During 2013/14 the number of people making claims against Southwark Council for damage caused to them by using Southwark Highways rocketed from 233 claims in 2012/13 to 299 in 2013/14. A huge 28% increase. Sadly this isn't an aberration. 2011/12 to 2012/13 it also increase from 187 to 233 claims. Another 25% increase. This will be a lot of personal injuries and damage to property. [IMG: pot hole] I've asked council officials what their plans are to reverse this worrying and dramatic trend. Have you been injured by using Southwark's roads?
This week's announcement that Liberal Democrat members of the Coalition government are going to be pressing the Conservatives to agree to changes in the Spare Room subsidy (Bedroom Tax) is very welcome. It's been a long time coming - last Autumn our federal conference agreed a motion which then became party policy to do just that. Many of us in the front line of local politics knew it wasn't
I've just watched the final episode of season 9 of the Hit US sitcom How I met your motherwhich, if you haven't seen it is the story of how Ted meets the mother of his children and the love of his life. Need I say *Spoiler alert* ahoy? The series has taken up the mantle left by Friendsand matched the same dynamic of a group of friends from mixed backgrounds in their late 20s living in a flat in New York and frequenting a bar - with a sly nod to Friends by having them hang out in a coffee ...
I attended the Acocks Green Tier 2 Tasking Meeting this morning, which was chaired by PC Ian Upston. Total Crime in Acocks Green has fallen by 1.5% year to date. Within this figure burglary fell 2.9%, vehicle crime fell 26.7%, criminal damage fell 3.7%, robbery fell 30.8% and business crime fell 14.2%. All encouraging news. However, there was a rise in theft (other) – mainly theft of property, such as hanging baskets, garden furniture and ornaments from gardens. Police ask people to be careful with items in gardens and if possible secure them. Even a simple cable tie may well ...
I know it is de rigeur in some circles to curse the name of Gove. Two of the teachers at my children's school danced a little jig together when they had heard he had been given the push in the reshuffle from the Department of Education. But I don't share their delight. This was, of course, Michael Gove's problem. Not since John Patten's tenure at the department has a Secretary of State for Education found himself quite so disliked by the profession - and I tell the strange story of Patten and the start of league tables in my book ...
There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
UKIP seat. Resignation Result in 22 May 2014 election: Green Party 80 Liberal Democrat 79 Conservatives 433 Independent 14 UKIP 665 Independent 26 Labour 615
LD Seat. Death Result last time (2011): LD 1066 LD 765 Con 668 Con 667 Lab 200 UKIP 175
LD seat. Cause: Death Result in May 2014 Liberal Democrat 760 Conservative 607 UKIP 291 Labour 128 Candidate: Clare Skardon Election Agent: Cllr John Fox 01423 540541 or 07801 273 704. Email: cllrjohn.fox@ntlworld.com
UKIP seat. Resignation. John Ault is the Liberal Democrat candidate. Contact: JohnAult1@aol.com Liberal Democrat agent- Thomas Fiddler 07901717372 thomas.fidler1@gmail.com Last time contested (2013): UKIP 413 (E) Con 410 LD 331 Ind 160 Lab 129
Conservative seat. There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
Labour seat. Liberal Democrat candidate is Prakash Sharma
Conservative seat. There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
[IMG: offshore wind farm] Today I published the Government's first ever 'Energy Investment Report'. It shows how Liberal Democrats in Government have delivered on jobs and investment in energy - particularly green energy – and shows the plan we now have for this to continue for decades to come. Let me be clear - investment in the energy sector has not been a 'nice to have'. We inherited a legacy of energy underinvestment from Labour and we've spent the last four years turning this around. The sheer scale of the investment has already been huge: between 2010 and 2013 we've ...
With thanks for Simon Hoare of Community Connect, I am now able to post the outline plans for the proposed supermarket and petrol station. These are the plans that were on show at the exhibition at the Rockspring Centre earlier in the month. Draft site plan for a supermarket and petrol station These are early [...]
[IMG: House of Lords] Tomorrow will see the Second Reading of Lord Falconer's Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Lords and many Peers including Liberal Democrats have registered to speak on this issue of compassion and respect for choice at the end of life. This Bill and its passage through your House will serve as one of the most important chapters of society's story of compassion, we want you to know that your Party overwhelmingly supports you on legalising the choice of an assisted death for terminally ill dying people. It has been reassuring to see Norman Lamb, Minister ...
