News Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Mansfield & Ashfield Liberal Democrats

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A message to postal voters from James Harvey

3rd October 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

Dear Residents

You may be aware that our District Councillor Ben Bradley has resigned and as a result a by-election has been called for Thursday 12^th October 2017. I am glad that he has stepped down as it now gives the residents of Hucknall North the chance to elect a replacement who will represent the town without any dividing time between Westminster and our Council.

Your postal ballot paper has now been dispatched and will be with you soon, if it hasn’t arrived already, so I am writing to tell you a bit about myself and why I think I am the right choice to represent Hucknall North on Ashfield District Council.

Hucknall North is also where I live, having moved from elsewhere in Hucknall almost 3 years ago, and I am proud to stand for election here. I will always give my very best to represent Hucknall North residents.

It is vital that Hucknall has a strong local voice, who will fight for the town on Ashfield District Council. I will listen to what you have to say, act on it, and then regularly report back to you what actions have been taken. The local people of Hucknall need to come first, and any decisions made need to take in to account the impact on the local residents and not just be for the sake of bureaucracy or arbitrary targets. Ashfield District Councils current bin obsession is a prime example of not considering the impact on residents before continually changing things in an attempt to cut costs, by spending millions. No one can deny the Conservative austerity budget cuts are hurting local councils, but I will look for creative solutions in trying to reduce the harm these cuts are having on local people.

I am proud to be standing for election in our town that I care so much about. If you agree that I will make a positive impact on Ashfield District Council and the people of Hucknall please vote for me when your postal ballot arrives after the 2^nd October 2017.

Thank you for your consideration,

James Harvey

James Harvey Selected as Hucknall North By-Election Candidate

11th September 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

At a special joint Hustings meeting of members from both the Bassetlaw & Sherwood and Mansfield & Ashfield parties, James Harvey has been selected to stand in the by election in the Hucknall North Ward of Ashfield District Council to be held on Thursday 12th October.

Leon Duveen, chair of Bassetlaw & Sherwood Liberal Democrats said,

James is a local Hucknall resident and will work tirelessly for the people in the ward. We are lucky to have such a capable candidate.

James added,

Having lived in Hucknall for the last 5 years I am proud to once again be standing in the ward which I now call my home in the upcoming by-election. I hope to be able to represent the views of residents of both the Hucknall North ward and wider Hucknall town to get the best outcomes in these challenging times.

I am looking forward to the campaign and continuing the proud tradition of Lib Dems representing our town.

The by-election has been caused by the resignation of Ben Bradley after his election as the Conservative MP for Mansfield.

Please let us know if you will be voting for James at the upcoming by-election.

Cllr Ben Bradley Resigns from Ashfield District Council

3rd September 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

The Conservative Councillor for Hucknall North Ben Bradley has resigned his position on Ashfield District council following his election as the MP for Mansfield in June.

Despite assurances during his election bid for both the Hucknall North Division in May 2017’s County Council elections and the June 2017 Snap General Election that winning in Mansfield would not affect his ability to represent Hucknall North effectively he has obviously had a change of heart having won both seats.

Official notice of the Vacancy for Hucknall North was posted on the Ashfield District Council website on Friday 1st September, and can be viewed here – https://www.ashfield.gov.uk/media/3398/notice-of-vacancy-district.pdf.

The Liberal Democrats are in the process of selecting their candidate for the by-election, and the date of the election has yet to be announced (although it is expected to be early October 2017), but we will announce the candidate once selected.

If you would like to help the Liberal Democrats in this upcoming election please

Ashfield DC announce changes to household recycling

23rd July 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

Ashfield District Council last week announced changes to their Glass road side recycling collection alongside the previously announced plans to reintroduce charges for Garden waste recycling.

From the 25th September 2017 our glass recycling will be collected once ever 8 weeks rather than every 4 weeks. To ensure you have sufficient space for the extra glass your small blue box will be replaced with a blue lidded “small” wheelie bin – a little smaller than your existing red lidded General Waste wheelie bin and around 3 times the size of the existing blue boxes. Your existing blue box will not be removed and you will have to find a home for it, reuse it, or dispose of it at your own expense/inconvenience (please do so responsibly).

Whilst we welcome changes to the glass recycling as the blue boxes were unpopular for a number of reasons, the Hucknall Liberal Democrats strongly oppose the introduction of a dedicated wheelie bin for glass recycling. We urge Ashfield District Council to reconsider this costly policy, instead we propose it would be better to follow the example set by our neighbours in the City of Nottingham, amongst others, who take glass recycling in their normal Recycling wheelie bin. Whilst this would likely increase handling costs it would save the need for separate collections, save the need for replacing thousands of wheelie bins and increase the ease of recycling making recycling rates higher. After initially denying this change was going to happen there has been little public consultation on this change and follows closely on the heels of last year’s costly and hugely unpopular changes to the much smaller red lidded General Waste wheelie bins. Given the previous bin changes cost more than £1,000,000 there are far better things to be spending our council tax funds on.

