You’ve dumped it! Victory for people power on Nuneaton contaminated waste plant issue

November 23rd, 2008

from Emma Ray at Nuneaton Trib

A CONTAMINATED waste plant that was heading for Nuneaton has been sensationally dumped in a u-turn fuelled by people power.

The announcement was made at a specially convened press conference at Nuneaton’s Town Hall on Tuesday.

It was revealed that Waste Recycling Group (WRG), which owns the Judkins site, has decided not to support the application by TCSR.

That means that regardless of any planning application, they will not allow the development to go ahead on their land.

Now WRG is formulating plans with Warwickshire County Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council on how the site can be developed.

The vision is for a site used for housing and light industrial business. While plans are still in the early stages, the first glimpse of Judkins’ bright new future could be seen by next spring.

PS
It seems TCSR wish to carry on with planning appliaction and the meeting around the 17th Jan could still go ahead!

The Virgin monopoly - How they can have there cake and eat it!

November 23rd, 2008

The backgound
The London Midlands weekend timetable is still a secret but we know Virgin is trying to restrict the London Midlands slow service. Virgin was given a Monopoly on train services between Nuneaton and Euston back in 1998. This right was called the Moderation of Competition (MoC) and was designed to stop other train firms cherry picking Virgin’s passengers. With Virgin abandoning Nuneaton for most of the day the right should be lost. Now they want to run just 6 trains per day from Nuneaton to Euston but wish to stop us having a good alternative. It seems they have monopoly rights on our train service but no obligation to run a service all day. Virgin can permit London Midlands to run Trains but can stop them being too useful.

The Virgin timetable
The changes to train services at Virgin Trains owns the rights to say who can run trains between a list of west coast stations and London. It is dropping the service at Nuneaton to just peak hours plus a few odd trains. From Nuneaton to Euston we will have 6 Virgin Trains (6:18AM, 7:07AM, 7:34AM and 8:46:AM then a 12 hour gap until the 9:03PM plus 10:17PM). From Euston we will have 7 Virgin Trains stopping at Nuneaton (departing at 5:35AM! - then 11 ½ hour gap before the 5:10PM, 6:10PM, 7:07PM, 8:07PM, 9:07PM and 10PM.)

Virgin maintains that it a right to restrict any other train operator running services between Euston and NuneatonIt will allow London Midland to fill the gap as long as it runs just 1 slow train per hour ending at the 3:46PM from Euston plus 1 extra slow train at 6:24PM .On Saturday the last slow train they are allowed to run is the 4:46PM.

On Sunday London Midland can only run 4 trains each way at least 2 hours apart. Virgin will run Trains south at 9:55AM, 10:56AM, 11:58AM, 12:31PM, 2:31PM, 10:17PM. From Euston to Nuneaton we will have 8:20AM, 9:20AM, 10:20AM then 5:05PM, 7:02PM, 8:02PM, 9:20PM, 9:50PM.
What virgin will allow
Weekday
Northbound 11 trains - One service per hour departing London Euston between 0615 and 1600, and one service between 1820 and 1919
Southbound 12 trains - One service per hour departing Northampton between 0830 and 2000
Saturday
Northbound 11 trains - One service per hour departing London Euston between 0615 and 1700
Southbound 12 trains - One service per hour departing Northampton between 0830 and 2000
Sunday
Northbound 4 trains - Two-hourly service departing London Euston between 1200 and 1900
Southbound 4 trains - Two-hourly service departing Crewe between 1200 and 1900

What is not allowed is London Midlands to run direct trains to Nuneatontrains that go past Crewe, early trains to London or Evening trains back. No other firm may run any trains from Nuneatonto any London Station

Nuneaton Council has lost £3M in Iceland.

November 23rd, 2008

Back in Feb I was at the cabinet meeting which was talking about waste and recycling. On the same agenda was the treasury management report. I used my opertnity to tell the council how mad it was to borrow £5M as council borrowing and then save it in savings accounts.
Now £3 million is lost in iceland.

read minutes

Last year the council borrowed £13.75M and had £8.9M of investments. They voted to borrow £5.25M more and intest it so they could make money on the difference in rates they could borrow at and get in savings rate. The rates were better as the money was at risk.