Sandy 4 St Albans

Sandy Walkington campaigns with the Liberal Democrats across St Albans

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Do you have £100 million spare cash? Do you want to run a railroad?

December 23rd, 2011 · Sandy's blog

I am indebted to the informative regular newsletter from the local branch of the Association of Passenger Transport Users for alerting me that the Department for Transport has formally asked for expressions of interest in running the new Thameslink rail franchise from 2013.

What this means is that they have issued an “OJEU Notice” – ie it has been advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union, as is mandatory for all public procurement.

This minimum seven-year franchise will:

  • include all services that are currently operated by the First Capital Connect (FCC) franchise from September 2013;
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Stick it up ‘em and other soundbites

December 22nd, 2011 · Sandy's blog

We rattled across a lot of country on tonight’s BBC Three Counties Drivetime with Roberto Perrone.  My fellow panellists were Tom Shaw, a longstanding Labour councillor in Luton, and Darren Isted, editor of the Comet newspapers in North Herts.

The first question was about former Labour minister Lord West’s call to send “a submarine to stick it up ‘em” in response to the decision by a group of Latin American countries to ban ships flying the Falklands flag from their ports.

It is odd how warmongering the modern Labour Party has become ever since Tony Blair got a taste for it.  Fellow panellist Cllr Shaw was gung-ho for defending the Falklands, without the faintest idea of how we would do it.  The recent Conservative defence cuts mean that mounting an armada similar to the one launched by Mrs Thatcher is frankly fanciful.

Nor is it likely that we would get the same covert assistance from a post-Pinochet Chile or from a United States led by Barack Obama.

This is one case where Churchill’s dictum that jaw-jaw is better than war-war is wholly correct.  We cannot single-handedly guarantee the integrity of the Falklands indefinitely.  Only the international community can do that and they will expect to see some sensible negotiations on ways forward between ourselves and Argentina.

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Christmas Tree Festival at St Saviour’s

December 19th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

St Saviours Christmas TreesThe interior of St Saviour’s Church in Sandpit Lane is one of the glorious surprises of St Albans at any time of year.  But it’s particularly spectacular this week with its Christmas Tree Festival of 93 trees decorated by local families and voluntary groups.  The festival only happens once every three years, so see it up to Christmas Eve or wait until Christmas 2014!

It is very difficult to highlight individual trees – they are all so cleverly and creatively designed – but ones which particularly struck me were:

  • Christmas with Grandma – a tree by Mount Carmel Kindergarten decorated with photos of the childrens’ grandmas
  • Young People’s Lives – a tree ethereally decorated with clumps of cotton wool by The Base Youth Project
  • Our Promise – the Brownies’ promise on a long banner warapped through the branches by 17th St Albans Brownies
  • Tiggi Harding’s ‘Twas the night before Christmas with little home-made stuffed mice
  • A celestial celebaration for Hope and Justice – golden cherubs and silver birds by Hope for Justice
  • Nations of the World – ethnic dolls from St Mary’s Church, Marshalswick
  • Festive Fun and Jingle Bells by Bernards Heath Infant School
  • Sewing Mends the Soul by St Saviour’s Sewing B
  • Festive Hoppiness and Poppiness by Robin and Teresa Dodds, decorated with beer and coke cans discarded in the street and hedgerows
  • Forever Blue and Yellow - Saints City Trust of course promoting St Albans FC

But every tree tells a story and as I wrote above, there are 93 of them.  The overall result is spectacular.

OVOsingersWe were doubly privileged to see it at night, while brilliantly talented performers from OVO sang from their recent Maltings production of Food of Love at Christmas – see the picture.

There is another piece of musical drama coming up this Thursday evening – a musical nativity called “Now I, Joseph, was walking”, directed by Imogen de la Bere – that OVO influence again.

I’m told it’s a simple musical setting of the Nativity narrative taken from the ancient Gospel of St James – the earliest Gospel not to make it into the New Testament – and it has its own delightful take on the story, including one of the most moving accounts of the birth of Christ ever written,  set to lovely music.  Tickets are £5 or £4 with children under 16 free.

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Meeting with Rail Minister about First Capital Connect

December 15th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

Very useful and wide-ranging meeting this afternoon with Rail Minister Norman Baker MP in the House of Commons.  I was accompanied by Caroline Pidgeon AM, chair of the Greater London Assembly Transport Committee, and by Chris White, leader of the opposition on Herts County Council.

