Details of the proposed post office closures have been announced. This will be followed by a six week period of consultation with the local community.

The loss of the post office will hit Stewartby hard. It is a vital asset for many local people and closing it will cause many difficulties for older people and others with mobility problems, in particular.

Despite the decision of Labour MP’s to help the Government press ahead with closures, Liberal Democrats are continuing to fight the demolition of the post office network.

Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the post office, would increase the services offered at local post office branches and improve the network so that every community that needs a post office gets one.

We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the post office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline.

Our plan would see:
· £2 billion invested in post office network;
· New branches opening where needed;
· Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
· The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;
· A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

We will keep you posted

Local residents have been in touch with the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team over the past couple of years expressing their concern about cars speeding along Stewartby Way. The Tory-controlled County Council has said several times to us that any measures to control traffic speed along Stewartby Way are not a high priority for them. Spending nearly £600,000 of council taxpayers’ money on their doomed bid to save the County Council seemed obviously a higher priority for them!  However, I am pleased to report that the Stewartby Police Constable has now been trained on the use of speed guns. He will be using his new gun regularly on Stewartby WayAlso, Stewartby Parish Council and the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team are continuing to work hard to address this urgent issue. I have proposed that the Parish Council should formally invite an officer from the County Council to attend its May 08 meeting to lobby him/her for any measures to control traffic speed along Stewartby Way to be done. 

A car knocked down the old lamp post in Aug 07. This was replaced with a new one in Nov 07 and connection was promised within the week. A resident received a letter from County Hall advising it would be lit within the next week. That resident rang me yesterday to let me know it is still not lit ! I’ve just rung County Hall and no one seems to know why it hasn’t been lit ! It seems the networks team may not have asked EDF to light it or it may be because the accident caused it not to be part of the replacement programme along the road.

Ummmm……………..left hand and right hand

As well as the hundreds of cases due to the poor maintenance by the County Council of our roads and footpaths, and the ongoing vandalism of street nameplates, I am working on several major cases in our Ward:

Stewartby 4

4) Speeding on The Crescent

When I raised this with the County Council last year, an Officer without any discussion with me strangely decided that this issue is a low priority. This decision defies understanding given the problems caused to the elderly residents of mainly the Sir Malcolm Stewart Homes but also The Crescent by teenagers and young “20s” racing up and down The Crescent and Stewartby Way in their cars.

I’ve asked the County Council to ask the Officer concerned to contact me this time to discuss this further.