Nigel Martin

At the launch of the new Draft Bill on energy, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State of Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, writes:

Over the next decade, around a fifth of existing power plants are due to close, against a background of increased energy demand and increasing prices. We need new investment simply to keep the lights on.

But more than that, we need a clean energy revolution to meet our ambitious climate change goals and make this the greenest government ever.

That’s why I am bringing forward a new Energy Bill today.

You can read more about our clean energy revolution here.

We also need to transform our energy market to reduce the risk and cost of low carbon technologies.

That’s what our Bill does.

The UK is fast becoming a world leader in renewable energy, especially in off shore wind. I want us to lead the world in Carbon Capture and Storage too.

And we are also tackling rising energy bills. Without reforming the energy market bills will rise by around £200 in the coming years. Our reforms will mean bills are around 4% lower than they otherwise would have been.

Going green is good for the economy, good for Britain and good for you.

Yours,

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

(Image licensed under Creative Commons from DECC)

Ian and Brian tidying up

The wet weather has caused havoc with council grass cutting this year. First the warm March set growth off early and then the wet weather meant that the council was unable to get the cutting done.

So, by the time that some drier days arrived, the grass around the Merroaks play area was nearly a foot tall in places and the council movers made a big hash of the cutting, so I contacted the council who came back and did a better job, although as everyone knows they left all the cuttings lying around, which does the lawns no good at all.

So step up Ian and Brian (see photo) from the Bowls Club, who volunteered their own time to clear the cuttings and give the grass a further cut, resulting in an extremely presentable area for the local community.

It is a fact of life in these difficult times that the service from the council is going to be more basic (although I still don’t understand why grass cuttings cannot be dealt with more effectively).

So well done Ian and Brian – perhaps the residents around the area could set up a ‘Friends of Merryoaks Park’ to help keep it looking good and work for other improvements. As the local councillor, I am more than willing to support these sorts of activities.

(Click picture to play video)

It is shameful that, despite all the promise on a four or five year old’s first day at school, or the passion of their teachers, you can all too often plot that child’s path just by asking how much their parents earn.

The £2.5billion Pupil Premium was one of the four pledges on the front page of our manifesto.  And now, with Liberal Democrats in government, schools are using the money for things like breakfast clubs; homework clubs; or to provide one-to-one-tuition. These are the sort of experiences many middle class children take for granted but a poorer child might rarely enjoy.

Yesterday I visited a fantastic primary school to see how they are spending their Pupil Premium, highlight our new Summer Schools to ease the transition from primary to secondary, and to set out our plans to reward teachers and hold schools to account.

The Pupil Premium shows that, in tough times, we are implementing Liberal Democrat values and prioritising help for those pupils who need it most.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg MP

Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister

PS Click here to find out how much money your local school will receive from the Liberal Democrats’ Pupil Premium.

Many people attended the recent exhibition put on at St Aidan’s College by Banks Group setting out their current  development plans for Mount Oswald golf course.

Banks has asked me to post a web link showing the posters from that exhibition.

So while I still believe that a large majority of residents do not want to see the development, in the spirit of trying to take a balanced view, I have agreed to their request. The information can be found at:

http://www.banksgroup.co.uk/banks-group/banks-property/property-sites/north-east-england/mount-oswald/

Most Durham residents will know that the County Durham Police have put in a planning application to build a new HQ building more or less where their sports centre used to be. The existing site is to be cleared and sold off for housing.

A major problem has been the 1960s built 150 foot tall (and defunct) telecoms mast that was given Grade II listed building status in 2003.

Now an amendment to the new HQ planning application has gone in to move the mast a couple of hundred metres sideways, across the existing access road and next to the new building.

I can feel a Victor Meldrew moment coming on!

At a time when cash is tight and police forces are trying to save money, can it really be right to spend what will surely be hundreds of thousands of pounds to move such a tall structure so that it is even more dominant on the skyline of the City?

Even if someone thought that it ought to have listed status, surely there are times when such a decision ought to be reviewed. I doubt the sky would fall in if this tower disappeared once and for all?

This week, Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat minister at the Department of Health) has launched a national £4 million lung cancer awareness campaign. The campaign, the first of its kind, will use TV, radio and press adverts, and advertising on pharmacist bags and inside GP surgeries, to raise awareness of the disease.

One of its aims is to persuade anyone who has had a cough for more than three weeks to see their doctor.

You can find more information about coughing and lung cancer at the Department of Health website, here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/05/coughing-could-be-a-sign-of-lung-cancer-2/

With 33,000 new cases diagnosed each year, lung cancer is a blight on the lives of far too many of our families and an early diagnosis can make all the difference. Please take the opportunity of the Be Clear on Cancer campaign to find out more about prevention and diagnosis, and to visit your local doctor if you’ve had a persistent cough – it is always better to be safe than sorry!

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/tag/be-clear-on-cancer/

Banks Group are holding another public exhibition to show off their latest ideas for developing the Mount Oswald Golf Course.

The event is taking place on Monday 30 April 2012 at the Lindisfarne Centre, St Aidan’s College, Mill Hill Lane between 3 pm and 7 pm.

Bank have been distributing a ‘Newsletter’ around the area showing details of their proposals. The computer file is too big to load as a single file on this platform, so I have split it into 5 pages that can be accessed below:

Mount Oswald Newsletter – page 1

Mount Oswald Newsletter – page 2

Mount Oswald Newsletter – page 3

Mount Oswald Newsletter – page 4

Mount Oswald Newsletter – page 5

I picked up my TAG! card the other day.

TAG! is a not-for-profit organisation community loyalty scheme seeking to promote independent businesses in and around Durham City.

42 businesses in Durham are now TAG! businesses and there are around 700 TAG! cards in circulation.

Anyone carrying a TAG! card (costing £5 a year) gets a discount on their purchases when presenting their card at any one of these businesses.

If you would like to buy a card, contact Janie Bickersteth on janie@tagpassiton.com.

For more information on the scheme go to www.tagpassiton.com.

In celebration of Armed Forces Day, Sunday 24 June 2012, the Chairman of Durham County Council wishes to take the opportunity to thank veterans for their service to the Country and is inviting them to County Hall on the day to have their veterans badge formally presented.

Refreshments will be served after which veterans and their families will be guests of honour at a performance by The Band of HM Royal Marines (Scotland) and the Durham Schools Music Service.

Veterans will be welcome to be part of the event whether they already have their veterans badge or are applying for it for the first time.

Those wishing to take part should complete an application form, which can be found at the link:

Armed Forces Day 2012 Durham County Council

The form should be returned by 31 May 2012 to: Jocasta Lawton, Committee Services, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham DH1 5UL.

Anyone with further queries or wishing to ask any questions about the event may contact Jocasta on 0191 383 3679.

I have just been told that distribution of the new blue recycling bins is starting in Neville’s Cross and other City wards today.

Residents will get a sticker on the bin telling them to use it straight away for storing their recycling, and to put it out on the normal recycling collection day.

The sticker on the bin will say what the collection day under the new arrangements will be, and the start date.  A leaflet will go through each door as a reminder of which items to put in the recycling bin and which in the box.  It also contains a calendar showing the pattern of collections over the coming year.  The new system of collections will start in June.

‘Roving recyclers’ will shadow the progress of the bin distribution teams, and they will be on hand to answer residents’ queries about the new scheme, solve any initial problems, or pass on any household-specific issues for resolution by waste managers.

A significant part of Neville’s Cross, mainly the terraces in Crossgate, but also some other areas, will have different arrangements because of the difficulty managing an additional bin. Affected households should already have been notified of their situation, but if anyone has concerns, I will be pleased to try to help clarify the position.