and "an urgent care centre, which will care for about 65% of people who go to A&E at the moment."

County Council lets us down over hospital consultation

At a meeting on Wednesday, the County Council's Health Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the Primary Care Trust's hospital consultation. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2001, if the County Council thinks that the consultation process is flawed, it has the power to refer it to the Secretary of State for Health.

Unsurprisingly, the scrutiny committee decided that the consultation process was flawed.

And then it decided not to refer it.

This is the statement I have issued to the press:

"The County Council has stabbed local people in the back, reversing its previous support for the Hatfield Hospital option. It has acknowledged that the Primary Care Trust provided insufficient evidence for its reasons for rejecting Hatfield Hospital, yet it chose not to refer the inadequacy of the consultation process to the Secretary of State. It has explicitly accepted as legitimate a flawed and inadequate consultation process. The County Council has failed in its responsibility to ensure that health consultations are properly conducted.

But, despite this setback, the campaign to keep a major hospital in Welwyn Hatfield will continue. The final decision has not been taken yet."

Stanborough School

I was enormously impressed, talking last week, to 120 sixth formers at Stanborough School. I'm not sure how well my talk went down, but the quality of the questioning in response was very impressive.

One of the great pleasures of being a Parliamentary candidate is talking to young people in local schools, and understanding their concerns and aspirations.

It's seven-eight years now since, as the local County Councillor, I played a part in the transfer of Sir John Newsom School into Stanborough, and it seems to me, talking to teachers, that this was a success.

Update: The pupils seemed to enjoy my talk! According to the school newsletter, it was "detailed and very informative" and "very valuable in enlivening the subject of politics and demonstrating its relevance to young adults"

So the election is off this year

So no election this year! I must say I am disappointed. I love campaigning, and the pre-election adrenaline has been going strong.

Still, there's a plus side. Another few months or more to meet local residnmets, understand their aspirations and concerns, and to take up issues on their behalf!

Hospital petition presented

Over 35,000 signatures were today handed into the Primary Care Trust in support of the local cross-party campaign to keep a major hospital in Welwyn Hatfield. Thanks to everyone who signed the petition and, especially, to those who spent longhours collecting them.

The medical case says that the best option for our health is the Hatfield Hospital option, I believe that it is best for the NHS. Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield are certainly the best options in terms of accessibility - with links along both the A1(M) and the A414.

Now, we will have to see what the Primary Care Trust says!

Back from Labour Party Conference

I always enjoy Labour Party Conference, meeting up with old friends and debating every issue under the sun morning, afternoon and evening. I've now found it's different when you're a Parliamentary Candidate, however. And the difference is that there are so many Ministers to lobby about this or that local issue. Basically, less time for me and more for my potential constituents. A sign of the times to come, I hope!

Parties unite on hospital consultation response

Congratulations to all three political groups on the Borough Council for combining to agree a joint response to the consultation by the Primary Care Trust into its plans for hospital services in the east of Hertfordshire. As the Welwyn Hatfield Times reports, the parties joined forces over common concerns about the disregard of the promised superhospital in Hatfield and the future of the QE2. All parties agreed in wishing to keep WGC's QE2 as the acute hospital for the area, if the Hatfield option is a non-starter.

Visit to Auschwitz

The trustees who run the Memorial and Museum at Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau do a terrific job in trying to portray the unthinkable events that happened at these extermination camps during the early 1940s

As I have said before, such evil is beyond comprehension. Even visiting the memorial sites, and looking at the piles of children's clothes or the piles of spectacles, it is hard to visualise what happened.

I read Krystyna Zywulska's I Survived Auschwitz while I was in Poland and her book, about her experiences in Auschwitz, makes the horror personal.

We have a duty to ensure that such events do not happen again.

Political co-operation - is it possible?

Occasionally, politicians of different political parties manage to work together for the common good. While the Conservatives vigorously opposed the national mimum wage, they now accept it as being in the best interests of the country. Locally, in Welwyn Hatfield, all politicians are united in supporting the view that Welwyn Hatfield needs a major hospital.

What any such co-operation needs, however, is a degree of mutual trust. I have not, for example, added the Conservative logo to this website, and claimed Tory support for my criticism of the Conservative Council. If any local Conservatives did oppose, for example, the decision of our Conservative County Council to close New Briars School in Hatfield, then that is a matter for them, and I would not claim their endorsement for a wider campaign against Conservative education policy.

Which is why it is very disappointing - and more than a little dishonest - for Grant Shapps to decide on his own account to add the Labour Party logo to his personal No Way 10K website. I agree that the inspectors who recommended 10,000 extra homes in Welwyn Hatfield, entirely out of the blue, and with no supporting research, evidence or analysis, were going beyond what is reasonable. The local council supported 5,800 extra homes, and new evidence should be acquired, analysed and debated before this figure is increased.

But accepting my support for that view is very different to claiming Labour Party endorsement for a party political website that makes extravagant and inaccurate claims against the Labour Government. For the record, any campaign against too many homes for Welwyn Hatfield will certainly not be a cross-party campaign, while the Labour Party's name and logo are taken in vain.

Kaleidoscope Festival

This year's Kaleidoscope Festival was, by all accounts, the biggest and best yet.

It seems to me, having knocked on doors across Welwyn Hatfield for the Labour Party over twenty years, that the amount of racism you meet on the doorstep is steadily declining. If so, then one of the factors is the Kaleidoscope Festival and the many volunteers who create every year such an excellent and enjoyable celebration of the cultural mix of our community.

