12/03/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Building on the day spent with Marc Hedding, who as Chairman of the Wimblington Internal Drainage Board gave me a hands-on insight on drainage issues a fortnight ago, I spent most of the day today with Russell Wright who is the Clerk to no less than five internal drainage boards at the Whittlesey end of the constituency.  Whittlesey Internal Drainage Board alone covers over 100 miles of water courses, which gives you a sense of why I regard this issue as so important to our community.

Russell was fascinating to listen to, with a deep practical knowledge of how we best protect this area from the risk of flooding.  The Government’s obsession with one size fits all means they are trying to merge drainage boards so they have at least £500,000 income, pay for an office staffed 9am to 5.30pm (as if flooding only happens in office hours), a chief executive with a legal or finance qualification, a finance director, and a whole load of other costs like a computerised rating (although no one seems to know what this is!).  By contrast, Russell works part time from home, has no office costs, is on call at any time including week-ends when there is heavy rainfall, and works in tandem with local farmers who volunteer their time for free.

Once again Labour are seeking to add regulation and cost to a system that works well now.  It might be that some of the internal drainage boards should and will merge, but in my view this should be organic and driven from the boards themselves, rather than imposed from Whitehall in a top down process. The admin costs of the smaller internal drainage boards are often around 12% in non election years, lower than the admin costs of some large boards (one board with an
income over £1 million currently runs at over 20% admin due to their office costs).  So the government position that a larger board “is a robust indicator of…..required management and technical capacity” is misplaced.

Not all that the current government has done on this issue is bad.  The Pitt Review recommendation of an asset register strikes me as a positive step forward.  One of the problems I have found in the past, such as with the flooding to homes in Delph ward, is the lack of up to date records as to who is responsible for what between Anglia Water, Fenland District Council, County Council Highways, the Environment Agency, and the Middle Level Commission.  However I am concerned whether the County Council will have the resources to lead effectively given the resource pressures from the Government’s underfunding, and the demands in other areas like child protection.  Will the Environment Agency release funding to County Councils?

It also is surprising that planning permission continues to be given so that building work starts before adequate drainage is agreed.  Drainage boards are not consultees on planning, even if they do comment.  My fear is that with a building then complete, the pressure is increased for a fudge on drainage, rather than getting the right solution before building work begins. For example planning went ahead on Gaul Road in March for 135 houses even though this was opposed by the Middle Level Commission.

Increased development is clearly putting extra pressure on the system, and so too are environmental concerns.  There is the reluctance to dredge rivers in certain areas because of environmental concerns, such as to protect voles.  The drainage boards themselves have issues to address, such as succession planning and cover for key staff.

Notwithstanding these challenges, none of the areas of the UK with internal drainage boards flooded last year, in contrast to many other parts of the country.  The Middle Level is unique, as the only part of the country which pumps water twice.  Internal Drainage Boards play a key role in protecting the Fen landscape.  They are staffed by people with practical experience on the ground not stuck behind desks.  Labour should leave them alone.

Posted in Drainage Board, Wimblington, Labour Failure, Whittlesey | No Comments »

10/03/2010 by Steve Barclay.

The Labour Government’s top down approach to planning risks serious traffic problems in Whittlesey.  A plan has just been submitted for 460 homes on Feldale fields as you come into Whittlesey from Eastrea.  We need significant improvements to the transport infastruture of Whittlesey before another major housing development is considered. 

This proposed scheme would mean up to a thousand extra cars, most of which will travel into Peterborough along the A605.  This road is already congested at peak times.  Some cars will also travel onto Drybread Road and past the Alderman Jacobs school. Few trains stop at Whittlesea station with most passing straight through, and Network Rail has no plans to extend the platform and encourage more trains to stop locally.

Whittlesey also has issues with flooding, and such a major development will put further pressure even without the potentially added risks we hear about from climate scientists.

Cllr Martin Curtis is leading the fight against this development, and has set up a facebook site to gather local views.  If you agree that this planning development would be bad news for Whittlesey, please add your support at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=384643594767

Posted in Labour Failure, Whittlesey | No Comments »

12/12/2009 by Steve Barclay.

A hectic time of the year for us all and today is typical of the festive season with Christmas events in Whittlesey, Witcham and Wisbech. 

