Dynamic Arts Celebration

I thoroughly enjoyed my Friday
morning (27th February) at the Foyer
in Chrysanthemum Court, Newhall.
I was there to join in with the
Dynamic Arts Celebration.

The young people, who live in the
flats, have for the last twelve months
been involved with an Arts scheme run in the evenings and this was the celebration to show off the pieces they had made.

They proudly displayed their paintings, decorated glassware and an excellent DVD. It was great to hear them talk about how much they had learnt, enjoyed and grown as people over the 12 months of the scheme.

We funded the project through the Crime and Disorder partnership. There had been many incidents of anti social behaviour reported in the area and this idea came from the young people as a diversionary session that might help.

Not only did the young people get something tangible out of this but in the last 12 months there has not been a single complaint about anti social behaviour made to Trident Housing at Chrysanthemum Court.

I call that a result.

Lowest ever level of council tax increase

For the second year running, South Derbyshire District Council has set the lowest ever level of council tax increase.

Proposals for a 2.5% increase in council tax were approved at a full council meeting on Thursday 26 February 2009.

As Leader of South Derbyshire District Council this issue really matters to me.

Our Conservative Administration remain committed to keeping council tax as low as possible. We sincerely wish that it could be lower, but given the external pressures impacting on the Council’s finances, the majority group feels that a 2.5% increase is modest, prudent and balanced. This is a budget which protects the best interests of the people of South Derbyshire.

An increase of 2.5% means a council tax for South Derbyshire of £148.03 for a Band D property, an increase of £3.61 per year on the current rate.

For the second year running, this is an increase of less than one penny a day.

The District council's share of the total council tax bill in South Derbyshire is about 11%. South Derbyshire has kept the increase at 2.5%. The increase for Derbyshire County Council is 2.9%, for the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service is 4% and the Derbyshire Police Authority has opted for an increase of 8.6%

We have approached this budget with a tight financial mindset, underpinned with finding enough money to maintain and make modest improvements in services for our community.

There will be no cuts to services. This is a value for money budget formulated within the severe constraints brought about by the acute economic downturn.

SHADOW MINISTER PRAISES SOUTH DERBYSHIRE’S APPROACH

On Wednesday (25th February 09) I had the
pleasure of welcoming Rt Hon Theresa May MP
to the first Conference about Domestic Abuse
to be held in South Derbyshire.

Our Shadow Minister for Women praised the
approach that we have taken in delivering
Domestic Abuse services in South Derbyshire.

Speaking at the Conference, Theresa said: “The multi-agency approach adopted in South Derbyshire is exactly the approach needed
elsewhere.” She also praised the district’s Sanctuary scheme which helps victims of domestic abuse to remain in their own homes.

Representatives from organisations including Action for Children, Adult Social Services, Next Steps, Trident Housing and Lemongrove, Good News Family Care and primary and secondary schools in South Derbyshire were among the scores of delegates who attended the South Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Conference at Bretby Conference Centre.

Speakers included Cathy Coe, herself a former victim of domestic abuse and founder of the Pathways project, Safeguarding Children Manager Ian Tucker and Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Development Officer Lorraine Langley.

The event was organised by the South Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Group (DAAG) with funding from Derbyshire County Council and the Safer South Derbyshire Partnership and provided delegates with a chance to consider how they personally would deal with information about cases of domestic abuse.

Presentations by those working in domestic abuse services in the area provided those attending with details of how the Police investigate domestic abuse cases and about the latest domestic abuse developments in the district including Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs).

Workshop sessions discussed case studies and everyone took part in a quiz using individual buzzer units to respond to the on-screen questions.

My role as Chair of the Safer South Derbyshire Partnership gives me an opportunity to really get involved with practical ways of making our society safer. This Conference was a first and everyone involved was absolutely delighted with the way it had gone.

It is gratifying to see so many people from across the county here. In South Derbyshire we take our responsibilities very seriously and this event was an opportunity to learn from others how they cope with this extremely worrying issue.

I believe everyone has left with a better understanding of how to help the very many people who find themselves affected by this dreadful crime.

Sign up to our Honest Food Campaign

Call to change law to end misleading labelling in shops and supermarket our shoppers deserve better

I am urging residents across South Derbyshire to sign up to a new petition calling for clearer labelling on food packaging.

The “Honest Food” campaign launched by Conservatives seeks to end misleading claims and ensure compulsory ‘country of origin’ labelling. This will mean that meat products, such as bacon, sausages and ready meals, which carry a British label can only use meat that comes from animals born and bred in Britain. Conservatives are proposing a change in the law to make this compulsory.

Research into everyday products on supermarket shelves has indentified Tesco chicken dinners “produced in the UK” use chicken from Thailand; Marks and Spencer’s corned beef sandwiches emblazoned with the Union flag use meat from Brazil; and goods from the Birdseye “Great British Menu” range are made with imported meat.

The petition can be signed online at: www.honestfoodcampaign.com. The campaign has been backed by famous chefs, Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Prue Leith and Anthony Worrall Thompson.

People have a right to know where their food comes from, but there is nothing in food labelling regulation to stop food from abroad that is only processed here from being labelled as British.

Conservatives would change the law to prevent unclear and misleading labelling so only meat from animals reared in Britain could carry a British label. Shoppers in South Derbyshire would see clearly where their food comes from so they can choose British food with confidence.

CALLS FOR HONEST LABELLING
The Honest Food campaign aims to:
• Empower consumers to make informed choices about the food they buy.
• End misleading packaging of non-British meat or meat products being labelled as British.
• Support British producers by allowing consumers to identify genuine British meat.
• Promote superior British produce by highlighting the advantages of British produce – especially the superior welfare standards of UK food.
• Bring honesty and integrity to meat sales to restore trust and confidence in British food and labelling in general.

