Singer/songwriter Mark "Stew" Stewart and bassist/vocalist Heidi Rodewald put out some of my favourite albums of the late 90s and early 2000s, both with their band The Negro Problem (a baroque-pop group whose ex-members have gone on to be, among other things, in Candypants, Cosmo Topper, the Wondermints and the solo artist Carolyn Edwards, all ...
One of the least glamorous and yet necessary tasks of being President of the Liberal Democrats is systematically going round local party meetings and events, though Tim Farron, like his predecessor Ros Scott, does this with seemingly unbounded energy and enthusiasm. Although he is an MP in the North West, we see a lot of him in London, as ...
Tue 24th
22:52
Licensing, Health and Safety and General Purposes Committee (Wirral Council) 23/1/2012 Part 3
Kate said they had visited the Masonic Hall this afternoon and it was a suitable venue. It cost £350 for hire. Surjit Tour talked about Between2Worlds. He said there were statutory purposes for polling stations and the front entrance at the Masonic Hall was unsuitable for disabled access. However there was no certainty for hire ...
Tue 24th
22:46
Assembly Member expresses concern at rise in workload for District Nurses in ABMU Health Board area
Figures released to the Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for South Wales West, Peter Black, show a decline in the number of District Nurses in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend, whilst at the same time the number of clients dependent on their services has increased by nearly one fifth. In Bridgend the number of qualified district nurses fell from 69.64 whole time equivalents in 2008 to 67.47 by April 2011. Over the same period the number of clients being cared for by the service rose from 4592 to 5435. In Neath Port Talbot qualified staff went from 74.49 WTE to ...
Tue 24th
22:18Licensing, Health and Safety and General Purposes Committee (Wirral Council) 23/1/2012 Part 2
Present: Conservative Cllr Kate Wood Cllr Sue Taylor Cllr Ian Lewis Cllr Tom Anderson Labour Cllr Bill Davies (Chair) Cllr Irene Williams Cllr Steve Niblock Cllr Chris Jones Cllr Patricia Glasman Lib Dem Absent Cllr Bill Davies said he would make a start to the meeting and deal with the polling stations and Wirral award ...
Michael Crick had a report on Channel 4 News this evening about the continuing saga of Roger Helmer's resignation (or not) as one of the MEPs for the East Midlands and whether Rupert Matthews will replace him. In his accompanying blog post he writes: When I went to see Rupert Matthews at his home in Surrey today he refused to speak on camera. He doesn't want to upset his chances. Off-camera, he denied several times to my face that he was a teacher for the IMU, and had merely designed the course. Yet in the IMU's online video Matthews talks ...
Tue 24th
21:28
Update on cycleway link from Yate to the Bristol - Bath path and on pedestrian link to Westerleigh
Briefly, there has been no physical progress on the cycleway link because Network Rail haven't yet signed consents. Believe it or not, it's because of the main line electrification! They are considering using some of the land near the oil depot for training concerned with the electrification work, but they don't yet know how much land they need. All other landholder agreements have been finalised for the first phase from Coxgrove Hill to Broad Lane, and land negotiations for the Broad Lane - Shireway second phase have just started. The Westerleigh Link project from the Nibley Lane corner to Westerleigh ...
I blogged earlier about a call for council action on speeding traffic on Booker Avenue and Aigburth Hall Avenue. To support the call I've started a petition which has already been given out on both roads and some of those nearby. You can sign the petition on line as well. Its on the website (www.garstonld.org.uk) at this link http://garstonld.org.uk/en/petition/road-safety-petition
Father Christmas brought me a hat with earphones inside it. It's ideal for running with. Today I used it for the first time and listened to Radio 2 as I did my normal three circuits of Stroud Green with our trusty hound, Charlie (who actually runs faster than me). I came back and started to take my trainers off outside the back door. I had been listening to heart-rending stories of cancer misdiagnoses on The Jeremy Vine show. I decided to tweet @thejeremyvine with a quick comment. I then finished taking my trainers off, opened the back door and closed ...
