British Gas owner Centrica has announced it is to raise gas prices by 35% and electricity prices by 9% with immediate effect.

The move comes just a few days after rival EDF Energy put up gas prices by 22% and electricity prices by 17%, with other firms expected to follow suit. Watchdog Energywatch said it believed the 35% gas bill rise was the biggest single increase in the price of a utility seen to date.

British Gas, which has 15.9 million customers, also announced that its profits for the first half of the year were down by 69% to £166m. The increase would mean that the average dual fuel for a British Gas customer would go up by 25% - putting the average household bill at about £1,240.

Commenting on the British Gas decision to raise gas prices by 35% and electricity prices by 9%, Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg said: “For many families, and particularly for the elderly and the vulnerable, this will be a devastating price rise. The announcement may have been made in a hot spell in July, but when winter comes round thousands will be forced to choose between heating their homes and cooking their meals”.

“British Gas has thousands of customers paying fixed rates, but when those terms expire they will be hit with staggeringly high bills”.

“Instead of fighting over who should be sitting in Number 10, ministers need to be dealing with the real issues that are causing real problems for people across the country. Energy companies are benefiting from a £9bn windfall yet continue to hike up their prices on the Government’s watch. This is unacceptable.”

The Liberal Democrats launched their Tackling Fuel Poverty document last Monday. It included proposals to compel energy companies to use money from the £9bn European windfall to help protect some of the most vulnerable people from the effects of fuel poverty.

Specific proposals include:

Ø       Making energy companies invest £500m a year into a rolling   programme to make sure homes are properly insulated

Ø       Requiring energy companies to roll out social tariffs to over two million vulnerable customers

Ø       Installing smart meters in homes, which display real time consumption costs

Download the Liberal Democrat proposals (PDF): http://tinyurl.com/5533td

On Monday 28^th July, 2008 over 50 children and young people took part in a number of fun runs around Grant Thorold Park, they were ably assisted by ‘Billy the Burglar’. Billy is a popular character who appears at many events in around the area and I have always been convinced that he is a real burglar; however I have now been reliably informed that he is in actual fact a local Community Warden who enjoys playing the part (or shall I say more likely endures it!).

Also making a guest appearance in the fun runs was the star runner Cllr. Jon-Paul Howarth who sprinted around the track and at a fast rate of knots! However, on the other hand Cllr. Beasant (the good looking Councillor, not the younger version), only just managed to run the last 50 yards in just under 30 seconds.

Well done John Willis for organising such a great day out for all the children, young people, and their families.

On Thursday afternoon at the Ark Park (which is at the rear of Your Place) this was a great afternoon with a table top sale and family fun day. The local Fire Crews turned up offering fire safety advice, and they were able to make appointments to fit smoke alarms. Therefore, if only one life is saved because of their work the week will have been well worth it.

In the evening the mobile Youth Club made its second appearance in East Marsh, and there were literally crowds of youngsters waiting to greet Andy and the rest of the crew on board. It was a great experience seeing the young people really enjoying themselves in Grant Thorold Park. How times have changed since the days of playing table tennis at the Youth Club. Now the mobile turns up, then within a very short time children and young people can be playing five a side-a-side football with goals and nets, music blasting out and also other youngsters can try their skills on the Nintendo Wii.

While many colleagues and friends will be at the Party Conference, local Councillors in North East Lincolnshire will be taking part in the “Big Conversation” – it is all part of our Community Engagement  Week.

On the Wednesday 17^th September (1.30 pm – 6 pm) East Marsh Ward Councillors will be holding an outdoor Ward Surgery at the Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre, and they already have commitment that the surgery will be supported by the Local Police and the Community Wardens.

A Council Double Decker Bus will be parking alongside the centre with information services, and a sofa will be placed in front of the Neighbourhood Centre to encourage residents to talk with our new Chief Executive, Tony Hunter (hence “The Big Conversation”).Inside the Neighbourhood Centre a room will be made available for local voluntary and community groups to display stands. It will be a great opportunity to show off all the good work that is taking place within the East Marsh area by many of the dedicated and committed volunteers.

Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire have announced that a new funding stream is available to support local Community and Groups within our area. We are now actively promoting this funding throughout the whole of the East Marsh in particular we believe it will benefit those groups who have not had access to large grants or donations in the past. As the name suggests, grassroots should help to grow and build sustainability in the future. For further information about Grassroots Funding please visit North East Lincolnshire Third Sector Hub Website: http://tinyurl.com/5w2ql4

You will find further information about the grants and downloadable application forms – good luck with your funding bids!

