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On Friday 30th January at a lively public meeting hosted by the Bradford on Avon Senior Citizens’ Forum, Duncan Hames, the Liberal Democrat prospective MP for the area, spoke on the issue of Council Tax alongside representatives of the other parties. While the Labour and Conservatives representatives defended Council Tax in accordance with their parties’ policies, Duncan
Hames denounced the impact of Council Tax on people with low and fixed incomes as “wholly unfair” and called for the introduction of a system based on people’s ability to pay.

Duncan said:

“In these difficult times, many local people find themselves on a fixed or reduced income facing a rising Council Tax bill. The Council Tax is unfair, and costly to collect. The revaluation exercise, now postponed until after the General Election, would add millions to the cost of running this deservedly hated tax. Sadly, as we learnt tonight, the Conservative Party and their candidate for our area agree with the Labour Government and want to keep the Council Tax. Only the Liberal Democrats have a practical
alternative that would end the misery of a local tax that many people simply have no ability to pay.”

Speaking after the meeting, Duncan said:

“I’d like to thank the Bradford on Avon Senior Citizens’ Forum for hosting this debate. It was a great chance to hear local residents’ views on Council Tax, and for their parliamentary candidates to be put on the spot on their policies. It was pretty clear that, apart from the Conservative and Labour speakers, there were very few people in the room in favour of keeping things as they are.”

Prospective local MP, Duncan Hames, and Chippenham Lib Dem Councillor, Paul Darby, have joined with other local campaigners to call for Birds Marsh Wood, one of Chippenham’s few remaining green spaces, to be kept out of the hands of property developers.

Earlier this month, Duncan spoke at a packed public meeting co-organised by Paul Darby and the founder of the Save Birds Marsh campaign, Simon Main.

Duncan said:

“It was fantastic to see so many people come together on a cold winter’s night to defend the local countryside that we really treasure. I have written to the government minister, Hazel Blears MP, to object to her suggestion that Chippenham builds another 5,500 houses. We must make sure the new Wiltshire Council also has the courage to stand up to her, so that plans like this for one for Birds Marsh are stopped in their tracks.”

You can support the campaign to save Birds Marsh and keep informed of developments by joining the campaign’s Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=62854749008 or by checking the campaign website: http://www.friendsofbirdsmarsh.com/

Local Lib Dems have been celebrating the news that Winsley post office has reopened as of Friday 2nd January. The news follows a campaign to save the post office, organised by the Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for the area, Duncan Hames.

Duncan said: “This is truly excellent news. The Post Office provides essential services for some of the most vulnerable members of society. Losing the Post Office can tear out the hub of the local community. Many people will be relieved that this won’t now happen in Winsley.”

Duncan continued: “I want to thank the hundreds of local people who took the time to sign our petition. The sheer weight of local support undoubtedly helped to demonstrate that there is a future for the post office in Winsley. It just goes to show that when a community pulls together for a common goal we really can make a difference.”

Duncan Hames, the prospective Liberal Democrat MP for the new Chippenham constituency, has acted quickly to help ensure the survival of Winsley post office, near Bradford on Avon. The post office closed on Friday, after the Nearby Stores Group went into company administration.

Duncan said:

“After speaking with local people and listening to their concerns, I wrote to the Post Office’s Network Manager for Wiltshire, to express our opposition to the closure and to ask him to do everything in his power to bring the post office back to Winsley. I’m happy to say that he has now given me his assurance that he will work to re-establish the post office service in Winsley ‘as a matter of urgency.’ ”

Duncan continued:

“Wiltshire has lost too many post offices in recent years. Across the country, thousands have closed: first under the Tories, and then under Labour ministers’ orders. We can’t afford to lose another by the back door. The Lib Dems will continue to press all concerned to work together to re-open Winsley’s post office service as soon as practically possible.”

Duncan Hames, Liberal Democrat PPC for Chippenham constituency, took part in the National Climate March in London last Saturday, demanding action from the government on climate change.

The march, which made pleas for a “Green New Deal”, was addressed by Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats. Nick and Duncan recently visited Wiltshire College, Lackham in the constituency to promote the idea of buying food locally, reducing carbon emissions and helping the environment.

Duncan commented: “I’m really proud that, unlike some, our party isn’t only a fair-weather friend of the environment but continues to champion this cause which is so important for all our futures – the world over.”

Prospective Lib Dem MP Duncan Hames has welcomed Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on a recent visit to the Chippenham constituency.

