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Thursday 18 April 2013 Job Seekers Allowance
“The Rt Hon Ian Duncan Smith MP used to believe in compassionate Conservatism and the need to act on social justice and poverty in the UK. What we have seen more recently are further symptoms of the Tory Lib Dem Coalition’s failure with the economy and these symptoms illustrate how they react when under pressure. In order to divert blame away from themselves they are directing it at the poor. The Secretary of State for Work & Pensions is now claiming that poverty is not directly due to a lack of money but is instead the result of bad parenting, drug and alcohol addiction, laziness, and the breakup of families. “Over the last few weeks we have seen many more people than usual refused their Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) because they have not applied for the required number of jobs per week. The increase is entirely because the Government have moved the goal posts in this respect as all claimants of JSA now have to apply for these jobs ‘online’. “Firstly, most of the claimants have no access to a computer at home and the vast majority of them have no computer skills at all. Staff numbers in Jobcentres up and down the country have been reduced to such an extent that they are no longer able to help claimants online. Staff are also largely occupied dealing with the "fall out" of those who have lost JSA, their only source of income. “Secondly, there are precious few jobs to apply for. Surely employers want to consider serious job applications from appropriately qualified personnel not material hastily sent off by people with their backs to the wall and in a corner as part of a desperate game of mindless high-speed chess? “Thirdly, the Government has decided that JSA will be paid monthly in arrears into a UK bank account. This means that some of the most vulnerable people in our Society that need support and help will be expected to manage for four weeks without any income or support and will only be able to receive their JSA if they have a bank account which many do not. “If any policy of this Tories/Lib Dem Coalition was designed to get people queuing to get Pay Day Loans or to turn to petty crime it must be this. The inevitable consequence of this is to drive people deeper and deeper into poverty and destitution. Talk about kicking someone when they are down! Saturday 13 April 2013 The ‘Bedroom tax’ and other cuts – Ian Graham Labour Candidate Pendle Central
With regard to the Bedroom Tax, or more correctly, a reduction in housing benefit for people living with a spare room to store much needed medical equipment etc., I have pointed out to Councillor Cooney that my previous letter was sent in before the Government announced their series of U-turns trying to make this unworkable legislation workable. Perhaps I should have waited to see what the Coalition’s policy would be this week on the matter! The idea is fundamentally flawed in the same way as the previous ridiculous Tory idea of the Poll Tax”. Thursday 11 April 2013 By Election Coates Ward – Pendle Borough Council
"Now I wish to serve the people of Coates and give this ward a Labour voice on Pendle Borough Council. "The Liberal Democrats are becoming a spent force in Pendle politics as they continue to prop up the Tories. I can promise each and every Coates resident who raises an issue with me that I will not just listen, I will act to do my very best to get any issue sorted out with the help of my Labour colleagues." Friday 05 April 2013 Balancing the protection of the public against the coalition government’s cuts
"The Police & Crime Commissioner for Lancashire is the people's voice in policing. “Whilst the Coalition Government have slashed the budget for police officers in Lancashire. I have consulted with the public and they have told me consistently that they want me to support PCSOs and neighbourhood policing. To enable me to balance this year's budget and ensure a visible policing presence I took the decision to raise the precept by just 2%. A decision that was supported by the cross-party Police & Crime Panel. “As Labour's Police & Crime Commissioner I will listen to your views and implement them" The Lancashire Police & Crime Plan is available online here Tuesday 02 April 2013 5 things you may not know about welfare
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Pendle Labour Party invites local MP Andrew Stephenson and Pendle Council Leader Joe Cooney to tell us what they are going to do to help Mr & Mrs Blackburn. Tuesday 26 March 2013 Spring Garden and Green Road Mills
I would like to respond to Paul White’s letter criticizing my views on the demolition of Spring Garden and Green Road Mills. If Mr. White had taken the trouble to read what I actually said, he would not have concluded that I was simply against the demolition of the Mill and for the site to be redeveloped. I have had a long and interesting meeting with Mr Stephen Wolfenden, the original owner of the buildings who passed the business over to his sons some time ago and they now own the site. He, like many other Colne residents such as Carol England and David Penney who have expressed their views in your letter pages, is against complete demolition. Far from being stuck in the dark ages and having no idea how the private sector works, I would like to inform Mr. White that in the 1980`s I built up a very successful Textile Business which I eventually sold to George Davies who was CEO of the Next Group PLC. I worked with him on a year’s contract whilst the company was absorbed into the Group. After this I became a divisional director at Lamont holdings PLC, another Textile company, based in Northern Ireland. Since moving to Colne in 2000 I have run my own Sales and Marketing Company specialising in Textile Distribution. The suggestion that I have no idea how the Private Sector works is not only ridiculous but slightly insulting. In the same letters edition we have Tommy Cooney boasting about how much the Tories have cut and how much public money they have saved. I notice there is no mention of the cuts to front-line Police and Health Services, reductions in Working Tax Credits, Housing Benefits, the Granny Tax, a complete lack of support for the poor, hard working and vulnerable people in our community whilst the Coalition gives a Tax break to Millionaires. Borrowing for 2015/16 is soaring towards £80 billion, and claims that Labour would borrow more are false. I want to see jobs and investment in the economy, which is why I support the Labour Party’s proposed policy on a Mansion Tax with its proceeds funding thousands of jobs and apprenticeships for young people. We should be using public money to support fledgling businesses as has been done with the community co-operative shop Mr Paul White has helped set up in Laneshawbridge. However, in my estimation, I would say that without a lot of goodwill from the community, such small local shops will be a thing of the past. Friday 15 March 2013 Labour’s Shadow Environment Minister Mary Creagh MP visit to Colne
Mary also visited the Colne Household Waste Recycling facility that the Lancashire County Labour Party has pledged to reopen should they win back Lancashire County Council in the May elections 2013. At the Primet Centre, Mary talked about Labour’s One Nation strategy for the next General Election and took questions and answers. There was also a group session and members of the public discussed what they would like to see done in their community concerning the environment. Many ideas were put forward and these will all be entered into the Labour Party’s One Nation Website. Amongst other things people wanted to see fly-tipping cleaned up quicker, free solar panels and better insulation available for stone-built terraces. They spoke of wishing to see old houses regenerated and the old mills turned into housing before green fields are taken for development. Mary spoke of her support for bringing back the rail link from Colne to Skipton. After the event, Ian Graham, Labour’s Candidate for Pendle Central 2013, gave Mary a lift over to Skipton Railway station for her to catch a train back to her Wakefield Constituency. Friday 15 March 2013 Rough Justice
“The President of our Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, has warned that the proposed cuts in Legal Aid are a false economy and deny some of our most vulnerable people their right to justice in our Court system. “The already overloaded Court system will become clogged up with cases of people who cannot afford legal representation, representing themselves and putting forward arguments and defences that a Legal Aid or Duty Solicitor would do more efficiently in half the time. “John Fassenfelt, President of the Magistrates Association agrees with Lord Neuberger’s sentiments on this issue and expressed them to the Justice Select Committee on 27th February 2013. Chris Grayling MP Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice was present but seems to have refused to listen. “The English justice system has been the envy of the world but now runs the risk of being biased in favour of those that can afford to buy justice and those that can not. The late Lord Denning may have said that “The Law like the Ritz is open to all” and this will remain so for cases of libel and slander with the failure of the Coalition to implement Leveson – only those who can afford it use these courts. But failing to provide legal aid for those poor people who need it is tantamount to walking past on the other side of the road and not being a Good Samaritan”. Friday 08 March 2013 Bedroom Tax
As far as I can see the task of enforcing this ‘bedroom tax’ will be nigh on impossible as there are many spare rooms that are never used as bedrooms as well as cupboards and box rooms that may be used as baby and children’s bedrooms. It’s an absolute insult that families of soldiers serving our country will have to find extra money for their son or daughter’s bedroom. Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone who is disabled. Foster families will be hit – even if they have foster children in their ‘spare room’. Divorced parents and grandparents will be charged more if they want to keep a spare bedroom for when their children or grandchildren come to stay. Elderly married couples may need to sleep in separate bedrooms for various reasons. To add to the chaos, the Department for Work and Pensions has admitted that there are not enough smaller properties for families to move into, yet it seems the ‘bedroom tax’ will still be remorselessly applied to households that don’t have the option to move. This ‘bedroom tax’ policy is totally unfair, and is being introduced at the same time that the Coalition is cutting tax for 13,000 millionaires to the value of £100,000 a year each on average. Never have a Conservative Government appeared more cavalier in their attitude towards the poor than this Coalition. What would be their reaction if this ‘bedroom tax’ were to be imposed on members of our beloved Royal Family of pension age using the same criteria? By how much would the Civil List money be reduced for all those ‘spare’ bedrooms in the Royal residences such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral and Sandringham to name but a few? Friday 08 March 2013 International Women’s Day – 2013
Selina Cooper was born in Callington, Cornwall and moved with her parents to Barnoldswick. She later lived in Nelson. An activists for the rights of women, Selina Cooper was a member of the North of England Society for Women’s Suffrage, the Women’s Co-operative Guild, the Independent Labour Party and the Cotton Worker’s Union. In 1901 the Independent Labour Party asked Selina Copper to stand as a candidate for the forthcoming Poor Law Guardian elections. Although women had been allowed to stand as candidates since the passing of the Municipal Franchise Act in 1869, no working-class woman had ever been elected to one of these bodies. Although the local newspapers campaigned against Selina Cooper, she was elected. For more information follow this hyperlink or ask the local library to find you a copy of “The Life and Times of a Respectable Rebel – Selina Cooper, 1864 – 1946”. The Author is Jill Liddington. ISBN 0-86068-418-0. Monday 04 March 2013 Source locally
“While I welcome the comments made by Tesco's chief executive to the National Farmers’ Union conference last week, that in light of the horsemeat scandal his company will now source more meat from UK suppliers, I found such comments a little hard to take. Let us not forget it was the big supermarkets’ relentless pursuit of cost reductions under the disguise of globalisation and their drive for increased profits that have resulted in this scandal in the first place. One cannot help but feel this is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. And to judge by the supermarkets’ track record to date, in all likelihood the costs associated with this change of policy will be immediately passed on to the consumer. “Here in Pendle, following confirmation that Lancashire County Council has supplied horse meat to a number of unsuspecting schools across the borough, it is clear that if the County Council had had such a policy then it would not have got itself in to the mess it has. It is clearly high time that LCC adopts a policy to source school food produce from local suppliers, including meat from local farms. “Before the increased cost argument is advanced, let us just take a look at the possibilities. If LCC were to enter into long term partnerships with local suppliers, giving them certainty of supply and long term security, then perhaps that would allow the suppliers to invest in modern farming methods and new technology helping them to increase their productivity which in turn would keep any cost increases to a minimum. “In addition to improving the quality of produce supplied to our children, such a policy would have the advantage of recycling taxpayers’ money into the local economy, supporting and sustaining local jobs. You never know, it may even help create jobs in what is arguably the most important industry of all.” Friday 01 March 2013 Feeling the squeeze
“Families in Pendle are really feeling the squeeze at the moment. People are working harder, for longer, for less - but at the same time, prices continue to go up and up. Tuesday 26 February 2013 Pendle Cllr Ian Tweedie’s unfinished business at the Shackleton Hall, Colne
Thanks to Cllr Tweedie the problem has been remedied and the pavement at the upper entrance to the Shackleton Hall levelled to enable safer access for disabled people. Ian says: “It’s easy for us to overlook the problems faced by disabled people, but I was astonished that this prestigious refurbishment project had failed to accommodate them gaining access to the shopping mall.” Saturday 23 February 2013 Childcare Commission
“Childcare places in Children’s Centres up and down the country are being lost despite David Cameron’s pre-election promise to parents that he backed Sure Start. Government cuts to the childcare element of the working tax credit mean families are up to £1,500 a year worse off. “These cuts mean we have the makings of a childcare crisis that is causing working mums to question whether or not they are better off leaving their jobs altogether. “The Tory-led government’s priorities are clear by the fact that they are giving their millionaire friends a tax cut from April with no guarantee that they will invest their extra cash in the UK. The UK economy is flat lining because of their policies and the longer this failure continues the longer families and businesses will pay the price. “I know from talking to local parents that the cost of childcare is a serious concern, and for some it can provide a real barrier when making the choice of whether or not to do more hours at work. “Tackling this growing childcare crisis is a priority for Labour, which is why the Party has set up a Childcare Commission to come up with new ideas to help support families who want to stay in work”. For further information and to submit your ideas and experiences to the Labour Party Policy Review, please visit www.labour.org.uk/childcarecommission or write to Labour Childcare Commission C/O Pendle Labour Party 33 Carr Road Nelson BB9 7JS. Wednesday 13 October 2013 Beit Leed Twinning
We understand that a representative of the Pendle for Palestine Twinning Group sent a letter to the newspaper three weeks ago to correct this – to date they have chosen not to print it. We also understand that a further letter has been sent to the newspaper explaining that it won’t cost the council taxpayers anything or use council resources for administration. Pendle Labour Party believes that a peaceful negotiated settlement is in the best interest of all the people caught up in the Israel/Palestine conflict. We believe that it is not in the interest of the overwhelming majority of people in Pendle for local politicians to try and create antipathy and confusion by using spurious claims. If you wish to learn more about the relationship which is being developed between Pendle and Beit Leed visit: http://pendlebeitleed.blogspot.co.uk/ Monday 11 February 2013 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust - review of mortality rates
Pendle Labour Vice Chairman Mark Porter says: “Whilst it is true that compared to somewhere like Surrey, Pendle does have a significantly higher mortality rates, they are much lower than say Glasgow and here lays the problem. When carrying out comparative studies, despite the wealth of end-point data, primarily held by insurance companies and pension annuity providers, no adjustment is made to take into account regional variations in other data”. Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Group on Pendle Borough Council says: “There are many underlying reasons for regional mortality rate variations with lifestyle choices such smoking, drinking, eating and exercise all providing primary risk factors. Academics have long debated the underlying causes that impact on the primary risk factors including, location, climate, genetics, employment and financial wealth. " Although all are open to debate, social deprivation is widely acknowledged to be fundamentally instrumental in influencing the lifestyle choices people make. For example, the inability to afford fresh fruit and vegetables, the high cost of private gym memberships and depression. " Pendle Labour Party recognises that these examples are present throughout East Lancashire and with continuing cuts in services such as leisure, luncheon clubs and support group funding, then we are unlikely to see a significant improvement in the short term.” Mark Porter adds: “We do believe that it is now time to return some of our lost services to Burnley General Hospital. Anybody who has recently had to use the facilities at Blackburn Royal Hospital will no doubt agree that they are struggling to cope with the patient numbers coming through the doors because they are full to capacity. They have to use wards in Burnley as holding wards with people being transferred to and fro prior and post operation. Blackburn A&E waiting times have risen and operations cancelled due to a lack of beds. W We would therefore suggest that Mr Andrew Stephenson MP explains just exactly what he is proposing should be done regarding this worsening situation, especially given that the reinstatement of several high profile services to Burnley General Hospital, was among the election promises he made to the people of Pendle”. Friday 08 February 2013 Extracting natural gas from Lancashire shale beds
“A good number of folk have enquired what the Labour Party position is regarding fracking in Lancashire. Fracking is the extraction of natural methane gas from shale beds by drilling down and then using various techniques to free up the gas. Those who have seen the film ‘Gasland’, and the infamous clip of a man turning on a tap to be met with a wall of flames, will appreciate the environmental concerns on the minds of others. “However, apparently, there are huge reserves of such gas within the western part of Lancashire but none directly under Pendle as far as we know. “Tom Greatrex MP Labour’s Shadow Energy Minister, set out the Official Opposition’s six conditions for shale gas exploration and production in an article for Business Green on 7 March 2012: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/opinion/2157329/absolutist-position-shale-gas “The six conditions are:
“In August 2012, Tom Greatrex commented on the report on fracking in Lancashire by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society: 'It is welcome that this report reinforces much of what Labour has been pressing for, for several months. Before shale gas extraction can go ahead, important conditions that have been set by this report and by the Labour Party must be established, met and monitored'. Friday 01 February 2013 Tories selling Pendle's people short
At a time when the Government is making major changes to the system, this upheaval will only add to people's legitimate worries and confusion. “The county council’s Welfare Rights Service has been around for over 20 years and has provided advice to thousands of residents when dealing with the benefits system. It has reduced the North-South wealth divide in the UK by bringing hundreds of thousands of pounds into Lancashire by helping people claim what they are entitled to. Now BT will make profits out of the most disadvantaged people in the County at their time of greatest need. “Despite 1000’s of people signing a petition against the unpopular plan to sell off the Welfare Rights Service, the Tories have gone ahead, turning a blind eye to our concerns. “In Pendle we already know the abject disregard that the Tories at County Hall have for petitioners such as those against the closure of the Colne Household Waste Recycling Centre. In Colne we’ve seen again their contempt for poor people with their closure of the Social Services Office on Market Place on 31st January. With less than 6 months to go to the County Council elections and with the opinion polls leaning heavily towards Labour, I hope your readers will take note that the Tories may be throwing caution to the wind with some of their final acts of social vandalism.”. Tuesday 29 January 2013 Cuts to Pendle Council Budget
Last week saw the latest GDP figures released and whilst they did not come as a surprise to most it did highlight that as a country we now stand on the precipice of entering the uncharted waters of a triple dip recession. The lack of growth will result in further cuts by central government as they continue to ignore the advice of many leading economists and continue on to steer the ship in to the economic abyss. So what will this mean for the good people of Pendle? Well last week Lord Greaves highlighted that Pendle council is facing cuts of 17% for 2013 with worse to come in 2014-2016 despite the governments claims that no council would bit hit with cuts higher than 8.5% this year. He explained the budget was £13 million in 2009 and will be reduced to £7 million in 2014 concluding that the system for local council funding is so crazy nobody could make it up. Well as we all know that is simply not true, because it has been dreamt up by the crew manning the Westminster destroyer, which is causing the tidal waves amongst council budgets. The crew is made up of Tories propped up by the Lib Dems in much the same fashion as Pendle council itself. Steering the ship from the galley is none other than the community secretary Eric Pickles himself with fingers firmly in the biscuit barrel demanding more cuts. He wants Council tax frozen, yet expects the good ship Pendle to continue sailing along with no loss of the services that the local people want and deserve. Just how he proposes to do this is beyond me; however, perhaps our Local MP Andrew Stephenson could enlighten the people of Pendle how this will be achieved given that he, along with the Pendle Council Leader, Joe Cooney agreed with the cuts. Mr Stephenson was quoted as saying “this is a good financial settlement for Pendle” his view of the situation appears to be based on his submission that it could have been worse had he and councillor Cooney not lobbied for Pendle to be allowed to bid for an Efficiency Support Grant which could be worth up to £949,000. Whilst it has been a while since I was at school I have still managed to retain basic arithmetic skills provided to me when I sat my GCSE’S, although I must admit you do not need to be a mathematician to work out that £13million minus £7 million plus £949,000 leaves a shortfall of just over £5 million. Finally, although 2012 marked the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, with all its connections to Pendle, I fear that with the current captains at the helm continuing to navigate us both locally and nationally on the proverbial Zambezi heading towards Victoria Falls it is only a matter time before Pendle is once again associated with another sinking ship. Monday 21 January 2013 The Palestine twinning debate – David Foat
David Foat, Secretary of Pendle CLP commenting on the letters said: "It seems to me that quite of few of the arguments in letters to the paper against twinning with Beit Lid could equally well apply to other towns Pendle is twinned with such as Marl in Germany and Creil in France. I understand that Pendle is also currently considering twinning with a town in Morocco. "A lot of confusion may have arisen because of an earlier article proclaiming that Beit Lid was in Gaza. The town is not in Gaza but to the north of Tel Aviv. Marl is twinned with Hertzliya which is the richest part of Israel with a huge marina and Creil is twinned with Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Beit Lid is somewhere between the two and already has considerable long-standing ties with Pendle. "Twinning is to promote cultural and commercial ties. The vast population of non-Jewish residents in Israel live in peace with the Jews and twinning will help maintain the peace". Friday 18 January 2013 Let’s make banking work
Apparently, had Labour have borrowed £billions more and saved the bank, this would have maintained the integrity of all the problems associated with Lehmans that now have to be dealt with piecemeal. So Labour are damned for borrowing too much and damned for not borrowing enough! That having been said, we are all, politicians and bankers alike, looking for a way forward with the banking sector, the deficit and the economy. With the Lib Dem Tory ‘Merlin Project’ being an abysmal failure, all the Tories can suggest is ‘cutting red tape’ for the banks. I think this is hardly the answer and we need better regulation of banking rather than less of it. One local success story that has been seized on nationally has been David Fishwick’s ‘Bank of Dave’. I understand that there has even been a presentation by David Fishwick in November 2012 to MPs and Peers in Parliament to explain how he has been able to lend out money while other banks appear struck down with intertia. Seema Malhotra MP, Chair of Labour Party Backbench Business, Innovation and Skills Group says there are no reasons why Dave’s model of banking cannot be emulated more widely. Figures from the Bank of England show that lending to businesses has contracted and fallen by more than £13 billion, while the Ernst & Young ITEM club has predicted that bank lending has fallen to its lowest level since 2006. And, according to Insolvency Service statistics, over 37,000 businesses have gone bust since the 2010 general election. Although ‘Bank of Dave’ is not really a bank but more like a series of interlinked products and services called ‘Burnley Savings and Loans’ that has restricted cash turnover to £25,000 per week, over the last 12 months ‘Bank of Dave’ has overseen £700,000 of loans granted to local small and medium enterprises in the North West. The key distinctive feature appears to be the importance of relationships in his banking model - knowing the entrepreneur and the business as part of the assessment of risk - a much more personalized risk assessment than a centrally driven ‘conservative’ formula. The Labour Party has a vision for our country of a more competitive banking industry, where small businesses know that there is a banking system working for them. What we see with ‘Bank of Dave’ and Metro Bank [in Hounslow] is exactly the change in the relationship between branches and community businesses which Labour is calling for – a streamlined relationship-based access to finance to support local enterprises. We do however need more than just individual entrepreneurs helping businesses in odd parts of Britain: we need action from this Government to encourage and support entrepreneurs across the nation in all communities by providing access to finance. The Labour Party is also developing plans for a proper British Investment Bank, and has commissioned a report that has laid out the case for such a bank, looking at comparisons abroad and how to boost finance to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), such as high growth firms, and to infrastructure too. The UK is alone amongst the G8 countries without such a state investment institution. Friday 11 January 2013 Driving a bus through their pledges – David Johns
Coalition Government Ministers promised that cuts in funding would not lead to the loss of local bus services, yet many communities have seen vital services disappear while fares have risen on average by double the rate of inflation. Despite buses delivering two-thirds of all journeys made using public transport in Britain, the Government chose to cut funding for local transport by 28 per cent and direct support for local bus services by a fifth. Local authorities such as Lancashire have consequently not been able to sustain the previous level of support for commercially unviable but socially necessary bus services. Research has shown that one in five council supported bus routes were cut or reduced last year and 41 per cent of local authorities had to axe services. Where services have been protected, bus companies have often increased fares to make up for the revenue lost through cuts to subsidies. Lancashire County Council is currently carrying out a consultation about proposed cuts to bus services. The service 95 is particularly under threat now that they have used up the £550,000 subsidy from Boundary Mill. I also fear for the future of service 280 that supplies important connections between Skipton, Barnoldswick, Clitheroe, and Preston, and which is linked in with the National Express coaching network. Pensioners, who were promised by David Cameron that their bus pass was safe, have found that his promise did not extend to ensuring there was a local bus service on which to use it, risking increased isolation and reduced access to shops and services. Elsewhere, transport authorities who seek to use the legislation passed by Labour when in government to re-regulate bus services, giving them control over fares and routes, have found themselves frustrated by the bus companies and a lack of support from this slapstick coalition Government. It seems eminently sensible that the more profitable routes should subsidise socially necessary bus services and this is what re-regulation would permit. Friday 04 January 2013 The Coalition Government is making working families pay for the Coalition’s own failure – Ian Tweedie
“Working families in Pendle will be amazed that the Lib Dem/Tory Coalition is asking them to pick up the tab for their failure at the same time as the Coalition gives a £3 billion tax cut to their millionaire chums. “The 8,300 working families who receive Working Tax Credits in Pendle are facing this strivers tax because this government has failed on jobs and growth. “Last month the Coalition Government admitted their Work Programme is worse than doing nothing, leaving millions locked out of work and pushing the benefit bill through the roof - an eye-watering £13.6bn higher than expected. “In October 2012 there were 2087 unemployed benefit claimants in Pendle but only 275 vacancies. That’s 7.6 claimants per vacancy. 990 claimants were referred to the Work Programme but only 10 were found jobs. Since 2010, there has been a significant cut in the number of jobs per person in Pendle. “To pay down the price of that failure they are raiding the budget of their own Universal Credit programme which was supposed to make sure you’re always better off in work. Instead the scheme will lock in their Working Tax Credit cuts. “Taking into account everything George Osborne announced in the Autumn Statement, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says that one-earner families with children will on average be £534 a year worse off by 2015. Yet 8,000 millionaires will get an average tax cut of over £107,000 in April.” Friday 28 December 2012 Deep cuts to local Cancer Network
“Despite Lib Dem Tory Coalition Ministers’ repeated promises that funding for these vital groups of experts would be protected, figures released show that in Lancashire & South Cumbria our local cancer network has seen its budget cut by £843,000 since 2009/10. “Meanwhile, the Government’s NHS reorganisation is causing huge uncertainty and confusion about the future of cancer networks – destabilising the crucial services and support they provide. “Reduced funding and another top-down upheaval in the NHS is forcing many of these groups of local specialists to cut their workforce, reduce existing and future projects to improve patient care, and reject additional grants from charities as they are unable to make commitments into 2013/14. “Across England, Cancer Network budgets have been cut on average by over a quarter since 2009/10, and their staff by a fifth in the same period. “The figures are even more disturbing when taken in the context of the latest research published by cancer research which suggests, that by 2027 50% of the male population will suffer from some form of cancer in their lifetime with the figures for females not much better, now is the time for increased funding not reduced. “Today across Lancashire we can see yet another broken promise from the Tory-led Coalition Government on the NHS. “Over the time Labour was in Government, we delivered fantastic improvements in the treatment of cancer patients, and the work of local Cancer Networks was key to this achievement. Yet despite Coalition Ministers’ assurances they would protect local cancer experts, we can see that funding for our local network has fallen by 43% over the last 4 years. “As a result of David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s unnecessary structural reorganisation of the NHS, these crucial networks are being cut, their future is now uncertain, and it is patients in Lancashire that will pay the price of the Government’s failure”. Friday 21 December 2012 Seasons Greetings
“I would also like to thank all those Nelson South Labour Party members who recently took part in the selection of a replacement Labour County Council Candidate for 2013. Nelson South County Councillor George Adam is standing down in 2013 and we would all like to say what an excellent councillor George has been for the Labour Party. His will be a hard act to follow but I am pleased to say that Nelson South members have chosen me to contest their division for Labour in 2013. “Thanks too to all those on the short list who made this selection process a good example of democracy at work within the Labour Party. It was a difficult choice for Nelson South members as each person on the short list would have made an exceptionally good Labour Party candidate for Nelson South. “Nelson residents will already know me from when I was Leader of Pendle Council some years ago and since then I have worked with Pendle Labour Party on various matters concerning Nelson especially in the face of the Lib Dem and Tory austerity cuts which have gone too far, too fast. Most recently I was involved in the incredible battle to save Pendle Community Hospital. “The threat to Pendle Community Hospital was and is real. Beds and services were going to be transferred out. Our petition gathered over 8,000 signatures to ensure that the Hospital remained open, securing another 3 years of transitional funding from the NHS. Many leading Pendle Lib Dems and Tories signed the Labour Party petition and we shall carry on the fight to secure the long-term future of the Hospital. “Elsewhere, the Tories are starting to sell off our NHS and feathering their own nest at the same time. The first NHS hospital to be run by a private company has revealed that losses in the firm's first six months in charge were almost double those forecast - £4.1million. Circle Health took over management of Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire in February 2012. However, over the last few years, shareholders in Circle Health have given the Conservative Party £1.4million. “The donations, made since 2001, lift the lid on the relationship between the private health lobby and the Tories. They want to “carve up” the NHS for their wealthy chums in big business. Records also show Tory MP Mark Simmonds is paid £50,000 a year by Circle for 10 hours’ work a month. “If you care about the NHS and want to see it properly protected from the Tory cuts then please show your support by signing Labour’s petition at http://www.labour.org.uk/real-change-nhs.” Tuesday 18 December 2012 Labour Councillor welcomes Vivary Bridge improvements
“This part of Colne has become rather neglected of late. With the funding secured we should be able to brighten up this area with some landscaping and flower beds. The shrubbery at Hyde Park has already been cut back and I’m looking forward to seeing the improvements to the gardens on Vivary Way in the spring. There will also be some power cleaning at the bottom of Lancaster Street which was declared a ‘heritage street’ some years ago. ” Ian adds: “The work will be undertaken by Pendle’s Environmental Action Group.” Monday 10 December 2012 Osborne's Autumn budget piles even more austerity agony on women
“The first question to ask about the Autumn Statement is ‘what contribution will the banks make?’ The increased national debt’s really as a result of the tax income from banking suddenly drying up since the international credit crisis. Although quite whether people in charge of the banking sector could have foreseen the credit crisis any more than politicians of all political persuasions should have done is also a big question. In 2014/15, the Tory Chancellor is raising an additional £545 million through the bank levy but almost three times more, £1.43bn, is being taken from tax credits and discretionary benefits in the same year. “While millionaires get a tax cut, it is millions of struggling families on middle and modest incomes who are paying the price for this government’s economic failure. A working family with children on £20,000 will lose £279 a year from next April on the same day that 8,000 millionaires get an average tax cut of over £107,000. “This includes the impact of the income tax personal allowance increase. It also includes all the other policy decisions the Coalition Government have taken in past Budgets and Autumn Statements, but it does not include the £450 a year worse a family will be as a result of the VAT increase. “The Lib Dem Tory Government claim to be targeting work-shy claimants, but around 60 per cent of households hit by the real terms cuts to benefits and tax credits are working households. For the unemployed seeking work, there are precious few jobs to find due to the Coalition’s failure to keep the economy going. “Restricting the up-rating of Child Benefit for the three years from 2014/15, by half of what families were expecting, will take almost £175 million in support away from children in 2014/15 alone. “The planned rise in the personal allowance for income tax does lift some people out of taxation. However, whilst around 57 per cent of the beneficiaries of this move are male, the policy does little to boost the incomes of the approximately 4 million people who currently earn too little to pay tax, around 73 per cent of whom are women. “Overall we find that it’s women who are paying more than three quarters of the cost to household income from the Coalition Government’s deficit reduction plan. Women will be hit four times harder by tax and benefit changes than men. Of the £1.065 billion from new direct tax, tax credit and benefit changes announced in this Autumn Statement in 2014/15, 81 per cent (£867 million) will be coming from women. “Despite repeated warnings from women across the country that their budgets are disproportionately impacting women’s incomes, George Osborne, Nick Clegg and David Cameron keep coming back for more to pay for their failure to get the economy growing. The Government’s blind spot on women is going from bad to worse. Of the £16.03bn raised in 2014/15 through net direct tax, benefit, pay and pension changes since the General Election, £12.14bn is coming from women and £3.89bn is coming from men. This leaves women shouldering 76 per cent of the cost of reducing the deficit.”. Friday 07 December 2012 Christian Aid Green Climate Fund
“The United Kingdom is on schedule to meet international obligations and is taking a leadership role on the Green Climate Fund. However, that role could be strengthened if the Tory-led Government would answer many necessary questions in regard to the CCF, like when and where it will be spent. Not having a plan for executing spending £2.9 billion in the case of a time sensitive issue, where millions of children need to be protected from natural disasters, poverty, and hunger, is not the best way to instil confidence in the United Kingdom as a positive international leader on climate change. It’s therefore prudent to cautiously welcome the £2bn of UK climate aid, announced by the Tory-led Government at the latest round of climate change talks in Dohar. This is going towards building wind turbines in Africa and making cattle ranchers in Colombia plant trees. “The Shadow International Development Minister, Rushanara Ali MP, leads on this policy area. If anyone is interested in finding out more about Labour’s plans regarding the Green Climate Fund, and the ways in which they are helping developing countries around the world adapt to climate change please visit Labour’s Shadow International Development Team website at http://www.labourdfidteam.org.uk/. There you can keep up to date with the Shadow International Development team’s activity and sign up for their newsletter. You can also find more resources about Climate Change, on the Labour Campaign for International Development website at http://lcid.org.uk/. “A further Christian Aid campaign draws attention to the contribution that international shipping makes to greenhouse gas emissions. The Committee on Climate Change has concluded that emissions from international aviation and shipping should be formally included in the UK’s carbon budgets. Emissions from these sectors were initially left out of carbon budgets and the 2050 emissions reduction target when the Climate Change Act became law. Under the Act, a decision on the inclusion of emissions from international aviation and shipping is required by the end of 2012. Labour agrees with the CCC that formal inclusion of these emissions will ensure a more transparent and comprehensive framework under the Climate Change Act and provide more certainty. It’s disappointing that the Lib Dem Tory Government has so far refused to accept this common sense measure.”. Thursday 06 December 2012 Public apology called for from BNP and Tories
Cllr Shore said: “I was very angry that both BNP and Conservatives had made out that I was a liar and a cheat. In my decades of service to the people of Pendle, I have never abused my position and never will”. Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Mohammed Iqbal who had called for the investigation said: “I am publicly calling upon the local Conservative Party and British National Party leaders to do the decent thing and apologise to Cllr Shore. It has been proven that she did nothing wrong. They were wrong to print lies and should now apologise to her publicly” Friday 30 November 2012 Coalition’s deep cut for Pendle
“Data gathered by Newcastle City Council show how the Lib Dem Tory Coalition is to impose central government funding cuts on local authorities in the forthcoming years. Newcastle has considered money provided to 330 local authorities directly and also through schemes such as the new homes bonus and the council tax freeze. “Over a three year period, the divide between North and South is to be aggravated. Tory councils in the South such as Elmbridge, Wokingham and Richmond on Thames will receive a very small cut of £16 per head of population and yet only have child poverty levels of 10%. The fifty poorest Councils receive cuts on average of £160 per head. “In the marginal Tory-held constituency of Pendle, the loss amounts to £92.22 per head with child poverty level at 22% but David Cameron’s local authority of West Oxfordshire is losing just £34.33 per person with child poverty level at 8.1%. “The real enemies in Pendle are not only poverty, inadequate housing and unemployment – we must include this Tory-led Coalition too.”. Friday 16 November 2012 Well Done Clive
Our congratulations also go to Andy Sawford who overturned a deficit of 1,951 votes into a whopping Labour majority of 7,791 over the Conservative candidate in the Corby parliamentary by-election. The Liberal Democrats lost their deposit. Corby election results are seen as a strong indicator of who will win the next General Election. The result indicates a swing of about 13% from the Conservatives. Congratulations also to Labour’s Steven Doughty who won the Cardiff South and Penarth by-election with a swing of over 8% from the Conservatives despite the low turnout. The Manchester Central by-election was won by Labour’s Lucy Powell. There were substantial swings against both Coalition parties with the Liberal Democrat vote down by nearly 17%. The Tory candidate losing his deposit as he only managed 754 votes, less than 5% of the total turnout. Well done Lucy! Our congratulations also go to all the other Labour candidates who won their elections for Police and Crime Commissioners. The overall result was something of a mixed bag, with a surprising number of ‘Independent’ candidates taking about ten seats, which would have normally been expected to have been won by the Conservative Party. The jury is still out on how politically independent some of these candidates really are. There remains considerable concern about the need for these elections, the Coalition Government’s timing of the elections and their failure to provide information about candidates to voters. These issues were no doubt significant reasons why voters failing to get on their feet and vote. Thursday 15 November 2012 European Union Budget
“Mr Pendle specifically referred to the monthly trips the EU Parliament makes from Brussels to Strasbourg. The Labour Party group of MEPs wants an end to this for three reasons:
“With regards to the EU budget the Labour Party group of MEPs believes that the European Union's spending must prioritise job creation and economic growth, it should reform agriculture spending and put a stop to harmful export subsidies. In a time of crisis, when public authorities across the EU are cutting vital services, it’s not right that in Brussels it should be business as usual. Why is the EU still planning to subsidise tobacco farming? The priority right now is to cut waste, go for growth and deliver a real term freeze in the Budget. The EU must now start a root and branch reform of its agricultural spending (CAP). Action and not words are now needed. This is why the Labour Party joined forces with Tory rebels at Westminster on 31 October to defeat Cameron and Clegg’s proposal to increase the EU budget. Our Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson blandly toed the Party line. "In Brussels Labour MEPs have recently voted against the EU budget for the years 2014-20 as well as the budget proposal for the year 2013. Glenis Wilmot, Leader of the Labour MEPs said, “It is not acceptable to the Labour Party that the EU is threatening to abolish the UK rebate before it has undertaken what we consider to be essential house management”. Sunday 11 Novemebr 2012 Thousands of nursing jobs cut
“Statistics released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre this week show that the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by the NHS has fallen by 6,191 since Cameron became Prime Minister in May 2010. “Between June and July this year over 800 posts alone were lost, the centre’s workforce statistics for England show. “Despite his election promises David Cameron has cut the NHS budget two years running and turned it upside down with a wasteful and unnecessary £3 billion reorganisation. “Over 6,000 nursing jobs have now been cut on his watch and the cuts are especially bad in the North West with 1,728 fewer nurses working on the frontline than two years ago. “Patients are paying the price for Cameron’s broken promises as more people wait longer in A&E and the number of patients left waiting on trolleys in hospital corridors is up by a third. “It’s time for Cameron to get his priorities straight and deliver on his election promise to protect the NHS and put patients’ needs first.”. If you care about the NHS and want to see it properly protected from the Tory cuts then please show your support by signing Labour’s petition. Friday 02 November 2012 Mr Stephenson is wrong to be singing the Coalition’s praises. – David Johns
“As a Labour Party member I must admit that the recent fall in unemployment is a welcome chink of light in an otherwise very bleak economic outlook. But frankly, when the welfare bill is spiralling £25 billion over this parliament, Mr Stephenson is wrong to be singing the Coalition’s praises. “There are now red lights flashing warning that Britain is becoming a much divided country. “Long-term unemployment has actually risen yet again. The number of young people out of work and claiming benefits for more than a year actually went up yet again, and three-quarters of Britain has higher unemployment than at the time of the 2010 General Election. More than a third of people out of work have been jobless for more than a year in the clearest sign yet that the Lib Dem Tory coalition’s Work Programme is not doing the job. It has been shown clearly that there is always very strong correlation between levels of male long-term unemployment and crime levels. At a time when Cameron and Clegg are cutting back on the Police, happen this would make good news for an insurance broker? “Since September 2011, in Pendle the number of people aged 18 to 24 claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance for over twelve months has gone up from 5 to 100 - an increase of some 1900%.” Friday 26 October 2012 Searching for Sid
It seems barely a month goes by without one energy company or another announcing inflation-busting price rises of between 6 and 18 % with British gas the latest to announce a 6 % increase on top of the 31% increase British gas has inflicted on its customers over the last 2 years which has resulted in £4.8billion profits for 2011. This is in addition to Npower’s announcement of an 8.8% rise in gas price and 9.1% rise in electricity costs despite the government claiming inflation to be running at 2.2%. The result of these increases will force many more households to make the stark choice this winter between eating and heating, adding to the almost 5 million households already in fuel poverty. Sadly with the local cuts in funding to the luncheon clubs it is the elderly that are once again going to be hardest hit. Last Wednesday saw Cameron announce he would legislate against the energy companies forcing them to place households on the lowest tariffs only for a number of his Lib Dem Tory Coalition Ministers to contradict his claims resulting in him having to retract his commitment. This is hardly surprising when you learn that Centrica’s (British Gas) major shareholders happen to be Tory party donors with donations totalling over £1.4million in the last 2 years! With History being the only true teacher, the question is have the Tories learnt from their past mistakes of privatisation and outsourcing which places Joe public at the mercy of an artificial market governed by corporate greed for their essential public utilities and services? I would argue the answer is an emphatic NO. Soaring energy bills are hurting families and pensioners, already hit by the double dip recession made in Downing Street by Cameron and Clegg. The Government has to get a grip on energy bills. It’s not good enough for out of touch Ministers to tell people to shop around. The Government should get behind Labour’s plans to put all over-75s on the cheapest tariff and overhaul the energy market to deliver fair prices for all. Friday 19 October 2012 Stop the badger cull – Sheena Dunn
“A British government pilot scheme allowing certain farmers to "free shoot" badgers in prescribed areas was set up on Monday 17 September. This causes the badger population to scatter over a wide area. “I fully understand the desperation of farmers affected by this devastating disease. TB in cows is a terrible disease that needs to be controlled, but this cull isn't the way to do it. Vaccination rather than shooting has already been shown to significantly reduce the disease in the badger population. It's more sustainable and humane. Even the former Coalition Government Defra Minister said that vaccination is the best long term approach to tackle the disease”. North West Labour MEP, Arlene McCarthy said: “There's been recent British research on cattle vaccines and Labour MEPs will work hard to put pressure on the European Commission to speed up the process to allow the use of new vaccines”. Lord Krebs, the Oxford scientist who instigated the previous Labour government's scientific trial, has described the government's cull as "a crazy scheme." He says: "If the cull wipes out whole badger populations, this would put the UK in breach of the Berne Convention on wildlife protection as it is a protected species under both European and UK law". Tuesday 16 October 2012 Pendle Labour welcomes revised boundary proposals
The whole process has been completely anti-democratic, as it has delayed the selection of opposition candidates for parliamentary constituencies by years. Pendle voters should remember that Stephenson had nearly four years to "work the constituency" before 2010, supported by vastly more funding than other parties had available. This included cash from the notorious Lord Ashcroft who as far as we know still hasn't met the tax obligations required of him when he was given his peerage by the then Tory boss, William Hague. Tuesday 16 October 2012
Cllr Adam said: “Both St Paul’s CE Primary School and Walverden Primary School are in my patch. One was threatened by the Tory administration at County Hall with being moved into the neighbouring town, Brierfield, if it wanted to expand. The other was under threat of being forced by Secretary of State Michael Gove into becoming an academy, against the wishes of its staff, governors and parents.” St Paul’s – credit where credit is due Councillor Adam continued: “I’m pleased to say that following a campaign by local parents and councillors the County Council were persuaded to back down and locate the new St Paul’s school on the former Edge End site as we wanted.” “I don’t believe this would have happened without the support and publicity given to the St Paul’s campaign by local councillors such as Eileen Ansar, Julie Henderson, Abdul Aziz and myself. It was Labour Councillors after all who got the motion passed at Pendle Council that made the County Council work with Pendle on a solution that would meet the wishes of the school community.” “So it was a bit galling to see that Pendle’s Conservatives had sent out a self-congratulatory press release even before the end of the call-in period following the County Council’s decision to approve the expansion on the Edge End site. A quote from a ‘delighted’ Joe Cooney seems inappropriate when he had nothing to do with the campaign. And an equally delighted Andrew Stephenson in fact made no public pronouncements on the issue at the time when it mattered. As with so many controversial issues locally, he just keeps his head down and moves on to the next easy photo opportunity.” “Sadly, Mr McGowan, who played a good part in the campaign, discovered he would be unable to advance his political career through the Labour Party on this issue, and went off to advance it with the Tories. His very brief Labour Party membership, which was subject to local party endorsement, was not accepted as a result of his behaviour.” Walverden Primary School – forcing the Education Department to back down “Across the country, Education Secretary Michael Gove has been forcing or bribing schools to leave Local Authority control and become academies – answerable to Michael Gove.” “Walverden Primary School saw no reason to leave Lancashire County Council, believing that it was getting the best support possible from the County’s Children and Young People’s Department. And the Tory chiefs at County Council supported them, writing to the Minister saying they were highly reluctant to force the school to change status, as it was performing satisfactorily and had a robust improvement plan in place.” “Sadly that didn’t stop them doing what they were told and the School received its “academisation” notice. But then the School appealed for help to the school inspectors, Ofsted, who supported them, and the threat was lifted. Another success for Nelson South – but Gove’s programme marches on.” “And where was our MP on this issue? Despite his visiting the school there was nothing on his website about it, let alone a reply to Labour Councillor David Whalley who challenged him at a Pendle Council meeting to state his position publicly. It was head down time again – the issue was just too controversial.” Friday 12 October 2012
