Gwynedd Councillors don't seem to understand the current student accommodation situation in Bangor at all, or the impact that further developments will have on prices for students. There is foundation to the claims that there are student rooms empty, despite what Plaid Cymru Cllr Dyfrig Jones claims.There are currently 135 properties with at least 1 [...]
Wed 8th
22:57
Tory candidate welcomes Lib Dem parking charge cuts (but then, he did nothing about the issue when i...
Scott Mann, the Conservative candidate for North Cornwall, has taken to the press to welcome the Lib Dem cuts to parking charges. Some may see this as very cheeky. I'd prefer to take Scott at face value and welcome his support for our efforts. Of course, Scott thinks that the council should go further and worries that the new charges may still be too much for someone on minimum wage. Indeed, he says that councils should not be treating parking as 'a cash cow'. I chuckled a bit at that one. You see, until last May the Conservatives were in ...
So I should have seen this coming, the first football player who has graced the Premier League comes out on one day when I am busy with work and then have bowls in the evening. So I guess that everyone has said their piece about how great it is that Thomas Hitzlsperger has come out as gay. It is indeed a momentous moment, but one part of me wonders if he hadn't suffered a career ending injury that forced him to retire from the game at the relatively young age of 31 if we have heard this news today, or ...
[IMG: Rubbish truck at work - animated gif] Hat-tip: @CleanUpHaringey
Great news from the House of Lords this evening. The government has suffered a massive defeat over its plans to bring in injunctions against 'annoying' behaviour. Peers defeated the clause that would have introduced IPNAs - Injunctions to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance - by 306 votes to 178. Alex Stevenson on politics.co.uk quotes some of the speeches made against the proposal, including Patrick Cormack: "I find it difficult to accept a Conservative-led government is prepared to introduce this lower threshold in the bill," Tory backbencher Patrick Cormack said. "We are sinking to a lower threshold and in the process many ...
A screenshot of a dialogue box from the University of Leicester Blackboard virtual learning environment. It amused me far more than it ought to have done when I encountered it earlier on today. [IMG: OK. Click OK to ok. OK.]
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has bought one of the first seats in a virtual football stadium as part of a project which helps homeless people across the world. Julian's life-long seat is among the first 10,000 to be sold to launch the project with the aim of reaching a million seats. The stadium, which will become the largest virtual football stadium ever is designed as a home for the fans and supporters of the Homeless World Cup. The competition has been staged every year since 2003 in countries across the world to bring together homeless people through football. Last year ...
I hope everyone had a good festive period over Christmas and New Year. There have been 4 crime reports in Bar Hill between 30th December and 8th January, please see below for more details. Between 26/12/2013 17:00 and 27/12/2013 13:00, a theft form a motor vehicle took place at the Brambles, Bar Hill. Perpetrators have removed and taken the catalytic convertor from a vehicle left unattended park at location stated. Between 26/12/2013 15:00 and 27/12/2013 12:55, a theft from a motor vehicle also took place in Foxhollow, Bar Hill. Perpetrators have removed and taken the catalytic convertor from a vehicle ...
Our Headline of the Day Award goes to the Leicester Mercury and, once again, the story below is about Market Harborough. The marvellous Farndon Fields Farm Shop, to be precise. And, yes, the Mercury does have a photograph.
One of the highlights of a dismal and disappointing election in 1992 was undoubtedly Don Foster's election in Bath. He won the seat from then Tory party chairman Chris Patten. Don has tonight announced that he won't be standing in next year's general election, it was in fact Jonathan Calder tweeted the news first, which led to me staking out Don's Twitter and website looking for an announcement. When it came, it was on the Bath and North East Somerset website. Don Foster After what will have been 23 wonderful years, this has been a very difficult decision to make. ...
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert South Cambridgeshire District Council leaders are to lobby the government for changes to national legislation which could give pubs greater protection from development. The call follows the recent lawful conversion of the closed Pear Tree Pub in Hildersham into a furniture shop, even though it had been successfully listed by the local community as an 'asset of community value' last year. Following a meeting of South Cambridgeshire District Council's planning committee today (Wednesday 8 January), the Leader of the Council has asked for a report to be presented to the planning policy and localism portfolio holder ...