I am pleased to welcome Alan Burley back to our area, and hopefully you will endorse my comments. Alan was born in the East Marsh area in 1957 and attended both Weelsby Street and Harold Street Schools. Until just recently he worked with the Neighbourhood Engagement Worker’s Team (NEWTs), which was funded by NRF and covered the Yarborough Ward and part of the East Marsh Ward.  

Back at his roots determined with other to help bring about a lasting change in the regeneration of the East Marsh Area. Alan is now a dedicated East Marsh Neighbourhood Engagement Worker employed by Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire and funded by Fairshare. He is already working closely with East Marsh Councillors: Steve Beasant, Jon-Paul Howarth and Tony McCabe. He is also actively supporting “East Marsh Involve”, as well as a number of other local organisations, including: Community Chest, as well as assisting a number of other local organisations, including: Community Chest, Harbour Place Day Centre, Foresight, Your Place, etc, etc, etc!!!     

If you would like to discuss anything with Alan or contact him about his work in the East Marsh why not give him a call on 07947 515579 or email: alan@vanel.org.uk  

Yet again, tonight’s meeting of “East Marsh Involve” was very well attended with nearly 40 individuals present on very hot summers evening.

Our Guest Speaker Paula Grant the Chief Executive of Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire was present. However, we also had an unexpected guest, our new local Chief Superintendent, David Hilditch. David has worked in North Lincolnshire for a number of years; however he grew up with myself over on the West Marsh in the mid to late 1950’s. He is well known to this area and he has a good understanding of crime related issues facing our local area.

Before our guest speaker spoke residents approved a number of Ward Councillor’s Funding Bids – well in excess of £2,000, and last month they approved bids of over £5,000. Residents now have real power, they can determine how they would like to see the Ward Councillor’s Funding spent. “East Marsh Involve” is aiming to empower its local communities.  

Paula praised the three local councillors in their decision to devolve the funding to resident’s forum, and she said, “After hearing about this from Cllr Beasant, she was determined to make sure that the Third Sector would match fund the Councillor’s Ward Funding. Indeed, we have £10,000 for youth activities and a further £5,000 to spend in other areas”. Paula also pledged that she was committed to working with “East Marsh Involve” to draw in additional monies so that a good case study could be written up in the near future. 

No wonder everyone went home happy!

North East Lincolnshire Council is offering a fortnightly garden waste collection service to all residents of the borough, and this is great news for the residents of the East Marsh Ward where only a few residents have benefited so far. The provision is part of the council’s planned expansion of services and will be phased in between now and spring 2009.  It is being offered on an ‘opt in’ basis only. All three East Marsh Liberal Democrat Councillors are urging residents to accept the councils, and Cllr Steve Beasant said today, “Tony, Jon-Paul and myself are urging all residents to register for this scheme as soon as they ‘Garden Waste’ postcard, it will help us to provide a better service for our customers as well as caring for the environment”.  In order for North East Lincolnshire Council to deliver an economic and efficient service, a minimum of 30 percent of households in each street are required to register for this service for it to come to fruition.  If less than 30 percent of households register then the council may not be able to provide the service to properties. Nathan Vear, acting head of neighbourhood improvement, said “The expansion of the green waste service will be rolled out to those areas where demand for this service is highest.  This ensures that those residents who express a commitment to recycling their green waste get the opportunity to do just that.” The authority is going to distribute a ‘Garden Waste’ postcard to around 25,700 households during the week commencing Monday, July 28.  To register interest in receiving a garden waste bin, residents are reminded to return the pre-addressed ‘tear-off’ part of the postcard as soon as possible before Friday, August 15.  Postage is pre-paid so no stamp is required.  Ian Graham, recycling officer for the council, said:  “We continuously strive to improve the performance of our services.  In doing so, we are actively seeking to encourage residents who do not, at present, have access to North East Lincolnshire Council’s garden waste collection service, to look out for the postcards which will soon be sent out to home addresses.” Alternatively residents can register online on the North East Lincolnshire Website: http://tinyurl.com/6ytxmw

If you tried to log onto my site over last few days I can only apologise for any trouble you have had – I am sure you have missed me! I am not the only Liberal Democrat who has had problems with his website unfortunately many other Councillors have been plagued by the same problem. We hope the problem is now resolved. It was nothing to do with the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors or myself apparently our Web Hosting Company, Native Space had a major problem with one of their servers and this is now resolved. Hopefully we are back on air and you can look forward to trouble free surfing. 

