A recent YouGov poll of 2,062 adults across the country found that more than six in ten people think that the BBC’s TV licence fee is a “rip off”.

When asked whether the £139.50 licence fee was good value for money, 64 per cent of people chose the answer ‘No it’s a rip off, while only 10% chose ‘Yes’, and 24 per cent chose ‘Just about but they could do a bit more’.

British Gas has taken the unprecedented step of opening an emergency helpline to deal with complaints about direct debits following the adverse publicity over the excessive charges that have been made on customers’ accounts.

British Gas, the largest energy company in the UK, has called in 300 staff to address problems with energy payments.

According to today’s paper, the Mail on Sunday has been contacted by 1,500 readers worried that they are being compelled to keep excessively large credit balances on their accounts because of the way the energy companies calculate direct debit charges.

Although British Gas, which has 16million customers, receives the largest number of complaints concerns have been raised about all of the other major UK suppliers including E.ON, Scottish & Southern, Scottish Power, nPower and EDF.

Managing director Phil Bentley disputed the estimates that the average customer has a credit balance of more than £100 and also pays hundreds of pounds in advance for gas, providing the industry with a cash balance which may be as much as £4billion.  Mr Bentley maintains that British Gas customers go into winter with an average credit balance of £6.50.

Mr Bentley defended direct debits, arguing that most consumers like to spread their bills.

Mr Bentley said that he would welcome an Ofgem investigation, and argued that the meters of British Gas customers were read regularly so payments  are closely related to actual usage.

Mr Bentley said that many customers who complained about direct debits simply did not understand the increase in underlying energy costs.

Mr Bentley explained: ‘If consumption goes up, then their bill price will rise, but the cost per therm should not exceed the agreed maximum.

Mr Bentley pledged that by the end of next year customers would automatically be sent a cheque if the surplus on their account topped £200.

Cases of refunds taking up to five months have been reported, but Mr Bentley said the that the aim was to transfer large surpluses within 28 days.

The emergency number for those trying to sort out direct debits is 0800 048 0101, and telephone lines are open from 10am to 8pm.

When opposition politicians heard about Damian Green’s arrest, many of us asked “When did it become a crime to hold the Government to account?

We already operate in a system where Parliament is effectively neutered, little more than a rubber stamp for legislation that ministers have already decided.

Throwing a spotlight on information the Government would rather keep hidden is an essential part of our democracy. And when dealing with an administration legendary for its secrecy, you increasingly have to rely on whistle-blowers to see the full picture.

We already operate in a system where Parliament is effectively neutered, little more than a rubber stamp for legislation that ministers have already decided.

Our political system is already in deep trouble: sinking public confidence in MPs, feeble parliamentary scrutiny, a rigid culture of Whitehall secrecy, and an electoral system that hands unprecedented powers to governments freed from any meaningful scrutiny from other parties.

This unprecedented arrest is a wake-up call. We must save our broken democracy.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg has spoken at greater length on this subject in today’s Telegraph.  It can be read at http://ww.tinyurl.com/damiangreen

Local councillors and residents have welcomed the news of a new Grimsby police station.

The station on Laceby Road will be in the heart of Grimsby South Policing area, which includes the Nunsthorpe and Grange estates in South Ward, as well as Ridgeway, Littlecoates and Laceby Acres in the Yarborough.  

The new building will house the 25 police staff, 12 community wardens and warden manager that form the neighbourhood policing team for Grimsby South.

Insp Tracy Bradley, who heads the neighbourhood policing team, said:

“We are very excited about the new station. It is going to be fantastic to be based in the heart of the community.”

Tim Hollis, the Chief Constable of Humberside Police also said:

“This shows our commitment to our neighbourhood policing teams, and will re-establish the police in the community, which is the very essence of British policing.

“It is another symbol of our commitment to restoring our relationship with the community and reassuring them that we are on their side.”

Chief Supt David Hilditch, divisional commander for North East Lincolnshire, said:

“It is really important for the team to have a base that is on their patch.  It will be easier for them to get out on patrol and it is a place that residents can come to, to see the officers.”

The station will cost almost £900,000, with the capital funding coming from Humberside Police Authority.

Coun Doug Pickett (Lib Dem, South), who is also vice chair of the planning committee, said: “I am really pleased that the committee unanimously agreed to this. We have been waiting for a long time.

“It will be a really good addition to help improve safety in the area.”

Coun Sue Pickett (Lib Dem, South) said: “Neighbourhood policing has really come on in the last few years. The police are a lot more visible than they used to be, and this will add to that.”

The Conservatives are split over the issue of public sector pension reform, following the release of information highlighted by the Liberal Democrats that shows that the cost of public sector pensions is due to treble between 2006-07 and 2009-10.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“It now transpires that there is a major split within the Conservatives on public sector pensions, with David Cameron trying to give business the impression that they are tough on the issue, while Chris Grayling’s line to public sector employees is that nothing will change.

“This isn’t leadership but short-term opportunism.

“It’s very clear from the Pre-Budget Report that public sector pension commitments are skyrocketing.

“This is a serious long-term issue which must be dealt with honestly. That is why we have called for an independent commission to review public sector pensions.”

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Pensions Spokesperson, Matthew Oakeshott said:

“Who is in charge of Tory pension policy, Cameron or Grayling?

