Ed Miliband boot the put in at Prime Minister's Questions this week, regarding the string of cock-ups on the Libyan front, presided over by one William Hague, Foreign Secretary of this parish. He said: "We have had the flights fiasco, talk of Colonel Gaddafi heading to Venezuela when he was not, overblown briefing about potential military action, and the setback last weekend." All in all, Libya is starting to rank alongside baseball caps in the list of things William Hague should leave well off his CV. "We have an excellent Foreign Secretary" was finally squeezed out of Cameron by way ...
Saturday 9 15 - F3 - Community Futures At end of Motion F3 (line 85), insert: Conference believes that voluntary work is boosted more effectively by the concrete measures set out in these policies, and by adequate public funding for ... Continue reading →
Nick Perry, the Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson for Hastings & Rye, is to take the plight of local fishermen to his party's Spring Conference once again. This year, the action takes place in the wake of the Fish Fight campaign by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, who Nick contacted back in 2009, asking him to ...
Action on banks and bonuses Conference notes a) the importance of a healthy banking system to the future of Britain's economy b) the regrettable failure of decades of 'light-touch' regulation that socialises risk and privatises extraordinary profits at the expense ... Continue reading →
March the 10th marks the 180th anniversary of the creation of the French Foreign Legion. Established by French King Louis-Philippe, to support French colonial ambitions in Algeria, they enjoy a fearsome reputation. Notoriously tough and often the hiding place of fugitives the sense that Legionnaires have no where else to go and nothing to lose gave them the air of utter ruthlessness and fearlessness. The exploits of the Legion are thus the stuff of legend. The officers are French but they take all nationalities. About 25% of Legionnaires are French but Germany has produced the largest number of Legionnaires, though ...
Suffolk County Council's Chief Executive, Andrea Hill, is rapidly becoming an object of hate on the streets of Suffolk. People were already very annoyed about her salary, but the disclosure of the £14,000 plus coaching bill and now the repeat of the earlier Guardian story by the Daily Mail about her acceptance of hospitality from BT, has left the public absolutely furious. The story has previously appeared in the Rotten Boroughs column of Private Eye. People are venting their anger on Facebook, in comments on the websites of the local papers, on blogs, etc. So the question has to be ...
London Midland are proposing to cut staffing at virtually all stations across the West Midlands and this includes Acocks Green Station,where the cuts will be significant (I understand they are proposing no staff after 2pm on Monday – Thursday, after 6pm on Friday, after 4pm on Saturday and no staff at all on Sunday. Spring Road will see even more severe curtailment of staffing. These changes are proposed to take effect from this summer. London Midland argue that during the hours that they propose for closure, less than 12 tickets/hour are sold and they will be providing automatic ticket machines. ...
Next week on 17 March the Council's Traffic Management Advisory Panel will be considering changes to waiting restrictions across the Borough. This is an annual process and the changes proposed in Redlands are as follows: Cintra Avenue/Warwick Road Implement no waiting at any time at junction and at the junction of Cintra Ave/Christchurch Rd Whitby Drive - Extend no waiting Monday to Saturday 8am-630pm Craven Road - Implement no waiting at any time except taxis outside RBH We have been actively supporting residents in Cintra Avenue and Whitby Drive to get changes made to waiting restrictions to improve road safety and reduce disruption ...
[IMG: tct] According to my countdown thingumajig on my Outside Turner blog, it's less than 40 days before the grand opening, I suggest sceptics take a look at the building preferably in the sun as I did recently. Having just taken a gander a few points are worth consideration, of course the biggest issue is will it be finished on time, from where I was standing it looked as of there was a heap of materials to the rear of the lifeboat station, which assuming they're needed looks like a couple of weeks work, add to that snagging work then ...
It was noticeable that when the Council in Reading was under Labour control street cleaning was focussed on the Town Centre with many of edge of Town centre areas such as Christchurch Road and Erleigh Road in Redlands were neglected. This was also partly due to the fact that the Council was forced to chase national targets for street cleanliness rather than respond to what local residents wanted. As ward councillors we got lots of complaints about this from local residents. As part of the plans announced by RBC earlier this week Twelve District Shopping Centres will be given a one-off deep clean with ...
