Friday, November 2nd, 2012
The Conservative Party is seeking people interested in becoming local council candidates for the May 2014 Tamworth Borough Council election.
Tamworth Borough Councillors is responsible for delivering local services such as bin collection, street cleaning, planning, open spaces, play areas, setting council tax, licensing, outdoor events, social housing, and other important local services.
Borough Councillors are Community Leaders helping to resolve issues, putting back into the community and shaping and changing Tamworth.
If you are interested in getting involved and learning how the services in you town are run, you want to put something back into the Tamworth community, or you are interested in public service, then this might be an opportunity for you. The majority of meetings Borough Councillors attend are in the evening and many Borough Councillors have full time jobs.
If you are interested in being considered for a candidacy, would like an application form or would like more information, please contact us on 01827 57156 or e-mail office@tamworthconservatives.co.uk.
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Tamworth’s MP, Christopher Pincher, in the House of Commons this week intervened on the new Sectary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, about the future of the Future of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) during a ministerial statement on the franchise.
Mr Pincher said, “Commuters in Tamworth will be relieved to hear that at least my Rt Hon. Friend knows where his Department is. Will he make clear the steps he can take to ensure that the next round of franchises are not unduly delayed? In particular, can original requests for proposals made by bidders who choose to tender again be requested again so that the review process is expedited?”
Mr McLoughlin Responded by stating, “I can assure my Hon. Friend that I am very keen to get on with franchising, but he would expect me to wait for the recommendations of the Brown report and the Government to respond to it in a measured and appropriate way. I can give him the assurance he seeks: I am very keen to get on with franchising.”
Later Mr Pincher commented, “This is good news for commuters of Tamworth who rely on the line on a daily basis. It is reassuring to know that the government has acted quickly to ensure no service disruption whilst for the recommendations of the Brown report into the tender process failure. This is a sensible approach to ensure that the best bidder wins and that the trains continue to run.”
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Christopher Pincher MP with Guide Stig
Christopher Pincher, Member of Parliament for Tamworth, showed his support for the Safe and Sound campaign when he visited Guide Dogs’ stand at the Conservative Party Conference last month.
The stand featured a large Scalextric track, complete with Guide Stig dressed in a white racing suit and helmet, where Mr Pincher was challenged to post a winning time on the ‘Top Gear style’ leader board.
The Guide Dogs’ Safe and Sound campaign aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers that quiet electric and hybrid vehicles present to visually impaired people.
Mr Pincher achieved a respectable time of 3.2 seconds and said, “This was a fun way of raising awareness of such a serious issue, which is often over looked. Silent vehicles cause a real problem form all pedestrians, especially young children and the blind. People much be vigilant when crossing the road and make use of specific pedestrian crossings with audio assistance.”
Guide Dogs launched its Safe and Sound campaign at this year’s party conferences. Last month the charity released a report called Silent But Deadly, which examines the danger that quiet vehicles pose to blind and partially sighted pedestrians, who rely on hearing them approach in order to cross roads safely.
Guide Dogs believes that the risks will only increase as more quiet vehicles are sold, the charity is calling for these types of vehicle to be fitted with artificial engine noises so pedestrians can hear them approaching.
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
Cllr Michael Greatorex – Mercian ward
Conservative Party Cllr Michael Greatorex, who is also a supporter of Tamworth Football Club, recently attended a behind-the-scenes tour of The Lamb ground along with parents and children at the start of the half-term holiday.
The Club, through the Tamworth in the Community Project, laid on the session and Michael was impressed with the good work being done by all involved.
Cllr Greatorex said, “As like many Conservatives, I fully support our children being encouraged to be active and interested in football and all sport to keep them active and healthy. Tamworth FC works with our local community and the national publicity in the football world the club attracts weekly is also a potential for visitors to Tamworth.”
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
Cllr John Garner
Staffordshire Police have installed traffic calming measures in Amington thanks to the intervention of local Conservative Party councillor and Deputy Mayor of Tamworth Cllr John Garner.
Cllr Garner recently wrote to Chief Inspector Coxhead at Tamworth Police Station regarding the number of complaints received from Amington residents regarding speeding traffic along Tamworth Road/Mercian Way. When the Amington ward councillor witnessed a white van cross double white lines and overtake a car between the bus shelter and Pelican Crossing on Mercian Way, he sent a further letter to the Chief Inspector.
