Oaken Wood reprieve

Some good news - Oaken Wood seems to have a reprieve as the High Court has agreed an injunction to stop the quarrying starting. Let's hope that Pickles' decision can be overturned.

And they want to add supermarket traffic to this?

The St Peters St supermarket plan is rumoured to go to the planning committee next month. It will add 710 car journeys an hour to this road...

This is Buckand Hill and was taken at lunchtime today (24/8/13). The queue stretches to the traffic lights, 500m up the hill. It is a regular occurrence up Buckland Hill, especially on Saturdays and there is a similar queue in the other direction along St Peters St to the gyratory.

Another 710 cars? They simply won't get in or out.

Visit to Balcombe

I spent a good evening down at the protest camp in Balcombe last night with a couple of Maidstone Greens, Denise and Robin. We met some really motivated people who really care: "Who gave them the right to drill poisonous holes into Mother Earth?" one woman said to me. I couldn't have put it better.

I did an interview for a man who was putting himself forward as the Balcombe Broadcasting Corporation! Not sure it will hit the Today programme next week but it was good talking with him.

The drilling restarted yesterday - it has upset many on site given their success in stopping it a few days ago. The noise is strange and depressing. I would suggest quite torturous for those of us who have a real problem with poisonous holes being drilled in to ground.

I'll be back soon to help slow the lorries when they turn up. Caroline Lucas's actions this week are a shining example to us all and we need to support her and the anti-fracking campaigns across the country.

And those fracking sites are going to increase rapidly unless we take action now.

Some photos...

Dover school still endorsing anti-gay legislation

I'm shocked that years after many of us fought Kent County Council's version of Section 28, the legislation that stopped teachers discussing same-sex relationships as being acceptable and normal (see below). The Harbour School still refers to Section 28 in its policy despite it being repealed in 2003, ten years ago!

The school has been outed by the British Humanist Association as one of 45 schools around the country that have these discrimatory policies still in place. The school should be ashamed of itself and I have written to their head teacher asking them to remove the section of their policy and reeducate their staff. The policy is in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

This is the text of my email to info@harbour.kent.sch.uk

Dear Mrs Baker,

Your school is one of 45 around the country that is still quoting the Section 28 anti-gay legislation that was repealed 10 years ago. I hope that this policy is a mistake and that you are taking rapid steps to change it and to educate your staff accordingly. I suggest that any other course of action would continue to be discriminatory towards gay and lesbian people - clearly illegal under the Equality Act 2010.

I would be grateful if you would confirm whether it is your intention to make these changes and by when.

Regards

Stuart Jeffery

This is the excerpt from the schools policy (as at 21st Aug 2013):

Local Government Act, 1988
Section 28 requires that -
A Local Authority shall not -
1 (a) Intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality;
(b) Promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.
2 Nothing in subsection (1) above shall be taken to prohibit the doing of anything for the purpose of treating or preventing the spread of disease.
3 In any proceedings in connection with the application of this section a court shall draw such inferences as to the intention of the local authority as may reasonably be drawn from the evidence before it.

Never felt more proud to be a Green

I posted: "Never felt more proud to be a green, well done Caroline" on Facebook and "Solidarity with @CarolineLucas and the other protestors arrested this afternoon." on Twitter yesterday, in response to the news that Caroline Lucas was arrested for obstruction at Balcombe.

The Green Party are the only major party opposed to fracking - Labour and of course, Lib Dems and Tories, are backing this appalling concept that injects huge amounts of poisonous water into the ground. Over on the Guardian website, there is a great comment: "A politician with principles. Con, Labour, Lib, eat your hearts out."

Fracking is now the front line of the environmental movement. Fracking encapsulates all that is wrong with big business, fossil fuel use, poisoning water supplies, and of course the vested interests in politics. What's more. it is coming to a town near you.

Supermarket will destroy the character of the PowerHub

More concern about the plans for an unwanted and unneeded supermarket in Maidstone. The developers are planning to spend £30m giving the grade 2 listed building a facelift destroying its character to go from this:

to this

Interesting to see that the central tower of this listed building is under threat and while the current plot is messy and run down, it still looks nicer than the plans - plus we need homes, not shops!



http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/-30m-to-be-ploughed-4770

Lies, damn lies and Fib Dem statistics

A few weeks ago local Lib Dems delivered their 'Focus' through my door. The second headline on the front page told us about how the Lib Dems in government had given every worker £700:

So while they collected less tax from everyone as part of their austerity measures that are decimating public services that people rely on and then try to dress that up as a 'good thing', they also fail to mention was that they have left workers 5.5% worse off since they came to government.