We took with us a dossier prepared by two St Albans commuters about their recent experiences using First Capital Connect’s Thameslink service.  Issues covered were

  • the hopelessly inadequate knowledge of FCC staff during disruptions, when passengers using smartphones and social networks seem to know far more than platform staff but then get hopelessly frustrated because the latter cannot confirm things;
  • poor and incorrect announcements, so that people are allowed to board trains which FCC know will end up being at a standstill down the line outside Radlett or wherever;  or being advised to go to Hatfield and catch a bus when a Thameslink train will come in half an hour and so is still the best alternative;
  • the continued lack of effective interworking beween FCC and Network Rail, for example the age before the broken electronic information board at Farringdon was replaced;
  • the refusal of East Midlands trains to accept FCC tickets during disruptions, which would at least allow St Albans commuters a sensible and timely alternative;
  • increasingly high levels of off-peak overcrowding and the way that FCC has quietly dropped its previous passenger charter commitment that ‘we plan services so off-peak you should always have a seat’; and
  • all the flaws of the delay repay scheme for commuters, particularly the way that compensation vouchers can’t be used for on-line ticket purchases, and compensation is only given when a journey is actually attempted, although often FCC advise people not to travel and commuters have to make alternative arrangements such as working from home.

Norman Baker listened intently.  He is already raising the issue of poor passenger communications during disruptions with ATOC, the industry body which represents rail franchisees.  The key thing is to look at best practice elsewhere (it does exist) and then ensure that all operators reach these standards.  He also revealed that the next generation of franchises will focus far more on outputs than on inputs – so the passenger experience will matter far more.  This meets one of my own long-held hobby horses, that Government has been all too ready to remove franchises when the Treasury is not paid, but strangely reluctant to bite when it is the fare-paying passenger who is let down.

By sheer chance, he was due to have a meeting with Tim O’Toole, chairman of the First Group parent company of FCC, later this afternoon and promised to raise all these issues directly with him – including giving him the above-mentioned dossier.

So we’ll watch this space.

PS Norman is also the minister to thank for getting next year’s fare rises reduced from the planned RPI+3 percent to the previous RPI+1 percent

PPS On the way there and back (on trains that were on time and using the south bank exit from Blackfriars for the first time) I was re-reading the appropriately titled Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood – no Erste Kapital Konnekt in Berlin…

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Encouraging those entitled to free school meals to register so as to maximise their school’s pupil premium

December 14th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

Sarah Teather chequeI was very interested to receive today a letter from my daughter’s head teacher about the Pupil Premium – the Liberal Democrat initiative to target specific extra money at schools according to the number of pupils they have from less well off families.  This has already resulted in an extra £800,000 for St Albans schools in this financial year and the amount will further increase on an annual basis going forward.  My picture shows Lib Dem education minister Sarah Teather handing over a notional cheque to a bunch of St Albans people.

In his letter, the head teacher writes about the importance of those eligible for free school meals taking up their entitlement since this is the measure used for calculating a school’s apportionment of the pupil premium:

This is a substantial top-up amount targeted at closing the attainment gap that exists between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. The amount that any school receives will depend on the number of pupils that it has who are eligible for Free School Meals.
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Here’s dreaming of a greener Christmas

December 13th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

I take no credit for the attached suggestions.  They are a selection of ideas for a greener Christmas from local members of Transition St Albans (about which I have blogged previously).

It would take dedication to follow all the ideas to the letter, and no-one is suggesting that.  Being St Albans, a lot of people reading this blog will do many of these suggestions already – the words bleeding obvious come to mind.  But the size of post-Christmas bin bags provides dramatic evidence of how easy it is to push Christmas to excess, we’re all facing tougher times, and the Transition list is so comprehensive that it provides all sorts of ideas which should resonate.

Chez Walkington, we have favourite bits of wrapping paper which go round and round to roars of family approval, until they are too tattered for continued use.  We always cut up last year’s Christmas cards for present tags.  Sloe gin as a present? – too good to give away.

But a meat-free Christmas?  I love turkey too much, it’s the only time of year that we have it, so we try to reduce meat eating outside high days and holidays.  It’s a case of chacun à son goût - but if we each did something extra, the collective impact would be very powerful, and it would be a present for the planet.

Happy Christmas!

Last year, Transition St Albans asked its members how we could make Christmas more
sustainable. Here are your answers. There are loads of different idea here; no-one will do everything, but everyone can do something.
Happy Christmas from everyone at TSA!

Trees and Decorations
If you buy decorations, buy ones made from wood or other natural materials
Buy low energy LEDs or solar lights is you need new ones
Find a large branch and decorate it, rather than a tree
Make your own decorations (there are lots of ideas on-line) i.e. dried oranges, or biscuits. Use the little trays from your mince pies. Raid your recycling box!
Buy a living tree with roots in a pot, then keep it in the garden during the year.
Remember to water it well.
Make your own wreaths using plants from the garden

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Park Street Lorry Terminal – Why the county council must conduct a traffic count

December 12th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

The Department for Transport and Network Rail have given a green light to the Midland Mainline as appropriate for a Strategic Railfreight Terminal.  However much we may try to challenge their reasoning they have effectively knocked away all the arguments on the unsuitability of this line based on loading gauge restrictions and conflict with First Capital Connect commuter services.

