What do you think about HGVs driving through Hedge End?

 

Should HGVs use Hedge End as a through route?

Restricting heavy good vehicles in Hedge End village

As a resident of Hedge End Village living on Lower Northam Road neighbours and I hear heavy lorries running through the village all day and night. 

We would like to petition the council to make restrictions on the types of vehicles that can access the village. We recommend that heavy goods vehicles should avoid using the village as a through route. If there is a delivery needed then this should be permitted. 

The village centre is a hub of activity with children crossing for school and all members of the public. To help us better understand whether this is good suggestion we are asking residents to provide feedback by completing our survey.

This week's blog post comes to you from one of Hedge End Labour Party's campaign team, Andrew Merewether-Helps. Andrew lives on Lower Northam Road so knows about this problem first hand. 

Do you support his idea for a petition to the council? Why not let us know in the comments to this blog or at hedgeendblogger@gmail.com?

Hedge End Area in the News - September

For those with busy lives who find it difficult to keep up with the local news, here are links to stories about and relevant to Hedge End and nearby villages. The two main online media serving Hedge End are Eastleigh News and the Southampton Daily Echo.

First Eastleigh News:

Lib Dem Council website "worst in Hampshire" for people with a disability

Hamble Lib Dem councillor photo opportunity at Southampton General Hospital

Privatised Southern Water in trouble yet again

Boorley Green opportunity for small local hospitality business

Huge greenfield development nears completion

Botley gets two new firefighters

Botley local plan out for consultation

Lib Dem council dire state of finances

Eastleigh car chase ends with crash in Botley

Tory council dire state of finances

Borough residents celebrate Pride 2023

Electric bin lorries to run out of Hedge End depot

Boorley Park school donation funds activities

Boorley Park gets new play area

And from the Daily Echo:

Botley residents asked for views on local plan

Lib Dem Borough Council debt risk

Royal Victoria Country Park festival of food

Celebrating with LGBTQ+ community

West End Master Builder pub open again

Bursledon Brickworks Museum plans for housing

Picture credit: Visitor7

Lib Dem no-shows block Town Council meeting

 

The September meeting of Hedge End Town Council could not go ahead this evening, 20th September. So there is nothing to report this month. 

There have to be at least six councillors present for the meeting to go ahead.

Only five of the 18 Lib Dems elected in May this year turned up. Let's thank and acknowledge them for taking their democratic responsibilities seriously: Councillors Shepherd, Jupe, Hadaway, Mitchell and Nichols.

This would have been just the fourth meeting of the Council elected in May. It's a bit disappointing and embarrassing, not to say disrespectful of the stand-in clerk, that less than one third of councillors were present so early in their term of office. 

Hedge End Labour Party wants to hear from you

 

Hedge End Labour party is keen to hear from you if you live in Hedge End or one of the nearby villages. Just copy and paste these questions with your answers into an email and send it to hedgeendblogger@gmail.com. We can't wait to hear from you.

 

Q1 Whereabouts do you live?

A1 (delete those that do not apply) Hedge End, Botley, Hamble, Netley, Hound, Bursledon, elsewhere

Q2 What single thing could Hedge End Labour Party do to HELP improve life for you, your family, friends and people you live and work with?

A2:

Q3 Which of these do you worry about most?

A3 (delete those that do not apply and number the rest)

Climate change

Cost of living

Wildlife and biodiversity

NHS

Social care

Anything else?

Q4 How do you think you will vote in the next local elections?

A4 (delete those that do not apply)

Labour

Green

Conservative

Lib Dem

Other

Q5 How do you think you will vote in the next general election?

A5 (delete those that do not apply)

Labour

Green

Conservative

Lib Dem

Other

Q6 Would you like us to keep your email on file so we can keep in touch all year round

A6 YES / NO

If you would like to be registered as a Labour supporter, please let us know your address too.

You can join the Labour Party here: Join the Labour Party today!

 

The Labour Party uses your personal data for a variety of reasons related to engaging in the democratic process. Where we rely on consent, you are always able to opt out. To find out more about how we use your data and to view our Profiling Notice, please see labour.org.uk/privacy-policy

Eastleigh Borough Council launches first electric bin lorries

 

Botley councillor Rupert Kyrle was on the BBC's Politics South programme this morning (17 September 2023).

