The website of Chadsmead Conserv

THE AMAZING TAX YOYO

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(Or how to put taxes for low income people down, then up, then down and how to pay for it by borrowing £2,700,000,000).

When Gordon Brown was Chancellor, he announced with great fanfare, that he would introduce a 10 pence in the pound tax band to help people on low incomes.

Great idea, although a higher threshold for starting to pay tax would have been even better.

Last year, when he was still Chancellor, he abolished the 10 pence in the pound rate, effective this year. We didn’t hear the justification for this, but presumably it was for all the reasons he introduced it, but in reverse!

This year, the new Chancellor implemented this tax increase for those on low incomes, the poorest section of society.

After the poorest ratings in the opinion polls of any Labour Government for many decades, he has now panicked and cut the income tax threshold to help those people affected by the removal of the 10 pence rate. However, 1.1 million people who earn between £6,650 and £13,355 a year will still be worse off as they will not be fully compensated.

Oh! By the way, the £2,700,000,000 (yes, 2.7 billion pounds) which the Government is borrowing to give people back their tax will still have to be repaid one day, with interest. You know who will be paying it don’t you?

Still with me?

It couldn’t have been anything to do with the by-election at Crewe and Nantwich, or the fact that so many of Gordon Brown’s own MPs were threatening to overturn the whole budget, could it?

Surely, whatever remaining reputation the Prime Minister had for economic competence has now evaporated.

It is time to let the Conservative Party show the country how the economy should be run, with less bureaucracy, less government intervention and more power to the people.

Cllr. Terry Thomas, Chadsmead Ward.

Tel: 01543 264262

E-Mail: terry@thomas.connectadsl.co.uk

Website: www.chadsmeadconservatives.co.uk

The Conservative run District Council has a major city development programme, the Friarsgate scheme, part of the Lichfield District Venture – a programme of developments throughout the Lichfield District - that will provide extensive shopping and leisure facilities within Lichfield City centre.

The development will be located between Birmingham Road, St John Street and Frog Lane, replacing the existing police station, multi storey car park, bus station and Tempest Ford Garage. Works to construct the main scheme will begin in Autumn 2008, with completion by Summer 2011.

The new Friarsgate Shopping Centre is going to provide some exciting new amenities to the centre of Lichfield. A key stage is when the Friary Outer car park, just to the south of the city centre, has been developed to become a three floor construction, including car parking but also with an element of high demand housing. Once that is in place it will be time to start on the city centre proper.

Firstly, the old and much maligned existing multi-storey car park, alongside Three Spires Shopping Centre, will be demolished to make way for a new seven storey hotel and significant underground car parking.

Then it is time to start on a new state of the art digital cinema to provide a further element of city centre entertainment.

All this is to blend in with the existing city centre and provide exciting additions and more choice of food outlets, shopping and entertainment.

We are delighted that Councillor Alan White has been selected as our Candidate to stand for the Lichfield City North division in the 2009 County Council elections.

Alan was born in 1969 and brought up in Stockport. He was educated at Stockport School, the University of Liverpool and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He has an Honours Degree in Genetics and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

Alan was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in April 1992, and for the first eight years of his Army career fulfilled various unit appointments serving in the UK, Cyprus, Kenya and Brunei. For the final two years of his military career he transferred into the Adjutant General’s Corps during which time he was posted to Omagh in Northern Ireland. He left the Army after 10 years service, having reached the rank of Major, in order to pursue a life in the civilian world and engage in politics. He now works at Central Technology Belt as Chief Executive.

Alan has been heavily involved in politics since leaving the Army. He was selected onto the District Council in May 2003 representing Whittington Ward and served his first four years on the Council as the Operational Services Portfolio holder. Subsequently in May 2007 Alan was re-elected for another four year term with Lichfield District Council. In 2005 he stood for Parliament in the Hazel Grove constituency near Stockport in Greater Manchester.

Alan is married to Carlen and has three children, Chloe who is 13, Sebastian who is 12 and Louis who is 10. He has lived in the Lichfield District for 14 years. In his spare time he enjoys current affairs and keeping fit by cycling to and from work, a round trip of 50 miles! He is secretary of the West Midlands Military Education Committee and the Defence Studies Dining Club.

Of his selection to stand for the Lichfield City North Division of Staffordshire County Council, Alan said: “I am absolutely delighted and honoured to have been given the opportunity to stand in the 2009 County Council elections. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next twelve months and listening to your concerns. I know already that many of you are concerned by the EcoTowns proposal and I hope to be able to help you voice your opposition to these ridiculous plans which will undermine the very fabric of the City”.

