28/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

A treat to look forward to is the arrival at Ely Cathedral in Feb 2012 of the award winning Quaker Tapestry collection, which I had a sneak preview of today.  In Brighton for the Conservative Spring Conference, I discoved the exhibition by chance and popped in to see it at the Quaker Meeting Hall where part of the collection is on temporary display.  It is stunning and thought provoking.

Tapestry tutor Bridget Guest kindly gave me an insight into the collection, and in particular explained two key panels which stood out for me (pictured), one of the anti-slavery movement and the other on banking.

Quakers played a leading part in the movement challenging slavery, led nationally by Thomas Clarkson of Wisbech and supported by Conservative MP William Wilberforce.  There was also a timely tapestry panel on the need for honesty in banking, which current bank chiefs could do to take note of.  Wisbech and Peckover House sit at the heart of Quaker history on banking, and the panel even has the Barclays bank eagle on it.

In total there are 77 panels, which took around 15 years to produce involving 4,000 men, women and children in 15 countries.  More details about the 77 tapestry panels can be found at: www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk

Steve Barclay is pictured with Bridget Guest

Looking at the award winning Quaker Tapestry which is heading to Ely Cathedral in 2012

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27/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Our internal drainage boads sit at the heart of protecting land in the Fens from flooding, with some of the land below sea level.  They are effective, practical, and have stood the test of time.  Their future has been called into question, but we mess with a tried and tested system at our peril.  Much of the work is now done on a volunteer basis by local farmers who benefit in return by keeping their farm land free of flooding.

Today was a chance to get out on the ground and see the internal drainage boards first hand, and chat with local farmer and the chairman of one such board Marc Hedding.  Marc very kindly took time out to brief me on the work undertaken, budgets involved, and key issues.  It is important that we do not take our eye off the ball on flooding, and today helped build on earlier discussions I have held with the Middle Level Commission, and other visits such as to the new pumping station St Germains which will be the second largest in Europe.  This issue also came up in questions at the NFU dinner at the Plate and Porter in March on Wednesday, where I was the guest speaker.  Next month I have a visit planned with Whittlesey farmer and businessman Ralph Potts to see the work of the internal drainage boards there.

Earlier in the day I visited Fenmarc, a thriving multi-million pound business group which has expanding from its initial focus on food packaging into hotels, IT systems, and renewable energy.  A highly impressive management team, with exciting plans for the future.  This includes their advanced food anaerobic digestion (AD) plant which is expected to produce electricity and heat from potato and other food waste which currently goes to expensive landfill.  Councils have a target of reducing landfill by 50% by 2013, and this plant will help significantly. It will also provide high quality soil conditioner, a dozen new jobs and electicity for 1,500 homes.  AD is a proven technology, with hundreds of such plants already up and running in Germany.  It says much for the gap between Labour’s rhetoric and delivery on climate change and green issues that we have less than 5 such plants in the whole of the UK.

A number of general business themes were also clear from businesses today, in common with others visited recently.  Despite the recession, certain industries such as those in the environmental sector have scope to expand, but transport infastruture needs improving.  Attracting locally educated graduates and apprecenticeships is a challenge.  Government grants are bureacratic and often poorly focussed, for example taking too long to complete or failing to provide the long term commitments sought by banks.  With collective will, these are issues we can tackle. 

A small observation from today is how much grade A fertile agricultural land in Cambridgeshire is being taken out of production and used for environmental schemes, and how much money is being spent on this.  A balance needs to be struck between environmental work and preserving food security.  It will be interesting how discussions on the Common Agriculture Policy develop, especially as the CAP budget is forcast to be cut in 2013 from 53 billion euros to 35 billion, and the pressure from Eastern European countries who will seek a higher share than in their first years after joining the EU.  The UK needs to be doing more to shape this debate.

The photos show a typical internal drainage board water pumping operation, in this case ensuring water goes out into the Ouse, which helps prevent flooding.  Unlike large parts of the West country, North East Cambridgeshire did not support any serious flooding last year.