The day kicked off this morning with a very well supported coffee fundraiser organised by Cllr Kay Mayor in the Whittlesey Conservative Club.  Fantastic mince pies.  My comment to a few retired ladies present that I had not started Christmas shopping yet (it is only mid December after all so did not think this was too out of the ordinary) got shocked and disapproving looks!  Clearly it is time for me to make a start next week after the polite telling off.

Then it was a quick dash to one of my regular Saturday neighbourhood coffee meetings (this afternoon being held in Witcham). A chance to find out about what is happening in the village, what is causing concern, and what we can do to help. Just one of the many stories raised says so much about why Labour’s bossy, centralised approach turns people off.  A teacher said that in the local primary school the kids have been told they cannot take the emply loo roll holder in for art and craft lessons (the things we grew up watching Blue Peter using to build everything with from pretend binoculars to castles).  New health and safety rules deems the empty loo holder a health risk - on the grounds that it has been placed in the loo.  It is just one of so many silly yet depressing tales that sum up Labour’s daft regulations.

In the evening head up to Wisbech for a further Christmas fundraiser, this time a fun quiz, organised by Wisbech County Councillor Steve Tierney.  As I was driving back to March afterwards the diet of coffee continued all day.  Our quiz team managed a respectable second place, although in truth I contributed very few answers (not least being particularly poor on the history section which was the one I thought would not be too bad).  Lots of banter, a festive atmosphere, good food and a first class quiz master made for a really good night and one hopefully to be repeated soon.

Posted in Witcham, Whittlesey, Wisbech | No Comments »

19/11/2009 by Steve Barclay.

£50 million for Network Rail announced today to spend on rail stations.  So how much will our share be?  Zero.  Ten stations have been earmarked for improvement, and nine of the ten are in Labour constituencies.  We don’t even get a share of the £3.25 billion planned to be spent over the next five years.

What about the money for new Colleges?  Earlier in the year we saw funding for further education colleges cut with just 13 getting the go ahead.  All 13 were in Labour constituencies.  Our new College was scrapped, one month before building was due to start.

Is it any better on road transport?  £1.5 million has just been announced today to be spent improving road safety - a major issue locally.  But this is money for roads overseas.  Fenland Road Safety Campaign earlier this month submitted their petition to No 10 for funding for the Fen roads adjacent to waterways, but we were told no money was available.

Network Rail has £3.25 billion to improve 2,000 stations over the next 5 years, but none of these are in North East Cambridgeshire.  Funding will improve Peterborough (so Labour ministers heading to their heartlands in the North East can have a smooth journey) and also in Cambridge (the south of the county again given priority) but none of our stations are included.  There are no plans for example to extend the platforms at Whittlesey and Manea, or to link up Wisbech.  Yet the Government wants more houses built here.

Taxpayers locally keep being short changed.  Safety on local roads matters.  Anything that reduces the loss of life from road traffic accidents is to be welcome in whatever country it is, but action overseas does not mean that no action at home is acceptable.  Likewise a good train service from Cambridge & Peterborough is great news for our commuters to London -but they have to get to Cambridge or Peterborough in the first place.   And scrapping our College will not help them have a job to go to in the first place.

Posted in Fenland Road Safety, Labour Failure, Manea, Whittlesey | No Comments »

02/11/2009 by Steve Barclay.

People sometimes say that they only hear from politicians at election time.  I do not want this said in North East Cambridgeshire.  That is why we have been running our regular programme of coffee meetings across the constituency on Saturdays, chatting with a wide range of residents about the issues that matter to them.  It is why after being selected we put out 30,000 introductory leaflets.  It is also why a wide variety of local issues have been followed up over recent months, whether across the constituency on issues like the Fenland Road Safety Campaign and the lack of access to speech therapy, or on issues impacting specific areas - flooding in  Whittlesey and Coates, paramedic cover in Littleport, tourism in Wisbech, vandalism and anti-social behaviour in March, and leisure in Chatteris to name just a few.

This week I thought it would be helpful to report back on the last 18 months since being selected at the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate.  So we are putting out 48,000 newspapers, in five local editions to reflect the different issues impacting in different towns.  I still have a full time job which pays the bills so politics has to fit around this in my spare time in evenings and week-ends.  Hopefully the newspaper will be of interest to you, and shows that we are working hard all year round in North East Cambridgeshire.