Paddy Ashdown from last night's Lords' debate: ...how is it right, morally or otherwise to deny child benefit to somebody on £26,000 a year when they get it on £80,000? The Guardian reports Robert Joyce, an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, saying: ...the combined effect of all of the coalition government's reforms would be to increase child poverty by 300,000 children. Ah! But it is all very popular! So is bringing back hanging. It is a disgrace to withdraw child benefit from the very families who need it most. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Remember the last Labour government's record on post offices? Their numbers fell by more than 7,100, or 38%. But not any more, as a result of Lib Dem action within the Coalition — as Lib Dem Voice first reported here almost 18 months ago. This is how the Press Association reports it: The Government has secured the future of the Post Office under a 10-year deal giving certainty to postmasters, ministers have announced. The long-term arrangements between the Post Office and the Royal Mail will be reached before the two are separated under the Government's controversial privatisation plans. Sub-postmasters welcomed ...
[IMG: Sharon Bowles] Sharon Bowles, the Scientific Vice-chair of Aldes, was re-elected last week as the chair of ECON; the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. The re-election comes after political manoeuvres threatened Sharon Bowles' position and David Cameron's decision to oppose changes to the European Treaty led to opposition from European MEPs to a British representative heading committees dealing with eurozone issues. Sharon Bowles leads the committee tasked with improving financial governance in the eurozone and negotiating financial regulations with member states. In an article on Public Service Europe, she is quoted as saying: I am grateful to ...
When Denis Knowles, Rosemary Lyons and the public returned the Chair thanked them. He said after "careful consideration" and receiving legal advice they had reached a decision. Stella Elliott said that had carefully listened to the representations by Denis Knowles, but it was the final view that counts. She said it was "unacceptable" and they ...
Perhaps the most important single document of Cornwall Council's four year term is currently out for public consultation. The Core Strategy will guide development across Cornwall for the next 20 years. At the heart of the document is the question of the level of growth and how the new homes should be distributed across the Duchy. The major constraint is the National Planning Policy Framework. This is the government document that dictates that there should be a certain level of growth across the UK. This in turn means that Cornwall Council's subsidiary document must also propose some growth. But how ...
Tue 24th
20:00
Meeting my Childhood Heroes: Andy 'The Viking' Fordham, Richie 'The Prince of Wales' Burnett and Me
Apologies to those who are not conoisseurs of the darting world for my back-to-back blog posts on this fine sport but it has indeed very much been a darting weekend for me. As I mentioned yesterday, Jamie Lewis' wonderful weekend in qualifying for the full PDC circuit for the next 2 years is great news for us who know him here in his native Cardigan. As it happens, on the 3rd day of that 4-day Q School in Barnsley, I was safely ensconced in another darting environment whilst keeping a close eye on his progress all-the-same. Worthingtons Scarlets Darts Masters ...
The Chair asked him if he had any other questions? Denis Knowles said he had no questions as the report was mostly clear and accurate, he was happy to accept its findings apart from the minor issue. The Chair said that was gracious. He pointed out that the Code of Conduct covered blogging, but he ...
[IMG: Great seal of the United States] Just as the UK government announces plans to make all research funded by the taxpayer available for free, the US government may be ending their open access policy of almost four years. In 2008, the National Institute of Health enacted a public access policy requiring all researchers funded by the NIH to submit final manuscript versions of research articles to a central repository (PubMed Central) 12 months after publication. This allowed members of the public to access the documents without having to pay subscription charges to publishing companies. A new bill, the Research ...
Cllr Richard Kemp CBE, Liverpool Liberal Democrats, 16, Dovedale Road, Liverpool L18 1DW; E-mail: Richardkemp68@yahoo.co.uk Rt Hon. Edward Milliband Esq. MP., Leader of the Opposition, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA 24th January 2012 Dear Mr Milliband, Suggested visit ... Continue reading →
I am sure that there are many people who wonder what it might be like to travel into the future. What looks cool now that will eventually appear dated and inefficient? How will we deal with the most pressing problems of the age? What will change, and what might stay the same? There are no such things as time machines...yet! However, there is a hidden corner of Chorlton where it is possible to make a journey of sorts into a world that is yet to come. This Sunday Victor Chamberlain and I had the privilege of visiting 3 The Thorns, ...
