Not to mention Devon, Bedfordshire, North Lincolnshire, East Sussex and Leicestershire.
The Council is carrying out bus stop upgrading works to the stop outside the Tatton cinema site in Gatley – another Lib Dem improvement to our local area. The Upgrading works will include the kerbline raising, resurfacing and re-profiling of the existing footway around bus stop, the raising of the existing bus shelter, relocation of the existing flower box and the cycle parking stands. The construction works are programmed to start on 25th March 2015 and will last approximately for two weeks. In order to maintain the access to all local residents/shoppers and keep the disruption to a minimum, the ...
Given my interest in matters financial, I was listening to the Budget Statement whilst wrangling a technical problem with my computer (I won in the end, thanks to a colleague). And, in terms of rhetoric, it was an interesting forty-five minutes or so. Lots of references to the Leader of the Opposition and his kitchen, his family issues, his personal tax affairs - anything to wind him up, although you would need to be either inside, or a keen observer of, the Westminster bubble to have gotten all of the jokes. And, there is little doubt that some of the ...
The Farron-hunting season has begun, reports Nick Barlow. Towards the Sound of Gunfire offers its "highly suspect general election predictions". They look plausible to me. "Immigration will cease to be an issue. The children of Eastern European immigrants are assimilating just as the children in Britain born to Poles in the 1970s did (Ramsgate's only devoted Polish deli actually shut down recently). Many English locals can now be seen and heard in Baltic Branch stores, having discovered eight per cent Polish lager. The Latvian woman behind the counter at a newsagent in Ramsgate even addresses me as 'darlin''." Patrick West ...
[IMG: Rachel Reeves on benefits] These new comments is of course in line with her previous comments on welfare, such as: [IMG: Labour promise more welfare cuts]
[IMG: Daffodils and Fog] Seen today on the Leeds Liverpool Canal through Lydiate. Click on the photo to enlarge it. The photo is amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
Link below that will direct you to Sefton Council's Local Plan webpage, where you can submit your comments on the Local Plan. The Local Plan webpage contains the response form in a variety of formats, as well as links to the Local Plan itself. The consultation closes on Friday 27th March, 2015. We would encourage you to click on the link below and have YOUR SAY! Click Here: www.sefton.gov.uk/localplan
So, how will the political Landscape look the on the morning of 8th May? Whilst none of us really has a clue, it doesn't stop us guessing. Here are my predictions. Firstly, the Liberal Democrats. I see our vote share being at around 9-10 percent, but focused strongly in those areas where we already have presence. It will collapse in those seats where we have no chance and I anticipate the party losing in the region of 250 deposits. As for the number of seats we will win, I'm going to plump for 29. Labour will be the largest parliamentary ...
Wed 18th
17:21
Opinion: Welsh Liberal Democrats need to be bolder in considering a coalition without Labour
This past week in Wales, political ears pricked up after Stephen Crabb (the Conservative Secretary of State for Wales) gave support to the idea of a Conservative, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrat coalition in the Senedd after the May 2016 elections. The 'rainbow coalition' almost happened in 2007 – but has more recently seen to be off the table, so backing (as it were) from such a prominent politician has sparked off some debate. However, it was of course Welsh Liberal Democrats who were discussing this idea first, thanks to a Liberal Reform fringe at Welsh Conference a couple of weekends ...
Wed 18th
16:55
Polling Matters ep.13: in which I start off agreeing with Tony Blair, but then improve
[IMG: Polling Matters podcast] Earlier this week I was the guest on the great* polling podcast Polling Matters, talking to Keiran Pedley about the Liberal Democrats. I started off agreeing with Tony Blair, but then got better. Promise. * It is the best British polling podcast by virtue of being the only British polling podcast. But it is also great.
I produce an e mail bulletin which contains details of planning applications but between times I highlight some of them here so people don't miss the deadlines for comments. The planning committee decided, earlier this month, to agree to plans for a Co op and houses at the junction of Greenhill Road and Booker Avenue (where the petrol station used to be years ago). The minutes of the meeting can be seen here. Garston C of E School has an application in for an extension. The details are here. Deadline for comments is 31 March. There is a proposal to ...
First of all, budgets this close to the general election are kind of meaningless anyhow. Particularly in this age of hung parliaments. I mean, even if we get another Lib-Tory, there will almost certainly be an "emergency" budget in the summer. So what's the point? Historically, they are opportunities for the governing party to present the economic face they want to embed within the electorate's consciousness without the usual worry as to how it will be implemented. Also historically, governing parties tend to screw this up (see: pretty much every budget made right before a general election in the history ...
