WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCIL TAXES

The A to Z of Jimmy Watson's secret project to build a giant robotic dinobot ant - and to Father Christmas to make his dreams come true, and give Anthony life

In 2023 the local elections said it all. Then Labour were voted in at a landslide general elections. But now, Reform UK is getting a look in. We are hopeful that with a change of heart in the Wealden District that policies which have driven the planet to the brink in terms of global warming, acid oceans, desertification, and a failure to accord heritage assets beneficial uses to offset routine maintenance costs, may now become priority areas, in line with economic policies to get make this country fiscally solid - after years of irresponsible borrowing and overspending by the government of the day. Leading to the £2.7 trillion pounds of debt, that nobody in their right mind would have contracted for. A breach of trust that breaks all bargains with the present administration. Boris Johnson being the most recent lead, according to the media. We don't just need a change of leader with business as usual policies, we need change to something better. We must find a way to stop politicians from any party borrowing to sustain an unsustainable lifestyles based on the poorly founded belief, that any country can afford to keep borrowing. The UK's national debt is staggering in 2025. And it all begins on our doorstep. What is happening locally, is happening in Whitehall and all over the world.

Wealden District Council under the former Conservative lead, was identified by some local groups as working for the rich against the poor, with no Robin Hood in sight until Nigel Farage and Reform UK appeared on the horizon. Then Angela Rayner introduced 'Devolution.' All change with musical chairs then. But what effect will that have?

There is thus a glimmer of hope for genuinely low cost housing in the district, where at the moment there is none. Nor are there electric vehicle charging points in the high streets and only 2 in WCs car park in Hailsham. These two factors on their own, undermine the efforts of the Government to reach Net Zero by 2050:

THE CLIMATE CHANGE ACT 2008 (2050 TARGET AMENDMENT) ORDER 2019

Coming into force in accordance with article 1

A draft of this instrument was laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament, in accordance with sections 2(6) and 91(1) of the Climate Change Act 2008 (“the Act”)(1).

Before the draft was laid, the Secretary of State —

(a) obtained and took into account the advice of the Committee on Climate Change, in accordance with section 3(1)(a) of the Act; and

(b) took into account representations made by the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland in accordance with section 3(1)(b) of the Act(2),

The Secretary of State considers that since the Act was passed, there have been significant developments in scientific knowledge about climate change that make it appropriate to amend the percentage specified in section 1(1) of the Act.

Accordingly, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the power conferred by section 2(1)(a) of the Act, makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019 and comes into force on the day after the day on which it is made.

Amendment of the target for 2050

2. — (1) Section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008 is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1), for “80%” substitute “100%”.

One reason councils under the Conservatives, were/are so loath to change to meet the above targets, was that many influential Members and friends of member councillors, own property portfolios which they rent out, enjoying the high market rentals, that the introduction of low cost, or affordable (sustainable) housing would undermine. Put simply, there is a conflict of interests. And, worse still, you will not find these interests registered in the Book of Members and Officers Interests.

Put these issues together with a preference for charging higher bandings for executive brick built houses, and it's easy to see why councils with huge pension liabilities, and those local authorities who routinely furnish golden handshakes to retiring officers and executives, would not want to use their compulsory purchase powers to buy land to supply plots for affordable self builds. Etc.

So, what has changed (or might change) with the Greens and Liberals at the helm? And what about the knight in shining armour; Reform UK. Jimmy Watson is (fictionally) oblivious to politics. His father Tim, is more aware, but his mother Marion keeps her ear to the ground rather more. Hence, smells a rat when local enforcement officers pay her a visit, for no genuine reasons. She has no idea that her son has become the subject of covert surveillance, with her husband potentially in line to be discredited by the MOD, in order to steal Jimmy's AI algorithm - should it work.

WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCIL - GREEN PARTY MEMBERS IN 2023

WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCIL - INDEPENDENT PARTY MEMBERS IN 2023

WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCILLORS - LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS IN 2023

DAISY SAYS  -  Pardon me for asking, but if there are thousands of houses being built in and around Herstmonceux, where are all the infrastructure improvements? Daisy wonders if Wealden's policies as to fossil fuel investments, and the promotion of executive housing over affordable homes, is un-sustainable? Daisy wonders if the increasing number and frequency of potholes, is caused by the lack of roadway improvements to cope with the increase in traffic. And, Daisy has a sneaking suspicion that all that untreated sewage being discharged into the sea illegally, has something to do with not having the capacity to deal with all the extra waste from all of those new-build executive homes?

RED SKY AT NIGHT - A view looking from Herstmonceux Museum in East Sussex toward the village. A classic sunset of which we hope there will be many more. The old Generating Station just outside the village envelope of Herstmonceux, once provided electricity to the whole village. The industrial complex is a contender as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the only surviving early example anywhere in the world, where battery storage was used for load-levelling. A feature some 125 years ahead of its time.

INVESTMENTS IN OIL

Word has it that Wealden have been investing local tax dollars in oil companies, with oil set to devalue progressively as diesel and petrol vehicles are phased out. Perhaps councils shpuld think about re-investing in renewables, and cutting their losses?

CIL payments should be used to improve access roads and other facilities, and repair potholes. In the UK, why do we pay so much for our Road Fund Licences, when only 5% goes on building and maintaining roads? Where does the others 95% go?

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