The Penrose Inquiry into HIV/HCV Infection from Blood Products has kicked off in Edinburgh .I worked for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service for almost 20 years. It would not be appropriate for me to pass comment on the issues raised while the Inquiry is underway but here is a link for anyone wishing to follow the course of the Inquiry. http://www.penroseinquiry.org.uk/
Oh - dog owners are testing my patience at the moment. Every time I step out of the front gate onto the path there is a fresh turd. 4 days ago there was a 2ft trail of dog diarrhoea. Please guys think and clear up. I am considering putting a sign up on the gate that mindfully suggests people should focus on what is good for them their dogs and others. A little kindness goes a long way. Or I could put a really shitty (no pun intended) and put up a caution that if anyone puts doggy diarrhoea right ...
That's it - after doing two lots of hill walking during the Crickhowell walking festival I am hooked again on really big hills. I read maps in bed. I ooze through trail magazine. I think about walking. I plan when my next trip will be. Too exciting....
Earlier this week I had a meeting with officers from the Parks Department about Eldon Square Gardens. Following an informal discussion with the Friends of the Gardens officers are planning to move away from bedding plants (that need to be planted annually) to a more sustainable option - perennials. This option was supported by residents who attended the meeting I organised at the Eldon Arms a few weeks ago. Although this change came about initially as a response to a reduction in available staff time (linked to Budget reductions). The budget for planting has not been reduced and things like litter picking are carried out by a ...
Back in September 2009 I suggested: If Cameron does win the next election it is easy to imagine defections to UKIP - at least in the blogosphere - once he begins to make the compromises that become inevitable in power. UKIP could also emerge as a threat to the Tories in Westminster by-elections. You heard it here first.The scale of the threat that UKIP now poses to the Conservatives has been revealed by researchers from the University of Leicester. In The UK Independence Party: analysing its candidates and supporters, Philip Lynch, Richard Whitaker and Gemma Loomes argue: The advent of ...
The experience of Iraq should not make us deaf to Libyan calls for international support
The ban on displaying tobacco products announced today is deeply disappointing. As noted over on the Tobacco Retailers Alliance website, "the policy to ban retail displays of tobacco in shops was a policy by the previous Labour government. Throughout the Bill's passage through Parliament both the Conservatives and Lib Dems expressed concern that the policy was not based on sound evidence to prove that hiding tobacco out of sight in shops would cut youth smoking rates. Andrew Lansley even cited the example of Canada, where youth smoking rates have remained steady despite a display ban has been phased in over ...
Today I published proposals for improving services for disabled children and those with special educational needs. This doesn't affect everyone, but if you are a family with a severely disabled child struggling to give 24-hour care, or the parent of a child falling behind at school who doesn't know where to turn for help, then I hope it will make a significant difference. As Liberal Democrats in government, we started by listening to parents, families and young people. We had 1800 responses to our "Call for Views", and each person will be getting an email letting them know we've now ...
I went through today to the county council cabinet meeting as I ususally do – particularly if there's anything with particular reference to Consett. The following may be of interest to you: Consett's Academy is still destined to be an 11-19 Academy, with continuing post 16 education on site The Academy will NOT start before January 2012. The school closure orders for Moorside and Consett will therefore be revoked. No specific date was given for the Academy to start so I guess that may still be under discussion. Holders of pensioner's bus passes will have to pay 50p if using ...
Curious news from Labour-run Haringey Council, where Labour's round of budget cuts has come under fire for the smoke and mirrors behind the headline claims. One of the proposed Liberal Democrat amendments was to cut the amount of financial support the Haringey Council currently gives to trade unions by paying the salaries of union organisers. By cutting funding for non-teaching trade union officials by £158,000, Haringey Council could instead have dropped the planned cuts to services for vulnerable older people. In a tough financial environment, I think most people would have put protecting services for older people ahead of giving ...
Whether you love or hate the Centre Forum/Stephen Williams plan to give the banks back to the taxpayer, everyone agrees that if nothing else, it's a great example of creative thinking. And it's the sort of thinking that I believe attracts many voters to the Liberal Democrats in the first place. We have a great ability to take left field solutions to real problems and turn them into coherent policies - which are often derided by Labour and the Conservatives as 'naïve' or 'unworkable', before magically becoming part of their own policy or legislative plan a little later. It's interesting ...