Child Sexual Exploitation on your street may seem a ridiculous thing to say but it can happen anywhere. It breeds from people feeling unable to speak about it and those closest to children affected overlooking the signs and clues. It is for this reason that I want to share with my readers the Local Government Associations myth busting document. I am clear that we all have to look out for children in St Just and Pendeen and throughout Cornwall. We cannot leave it to the Police and Social Care as on their own they cannot protect our children. Please take ...
There are twelve significant improvements announced in today's budget: • Personal tax allowance to rise still further • Discounts for apprentice training • An increase in the levy on banks • Fuel duty increase cancelled again • More help for first time buyers with 25% incentives on the Help to Buy ISA • £1.25bn extra to be invested in mental health services children and young people. • Tax incentives for savers • Support for the oil and gas industry • Measures to crack down further on tax avoidance and evasion • Backing tidal power with a lagoon scheme in Swansea Bay • More power and funding devolved to local areas • Reform ...
[IMG: This is still unlikely to be sufficient.] This is still unlikely to be sufficient. Now in force, the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 have removed the requirement to cite specific forms of evidence to prove a change of name in order to get your name changed on the electoral register. Rather, Electoral Returning Officers (EROs) now have the flexibility to accept any documentary evidence.
Fifty days until the General Election. Fifty days of nothing but 'why Britain is terrible'. Labour say it's terrible now they're in, so put back in the people who made it terrible in the first place. Tories say it was terrible when they were in, so don't let them back in. UKIP say Britain has been terrible ever since we let any of 'them' in and hang up their 'No blacks, no Polish, no gays' signs. And the Lib Dems say it'll be a bit less terrible if we're a bit in. So, today, only things I love about Britain. ...
Chancellor George Osborne made much of choices in his budget speech this afternoon. In one short passge he used the phrase 'we choose' nine times. But winging it's way to LOWA towers was this leaked footage of his private rehearsals. As you can see some of his language was quite fruity then...
If you've visited here over the last couple of days you might have had a problem when visiting some outbound links and seeing them redirected through another site (vindicosuite). I noticed it today, and a bit of googling suggests the problem is being caused by the Sitemeter tracking button, so I've removed that and it should hopefully mean the problem won't occur. From what I can see it was just a bit of redirection of links through another site and nothing involving viruses or malware, but if you do have any problems please let me know. Apologies for any trouble ...
The Chancellor has just announced that he will be opening formal negotiations which could lead to an investment of £1 billion in a world-first scheme to extract energy from tidal power. Ed Davey has been working on this project for several years, so it is a great victory for Liberal Democrats in government, on the back of our other achievements on renewable energy. The UK is already the world leader on offshore wind, thanks to the Lib Dems. The first tidal lagoon will be planned for Swansea Bay, as predicted in the Guardian this morning. Power would be generated as ...
We will not be live blogging the Budget as there are plenty of other sources of live information. But readers are very welcome to add their own reflections in the comments section below.
[IMG: Smartphone in use] Interesting use of 'geofencing' technology to send text messages to students as part of the Electoral Commission's electoral registration campaign: The Electoral Commission is working with the country's biggest mobile networks to target 18 to 24-year-olds with a "geo-fencing system", which sets a virtual barrier around a certain area, such a campus. Students will receive a text on their smartphone once they step inside the geo-tagged location, which uses GPS to define the virtual area. The message will ask them to register to vote. A link to the Electoral Commission's voter registration page will be included ...
Wed 18th
12:00LibLink ... Ed Davey: Britain must signal the beginning of the end for coal investment
[IMG: Ed Davey Social Liberal Forum conference Jul 19 2014 Photo by Paul Walter] Ed Davey writes in the Guardian: For over 200 years, modern civilisation has been built on fossil fuels; now climate science says we must phase out fossil fuel pollution in just a few decades. That's a colossal challenge - especially if we are to keep anything resembling current lifestyles while also ending the poverty that blights the lives of more than 1 billion fellow human beings. We are already seeing a significant shift in thinking. The Rockefeller Foundation is divesting from coal and tar sands. Oxford ...
I had an enjoyable chat recently with students from St John Fisher, after receiving an invite from the school's head teacher to take part in a question and answers session. I was pleasantly impressed with the students knowledge of politics and the present nation issues and policies, of the major parties. From the response that [...]
The Ulster Question – A good summary of the situation in the Northern Irish seats at the start of the General Election campaign. Why there won't be a Labour-SNP coalition – Interesting analysis from Alex Harrowell about the difference between establishment In parties and challenging Out parties. A shortage of optimism – Lewis Baston on the electoral and policy problems that haunt both major parties. Grant Shapps is a lying liar who tells lies – Just in case you had any doubts, Tim Ireland exposes the full details of Shapps' mendacity. A troubling attitude to statistics – Jonathan Portes of ...
