Car parking consultation in Mid Suffolk: any thoughts?

I've received a letter, via our Parish Clerk, and in case anyone in Mid Suffolk reads this...

Dear Stakeholder,

Review of Car Parking

I am writing to you for your views on car parking. Mid Suffolk District Council last undertook a major review of car parking in 2009/10 with new charges introduced in April 2011. In the report to the Council’s Executive Committee in January 2010 it was recommended and approved that car parking charges should be reviewed at least every other year. It was also agreed with other key stakeholders that a more general review of car parking would be undertaken in the summer of 2012.

By way of brief background, Mid Suffolk District Council is responsible for six pay and display car parks in Stowmarket; (short term) the Meadow Centre, Milton Road, (long term) Iliffe Way, Ipswich Street, Bury Street and Union Street. The Council also manages a number of other car parks which are not pay and display in Needham Market, Eye, Debenham and Woolpit. The Council is responsible for setting the car parking charges, where appropriate, through the Off-Street Parking Places Order made under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, section 35. The income from car park charges contributes to the management and maintenance of the car parks as well as making a significant contribution to support the provision of other related services. A detail of the current charging schedule is attached to this letter.

It is important to be clear on the scope and context of any review to ensure that the consultation is meaningful and deliverable. The Council’s political administration has outlined the scope and the broad basis of the review below which will hopefully provide some clear guidance. However, the Council does not want to restrict any views and welcomes comments on any aspect of car parking. The questions set out below are therefore not exhaustive but hopefully provide some guidance.

Financial – Although the Council’s financial projections are extremely challenging, in consideration of the current financial position and the desire of the Council to support the local economy, it is not the intention of the Council to consider increasing charges. The Council, where practical and possible, would consider any changes that would have a neutral financial impact on the overall car parking budget.

Are the current charging periods for short and long term parking appropriate? A change has already been approved for the Milton Road car park to bring the waiting periods in line with the other short term car parks i.e. 3 hours maximum waiting times with charging periods of 0 to 1 ½ hours and 1 ½ to 3 hours. This was implemented from 24 September 2012.

Is there a need to consider any other changes to waiting or charging periods?

The Council has reiterated its previous policy of not considering Sunday charging. Any views?

The Council does not wish to consider any form of charging for Blue Badge holders. Any views?

Any other views on charging that could be considered that could have a neutral financial impact?

Car Park Designation – Is the current designation of short term and long term parking appropriate? The car parks in Milton Road and the Meadow Centre are designated short stay car parks

Car Park Capacity – Is there sufficient car park capacity in Stowmarket? Any views?

Car Park Management – Are there other alternative forms of management that could be considered that would not significantly impact upon the Council’s overall car park budget?

There have been views expressed that charging should be considered in other towns and parishes across Mid Suffolk. The Council’s view remains that this is uneconomic and unviable, what are the views of others?

I hope that the above gives some guidance on the scope of the review and whilst I do not want to restrict any views being received or considered, it is important to set out some boundaries. Could you please provide your comments by 31^st October 2012 either in writing or by e-mail to:

Chris Fry

MSDC

131 High Street

Needham Market

Suffolk

IP6 8DL

Or via email: chris[dot]fry[at]midsuffolk[dot]gov[dot]uk

Or telephone: 01449 724805

Your comments will be reported to the Environment Policy Panel in November and onto the Executive Committee in December.

West Coast rail franchise: signs that the wheels are falling off of the Civil Service?

The suspension of three, presumably senior, civil servants as part of the fallout from the competition for the new West Coast Mainline rail franchise is worrying from the perspective of anyone who cares about good governance. And boy, has this one cost. £40 million is, given the fact that nothing has actually been purchased, an awful lot of money to pay for what, it is alleged, are pretty serious errors.

Naturally, elements of the media, egged on by Labour politicians, are looking for the head of a minister, and doubtless that will continue over the coming days. And, as usual, they're missing the big picture in search of a cheap headline.

