The penny drops for Gordon Brown

Conservatives have this week released a dossier entitled "Debt's rocketing and the pound's collapsed. Now the penny drops."

The document outlines how Gordon Brown's economic policies have failed, and how he has been forced to accept our big argument on the recession.

The Conservatives have consistently stated that a discretionary fiscal stimulus could make things worse and that monetary policy has to take the lead.

Finally Gordon Brown has taken our advice.

"Debt's rocketing and the pound's collapsed. Now the penny drops"

Time to shift power to local people and rein in Whitehall bureaucrats

Bold new blueprint to give Lincolnshire more power – and make it more accountable

Local residents will have the power to instigate local referendums, will know more about how town hall money is spent and Lincolnshire County council will have more powers and funding under a new Conservative blueprint for local democracy.

The proposals to revive local democracy were recently unveiled by David Cameron in a major policy document, and have been endorsed today by Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor. The new policies include:

• Abolishing all regional planning and housing powers in the hands of regional government, returning powers and discretion back to local communities.
• Creating bottom-up incentives for house building, by allowing Lincolnshire County council to benefit from the increase in council tax revenues from new homes.
• Allowing councils to establish their own local enterprise partnerships to take over the economic development functions and funding of East Midlands Development Agency
• Giving a real incentive for councils to promote local economic growth, by allowing them to keep the uplift in business rate revenues from businesses growing in size.
• Granting Lincolnshire County council a new discretionary power to give discounts on business rates, allowing them to help local shops and services, such as rural pubs or post offices, or even create new local enterprise zones.
• Making greater use of direct democracy, including allowing Lincolnshire’s residents to veto high council tax rises, or instigate a council-wide referendum on local issues if 5% of local residents give their backing.
• Requiring Lincolnshire County council to publish detailed information online about its spending – including the pay and perks of senior staff; and issuing new guidance to stop ‘rewards for failure’ to sacked town hall staff (highlighted by the recent Baby P scandal).
• Scrapping Labour’s new Infrastructure Planning Commission, which it intends to use to force through the environmentally damaging Heathrow expansion and other controversial projects.

Giles said:

“These radical plans will put local people in the driving seat, and cut back interference and meddling by Whitehall bureaucrats.

“The next election won’t just be about whether to transfer power from Labour to Conservatives. It will also be about whether to transfer power from the central state to local people.

“Greater powers for local government must also be accompanied by more openness, greater accountability and new measures to protect the pockets of local taxpayers.”

Action needed to tackle overcrowded trains and soaring fares

Conservative proposals unveiled to improve Lincolnshire's railways

Giles McNeill, Conservative County Council candidate for the Nettleham & Saxilby division, added his backing to new Conservative plans to make rail services across Lincolnshire and Britain better. The proposals include giving Lincolnshire County Council the power to work in partnership with train firms to help deliver local rail improvements, and practical steps to increase investment in new trains and services.

By contrast, under the current Government, overcrowding is becoming an ever greater problem on the railways, and East Midlands Trains is increasing fares by 6% on season tickets and 7% on leisure fares this year.

The proposals, unveiled in a Conservative rail review, call for:

• Longer, better franchises: Short franchises discourage private sector investment in better trains. Instead, 15-20 year franchises should be the norm to give greater certainty and encourage investment in new and better trains.

• Innovation in local rail improvements: Funding for smaller scale capacity enhancements, currently dealt with by Network Rail, should be contestable and open to other providers, including train operating companies, local councils and Community Rail Partnerships.

• A moratorium on building on disused rail paths: Any disused railway lines still in public ownership should be conserved for the moment, to keep alive the possibility of reopening them to rail travel in the future. Protecting these corridors will also allow their use by pedestrians and cyclists in the interim.

• Setting the pace on high speed rail: There should be a new high speed line connecting Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Heathrow. This would be the first step in a national high speed network which would see the line extended to Newcastle and Scotland with further new lines linking up major cities across the UK.

• A new Passenger Champion: Passengers should have a one-stop-shop to complain to when things go wrong and to represent their interests; it would have the power to bang heads together to ensure that performance is improved, regardless of where the fault lies.

Giles said:

“The Government now has more control over the railways than in the days of British Rail. But after a decade of Labour, our railways are becoming more and more overcrowded and increasingly expensive, with fares soaring this year.

“We desperately need new capacity with longer trains, longer platforms and additional lines. These practical proposals would give a greater say for local people and less for Whitehall bureaucrats.”

Below, Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Transport Secretary, sets out our long-term vision for Britain’s railways and explains the changes a Conservative Government will make to improve rail services for passengers.