Rupert is borough councillor for Botley and cabinet member for the environment at Eastleigh Borough Council.

He was announcing the first all electric bin lorries to work out of the Hedge End depot. 

There are benefits of lower emissions, less noise pollution, better air quality, and claimed financial benefits in the cost of charging the vehicles compared with filling a tank of diesel on the older vehicles. Eastleigh can be rightly proud to have the first of these vehicles operating in the Hampshire County Council area. 

Most of the secondary authorities in Hampshire are Conservative run so it is not surprising they are lagging behind Eastleigh in green initiatives.

However even Eastleigh is two years behind Labour councils in Oxford and Reading where similar vehicles have been on the road since 2021.

Your local Labour campaign team in Hedge End

Hedge End Labour campaigning all year round

Regular readers of this blog will know that as Hedge End Blogger, I (Keith Day) have been keeping in touch via this blog since 2011. That is when I resigned from the Lib Dems and sat as an independent councillor on Hedge End Town Council for a single term.

I am proud to be campaigning for the Labour Party now, and keeping in touch all year round. I have been keeping an eye on local politics for decades, calling both Lib Dems and Tories to account.

In that time the Lib Dems have broken promises about protecting green fields around Hedge End, and hiked charges for council services.

Just as they lied about being opposed to the Conservatives in the 2010 general election and then let themselves be used to prop up Cameron’s austerity government.

Just as they lied about scrapping tuition fees when they got into power.

Even now the Lib Dem leader on Eastleigh Borough Council sided with the Tory government as they tried to scrap vital protections designed to prevent even more pollution in our rivers and water ways.

As Hedge End moves into the new Hamble Valley constituency, experts put the Lib Dems a poor and distant third.

It no longer makes sense in Hedge End to vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. A Lib Dem vote is now a wasted vote. 

Keep your eyes open for more news soon about your local Labour campaign team. 

Labour action on road safety

 

Your Labour team are more and more concerned about increased on road parking at the west end of Turnpike Way.

This is mainly during the week, and during working hours.

Traffic heading towards Upper Northam Road is forced onto the right side of the road, and possibly face to face with buses and cars turning into Turnpike Way.

Hedge End Blogger (aka Labour campaigner Keith Day) raised this at a recent Town Council meeting. 

Lib Dem Borough councillors at the meeting admitted that all highway matters had recently been transferred back to Hampshire County Council (so much for not cutting services at Lib Dem Eastleigh).

Your Labour team will keep pressing for action. We will keep you updated on this blog.

If there is a traffic issue in your street, let us know at hedgeedblogger@gmail.com.

We are here to help.

In case you missed it - Hedge End in the news in August

 

In case you missed something while on summer holiday, here is a catch-up of stories reported by local online media in August. These are stories covering Hedge End and neighbouring villages. Do let me know if I have missed anything.

Eastleigh News reported on:

Boorley Park - new play area

No local schools affected by concrete scandal

Council grant for COVID recovery support

Botley local plan

West End hospice memorials

West End plans for solar farm

West End - Hampshire Cricket boss stands down

Boorley Park - Families move in to new homes

Hamble and Netley councillor defends Hedge End station ticket office

Hedge End care home residents day out at the cricket

West End hospice benefits from Southampton festival

Hedge End - new care home opens

Hedge End - Arrest in relation to building site burglaries

Botley and Bursledon planning applications await decision

The Daily Echo reported on:

Hamble burst water main causes chaos

Hamble burst water main causes delays

Eastleigh Borough Council COVID recovery grants available

Hamble - comedian moving into village

West End - Ageas bowl development consultation ends

Hamble - mystery surrounding man found dead

Botley and Bursledon planning applications

Hamble quarry plans in limbo

(Photo credit: Ruth Hartnup)

Labour set to beat Lib Dems – expert prediction

When the next general election comes around, Hedge End will be in a new constituency called Hamble Valley.

Expert political forecasters Electoral Calculus looked at recent results in the areas which will make up Hamble Valley.

They initially predicted the Lib Dems would come a poor and distant third, giving them a 1 in 100 chance of winning the new seat. Labour came out as 16 times more likely to win.

They have subsequently updated their figures but still show Labour comfortably beating the Lib Dems into third place.

