Government announces elected Police Commissioners

The government have now announced the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners.  Home Secretary, Theresa May has signed the Policing Protocol that has been passed by Parliament and will cause UK wide elections for Police Commissioners on 15th November 2012.

The purpose of the Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) is to represent the community, set priorities and strategy and to hold the Chief Constable to account.  This means that we will go to the polls in November to elect Hampshire's first PCC.

I think that this is a positive move as it is a true example of localism.  For the first time, residents will have an elected person responsible for policing who will represent them and ensure that policing priorities are in line with the needs of the community.  The Police and Crime Commissioner will be accountable to the electorate.

It is important to make it clear that the Chief Constable is independent of the PCC and while being held to account by the PCC, retains full operational independence.

Form more information, click here for the Home Office PCC web site 

Burnham Copse School hit by Halloween raiders

I am utterly disgusted by the act of a mindless few who could have ruined Christmas for the children of Burnham Copse Primary School.  The local newspapers have covered the story about how a shed containing presents and other items for the school's Christmas Fair was broken into by 'wicked louts' who proceeded to steal what they could and cause damage to the rest of the items making them unusable.  This is a despicable act by mindless yobs at a time when hard pressed parents can't afford to spend £500 or more replacing these items.  I really feel sad for the children, PTA and governors of Burnham Copse who work so hard for their school.

I want to appeal to anyone who has any information concerning this and the names of those responsible to contact PC Dean Stickland by phoning 0845 045 4545.  If you are unhappy dealing with the police and you have any information, you may contact myself and I will pass any information on anonymously.

Such is my outrage that I share with you, I have started an appeal so that we can all show our support to the children of Burnham Copse school.   All that I am asking is that you give just one pound for my Quidz for Kidz appeal to help Burnham Copse Primary School recover from this awful episode.  Obviously, if you can spare more than one pound then that's great.  Either way, every penny raised will go to the Burnham Copse PTA.

I am also grateful to County Councillor Marilyn Tucker who has stepped in to secure County Council funding to ensure that the Burnham Copse Christmas Fair will still go ahead, regardless of any extra that we raise through your generous donations.  Any money left over from the Christmas Fair will go to the Burnham Copse PTA.

If you share my disgust at this mindless act and want to help Burnham Copse Primary School, you can make a secure payment by clicking on the PayPal button below.  Please give generously. 

Details of this story are available online in the Basingstoke Observer -

Update on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 10:28AM by Cllr Stephen West

This appeal has now ended.  We have raised a total of £83.00.  Thank you all for your kind donations.  I will now arrange for this sum to be paid to the Burnham Copse School.

Update on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 12:13PM by Cllr Stephen West

The headmistress of Burnham Copse School has refused to accept the kind donations of the many people who have responded to my appeal.  In this weeks newspapers, Mrs Lyn Downes states that she has already recouped the money from other sources and that my appeal was unauthorised.  As the headmistress knows, I did attempt to contact her and for whatever reason, my message did not get through.  Prior to the start of the appeal, I emailed her with full details of the appeal but with time moving on, I did not wait as there was newspaper deadlines.  It was only after the launch of the appeal that I was contacted by Mrs Downes and by then, donations were already flooding in.  It never occurred to me that a school would refuse donations from the public but in this instance, that seems to be the case.  I hope that the school will now accept the £83 in donations that have been raised.

Click here to see this story in the Basingstoke Observer

Click here to see this story in the Basingstoke Gazette

Click here to see this story in the Newbury Weekly News or www.newburytoday.co.uk

Join us for mince pies and mulled wine

You are invited to join Sir George Young MP for mince pies and mulled wine at our Christmas Event at Tadley Community Centre.  The event will take place on Friday 2nd December at 7:00 pm.

You will get the chance to find out what your representatives have been doing about the issues that affect us all and importantly to tell us what you think should be our priorities and what we should be doing about the current issues.  Your Town and Borough Councillors will also be on hand to answer any questions and to listen to your concerns and comments.

This will also be a great social occasion and a good chance for people from Tadley and the locality to get together.

Update on Monday, December 5, 2011 at 06:07PM by Cllr Stephen West

This event was a great success with Sir George Young and Councillors answering questions and discussing issues such as the Euro, The Deficit, Council Tax, Youth Unemployment and even the Tadley Clock at Sainsbury's.  Everyone had a good time and there was plenty of mulled wine and mince pies to go around.

Left to Right: Cllr Stephen West, Sir George Young MP, Cllr Stuart Frost 

Help is at hand for digital TV switchover

I have met with the team responsible for the digital TV switchover.

Digital TV switchover is the biggest change in television since the introduction of colour.  In February 2012 (Hannington transmitter) analogue television will be switched off across the Basingstoke and Deane Council area.   If you don’t have digital TV by the time of switchover, you will lose your TV channels.

If you are still watching analogue TV (five channels or fewer) on any of your sets, you need to convert them to digital. Virtually any existing TV can be converted using a Freeview box, a digital satellite service or digital cable.

Almost everyone will be able to watch Freeview after switchover – even homes currently out of coverage. You can check the options for going digital in your area and what channels will be available through an aerial, using the postcode checker at digitaluk.co.uk.

For older and disabled viewers who may find making the switch difficult, the BBC-run Switchover Help Scheme is at hand to provide everything you need to switch one TV set to digital.