Changes to the Garden waste recycling are still subject to approval within the council, however it seems likely that their proposed changes will be approved. After removing the charge for Garden waste recycling when giving everyone the new red lidded General Waste, and encouraging residents to use their previous General Waste bin for Garden waste the scheme has generally been considered a success. Indeed the council’s own figure suggest most of the success claimed to be seen following the changes in General Waste collection were down to people switching to recycling their garden waste over the summer with nearly a 130% increase in Garden Waste recycling in the first full month of it’s introduction. However, the council are now set to reintroduce the charges at £34 a year for 2018 and 2019 (reduced to £28 a year if you pay by Direct Debit) and likely to increase in 2020. If you do not subscribe to the service your Garden waste will no longer be collected at the end of 2017. I have asked the council if residents who no longer desire the extra Garden Waste bin will be able to have these removed as the window to have the old General Waste bins removed closed 3 months after the delivery of the red lidded replacements.

Information on the Glass Recycling changes can be found here (http://www.ashfield.gov.uk/residents/waste-and-recycling/glass-recycling-blue-box/)

Information on the Garden Recycling changes can be found here (http://www.ashfield.gov.uk/residents/waste-and-recycling/garden-recycling-brown-bin/)

Dementia Tax puts homes at risk

6th June 2017/in Hucknall, News, Sherwood /by James Harvey

Social care changes hit elderly with crippling bills

Theresa May’s Conservatives have announced heartless plans that will mean sick and vulnerable people will have their homes confiscated to pay for care.

“The Tories’ social care plan is a death tax by another name” – The Economist, 18th May 2017

Becky Thomas and the Lib Dems have criticised Theresa May and the Conservatives for their attack on the most vulnerable in society.
Becky says:

“No one should have to choose between their home or their health.
“The number of people with dementia is at a record high. If Theresa May gets her way, the more care people need, the more her government will take.
“Its a shameful way to treat people and shows the Conservatives simply don’t care.
“The Lib Dems put a cap on care costs when in government and are the only party with a costed plan to save social care and the NHS.
“The best way to send Theresa May a message against her Dementia Tax is to vote Liberal Democrat and get an MP who will fight to stop it.”

Back the Liberal Democrats campaign to protect elderly patients and Sign Up Today at DementiaTax.org

Introducing Becky Thomas

8th May 2017/in News /by James Harvey

Hi All

I am really pleased to have been selected as the parliamentary candidate for the snap general election on 8th June here in Sherwood. This is my first parliamentary election as a candidate and so I thought I would let you know a bit about me. I work as a learning technologist in the field of international education, bringing international students into the UK and getting them access to university courses. I am passionate about health and social care issues and want to see a bigger emphasis on environmental issues, especially air pollution problems faced all over the UK. I would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have so please drop me a line!

All best wishes,

Becky Thomas

Labour fails to select candidate in Sherwood with just weeks until election

26th April 2017/in News /by James Harvey

Labour has failed to select a candidate in Sherwood with the general election just weeks away. The news has been revealed by the Liberal Democrats, who say that it shows Labour has “given up”, even in some of its former strongholds.

There are over 340 constituencies Labour has still not selected for in England, including Sherwood in the East Midlands.

In contrast the Liberal Democrats have selected 92% of their candidates in England.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Sherwood Becky Thomas said:

“It seems that Labour have simply given up on places like Sherwood.

“Labour claimed to be prepared for a general election, but many of their approved candidates are simply refusing to run under Jeremy Corbyn’s banner.

“And who can blame them? They see a leader who is ineffective and a party that is too divided to stand up for local people.

“Every government needs to be held to account and the Liberal Democrats are rapidly emerging as the real voice of opposition.

“If you want to ensure our country has a real opposition, the Liberal Democrats are the only choice in Sherwood.”

A full list of seats in which a Labour candidate is yet to be chosen can be found here:
http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/seats-now-open-for-application

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James Harvey – Hucknall North – Biography Leaflet

20th April 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

James Harvey’s latest leaflet to the residents of Hucknall North is now in the process of being delivered to local residents.

The main purpose of this leaflet is to give you background on James, and details about what he stands for.

Dear neighbour,

I was born and raised in Nottinghamshire and have a lifelong connection to the county. More than five years ago I moved to Hucknall and have now settled in the town with my wife Yvette, living on the Merlin Park/Papplewick Green estate in the Hucknall North ward.

I have an established career in IT having been a software developer for 14 years. I’ve always had the ability to look at problems sideways, enabling me to see solutions that aren’t immediately obvious. This has served me well both professionally and personally, and I know that ‘out of the box’ thinking could really benefit Hucknall, and Nottinghamshire County Council, especially in these turbulent times when problems are frequent and complicated.