Congratulations to all involved for their hard work.

Labour publishes newsletter

The Labour Party is producing a newsletter for delivery across the constituency. In case you don't get yours immediately, I am placing a copy here. Both files below are JPGs, and you can right-click on them to download or view the newsletter.

PS: Anyone who wants to help Labour deliver the newsletter in your street (volunteers always welcome!) please contact me - thanks.

Congratulations to Harriet Harman

Congratulations to Harriet Harman MP on being elected Labour's deputy leader. She is a good friend of the Welwyn Hatfield Labour Party and will be an excellent deputy to Gordon Brown. I look forward to her return visit to the area.

Hospital consultation starts

The consultation has started, and everyone now has the opportunity to get their point of view across.

It's not just about numbers - we need to explain why we need a local major hospital, whether at Hatfield or at the QEII. Key links are here:

Consultation pages at the Primary Care Trust website
Full consultatuion documents and technical papers
Consultation document (response form only)
Online resposne form

Public meetings:
Tuesday 3 July, 7.30 Lord William Cecil Memorial Hall, 1 French Horn Lane, Hatfield
Wed 18 July, 7.30m, Stanborough School Hall, Lemsford Lane, Welwyn Garden City

Make sure you have your say!

Labour Deputy leadership elections

Labour's deputy leadership election campaign trail came to Hatfield last week, with a hustings meeting for representatives of each candidate.

Thanks to Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell MP for representing Alan Johnson MP, Richard Howitt our MEP representing Hilary Benn MP, Andy Love MP representing Peter Hain MP, former Cambridge MP Anne Campbell representing Harriet Harman MP and to local members Tony Wilder and Cathy Watson representing Hazel Blears MP and Jon Cruddas MP respectively.

And congratulations to Harriet Harman for winning our local vote. Obviously pays to have been here before!

Sunday's rally

An amazing 2,00 or so people attaned the Hospital SOS rally in Sunday. And this was before the Primary Care Trust's consultation proposals unveiled. If they are bad news, how many more people would march then?

A really positive sign about the commitment of the people of Welwyn Hatfield to the NHS in the borough. I was very proud.

[Photo credit: Peter Domican LRPS]

QEII/Lister/Hatfield hospital consultation announcement

Latest news: the consultation will finally be announced Tuesday morning. All the more reason to come to the rally!

NHS Rally, June 10

I'll be attending the Hospital SOS public rally at the King George V Playing Fields, Welwyn Garden City at 1 p.m. on Sunday 10 June, and I hope that all readers of this blog will too! With the long promised consultation surely imminent, we need to make the strength of local opinion very clear.

And hasn't the consultation been a long time coming! Back in November, when the unelected officials at the East & North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust announced their decision to go back on the promised new Hatfield Hospital, I don't think anyone dreamt that we we would still be hanging on in limbo over six months later.

An optimist might hope that the delay has been caused by PCT officials wanting time to draw up a fully costed consultation document, showing local residents all the options and allowing them to come to an informed view about how their local NHS should be run. I wish we could trust them that much, but increasingly I fear we cannot.

As I've said before, "NHS managers need to recognise that the public are more than just interested bystanders. We own the NHS. It is ours, and our views should be sought out and listened to."

Gordon Brown for Prime Minister

I am supporting Gordon Brown's campaign to be leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister.

I am doing so for two reasons.

Firstly, I support his underlying beliefs of, Gordon said in his speech announcing his candidacy, fairness and opportunity for all. I joined the Labour Party because our society then (1983) and now does not provide fairness and opportunity for all. It is easy for the privileged and for the chidren of propserous families to make a good start in their lives - and I am pleased that this is so. But this good fortune does not extend to all. Not every child in Welwyn Hatfield has the opportunities that they should have. As he said in his speech today, "These are for me the best of British values: responsibilities required in return for rights; fairness not just for some but all who earn it."

Secondly, his competence. After 18 years of Conservative Government, a period that witnessed two major recessions and interest rates as high as 15%, Gordon Brown has been an excellent Chancellor of the Exchequer. Over the last ten years, we have seen growing employment, increased propserity and low inflation. We are a better off country now than we were in 1997, and I believe that this is due in significant measure to Gordon Brown.

Welwyn Hatfield Council Election Results

Congratulations to all successful candidates for Welwyn Hatfield Council, and commiserations to those who lost their seats. In particular, I would pay tribute to Mike Larkins who had served local people continuously for 24 years. Thanks too, to Labour Councillors Alf Appleby and Alan Johnson who retired after long and good service of their constituents and the people of Hertfordshire.

Clearly, the results were not good ones for Labour. That said, despite the threat to local hospital services, and the Labour Party's poor showing in the national opinion polls, we held three of our five seats, and only lost the fourth by two votes.

Labour Councillors are meeting this evening, and will be looking at what they can do to represent local people in the face of what continues to be a pretty incompetent Borough Council.

The local Labour Party, too, needs to step up its work, and I will be pleased to play a part in that.

Update: Hatfield Town Council election results.
Slightly better results for Labour in the Town Council elections. Despite the loss of the Hatfield South Borough Council seat, Labour's popular local Councillor Linda Mendez topped the poll for the Town Council. In the Hatfield Central seat (Labour held marginal in the Borough Council), Labour's Colin Croft, Sheila Jones and Margaret White were more comfortably elected. Not surprisingly, the Town Council remains under Conservative control.

