I recently received the below letter from Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, concerning the revocation of the regional strategy for the South East of England Plan. I warmly welcome this announcement which means that the top down Central Government targets for house building will be scrapped. It will give more responsibility to elected local councillors to decide how much development we need and where it should take place.
The local NHS consultation closes on 16 April.
To see a short and jargon-free summary and to comment online you can look HERE.
The proposals include changes to hospital services at Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe. There’s been a fair bit of coverage in the local media already but if you haven’t yet what is being suggested and want to have your say, do follow the link.
Recently I wrote to Moya Greene, Chief Executive of Royal Mail, regarding the proposed closure of the Delivery Office in Princes Risborough. I have now received a reply which I have enclosed below.
I have now received an additional letter from Mr Mike O’Conner, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, regarding the Delivery Office in Princes Risborough. I have enclosed a copy of the response below.
I recently wrote to Consumer Focus regarding the proposed closure of Princes Risborough Delivery Office. I have now received a response from their Chief Executive Mike O’Conner and have enclosed a copy of his response below. You will see Mr O’Conner plans to write to me again with additional information and I will post any further replies that I receive.
In the last few days, I’ve had two or three constituents come up to me to say that they’ve heard that the Post Office wants to close the sorting office in Princes Risborough. If true, this would mean a serious reduction in service not just for people living in Risborough itself but for residents of villages like Bledlow and Lacey Green as well. Apparently you would have to trek into Aylesbury (tough if you haven’t got a car) to collect a package or parcel that was delivered while you were out. I@m going to chase tyhe Post Office this week to see what is going on and will post further news here.
Greengauge 21 is a company that has long supported High Speed Rail, and has weighed in behind the HS2 proposal. They’ve recently published a report in which they argue that it would be possible for the government to link HS2 to improvements to local rail services that would give people in Bucks and neighbouring counties some benefits to set against the financial and environmental costs of HS2.
They say that new services could be run from Aylesbury to Watford Junction and the West Coast Main Line via a new (but oft-mooted) Croxley link and that a new link to Heathrow could provide direct rail access to and from the airport for the Wycombe-Risborough branch of the Chiltern Line.
It’s an interesting line of argument and one that I hadn’t heard before. Better local rail services would be attractive, though I noted that Greengauge did not envisage these being provided until after HS2 had been completed. Indeed, they seem to reckon that the prospect of a direct Chiltern Line-Heathrow connection in particular would have to wait until much later. And of course money would have to be found to finance the new links suggested.
Of course nothing that Greengauge suggests would lessen the environmental impact of HS2 and I doubt that their proposals would make any difference either to the business case for HS2 which is the subject of such vigorous controversy. But I’d be interested to know what my constituents think.
The planning Inspectorate has informed me that following the closure of their inquiry, the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles MP, will be making a decision regarding the Hemley Hill appeal. I have written to Mr Pickles to restate the concerns that many constituents have raised about the site.
Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, recently announced that there would be a fair deal for travellers and the settled community. Please click the link below to find out more.
Eric Pickles: Fair deal for travellers and the settled community
