Monthly Archives: April 2013

A Tipton resident has turned his front garden into an advertisement for my election campaign, by cutting into his grass the words “X Wright.”

The UK government has been forced into putting into place a two year ban on neonectinoids - a type of pesticide that is killing bees across Europe.

Environment secretary, Owen Paterson, who has backed the chemical industry, has been lobbying against a ban and the UK voted against the ban today.  Fortunately, 15 countries voted in favour of a ban.

Story in yesterday’s Telegraph is pasted with a link below.  The pressure mounts on Mr Paterson and his cabinet colleagues…..the vote is due to take place today.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/10023729/David-Cameron-stung-by-beekeepers.html

Around half of the East Devon candidates have signed up to an environmental charter.

It is very hard to follow through a legal challenge to an unsavoury planning decision, as it is. 

See the story below from Planning Resource, published on Tuesday 23 April, detailing the government’s latest measure to weaken the rights of the residents of this country and allow more bad planning decisions to slip through the net.

An article in today’s Guardian is pasted below….Owen Paterson not only intends to vote against the ban on neonicotinoids , but his department has been “very active” in opposing it, apparently.

See article link here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/28/europe-insecticides-ban-save-bees?CMP=twt_gu .........................................................................................................

Don’t forget to vote on Thursday 2 May in the Devon County Council elections!

The polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm.  Click on the link below for information about the elections, wards and candidates….

All eyes will be on Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, on Monday (29 April), as he is due to vote on whether to ban pesticides that are lethal to our bees.

Greenpeace has quite rightly, ramped up the pressure on Mr Paterson, who unbelievably, says he intends to side with the chemical industry and vote against such a ban!

Roger Giles, who retires from Devon County Council next week, has lodged his last motion with the authority.

It is thought that EDDC should reduce its housing projections for the district to around 11,000 in its Local Plan.

Planning Resource publishes the compromise over the government’s deeply unpopular plans to remove the requirement for planning permission over 8m extensions.

The story is below and here - http://www.planningresource.co.uk/Development_Control/article/1179935/mps-approve-revised-home-extensions-procedure/
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Environmental campaign group, 38 Degrees, has sprung into action over the appalling toxic glue substance that is killing seabirds in their thousands. 

The message to its members is below - it is an excellent initiative. Something has got to be done about this and good on 38 Degrees for taking it on. 

Disappointingly, I heard conservative Geoffrey Cox MP on the Sunday Politics programme last week, claim that laws did not need tightening up over toxic spills .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A public consultation event takes place next Wednesday, on building 29 houses on land next to Eastfield, West Hill.

Kelly Lynch has been interviewed by Matt Woodley of BBC Radio Devon, about losing her appeal to build a small bungalow on her land.