I've just realised I mis-heard the lyrics to a song first encountered as a school boy. It's not "Man takes his lunchbox out in the morning light" but "Man takes his lunch, walks out in the morning light". And there was 12 year old me thinking I did have something in common with the guy in the song.
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has hit out at the announcement by Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, today that she is to lay a fresh order to enable her to cull badgers in North Pembrokeshire and parts of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire from 31 March. A previous attempt by the Minister was struck down by the courts on three grounds, namely that she had failed to properly define the area involved and thus did not reflect the consultation in the order, that the definition of substantial adopted by the Welsh Government set too low ...
It's a tricky thing, trying to see things from somebody else's point of view. I quoted Springsteen in my last post, and I realised his song Factory was perhaps the first one that's ever tried to make me do so. The Flying Pickets covered this, and it's their version that I remember hearing when I was around 12 years old. Back then, I'd no idea what their name referred to, as I was growing up in Hong Kong. Living in one of our imperialist colonies was an effective way to avoid the impact Thatcher was having on the UK. Factory ...
At the moment none of the so-called 'Big Offices of State' (Prime Minister, Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, and Home Secretary) are held by Lib Dems...if Hague goes, surely a Lib Dem must replace him?
Short version: Wow, this is a long piece. So, this weekend I'm heading from Reading to Sheffield for my first Liberal Democrat conference – and I'm going to be lonely because I'm new. Consider this an offer to buy someone a drink if they'll just say hi! Long version: It's surprising to me, despite the fact that I distinctly remembering registering for it, that I shall be attending a political conference this week. I'm sure everyone will be very friendly at the Lib Dem conference in Sheffield, but I confess to a sense of trepidation. I've been to trade conferences, ...
Am too sick today to write (our office appears to have a case of the flu circulating permanently – I always get rid of it within a day or so, but pick up a new one every fortnight) but have a question about the Beach Boys stuff I've been writing. I'm thinking of turning those ...
Wed 9th
17:46
Another apology from Wirral Council... FOI request over amounts paid to councillors on outside bodie...
In an email Wirral Council apologises ("The Council apologises that it failed to collect the information") as they weren't complying with their own agreed policy. One only has to look at the information to find £120,000 worth of reasons why it took so long to release it! It took nearly three months after the FOI ...
Liberal Democrat Children and Families Minister, Sarah Teather, today published a Green Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities which proposes a new single assessment process to join up health, social care and education services. Commenting on the announcement, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Education, Young People and Families in the Commons, ...
I am getting utterly fed up of tuning into PMQs and hearing David Cameron take Ed Miliband apart at the flimsiest of excuses for standing against his brother in the Labour leadership election. Today, Ed had a go at William Hague, and Cameron retorted with a cheap gag about how Ed clearly liked knifing foreign secretaries - look what he'd done to the last one. Ed came back with a line about Cameron's fascination with his relatives, and he was sure he'd bring up something about his second cousin in Belgium next. I'm sure Tory Central Office is stalking this ...
Christine Parker's obituary in the Daily Telegraph. She and her husband John were the stalwart pillars of Liberalism in Orpington in the years before the 1962 by-election, laying the foundations for that victory by their concentration on the local elections, and building up the support base of activists who pitched in with enthusiasm when the opportunity arose. Her distinguished record of public activity, from wartime service to her effective chairmanship of the Orpington Urban District Council, comes across in this article, but I remember her best as a close personal friend and mentor. It was Christine who proposed to ...
The Boris Brigade have started racheting things up, with the launch of the Not Again Ken website. It highlights Livingstone's cronyism, hikes in council tax, and links to union paymasters. It also has a dig at his links to Latin America, in an attempt to show him as an old school socialist who cares more about ...
Cambridge Liberal Democrats are launching a major consultation in a bid to find the best way forward for the future of the Lion Yard toilets. They are inviting specialist groups to a focus meeting and letters and questionnaires will be sent out to 500 people from the city who signed the recent petition against plans to relocate the toilets. Lib Dems have also accused Labour councillors of a massive U-turn on the issue. They say Labour failed to vote against plans to move the main toilets to the first floor when they came before Cambridge City Council committees, but then ...