Residents are being asked to share their views as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority plans to freeze its council tax precept for 2014/15. Thanks to careful planning, savings of £4.2 million have already been made by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), therefore Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority (CPFA) can afford to freeze its portion of council tax and instead, accept an additional grant of £183,000 from the Government. The budget issued to the Authority in December was in line with what was expected and therefore the Service has already implemented changes to make these savings. As a result, no ...
This is an article I didn't expect to be writing. Ed Balls is not a man known for his particular liking of Liberal Democrats in general and most especially not Nick Clegg. You could generally have assumed that there was not a lot of love lost. In fact "Ed Balls' prawn cocktail charm offensive" is a fairly standard Clegg bingo drinking game item. Both had insinuated that the other would not be welcome in any future coalition cabinet. But strange things have been happening over the past wee while. During the Call Clegg Christmas Special, Nick was asked how he ...
As I wrote just before Christmas, I'm now working my way through the second module of the Occupational Psychology MSc – Personnel Selection and Assessment. I also appear to be on track as far as my own personal schedule is concerned, having read through and made copious notes on the module materials, suggested readings and the relevant chapters in the course textbook (Work Psychology, by John Arnold and Ray Randall plus a cast of thousands*). There are two module assignments to complete – the first is due to be submitted early February and the second mid-March. I'm therefore at my ...
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. 104518/VO/2013/S1 Site ...
Dear resident, Happy New Year! I sincerely hope that 2014 is a year of health and prosperity for you and your family. December was another busy month both here in the constituency and down in Westminster before the Christmas break. 9 year-old Lara Harding, a pupil at St Peter's Catholic Primary School in Hazel Grove,won first prize in my annual Christmas card design competition. Her design was made into over 40,000 cards and it was a pleasure to visit her school to award her with a special prize in recognition of her achievement. I also visited The Kingsway School in ...
Much of the eastern United States is under a blast of arctic air sufficiently cold to turn even subtropical Texas beneath freezing. Temperatures as low as -41 degrees Celsius have been recorded in parts of the Midwest. That's cold enough that this meteorologist was able to throw boiling water into the air and see it [...]
Today I watched a recording of last night's BBC programme called 'The Truth About Immigration' so whatever the BBC said must be true. In case you didn't watch it I'll give you a brief summary. Almost half of us think that immigration is bad for our economy. It isn't. 31% think that immigration is good for the economy but even half of them want to see immigration cut. Nigel Farage reckons that Enoch Powell was "wrong in the sense that he felt that black and white would find it difficult to mix, but unfortunately he's been proved to be right ...
In the early 70's as a student shared a flat with Tim Jones and Andy Keogh. One of us, I can't remember who, had an Everley Brothers LP. The sleeve notes proclaimed that one of the tracks- Ebony Eyes- was voted the second most romantic song of all time. I still wonder what the most romantic song was.
[IMG: AlistairCarmichael] In news that will surprise nobody, but is worth recording anyway, the Orcadian reports Alistair Carmichael's unanimous reselection to fight Orkney and Shetland in next year's General Election: I am delighted to be reselected as the Liberal Democrat candidate to stand as MP for 2015. I expect it to be a lively contest and I do not take continued support for granted. I have been an MP for 12 and a half years and in that time the Northern Isles has truly become home. My wife and I have raised our family here and we have many roots ...
I was out and about delivering in Wallington yesterday and managed to get drenched in a downpour. However it proved a useful exercise in checking for blocked drains and gullies. I identified some flooding in Wallington Square and have arranged for the drains here to be cleaned, and I had reported to me blocked drains [...]
Most of the wards we are targeting in May 2014 will be either the defence of held seats or gains in seats recently and narrowly lost. In these seats there should hopefully be a high level of existing or potential identified Lib Dem support. The key to winning in these seats is a) Confirm they [...]
We wanted to honour those Liberal Democrats that our readers felt were true stars of 2013. We sought out nominations and now have a rather impressive list that we've been publishing in instalments during this week. Here is the third part. Their names come with the comments made about the contribution they have made. Some are parliamentarians, some are councillors, most are grassroots activists. Let's celebrate them and the many others who are fighting for Liberal Democrat values and victory. These are our Liberal Democrat stars of 2013. You can read part 1 here, and Part 2 here. Stan Hardy ...
