I am much more concerned for the vitality of our town centres than I am
about whether or not I receive a parking permit. The problem with which we
are faced is a structural one. The Vale District Council has become
dependent on the revenue for car parking, so that in difficult times, when
we should be encouraging shoppers back into our town, we are actually
increasing charges and sending people away to towns such as Didcot and
Witney which welcome shoppers.

I fear that all of the towns in the Vale will suffer until the Council
accepts that parking isn't just an extra service that can be squeezed when
times are tough, it is essential to our local economy and should take a much
higher priority. I still hope to find a way to make the first hour free in
all Vale car parks.

The row over apparent bullying inside Number 10 seems to me to be blown out
of all proportion. Everyone has agreed that Gordon Brown is not personally
accused of bullying and he is probably just as damaged by the incompetent
denials from Mandelson and others as by the original allegations themselves.

There is however a more important issue at the heart of the matter - whether
the personality of our politicians matters. Surely it must. In all cases we
should be interested in the kind of people that we elect to take decisions
on our behalf. Naturally politicians should be entitled to a private life,
but their own personality must impact on the way in wish they conduct
themselves in public office.

We would not want to see a doctor who we considered to be uncaring, or to
send our children to a school where we thought the teachers were not
committed. Our own personalities guide our motives in everyday life, and I
for one don't see how it is possible to separate the two.

To look at the current case about to be put before the electorate, David
Cameron of Gordon Brown. David Cameron is, I believe rightly, seen by many
as a passionate leader, how cares for the people he wishes to serve. Many
see Gordon Brown as remote and disconnected from the public. There are
hugely important issues of public policy that will be put to the electorate
later this year, but we cannot believe that the type of leader we have is
irrelevant.

I hope my friends will help me to raise as much money as possible for this
excellent charity, and those who aren't my friends might just pay to see me
get my feet burnt! You can support me by following the link on my website
www.matthewbarber.co.uk.

The weir at Radcot Lock dates back several centuries. It retains a head of
water upstream, creating enough depth to allow boats to navigate the river.
After the 2007 floods an assessment concluded that the weir at Radcot should
no longer be operated manually due to the high risk of injury to operators.
With an inoperable weir the Environment Agency would have less control over
water levels and flood risk to the local area would increase. Removing the
weir permanently would prevent boats from travelling along the river and
would adversely affect the biodiversity and natural appearance of the river.

Radcot is one of five Thames area weirs to be replaced by October 2011.

Construction work is due to begin in April 2010 and will continue over two
summer seasons until the end of October 2011. Radcot Lock will remain
operational throughout, with only minor impacts on normal function.

The final result was that the Vale Council tax will increase by 3.9% and
front line services will be cut. The Wantage LSP will close, the grants
budget has been cut for at least a year, and parking charges will increase
across the district.

Cllr Barber commented after the meeting, "We have tried to be constructive,
offering a way of saving money and protecting services, but the Lib Dem
Leader said at the start of the meeting that he had made up his mind, and
would not consider any alternatives."

Over the next five years, the Lib Dem are proposing to make cuts of
£5.8million from the Council's budget. Vale Conservative Leader, Matthew
Barber said, "You simply cannot make cuts on this scale without harming
services". The consultation process which took place over the Christmas and
New Year was the perfect opportunity for the Lib Dems in Abingdon to pull
back from the brink and make a commitment to protect important parts of the
Council's work such as community grants, the Local Service Points and the
Civic Halls.

Cllr Barber went on to say, "Everyone has been hit hard by the recession,
but the failings at the Vale are due to political mismanagement. At the end
of last year the local press reported accounting errors of more than
£700,000. In the budget proposals published this week, there are more than
£1.5million worth of costs brought about by poor budgeting in previous
years."

Despite making huge cuts, the savings are not being passed onto the public.
The Lib Dems risk capping by the Government by proposing to increase Council
Tax by an inflation-busting 3.9%. Matthew Barber concluded, "The
Conservatives at the Vale are working constructively to find ways of
protecting our front line services. We can't go on like this!"