So what do UKIP, Lib Dems and Labour all have in common?

Hard to imagine really. Three very unlikely bed fellows.

But their is one common factor which unfortunately has nothing to do with improving anything for the electorate but I guess could be seen as fun for those involved. If they all join up they can give the Conservatives a cuffing.

They can dismantle effective ways of working because …… they just can. Power to do mischief, to disrupt, to change anything and everything and all under the false banner of improving things. I can see the temptation after being in a non effective opposition role for a long time but …………. I thought delivering for the electorate was much more important. Not anymore it seems.

Have a look at the electoral map for Norfolk. http://elections.norfolk.gov.uk

A quick glance of the political map and you would be forgiven for thinking the Conservatives would be in charge, with a Conservative leader. But no. It seems that all the protest parties have joined together to elect a Labour Leader??????? So, a split Conservative vote, by UKIP has resulted in a Labour administration. Worse, LIb Dems, who are pro EU, are now in the Cabinet. How many of the UKIP voters would have wanted that I wonder.

This is always the danger of mixing protest votes against central government with local politics. Still, the people of Norfolk can now sit back and enjoy the coalition of the left, ultra right and the can’t make their minds up. Oh Dear.

Post election wash up

Today is a very interesting day for me as it is my first day of not being a councillor and more importantly not being the leader of the county council. The sense of laying down a heavy load is very energising with the expectation of new challenges and opportunities ahead.

Perhaps even a glorious summer of cricket, tennis and gardening. Some chance looking at the weather. I am playing cricket for the county over 50 side this afternoon but the skies look grey.

Since the elections I have deliberately kept a low profile to allow all the new councillors to take up the slack without any interference from me. In my experience their is nothing worse than someone hanging around when you know they are going. I wish them all the best. In particular I wish Martin Curtis the very best of luck in his difficult task of running a minority executive.

I have changed my twitter name from cllrnickclarke to nickclarkecambs for obvious reasons but if I have sorted the technology out correctly current followers will remain attached.

My daughter was thrilled to bits with me not getting elected as it means we can go into business together. Brainstorming sessions abound. Loads of energy and ideas. A chip off the old block.

Politics has been a real break but I’m now looking forward to seeing what business opportunities or non exec positions might exist.

I fell into politics four years ago and have now fallen out. During that time I have tried to give 110 % effort and focussed on getting stuff done rather than the internal processes of political life. This approach was well received by the business community and by the general public but not so well by opposition politicians.

Clearly living 12 miles from my division was an issue that I recognised might trip me up and clearly it did. John Williams, the successful candidate, included a map of where I live on his leaflets just in case someone might not know

I fear that yesterdays council meeting signalled a big shift in attitude from getting things done for the people of Cambridgeshire to focussing in on councillors and how they wield power.

No one should be surprised by this as the minority parties smell blood. But it is a shame that a protest vote about immigration, which is a national issue, should derail an energetic and enthusiastic council that was gaining a national reputation for getting things done.

But as they say, thats democracy.

Treading Wind Farm public inquiry – Wisbech

In Wisbech today it was my pleasure to speak at the public inquiry to strongly oppose the wind farm.

I made the point that whilst I am not an expert on planning I do have the largest democratic mandate, representing all 680,000 people of Cambridgeshire. I made three points.

Firstly, I believe that the will of Parliament is not being heard. Government is clear. A key plank of its policy is localism which means decisions being made at the lowest practical level. In this case, local people, the parish council, the district council, the local county councillor and local MP don’t want the wind farm. Local opinion should carry significant weight or we create a democratic deficit.

Secondly, the planning system is being brought into disrepute. What is the point of the planning process, which embeds democratic accountability at its core, if the decision can be overturned by a planning inspector? This seems out of step with localism.

Thirdly, I explained my Cabinet felt it necessary to not allow any further wind farms on the 33,000 acres of county land because faith in the planning process had been lost. We are elected to represent the views of local people and their voices must be heard.

Some fine words from Steven Barclay MP and Cllr Steve Tierney both who are very passionate about the local area.

Interestingly, a Lib Dem candidate for the county elections also opposed the wind farm. Common sense prevailing at last or perhaps a good understanding of where the votes are to be found?

Well worth the drive to Wisbech.

BBC – Analysis shows Conservatives winning and very popular

Interesting analysis from the BBC. Often it is claimed that the BBC is a left wing supporter but this report seems fair and balanced.

08:28 Friday 19th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Cambridgeshire goes to the polls in just under two weeks time, on May 2nd, to vote on who should run the County Council for the next four years. The Council responsible of course for things like social care, education and transport. So whether you realise or not, you probably use Council services each and every week. At the moment, the Conservative Party are in overall control, holding 39 of the 69 seats. But with the Coalition Government’s policies being a bit unpopular to say the least at the moment, will we see voters turning against them? Well our Election Reporter Emma Howgego joins me in the studio. Morning Emma.