To read the newspaper please click on the link to the relevant edition for you:

Wisbech
March
Chatteris
Whittlesey
East Cambridgeshire

This week-end I will be speaking at the NFU dinner at Chatteris on Friday evening, holding a coffee meeting on Saturday in Wisbech, and laying the remembrance wreath on behalf of Malcolm Moss MP in both Whttlesey and March on Sunday.

I hope the Prime Minister will reflect, as he stands before the cenotaph on Sunday, on the shameful news just from the last 7 days.  His proposed £20 million Territorial Army cuts which even his own backbench MPs described as shameful, the leaked email from Lt Colonel Rupert Throneloe warning that the lack of helicopters was forcing him to take unnecessary road trips risking lives (which tragically included his own and a teenage private after £2.4 billion was cut in the helicopter budget in 2004 by Gordon Brown), the inquest into the 14 deaths in the faulty Nimrod showing a catalogue of errors, and the 7 deaths from ignoring safety warnings behind the fatal helicopter collision in Iraq.  Tony Blair was quick to send the army to war but Gordon Brown has always refused to pay the costs.  Lives have been lost as a result.  I hope he reflects on this on Sunday. Make do and mend is not an adequate strategy for our armed forces.

Posted in March, Chatteris, Whittlesey, Wisbech | No Comments »

27/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Chatting in the bakers in Littleport early Saturday morning is a great way to find out what is going on.  One issue mentioned is the war memorial opposite the church which needs cleaning.  I pop over to have a look and they are absolutely right.  It needs sorting out, not least with Remembrance Sunday only a month away.  Take a photo and email it to East Cambs Council asking if they would give it a clean.

Then join Littleport campaigners Debra Jordan and Louise Brighton who have a stall in the High Steet.  They are doing a great job in highlighting the cuts in our paramedic cover.  The East of England Ambulance Trust has a poor record - buying Ambulances that are too tall to go under the bridge at Ely Station is just one of their recent mistakes wasting money.  It is no wonder that the Healthcare Commission rates them one of the six worst NHS trusts in England.  Moving a paramedic car to Cambridge (which has a hospital) and away from a rural area (miles away from the nearest hospital) is another mistake.

Great response to the stall in the High Street where shoppers are asked to deliver the leaflet to the street they live in.  Louise phones me later in the day to say that all the leaflets went out within three and a half hours!  Thanks to everyone that helped.

Steve Barclay with Littleport campaigners
Debra Jordan (left) and Louise Brighton (right)

Then head over to the other end of the constituency for two more of my regular series of coffee meetings with residents I have not met before.  In both a key concern is planning.  The Government’s obsession with people building in back gardens is causing a lot of resentment (and adding to problems with flooding).  There is also concern that planning permission is being given to new buildings in architectural styles that do not fit with the other buildings.  We need to ensure we protect the charm of our Fenland towns and I share their concern. 

Another issue raised is the George Hotel and the Old Post Office which is still boarded up.  This has gone on for far too long, and is an eyesore at the heart of Whittlesey.  I know Cllr Martin Curtis is working hard on this and shares my desire for action to sort it out.  I will find out what the latest is with Wetherspoons who own the George.

George Hotel which remains boarded up

Other ad hoc issues are raised in the meetings, and I will discuss this with local councillors to see if we can work together on a solution.  One example is cars parked around the Falcon pub, where the yellow lines could perhaps do with being extended and a mirror could be installed to help with visibility given the blind spot on the corner.

Finally on the way home I thought I should check whether the issue with the war memorial in Littleport also applies in Fenland.  The Whittlesey memorial does not look too bad although it would still benefit from a clean.  A call to the British Legion puts me in touch with Steve Napier at Fenland DC to flag this to him.

Whittlesey War Memorial

Posted in Littleport, Whittlesey | No Comments »

16/08/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Just an £80 fine for smashing shop windows- what happened to Labour’s promise to be tough on crime?

Saturday morning starts with a site visit to Delph ward in Whittlesey with Cllr Kay Mayor, Dee Laws, and Richard Gale regarding the recent flooding to local homes. 