[IMG: men of the memorial]
At today's Council meeting in Shirehall, Shropshire Council unanimously approved the Site Allocations and Management of Development policy – known as SAMDev. There was no significant debate. I still have worries about this document. Along with Lib Dem leader Roger Evans, I questioned why there was not yet a statement of five year land supply. [...]
Housing applications are coming in thick and fast at the moment. The latest plans to be put on public show are for up to 150 homes off Foldgate Lane. That's the narrow lane that goes from Harry Tuffins to Steventon Road. The development is not in SAMDev. Click for larger image Turley Associates are acting [...]
A beaver yesterday Good news from the River Otter in Devon: one of the wild beavers living on it has given birth to three young. When the beavers were discovered at the start of the month, it was announced that they would be trapped and rehomed in a wildlife park. The appeared to be an attempt by the Tory minister George Eustice to placate fishing interests. A petition against this move was launched and, reading today's press coverage, there are hopes that the government will back down.
[IMG: photo] Local Liberal Democrat City Councillor, Darren Fower, says he has now reported the second spate of fly tipping to the side of Campbell Drive, in as many weeks! Commenting, Darren said: "Thankfully, we have some mindful residents down this was who always report such issues to me and also notify the City Council, almost as soon as it happens. "We all know that there are various theories for why people do fly tip, but the simple and most important aspect to remember is that is not acceptable. "Most local residents work hard to keep their area looking nice ...
[IMG: Social Liberal Forum] Following yesterday's press release from Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander regarding the underoccupancy charge (known colloquially as "Bedroom Tax") we're delighted at the Social Liberal Forum. The policy was introduced as a follow up to Labour's introduction of the 'Bedroom Tax' for private tenants, and has left people with little housing options being penalised for being unable to move. Far from saving money, it simply created hostility in the social housing sector and brutally discriminated against those in poverty. Members in the party have been lobbying on Bedroom Tax for some time, with the motion to ...
We've been told that the planning application to expand the Cheadle Mosque in Heald Green has been withdrawn by the applicants. A new application can always been submitted at a future date but this one is no more. Concerns had been raised by residents about the impact on parking and development in the greenbelt.
The decision by Nick Clegg to promote the effective axing of the bedroom tax as part of the 2015 Liberal Democrats manifesto was not a surprise. After all the party conference voted last September to do precisely that. It is nice that the leadership, after reviewing all the evidence, has caught up with the membership and the rest of the country on this issue. As an elected representative I have seen the impact of this measure at first hand. It is not of course a tax, but it has led to many tenants getting into arrears because the was no ...
A by-election can be a tremendous opportunity for your local party. It could mean winning or changing control of a Council. It could mean breaking into a new area for the Liberal Democrats. It could be about holding a Lib Dem seat against a strong opposition challenge. By-elections are a very different beast to a [...]
A local resident recently asked me if I could obtain some stats about Knife crime locally so I took up the quest. I have to say that Merseyside Police were not too keen to provide stats and suggested that to get them may require a Freedom of Information Request to be submitted! However, we tracked some stats down via Sefton Council. Sadly, before I even posted this item I heard that a Maghull beauty treatment shop in Liverpool Road North had been held up at knife point. Here is the distressing Liverpool Echo story of a few days ago:- ...
[IMG: Womens shortlists] I think we all got into politics for one of three reasons: principle, policy or people. When it comes to joining a political party, most Liberal Democrats reading this will know which category they fall into. Maybe it was the idea that 'no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity'; for some it was policies born from those principles, like electoral reform or fairer parental leave; and for others, it was the local councillor who took the time to get to know them and help when they needed it. Liberal Democrat Women has a role ...
For some time I have been writing a blog for youth sector magazine Children and Young People Now, Linda Jack on........... which is one of the reasons I have neglected this blog. As many of you will know I am passionate about young people and have always done what I can to ensure that we have policies in the party and the country that properly take account of their needs, hopes, fears and aspirations. For that reason I was proud to chair the party working group that came up with our youth policy "Free to be Young" (which it should ...