On Thursday last, Blyth Town Council agreed the budget for 2012 / 2013, that will mean a roughly 60% rise in the precept. There are things within the budget that I agree with, and things that I don't agree with. With the uncertainty over the transfer of services from Northumberland County Council, we have had to include money to pay for such things as Bus Shelter repairs (£29000), Public Seat repairs (£25000), Play Area maintenance & inspection, (£25000) and even War Memorial maintenance (£2000) The council also agree to pay for extra grass cutting , over and above that done ...
One of the worst books I have ever read was when we were doing are GCSE exam, it was a book called 'Earthly Powers'. The opening line in this book is the only thing I can remember about it, as it was question on a pub quiz we did a few weeks ago, the opening line in the book is something like "It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me." That is probably the closest you are going to get on ...
Children & Young People Now reports that the Lib Dem peer Baroness Claire Tyler has been appointed chair of Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service: Education Secretary Michael Gove, who appointed Baroness Tyler, said her appointment would "help ensure that children's interests are always at the heart of care and family court proceedings". She joins after a tough four years for the court service, which has battled to cope with a dramatic increase in caseloads since the Baby Peter case, as well as fend off criticism from MPs and unions. Latest figures indicate Cafcass is ...
I recently overheard two advertising executives discussing their latest QR campaign. I jotted down what they were saying... Dave! Dave! I've got a brilliant idea! What is it, Fred? Let's make a QR code... right... but make it really hard to scan! Brilliant idea, Fred! How? We can stick it on a Taxi, so that you have to wait until it stops at a traffic light before you can scan it! [IMG: Taxi QR code] Ok, Fred, but I'm still concerned that the code will be too easy to scan. Aha! That's why we invert the colours! [IMG: Inverted QR ...
Now Pat Glass MP stands full square behind councillors Young and Robson. Apparently she thinks we should all get behind using the Belle Vue site, and blames those who oppose the site for delays and cost. She claims the steelworks site has "drawbacks". Would she care to spell them out? She claims to have been told that Derwentside District Council had earmarked part of the site for housing. Would she care to produce any evidence of this, or are we to base our decisions on rumour and innuendo? I'm certainly not aware that Derwentside planned to demolish its own Civic ...
There were two principal local council by-elections that took place on Thursday 19th January 2012 resulting in Labour gaining two seats from the Lib Dems. There was one town council result reported to ALDC which resulted in a gain for the Lib Dems from Labour on Horwich Town Council in Bolton. This meant the Lib Dem group on the council increased to 5 councillors and Labour losing its majority control on the council. Of the two principal elections, the one in Redcar & Cleveland resulted in Labour running a very negative campaign and highlighting a controversial article that our candidate ...
All immigrants here for more than 6 months must now have biometric identity documents. We don't object to this per se, but with the UK Borders Agency incapable of dealing with its existing workload, to complete the rollout at the end of February is not good timing. http://bit.ly/wR9woo There are more fundamental questions about whether the UKBA should continue to be a separate agency,rather than transferring its functions back to the Home Office where they belonged originally.
Present: Standards Hearing Panel (5) Independent Members Chair Mr. Ken Harrison Mrs Stella Elliott Conservative Cllr L Rowlands Labour Cllr B Davies Liberal Democrat Cllr P Williams Also Present:- Surjit Tour, Deputy Monitoring Officer Shirley Hudspeth, Panel Clerk Denis Knowles, person complained about Rosemary Lyon, Investigating Officer 2 members of the public (John Brace, Leonora ...
An exciting opportunity to work for Simon is now available. Simon Wright MP is looking for one full-time caseworker for his constituency office in Norwich. Starting salary will be in the region of £16,000 - £18,000 pa The successful applicant will have strong communication, IT and organisational skills, enjoy working in a busy office environment, have a good sense of humour, be a team player and possess enthusiasm for the job in hand. Previous office experience would be an advantage but is not essential. Key responsibilities include: • Dealing with constituents, either in person, by writing, or over the telephone ...
