Southwell Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrats and others from Southwell and Newark travelled by train and other means to attend the huge People's Vote March last Saturday.

We were treated to speeches by a number of our MPs including Layla Moran and Tom Brake pictured in the fromt line of the main Lib Dem contingent. Caroline Bearder, our sole MEP had brought flags and berets over from Brussels. She's wearing one of them on the left.

Fly tipping incidents are rising in Newark and Sherwood. Asbestos is the latest problem leading to clear-up costs doubling year on year. Last year 21 incidents cost £6,680 to remove. So far in the nine months of 2018-19 there have been 35, with the cost rising to £12,950.
Asbestos poses serious risks and is costly to dispose of safely. Work done to remove it must be registered with the environment agency. The owner of waste dumped illegally can be liable for a fine up to £50,000, or face a prison sentence. However, disposal costs seem to be encouraging people to use rogue operators. Has the District Council got the resources to tackle the problem?

For months the County Hall Conservatives asserted that there was no alternative to the Super Council scheme to create one "Unitary" Authority for the County and scrap District and Borough Councils. However, just before a key vote in late December, they decided to shelve the proposal "indefinitely" because of massive opposition.
However, this was not before £250,000 had been spent on expert consultants to produce the wasted business plan.
How many potholes could have been filled instead?

As well as irritation about potholes in the roads, our Town Survey received many complaints about the state of Southwell's pavements. This was a particular concern for wheelchair and pushchair users.
For many years the County Council made pavements more user friendly with re-surfacing and installation of pavement ramps. With continuing austerity, are pavements going to end up in the same state of disrepair as our roads?
Via, the company responsible for road and pavement maintenance no longer meets with the Town Council's highways committee. Why not?

Newark and Sherwood Council won't recycle your plastic bottle tops even though they are collecting the plastic bottles, but the lids are also recyclable! However, handmade cosmetic company Lush will recycle your plastic bottle tops to make their black pots.
Lush have a free-post address where you can send bottle tops, so, save your lids, package them up and address them to: FREE-POST, LUSH, GREENHUB. That's all - no postcode needed! Then take them to your post office………every little helps!

We need more Police in Southwell………….. That was the message to the Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping, and the Area Inspector. After the Town Survey identified concern about local police numbers, Councillor Stuart Thompstone asked the Town Council to invite Paddy Tipping a public meeting, which was held in January. Nearly 100 residents came to the Library and expressed their concerns.