Concern over ‘100% Affordable Homes’ Development at Saxilby

Residents of Saxilby will be aware that an application has been made to West Lindsey District Council, who are the local planning authority, to develop 8 Bungalows and 11Houses, by Waterloo Housing Group, at ‘greenfield’ land on Church Lane. This land is approximately 10 hectares (that’s about the same as 10 football pitches) and is currently in use as arable agricultural land.

The site lies outside the ‘Settlement Boundary’ as defined on the adopted First Review of the West Lindsey Local Plan – Policy STRAT 4/5/6. The applicant is therefore reliant on the Authority releasing the site using the Rural Exception Policy (Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) paragraph 30 refers).

Notwithstanding the fundamental changes to national planning policy introduced by this Labour Government in 2005, It is my understanding that policies in the West Lindsey Local Plan are ‘held’ until the emerging documents, in form of a Local Development Framework, are adopted; probably not before 2011. The Local Development Framework will then take forward the ‘new plan’ to 2026.

During recent years, most local residents would agree that Saxilby has had its fair share of newly built ‘affordable/social-rented’ dwellings. Furthermore, several small sites suitable for this type of development have been identified within the present ‘Settlement Boundary’ (Brownfield sites); indeed, at least 3 sites are vacant, derelict and calling out for regeneration. Furthermore, Planning Policy Statement 3 also states that priority for development should be on ‘previously-developed’ land.

The Saxilby with Ingleby Housing Need Survey published in July 2006 quotes reasons for needs that are unsubstantiated, unconvincing and do not ‘cut it’ with ‘Middle England’ residents. Moreover, the West Lindsey Need Study published later that year, in November, is hardly convincing using 2 separate Models to estimate the net annual need across the whole district; Model 1 results in a figure of 198 and Model 2 reflects a figure of 518. These disparate exercises conducted at considerable cost to the taxpayer and in the light of the current economic conditions, suggest that any rush into false conclusions and planning options would be, to most observers, unwise until the housing market recedes to a sustainable level.

In the circumstances, any encroachment onto ‘greenfield’ land at this time is totally unjustified. Indeed, approval of the application would clearly not demonstrate ‘joined-up’ planning objectives. The field on which the subject site is located would be capable of accepting anything between 315 to 515 dwellings at the density figures quoted in Planning Policy Statement 3. Not surprisingly, residents in the near vicinity perceive a mini ‘Ermine Estate’ in the making with all the related social and security concerns.

In consideration of the planning application (123430) in context with the West Lindsey Local Plan First Review indicates further reasons to oppose any encroachment beyond the defined ‘Settlement Boundary’. In particular:
Policy Res 6 – Affordable Housing states: at para 1.46, that:

“ ‘exceptions’ provisions do not override long established national and planning policies controlling development in open countryside.”

Policy Res 7 – Rural Exceptions Housing states at para 1.48 sub para iv, that:

“This policy will apply to small rural communities, therefore sites on the fringe of the Unban Area of Lincoln... and the villages identified as Primary Rural Settlements will not be considered appropriate.”

Furthermore, farmland extending westwards from the site is rural in character so ‘affordable dwellings’ in isolation would be detrimental to the visual amenity and nature of the surrounding countryside. Indeed, approaching the village from the northwest along the lane from Torksey affords the traveller fine views onto the rising terrain towards St Botolph’s Church, the only Grade 1 Listed Building in the Parish. Moreover, the visual amenity is further enhanced by the ancient ‘ridge and furrow’ grassland located beyond the junction of Sykes Lane and Church Lane.

Accordingly, I consider encroachment of development on land outside the present ‘Settlement Boundary’ is totally unacceptable before adoption of the Local Development Framework which will occur, hopefully, after full and meaningful community consultation during the adoption process; a far cry from the alert of this application pronounced on a grubby Planning Notice posted on a way pole in a country lane. I therefore strongly of the opinion that the application be refused on grounds of that it is inconsistent with the stated local & national planning objectives and the desired will of local residents.






Giles McNeill
Local Conservative Action Team Co-Ordinator (Nettleham & Saxilby)

David launches Maths Taskforce with Carol Vorderman

David Cameron and Michael Gove have launched a new Maths Taskforce to be led by Carol Vorderman and examine how to make maths teaching in Britain’s state schools as good as anywhere else in the world.


Under Labour, more than three and a half million children have left school without at least a ‘C’ in maths GSCE – and nearly half of all eleven-year-olds leave primary school without basic numeracy skills.

David stressed there are

“few things more important than getting maths in our schools right: Basic numeracy is not a nice-to-have, it’s a must have. From checking your bank balance, to doing the weekly shop or making the most of the sales being able to add, subtract, times and divide is something we rely on often without thinking about it.”

He described Carol as the 'perfect choice' to lead our Maths Taskforce:

“She’s a well-respected public figure who not only knows maths inside out, but also how to extend that knowledge to a wider audience in an interesting and inspirational way.”

