Archive for May, 2012
Thursday, May 24th, 2012
Conservative Councillors are elated that their hard work to tackle the traffic issues at Ventura has taken its first big step.
Tamworth Borough Council has received a planning application for a second exit from the Sainsbury’s Car Park. It is hope the second exit will help address some of the traffic flow issues at the site.
This application is a result of the working group formed by Conservative Councillors to tackle the issue. The working group is made up of local councils, store managers, landowners and the highways authority.
Conservative Councillors are encouraging local people to support the application by writing to the planning department at the Borough Council.
Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, Conservative Councillor Danny Cook Said, “We hope local people will support Conservative Councillors efforts to tackle the traffic issues at Ventura and write to the planning department to support the application, we have been working hard to address this issue. This was a pledge we made on the door step.”
Conservative County Councillor Ben Adams said, “Ventura Retail Park is a massive shopping destination for people outside Tamworth. It attracts people from all over the area to spend money in Tamworth; it is the jewel in the crown for Staffordshire. Conservative Councillors have worked hard to get this positive action to take place and we now are looking for public support for the proposal.”
Conservative Councillors led a Borough Council debate on the issue in March and Conservative Councillors all spoke of the importance of the second exit to help reduce traffic at the site. It was announced at the meeting by Cllr Robert Pritchard that Sainsbury’s was working on a potential traffic solution to provide a second exit from the store’s car park within the year.
Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth said, “This planning application is a real step forward to resolving a problem that has blighted Ventura for too long. I have raised residents concerns on several occasions with the County Council and they assure me this is traffic issue at the top of their list. I will continue to lobby for a speedy end to this driving log-jam.”
According to the design and access statement submitted in the planning application, “The proposed development is to create a new left-only egress from Sainsbury’s supermarket car park onto Bonehill Road.” This will allow traffic to exit towards the Fazeley/Mile Oak Direction without having to enter the Ventura traffic island system. This will also relieve traffic flow on the islands, helping overall retail site traffic flow.
The Borough Council is now waiting for additional information such as detailed drawing and specifications from Sainsbury’s, which are due in any day now.
Planning applications take approximately eight weeks to determine. If it is approved, the works would be likely to start late summer. Consultation letters are now in the process of being sent out to houses in the immediate area, however any residents can support the planning application by writing to Tamworth Borough Council at: The Planning Department, Tamworth Borough Council, Marmion House, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7BZ. You can also find the planning application online at – http://planning.tamworth.gov.uk:8080/Planning/dialog.page?org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=gfplanningsearch&Param=lg.Planning&SDescription
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
Christopher Pincher, Member of Parliament for Tamworth, has questioned David Cameron on what further support the Government can provide jobseekers in Tamworth in Parliament.
Mr Pincher spoke up in Prime Minister’s Questions last week, his fourth PMQ since becoming the Member of Parliament in 2010.
Mr. Pincher asked the PM, “Both the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee have praised the Work programme for getting off the ground in under a year, which is in stark contrast to the four wasted years it took to get Labour’s programme off the ground. What further help can the Prime Minister give my striving jobseekers in Tamworth, where unemployment figures monthly are falling, to find the work they want?”
The Prime Minister responded by saying, “My hon. Friend makes an important point, because not only did the Work programme get up and running quickly, but it is already helping 519,000 people. It will help over 3 million in total. The key difference between it and previous programmes is payment by results, so we are paying providers more money for the more difficult people who have been out of work for a long time and have serious challenges in getting back into the workplace.
“I think that we can use this programme to help not only people who have fallen out of work recently, but people who have totally lost connection with the labour market. Those are the people we want to help most, and the Work programme is a very innovative way of doing that.”
Afterwards Mr Pincher added, “I fully support Government proposals to “make work pay.” Many local people have contacted me saying how fed up they are with the welfare system that ballooned under Labour’s watch. They want a welfare system that always makes it pay to work and which actively gets people back into work.
“This Government is committed to change the ”something for nothing” culture and the Work Programme is an important step in the right direction to helping the long term unemployed find jobs and the chance of a better future.
“I am also very pleased to hear that unemployment in Tamworth dropped by 10% in the last month including a 20% reduction in youth unemployment. Skilled jobs are being created in the region and I trust the positive news will continue.”
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
- Cllr Ben Adams
Local Conservative County Councillor Ben Adams (Perrycrofts Division) has been voted as the new Deputy Leader of Staffordshire County Council by his fellow county councillors.
