East Sussex County Council signs £35.44 million broadband deal

A multimillion pound contract to bring faster broadband speeds to thousands of homes and businesses in East Sussex was signed with BT on Friday 31 May, 2013.

The ‘e-Sussex' project, led by East Sussex County Council in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council, was launched to improve Internet access for homes and businesses that suffer from poor broadband speeds and, in some cases, no access at all to modern broadband.

The deal between BT and the County Council builds on BT's on-going commercial fibre rollout and means that 96 per cent of homes and businesses in the county are expected to be able to access superfast broadband services (with speeds of at least 24Mbps and above) within the next three years.

The new fibre network will transform broadband speeds across the county and its rural areas. According to Ofcom in November 2012, the average downstream speed in East Sussex was 8.4Mbps whilst 11.7 per cent of premises received less than 2Mbps.

BT has been chosen following an extensive and thorough selection process. The company is contributing £9.8m towards the overall cost of deployment in “non-commercial” areas while East Sussex County Council is contributing £15m towards the project, with £10.64m coming from the Government's Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funds.

Cllr Keith Glazier, Leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “It's absolutely vital this broadband technology is made available to all our residents and small businesses. We want everyone in East Sussex to have access to reliable and faster broadband within the next three years and I'm delighted by this announcement as it's a major step forward in the project.”

“We know how many residents and businesses are frustrated by slow or no broadband access in East Sussex, especially in rural areas; it's one of the biggest issues facing our county.”

“With the contract now signed, work on the project can get underway to bring the county up to speed with faster and more reliable broadband. This will give East Sussex the competitive edge it needs to attract new businesses and will empower our communities by providing access to services, jobs, education.”

Bill Murphy, managing director of Next Generation Access for BT, added: “This is great news for East Sussex. Fibre broadband will provide a strong, reliable connection to the rest of the world – opening new horizons, helping us to be more efficient and keeping us in touch with vital services.

“Faster broadband will help local businesses grow, attracting inward investment and boosting the local economy. If they thrive then everyone thrives – local businesses are the lifeblood of every community, creating jobs and stimulating growth.”

Jason Kitcat, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “Having better, faster broadband in the city will support our growing digital media and creative sector as well as giving residents greater flexibility to use new technology for learning and entertainment. Improved and faster connectivity will unleash even more of our city's and our region's potential.”

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Today's announcement is fantastic news for the people and businesses of East Sussex, Brighton & Hove. Widespread access to superfast broadband will provide a tremendous boost to the local economy and these plans will see 96 per cent of properties benefiting from all the benefits superfast speeds have to offer .”

William Hague to issue Brussels 'red card' on unwanted EU laws

William Hague is set to to demand a new ‘red card’ system that will allow individual nation states be given powers to block unwelcome laws from Brussels.

In a bid to quell Tory turmoil over the UK’s relationship with Brussels, the Foreign Secretary will today outline plans for a new 'red card' system for national parliaments that would result in greater democratic accountability from the European Commission.

In a landmark step, it is the first explicit request of Europe from the Tory-led UK Government since it announced plans to hold an in-out referendum in 2017.

As part of the bickering coalition's attempt to renegotiate powers over Europe, Mr Hague is set to argue that national parliaments should be able to overrule unwanted legislation coming from the European Union in a speech to a foreign policy think tank in Germany today.

In a hard-hitting speech, he will say that only by devolving powers to elected national MPs, rather than MEPs who are far less accountable to their voters, will Europe be able to restore the democratic deficit.

Mr Hague believes that only by reshaping the way the decisions are made in Brussels will Britons be able to see themselves tied into a long-lasting relationship with the EU.

The European Parliament has "failed" to introduce democratic accountability to the EU, he will say later today.

The proposed 'red card', would be an extension of the little-known 'yellow card' system already in place.

At present, parliaments in member states can issue a 'yellow card' to the European Commission, forcing it to reconsider a law. The introduction of the 'red card' would altogether thwart any EU legislation deemed inappropriate.

A senior source said: "He is going to make the case that the European Parliament is not the answer to the democratic deficit in the EU.

"In every treaty over the last 30 years the European Parliament has been given more powers and in every European election turnout has dropped.

"The answer lies in national governments and national parliaments. We need to give them more powers to do things better.

Via www.express.co.uk

Iain Duncan Smith accuses Brussels of 'blatant land grab' in immigrant benefit row

Britain will “not stand by” while the European Commission tries to give some unemployed immigrants more rights to claim benefits, the Work and Pensions Secretary said last night.

Iain Duncan Smith promised to “fight every step of the way” after Brussels said it will sue Britain for requiring EU immigrants to pass an extra test before claiming benefits.

As Conservative MPs reacted with fury, Mr Duncan Smith said he would never “cave in” to the demands, which could cost taxpayers £155 million a year.

