The announcement today that there will be inquiries into historic child abuse allegations is a huge step forward for this country. It is a real indication that child abuse needs to finally be brought out of the shadows and something we need to listen to, stop hiding, stop being silent about and start challenging. You can read about plans for inquiry in allegations against MPs and a wider enquiry by clicking here. Lib Dem MP Tess Munt was magnificent on BBC Radio 4′s PM programme this afternoon – standing up for children and being open with her own experiences of ...
The following application has been received/accepted by Durham County Council. Application Type – Application to vary a Premises Licence - New kitchen is being built - old kitchen will be transformed in new seating area, & new seating area created outside Applicant: – Miss Heather Price and Mr Paul Purvis Premises - Maddisons 26 Front Street Consett DH8 5AQ Date of Application - 07 July 2014 Last date for representations - 04 August 2014 Contact details: T: 03000265107 E: tracey.lock@durham.gov.uk
More about the city's trams on Ron's Liverpool Tram Site.
David Hencke says the child sex abuse inquiry announced by Theresa May today is an all-party victory for MPs and abuse victims. "There has also been a lot of political interest in keeping economics away from democratic debate, keeping it away from the general public by making people believe that it is very difficult. There is therefore a lack of a real debate except yes, monetary policy should be run by the Bank of England or the Federal Reserve Board, or utility regulation can be done by some special committee. After a while you realise that there's no substance to ...
The annual budget council meeting might be more than seven months away, but Lib Dem-led Stockport Council has already started working on our plans. As in previous years, we're doing everything we can to make sure the whole process is as open and transparent as possible, giving everyone as much opportunity as we can to scrutinise every part of the process. On top of the savings made in previous years, we have to find over £39 million savings from our revenue budget over the next two years. That means overall, from 2010 to 2017, we'll see the money we can ...
Sue Carpendale and Kathy Pollard, Babergh District Councillors In this edition: Helping people who are less well off Application to build 24-houses on land behind London Road, Capel St. Mary (B/14/00100/OUT) A12 Safety Capel Community Trust meeting Changes to the way you register to vote Campaign to reduce food waste Helping people who are less well off A recent survey of council tenants in Babergh revealed that hundreds felt they need advice and information about: dealing with household expenses, help with ensuring they receive the right amount of benefit, and help in moving, swapping or downsizing their homes. Many people ...
[IMG: 10482045_244128025798315_7670531563797466247_o] Local Liberal Democrat councillors and activists are delighted by the local members' choice of Grace Weaver. Grace Weaver is a local person and deeply committed to the county and the constituency of South Suffolk. After attending local schools in East Bergholt, Grace went on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Having worked for two cancer charities, she now acts as a public affairs and campaigns consultant to health charities and companies. Grace says about herself, "I'm passionate about promoting social mobility, liberal values and the environment. I want to listen to local people ...
[IMG: Tessa Munt photo by Keith Edkins] The Western Daily Press has the story: An MP who campaigned for an inquiry into historical paedophile allegations has revealed how she was sexually abused as a child. Tessa Munt told how she kept silent for decades about the abuse because she feared she would not be believed. The Liberal Democrat MP for Wells took the decision to speak publicly for the first time about her childhood trauma as Theresa May announced an independent inquiry to investigate the handling by public bodies of allegations of child sex abuse. She said the Home Secretary's ...
Posting this a little later than usual – after my return from holiday. In this edition: Suffolk Growth Hub The Tip-off Careers help for young people Council's strategic plan New build programme Suffolk Growth Hub Babergh has been working with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (NALEP) to develop the support available to businesses. One key area of this work is the new Growth Hub, launched recently at the Suffolk Show, which will provide Norfolk and Suffolk businesses with a "no wrong door" route for accessing business support. The Growth Hub team will provide a first point of contact for ...
The use (and pretend use) of electric shocks in psychological experiments has a long and disturbing pedigree. #117144602 / gettyimages.com Perhaps the most infamous (pretend) use of electric shocks are Stanley Milgram's experiments, which are popularly believed to demonstrate that people will obey orders no matter how inhuman they appear to be. However, closer inspection of his results suggests that the one thing he seems to have shown unequivocally is that people don't follow requests of this nature if they are given as orders (*). So I suppose that it is unsurprising that a number of different media outlets outside ...
