We are in the middle of the party conference season. Last week I was at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth, this week Labour is in Brighton and next week the Conservatives are in Manchester. For the national media and those in the Westminster "Village" these events are the meat and drink of political reporting. Every slight slip of the tongue becomes an attempted coup and every frown a snub.
The Government has announced that it will now intervene after local community groups, churches and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen had campaigned against the so-called 'rain tax' which saw water bills rise as much as 1400%.
Local MP Tim Farron presented Grange Primary School with a prestigious award last week. Grange Primary School has successfully won 'Green Flag' status as part of the national schools 'eco awards'.
Latest figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show that Bedford Borough Council paid out nearly £50,000 in three years in compensation to people who tripped on pavements. The large figure represents only a fraction of the overall compensation bill for local taxpayers, as it does not include payments made by the former County Council. The County Council was responsible for maintaining most heavily-used pavements, and the Borough Council's bill could rocket after it took on responsibility for these in April this year. County councils and unitary authorities have paid out an average of nearly £1m each in compensation for pavement trips in the last five years.
Ambitious plans at the Rose Bowl have won the backing of Eastleigh Borough Council. The plans for a hotel, golf course and bigger stands will create 200 jobs, pump £20,000,000 into the local economy every year and bring Test Cricket to our Borough.
I was grateful today for the opportunity to visit Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Sikh Temple in Queens Park. The magnificent Gurdwara is one of those serving the large and vibrant local Sikh community.