5.5% on a median wage of £28,000 is £1540 less income.

So not only have they not given every worker £700, they have taken twice as much from the average worker. Of course the richest earners now have to pay even less since the abolition of the 50% rate and students will leave university in serious debt. Hardly a good news story but I just wish I was as clever at making up unsubstantiated claims as them!

Fracking: Helen Grant MP challenged over Michael Fallon's comments

I have challenged Helen Grant MP for Maidstone and the Weald to state her position on whether she supports fracking generally and whether she supports it in her Weald constituency after her Energy Minister colleague, Michael Fallon MP for Sevenoaks, announced that the would be more fracking in the Weald in Kent.

Stuart Jeffery: "I have written to Mrs Grant following her colleagues comments at the weekend when he stated that there would be fracking in Kent and in the Weald. The level of opposition to fracking is immense[1] and likely to increase, so as Mrs Grant is MP for a large part of the Weald in Kent, I think it is important that people know where she stands on this.

"The residents in Balcombe have been highly vocal about the fracking that is starting there, as have residents in Deal with the shale gas exploration at Woodnesborough.

"The Greens are at the forefront of the opposition of shale gas and have been supporting protestors in both Sussex and Kent."

ends.

Notes:
1. YouGov survey published 02/08/13 found that 43% of people would oppose fracking locally compared to 26% who would support it: http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/hoirf26dxl/YG-Archive-Pol-Sunday-Times-results-020813.pdf

2. Letter text:


Dear Mrs Grant,

Your colleague, Michael Fallon MP and Energy Minister, has indicated that there will be further exploration of shale in the search for gas and that this will occur across the Weald including in Kent and by inference, your constituency.

As opponents of shale gas extraction we are deeply concerned about this prospect and therefore we seek your assurance that you will be discussing this matter with Mr Fallon and that you will oppose any exploration of shale or drilling for shale gas in your constituency.

Please can you confirm your position on the exploration and drilling for shale gas generally and also in your constituency.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Brazier accused of 'naivety' after fracking report...

...by Green Party Cllr Martin Whybrow following sight of a Kent County Council document supporting fracking in a piece on the KM website. Cllr Whybrow: "The document is a pointer of the way KCC is looking at this. I do not know what evidence there is for making these sorts of assertions and I cannot see the justification for them."

And while councillors in Kent are being fed a contaminated stream of baloney at least the Greens can still speak out against this dangerous and destructive practice unlike two children in the Land of the Free who have been given lifetime gagging orders.

Fracking has become the front line for the environmental movement.

This is the 'naive' briefing from KCC's Cabinet Member for the Environment (Tory, Cllr Brazier) to councillors:

Fracking – A briefing for Members

What is fracking?

Fracking has been much in the news recently and will continue to feature. 

Fracking, or “hydraulic fracturing”, as you will know by now, is a process for releasing gas or oil from shale, a sedimentary rock rich in organic matter lying up to 20,000ft below the earth’s surface.  The methodology involves applying a mixture of water and chemicals under pressure to open the lateral seams in the shale and effectively push out the gas or oil.

Expert opinion is that there are extensive beds of shale under Kent and elsewhere in the UK, and substantial quantities of a hitherto untapped source of energy are there to be taken, perhaps for seventy years.  Shale gas, when burnt, has only half the emissions of coal and its use as a mainstream fuel could represent the cheapest and quickest way of making the cuts in Britain’s carbon emissions that we are committed to under international treaties.

Fracking is a violent-sounding word, and a violent process.  You will have read or heard that it causes earthquakes; well, it can cause earth tremors but generally of a low order and not significantly more than might be caused by coal mining.  There is also worry about the large amounts of water needed in the process and the possibility of pollution of groundwater reserves.  A huge amount of concern has been generated at the prospect of fracking in Britain, and what is needed is a balanced view of the impacts, weighing the positive impacts of the technology

against the negative ones. This is mine:-

Positive Impacts

·        Given the UK’s future energy demands, the responsible exploration for and production of indigenous hydrocarbon resources offers significant economic benefits that are broadly in the national interest.  Shale gas has particular attractions in that it is, relatively speaking, a cleaner, greener, high energy methane rich fuel.  It has no value if it remains locked in the ground.

·        Shale gas can be produced onshore locally and used locally, assuming an economically sustainable delivery system.

·        It will be a largely new industry, creating jobs.