So why vote Labour in Welwyn Hatfield?

With the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council elections on May 3, it is important for everyone to vote for their local Councillor. Hopefully, your candidates will be knocking on your door and delivering leaflets about themselves and their policies (I know I;ve been doing a lot recently!). But just in case your Labour leaflet doesn't arrive as promptly as it should, I thought I'd list the reasons why I believe that voting Labour and against the Tory Borough Council is a good idea.


Firstly, the Tories are tough on pensioners. In April this year, our Tory run Council will increase its charges to local residents. Pensioners will have to pay:
· over 22% more to use lunch clubs;
· 10% more for meals on wheels;
· 50% more for the Shopper Hopper bus;
· And, if a loved one dies, cemetery fees are going up by around 80%.


Secondly, the Tories are still desperate for a council housing sell off. Despite being forced by tenants’ protests to cancel their last attempt to sell tenants’ homes from under them, the Tories are still privatisation-mad!
· They plan to spend over £150,000 this year alone employing consultants to look at ways to sell off council homes;
· Despite 95% satisfaction with the council’s housing repairs service, the Tories are desperate to sell off the maintenance workers’ jobs; and
· The Tories are taking £500,000 of rent income and using it to subsidise their other money-wasting—refusing to use it to build new homes.

Thirdly, the Tories waste your money:
· The Council’s favourite contractor, SERCO, pays a peppercorn rent for the Borough Council’s own depot at Tewin Road in Welwyn Garden City, yet the Council pays £200,000 to rent some of it back!
· The Council is planning to spend over £300,000 on private consultants next year—are they unable to recruit qualified staff?
· Council tax is due to rise by 4.5% this year—even though the Council received £7.7 million from the Government—16% higher than last year.
· Following a Labour campaign, the Council had to do a u-turn and drop its plans to introduce and charge you for an expensive parking scheme.
· The Tory Council pays Finesse leisure £500,000 a year to do up the King George V pavilion in Welwyn Garden City—yet the pavilion is rarely open!

HospitalSOS

It is never easy for politicians of different parties to get together for a common cause. Even here in Welwyn Hatfield where there is such a big issue as the desire of the officials at the East & North Herts NHS Trust to betray the promise made to our former Labour MP, Melanie Johnson, even here, it can sometimes be difficult.

This month's Hatfield Farmers Market, for example, saw all three political parties petitioning on the hospital issue. Rather cheekily, the Conservatives had turned up, covered in blue rosettes, under the supposedly cross-party Hospital SOS banner as if they had exclusive rights to the words "official campaign."

In the midst of the election campaign, on Thursday evening, leaders of the three political parties met to discuss the hospital campaign. It is a tribute to the other parties, too, that we continue to find positive ways to work together on the issues we agree on, while respecting our differences. We have set a date for a major rally, and agreed a whole series of actions to boost and promote the campaign to ensure that Welwyn Hatfield has the very best hospital services.

Hope not hate

This fortnight marks Hope not Hate week, the campaign supported by Searchlight magazine and a number of trade unions.

There are people who think that the racism of the British National Party should be ignored, that it will go away if given no profile. Evidence around the country suggests that this is not the case. The argument against racism has to be taken on and won. Details of the truth about the BNP available here.

Echoing the name of the campaign, I believe in hope for all of our society. Where we have problems, we should tackle them together. Hatred is no way to build a better society.

New Briars School campaign

These are some of the children from New Briars School, campaigning (on a very windy day) to save their school.

They are tearing up mock £20 notes to symbolise the £800,000 that Tory run Herts County Council is spending on the closure of the school.

It's bad enough that local Conservatives are complicit in closing a popular and successful school.

They are now cutting spending at other schools in the area in order to find the money to waste closing New Briars.

Figures:
Tory cuts to local schools (figures from WH Times) £840,000
Tory wastage on closure of New Briars £800,000

So the big question is: what are they spending the £40,000 they've saved on?

Good luck to everyone associated with New Briars when they appeal to the independent Hertfordshire School organisation Committee next Thursday!

Fix up our neighbourhoods - online!

A new website, Neighbourhood Fix-It, promises to allow us to report problems to the local Council online. Graffiti, unlit lampposts, abandoned beds, broken glass on a cycle path; anything like that can be reported.

What it offers, in particular, is the ability for all of us to see (anonymously) what other people have complained about, and whether the problem has been resolved.

I think this is a brilliant idea, and should be given plenty of use!

Congratulations to My Society for the development of the site and to Recess Monkey for publicising it!

Waste - recycle, bury, burn?

Hertfordshire's County, District and Borough Councils are consulting on a new waste strategy for the County. Despite recent increases in recycling, most of our waste is still sent to landfill sites, and these are running out of space.

Rightly, I believe, the last Conservative Government introduced a landfill tax to encourage local councils to recycle, although this had little impact until Labour started (apparently controversially) increasing the rate of the tax to provide a real incentive to local councils. Suddenly, recycling has taken off. The change over the period 1997-2005 when I was a County Councillor in Welwyn Garden City saw major changes, although changes in public attitudes probably had as much impact as Government tax changes.

But, back to the consultation. I would urge local residents to follow the link and fill in the survey. It does two things, one well, one very poorly. Firstly, it asks for views about recycling - how much our councils should do to help and encourage us to recycle. Secondly, it asks about what we should do with the waste that cannot be recycled. Here's the problem. The problems with incineration are under-stated and the survey itself merely asks whether it is important to "turn waste into energy" as if this was an environmentally neutral or even positive thing.

