Minister sends substitute

At the Council Planning Meeting Cllr Smith drew attention to a letter from an official from the Department of Regional Development, written presumably on behalf of the Minister. The official said he would be happy to provide background briefing on the Government's proposals regarding the Water Reform Programme.
Cllr Smith stated she had already invited the Minister to the Borough to view Briggs Rocks and the raw sewage output there, however he declined.
She has proposed that the Minister is written to inviting him to visit the Council and enlighten them as to his reasoning behind his unfair and unjust recommendation.
I wonder will he be brave enough to come?

Not Many People Know

As Chair of the Policy Committee in North Down Borough Council, Cllr Smith was debating the document 'Options for Forestry' by the Dept of Agriculture & Rural Development. The was a serious issue sent out for consultation to highlight and provide proposals for the future forestry policy in Northern Ireland.
Point 17 of the paper states ... "Forests produce timber".

Give your Views

At the moment there is public consultation taking place to gage public opinion on the 'strengthening' of existing controls on tobacco use in N.I.
If you log on to www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/econsultation/healthy-future/smoking ban.asp
there are 3 options.

1. No ban
2. Some sort of ban
3. Total ban in public places.

But hurry, consultation closes on 25th March 2005.

Currently there are over 13000 replies via the web site and the newspaper advert.

I would urge everyone to use this opportunity to make their voices heard, the e mail only takes seconds and it could mean all the difference to life and death for some.

Are you a Friend?

I have established a Friends of the Earth group in North Down. We have met on a number of occasions and have now formalized ourselves and with the help of the Friends of the Earth we now have a data base of over 400 interested residents in the area.
There are many problems to tackle,for example, to stop the destruction of some of the beautiful Victorian buildings, retain the ethos of North Down. Not least is the problem of raw sewage being poured into our sea.
The residents of the area have a strong voice and must use it. If you are interested in joining the group please contact me, I will be delighted to hear from you.