Government to hike business taxes on local firms at time of recession

Average business rates bill in West Lindsey may hit £5,932 thanks to Gordon Brown

Labour Ministers in Whitehall were today accused of kicking local firms “in the teeth” as it emerged that the Government is pushing ahead with plans to increase business rates on local firms at a time of economic recession.

The Government is introducing a new law - the Business Rates Supplements Bill - which will allow town halls to increase business rates on local firms by leving a ‘supplementary’ rate on top of current bills. This comes at a time that business rates are already due to rise by a painful 5% in April.

• There are 2,572 premises in West Lindsey which currently pay business rates. The average bill in West Lindsey in 2008-09 was £5,417 raising a total of £13.9 million a year in tax in total from local firms, which is handed over to Whitehall.

• Due to the impending 5% rise, business rate bills in West Lindsey will hit an average of £5,688 from April. If a supplementary business rate were imposed on top, this could push the average bill on local firms to a record £5,932 a year.

• Supplementary business rates are likely to be used to fund local authorities’ current expenditure, rather than new infrastructure. Councils will be pressured into levying supplementary business rates to make up for funding pressures. Firms will not be given a proper vote on whether or not they support the new charge. According to the Government, supplementary business rates could increase taxes by up to £600 million a year if levied by every local authority.

• There will also be a business rates revaluation in 2010, which may increase the bills even more for many firms – especially shops, since retail property rents have risen sharply in recent years. Higher rateable values will worsen the impact of supplementary rates.

Giles McNeill said:

“I fear that supplementary business rates will be yet another backdoor way for Gordon Brown to hike taxes by stealth. At a time when local firms are struggling for their very survival, even higher business rates are a kick in the teeth from the Government.”

Keeping Britain Working

We face a very difficult time in 2009. Unemployment is rising, people are struggling to pay the bills, repossessions are going up, businesses can't get hold of credit. The situation is critical, so it is vital that any political decisions made now meet two vital tests.

First, we need to be sure that what we're doing is really related to what is wrong with our economy. The Conservative Party's biggest proposal - the National Loan Guarantee Scheme - is absolutely related to the core problem of this recession; the drying up of credit that is denying businesses cash flow. By making sure money can flow from banks to businesses again, our scheme directly addresses that.

The second test for politicians is that any action taken must be right for the future as well as for right now. What Labour have done is both short-term foolish and long-term foolish. The pointless VAT cut hasn't offered immediate help - in fact it's been condemned by both Next and M&S - and worse, it will add an eye-watering £12.5billion to our national debt.

Giles McNeill meets Shadow Cabinet member Andrew Mitchell MP at an event launching our new economic package.

Contrast that with our plan to abolish income tax on savings for everyone on the basic rate of tax. It's short-term wise - helping the forgotten victims of Labour's recession now - and long-term wise because it sends out the much-needed signal that saving is good. That's exactly the sort of practical, lasting help this country needs right now.

Giles McNeill
Prospective Conservative County Council Candidate for the Nettleham & Saxilby Division

Conservatives and the European Union

It is the Conservative Party’s view that Britain benefits from our membership of the European Union. The EU does much that is worthwhile. The Single Market allows services, workers and goods to move freely across Europe. The tangible benefits such as cheaper telephone calls, air travel and internet access are enjoyed by tens of millions of Britons.

The EU also provides a unique means for us to work together with our European partners on shared challenges which Europe’s nation states by themselves cannot deal with; and with enlargement, the goal of EU membership has persuaded not just governments but whole societies to raise their standards across the board. Britain has an enormous amount to gain through co-operation and free trade in Europe. That is why we want Britain to be a positive participant in the EU, championing liberal values.

I do agree with you, however, that the costs of EU membership are heavier than they should be. There have been improvements – proposed new EU laws are now assessed for their impact on jobs and businesses – but there is still too much red tape coming from Brussels and too much interference in matters that should be decided by Europe’s nation states, not the EU. On issues such as the Working Time Directive the effect on our businesses and public services is potentially serious and damaging. That is why if we win the next general election a Conservative Government will have as a priority the restoration of national control over social and employment legislation.

The EU budget also costs British taxpayers more than it should, not least because this Labour Government signed away £7 billion of Britain’s hard won rebate in return for nothing at all. A Conservative Government would robustly defend Britain’s financial interests in Europe and press for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which accounts for two fifths of the EU budget.

You may also like to know that Britain’s net contribution to the EU budget is £2 billion this year, forecast to rise to £6.5 billion in 2010/11.