As I've said before, I've worked hard to promote recycling and to oppose an incinerator in Hertfordshire. Whatever your views are, fill in the survey!

Saturday Rally and Tuesday public meeting

In the past few days, I have spoken to public events with over 200 people, all of them rightly concerned about the potential changes in local hospital provision. This is a summary of what I said:

There are good and bad things happening in the local NHS at the moment. Ten years ago, waiting lists nationally were well over one million. Many people waited well over a year for vital operations such as hip replacements or cataract operations. Cancer patients regularly failed to get to see the consultant for weeks after being told by their GP that they might have cancer.

There has been massive improvement. Waiting lists have been slashed. The maximum wait on the in-patient list is down from 18 months to six months. Cancer deaths have been cut by an estimated 50,000 since 1996; heart disease deaths by 150,000; we have whole new services like NHS direct and the new walk-in centres.

And this has happened because the Government has invested much larger amounts of money in the NHS. It has happened because there are more doctors and nurses - over 75,000 more nurses and over 25,000 more doctors working in the NHS than in 1997. And it has happened because new drugs, expensive drugs, are providing better treatment. The NHS in Hertfordshire is spending £2 million on Herceptin to tackle breast cancer and there are new effective drugs like statins that have to be paid for.

But not everything is good. If it was, you wouldn’t be here. There are problems as well as improvements.

Local NHS managers are out of control, and that is wrong. They announce that they will break the promise to build a new hospital at Hatfield, but the consultation date, the day we can object to their plans, is delayed and delayed. In the meantime, Cuffley ward at QEII is threatened with closure, scandalously without public consultation.

NHS managers need to recognise that the public are more than just interested bystanders. We own the NHS. It is ours, and our views should be sought out and listened to.

I still believe that the case for a new Hatfield Hospital, with a new teaching school in conjunction with the University, is overwhelming. The NHS spends central London prices and pays central London salaries to train future generations of NHS doctors when it could save money by allowing the best specialists to train the doctors of tomorrow here in Hatfield. This is the approach taken by the Borough Council and the County Council. It is supported by the Liberal Democrats. And the Hospital SOS meeting was inclined to this view too.

(Thanks to the Welwyn Hatfield Times for use of the photo)

Hospital campaigning

On Monday last week, there was a pretty unique meeting. All political parties in the Borough, the hospital trade unions, supporters of all political parties and none, are not only united in their opposition to the threatened hospital cuts, they have pledged to work together to fight the Primary Care Trust's proposals.

The Labour Party and I are pleased to be involved in this campaign. As I have said before, some things are more important than party politics. More details of our campaign to follow, but, for now, we have set up a number of action groups to coordinate the activity.

I will be leading the petitions group. Margaret Birleson, Leader of the Labour Group on the Borough Council will lead a marches and rallies group. Vicki Adkins, who led the fundraising for the breast care unit, will help raise money for the campaign. Terry Mitchinson of the Welwyn Hatfield Times, will coordinate publicity. Charles Bunker will run the evidence group. and
Mandy Perkins of the Conservatives will be responsible for external liaison. A real cross-party campaign.

More details to follow as and when there is news.

Housing figures for Welwyn Hatfield

Everyone agrees that Welwyn Hatfield needs more homes. Thankfully, people are living longer. But fewer families are being established. And economic growth, for example at the former British Aerospace site, is attracting new residents to the Borough.

The question is how many new homes we need. The Labour Party and I support the view of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - that 5,800 homes over the twenty years period, 2001-2021, is the right figure. I therefore oppose the independent inspectors report recommending 10,000 homes over this twenty year period.

This is not just because of the potential impact on the green belt - precious though that is. It is because too high a housing target will lead to the threat of town cramming - building small homes with smaller gardens in our towns and villages. Or, worse still, the threat of housing on the vital green spaces in Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City. This could damage the quality of life of many local residents.

And this is why I fully support the campaign against 10,000 homes.

New Briars School betrayed by the Conservatives

I have given my full support to the New Briars School parents in their campaign to save their excellent school.

Unfortunately, Hatfield has been very badly treated by the Conservative Party. Hatfield has two Conservative Councillors and a Conservative MP. Yet not a single Conservative voted at the Education Panel to save the school.

Labour County Councillor Tanis Kent, led the opposition to save the school, but the vote was lost by 9 votes to 6. If just two Conservatives out of ten had supported the school, it would have been saved.

Given the Conservative Party's apparent hostility, it is hard to be hopeful about the 100% Conservative Cabinet meeting this afternoon. That said, one of the cabinet members is the current County Councillor for Hatfield South ... Then, it will be off to the School Organisation Committee for independent consideration.

Update: It took the Tory Cabinet eight minutes to ignore the 4,000+ names on the New Briars School petition and to vote for the closure of the best performing (in terms of value added) school in Hatfield, one of the best 5% in the country. Shocking!

Holocaust Memorial Day

There is no way to describe the emotions created by Holocaust Memorial Day, marked here in Welwyn this afternoon at the Reiss Memorial. It is beyond comprehension how such evil can exist in the world.

But it did. And it still does. Tragically, and to the shame of the world, genocide has taken place in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in the former Yugoslavia and in Darfur. Too often, the United Nations has shown itself unable or unwilling to act. That cannot be acceptable.

It is not enough never to forget.

