Denzil Coulson

I’m back after a well-deserved break in South Africa and Mozambique. I have seen, witnessed and experienced some wonderful things with my extended family including deep-sea fishing in the Mozambique Channel, wildlife game drives in Hoedspruit near Kruger National Park, feeding a hippo and visiting the magnificent World Cup Green Point football stadium in Cape Town.

I also witnessed the most appalling poverty in Mozambique, primarily as a result of the long civil war, which ended in 1992. I am very happy to say that the country is recovering and has one of the highest economic growth rates in Africa albeit from a very low base. I am glad that we could help the local economy this holiday. This trip made me realise just how lucky we are in the UK especially when you consider that you have to travel 50 miles to Inhambane, the nearest town to where we stayed, just to buy milk in Mozambique. After the civil war ended in 1992, only 10% of the roads were actually navigable! The Chinese are still repairing the only national EN1 tar road throughout the country and many parts are still full of potholes. It took us a good 45 minutes to travel just a 15 mile stretch of severely potholed road between Xai Xai and Inharime!

Anyway - it’s great to be back in the UK and please contact me if there is any way that I can help you with any local problems or issues you are experiencing.

This is a message to all my ward constituents and readers. I will be away in South Africa and Mozambique until 1 September to enjoy a well-deserved break as well as seeing my wife whom I haven’t seen for three months. She flew out to Johannesburg in April to help the SABC cover the World Cup for African TV and radio. It also gives Josh, my 8-year old, and I the chance to see family we haven’t seen in two years.

While I am away, please contact my fellow Councillor Ian Eastwood if you need help with any issue. His contact details are 01483 481864 and cllrian.Eastwood@Woking.gov.uk.

Enjoy your summer.

My brother, Brendan, was privileged to attend the Argentina vs Germany Quarter Final last Saturday. You can watch video of his amazing experience below!

He also watched the 2nd Round contest between Spain and Portugal and the Semi-Final between Holland and Uruguay on Tuesday night. I wish I was there. In fact, I’ll be in South Africa next Wednesday! Can’t wait!

 As promised, Deputy PM Nick Clegg outlined the Coalition Government’s plans for a referendum on the alternative vote for Westminster to be held on the 5th May 2011 at the same time as the English local, Welsh and Scottish elections. You can watch his superb performance at the Despatch Box yesterday on BBC iPlayer here until Monday.

He also launched the Fairer Votes Campaign website where you can pledge your support and take part in the Lib Dem national campaign for fairer votes for all. You can access the website here.

What was incredulous about yesterday’s debate is just how cynical Labour is about voting reform where they are determined to shut out the right for people to choose the political voting system they want. Nick Clegg made the point that Labour delivered nothing in terms of voting reform in the 13 years that they were in power. He also called Labour the party of stagnation whereas the Coalition is the real movement for progress and radical reform now.

You can read a full report of the debate here in Wintour and Watt’s blog in the Guardian. I will end with Nick’s final statement in his speech to the House yesterday:

“I understand that this announcement will raise questions on all sides of this House – these are profound changes. But let me just say this: yes there are technical issues that will need to be scrutinized and approached with care as these Bills pass through Parliament. But ensuring that elections are as fair and democratic as possible is a matter of principle above all else. These are big, fundamental reforms we are proposing, but we are all duty bound to respond to public demand for political reform. That is how we restore people’s faith in their politics once again.”

I couldn’t agree more. Political reform is why we are in the Coalition Government. Read his speech in full here.

I know that many people have misgivings about the recent budget put forward by our Coalition Government. Unfortunately, we will be paying the price for Labour’s waste for years to come.

Labour’s legacy is the second worst public debt in all of Europe - £22,400 for everyone of us. Labour has doubled the UK’s debt putting our future at risk. The UK is also accumulating £80,000 in debt interest per minute alone!

There were some breathtaking examples of Labour’s spending spiralling out of control such as Labour’s spending spree of £1.3 trillion, Labour’s computer blunder costing £26 billion, Labour Ministers spending £1.8 billion on consultants in ONE year and one Labour quango spent £12 000 on its own brand of golf balls! Click on the highlighted words to read the articles.

