Hertfordshire County Councillors

A New Year message from Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst

January 2006

Like many residents in Watford I was woken up by the Buncefield explosion - of course at the time I was not aware we had just heard the largest peacetime explosion in Europe!

The massive fire and explosion at Buncefield tested all our emergency services none more so that our fire service. At some stage 75% of all Herts firemen were on site or attended supported from appliances from most of north London and neighbouring counties. They all deserve our praise for a job well done. Thankfully no one lost their life - partly due to the time of event - 6am. This is just the time when the Conservative run County council proposes we should all have less fire cover in Watford. Indeed of the changes proposed the major ones - the loss of the second Watford appliance at night and closures at Bovingdon and Raddlet Fire Stations - are in the area most affected by Buncefield .

I am staggered that given these events and the now Health and Safety investigation as well as internal county council review of events, a report that will take 6 months, that the administration has not opted to at least put on hold the planned changes. My colleagues at County Hall have already called for an independent review of the proposed changes, changes that as far as Watford is concerned will increase response times to fires.

In any event I and colleagues, as well as many others opposed to these changes, will kept up the pressure to make sure the administration see sense. If they push ahead with the changes the final decision will be made by county councillors on Feb 27th. So if you have not yet sent in letter of objection or signed the Watford petition please do so.

You can sign on line at www.watfordlibdems.org.uk or write to Cllr David Lloyd, Executive Member for Fire Services, County Hall Peggs Lane, SG13 8DN.

I know a number of residents have raised concerns about why so many schools were closed because of the fire and the affect this had. This is clearly something that needs looking at and if it was an overreaction. I have raised this and related issues direct with the Chief Executives there did appear to be several mixed messages in the aftermath of the explosion.

Once the H & S investigation is over there will be a major and long term task to decide what to do with Buncefield itself with the industrial estate is a major employer in the area, not just for Hemel Hempstead, but also for this area of Hertfordshire. Residents and business will need support to rebuild. The county must play a role in that but government support will be essential.

Taking of government support just before Christmas the County Council was told that the government had changed the funding arrangements for Hertfordshire Local Transport Panel.

GO-East, the government office for the East of England, has said that Hertfordshire should be spending £20.597 million next year on highways improvement and maintenance schemes as part of its Local Transport Plan Settlement. In previous years the government have provided cash grants to meet part of the cost of the programmes and have supported borrowing costs through grants as well. This year the settlement means that the borrowing costs will not be supported and Hertfordshire tax payers will have to meet these costs on their own.

Hertfordshire councillors will now have to consider how much should be borrowed to pay for the planned improvements to its roads and that will be reflected in the council tax rise.

The plain fact is that the Government has yet again changed the rules, so authorities like Hertfordshire are far worse off. The Government is acting as a Christmas Scrooge to local authorities in order to pay for extra expenditure elsewhere.

The county council spends a lot of time and money putting together a bid for funding. Last year we were led to believe that money would be forthcoming - indeed as were all councils. The fact is the government has changed the rules at the last minute and it would not matter how good our bid is, or how well we are performing with our transport schemes, as Government funding is being cut. And that time and money spent on the bid could actually have been spent on services to residents.

Needless to say the County Council is making representations to the Government over this rule change that will affect schemes that residents want to see done to make our roads better and safer.

Finally on a cheerier note I wish all residents all the best for 2006

Yours,

Stephen