Less than a year ago a press release bearing the name of the three Liberal Democrat Secretary's of State (well, two and the DPM if you want to be pedantic,) would have been impossible to imagine. Yesterday, the coalition announced funding for at least 1000 Green Deal apprentices, and the press release bore quotes from Nick ...
I ask this because I am getting a lot of emails at the minute trying to sell me acai berry supplements and ear candles and other such woo. Acai berry seems to be we've found a fruit that sounds exotic so we'll promote it as a miracle cure. Cinnamon and Oregano are both higher in antioxidants and are both things I consume lots of, so I'm not going to pay a fortune for posh fruit. But Ear Candles... I genuinely don't get how someone who has ever watched a normal candle burn can be surprised when you burn a hollow ...
I am a public health doctor and a member of the Liberal Democrats. I am also, in the words of Gordon Birtwistle, when he spoke in the debate on the new Health and Social Care Bill, one of the "faceless bureaucrats in palatial offices" that he blames for the failings of the NHS. I'd like to put a couple of arguments against the new health reforms, as I don't believe that as a party we are very well informed about what these health reforms mean. The reforms of the NHS are a substantial departure from what we had before. There ...
I suppose we should not be surprised at the USA being opposed to a 'No-Fly' zone over Libya in the absence of a highly improbable UN Resolution. After all when the Israel Air Force was bombing & shooting up civilians in GAZA there was a minimal amount of ritual hand wringing by the US but nothing effective, let alone a 'no fly' zone, was ever proposed. Suppose Israel wants to do it again with impunity - a fairly probable scenario? A 'no fly' sanction on their Libyan copyist would be deeply embarrassing.
I shop in a variety of supermarkets depending on my mood. There are three that are within realistic distance of me shopping at. Asda is a 25 minute walk away. Sainsbury's and M&S are both in the town centre, which is a five-minute train ride away and I live not 30 seconds from the train ...
Wed 9th
14:45
Independent View: Health Bill doesn't have to be a poisoned chalice, just put patients first
For all the face time that health secretary Andrew Lansley gets, Lib Dems can't forget that come election time, they'll be judged by the success or failure of the NHS reform package too. This isn't a reality that many members of the party are warming to. After almost a year of being cast by both the public and media in the role of scapegoat or political cover for their coalition partners, nobody can blame them for being wary. But the Health and Social Care Bill doesn't have to be a poisoned chalice. The Lib Dems have succeeded in securing compromises ...
The former Lib Dem leader has the energy of a teenager, but all the wisdom of his 70 years. Ever worked for someone who you want to garrote on a weekly basis, but to whom you are so dedicated you would happily follow them into battle with nothing more than a Swiss Army knife? I think this description is probably accurate for several former employees of Paddy Ashdown. I know it is for me. With the energetic enthusiasm of a teenager and the wisdom these days of an (only just) 70 year old, it puzzles me that Cameron and Clegg ...
Press Release From the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Local Government Cllr Richard Kemp has warmly welcomed a new agreement which will both say how local government and central government should work together on climate and will monitor ... Continue reading →
When talking about how tortoises hold the secret to online success, I only talked about the total number of people on email lists. If you are a campaigner wanting to build up an email list to effectively communicate with residents in your area, that is an important number to have a sensible target for and to work towards. But it's only one of the three crucial email numbers. The second is the open rate on your emails. Email open rate statistics are provided by most of the email management services available, and indeed it's one of the main reasons for ...
Cute animals have done wonders for many companies and products (including the Andrex Puppy, a client at work). So perhaps it's no wonder that following increasing criticism and an unflattering film portrayal of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is now hosting a page for Zuckerberg's cute puppy. The pup modestly says "I am extremely cute". Well, pah I say to that, bet he can't cook like a certain other dog.
The Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones has today announced that she is to resume her attempt to cull badgers in North Pembrokshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in an attempt to control bovine TB in cattle. This is despite the fact that the latest bovine TB statistics published on 18th February 2011 by DEFRA show a significant reduction in the number of cattle slaughtered in West Wales over the last two years. Between January and November 2010, there was a reduction in West Wales of 34% over the equivalent period in 2009. In her statement the Minister says: After full consideration of ...
