John Hempsall

About John

John Hempsall has a wealth of experience in local government, having represented the Tuxford division on Nottinghamshire County Council since 1985. During that time has performed numerous roles including Conservative Spokesman on Personnel & Performance matters and Chairman of the Rights of Way Committee.

Away from County Hall, John and wife Helen run 'Hempsall's Heritage Orchard' at East Markham. John is well known for his knowledge of apple varieties and has put on displays at various exhibitions throughout the country as well as being interviewed on the radio on this subject.

John is available to meet constituents at any mutually convenient time at a suitable venue. His contact details are displayed on the left of this page. 

John's latest news...

Green light for Elkesley Junction Improvements 

Through his Autumn Statement on 29^th November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the Government has approved planning permission  for the £9.8 million scheme to improve two junctions on the A1 at Elkesley. This follows years of pressure from residents and local councillors and we are delighted that the scheme is now set to go ahead. See Autumn Statement page 54.

(Posted 1/12/2011)

Budget Conversation underway

Nottinghamshire County Council has announced proposals for its 2012/13 budget. 

Nottinghamshire residents are invited to give feedback on the budget proposals and take part in our Budget Conversation, which is open until Friday 29^th January 2012. The results of last year's consultation led us to change some of our proposals and we will be listening very carefully once again. Please let us know your views.

(Posted 17/11/2011)

Grants available for sports clubs in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Council is challenging local sports clubs and organisations to come forward with new projects that encourage people to get involved in sport. The reward, from the Community Sports Fund, is a maximum of £1,500 to Clubmark accredited clubs and £1,000 for other not for profit organisations such as voluntary or community organisations. The money can be used to help with costs such as coaching fees, facility hire, equipment costs and publicity costs but it must be spent within 12 months.

To be eligible for the fund, applicants must be a club or organisation based in Nottinghamshire and affiliated to their national governing body. New organisations will need to demonstrate their intent to affiliate.

We’re passionate about supporting grassroots sport at all levels and clubs need funds - that ‘s why the Community Sports Fund is such a fantastic scheme as it gets money straight to where it can have the most impact. The best ideas for projects, that encourage new people in sport through a structured programme of activities, will benefit. To apply for a Community Sports Fund visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/sport-support

The closing date for applications is 2^nd October 2011.

(Posted 15/8/2011)

£2.5 million boost for Supporting People

Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.

Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.

However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.

These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30^th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-

• Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
• ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
• Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
• Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
• Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.

 

We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.

Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

More grass cuts

Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.

As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.

At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes. 

The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside.  They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges

(Posted 14/7/11)

Strict spending controls save £20 million

Strict controls to stop non-essential spending at Nottinghamshire County Council have helped the authority to save £20.4m during 2010/11. Details of the saving are contained in the Council’s final accounts for 2010/11 which will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 8 June.

The saving is due to a budget underspend and is in addition to the £29m saving made during 2010/11, much of which was reinvested in social care and protecting children at risk.

We have stopped non-essential spending including holding back on staff and councillors attending conferences and not travelling to meetings when email or telephone calls suffice.

Spending control measures were introduced in September to help meet the Council’s current financial challenges. Here are a few examples of the savings made on non-essential spending during 2010/11:

• £460,000 saved on reduced water and energy consumption.
• £820,000 saved by holding back on the purchase of IT equipment.
• £1.06m saved on staff travel and subsistence.
• £63,000 saved on restricting staff attendance at conferences.
• £743,000 saved on print and stationery.

 

The Council also has a strict policy on staff vacancies which restricts the filling of vacant posts unless there is a business need.

(Posted 2/6/2011)

County Council issuing free bus passes

Nottinghamshire County Council took over responsibility for issuing free bus passes for older and disabled people from district councils in Nottinghamshire on Friday 1^st April 2011. Anyone applying for a new pass from that date will need to get a form from their district council, local library, bus station, county customer service point or from County Hall or go to www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/community-travelpasses.  It should then be returned to the County Council at the address shown on the form.

The Council has agreed to continue the additions to the scheme for Nottinghamshire residents, allowing free travel for companions of disabled people and free tram travel (or half-fares between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays), as well as the standard national scheme, which allows free travel for older and disabled people between 9.30am and 11pm each weekday and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.

The passes will be funded in 2011/2012 with £9.27m from the Government and £460,000 from the County Council. Passes issued by district councils before Friday 1 April will still be valid after that date.

(Posted 2/6/11)

Council Budget 2011/12   

At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24^th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.

With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -

• £15 million more for specialist foster care placements;
• £6.3 million more to look after adults with acute learning disabilities and mental health needs;

• £2.8 million more on children’s social workers;

• £2.8 million more on services for older people;
• £1.5 million more to care for adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more for young carers.

 

The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.

(Posted 28/2/2011)

Gritter Twitter

Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.

In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc

(Posted 11/11/2010)

Improvement Programme latest 

At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21^st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.  

He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council. 

Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.  

For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-

• more specialist foster placements for children

• more support to young carers
• more children’s social workers
• development of free school transport for secondary school children.

  

Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: - 

• the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
• more support for adults with physical disabilities
• more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
• extra resources for independent sector care.

 

I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.

(Posted 5/11/2010)

Improvement Programme

Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.

At the County Council meeting on 25^th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.

The Improvement Programme will include: -

• a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement

• implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes

• rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working

• a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign

• departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and

• the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development. 

 

The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term. 

(Posted 8/3/10)

New Strategic Plan

Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.

This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.

Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.

(Posted 8/3/10)

Gritting

The exceptionally cold weather which affected Nottinghamshire and most other parts of the UK between December and February led to unprecedented pressures on local authority gritting supplies. Nottinghamshire County Council possessed stockpiles far exceeding Government recommendations and was able to keep its priority routes gritted even when other councils had exhausted their supplies. The biggest difficulty was obtaining replacement supplies, given the exceptional pressure on the two national companies who supply the country’s salt. 

Taking these events into account, it was agreed at the recent County Council budget meeting to increase the gritting budget by £50,000 for 2010/11. It is also intended to use 6mm rather than 10mm salt, which will improve spread rate and increase our gritting capacity still further. 

(Posted 8/3/10) 

John's latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...

Following a decision taken by Council on 19^th May 2011, each County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent. 

The Councillors' Divisional Fund aims to make use of each councillor's 'grass roots' knowledge to identify projects, events, people and clubs that work hard to benefit and promote their local area, but often lack access to resources. Even a small amount of funding can sometimes make a huge difference. 

If you know of a deserving initiative in the Tuxford division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please do contact me. You can click the following link to read the eligibility guidance criteria.   

Here are some of those I've been able to help so far: -

Stokeham Millennium Project Group: a grant towards a stained glass window for Stokeham Church

Stuton-le-Steeple Village Hall Management Committee: a contribution towards refurbishment of the hall

Tuxford School: assistance to cover the costs of a student exchange visit to Poland for 10 pupils

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings: funding assistance towards the annual Tuxford Building Conservation Fair

Sure Start North Leverton: a grant towards enhancing the new garden area for children

Elkesley Parish Council: a grant to purchase a new village notice board

Tuxford Memorial Hall Trustees: a contribution to the Tuxford Centre

Retford Young People's Centre: help to cover the cost of a 2-hour climbing wall session as part of Tuxford Activity Week

Bothamsall Village Hall: a grant to assist with refurbishment of the hall

Tuxford School: funding to help pupils make an 'International Inspiration' trip to Brazil

Tuxford Arts Festival: funding towards the arts festival.

 

John's committees...

Rights of Way

Nottinghamshire Fire Authority 

Planning

 

Full details of council committee meetings can be found in the Council Diary.