Wed 8th
14:20
Crazy county council closes Old London Road while London Road is under temporary lights
Herts County Council is intent on closing Old London Road while London Road has got temporary lights. So far they are refusing to budge to protests from residents and councillors. Chris said: 'This shows that Herts County Council hasn't a clue about traffic conditions in St Albans. Even when warned that they have made a mess of things they plough on regardless and local businesses and residents are the ones who suffer.'
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone on the doorstep] Want to know how to win election campaigns? You can learn from the very best of international experience with a free 10-week email course from myself and Ed Maxfield. Sign up at www.CampaignMasterclass.com and each week you'll receive one lesson by email, helping you become a top election winning campaigner or candidate yourself. It's a great way to make sure you don't fall foul of mistakes such as Five of the most common mistakes that Lib Dem campaigners make. We've helped, advised and run election campaigns across Europe and even further afield - and ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Moyesy The Record Breaker | Funnies | Blubber | Blue Kipper Just for the LOLs » "Moyesy The Record Breaker" http://bit.ly/1lNQrME feedly.com "£12 billion more benefit cuts? Where from?" http://bit.ly/1lNPVOE Well, quite. Well said, @FlipChartRick Antony Beevor: A century on, this bloody war still divides us – Comment – London Evening Standard Excellent from Antony Beevor: "A century on, this bloody war still divides us" http://bit.ly/19ZGcCM (h/t @neilstockley) BBC News – Brain scientists to work with schools on how to learn [Work tweet follows] Excellent to see this launched today » Neuroscience ...
This afternoon, the House of Lords will debate amendments to the Government's Anti Social, Crime and Policing Bill. Clause 1, which currently states that the new Injunctions to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance (IPNAs) can be granted if: the court is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the respondent has engaged or threatens to engage in conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to any person ("anti-social behaviour") is one of the main points of concern. These provisions should make any liberal feel extremely uncomfortable. Campaigners, including the National Secular Society, the Evangelical Alliance and the Christian Institute have joined ...
The poor turnout at elections amongst the under-25s has challenged politicians ever since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1969 and most probably before that as well. Now, however a Labour MP has come up with a blindingly obvious solution. Paul Blomfield, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, has told the House of Commons that election turnout could be hugely increased if polling stations were sited in universities and sixth-form colleges: Mr Blomfield, whose constituency is quite student-heavy, made the remarks in the Commons during a question and answer session with Cabinet Office Minister Greg Clark. He asked: ...
I am quite willing to believe that some sex workers are exploited, coerced, and mistreated. Human trafficking is a terrible thing, and should be stamped out. Modern slavery likewise. But when somebody says that the ONLY reason for a sex worker to go into sex work is coercion and/or desperation, that makes me a bit uncomfortable to say the least. The idea that no woman (because when people say this, it IS usually about women) could go into sex work voluntarily springs from some very sexist (and quite modern) assumptions:Women do not like sex as much as men*Therefore if a ...
The BBC has been looking ahead to the Liberal Democrats' prospects in next year's General Election. Contributing to the report are retiring MP David Heath and our own Stephen Tall. I should point out that our secret weapon is not Stephen's famous pledge to run naked down Whitehall if the party is reduced to 24 seats next May. You can watch the whole thing here. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
[IMG: Astrotuf. Photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Skagerak_Arena_turf.jpg - some rights reserved] On Monday evening, Labour councillors forced through the highly controversial plans to treble the number of music concerts held in Finsbury Park despite widespread opposition from residents. In a bizarre twist, one Labour councillor from Tottenham, Cllr Stuart McNamara, suggested that something should be done about the damage so many concerts would do to the park. Not drop the plan to treble them, mind, but instead replace much of Finsbury Park's grass with astroturf. Not quite the point of a park really... Let's hope the next Labour bright idea isn't ...
In years gone by, my suit was worn on an almost daily basis. From my days as a trainee Marks and Spencer manager, to the time when I was based in an office at the former Lib Dem HQ of Cowley Street, suit wearing was the norm. With those days behind me, most people now expect to see me in my wellies and scruffy clothes I wear for mucking out the goats or digging up potatoes. The suit is dusted
A few issues on Scholes Field have been raised with us this week, which we're working to get sorted: 1. A year or two back, Network Rail fenced off an area of Scholes Fields next to the new play area. It was used as an equipment storage area whilst they removed trees and vegetation from alongside the railway line. The fencing is still there, so we have a section of the fields which is not accessible. Surely it should be removed? [IMG: Inline images 7] 2. Some of the paths around the outside of the athletics field/running track (immediately outside ...
