There has been an incredible amount of rather synthetic fury from the Lib Dems in Somerset about what was a possible decision by the County Council to reduce the funding they provided to Avon and Somerset Police and by doing so reduce the number of PCSO's across Somerset. The Lib Dems variously called this 'slashing' and other such strong words. A visit to the Somerset Lib Dems website leaves you with the impression that they really have not recovered from their loss at the last County Elections. So distraught were they that I gather they tried to vote themselves large pay increases last month because they had lost out financially from losing the elections - they were stopped.

They talked about slashing the numbers of Police when in fact what finally happened was that the cuts amounted to about 1.5 less officer's, a figure hardly likely to lead to a rise in crime acorss Somerset. I would prefer there were no cuts but if we are to get the County Council out of the financial hole the last Lib Dem administration created then they have to start somewhere, or do we. I wondered at the time how much of this was about Lib Dem campaigning rather than really doing something for Somerset people. So, it will come as no surprise that it appears the position on Police numbers is not at all what the Lib Dems would have you believe.

John Penrose asked a question of a Home Office Minister on the overall policing levels in Somerset. What he found is that since 2006 Police numbers in Avon and Somerset constabulary have been falling and yet the Lib Dems, presumably because they did not want to upset their potential political allies in the Labour Party, did nothing about it. The fact we have 230 less Police in A&S since their high point is of very real concern and one presumes that this situation can only deteriorate if we let Labour and the Lib Dems have their way. Even more worrying is that this fall in numbers appears to have hit constables harder than it has other senior ranks - there are less constables and yet more Sergeants, more Inspectors, more Chief Inspectors and more Superintendants.  This is a cut of nearly 7% in overall numbers but it also sees a shift from full time Police Officers to more part-timers. It seems even more incredible that this is the case when the police have received a nearly 5% rise in their element of the Council Tax. The full question and answer you can see here.

So, the next time the Lib Dems start a campaign near you I suggest you ask questions about whether the campaign is real or not.

UPDATE: I have now sent a press release out on this issue and made the following comments.

Kevin Davis, Conservative Prospective MP for Yeovil said: "I am alarmed at what these figures have revealed. Only last month the Lib Dems in Somerset were complaining that the new Conservative County Council had to cut funding for 1.5 posts so they could limit Council Tax rises and yet here we find that the Lib Dem MPs in Somerset must have been asleep for five years as our police numbers reduced."

Kevin continued: "There are two major concerns I have. The first is that it is the constable on the front line who has borne most of these cuts. There are less constables and yet more Sergeants, more Inspectors, more Chief Inspectors and more Superintendents. The second problem is that Police funding has risen significantly over this period, including 5% only last month, and yet we have seen falling police numbers. What are we going to see when we start to see real cuts in Government spending?"

The pledge reads:

'I pledge to back the building of more affordable homes and to work towards all constituents having access to decent, affordable housing in safe and sustainable communities.'

Am I bonkers or is this so blindingly obvious that it says a lot about this Government's total disregard, and at times downright antagonism, to rural life that they need to pay a man to write a report to tell them the bleeding obvious

This incredibly insightful report (not really) then goes on to list the earth shattering (in his view) reasons why this state of affairs exists; jobs, lack of affordable housing and....... not very good broadband.

Apart from broadband - which I do not believe is a reason on its own for rural communities losing young people, the list is unsurprising.

I guess the problem is that this Government has been in power for 13 years and only now gets a report that any single person who lives in the country could probably have written for them in five minutes.

Will anything happen to this report? Probably not. Will things change for the countryside? Not if Labour get back in again.

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Click here to download a pdf of the full leaflet

Kevin Davis slams Labour calls to not improve the A303

South West is worst in the country for congestion and high rail fares

The influential and Labour dominated Parliamentary South West Regional Committee has issued a report into transport in the South West. It concludes that no new money should be spent on the A303 through Somerset but billions of pounds should be pumped in to the electrification of the London to Swansea train line.

Kevin Davis said, “I am a great advocate of improving the train infrastructure, but this committee seems to be arguing that it is either trains or the A303 and I do not believe that is the choice? We should be working for both as achieving one does not relieve the other. It is also relevant to note that the only MPs on this committee were Labour MP's and not one of them comes from Somerset or Cornwall.”

