Councillor
David Walker

Working for Bridgnorth Morfe
all year round!

The LibDems launched their plan to cut the basic rate of income tax by 4p in the pound in July 2007. We now see both Labour and the Tories clamouring to get on board this agenda. Although for different reasons, both of the old failed parties’ ideas fall well short of the mark. The economy and hard working people need action now if the recension is to be softened and shortened.

The LibDems’ proposal means that hard pressed people and low and middle incomes will get money back in the pockets. Rising mortgage bills, the fear of unemployment and high heating costs mean that the shockwaves of the financial crisis are being felt in households across Britain. When the banks were in trouble, they got rescued. Millions of families who are finding themselves in trouble must be helped too. Research has shown that if you help these groups in their pocket, they are much more likely to actually go out and spend their money. This pumps money back into the real economy - which helps everybody.

Labour have alluded to changes in their Pre-Budget Report being in the shape of unfunded tax cuts. This is a very high risk strategy which will create major problems for our economy in the long-term. If Labour brings in tax cuts they will be here today, gone tomorrow. We will all pay for them in the end.

The Conservatives are hinting at small cuts which will do nothing to rebalance Britain’s unfair tax system. They still think millionaires are the priority when it comes to tax breaks, not the low and middle-income families who need help now. They have unveiled plans to reduce National Insurance payments for firms which employ people who have been unemployed for more than three months. However, their plan is timid and weak (FT: Tories’ ideas are too timid, says business | Politics Home: Tory Jobs Plan Won’t Work.) It will help some businesses but it does not go far enough and the impact will be slow to materialise. Clams that it will be funded by reduced benefits payments sounds nice, but the actual maths behind it is deeply flawed as most of it is guess work. It does not help people at risk of loosing their jobs now and it will not help them stay in the job they already have. If Pick’N'Mix Screws folds, Two41 Screws down the road, would could have employed some of Pick’N'Mix’s staff straight away, will now wait for three months before they do so.

“If this recession has features that demand more active fiscal policy… taxes should be cut. This would allow the market to determine which parts of the economy shrink and which flourish to replace them.” Letter from 16 economists, Sunday Telegraph, 26/10/08

ONLY the LibDems have fully costed and affordable plans - and they will help boost consumer spending in the economy, as well as helping struggling families. Click here for more details of the Liberal Democrats’ Recovery Plan.

This year’s Remembrance Sunday parade will be my 10th as a Bridgnorth Town Councillor. On Sunday I will be reflecting on past sacrifices in the cause of freedom with the rest of the country. For me this year will be particularly poignant, not for anything associate with the event directly but for more personal reasons.

This Sunday it will be 3 months since Julie died and this will be my first parade with out her at my side since before I knew her. It will take all of my strength just to put one foot in front of the other. However difficult this will be for me, I will want to make her proud and take part in the way she would want me to. After 3 months the pain is still raw and the huge sense of loss remains. Not a day goes by with out me shedding a few tears thinking about her, the tremendous contribution she made to my life, the lives of our friends and family and the world around her.

Please support this years Poppy Appeal

After a timid cut last month, when the MPC should have cut interest rates then by at least a whole percent, now they have to be bold. If they don’t and bottle it again then the recession is going to be drawn out and very bumpy indeed. The need to be cutting rates by at least 1 percent anything less will have zero impact.

The only way things will turn around more quickly is if interest rates come down quickly and the government adopts the LibDem plans to cut income tax by 4%, scrapping the unfair council tax and replace it with a fair local income tax based on the ability to pay.

Updated: Bank of England cuts by 1.5% (reduces rate by a third from 4.5% to 3%) to the lowest rates since 1955. More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7713006.stm
This is a dramatic cut and they should be applauded for being bold. The pressure will now be on the High Street banks to pass on all of the rate cut to their customers. This must be coupled with cuts in income tax and scrapping council tax so that hard pressed, hard working people feel more confident and have more cash in their pocket.

In Wednesday’s Shropshire Star there was an interesting piece from Rebecca Lawrence entitled “Councillors ’should not be bombarded’.” The article referred to the comments of Councillor Judith Williams, Conservative Chairman of Planning on Shrewsbury and Atcham Council. Rebecca reports that Councillor Williams’ comments were made in reply to an email about the planned co-location of Shrewsbury Sixth Form college and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology. The Star reports that Cllr Williams as saying that: “…members of the public must not bombard and demand opinions or decisions from members of the development control committee.”

Well I am sorry to say that I was shocked and appalled to read this article. During my eight years on Bridgnorth District Council I served on the Planning committee for two periods and a further four on Shropshire County Council’s planning committee. Public lobbying over a controversial planning application is a vital part of the planning process.

Whilst I agree with Cllr Williams that members of the planning committee are duty bound to not pre-determine an application before they have herd all of the evidence at committee, I dispute her position over lobbying. I was quite happy to be bombarded by the electorate with their views about an application. Whatever the views expressed, they only add value to the process and make sure members are fully aware of all the issues surrounding and application. On many occasions these views, particularly when the decisions are finely balanced, can play a pivotal role in reaching a decision.

Councillors at this level are now paid to do a job and the public quite rightly expect them to earn their corn. Lobbying over applications comes with the territory and for a member of a planning committee this can at times place you in a difficult position.

At no point should a councillor try to dissuade members of the public from seeking to influence the committees decision. Planning is one of the few areas where the public actively get involved with their council. Activity which should be encouraged not discouraged.

Bridgnorth Town Councillor, David Walker, has criticized the current unitary pilot scheme running in Bridgnorth as being too narrow in scope and only focused on grant funding.

Members were informed during a debate on Unitary at the Town Council, that the pilot scheme was not very effective at representing the issues and views of Bridgnorth. Speaking during the debate David pointed out that SALC is failing to take full advantage of the opportunity presented by the move to a unitary council and previous commitments from the larger town councils to collectively push for a much bigger role in discussion have largely come to naught.

Speaking after the meeting, David said: “Once the new council takes over next June, the local Area Committee, which takes over from this body, should be a real force for change in our town, reflecting local views and opinions and actually getting problems sorted. (more…)

This is just a quick thank you to all of my family, friends, neighbours and colleagues who have been tremendous support to me over the last few weeks.

In case you missed the acknowledgement, £1000 was raised by the generous donations made at Julie’s funeral. The money was split between Whixall Social Centre and St Mary’s Church, Whixall.

I have been blown away by the way Julie has made such a huge impression on people. The very touching words in the cards we have all received and the numbers who attended her funeral are testament to that. I am so very proud of her. However, this only makes the sense of loss even more palpable. I was blinded by Julies light and however I look at it, the world is now a much darker place.

I know time will help, as will the support of family and friends.