Lincolnshire Conservatives introduce presumption against wind turbines

By Tim Montgomerie
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Conservative-controlled Lincolnshire County Council is about to issue planning guidance that will be greetred with enthusiasm by anti-wind farm campaigners:

“There is a presumption against wind turbine developments on the grounds of negative cumulative visual impact.”

The report in The Sunday Times (£) says that the new guidance may prevent the county getting 16 new windfarms. It already has eight.

Although opinion polls show that most voters are in favour of wind power in general they are very unpopular when communities are faced with having them locally. Earlier this year Chris Heaton-Harris MP led one hundred Tory MPs in a rebellion against windfarms, calling for subsidies to be cut. George Osborne is reportedly in agreement - supporting a 25% reduction in energy subsidies according to today's Observer. On a number of fronts, including airport capacity, the Chancellor is enraging green lobby groups.

Plan to end Council Tax on granny flats

Very good news in the Daily Telegraph today that, under a proposed new scheme, householders who convert part of their property into an annex for an elderly relative (or anyone else) will no longer have to pay two sets of Council Tax. Under current rules, even if the annex doesn't have its own front door, it is treated as a separate dwelling.

Planning rules would also be changed to make it easier and cheaper to get permission to convert garages and other outbuildings.

I wonder what the implications would be for the TV licence fee.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles says:

“We are keen to remove tax and other regulatory obstacles to families having a live-in annexe for immediate relations. We should support home owners who want to improve their properties and standard of living. These reforms should also play a role in increasing the housing supply.”

Up to 300,000 families would benefit currently. Although, of course, the point is to encourage more families to help their relatives in this way. The BBC talk about the "substantial loss" to council revenue. It could be around a thousand pounds a time so perhaps £300 million. There would probably be some interest from Town Hall finance officers as to whether they were to take the hit for some or all of this or whether a Government grant would compensate them for it.

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Council byelections from yesterday

The Press Association reports:

Barnet London Borough - Brunswick Park:

Lab 1769, C 1598, Lib Dem 97. (May 2010 - Three seats C 3496, 3353, 3307, Lab 1994, 1937, 1758, Lib Dem 1289, 1217, 1066, Green 548, 431, 409).

Lab gain from C. Swing 13.2% C to Lab.

Bournemouth Borough - Redhill and Northbourne:

C 675, Lab 539, Lib Dem 424, Ind 398, Ukip 327, Green 54, Ind 51, BNP 42, Ind 15. (May 2011 - Three seats C 1363, Lib Dem 1278, 1189, C 1147, 1079, Ind 1027, Lab 539).

C hold. Swing 5.5% C to Lab.

Cotswold District - Fosseridge:

C 397, Lib Dem 168, Ind 98. (May 2011 - C 638, Lib Dem 173).

C hold. Swing 11.4% C to Lib Dem.

Eastbourne Borough - Meads:

C 1783, Lib Dem 465, Lab 323, Ukip 322, Ind 100. (May 2011 - Three seats C 2239, 2232, 2126, Lib Dem 797, 766, 734, Green 414, Lab 411, Ukip 404, Lab 373, Green 361, Lab 349).

C hold. Swing 4.7% Lib Dem to C.

North Lincolnshire Borough - Town:

Lab 1141, C 856, BNP 133. (May 2011 - Two seats Lab 1045, 930, C 790, 755, Green, 276).

Lab hold. Swing 1.4% C to Lab.

Shock byelection defeat for Conservatives in Barnet

The Barnet Bugle reports that Labour have gained a seat for the Brunswick Park Ward in Barnet Council in yesterday's byelection.

The result was:

Labour 1769, Conservatives 1,598, Liberal Democrats 97.

The byelection was called after the sad death of theh former Conservative council leader Lynne Hillan.

This had been regarded as a pretty safe Conservative ward and the swing to Labour is calculated as 13.25%. So as they say a "wake up call" with Council elections in two years time for the Conservative-run council. They have not exactly embraced transparency or welcomed being held to account by the borough's thriving blogging community.

The Barnet Eye suggests that increased parking charges are a key grievance and that the real problem is not increased charges at the council's own car parks but the abolition of high street pay and display machines and the increase in parking charges and CPZ permit charges. Certainly the Labour Party seem to think that campaigning against the parking charges and rebranding themselves as the motorist's friend is an effective way of winning over those who would normally be Conservatives. It may be that other Conservatives abstain in protest.

By the way the Labour candidate put out a leaflet in Greek - which was apparently "much punchier" than the version in English.

I'm afraid I am not in a position to verify this. If you speak Greek perhaps you could click oon the image to see enlarged version and let us know in the comments.

More council byelection news when I have the other results.

Salford appoints assistant mayor for "humanegement"

The impetus behind the referendum to approve a directly elected Mayor for Salford was to have lower Council Tax. But Ian Stewart, the Labour candidate for the resulting who was elected last month, has got off to a disturbing start.

The Daily Mail reports that he has recruited not only a deputy mayor but 13 assistant mayors. The new assistant mayors will get allowances of between £9,000 and £14,600. The previous arrangement in Salford was also pretty top heavy with a Cabinet of 17 members. So, in fairness to Mr Stewart, he has hasn't pushed the allowances costs up - but one might have hope he would have made an effort to streamline the system.