“Cameron wants to end pensions apartheid, while Grayling says it has never even be discussed and there are no plans to change.

“Grayling soft soaps the public sector in public while Cameron tells private business the opposite in private.

“You can’t trust the Tories on pensions.”

Ms Willott called on the government to “practice what they are preaching” and increase the money available for crisis loans.

“The thing that’s worrying is that the proportion of applications that have been turned down is much higher than it has been before.

“At a time when more people are desperate even more people are being refused,” she said.

She added: “This is at a time when the government is telling banks to lend more money but they are not practicing what they are preaching”.

While she said that better training for staff would also improve the system, she added: “The government does need to put more money in at a time when people are struggling so people can get the loans they need”.

KIER has been announced as the preferred bidder for the design and redevelopment of Hereford Technology School and Havelock Academy for North East Lincolnshire Council, projects with a combined value of £37 – 40 million.

Both the school and the academy will be replaced over the next three years by modern, state-of-the-art buildings, designed to help to raise the educational standards of those attending as well as meeting the needs of the communities of North East Lincolnshire.  

Kier is aiming to make the new facilities flexible, to accommodate future curriculum needs as well as those of the present.

Work is due to start at Hereford in April 2009 with an aim to open by September 2010. Work on Havelock will follow closely with their opening anticipated to be January 2011. The predecessor buildings will largely be demolished.

We are looking forward to working with Kier Education over the next three years. This announcement represents an important step forward with for these projects. North East Lincolnshire will benefit from the new Hereford School and Havelock Academy within three years, bringing a further £39 million into the borough’s schools ahead of our main Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Initial innovative designs for Hereford showcase Kier’s specialism of technology. The mix of linear and circular shapes enables classrooms to be different shapes and sizes, offering a flexible approach to learning. The external landscape has also been considered and a number of outdoor learning environments will also be provided. The school will be built on the corner of Hereford Avenue and Westward Ho and will link with the Learning Village approach which is being developed with the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education and Franklin College.

Elaine Davies, headteacher at Hereford Technology School, said: “Hereford Technology School are delighted with the partnership that has developed between us and Kier. The proposed design enables us to embrace current curriculum developments but is flexible enough to meet future needs such as the delivery of 14-19 diplomas.

“Initial designs show a school with our students and their pastoral care at its heart. Equally important to us is our community and Hereford will continue to lie at its centre with the capacity to offer a wider range of courses and services. As well as looking to the future, we also hope to encompass and celebrate our town’s heritage in the specially designed forum and landscape. It certainly places us at the front of the transformational journey of education and at the heart of the Learning Village. We are looking forward to the next stage of the development and sharing our proposals with the community.”

A drop-in consultation event, allowing the community an opportunity to see initial plans for Hereford School, will take place on Tuesday December 2 at the school. It will be held between 4pm and 7pm and the public will be asked to give their views on the designs before a formal planning application is made later in the month. The designs and images for the school are not final but give an idea of what the school could look like. The school, council and Kier want to engage members of the community in the development of final plans for the project.

Roger Edwardson, deputy director of learning, said of the community consultation: “We are determined to ensure that our plans for the new schools represent the needs of their students and the local community. Further design events will take place with young people at both Hereford and Havelock as the projects move forward. We would like as many members of our community to come along to the consultation event and give their views to enable us to move forward with these projects together.”

In April 2007, the Council adopted the Central Promenade Development Brief as a Supplementary Planning Document. The future vision for the site is to bring forward a development which:

• Significantly enhances the visitor offer in Cleethorpes
• Provides a high quality focal point and destination linked to its setting
• Fully exploits the views, levels and seafront location in a sensitive manner
• Is designed so as to minimise impact on the environment over the life of the development
• Provides an active frontage and use throughout the day

The site went through a marketing and selection process earlier this year.

The process included a very successful 2 day public consultation event where members of the public were asked to comment on the shortlisted design proposals.

Further public consultation was undertaken in September by the preferred developer, to demonstrate how the designs have developed using the feedback received from the first public event.

The estimated start date of construction is October 2009 with the development due to be open for the summer season of 2011. Follow this link for an artist impression of the new development         http://tinyurl.com/593xqs

Households in North East Lincolnshire who have been sent a postal survey about life in the borough are being asked to complete and return it so their views can be addressed.

The Government sponsored surveys have been sent to thousands of randomly selected homes and asks residents’ opinions about the quality of life in their immediate neighbourhood.

There are prizes up for grabs for those families who complete their survey, with the grand prize being a year’s family gym membership, up to the value of £800.

The council and its partners who include the police, health authorities, businesses and community representatives, make decisions that affect everybody’s lives. They want to be certain they understand the views of local people and deal with the issues that matter to their customers.

Councillor Beasant said: “It is important you respond to this survey as it will be used to see how well we and our partners are doing at delivering the services that matter to you. It will help us to decide what needs doing differently in the future.

“We are asking for your views on public health, poverty, crime, regeneration, public transport, household waste and recycling and a host of other big topics that affect you.”

As well as the fantastic leisure centre offer courtesy of Sports and Leisure Management, prizes include theatre tickets, visitor attraction passes, health care plans and meal vouchers.

The deadline for people to respond and return their survey is Friday, December 19.