There are three possibilities in terms of what has happened;

1. The process of comparing bids, and the criteria to be applied, are just too complex. This is entirely possible but, when this was reviewed, one must presume that somebody thought that they were workable. Admittedly, just because someone thinks that they're workable, doesn't mean that they are, but then the blame probably lies with the drafters.
2. The civil servants responsible for carrying out the evaluation of the bids got something wrong. This seems like the most likely possibility but begs the question, who was checking their work?
3. The civil servants were, in some way, corrupt. I have to admit that this is extremely unlikely, although not completely impossible. In any process where profit might be made, the incentive to find an edge is obvious. However, public companies are very unlikely to find do something so risky, especially here (as opposed to certain less, how should I put it, ethically conscious jurisdictions), and the incidence of corruption amongst civil servants in this country is low by anyone's standards.

My money is on the second of the three.

For some time, I have been concerned that, as consecutive governments have undermined the Civil Service, with real-term and comparative pay cuts, attacks on the ethos of public service, significant job losses and a lack of recruitment, the quality of public servants has declined.

Once upon a time, public service attracted the brightest and the best. No longer. Why work in Whitehall and take grief from the public and politicians, when you could doubtless earn more as a lawyer, banker or entrepreneur? So, people don't. Compounding this is the lack of recruitment in Government Departments that are shedding jobs. Naturally, sacking a bunch of people only to recruit new ones isn't likely to be attractive to potential newcomers anyway, nor is it cheap, but a recruitment freeze inevitably means that you miss out on cohorts of potential mandarins twenty years hence.

What that means is that, when you're filling vacancies, whether internally or externally, the quality of the pool in which you fish is that bit lower, and the likelihood of catching, and keeping, the very sort of people capable of managing complex processes effectively is reduced. The result? Calamities such as rail franchise bid management.

Politicians, you have been warned...

Suffolk PCC election: the Labour candidate comes e-calling...

I was, yesterday, somewhat critical of the Conservative candidate, Tim Passmore, noting that the blog on his rather shiny and otherwise modestly slick website was, a bit like his notion of consultation, utterly useless.

However, I have now had some interaction with his Labour opponent, Jane Basham, although it hadn't entirely been my intention to do so. This afternoon, James Hargrave, whose Twitter feed I follow, retweeted a message from our beloved Labour MEP, Richard Howitt, which drew my attention, and, somewhat unusually, a response (I'm a busy man, I need someone to do this stuff for me...)

@richardhowitt @onlygeek @jane_basham Still not minded to vote for you, although won't be voting Tory... Got anything positive to say?

— Mark Valladares (@honladymark) October 3, 2012

Now, call me old-fashioned, but just because your opponent holds a view you perceive to be awful (Tim Passmore has announced that he is in favour of reintroducing hanging), this is not grounds to vote for you. It is, perhaps, grounds for not voting for your opponent, but nonetheless...

Within half an hour, I was being followed by the candidate on Twitter, and twenty minutes after that, I received a message inviting me to DM her. Impressive, n'est-ce pas? So, in the social media stakes, certainly one up to Jane Basham thus far.

Admittedly, I haven't responded to her courteous invitation so far - I am a Liberal Democrat Party officer, after all, and I'm cautious about being used - but it does lead me to think that I might find the contest more interesting than I might otherwise have thought...

Suffolk PCC Election: And then there were three...

This morning's news that there will be a credible independent candidate for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner doesn't come as a particular shock, even though I have to confess to having no previous knowledge of David Cocks, whose hat has been thrown into the ring.

For, let's be honest, with just two declared candidates thus far, Labour's Jane Basham and Tory Tim Passmore, there is a pool of potential voters out there without allegiance to either of the two Ugly Sisters. And, with the Liberal Democrats and Greens having decided that the county is best served by not having a politician in the role, and UKIP unlikely to run, there is an opportunity out there for the right candidate and, equally important, the right campaign.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, David Cocks claims that only he would be able to take on the post "without political bias" - a boast which I, for one, would challenge - and that his impartiality would allow him to succeed in the post.

But my favourite quote is this;

If the commissioner is to deliver to the people of Suffolk a safer community and a reduced crime rate, ensuring that there will be no hiding-place for criminals...

Might I be so bold as to suggest that, if he is going to ensure such a thing, he's going to need a lot more police... which he's rather unlikely to get. In fairness, he is calling for a tax rise to get them, which won't necessarily help his campaign, but does have the advantage of honesty.

So, three candidates. And there's still time for more...

Inspired by the urge to be re-elected, your writer drafts a manifesto...