[IMG: Parliament Sunset - Photo by Greg Knapp] The issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia has been presented in the media in a highly emotionally charged way in recent years, with several 'hard cases' of non-terminally ill people wanting to die. This has resulted in confusion over what exactly is at stake in the forthcoming Falconer Bill and of course, hard cases make bad law. In the sad case of Tony Nicklinson, lawyers argued that he had Article 8 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (respect for private life and family). In their view, these rights could not ...
[IMG: single-tax-liberator] (This is the fourth in a series of posts looking in depth at issues from Conrad Russell's An Intelligent Person's Guide To Liberalism. Previous posts in the series are here: 1, 2, 3 and my original post on the book is here.) As I mentioned in my original post on this, the one thing I found most refreshing about Russell's of examination of liberalism was that it put power at the centre of his vision and not economics. A liberalism that's focused on how to liberate people from unjust power is one that looks upon economics and economic ...
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 ...
Amidst all the reshuffle excitement, I didn't get chance to report the latest ICM poll – regarded by pundits as the 'gold standard' – for The Guardian, published on Tuesday. It shows the Tories a nose ahead of Labour, 34% to 33%, with Ukip slumping to fourth place (9%) behind the Lib Dems on 12%. [IMG: icm poll - july 2014] The collapse of the Ukip vote is the most dramatic story in the poll – Nigel Farage's party topped the nationwide Euro-elections just a few weeks ago. However, the pattern is a familiar one: a spike in their support ...
Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed satisfaction with the decision of St Albans District Council to in principle reverse the decision to increase parking charges made as part of last years budget process. "This is an important step on the road towards reversing the introduction of Sunday charging and returning the amount of free parking at leisure facilities to 3 hours," commented local councillor Gerard McHale. "We have also requested that the introduction of one hour free parking on pay and display car parking be considered and look forward to hearing the report from Cabinet in Autumn", Gerard added. Chris White, ...
Imagine there were a political party – let's call it the Piberal Lemoncrats. The Pib Lems are a minority party in government at a time of austerity, and they are trying to reform the benefits system. The government comes up ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Mike Thornton MP at Sutton Liberal Democrats summer party] Last weekend I headed over to Sutton for the annual (and excellent) Liberal Democrat summer party, this time graced by Mike Thornton MP as the guest speaker. Yet the main reason I went was neither the guest speaker, the excellent food nor the great venue. It was simply that I had received a direct, personal email a few days previously asking me if I was coming again this year. I'd missed the previous mentions of the 2014 date, so any reminder would have been timely – but a personal request ...
Not according to the County Council, but does that stack up? [IMG: Benfieldside Children's Centre] Yesterday's cabinet meeting agreed to go to "consultation" on a report which would see the number of Children's Centres in County Durham reduced from 43 to 15 as the service is directed to run more services from local community facilities, rather than relying on parents to come to relatively expensive fixed centres. The full report can be read here. The gist of the argument is that the service is intended to: Maintain its services Maintain its full staff complement operate out of a wider range ...
Sadly, I have to report that last night, Gateshead Council's planning committee approved UK Coal's application to opencast a site to the south of Marley Hill, in my ward of Whickham South and Sunniside. I have been battling this application for over two years and last night I spoke on behalf of residents opposed to the plans. I was joined by former Labour Councillor Pitch Wilson (speaking on
[IMG: UW-Madison Teaching Learning Symposium] Next Monday, two amendments to criminalise revenge porn will go to the committee stage in the House of Lords. For those who don't know, revenge porn is non-consensual pornography. It's where a person uploads an explicit image of somebody without their permission. Often the victim's name and contact details are attached. Not only is it humiliating but it has the potential to reach out of the screen and destroy people's lives. The first amendment was submitted by a group of Liberal Democrats in the Lords. It states that 'a person commits an offence if they ...
I love Weird Al, I love Lorde and I hate conspiracy theories. So this tin foil hat themed parody was always going to be up my street. Hope you like it too! Filed under: Uncategorized
[IMG: Cher-Lloyd-hd-wallpaper] I have ranted many times about the death of rock and rock, here and in other places, and I can say with regret that a further spike has now been driven into the mausoleum that hold the remains of the concept of teenaged rebellion as glorious experience. Cher Lloyd, the singer who made the 2010 X Factor far less eat-your-own-foot turgid for those of us forced to sit through portions of it, apologised yesterday for her "general attitude" when competing on the show, and says she thinks she could have been a "much happier person" at the time. ...
