Paul Johnston

Despite the stormy weather which brought down many local trees and two panels from our garden fence Surbiton Neighbourhood Planning went ahead last night.

It was a very good humoured meeting but left one or two matters still undecided after long debates. Most prominent of these was the future of the Nuffield building at The Crescent in Surbiton, which was deferred for further discussions with the developers.

I was particularly glad that the Committee took a strong stance against the building of permanent structures in gardens. One looked like a small bungalow, complete with well appointed kitchen and bathroom and the other was a building of breeze block, rendered, with a tar paper roof in a garden in the Southborough Conservation Area. This was euphemistically called a 'shed'.

It was also good to see the long-running question of the future of 200 Ewell Road, the former Conservative HQ, finally settled with all-party agreement.

Last night we had the best attended Housing Consultative meeting we have had since, I think, 1998. It was a joint meeting with the Leaseholders' Forum but there was a high attendance by Residents' Associations.

The main matter in hand was the Budget consultation for 2007-8. A major problem for Kingston is the amount central Government extracts from the Housing Revenue A/c in Housing Subsidy. A couple of years ago this was just short of £4million. In the current financial year it is nearly £5million. Next year it will grow by another £1million to just under £6million. This seems to be a consistent Labour Government policy to bleed authorities like Kingston in order to feather the nests of favoured authorities elsewhere - and it's getting worse year by year.

What makes it particularly galling is that our tenants actually voted for this state of affairs when they voted to stay 'with the Council' and against a large-scale stock transfer. They were gulled into this by promises from some that Councillors would be able to help them if they stayed with the Council. Twaddle! Councillors are powerless to stop the Government from levying this 'stealth tax' which takes 28p in every £1 each tenant pays in rent and which could otherwise fund repairs and improvements. The levy doesn't apply to Housing Association properties.

Tenants are rightly worried about the loss of services which may well result from the cash shortage. Tere was much concern at the risk to the estate ranger service and the possible loss of the dog warden service.

If these valued services are at risk so is the attainment of the Government's much vaunted Decent Homes Standard and its soon to be announced sequel, the Decent Neighbourhoods Standard. The Labour Councillor, the organisation calling itself LATCH and Unison which backed them should be ashamed of themselves for waht they led our tenants into. I doubt if they will be though.

Very sad indeed to hear this morning of the death of the former Area campaign Director of the Conservative Party in South London, Christine Bedier.

Christine was a very fine agent in the best tradition of that profession. May she rest in Peace.

Meetings have started with a vengeance this week. There was a fairly uneventful Council last Tuesday but the rumblings continue after the last one before Christmas.

There's an issue about the creative interpretation of Standing Orders by which the Mayor allowed a Liberal democrat motion which effectively altered the Constitution of the Council without prior notice and despite the failure of such a motion on a recorded vote at the previous meeting.

The Mayor acted on advice but the question still remains to be resolved as to whether the Constitution means what it says in all its parts.

On a happier note it does look as though the question of the siting of the bus stop in Thornhill Road may finally be coming to a satisfactory conclusion.

This letter from the 'Surrey Comet' is a good read, http://http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/display.var.1092207.0.can_you_feel_the_farce_of_the_planning_system.php. The writer is talking about Elmbridge specifically but what she says applies equally to Kingston, one feels - and probably to other local authority areas too.

Feel free to share your thoughts on it.