"People in this country expect me to protect the benefits system from abuse and protect the money of hardworking taxpayers,” he said. “So I will not stand by while the European Commission tries to water down the valuable protections we've put in place.”

The move casts doubt on whether David Cameron will be able to deliver his promised crack-down on “benefit tourists”, after he said there were too many foreigners “abusing” Britain’s generous system earlier this year.

The European Commission said the UK’s existing arrangements are illegal and “discriminatory” because British people do not have to pass the same strict “right to reside” test as EU immigrants.

It argues welfare is "unfairly and illegally" denied to thousands of EU citizens living in the UK, who should have been getting child benefit, child tax credit, income based jobseeker's allowance, state pension credit and income based employment and support allowances.

According to EU law, anyone should be able to claim benefits in a member state if they have passed a “habitual residence” test, proving they have a “genuine link” with the country and have “moved their centre of interest” there.

However, Britain argues this is not enough to stop unemployed people from abusing the system. Its “right to reside” test requires immigrants from the EU to jump through extra hoops, such as proving they are looking for work, in work, a student, self-employed or independently wealthy. This is designed to stop unemployed people simply moving from an EU country to Britain to claim unemployment benefits, pension credit and housing benefit, a Whitehall official said.

Peter Lilley, a Conservative MP and former Social Security Secretary, said the European Commission's intervention would be "costly, unwelcome and undemocratic".

Douglas Carswell, a eurosceptic backbencher, also said the "lunatic and offensive decision" would make it easier to convince people "that we need to leave the EU completely".

However, the European Commission accused the UK of stoking up anti-EU sentiment and exaggerating the risk of so-called benefit tourism.

“It is inevitable that it will fan the flames of debate. It has been misrepresented and misinterpreted by some,” a spokesman said.

“It is simply not true that people can claim benefits after getting of a plane under EU rules.

“It is a dialogue of the deaf. They insist they are right and that the commission, the guardian of the treaties, is wrong.”

The commission said 64 per cent of 42,810 EU nationals applying for benefits in Britain 2009 to 2011 were refused, arguing that this is evidence of discrimination.

Commission officials told the Telegraph that repeated meetings with the Government, including "informal contacts, had failed to bridge the impasse leading to the court challenge to British law".

"As a result of this discriminatory test EU citizens cannot receive social security benefits, such as child benefit, to which they are entitled under European law," an official said. "The commission asked Britain to end this discrimination against EU nationals in September 2011 but no measures have been notified to us."

Commission lawyers are acting on complaints made by EU nationals living in Britain and there are a number of petitions complaining about discrimination lodged in the European Parliament.

Via www.telegraph.co.uk

UK's growing economy will leave Europe behind: Austerity is 'appropriate' says OECD as eurozone stagnates

The British economy will perform better than all its major European rivals this year as the sluggish recovery picks up pace, a leading global watchdog said yesterday.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast growth of 0.8 per cent in the UK in 2013 – slightly weaker than the 0.9 per cent previously expected.

But it slashed its forecast for the eurozone from a decline of 0.1 per cent to a reverse of 0.6 per cent – with Britain doing better than Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Pier Carlo Padoan, the group’s chief economist, said: ‘The British economy is recovering slowly and that reflects the fact that Europe is doing poorly. Growth is expected to pick up gradually through 2013 and 2014.’ 

The Paris-based think tank said Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity plans were ‘appropriate’ and ‘necessary’ and added that the outlook in the UK was far brighter than on the Continent, where the situation is ‘dire’.

But, in its twice-yearly Economic Outlook report, it said ‘much more needs to be done’ to repair Britain’s battered finances and bolster growth.

The OECD called for increased spending on infrastructure projects such as housing and transport to help the UK overcome the ‘strong headwinds’ buffeting the economy.

‘Continuing to shift the composition of public expenditure in favour of infrastructure investment would enhance growth prospects,’ said the organisation, which cast doubt over the decision to protect large parts of public spending from cuts, such as the NHS, education and overseas aid.

Jorgen Elmeskov, its deputy chief economist, said: ‘We are perhaps somewhat doubtful [as] to the idea of ring-fencing certain spending areas. That tends to lead to deeper cuts in other areas which may not be warranted.

‘You may or may not want to cut down less on health than on other areas, but that should be a result of an assessment of the costs and benefits of doing it, not because you carve out health and thereby impose bigger adjustments on other expenditure items.’ 

But the report from the OECD, which represents around 30 of the world’s biggest economies, will come as a relief to Mr Osborne as the austerity debate rages on.

The International Monetary Fund last week called on the Chancellor to loosen the purse strings this year to bolster growth.

But the OECD said further cuts are ‘necessary to store the sustainability of public finances’. It warned that prolonged weakness in the eurozone ‘could evolve into stagnation with negative implications for the global economy’.

Growth forecasts in Germany were cut from 0.6 per cent to 0.4 per cent while the OECD now expects the French economy to shrink by 0.3 per cent instead of expand by 0.3 per cent.