Redcar Councillors were shocked this week when the Leader of the Council refused to attend a cross party scrutiny meeting to explain his budget. The Scrutiny Board is the key way Labour Leader Cllr Dunning can be held accountable for his actions and can question him on his justifications the major changes he wants to make.Leader of the Lib Dem group Councillor Glyn Nightingale said:"Cllr Dunning's failure to face the Scrutiny Board is another in a long line of actions by Labour Council bosses which do little to encourage open debate and democracy."Councillors were unable ask him in person why ...
Norwich South MP Simon Wright has welcomed today's announcement by Lib Dem Business Minister Ed Davey that a ten-year deal between the Post Office and Royal Mail has been reached. The deal gives additional certainty to sub-postmasters in Norwich and covers the full range of Royal Mail products available at post offices such as first and second class post, parcels, air mail, recorded and special deliveries. The deal adds to other recent progress for the Post Office, with extra Government cash kicking in, new national and local government contracts won, successful piloting of new models to transform many local post ...
This coming Friday I will introduce the Second Reading of a Bill which has the capacity to permanently change the way in which public sector bodies procure services - whether local authorities, NHS trusts or Government Departments. It will require them to consider how what is being procured will improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area in which the services are being provided. This means that, whilst they will obviously still have to take price very much into account, they will have to assess the social value which different potential suppliers can add to their performance of ...
This lunchtime at the National Liberal Club I was a member of a panel discussing the inevitability or otherwise of war between the West and Iran, held under the auspices of the Global Strategy Forum, which is chaired by Lord Lothian (aka Michael Ancram). The place was packed as the subject could hardly have been more ...
Tue 24th
15:03Standards Hearing Panel 24th January 2012 Member complained about: Denis Knowles Complainant: Denis ...
Documents for Standards Hearing Panel meeting into complaint about Mr. Denis Knowles. Agenda Page 1 of 1 Agenda Item 3 Report of the Monitoring Officer Page 1 of 7 Agenda Item 3 Report of the Monitoring Officer Page 2 of 7 Agenda Item 3 Report of the Monitoring Officer Page 3 of 7 Agenda Item ...
No, not signs of the end of the world, though that is an idea. A business opportunity has so far been ignored there. Let's see...WARNING: WORLD ENDING. To the point if a bit uninspired. BEWARE OF DISINTEGRATING PLANETS. Practical and helpful but a bit long. THREE LANES REDUCING TO NONE (OK if there are three lanes. THINK HELP!! Short, punchy, but what use is thinking it? A14 CLOSED BECAUSE OF APOCALYPSE. What about the A120? And is Apocalypse that hard rock band from Banbury? No, that wasn't what I meant. Yesterday I walked a footpath over a golf course which ...
[IMG: Edent at UKGC12 Some rights reserved by David J Pearson] As per the meme, here are my 20 points on Gov Camp UK. Sign up early. I dawdled and so was only able to get a ticket for Saturday. I feel like I missed out on a lot of interesting conversations. BarCamps should be recorded for posterity. It's a point I've made before. Cameras and disk space are so cheap, we should record what we say and do at BarCamps by default. Now, that may inhibit some of the conversations and reduce the "Chatham House" aspect – but individuals ...
Welcome to The Libertine, "the blogging platform for young Lib Dems". "All his life, Havel lived by the belief that if you wanted something to happen, you had to do something to make it happen, and damn the consequences, including arrest and prison, and possibly even death. Speaking about the early days of the post-Stalin thaw, he once said: "The more we did, the more we were able to do, and the more we were able to do, the more we did." It is a fine summary of his attitude, and, in a sense, his legacy." Paul Wilson writes about ...
I bumped into a lady the other day who said that the green waste bins in her street hadn't been emptied the last few times they were meant to. I complained about this to the Council. The bins are due to be emptied again today so I have asked one of the Council's environmental officers to check whether or not they are. I've written to the residents on that particular street, but it seems that the problem may be a wider one and that the lorries are just not turning up. I told the Council that this is a wider ...
The Scottish Petitions Committee has today considered the petition lodged by Amy King - a representative of Scotland for Marriage - which aims to "preserve marriage". As you will no doubt realise, their interpretation of preserving marriage actually means preserving a very narrow and discriminatory definition of marriage. To be honest, I thought the predictably homophobic line taken would make me quite angry, but to my enormous surprise the substance of the petition just amuses me. It's hilarious. You can read it here. It certainly is worth reading, if only for the lack of critical thinking and the way it ...
