Nomination Papers In

With the local elections in Hull taking place on the 3rd of May nominatios for candidates are currently open. On the first day 8 nomination papers went in including my own.

Hull Liberal Democrats to be investigated for Election Fraud

Leading Liberal Democrats are to be investigated over alleged election fraud during the Local Council Elections in 2006. A 50-page report recently submitted details the allegations together with supporting documents.

Lib Dems bosses turn off CCTV system.

Lib Dems turn CCTV off.

The Liberal Democrats who control Hull City Council have never supported CCTV in the city. When the system was first proposed they did everything they could to prevent Hull getting a system despite huge grants being available from the government for a system.

Now we discover that staffing of the CCTV control room is being run down with job vacancies left uncovered for months.

They have undermined the system and staff and the confidence of residents in the city.

Street Sweeping Concern

Over the past few months many residents have contacted me regarding the decline in the standard of Street Sweeping in Drypool since the Liberal Democrats took control of the Council. It has been suggested to me by a resident that this is a deliberate policy on behalf of the ruling group in order to justify putting Waste Management out to a tendering process and letting a private company move in.

Cycle Track White LIghting

Following the Groves Residents meeting i contacted the street lighting department at the council. They agreed to visit the area and following the meeting arrangement have been made to improve the lighting on the Dansom Lane cycle track. The current lighting heads will be replaced with new white lighting. Also a dark spot identified at the in Whitby Street will be rectified with a new street light.

Meeting with Cllr Collinson

Following the budget setting meeting I had arranged a meeting with Cllr Mark Collinson the Liberal Democrat portfolio holder for Highways regarding the implementation of the Labour amendment to the budget. A very interesting meeting.

Groves Residents Association Meeting.

The second meeting of the Groves area residents association took place on Sunday 4th of March. Again a very well attended meeting which is due to the enthusiasm of Vicki and Sean. The meeting was well run with a large number of issues aired. The formation of the association is beginning to make a real difference to the area.

Full Council Meeting.

The Hull City Council Budget setting meeting took place on the 1st of March. After a 6 hour meeting the Liberal Democrat budget was agreed with a number of Labour amendments. Unfortunately the Lib Dems gave up debating the budget of even debating council policy and instead decided to make crude personal attacks. This is quite typical of the poor Lib Dems approach to politics in general. They have very little in the way of debate but concentrate on personal comments and attacks on individuals.

Sloan attacks Castle Street improvements.

The future of the A63 traffic improvements was put under serious doubt last night at a local residents meeting. Cllr Andy Sloan the Hull City Portfolio Holder for the economy and regeneration spoke against the proposed improvement and the plan to reunite the city with a cut and cover tunnel for Castle Street.

This is the first time I have heard the scheme dismissed by a senior figure in the council and must put the future of the improvements in doubt.

A tremendous amount of work has gone into providing a united front from the city in the call for Castle Street to be improved.

The Cut and Cover proposal has won widespread support from business leaders in the city, the media including the Mail unite the city campaign, political support from the council and MPs and has won the backing of the regional representative in competition against other traffic schemes in other parts of the region.

Lobbying for the scheme has won fund for design and feasibility studies which if successful would lead to full funding.

The danger now is that if the Liberal Democrat administration are moving away from the plans currently under consideration the scheme could then lose support and funding and be put to the back of the queue against other transport projects.

There are many other projects in the region desperate for the fund allocated to this project.

Witham Neighbourhood Forum Meeting

Last night the Witham Neighbourhood Forum meeting was held at the Cornmill Hotel on Holderness Road. Attendance at meetings can fluctuate from a small handful to over a hundred depending on the issues and concerns of residents.

Last nights meeting was lively and interesting. One of the better forum meetings. The main topics included traffic and parking issues and removal of rubbish.