Most eligible people will be asked to pay £40 towards the standard option of help. For eligible people on income related benefits, it’s free. This includes easy to use equipment, an approved installer, to supply and install the equipment, and a 12 month aftercare service including a free helpline.

If you’re 75 or over or eligible disabled, the Help Scheme will write to you directly and in plenty of time to ask if you want help. For more information on the Switchover Help Scheme visit http://www.helpscheme.co.uk/  or call free 0800 40 85 900.

If you have any questions about switchover you can call the Digital UK advice line on 08456 50 50 50 or visit http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch/meridian

Alternatively, contact myself and I will do my best to help.

Speaking up for children in care

I am currently attending the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.  I have used my opportunity to speak to the conference and on live TV to highlight the issues with the adoption and care system in England.  It takes too long for children in care to be adopted and Social Services put off people applying to be adopters because of the intrusiveness of the process and the PC nature of many of the social workers. 

The current government has inherited a broken care system that it is determined to fix.  The minister for children and families, Tim Loughton MP stated that he feels passionately about this issue and is committed to making improvements.

However, it is my opinion that only a combined approach with co-operation for ministers, parliament, the adoption agencies (social workers), the voluntary sector and the courts will deliver the changes that our most vulnerable young people need.

You can see the video of my question and the answer below.

Traveller site

The travellers who arrived outside Barclays Bank last week have now been served with a formal notice to leave under Sect. 97 of 1994 Criminal Justice Act.  They must leave by 9:30 tomorrow.  If they fail to do so, the Borough Council on behalf of Tadley Town Council will issue proceedings in court on Monday next week meaning that if they still fail to move, they can be removed by force with the assistance of Hampshire Police.

It is my experience that once a court order has been obtained, most travellers move on without any resistance.

If you are following my tweets, you will know that I am in contact with the Council regarding this and working with them to secure the removal of these travellers.  I will keep you updated on this web site and on Twitter. 

The traveller site at the rear of Barclays Bank today

Update on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 05:16PM by Cllr Stephen West

The travellers have left the site and it has been cleaned up by Council workers.

Boundary proposals cut Tadley in half

The Boundary Commission for England has announced its plans to re-organise the Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the UK to reduce the number of MPs by around 50 in order to save money.  While this appears to be a good idea in principle, I think that this plan would be a disaster for Tadley.

Currently, Tadley is represented by the MP for North West Hampshire.  Under the new proposals, the Borough Wards of Tadley South and Tadley Central would be moved to the constituency of North East Hampshire leaving the ward of Baughurst and Tadley North in North West Hampshire.  Given that most of the issues in Tadley affect the whole of Tadley, it believe that it would be crazy to split the town in half.  This would effectively mean that Tadley has 2 MPs, both of whom would have to deal with issues that affect the town.

This is currently only a proposal and is open for consultation until 5th December 2011.  The proposed changes can be viewed on the Boundary Commission web site.  Please take the time to look at the proposals and have your say. 

I feel that the recommended change will be very negative for Tadley and will do nothing to increase democracy and I will be submitting my response to the Boundary Commission accordingly.

Call for Summit Meeting to deal with Tadley issues

I attended Tadley Town Council on Monday evening (5th September) to call for Tadley Town Council to hold a Summit Meeting in order to deal with the many problems facing our town at the moment.  At this meeting, I said that in a short period of time, a large number of issues had appeared that threaten Tadley as a sustainable community.  These issues include -

• The decision to build 100+ homes on the Boundary Hall site
• The decision to allow planning permission for a Pizza Takeaway in the wrong place
• Flooding risks and the poor response from the Environment Agency
• The A340 through the town and the 'obstacle course' that traffic must negotiate between the swimming pool and the Aldermaston Roundabout.
• The decision to stop Tadley bus services after 9.15pm in the evening
• The announcement that Hampshire Police want to close/move our police station
• The planned closure of our Royal Mail delivery office
• Plans on the horizon for a new housing development West of Tadley
• The ongoing lack of amenities, sports and youth facilities in Tadley

and I am sure that you could add to this list.

The purpose of attending the meeting at Tadley Town Council was to call for a Summit Meeting involving -

• Political leaders at Town/Borough/County/Westminster level
• Local community leaders
• Religious leaders
• Business owners
• Other stakeholders and opinion formers
• Representatives from Hampshire Police, Hampshire County Council (Highways), Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, Environment Agency, Thames Water

The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss the most urgent issues and set an agenda and actions to tackle the many problems that face our town in an open joined-up, multi-agency way.  I don't believe that Tadley Town Council is to blame for these issues; in fact, I know that Councillors have been trying their best to address these issues.  However, I stated on Monday evening that Town Councillors must realise that they can't tackle these issues on their own and that they need to be open to working with other organisations and encourage open communication so that these matters can be tackled effectively.

I also noted that Tadley Town Council have no long term plan or strategy for Tadley and I stated in the strongest possible terms that the development of a plan should be done urgently.  The outcome of a Summit Meeting would be a good basis for the production of a town plan.  After all, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Therefore, I call on Tadley Town Council chairman, Cllr Jo Slimin to arrange a Tadley Summit meeting involving everyone with an interest in Tadley, define the priorities for the future and produce a town plan.

 Please click below to listen to how Kestrel FM reported on this. 

 Click to see how this was reported in the Basingstoke Gazette