Raising resident's concerns over Halfway House near Primary School

Parents of children at Pevensey & Westham Church of England Primary School have been expressing concern about plans to open a halfway house for homeless people and recovering drug addicts and alcoholics in an end of terrace house in Westham High Street.

The plans by Kingdomway Trust are to provide a project called 'The Bridge' in which six men, who are part way through their rehabilitation process will be given the opportunity to prepare for a fully independent life and you can read more about their aims and ambitions by clicking this link to their website: http://kingdomwaytrust.org/projects/house/

On Monday evening, the 10th March, local resident, Kevin Balsdon arranged a public meeting for local residents and concerned individuals to come along and hear about Kingdomway Trust's plans and to have the opportunity to ask questions about the proposals. The meeting was well run and it was clear that the organisers have very sincere intentions, intentions which I think most people would wish them well with in the hope that the individuals who might use the project, are able to complete their rehabilitation and change the course of their lives for the better.

I attended in my capacity of a father to my ten year old daughter and as a local Councillor representing Sovereign Harbour and Langney Point. Whilst Pevensey & Westham Primary School is located in the neighbouring Pevensey & Westham area, I and many of the people I represent in Sovereign Harbour and the surrounding area have the privilege of contributing to village life through the education and afterschool activities that our children participate in at this traditional village Church school.

A number of concerning points came to light during the public questions. Whilst the organisers have participated in the successful night shelter scheme in Eastbourne, where churches take it turns to provide a rotational single night's shelter for homeless people from the coldest of the winter weather, this ambitious project will be the first it has undertaken on a continuous basis and it is intended that residents will remain in the house for up to two years until rehabilitation is complete. Furthermore whilst they have a preferred selection criteria, the organisers were unable to guarantee residents that those who apply to be part of the project would A) not have a criminal record or B) not be on the register of sex offenders and despite these potential and serious risks, 24 hour supervision is only likely to be provided for the first six months with a team of volunteers providing on call support thereafter.

I addressed the meeting on behalf of parents of pupils to say that whilst I didn't doubt the sincerity of the organisers' intentions, with so many young, vulnerable and impressionable young people within close proximity of the intended location of the house, this was the wrong location to be trialling such an ambitious project. Furthermore I have written to Wealden District Council who will be considering if the application is legal by the 8th April and I have also written to the Associate Head Teacher of Pevensey & Westham Primary School to encourage him to do the same.

At this stage, due to the size of the plan, Wealden District Council only have to consider if the plan is a legal application and if they do that, no formal public consultation need take place and the project will become a reality with the very real risks that entails. If the council can be convinced of the danger, they could ensure that the plan has to go before a full planning committee and face the level of scrutiny it warrants. If you would like to make your views known, you should write to:

The Head of Planning & Building Control

Wealden District Council

Council Offices

Vicarage Lane

Hailsham

East Sussex

BN27 2AX

E-mail: planning@wealden.gov.uk

Fairness for Sovereign Harbour Residents proposed in Council Motion

Residents of Sovereign Harbour have long been concerned about how money raised from the Harbour Charge is spent. Currently the two largest proportions of the money raised are divided between the Environment Agency and Premier Marinas with the smaller remaining portion being spent on administering the charge to residents via Sovereign Harbour Sea Defences CIC (formerly Sovereign Harbour Trust).

I was invited to join the board in 2011 and took up this offer (which is not related formally to my role as one of your local Councillors), in order to give residents a voice on the board and gain a better understanding of how it works. I have consistently used this platform to call for more transparency and have also supported calls for Sovereign Harbour Residents Association to be offered the chance to nominate a further Director, effectively doubling resident representation on the board. I would furthermore like to confirm that whilst Directors are permitted to claim a small allowance to cover their time and travel costs to meetings, I have chosen not to claim this preferring to see this as a further opportunity to put something back into the community in which I live.

One of the things that frustrates me most is the way the agreement was drafted and I believe that whilst Eastbourne Borough Council fulfilled its statutory obligations as the local Planning Authority in permitting the development of the Harbour, in common with the loose conditions which have permitted huge volumes of residential properties without community facilities, it should have accepted a moral duty to ensure that any agreement formed to collect a charge to maintain sea defences, was drafted in such a way that this charge was applied fairly amongst residents who benefit from the work and that revisions to future charges was able to be scrutinised properly. 