Spain and Italy are set to fare even worse.

Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, admitted that governments need to ‘do more to help themselves get back to growth and move Europe beyond the crisis’. He added: ‘There is no room for complacency.’ 

Mr Padoan said the pace of recovery around the world was ‘still disappointing’ but insisted that ‘the global economy is moving forward’. He called on the European Central Bank to combat the recession through measures such as a money-printing programme dubbed quantitative easing or QE.

‘Europe is in a dire situation,’ he said. ‘The eurozone could consider more aggressive options. We could call it a eurozone-style QE.’ 

The OECD said rising unemployment ‘is the most pressing challenge’ facing the region.

Construction: Chancellor George Osborne, pictured on a visit to the Port of Liverpool, is urged to invest in house building.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332635/UKs-growing-economy-leave-Europe-Austerity-appropriate-says-OECD-eurozone-stagnates.html#ixzz2Uoi2dvGn 

Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

It's your library, so get e-Reading at Eastbourne

Residents are being encouraged to Get e-Reading at Eastbourne Library on Thursday 6 June, 2013.

Between 2pm and 4pm an expert from the RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) will be giving a free talk and demonstration about eBooks, eBook Readers and downloading audio books.

The Get e-Reading event is part of Make a Noise in Libraries Fortnight, the RNIB's annual campaign to bring public libraries and blind and partially sighted people together to improve access to books and information.

There will also be a selection of the latest audio and large print books and “reminiscence resources” - objects which help to re-awaken people's memories of their experiences and lives – available at the event.

Councillor Chris Dowling, East Sussex County Council's Lead Member for Community Services, said: “Reading and listening to stories is a vital life skill that contributes to health and wellbeing, especially for blind and partially sighted people; and let's not forgot it's their library too.”

To find out more about this free event contact Eastbourne Library, Grove Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4TL, call 03456080196 or email library.eastbourne@eastsussex.gov.uk Or just drop in on Thursday 6 June, 2013 between 2pm and 4pm.

The British Success story that is Jaguar Land Rover, continues as profits are up 11%

The Jaguar Land Rover success story shows no sign of abating, as the company reports another significant rise in sales and profits during the past 12 months. The company has reported revenues of £15.8bn for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2013, up 17% year on year (£13.5bn last year).

Retail sales increased 22% to 374,636 vehicles, supported by significant product actions including the Range Rover, Jaguar all-wheel drive XF and XJ and the XF Sportbrake. The company generated positive sales growth in all regions: China up 48%, Asia Pacific up 27%, UK up 20%, Europe up 18%, North America up 9% and other overseas markets up 19%. Profit before tax increased by 11% to £1,675m for the fiscal year (£1,507m last year).

Commenting on the results, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ralf Speth said: ‘The positive result for the financial year demonstrates that we have strong demand for our great, solid product portfolio all around the world. During this period Jaguar Land Rover unveiled major new products, the all-new all aluminium Range Rover and the Jaguar Sportbrake, the AWD XF and AWD XJ and the stunning F-Type.’

Dr Speth continued: ‘Jaguar Land Rover invested significantly in the product creation process, in our advanced manufacturing sites and created more than 3000 jobs. This commitment is set to continue with a sustained programme of investment which will see us spend in the region of £2.75bn on new product, people and infrastructure in the year to March 2014.’

Jaguar Land Rover 2012/13 Fiscal Year Retail Sales:

TOTAL	374,636 up 22%
Europe	80,994 up 18%
China	77,075 up 48%
UK	72,270 up 20%
North America	62,959 up 9%
Asia Pacific	17,849 up 27%
Overseas	63,489 up 19%

Caroline speaks out in support of brave members of the Armed Forces & their families

Conservative Parliamentary Challenger for Eastbourne & Willingdon, Cllr Caroline Ansell addressed a Cabinet Meeting at Eastbourne's Town Hall on Wednesday evening to persuade members to support Eastbourne Borough Council's signing up to an East Sussex wide scheme called the Community Covenant which pledges to provide every assistance to our brave members of the Armed Forces and their families.

Caroline said;

"I welcome that Eastbourne Borough Council has formally signed the joint local Community Covenant and embraced the principles which the Covenant upholds.

 

With recent events in Woolwich, we are reminded, again, of the terrible price some pay in the service of our country, they and their loved ones.

 

In my teaching years, when working in a boarding school, I was in loco parentis for the daughters of military personnel and so have privileged insight into the lives of military families, incredible cameraderie often but also the everyday sacrifices in service life;  I saw too the challenges of coming out of the Forces, particularly around Health, Housing and Education.

 

The Community Covenant recognises the unique circumstances of Service Life and affirms the special relationship we have with our Armed Forces.

 

And, through the Community Covenant Grant Scheme, I look forward to seeing local community groups coming forward with initiatives which will enhance and extend that relationship".