This getting elected business is harder than it seems, and whilst the world and her grandmother have announced that they are running for the Federal Executive, Federal Policy Committee or Federal Conference Committee (depending on whose fault they think it is), I'm throwing my hat into the ring for a second term as a member of our delegation to ELDR Council.

So, as the deadline for submitting my manifesto has now passed, here's what I've written...

Keeping my promises

Two years ago, a surprising number of you put your faith in me to represent the Party as part of our delegation to ELDR Council.

I had promised that I would report back and, using my blog, and Liberal Democrat Voice, I have done so, providing information about ELDR meetings, and encouraging people to get involved. I even wrote an article inviting other candidates to run for this position.

I also promised that I would try to contribute to the work of ELDR, using my skills and experience as a Party bureaucrat. This year, I have become a member of ELDR’s Financial Advisory Committee, working with colleagues across Europe to improve its finances, and with our Party headquarters to gain the best possible advantage from our membership.

What else might you want to know about me?

Hopefully, that is enough to persuade you to vote for me this time. But it isn’t all that I’m doing. I’m part of the Editorial team at Liberal Democrat Voice. I’ve also spent the summer chairing the European Parliamentary shortlisting committee for the East of England, working with fellow activists to find the best people we can to represent our Party in 2014.

Away from European politics, I am a Parish Councillor in mid-Suffolk and Treasurer of my Local Party (Bury St Edmunds), and I blog at www.liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com, where you can find out more about me, or, if you have any questions, you can e-mail me at markv233@aol.com.

We'll see if it's enough in due course.

Suffolk PCC Election: I'd like to teach Tim Passmore to blog...

... in perfect harmony. Grow apple trees and honey bees...

Actually, I wouldn't. But someone really needs to explain the 'new media' to him. As at 6 p.m. this evening, the blog on his website read;

Another Post

August 28th, 2012 by admin

This is just another blog post… test???

Posted in Uncategorized


Hello world!

August 22nd, 2012 by admin

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted in Uncategorized

You're not taking this seriously, Tim, so explain why I should take your candidacy seriously?

An EU tax policy? Perhaps the Conservatives should be worrying about this...

It's amazing what you miss in this ever-changing, fast-moving world we live in. But you'd think that I might have caught this...

The notion of a 'Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee', dated 23 May 2001, is not, I admit, likely to be a serious e-download, any time soon (there are lots of references to discipline, but little sex, I suspect). On the other hand, the phrase that follows, "Tax policy in the European Union - priorities for the years ahead", might just ring alarm bells in some quarters. So, how did I come across it, and why now, of all times?

In truth, it is referred to in a policy resolution submitted for debate at next month's ELDR Congress, so I thought that I had better take a look. And what I found didn't surprise me that much. It is, as you might expect, laden with grand statements, such as;

In particular, EU tax policy must

• underpin the Lisbon goal for the EU to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world;

• support the continued success and development of the Internal Market by allowing, both before and after enlargement, all EU Member States to compete on a level playing field and extract the full benefits of the Internal Market;

• contribute to a durable reduction in the overall tax burden in the EU, by ensuring that a balance between cutting taxes, investing in public services and sustaining fiscal consolidation is preserved;

• reinforce EU economic, employment, innovation, health and consumer protection, sustainable development, environmental and energy policies; and

• support the modernisation of the European Social Model.

You can see how such a document would terrify those Conservatives on the right of their party. It talks about the European Social Model, yet encourages cutting the overall tax burden. It is, whisper it quietly, vaguely reasonable, the sort of thing that might be seen to be a 'good thing', regardless of its viability (a Europe-wide recession might not be helpful to the cause).

However, what has attracted my attention is the references to cross-border taxation issues, particularly relating to double taxation. Double taxation is one of those rather annoying elements of international trade, whereby your overseas customer is obliged to withhold tax from payments made to you unless the correct certification is provided. Given that most tax officials don't know much about this, and that national tax authorities are less than entirely helpful in terms of providing information about how to go about making a claim for repayment or, better still, exemption, it acts as a potential barrier for smaller companies.

My friends from Fianna Fail know what they want though;

The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party convening in Dublin, Ireland on 8-11 November 2012 calls on its members;

• to take action to remove remaining cross-border tax obstacles such as discrimination, double taxation, difficulties in claiming tax refunds and difficulties in obtaining information on foreign tax rules, thus empowering citizens to play a full part in the single market.