Since I and my fellow colleagues Cllr Philip Ede and Cllr Gordon Jenkins were elected in 2011, we have worked hard with the current Council Officer team, County Councillor David Elkin, landowners and developers to rectify the situation with regard to community facilities. The Master Plan process, whilst not yet delivered, demonstrates this commitment and will deliver only minimal further residential development along with a Community Centre, further Restaurants, Bars, Shops, public open spaces, a bus link which will lead to an improved bus service and the creation of a Business Park to boost jobs and the creation of businesses on the area.

However, the recent further increase in the Harbour Charge, dictated by Premier Marinas demonstrates that there is still much more to do. We must reach a point where residents can see fairness applied to the charge made for maintaining our sea defences. We must be confident that any further money being used by the Marina Company is of benefit to residents and not as is perceived by some, being used to subsidise a commercial business. Whether this agreement continues to run until it ends, or is renegotiated early for any reason, I believe that any future changes must be seen to embody fairness so I have tabled a motion that will if supported by all members of the council, lead to officers working up proposals and advice on how this can best be achieved.

The motion reads:

'This Council accepts that residents have every right to feel that they were failed from the outset and for them to consider that fairness was not at the heart of the agreement which sees a charge put on Harbour residents alone to maintain sea defences. Furthermore, members will instruct officers to look into how best this council can contribute to righting the historic wrongs and ensure that fairness is at the heart of any new agreement in future'.

See my You Tube introduction to the motion here: http://youtu.be/W_lI-zwQYUY

Fellow Ward Councillor and Harbour resident, Cllr Philip Ede will be seconding the motion and Sovereign Harbour Residents Association will have a Committee representative speaking in favour of the motion at the meeting. Residents and members of the public are welcome to attend and have the opportunity to address members as well. If you would like to speak you need to make your request known to the Democracy Team by emailing them at localdemocracy@eastbourne.gov.uk no later than midday on Monday 17th February.

Following the recent extreme weather it is clear from the pictures below that our coastline requires constant maintenance to ensure that our homes remain safe and it is my belief that most reasonable people don't mind contributing to that maintenance provided the charges we pay are seen to be fair. I hope very much that this motion if passed will lead to greater fairness for residents.

Cllr Patrick Warner

Conservative Member for Sovereign Ward

& Chairman of Scrutiny

Eastbourne Borough Council

Awful A27 claims another local life

Following on from the positive meeting at Westminster last week when Chamber Chief, Christina Ewbank, Eastbourne's Prospective MP, Cllr Caroline Ansell and I met new Roads Minister, Robert Goodwill MP to discuss long overdue improvements to the A27 between Polegate and Lewes, it was sad to hear that yet another motorist lost their life on the road during rush hour traffic on Monday evening.

Earlier today it was revealed that the motorist in question was 57 year old Peter Sinden of Old Town. Peter was a former customer of mine that I had known for a number of years. A keen motoring enthusiast and fan of MG sports cars, Peter was a gentle man with a great sense of humour who will be missed by his family and the local MG enthusiast community.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to Peter's family and friends at this difficult time and his passing will strengthen my resolve to continue doing all I can to ensure that this road is upgraded in the future.

Questions asked over Towner Art Gallery Trust proposals

Eastbourne's Lib-Dem run Council have been quizzed over plans to transfer the New Towner Art Gallery into a trust. At the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening, Chairman of Scrutiny, Cllr Patrick Warner questioned Cllr Carolyn Heaps the Cabinet Portfolio holder for Tourism about the plans.

Cllr Warner said "given this Council's poor record at managing it's property portfolio along with concerns over the original build of the new Towner Gallery and the deteriorated state of the adjacent Congress Theatre which remains covered in expensive scaffolding, can Cllr Heaps advise us what steps have been taken to ensure that the building will continue to be maintained properly and regular inspections carried out once the transfer to trust takes place". Cllr Warner also added "given the exciting plans to redevelop the Devonshire Complex and restore the Winter Gardens, can Cllr Heaps assure us that rushing ahead with moving the Towner to trust early will not make the wider complex less attractive given that it was first muted that the entire site could be managed by one trust?".

A red faced Cllr Heaps seemed unusually lost for words as first the Leader of the Council sprang to her defence, followed by the Senior Officer responsible for Tourism who admitted that further work needed to be done in this area but that it was possible the Council would retain responsibility for the buildings and that the Towner trust might be able to be rolled into a larger trust or operated as a separate entity within a larger organisation at some stage. 