I believe passionately in making Hucknall a town everyone can be proud of. This includes building a greener, more caring community; cooperation between councils on housing, infrastructure and waste; and attention to infrastructure demands before large housing developments begin.

In our area, Conservative austerity cuts to public services have gone too far. The cuts Labour have implemented, as a result of this, has caused savage reductions in support services to the most vulnerable residents: children, the disabled, and the very elderly. The Liberal Democrats believe that our priorities should always be valuing public services and taking care of the environment.
Our Councillors, across the county, will work to bring these policies into action to the best of our ability. You can rely on Liberal Democrat County Councillors to work hard for you, your community, and your county.

I am proud to be standing for election in a town I care so much about. If you agree that I will make a positive impact on the County Council and the people of Hucknall please vote for me on May 4th.

Thank you for your consideration.

James

Hucknall Market Survey Results

9th March 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

A big thank you to everyone who took part in our Market survey. From your answers and detailed comments, it’s clear Hucknall residents are just as angry and saddened with the state of our market, as we are. Below are the results of our survey, in our next article on the subject we will be putting forwards our ideas. With a few changes, we can make Hucknall a destination on a tram and not see the millions wasted on pedestrianising the high street.

High Street

Even though we have lost a lot of shops and increasingly services on the High Street a high number still shop in our town centre. Almost 95% of those asked use the high street every month for food and household essentials. Just under 2/3rd of those asked use the High Street one time or more per month, to buy gifts, clothes and use the services remaining.

How many times per month do you shop on the High Street?

Market

Of those surveys only 11% use the market more than once a month, with most of those only using 1-2 times a month. The most common comments focused around the day, with majority of people working while the market is on and the lack of stalls. We put forward a suggestion of moving the market to a Saturday and this came across as a common idea in the comments.

Of course its not only the day which is behind such small numbers who use the market, the lack of choice is also at the heart of the problem. Stall holders stop attending if people are not shopping on the market and people stop attending due to lack of stall, its a vicious cycle which has been happening for years. On top of asking people if they would rather see the market held on a Saturday, we also polled residents on what they would like to see more of on the market.

Please check back later or follow us on social media if you would like to hear our suggestions for our market.

Hucknall Market

19th February 2017/in Ashfield, Hucknall, News /by webofficer

Hucknall has reinvented itself many times, from a large area which included Hucknall Torkard, Hucknall-under-Huthwaite and Alt Hucknall in Anglo Saxon times to the commuter town we have today. Over the centuries the area has been used for farming, frame knitting, mining and aviation. Throughout all these transitions our marketplace has been at the heart of it all, flanked on side by our medieval church, with the Whyburn (Town Brook) on the other.

The biggest moment in the town’s growth was the sinking of both Top and Bottom pits in 1861, which saw the town grow at rapid rate, from a small village to a thriving market and mining town. As we all know mining and most other forms of Industry has left the town and over the years has become a commuter town for those working in Nottingham or further afield (thanks to our proximity to the M1). To ease traffic and make Hucknall a more desirable place to live, we have seen big changes. The opening of the Bypass in the 90’s gave easier access for those in the west of the town to not only get into the town centre but also easier access north (M1, Mansfield & Ashfield) and to the south (M1 & Nottingham City). Improvements in public transport made it much easier to nip into neighbouring towns (Bulwell, Sutton & Mansfield) and into Nottingham. This has continued to this day with the Train (Robin Hood Line) and eventually the Tram, now opening up the east of the town.

The ease of getting into bigger towns/cities, retail parks/supermarkets and of course e-commerce has had a disastrous effect on our high street and to our once thriving market (as is the case all over the UK & Europe). Our market is now a scant but varied selection of widely spaced stalls and our high street, (even with the addition of chain/franchise businesses) continues to get barer and barer of actual shops. The redevelopment/pedestrianisation of the High Street and new relief road has cost over £13m (mainly funded by the national government). While this will make getting across the town easier, will it;

Encourage more people to shop here rather than hopping on the Bus/Tram to Nottingham
Drive more business to the market and encourage others to take pitches
Attract a more diverse selection of Bars, Restaurants and Cafes to the town

Sadly we fear not and our market could be effected even more, but is it only the markets lack of choice and variety that is at the root of the problem? Most people work these days and while Fridays used to be early finish in the factories, it’s now just a regular work day (well for many of us). Could holding the market on a Saturday encourage more business to take up pitches? Could we try and encourage the small web based business we have in the town to try out pitches? The Hucknall Liberal Democrats feel both of these could breed new life into the market, as for the town centre we all have to do our bit there!

We as consumers hold more power in this debate, than either councils or national government. We choose to grab a bargain on eBay or Amazon (other e-commerce retailers are available) and to travel a little further into Nottingham for even more choice. If we do not make use of our local shops and market we will loose them and our town centre along with them.

“Use it or lose it!”

Please let us know what you think by getting touch with us. It’s our town and its future is in the hands of not only Local/National Government, but also our own.