Local MP Tim Farron will use a speech at the Cumbria Rural Housing Trust conference at Melmerby Hall this Thursday to back community land trusts which he says can help to help ease the shortage of affordable housing without necessitating a large initial outlay of capital. Tim will propose a radical new plan which would see tax incentives given to persuade people to donate or bequeath land to the trusts.
Local MP Tim Farron questioned the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling after he made his statement to the House of Commons on the lost data discs last November on the proposed closure of the HM Revenue and Customs office in Kendal. Mr Darling stated that the discs, containing personal data on millions of people, were lost because of 'cultural' failings.
Local MP Tim Farron has today welcomed the confirmation that the campaign to persuade the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency to install brown tourist signs directing people to the 'Western Dales' has been successful. Brown signs will appear at Junction 37 this autumn. This should see a sizeable boost in tourism to the area, and is a direct result of Mr Farrons' continued campaign. The key to the Government's decision appears to have been a meeting held between Mr Farron and Transport Minister Tom Harris last December, but has been followed by a consultation period which has now concluded. Mr Farron is nevertheless concerned because the signs are not to be installed until autumn, after the current main tourist season.
Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that a Parliamentary Committee will take a second look at the power of the pubcos. The news comes on the back of months of campaigning by Mr Farron, who tabled a strongly supported parliamentary motion calling for the inquiry. Specifically, the Business and Enterprise Committee will be looking into whether the recommendations of the 2004 Trade and Industry Committee report on pubcos have been followed.
This Friday at 13.00 local MP Tim Farron will be presenting Coniston Parish Church with the NW Multi Faith Tourism Association Marque. The North West Multi Faith Tourism Marque is an award presented to places of worship such as Mosques, Synagogues, Churches and others, in acknowledgement of a high standard of support for visitors, in addition to showcasing their cultural heritage and place in the community.
Liberal Democrat MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming Tim Farron has today launched a bid to persuade the British Government to oppose the introduction of EU rules that will force farmers to electronically tag their sheep. The Government claims that this will aid disease control and make it easier to track animal movement. Mr Farron, however, believes this measure to be completely unnecessary, and will force farmers to reconsider whether they remain in the industry by knocking around 40% off their incomes overnight.