NHS public meeting

Thursday night, and what I'm sure will be the first of many public meetings to discuss the hospital threat facing our community. Many thanks to UNISON for organising the meeting. A big turnout of 50-70 people. It was also good to be on a public platform with Grant Shapps MP, demonstrating cross-party support for our campaign. (Indeed, so closely are we working together that I gave him a lift to and from the meeting!) . In a cross-party spirit, I should add that the Green Party were also represented in the room. An official from the Primary Care Trust - the organisation threatening the cuts - was sitting at the back, and will have gone back with a clear impression of the concern and anger of local residents.

A notable first for the meeting - the Primary Care Trust brought along two GPs to explain the clinical aspects of what was happening. My view was that everyone at the public meeting found their contribution really helpful. We might not agree with what is being proposed, but it's very helpful to have their case put forward by people who we can trust!

I made clear in my speech that the Labour Party shares local people's anger. It was, after all, our former Labour MP, Melanie Johnson, who worked so hard to get the promise of a new hospital and cancer centre in the first place.

I also said that the Labour Government has made massive strides in improving the NHS and our health. Since 1997, deaths from heart disease are down 27%, deaths from cancer are down 12%. And that's 200,000 lives saved since 1996. Waiting lists have crashed, and there are over 75,000 extra nurses and over 25,000 extra doctors since Labour came to power. This debate is not about cuts, its about how the growing budget is spent.

The Primary Care Trust, newly set up last Autumn, inherited a rapidly growing budget and John Reid's Hatfield Hospital promise. They kept the money and are tearing up the promise. Grant Shapps and I will be working together to build a campaign to fight the threat we face.

Monks Walk School

I spoke this morning to a 120 strong sixth form group of students at Monks Walk. A very impressive group of people. The questions were intelligent, challenging, sometimes funny, and it was great to be put on the spot in the way I was. I firmly believe that politicians needs to be questioned, challenged and made to justify their views. How else can we learn?

When some people claim that the standard of education is falling, as they do occasionally, I compare this generation of students to my own, and I am convinced that the country is heading in the right direction.

As for what they thought of me, I guess we'll find out in 2-3 years!

Meeting East & North Herts Primary Care Trust

As promised many times, and as unveiled in the Welwyn Hatfield Times on Wednesday, I met yesterday with Anne Walker, the chief executive of the East & North Herts Primary Care Trust, and Pam Handley, its chairman.

The Primary Care Trust effectively owns and runs the NHS in East & North Herts. They have the budget and they decide where it is spent. This is why they, rather than the Hospital Trust, are consulting on the future of the NHS. They are asking us what they should pay for.

Or rather they're not, and that's part of the problem. As I said to them, they are very poor at telling people what is happening. Obviously, local people are concerned at what is happening in the NHS (I certainly am!), but they will be more concerned if they are kept in the dark.

Obviously, I made the point very strongly that local people want and expect local hospital provision. I made clear my full support for the Hatfield Hospital promised to former MP, Melanie Johnson. They, of course, have not decided exactly what form their consultation will take. The consultation has even been delayed by a month, so it will start in late February or early March. Delay is unsettling, but I hope that this will give Primary Care Trust officials longer to ensure that all options, which I said must include the Hatfield Hospital option, presented fully and fairly.

Roche

A busy week in Welwyn Garden City this week starts with a visit to Roche's new (and very impressively eco-friendly) UK headquarters. It was particularly interesting to see their Clinical Pharmacology Unit where volunteers help Roche in their "early phase trials" to test the potential of new medicines. I was very impressed with the commitment of the doctors to ensure that this important aspect of the testing of new drugs is done as safely as can be. Roche are very pleased at a number of the changes that the Government have made to the NHS - the establishment of NICE to tackle the old postcode lottery, the major priority given to tackling cancer. Much progress but, of course,more to do.

Roche are a major part of the battle against cancer and, not surprisingly, saw huge benefits in the promised Hatfield Hospital.

University of Hertfordshire

For the past fifteen months, this is what the University has been to me, the Business School where I have been studying part-time for an MBA (and, to be fair, it's where my wife has been studying for her psychology degree and where my elder daughter has just qalified as a midwife). A meeting with University Vice Chancellor Tim Wilson this week shows how much more the University is than a centre for learning. It is a fundamental part of the present and future economic prosperity of the County. We had a long discussion about local economic development, about the impact of the threatened NHS changes, about growing prosperity of students and about deeper problems such as the economic divide and racial tension within Hatfield. What struck me particularly was that the University has a positive vision for our community that can benefit us all. A theme that I will certainly return to.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all.

New Year's Day seems a good opportunity to think about what sort of year, and what sort of future we want for ourselves, our children, our community and our planet.

I spent this evening watching the newly released film presented by Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth. Without coming close to boring his audience, Al Gore shows very clearly how we are destroying our planet, how we need to take action urgently, and how we can easily do so.

This is the third highest grossing documentary in American film history, and it has been available since Boxing Day on DVD. It really is a must see!

Al Gore's ten easy things to do to address climate crisis:
1. Change a light bulb (150 pounds of CO2 per year)
2. Drive less (one pound of CO2 per mile not driven)
3. Recycle more (half household waste = 2,400 pounds CO2 per year)
4. Check your tyres (improve mileage by 3%)
5. Use less hot water (low flow showerhead = 350 pounds CO2 per year)
6. Avoid products with lots of packaging
7. Adjust your thermostat (2 degrees saves 2,000 pounds CO2 per year)
8. Plant a tree (one tonne CO2)
9. Turn off electrical devices (thousands of pounds of CO2)
10. Ber part of the solution - online

So many hospital campaigns - do we have to choose?