We believe in an open, flexible Europe, so we opposed the EU Constitution in principle, and that is why, now substantially the same Treaty has been brought back as the Lisbon Treaty, we oppose that too. So the Conservative Party wins the next general election and the Lisbon Treaty is not yet in force we will put it to a referendum of the British people, recommending a ‘no’ vote, and if it is rejected then the Treaty will be finished. But if the Treaty is in force then in our view political integration in the EU will have gone too far, the Treaty would lack democratic legitimacy in this country and we would not let matters rest there.

We have further pledged that a Conservative government will amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that any new EU Treaty that transfers competences – essentially EU legal language for powers – from the UK to the EU would be subject to a referendum of the British people. This is because we strongly uphold the principle that people should have freedom and control over their own lives, and it should no longer be possible for Governments to hand over power to the EU without the British peoples’ explicit permission.

We are optimistic that with a firm view of our national interests in mind and a clear vision of Europe’s proper priorities – global competitiveness, global poverty and global warming – we can succeed in reforming the EU so that it is fit for the twenty first century. It will not be fast. It will not be easy. But we believe it can be done.

Lincolnshire’s pubs being ripped off in tax inspectors’ cover-up

Government hides admission that pubs are paying too much in rates

Local pubs in Lincolnshire are being denied business rate cuts by the Government, Giles McNeill, Prospective Conservative Candidate for Lincolnshire County Council in the Nettleham & Saxilby Division, warned today. Pub landords could be paying thousands of pounds over the odds in tax, but are being kept in the dark by Government tax inspectors who want to avoid paying out tax refunds.

This follows a revelation earlier this year that tax inspectors were hiding the fact that hundreds of thousands of homes could be paying too much council tax. The tax officials kept quiet about the information to save money and save face.

• Five pubs closing every day: The British Beer & Pub Association has estimated that pubs are now closing at the rate of 36 a week - five a day. They are paying a heavy price for smoking ban, fragile consumer confidence, ruthless competition from supermarkets and – not least – higher beer taxes imposed by Gordon Brown.

• Government guidance on taxing pubs: Parliamentary Questions have brought to light unpublished internal guidance by the Valuation Office Agency (an arm of HM Revenue & Customs) on how local firms should be charged business rates. It admits that they have been giving out the wrong advice to firms on the effect of the smoking ban. Until recently, tax inspectors refused to give any business rate reduction for the loss of custom due to the ban. Their latest guidance now admits – thanks to advice from top lawyers – that the smoking ban represents a ‘material change’. Pubs can use this to make a claim for a lower ‘rateable value’ and so cut their yearly rates bill. For example, a £5,000 reduction in rateable value would save publicans £2,300 a year in tax.

• Local firms kept in the dark: Pubs can only apply for this tax cut if they make an appeal and fill out complex paperwork. The Government has made no announcement about potential refunds to local pubs across England and Wales. The Government is happy to hike tax bills, but it will not tell people when their bills could fall. Business rates are the third biggest cost to local firms after rent and staff costs.

Giles said:

“Local pubs in the villages that comprise the Nettleham & Saxilby Division are a vital part of our social fabric and community life. Whilst big pub chains may be making money out of Labour’s new drinking laws, small everyday pubs are suffering from the combined onslaught of higher beer taxes, a weakening economy, supermarkets selling alcohol below cost price and the smoking ban.

“Whatever people’s views on the smoking ban, it has had a major impact on many pubs. The Government’s own tax inspectors have now admitted that pubs may be eligible for refunds on their business rates, but local pub owners are being intentionally kept in the dark about this U-turn. This is yet another tax cover-up from the same inspectors who have conspired to hide council tax errors.

“Ministers are only interested in changing the tax system when it raises extra money for Gordon Brown’s coffers. Thanks to Whitehall secrecy and this stealth pub tax, local firms are going to the wall and everyday pub-goers are being hit in the wallet.”

Tax cuts needed to keep Lincolnshire working says Giles McNeill

Action required to boost the economy and reduce unemployment

Ahead of the publication of the Government’s draft Budget - the so-called Pre-Budget Report on 24 November, Giles McNeill, Prospective Conservative Candidate for Lincolnshire County Council in the Nettleham & Saxilby Division, has called for tax cuts to help Lincolnshire’s economy and reduce unemployment. The latest official Government figures show the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the Gainsborough constituency is now 1,200 a rise of 202 from this time last year.

Conservatives are calling on the Government to introduce tax cuts to create new jobs, under an innovative scheme which will help firms take on extra employees, boost the economy and reduce the damaging social costs associated with unemployment.

Private sector firms who hire someone who has been claiming unemployment benefits for more than three months and who has not previously worked for that company in the previous year, would receive a credit against employers’ National Insurance bills.

This would be funded by using money that would otherwise be spent on welfare payments to give tax cuts worth £2,500 per head over a year. It is estimated that the plan could create around 350,000 new jobs across the country over the next year. Simple safeguards would prevent abuse by ensuring that only genuinely new jobs would be eligible.

