THE Highways Agency must not be allowed to treat Stonehenge as an obstacle to plans for a motorway style link from London to Penzance.

The "national disgrace" of indecision over Stonehenge a major tourist attraction, with decades of argument and millions spent - traffic-choked roads which strangle the world heritage site and a visitor centre that makes the site a joke must come to an end.

Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of English Heritage, said: "Stonehenge is the greatest achievement of prehistoric culture anywhere in Europe.” It is inconceivable that the inadequacies of the site should be allowed to continue any longer. Mike Pitts, an archaeologist who has excavated at Stonehenge, and written about the site, said: cancellation of the road scheme “is terrible news. In the wake of winning the London bid for the Olympics, it hardly encourages belief in the government's support for grand projects."

A master plan vision that meant Stonehenge and its surrounding landscape would not be cut through by busy roads with all the noise, visual and air pollution of 21st century travel, by a road tunnel was approved by informed consensus in 1995, including English Heritage and the National Trust. However the tunnel for a 1.3 mile (2.1km) section of the A303, although technically feasible was rejected by the government as unaffordable as estimated costs grew to £540m.

Background
The A303 is one of the main routes from London to the South West of England. Sections have been upgraded to dual carriageway status, though sections of the route remain single carriageway. Traffic flows on the A303 between Amesbury and Winterbourne Stoke (the section including Stonehenge) are above the capacity of the road and the Highways Agency expressed concern about safety on this road and the A344. The two roads currently pass through Stonehenge and land owned by the National Trust with the A303 passing directly south and the A344 directly to the north with a pedestrian tunnel passing from the Stonehenge visitor centre to the site underneath this road. As part of the development of the proposals, over 50 routes were considered by the Highways Agency. In 2004 a public enquiry required under the Highways Act 1980 was conducted by a planning inspector, Michael Ellison. His enquiry agreed that the government proposals were adequate. On December 6 2007 Roads Minister Tom Harris announced that the whole scheme had been cancelled due to increased costs.

The Highways Agency statement said they will continue to work on small scale improvements to the A303.

Everyone agrees "Stonehenge is much more than the stones alone and as a designated World heritage Site the whole area is a remarkable complex of ancient remains which deserves the strongest protection. Experts believe the famous stones, which receive about one million visitors a year, were erected 5,000 years ago. The stones carry deep mystical and religious significance for druids and other groups who go to see how they are in alignment with the first rays of light on midsummer's day every year.

New Plans
One of the plans now being considered is shutting the A344 where it runs next to the stones. A decision on the proposed closure will be made by the end of the year following a three-month consultation. People are also being asked to have their say on whether the Stonehenge visitor centre should be redeveloped or moved. The centre would replace squalid facilities damned 12 years ago by the parliamentary public accounts committee as "a national disgrace".

The Government and English Heritage, which have drawn up the proposals, believe closing the A344 at its junction with the A303 would allow the site to return to grassland, improving the environment around Stonehenge. Exhibitions of the plans will be on show throughout July at sites in Wiltshire and London - comments please on these proposals.

Chris Slocock
BCC Business Representative for the South West
Vice Chairman SWCC
Immediate Past President Dorset Business

THERE are big concerns about the state and direction of Britain’s railways, particularly given the fact that previous governments both Labour and Conservative have rightly been accused of massive under-investment throughout their nationalised period.

Surprisingly but significantly this Labour Government has accepted that “railways do better in the private sector” the words of Tom Harris Parliamentary Under secretary of State for Transport – Adding “I think that what we have is an industry that is specified by the Government and provided by the private sector and I think that is working”.

There is no doubt that the rails service is better now than under British Rail and that investment is beginning to show significant results but the rail structure is more complicated than it should be, fairs are expensive and rising and peak travel times can be a nightmare.

With a number of specific trouble-spots in the railway map of the UK, First Great Western across the South West has been one of the biggest problems – recent Government intervention, as it was in breach of its franchise; with the issue of a remedial notice has had some affect. But even under new management, serious concerns continue about service faults, staffing problems, rolling stock and just poor management. FGW has taken steps to make improvements but many are watching closely to see if they can be sustained.

With road usage levels rapidly rising and new road schemes opposed at every level, often taking years to obtain planning permission let alone the funding to build - it would seem logical to increase investment in the rail system, including investment in high speed lines. This does not seem to be the view of the Government, we have one existing high speed line but according to Tom Harris “the spending commitments to 2014 don’t include building any more high-speed lines” apparently because they are expensive projects!

