C-Charge given the boot!

In the last hour I have picked up the details of a resounding No vote in every Greater Manchester Borough which effectively kills the Transport Infrastructure Fund (TIF) proposals from being implemented.

I need to say at this point that I am no fan of referenda - political parties and candidates must live and die by their manifesto commitments.

This blogger is not surprised by the result and rather than analysing the pros and cons the simple facts as presented to voters led me to believe from day one that the Yes campaign was doomed to failure.

In particular;

1. The c-charge had nothing to do with relieving congestion on busy trunk roads. It was an arbitrary decision to use the M60 outer and inner ring road network as the starting points for the charge.

2. Tax payers expect to receive a fair share of public spending and not a 'gun' held to the head - You can have £2.5billion of investment in public transport but you have to vote yes to the charge first'.

From a Warrington perspective there was precious little in the TIF to encourage support. Indeed Cllr Kennedy (Con - Hatton, Stretton & Walton) was unable to obtain figures on the number of Warrington people who travelled into Manchester on a daily basis - road bosses in Manchester couldn't provide accurate figures. I suspect this runs in to tens of thousands of vehicle movements a day.

I am not opposed to congestion charging - it may be the right way to relieve congestion on certain road routes but the Greater Manchester proposal was doomed from the start.

Orford Park Project gets go-ahead

Nearly twenty years after it was first proposed, Warrington's £30 million Orford Park community sports village has finally been given the go-ahead.

The Council's Executive Board have now approved the overall plans - which will now lead to major cash injections from national and regional sponsors.

The Sport's Village will be transformed into a real community asset providing leisure, health and education facilities on one site including football pitches, library, health centre and many other facilities.

Cllr Terry O'Neill leader of the Labour group, said: "The Orford Park project is a symbol of what can be achieved by working together with a broad coalition of public and private sector partners to deliver an exciting vision for Warrington and the region."

"It was initiated by the ward Councillors and with the local community at the heart of the project. It was their vision and hard work that laid the foundation for this exciting initiative, and there are some very exciting times ahead for all."

Local Orford Councillors Mike Hannon, Kate Hannon and Terry Whelan have worked very hard and invested a lot of time to ensure that the project went ahead. When completed the facilities will serve not just the local community but the wider Warrington area.

Latest Approved Planning Applications

Click on the title heading to download the latest approved planning applications by council planning officers under delegated authority.

Drive Safely Over The Festive Season

As the holiday season approaches I am urging people in Warrington to ensure that they leave their cars at home if they plan to drink this Christmas.

In the North West, 290 people are killed and seriously injured every year because of drink driving and in 2006, 60 people died on North West roads. That’s why I am backing the Government’s THINK! Campaign, which is raising awareness of the devastating consequences of drink driving.

It's simple, Drink Driving can ruin lives. Last year 460 people died across the UK as a result of this recklessness and families across Britain were shattered by the menace of drink driving. It is critical that people understand the destruction they could cause. With this in mind, the Government has launched a national TV and radio campaign to remind people of the consequences of drinking and driving.

Hard-hitting adverts will be running throughout the festive period to help get this message home: TV advertising: 1st - 31st December 2008; Cinema advertising: w/c 12th & w/c 26th Dec 2008; Radio advertising: 1st - 31st December 2008; Ambient advertising (in-pub): 8th Dec - 13th Jan

Latest Planning Applications

Click on the heading to download the latest weekly planning application list submitted to the council.

Axe the Beer Tax

Last week industry and consumer representatives joined forces to launch a campaign to save the Great British Pub.

Here in Warrington we know the pub industry is under severe and sustained pressure with a number of local pubs closing over the past few years. Sales of beer are now at their lowest in almost 40 years while the number of pubs closing has risen from two a week in 2005 to 36 a week today.

In what is an easy hit for the Chancellor, duty on beer now accounts for a third of the price of a pint and the accelerator announced in the 2008 budget will increase duty by a further 2% above inflation for each of the next four years.

So the British Beer & Pub Association and The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have joined forces with brewers from across the country to set out five demands to save the Great British Pub.

Last Orders - A five point plan to save the British pub can be downloaded by clicking on the title heading above.

You can also add your name to the growing list of supporters by visiting the campaign website at www.axethebeertax.com