Campaign website: www.honestfoodcampaign.com

There is a petition at: http://www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Honest_Food/Petition_Item.aspx

Call for mandatory country of origin labelling. Conservatives are campaigning for an overhaul of food labelling procedures to end the unclear and misleading labelling of meat. The recent food scare over contaminated Irish pork has refocused attention on inadequate food labelling in British shops. The framework legislation from the European Commission governing general food labelling is currently being revised in Brussels but EU regulations provide for compulsory origin labelling where its absence might mislead the consumer.

Proposed new law: Conservatives are to present a Food Labelling Regulations (Amendment) Bill which will make it mandatory for retailers to display the country of origin of their meat and meat products, in line with other countries, including the United States and Australia, and will also require meat and meat products labelled as British or carrying the Union flag to be born and bred in Britain.

Endorsements: The call for country of origin food labelling is supported by animal welfare and farming organisations including Compassion in World Farming, RSPCA, National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Family Farmers’ Association, British Pig Executive (BPEX), National Sheep Association, British Poultry Council, Country Land and Business Association, Agricultural Industries Confederation, National Pig Association and the Women’s Food and Farming Union (the full text of responses are contained in the Honest Food policy brief). The Honest Food campaign has been endorsed by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Prue Leith and Anthony Worrall Thompson.

New survey shows public support clearer food labelling: A new poll commissioned by the Conservatives shows strong public support for clearer country of origin food labelling. The ICM survey found that 51 per cent believe food labelled as British indicates the meat is from an animal born and bred in Britain, when in fact this is frequently not the case. A huge majority (89 per cent) support a “born and bred” qualification for British labelling.

Current examples of poor labelling: Conservative researchers visited major supermarkets last week and found examples of unclear and misleading packaging on a range of meat products. The top five unclear or misleading products on sale were:


Tesco
Chicken dinner
'Produced in UK' but chicken is from Thailand

Marks & Spencer
Corned Beef Sandwich
Emblazoned with Union flag – labelled “Nation’s Favourites” –
but meat is from Brazil

Birdseye
Great British Menu range
Made from 'Imported Meat'

Sainsbury’s
Wafer thin roast chicken
Meat ‘From the UK or Brazil’

Ash Valley
Dinosaur Turkey Roll
Meat from either the UK, the EU or South America

Power to the people

On Tuesday 17th February I was pleased to be able to attend the launch at the Motor Museum in Coventry of a set of new important policies, which will have a major effect on us in South Derbyshire, today. We will be freed from the threat of thousands of new houses imposed from Westminster. It gives local people new powers to hold their councils to account over spending, and should lead to better value for money and lower council tax.

David Cameron outlined how a new Conservative government would return power to the people. Powers will be taken from the unelected quangos, regional assemblies and Westminster, and given to local councils. It will free local authorities from top down targets put in place by Whitehall, including the imposed housing targets in the Regional Spatial Strategies.


Caroline Spelman MP introduces the policies with David Cameron MP on the video here



Further details of the policies here

Strong local economies
• Abolishing all regional planning and housing powers exercised by regional government, returning powers and discretion back to local councils.
• Creating bottom-up incentives for house building, by allowing you to keep the increase in council tax revenues from new homes, rather than it being equalised away by Whitehall.
• Allowing councils to establish their own local enterprise partnerships to take over the economic development functions and funding of the Regional Development Agencies.
• Giving a real incentive for councils to promote local economic growth, by allowing you to keep the uplift in business rate revenues.
• Giving local authorities a new discretionary power to levy business rate discounts, allowing you to help local shops and services (for example, rural pubs, or post offices).
• Increase the freedom of your council to act in the best interests of residents, by giving councils a general power of competence.
Vibrant local democracy
• Letting councils choose their own organisational structure, such as returning to the Committee system if you wish.
• Abolishing Comprehensive Area Assessment – which looks to be just as burdensome as its predecessor, and further curtailing the number of central targets imposed on councils.
• Empowering citizens, not Whitehall, to ensure value for money by requiring more detailed information on local (and central) government expenditure to be published online.
• Continuing the work of the Lifting the Burdens Task Force to identify unnecessary burdens, and putting its recommendations into practice.
• Abolishing Labour’s new Infrastructure Planning Commission quango.
• Scrapping the Standards Board and repealing the flawed ‘pre-determination’ rules that prevent councillors from standing up for constituents’ views on local issues.
• Abandoning plans to regionalise local fire services, while providing new measures to enhance resilience in the case of a national emergency.

Gordon Brown’s target-driven, top-down government has hindered strong local economies and discouraged civic pride. We will bring councillors and their constituents closer to the levers of power. This will start to restore the trust that has been lost in our political system under Labour.
The full paper will be available on conservatives.com or can be downloaded direct:

Localism Green Paper

Five Conservative measures to help victims of the recession

We will:

Abolish income tax on savings for basic rate taxpayers and raise the pensioners' personal allowance by £2,000 to £11,490.

Get credit flowing and save jobs with a £50 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme.

Help small businesses with cashflow by delaying VAT bills for six months.

Freeze council tax for two years by cutting wasteful Government spending.

Get companies hiring again through reducing employment costs for small businesses by cutting National Insurance, and through a tax break for new jobs.



And over the long term we will get the public finances back under control with an Office for Budget Responsibility so no Labour Government can ever bankrupt this country again.
Gordon Brown has been in charge of the Economy for 12 years. This is his recession and we are all depressed!