I've now asked the City Council about the feasibility of introducing a box junction at the location of Pipistrelle Court, in Werrington Village. During certain times of the week, there are issues relating to inconsiderate parking and with the nearby t-junction to Amberley Slope, the route being used by the number one bus and the zebra [...]
With Bernie Morgan, Business Development Manager; Vanessa King of The Fire Inside; Mark Lister, Progression CEO, and Safiye Ozuygun, founder of WAM Microfinance
[IMG: seven candidates] US Republican Presidential nomination primary debate 2012Don't hold your breath at this stage, but it looks entirely conceivable that we have possibly got a robust plan for a seven-way leaders debate during the general election campaign. It could well be on April 2nd, although Labour have yet to agree. According to the Guardian, there could also be these televisual feasts: Cameron and Miliband would be interviewed by Jeremy Paxman and then questioned by a studio audience in a Sky/Channel 4 special on 26 March. But the two leaders would appear separately - never sharing the stage, depriving ...
Over the past few months, Ros and her colleagues of the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee D have been working on the latest report, which was published yesterday. Entitled "The North Sea under pressure: is regional marine co-operation the answer?", it looks as the range of issues that impact on this vital habitat, trade route and natural resource. Here, Ros introduces the report...
Some of the Community Grants from the Frome Vale Area Forum will go towards what could broadly be called "social initiatives" - projects to make people's lives a little bit better: Yate Town Council's Dementia Friendly Towns Initiative and Community Car Share Scheme £3000 This grant will extend the work of the Development Worker in the areas of promoting dementia awareness and organising a community car scheme to provide a much needed resource for frail and vulnerable people. Armadillo Youth Venue and Cafe - Apprenticeship £3000 The grant will contribute towards an already successful apprenticeship scheme, part funding the cost ...
Well over two decades ago, I was briefly on the Lib Dem sub-committee which oversaw the party's party political broadcasts. This was before I had ever sent an email, let alone watched Youtube, so there were only a few opportunities for this kind of thing every year. I remember I tried to persuade my colleagues that we should experiment with a broadcast featuring a Lib Dem councillor, as if it was a fly on the wall documentary. We dubbed this broadcast, which was never actually made, 'Shirley Valentine' - quite why, I don't remember. I believed, and still do, that ...
The Greater Manchester charity 'Mancunian Way' which aims to tackle anti-social behaviour and improve local communities is organising a week of awareness around loan sharks in the Prestwich area. Loan Sharks are individuals who do not have a Government License to lend money and can sometimes use violence and intimidation to collect the debt they are owed. The charity is working in partnership with the Government's Illegal Money Lenders Team to raise awareness of Loan Sharks and the pitfalls of using such lenders. If you have used a Loan Shark then you have not broken the Law; it is just ...
The announcement that the UK Government is to enter into detailed negotiations on turning the Swansea tidal lagoon into reality is good news for Swansea and South Wales. Apparently, the Tidal Lagoon Power company will be offered the chance to discuss subsidies for the project. This opening of negotiations on the contract is a major win for the Liberal Democrats Energy Secretary, Ed Davey MP, who has been a keen supporter of the lagoon. The lagoon still needs to get through a current assessment by the Planning Inspectorate of course but if a strike rate and planning is approved the ...
There will be an RSPCA £5 Microchipping Event 25 March 8.30am-1.30pm St. Mary's Park, Prestwich This low cost microchipping event is for everyone! As from 2016 it will be law to have your dog microchipped. The RSPCA are helping local communities by offering very low cost microchipping services to encourage as many people as possible to have their pets chipped before the law comes into force. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity for both your cats and dogs. Remember, microchipping also helps you find your pet if they are lost or stolen.... [IMG: 21552]
Pennine Care, the NHS Trust which provides some of the mental health and community health services in Bury, is currently starting the next round of elections for public and staff members to join its Council of Governors. NHS Foundation Trusts includes a 'Council of Governors' in their set up – Pennine Carehave three Public Governor vacancies in Bury this year. Any Public Member can be a Governor so if you are interested please see the flyer with more information here [IMG: pennine_care] They will be holding a series of governor pre-election roadshows to familiarise potential candidates with the role of ...
[IMG: Tim Farron Nick Clegg 2010 Photo by Liberal Democrats Alex Folkes Fishnik photography] With his usual uncanny knack and impeccable insight Stephen Tall is bang on the money over on PoliticsHome: Barring some startling shifting of the plates, it seems almost certain that Tim Farron will be giving the leader's speech at the party's Bournemouth conference this autumn. He will, naturally, use the occasion to pay full and handsome tribute to Nick Clegg. But no-one expects him to lead the Lib Dems in the same direction. Stephen runs through the options as to what will happen after May 7th, ...
