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From Independence - Autumn 2010
In the Spring issue I focused on two issues, the William Penn Swimming Pool and Council Tax. We are now told that the promised independent enquiry into the William Penn fiasco will not take place until the legal action between Three Rivers District Council and the contractors is complete. My guess is that, as we have little news about that process, it will be many months before the independent enquiry starts and, therefore, little chance of improving the Council's performance in project management for at least a couple of years. Let us hope, for the sake of our money, that it will be a period of project inactivity. The other issue, that of Council Tax, was a key factor in the general election and we have now seen a number of initiatives aimed at keeping Council Tax down and, to my delight, the government is going ahead with the idea of directly electing the heads of police authorities.
As I write the dominant feeling is one of uncertainty. Will the effect of reducing national spending to a closer match with income be a tonic or toxic? Are we about to see a surge in inflation or a lurch into deflation? How many teenagers will be left wondering what to do having failed to get into University? What will be the effect of the abolition of, first, in March, the East Regional Assembly, and then, in June, of the East of England Local Government Association formed to take over from the Assembly?
The coalition government has, uniquely, issued a programme for government (find it at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/409088/pfg_coalition.pdf ) which helps reduce uncertainty about policy but leaves much uncertainty about implementation and the effect of the new policies, whilst some changes will have consequences that can only be guessed at. For example, the proposal to change from regional targets for new housing, using the stick approach, to offering councils the chance to retain more than 100% of the council tax paid on newly built houses, the carrot approach, could well make councils very keen to see new housing built on sites where previously enthusiasm was lukewarm. More on planning on Page 5 of Independence magazine, Autumn 2010.
I am hoping that the new government will honour its promise to overhaul the Licensing Act. All too often, as I walk in to Rickmansworth to collect the papers on a weekend morning, I pass the debris left by the Friday and Saturday night drunks - broken glass, vomit, damaged fences and broken estate agents' signs. Giving the council stronger powers to act against premises where the staff allow customers to drink far too much should help keep our town cleaner and reduce the bills for policing and cleaning that we all have to pay.
Everyone will have their local financial priorities but my top 3 would be to ensure that funds for road and pavement maintenance are not cut as, otherwise, costs through personal injury and vehicle damage will escalate, that we maintain an effective refuse collection system and the recycling centres and that we build the momentum for a new secondary school serving our area. More about the school in Independence magazine Autumn 2010.
Meanwhile one thing is consistent and that is the slowness of the bureaucratic process. Over three years after the Association flagged the problem of flooding in the western High Street, by William Hill's shop, Hertfordshire Highways claim to know the reason for the flooding but no work has been done to clear or rebuild the blocked drain between the High Street and the Town Ditch. As winter approaches we can only hope that there is no very heavy rain to flood shops on the lower side of the street; if does happen it will be interesting to see what legal claims appear about liability.
Also taking ages is dealing with the Traffic Commissioner about the works compound in Stockers Farm Road. After nearly a year the Commissioner has made proposals which would allow the depot to remain in operation, as most people expected, but crucially restrict both the hours of operation and the size of vehicles to be authorised as well as prohibiting commercial vehicle parking in local roads. By the time you read this our final comments will have been submitted, along with those of the action group and the council and a final decision should be close. Time from start to finish is likely to be around 18 months.
For the Metropolitan Line, as Russell comments later, the first train is making its trial runs almost a year late and the improved signalling, which should allow more trains and, therefore, the same number of seats as we have at present, won't be with us for at least 6 years. If Transport for London couldn't even work out that the new trains wouldn't fit into, and through, Baker Street, then we certainly can't rely on the forecasts for when we will get the improved service frequency.
Finally,
the M25 widening. The local work is almost complete and the landscape has changed
dramatically. One change is very unwelcome, one that we were promised would
not happen, and that is the appalling steel piling wall dominating the view
from Mill End. Skanska Balfour-Beatty (SBB) agreed, after a great deal of negotiation,
to build a bund that would "Provide visual improvement to the widening
construction which would otherwise involve a long sheet piled wall ....",
but the bund has not been built. Contrary to the impression given in the leaflet
sent to some of you by SBB and the Highways Agency, although the Association
agreed with the proposal to build a small bund and acoustic fence we were not
consulted about the decision to revert to a massive wall of rusty steel piling.
Let us now hope that enough trees are planted, of a size and speed of growing,
to rapidly camouflage the hideous wall.
Peter Crispin
The views on this website are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the R&DRA Committee as a whole.