What are the local issues and what can I do on your behalf?

• I support the aspirations of the community as articulated in the Ampthill Town Plan and that those aspirations become a reality. Chief amongst those priorities is making a new Parkside Hall a reality and as a Trustee I'm working with the team to achieve this goal. Find out more about the Ampthill Town Plan 
• I have regularly attended the Ampthill Community Safety Forum and its successor Let's Talk Together and have a good understanding of the issues that affect the community such as anti-social behaviour, speeding, parking issues etc
• I am against inappropriate development (as typified by the Covanta Incinerator and the development of the land behind Fallowfield) and support the Ampthill Development Action Group's campaign against the over-development of our town and the campaign against the incinerator. Find out more about these issues on the Ampthill Development Action Group Website, Marston Moretaine Action Group Website and Ampthill Town Council's Response to the Covanta Proposal
• I support elements of the Coalition's Localism Bill (which will become law towards the end of the year), including: 

• Local referendums - The Bill will give local residents the power to instigate, via a petition, local referendums on any local issue.
• Neighbourhood plans - The Bill will radically reform the planning system to give local people new rights to shape the development of the communities in which they live. Read the ACRE Briefing on Neighbourhood Plans for more information.
• Community Infrastructure Levy - The Bill will require local authorities to allocate a proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy revenues back to the neighbourhood from which it was raised. This will allow those most directly affected by development to benefit from it.
• Council Tax referendums - The Bill will end the central imposition of Council Tax caps on local government, and instead give local residents the power to veto excessive increases, by requiring local authorities to hold a referendum

My motivation around the Ampthill.Info website has been to give the community the tools to empower themselves, so I believe Ampthill should embrace the above measures when they become law. To find out more visit Communities and Local Government Website and download 'Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: An Essential Guide'

What are your issues?

I believe that Politicians don't always know best! That's why I would like to know your views.