The only argument remaining against Park Street as a site for Helioslough’s proposed lorry terminal is the traffic one and whether the roads will cope.

That is why we have called for Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to conduct a traffic survey as soon as possible.  Disgracefully HCC let down local residents by not participating in the last public inquiry, and it was left to the Liberal Democrats to advance traffic arguments.

Since the Inquiry, the M1 and M25 widenings have progressed from construction site to actuality, and the impact on local roads is palpable.  Here are the reasons why HCC should act:-

(i)    Widening roads has two effects on traffic, attracting vehicles that were previously using a different route and encouraging vehicle journeys that would either have not taken place or would have used a different form of transport (e.g. rail).
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Just how rich do you think you are?

December 11th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

I am indebted to Mark Pack for drawing to my attention the thought-provoking Global Rich List website created by the interestingly named Poke.  At a time of so much financial stress, it is salutary to be reminded of our relative wealth compared with so many people on this planet.

I will raise various caveats.  Annual income is not the same as wealth.  They don’t make it clear whether they are asking for pre-tax or post-tax income.  Nor is it clear whether the income figures for the rest of the world have been adjusted to achieve purchasing power parity.

Nevertheless it’s worth tapping in your annual income at http://www.globalrichlist.com/ and pondering what the results tell you.

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Does it matter that David Cameron has upset the other European leaders?

December 9th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

That was the question posed in this morning’s JVS Show on Three Counties Radio in which I took part, following David Cameron’s overnight effective veto of a new European treaty to address the Eurozone crisis.

I told the programme that I thought it was the wrong question.  The issue is not whether other European leaders have been upset or whether a bunch of swivel-eyed backbenchers has been appeased but whether the fundamentals of our economy have been strengthened or weakened.

At the time of the broadcast, the jury on that was out – FTSE marginally down, the French stock market up, the German stock market flat.  We will know more as the day and week progress.

The key issue is jobs.  Young people getting them, current workers keeping them, taxes being paid from them so that public services can be funded and improved.  That’s what matters to everyone.

History will judge whether David Cameron’s throwing a spanner into last night’s works was a profound category error or just another halting step on the British move to semi-detached status in Europe.  The risk is that while history makes her mind up, there might be a much more immediate judgement in terms of our economy.

Jonathan Vernon Smith asked me if we could go it alone, outside Europe.  Well of course we can.  But the terms of trade are shifting.

For all my life, Western Europe and North America have been top of the world, our big companies have been the global giants, we have had things our way.

With the rapid rise of China, India, Russia and Brazil – and a whole lot of other eastern economies jostling behind them, they are the new battleships and it won’t always be comfortable being a cork bobbing in their wake.  Even Europe may look increasingly irrelevant, but its critical mass is clearly always going to be greater than the UK on its own.

PS It is interesting to ponder the sterling-euro exchange rate over the last few months (and years) and how stable it has been.  If the Eurozone is in crisis, that is hardly a vote of confidence in the UK.  The fact is that all of us in the western world are jointly on the edge of an economic precipice, we will do far better working together, and that should be the sole focus of our attention.

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Need to promote St Albans District Credit Union as a far better alternative to payday loans

December 7th, 2011 · Sandy's blog

Today’s news that millions of Britons are likely to take out a high-interest loan in the next six months to last them until payday – so-called “payday loans” – prompts me to write an overdue post on St Albans District Credit Union (STADCU).

credit unionIt has its own shop premises in Hatfield Road by the Methodist Church and has out-stations in London Colney and Harpenden.

Quite simply STADCU is a not-for-profit savings and loan institution run by local people (almost entirely volunteers) for local people.  It’s about keeping money circulating locally and local people helping each other.

Credit unions are familiar institutions in the USA and some European countries with people joining as a matter of course.  Here they are in their infancy.

STADCU has existed for just over ten years and has lent out more than one million pounds at low interest rates over that period.  The picture shows its shopfront dressed for Christmas.

St Albans District Credit Union is a fully-fledged financial institution.  It has a Consumer Credit Licence and is part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.  But its low cost base and ethical purpose mean it does not charge set-up or arrangement fees, has no early repayment penalties and gives free life insurance on loans and savings (subject to age).  Some of its volunteers, who include retired bank managers, are willing to visit people in their own homes at a mutually convenient time if they prefer.

All this for a really low and affordable interest rate.  By contrast, payday-loan borrowers can face interest rates of several hundred per cent.

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