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25/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

When the Conservatives proposed a freeze in the television licence fee, it was met with strong BBC protests that this would mean cuts to front line programmes.  So it is interesting to read today’s National Audit Office report.

The BBC have spent £1.6 million on a new statue by a Canadian artist, and a further £900,000 on another piece by a Spanish artist. Last time I was in the Cambs Times office, they seemed to manage to report the news well without such artist works.  Perhaps Mr Elworthy should be asking head office to splash out on expensive art as a key job requirement to brighten up his cigarette break?!

The report also reveals that the refurbishment of Broadcasting House is four years behind schedule and £55 million over budget. It will not be competed now until April 2013, costing £1,050,000,000. Likewise the refurbishment of their Scotish HQ is £62 million over budget, at a cost of £188,000,000.   Something to ponder when next paying your licence fee or watching a repeat on tv.

Posted in BBC | No Comments »

24/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Many of the play facilities for young children in North East Cambridgeshire are not up to scratch.  We need a step change in the approach to get this sorted out.

Visiting other areas, I have been struck by how much their play facilities have moved on from when I was younger.  Frankly, despite a few exceptions locally, most of our facilities need significant improvement.

I am not alone in this view.  Leverington is desperately in need of support to put in place better facilities and a group has been working on this, and other places like Little Downham and March need better facilities too.  I have discussed this in detail in recent weeks with Cllr Alan Melton as Leader of Fenland District Council, and am delighted by the interest and positive response he has shown. 

I hope the budget that the council is working on will take this on board and drive forward the step change we need.  Funding in particular needs to be made available for facilities in villages, as children cannot always access the nearest town.

By way of contrast, the enclosed photos show the play facilities available elsewhere.  It sets a standard we should be aiming for here. 

Posted in Play Facilities, Fenland District Council | No Comments »

21/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Out on Saturday night in Wisbech at a quiz organised by our Conservative Future team, and it has left me feeling really upbeat.  They organised the whole event, with a mix of regular quiz questions, fun ad hoc challenges, and hot two course meal.   It was an excellent night.  There was a real buzz in the room, and a wide mix of ages from late teens to too old to ask.  If young people organising such events and working together is the future of our party locally, then it is brighter than I could have hoped.

After my abject failure at answering questions at the last quiz I attended organised by Wisbech County Councillor Steve Tierney, at least this time I managed to get a few questions right.  Unfortunately my effors at one of the challenges - building a bridge from straws and paper - will take some living down.  The bridge lasted all of one second under the weight test (the worst of the lot!), and was accompanied by a chorus of don’t give up the day job!  Well done to all the CF team on a great job last night.

Friday night was a different type of evening, with a trip out to Chatteris Working Men’s Club for the Mayors Ball.  Cllr Peter and Angela Murphy were perfect hosts, and it was particularly pleasing to see so many other Mayors attending from both within and outside North East Cambridgeshire.  It reminded me of how many charity evenings local mayors support across Cambridgeshire, and what a valued role they play in our civic life.

Posted in Conservative Future, Chatteris, Wisbech | No Comments »

20/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

… or a second longer Mr Brown, your record is crystal clear!

On the day another book comes out describing Mr Brown as an abusive bully to his staff, he asks you to take a second look.  At what?  Is it at his decision to send toops into two wars whilst cutting the helicopter budget?  His cynical promise of British jobs for British workers whilst encouraging massive immigration?  Or perhaps his manifesto pledge of a referedum on the Lisbon treaty which he betrayed and is now part of our law?

Alternatively we could have a second look at his economic record.  Grabbing vast sums from our pensions, selling our nations gold reserves on the cheap, or saying he had ended boom and bust before the longest and deepest recession since records began.  Or we could look at the pledge to be tough on law and order, only to let over 80,000 prisoners out of jail early.