Negative Impacts

·        Shale gas production routinely requires large sophisticated hydraulic fracture treatments on each well

·        Development will impact the local infrastructure and environment with massive equipment and large numbers of vehicle movements.

·        Many wells are required, the number being consistent with the intensity of activity

·        Fracking can use large quantities of fresh water.  Very large volumes of flow back water have also to be recovered and treated

The UK Government view of Fracking

The UK government is supportive of home-grown energy initiatives and whereas some European governments have banned fracking, it has adopted a pragmatic approach to the technique and has allowed some small scale tests to be carried out.  However, following some earth tremors near a site in Lancashire, government insisted on the suspension of activity pending an independent study.  The independent panel has published its findings and whilst the operators in Lancashire, Cuadrilla, have admitted causing earth tremors of up to magnitude 2.3 (2.3 is described as “moderate”), the government response is that fracking should be allowed to resume.

Q&A

Q. Is fracking a new technology? Why hasn’t it been done before in the UK?

A. No.  It’s been going on since 1946 and now produces huge amounts of energy in, principally, the United States and Canada. Fracking is an expensive process and not viable when oil and conventional gas is plentiful and cheap, as it has been until recently.

Q.  Can it really cause an earthquake?

A.  Depends what you call an earthquake.  The technique can occasionally cause earth tremors that might crack the plaster, but it is not capable of causing serious damage.  In any case, when a local problem is discovered, the danger of tremors can be designed out of the system.

Q. Doesn’t it cause environmental damage?

A. Yes, some, but then so do all extractive industries.  The problem will not be huge holes in the ground, like open cast mining, but the intrusion of the plant and installations needed to deliver the gas or oil.  With regulation and care, the effects can be minimised.

Q. What’s this business about chemicals being pumped into ground?  Aren’t they going to pollute the groundwater and poison us all?

A. Water and sand are 99% of what is used as a fluid in fracking, but water is not an efficient carrier of sand and a range of chemicals are used to make the mixture more gel-like as it is pumped into the fractures in the shale. The chemicals used are said to be those used in commonly used domestic compounds and therefore not dangerous, but the concentrations and manner of use are quite important.  Bores are carefully sealed and fracking usually occurs at depths far below that of groundwater.

Q. Are people right to protest?

A.  People will always protest against change but fracking can produce substantial quantities of energy fuel, possibly enough to meet Britain’s needs for decades at a time when other options are running out and our reliance on foreign suppliers is increasing.  There is no reason to assume that it cannot be a safe process.

Q. What’s the position in Kent?  What’s KCC doing about it?

A. Operators require a licence from DECC first, but KCC is the Mineral Planning Authority and can give planning permission for onshore exploration and development of underground resources. 

The East Kent drilling project that was granted planning permission in 2011 (Coastal Oil and Gas)is only for the initial exploratory borehole.  If this borehole exploration proves successful further development of the resource would require a full planning application and Environmental Statement. The operators have (verbally) stated that development of the resources here would probably not involve fracking. There is also an extant permission for exploratory work at Cowden, Tunbridge Wells, but this is for oil.  Shale may lie below, so permission for fracking may eventually be sought.

Q.  Yes, but what’s the authority’s view of fracking if people think there are serious environmental issues?

A. Emerging policy in the Kent MWDF Core Strategy at Strategy and Policy Directions stage (May 2011) stated,

“Policy CSM7

Oil, Gas and Coal Bed Methane

Planning permission will be granted for proposals associated with the exploration, appraisal and development of oil, gas Including shale gas and natural gas development and underground coal seam gasification subject to:

·        Development taking place in appropriate locations where the proposals do not have unacceptable amenity or environmental impacts

·        All environmental impacts being controlled to ensure there is not a significant effect upon sensitive receptors

·        Exploration and appraisal operations are for an agreed, temporary length of time; and

·        The drilling site being restored to a satisfactory standard and after-use.

Policy will evolve as the industry does.

Q. So it’s the next big thing, is it?

A. It could be very important in Kent, bringing jobs and a range of other benefits to the economy, and of course, a measure of energy security.  However, the timescales are hard to anticipate. What you can be very sure of, is that if fracking becomes a mainstream source of energy, it will be heavily regulated to make it as undamaging and safe as possible.  The mistakes and environmental damage that has given it a bad name elsewhere (polluted drinking water and flame from the bathroom taps!) have resulted from bad practice in other countries and are unlikely to occur in the UK.