On top of this, Conservatives have already proposed:
• A two-year council tax freeze, paid for by cutting back on government advertising and consultancy fees.
• Taking family homes out of inheritance tax and nine out of ten first-time buyers out of stamp duty, funded by introducing a levy on non-domiciles.
• Allowing small businesses to delay their VAT payments by six months.
• Cutting payroll taxes for the smallest companies.

Giles said:

“I am very concerned about the state of the economy. Jobs, businesses and livelihoods across the Nettleham & Saxilby Division are at risk, and it is clear that we cannot rely on Gordon Brown to produce the positive policies that will help us cope with recession. Change is desperately needed.

“Cutting taxes for local firms who create new jobs is one of the ways that we can support our local economy, in a fiscally responsible way.”

Time to end Gordon Brown’s regime of bin taxes, bin cuts and bin fines

Conservative proposals to increase recycling and improve frontline services

Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor, today welcomed new Conservative proposals to end Gordon Brown’s unpopular and damaging policies of bin cuts, bin fines and bin taxes. In a major national policy announcement, Conservatives have unveiled plans to help the local environment and improve services to family homes.

• A Conservative Government will change Whitehall policy, restoring the expectation that councils should offer full weekly collections – ending and reversing the Labour policy of bin cuts, which are harming public health and the local environment in many parts of the country.
• Central funding will be offered to all councils so they can have full weekly collections, on top of a comprehensive recycling service. This will be funded by scrapping a host of unelected quangos and local government red tape. Based on the current rate of cuts, weekly bin collections will disappear completely from Britain by 2013.
• Councils, subject to the ballot box, will still have the final decision on what services to offer – but they will no longer be bullied into cutting services due to Whitehall diktats.
• Gordon Brown’s plans for new bin taxes will be scrapped. Labour’s stealth taxes threaten to harm the environment by fuelling fly-tipping and backyard burning.
• Conservatives will champion green incentives – from trials for free green compost bins, water butts, green cones and garden wormeries, to the ‘Recyclebank’ scheme, used in America, where householders are paid for recycling.
• New powers will be given to councils, allowing them to cut local council tax bills in return for recycling and green behaviour.

Giles McNeill said:

“Gordon Brown is making it ever harder for families to dispose of their waste responsibly. Despite soaring levels of council tax, local people are being hit by cuts to collections, over-zealous use of bin fines and the prospect of expensive new bin taxes which will push up the cost of living. Councils are getting the blame for policies imposed by Whitehall. That must change.

“Conservatives believe that regular rubbish collections are a vital frontline council service to help protect the local environment and public health. We reject Labour’s approach of state bullying, cutting services and higher taxes. We will provide funding for those councils that want to provide proper weekly rubbish collections, on top of comprehensive recycling services.

“We will make it easier for families to go green and increase recycling by working with households, not punishing them with heavy-handed bin taxes, bin cuts and bin fines.”

A Two Year Council Tax Freeze

Conservatives will freeze Council Tax for two years.

Under Labour council tax bills have more than doubled.

In 1997 the average Band D bill was £688. This year the average bill is £1,374.

It’s time the Government tightened its belt like the rest of the country. Conservatives will slash wasteful spending on Government advertising and expensive private sector consultants – and with the co-operation of local councils, use the money to freeze your council tax bill.

Instead of rising council tax bills under Labour, millions of families
will get help at the time they need it most.

Conservatives policies to help families cope with the rising cost of living:

HELP AT THE PUMPS
We will introduce a Fair Fuel Stabiliser − when fuel prices go up, fuel duty would fall.

HELP FOR FAMILIES
As we save money on wasteful welfare, we will abolish Labour’s couple penalty in the tax credits system – giving 1.8 million couples an extra £2,000 a year.

HELP FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS
We will permanently abolish Stamp Duty for first-time buyers on purchases up to £250,000 − nine out of ten first-time buyers will pay no Stamp Duty at all, saving an average of £2,000 each.

HELP WITH YOUR BILLS
We will cut the energy and gas bills of up to four million people by £100 by reforming Post Office Accounts to allow families without bank accounts to access cheaper tariffs.

HELP FOR MOTORISTS
We will oppose Labour’s new tax on family cars, which will hit 1 million owners of family cars bought up to 7 years ago with tax rises of up to £250.

Bail laws must be tightened to make Lincolnshire’s streets safer – Giles McNeill

New evidence of public being put at risk from criminals and dangerous suspects

Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor, today added his voice to calls to tighten the bail laws and ensure public safety is put first. New research has revealed that when criminal suspects breach bail, they face weak penalties or none at all. The latest figures show that almost half of all those who breach bail are let off with a fine, the average amount being just £60 – less than a typical town hall fine for a householder who puts out their rubbish on the wrong day.