The immediate issue is a defective drainage pipe (Anglia Water’s responsibility) and clearing the ditch this pipe connects to - as the photos show it is barely 2 ft deep and overgrown (suspect the land owner will have to pay for this work). Will liaise with Fenland DC engineers on who will get the ditch cleared and what the timescales will be.  There is also a longer term issue about house building on flood plains with another 500 new homes planned for North Whittlesey.  Chatting with Kay and Dee, it is clear there are a lot of different bodies involved and a lack of clarity over where the responsibility of each one starts and ends.  As wells as Anglia Water and FDC, other bodies involved include the RSPB, Environment Agency, North Level Drainage Board, Washland Commissioners, Whittlesey Town Council and Whittlesey Charities.  Agree to set up a meeting at Whittlesey Town Hall with all the stakeholders to try and bring more clarity to ownership of issues before any future flooding occurs.

Then visit Doddington Scouts who are doing a big clear out, before following up again at March boutique Star Dust with owner Lisa over a planning issue concerning her front door and the vandalism/ police response to her smashed windows.  Despite catching the offenders on CCTV and the police being nearby to make an arrest, the offender has received just an £80 fine.  This is far less than the cost of repairing the window -calling a firm out to board up the window alone costs £300 never mind repairing the glass.  New Labour’s promise to be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ does not apply in North Cambridgeshire.  We need to support small independent shop keepers who bring variety and character to our High Streets.  A welcome first step would be making it clear than any vandalism of their premises will be taken seriously and punished.  An £80 fine is just not good enough. Don’t however let the vandals put you off what is a fantastic boutique shop.  Star Dust is very much open for business and has a new Autumn range.  Pay it a visit when you are in March - it is a great place to shop. 

Posted in Doddington, Whittlesey | No Comments »

14/08/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Flooding, artificial limbs, feet and smashed windows - all in the casework this week

Helping residents with a varied range of issues this week.  A key point we need to address are the recent problems of flooding in Whittlesey. 

Delph Ward in Whittlesey has seen problems with flooding, and I am working with Cllr Kay Mayor and County Cllr Martin Curtis to ensure this is looked at as a matter of urgency.  Guidenburg Crescent has had problems, and there have been problems also in Coates  - Richardson Way has suffered in past downpours.  The issue came up at one of my regular coffee morning sessions, and I have a site meeting arranged to see first hand on Saturday morning.  Flooding is hugely distressing in causing damage to someone’s home, and when it occurs we need to ensure government agencies respond.  Also liaising with MP Malcolm Moss so we can arrange a meeting with Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, RSPB (some work to provide the ideal environment for wading birds is thought to be one of the factors), and Council engineers as soon as possible this month - more on this in later blogs.  Proposals for another 500 homes in Whittlesey must not be rushed through before we understand better the problems around flooding and the impact these homes will have.

Another issue causing concern locally is the treatment for those needing artificial limbs at Addenbrookes.  It is a world class hospital, but the service offered in this department raises a number of questions.  Issues include ill fitting prosthetic limbs (if an X ray is not taken when fitting an artificial leg then back pain can result), lack of regular skin covers for the artificial leg and a failure to match the cover to the patients skin colour, money wasted on limbs that do not fit (at £8,000 to £12,000 a time, and they apparently are not sent to be used in developing countries as happens in other UK hospitals but just thrown away), a lack of physio when fitting limbs - it is not sensible to expect those in North Cambs to travel for a 30 minute session separately when it could be done at the time of one of the 5 fittings, and a failure to provide artificial sports legs to enable activities like cycling - the rules appear to be that this is provided if the accident is recent but not if the requirement was caused at birth.  Draft a letter to the hospital setting out the concerns raised and seeking clarification.  What is alarming is that a quick internet search reveals another patient flagging many of these same points back in March 2000!  Surely if the problems were known then, 9 years is adequate time to address them?