Everyone these days has a campaign to defend our hospital services. Modesty aside, the Labour Party was first off the mark, with our first street stall in Welwyn Garden City the very afternoon that the PCT made its announcement. We have also produced, and are distributing a newsletter and petition to local residents. Grant Shapps MP has launched his Hospital SOS campaign, modestly described as "the official campaign against the closure of acute services." As you might expect, the site blames the Government for everything; the Primary Care Trust gets away rather lightly all things considered. While Grant is focussed on the QEII, the Lib Dems (like myself) still believe that Hatfield Hospital should not be written off. Finally, the NHS unions have their own campaign (for Hatfield Hospital), where I was proud to march with them. Finally, the Greens apparently have a petition too, though I do not have a web-link for it.

So does it matter that there are five different campaigns? Perhaps not too much - after all, the more petition signatures, the biger the final pile of petitions. I am certainly happy to support any and all campaigns for local NHS provision.

But there is one way in which campaign unity is important. There is more to influencing the Primary Care Trust's eventual decision than collecting signatures or lobbying Ministers. The decision will be a financial one. It will be based on financial accounts written down and presented as if there were the only reading of the situation. And they will, no doubt, back up whatever decision PCT bosses want to take. But will they be right? Will they reflect local peoples' aspirations for the NHS?

At that time, all political parties ought to be united. Will that happen? Well, we're meeting in January so I'll let you know!

A traditional Boxing Day

A traditional Boxing Day for me this year. Up at 5.30 to drive to the BBC. Interviews on Five Live, BBC Breakfast, a BBC pre-recorded interview for later in the day (following the pre-record yesterday afternoon), then to Sky for a live interview and another pre-record. An ITV inteview in their Grays Inn Road studio and finally home!

Working as my "day job" for the League Against Cruel Sports, I was talking about today's hunts and the League's decision to establish a prosecution unit to ensure that hunts that continue to engage in cruelty can be brought to book. The law is the law and, even if hunts don't like it, they should obey it.

(PS Apologies for the picture of the fox ripped apart by hounds. Not sure how it died, but I bet it wasn't a quick nip to the back of the neck as the hunters used to claim!)

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all readers! I had the pleasure, at lunchtime today, of helping Sean Cox MBE of Welwyn Hatfield's The Mixed Group provide an excellent Christmas lunch for over 100 elderly or lonely people. It was a privilege to be involved. Congratulations to all volunteers, but especially to Sean who undertakes and oversees a massive amount of work so very effectively.

Health Minister visits Hertfordshire

Andy Burnham, the Government Minister for health in the East of England, visited St Albans at the end of last week, and I lost no opportunity in making the case for the promised Hatfield Hospital and cancer centre.

Rightly, the Minister was proud of the massive financial investment in the NHS, especially when the Conservatives had promised major cuts in it at the last general election, but I said that the Government must expect to be judged on the future, not the past. Local residents expect to see improvement, not cuts.

While I cannot claim to have persuaded the Minister of our case in one single meeting, he is certainly now well aware of local concerns. He promised a return visit, and I will make sure that he does come back.

Hospital march, Sunday

It was good to join hospital staff on Sunday's march, organised by the unions, from the Howard Centre to the QEII.

Like me, the unions do not believe that we should abandon the Hatfield Hospital, promised by John Reid MP to Melanie Johnson.

It was good to be joined by a number of local Labour Councillors, but a disappointment that none of the other parties could send a representative.

While the public focus is rightly on the needs of the local community, we must not forget that the hospital staff are suffering their own concerns about their jobs and how they would cope if one of the hospital sites was downgraded. The promise of a new cancer centre and hospital was made to the staff as well as to the community.

Harriet Harman QC MP visits Hatfield

Legal Affairs Minister, Harriet Harman MP visited Hatfield on Saturday and spoke with Labour Party members at their annual Christmas Social.

As she mixed with members, they were keen to impress on her their concerns about the hospital threat and Harriet promised to relay our concerns to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt (incidentally, Harriet's former boss at Liberty).

Harriet Harman will be standing to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party when John Prescott stands down next year. In an inspiring speech, she told us of her determination that the Government should continue to work to create a better society for working families - for example giving legal rights for people looking after their families or caring for elderly relatives instead of - David Cameron style - merely exhorting better behaviour.

Who'd give money to a political party?

With the recent disclosure of the political parties' financial position, there has been the expected outrage at the idea that political parties should be state funded. As usual, this ignores the fact that quite generous state funding is already in existence. Personally, I'd rather spend £4 million on the NHS than on the Conservative Party. But there is a serious point here. If we want political parties to campaign for local hospitals, for example, they need to have money to do so. Not too difficult for the Welwyn Hatfield Conservatives who had an annual income of £111,298 last year.

But Labour doesn't have so much money! But what we do have is a "donate here" button further down the page. Thanks to everyone who does!

Labour publishes newsletter

The Labour Party is printing a newsletter for delivery around the constituency. In case you don't get yours immediately, I am posting a copy here. Apologies that the newsletter appears to be in glorious technicolour: the real one is printed in black and red, but I haven't worked out how to cut down the colours for the web version. (The two images below are "JPG" pictures, you can right-click on them to save them to a file or to print them out).