 

Lib Dems: 'no reason to oppose' building on countryside

Looks like the KM don't want to publish letters from me - probably too much of a trouble maker :-) I wrote a right of reply letter to them last week about the Lib Dem backing to lift the moratorium on building on greenfield sites. This backing of the was during the debate on 24th April when the motion "that the revocation of the moratorium on the release of greenfield housing sites allocated in the Maidstone Borough-Wide Local Plan 2000 be approved." was proposed by Cllr Garland, seconded by Cllr Paine and the supported by the Lib Dems. Cllr Wilson, lead of the Lib Dems said: "There is no reason to oppose this."

You can see the debate on YouTube...


This is the letter that wasn't published:

Dear Editor,

Tony Harwood's claim that the unanimous decision by Lib Dems and Conservatives to lift of the Council's ban on building on greenfield sites was merely procedural is simply not true. The Lib Dems spoke in favour of the Conservatives motion to allow building on our countryside and should readers be in any doubt, I have placed a film of the debate on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuAwuBCjhA

As readers will see, the Lib Dem claims that they want to protect the countryside and our environment are simply made to win votes. What they say and how they act in Council meetings, and of course in the coalition government, is quite different.

Stuart Jeffery Maidstone Green Party

Euro Poll puts Greens on 12%

A European election poll commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society has put the Greens on 12%, a level which would return 7 Green MEPs.

The increase from 8.6% in 2009 to 12% (assuming the increase in vote share was proportional across England) would be a dramatic result for us returning 2 MEPs in the South East, and one in each of East of England, South West, London, North West and Yorkshire.

Sadly the UK Parliament's voting system remains in the 17th century unlike the EU. If we had proportionality in Westminster there would be around 80 Green MPs.

Lord Jenny

Great news that Jenny Jones has been appointed to the House of Lords.
The Green Party opposed the concept of an appointed upper chamber in Parliament but while the system exists and given the failure of the other parties we need to increasing our voice wherever we can.

Unlike parties who put appointees forward based on the amount of money they have paid, the Greens held an open and transparent internal election to select who we would put forward if asked. Jenny came top of the list.

Jenny has made a huge impact on the London Assembly and will make an even bigger impact in the Upper Chamber. 

Royal Mail Privatisation

Yesterday I met with CWU activists in Maidstone and signed their petition. I fully support the fight against

privatisation but I think it is good to be clear why and although we need to be clear about reasons although personally I would suggest that argument should be the other way round given principle, i.e. are there good reasons to privatise it?

However, just for clarity:

1. The Royal Mail is profitable, money which should either be reinvested in the service, prompt stamp cost reduction or simply be a useful income for the treasury. Privatisation will provide a single lump of cash for the government only.
2. Post is more efficient as a single provider, privatisation encourages competition (which I accept already exists).
3. There is no reason why government shouldn't invest in the service - it is a simple political decision to do so.
4. It belongs to the Queen - we can't sell her service and I don't want to lick the back side of Richard Branson when his head appears on a 1st class stamp... :-)
5. Privatisation has provided appalling outcomes for many services over the last 25 years

The key arguments seems to be concerned with investment to meet changing needs. I see no reason not to provide this through direct investment by government through QE or reinvestment of profits.

Housing in Fant - public meeting

I attended a meeting organised by the Upper Fant Community Group who had arranged for Cllr Paine (Tory Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development)to talk about housing plans for the next 20 years.The meeting was well attended with about 40 people.

He explained that independent assessment of housing need had demonstrated a requirement for between 14,800 and 17,200 homes in Maidstone over the next 20 year with 60% of the demand driven by population growth. He explained the need was greatest for 2 / 3 bedroom homes and he talked about the increasing number of sole occupancy homes. All interesting stuff but what he failed to explain (in his response to my question) was why he is planning to reduce the requirement for affordable homes from 40% to 15% in towns, and from 40% to 30% in the sub-urban fringe.

Aside from a good range of questions from the public, it was sad to witness Lib Dem Jasper Gerard trying to turn the meeting into a Party Political slapping session after he had be specifically asked not to. It was also sad to listen to Lib Dem Councillor Beerling regularly talking over people while the chair repeatedly asked him to let others speak. Not a great showing by them, but only slightly worse than Labour (I couldn't spot even one of their activists at the meeting).

Overall it was a good meeting, Richard Wadey chaired well and Stephen Paine kept his nerve on a difficult and emotive subject.

Protestors not welcome in UK

Protesting about elitism and the establishment clearly makes you a hardened terrorist who should be banged up and then deported in the eyes of Teresa May.

