As the Council awaits the publication of the latest bombshell report from the Tory Government's Commissioners it is obvious to me and many other seasoned players that there are too many actions being imposed on the council, at present, which ... Continue reading →
The haunted wall of the Prince of Wales Inn at Kenfig makes another appearance, thanks to a tip from a reader. In 2007 Wales on Sunday interviewed the late Howard Marks, who had somehow contrived to become a celebrity drug smuggler, at this very pub: "This pub's got a talking wall, do you want to come and see?" What? "It's haunted. Shall we see if the landlord will show us?" Not exactly a seamless way to change the subject but, hell, let's hear what the wall has to say. Howard shuffles towards the bar and landlord Gareth Maund takes us ...
After a post-Local Election lull, we are back on the campaign trail and our weekly insight into all things by-election are back on the agenda. This week's by-elections present a very mixed picture. We stood a candidate in all four principal elections, which is a great accolade to the Lib Dem ethos of standing candidates universally, but on the night, there were no victories to speak off. Nevertheless, good campaigns were fought, and progress was made across the board. Over at Leamington Clarendon in Warwick, we returned our best result of a lacklustre evening. A commendable second-place finish, with an ...
Conservative Party peer and the largest private funder of public political polling in the UK, Lord Ashcroft, is back with some new focus groups. They've been held in the two constituencies with Parliamentary by-elections coming up: Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton. The Lib Dem campaign in the latter is certainly getting noticed: Participants in both constituencies had been deluged with literature ("I had nine from the Lib Dems last week, all the same person, Richard Foord. If his face comes through my letterbox again... My dog doesn't eat the post but now I wish he did"). Boris Johnson continues to ...
Yes, indeed. This reminds me of a question posed to my husband when he was Mayor. He was visiting a school and the Mayor's attendant that day was also a children's entertainer, and some of the children recognised him. One of them asked "Why does the Mayor need a magician?". But back to the Prime Minister. The role of an Ethics Adviser (technically the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests) was established in 2006. The adviser is appointed directly by the Prime Minister. The Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests is appointed by the Prime Minister to advise him on matters relating ...
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to cut VAT, to help families with the cost of living while keeping soaring inflation in check. It comes as the Chancellor Rishi Sunak rejected calls to cut taxes now as he claimed it could risk fuelling inflation. When the last emergency VAT cut was introduced in December 2008, inflation fell from 4.1% to 3.1%. The ONS also found that the cut to VAT in the hospitality sector in 2020 led to a fall in consumer inflation. The Office of Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that Rishi Sunak is due to rake ...
Thu, 12:48: RT @LOS_Fisher: Tantalisingly oblique reference to the issue behind Lord Geidt's departure in his resignation letter. He says he was plac... Thu, 13:50: RT @EmmanuelMacron: Irpin en Ukraine. Nous avons vu la ville dévastée et les stigmates de la barbarie. Et l'héroïsme, aussi, des Ukrainienn... Thu, 15:27: RT @law_and_policy: The curious resignation letter of Lord Geidt What it says, what it does not say, and what it signifies https://t.co/6... Thu, 18:49: Demons and Dreams: Year's Best Fantasy and Horror v. 1, eds. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling https://t.co/C1wXL23zrb Thu, 20:17: Corpus Christi procession at the Square de Mee�s. ...
Are you using software on your laptop that dates back to the 1980s? It sounds unlikely, although some standard office applications do go back that far – a pre-cursor to Word was first launched in 1983 but it has gone through massive development since then. Indeed everyone who uses it is aware of its frequent upgrades and patches. However it seems the Government is still using software dating from the 1980s which has not been properly maintained and updated. The BBC reports that millions of people have been receiving an incorrect pension for years, because of the failure to update ...
Three principal authority council by-elections this week, along with one delayed election from May due to the death of a candidate. Good news that there's a full slate of Liberal Democrat candidates this time around. (Here's why that matters.) Here are the results: Copt Hill (Sunderland) deferred council election result: LAB: 44.5% (-1.6) IND: 27.8% (+27.8) CON: 17.6% (+4.9) GRN: 7.3% (-3.0) LDEM: 2.8% (+2.8) No other Ind (-31.0) as prev. Votes cast: 2,178 Labour HOLD — Britain Elects (@BritainElects) June 17, 2022
Here's the latest tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held since the last May round of local elections.
Residents have highlighted to us that the pyramid artwork on the West Port needs some TLC. The paintwork around it badly needs a repaint and the area spruced up. We raised this with the Executive Director of City Development at the council who has asked the public art officer to see what can be done to improve this, which is welcome.
Latest eFocus for the local Lib Dem Focus team, just published. Issues covered include bank branch closures, cuts to bus services, housing planned for Dunston Hill derelict school site and much more. Cloci on this link to read eFocus.