[IMG: WingraveParking2] Hardpressed householders in Dacorum are being driven to distraction in their efforts to find suitable safe parking. 10 years ago or more, Liberal Democrat-run Three Rivers Council embarked on a programme of converting suitable verges in South Oxhey to provide additional residents parking. It worked very well. Now Dacorum Council is starting to follow their example with a scheme being launched in 2011. In July 2011 Liberal Democrat Borough Councillor Nick Hollinghurst put forward 18 sites in Tring for consideration across the town. These were: (1) Rosebery Way, improvements near nos. 48 – 60; (2) Elm Tree Walk, ...
We live in the middle of a very sexy time. Find out why over at the 1729 blog
[IMG: Senedd - Photo by Laurence Edmondson] A quick look at what's going on in our Parliaments this week. Holyrood The Scottish Parliament is in recess. MSPs return in early August for 3 weeks before breaking again before the Referendum. The Senedd Some interesting events this week, not least a motion to create an independent investigator into breaches of the Ministerial Code. This is something that Liberal Democrats have been calling for for years but the rest of the opposition parties have finally caught up in the wake of the scandal over Alun Davies. He breached the Ministerial Code by ...
[IMG: 027 (4)] Local residents attended the latest ward surgery, held at the Community Centre on Church Street, in Werrington Village, to query why a street lamp, that is located adjacent to number 33 Carron Drive, remains covered up and why the City Council have not cut back the foliage that now covers it. The residents, say that the lamp (PCC10) has been covered now for several months and that they've and some of their neighbours, no longer feel safe when returning from work, as a result of the darkness caused. The residents raised their concern with local LIB DEM ...
[IMG: Parliament Sunset] Theresa May has announced two enquiries into historic allegations of child abuse. The BBC reports: The head of the children's charity NSPCC is to lead a review of historical child sex abuse allegations, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. Peter Wanless's review, which will cover how police and prosecutors handled information given to them, is expected to report within 10 weeks. A Hillsborough-style inquiry will also be held, led by an independent panel of experts on law and child protection. I had been slightly dubious that she might announce a narrow enquiry led by a member of ...
Laws requiring schools to hold a religious assembly every day should be scrapped because they are "meaningless" in a multicultural society, according to The National Governors' Association (NGA). The NGA said the 70-year-old legislation – requiring pupils to take part in a "broadly Christian" act of daily collective worship - should be abolished in non-religious schools amid concern that the rules are no longer fit for a 21st-century education system. In a policy statement, the group said schools often failed to meet the requirement because staff were "unable or unwilling" to lead pupils in prayer and schools struggled to accommodate ...
In my previous essay I concluded that we had no choice but to tax the wealthy more, and this was the most divisive issue in current British politics. The reason for this is that state commitments on pensions and the health service, and potential commitments on social care, would force the state to expand, and for taxes to rise. The hollowing out of the economic middle meant that the wealthy would have to take up an increased share of the burden. But what are liberals to think about these state commitments? It is easy to see why socialists favour them, ...
[IMG: Care in the home Some rights reserved by British Red Cross] My post last week on the Carer's Bonus generated a lot of feedback. Thank you. A few quick responses. The £250 payment would be available to around a million people based on underlying entitlement to the benefit. So, for example, pensioners who are eligible for Carers allowance but because of overlapping benefit rules do not receive it would receive the Bonus. It will start at £125 and increase year on year to £250 no later than 2020. With regards to young carers the first thing to say is ...
I am the ministerial champion for tackling violence against women and girls overseas. I recently updated the house on my work in this area. Here is a copy of the statement: I would like to update the House on my work championing the issue of tackling violence against women and girls internationally, building policy coherence across Whitehall and pushing for as much progress as possible towards our goal of ending all forms of violence. The concerning abduction of over 200 school girls in Nigeria in April and the recent gang rape and murder of girls in India are a sharp ...
I have just returned from a short break in London. I went to the theatre a couple of times, and feeling like a lazy tourist, I went into one of those half-price theatre ticket outlets. Unfortunately they only had the most expensive seats for the performance that I wanted to watch so I didn't book them. Strangely, I went to the theatre box office for the same production and all tickets were available including some that are only sold on the day which are £15 as opposed to the top price of £57. The view to the stage was fine ...
[IMG: Alice in Wonderland Central lark, New York. License Some rights reserved by -JvL-] Down the Rabbit Hole "But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here." ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland My sister Alice (not her real name) was brought to us when she was 3 or 4 days old. My parents were foster parents and she had been taken ...