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Cllr Warner said "I was not convinced that the Cabinet Member had strong grasp of her brief in this area and whilst I accept that trust status could open up opportunities for the flagship art gallery, I will be maintaining a close interest in developments both as Chairman of Scrutiny and in my role on the cross party Strategic Property Board which was tasked with restoring confidence in the management of the property portfolio following the Asset Management Fiasco that surfaced shortly after the 2011 local elections".

Britain finally deports Abu Qatada to Jordan after decade long saga

Britain deported radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan on Sunday to face terror charges, ending a nearly decade-long legal battle to expel the man once dubbed Osama bin Laden's deputy in Europe.

The Palestinian-born preacher, 53, was taken from prison in an armoured police van to a military airfield on the outskirts of London, where he boarded a privately chartered jet that lifted off into the night sky.

Britain was finally able to expel the father-of-five after the two governments last month formally approved a treaty guaranteeing that evidence obtained by torture would not be used against him in any retrial.

Home Secretary Theresa May said his departure proved that the government's efforts to deport him had been worth the £1.7 million ($2.7 million, two million euros) legal bill and would be "welcomed by the British public."

"This dangerous man has now been removed from our shores to face the courts in his own country," she said in a statement released seconds after Abu Qatada's plane took off.

_{Handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence of Abu Qatada (left) at RAF Northolt. Photo: PA}

Jordanian officials said they expected him to arrive in Amman later Sunday morning, with the flight taking around five hours, although they have not said what they will do with him when he does arrive.

British newspapers said he would be taken straight to jail near Amman.

Television pictures showed Abu Qatada dressed in a white robe as he boarded the aircraft at the RAF Northolt base in west London. He had earlier left high security Belmarsh jail in southeast London in a blue armoured police van flanked by three police cars.

Abu Qatada was condemned to death in 1999 for conspiracy to carry out terror attacks including on the American school in Amman but the sentence was immediately reduced to life imprisonment with hard labour.

In 2000, he was sentenced to 15 years for plotting to carry out terror attacks on tourists during the millennium celebrations in Jordan.

Under Jordanian law, Abu Qatada faces retrial for the offences on his return, because the original convictions were made in absentia.

The radical cleric has been in and out of British prisons since 2002, although he has never been convicted of any crime, and London has been trying to deport him since 2005.

British and European courts blocked his expulsion on the grounds that evidence might be used against him that had been obtained by torture.

But after years of legal battles his lawyers unexpectedly said in May that he would return there once the fair trial treaty was ratified by the Jordanian parliament.

"I am glad that this government's determination to see him on a plane has been vindicated and that we have at last achieved what previous governments, parliament and the British public have long called for," May said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron had previously said he would be "one of the happiest people in Britain" when Abu Qatada was finally deported.

Abu Qatada's wife and five children are expected to remain in Britain, where he first came in 1993 seeking asylum.

Born Omar Mahmud Mohammed Otman in Bethlehem in the now Israeli-occupied West Bank, Abu Qatada is a Jordanian national because the town was part of Jordan when he was born.

Videotapes of his sermons were allegedly found in the Hamburg flat of 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta while top Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon once branded Abu Qatada Osama bin Laden's deputy in Europe, although Abu Qatada denies ever having met the slain al-Qaeda leader.

Jordanian Salafist leader Mohammad Shalabi, who is better known as Abu Sayyaf, told AFP this week that his followers were hopeful Abu Qatada would be allowed to go home instead of returning to jail.

"God willing, he will be declared innocent after a fair and quick trial," Shalabi said.

Theresa May, the fifth successive home secretary to try to expel Abu Qatada, announced the so-called "Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters" with Jordan in April after months of negotiations.

The treaty was then ratified by the British and Jordanian parliaments. It does not specifically mention Abu Qatada, but gives guarantees for cases like his.

Edited by Steve Wilson for telegraph.co.uk

Ministers to seize back 100 powers from Brussels

Around 100 powers are to be permanently seized from Europe in a dramatic move this week.

In the first part of efforts to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European Union, ministers will announce plans to claw back the powers.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will give MPs details of proposals to opt out of 133 EU measures covering justice, home affairs and the police — including the controversial European Arrest Warrant — by next spring.

Some of the measures that are seen to be in the national interest will then be opted back into, in a complex process, but “more than two thirds” will disappear permanently from British law, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

The move follows last week’s unanimous Commons vote in favour of moves to hold an “in-out” referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU by 2017.