“Getting people off the roads and on to rail” a view expressed by John Prescott clearly is no longer a goal of this Government. Tom Harris expressed it this way “I think that people in this country should choose to use the railways or choose to use their cars it is up to them, they are grown ups”.

Sounds a bit like a cop out to me, I thought what the nation wanted was a Government that leads an agenda of joined up thinking, with major investment - of our money - in better public transport, resulting in reduced congestion on the roads that might go some way to help the environment and save money in the long term!

Chris Slocock
Immediate Past President
Dorset Business
Vice Chairman
South West Chambers of Commerce

According to a former Bank of England policy maker Britons face a sharp fall in living standards as the western world faces up to a new era of stagflation - high inflation and low growth.
Willem Buiter, said Britons face a "painful couple of years", and urged the Monetary Policy Committee to raise interest rates twice to cap inflation as the world was now enduring "a light version of the stagflation of 1973-74 and 1980."
With the price of oil now higher in real terms than in the 1970s and early 1980s, economists warn consumers will have to absorb a similar amount of financial pain as then, predicting the experience for consumers would be comparable with previous oil price shocks.
According to Professor Buiter "The increase in commodity prices has been more broad-based - than in the previous oil shocks - so from the point of view of living standards it could be just as bad now as it was then," he said, adding “that as well as having to contend with sharply higher prices, people would face small increases in wages.”
"Real incomes could be 2pc or 3pc lower than they could otherwise have been - that will be painful. It's a shock to the standard of living, and it will be an unpleasant few years. Unemployment will rise - perhaps by as much as a further percentage point this year."
The OECD warned recently that the number of people without jobs would rise by 200,000 by next year, as the slowdown takes hold. Prof Buiter predicts a sharp rise in strikes as unions react to the fall in their earnings. "Whatever union muscle is left will be exercised," he said.
The economist Tim Congdon, who predicted inflation would rise above 4pc said “that while the next two years would be difficult they would not compare with the 1970s.” "This will feel bad, but it won't feel like the chaos of the Seventies," he said. "It will still kill Labour at the polls. This will hit at the worst possible time. I can't see any way out for them."
As the nation tightens its belt and cuts back on spending clearly there will be consequences on the high street - perhaps the end of conspicuous consumption, for the time being, and a return to sensible spending – clearly a challenge for the marketing men and women.
Chris Slocock
Immediate Past president Dorset Business
Vice Chairman South West Chambers of Commerce

FAILURE AT A LEVEL THAT AFFECTS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US!

Recent disastrous Council Elections were not an invitation to change direction for the Labour Party, they delivered a simple message. It’s over - there is nothing constructive in the voters’ message - the voters are disillusioned and out of love with labour. The affair, which in 1997 was, for the British people, uncharacteristically intense is over, and the falling out is correspondingly bitter. Gordon Brown has promised to listen and learn and will attempt to rekindle the flame but his personal stamp is all over the causes of such disaffection.

"It's the economy, stupid," was a phrase used in American Politics during Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign against George H. W. Bush. The phrase, coined by Clinton campaign strategist James Carville, has become recognised through out the world, to identify, when push comes to shove what really motivates voters.

Credit crunch- Housing collapse - Rising Inflation - Soaring Fuel Prices - Stealth Taxes - Pension Fund Raids - Excessive Regulation - Raising Taxes On The Poor – The Iraq War and much more cannot be blamed on the last Government, so blame the Americans or the Global economy any one!

The unfortunate truth is that this Government has run out of money and time and the economy is in trouble and Gordon Brown is now understood to be the architect behind many of the problems.

In particular Gordon Brown, against Bank of England advice in 1997, presided over the affective de regulation of the banking industry - allegedly taking the Bank of England out of Political control. The result was predatory lending by financial organisations on an unimaginable scale, which had to end in tears. The Government then allowed a freefall, an un regulated overreaction on a scale that is sending a Tsunami like shock wave through the economy affecting all of us, as the banks raise their costs dramatically to recover their loses – the banks will quickly return to profit - but the shock wave will leave a damaging financial legacy to most of society for many years to come.

Yes it also happened in America, yes it is probably a bigger problem in America but this UK administration allowed predatory lending here, ignoring advice in 1997 that identified the need to regulate banks so that society could be protected.

Gordon Brown’s “Boom and no Bust” strategy has not worked.