Conservatives are demanding that tighter bail laws are needed, and have announced proposals to reform two crucial areas of bail law: decisions to bail defendants and enforcing conditions when a suspect is bailed.
• Public safety will be made an explicit consideration in all bail decisions
• Bail will be denied for those previously convicted of the most serious offences
• A new offence of breach of bail, punishable with imprisonment, will be introduced to tighten up the enforcement of bail condition
• Persistent offenders and those who have previously breached bail will lose the presumption of bail

In addition, there is growing public disquiet over the Government’s use of bail hostels to accommodate early release prisoners and criminal suspects. Hundreds of private bail hostels for criminals and suspects are being imposed on residential areas without consultation. They house offenders released before the end of their sentences or people on bail awaiting trial who would otherwise be remanded in custody. The private contractor ClearSprings has already opened around 160 hostels this year including in Lincoln.

Local authorities are being given little or no say in where the hostels are located. Local residents and neighbours of the properties are not excluded too. Conservatives are demanding that the Government suspends the ClearSprings scheme. It also fails to provide adequate support for, and supervision of, suspects and offenders.

Giles McNeill said:

“The current system is not working. Bail is too easily granted, frequently breached and weakly enforced. Public confidence is undermined when bail conditions are routinely breached, and offenders now hold the criminal justice system in contempt. New victims of crime are created unnecessarily. Only Conservatives will take effective action to protect the public.”

1,000 ways for Brown’s state inspectors to enter homes across Lincolnshire

Giles McNeill expresses concern at unchecked state powers of intrusion

Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor, expressed grave concern this week at the news that Government and town hall inspectors now have over 1,000 powers which allow inspectors to enter people’s homes and premises. Despite Gordon Brown’s pledge last year to cut back these powers, a further 16 new laws are being pushed through Parliament which entrench or extend powers of entry.

The Govenrment has recently published a full list of the state powers of entry that are now in force. There are now a total of 1,043 state powers of entry, and some 430 new powers of entry have been created by Labour.

A survey of state powers to enter people’s homes by the independent think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies, last year suggested that there were just 266 powers of entry. It warned that due to the “proliferation and variety of entry powers” householders cannot now “realistically be aware” of their rights and legal obligations.

The powers of inspection and entry include:
• Invading your home to see if your pot plants have plant pests or to check whether it has a so-called ‘plant passport’ (Plant Health England Order 2005).
• Inspecting a property to see whther performing animals, such as dancing bears, are being trained or exhibited without a permit (Performing Animals Regulation Act 1925).
• Surveying your home and garden to see if your hedge is too high (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003).
• Inspecting a property to ensure illegal or unregulated hypnotism is not taking place (Hypnotism Act 1952).
• Checking that accommodation being given to asylum seekers is not being occupied by people who are not asylum seekers (Immigration and Asylum Act 1999).
• Carrying out inspections for the presence of rabbits (Pests Act 1954).
• Raiding a house to check if unlicensed gambling is taking place (Gambling Act 2005 Inspection Provision of Information Regulations 2007).
• Checking and seizing fridges which do not have the correct energy rating (Energy Information Household Refrigerators and Freezers Regulations 2004).
• Allowing state-sponsored bailiffs to enter your home and seize goods, using reasonable force if necessary (Tribunal Courts and Enforcement Act 2007)

In a speech last October, Gordon Brown pledged to curtail such laws with a new ‘liberty test’. He pledged that any change to entry powers would be accompanied by new guidance on their use and on the rights of members of the public to stop their abuse. But 16 new laws are now before Parliament which extending the powers - without any such guidance.

Conservatives are also warning that yet more intrusion is being actively planned by Labour. A cadre of council tax inspectors are being trained and an Orwellian computer database is being created for a council tax revaluation in England. Householders will be fined £500 for obstructing these inspectors.

Giles McNeill said:

“Day by day under Labour, the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens across (area) are being eroded. Their plans for ID Cards and 42 days detention are examples. There has been a huge surge in powers of entry under Labour, entrenching and extending the surveillance state.

“We need measures to tackle genuine crime and terrorism. But the abuse of surveillance powers by town halls in some parts of the country shows the real danger of ‘function creep’ by state bureaucrats. Conservatives will cut back these unnecessary powers of the state to enter homes, starting off with abolishing council tax inspectors’ rights of entry and reining back in the nosey parker state.”

New figures expose Government failure on knife crime – Giles McNeill

Action needed to tackle worrying rise of young people carrying and using knives

Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor, expressed deep concern today about new local knife crime statistics published by the Government, and called for action to tackle the growing menace.