In app design, we often talk about designing for the user in context. For example, a taxi app can't rely on a perfect GPS signal in a crowded city, a user in the countryside may not have brilliant bandwidth, battery life is not infinite so we should limit certain features when power levels are low. The common theme in those examples is that we are designing for the phone's context, not the user's context. We rarely say "let's introduce a left-handed option" or "do we need a night reading mode?" or "does the user have time to concentrate on this ...
[IMG: Paul Goggins] We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Paul Goggins, MP for our neighbouring constituency of Wythenshawe and Sale West, who has tragically died aged just sixty. Paul was a well-liked and dedicated MP who will be missed by many across the political spectrum.
Around two-and-a-half years ago the Council approved a planning application to build five new houses on the site of the old tennis courts at Brookside Close, Cheadle. By selling the land, the tennis club was able to get the money to expand their facilities at Baxter Park, Gatley. Nothing happened at Brookside Close for quite a while and we were wondering if (as often happens) the plans had fallen through, but we've seen that work on both sites is now underway (with Baxter Park well advanced). The Brookside Close land is cleared and it looks like the foundations for the ...
[IMG: Kingsway jetting] Although we have to be grateful that Stockport's escaped the sorts of flooding that's affected so many areas over the last couple of weeks, there have still been problems with pooled water. As the rain's continued and the ground's become more and more saturated, even a small amount of additional rain can cause big puddles. The Lib Dem team has been chasing up on these, and we were glad that the Council had people out jetting the grids along Gatley Road by the Kingsway junction on Tuesday morning. We know that clearing the grids isn't a full ...
Wed 8th
11:29
Liberal Democrats end year with historic membership growth - but we must keep up the good work
The Liberal Democrats ended 2013 with 43,451 members, nearly 1000 more than we had at the start of the year. This is historic for two reasons. Firstly, we're the only party in recent history to increase their membership during a year in Government. Secondly, the party's membership has dropped every year for the last decade (excluding a couple of bumps before general elections), so getting back to a position of growth in the middle of the electoral cycle is a significant achievement. Underlying this headline is some more good news. The party's retention of members is now just under 90%, ...
From Viridor: As part of our on-going commitment to keep you informed on site operations, we will be undertaking maintenance on part of the odour control system. The odour control system will be fully operational through the period of planned work. The work is due to start on Monday 13th January and is expected to be completed by Friday 17th January. We are conducting our regular on and off site inspections to ensure that we minimise any potential effect off site. Please continue to report any concerns you have in relation to the site via the normal channels detailed below. ...
ALDC's Development Officer for the South West, Wales and the Midlands, Cllr Mike Bell, offers some tips on making sure your council group, big or small, is effective in opposition. Just after the New Year, I attended a great team away day for our council group on Somerset County Council. They are a substantial group [...]
Did you know that the average Council Tax bill in Haringey increased by a whopping £474 under the previous Labour Government? That's right - under Labour, year on year Council Tax for Haringey residents increased way above the rate of inflation. Constantly rising Council Tax did not help individuals and families with the cost of living - particularly after the recession began. That's why the local Liberal Democrats and I campaign for a local Council Tax freeze year on year in Haringey. And since the Lib Dems entered Government in 2010, Council Tax in Haringey hasn't risen at all. In ...
H/T to @beatricedeDante for this wonderful image (click to enlarge)
There are far more foodbanks, and foodbank users, than a decade ago. Many people have assumed that if more people are using foodbanks it must mean there are more hungry people in need - more having to choose between heating and eating - than there were. But is that true? Does the evidence support it? If a charity opened new refuges for abused women, we wouldn't automatically take it as proof that domestic violence was shooting up. Similarly we can't take the increase in foodbanks in itself as evidence of increased need. There are three possibilities: more people are in ...
But don't let's go overboard about it. I'm not sure either that the Defra Secretary has thought through the implications of what he said or that I agree very much with what he has thought through. But I don't want to be curmudgeonly, Owen Paterson has made an interesting intervention in the debate, arguing that the UK should produce more of its own food, urging the nation to produce at least a quarter of the £8bn we currently spend importing agricultural produce. He is absolutely right. It is insane that we can only produce a third of our own cucumbers. ...