Cllr Garner said, “I estimated the van’s speed to be well over the limit, so much so that I was unable to read the licence plate or the name displayed on the vehicle. Had this happened a few minutes earlier, this driver would, on this day and every other weekday, have encountered children with parents walking to Greenacre Primary school with a likely chance of knocking them down and causing serious injury, if not death, with the possibility of being faced with manslaughter charges.”
As a result of Cllr Garner’s letters, instructions were given to PC Steve Winter – local beat officer – to take charge of this problem. He did so and flashing speed indicators have been installed where children cross either at the Pelican crossing or Lollypop lady at Tillia Road.
Cllr Garner continued, “My colleagues and I will be monitoring this procedure to ensure that all drivers, whether in cars, vans or whatever, realise – as the van driver certainly did not – That Speed Kills!”
Sunday, October 28th, 2012
The role of Police & Crime Commissioner is about new ideas, fresh thinking and bringing the public’s view to make policing in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent more visible, responsive and accountable to local people.
It’s about freeing police officers from burdensome bureaucracy to do what they were trained for – catching criminals, cutting crime and making Staffordshire safer. In these difficult times it’s about achieving more policing with fewer resources so that crime keeps falling. Is that possible? Yes, it absolutely is!
My background building a business from scratch, strong public service ethos and recent responsibility for a £300 million budget at Staffordshire County Council has given me the experience and insight needed to be an effective PCC. With so many organisations involved in community safety, supporting victims and the wider criminal justice system, my experience building complex coalitions across sensitive public services would be important to developing a more joined up, effective system.
There are those who simply want to use this election to oppose shrinking budgets but I’m focused on Staffordshire’s future and making the most of the money available by tackling issues that matter to you.
My priorities include:
- Using technology to let police officers be police officers, not stuck behind desks – Moving resources from detecting crime to preventing it
- Treating victims of crime as people, not just a crime number – Tougher policing of prolific offenders if they can’t or won’t reform
- Cracking down on irresponsible Licensees, anti-social drinking and behaviour
- Fast and transparent justice with greater use of restorative measures
I will be a PCC for all of Staffordshire with the experience and determination to make sure we have effective and accountable policing across our diverse county. Please remember to encourage family and friends to vote on Thursday 15th November.
Sunday, October 28th, 2012
With Halloween just days away,Tamworth’s Conservatives have been delivering “No Trick or Treat” leaflets across the Borough.
Whilst many enjoy Halloween, there are plenty who do not like having their doors knocked on at night and “No Trick or Treat” signs displayed in windows and on doors are polite reminders that not everybody wants to take part.
Tamworth’s Conservatives first distributed the “No Trick or Treat” leaflets twelve months ago around the Mercian ward and they proved to be so popular, the Party are now delivering them town wide.
Mercian ward councillor, Richard Kingstone, said, “After helping to deliver the leaflets last year, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many on display in the days leading up to Halloween and I am sure that they will be as popular again this year.”
If you have not received a “No Trick or Treat” leaflet and would like to have one to display in your property, you can download one here.
Saturday, October 27th, 2012
Staffordshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner election candidates went head to head for 30 minute live during Emily Graves’ City Drive programme on Stoke on Trent’s Crossrhythms Radio yesterday, Friday 26 October.
Click here for more on the debate between the Conservative Party candidate Cllr Matthew Ellis take and Labour’s Cllr Joy Garner.
Friday, October 26th, 2012
Cllr Sue Arnold
A new campaign is battling to keep a killer chill out of the home this winter as Lichfield’s ageing private homeowners’ face being frozen out by rocketing fuel poverty just as all the UK’s major energy suppliers ramp up their prices with inflation-busting increases.
Worried council bosses are determined to beat the bleak statistics, which show the district posting 70 avoidable winter deaths above the national average between the months of December and March.
And a pilot scheme is to be investigated to extend the gas network to the hard-pressed, vulnerable rural areas in a district where forecasters believe there will be the onset of an early winter, colder-than-average temperatures, increased snowfall and record strong winds.