The official figures published by the Home Office show that across Lincolnshire, there were 71 serious offences last year involving knives.18% of all wounding, grevious bodily harm or robberies were committed with a knife in Lincolnshire. Nationally, the figure is 19%.


Conservatives are calling for a series of urgent measures to reduce knife crime, which include:

· Anyone convicted of carrying a knife should expect to receive a custodial sentence. Currently, the Government is planning to allow offenders carrying a knife to be let off with a fine in some circumstances.

· Making it easier for police officers to stop suspects and search them for knifes and other weapons, and increasing use of mobile knife scanners on the streets and on public transport (as already being successful trialled in London by Boris Johnson).

· Providing more custodial places for young offenders, and increasing support for drugs and education programmes, and tackling the causes of knife crime such as family breakdown, lack of school discipline and welfare dependency.

Giles McNeill commented:

“I am very concerned about these new figures showing the the menance of knife crime on our streets. This is a shocking indictment of Labour’s failure to tackle crime and its causes.

“Our police have been tied up in so much red tape that they can only spend 14 per cent of their time on the beat fighting crime. At the same time our unprotected borders have allowed too many weapons and hard drugs to flow into our country. Labour have also failed to address family breakdown which sets too many young people on a path of crime.

“Conservatives would start tackling this crime crisis by freeing our police from red tape and targets so they can be deployed on our streets to catch and deter criminals. We need stronger deterrent sentences such as a presumption of prison for those convicted of knife crime. And we will address the fundamental causes of crime like drugs and family breakdown.”

Giles McNeill signs up to Social Care pledge

Giles McNeill today commits to a reinvigorated vision of social care

Giles McNeill has today signed a social care pledge, committing to working towards a reinvigorated vision for social care if elected.


Giles McNeill, Conservative Candidate for West Lindsey District Council, said:

"Many of the people of Grange-de-Lings, Greetwell, Nettleham and Riseholme are reliant on social care services in their day to day lives. The term 'social care' covers a huge range of services from care homes and meals on wheels to fostering services and drop-in centres. West Lindsey District Council contributes to delivering these services for local residents.

"I believe social care should be about supporting people to live a better life, expanding their opportunities, not just managing their needs.

"If elected on May 1st, I will work hard to achieve a reinvigorated vision for social care, ensuring we have a personalised, easy to understand and accessible system for all."

Paul Cann, Head of Policy at Help the Aged, said:

"I'm pleased to welcome Giles to our campaign. Right care Right deal is the new joint national campaign launched to build public awareness and support for brave and innovative solutions for the social care system."

Give teachers the powers they need to sort out discipline – Giles McNeill

Growing concerns over violence and disruption in schools and on the streets

Giles McNeill, Conservative Candidate for West Lindsey District Council, today welcomed new policy proposals announced by Conservative leader, David Cameron, to restore classroom discipline and raise standards of behaviour in schools.

Life in local communities is being marred by violence and disruption in schools - and on the streets as well from children playing truant. These social problems hit the poorest areas the hardest. Bureaucratic rules imposed by the Labour Government have made it harder for teachers to keep order, while false allegations and assaults on teachers have never been higher.


Since 1997, across Lincolnshire, the number of permanent exclusions from secondary schools has fallen by 3% as a proportion of the school population – not because of better discipline, but because it has become more difficult to exclude troublemakers.

Conservative proposals include:

· Restoring the authority of headteachers, by ending the right to appeal against exclusions to external panels. Parents would still have a right of appeal to school governors – who are the people who should decide such matters.

· Changing the law so that teachers can physically restrain violent pupils if they need to.

· Establishing new protections for teachers from false and malicious allegations.

· Giving headteachers the freedom to pay bonuses to teachers who do a good job.

· Allowing headteachers to ban any items they think may cause violence or disruption in schools.

Giles McNeill said:

“In too many of our schools, good education is ruined by bad behaviour. The problem doesn’t lie with teachers – but with the Labour Government’s rules and regulations that stop teachers instilling proper discipline. Conservatives will give teachers and heads the powers they need to tackle disruptive kids, improve standards and ensure parents have a real choice over where to send their child.”

Worrying numbers of home owners in West Lindsey are facing debt problems

Effect of credit crunch and rising mortgage interest rates

Giles McNeill, Conservative Candidate for Nettleham Ward, today expressed his concern at new figures which warn that 5 million families across Britain could be at risk of defaulting on mortgage payments and losing their home.

The analysis, conducted by The Spectator magazine using data from credit agencies, shows that 6,378 households in Gainsborough Constituency have a ‘sub-prime loan exposure’, and may be now struggling with debt.

This comes as the latest official Government figures show that 19,015 homes across the Midlands were hit with repossession orders last year, with 447 orders being issued by Lincoln County Court. The Bank of England has also warned that banks and building societies are planning to cut back their lending further in coming months.