PS: Anyone who wants to help Labour deliver the newsletter in your street (volunteers always welcome!) please contact me - thanks.

Save New Briars School!

When I was a County Councillor in Welwyn Garden City, and when Labour led the Council (back in 1997-99), we recognised that school reorganisations were difficult. We involved schools from the start of the planning process and gave the community real options for change, even when these were controversial.

How things have changed! The Council is now Conservative run and it seems that good practice has been forgotten. The current review, of primary schools in Hatfield, proposes three options. Each of them has one thing in common. In each option, New Briars children see their school site closed down and sold off and theyhave to move to the Stream Woods School site.

It's no wonder that New Briars parents are furious! They have a successful school, with excellent 'value added' scores for local children (in the top 2% in the country and well better than the County average!). They have a popular school, which is almost full. And they have a thriving school community, especially now the Conservatives have declared war on the school. I am giving my full support to the parents in their action group. They have an excellent case and deserve to win.

Hospital threat update

As promised before, I believe that it is vital to keep local residents informed with the facts about what is happening. I have been in touch with the Hospital Trust to learn what they are saying and doing. Given the way the NHS works, they can only provide what commissioning bodies like the Primary Care Trust are prepared to pay. The Hospital Trust anticipates making a recommendation to the Primary Care Trust about the balance of services between the QEII and the Lister, probably at their meeting in late December. Factors that they anticipate taking into account are the cost of renovating buildings, the size of the sites and the location of the centre of local population.

The meaning of "away"

On Monday and Tuesday this week, on behalf of my employer, I attended the 6th Wildlife & Environmental Crime Conference jointly organised by the Countyside Council for Wales and the South Wales Police (hence the nice countryside photos, although the conference itself was on a Swansea industrial estate!). More, perhaps, about wildlife crime another time, but I was struck by the comments of the after dinner speaker.

He said that we use the word "away" to mean two very different things. When we go "away", on holiday, it means somewhere nice, perhaps warm and sandy. But when we throw things "away", we do not even mean the landfill site. We mean that it disappears. Away into the ether. Isn't life grand without the need to recycle!

Remembrance Day

There is very little in life so moving as the Remembrance day ceremony. It is, of course, a day for memories of the past. I stood yesterday at the Hatfield Memorial Garden and talked to some who had experienced the impact of war whether abroad or on the home front. I recall, as a child, watching the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, watching the poppies fall in memory of those who gave their lives for us. The commitment of all involved to their country and to a better world inspires awe and goes beyond words.

But it must be a day for the future too. How can we avoid such deaths, whether in the Middle East, where security seems so far away, or in Rwanda where it continues to this day? This is the real challenge for our society.

So it's true

Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust chief executive Anne Walker announced yesterday that she would be consulting on a plan to drop the new Hatfield Hospital from her plans. The question for the community and for its politicians is this: do we just accept that, or do we fight it?

As I said below, "The case for a new Hatfield Hospital, with a new teaching school in conjunction with the University, is overwhelming. At the moment, the NHS spends central London prices and pays central London salaries to train future generations of NHS doctors. It would be much more sensible – and cheaper for the NHS in the long term – to have the best specialists train the doctors of tomorrow here in Hatfield. This would provide the ideal foundation for high quality specialist provision for local people."

This is why the Labour Party and I were out on the streets of Welwyn Garden City yesterday afternoon collecting signatures for a petition to support the Hatfield Hospital and cancer centre plans. Labour set up the NHS and I will not cease from fighting for local people's health care needs.

Hospital betrayal?

Peter Ball reports on the De Havilland Residents Association website, a statement by Grant Shapps MP saying that the Hatfield Hospital has been shelved.

If this is true, then this is an unaceptable betrayal of a promise won by Melanie Johnson from the former Secretary of State for Health.

The case for a new Hatfield Hospital, with a new teaching school in conjunction with the University, is overwhelming. At the moment, the NHS spends central London prices and pays central London salaries to train future generations of NHS doctors. It would be much more sensible – and cheaper for the NHS in the long term – to have the best specialists train the doctors of tomorrow here in Hatfield.” This would provide the ideal foundation for high quality specialist provision for local people.

We need a cross-party, cross-community campaign to persuade Health Ministers to reject the PCT's proposal. But it should be for Hatfield Hospital, not for QEII. Without a new hospital for Hatfield, the QEII and Lister will inevitably be fighting for resources while more money is pumped into community care and into mental health services.

Join a political party today!

I've added below a link for blog readers to join the Labour Party. I'm posting here to say that this isn't just about self-interest. Political parties, despite their faults, are an important way to signal to voters the broad views and ideology of the candidates who stand for election. They are also a pretty effective way to encourage people to participate in the political process in a focussed way, delivering party leaflets or knocking on doors to talk to residents in support of council or parliamentary candidates. What this means, of course, is that more local people get more chance to talk to candidates or their representatives.

A particular advantage of joining for Labour supporters, of course, is that when Tony Blair MP stands down as Prime Minister, Labour Party members will get to vote in the ballot to choose his sucessor.

So whichever political party you tend to support, think about joining it today!

New council logo?

The Labour Party has launched a petition against the Borough Council's decision to spend £2,000 on a range of three new designs for a council logo. This is nothing, of course, compared to the cost of putting a new logo on the Council Offices, letter heads, vans etc.

As the Council says on its website, the designs are "modern and progressive."