Today is the day that all of Hollywood and a lot of studios elsewhere around the world have been waiting for, the Academy is announcing the nominations for this years Oscars. The nominations are: Actress in a supporting role Bérénice Bejo for The Artist, Jessica Chastian for The Tree of Life, Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbsand Octavia Spencer for The Help. Actor in a supporting role Kenneth Branangh for My Week with Marilyn, Nick Nolte for Warrior, Jonah Hill for Moneyball, Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Max Von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Actress ...
Two announcements this week by Liberal Democrat Ministers have been very welcome and demonstrate once more the benefits that the party are bringing to government. The first of these by Post Office Minister, Ed Davey is reported in
Norwich South MP Simon Wright has secured a meeting with First buses on Monday of next week (30th January) to raise concerns over the recent changes to bus routes in the city. Simon is keen to hear people's experiences and concerns in advance of the meeting. "I was anxious to meet with to First to discuss the route changes with them as soon as possible. Local residents are rightly concerned. Changes to bus routes will often cause a great deal of disruption and inconvenience, especially for those who are elderly or who have mobility problems, and those who rely on ...
Great to see a new Liberal Democrat blog launched: The Libertine - the online blogging platform for young Liberal Democrats. As the blog puts it: This is the place to discuss the issues that matter most to our generation. Whether it be local, national or international politics or if there's an experience with Liberal Youth or Liberal Democrats you want to tell people about - all is welcome. We know there's already another place that is "our place to talk" called Lib Dem Voice, and actually we like them very much. This is just another platform especially for the younger ...
To mark the largest rebellion by Liberal Democrat Peers, we thought that it was time we recognised those Liberal Democrat Peers most prone to rebellion, so here are the top five rebels of this Parliament so far... 1st – Baroness Tonge (26 votes against the Government) Jenny would probably appear at or near the top of most lists of 'Liberal Democrat Peer most likely to rebel', so it perhaps isn't much of a surprise to see her in such a prominent position. Whilst many of her rebellions have been on the Health and Social Care and Welfare Reform Bills, she ...
Last Thursday David Cameron made his much-discussed speech on 'moral' capitalism. Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg also made speeches last week that visited similar territory. Cameron's speech was rather short on what he meant by 'moral'. Or, to put it another way, for him moral capitalism was primarily about ensuring more competition and broader asset ownership than is the case in 'immoral' capitalism. It appeared, in fact, rather similar to the capitalism we already have, but tweaked around the edges. The spirit that animates the system does not need to change. There is no need for ethical renewal. Towards the ...
The current debate raging about welfare benefits caps throws into sharp relief how benefits claimants are expected to behave compared with non-claimants. Take for instance a person supporting their family on a wage of about £35,000, which is approx. £26,000 after tax. From that they are expected to pay for accommodation, food, necessities and the rest. It's not a massive wage, but well above the national average. However if such a person is unable to live exactly where they like, society is not terribly sympathetic, there's a view that people will budget, save and make their own arrangements. If a ...
Following the news today that the government has abandoned plans to reform the university system that would have made it easier for private colleges to set up new universities, Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the UCU, the college lecturers' union, has come out to praise the Government: The government should be applauded for appearing to ...
There wouldn't normally appear to be much of a connection between private universities and House of Lords reform, but it is there in the process details of today's news about the government dropping its plans for a bill to allow the creation of new private universities from the forthcoming Queen's Speech. It makes for good news for the Liberal Democrats too, as the process reason is that the legislation was going to be highly controversial and Nick Clegg is successfully pushing for other controversial legislation to be kept to a minimum in order to allow plenty of time for the ...
An interesting story appeared in today's Independent, which at first glance seems somewhat obscure and irrelevant. Oliver Wright examines revelations in Peter Hain's memoirs that Tony Blair and Jack Straw entered into "secret talks" with the Spanish government over the future of Gibraltar. The only reason the negotiations broke down, it is alleged, is that the Spanish got "cold feet" after a "full agreement" had been reached. So not at all to do with a lack of vigour on the part of the Labour government. That is interesting. Hain revealed that "Jack's desire to do something about Gibraltar coincided with ...