The crisis in the credit market is reducing the availability of cheap loans and mortgages, hitting people on the housing ladder and those not yet on it. This year, 1.4 million mortgages will come to the end of their fixed rate periods. As interest rates are higher now than they were two years ago, this could add £200 to the average monthly mortgage bill, placing yet more pressure on severely stretched family budgets.

Conservatives are calling on mortgage lenders to do more to help these families by:

· Contacting home owners 3-6 months before the end of their fixed rate mortgage period,

· Offering free financial advice, and

· Not imposing sudden hikes in repayments.

First time buyers are suffering from the credit crunch too, as mortgage lenders are demanding larger deposits. In response, Conservatives are calling for stamp duty to be abolished by the Government for first time buyers, for homes up to £250,000.

Giles McNeill said:

“This week has brought more worrying evidence that under Gordon Brown, our economy is built on debt. Labour’s record is one of economic incompetence.
“Thousands of families across West Lindsey are now exposed to the possibility of losing their home. With many households facing soaring bills as their fixed rates come to an end, mortgage lenders should do more to help home owners with the soaring cost of living and help reduce the hardship under Gordon Brown’s Government.”

£18,762,000 hike in council tax on West Lindsey’s taxpayers under Gordon Brown

Effect of Labour’s local taxes hikes on soaring cost of living exposed

New figures today have revealed that the tax take from council tax bills across West Lindsey has soared by an estimated 123% under Labour. This is equivalent to Gordon Brown raking in an extra £1.7m of council taxes each year since 1997. The news comes as new council tax bills are being sent out by West Lindsey District Council.Official answers by Labour Ministers show, for the first time, how much extra money is now being raked in from council tax in every part of England. Small print from the Budget also reveals that the Government is forecasting a £1.2 billion rise in council tax across Britain from April.

· The increase in council tax receipts across Britain under Gordon Brown is the equivalent of levying an extra 4 pence on the basic rate of income tax. As a whole, council tax now rakes in the equivalent of 7 pence on income tax.
· New figures show that across the East Midlands, the money collected from council tax is estimated to have soared by 131% from £765,000,000 in 1996/97 to £1,767,150,000 in 2008/09, a rise of £1,002,150,000 under Labour.
· Official statistics also show that council tax bills in West Lindsey have collectively risen by £18,762,000 from 1997 to 2007 – a rise of 123%.


Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor, said:

“Under Gordon Brown, council tax has been turned into the ultimate stealth tax – with West Lindsey’s taxpayers left to foot a £18m bill imposed from Whitehall. People are paying more and getting less.

“Whitehall must stop imposing unfunded burdens and regulations on town halls. But people power is also needed to control council tax. Conservatives will give local residents the power to veto high council tax rises through local referendums. We will place local taxpayers back in control of town hall finances.”

Bad news Budget: £110 extra in taxes on families across West Lindsey

Giles McNeill giveshis analysis of Government’s tax and spending plans



Giles McNeill, Nettleham Parish Councillor and Prospective District Council Candidate, this week delivered his verdict on the Budget which sets out the Government’s plans for taxes and public spending. Giles highlighted a series of areas where local residents across West Lindsey will lose out:

• Clobbering responsible drinkers: Instead of targeting irresponsible binge drinkers, responsible drinkers are being hit with inflation-busting increases in alcohol duties, raising £1.5 billion in extra taxes over the next three years.

• Little help for pensioners: The Winter Fuel Allowance has been increased for the first time in five years. But the increase is only a one-off for this year. Meanwhile, the burden of council tax bills is set to rise by another £1.2 billion this year, with council tax rises coming on top of hikes in previous years.

• Harder to get onto the housing ladder: This Budget fails to address the growing burden of stamp duty on first-time buyers - half of whom now pay stamp duty. More family homes will be paying 3 and 4 per cent stamp duty, as the thresholds are unchanged.

• Higher income tax and National Insurance for many: Tax changes on National Insurance and income tax announced in the last Budget are still to come into effect. Independent experts have calculated that 3.5 million families will be worse off as a result.

• Drivers face new stealth taxes: The Government is to fund new technology to impose controversial ‘spy-in-the-sky’ national road pricing taxes. Meanwhile, family cars face extra taxes of £735 million a year, but the tax cuts on small cars are only worth £15 million a year.

Giles McNeill said:

“The cost of living is rising fast, but Gordon Brown’s Government has added to it with a barrage of new stealth taxes. This is a bad news Budget that adds £110 a year to the tax bill for families across Lincolnshire.

“Any extra taxes on alcohol or cars should be offset by tax cuts elsewhere, but Labour has just used them as an excuse to raise more money for Gordon Brown’s coffers. Taxes and borrowing are up because the Government failed to use the good years to prepare for the bad years.”