Vote Wareing X

The Drypool campaign is now in its final week with the result looking like it will be a very close result. The vast majority of postal votes have now been cast with over 600 already returned. The represents a very large turnout of the potential voters. This is the final week of the election campaign with the postal voted opened on Wednesday and polling stations open on Thursday.

First week

Campaigning is now well underway in the area with 3 weeks left until polling day on May 3rd. Much of this week has been spent leafleting, talking to residents and dealing with problems in the ward. I have been able to sort out problems with fly-tipping, housing repairs and street cleaning issues this week.

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.

Neighbourhood Watch Group

Earlier this week i was invited to the first meeting of a new Neighbourhood Watch Group. It was a well run and attended meeting by local residents. Some very positive comments and contributions made and i am sure the group will do well.

Lib Dems want to give up!

Having had a brief chat over the weekend with one of my Lib Dem colleagues it seem there is quite a strong feeling within the Lib Dem group to “have a month off”, as it was put to me.

This is absolutely amazing. The Lib Dems in Hull having demanded to be put in control now want a month off to fight the election.

My feeling is that more and more people are seeing Liberal Democrats for the underhand scheming group they are.

After all 12 of their own councillors in recent years have left following fallouts and infighting. Two have even left since the last election.

Clearly cracks are starting to show particularly within the leadership of the Liberal Democrats. Many people have commented to me on the poor performance of Cllr Minns both from within the Council and other residents.

Perhaps he is suffering from too many lunches with the arch Tory John Fareham.

Lib Dems threaten to resign

The Liberal Democrat administration who control Hill City Council are threatening to resign if they don't get their own way at next weeks budget setting council meeting. It is the second time the group has issued such a threat. Clearly unhappy at having to make any sort of decision they are always looking for a reason to walk away.

Full Council Meeting

A Full Council Meeting was held this week on Thursday 15th of February. Given the parties are all active on discussing the coming budget it was a more subdued meeting than usual. The Budget meeting will take place on Thursday the 1st March and could provide some real fireworks. There are some very serious decisions to be made over the coming weeks and months and it is becoming very clear that the current Lib Dems are not up to the job. Even their leader admitted so much in slip at the full council meeting. Cllr Minns admitted he needs to reshuffle the cabinet soon. This is very clear as a number of current cabinet members are not up to it. In particular Collinson Baker and Sloan are all struggling and are likely to be the first to be dropped or demoted.

Riverside Area Committee Meeting 14th February

The Riverside Area Committee meeting was held in the ward this month at the Balfour Street Community Centre. Unfortunately the police who normally attend did not on this occassion and it was not possible to raise concerns expressed by residents. Following the meeting i spoke to the area inspector and have passed on the most serious issues. A promise of action over the next few weeks was made.

Lib Dems axe Number 90 Bus Service.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Hull have decided to axe the popular Number 90 bus service. The service which has run to and from Victoria Dock to the City Centre for the past 10 years will be axed so that savings can be used to fund Stagecoach services in the West of the city.

Council to clamp down on tax dodgers

Details of press release issued by the Authority. Hull City Council is about to undertake a high tech initiative that's set to find council tax dodgers across the city. Using the latest data matching technology, an initial 5,000 households in Hull that claim to be occupied by a person living on their own will be checked to make sure that the 25% discount they are receiving is still applicable. This anti-fraud initiative will access a range of data sources. This included third party data providers which helps to ensure that only people entitled to receive the 25% single person discount actually do so. The initiative is fully in-line with Data Protection Regulations. Andy Brown, Head of Revenues and Benefits said: "People who are genuinely claiming this discount have nothing to fear - we want them to continue receiving the discount to which they are entitled. However, we take a zero tolerance approach to fraud - all fraud - and we will use the latest technology to carry out this major council tax anti-fraud initiative. "It's vitally important that council tax due is collected to pay for local services such as street cleaning, leisure centres, social services and education."Anyone who is claiming the 25% discount incorrectly is being urged to come forward by 28 February 2007 and notify the council before these checks are made to avoid the possibility of the council taking further action unnecessarily. After this date, claimants who are identified as being ineligible for the discount but are claiming it, face the prospect of a £50 civil penalty and/or possible prosecution under the Theft Act 1968 that could lead to a fine of £1,000.

Lib Dem bosses axe Wilberforce Celebration Chief

Liberal Democrat bosses at the Guildhall have moved the organiser of the Wilberforce Celebrations to another role within the authority. The move prompted a double page spread in the local paper as partners in the celebrations spoke of their concerns at the way the move has been handled. A high paid consultant will now be hired to take on the role. It seems the control freaks in the Lib Dem administration are once again showing an aggressive and nasty side.

How the Mail carried the story.