ARE WE TO BECOME A UNITARY AUTHORITY? One of the great strengths of any District Councillor is that he or she tends to meet all the people each represents some of the time. Where as a Parish Councillor tends to meet just some of the people all the time. A County Councillor one seemingly never meets .

One has heard mention that Members of the Parish Council quite favour the abolition of the Salisbury District Council so that we may become under the Direct Rule of WILTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL at Trowbridge. That splendid corps of Councillors that re-possessed the premises of our middle school , and then sold them on to the ‘Thistledown Trust’, doing so in compliance to the expressed option of the Tisbury Parish Council.

What does the Audit Commission think about our local Authorities?

THESE TABLES ARE FROM THE AUDIT COMMISSION WEB SITE,
They are self explanatory and relate their judgements on, The District Council; The Wiltshire County Council; and too since available a local Health Care Organisation.

Salisbury District Council
Comprehensive performance assessment…
 Good CPA is about helping local councils improve services for their communities. The Commission assesses the performance of councils and the services that they provide for local people. Our assessment helps councils to focus on improvement. The assessment comprises evidence from other external review bodies plus the Commission's judgements.
The way that Salisbury District Council is run and the delivery of services has been assessed as good (on the scale excellent/good/fair/weak/poor

Wiltshire County Council

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)
This is a council that is improving adequately and demonstrating a 4 star overall performance.

A further Statistics whilst on Site

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust Trusts 4

Organisation Trust type 3
Overall score 4
Financial reporting 4
Financial management 3
Financial standing Internal control Value for money 4
Healthcare organisations.
Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust Salisbury District Hospital (1.2 miles) * Distance (miles) SP1 Quality of Services FAIR Use of Resources Excellent 1.2 Fair Excellent * The Healthcare Commission does not assess individual hospitals. However, the overall rating we publish reflects the aggregated performance for all hospitals belonging to the NHS trust.
** The Healthcare Commission inspects independent providers of healthcare services but does not award performance ratings.

Only 4% of Health Care Trusts got the Highest Rating of Excellent REFORM OF THE UPPER HOUSE.

‘IN THE NAME OF GOD GO’

Posted elsewhere Feb.9th.2007

A second House is an excellent concept. That its membership should be in any part hereditary is entirely unacceptable. It would be illogical to presume that if for instance a father had been a Doctor, that the son should be entitled to practice in his stead. One should not doubt that in such a profession, family members gain a superficial knowledge of the job, but that of itself does not qualify one even to sweep the Surgery floor, although I am sure all might do that well enough.

There was an amusing piece on the ‘Today’ programme this morning about a man who could trace his Ancestry back not only to William the Conqueror, but King Alfred too. ‘Was he our rightful Monarch’? As the gentleman pointed out he was one of maybe fifty five million who could do likewise. Indeed I too can make a claim on a line of six kings since that Good William, and to guild the lily, kinship of several Prime Ministers, scattered between here and Canada. So what? Well for one thing it allows me to view the Peerage with cynicism, regarding much of it as parvenu . It is a fact that many a Seat in the Lords was attained, because some Ancestors were less scrupulous than other folk, whether in or out of the King’s Bedchamber.

As a Country we mostly love a ‘Lord’. The Upper House has become Iolanthe incarnate, and surely the best club in London ? Astonishingly instead of having to pay a membership subscription, Peers are entitled to claim a subsistence allowance, so bolstering the honoraria some receive from Commerce that may wish to get a ‘Lord Aboard’ the notepaper, thus implying respectability.

Such perks make me exceedingly envious, but I admire that Members have got away with it for so long. England will never forgive Prime Minister Blair’s Government for reneging on its promised total reform of the Upper House.

The Lords often does an excellent job, many of its members are men of experience and talent. The only fault one finds with most of them, is the method of their arrival. All this talk of compensating members of the Upper House should legislation deprive them of their Sinecure, is nonsense. The Composition of membership is long past its ‘sell by’ date. Let’s thank them for their interest and invite each to stand for election to Office, as the rest of us have to. The more talented might be willing to serve as members of her Majesty’s Privy Council, if invited; thus we might retain invaluable expertise for the benefit of our country.

Members of the Commons do receive severance pay. I am none too happy about that either. They have all enjoyed excellent allowances whilst in Office, and one can wonder how many would have attained a comparable salary elsewhere. There is never any shortage of would be Parliamentarians.

The ex officio Bishops should go . There is no justification for a failing branch of the Christian Church to be so overwhelmingly represented, so too the Rabbinical and Muslim Lords if thus appointed. The Catholic Church seems content to entrust its Faith to secular representation, this seems a more appropriate thing.

Straight Election to the Upper House, would merely duplicate membership of the Lower House. Government Appointments would do little to foster Democracy but would lead to cronyism.

If not Direct Elections, what? One idea to consider is that different branches of our reinstated post Thatcherite ‘Society’, might elect representatives from their Corporate Body. My suggestion is on the lines that, such as the Medical ,Ecclesiastical, Military, Trades Unions, The Universities etc. etc. ad infinitum, elect some suitable person(s) as a representative(s), but not as delegate(s). It seems fine to give security of tenure for Jack Straw’s fifteen years. Further more would it not be far better to some similar rule restricting an MP.s right to stand for Election?

What does IT Cost financially?
Copied from Press Release .
Refer to website for confirmation,
http://www.parliament.uk

Main expenditure heads 2005/06
(Net operating cost £106.4m)
MEMBERS’ EXPENSES 15% GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:
PRINTING, PUBLICATIONS,
COMPUTERS ETC. 6%
SECURITY 9%
PENSION COSTS 2%
REFRESHMENT DEPARTMENT 1% STAFF COSTS 13%
WORKS 16%
NON-CASH ITEMS:
E.G. BUILDINGS DEPRECIATION
& CAPITAL CHARGES 38%

Members expenses are in a tabular form that seems not to wish to be so transposed. If any reader is interested maybe it would be easier to go to the House Of Lords Site and inspect the details for yourself. None the less for an example:

Daily attendance Rates August 2005- July 2006 were
Overnight subsistence £154.50 (not London residents)
But there is second Home allowance claimable..
Daily subsistence £ 77.00.
Office costs £ 67.00 whilst sitting plus another 40 days.

between April 2004 and Nov 9th 2004 the Travelling expenses are shown to be
Motor mileage up to 20,000 miles 57.6 pence per mile.
‘’ ‘’ over ‘’ 26.6 pence per mile.
Bicyclists unlimited mileage 7.4 pence per mile.