[IMG: polling station - Some rights reserved by Simon Clayson ] Two very different reports this weekend about how Labour and the Conservatives are preparing for the General Election. First of all, an Observer report on how the Tories are raising money to spend in their target seats: Roll up, roll up, come and jump on the 2015 general election bandwagon. It helps if you are rich and like the Tories, but it matters little whether you were born in Britain or insist on keeping your donation private. There are people waiting at glitzy fundraising dinners right now to take ...
Forget the ducks, this is an even better way to draw attention to potholes. No pointing required. [IMG: Illustrating a pothole with legs] Photo and idea come from the Guerrilla creative house in Kazakhstan via the BBC.
Mon 7th
11:12
Mike Bell resigns as candidate for Weston Super-Mare for family and work reasons and Welsh Liberal D...
[IMG: Libby - Some rghts reserved by David Spender] The Liberal Democrat PPC for Weston-Super-Mare, Mike Bell, has resigned from that role, although he will continue as a councillor. The Bristol Post reports: Dad of two Mr Bell, who lives in the town, posted on social networking sites his decision to stand down as parliamentary candidate for the seaside resort with immediate effect. Mr Bell thanked his supporters said: "I have resigned as Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Weston super Mare due to work and family commitments." Mike was the party's candidate at the last General Election in 2010, increasing ...
Kickstart is the party's most established and most popular campaign training event, and has been organised by ALDC for over 25 years. This year we are running two weekends (5 – 7 September and 28 – 30 November) to give more people an opportunity to attend. Both of our Kickstart residential training weekends are held [...]
I am a member of a group called Lighting Up Whickham which raises funds for the Christmas lights for Whickham. We organised our third community festival on Saturday and this year we chose the Great War as the theme, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. I was there selling my preserves and eggs and promoting the community cafe we run at Marley Hill
As I whizzed back down the A303 last weekend, there was a great roar behind me and I was passed by the most enormous articulated lorry, bearing the logo of Riverford Organics, a great monster in the world of organic food. Let's leave on one side the issue of organic lorries - a peculiar concept - because the encounter reminded me of an interview I heard some years ago with Riverford's founder Guy Watson. This is what he said: "We'd just started building a small packhouse to Safeway's standards so we could supply them with lettuce, and their buyer wanted ...
The FT reports today that Scotland had a large – 11% – productivity gap with the rest of the country. The reason that this gap is so much larger than you might have thought is that the academics correctly use Total Factor Productivity to assess the question. The usual story only looks at Labour productivity [...]
I am mightily unimpressed by the consensus on Northern devolution that is emerging in London. We will face new challenges post the Scottish referendum whether it results in 'Independence' or Devo Max. None of the 'lite' proposals emanating from the SE-whether from Heseltine, Osborne, Clegg or the Labour Party -adequately take account of the new challenges we face. Let us compare and contrast the proposals. The Scottish Challenge The Scottish Parliament already has significant powers and now even the Tories are proposing to give them more. Win or loose the referendum the Hollywood Parliament is going to have tax raising ...
Northern Irish police cancel rave with sarcastic response (tags: ) But WHAT CAN BE DONE: Dos and Don'ts To Combat Online Sexism (tags: ) A senior Tory urged me not to name living politicians over sex abuse (tags: ) How unknown donors are bankrolling Tory candidates fighting marginal seats (tags: ) Labour's much-maligned leader has a big decision to make I do NOT like agreeing with Peter Oborne (tags: ) After all that Srs Bznss, something more light hearted: The American Revolution, Told By Sloths (tags: ) What's the opposite of a Troll? I reckon it's an Emily... This made ...
Dodington Parish Council is about to replace the wooden play equipment at Lilliput Park with something much more modern. The final choice of equipment was made by local children who answered the Parish Council's survey. The equipment has been paid for by developers through the New Homes Bonus scheme. It is anticipated that the installation will take place 17-18 July.
[IMG: Secret Warriors by Taylor Downing] Taylor Downing's book promises much but in the end doesn't quite deliver. It is packed full with stories about talented individuals whose inventions, innovations and improvements not only changed the way wars are fought but had a huge knock-on impact on civilian life too. The book has a welcome broad approach to what counts as military innovation, including many breakthroughs in physical and psychological health alongside the more traditional stories of weapons development. It also makes for an extremely impressive range of material for one author to have marshalled together, and that is perhaps ...
[IMG: stagecoach] Did you know that a new Weekly Explorer bus ticket was launched in January? It gives anyone unlimited travel on the Hertfordshire bus network for a whole week for only £30. Intalink (a partnership between Hertfordshire County Council and train and bus operators) are offering a further way to save on your trips aboard a Hertfordshire bus. The Weekly Explorer can be purchased on buses for £30 (£20 for a student with a Hertfordshire SaverCard) and gives unlimited travel for seven days. A County spokesman said: "The new Weekly Explorer ticket offers a cheap, reliable way for people ...