What about a second look locally?  Building a Fire HQ costing millions where the computers don’t work, which now stands empty costing a further £117,000 a month.  Scrapping our new College of West Anglia a month before building, whilst allowing 13 to go ahead all of which just happened to be in Labour constituencies.  Or giving extra funding to his own constituents in Scotland who get more per head than those in North East Cambridgeshire.

As for the banal slogan - “a Britain fair for all” - is there any politician in any party who does not want fairness? What about treating his own staff fairly rather than bullying them.  Is it fair that the gap between rich and poor has grown since Labour came to power?

New Labour has been defined by spin.  Today’s campaign launch is a classic.

Posted in Labour Failure | No Comments »

19/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

January is usually a month when the government receives bumper tax receipts, as many people settle their income and capital tax bills.  The Government has been in profit every year in January since records began.  Today we discover that instead of the expected £2.6 million surplus, Labour borrowed another £4.3 billion last month. 

Debt interest is now over £1,000,000,000 a week. This is money wasted.  It would pay for a lot of doctors and teachers.

Total government debt is now £848,000,000,000.  The figures are so big it is difficult for any of us to fully get our heads around the sheer enormity of Gordon Brown’s reckless spending. 60% of our borrowing is to pay for every day spending, not to pay for the cost of the financial crisis.  Gordon Brown’s political benefit today is on the back of young people who will have to pay the bills for years to come.

We are currently viewed by the financial markets as a worse prospect than Spain or Italy.  City experts predict our debt this year as a proportion of our country’s income will be worse than Greece.  Already the ratings agencies are warning the UK that our triple A rating is under threat. 

We are fast reaching a tipping point.  The budget next month must tackle this ticking tomebomb before the markets refuse to take any more of our debt and plunge the country into a financial crisis.  Whoever wins the election, none of us should doubt that tough times lie ahead.

Posted in Labour Failure, Finance | No Comments »

17/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

The key issue at the forthcoming General Election will be the economy.  So I am fortunate this week to be able to hear from a wide range of figures.

The week started with a breakfast on Monday with the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House.  Tuesday was the chance to attend a lecture by Irwin Seltzer, the economist and Sunday Times columnist.  This was followed by dinner with Irwin and a number of economic journalists and MPs.  Wednesday was a meeting with rural businesses, and this evening I am off to our Group Council meeting in Fenland to hear from councillors about local businesses within the constituency.  

Tomorrow I have one of my regular coffee clusters, this time in Leverington to listen to the impact of the recession on this area of the constituency, and in the evening the Chatteris Mayor’s Ball.  Saturday will be canvassing in Chatteris during the day to hear from voters, and in the evening meeting up with association members at our quiz, organised by Conservative Future.

Reading papers and surfing the web are all well and good, but speaking with a wide range of people provides a better understanding of the reality on the ground.  It should be an interesting week-end.

Pictured is Irwin Seltzer speaking at the Politea lecture

Posted in Leverington, General Election, Chatteris | No Comments »

15/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

I discovered an interesting fact today which shines a light on the way the Labour Government has wasted millions, whilst adding paperwork and red tape to the lives of so many of us.

The job of the Arts Council is simply to give away money.  When Labour came to power in 1997, it had 206 staff.  Now it has 765 staff.  That is a lot of extra wages and final salary pension schemes.  It is also a lot of extra paperwork for community arts groups to fill out to keep all these all busy.  I wonder how many small businesses in North East Cambridgeshire could allow their wage bill to balloon in such a way?

Posted in Business, Labour Failure | No Comments »

12/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Three different people have mentioned over the last few days problems with local bus service.  Two waited for a bus which just never turned up, and tell me this is not the first time.  The third is concerned that the service between Chatteris and Huntingdon will no longer change at Warboys but take a longer route.  There are also issues with the lack of service back from Cambridge to Chatteris or Wisbech, with the last bus setting off far too early. 

If you have had any problems with the bus service please let me know and I will follow it up.

Posted in Public Transport, Huntingdon, Chatteris, Wisbech | No Comments »