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MP's EXPENSES - MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS

SInce the row has erupted over MP's expenses following on from the antics of Tony McNulty and Jacqui Smith (and her husband) lots of people have been asking me for my views on the subject. Obviously I am not a Member of Parliament and consequently, not only do I not benefit from any expenses, I cannot to profess an intimate knoweldge of how the expenses and allowances system works for MP's, however here is my take on it.  An MP from outside London faces having to stay in the capital several nights a week, therefore they need somewhere to stay. This can be anywhere they wish, be it a rented property or one that they may wish to purchase. For this they can claim up a maximum of approximately £23,000 per year. (If it is for a property purchase they can only claim the interest on any mortgage). This is what is known as the second homes allowance. What I find unacceptable in the case of Jacqui Smith is that she has claimed her London residence (which appears to be a room with her family) as her PRIMARY residence. This means that her constituency homw then becomes her SECOND home. There are many expenses that can be claimed in respect of the second home, which means in effect her constituency home now enjoys the ability to have expenses connected with it being paid out of allowances. What she has done is within the rules. However I believe it isnt in the spirit of the rules, and I think the spirit is as important as the rules themselves. I will state categoricaly here and now; should I be fortunate enough to be elected, my home will remain in the High Peak and any second home that I need will be whatever arrangments I have to make for myself in London ! I have already stated quite clearly too, that I will not employ any Member of my family paid for out of allowances or expenses. I understand the argument for doing this and in many respects can see the sense in it, but it is something that I will not do.

When we hear about MP's abusing their privileges it makes my blood boil because everyone who works in politics gets tarred with the same brush. Not all MP's operate in this way. Neither do Councillors. The allowances of High Peak Borough Councillors are published every year for all to see on the Council website.

The MP's allowances need to looked at as quickly as possible and maybe completely re organised, not to do so will continue to damage the credibility of MP's which is something that will be bad for us all. I welcome your comments

HIGH PEAK HAS GOT TALENT - BAGS OF IT !!

Organised by the Mayor, Robin Baldry, tonight is an event where the youth of the High Peak demonstrate their musical talent. A variety of bands from across the High Peak from different schools play a wide range of music to a large audience in the Octagon. Young people very often get a bad press, but witness this event and you can see that it is very often unfair.

MARGARET MILLICAN MBE, DL

A particularly sad day. It is the funeral of Margaret Millican. Margaret who has don so much for both Buxton and the High Peak will be sadly missed by many of us. The Service of Celebration held at St. Johns Church was a dignified service attended by many people from far and wide - a testament to the high esteem in which Margaret was held by so many of us. 

3 x QUESTION TIME EVENTS - NEW MILLS

Following an invitation from New Mills School, I am attending 3 Question TIme style events. Each one is for a different age group in the school. Also appearing on the panel are the two candidates form the other main political parties. Each group have different issues they want to raise. The first concentrate on issues around New Mills and the condition of the parks in the Town and how bad they are. The second group focus on leisure provision in and around the High Peak. The final event with the sixth formers centres on more national issues, especially tuition fees. All three events are very enjoyable and conducted very cordially between the three candidates. The fourth member of the Panel is Pam Bond from DCC

BUXTON AREA FORUM

The latest Area Forum, this time in Buxton. As ever there is always a good turnout in Buxton. There are lots iof issues to discuss about the town, not least the future of the swimming pool, which falls under my Portfolio. The situation is that we are awaiting plans and drawings on what can be done with the pool in order to bring it into the 21st century. Once these are done then we will consult with people for their opinions

BUXTON SCHOOL QUESTION TIME

The first of four Question Time style events this week. Held at Buxton school, there are 3 of us on the panel. It should have been four, but Cllr. Sharp, the LibDem PPC didnt appear. The students, as ever, had lots of good questIons to ask, and showed a keen interest in political issues. I have long said that young people are interested in politics, its the Party politics that turn them off. I always try to avoid points scoring in these type events with younger voters as it does none of us any favours.

FAIR TRADE FAIR

At the last Fair Trade Fair, I not only gave a speech but also modelled Fair Trade clothing. This year I decided that modelling wasn't for me. I was asked to speak on the environment and 'going green'. Details of my speech can be found on the news page of the website. There were several stands at the Fair, all which promoting Fair Trade goods and energy saving devices. Like many people I have seen my energy bills increase drastically so I was particularly interested in any measures to make savings. I am always impressed with the organisers of the fair for the amount of effort and commitment that they put into the event.

HOUSE REPOSSESSIONS UP 70% ! !

I have heard on the radio that house repossessions are up by 70% ! This is an enormous increase and show how bad things are as more and more people are facing losing their homes. If you are reading this and are under the same sort of pressure, please go to the news page where you can find the link to download our advice pack for people facing this terrible situation 

ENTENTE FLORALE DINNER

Buxton has ben selected to represent Britain in the Entent Florale which is a European verison of Britain in Bloom. Inevitably there are significant costs of entry, and whilst High Peak Borough Council have provided some of the money there is still more to be raised. Many of the local hotels have also done their bit and I pay tribute to them for that. Tonight's dinner is to raise more funds for the bid. I and many of my Conservative colleagues attended the Dinner which was a great success. The Speaker was extremely funny and the Pavilion Gardens provided an excellent meal served hot and promptly. 

SIR MARTIN DOUGHTY

Today was the funeral and memorial service for Sir Martin Doughty. It would be remiss of me not to mention it. I along with many many people crowded into New Mills Town Hall for a memorial service where several people spoke with great eloquence about Martin, his life and his achievements. Martin and I obviously differed politically, but I always admired the way he worked so much for the people of New Mills. I and several of my Conservative colleagues attended the service. There are times when political differences are, and should be put aside - this was one. 

SHIREBROOK LITTER PICK

I, and my colleagues, Cllrs. George & Jean Wharmby joined the members of SEGRA (South East Glossop Residents Assn) on a liiter pick on Shirebrook Estate. It was an excellent turn out with almost 30 people getting involved. It always amazes me how much litter people leave. I discussed it with several residents and how much the Council spends on collecting litter and what could be done with that money if people didn't litter. I also discussed the Glossop rents issue with people along with many other issues of a national and local nature.

CHAPEL SCOUTS - 100 YEARS OLD !!

To celebrate 100 years of Chapel Scouts a walk was arranged from the Scout Hut to the top of Eccles Pike. I was a member of Chapel Scouts many years ago and was invited to take part. There were probably 100 people on the walk including the scouts. It was very windy at the top of the Pike where an investiture took place of scouts. (I has forgotten all about my own investiture until that point). After that we all walked back down to the Scout Hut, by which time it was quite dark.

FULL COUNCIL MEETING

Our proposals for a 2.5% Council Tax rise were approved at last night's meeting of the full High Peak Borough Council meeting. Both Labour and Liberal Demacrats opposed the budget, but noticeable neither of them had any positive suggestions to make, preferring to snipe and drag the proposal down. A key point is that is this rise were proposed under a Conservative Government it would mean a zero rise in Council Tax for people in the High Peak !!!!! 

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