EMMA HOWGEGO: Good morning Paul.

PAUL STAINTON: So we’re true blue in Cambridgeshire at the moment. Is there going to be a bit of a change at Shire Hall though?

EMMA HOWGEGO: Well to be honest I think it’s unlikely the Tories will lose control at Cambridgeshire this year. Like you said, they currently have 39 out of the total 69 seats. The LibDems are their nearest rivals with 21. And despite their national policy being very unpopular, the Conservatives locally do have a lot of momentum here. They’re very popular, particularly in the rural Northern parts of the County.

PAUL STAINTON: Ah but local elections, they are traditionally a time, aren’t they, when we get votes for opposition parties, protest votes.

EMMA HOWGEGO: Yes. I think the problem with Labour at the moment is they’re starting from a very low base in Cambridgeshire. They have just three councillors. Only two of those were voted in in 2009. One of them was voted in during a by-election in Arbury last year. But, having said that, in the last couple of years their share of the vote has been increasing in the City Council elections in Cambridge. But in the rest of the County they are unlikely to make any significant gains.

PAUL STAINTON: But of course in parts of Cambridgeshire there has been a significant rise in popularity for Ukip.

EMMA HOWGEGO: There has, certainly a little bit, particularly in the Northern parts of the County. In Fenland in particular Ukip are seeing a little bit of momentum going, so that will be an interesting bit to watch as well.

PAUL STAINTON: Yes. Very big in Ramsey of course. So which wards do you think will change political allegiance?

EMMA HOWGEGO: Well I think the key seats to watch are actually going to be in Cambridge, particularly in the Northern wards. Kings Hedges returned a Labour City councillor last year. They currently have a Liberal Democrat County councillor, but Andy Pellew is stepping down. Just over on the other side of the Milton Road in East Chesterton, that will be interesting, because the current Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Manning is facing opposition from Labour’s Clare Blair. Now you may remember she used to be a Liberal Democrat. She was a City councillor until 2011, got beat by Labour’s Gerri Bird, and then joined the Labour Party, now standing against her former colleagues. Elsewhere like you mentioned a moment ago, Ukip are hoping to do well. Now they’re hoping to retain the seat of Bourn in South Cambridgeshire. The current councillor there, Lister Wilson, he actually won it for the Conservatives in 2009, but he was later suspended from the Party and he joined Ukip last year. And Ukip didn’t actually have a candidate in Bourn in 2009, so actually voting for Ukip there is a bit of an unchartered territory. And Wisbech is going to be the other interesting one to watch this year. Samantha Hoy retained it for the Conservatives in a by-election in 2010. But there is a very strong Independent candidate there, Virginia Bucknor, and Labour also putting a lot of effort into that ward, with Ukip standing as well. Interestingly up there the Liberal Democrats haven’t put forward a candidate in Wisbech North. That’s despite coming in a close second in the 2010 vote. Now my sources suggest that it could be because the Liberal Democrats think that standing against the Independent candidate would simply be handing the Conservative an easy win in that ward.

PAUL STAINTON: Emma, thank you for that. Of course one of the big issues in local elections is voter apathy. In 2009 the turnout just under 40%. Not great.

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Conservative campaign – positive and well received

A great day in my division. Lots of leaflets dropped and some great chats. I have been encouraged by the many offers of help and messages of support.

Speaking on the doorstep, unhappiness with national politicians of all parties is raised. When I have explained our local priorities of protecting the vulnerable, helping people live healthy and independent lives and driving the economy they get more engaged.

When I explain what we have been up to over the last two years people can see we are a party of getting things done rather than talking about it.

It’s great to be able to talk about Superfast broadband, the new station in Cambridge, bringing forward the A14 upgrade, the Ely bypass and more. Opposition parties can’t claim any success because they are not able to deliver anything. All they can talk about are promises for the future with not track record.

I have had lots of comments about the Lib Dems. People are confused because they are in coalition in government but want to appose all the time. How can they look both ways, I’m asked? If you know the Lib Dems like I do it’s not just two ways they look they can normally mange half a dozen.

I nipped up to join a canvassing team in Histon later in the day. Great response. Lots of indications that people get the financial problems we face and think we are the party to put it right. Labour is still, rightly, held to blame for the mess we are in. Again lots of confused people not understanding where the Lib Dems sit, in coalition or opposition.

I bumped into David Jenkins, the Lib Dem candidate for Histon. We had a pleasant chat. Apart from being perpetually negative about everything I like David. It must have been a shock to him seeing a dozen Conservatives, one county council leader and an MEP all knocking on doors in his street.

Overall a very positive day.

Picture taken meeting the Duke of Edinburgh

Conservative campaign for the county elections – fantastic so far.

