District Council News

DISTRICT COUNCIL NEWS – from Councillor Jonathan Gray

BICTON WINDFARM – Appeal ‘recovered’ by Secretary of State

I am delighted that Eric Pickles will be taking the final decision on the Bicton Windfarm Appeal. After some heavy lobbying of his Department by me and the two MPs who’s constituencies are affected, the decision was made to ‘recover’ the Appeal from the Planning Inspectorate to Whitehall.

What this means is that whilst the Appeal will still go ahead, the Planning Inspector will make a recommendation, rather than a final decision. This rests with the Secretary of State. As many of you will have seen from the press, Eric Pickles has been distinctly cool towards onshore wind farm applications, and amongst other things, places a high importance on proper consultation and engagement with the local community.

From what I saw, we had far less consultation this time round than before!

The Appeal is planned to commence on June 17^th.

COUNCIL TAX - Frozen

I was pleased to propose and secure a Budget to Huntingdonshire District Councillors that recommended a freeze in our share of the Council Tax for 2014/15. Whilst I believe, following huge reductions in our Government Grant, that we are still about 2 years away from being able to set a balanced budget (i.e. one that does not require the use of Council reserves), we have made excellent progress in the past year. I can also confirm that we hope to freeze the tax again this time next year.

The County Council element of the Council Tax (which slightly confusingly, HDC collects!) is by far the largest element of the bill you will receive. This will rise by 1.99%. As many of you know, the County Council is confronting huge issues particularly around the costs of delivering Adult & Social Care – mainly due to us living longer, and the arrival of the ‘baby boomers’ further swelling the demand.

‘FACING THE FUTURE’ – A full review of what we do and how we do it

The first stage of a comprehensive review undertaken by all Councillors and Senior and Middle Managers within HDC was completed earlier this month.

This identified more than 400 ways in which either expenditure could be reduced or revenue increased, aiming to find the £2m gap that still exists in our £21m net budget.

These have been now sub-divided into 3 categories – 1) easy wins that should be implemented immediately, 2) ideas worthy of further investigation and 3) ‘politically sensitive’. That last pot contains the suggestions which if implemented would be most keenly felt by residents.

I am hopeful that we will not need to dip into that last pot, however if we do then we will consult widely with you to seek your views. I want to be sure that I can look you in the eye and state we are running the Council as efficiently as we possibly can before asking you to potentially get less for your money.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE ONLINE – Keep in touch

HDC will be launching a new e-newsletter for residents in March.  The quarterly newsletter will be called ‘Huntingdonshire Online’ and will cover some key news items as well as standard items such as links to our website and social media sites.  We used to deliver a paper version which was largely paid for by advertising, but was withdrawn partly as a cost-saving measure but also due to Government moving against ‘Council Newspapers’ : certain Town Halls were using considerable sums of tax-payers money churning out what was in effect pro-council propaganda.

The point of this new initiative is not to give you ‘Council spin’, but wider access to links and information on the wide range of services HDC provides. Much like this newsletter, using email will help us to quickly, efficiently and very cost-effectively keep residents informed of key issues in the District. It will also make it easier for you to let the Council know your views directly.

We have been building the database for distribution over recent months and you can sign up to receive Huntingdonshire Online here

ROYAL OAK, HAIL WESTON – Campaigning for a community pub

I remain closely involved with the campaign to Save the Royal Oak and to buy this pub back into community ownership. It was the heart of the village and a welcome watering hole after Parish Council meetings! Clearly at the moment the pub remains in private ownership. However I stress it remains classed as a pub, and is listed, as are various parts of the interior, including the bar area.

It is a tragedy it is taking so long to make progress in restoring this to use, but I want to assure you I remain committed to helping residents achieve their ambitions and that we are working away behind the scenes.

As ever, please do get in touch if you need any help with any Council related matters – or indeed have comments or suggestions for me! Thanks to those residents who have been in touch during the month.

Cllr. Jonathan Gray, Vine Cottage, 2 Station Road, Catworth PE28 0PE.

Telephone: (01832) 710799

Email  jonathan.gray@huntingdonshire.gov.uk