'Tube for North could help grow UK economy' - Brighouse Echo (tags: ) How Hawk-Eye won me over and why India should accept the use of DRS Also why short people make better umpires :) (tags: ) Daily Mail publishes NHS cosmetic surgery clarification | Full Fact (tags: ) Woman Enough - a fantastic primer on TERFs I am SO unfeminist. Not only do I reinforce the patriarchy by being bisexual*, but I have piercings and tattoos and enjoy giving and/or receiving a good spanking every so often. Clearly I should be put to death as the TERFs wish my ...
[IMG: speech danny alexander 6] People wonder why Liberal Democrats supported the Bedroom Tax in the first place. Well, I spent 4 yesrs sitting beside a Liberal Democrat MP when maybe 5 families a week would come to us and say that they were stuck in a house that was way too small. Their kids had nowhere to study or play. That was what was foremost in their minds when they agreed the Bedroom Tax. They wanted to make it easier for those families. That was their motivation even though I think the logic of the system they chose was ...
[IMG: 387 004 blog] At Tuesday's meeting of Herts County Council, the Liberal Democrat group fought to save local bus services from swingeing cuts planned by local Conservative politicians. Lib Dem County Councillor, Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Watford: Central & Oxhey) said "We need full and detailed information to make sense of these budget cuts and what they will mean. The proposals to cut all services on non-commercial routes on Sundays and after 6.30 pm on any day will have wide-reaching implications. "It might be that there are other options we could consult on, such as fare changes, rather than these massive ...
Dog fouling Wardens have investigated 3 reports of dog fouling this month. They have also removed 9 stray dogs. Littering Wardens have investigated 1 report of littering this month. Fly-tipping 66 incidents of fly-tipping were reported this month. 29 investigations into these incidents were carried out in order to find any evidence to link the fly-tipping to those who dumped it. Untidy yards and gardens Wardens have issued 3 advisory letters and 4 litter clearing notices to properties with untidy gardens or yards this month. 1 fixed penalty notice has been issued to a resident who has failed to respond ...
Earlier in this Parliament, the Government changed the way that Housing Benefit was paid to families in social housing to make the payment related to the number of rooms they actually need, effectively removing what was termed 'the Spare Room Subsidy'. We did this for a number of reasons. Chief among them was to give people a financial reason to downsize where possible and free up bigger homes for larger families. We also needed to make sure that our welfare budget was sustainable in the longer term. This week, a Government report has produced evidence that this change is not ...
Figures show that more youngsters from poorer backgrounds achieved five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade than those in 2012. This rise comes as payments introduced by the Liberal Democrats in Government begin to have a greater impact. The pupil premium puts additional money into schools with more children from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to help close the gap between them and their peers. In the 2013 to 2014 financial year, secondary schools will receive an additional £900 for each pupil on free school meals. Ofsted said the figures showed headteachers were spending cash from the pupil premium ...
[IMG: Protest against a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage] The appointment of former treasury minister Nicky Morgan to the post of education secretary and minister for women and equalities has come under fire from Liberal Democrat peer Elizabeth Barker given Morgan's recent opposition to same sex marriage (though it should be pointed out that the responsibility for the implementation of same sex marriage has been given to skills and enterprise minister Nick Boles). Pink News has the story: Speaking to PinkNews, Baroness Barker said: "It is good to see equalities firmly within education, but it is disappointing that the ...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here on Tuesday. "What would have happened if the Coalition hadn't happened?" was my counter-factual starting question. My conclusions prompted one commenter to observe, "Oh, Mr Tall, so obvious your wind-up. I'm sure you think it clever to try and wind up the right on here". I don't know about clever, but it is fun (and, for the record, exactly what I think). My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke – constructively, ...
The whole scheme has been badly thought out from the beginning. I agree that there is something wrong in the taxpayer paying housing benefit for houses that are larger than needed ... remember it's only socially rented, that housing benefit pays for, properties that are affected. Remember also that pensioners are exempt. I also think that something need be done about the abuses of the system ... but that's another story Why not simply give a "free" spare bedroom in the system? Surely every one must agree that the tax payer should not be paying for over-large houses that are ...
