Cllr Pearl Lewis

Archive for the ‘Democracy’ Category

I’m not sure where the last few months have gone! Time seems to be going so quickly – things were very busy in the Spring preparing for the re election of the Council, I’ve recently started a new job at the University, and AVDC is moving forward with it’s Vale of Aylesbury Plan and broadband work.

Canvassing in Maids Moreton with Iain Stewart (MP for Milton Keynes South), James Elles (MEP), Jeremy Quin (Chairman of Buckingham Conservatives), my brother, and my friend Oli

I began my election campaign in March. There was glorious sunshine for my canvassing days which helped (I’ve now realised that was the extent of our ‘summer’)! It was great to meet lots of new people on the doorstep and let them know what I’d been working on for the past year. It was a very different campaign to my by-election, with lots of new issues and obviously it was nice to feel more aware of local issues and be able to inform residents of things happening with the Council.

I was absolutely delighted to be re-elected to AVDC with 63% of the vote – it is so humbling to know I have the support and trust of the people in my ward, and I’m working hard to continue making contacts and going to parish meetings. It was an exciting election and we had a turnout of 49% in Luffield Abbey.

I was also pleased to see the referendum on the Alternative Vote system return a resounding 70% ‘No’ result in Aylesbury Vale, and across the nation. The future of our democratic principle of ‘one person one vote’ remains, and I am proud that Britain has had a chance to have it’s say on such a fundamental constitutional question.

We were delighted to maintain our majority in the Council chamber, and to welcome lots of new members, including some younger councillors.

Campaigning for the No to AV vote in Buckingham

ENTERPRISING THINKING

I welcome the Government’s decision to abolish our expensive Regional Development Agencies and instead allow local authorities to join up and create Local Enterprise Partnerships. The South East Midlands LEP is currently in formation and will be nurturing the creation and growth of businesses in our area – linking up institutions with common areas of expertise – like education or engineering. It’s been particularly exciting to see the proposals for the development at Silverstone – a brand new business park, education centre, museum, visitor centre and the necessary infrastructure investment. It’s pleasing to see that the circuit will now be a venue for events all year round and continue to provide jobs for local people. The millions of pounds that the circuit’s activities create for our local economy are much valued. In 2009, AVDC helped to secure the Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone for the next 17 years – a massive boost for our local economy. I attend a sub group chaired by South Northants Council which feeds back residents concerns and comments about the activities at the race track to the circuit managers so that all events can continue to be managed with the support of local people in the future. This will be particularly relevant with the phased development that is planned.

THE LOCALISM AGENDA AND THE VALE OF AYLESBURY PLAN

Our new, Conservative led Government has provided some exciting opportunities for localism and the Big Society in our communities. I’m proud to see the red tape being stripped away and a chance for communities to have an input into the development of their areas. I will be working with parishes over the coming months on the creation of their parish plans, which will need the input of all residents. We are working on our Vale of Aylesbury Plan at present, and I have been to several Member seminar’s to discuss how the plan might be formulated. There are lots of factors to take into consideration when looking at housing need and housing demand – things like sustainability, community consultation, land availability, infrastructure requirements, demographic changes (for example, the rise in the number of pensioners in the future will provide new and different challenges to the type of development we need in the Vale), employment, and the growth of the surrounding cities and ‘hubs’ – Aylesbury Vale can currently be considered a ‘dormitory’ district where people live but commute out to work. But of course the key factor – and the most unpredictable – the economy itself. There are challenging times ahead, but it is refreshing to see our plan being lead by the parishes, towns and districts rather than by national government targets.

CANALS, COMMUNITY AND CABINET

The Buckingham Canal Society are working hard with their plans for restoration, and are currently undergoing planning application processes to re water the Buckingham end. They have also acquired permission from British Waterways to begin work on the Cosgrove end of the canal, and hope to have at least one of these sections in water by the end of the year. It continues to amaze and impress me that not only are the Canal Society working hard to reach their ultimate aim, but the means by which they get there – through community involvement, events, education and fundraising – are always so innovative and focused on the best values that community projects thrives on, like joining up thinking between public and private sectors and leveraging opportunities for the good of all. Part of that leveraging of opportunities was creating a formal partnership for the Society with AVDC. Terry Cavender presented the Society’s proposal to the Cabinet in February and then BCS on to form a partnership with South Northants Council in July. AVDC’s Cabinet Member for Leisure said of the partnership:

Cllr John Cartwright presenting a cheque for £2000 to Buckingham Canal Society

“The restoration of the canal is a large and ambitious project, but one that AVDC is proud to support. It will create a fantastic waterside environment that will bring real benefits to those living and working in Buckingham and the surrounding area. We look forward to working with the canal society to help take the project forward.” (Cllr David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure).

