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Dr. Robert Spink (Castle Point): I have met my hon. Friend's constituent--she is, indeed, a remarkable lady. I know her feelings on the subject and I should like to hear my hon. Friend's views on the fact that his constituency is being completely changed, yet the name is being left the same. Is that not anomalous and likely to confuse the public?
Mr. Amess: Some might say that I deserve to have a tough time, but leaving the name unchanged means that I am open to having a tough time. It would have been more sensible to change the name to take in the part of Thurrock that the new constituency will include in future.
The plotland community is a wonderful group of hard-working people who have seen the new town grow up beside them and who have been paying exactly the same amount of council tax as everyone else in Basildon, but who do not receive anywhere near the level of services that other local residents enjoy. I hope that when my hon. Friend the Minister replies, he will tell me what powers the Department of the Environment has in that respect. I
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A few of the properties have, it is true, been bought by wealthier families who have renovated them to a high standard. Many of those people moved to the area to escape the noise and stress of their working lives, or retired there. However, I have to tell my hon. Friend that the roads are of a very poor quality--I am not speaking only of gravel or bumps in the road--and there are many subsidiary problems, especially with waste disposal.
It might seem extraordinary to my hon. Friend, but nearly all those local residents have no main drains and have to use cesspits. There is a great problem with waste disposal. In certain parts of the plotlands, waste has to be burnt or carried to a tip. Where roads exist, they were often built by the residents--sometimes to a crude standard--and they are unadopted. I ask my hon. Friend to address that issue, either in his reply to the debate, or later in writing.
Sewers are a problem. Where sewers exist, they are private and that causes great expense to local residents. Only this week, I received a letter from a resident, which I shall quote briefly. My constituent writes:
Will my hon. Friend consider carefully how we can help those who live on the plotlands? I am not suggesting that they wish to alter the life style for which they originally opted, which was created by the peace and the tranquillity of the countryside, but the least they can expect is decent roads and decent sewerage systems. I accept, however, that that is the responsibility of Essex Water and Anglian Water.
Many of the roads are also poorly lit. Tonight, I should like to pay tribute to three former councillors, Mrs. Carol Coombs, Mr. Bob Sheridan and Mr. Kevin Blake, who worked hard to help people in the plotlands. The problems encountered there are a matter not just for the Department of the Environment, but for Basildon district council and Essex county council.
I do not wish to be party political, but although I am a Conservative Member of Parliament, Essex county council is run by the Labour and Liberal parties. Over the past year, that authority has increased spending above its
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Whatever the House may think about that, it is well known that the county council is sitting on huge reserves. It would be irresponsible for a local authority with small reserves to spend those sums and endanger the future of local residents, but surely no damage would be inflicted if Essex spent some of its huge reserves on trying to help local residents. Frankly, I cannot think of a better way in which to do that than by spending some money on assisting people living on the plotlands. I should be interested to discover my hon. Friend's powers in that respect.
It is primarily the responsibility of Essex county council, and not just that of the district council, to improve the quality of the roads, the arrangements for refuse collection and the quality of street lighting. Given the county council's huge reserves, my hon. Friend might consider the powers available to him to assist those local residents.
Tonight we debated the subject of crime. I am delighted to report that, according to the latest Essex police statistics, burglary in dwellings is down by 9.8 per cent., other burglary is down by 17.3 per cent., offences against the person--disgracefully--are up by 7.3 per cent. and car crime is up by 1.2 per cent. Criminality among plotlanders is apparently on the increase. Recently a car was driven into a hedge, spraying weedkiller over a garden. There has been illegal tipping, arson and all sorts of unsavoury activities, which local residents have drawn to my attention.
In conclusion, I wish that when those who are entrusted with reporting on our constituencies are given the task of writing articles, they would take the trouble to research an area well. My constituency has been portrayed inaccurately as a vast concrete jungle full of ill-intentioned people. That could not be further from the truth. The constituency that I represent, where I have been proud to live for 14 years, is a wonderful community. I always tell people that we have two miracles: St. Luke's hospice, which saves many people, and a miracle for animals--the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society, where 60 horses, ponies and donkeys that were abandoned are being looked after. Both those institutions have been supported by local residents and mean a great deal to the people living in the plotlands.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Sir Paul Beresford):
Every Adjournment debate with my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess) is a delight and tonight's was especially so. He used the opportunity to push in his usual emphatic way all the needs of the people whom he serves in Basildon. His shift, as he calls it, will be a sad loss.
The case that my hon. Friend made tonight has been made by him in the past, on paper and in parliamentary questions. Some aspects come as a surprise; if we did not have a debating point or three from my hon. Friend that contained a surprise, that in itself would be surprising. He covers a wide range of topics and it must be acknowledged that he has put Basildon on the map. Everyone in the country knows of Basildon, and I agree that they do not see it as it is.
The regeneration efforts, especially in the centre of the town, are bringing to the fore an aspect of Basildon that does not fit its media image as a concrete jungle. My hon. Friend mentioned the Dunton Hill estate, Bowers Gifford village and the plotlands. I shall have to study the technicalities that he outlined.
I had planned to present some of the history, but my hon. Friend has covered it completely and in more detail than I could. I can, however, confirm many of his points from my own research.
My hon. Friend mentioned the council tax. Setting that tax is, in the main, in the hands of the district and county local authorities. I am afraid that the type of local authority elected in the area, for the moment, is one that dips its hands deep into the pockets of local people. I understand why people living in the plotlands are concerned. I accept that they are not getting the services that my hon. Friend would expect and that they feel they are paying for.
The problem can be attacked in two ways. First, people may approach the valuation office and appeal against the banding of their properties in the light of the services that they receive. That approach might help to reduce their share of the total burden. The ultimate solution, for which my hon. Friend has pushed and will continue to push, comes at the ballot box. We hope for a change of political complexion.
My hon. Friend mentioned the adoption of the roads. I shall look into that; I know that it has also been raised with the Department of Transport, which is also considering it.
I shall take a careful look at waste and sewers. There have been some recent rule changes that may enable the water companies to pay for those services out of their budgets. There may also, I believe, be an opportunity for local authorities to do so--but I shall need confirmation of that, because the plotlands are unusual and not subject to the usual rules.
My hon. Friend said that some of the funding might come from the Lib-Lab county, which he said had huge reserves. I regret to say that, unusually for me, I did not check on the level of reserves; but, particularly if the reserves are unallocated, my hon. Friend should draw
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This evening we have been discussing crime. I know from experience that better lighting can be a great help in crime prevention. Given this evening's sudden U-turns by
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"has made the provision of quality services to its local residents a priority."
That commitment certainly does not extend to the people of the plotlands and especially not to Bowers Gifford.
"we have a private sewer which was installed about 25 years ago, which serves 13 households up Cornwall Road. Last year we had to renew approximately 200 ft from the connection in Pound Lane in 4 in Plastic Pipe with three New manholes; this work was carried out under council order. This was necessary because of damage from lorries. This work came to £2,500.
My hon. Friend will appreciate that any repairs to the sewers might be expensive for local residents, but many of them have no sewers.
This was nothing to the cost of laying the sewer 25 years ago, if we were successful in having a new sewer, would this mean that the most expensive work has been done re. the connection into Pound lane?
It would be nice if I could go to our 13 neighbours with some sort of cost to households."
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