You can see all the working out on the Electoral Calculus website together with a map of the new constituency: New Seat Details - Hamble Valley (electoralcalculus.co.uk)

Labour candidates are overturning huge majorities in by elections as more and more disgraced and discredited Conservative MPs resign their seats. Who would predict the same thing couldn’t happen here?

Hedge End Labour are pleased and proud that an independent team of experts make us favourites to kick out the Tories here.

In Hamble Valley Hedge End a Lib Dem vote is now a wasted vote.

Labour still best placed to overtake Tories in Hamble Valley

Labour reveals huge hike in Town Council budget

 

Labour's summer newsletter leads on Town Council budget

Hedge End Labour Party were shocked to see local Lib Dems set a budget over a million pounds for the first time.

The Town Council - run entirely by Lib Dems - agreed the £1 million  budget earlier this year.

Hedge End council tax payers will be asked to stump up £836,000. The rest will be made up from fees for sports pitches, community halls, allotments etc.

In 10 years the council tax precept for Hedge End Town Council has gone up by 30% when inflation has been in the region of 2-3% for much of that time.

Meanwhile Lib Dems  have hiked council charges across Eastleigh.

Famously Lib Dem Eastleigh Borough Council now charges £20 if you forget to put out your wheely bins and ask the council to come back to empty them.

They used to do this for free as recently as 2013 - at least for a first "offence".

We first reported this back in June: The Hidden Costs of Lib Dem Councils

Budget spreadsheet showing total budget of £1,099,910

Lib Dem leader shows his true colours

 

Lib Dem leader and Hedge End South councillor Keith House has once more revealed Lib Dems will put development in our green spaces above protecting the environment and biodiversity.

In recent Twitter / X posts he has sided with the discredited Sunak government's plans to throw out more regulations designed to protect our waterways from pollution resulting from housing development. 

In doing so, he has undermined the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate and fellow Eastleigh councillor who appeared to take a stand against the Conservatives in her post "England's rivers at risk as Michael Gove rips up rules on new housing". 

So the question now is will Liz Jarvis stick to her principles or fall in behind her leader? How badly are local Lib Dems split on this issue?

Moreover Cllr House backs up his pro-development stance with reference to Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, and co-author of Boris Johnson's 2019 election manifesto. The CPS is an increasingly right wing think tank which has drawn praise from some of the hardest of hard right Tories (cps.org.uk):

Rishi Sunak: "Lots of exciting ideas are being generated at the CPS, many of which are finding their way into government"

Boris Johnson: "The Centre for Policy Studies - the pre-eminent centre-right think tank"

Liz Truss: "The CPS is making the case for free markets, free trade, free speech and a free economy"

Cllr House would seem to have planted the Lib Dem banner squarely in the pro-developer, pro-Tory camp. We must therefore question if the Lib Dems can be trusted as an anti-Tory party at the next election(s).

Meanwhile, environmental organisations, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are horrified that the Conservative Government is breaking promises it made as recently as July this year about environmental protection. The Trust's CEO has called it "Outrageous back pedalling by Sunak and Gove." 

The Trust has developed a scheme to protect the Solent from excessive pollution which depends on the mandatory regulations being in place: Nutrient Reduction Programme | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (hiwwt.org.uk). This must now be at risk if the Tories go ahead with abolishing these protections.

Even Eastleigh Borough Council's own website recognises there is a problem with excessive nitrate pollution in the Solent: "The Solent has recognised problems from nitrate enrichment; high levels of nitrogen from human activity and agricultural sources in the catchment have caused excessive growth of green algae (a process called eutrophication) which is having a detrimental impact upon protected habitats and bird species." (Water Quality Issues in the Solent Catchment Area (eastleigh.gov.uk))

Has Cllr House rewritten council policy on social media? He describes himself as "Lib Dem Council Leader. Green." Perhaps he should change his profile colour to Blue.

Local Lib Dems getting on the world cup bandwagon

Lib Dem council leader and Hedge End councillor Keith House has joined the growing list of politicians trying to get a bit of free publicity on the back of our women's football team's success. Cllr House went on Twitter to say "The World Cup Final Sunday morning is a special national event." No problem with that. 

He goes on to say he has said to the Eastleigh Borough Council licensing team to "go light and get relaxed" and to not block pubs and cafes from opening ahead of their licensed hours. No problem with that sentiment. 