The committee has 5 members who wrote this report. One member comes from Plymouth but none of the others have seats in Somerset, Devon or Cornwall – three of them came from Bristol and one from Stroud.

Kevin Davis continued:

“I agree with some aspects of the report, for example the South West is known for being the worst in the country when it comes to congestion and high rail fares. I also agree that we need to do more research on the economic benefits to be gained from upgrading the A303. But this issue is not just about economics but a simple matter that the A303 is quickly earning a reputation as the road of death. The level of traffic on the A303 far surpasses some stretches of motorway and yet the levels of death and serious injury appears to be rising all the time. We need to see action for the benefit of the people of Somerset, not Parliamentary reports that seek to do more for Labour MPs in marginal seats!”

1 March 2010

ENDS

Note to editors:

The South West Regional Committee is a Parliamentary committee set up to examine issues that affect the South West Region.

The members of the committee are:

Alison Seabeck MP (Labour, Plymouth Devonport) (Chairman)

Mr David Drew MP (Labour, Stroud)

Roger Berry MP (Labour, Kingswood)

Kerry McCarthy MP (Labour, Bristol East)

Dr Doug Naysmith MP (Labour, Bristol North West)

Its recent report on Transport in the South West can be seen here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmswest/146/14602.htm

This has been reported to BBC Somerset here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/somerset/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8537000/8537107.stm

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The Conservative Party today launched a policy paper on what it wants to see happen in the farming sector. A full copy can be downloaded here. Nick Herbert, the Shadow Secretary of State has a foreword which I have detailed below. In addition I am hopeful that we will shortly be welcoming a Shadow Minister to Yeovil to discuss farming and agriculture.

Farming and land management have a critical role in Britain’s future. As the
provider of the majority of our food and the manager of our landscape the
industry should look forward to a rewarding future under a government
which enables it to succeed.
Since Labour came to power we have experienced declines in production of
meat, dairy and vegetables, and become increasingly dependent on imports
of food we could grow ourselves.1Allowing this trend to continue is neither
morally nor strategically desirable when climate change is reducing the
world’s productive capacity and global demand for food is projected to
double by 2050.2
Falls in domestic production can not only weaken our food security, but
threaten the viability of rural communities, damage the countryside and
potentially undermine our food manufacturing industry, which directly
supports 440,000 jobs.3 This sector depends largely on UK farming for its
supplies and if these continue to diminish processing companies could be
forced to move abroad to be nearer their supply base, putting jobs and
investment at risk.
Promoting our farming industry is not about retreating to protectionism or
ushering in a period of unsustainable intensification. After all it is healthy soils,
clean water and thriving biodiversity upon which our food security ultimately
depends. Conserving the natural environment and producing food cannot be
alternatives. We need to do both - as the protectionist regime of the Common

Agricultural Policy (CAP) is rightly dismantled, our farmers should be freed

to compete openly and fairly with overseas producers whilst being supported
for enhancing the environment and maintaining the attractiveness of
our countryside.
The resources challenge we face today is both environmental and economic.
We must bear down on agricultural emissions and help to reduce dependence
on fossil fuels, without undermining our ability to meet rising demand for
food. There is also an imperative to eliminate waste, root out inefficiency
and deliver value for money at every turn.
A Conservative Government will act to create the conditions in which our
farming industry can thrive by:

• promoting fair competition
• reducing the burden of regulation
• working to achieve a CAP which provides long term stability
• taking effective action on animal disease
• enabling increased production whilst protecting the environment

There is no more important industry than the production of food, but under
Labour our farmers have been treated as dispensable. The Government’s
belated recognition that farming matters is a welcome step forward, but it
will have little credibility after more than a decade in which they have
devalued British agriculture and allowed domestic production to decline.
Reversing this damaging trend requires a new approach. Safeguarding our
food security, maintaining the countryside and providing the raw materials
for the UK’s largest manufacturing sector represents an enormous
contribution to our national well-being and resilience. It is about time this
was reflected by a government which understands the realities of farming
and creates the conditions in which the industry can thrive.