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. When the Conservatives gained control of the Council in June 2009 he was appointed Chairman of the newly-established Rights of Way Committee. Previously, he was the Conservative spokesman on Personnel & Performance matters, as well as serving on the Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Authority.   

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...

County Council Budget 2010/11

At the Nottinghamshire County Council Annual Budget meeting on Thursday 25^th February 2010 the County Conservative Group voted for a freeze in council tax for the forthcoming financial year 2010/11.

My colleague Councillor Reg Adair, Cabinet Member for Finance & Property, presented the first budget of the new Conservative administration which included a range of management and efficiency measures to save £30 million. This money will be re-directed into front line services including key priority care services: -

• £3 million more to provide specialist placements for young people

• £1.7 million more to meet additional costs of Safeguarding Children at risk
• £6.1 million to meet the growth in services for people with mental health and learning disabilities 
• £1.9 million more towards the costs of services for people with physical disabilities
• £2.3 million more to meet additional costs of care home fees for service users living in independent sector homes
• £2 million more towards increased costs of care for people living independently in their own homes
• £700,000 more to meet costs arising from the provision of services as a result of the reduction in the Supporting People Grant and
• £2.5 million more to account for the ever growing numbers of older people requiring some form of care.

In Councillor Adair's speech introducing the budget proposals he pointed out that even with a council tax freeze, Nottinghamshire County Council will still be spending £11 million more in 2010/11 than in the previous year.

(Posted 8/3/10) 

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)

Tram

On 24th September 2009 Nottinghamshire County Council voted to withdraw its financial support for the NET Phase Two transport scheme. As a Conservative County Councillor I was elected on a manifesto which stated: "We will avoid spending a small fortune on tram extensions which few people in the county will be able to use."

During the Council debate, several Conservative Members presented the argument for this change of policy. Some referred to the increasing costs of the scheme, whilst others supported the Cabinet Member for Transport & Highways' assertion that flexible bus services, rather than a fixed tram line, represent the most suitable public transport solution to serve the whole of Nottinghamshire. 

Some of my colleagues took the opportunity to state that, contrary to some media reports, the Conservative position on the proposed tram extensions has not changed. They pointed out that the previous Labour administration had entered into certain legal agreements in relation to NET Phase 2 which must be respected to protect the interests of the County taxpayer, but the new Conservative administration is quite clear that it does not support the proposed tram extension routes. 

(Posted 5/10/09)

Workplace Parking Levy (WPL)

Also at the Nottinghamshire County Council meeting on 24^th September 2009, the Cabinet Member for Transport & Highways, Councillor Richard Jackson stated that the new Conservative county administration is opposed to Nottingham City Council's proposals for a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL). He expressed concern about the financial impact such a Levy could have on County residents who work in the City and stated his belief that the WPL would be unlikely to cut congestion. Councillor Jackson argued that the scheme could lead to significant parking problems in the County area, frighten off economic investment in the City and County and hit business confidence at a time when it needs to be nurtured. 

(Posted 5/10/09)

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

Following a decision taken by Cabinet on 8th July 2009, each County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent. 

CDF 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 contact me. 

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

Sure Start North Leverton

I was pleased to provide a CDF grant to Sure Start North Leverton, towards enhancing the new garden area for children.

Elkesley Parish Council

A grant from my CDF has helped Elkesley Parish Council to purchase a new village notice board.

Tuxford Centre

I was pleased to provide a CDF grant to the Tuxford Memorial Hall Trustees towards the Tuxford Centre.

Retford Young People's Centre

I was pleased to present a cheque to the Retford Young People's Centre to cover the cost of a 2-hour climbing wall session as part of Tuxford Activity Week.

Bothamsall Village Hall

A grant from my CDF will help towards the refurbishment of Bothamsall Village Hall.

Tuxford Comprehensive School trip to Brazil

Pupils from Tuxford School were able to make an 'International Inspiration' trip to Brazil with help from my CDF fund.

Tuxford Regeneration & Arts Festival

I was pleased to be able to help the Tuxford Regeneration Group with their preparation for the Tuxford Arts Festival.

John's committees...

Communities Standing Select

Rights of Way

Planning

Nottinghamshire Fire Authority 

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