“It’s the economy Stupid!”

Chris Slocock
Immediate Past President Dorset Business
Vice Chairman SWCC

On 12 March 2008 the Government launched a new Enterprise Strategy with a claimed central vision of making the UK the most enterprising economy in the world and the best place to start and grow a business.

If we believe the literature the goal is to unlock the nation’s entrepreneurial talents; boost enterprise skills and knowledge; help new and existing business get funding to start up and grow; and ease the burden of regulation – particularly on small firms which feel its impacts most.

We are advised that extensive consultation has taken place, with Ministers meeting more than 600 businesses and business leaders, as well as economic analysis of what drives enterprise, growth and productivity. However some complaints have been made that the consultation was not truly representative of all sections of business, particularly SME’s.

The Strategy sets out five key enablers to take forward the Government’s policy for enterprise in the UK:

<li>A culture of enterprise – where everyone with entrepreneurial talent – irrespective of age, gender, race or social background – is inspired and not afraid to take up the challenge of turning their ideas into wealth.

<li>Knowledge and skills – a lifelong journey for enterprise education, starting in our primary schools, continuing in our universities and embedded in the workplace, equipping employees and owners with the tools to unlock their entrepreneurial talent.

<li>Access to finance – ensuring that our entrepreneurs and small business owners have the knowledge, skills and opportunity to access the finance they need to make their enterprising ideas a reality.

<li>Regulatory framework – keeping legislation to a minimum, reducing the burdens of regulation, inspection and enforcement without removing essential protections, and clearly communicating any changes.

<li>Business innovation – ensuring that UK business is in position to capitalise on global trends, by helping them develop and successfully commercialise innovative products, process and services.

The strategy also claims to have considered the wider benefits of enterprise – where it can be used as a tool to bring significant social and economic benefits to the more deprived parts of our country, and to those groups in the population heavily represented there.

I am delighted that enterprise is being recognised as so important and have no problem with these goals and of course would welcome them being turned into reality.

In a difficult economic climate it is vital that Government and the banking industry support business in the most positive and long term way, something we have not always seen.

I also see no reference to reducing the burden of taxation on business and significantly, saying and doing the right thing for enterprise have often turned out to be two quite different things with this current Government!

I look forward to the revolution and a “Fair Deal For Business” particularly SME’s.

Chris Slocock
Immediate Past, President Dorset Business
Vice Chairman South West Chambers of Commerce

The “Credit Crunch” precipitated by the “sub-prime” mortgage meltdown is likely to result in more than 2 million innocent UK homeowners paying mortgage increases of several hundred pounds per month and has resulted in billons of pounds of our, tax payers, money being put at risk!

"Sub-prime” loans were targeted at those with a bad credit history deemed too high a risk for a traditional loan and included those who would never be given a home loan because they could not afford to pay it back. It is this latter group which fuelled the dramatic growth, and collapse, of not only the sub-prime lending market, but now potentially the US and UK housing market.

Free of any regulatory restrictions, sub-prime lenders went on a lending spree - offering loans that only required payment of the interest (effectively meaning that the house would never be paid off through the monthly payments), loans that had low payments up front, or even offering loans that were worth more than the value of the house in question.

The truly predatory nature of these lenders was fuelled by greed for huge bonuses and based on a gamble of ever-rising property values plus the assurance that borrowers would at least keep making payments for a time.

The lenders would still stand to gain at the time of default because they would get the house back from the borrower at foreclosure and all the mortgage payments made up until the time of default. Completely evil and exploitative - a reasonable business plan to some.

Trillions of dollars of sub-prime loans led to a boom in the US housing market, driving up prices. This in turn led to growth in speculative buying - the borrowers themselves began to gamble that they would be able to sell the house at a profit before they ran out of money to make the payments. Traditional investors became exposed as these loans were bundled in with normal loans and resold.

The bottom fell out as more and more borrowers defaulted and it became clear that it was the loans themselves that had been driving up property prices. The banks then became saddled with a raft of over-valued houses that they couldn't get rid of (too bad they couldn't give themselves sub-prime loans...) resulting in the bankruptcy of the banks themselves.

As this virus spread through the financial system, panic ensued and it is still not completely clear, the full extent these global financial players are exposed to this crisis.

Worryingly the problem is so large and the collapse of the Banks so unthinkable that our Government is attempting to bale them out with over £50 billion of our money – the “sub-prime” loan goes on!

Chris Slocock