And on this, I think that they have a point worth supporting.

Oh my God, David Icke's little helper is really serious!

Yesterday, you will recall, I was somewhat bemused by a contact from a woman claiming to be acting on behalf of David Icke. When I left off, I had just discovered that there is an apparent market of people who think the same way that he, and the Liberal Democrat Voice team, think. I wasn't immediately convinced...

From:Mark Valladares [mailto:markv233[at]aol[dot]com] 

Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 11:21 AM

To: Jessica Oiler
Subject: Re: Cooperation opportunities enquiry

Dear Jessica,

Having reviewed the website in question, it is unclear to me as to how, exactly, we fall within the same sector, although your client is an interesting one, of whom we are aware. I would be grateful for your comments on this point.

In addition, due to unprecedented volumes of work for our volunteer editorial board, we would prefer it if, as suggested, you supplied us with the article, including the required permanent link, and we can consider it on that basis.

Kind regards,

Mark

Had I been the recipient of this missive, I might have been a mite suspicious. However, clearly the task of promoting David Icke encourages persistence, and almost immediately, this reply arrived...

From: Jessica Oiler
To: markv233
Sent: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 9:34
Subject: RE: Cooperation opportunities enquiry
 

Hi Mark,

http://www.davidicke.com/ website is very diverse. Certainly we would be more happy if you created an article relevant to our client’s website and to yours one. The topic can be connected with politics, for example, and include the keyword: Mind Control and target url: www.davidicke.com

Kindest regards,

Jessica 

Now, I accept that Liberal Democrat Voice has its critics, but I'm not sure that we would encourage mind control, even if we thought that such a thing was possible...

I wonder where she is?

European Parliamentary candidate selection: the expenditure cap for applicants

It dawns on me that it isn't really enough for Returning Officers to understand our internal selection rules, but might be useful to tell other interested parties. If you like, it provides an insight into the process for those who might choose to take part in the future.

Besides, I'm quite proud of this, as it was something that I had been pushing for...

One feature of the new selection rules is the change from dictating the number of pieces of paper etc. that each candidate may produce and send/give out, to having an overall expenditure cap for the selection. English Candidates Committee has produced guidelines for each type of election, but the shortlisting committee may decide that a different amount is appropriate for their own selection. When they are agreeing this, please ensure that they understand that the intention is to create a level playing-field for all candidates, and to make sure that applicants are not ‘priced out’ of the selection.

Each shortlisted candidate is responsible for maintaining their own up-to-date, itemised, record of expenditure during the selection and must keep receipts so that evidence of expenditure can be produced if required. Each candidate must bring their list of expenditure to the count.

If someone (another candidate or anyone who is entitled to ask for an Returning Officer ruling) lodges a complaint with the Returning Officer that a candidate has breached the expenditure cap, they must provide some level of justification for their challenge. The Returning Officer must then ask all candidates to produce their list of expenditure at that point (unless the challenge is made at the count it would be reasonable to allow 24 hours for this). If the Returning Officer then believes that the complaint is worthy of investigation, all candidates then have 48 hours to produce a detailed statement of their expenditure, including evidence – i.e. receipts, invoices, quotes etc. It is quite likely that receipts will not be immediately available for all elements of campaign expenditure, so quotations, unpaid invoices etc. may also be provided.

The candidates do not have to provide the Returning Officer with information about their expenses unless there is a challenge on these grounds.

The reason for asking all candidates to bring their list of expenditure to the count is so that, if the result itself is challenged on expenditure grounds, the Returning Officer can have immediate access to information to enable them to decide whether or not the complaint is likely to be justified. Otherwise the announcement of the result would always have to be delayed, maybe for an appreciable period.

This maintains the principle that we have carried throughout the rules, that the Returning Officer will investigate possible problems but that the onus is on the candidates to abide by the rules and to provide evidence, if challenged, that they have done so.

Now, call me old-fashioned, but this seems to be pretty reasonable, and allows applicants to decide for themselves how they will campaign - more, lower quality leaflets, for example... It's called freedom to demonstrate the abilities that we need from a candidtae, judgement, campaigning skill. Seems obvious too me...

