Sandy Walkington

Entries Tagged as 'Sandy Walkington'

Darren’s Buggy Dash at Garden Fields a huge success for St Albans Bereavement Network

September 25th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I am a Trustee of St Albans Bereavement Network (SABN), which is exactly what it says on the tin – a local organisation which provides counselling and other emotional and practical assistance to those who have been bereaved – widows and widowers of course but also children when a parent dies tragically young.
I’m not sure [...]

Shock news – local St Albans businesses to pay rates to St Albans Council and Herts County Council

July 20th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

The relocalisation of business rates sounds the most boring topic ever. But it has been a quiet passion of mine for many years as people who have heard me speak at the St Albans Chamber of Commerce will know. It was in the Liberal Democrat manifesto. I am really pleased that the coalition government has [...]

Council decides not to appeal Railfreight decision

July 12th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Sandy's blog

I hope the new Conservative administration at St Albans District Council has made the right decision in not appealing against the latest High Court ruling. This upheld one of HelioSlough’s challenges to the Secretary of State’s decision to overrule the Planning Inspector’s decision to find in favour of the Park Street lorry terminal after it [...]

The latest ruling on the Park Street freight terminal

July 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I am still trying to understand the full implications of the recent High Court ruling on the HelioSlough plan to build a massive lorry terminal at Park Street.
After the second public inquiry into St Albans District Council’s second refusal of the scheme in late 2009 – see this blog for lots of previous entries particularly [...]

An Englishman’s home is his castle – and an English woman’s too, of course

June 10th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

It was with great pleasure that I attended the official opening of the Castle Mews housing scheme off Flint Way on the New Greens estate.
This is a joint project by St Albans District Council, Herts County Council and Ability Housing Association to provide nine specially adapted flats for young people with physical or sensory impairments.
It’s [...]

Investigation into the First Capital Connect train failure of 26th May

June 8th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Sandy's blog

The establishment of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch as an organisation to independently investigate railway accidents with the aim of improving safety was recommended in Lord Cullen’s inquiry report on the Ladbroke Grove rail accident in 1999. It has now confirmed that it is conducting an inquiry into the First Capital Connect train [...]

Progress by degrees on nuclear weapons

May 24th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

When I was asked during the general election whether I had ever changed my mind on a key issue, the answer was easy. When I was first a parliamentary candidate in the early 1980s, I was a supporter of the UK nuclear deterrent in the context of the then Cold War. I remember vigorous debates [...]

Things are stirring in Clarence Park

May 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I have just been to St Albans City Football Club at the back of Clarence Park. The Club has been through such difficult times that it is hard to see how it can go anywhere but up.
And things are now looking up with the club’s recent sale to Lawrence Levy and John McGowan from the [...]

1,600 local residents stop being liable to income tax – 63,000 to pay less

April 1st, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

Today is the start of the new tax year when tax codes change. The top priority of the Liberal Democrat manifesto of 2010 was to reduce the burden of tax on those on low incomes. We regarded it as absurd that even the minimum wage was subject to tax under Labour policies, and we argued [...]

When will the Conservatives change their own leadership election rules to First Past the Post?

March 28th, 2011 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I was debating the Alternative Vote yet again with Anne Main on John Stephenson’s programme on Radio Verulam last week. Yet again she came out with the tired argument that AV gives people supporting less popular candidates more than one vote. I am indebted to fellow blogger Mark Thompson for the following thoughts, which I [...]

Sandy 4 St Albans