Of course, right now, it's far too early to say with any authority what will happen in 2015 or indeed that the next General Election will be in 2015. But that doesn't invalidate predictions, the best of which say that the election will be in 2015. My own feeling is that there are a lot of parallels (disregarding the Coalition) between this parliament and the 1979-1983 parliament. It's hard for people to remember today but back in that parliament, the Conservative government was often quite unpopular and struggled with Labour for a poll lead. In 1979, as in 2010, people ...
My reading material over the last few months has changed a little. Since starting my new job I find myself reading industry magazines on a regular basis. However I was surprised by an article on the Conference News website today. The article suggests that there is a huge difference in what delegates (Lib Dem readers please insert 'representatives') need on a conference agenda. According to the article the older delegate needs 'comfort breaks', tend not to tweet, blog or interact using the internet during a conference. This is unlike the younger delegate(see previous disclaimer) who requires 24/7 internet access, the ...
Edelman and TLG have both recently published their trust and thought leadership reports. As always, both reports are incisive and make for fascinating reading. The reports make the point that in order to win trust or build thought leadership, organisations must involve themselves in societal issues as opposed to simply doing business.
Dear Nick, Your Press Conference with President Abbas On behalf of Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine, we would like to thank you for the statesmanlike comments you made about Israeli settlements in your joint press conference with President Abbas. By calling the continuing illegal settlement building "an act of deliberate vandalism to the basic premise ...
Despite escaping one major ambush, Lord Freud cannot have been looking forward to Amendment 59, moved by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. A short amendment; Clause 94, page 63, line 25, after "benefits" insert "with the exclusion of child benefit" it addressed issues of child poverty, as the Bishop noted, The Government's assessment of the impact of the cap is that some 67,000 households will be affected. The Minister spoke of that earlier as not a massive number. It is pretty massive for those involved, but the fact that it is not massive in the overall terms of Welfare ...
Rick Santorum appears to be trying to inherit the mantle of Donald Trump by fostering the conspiracy theories surrounding President Obama. But where Trump had his concerns over where the President was born, Santorum also adds the President's religion as the video below demonstrates: As Andrew Sullivan of 'The Dish' notes: "Santorum knows that the president is a Christian. And he lets this lie pass. He also doesn't challenge the lunacy of Obama being ineligible for the presidency because he was born in Kenya"After President Obama released his birth certificate to prove Trump wrong, the businessman had nowhere to go ...
So, how are you going to spend Valentine's Day? How about spending some of it in the company of like minded people marching from Edinburgh University to the Scottish Parliament in support of Equal Marriage? Starting at Bristo Square at 2:30, the march, organised by the Scottish Youth Parliament, NUS and the Equality Network, will head for Holyrood. I don't know if I'm going to be able to go. The schools are out, Bob's on holiday and we had a mind to go away for the week, but we'll be there if we change our minds. There's more information about ...
Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. Karl Marx The Church of England evoked the ...
As we reported here on LibDemVoice yesterday, Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable yesterday announced to the House of Commons a number of measures to curb excessive boardroom pay: (Available on the BBC website here.) Here's how the BBC summarised the proposed measures: making firms' remuneration reports easier to understand, and requiring them to explain executive salaries in relation to the earnings of other employees increasing transparency by requiring the publication of all directors' salaries giving shareholders a binding vote on executive pay, notice periods and exit packages – at present their say is merely advisory encouraging a wider range ...
Given the prejudices of his era, Francis Bacon probably didn't mean women as well when he wrote that but I'm not aware that he had anything against young people, male or female. (Indeed his essay, "Of Youth and Age" finds good and bad in both.) Nevertheless that is the problem today. Young people, it seems, are less likely to confer. As Susan Gaszczak points out, 40% of Liberal Democrat
IF you receive or know someone who receives benefits then please do check that you're receiving the correct amount – a benefits health check. If you're over 60 call 020 7525 7434 else call 020 7525 3393 or email sbah@southwark.gov.uk to make contact the Southwark Benefits Advice Hub. They can help you: Make sure you benefits are correct Help you with claims for new benefits Help to get mistakes put right Represent you at Tribunals If you're over 60, or housebound, vulnerable or unable to visit them they can visit you at home.