However the Borough Council website shows that there is no Eastleigh licensing team. "These functions are administered by Southampton City Council's licensing team."

Also, they would not normally be working on Sunday morning anyway. "Members of the Licensing Team are normally available on weekdays at the Civic Centre, Southampton, from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm..."

It seems Cllr House has forgotten he transferred licensing administration to Southampton. Otherwise his twitter post is just empty gesture politics. Like so much from our local Lib Dems, it looks good on the surface but there is no substance behind it. 

Alcohol and entertainment licence | Eastleigh Borough Council

The hidden costs of Lib Dem councils

Hedge End Lib Dems are very good at telling us (repeatedly) that they have kept council tax below inflation for several years. But how good are they at keeping other council charges down now that we have high inflation and a Conservative cost of living crisis?

Hedge End Town Council is run entirely by Lib Dems. They have recently agreed a budget of over £ONE MILLION for the first time. That means the council tax payers of Hedge End will have to fork out a total of £836,000. (The rest comes from charges for sports fields, community halls, allotments etc.)

In 2013 the equivalent figure was £646,000. That is a massive increase of 30% in the council tax precept in just ten years. And well above inflation.

The Lib Dems have also hiked other borough council charges.

In 2013 if you forgot to put your wheely-bin out, the council would come back (for a first offence only) and empty it for no extra charge.

In 2023 they will charge you £20 each time.

In 2013 there was no charge if you wanted to close your road for a charity event.

In 2023 the Lib Dems will charge you £200.

In 2013 you could have 8 bulky items (furniture, kitchen appliances etc) collected for £42.

In 2023 the Lib Dems will charge you £175. An increase of more than 300%.

Other notable charges that have increased in ten years under the Lib Dems include charges for pest control. The cost of general advice about pest control has risen from £21 to £45 (increase 114%). A callout for a wasp nest has gone from £35 to £68 (up 94%). If you had a rat problem in 2013 the council would charge £65 for 4 visits. In 2023 you get 3 visits for £160. A stonking increase per visit of 212%.

Need to have the dog warden attend to a stray dog? The charge has gone up 62% from £58 to £94.

For those with an artistic or dramatic bent, the cost of renting Hedge End’s Berry Theatre for one day (11 hours) has gone up from £735 to £900. Plus, there are now separate charges for employing the theatre’s technician (up to £550), using a projector and screen (£97), PA system (up to £250), conference mics (up to £250).

Something to think about when the Lib Dems claim to have saved us money.

See also my blog post from 2017:
Hedge End Blogger: The true cost of a Lib Dem council

(Sources: Cabinet papers “Corporate Fees and Charges” 2013 and 2023 – available to view at eastleigh.gov.uk)

Town Council honours long serving members

 May’s elections to Hedge End Town Council resulted in a clean sweep for the Lib Dems who took all 18 seats available.

There did not seem to be much business for the council at its first meeting after the elections which was combined with the AGM.

Cllr Jane Welsh celebrated 40 years as a parish and town councillor. And there were long service awards for ex-councillors Sheila Baynes and Shankerlal Sthanakiya who had reached the milestone of 12 years’ service.

The Town Clerk announced that ex-councillor Ray Worley had recently passed away, but he had received his long service award via his daughter before he died.

The AGM agreed membership of the main committees – Recreation and Amenities, Highways and Planning, and Policy and Resources. The Lib Dems limited membership of these committees to nine members which means only three need to turn up for meetings to go ahead. We elected 18 councillors, but as few as three could be making decisions on our behalf as committee decisions are normally just rubber-stamped by full council.

Only 15 of the newly elected councillors were there at the beginning of the meeting. Two arrived during the very last agenda item, having been at a more important meeting. One did not turn up at all.

I took the opportunity to raise a question about the safety of parking at the Upper Northam Road end of Turnpike Way. There seems to have been an increase in parking there during office hours. It is legal because the double yellow lines stop just east of the Clover Way junction. But it has the effect of forcing traffic heading towards Upper Northam Road onto the wrong side of the road, just where vehicles, including buses, are coming round the bend into Turnpike Way.

The chair of the council referred my question to the Highways and Planning committee. We will have to wait and see what happens.