Labour begin to propose some ideas... but not necessarily very good ones...

It has been brought to my attention that, under a little bit of pressure, Labour spokespersons are beginning to talk about ideas, rather than merely exclaiming that a particular cut is the wrong cut, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And whilst that might be true, it isn't very helpful in terms of addressing the public finances.

However, as usual, Labour do seem to be rather keener on finding ways of cutting Government income, rather than cutting expenditure, Liz Kendall's rather more honest piece in the Guardian honourably excepted. And, having failed to convince many people that cutting the standard rate of VAT back to 17.5% is a good idea, today's proposal form Ed Balls to use the income from selling 4G spectrum to, in part, introduce a stamp duty holiday for first time buyers is another of those seemingly obvious, yet curiously ineffectual, proposals that he appears to be good at.

Guido Fawkes has already covered the HMRC report which indicates that the last stamp duty holiday may have had precious little effect, and I suppose that, if you think about it a little bit, it's obvious why;

• If you're struggling to save up for a deposit, and in much of the country, it's going to be a struggle, taking a few thousand off of the asking price isn't likely to make a huge difference.
• Some of the saving is likely to be eaten up by sellers increasing the price a bit to take advantage.
• It doesn't persuade people to put their houses on the market, especially outside of London and the South East, where prices are no better than stable for the most part. If you've lost money, or are in negative equity, you're not going to want, or be able, to sell.
• If you are worried about losing your job, and there are many out there, particularly in the public sector, who are, you might not want to be committing yourself to a large mortgage.
• Oh yes, and mortgages. They're not exactly easily available and, if you can't get one, you can't buy a house.

If the HMRC report is correct, in that the stamp duty holiday only boosted house sales by 2%, if at all, and that the benefit mostly accrued to people who were going to buy anyway, it's a way of spending quite a lot of money for very little benefit.

So, come on Ed, you can do better than that... I hope...

Creeting St Peter: slowing the traffic

Despite the fact that I found myself speaking against a Conference motion calling for mandatory 20 mph speed limits in residential roads, I am a member of a Parish Council which would really like one in our village.

There is good cause for such a thing, as our village is without footways for most of its length, and the road is quite winding, with at least two blind corners, obstructed either by houses or hedges. Indeed, it is so winding that we can't use speed guns in the village - they need a minimum length of straight road in order to be used.

We have asked for a 20 mph speed limit, only to be told by the County Council that we don't merit one. And it is true that, on the basis of County policy, we don't. We don't have a school, or any of the other things that might qualify. However, we are soon to open our new playground, once the legal issues are concluded, and as we would like the village children to be able to access it safely, reducing traffic speeds would reassure villagers, especially parents.

I did wonder if we could introduce a proper shared space system, whereby cars have to give way to pedestrians, like we have in some of the nearby towns (Felixstowe and Stowmarket, to name but two). After all, as most pedestrians in the village have no option but to walk in the road, we effectively have such a thing, without the protection of slowed traffic. However, it would require expensive engineering and, because nobody has died, or been seriously injured, we are a long, long way down the priority list for action.

So, the recent announcement that 20 mph speed limits are being piloted in Fressingfield and Middleton is good news. We'll be watching out to see what the results are, and if they are positive, we'll be pressing hard to get one here...

David Icke is not dead, and he wants to advertise on your website...

One of the more unexpected joys of life on the Liberal Democrat Voice team is the unsolicited e-mail. Naturally, most of them are from Liberal Democrats wanting to write for the site, or campaigning groups wanting to promote their cause and reach out to us. Indeed, some of our best, most interesting articles come to us this way.

However, there are others. Sometimes, they're from someone who demonstrates a slightly relaxed grasp on reality, sometimes they're from someone who wants to confront us with 'uncomfortable truths', i.e. contentious opinions that aren't actually facts, but mostly, they're from random strangers wanting to place articles on the website as part of a 'commercial arrangement'.

Most of these are clearly from 'article factories', churning out infomercials on behalf of their client, and many of them are from the United States, evidently confused by the "Liberal Democrat' banner - one wonders if, like baseball, they assume that it is a concept for Americans only. Occasionally, I drop them a politely worded response, with only a hint of irony, noting this, and wondering if they really want to work with us. I seldom get a response. However, there's always an exception...