As a Ceredigion County Councillor, these past few days have been some of the most bemusing and frustrating since I was first elected, 7 years ago. The Code of Conduct, which we all sign up too on our election and which has always been a bone of contention for local members because of its sometimes draconian and tight restrictions, has this week really struck home with me. Cardigan Chamber of Trade It all began on Monday with the Cardigan Chamber of Trade bi-monthly directors meeting. For many years now I have been attending the Chamber of Trade meetings in town ...
Cllr David White rejoined Labour recently (having left them for the Lib Dems in 2002) and wrote a letter last week giving his reasons. This is my response. I was surprised to read Cllr David White's letter last week. His decision to return to the Labour Party after nine years away is one for him, but his claimed reasons for doing so seem to make little sense. Cllr White thinks the Coalition is cutting too much, but surely he must know that Labour, had it won the General Election, had already decided to cut even more from schools, hospitals, defence, ...
[IMG: Second chamber piechart] Last week we asked Lib Dem Voice readers what an elected second chamber should be called, following Nick Clegg's answer in the House of Commons: The cross-party Committee, which I chair, has been considering proposals for a wholly or mainly elected second Chamber. The Government will publish a draft Bill shortly, which will then be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. The Government hope that that will be carried out by a Joint Committee of both Houses. Our readers' poll results are as follows: "Senate" was the most popular choice, followed by "House of Lords" - Senate 183 ...
Via way of one of the many news mailing lists I am signed up to I notice that the Telegraph is reporting that Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark is launching a drive to help cut councils' bureaucratic burdens by inviting them to identify legal duties which they believe they can do without. According to the government Whitehall has has never assessed the cumulative burden imposed by the hundreds of legal duties placed on Councils- I must say I can really believe this line! This is excellent news and I have already e mailed the Councils scrutiny chairs along with the Chair ...
Have you ever been to an event, come away with a particular opinion only to read a write up in the papers or online that makes you question whether you were actually there at all! I can tell you that in the course of my football watching lifetime that has often been the case – leaving me wondering whether I was in fact at the same match as the journalist. However I am now wondering (not for the first time) whether I was actually at the full meeting of Bury Council recently. At that meeting the Lib Dem budget amendment ...
When Tony Blair was just setting out on his journey up the greasy pole of politics it was said that he received financial support from the wealthy Tchenguiz family. These brothers were certainly amongst the first of the ultra wealthy to give their support to the future Prime Minister. In office, Mr Blair certainly demonstrated some loyalty to them in return: he actively lobbied the Polish government to back a bid which the brothers' energy company, Rotch Energy made for the Polish Refineria Gdanska. This was to the irritation of the government in Warsaw, who believed -with some justification it ...
All, I don't know if you've had a chance to look the police.uk website, where the police record all episodes of crime. I've had a look at Shipston's (you can see it here) and it shows 25 crimes in Shipston in January. Worryingly this includes 7 of violent crime. Before we get too worried – other towns are worse off. Alcester had 53 crimes in January, Southam 34, Studley 92 but Wellesbourne only 14. It will be interesting to see what happens to the figures when they close Shipston's Police Station later this year. I am worried that we will ...
I'm delighted that on National No Smoking Day the Coalition Government has announced tough new measures on tobacco control. As a party the Liberal Democrats have had to learn fast that being in government has meant making tough decisions. Being in coalition has sometimes felt that we are taking the blame for unpopular decisions and ...
All, Just a quick post for information. The local police, The Shipston Neighbourhood Team, have produced their latest newsletter. You can see it here. Regards, Philip
[IMG: Turks and Caicos Islands flag] Foreign Secretary William Hague's Foreign & Commonwealth Office has published a draft written constitution including the use of Proportional Representation in public elections. Oh, it's a draft written constitution for the Turks and Caicos Islands. But I do look forward to William Hague's next speech about electoral reform; perhaps he'll be arguing that first past the post is so wonderful that we shouldn't let foreigners have it?
Prominent in the Liverpool Post this morning is a story about our MP REBEL Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh is ready to lead a revolt against the Government's sweeping NHS reforms - warning of "chaos and confusion" if they went ahead.And the Southport MP predicted other Lib-Dems - and even Conservative - MPs would join the growing rebellion, adding: "MPs are waking up to the obvious problems."Asked if he would vote against the flagship Health and Social Care Bill - which will introduce a full-blown market into the NHS - Dr Pugh replied: "That is the likely outcome, if there ...