My thanks must also go to Cllr John Cartwright for his generous donation of £2,000 to the Society from the Community Leader’s fund at Bucks County Council.

£2M BOOST FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BROADBAND

Buckinghamshire (in the form of Bucks Business First, formally Bucks Economic Learning Partnership) were delighted to have their application accepted for a grant of the Government’s money for broadband development in the county – Bucks has been given £2.1m. This will be split among some of the already ongoing projects in the Vale (where there are the most ‘not spots’) and other areas in Buckinghamshire. At present, BAC3 (the community interest company that Terry Cavender and I created), is looking at some new exciting options for providing some pilot projects north of Buckingham, and once again Terry has come up trumps delivering on some fantastic private sector collaborations. The Economy Scrutiny Committee (of which I am vice-chair) at AVDC has agreed to look at broadband provision in the Vale as part of a three-stage (or more if necessary) review, and I hope that this will provide an opportunity for AVDC to consider what work is being done at present to improve broadband provision – with particular reference to our rural economy – and suggest ways that we can move forward with some of the good work already being done. It should also be a great opportunity for us to identify all the smaller community projects that are going on at present and link their work up to create bigger and better opportunities for the district and surrounding areas outside of small villages.

Meeting Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP at the CCA Conference in February 2011

OUT AND ABOUT

2011 has not been without its field trips! I spent a weekend in February up in Warwickshire at the Conservative Councillor’s Conference, and met some Cabinet ministers and councillors from all over the country. It’s a great event to show you that actually local government isn’t just confined to your own district or county – there are common challenges being faced by all local authorities at present, and it was very interesting to talk about how to approach these.

My favourite event was on the Big Society, the outcome of which I am always thinking about – that the Big Society is not just about volunteering as the media so often conveys, it is about a changing the relationship between people and the state, the ethics of stewardship, a partnership, taking responsibility. It is about fresh thinking towards our services, who provides them and most importantly – why do we need them and how can this be reflected in their delivery?

PARTY EVENTS

Conservative Future at the CCA Conference with CF President Ben Howlett

Our newly established Conservative Policy Forum meets for the first time next week in Winslow. Conservative Associations all over the country set up local groups to discuss policy and then it gets fed straight back to government ministers: http://www.conservativepolicyforum.com/.

Finally, October brings our second Conservative Party Conference, and I’ll be heading up to Manchester for a few days in October – once again there are hundreds of fringe events and receptions happening, and hopefully this year we’ll make it into the hall to hear David Cameron’s closing speech!

On Wednesday 8^th September 2010, Council revoked our Core Strategy that had been submitted in October 2009. As it was based so heavily on the now withdrawn South East Plan which was part of the Regional Spatial Strategy, it was no longer relevant to have our housing and growth plans as submitted in the strategy. A change of national government means that we now have the opportunity to decide our own growth plans, rather than have them imposed on us. This is a very exciting time for Aylesbury Vale, and there was jubilant celebration in the chamber from over 100 members of the public that had attended when the motion was passed with 100% support from Members.

I am excited that I am now able to go back to my parishes and ask them to start thinking about the levels of housing and infrastructure that they would like to see in their areas. I think Parish Plans are the best way to achieve this, and I will be helping parish councils work with AVDC to produce these. It is important that local people consider what their priorities for housing, infrastructure, employment and demographics are going to be. We should embrace this opportunity to be able to have a say about the location and number of houses we have in the Vale.

A number of important points were raised at the meeting which we must take note of when forming a new plan. The threat from Milton Keynes is a very real one, we should make sure that any new development is thoroughly considered in relation to infrastructure, we should aim to be as consultative and transparent in our future decision making about housing as possible, we should take note of the inspectors comments already given relating to a number of housing developments in the Core Strategy, and employment targets and sustainable development consideration are absolutely key in any new plan.

On Tuesday 17th August I visited Green Park to talk to some young people taking part in a youth services residential break. My youth workers from Bucks County Council contacted me to ask, as an ex-member of the UK Youth Parliament, to go and talk to the young people about my experiences of Youth Parliament in 2004 and my achievements since then. I spoke about how valuable my UKYP experience was at the age of seventeen, and how it encouraged me to continue my career in politics, with my degree and then as a councillor at Aylesbury Vale District Council.

I highlighted to the young people the importance of getting involved in their local communities and providing a voice for other youngsters and the issues that affect them. I was once told as a Member of Youth Parliament that ‘although young people are just 20% of the population, we are 100% of the future’ – I haven’t forgotten that and hope that this helped to illustrate the importance of Youth Parliament in encouraging young people to have a say on policies that affect their future.

The UKYP has come a long way since I was involved in 2004. There had not been, before me, a member for Aylesbury Vale, and my youth worker told me that there is now up to 35 applications for the position every year. This is very encouraging, and lovely to see that it has grown to be something that every school in the Vale is aware of now.