David Cameron has promised to hold a referendum after a major diplomatic drive to redefine the terms of Britain’s relationship with the 27 other countries in the union.

Senior government sources said the announcement on the mass justice and home affairs opt-out, which is expected on Tuesday, should be seen in this context, while Tory Eurosceptics, who originally wanted all 133 measures to be dumped permanently, said that the move was an “acid test” of the Prime Minister’s renegotiation strategy.

It could also open up a new rift with the Liberal Democrats, who oppose Mr Cameron’s referendum plan.

Tuesday’s announcement will be made after months of intense internal wrangling between Tories and Lib Dems over which justice and home affairs powers should be kept and which should be permanently dropped.

Conservative ministers want to exploit Labour’s confusion over whether it will make its own referendum pledge, as well as the party’s wider difficulties surrounding the row over attempts by the Unite union, its biggest paymaster, to influence the selection of parliamentary candidates.

Other flagship coalition measures likely to appeal to Conservative supporters will be spelt out in detail this week — including the new curriculum for five- to 14-year-olds that will see Winston Churchill restored to history lessons and plans for the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Mrs May is expected to tell MPs that the process of opting out of the EU’s justice and home affairs measures by the end of May 2014 — as Britain is entitled to do under the terms of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty — will be followed by a process of opting back into some laws that it is in the national interest to retain.

The most controversial is the European Arrest Warrant, which senior Conservative sources say gives rise to “concerns” — including the fact that Britain currently hands over many more suspects to other countries than it receives to face justice here.

Other concerns include the length of time suspects can be held without trial in some other EU countries and the apparently trivial offences for which British police are asked to arrest people so that they can be sent abroad.

Ministers have been pressing for the warrant to be “reformed”, amid signs that it could be one of the measures that is eventually retained. The Lib Dems are key supporters of the warrant.

Other measures among the scores from which Britain is expected to opt out include DNA profiling and fingerprint checking, some co-operation on cross-border crimes and plans for an EU-wide driving ban.

One plan Britain is particularly keen not to be part of is that of a European-wide public prosecutor with sweeping powers of investigation and arrest across member states.

Although some laws will remain after the “opt back in” process, Conservative sources welcomed the symbolism of the announcement of a major opt-out of EU powers just days after plans for an in/out referendum got a 304-vote unanimous backing in the Commons.

Dominic Raab, a Conservative MP, said: “This is a crucial opportunity to put British law enforcement ahead of Brussels’ thirst for political control and an acid test for the wider Conservative strategy of renegotiating terms with the EU.”

Via www.telegraph.co.uk

Grant Shapps MP makes joint appearance with Caroline Ansell inEastbourne Town Centre

Grant Shapps MP makes joint appearance with Caroline Ansell in Eastbourne Town Centre

The Right Honourable Grant Shapps MP,Conservative Party Chairman, today joined Caroline Ansell,  Prospective MP for Eastbourne & Willingdon at Bankers Corner in Terminus Road where they conducted a canvass of public opinion ahead of the vote on James Wharton's Private Members Bill, committing an EU Referendum to law. Voting takes place in Parliament on 5th July.

Caroline said:

“The referendum could be one step closer. The sitting MP has the opportunity on Friday in Westminster to play his part in securing a vote for the 70,000 voters in Eastbourne and Willingdon. If he were to vote in favour that would seem like a good day’s work to me. Our membership of The EU is arguably the biggest political question of our time and we really need to have a national conversation, in a responsible and balanced manner, that for once people can have a direct say in …why deny us that chance?”

Later in the afternoon Caroline Ansell presented the result of at the canvass to the office of sitting MP Stephen Lloyd, urging him to vote in favour of an EU referendum when the bill comes before  parliament tomorrow.

 ‘Independent’s Day’ for Traders

Following the street canvas, Caroline and Grant visited the Enterprise Shopping Centre to tour this example of success story of independent traders in the converted railway building.

“What a pleasure to show Grant around The Enterprise Centre on what is now known Independent’s Day’. The great character and nature of the place was so evident and everywhere we stopped there was a hugely warm welcome. Shopping here is so much more than a transaction, it's an experience”

They then visited The Old Print Works, Wharf Road nearing the completion of its renovation to see a ‘Back to Work’ Seminar in progress and to see how this new premises is providing an opportunity for business start-ups and a new home to Cohub.

After the visit Caroline said: “I was so impressed with the transformation going on at The Old Printworks where they are creating a really exciting workspace and great opportunities for local entrepreneurs”