From: Jessica Oiler <oiler.jessica@yahoo.com>

To: voice <voice@libdemvoice.org>

Sent: Mon, 1 Oct 2012 8:31

Subject: Cooperation opportunities enquiry

Hi

I'm working on an advertising campaign for my client and came across your site http://www.libdemvoice.org/. Your site looks great and it would work perfectly with my client's site, which is in the same sector.

Ideally we are looking for relevant sites that can write an original article based around a keyword supplied by us. However, if you would prefer us to supply an article, this won't be a problem. We just ask that 1 permanent link is placed in the body of the content and linked back to our client's site.

Please feel free to contact me if this is of interest to you or you have any questions.

Best wishes,

Jessica

An interesting e-mail, offering no clues as to who, or where, their client might be. Intrigued, I replied...

From: Mark Valladares [mailto:markv233@aol.com]

Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 11:57 PM

To: oiler.jessica@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Cooperation opportunities enquiry

Dear Jessica,

Thank you for your e-mail earlier today.

It is unclear from your e-mail who your client is, or how they fit neatly with us. Accordingly, we would require a lot more information before we could consider such an approach, and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Mark Valladares

I wasn't expecting a reply, and so when this turned up, I felt that I should share it with you...

From: Jessica Oiler <oiler.jessica@yahoo.com>

To: <markv233@aol.com>

Sent: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 7:26

Hi Mark,

Thanks a lot for the reply!

Our client is http://www.davidicke.com/ and we would like you to create a post for him and place it in your blog.

Please, let me know if you agree or in case you have any other suggestions!

Alright, I was a bit surprised. Perhaps there is another David Icke, so I checked the link. Sure enough, it was the website of the former Hereford United goalkeeper, BBC sports presenter and contrarian.

I wonder what sector it is that includes Liberal Democrat Voice and David Icke? I don't recall any of my colleagues accusing anyone, not even Charlotte Henry, of being a giant green lizard in human disguise...

National Minimum Wage rates go up... but not by enough?

Think of this as a public information post...

As of yesterday, National Minimum Wage rates were changed as follows;

• adult rate (for those aged 21 and over) - £6.19 an hour (up 11p, or 1.8%)
• 18-20 year olds - £4.98 an hour (no change)
• 16-17 year olds - £3.68 an hour (no change)
• apprentice rate - £2.65 per hour (up 5p, or 1.9%)

Apprentices aged 19 or over who have completed one year of their apprenticeship are entitled to receive the national minimum wage rate applicable to their age.

I have to say that I was surprised to find that the rates were as low as they are for younger workers, and I find myself wondering how a young person, not living at home with parents, is expected to make ends meet.

Inevitably, such people will be entitled to benefits and thus, the Government is effectively subsiding their employers. Hardly an incentive to poor employers to pay a living wage, and it potentially drives salary scales down for younger employees.

Perhaps this is something that Liberal Democrat ministers should be looking at over the months to come?...

ELDR Congress... if I didn't have enough reading matter already...

As my e-mail inbox gets fuller and fuller, and my ability to deal with it all becomes stretched towards breaking point, I note the arrival of a file from the Party's International Office, enclosing all of the draft resolutions to be debated at next month's ELDR Congress in Dublin.

I also note that I only had six days to review them all and contribute my thoughts, and that three of them are gone already. Clearly, I can't do that or, at least, I can't do that on my own. So, I thought that I might do the next best thing, and pass one of the resolutions on for more expert consideration.

Luckily, there are usually people around who know more on a given topic than I do, so I've sent the first resolution, on LGBT rights, to LGBT+ Liberal Democrats. Hopefully, they'll have some suggestions to improve the document a bit.

I'm going to have to look at the rest of these tomorrow, to see what else I can pass on... I may well have struck upon a good idea here...

Lib Dems Announce PCC Candidate

Norfolk Liberal Democrats have announced that James Joyce will be their candidate for the election of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on November 15th.

James Joyce is currently a district and county councillor. He represents the Eynesford Ward on Broadland Council and the Reepham Division on Norfolk County Council. Since 2005 he has represented the latter body as a member of the Norfolk Police Authority but he will be stepping down from this position in order to contest the election.