Lafrowda 2014 has started and on Saturday evening I attended Gogmagog in the Plen. [IMG: Lafrowda 2014 Gogmagog] Crowds gathered in the Plen on Saturday to watch the Golden Tree production of Gogmagog It is that amazing time of year for St Just when all the efforts of a small group of dedicated people deliver wonderful events in and around our town. They are an amazing crew who work tirelessly to ensure that all the strands for successful events come together. As a small community, these events mean we punch way above our weight and that is down to the ...
[IMG: image] An interesting report (£) in the Sunday Times yesterday tells how official figures show that the gap between the richest and poorest is narrowing. While most people have suffered a squeeze on incomes since Britain was plunged into recession six years ago — and only now is the economy getting back to pre-crisis levels — those on lower incomes have done relatively better than those at the top. Households Below Average Income, an official report published last week, showed income inequality, measured after taking into account housing costs, had fallen to its lowest level for nearly two decades. ...
Today's Western Mail reports on the latest episode in the so-called 'war on Wales'. They say that the Shadow Welsh Secretary has written to David Cameron to express his concerns about the impact of high-profile criticism of Welsh infrastructure and health services. Owen Smith argues that a "wellspring of negativity" is damaging business confidence when the country should be preparing to make the most of September's Nato summit at the Celtic Manor resort and that UK cabinet ministers are taking "every available opportunity to undermine Wales' reputation"which is damaging Wales' "brand". Business people seem to take a different view. They ...
[IMG: Autism Awareness Ribbon, Colorful Puzzle Pieces, Free Creative Commons Public Domain Download] Following on from my article a couple of weeks ago, Autism – Challenges on entering the workplace, I have had several members contact me regarding difficulties that they faced within the party and expressing a desire that there should be a support network for themselves and for Local Parties and Council groups, in order for people to remain as effective local Councillors. As a result I am pleased to announce that ASD Lib Dems has been created to help serve the Autistic community both within the party ...
Danczuk writes in this morning's Guardian: In advance of the home affairs select committee session on child abuse, which was trailed as an opportunity to discuss historic sex abuse involving politicians, pressure was applied to everyone not to bring up any living politicians. A senior Tory apprehended me inside parliament and warned me not to name a former cabinet minister. The matter had been put to bed years ago, he said, and if raised now it would probably kill the former minister. But he wasn't the only one applying pressure. Party whips, Lords, MPs and others were all involved in ...
Maghull Town Councillor Jen Robertson was playing with Maghull Wind Orchestra in a 'Last Night at the Proms' type finale for this 9 day festival on Sunday 29th June so I went along to hear them at Prescot Parish Church. The festival is now in its 10th year and its web site is at:- prescotfestival.co.uk/tag/2014-prescot-festival/ [IMG: The steeple of Prescot Parish Church as the sun was going down. I just managed to keep the scaffolding out of the shot.] The steeple of Prescot Parish Church as the sun was going down. I just managed to keep the scaffolding out of ...
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg this morning announced a multi-million pound investment in Stockport which will see big improvements to the Town Centre and open up the way for Metrolink to come into the town. The investments include Stockport's Town Centre Access Package, designed to make it easier to get around the town centre in all forms of transport: car, bus, bike, on foot... and the demolition of the existing bus station, to be replaced by a new Metrolink-ready Transport Interchange with improved links to Stockport Station. The plans link into a number of other big projects in Stockport including ...
MP Julian Huppert has welcomed an historic agreement between the people of Cambridge and Peterborough and the government building on the success of the Cambridge City Deal to deliver more than £70 million in further investment to the region. The deal negotiated with the Greater Cambridge and Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership brings in £71.1 million and the promise of supporting jobs and businesses. It will create a new innovation centre at the growing Biomedical Campus next to Addenbrooke's Hospital to provide business space for small firms. And it will help up to 5,000 jobs, allow more than 7,000 homes to ...
The Government has today announced a £48.9 million 'Growth Deal' investment for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The Growth Deal aims to create a thriving and vibrant local economy across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly by investing in the infrastructure, public transport, skills in the labour market, and business support needed to encourage economic growth. The deal will help to create up to 4,000 jobs, allow up to 6,000 homes to be built and generate up to £150 million in public and private investment. £11million has been confirmed in the first year, with a further £38million of funding planned ...