A reminder that Lord Bonkers will be answering readers' letters in the next issue of Liberator. He has already heard from Anxious of Notts and Auld Leftie of Desborough, but there is still room for your problem too.
Wed 9th
12:00
Winchester Liberal Democrats take leading role in 'rebellion' against coalition NHS policy
Winchester Liberal Democrats have joined the 'rebellion' against the coalition government's NHS policies recently reported in the Guardian. This sets them directly in opposition to their local coalition partner, Conservative MP for Winchester, Steve Brine MP, who is a member of the Public Bill Committee for the Health and Social Welfare Bill in the House of Commons – one of the small group of MPs responsible for line-by-line scrutiny of the bill – who has, so far, voiced no criticism of the Government's plans. The Chair of Winchester Liberal Democrats, Graham Winyard, is a former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for ...
Earlier this week I reported on the investigation by Birkdale's Councillor Simon Shaw into the true cost of Labour's irresponsibility on Sefton Council. As promised, Simon has provided further details to explain how, under Labour, Sefton's Band D Council Tax would rise from £1477.68 to £1904.78 - a rise of 29%. Below is a spreadsheet which shows how the 29% Labour increase is arrived at. This is all based on Council meeting minutes over the last 6 months, details of which can be found as follows: September 2010 Cabinet: £2.5Ratified at Council Meeting 2.9.10, Minute 32 - all party ...
Conference is almost upon us once again, and glancing my eye over the agenda I am pleased to see a motion based on Baroness Sal Brinton's report on party diversity. You may remember this came up at the last conference. The speech I made at Liverpool was my maiden at a federal conference; the amendment I co-sponsored helped pave the way for the motion on improving diversity we will debate this coming Saturday. It was also one of the most depressing experiences I've witnessed as a party member. Friends who supported the amendment were treated appallingly by supporters of the ...
This government is absconding from it's allege passion for liberty and personal freedom from the state. I thought we terminated that ever growing nanny state last May; but alas, we were wrong. Banning cigarette displays from shops is a rather ... Continue reading →
Another officer said he wouldn't like to comment on which impression is more accurate. He referred to one of the elevations and showed them the elevation that the painting was painted from. The Chair, Cllr Mitchell said it'd been a very interesting site visit. He referred to the comments and questions of Cllr Johnston and ...
Cllr Johnson referred to the Inspector's report which mentioned limitations on the balcony to be used by patrons to prevent overlooking to residential properties. He moved onto item 6 regarding the extended hours. The Inspector considered conditions. He said the Inspector had considered it necessary to protect the living conditions, neighbours and character of the ...
The Chair asked the planning officers to address the points made by the petitioners, which they had seem examples of at the site visit. Matthew Rushton replied that the footprint would be increased by the proposal and that the report was slightly inaccurate. However the envelope would not be enlarged. He then explained using a ...
Yesterday Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne launched the Government's Carbon Plan, setting out in draft form the steps the government will take to cut carbon emissions. The plan is now going out to consultation, with the final version due in the Autumn. There are three priority areas in the plan for change in the way we do things: electricity generation, heating of homes and workplaces and transportation. The plan also commits the government to working for tough international agreements on tackling climate change. Reflecting Chris Huhne's eagerness to see environmental action as ...
Someone representing the applicant called Neil from Chester then addressed the committee. He said it was relevant to highlight the objections relate to the existing building and the applicant had the benefit of two live consents. Regarding the material amendments to the plans, the sole reason was to comply with their statutory duty under the ...
4300 new jobs & 18% bonus for workers in John Lewis. Labour hiring capital clearly works. Isn't it time a political party took up the idea?
The committee then went on to receive a verbal report from an officer about items 5&6 (which were taken together). A previous refused application had gone to the Planning Inspector who had overturned the decision. The application was for improving the circulation of people within the restaurant, increasing its capacity and to simplify the design. ...