One post is for "Assistant Mayor for International Relations." Another is "Assistant Mayor for Humanagement and Workplace Reform."

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Less red tape for housing associations selling vacant properties

I used to be on the management committee for the Shepherd's Bush Housing Association, a pretty dire landlord operating in my borough and also neighbouring boroughs. At one of the meetings there was a proud declaration that we owned a house worth £4 million in Kensington Square. Those who lived there must have an incredibly subsidised rent - like winning the lottery. "Lucky family," a fellow committee member exclaimed. But in terms of asset management the policy of retaining such properties as some point of principle, even when they become vacant, is bonkers. With their scarce resources the charitable role of housing associations should be about providing decent housing to the many - not extravagant housing to the few.

Another scenario would be that a housing association has a vacant property in poor condition - but due t mismanagement of budgetary pressures fails to carry out the extensive repairs required. So it sits empty. Common sense  would suggest that it be sold. Socialist ideology - the predominant ideology on housing association boards - is that this option should not be considered.

Anyway the Homes and Community Agency is a Quango which squirts out £4 billion a year of our money in subsidies to housing associations. It is also a regulator and used to act as a block on housing associations selling off run down properties. It still does. But the good news is that the red tape has been eased a bit.

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Michael Mates seeks nomination for Hampshire police commissioner

A strong shortlist is seeking to be the Conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

It includes Roger Ainsley, a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, Christopher Brannigan, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Scots Dragoon, Cllr Donna Jones, a magistrate and Portsmouth councillor, Cllr Melville Kendall of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Sean Woodward, the leader of Fareham Borough Council and Michael Mates, the former Member of Parliament in Hampshire for 36 years from Winchester.

The final winner will be chosen at a meeting on of Conservative members in Hook on 5th July.

Mates is the best known of the finalists and yet again for a former Minister to show interest is a measure that unlike being a Police Authority chairman the job of police commissioner has real power.

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Independents and Conservatives reach deal to run Mole Valley

Cllr Chris Townsend, an  Independent councillor Mole Valley District Council, has become leader of the Council in coalition with the Conservatives. As there are seven independents and 16 Conservatives this is an unusual way round. the Lib Dems, with 19 councillors, are mad as hornets.

The Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser reports:

Party leaders met for back room talks ahead of the meeting at Pippbrook in Dorking, and Independent councillor Chris Townsend emerged as the new leader, despite his party holding just seven of the 41 council seats.

Under the "strong leader" system, Mr Townsend can now choose his executive – seven councillors responsible for making major decisions – and the Lib Dems, who have 19 seats, are furious the Tories and Independents united to stop them taking control.

Councillor Mick Longhurst (Lib Dem, Holmwoods) called the meeting an "absolute shambles" and Lib Dem deputy leader Stephen Cooksey said the situation would be "mystifying and unacceptable to the public".

Lib Dem leader David Preedy said he is disappointed, and expects Mr Townsend to name an executive of Conservative and Independent councillors.

"We offered the Independents the opportunity to go into a joint administration, but instead they have decided to prop up a Conservative administration that doesn't agree with their priorities,"
he said.

"I think it's a farce."

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Conservative councillor defects to UKIP over "bullies" and "smears"

Cllr Ben Walker, who represents Bradley Stoke North Ward on South Gloucester District Council, has resigned from the Conservative Party and defected to UKIP.

Cllr Walker says:

"I have been internally smeared, but will not be bullied..."

 "Internal individuals have made it their business to remove me from the party in fear of their positions, so I have decided to give them what they want; for now.

While he mentions his opposition to the European Union and "ill targeted" spending cuts there has obviously been some sort of personal feud going on which is the real spur to his defection.

An article which appeared recently in the Bristol Evening Post reported that Cllr Walker's firm, Oppo Complete Building Services Ltd, went bust after a client failed to pay £60,000 they were owed. It said Cllr Walker is "currently paying off thousands of pounds of outstanding income tax for his company." The details were unclear but there didn't seem to be any suggestion that Cllr Walker personally was becoming bankrupt or had broken any law.  Yet this would seem to be the background in terms of the "smears" that Cllr Walker refers to.

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Conservatives remain in power in Wyre Forest as councillor defects

In this month's local elections the Conservatives lost overall control of Wyre Forest District Council. However the Conservatives remained the largest party with 20 councillors against eight each for Labour and Independent and Community Heath Concern. There are also some independents and the Conservatives are being allowed to run a minority administration helped by the defection of Cllr Rose Bishop from the Independent and Liberal Group to the Conservatives.

This group includes councillors from the Liberal Party which is distinct from the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Party, led by former Liberal MP Michael Meadowcroft, was formed as the "continuing" Liberal Party at the time of the merger with the SDP in 1989. The departure of Cllr Bishop means they are down to, I think, 15 councillors nationally. On the other hand this is considerably more than the BNP.

The Liberal Party are Eurosceptic, favour legalising drugs and feel the coalition Government's spending cuts are "excessive."