No. Really. Vote UKIP! "I'd rather be poorer with fewer migrants, Farage says" http://t.co/Og8Cav3DV2 = (tags: (from twitter) ) Damn you Boris, why'd you have to be so likeable? RT @BBCPolitics: Sherlock allowed to mock me - Boris http://t.co/NNExLV4zqY (tags: (from twitter) ) Bradford MP queries Tory involvement in controversial free school http://t.co/F1cmERyy9h (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.theguardian.com/p/3yjyg/tw "@guardian: Farage: Ukip wants 5 year ban on immigrants settling in UK http://t.co/wXJLyZxZxC" that'll help co's recruit #STEM graduates NOT (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxmXrOPYirI 3 RT @tomfooled: @miss_s_b You'll like this, a lot: http://t.co/ahc0CJaBp8 (tags: (from twitter) ) ...
My latest column for Total Politics is now available to read online. Its titled 'Hold tight, get lucky', with the slightly inflammatory sub-heading: 'Lib Dems who want a coalition with Labour should consider the consequences of letting go of the Tories, warns Stephen Tall'. Read the whole piece and you'll see that's only one part of my message. Here's how it concludes: Here's the third remarkable thing - in spite of everything the party has endured since 2010, three-quarters of party members want the party to continue playing an active part in government after 2015. You might expect our MPs ...
Fear is a powerful motivator. Take, for example, its use in two political campaigns, one from each side of the Atlantic: the Daisy Girl ad, used in the re-election campaign of US president Lyndon Johnson in 1964; and the Labour tax bombshell broadcast, from our own Conservatives in 1992. One made American voters ask, "Do I really want Barry Goldwater - a man who joked about lobbing a nuclear bomb at the Kremlin - to have his finger hovering over the red button?" The other made British voters ask, "Do I really want Labour to get its hands on my ...
The complexity of history tends to undercut the simple moral fables politicians like to tell. That's why they are often so keen to put it in a box. In 2006, the state of Florida signed into law a rather strange provision: The history of the United States, including the period of discovery, early colonies, the [...]
Mashable reports: [IMG: Navia Shuttle - a driverless car] Companies like Google have been toying with the concept of self-driving cars for years, but France-based robotics company Induct announced on Monday that its intelligent, electric and driverless vehicle is now available in the U.S. The Navia shuttle — which can carry up to eight passengers — launched on Monday at the 2014 International CES show in Las Vegas, making it the world's first commercially available self-driving vehicle. You can read the full Mashable piece here, which reinforces my view that policy makers in Britain are going to be left scrambling ...
In a Holyrood debate yesterday, Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister, tabled a motion recognising "that free school meals help tackle child poverty and promote child welfare and educational attainment; further recognises that free school meals save families at least £330 per child per year; confirms its commitment to increasing the number of primary school pupils eligible for free school meals". This follows Nick Clegg's announcement that the Coalition Government is making free school meals in England available for primary school children and disadvantaged college students from September 2014. Wales will receive over £65 million over a two year period ...
Most people agree that the televised Leaders' Debates in the run up to the 2010 General Election added a whole new dimension to the campaign period. You only have to search the internet for 'election debates' to be faced with many webpages about a myriad of countries around the world that have just held their [...]
Parents in Cambridgeshire who have a child born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 must submit an application by 15 January 2014. The process, which opened on 18 November 2013, can be completed online at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions or by returning a paper form, which can be obtained from any Cambridgeshire primary school and returned to the Admissions Team at Cambridgeshire County Council. The completed applications must be received by the Admissions Team by 5pm on the national closing date, 15 January 2014. If parents submit their applications late - or do not make an application - there is a ...
Wed 8th
00:18Herts county council sits on stockpile of developer money worth £50 per head for every man, wo...
Following the staggering revelation that Herts County Council holds more unspent "community" Section 106 money than any other local authority in England, Lib Dem planning spokesman Cllr Sandy Walkington has condemned the ruling Conservative group for being slack and inefficient. Section 106 agreements are negotiated between a developer and the council to offset social and environmental costs of new development. A BBC Freedom of Information request has revealed that Hertfordshire County Council is sitting on £56 million. "This is more that £50 for every man, woman and child in the county," Sandy said. "Heaven knows, it's tough enough for everyone ...