I am pleased to report I have had updates on a number of the issues I have raised recently on this website and in local Focus newsletters. Andover North police have reported that they have seized a nuisance motor bike which will not be released unless the rider can produce a driving licence, insurance and seizure and storage fees. Another male was arrested for a driving offence. Test Valley BC have installed extra dog and litter bins on the open space adjacent to Smannell Road, Augusta Park and they will be reviewing the number and location of bins throughout Augusta ...
A shocking result in Barnsley has brought out the stories of how the Lib Dems will split. The debate on the narrative of the Lib Dems in the public has been going on for a long time with some seeing an unjust negative narrative and others seeing it as justified. Neil Stockley has long argued ...
Last night, councillors were given a sneak preview of the plans for the Stadium for Cornwall (sic). I haven't been able to talk publicly until now as the Council has released the papers for the Cabinet meeting next week. In short, what we have to date is a set of very colourful drawings and an idea about what the stadium might look like and how it might be funded. The work to date has been done by a firm of architects and a team of stadium specialists working with a raft of council officers. The architect and specialist fees have ...
As you may have seen in the Cambridge News I've been working with local campaigner Lil Speed to try and improve the issues around dog fouling on Ramsden Square. We met yesterday morning on the Square with City Council and County Council staff to see what can be done about some of the problems in the Square. The first visible result is to idenify a site for a dog waste bin in the area we felt most affected by dog fouling. The new bin should be in position inside a week or two. The City Council will then monitor use ...
Less than one year since the Coalition was formed we aren't doing so well in by-elections (with the notable exception of Oldham East and Saddleworth). This was totally predictable. We knew in May 2010 that those who backed us because we were a leftish alternative to Labour would walk away. So would those who liked us as a protest party, forever out of power. And those hacked off with Brown and Labour authoritarianism were likely to flirt with Miliband, even if he currently stands for nothing at all. Our core support remains, and in addition there are still many who ...
Planning committee started late. Most members of the public were still milling around the lobby by five past six after planning officers had shooed them away from Committee Room 1 & 2. Cllr Mitchell started off by welcoming those present to the meeting. However with the seats being many further rows back only those on ...
At Cheadle Area Committee on Tuesday, councillors gave the go-ahead for a build-out to be contructed by the shops on Councillor Lane, at the exit to the one-way section of the Councillor Lane Service Road. This is in Cheadle Hulme North ward and the local councillors – Paul Porgess, June Somekh and John Pantall – have been working on the issue for some time. There's a small section of the service road which is one-way. It's one-way for a very good reason: if it isn't, vehicles can cut through a residential area to get over to Roscoes roundabout (where the ...
Anyone with an MP3 player can now download hundreds of audiobooks for free from a new service available through South Gloucestershire libraries by visiting www.librarieswest.org.uk Members can choose from over 600 titles, which can be downloaded for 3 weeks to a PC, mobile phone or MP3 player. All titles are unabridged and available simultaneously so there are no waiting lists, and loans automatically expire after 3 weeks, unless they are renewed, so no late fees. Titles include The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson, the late Swedish writer whose Millennium Trilogy has been turned into a series ...
Talk is cheap on International Women's Day - Chicken Yoghurt The only international women's day post you need to read. (tags: sexism rape)
The link is to a story (in the telegraph) about another case where someone's mental capacity has been removed without any real fair trial.
Saturday morning in Sheffield this weekend sees the LibDem conference debating two of the areas of coalition which have generated the most controversy: the NHS and the future of the Disability Living Allowance. The motion on the Disability Living Allowance (F4) has been slightly overtaken by events as the debate within government over the Welfare Reform Bill develops and in fact the plans in this area have in effect been sent back to the drawing board. That makes the motion all the more important, because rather than being simply a chance to cast a verdict on what the government has ...
I'm really looking forward to next week when the biennial conference of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum comes to Cardiff. There are delegates from all but one commonwealth countries and not only mayors, councillors and staff of councils but 20+ ... Continue reading →
Daniel Raven-Ellison lives in London and is a lead member of The Geography Collective, a partnership of geography teachers, artists, explorers and academics Many of children's geographies are being severely eroded. Parent-imposed cuts to their freedom to play outdoors have been well documented in the media. At the same time and in Ofsted's own words "geography is in decline in many schools". The combined degradation of many young people's experiences and understanding of their place and connections to the world is a toxic and noxious combination. At home Having the freedom to play outdoors can improve the well-being of children ...
i) births and deaths 9 March 1951: birth of Chris Clough, who directed Terror of the Vervoids (1986), The Ultimate Foe (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988) and Silver Nemesis (1988). 9 March 1997: death of Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, writer of The Daleks (1963-64), The Keys of Marinus (1964), The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), The Chase (1965), Mission to the Unknown (1965), The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66, with Dennis Spooner who always claimed to have done most of the work), Planet of the Daleks (1973), Death to the Daleks (1974), ...