Trenton Oldfield is facing deportation after disrupting the Boat Race protesting about elitism in this country. Unfortunately for him he is Australian and the Home Office are refusing to renew his visa. He is married to an British woman and has lived here for 10 years.

He received a 6 month sentence for the protest - a sentence that I find hard to accept given that the protest was non-violent. Perhaps the country never really left the Victorian era?

There is an e-petition here and more from the Guardian here. Let's try to overturn this affront to peaceful protesting.

Make sure night shelters aren't forced to close their doors to homeless people

This is from Change.org on homeless shelters.

Petitioning Lord Freud: Make sure night shelters aren't forced to close their doors to homeless people

Please sign

On balance, the EU is a positive force in our lives

Letter to various papers in Kent:

David Cameron has only published legislation on an EU referendum because of campaigning by his own unruly backbenchers. However, ultimately, it is right to give people a say on the UK remaining in the EU. Indeed anyone in Kent under the age of 55 has never had a say on our place in Europe.
The EU is far from perfect. All too often it serves the interests of business, rather than people and in some policy areas it holds power which should be devolved to local communities.
But, on balance, the EU is a positive force in our lives. European legislation is vital in protecting workers’ rights, improving our environment and regulating our out of control banking sector. It brings countries together to work on the issues that cross our borders and can’t be dealt with unilaterally.
Recent research by Friends of the Earth shows us that without EU action we’d have dirtier beaches, more polluted rivers and even higher levels of air pollution.
Over the next twelve months Keith Taylor, Green Party Member of the European Parliament will be touring the South East making the case for a European Union that stands up for people’s rights and protects our environment. The time has now come for us to cut through the Europhobic rhetoric and have an adult debate about our place in the European Union.

Stuart Jeffery Chair Kent Green Party

Woolwich murder

The murder yesterday in Woolwich was horrific and my thoughts are with the deceased's family.

Sadly the murder has sparked appalling racist comments on the internet and the knee jerk reactions from the media, police and government.

As I drove home last night listening to the breaking news I passed the entrance to the barracks in Maidstone and saw two police cars blocking the exit. It went through my mind that maybe the four policemen were there to provide protection to the thousand or so regiment at the barracks but I quickly dismissed that as ludicrous - but that was exactly what they were doing.

It seems too that a mosque in Gillingham was attacked last night. The people who committed the murder in Woolwich are murderers who betray their claimed links to Islam which is a good religion (for example see this or ISLAM for Peace).

Racist attacks and murders continue up and down the country but the country doesn't react like yesterday's. This morning Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee from Birmingham posted this on Facebook: Condolences to family of murdered man. 85-year old Muslim man was also murdered in my home town a few weeks ago walking to the mosque. Police believe it was racist attack. No uproar. 

So two black murderers commit a horrific murder in broad daylight and the country seems to descend into a panic. The murderers have been caught and will be punished - that should be the end of it but I fear the attention that race and religious elements of the murder is getting will get more attention that the horrific act itself and will drive society in the wrong direction.

Greens on 6%

An Ipsos Mori poll out yesterday has put the Green Party on 6% just 4% behind the Lib Dems and way ahead of them in the 18 to 34 age bracket. This is the highest I have seen us in a national poll but it is clear that our polling has been climbing steadily over the past 5 years. Long may it continue

Homelessness in Maidstone

It is very clear that 'official' homelessness statistic are pretty flawed but they probably do tell a bit of a story. The story in Maidstone is that we have a problem, that the problem is growing, that Maidstone has the second highest level of homelessness in Kent and that the local council is failing people.

The Kent Messenger is reporting again about the numbers of people living in tents in and around town, this time in a local cemetery but we know that Cuckoo Woods also has an encampment. The council's response: to start thinking about a new housing strategy that reduces the number of affordable homes being built and increases the number of executive homes.

We need a council that is prepared to meet the homelessness challenge head on. That means:

• identifying places of safety for people
• focusing on new homes on those in need
• providing support for those who are suffering under the benefits decimation of the Lib Dems and Tories
• helping people into work
• not evicting people who can't afford the bedroom tax

Time for the council to wake up and help people.

This is how badly Maidstone is doing on homelessness. The figures are the 'official' figures per 1000 homes - clearly the real figure is much higher:

Ashford	0.84
Maidstone	0.69
Medway UA	0.60
Thanet	0.52
Dartford	0.51
Gravesham	0.43
Dover	0.35
Canterbury	0.31
Swale	0.29
Shepway	0.26
Tunbridge Wells	0.21
Sevenoaks	0.21
Tonbridge and Malling	0.16