I’m getting lots of very positive messages from Conservative candidates from all over the county. Feedback from canvassing is really good.

In the south of the county the Lib Dems seem to have fallen away significantly with a slight rise in Labour support. UKIP have no traction. The Conservative vote is holding up and if anything we should be looking forward to winning more seats than last time.

Some spectacular own goals by the Lib Dems in Cambridge City Council have really helped.

Seeking to hold a public meeting behind closed doors to examine the £2.3m error in accounting is not understood by anyone. It is very odd given the normal semi religious Lib Dem doctrine of everything must be held in public. What is being hidden I’m asked and of course, I have no idea but it doesn’t look right.

The other issue people just don’t understand is the refusal of the Lib Dems to support the A14 upgrade. Voters are astonished. It’s almost as if the Lib Dems are in self destruct mode.

In the north of the county the impact of UKIP is much less than expected especially now they seem to be falling over themselves. I seems the Lib Dem vote is in hiding. Surprisingly, the number of independents standing are much fewer than expected.

I am hearing about lots of support for our priorities of supporting vulnerable people and stimulating the economy. They seem to be particularly impressed with what we are actually doing. Superfast broadband, Ely bypass, Kings Dyke crossing, new station in Cambridge and the A14 upgrade. Action speaks louder than words.

Personally, I’m glad I managed to sign my personal letters to all my postal voters without getting writers cramp. Well over 700 signatures in three ours !!!

Small businesses should decide where to base themselves

Ed Miliband seems to want a return to the bad old days of Labour interventions. Lurching to the left is causing concerns for Tony Blair and should scare the life out of all of us.

I’m old enough to remember the 1970s with the industrial disputes, the inefficient state run industries and the civil unrest.

Giving powers to councils for them to decide where businesses should trade is madness.

Dr Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, writes in the Independent that it should be up to small businesses and not Ed Miliband to decide where they should locate their premises.

He was speaking after the Labour leader proposed new powers for councils to prevent too many of the same kind of business opening up in one area. Markets don’t work that way.

Dr Butler says that Mr Miliband shows no understanding of business or economic history.

UKIP falling apart already?

Interestingly, I am hearing that two UKIP candidates in Fenland have withdrawn.

I can only guess that they have come to the same conclusion that many others have that the Conservatives are the only party who want to change our relationship with Europe and have the ability to do it.

UKIP have played a great part, as a pressure group, in bringing Europe to the top of the agenda. We must congratulate them for that. But now it is for a serious party to take this forward and get a real change.

Our PM has made the promise that we will get a referendum and that is a major step forward.

The message is simple. If you want to continue to give up powers to Europe vote Lib Dem. If you want powers returning the UK vote Conservative.

A14 widening between Histon and Girton – complete by next year.

I seem to have spent a lot of this last year working to bring forward the A14 upgrade. I was clear from the outset that not only did we need the major scheme to happen we also wanted some action NOW. It is brilliant that this A14 widening is to take place so quickly.

It is now time for the Lib Dems to put aside political mantra and support these improvements and more importantly the major scheme.

The Highways Agency has announced today, Wednesday, that a scheme will be completed next year to widen the A14 to three lanes both East and West bound between the Histon and Girton junctions. It is part of a wider announcement by the Government to remove pinch points and bottlenecks on UK roads.

The improvements will support the first phase of the development of the new town at Northstowe.

The scheme will see a new third lane run from the Histon interchange westbound and join directly onto the M11 slip-road.

Eastbound a new lane will run directly from the A14/ M11 interchange and link to the Histon interchange. This will help reduce congestion which can lead to long queues at peak times.

Two thirds of this had already been announced – i.e Girton to Histon third lane and westbound lane from layby on the A14 to link to the M11 slip. The new bit that we think will cost £3.06 million is joining the Histon interchange slip westbound to the A14 layby.

The 2014 date is very welcome as some of this work they have brought all together would have been finished in 2015.

Cambridgeshire County Council, with partners, has been talking to the Highways Agency on possible schemes to improve this busy section of the A14 which is used by thousands of vehicles a year. The announcement is part of the short term and long term measures proposed for the route.

It fits in with the more comprehensive improvements along the route from Milton to Ellington designed to boost safety and the economy as well as reduce congestion.

The Highways Agency says this scheme will be linked to the tranche two scheme that is being undertaken in the westbound direction and supports the Northstowe Phase One development. This has the potential to create 582 jobs and 1,480 new homes by 2020. It also supports the development of the gateways of Felixstowe Port and Harwich Port. It also consistent with the outputs from the A14 Challenge study, providing early improvements consistent with the proposed A14 major improvement scheme announced by the Transport Secretary on 18 July 2012. The Highways Agency says that the Histon to Girton scheme will cost £3.06 million and will start and be completed in 2014.