Unfortunately, the consultation's voting form doesn't allow you to criticise the whole exercise. You have to specify a preference between the logos before you are allowed to say for example):

• - that the designs themselves are very poor ones, rather uninspiring, and really reflect the Council spending £2,000 as opposed to going to a professional designer to do the job properly; or
• - that the Council might have better things to spend the money on (a cross-party, cross- community campaign for Hatfield Hospital, for example?)

Weekend campaigning and time off

One of the results of being a parliamentary candidate is that a visit to the Hatfield Farmers Market to choose from the very wide range of fresh food and veg (a much better market than that in neighbouring St. Albans) takes about three hours after talking to and being introduced to so many local people with a wide variety of concerns - from school closures to the Hatfield parking problem. (A useful morning for me, although my wife anticipate d the trip being over more quickly!). Tastiest buy: the red mullet from a very helpful woman from the stall from the fish shop in Brookmans Park (NB: the stall is there every week, not just on Farmers market days). Close miss: not being hit by the cans thrown by the hoodie wearing child on the balcony above the old St Albans Road pedestrian walkway. (or was he throwing it at the Conservative Councillor I was chatting to?) Whichever way, why is there never a police officer when you want one? End of the shopping trip: joining the excellent Hatfield Credit Union (of which more another time).

Afternoon relaxation: cutting the lawn which has grown too long (even in October) during the weekends spent campaigning to be selected as the Labour candidate. Or is it global warming that keeps the grass growing?

How do we campaign for the NHS?

I do not believe in negative campaigning. On the whole, I believe that all politicans of all parties are genuinely interested in serving the interests of their constituents and the country, even where (perhaps especially where) they strongly disagree about what is best. At election times, of course, we politicans become a bit more avaricious and desperate for your vote. But we usually manage to behave normally the rest of the time.

So this letter from Grant Shapps MP is disappointing (as well as inaccurate - if major Government were made for political advantage, marginal constituencies like Welwyn Hatfield would win every time!). Many posters on this blog have been very kind in telling me how hard Grant works for local people. Much of the time, that is clearly true. This time, he has got it wrong.

I have written to Grant today, suggesting this to him and saying:

• As you have said before, we need a new teaching hospital in Hatfield, built in conjunction with the University where the best specialists train the doctors of tomorrow. As well as improving health care for local people, this will save the NHS money as the costs will be lower than in central London. All political parties should be working together to fight for our local health service. Local residents’ concerns are worth far more than votes or party politics. Can I suggest we meet to discuss how we can all work together for the people of Welwyn Hatfield?

We need a cross party campaign for the local NHS, not a one sided campaign. You are the people who matter. Tell us politicians what you want!

NHS report back

I promised in my earlier post, to report back on what NHS bodies were saying. I believe that openness and honesty is the most important issue at time sof doubt and concern. Here are the first installments:

The Strategic Health Authority is effectively in change of the new Primary Care Trust - which has the budget for healthcare. It says:

• Hertfordshire PCT has been tasked with carrying out a review of the Investing In Your Health strategy looking at east and north and west Hertfordshire. In particular whether the current configuration plans are financially sustainable and, if not, the degree of change that would be required. This review will include the viability of the new proposed hospital at Hatfield and the cancer centre. Once the findings of the initial technical work are considered, there will be an informal discussion phase involving all stakeholders. It is likely that formal consultation on the proposals arising from the discussion phase will kick off in February.

The Primary Care Trust are indicating that an announcement will be made next week.

No Way to 10K

This morning, I signed up to the Welwyn Hatfield Times 'No Way to 10K' campaign and urge all local residents to do the same. The local council agreed that 5,800 homes could be built in the Borough between now and 2021. This should be the limit. Any development beyond this sort of figure poses a real threat not only to the green belt but also to the quality of life in urban areas that might be threatened by the sort of town cramming that I opposed when I was on the County Council.

The inspectors who dreamt the higher figure out of the air at the public inquiry were simply wrong. While we do need homes for local people - particularly more affordable homes - we cannot build more than there is adequate space and infrastructure to support. 10,000 homes is too much.

What more taxes?

Back when I was first elected to Herts County Council in 1997, I thought I was being very eco friendly by working with Tory Councillor John Morton and local campaigners in Welwyn Hatfield as we re-wrote the County Council's waste plan to reverse its previous support for waste incineration. Being a radical on green issues, I also did my unsuccessful best to oppose the A10 and Baldock bypasses. But, while this may have been my "thinking local", it is increasingly clear how very much bigger the problem is.

Congratulations are therefore due to the Government for commissioning the Stern review on global warming. In words that will surely alarm the most hard hearted, the report points out that:

• Rising sea levels could leave 200 million people permanently displaced
• Up to 40% of species could face extinction
• There is a 50% chance that average global temperatures could rise by five degrees Celsius over the next fifty years
• If this happened, up to 10% of global output could be lost. The poorest countries would lose more than 10% of their output

So what does this have to do with taxes? Well, it would be nice if our own personal and corporate treatment of our planet would change without a financial incentive. Do you think it will? I don't.

Selected!

After three and a half long months of campaigning, I would like to thank the members of the Welwyn Hatfield Labour Party for selecting me as their parliamentary candidate. With up to four years until the general election, I've got a busy time ahead.

Priority number one, of course, will be the NHS. East & North Herts hospital trust is promoting a new hospital and cancer centre for Hatfield, but rumours abound that the plans are in danger. First priority on Monday morning, therefore, will be calls to the Trust and to the Strategic Health Authority. Whatever they say, you'll read it here.