Fuel Poverty Advisory Group support fracking

Fuel Poverty Advisory Group support 'fracking'

August 2013: Fuel Poverty Advisory Group chair Derek Lickorish said that ministers had a “duty” to champion the extraction of shale gas because of its potential to reduce the cost of energy. Referring to a protest against energy company Cuadrilla at a site in Balcombe, West Sussex, Mr Lickorish said “the voice of the fuel poor has been lost in the current frenzy”.

See articles in:

The Telegraph

The Times

Local Government Chronicle 

See also:

Fuel Poverty Advisory Group Annual Report 2011-12 (published Jan 2013)

The Eastleigh By-election

It is worrying that UKIP had such a strong performance. We in the UK are mistakenly fixating on blaming Europe for all our problems. Sadly, many in the UK have been negative about Europe for nearly 100 years!, - since WWI. My grandfather, as a stone mason, came to England from Germany, in 1879 and worked on some of the great buildings of London, including, Tower Bridge, The Houses of Parliament & the V&A Museum. His four sons fought in the British Army in WWI, for peace in Europe. My father (who served in the Army in Hong Kong & was captured)  fought for world peace in WWII. Europe is about keeping the peace, building strong economies & democracies in a complicated world. By working together, we in Europe can continue working for peace beyond Bosnia into Mali, Afghanistan, Syria; whilst building strong economies & trade within and beyond the EU. The UK, standing on its own cannot hope to deal with these issues. Shakespeare's image of England …….. “This precious stone set in the silver sea” may have been right for the Royal Court of Queen Elizabeth I but today isolationism would mean that the UK would become an irrelevant island if UKIP had their way.

The Runaway Cafe, Lewes - a plea for a reprieve!

Dear Mr Burchell,

Managing Director, Southern Railways,

Go-Ahead House, 26-28 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 5GA

URGENT

I write further to my email of November last year when I asked you to allow the existing tenant at the Runaway Cafe to be retained. Sadly, your recent decision shows you do not intend that to be the case. However, please would you can reconsider this decision? Also, I invite you to come here to Lewes and meet the local residents and users of the cafe.

I understand that a petition was submitted to you during the tender process with some 5000 signatures on it. I'm sure you will agree this is a large number of people supporting the existing cafe. To my knowledge you haven't explained why you ignored this petition. Did you receive complaints over the past three years about the existing tenancy? During this tender round did you receive suggestions that the existing tenant should be replaced? Did you consult The Passenger Watchdog (Passenger Focus)?  I see from the notice you've placed outside the station you say that you've “secured the best deal for Lewes passengers.” Since you didn't take any notice of the petition and as far as I know didn't offer any public consultation to passengers, your officials in Croydon and Newcastle have evidently decided that they know better than the people of Lewes. This smacks of arrogance.

You said in your reply to my email that “It would not be fair to other businesses that are interested in operating the cafe at the station if Southern were to automatically renew the existing lease”. I really don't understand the logic of this, – if there is an existing service which everybody is happy with, why change it? Also, I don't understand the rationale that you apply about being fair to other businesses. Where is the fairness to the existing business? You've now made a lady and her staff redundant with nowhere to go! To be fair is one thing but why did you go around the town asking other cafes in Lewes to tender for the business? That sounds like a positive move to oust the existing tenant!

You also said in your reply that “there will continue to be a place where small businesses and start-up businesses can establish themselves and flourish”. What is your answer to the existing tenant on this point then?  – they have been crushed because of ‘big brother’ at Southern Railways. You've appointed a contractor who already has multiple outlets on stations and other places from Birmingham to Brighton! It seems that in this case you've torn up your ‘small business’ policy.

I look forward to hearing from you. Please note that this is an open letter

Yours sincerely,

Victor S Ient

A resident of Lewes in the area since 1984 and a user of the rail service from Lewes for over 25 years.