Are you curious about the Chinese Lantern Festival? Do you have a vague idea and would like to know more? Archeologists and craftsmen could help shine some light on this yearly event. A 1,400-year-old fragment of silk, about the size of a piece of A4 … read more
Beijing on Saturday reported a human H7N9 avian flu case, the first human infection in the capital city in 2017, authorities said. The patient, surnamed Zhang, is a 68-year-old man from Langfang City of neighboring Hebei Province. He is in a critical … read more
Domestic migrants who have lost or need to renew their identification cards can now apply for a replacement in localities other than where their “hukou” (household registration) is registered. The Ministry of Public Security on Saturday said public se… read more
I was given some more information about the Council’s possible project for a new town at Grazeley with 15,000 homes at a meeting on Friday. This is the project the Council is currently consulting about.
My comments included
1. Will the Council seek some guarantees that were it to go ahead at Grazeley there would be a direct reduction in pressure on other sites around the Borough?
2. What will the bid be for infrastructure investment? It would need to be large given the number of people who would go to live there.
3. What impact would 30,000 more cars have on the area? What extra capacity would be needed on our current highway network?
4. What would the impact of the railway plans be on Mortimer and on current rail use on that line?
5. How many primary and secondary schools will be needed – the indication is 5 and 2 – and is there provision for them?
6. What would the impact be on flooding and drainage patterns?
7. What extra provision will be needed for NHS and social care services?
Our infrastructure and public service provision is struggling to catch up with all the latest developments. Before committing to any major new project there needs to be detailed plans to tackle the extra required and to deal with the backlog.
read moreJustin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to reports that a lack of Government planning means that Locum Doctors are being paid up to £363 an hour, said:
“The Government has completely failed to deliver on NHS workforce planning and now they are losing control of NHS finances as well.
“It’s not right that this amount of money is leaking out the system to agencies and temporary staff at a time when funding is so tight that operations are being cancelled and services cut back.
“The cap on agency payments has been breached a shocking 2.7 million times in just nine months. The Government needs a solution to help the NHS get the permanent staff it needs to keep patients safe.
“Jeremy Hunt should be making sure money meant for the NHS is going to patient care, not private agencies.“
Ends