West Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats

We've always had buzzards up in the Chilterns where we live. But as when larger, elegant kites arrived, our plumper friends, the buzzards, seemed to gradually get fewer in numbers.

Then, after 10 years or so, just as gradually, we seemed to be noticing them more frequently - sometimes catching a glimpse of one sitting on a branch, or hearing their mewing calls in the woods.

Tring Farmers Market has been in need of a regular vegetable stall for some time - which is a pity since vegetables are an important attraction is any market. In the case of Tring Farmers Market would provide a good complement to goods offered at the other stalls.

Caroline Hendry-Smith, one of the market organisers said,

"We are very excited to announce that Dunsley Farm Shop will be joining us selling a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Dunsley Farm Shop has recently been taken over by 'Fruity Tooty' who also run a vegetable shop in Aylesbury. Ashton Smith from 'Fruity Tooty' plans to bring as much local vegetables as possible when available."

Northamptonshire County Council was controlled by the Conservatives from 2005 to 2018.

Their disastrous administration resulted in early 2018 in the council having to declare that it "was effectively insolvent".

Commissioners had to be brought in by the government to run it.

In March 2018 inspectors concluded that the problems at the council were so deep-rooted that it was impossible to rescue it in its current form.

To do so, they said, would have been "a reward for failure".

Two rail replacement bus service has been operation Mondays - Fridays on the Hertford Loop while Network Rail complete a major upgrade to Stevenage Station.

• Between Stevenage and Watton-at-Stone - served by a people carrier
• Between Stevenage and Hertford North - served by a double decker bus

This involves not only Stevenage Station but also the track that connects Stevenage with Watton-at-Stone and destinations further south on the Hertford Loop. A major element in the upgrade is the construction of a new fifth platform at Stevenage. However, extensive work to the track, signalling and other infrastructure is required to connect services to the Watton-at-Stone line.

Despite the scaremongering and misunderstanding that's around, the situation is clear. Vehicles of all sorts will be powered less and less by the internal combustion engine as time goes on. Diesel engines will probably remain the power source of choice for the larger lorries, but any smaller vehicle could use electric power from batteries - and anything larger with more space to spread the weight, such as a train or a boat, could do the same thing using cheaper and simpler batteries.

Now trams are the latest form of transport to start using batteries in a big way, and for the simple reason that in crowded city centres tram operators can save a lot of cost and maintenance by restricting those overhead wires to the more spacious outskirts and suburbs.

CAF, a Spanish engineering company with over a century of experience since they made their first tram in Zaragoza in 1897, produced their first tram capable of running without wires in 2009. This was a modification of their flagship product, the Urbos tram. 21 Urbos trams were supplied to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in 2012 for use in Birmingham. In 2018 CAF were asked to fit these trams with batteries and the trams have successfully demonstrated their ability to be used on stretches of track where there are no wires.

Now the company has won another contract from WMCA to supply a second tranch of 21 more Urbos trams - this time already fitted with battery electric storage - with an option for a further 29. They are to be used on the Midland Metro between Birmingham and Wolverhampton and including the new Centenary Square extension which was built from the start without overhead wires.

Meanwhile, rather further afield, CAF's subsidiary company, Solaris, has won a contract in Venice, for 30 of its Urbino 12 electrically powered buses which will replace all of the diesel powered buses operating on the Lido and Pellestrina islands

In a motion to Dacorum Borough Council at its Budget setting meeting on 25th February, 2020, the Liberal Democrat Borough Councillors, without opposing any of the Conservative proposals, sought to amend the budget for the coming financial year by the addition of 10 items, mainly aimed at strengthening existing measures to mitigate Climate Change.

The motion was proposed by Group Leader, Cllr Ron Tindall and seconded by the Deputy Group Leader Cllr Adrian England.

They took note of the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy and only proposed new services and initiatives that could be paid for out of existing resources and reserves. The amendment implied an increase in Council Tax of £5.00 but they considered that the need to amplify the council's response to Climate Change more than justified this trivial per annum increase.