megilleland

Arguments published for coming out We have very little say within the EU, and would have far more leverage outside EU as an independent sovereign nation and the world’s 5th largest economy. The UK currently has only 8.4% of voting power ‘say’ in the EU, and the Lisbon Treaty ensured the loss of Britain’s veto in many more policy areas. Britain’s 73 MEPs are a minority within the 751 in the European Parliament. With further enlargement (Croatia, Turkey’s 79 million citizens), British influence would be further watered down. As for continuing contributions by an independent Britain, Swiss and Norwegian examples show that the UK would achieve substantial net savings. SWISS CASE STUDY Official Swiss government figures conclude that through their trade agreements with the EU, the Swiss pay the EU under 600 million Swiss Francs a year, but enjoy virtually free access to the EU market. The Swiss have estimated that full EU membership would cost Switzerland net payments of 3.4 billion Swiss francs a year. NORWAY CASE STUDY Norway only had to make relatively few changes to its laws to make its products eligible for the EU marketplace. In 2009, the Norwegian Mission to the EU estimated that Norway’s total financial contribution linked to their EEA (European Economic Area) agreement is some 340 mn Euros a years, of which some 110mn Euros are contributions related to the participation in various EU programmes. However, this is a fraction of the gross annual cost that Britain must pay for EU membership which is now £18.4bn, or £51mn a day.

While there may be economic arguments on both sides, leaving the EU is the only way to regain sovereignty, control our borders and negotiate our own trade deals.

1741 signature now at 14:53 30th january 2016

From BBC H&W News today: Tesco superstores in Hereford and Evesham to stop 24-hour opening The Tesco superstores in Hereford and Evesham are two of 76 that will stop 24-hour trading, the company has announced. The stores will close their doors to customers between midnight and 06:00. The changes will take effect between 14 March and 11 April.

Not sure if the figures quoted are correct. What is the levy Herefordshire Council pays? How many tonnes go to landfill - can't find any figure for this? Reminds me of this article from 2009. Green shop owner is fined by council...for not producing any rubbish. Interesting comments with this article.

In 2014/15, Herefordshire Council instructed bailiffs to collect debts from individuals and businesses on 3404 occasions - up 10% in two years. The number of debts passed to bailiffs was equivalent to 3.73% of properties in the area, ranking the council at 203 out of 326 for local authority bailiff use in England and Wales. I suppose this doesn't sound too bad comparing other parts of the country, but for those affected each case can turn into a nightmare. Is the Citizens Advice still being funded by Herefordshire Council?

Herefordshire Council Medium Term Financial Strategy 2015/16 – 2016/17 Autumn Statement – December 2014 - Appendix A Local Authority Members’ Travel Expenses - The Government will exempt travel expenses paid to councillors by their local authority from income tax and employee NICs. The exemption will be limited to the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates, where it applies to mileage payments. This change will take effect from 6 April 2015. More benefits?

If as above, it is deemed that a score of less than 50 highlights those countries which have a serious corruption problem, then the UK should stop any aid going to these countries. Even in the EU (itself unaccountable - no audited accounts) there are dodgy countries lining themselves up to dip into the gravy train. Member countries of the EU The European Union has 28 member countries with corruption ranking 0=Bad to 100=Good Denmark (91) Finland (90) Sweden (89) Netherlands (87) Germany (81) Luxembourg (81) United Kingdom (81) Belgium (77) Austria (76) Ireland (75) Estonia (70) France (70) Portugal (63) Poland (62) Cyprus (61) Lithuania (61) Slovenia (60) Spain (58) Czech Republic (56) Malta (56) Latvia (55) Croatia (51) Hungary (51) Slovakia (51) Greece (46) Romania (46) Italy (44) Bulgaria (41) Also on the road to EU membership Candidate countries Albania (36) Montenegro (44) Serbia (40) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (42) Turkey (42) Potential candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina (38) Kosovo (33)

Sky News - Saturday 23 January 2016 Another example of magistrates and police behaving like clever dicks.

More hiding the facts. Everyday occurence now with this government. Musn't let the truth get in the way. If this becomes law I can see Google suing the government for taxing it and reducing their profits.

Changes to figures above in post 34. I missed a few NHS expenses.

Denise do you mean the weekly collection of black and green bins which Fcc Environment Services (uk) Ltd get £337,086.96 a month. I thought Balfour Beatty already emptied the public waste bins. What rubbish are you talking about?