COLD HOUSES/SOARING ENERGY PRICES/FUEL POVERTY

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Have you noticed the soaring cost of gas and electricity prices? If not, you must be very well off. For the rest of us, these extra costs are a strain on what in many cases is a tight household budget, especially for people living on a pension.

This Labour Government would have you believe that these increases are due to rising wholesale energy prices, but that is only half the reason. In fact, almost 50 per cent of energy price increases are accounted for by higher Treasury taxes.

It is estimated that rises in the three main green taxes alone this year, including the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) will add £28.50 to annual household bills.

IN ADDITION, there is 5 per cent VAT on all energy bills, a figure the Government cannot reduce as it is bound by EU regulations, another aspect of EU interference in our National Government.

So next time you get a whopping increase in your gas and electricity bill, just remember where half of the increase comes from and also remind yourself what has happened to these extra taxes. You don’t know? Well neither do I.

Councillor Terry Thomas, Chadsmead Ward.

Telephone: 01543 264262

E-Mail: terry@thomas.connectadsl.co.uk

Website: www.chadsmeadconservatives.co.uk

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.chadsmeadconservatives.co.uk. The site includes a wealth of information about the Ward and items of current interest. There are details of branch Officers and Committee Members, Ward Councillors, photos of the Ward and latest news together with copies of Ward Newsletters.

In addition, there are web links to our M.P., Michael Fabricant and to the City and District Council websites.

Michael Fabricant is the subject of the first of a series of interviews being conducted by the Branch and this interview is now live, so visit the site to read details of his career before and since being elected our M.P., and his views on current topics.

Finally there is the facility for people to make comments and ask questions by posting an entry in the Guestbook.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, THE PARTY OF MANY PROMISES BUT LITTLE DELIVERY. SOUNDS FAMILIAR? *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Who leads the Liberal Democrats?

At the time of writing, no one, and with a discredited former leader bowing out of the limelight. Menzies Campbell was considered too old, but at least he did not have the previous leader’s problem.

Where are the Liberal Democrats?

Why?

Could it be their lack of coherent policies, or that they have so many contradictory ones? To find out, ask Nick Clegg or Chris Huhne their two leadership contenders.

A good example of the muddle they have got into on the Lichfield District Council is that they recently formed an alliance with Cllr. John Walker, the only true Independent on the Council, and then promptly threw him out of the group when he said something they didn’t like!

With a tiny minority on both Councils and the County Council, they have wonderful wish lists, but in reality have no power at all.

So what can they do for you?

If you want powerful representation on all three Councils, Conservative Councillors carry a lot more weight than Liberal Democrats.

Only by talking to and voting for Conservative Councillors can you be sure of a strong voice and unwavering commitment to the issues you wish to highlight.

Councillor Terry Thomas Telephone: 01543 264262

The proposed closure of Nearfield House by the Labour County Council will be a bitter blow to residents and relatives alike. It is particularly galling that following criticism, the County employed an independent consultancy to review their closure plans. This has cost council tax payers – you and me – tens of thousands of pounds, but when the report came out, it was ignored! Of Nearfield House, the consultants said: it “provides brilliant care with fantastic staff and families have confidence in it. It has recently been refurbished to a high standard”. Yet despite all the expense spent on Nearfield House – and the independent consultants, it is still scheduled for closure.

I believe that the care homes crisis could have been alleviated if the County had addressed the problem in time. Instead they buried their heads in the sand. I have now issued a formal complaint of ‘maladministration’ by the County to the Local Government Ombudsman. We must see what transpires. It is desperately cruel to say to elderly residents that they must now make new arrangements. The Staffordshire County Council has a lot to answer for.

Michael Fabricant, M.P.

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Seasons Greetings from Chadsmead Conservatives to all residents of Chadsmead Ward. We wish you all a Happy and Peaceful 2008.

Britain’s tax bill almost doubled in the last decade when Gordon Brown was Chancellor. He raised taxes faster and higher than ever before in our peace-time history.

The new Chancellor, Alistair Darling, seems to have taken over where Brown left off. He has already several major achievements to his credit.

Firstly, in the recent spending review, he claimed to have cut our taxes, when in reality they went up by over two billion pounds.

Secondly, and this is the big one, he has just loaned Northern Rock £24 billion, yes that’s right £24,000,000,000 of YOUR money (that is taxpayers’money), the equivalent of £1,000.00 for every taxpayer (that’s you and me). To put this into context, that’s half the annual national education budget or to put it another way, it would pay for 40 new children’s hospitals! How much will we get back and when? In the meantime your Labour controlled County Council is closing Nearfield House, one of the best old people’s homes in the county.

It is worth pointing out that our Labour County Council is being propped up by a small number of Liberal Councillors, without whose support they would not have been able to introduce the cuts in Council care homes that are about to take place.

This Labour Government has shown incompetence and weakness throughout the Northern Rock affair and the situation is getting worse.

In yet another increase in tax on petrol and diesel, now £1 a litre and more, which is £4.55 per gallon and which affects the cost of all products carried by HGV’s, which is most goods, so expect prices of almost everything to go up, just at a time when mortgages are at higher levels than they have been for years.

Mr. Brown won’t change his ways. He’s part of the problem, not the solution. Only a Conservative Government will bring about the change Britain needs and end Mr. Brown’s stealth taxes and con tricks.

Councillor Terry Thomas

Britain’s tax bill almost doubled in the last decade when Gordon Brown was Chancellor. He raised taxes faster and higher than ever before in our peace-time history.

NHS in crisis, violent crime up, prisons are full to bursting, pensions system destroyed, school standards remain low, armed forces under equipped, an avalanche of immigrants to this already overcrowded island.

Even if you are retired, jobless, disabled or just lucky enough to be fit and working, everyone pays most taxes, through V.A.T., taxes on Travel, Insurance, Alcohol, Petrol, the list is endless and every year, Mr. Brown seems able to invent new taxes.

The idea of “prudence” seems to have gone out of the window and the country is now running a huge budget deficit, to be repaid sooner or later by the taxpayer, not only in repayment costs, but also in extra interest to finance the original borrowings. One result of this is higher and higher bank rate levels, which in turn, puts more and more pressure on the home buyer with a mortgage, and even rents for social housing are increasing well above the rate of inflation.

On the 11^th July, the new Prime Minister announced 23 new bills, to be pushed through Parliament.

WHAT HAS HE AND LABOUR BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS?

Staffordshire County Council have been making some strange decisions of late. It comes to something when a Labour MP calls for the officers of a Labour controlled council to resign! First there was the issue of massive pay cuts for council workers because the council hadn’t planned for equal pay legislation which came out years ago and is only now taking effect. But the most recent horror is the planned closure of our residential care homes and day centres.

I have been fighting hard alongside carers and residents – and some very brave council employees who have been threatened with the sack – against these closures. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be an elderly resident of a care home to be told you will now have to arrange alternative accommodation? It must be terrifying. How can a Labour council behave so badly? Once the report of the ‘consultation’ is published, we must wait and see what the County Council decides to do next. I fear that the consultation is just a sham and the decision to close will still go ahead. I hope I will be proved wrong.

Lichfield commuters can sleep a little easier in their train seats knowing that the Department for Transport has bowed to pressure and is laying on a later Virgin train to London. This is important not only for commuters, but also for our area as a whole. Good train connections with the capital makes our economy stronger and will help improve living standards for all indirectly.

I visited the new Samuel Johnson Hospital the other day. Although I am still unhappy with the total closure of the Hammerwich Hospital and the moving of the hospital from the Friary to where it is at present, we have a good modern facility. But that wasn’t always so.

The Government planned to close for good our maternity unit, the kidney dialysis unit, halve the number of beds, and close the day surgery unit. Even our excellent minor injuries unit was under threat of closure. We no longer have day surgery in Lichfield. But after marches in the streets by midwives and other campaigns, we have kept all the other departments. I will stay ever vigilant to make sure that future cash crises don’t put our existing services under threat!

Michael Fabricant, M.P.

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CARE HOMES AND DAY CENTRES

The Labour controlled County Council is proposing to close all the council owned day centres and care homes, but they have been forced to reconsider the proposals and a judge has agreed that they will now consult everyone affected, employees, residents of the homes and their relatives, over these proposals.

This is going to be a costly exercise, paid for by the usual suspects, i.e. you and me! The outcome, no one knows, but everyone I have spoken to in Chadsmead tell me that they will be amazed if the original proposals are not implemented to the letter.

So don’t hold your breath when the original proposals are implemented and old and infirm people have to be moved to private homes and those still living with carers at home are no longer able to enjoy the respite at day centres. Just as bad, the carers themselves will have no respite. Since these proposals were first announced I have been surprised at just how many people have told me they rely on the day centres and am convinced that any alternative (and we have heard very little about the alternatives so far) will be a very poor substitute.

In March of this year, many of you very kindly took the time and trouble to take part in our ‘Listening to Chadsmead’ Survey. Our thanks to you all. All of the returned survey forms were read very carefully and your replies and comments noted. These surveys are the very best way we have of learning of your priorities, and of what issues concern you the most. All the information contained in the survey replies, together with your additional comments and observations, has been forwarded to our Conservative Councillors and to our M.P., Michael Fabricant.

Chadsmead Conservative

Newsletter

June 2008

November 2007

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