Another week goes by and Ivan Lewis, the Labour MP for Bury South, remains stubbornly silent on the subject of university tuition fees. He raised it with me before Christmas, writing to me and copying in the Bury Times at the height of controversy over the issue, accusing me of betraying young people and, I presume, ...
Numerous residents in Rosefield Street, Forest Park Road and Forest Park Place have been in contact with me recently regarding the City Council's recent proposal to introduce a wheelie bin collection in parts of these streets. Although some residents have welcomed the move away from the old 'traditional' polybin collection as it had its problems, many residents are concerned that in some parts of the area, there may be problems with wheelie bins being left out on the street permanently - an on-going issue in streets like Peddie Street, Blackness Street, Hawkhill and parts of Blackness Road, for example. Both ...
This week's entry in my list of CDs by acts whose work I don't own is a bit of fun: it's Day V Lately from the Yell advert which is currently running on British TV: Andrew
Reading county council cabinet papers is always an education. This week it's a report on next generation (super fast) broadband – how long have we been asking for this? In the report I was intrigued to see that Broadband Delivery United Kingdom, the body responsible for making sure that broadband reaches the parts of the country where internet infrastructure providers will never be able to make a profit, was looking to work with partner organisations capable of running the procurement process and with "skin in the game". Hopefully that includes County Durham. I've led a sheltered life so I had ...
artw: International Women's Day "Have you ever seen a piece of paper clean a bathroom? I'd love to see that." (tags: genderandsexandsexuality) rozk: For International Women's Day The Little Match Girl (tags: poetry genderandsexandsexuality)
I'm getting on for a month behind with my study again *flail* I'm supposed to be in Week 20 of the course at the moment, but I just started reading Week 18's material today (Week 17 was a DVD which I've watched but not really absorbed and need to review) - and it's like wading through sludge. The topic is the economy, immigration and international trading of goods and services, and the words were swimming in front of my eyes without sinking in. Next assignment is to write a report on whether or not money can make you happy, due ...
21 questions this time. The Union should have a stance on international issues: Open minded. I'd want the Union to be neutral on something such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, however, it's fine to support democracy protests in the Middle East, for example. The Union should prioritise its financial security over the demands of students: Yes, see 1:2. The Union should be free to advertise any company without restrictions: Yes, although I am wary of the line between "advertising" and "lobbying for". The Union Trustees must have the final say on policy: Yes, see 1:3 Militant activists should be invited by ...
And part three. I think we'll see convergence of questions a lot from here on out. The Union Trustees must have the final say on policy: Yes. See 1:3. The BNP should be invited by the Union to debate their policies on campus: Yes. Again, this is another free speech thing. I'll write a post about No Platform later, but just for now, let's just leave it here. Militant activists should be invited by the Union to debate their policies on campus: Yes. See 2:3. Speakers accused of supporting terrorism should be allowed to debate their views campus: Yes, key ...
Last week, I took a train to a village that hasn't had a regular rail service since 1964. I took part in a visit with members of the Joint Committee for Strategic Planning and Transport to consider whether re-opening a rail line might be a possibility. The Robin Hood Line, converted from mineral use to passenger use by Notts County Council has been the most successful local train project in the country, and now the Council's rail officer is seeing how to build on that success. In theory it would not be impossibly expensive to divide trains from Mansfield to ...
In government the Liberal Democrats work in coalition and this means that we don't get all our own way. The great thing about being a coalition partner even if we are the junior partner is that manifesto commitments can be achieved. We can't achieve things on our own but isn't that what politics should be about? When the raising of the tax threshold allows nearly a million low-earners to stop paying tax then that's brilliant but we must have voted with others. That's the nature of democracy. At a local level we have a coalition in Lancaster. The Tories decided ...