I once quoted the Labour peer Bernard Donoughue on this blog: "I am reminded that a senior detective inspector from Maidenhead once explained to me: "You have to understand that the root of this country's law and order problem is that our police are a lot thicker than the villains."But it seems times have changed. From the Leicester Mercury: A burglar was caught after dropping his prison release papers during a break-in - on the day he was freed from jail. ... Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said: "At the scene were Graham's prison papers and other documents, including his photograph, which ...
We're now a week and a half into operation Protective Edge, the latest Israeli military campaign in the decades old conflict in the Middle East. Rocket fire and air strikes have been crossing the Gaza border in both directions; as of the time of writing at least 227 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while [...]
A number of constituents have queried the quality of the recent road resurfacing in Glamis Road that was "surface dressed" with chippings and have pointed out to me that the finished surface compares unfavourably compared to streets such as Westgrove Avenue, that was resufaced last year using the "thin resurfacing" method. I queried this with the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership who advised :I refer to your constituents' queries regarding the resurfacing of Glamis Road and Westgrove Avenue. These two locations were surfaced using different processes.Glamis Road was surface dressedwhich is a cost-effective method of re-waterproofing and restoring the skid resistance ...
Thu 17th
08:25
Employment rate returns to record levels; full-time jobs and British nationals benefit most
Some interesting details from the latest employment figures, which run counter to some popular myths: [IMG: Employment rate back to record high] [IMG: Full time jobs dominate job creation] [IMG: New jobs going to UK nationals] Source: ONS.
Taken from Barton (West Lancashire) last night looking over towards Formby just after 9pm last night. [IMG: rsz_sunset_over_formby] [IMG: rsz_sunset_over_formby_2] The photos above are amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
This morning's press is full of dramatically-headlined articles on how leading Liberal Democrats are to move away from their support for the so-called 'bedroom tax'. First, credit where credit's due. For once (and it is a for once) the party leadership made the Federal Policy Committee aware that something was to happen, and there was a discussion around the policy and, more importantly, ours – decided in an emotional policy debate last year for which I was fortunate enough to be on the platform as the chair's aide. No attempt was made to defend the policy or its well-documented effects, ...
Works are continuing to electrify the lines in the Liverpool and Manchester area. I went along to Prescot Station the other day to have a look at how the project is progressing there. Here are few shots I took:- [IMG: Cantenary on the way up] Cantenary on the way up [IMG: Looking north from Prescot Station] Looking north from Prescot Station [IMG: Another view northwards along the line] Another view northwards along the line [IMG: A Class 150 DMU on a Liverpool bound service with a 142 DMU in front of it.] A Class 150 DMU on a Liverpool bound ...
Reviewing Southwark's draft 13/14 accounts (page 138) they show a financial provision estimating that Southwark businesses with appeals against the Business Rates (NNDR) are expected to win £39M ! 30% of this will come from Southwark Council and 70% from the Great London Authority and the Government. This is a result of the pickle of the Business Rates review in 2005. The backlog created by appeal in 2005 is taking a very long time to resolve. Amazingly businesses typically have been waiting 8-9 years for their appeal with the Valuation Office Agency to be decided. It really is not clear ...
I welcome the drop in unemployment of 6000 people across Wales. This is yet more good news for Wales and the UK. It is showing that the UK Government is on the right track in repairing Britain's economy and equipping it for the future. Because of the work of the Liberal Democrats in Government, our economy is one of the fastest-growing in the developed world. However, we recognise that there is still a long way to go. Hopefully the stronger economy will help young people find sustainable and meaningful employment, especially those graduating this month. Last week we learnt that ...
On Saturday 12th July I had the huge honour of becoming the first MP to pull on the famous Great Britain white shirt with the red and blue 'V', and play for his country at rugby league. I was selected as part of the 20 man GB side who defeated Australia in the over 35s international in Warrington. We won one try to none at Crosfields, Warrington on Saturday - though in the spirit of Masters it was of course nil-nil! To play against Australian in their iconic green and gold shirts is the ultimate challenge in rugby league and ...
Today I did something I've never done before. I went to a comic shop and bought more Marvel comics than DC ones. I picked up sixteen comics, and only six were DC. Seven were Marvel, and three were Image. This is a very depressing figure, because three years ago I'd have bought that many comics [...]