Cornwall Council has performed a very welcome u-turn and has decided not to cut local bus routes. The previous plan was to save money to cover a shortfall in the current budget by cutting many lifeline routes which are relied on by people to get to work, college or to see family and friends. More than a quarter of supported routes looked set to disappear within a couple of months. This reversal is, of course, very good news. But there are still questions concerning the routes where no tenders have been received and how this scheme is being paid for. ...
The government's response to its defeat in the Lords last night over benefit caps has been notable for its lack of substance. Iain Duncan Smith has taken two lines: that the policy is enormously popular, and that Bishops and left-leaning peers ought to be as concerned by the people paying for the benefits as they are of the people who receive them. The popularity argument is, well, true. But it is a pretty hollow one. It is hardly surprising that public attitudes have hardened following years of rightwing propaganda emanating from what passes for the British press and, given the ...
I spent some time yesterday evening geeking out on the White House website in advance of tonight's State of the Union address. This is the annual prestige occasion when the US President addresses both houses of Congress on where the nation is at, and on his priorities for the coming year. The coverage on the White House website is something that I think Nick Clegg could learn from in three particular ways: Telling people exactly what's going to happen and when. Videos outlining the traditions behind the State of the Union and the planned coverage and what will happen afterwards;Providing ...
At last! Finally, Lib Dem peers are being collectively useful over the Welfare Reform Bill. Yesterday 17 Lib Dem peers rebelled against the government and backed an amendment which stops child benefit from being taken into account in the £26,000 cap on benefits. It's great to see this happen and it's just a shame that only two of the rebels yesterday showed the same concern about disabled people a few weeks ago as they did about children yesterday. I've already seen people come out of the woodwork and start condemning the decision of the lords to exempt child benefit from ...
Illustrated BMI Categories - a set on Flickr Those of you who still have any faith in BMI might care to have a look at this. I think my favourite is this one: (tags: photos ) Living life without ads This is why the BBC is worth every penny. (tags: telly ) When She Codes, The Revolution's Coming Is ladies learning to code awesomely feminist, or just awesome? (tags: feminism ) Until 2009, the human clitoris was an absolute mystery to mainstrweam science Witness my face of not surprise. (tags: sexism ) The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing ...
Day-to-day I can't help thinking about the positions our MPs and Peers would have taken on issues were we not part of a coalition. I'm far from alone in that, but I also recognise the need to choose what we decide to block with care. Right now, we need to block the main the legal aid provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (currently at committee stage in the Lords). In summary, unless amended, the Bill will take away legal aid from clinical negligence, personal injury, welfare/benefits claims, and claims under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. ...
A quick follow-up to my post from earlier in the week about Ed Miliband, who was against the public sector pay freeze before he was in favour of it. This time it's the question of pensions, and whether they should be increased in line with the consumer prices index (CPI) or the retail price index (RPI). The government is switching from RPI to CPI for public sector pensions, resulting in Early Day Motion 1629 signed by one Ed Miliband on 17 March 2011 which condemns the move. So far, so not surprising. But wait. The Labour Party has a pension ...
Two wind turbines are proposed for the edge of Consett. Check it out on Friday. The sponsors are proposing to put two wind turbines on land at Berry Edge Farm, Medomsley Road, Consett. The turbines would be the same model as the ones at Greencroft Industrial Park, Annfield Plain. The overall height of the turbines from the base to the tip of the uppermost blade would be 55m. The proposal is currently at the pre application stage and that offers the local community a chance for input before the planning application is submitted. The open day allows the public the ...
We have a new winner in the shape of the Huffington Post: Dorothea Murphy, Alaska Woman, Fights Moose With Shovel
Outreach workers are hoping to extend a successful project and take more drinkers off the streets of Cambridge. The £33,000 scheme, backed by Liberal Democrats on Cambridge City Council, would increase the number of successful detox programmes offered to alcoholics who cannot maintain normal out-patient treatment. Street Outreach and Mental Health Team workers have asked for half the funding from Cambridge City Council and half from the GP consortium, Camhealth following successful working with street drinkers which has led to 30 a year treated under the detox programme. If both partners agree to funding this number could be increased to ...