Commenting on his adoption, which follows a ballot of all Liberal Democrat members in Norfolk, Mr Joyce said:

"I am delighted to be chosen by the Party to stand in this election. Most Liberal Democrats have some reservations about the new process of elected commissioners but we are determined to make the system work effectively."

"We are fortunate to live in a "low crime" area. Norfolk is acknowledged as one of the safest counties in England with 50 crimes per 1000 residents against an average of 66 crimes per 1000 across the country. Making sure that this position is maintained is essential."

"Like all public bodies the Police are under financial pressure, they need to do more for less. Driving out inefficiency is and has to remain a key objective. Back room savings must continue to be turned into front line visibility."

"Maintaining appropriate communications with the public will be vital if the new structure is to function properly. In my work as a member of the Police Authority I have always been a passionate supporter of Community Policing. Responding effectively to community needs will be my first priority."

An unexpected moment in the spotlight

I am not a regular speaker at Liberal Democrat conferences, and when I do, I normally stick to issues of bureaucracy. Not always, but as a rule I don't really do policy.

However, the more time I spend as a parish councillor, the more aware I become of the issues that affect small villages and rural communities. And, confronted with a conference motion that called for all residential roads to be made 20 mph zones, my interest was attracted, especially as my fellow colleagues on Creeting St Peter Parish Council are rather keen on the idea.

There was a catch though - this was to be imposed on all residential roads, regardless of the circumstances, and the concept of a residential road wasn't actually defined. In theory, that sounds good, but if you're a resident of Earl Stonham, on the A1120, or one of the villages on the A12 north of Woodbridge, you might not be so keen. Indeed, my own village has greater need for footways (the 'proper' term for pavements), as we have none.

Call me old-fashioned, but I rather like the notion of local communities deciding upon their needs, equipped with a range of options, rather than one blunt implement. And so, I decided to put a card in to speak, for it wasn't likely that many people would oppose the motion.

I didn't expect to get called. After all, there were a lot of cards in, and I'm not an particular expert on the subject (I am the Vice Chair of our local Road Safety Committee, but I've only held the post for a month or so). However, I found a comfortable seat near the back of the hall, and waited. I didn't have to wait long...

Luckily, I didn't have a long speech...

This motion gives the impression of reflecting life in the suburbs and country towns, where main roads are, for the most part, kept apart from residential areas. And, as a child of the suburbs, I understand the motivation of the movers. However, I now live in an area of the country where small villages predominate.

The concept of a residential road in a built-up area can be quite different to that of a residential road in a village. In some linear villages, the main A-road is a residential road, and in Suffolk, for example, the A12 and the A140 run through the middle of a number of villages. It may not be viable to build by-passes, yet a 20 mph limit would cause congestion, increase pollution and affect commerce.

As a Party, we believe in localism, in bottom-up community action. And yet, the motion as it is before us, denies that. It imposes one solution on communities regardless of size, regardless of circumstance, regardless of need.

I therefore support Amendment 1, which at has the effect of empowering communities, allowing them the freedom to develop solutions that reflect their needs and aspirations.

So, Conference, please endorse amendment 1 or, if you cannot, reject this motion as well-meaning, but flawed.

Nothing fancy, but it did the job.

I was surprised when it was picked up by the BBC in their live feed,

1651: 

Delegate Mark Valladares says the motion is "well-meaning, but flawed" because it imposes one solution on communities "regardless of their size... circumstance... [and] needs". He says amendment one will allow communities the freedom to develop their own solutions.

But perhaps even more surprised to return to the office this morning to find that BBC Radio Suffolk had namechecked me. Indeed, they rather generously broadcast a chunk of my speech, and then returned to the debate during the breakfast show.

Perhaps I ought to do this more often...

Feeling the love for Navnit and Ann Dholakia...

Instead of being at the BOTYs, I was accompanying Ros to a surprise event, a dinner to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the election of a Liberal to Brighton Council. That young Liberal candidate was Navnit, now Baron, Dholakia.

Navnit is a very special figure to me, as his experiences are similar to those of my father, and when our paths first crossed fifteen years ago, we hit it off immediately. We would, thereafter run into each other occasionally, but ten years later, he was to play an unexpected role in events that changed my life forever.

I had not been seeing Ros for very long, when she went on a delegation to Taiwan with, amongst others, Navnit. He very kindly gave me a very good character reference, and the rest is history. To this day, Navnit jokes that ours was an arranged marriage, and that he was the one that arranged it.