Cheers, Steve

Fraudsters have come up with a new way to con you out of cash - by asking for money to change paper into currency.Today, residents are being urged to be vigilant because of the ever-changing nature of cons.It is believed it is the first time this particular scam - which police and trading standards officers believe is the brainchild of global criminals - has been used in North East Lincolnshire.The scam began with the victim receiving correspondence from a man saying the victim’s late father - who had no contact with him - had left him a large sum of money which was held in

Nigeria.The complex con involved a number of accomplices, including people turning up at the man’s doorstep and others bombarding him with phone calls, letters and emails, demanding money.The final stage involved a fraudster arriving at the man’s home and asking for money for a chemical to change a case full of black paper - which he claimed were bank notes covered in dye - into cash.Coun Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “This was a shocking attempt to extract cash from an elderly resident.

“The levels of expertise and the way these crooks were able to travel to the victim’s very own doorstep should be a warning to us all.”

North East Lincolnshire Council’s principal trading standards officer Neil Clark said: “This scam shows the lengths some bluffers will go to in an attempt to make money from residents across the borough.

“This is the first time our Trading Standards team has heard of this tactic being used, and it possibly involved people working abroad and in the

UK.”We would ask the public to be ever vigilant as the tactics employed by scammers are constantly changing.”John Willis, from Humberside Police, said: “The victim of these actions has suffered the loss of personal savings on the promise of funding which was never likely to happen.”We would advise that no personal details or bank details are ever disclosed to any unsubstantiated source.”

Have you been a victim?

Contact trading standards on (01472) 324770 or Consumer Direct on 0845 4040506. You can also call our news team on (01472) 372236.

Ready, set, action!

A crime crackdown is about to begin in the East Marsh Ward, the week of action will begin on Monday. During the week, there will be a host of community activities aimed at reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.The Safer Communities Partnership organised weeks of action are returning this summer, and it will focus resources on one particular area at a time. After the East Marsh, it will be the turn of the West Marsh and the People’s Park areas to benefit from their own weeks of action. Activities coming up in the East Marsh include:

·  A fun run on Monday, in Grant Thorold Park. The run is for children up to the age of 12 - although under-fives must be accompanied by their parents - and will be followed by games. Registration starts at 10am, with the run at 11am.

·  A community barbecue on Wednesday, at St Andrew’s Church Social Club. Tickets are available from the club.

·  Community fun afternoon on Thursday, at the gardens behind Your Place, Wellington Street, between 2pm and 4.30pm.

·  Football tournament on Friday, August 1, Grant Thorold Park between 11am and 3pm.  

Steve Beasant, East Marsh Ward Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Communities and Neighbourhoods which includes community safety, said: “I think in the past people have been pleased to see the weeks of action take place. “I am pleased they are taking place during the summer holidays this year. “Residents of the East Marsh have seen a cut in anti-social behaviour and crime but they want to see an even bigger cut. They want to overcome the fear of crime, and they want to see it have a long-lasting impact. “They want it be sustainable for the future, which will help create more community spirit. “I think the weeks of action are also a good thing because it motivates the children to take part in activities and encourages them to become involved in the community.” Pc Darryl Caroline, East Marsh neighbourhood beat manager, said: “The weeks of action show not just the police, but other agencies, being visible and tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour. “There are lots of things happening which will benefit the community, from crime reduction work, to activities which they can get involved in. “As it is the start of the summer holidays, there are also some activities for younger people to get involved in, which is good.

The next meeting of East Marsh Involve will be held on Tuesday 29th July, 6pm at the Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre - the Centre is on Wellington Street and Weelsby Street corner. All members of the public are welcome to attend this meeting.

The agenda for this meeting is: Humberside Police Update, Ward Councillor’s Funding, Graham Reynolds (HANWAG), and Guest Speaker - Paula Grant (Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire).

At our last meeting the residents of East Marsh allocated over £3,000 of Ward Councillor’s Funding to be spent on Community Projects.

Council urges elderly residents to be aware of doorstep callers

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council is urging elderly residents across the borough to be aware of doorstep callers posing as officials after concerns that there has been a recent increase in the area.

There are concerns that there have been a number of recent cases of callers posing as council workers asking to check people’s energy bills and take the home occupiers’ bank details.

And trading standards officers have reiterated warnings asking people to check callers’ identification details and to call police or Consumer Direct if they have any concerns.

Andy Foster, trading standards manager at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “If people have any concerns they should not allow callers to access their property and certainly shouldn’t give out their bank details.

“Reputable traders will have the appropriate identification - but people should always ask why checks are being carried out on their property. If they have any concerns they should contact police or Consumer Direct immediately.”