At last Thursday’s meeting of the County Council (17th May), Cllr Philip Atkins (Uttoxeter Rural) was re-elected as Leader of the County Council for a 3rd successive year and Ben Adams was voted in as Deputy Leader replacing Cllr Ian Parry (Stone Rural) who had held the role since May 2009.
Ben said, “I am delighted that my colleagues have asked me to represent them as Deputy Leader. It is a demanding role but should allow me to champion the interests of Tamworth and Staffordshire locally, regionally and nationally. We live in a great place and I intend to keep working hard to make it even better.”
Ben has been the County Councillor for the Perrycrofts division of Tamworth, which incorporates Spital and much of the Mercian ward, since 2009. He served as cabinet member for Communities for two years and has been leading Economic Growth and Enterprise since 2011. Ben was previously a Lichfield District Councillor representing Fazeley & Mile Oak and a cabinet member for Communities but now concentrates on Tamworth and Staffordshire.
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
Tamworth’s MP, Christopher Pincher, last week gave his support to the campaign to help energy customers ‘Plug the Debt’ on winter bills.
Mr Pincher welcomed the joint Consumer Focus/Citizens Advice campaign which will advise people who are falling behind with their energy bills.
With people now receiving their winter energy bills, new research from Consumer Focus shows four in 10 people across the country say their winter energy bill is even higher than last year. This is despite one of the mildest winters in a decade resulting in falls in energy consumption. Almost half of consumers (48%) say they plan to make cut-backs in order to afford their energy bill.
Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice both warn that these unexpectedly high bills could push more people into debt with their energy supplier – particularly those on low fixed incomes, such as older people and families receiving benefits. The organisations are highlighting their awareness campaign – ‘Plug the Debt’- to help people know what to do and what their rights are when they fall behind on their energy bills.
Mr Pincher said, “With many of my constituents receiving high energy bills, despite the mild winter, this is an issue that could cause hardship for many people in Tamworth.”
“It is clearly worrying that people are being forced to cut back just to afford their energy bills after the winter. I hope this campaign will help those struggling to make ends meet and who do not know where to turn for help.”
Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said, “With energy price cuts and less heating used because of the mild weather, most people will have expected their winter energy bill to be lower this year. So higher winter bills may come as a nasty shock that many customers simply can’t afford.
“We’d urge anyone struggling to pay their bill to contact their energy firm and Citizen’s Advice as soon as possible. The sooner you get in touch the less chance there is for debts to build and become harder to repay.”
Gillian Guy, Citizens Advice Chief Executive, said, “High energy bills are stretching some household budgets to breaking point. If you are worried you can’t afford to pay your bills and they are mounting up – don’t suffer in silence. Speak to your energy supplier as they have a duty to make sure you are repaying what you can afford. Citizens Advice Bureaux can also help you to find out what help is out there to cut your bills and claim any benefits you could be entitled to.”
Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice are making people aware of the following five top tips if they fall behind with their bills:
- Always contact your energy firm as soon as you realise you might have trouble with paying. Debts will build-up and be harder to pay off the longer you leave them. Your supplier has a responsibility to help you if you have problems paying your bill.
- Tell your energy supplier what you can afford to pay – they have to take this into account in agreeing repayments of the money you owe.
- Ask your energy company, your local Citizens Advice Bureau or call the Home Heat Helpline 0800 33 66 99 to find out about other free energy help available. For example you could qualify for a discount off your bill or free insulation to help your home stop leaking heat and cut your bills.
- Even if you are in debt you may still be able to switch to a cheaper deal with your current supplier, especially if you pay by cash, cheque or prepayment meter. If you pay by pre-payment meter and have less than £200 of debt you can also switch to a cheaper deal with another supplier.
- Financial help is available which could make it easier to afford your bills – check you are receiving all of the benefits and tax credits you are entitled to by getting in touch with your local Citizens Advice Bureau or visiting www.adviceguide.org.uk.
Anyone who wants to find out more about getting help or advice through the ‘Plug the Debt’ campaign should visit www.consumerfocus.org.uk/plugthedebt or contact their local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Other advice and information
For impartial advice and information on energy issues get in touch with your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06.
Information on how consumers can save money on their energy bills by switching payment type, tariff or supplier and insulating their home, is available on the DirectGov website energy advice pages. Helpful information can also be found on the Citizens Advice Big Energy Week webpages and adviceguide. You can also find out online about the Energy Best Deal campaign that Citizens Advice runs with Ofgem and watch a series of short films on how to get the best deal.
Conservative Councillors are elated that their hard work to tackle the traffic issues at Ventura has taken its first big step.