Some information here. Forward Plan - Appendix 2 Decision date: 24th June 2015 June Decision Maker: Officer Directorate: Economy, Communities & Corporate (SURNAME FIRST) Councillor / Officer Name Hughes, Geoff Issue type Non Key Report Title Approval of the Decoration Contractor for the Business Units within Plot C21 on the Enterprise Zone Description To seek approval for the appointment of BG Brain Decorators Limited to undertake the decoration of the new business units on plot C21 of the Hereford Enterprise Zone.

The Council's monthly expenditure figures totalling £17,775,196.29 are here for December 2015. The companies/services which have taken over a million pound each for December just number four and their total take amounts to £7,046,111.58 or nearly 40% of the cake. The usual beneficiares are here. 1 Balfour Beatty £3,405,718.93 2 NHS Herefordshire CCG £1,299,667.00 3 West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner £1,241,762.00 and I was surprised to see this company in at number 4 4 B G Brain Decorators Ltd £1,098,963.65 Where was this money spent - looks like a lot of wallpaper and paint - any ideas?

No comments since November 2015. However, I sense a panic is approaching as the first "stay in literature" hits the mat. A 4pp newsy piece of print decrying and scaremongering the out camp. It looks to me as if there will be a lot of money spent to convince us that our only hope is to stay in. The first thing to strike me which is very EU is the coupon at the bottom of the paper where they invite you to fill in with your views which states that: Some people have already made up their mind where Britain should be and they are not British or European.

Agree Greenknight. A lot of ill people are using it for medicinal purposes with a lot of success. Inexpensive cures for cancer do exist but are systematically blocked by Big Pharma because they come from nature and cannot be patented. Legalise cannabis, tax it and put the money back into the NHS. It's already happening in the US.

From The Independent 18th January 2016: No debate - no democracy. How many Herefordshire students are not going to University now? What effect will this have for any plans for a Herefordshire University?

This follows on from these posts going back to 2013. How time flies!

I have had a look at the subsidies paid to farms and businesses in Herefordshire and there is a wealth of information in the data supplied by farmsubsidy.org, although it is hidden in many of the years from 1999 to 2013 There are two types of payment the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) finances direct payments to farmers and measures to regulate agricultural markets such as intervention and export refunds, while the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) finances the rural development programmes of the Member States. Regarding Herefordshire Council the subsidy figures are very confusing. It states that: Since 1999 HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL has received €23,900 in payments from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and Since 1999 HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL has received €3,867,391 in payments from the European Union . Details of payments Year Scheme Total 2013 European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development €762,972 2012 European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development €3,104,419 Total: €3,867,391 While here it states: Since 1999 Herefordshire Council has received €5,762,981 in payments from the European Union . Details of payments Year Scheme Total 2011 European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development €3,680,186 2010 European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development €2,082,552 2009 Rural development programmes €242 Total: €5,762,981 So are they saying that between 2009 and 2013 HC have received €9,630,372 and have HC received subsidies for 2014 & 2015? However when you do a search for Hereford you get 401 pages to sift through - some pages blank When you do a search for Herefordshire you get 764 pages to sift through When you do a search for Herefordshire Council you get 2 pages to sift through The complete picture is complex with many EU countries withholding payment information and not naming beneficiaries and there is even a millionaires list of recipients. Topping the list of biggest recipients of the CAP’s direct payments is Gesba, the state-owned banana company of the Portuguese island of Madeira (€6.6 million) followed by tropical fruit grower SA Bois Debout in Guadeloupe (€4.3 million) and the National Trust, a British charity with large landholdings (€4.2 million). The Queen has received £7million in farming subsidies funded by taxpayers over the past ten years (2002 to 2012) and the Duke of Westminster – one of Britain’s richest men – has been given around £6million. They are among a roll call of millionaire land owners who have accepted bonanza payouts from Brussels. Obviously these people are not benefit tested. With the EU accounts never audited the money paid to recipients is almost untraceable.

The Conservative government and their privatised franchises are proposing a new class of cheaper rail ticket as all the money for improving the rail network will have been spent on HS2.

EQUALITY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE A Rural Manifesto for the Parliamentary Opposition January 2016 And reading that the UK imports half of its food requirements. More need to keep land for farming, and not for concrete housing jungles and highways to no where. FEEDING THE FUTURE The Landworkers@ Alliance November 2014

Don't worry we will take your money - we need to look after ourself.

Just added up how much the Council have given Balfour Beatty over a year (Nov 2014 to Nov 2015). The figure obtained from the Council's expenditure records is £38,845,082.50p. I thought the contract for 10 years was worth £200 million, so if the Council pay out at this rate it will have been spent in 5-6 years. The council tax they collect from us brings in £83,963,000 (2015/2016) so no wonder they are flogging everything off as quick as they can.

Osborne would sell his own grandmother or come to think of it your grandmother as well. Gives selling the family silver a new dimension. The Independent today: