Neighbourhood Wardens work in local areas to tackle environmental problems and low level antisocial behaviour. They also promote community involvement and social inclusion in their day to day work especially among young people. The information in this report relates to warden tasks and actions dealt with in the Consett Area (including Benfieldside, Blackhill, Burnhope, Castleside, Cornsay, Delves Lane, Ebchester, Esh, Lanchester, Langley Park, Leadgate, Medomsley, Moorside and Shotley Bridge) during February 2013. Dog fouling Dog fouling is one of the major issues dealt with by neighbourhood wardens. We have investigated 51 reports of dog fouling and issued 2 fixed penalty ...
When I was little I used to play with a box by either putting things in it or putting myself in the box. My mother tells me that one day I took a colouring pencil and drew on the walls. After some time my mother shouted at me and in a fit of anger and rebellion I drew on the outside of my box. This, as it turned out, was a whole new experience. I found this more satisfactory than putting the box on my head. Crude as this was this is how I developed my skill of thinking outside ...
My colleagues in Mossley Hill tell me that there's a meeting of the Jericho Lane Action Group coming up next week. This is a group concerned about plans to build a school on Jericho Lane, right next to a very busy road and potentially taking away open space. The meeting is on 21 March at 5pm at Dale Hall, which is on Elmswood Road.
United Utilities have just written to say they'll be doing some work in the L19 area on Tuesday (19th) which might make the tap water look a bit cloudy. Apparently it'll still be OK to drink, although you might need to run the tap for a bit longer. The company does say though that it's best not to use a washing machine if the water is discoloured. The number to call , with any queries, is 0845 746 2200 and there's a reference number too which is 80025438.
Local MP Mark Hunter has been tackling the Highways Agency over residents' concerns about their slip-road scheme. The £6 million scheme to improve the M60 along the "Sharston by-pass" section (Junctions 2-4) included work on the slip road taking traffic from the M60 onto Kingsway at J3. The road was expanded to three lanes, with flip-flop lights where the slip road meets the A34. Several concerns have been raised by residents which Mark and the local councillors are pressing the Highways Agency with: At peak hours, queues on the slip road are still long and often back onto the motorway. ...
MOOCs (like those offered by edX) are free for students to participate in. If they weren't, their business model would be largely indistinguishable from distance learning institutions like the Open University. Sir Michael Barber, once of the Prime Ministers Delivery Unit under the last Labour Government and now chief education adviser at publishing and education company Pearson is reported in the Times Higher Education today as saying: "If a student wants to do some courses from a MOOC at Stanford or Harvard, some other courses from Oxford, another from Melbourne and another one from the National University of Singapore, what's ...
Say what you like about Ken Livingstone at least he had the good sense to realise that London's multicultural city demands a progressive approach to policing. He was determined the capital must never return to ...
Until recently this country was being ruined by terrible tabloids and their journalists, so thank goodness we had Hugh Grant and his mates in Hacked Off to save us. Except, as Mark Wallace so accurately points out, Hugh Grant doesn't seem to like to play by his own his own rules. Here is a Hugh tweet ...
... and the decline is 37% from just two years ago. David Willetts is apparently so concerned that he's asked Eric Thomas, the Universities UK president and Vice-Chancellor of Bristol University, to investigate the causes of this decline and to report back in the autumn. I suspect Mr. Thomas will come to the conclusion that a number of factors are responsible. Here are my thoughts as to what he'll find. My first observation is that the decline in part-time student numbers seems to mirror the overall decline in mature students applying to go to university since the new fees regime ...
Beyond the end of the platform the line curved round sharply to the right between the steep banks of a cutting. On the top of the embankment on their left was a wood, and between that and the main line a single track of rails, rusty with disuse. The track ran into a siding under the embankment, and on it were standing two old railway coaches, brightly painted, with curtains in the windows. Malcolm Saville, Susan, Bill and the Vanishing Boy (1955)
Paul Burstow, who has been notably and valuably outspoken since being sacked as a health minister last year, had an article in the Daily Telegraph this morning calling for mental health to be as much a spending priority as physical health is. He wrote: Mental health has traditionally been vulnerable in the NHS - the last to benefit in times of plenty and the first to suffer when things get tough. And depressingly, in 2011/12 spending fell by 1%. Crisis resolution and assertive outreach both saw reduction, and while half the country protected spending, the other half made deep cuts. ...
The liberty of the press in this country can only be maintained by the vigilance of the people and the vigilance of the Parliament and the courage of the newspapers themselves. That's the only way. Therefore we must fight, fight, fight to retain those liberties. The ministers come along to tell us that, of course, it's only the Daily Mirror they were trying to get at. The attack is over, they say. No other demands on any other newspapers. All other newspapers may continue to live in tranquility and in freedom and in peace. There's something rather familiar about those ...
This year sees the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, which has naturally provoked a lot of media comment in the UK. But perhaps even more deserving of attention is the 25th anniversary of the Halabja massacre, when Saddam Hussein's army wiped out around 5,000 Kurds in a chemical weapons attack. Most of the victims ...
Back in October I asked how Richard III should be remembered. My answer: As a graduate of both York and Leicester Universities I have some claim to objectivity here, and I agree that Richard (if it is Richard) should be reburied in Leicester Cathedral. But a state funeral? So far the dig has been handled with good taste - there have been no pictures of the skeleton issued, for instance - but this idea is danger of taking things over the top. Richard would have had a funeral when he was buried at Greyfriars. A dignified short service and interment ...
Last night it took me a good few hours to get to sleep and I ended up musing over the various compromises you have to make in politics and the effect it has on you. I'm not talking about compromises with others on things like policy - that's part and parcel of the whole shebang - but the compromises you make with yourself over your fundamental beliefs. Take secret courts: two years ago I would never have imagined that I'd ever be able to be a member of a party that supported the kind of assault on civil liberties that ...
I remember reading a letter to the Evening Standard in 2007 which highlighted the problem of monopoly. The man who wrote it was describing his girlfriend's flight from Romania to Heathrow by British Airways. BA (a privatised utility) had changed planes at Romania and had failed to put anyone's bags on board. The crew knew this, but still the passengers were allowed to wait hopelessly at the carousel for two hours for their non-existent baggage, which BA staff knew perfectly well was not going to arrive. It actually took three days to get them. What do you do about that ...
Dear resident, Welcome to the latest edition of my Notes from Westminster, which aims to keep you informed of some of the work I have been doing on your behalf, both locally and in Parliament. Firstly, a quick reminder that I also now have a Twitter account, which you can follow at www.twitter.com/markhuntermp if you wish! This week is National Apprenticeships Week. Boosting the number of apprenticeships is a big Lib Dem priority and I've been delighted to see that since the Coalition Government was formed there has been a 74% rise in the annual uptake of apprenticeships across our ...
Note from district council St Albans City and District Council is extending its hours of opening to deal with an anticipated rise in Council Tax and benefits enquiries around Easter. The Council is sending out Council Tax bills over the next few weeks and is expecting a seasonal increase in enquiries as a result. In addition, we anticipate that there will be a rise in enquiries due to changes in welfare benefits that are taking place at the same time. At a meeting on 21 March, Cabinet will hear that we are extending our normal customer service hours to meet ...
I am the last person to argue that you should never resign from a political party. I resigned from the Labour Party just over thirty years ago. I know it to be an intensely personal and often painful decision. So I pass no judgement on those who have decided to leave the Liberal Democrats because of opposition to the Justice and Security Bill. I think I am entitled to ask, however, what kind of Justice and Security Bill we would now be contemplating if either Labour or the Conservatives had been governing alone? It seems incoherent to me to resign ...
Thanks to Tabloid Watch, which found this headline in Tuesday's Daily Express: EU attempts to brainwash children with 'sinister Soviet-style propaganda'It is, of course, another Euromyth. The story turns out to be complete and utter bollocks. Opposition to the European Union is a legitimate point of view but, like any other political opinion, it should be supported by evidence and rational arguments. When Eurosceptics resort to this sort of nonsense, they really must be on weak ground. As the European Parliament's Information Office in the UK points out: Welcome to the brave new world of EU reporting at the Daily ...
My twitter Timeline seemed to all be talking about a video on YouTube today so being the inquisitive soul that I am I hunted it out and watched it. It was a video about someone's decision to drop out of university and that it shouldn't define her as a person. You can watch the video below. Click here to view the video on YouTube. Now it isn't a huge stride to say that this is of course all true. University isn't for everyone and education doesn't define intelligence. All it does is define how educated someone is. I have a ...
Filmed by a local cyclist:
Ahead of Scottish Conference in Dundee this weekend, Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched a new Facebook page for news, views, infographics and pictures about the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Their picture of today is a head shot of leader Willie Rennie with all the nice things that journalists keep saying about him. [IMG: Willie's press compliments] The Conference has its fair share of controversy – debates on secret courts, snaring and smacking over the next three days. There will be keynote speeches from Vince Cable, Nick Clegg, Jo Swinson, Michael Moore and Malcolm Bruce as well as a busy fringe programme. ...
The agenda for next weeks Parish Council meeting has now been published; Open Forum (Your opportunity to raise issues with the Parish Council) 1. To receive apologies for absence and any declaration of interest 2. Approval of minutes- To approve minutes of Parish Council Meeting held on 21st February 2013 3. Matters for discussion and decisions to be made from Previous Minutes 3.1 Midas Care Ltd - Signing of lease agreement 3.2 The Farmhouse - update on new tenant and requirements 3.3 Youth Provision 3.4 Village Hall - update 3.5 Wildlife Enhancement Scheme - update 4. General Correspondence Received - ...
[IMG: cameron clegg miliband 2] Nick Clegg has emailed Lib Dem members today to set out his view on David Cameron's decision to pull the plug on cross-party talks seeking to find an agreed way forward on the Leveson Report's recommendations for self-regulation of the press underpinned by statute: As you may have seen this morning the Prime Minister has decided to call off the cross-party talks on implementing the Leveson proposals on press regulation. Throughout the talks I have sought to defend a free press while making sure ordinary people can be protected from unwarranted harassment and bullying by ...
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael's Twitter account is always good for a laugh. At least, I hope he was joking here... @mirrorjames Do they use the whole horse I wonder? The odd horse's head could be useful in the office.... — Alistair Carmichael (@acarmichaelmp) January 15, 2013 [IMG: Rosie Wallace] It was from Alistair's Twitter that I discovered that we have an accomplished and talented author in the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Rosie Wallace has written two novels, set in the same small town, about its parliamentarians and their families. She should know – she is married to Lord (Jim) ...
Significant changes are being made to the benefits and tax credits system over the next few years because of the Welfare Reform Act 2012. Chorlton High School and Southway Housing Trust are working together to help parents and carers if they are concerned about the effect the changes will have on their families. Together, they are hosting a drop in service for families and parents who may need support. On Thursday 21st March, from 5.00pm to 8.00pm, staff from Southway Housing Trust, Parent Support Advisers and other support staff will be available in The Green Room to offer guidance and ...
St Barnabus Church is to play host to an event bringing together organisations giving advice, help and information later this month. On 22 March, from 11 till 2, there'll be stalls run by organisations including Age Concern, the CAB,Healthy Homes, the local Credit Union and others. There'll be free lunch on offer and a chance to find out about local developments (including what's planned for the Mansion House in Calderstones Park) St Barnabus is on Allerton Road at its junction with Penny Lane. You can get there on the 86 bus.
Last October, I wrote a brief post, So you like evidence-based policy? Here's a couple of crucial things to remember...: To me, evidence-based policy is at heart a very liberal process. First, it demands that you measure your intended outcomes against your actual results. That's a pretty good discipline. Secondly, what is termed 'evidence' (ie, real-life situations) will need adapting to local circumstance to be effective — in other words, it requires trust in people to work out how to adapt what's worked elsewhere to their own context. Today, Ben 'Bad Science' Goldacre published an excellent paper, Building Evidence Into ...
Dyma peth gwaith Cynghorwyr Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Bangor Uchaf ers Ionawr 2013. // Here is a taste of what Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillors have been doing in Upper Bangor. Filed under: Ward
[IMG: Mike Thornton in Hedge End] Edition #32 of Liberal Democrat Newswire came out last week, looking at who the winners in the party are from Mike Thornton's Eastleigh by-election success. It's now also available online to read here. If you would like to receive the next edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire direct to your own inbox as soon as it is published, just sign up here. It's free! And if you sign up before the end of today (Thursday), you'll get tomorrow's special polling edition. You can unsubscribe whenever you want using the link on the bottom of all ...
Thu 14th
13:55
Herts Highways at Fault AGAIN - this Time with Faulty Link to the Highway Fault System!
[IMG: herts-county-council] Since words fail me I have reproduced as sent to me the following e-mail unchanged. "Launch of new online highways fault reporting system - correction from Herts County Council Hertfordshire County Council apologies for the incorrect link supplied last week for their online highways fault reporting system which should have been: www.hertsdirect.org/highwayfaults Further information: Michael Francis, Head of Customer Service, Hertfordshire County Council, 01992 556994 (X56994), Michael.Francis@hertfordshire.gov.uk " It says it all, really! Would anyone like to tell the Head of Customer Services what they think of Hertfordshire County Council's service delivery? Especially with regard to highway maintenance, ...
Just seen several comments awaiting moderation. I returned from Brighton hoarse, not the singing but a rapidly developing cold, but this is no excuse. I'm sorry I didn't check sooner.
Thu 14th
13:34
Opinion: 10 reasons that you will not be able to stamp out the Liberal Democrat "Cockroaches"
Since the conception of the coalition government the future of the Liberal Democrats has been one of the biggest talking points in British politics. The conventional wisdom was that they would be annihilated in 2015 as a result of broken promises and the tough decisions of government. Yet the party secured a stunning victory in Eastleigh on the back of 8% national poll ratings, abysmal national council elections and several heavily-reported scandals. Despite these difficult circumstances certain political commentators have claimed that the Liberal Democrats should not celebrate Eastleigh, pointing towards the 14% swing against them. But this is precisely ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... BBC News – Budget 2013: Chancellor's rebalancing act Fascinating micro/macro look by Stephe Flanders at issues facing Osborne in Budget 2013: Chancellor's rebalancing act http://bbc.in/Yr02zN Official Google Reader Blog: Powering Down Google Reader Worst news of the day: Google Reader to close on 1 July http://bit.ly/YqXlya Sir Nick Kicks Out | The Waugh Room | | PoliticsHome .@paulwaugh's suggested job title for Sir Nick Harvey > 'Former Minister and Candid Friend' http://bit.ly/14XWZzZ Attorney General reviews Huhne and Pryce jail terms to see if they were 'unduly lenient' – Telegraph Tory MP David ...
My thanks to Lord Bonkers for drawing my attention to David Boyle's posting written after he had appeared on Radio 4's Start the Week with Ken Loach. I guess David Boyle was there to plug his new book but the programme was centred around Loach's film on 1945. I have regularly referred to Beveridge's final report on Voluntary Action and it's critique of the 'socialist ' solutions in 1945 and it is good to see Boyle take up the point.We should add that Beveridge was educated in Birkdale and supported the Southport Liberal candidate in the '45 election David says ...
Title: A Meeting of Mechanics Prompt: Other Doctors Character(s)/Pairing(s): Mickey Smith, AU Sixth Doctor, AU Bessie. Rating: PG Word count: 1757 Spoilers: none Warnings: slight veiled references to bisexuality and trans people. Summary: Mickey thought he was settled in his classic car repair shop. Then he got a new customer... Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine, but I am eternally grateful to the creators for making such an amazing sandbox for me to play in. Author's Notes: AU, set between Age of Steel and Army of Ghosts (from Mickey's perspective) or between Mindwarp and The Marion Conspiracy (from the Doctor's ...
Pieces of writing can do lots of things: challenge, comfort, exasperate, inform, entertain. Occasionally, though, one reads a piece that, in prose far more clear, lucid and fluent than one's jumbled thoughts, nonetheless perfectly describes those thoughts. I've long been a fan of The Economist's David Rennie, and have praised him here on the Voice before. Last summer he took over the paper's Lexington column (in tragic circumstances), but before that he was for two years British political editor and author of the weekly Bagehot column. In May last year he wrote one of those columns I describe above. Unfortunately, ...
Southport's MP has been taking up the cudgels on behalf of schools who are being 'bullied' to become Academies. The full debate is here scroll down to 2.30pm at Col 31WH after the debate on where to bury the remains of Richard III (me I favour Liecester Cathedral)
One of Liberal Youth Scotland's campaigns this year has concentrated on encouraging the Scottish Liberal Democrats to adopt a policy to ban snaring. We believe that this practice is barbaric, cruel, indiscriminate and unnecessary. On Saturday 16th March, Scottish Liberal Democrat conference will debate an LYS motion calling for a ban on snaring. Scotland has led the way on this issue with the Scottish Government adopting new guidelines in 2008. However research undertaken by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) has shown that 85% of the public are in favour of an outright ban. One ...
Unfortunatly Paddy can't be everywhere Recently I saw an article comparing the hard fought Eastleigh by-election to the battle of Stalingrad. Though I can see some parallels in the great scheme of things and country wide campaigns it doesn't stand up, after all Stalingrad saw the beginning of the end of the Wehrmacht in Russia and the Soviets sweeping west to Berlin and victory. A more fitting analogy would be the early years of German blitzkrieg. Now bear with me whilst I indulge my other hobby... The Blitzkrieg worked by massing forces at a Schwehrpunkt before creating conditions of aerial ...
Vince Cable is right to argue that the government should give the economy a fiscal stimulus with increased borrowing to fund infrastructure investment, especially affordable home building. Cable's argument is sound: the finance is cheap, the multiplier in this kind of investment is relatively large and there is an urgent need to give our flat-lining economy a kick-start. Investment in affordable housing would provide particular economic benefits in London and the south east, where the shortage of affordable homes is undeniably the single biggest break on the region's economy. The UK's construction industry has massive spare capacity, having shrunk significantly ...
This is the update for the month of February, for Sandgate, Cheriton, and surrounding areas. On Friday 1st February 2013 PCSO's Mark Ball and Gary Carr stopped a group of young persons who were reported to have been causing a disturbance in The Coop. As a result of their actions the group was subsequently banned from the store. Whilst patrolling Folkestone town Centre PCSO Mark Ball and PCSO Gary Carr attended the Leas Cliff car park in relation to reports of young person's loitering in the location and causing anti-social behaviour. A group were found and quickly identified. They were ...
Google Reader is to close on 1st July, it was announced today. Here's Mashable's Chris Taylor encapsulating why this is such bad news: Google Reader is a tremendously useful product; there's almost nothing like it. When Twitter is full of too much snark and not enough signal, when Flipboard and Pulse and other newsreading apps give you too many pretty pictures and not enough stories per page, there's Google Reader. It isn't particularly pretty. It isn't supposed to be. It's line after line of headlines, and you click on them if you want to read the story. There's nothing else ...
An explanation of the concept of "marked" and "unmarked" in linguistic terms, applied to the genders. "Some days you just want to get dressed and go about your business. But if you're a woman, you can't" (tags: ) Incredible Edible comes to Brighouse | Buy it in Brighouse (tags: ) This is starting to look a bit like November 1990 when Mrs. Thatcher was brought down Mike might be getting a LITTLE overexcited here, but it's an interesting thought experiment. Are we heading for our second female prime minister by default, I wonder? (tags: ) Young people deserve better education ...
A sinister conspiracy to inform Yet more utter nonsense from the UK eurosceptic media. (tags: eu ukpolitics ) CHART: How many popes are alive at any given time? Misses out the Copts, and various schismatic interludes. (tags: Pope ) The troubling things I learned when I re-reported Bob Woodward's book on John Belushii The strengths and weaknesses of a famous journalist. (tags: Writing ) Google Reader closing down My brother looks at alternatives. (tags: Internet blogs ) Making a difference Reacting to a racist joke sent by a friend. (tags: Racism )
Thu 14th
08:58New LDV members' survey now live: your views on immigration, the Lord Rennard allegations, Eastleigh...
The new LDV members' survey is now live. So if you are one of the c.1,400 registered members of the Liberal Democrat Voice forum — and any paid-up party member is welcome to join — then you now have the opportunity to make your views known. Questions we're asking this month include: what you think of EU migration policy; what you make of the Coalition's economic policy; what you think the Eastleigh by-election result really means; how you think the party leadership has handled the 'secret courts' debate; your views on Nick Clegg's leadership leading figures within the Lib Dems; ...
Like many others last night I was left puzzled and bemused by the choice of the new Pope. To put it simply I had not heard of him and was left having to resort to search engines to discover more. If Climate Change Minister' Greg Barker's account in today's Telegraph is to be believed however, I was not alone in this endeavour. Sometimes the Cardinals themselves know little or nothing about the candidates: The Climate Change minister was seated beside Cardinal Peter Turkson at a dinner he attended last year as a member of the delegation that Baroness Varsi led ...
The plans for Southwark highway and street lighting maintenance have been issued pending a cabinet councillor decision: For East Dulwich it's proposed to: - Barry Road resurface between Lordship Lane and Goodrich Road 22m costing £32,460 - Peckham Rye resurface and renew pavement between Barry Road and East Dulwich Road 400m costing £89,931 - Landcroft Road resurface 400m costs £57,912 – this appears to have been rolled over from this financial year with no explanation. - Silvester Road resurfaced between Landcroft Road and Crystal Palace Road 200m costing £70,671 - Goodrich Road resurfaced between Landcroft Road and Hillcourt 418m ...
New legislation to modernise the licensing regime Mobile Home Sites in Wales has taken a step closer towards becoming law after passing its first stage in the National Assembly for Wales. The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black is sponsoring the private members' Bill through the Assembly. He thanked members for their support today and predicted that it could be law by the summer. "The Bill will create a licensing regime that is a modern, fit-for-purpose framework that can be consistently implemented across Wales" said Mr. Black. "It will give local authorities the resources and ...
Thu 14th
07:50Call for Evidence: independent inquiry into processes, culture and complaints relating to harassment
As I embark on my independent inquiry I would like to set out the structure of the review and how I am going to gather input. The review will cover three overlapping areas: Processes (and what did and did not happen) Attitudes and culture within the Party A blueprint for the future I am keen to hear from all those who have relevant experiences and views to help me form an accurate picture (whether Party members, staff or public). This is a Call for Written Evidence for three questions around the areas outlined above: Do you have examples of specific ...
Well said, Norman Baker, for calling on train operators to curb the excessive number of announcements on trains. In criticising the quantity, however, Norman neglected to mention the quality. On yesterday's BBC Radio 4 PM programme [zap forward to 48:45], David Marsh of the Guardian's Mind Your Language blog was interviewed about the bad English used in train announcements. His reply was similar to the blog post he wrote two years ago titled "Railspeak should be terminated": Railspeak is a language with a unique syntax and vocabulary - characterised by, for example, the mandatory use of auxiliary verbs ("we do ...
LCD temporary signage on Riverside Avenue highlighting new speed limit I have today welcomed the new lower 40 mph limit along Riverside Drive and Riverside Avenue becoming reality late yesterday, with the last of the new speed limit signs being erected and the old 50 mph signs being taken down. Due to the need to deploy staff onto winter maintenance tasks on Monday due to the inclement weather, the switch-over was about 24 hours behind schedule, but as of last night the whole stretch of road from Invergowrie to Tesco Riverside was now completely re-signed with the new limit, together ...
On Sunday - March 17th - Dundee WestFest is holding the Spring Fair and Pop-up Café at the Vine, 43 Magdalen Yard Road - in Marquee accommodation in the grounds of this beautiful neo-classical building. The event will run from 12.30pm - 4.00pm and the café will be serving hot drinks, home made soup and cakes. Various entertainments will take place during the day including: * Freya hand-prints cards and limited edition prints, sometimes with a fleck of gold of silver for a bit of glam. Her work features anything that catches her eye, Chickens, flying men and tins of ...