And last night, the room was full of people whose lives have touched, and been touched by, Navnit and his wife Ann. From his early days in Brighton, through his work on penal reform, policing and equalities to his fifteen years in the House of Lords, there were people who had been there, had experienced that.

There were speeches from Tim Razzell, Chris Rennard and Raj Loomba, highlighting his contributions in a range of fields, but it was Navnit's response, talking of his early experiences after coming to this country from Tanzania, of casual racism, of being part of a mixed-race couple, which exposed a passion and a vehemence that I had not seen in him before. It did, however, encapsulate exactly why I admire him so much.

I should also mention Ann. Ann has been by Navnit's side throughout, and always has a kind word or gesture. She fulfils a role that I recognise in a way that many might not, that of support, helpmeet, and the person who, in quiet moments, is there with advice or information, who understands what you are going through. It was nice that she was recognised.

Afloat on a sea of affection, the evening almost ended too soon. But some of us are getting old, and you have to pace yourself.

I should not close without mentioning Chris Maines and Paul Elgood, whose kindness in arranging the event cannot be overstated. The brochure for the event, with pictures and stories from a range of people, brought back some great memories, so many thanks to them.

Slightly embarrassed of Creeting St Peter writes...

There is, occasionally, a moment when someone says something, and it triggers a memory which would have been much more useful a few hours earlier.

So, when last night someone mentioned who had won the Liberal Democrat Voice 'Blog of the Year' Awards, it did cross my mind that I had intended to be there... tonight. Hmmm... not one of my more glorious moments. Admittedly, I was at one of the most enjoyable events I've ever been to at a Liberal Democrat conference, but nonetheless...

And, to make matters worse, I'd been nominated for an award, that for the best blog by a Liberal Democrat holding public office. Yes, a cute, furry parish councillor, up against a county councillor, an MP and a Minister. At least I didn't win, which is something of a mercy.

The award was won by Alex Folkes, whose reporting of events in Cornwall, around his home town of Launceston and on the Unitary Authority. Alex is a worthy winner, and losing to him comes without any sense of failure on my part.

So, three nominations, and still no award to match Ros's for best use of social media in a campaign. Ah well, maybe next year...

The sun is shining, and I'm on a train heading south(ish). It can only mean one thing...

Welcome to the 10.03 service from Billericay to Liverpool Street, the fourth leg of my seven leg journey from home to Conference hotel.

Yes, engineering works are a feature of today's odyssey, in this case starring a rail replacement bus between Witham and Billericay. However, all has gone well so far which, I hope, augurs well for the week to come.

As part of the Liberal Democrat Voice team, I'll be chipping in with reports and the like, but I'm hoping to keep up with my own impressions here on the blog.

So, don't go away, the next few days could be interesting...

Nick Clegg is sorry... but is this tactics or strategy?

I admit to some surprise at the nature of this week's mea culpa over tuition fees. It seems like an odd time to choose to do so as, whilst it fits a domestic Party schedule, it doesn't necessarily come at an early enough point for public opinion.

That said, many activists of my acquaintance were consistently of the view that it was the breaking of the pledge that was wrong, rather than the pledge itself. The policy was, after all, costed, and had Liberal Democrats formed a government, we might well have been able to honour that pledge.

On reflection, it would appear, however, that when making the pledge, no consideration was made of the fact that we might be the junior partner in a coalition subsequently, and thus unable to have confidence that our pledge was deliverable.

But an apology is a good thing. At least, I think it is...

However, what good is an apology without follow up? As I have noted previously, we campaigned for a new type of politics, one that most Liberal Democrat activists believed in, whereby you treated the public like adults, and hoped that they would respond.

In government, we haven't always been true to that. Not as unfaithful as our opponents would have you believe, but we've 'played the game'. I will admit that I am uncomfortable with that. So, hopefully, this is a fresh start for Liberal Democrats in power, with a more open dialogue. It takes two, or more, to make this work, however. The media fixation on conflict and discord plus the cynicism of politicians, serve to encourage a reversion to spin and bluster.

It will not be an easy road back for the Party, but given that the longest journey starts with a single step, it would be nice if we started rebuilding our credibility with the British public this week.