John Baron

Conservative Party | Billericay and District

Points of View

Travellers

One of the main concerns of constituents is the erosion of our greenbelt.  In broad terms the threat comes from the Government's centralised house-building targets which are undemocratic and put further strain on our already over-stretched infrastructure, over development which is too intense relative to its surroundings, and finally the threat posed by travellers who buy land and then speedily and illegally develop it.

Readers will be aware that I have raised these issues with the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on a number of occasions, and recently he agreed to discuss specifically the traveller issue with me at a meeting on 25th February.

At this meeting I will urge him to take this problem seriously.  For, despite support on both sides of the House, the Government blocked my Private Members' Bill which would have greatly strengthened our planning laws whilst also recognising the fact that local councils should provide authorised traveller sites at which a fair rent could be charged. 

No one is looking to persecute a minority but it is only fair that all those who live in a community abide by its rules.  At the moment this is not happening - local residents in Hovefields (Wickford), Oak Road (Crays Hill) and Saddlers Farm (Bowers Gifford) are being discriminated against by planning laws that do little to stop the destruction of our greenfields.  

The recent shootings at Hovefields proves that we need to get much tougher on this issue.  This is especially the case as this problem could get worse as there may be a further influx of Romany Gypsies from Central and Eastern Europe once these states join the EU on 1st May.  

Council Tax

A recent report by the Audit Commission on Council Tax increases has suggested that the burdens imposed by central Government and fiddled grant distribution are the prime reasons why Council Tax Bills have soared in recent years.

I have raised the issue with John Prescott but the standard reply was that the Government is doing all it can.

However, it is important that the Government fully recognises the additional costs borne by local councils as a result of central Government legislation - these additional responsibilities and regulations imposed on local councils have resulted in costs rising much faster than inflation.

In addition, the diverting of local government finances from councils in the south of the country to those in the north is also hurting local services.