Stansted Airport and UDC - The Public Deserves Transparency!
Something is wrong at the heart of Uttlesford District Council as it struggles to complete two major exercises that are important not only for this district.
Something is wrong at the heart of Uttlesford District Council as it struggles to complete two major exercises that are important not only for this district.
Uttlesford's Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Alan Dean, says "Uttlesford must step up to the mark over airport expansion at Stansted. Its approach so far has been too laid back and opaque. UDC has given the impression that the airport's application to have 43 million passengers a year is a deal already done. The proposed uplift is almost as big as the last one 12 years ago." The Liberal Democrats were in charge of the council in 2005/6 when the present annual passenger limit was requested. The council held a total of 30 meetings leading up to the decision to refuse that application. This included seven extraordinary meetings of the planning committee to consider technical issues such as noise, air pollution, climate change emissions, and surface transport plus economic, employment, housing and health impacts. On top of those, there were seven public hearings at which people were invited to make representations. The hearings totalled twenty-one hours and forty-five minutes (21 hours 45 minutes). Cllr Dean
Liberal Democrats in Uttlesford have welcomed a decision to fund additional Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) from the district council's budget for 2018/19. They consider it is a vindication of their campaign for more visible policing. Community Safety rated highly in the district council's public consultation for the budget year that begins in April. With rising crime rates, the Lib Dems say that the council's decision last year to budget for only two PCSOs was not enough.
Liberal Democrats in Uttlesford have accused Stansted Airport of ignoring the damage to the environment that their application to expand the use of the runway to accommodate 43m passengers per annum will cause.
Like many people I was shocked and saddened by the announcement that the Friends School in Saffron Walden is to close. It has provided an excellent education for many pupils over the years, and has been an integral and important part of Saffron Walden.
Lib Dems would give Essex police force an extra £6 million a year