Meanwhile, reputable traders can sign up to the Home Service Directory (HSD), a council-backed service that vets businesses and carries out widespread checks on their efficiency and value for money. Customers can ask traders if they belong to the HSD for added peace of mind if they have any concerns about a business.

Councillor Steve Beasant, the council’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “It is worrying to learn of this increase in bogus officials. who often prey on vulnerable people within our community.

“I can only re-iterate the need to ask for appropriate identification and ask occupiers to be vigilant and trust their instincts. If people have concerns, call Consumer Direct or the police.”

If you would like to report any bogus calls to trading standards please contact consumer direct on 08454 04 05 06. For more on the HSD, go to www.hsd.org.uk

More than 100 homes are being bought up to be demolished - in a near £8-million improvement project.Some residents on Grimsby’s East Marsh are today celebrating after being offered cash to move out of their 1960s-era homes.Other privately-owned properties are being forcibly bought by North East Lincolnshire Council with Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) - only the second time they have been invoked not only in 2008, but also in 20 years.The news comes as NELC has announced it is invoking CPOs on five other eyesore properties in Grimsby’s Park Ward.On the East Marsh, about 110 houses have been earmarked to be torn down, with 50 more marked for improvements.

This is because they are derelict and boarded up, or do not meet decent building standards.

Guildford Street is one of the major areas identified in the £7.9-million redevelopment, with a possible start date within weeks.

The decision - made by NELC’s Cabinet this week - follows an extensive consultation period where, as reported, more than 95 per cent of residents in the area voiced the need for a complete overhaul.Supported by Shoreline Housing Partnership, the council will now begin the radical transformation process, first purchasing empty properties in Guildford Street.The scheme will then move onto other as yet unidentified areas in the East Marsh.In the deal, residents get the market value for their home, plus an extra 10 per cent, and a resettlement cost. Legal fees are also paid for, and there is the chance for the homeowner to take up a £20,000 equity loan for their new property.They will also be given help in finding a new property.

Coun Steve Beasant, NELC’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address not just housing, but anti-social behaviour and improving education as well. It’s a momentous decision.

“Good quality housing is important to everyone and poor quality housing can cause many problems have we seen. Housing is a basic necessity of the whole family, and it helps aspirations grow.”

March 2009 - this is the target date the former Birds Eye factory site will be cleared by.A new demolition company has moved on to the fire-ravaged Ladysmith Road site and has pledged to clear up the eyesore in eight months.BJP Plant Ltd has been brought in by North East Lincolnshire Council because it has run out of patience with former contractor Donoghue Demolitions.In September, just a week after the devastating fire, Donoghue said it would take just eight weeks to clean up - but 10 months later, the site remains an eyesore for residents. BJP has promised to work with residents and the council to sort out the site as quickly as possible.Sheffield-based firm Capricorn Homes had secured planning permission to erect 177 mixed dwellings once the site was cleared.But today the Grimsby Telegraph can reveal the company behind the plan has gone into administration.A spokesman revealed they no longer held the contract, and said: “Unfortunately, the company has gone into administration.“We will no longer be building on the site.”It is currently unclear what will now happen once the demolition team moves off the land.Meanwhile, residents have welcomed a new demolition company to the former Birds Eye site.Councillors have acted to clear the site in Ladysmith Road, Grimsby, by changing the company in charge of the clean-up.It was burned to the ground in an arson attack in September 2007, leaving behind piles of debris, and has been a constant source of anguish for nearby residents ever since.In April, roofing from the site smashed into homes on Convamore Road and the site has been repeatedly targeted by vandals.It has led to growing concerns from North East Lincolnshire councillors for the safety of residents, and former contractors Donoghue Demolition have now been taken off the project.Coun Steve Beasant (Lib Dem), Portfolio holder for community safety and communities and neighbourhoods, said: “Donoghue has not fulfilled its duty as it promised to get the site cleared - it hasn’t happened.“We pushed as ward councillors to make sure something was done about the site to make it a safe environment.”BJP Plant Ltd is the new contractors, and has already begun to clear the mess.

Managing director Barry Patchett said he hoped to have the site cleared within eight months.

He said: “We are looking at about eight months, hopefully.

“There is always a danger with setting time frames, and we don’t really have one set in stone, but we would hope that seven or eight months will be enough.

“I have read the Telegraph and have seen what has happened to the site beforehand but all I can say is we have nothing to do with any of that, and we can only go with what is in front of us.

“We have been, and will continue to work with the local council very closely with regards to building control.”

Coun Steve Hocknell (Lib Dem, Heneage) said: “We are delighted the site is being cleared.

“I think the site is perhaps a bigger job than the previous contractor appreciated.”