At this time of crisis, it’s vital that we put political differences to one side and work together to tackle the nation’s problems. The Coalition is being forced to take tough decisions to put the nation’s finances back in order in the fairest way.

FAIR DEAL FOR CHILDREN

The Lib Dems have delivered an extra £2 billion child tax credit to tackle poverty in Britain. The Lib Dems have made sure that we continue the war against child poverty. We will also invest in our schools to help children from all backgrounds.

FAIRER TAXES

Nearly a million low paid workers will no longer pay income tax thanks to the Lib Dems in Government. The Liberal Democrats by raising personal allowances by £1000 to £7475 a year will also cut £170 off the average tax bill. This is the first step towards delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure no-one pays tax on the first £10,000 they earn.

BANKER’S LEVY

The Budget put in place our promise of a new tax levy on banks, which will raise £2 billion ensuring that they help pay to clear up the mess left by the financial crisis.

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

Top earners will pay a full 10% more in Capital Gains Tax than under Labour, with no loopholes or tapers or get-out clauses. That change helps ensure those with the broadest shoulders take the greatest strain.

FAIR DEAL FOR PENSIONERS 

The World Wildlife Fund and Woking Borough Council issued a joint press release last Wednesday to go ahead with plans to redevelop the Council car park site in Brewery Road to build the new headquarters of the WWF.

The full press release can be accessed at this link.

Please let me know what you think of this development.

 Last Thursday, Conservative councillors appointed to the Housing Task Group, a very important scrutiny committee, failed to turn up for the first crucial meeting to determine the Work Programme for this financial year. This is a group I have chaired for the last three years.

I am disappointed that local Conservative councillors appear not to care about local housing issues particularly when we face difficult spending decisions this year that will impact our ability to deliver affordable housing and maintenance of our current housing stock. I have reported this to John Kingsbury, the Conservative Council Leader, because only one of their members bothered to issue an apology stating that they could not make the meeting.

I welcome two major announcements from the Coalition Government this week. Both affect the provision of local housing and affect my own area of my Shadow Portfolio for Housing on Woking Council.

AN END TO GARDEN GRABBING FOR DEVELOPMENT

The first announcement is that there will be “new powers to prevent garden grabbing” according to Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark MP. This means that gardens will be taken out of the ‘brownfield category’ meaning that gardens will no longer be allowed to be ‘grabbed’ for housing development. According to the LGA, ’in 1997, one in 10 new houses was built in a back garden, but by 2008 this had risen to one in four’ under the Labour Government.  

LOCAL HOUSING FUNDING REVIEW CONTINUES

The Housing Minister, Grant Shapps MP, announced that the consultation on the Housing Revenue Account will continue until the 6th July. This local account of revenue collection collects all the rents of local council tenants. Unfortunately under the current system started under Labour, Woking Council and many perceived ‘affluent council areas’ could not keep all the rents to spend on local housing development. In Woking, 75% of the rental income totalling more than £6 million goes to central Government every year to spend on other areas. Our housing stock badly needs urgent repairs and maintenance - money we don’t currently have.

The current consultation was started by a local campaign launched by former Winchester Lib Dem MP, Mark Oaten, who was appalled at the state of local housing when he volunteered to live in a Dagenham tower block as part of a Channel 4 programme called the Tower Block of Commons broadcast in February this year. The public spotlight on the fact that the Barking and Dagenham Council had no money to improve local housing forced the then Labour Government to review housing funding.

The LGA reports that the current consultation proposals replace the current system with a new self-financing model where councils will keep all the rent they collect as well as the receipts of any sale of houses or land. But the snag is that councils will have to take on additional housing debt in return. While this announcement is very welcome, I will look at the detail very carefully and give my views to the Council Executive depending on how much debt we are asked to take on.

We desperately need the extra funding to improve our local housing stock and deliver more affordable housing development.