Nick and Duncan visited Wiltshire College, Lackham, where young people study agriculture and other land-based courses. After meeting students and being taken on a tour of the farm, Nick Clegg spoke about his wish to see the public made more aware of information on British products, so that they are confident in buying British.

Nick stressed that this was not about discriminating against foreign imports but supporting the local economy and improving the environment. He said, “What I would like to see is shoppers buying more locally-produced goods, and having more information about where these come from”.

As part of the visit to the college, Nick enjoyed a spot of tractor driving. He joked, “I really did enjoy driving the tractor, it was a childhood ambition. I did think about driving off into the sunset, and I’ve never done a three-point turn in a foot and a half of mud before!”

Nick and Duncan also visited Melksham to meet traders and hear their concerns. Duncan commented, “Buying local produce and shopping locally keeps more of our money in the Wiltshire economy. I regularly shop at the village store near my home in Holt.”

“Local traders need our support in these difficult times for the economy. There are already too many empty premises in our town centres.”

Duncan Hames, Prospective Lib Dem MP for Chippenham has expressed his concern over plans to build 3,500 houses on the flood plain of the river Avon.

The land which lies between the river Avon and Stanley Lane in Chippenham is being considered for development opportunities which could see an increase in housing in the town of 20%.

Duncan Hames commented:

“I am opposed to any development on the flood plain in Chippenham. You only need look at recent flooding in the region to see the problems this stores up for the future.

“We will work with local residents to fight these proposals which would just be the start of many more unwelcome and environmentally damaging extensions to the town.”

June Wood, local councillor, added:

“This has been a long running battle for local people. Similar proposals were presented to the County Council more than 10 years ago, we fought then to stop it and we will fight again.”

Duncan Hames, Prospective Lib Dem MP for the new Chippenham Constituency, has called for action to protect Wiltshire taxpayers after Wiltshire County Council and North Wiltshire District Council became the latest victims of the economic crisis.

The councils had £12m in parts of an Icelandic Bank, which went into administration yesterday (Wednesday). Duncan Hames, a former Audit Committee Chairman for West Wiltshire District Council, has called on the government to do all that it can to ensure the councils do not lose this essential taxpayers’ money.

Duncan Hames commented:

“If Wiltshire County Council can’t get our money back, it would cost Wiltshire Council Taxpayers an average £45 per household to make good the reserves. If North Wiltshire residents were left to make up the loss of their district council’s funds too, their bill would be more like £150.

“That would be devastating for local families and pensioners already facing higher fuel bills and an uncertain economy.

“These councils also have questions to answer: I think people will want to know why this money was not moved after another Icelandic bank collapsed days earlier.”

Local Liberal Democrats have hit out after the latest scandal involving the collection of waste in West Wiltshire.

Residents have complained after it emerged that the waste contractor, Focsa, had been instructed by the council not to collect wheelie bins if the wheels were on gravel.

Instead residents have been told that they must drag their bins onto the pavement in case the bins got stones stuck in their wheels and fell onto the refuse collectors.

This new policy comes just months after the Conservative-run council made the headlines after refusing to empty bins which could not be dragged with two fingers or which were over a footstep away from the kerb.

Rosemary Brown, Shadow Environment portfolio holder on the council said:

“This goes to show how ludicrous the council is being when dealing with basic needs for its residents. These policies will particularly hit the elderly, infirm and disabled who may not be able to drag their bins within the millimetre that the council demands. It is unfair and they should not be expected to do so.

“Local residents pay their council tax to get a number of services, including waste collection, and the Conservatives simply are not taking into account what is best for them.”

Duncan Hames, prospective Lib Dem MP for Bradford-on-Avon and Melksham, added:

“This isn’t an isolated case, this Conservative council has been issuing us with new rules over and over again and it is hard for people to keep up.

“When local people choose the team to run the new Wiltshire Council they will want one that instead puts the needs of residents before their paid contractors.”

Duncan Hames, prospective Liberal Democrat MP for the new Chippenham Constituency has championed Wiltshire’s environmental concerns at this year’s party conference in Bournemouth.

In his speech at an urgent issue debate on the environment this morning (Sunday), Duncan told of the excellent work of local environmental groups like the Bradford-on-Avon Climate Friends.

Yesterday, Duncan helped unveil the group’s polar bear ice statue at the town’s arts fair. The statue illustrated the urgency of taking action to look for solutions to climate change before time runs out.

Commenting after the speech, Duncan Hames said:

“Local groups of Climate Friends, like Bradford-on-Avon’s understand that climate change will affect us all. We must do everything we can to stop it.

“New green technologies take time to introduce, so we must act now to cut our climate changing pollution, before time runs out.”