Yesterday I received a letter from Diana Wallis, one of our Liberal Democrat MEPs for Yorkshire, saying that, after twelve and a half years she's decided to call it a day and resign from the parliament. I gather Liz lynne, MEP for the West Midlands, has made a similar decision. I'm not sufficient of an anorak to have kept M/s Wallis's campaign material, whether for selection as a Liberal Democrat candidate or for the election itself, but I doubt that in either will she have made it clear that she was interested in serving us for only half the parliamentary ...
In a dramatic fifth day of the Report Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill, Liberal Democrat cohesion amongst the Parliamentary Party in the Lords collapsed, with two of the three biggest rebellions in this Parliament ensuing. And, to be honest, it wasn't difficult to see it coming. However, unexpectedly, only one of them led to a Government defeat. Amendment 58D, moved by Labour peer, Lord Mackenzie of Luton, was a relatively opportunistic attempt to provide an exemption from the proposed benefit cap for "vulnerable individuals, and individuals and couples with children", threatened with homelessness, owed a duty to be provided ...
That's the offer at Glenroyd House tomorrow (Wednesday January 25th). Members of the public are invited to drop in to Glenroyd House on Medomsley Road at any time between 10am and 4pm. Drop-in sessions are available for confidential advice on subjects including: Benefits Welfare rights Avoiding illegal money lenders Derwentside Homes' services Housing Solutions Stonham Services provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau Services of the Prince Bishops Community Bank Job Centre Plus services Representatives from all the agencies involved will be available to offer advice and support.
Residents have contacted me regarding the damaged fencing art the Benvie Steps that lead from Lochee Road to Benvie Road - see right. Residents are concerned about the access to the former garage site and also to an adjacent tenement's back garden I contacted the City Council about this and the City Engineer has advised : "An order has been raised for the repair of two linear metres of fence on the east side at the top of the Benvie Road steps. The work has yet to be programmed but the Road Maintenance Partnership will update you once this information ...
It was good to see the Perth Road pavement improvements work start yesterday that will see resurfacing on the south side between Step Row and Shepherd's Loan in the shopping area - see right. I spoke with the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership yesterday about issues raised by local shops. I am grateful to the Roads Maintenance Partnership for the very prompt response to these matters.
Just needed a bit of a moan. I ran 14 miles on Sunday. It was a new personal distance record, as I've never run anything further than a half marathon (13.1). I mean, I hadn't. Before Sunday. Now I have. Obviously. But, ugh. It wasn't a very good run. It was the same pace as my first, very slow, half marathon. I never felt super comfortable, which I think might be, in part, because I managed to eat two mince pies for dinner before I collapsed into my bed for 13 hours. Proper fueling, I think not. Or maybe it ...
Well, last week was a bit epic. Started out the Friday before leaving for Philadelphia for what turned out to be my Grandma's funeral (see prior post - I bought the tickets before she passed away, so I originally thought I'd be visiting her). There was some utter crazy rescheduling brought on by a delayed aircraft that saw me deciding I'd fly to JFK & make my own way to Philly, then switching airlines and flying to Atlanta for my connection. It was a bit insane, but I made it. Grandma's funeral was on the Monday and I had a ...
For those who, like me, are interested but haven't seen it yet, there's a list of who'll be playing on the Beach Boys' reunion tour at the Beach Boys Band website. Incidentally, the rumour at the moment is that the tour dates will be announced the day after the Grammys, about two weeks from now. ...
I've been told that the Fox Hollies Community Association were successful in winning the public POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act) Vote and will therefore get £12,000 of cash, confiscated from criminals, to: Improve the internal features of Fox Hollies Forum, Undertake a consultation with the local community and Set up a safety hub. This is great news for the Association and the many residents of Acocks Green who use the Forum. Many thanks to everyone who voted and well done to the members of the Association for submitting the winning bid.
