Letter to the Editor of the West Briton from Ian Wright, 15th February

Council staff disciplined by bosses / £200, 000pa council chief heads expenses list. One rule for one, and another for the rest of the staff..........?

I could not help but darkly chuckle when comparing the contents of two articles in last week's West Briton. On page 2 we read that 78 staff have been disciplined by Cornwall Council in the last year, and on page 4 we read of Kevin Lavery, the council's Chief Executive, who has claimed over £10,000 in expenses in his first 9 months, despite his £200,000 salary. Maybe I pick on Mr Lavery unfairly as other senior officers in the organisation do not fare too well in their expenses claims according to your report.

It is just a shame that your editorial staff did not decide to juxtapose the two articles to amplify the irony-particularly as you note there were no cases of disciplinary action taken in the Chief Executive's department.

Ian Wright to stand as Green Candidate for Truro and Falmouth Constituency

Ian Wright has been selected by the Cornish Green Party to be its candidate for the general election for the Truro and Falmouth constituency.

Ian lives in the village of Portloe on the Roseland. Ian is married with two children who attend the local school in Veryan. Mr Wright has lived in Portloe for thirteen years. Mr Wright works as an inspector of health and social care services for the Care Quality Commission.

The Green Party is now fielding three candidates in Cornwall; Ian Wright in Truro and Falmouth, Camborne and Redruth (Euan McPhee), and St Ives (Tim Andrewes).

Greens Highlight Housing Backlog

The Green Party has today called for urgent investment in social housing to tackle the lack of affordable homes in Cornwall.

The call comes in response to a new report by the housing charity, Shelter, which analyses the gap between social housing need and provision in local authorities across England. The report reveals that, on current trends, it would take Cornwall more than eleven years to clear the backlog on its housing waiting list.

Cornwall’s backlog is within the worst 25% of all English local authorities, a reflection of the persistently high pressures on housing in the region.

St Ives parliamentary candidate Tim Andrewes commented: ‘Shelter’s research demonstrates just what an uphill task faces us in Cornwall if local housing needs are to be met. The Green Party supports calls for more investment in social housing. The money spent would not only help provide much needed homes, but would also stimulate the construction industry in this time of recession.’

The Green Party is highlighting the housing issue as part of its campaign to promote its policies on social issues and fairness. In the run-up to last autumn’s Pre-Budget Report, the Party called for a £6 billion programme of council house building, along with initiatives to bring empty homes back into use and support housing co-operatives.ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Tim Andrewes 01736 795387 or 07815 441490

Tamsyn Williams 01736 795695

The figures for Cornwall have been aggregated from the district totals.

Details of the Shelter report can be seen at:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/news/december_2009/over_10_years_to_clear_waiting_lists

Greens Call for Clean Energy

Green parliamentary candidate for St Ives, Tim Andrewes, has visited the village of St Erth to launch his party’s policies for clean energy.

Tim visited the home of John and Theresa Byrne in St Erth to see eight solar photovoltaic panels being installed on their roof. The panels will make up a 1.68 kilowatt system, with an expected output of around1700 kilowatt hours per year – enough to provide around half of an average household’s consumption.

The Green Party wants to see a major increase in clean energy sources, including solar, wind, wave and geo-thermal power. This policy would cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and improve the security of energy supplies.

Tim said:

‘Energy from the sun is going to play an important part in supplying our electricity needs in the future. The Green Party wants to see a largescale programme of solar roof systems installed over the next five years – providing clean energy and giving a major boost to this important sector of the economy.’

The panels in St Erth are being installed by Plug Into The Sun, a local business based at Long Rock. Theresa Byrne said: ‘Once we’d decided to go for a solar roof, we wanted to use a local firm so that we would be supporting the local economy as well.’

Tim continued: ‘This sort of scheme demonstrates clearly how tackling climate change can create jobs and strengthen the local economy. Our policy on solar roofs is part of a wider programme of investment in renewable energy, affordable homes and public transport that will put the UK on the road to a sustainable economic recovery.’

ENDS