Catch up again this week with podiatrist Karen Coppin who kindly lets me join her to watch treatments for some of her older patients.  It is helpful to see and chat first hand to those using this service to understand what is needed and the benefits offered.  With over 26 years experience, Karen has a first class understanding which she combines with a great caring touch.  One of the clearest points I take away is the benefit of prevention.  With the cost of a silver dressing at approx £50 a time not to mention the cost and time involved in providing anti-biotics in drips when infections occur, it makes more sense to treat things quickly and nip them in the bud.  The NHS used to offer a one stop shop but this has been stopped.  Training used to be hands on after 6 weeks whereas now some degree courses have no practical training at all in the first year.  Diabetics are involved in 100 amputations a week and are more likely to lose feeling in their nerve endings and so not know if they have hurt their feet.  However diabetics do not automatically have access to NHS podiatrists.  Some operations e.g. for bunions carried out in hospital could be done in Boston quicker and at less cost with a podiatrist surgeon.   Plenty of points emerge which I will pick up as part of my campaign for better podiatry services.

Also pop in to the clothes shop Start Dust in March which once again has suffered from vandalism with a smashed window. As the owner is out, have a brief chat and will go back on Saturday. In the meantime speak with the March Police Sgt who is dealing with the crime.  He confirms that an arrest was made, but that guilty party got just an £80 fine which is far less than the damage caused.  Will go in again on Saturday to see the boutique owner.

Finally this week, a more random discovery.  Was told I am not the first Stephen Barclay in North East Cambs.  Apparently the first Governor of Whitemore Prison had the same name, as did one of the previous local GPs.  From the prison, to the hospital, to potentially Parliament - not sure what to make of this.

Posted in March, Malcolm Moss MP, Whittlesey | No Comments »

02/08/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Two meetings Saturday morning over coffee with residents in Coates and then Whittlesey, before heading over to Wisbech for lunch followed by a meeting in Littleport on the cuts to paramedic cover.  A few themes came out strongly at the coffee meetings.

Firstly, a sober realisation from most of those attending that the economy is in a real mess and that cuts will happen after the election whichever party wins.  The challenge put forward which is a fair one is for political parties to be more honest before the election about the true scale of the debt we face and what that means. Concern was expressed that the same middle income earners keep being punished with more tax whilst money is being wasted through lax spending.

Secondly, there was a strong desire for more local decision making.  This was reflected at the first meeting in the request to keep our current approach to internal drainage boards (a pledge I am happy to give) and at the second meeting from the desire to ensure local planning decisions are not overruled by an inspector who does not know this area - as has recently happened in Whittlesey.  There was a strong desire to keep the character of Whittlesey and not to see it become an overspill of Peterborough.  Useful to have an opportunity to set out Conservative policy proposals to address this by strengthening local decision making, in contrast to the top down central planning approach of Labour.

Thirdly, concern that money was being spent on translation, housing benefits and NHS care for new migrants who have not paid into the system, when some residents are struggling to get by and keep afloat.  Frustration that fairness is not being observed and that their voice is not being heard.  We need to strengthen our border controls and ensure the benefits system is not abused.  Both are overdue changes.

Overall there was a clear disillusion with politics and politicians.  A number of those attending questioned whether they will vote.  As a Parliamentary Candidate who has never received any expenses from the taxpayer, it is frustrating but understandable to hear how let down people feel, not least as I feel the same way. The current Parliament is clearly discredited and is limping to a slow exit.  But more work still needs to be done to clean up politics if the public are to have faith in the new Parliament after the next General Election. At the moment, it looks like turnout at the election will be significantly down.

Posted in Coates, Whittlesey | No Comments »

17/07/2008 by Steve Barclay.

A school trip with a difference today as usually I am visiting schools to chat with the six form politics class, or the head teacher and governors about issues affecting the school.

This time instead of visiting I had the chance to play host.  Following my visit to Sir Harry Smith’s School in Whittlesey, I had a call from Tim Beebe who is both a school governor there and a colleague at Barclays Bank.  Tim is based in Peterborough, and had arranged a work placement week for one of the students from the school.  However it was missing the chance to come to Barclays Head Office in Canary Wharf where I work (being a Parliamentary Candidate has to fit around a full time job).

So it was great today to be able to return the kind hospitality I received at Sir Harry Smith’s by playing host.  The office here has 31 floors, so as part of the day we took a trip up to the 30 floor where our meeting rooms are based to take in the views across London, including the O2 Dome nearby. Hopefully the day proved enjoyable and provided an insight into the different roles within the bank and the many countries around the world covered from the office here.  And who knows, the bank might even have a talented employee from the school joining us in the future.

Posted in Schools, Barclays Bank, Whittlesey | No Comments »