Residents of Peartree Lane with the threat of a bus servicing depot being built at the bottom of their gardens are jubilant after a planning inspector threw out an appeal against the refusal by Welwyn Hatfield council.
Applicants Welham Travel saw their application recommended for approval by council officers, but after I as ward councillor plus local residents spoke out against it at a planning meeting In January this year, councillors threw the application out.
The applicants then raised an appeal to an inspector at the last possible moment. The local residents association strongly objected to the proposal and I also wrote to the inspector explaining why the application should be rejected and finally the inspector announced he agreed and the application was rejected.
It was very disappointing to see the council planning officer recommending approval, but I and residents were determined to fight it and our stance has been justified. It shows a well organised and argued campaign can win. Peartree residents can look forward to sleeping more easily as a result of this.
Jayne Ranshaw, one of the local residents who fought this said "This proposal was wholly unsuitable in a residential area. We are delighted that the inspector upheld the councillors' decision and rejected the application".
Department for Local Government launches a review of the business rates loophole
Hot on the heels of the Chancellors Budget, and as reported by the East Suffolk Lib Dems on the 7th November, theDepartment for Local Government has take up the challenge lead by local Liberal Democrats and has launched a review of a business rates loophole which has allowed the owners of some second homes to register as businesses, claiming their property is available for "holiday accommodation" for part of the year.
Across the Atlantic, Trump and his cronies are doing their very best to rewrite the definition of transgender out of existence. An agenda of social cleansing that feeds into his administration's insular and antagonistic narrative. We may like to think that Trump's views are in isolation, that his fear of difference does not seep to our shores, but it does.
Thank you Bedford for your acts of remembrance earlier today.
This evening will see one final act of remembrance with a beacon being lit at the War Memorial on The Embankment joining hundreds of others across the United Kingdom, following a lighting of a beacon by the Queen. Members of public are being asked to arrive by 6.45pm, with the beacon lighting scheduled for just after 7pm, following The Last Post
On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I came to an end following the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany that called for a ceasefire effective at 11 a.m.- it was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The terms of the agreement called for the cessation of fighting along the entire Western Front to begin at precisely 11 am that morning. After over four years of bloody conflict, the Great War was at an end.
Network Rail is advising passengers in Bedfordshire to check before they travel this weekend.
Network Rail is undertaking essential railway improvement work at Odell Viaduct near Odell and Sharnbrook as part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade, the biggestprogramme of improvements to the Midland Main Line since its completion in 1870.As part of the £1.5billion investment, the bridge needs to be raised to allow for the safe clearance of overhead line equipment in preparation for electrification of the line between London to Kettering and Corby via Bedford.
On November 15, Eaton Councillor James Wright will brave the elements to take part in the 2018 Benjamin Foundation Sleep Out at Carrow Road.
This is the 4th time the Benjamin Foundation have held this fundraising Sleep Out, and James has taken part since the beginning.
James was prompted to campaign to raise awareness of issues around homelessness and rough sleeping after seeing the short film - Homeless and Rough Sleeping in Norwich - back in 2012. The film contained a young girl talking about her experiences of rough sleeping, and only a couple of years previously she was a student at the school where James worked.
Jeremy Corbyn was asked "If you could stop Brexit, would you?"
His response?
"We can't stop it. The referendum took place. Article 50 has been triggered."
But Brexit can be stopped through a People's Vote
Vince Cable
This demonstrates, if proof were needed, that Jeremy Corbyn is working hand in glove with the Conservatives to deliver their ideological Brexit.
Liberal Democrats today opposed the recommendation to approve the draft Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Barbara Gibson, Opposition Spokesperson for Community Safety, explained: "Whilst we are highly supportive of the Fire Service and have strong confidence that the appropriate risk analysis has been done, the draft IRMP document itself is lacking key information. Without that information it is not possible to assess the proposals in the IRMP.
"Missing information includes community risk profiles based on current and projected demographics and growth, analysis of gaps in the service's capability to deal with the risks, station profiles, details of current staff and equipment levels, and risks of reductions. We were particularly concerned at the lack of information on the current workforce levels and how the service is impacted by its ageing workforce".
"We were disappointed that the Conservatives on the Community Safety and Waste Management Cabinet Panel voted to approve the draft plan as presented, without recommending the missing components be included. This is an Inadequate Risk Management Plan, and the consultation will be less than effective as a result. We urge the Cabinet and Council to go back to the drawing board and present an IRMP that is fit for purpose."
Today, Jo Johnson quit as a Conservative government minister over the Brexit deal Theresa May is putting together - a deal which gives people the worst of both worlds.
The choice being presented to the British people is no choice at all.
Jo Johnson MP
In his resignation statement, Johnson said that the deal being concocted will inflict "serious economic and political harm on the country". He said what is happening is not what anyone wants and the 2016 referendum did not provide any mandate for it.