Yesterday morning, James Brokenshire, the Tory minister for security and immigration, was given a rough time of it on the Today programme. Not, as you might guess if you'd tuned out of the immigration debate of late, because of missed immigration targets or border checks being lax. In fact, he was being given a hard time because the border checks are about to be too rigorously enforced all of a sudden. That wasn't it exactly, to be fair - it was about the fact that waiting times are expected to go up this summer due to the checks being enforced ...
+++ out of cheese error. redo from start +++ #GNUTerryPratchett (tags: ) The Torygraph are trolling BuzzFeed. I am genuinely amused. (tags: ) Women with genital piercings to be classed as suffering from FGM - ohhhh deary me THAT could be interesting (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Overgrown area - Summer 2011 In the past, I have highlighted complaints from constituents about the state of the ground on Dundee's Technology Park at the entrance to the City particularly in the summer months. Over the past few years each summer, I have received many concerns about the untidy state of the ground running along Riverside Avenue, just east of the Swallow Roundabout. It is important that it is kept looking good as it is a prominent entrance to Dundee and often looks unsightly in the summer months because of lack of regular-enough grass cutting/maintenance. In advance of this ...
The Welsh debate on local government reform has thus far been dominated by local authority boundaries, the number of councillors in Wales and whether or not there should be a limit on how long councillors can serve. I doubt that many councillors or opposition Assembly Members have taken the time to read the Local Government White Paper in full, or that they fully appreciate the implications of the rhetoric contained within it. For a Welsh Labour-instigated set of proposals there are, for once, some quite transformational ideas in there. I almost choked on my tea when I read the words ...
It is trust, not technology, that should be causing the newspaper industry greatest concern It's understandable that the question, "is my employer going to go bust?" features in many newspaper employees minds. It's a concern based on the terminal decline of printed newspaper editions and the struggle to make digital alternatives generate profits, even when many overhead costs are diminishing with the dying print editions. But to focus on the digital struggles that compel editors to ask such questions as: "Should we do more lists like Buzzfeed, more videos like YouTube and more graphs like Nate Silver?" is to miss ...
[IMG: image] "We'd exchange policies with the Government, but no one would notice." Rachel Reeves, the shadow Work and Pensions secretary has clearly decided that shadowing Iain Duncan Smith involves becoming as much like him as possible, going by this Guardian interview: However, Reeves said Labour did not want to be seen to be the party of the welfare state. "We are not the party of people on benefits. We don't want to be seen, and we're not, the party to represent those who are out of work," she said. "Labour are a party of working people, formed for and ...
youtu.be/4jdtBQsehLQ [IMG: Cllr. Bruce Hubbard] Cllr. Bruce Hubbard MADCOS (Maghull & District Cluster of Schools) have produced an excellent video about the Great War and its effects on Maghull. Local historian, battlefield tour guide and Maghull Town Councillor Bruce Hubbard presents the video which is well worth watching. Use the link above to access the youtube video. Well done MADCOS
Since Vladimir Putin "resurfaced" on Monday, the most feverish speculation has died down. He has not been actually overthrown. However there is little doubt that his regime is facing serious problems. In a sense we can know this by the renewed blizzard of propaganda and misinformation being put out by the Kremlin lie machine: reporting and exaggerating splits between EU and NATO partners about the current Russian sanctions regime, for example. Then there is the report that Putin was prepared to use nuclear weapons over Crimea. Meanwhile the entire Russian northern fleet has gone on alert. The message is clear ...
The 2015 Tour of Britain will finish stage Stage 4 at Blyth The stage will start at Edinburgh and takes place on Wednesday 9th September I have been aware of this for some days, but hadn't been allowed to mention it. I was told by a resident, not by any one at Blyth Town Council or even the organisers. When further details are available, I'll post them.
Following on from the success of Cheadle Mosque's Samosa Mountain for Comic Relief, the savvy bakers at the Mosque wanted to go one better and developed a "Chocolate Volcano Cake" that was sold off after Friday prayers. [IMG: Cheadle Mosque raise money for Comic Relief] Cheadle Mosque raise money for Comic Relief Of course they had to sell samosa too! Despite this not being the healthiest of diets – it was all for a good cause and over £400 was raised for the great international work that Comic Relief do. Cheadle Mosque has a long history of supporting local charities ...
This months Police Tasking meeting (17th March) saw an update on the local crime figures from our new Neighbourhood Police Sergeant, Trevor Orton. Year to date crime in Acocks Green is down just over 5% and the latest month shows that improving further with a month on month fall of 16%. The burglary figures are particularly good with only vehicle crime bucking the trend and rising, with a particular issue around number plate theft (to disguise cars, for crimes such as bilking – filling up with petrol and then driving off without paying). The police are experimenting with a new ...