Some of the young people came to ask me questions at the end – about politics degrees at university, future careers and more about UKYP. It was an enlightening afternoon, and I am proud of the hard work that the Youth Service at Bucks County Council have been doing. I hope that despite the budget cuts, young people will continue to be inspired to be better citizens and ambitious adults!

It’s been a while since my last update..! The election was fabulous fun – it made me so proud to be part of our democracy. Seeing queues out of the polling stations was the best feeling.

A Beautiful Sight - Polling Day, 6th May 2010

Its so nice that for a few months every five years people are talking about the thing I want to spend my life doing… Election day was very tiring – I was up at 5am to go telling in Milton Keynes, and then I was darting back between the campaign office in Winslow, and then over to Whitchurch to helps Johns campaign out – riding around in the car in Haddenham with John on the loud speaker was particularly fun!

John Bercow and me in Haddenham on Election Day

Then I was telling in Milton Keynes in the afternoon again, back to the office in Winslow, back to Milton Keynes and then home by about 9pm to watch the coverage start. By 3am when the results started to come in I was dead to the world in the chair! On the Friday I went over to watch the count for the Buckingham constituency in Aylesbury and then over to Bletchley for a drink to celebrate the win of the two constituencies in MK. Overall I think the mileometer showed around 400miles for the two days! Worth it though.

Every seat is going to count in this election, as the Conservative Party need the biggest swing since the war to gain a workable majority. Therefore, when the Conservative Future asked me to join their Regional Action Day in Winchester yesterday, I thought it might be good way not only to canvass to win back the seat there for the Conservatives – Steve Brine is the PPC, who only has a 6,000 Lib Dem majority to overturn – but it would also be a great way to meet some younger people in the party, and enjoy the spirit of the election with a crowd of excited supporters all hitting the streets to talk to voters and remind them that they should vote Conservative on May 6^th if they really want things to change in this country. The weather was incredible too yesterday – glorious sunshine and not a cloud in the sky – and we had about 70 people turn out to help!

Canvassing In Winchester with the Conservative Future

Canvassing is brilliant fun – there is nothing more democratic than physically going out there trying to win votes, talking to voters about the issues they are concerned about, and reminding them how their vote does count – especially in 2010.

There is an interesting article about canvassing here on the BBC News website, take a look, and join us if you really fancy it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8605756.stm

On 6^th March I attended the Conservative Councillors Association Annual Conference at Hotel Russell in London. David Cameron was the key speaker, and opened the conference urging councillors to ‘go forth and mobilise’ in the run up to the election in 2010. He promised more powers for councillors to make decisions under a Conservative administration and encouraged councils to be more transparent with their expenses, salaries and expenditure – publishing records online for the general public’s information.

David Cameron spoke to the Conservative councillors at the conference

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, came on to much applause – and did not disappoint. His speech was vibrant and encouraging, recognising the challenges that the upcoming election will bring. He reminded the party that a win is not certain: there is a long way to go and we should not be complacent. His humour throughout was not misplaced, and meant he came across in a very honest manner.

Caroline Spelman MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) outlined the plans for housing and the abolition of the infrastructure quangos preventing elected councillors from making decisions about planning. She committed to opposing Labour plans for a revaluation of council tax (Council tax rates would be based on the market/rentable value of a property under Labour plans), to much agreement from councillors. She spoke of the Green Belt protection under plans for flexible land use (for example, using old retail sites instead of carving up our fields and countryside). A matched council tax scheme for all new developments would mean council tax incomes would be matched by the Government to fund relevant infrastructure. She committed to abolishing the Standards Board and its accompanying bureaucracy and money wasting, by increasing the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman and also the District Auditor to scrutinise local government and deal with cases of maladministration.

I had the pleasure of meeting Caroline Spelman – she was pleased to see a young face and reminded me that we needed more women politicians.

Boris Johnson came on to much applause

There were few young faces at the conference – I discovered in one of the breakout sessions that the average age of Conservative councillors is 68 (!) which shocked me greatly. We discussed that it is unfortunate that councils are not more representative of the people of Britain. Most who are younger need their full time jobs to keep going, meaning they cannot progress higher for time constraints and some councils holding daytime meetings. The younger people that were at the conference were standing for London boroughs that hold their elections on May 6^th alongside the General Election.

I met some interesting people – two brothers from Tendring council in Essex who are both councillors, a candidate for Westminister City Council, the leader of Ealing council who spoke to the group of the challenges of being effective after taking political control of a council, Grant Shapps MP, the Shadow Housing Minister who was also the after dinner speaker, and Cllr Merrick Cockrell and Cllr Rory Love of the CCA Board.

The most valuable part of the day was seeing councillors being given the opportunity to quiz members of the Shadow Cabinet about their policy for a new administration.

After all, we are the ones that are delivering the services to our people.