Its position close to the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford Canals has always given Braunston a strong claim to be the centre of England's inland waterways. I visited it several times on family canal holidays between 1966 and 1971, but until last week I'd been back only once since. Here some of the photos I took last Friday. I arrived on the first day of a festival of vintage canal boats, so there was plenty see. Raymond was one of the last working boats on the Grand Union and I remember the thump-thump of its and engine as ...
I'm pleased to see the Liberal Democrats have something radical to contribute on reforming the water industry. A press release on the party website says Tim Farron, the Lib Dems' environment spokesperson, has tabled a parliamentary bill that would transform the water companies into 'public good companies': Under the plans, water firms would no longer prioritise profit over the environment. The companies' boards would be reformed, to include environment experts, and become far more open and transparent to the public. Currently, water firms are not obligated under law to provide information to the public, and can refuse to answer Environmental ...
The BBC reports: Forcing councillors in England to attend meetings in person is leading to some quitting, councils have warned. A legal requirement to hold full council meetings in person was temporarily dropped during the pandemic but reintroduced in May 2021. A survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) found one in 10 councils had seen members stand down since then due to the change... Joe Harris [Lib Dem], vice-chairman of the LGA, said: "Good decision-making needs people who reflect the range of experiences, background and insight that exist in their communities. "However, councillors are restricted by law to attend ...
I am an early bird. I usually wake up around 6am each day and without a need for caffeine, I am able to switch on my laptop and work almost immediately. My morning routine includes a cup of tea and ... BBC Breakfast. Laptop on, TV on and I am ready to crack on! In recent weeks, many of us were following closely a story of the missing submarine, Titan. It has dominated our screen for quite some time. I often wondered why are we so "obsessed" with it? Is it because it relates directly to the tragic story of ...
I took this photo on my farm yesterday afternoon. Note the plume of smoke on the horizon. The second big fire in a disused building in Newcastle in a month, both times visible from my farm. From what I understand, there is still some disruption to anyone using the central motorway or wanting to travel into central Newcastle.
Here's the good news. The Boundary Commission have announced their final boundaries and names for new Parliamentary constituencies and the new Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency has survived attempts by Gateshead Labour to remove "Whickham" from the name. The new constituency contains 4 strong Lib Dem wards (Whickham North, Whickham South and Sunniside, Dunston Hill and Whickham East and
Pride Month comes to an end tomorrow. My LDV colleague, Charley Hasted, has been speaking about how their employer, the London Ambulance Service, works with and supports trans and other LGBT+ employees. Charley is Chair of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats. By the way, if you haven't done so already, Google Pride Month for a fun animation. * Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
Rees-Mogg and Dorries are people with a high contempt for democracy and the opinions of 'lesser mortals'. People like that in all Parties at all levels must be removed from office to clean up the whole of the body politic. ... Continue reading →
Last week, I argued that raising interest rates was no longer the fix-all solution for high inflation rates because oujt-of-control prices were not being led by demand, but by costs. Now the Independent reports that the Bank of England's chief economist has reinforced that point of view, by admitting that the bank's forecasting model has become "unworkable" during Britain's current inflation crisis. The paper says that Huw Pill has conceded that the central bank's model had produced misleading forecasts which failed to assess the ongoing impacts of the Ukraine war on prices and wages: Speaking at the European Central Bank ...
Further to our article yesterday about swimming provision for the wider community at Harris Academy, we received this update later yesterday from the Managing Director of Leisure & Culture Dundee : Harris Swim & Sport Centre Update Due to ongoing building work relating to the Harris Academy extension project, the Swim & Sports Centre will be unavailable from Monday 3rd July to Sunday 30th July 2023, inclusive. The power supply to the building is being upgraded, and there will be a four-week shutdown of all power. The dry side activity areas (sports hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite) ...