Despite its relatively affluent tag, Lichfield District Council can take cold comfort from new figures, which reveal fuel poverty within its boundaries is up by a staggering 30 per cent in the last two years.
The grimmest stats fall on the district’s Mease & Tame ward, which, ironically, is represented by Conservative Party Councillor Sue Arnold, who as chairman of the authority’s Overview & Scrutiny is community housing and health champion.
Latest figures from the national Homes Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) places the spotlight on Mease & Tame ward’s 1,400 homes as the most vulnerable in Lichfield’s 41,000 households.
Of the district’s 26 wards – the villagers of Clifton Campville, Edingdale, Elford, Harlaston, Hopwas and Wigginton are trapped in an energy vacuum with less than a third of their homes able to get natural gas while four in five householders in All Saints ward can switch on to the home heating option.
“The Tame & Mease ward is the largest, in area terms, in the Lichfield district and yet nearly 70 per cent of my constituents cannot heat their homes with gas – many being forced to use the oil-fired option which is 27 per cent more expensive,” said Councillor Arnold.
The problem is compounded by around 40 per cent of the villages’ properties having solid walls. “Put the two together and it spells misery.
“Those wards in Lichfield which have both a higher percentage of solid wall homes and no gas supply also show greatly increased levels of fuel poverty.
“Put simply, an ageing population in homes more than 100 years old is a breeding ground for heating hell. Unfortunately this hell doesn’t come with a built-in fiery furnace as the Biblical one does.”
Councillors on the Overview & Scrutiny group are taking a lead with a proposed pilot ‘Life’s A Gas’ scheme to investigate the extension of the gas network in the rural areas of Lichfield.
They have tabled a four point battle plan which also includes reducing fuel poverty by 20 per cent, maximising funding to promote energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions – all designed to help reduce the number of excess winter deaths.
“We’ll be sending out a questionnaire to the villages in Mease & Tame asking if they want the option of a gas supply. If demand looks encouraging, then we’ll seek the necessary funding to assist this – before rolling it out to other rural areas in district,” added the Harlaston-based councillor.
Councillor Arnold said, “The quality of a person’s home has a large impact on their health and well-being, and poor housing conditions can have a detrimental impact on a person’s health.”
The highest concentrations of fuel poverty are in our more rural wards. Some 9,000 homes fall into that category in Lichfield district.
Primary hazards in the housing stock are excess cold – found in older dwellings and those occupied by people earning less than £10,000 a year, which is mainly the over 65s and under 25s.
Rural areas were identified with the most serious problems, four in 10 privately rented homes classed as non-decent and a quarter in the top ‘hazard’ category.
On average in Lichfield, there are 70 excess winter deaths among older people – 11 wards experience more excess winter deaths than the England, West Midlands or Staffordshire average.
Cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and stroke account for half of excess winter deaths while respiratory diseases like influenza, pneumonia and bronchitis account for another third.
The increase in deaths from heart attacks occurs about two days following the onset of a cold spell, for deaths from stroke the delay is about five days and for respiratory deaths about 12 days.
The UK has experienced its “weirdest” weather on record in the past few months, scientists say.
The driest spring for over a century gave way to the wettest recorded April to June in a dramatic turnaround never documented before. Now the country is set for an extended colder and snowier period between November and the end of January.
Thursday, October 18th, 2012
The Mayor of Tamworth – Cllr Tina Clements
The Mayor of Tamworth, Cllr Tina Clements, will be bag packing at Sainsbury’s next weekend 27th and 28th October and is looking for willing volunteers to join her.
The two sessions, 10am – 4pm Saturday and 10am – 3pm Sunday are being held to raise valuable funds for the Mayor’s charities, T.A.M.E. and Spin.
Cllr Clements said, “These two charities do a great deal of good for Tamworth and we need as many volunteers as possible to help pack bags over the weekend.
We need as many volunteers as possible to help pack bags over the weekend to help to raise as much money as possible for these two local charities.”
If you can help, contact the Mayor’s Office at Marmion House on 01827 709709 for further details.
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The Conservative Party is seeking people interested in becoming local council candidates for the May 2014 Tamworth Borough Council election.