There is outrage amongst disability charities at the news that the Lib Dem Tory Government has set up a new quango, the Disability Action Alliance, to produce disability policies and then secretly appointed Disability Rights UK (DRUK) to run it. News came out only after the deal was done and some angry charities are now trying to get questions asked in the House of Commons about what went on behind closed doors. The new organisation is supposed to help ensure that government policy gets the best possible outcome for disabled people. But the Alliance is made up of private companies more concerned about making profits than supporting disabled people, public sector organisations more concerned about saving money, and by charities like DRUK which are heavily and increasingly dependent on government cash to stay afloat. There is particular disquiet from disability charities such as RNIB and the UK Disabled People’s Council that DRUK was chosen to lead the new body without any consultation or appointment process that would have allowed others to take part. The appointment includes a fee for DRUK, whose head Liz Sayce wrote the report recommending the closure of Remploy factories for genuine disabled people which the Lib Dem Tory Government is now putting into action. This is a perfect example of a government that knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Meanwhile, the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) has been forced to reveal what really becomes of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) claimants who are found 'fit for work'. According to a DWP survey recently uncovered by a Freedom of Information request, 55% of claimants found 'fit for work' were left unemployed and without any income. A further 30% were in receipt of benefits and only 15% had found employment. A former nurse, Joyce Drummond, who was employed by the controversial capability assessor, the French-owned firm Atos, has blown the whistle: she was forced to manipulate tests so that disabled people were deemed fit for work. The contract is worth £110m a year to Atos, and the appeals cost the taxpayer another £60m a year. From 8 April 2013 the Lib Dem Tory Government is introducing yet another new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for eligible working age people aged 16 to 64. A Freedom of Information response has revealed that Atos’ contract for carrying out DLA to PIP transfer medicals includes a very hefty profit of £40 million if the company manages to put 15% more people through medicals than expected in Scotland and Northern England. The “Atos Risk Management Plan” shows that they will make more than £28 million even if they only examine the expected number of claimants. However, there is no evidence of any penalty for getting it wrong in tens of thousands of cases as they currently do with ESA. Aristotle has been often quoted as saying you can judge a nation by the way they treat their most vulnerable citizens. What does all this say about the Lib Dem Tory Coalition Government? Friday 05 October 2012 HSE begins Fee for Intervention
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) new cost recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention (FFI), came into force on Monday 1 October 2012. Under The Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations 2012, those who break health and safety laws are liable for recovery of HSE’s related costs, including inspection, investigation and taking enforcement action. “Each year around 170 people are fatally injured at work and more than 100,000 serious injuries are reported to HSE. These incidents devastate lives, causing untold suffering and grief – not to mention millions of working days being lost as result and a cost to society of billions of pounds every year. What makes matters worse is that many of these incidents are caused by the same basic safety mistakes that have been injuring and killing people for decades. Inspectors routinely spot these failures when visiting workplaces across Britain. “Often it is the most basic of safety mistakes in the workplace that can devastate lives and result in real costs to industry. It is right that those who fail to meet their legal obligations should pay HSE’s costs. “You could be responsible for a workplace hazard that is simple and easy to prevent. Over 10,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a slip or trip at work in 2008/09. Over 4,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height in 2008/09. “The many businesses that comply with their legal obligations will continue to pay nothing. Business that are concerned may obtain further information and advice from the HSE website. Sunday 30 September 2012 Public Meeting: Can a Land Value Tax kick-start the economy?
The speaker, Dave Wetzel from the Labour Land Campaign, gave an entertaining history of past campaigns to introduce a Land Tax and asked if a Land Value Tax could kick-start our present economy. This was followed by a question-and-answer with the audience. Land Value Tax cannot be avoided – unlike income tax and business taxes where tax avoidance experts can help the rich evade paying their dues. The Labour Land Campaign believes moving to a Land Value Tax would encourage new capital investment, bring empty sites into use and reduce urban sprawl, and combat property inflation. The audience listened to Dave Wetzel relate how successful a Land Tax has been in Pennsylvania. After witnessing the huge improvements in the urban scene at Harrisburg following its introduction 21 towns in the State have also brought in similar measures. Unemployment is down, crime is down and the city centre is rejuvenated. There were also questions about the Private Members Bill currently in Parliament from Caroline Lucas the Green Party MP and seconded by a Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins. A similar scheme is already working well in Denmark. Friday 28 September 2012 ‘The Million Meal Appeal’ – Sheena Dunn
“Shoppers can donate food to help local people in crisis is being organised by charity FareShare and Sainsbury's stores across the country, including Colne on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October. Customers will be encouraged to buy an extra item of food from the Million Meal Appeal shopping list to give to the Appeal. Donations will be collected as shoppers leave the store. FareShare will then deliver the donated food to over 700 charities and community projects across the UK to help families in need. Sainsbury’s will match the level of food donations collected over the weekend. “The Million Meal Appeal comes as the economic crisis deepens and the rising costs of living hits households in Pendle hard. Food prices rose by more than four per cent over the last year and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimate that around 5.8 million people in the UK struggle to afford everyday essentials like food. “The Million Meal Appeal will help local families struggling with rising living costs and cuts to tax credits. Last year the Million Meal Appeal collected food for 1.2 million meals for disadvantaged people with Sainsbury's customers buying an additional item of food for FareShare, which the charity then distributed to hostels, day centres, breakfast clubs and local projects. “Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, who is leading the Breadline Britain campaign nationally has said: “More and more families are feeling the squeeze from higher food bills and struggling to make ends meet. It is a disgrace that even though we are the seventh richest country in the world we face an epidemic of hidden hunger, particularly in children.” “Cllr Dunn added “I hope shoppers in Pendle will support the Million Meal Appeal as well as similar non-party political charity appeals at our other local superstores. I am supporting the Million Meal Appeal and I urge others to visit www.fareshare.org.uk to see how they can help.” Saturday 22 September 2012 Labour Councillor calls for taxi law reform
After all the complaints about the round-the-houses bus services in Pendle, Cllr Tweedie and Pendle Labour Party heard that the Law Commission were carrying out a review of English Taxi Law and wrote the following submission to their consultation: “In your list of provisional proposals, as far as I can see there is no mention of legalising 'Share Taxis' that would enable taxis to operate a bus-type service on routes round houses. There are a lot of complaints currently being directed to the Labour Party locally about the round-the-houses buses missing out streets if access looks problematic as well as complaints about damage to cars caused by these buses. Bus drivers have been told that they will be responsible for paying for damage to cars. One conclusion is that there's a clear need for 'Share-Taxis' in Pendle and with modern cell phone networks these would be a bonus. Both Operators and consumers could call for extra taxis as demand arose. There are also grounds to support extension of over 60's bus pass allowances paid to bus operators to also be paid to 'Share Taxi' operators. The question arises, should ‘Share-Taxis’ be legalised as a form of taxi or as a form of minibus service?” The Law Commission have sent the following response: ”Many thanks for your response to our consultation on the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles. We appreciate your comments and they will be considered as a formal consultation response. We treat all responses as public documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and we may attribute comments and include a list of all respondents' names in any final report we publish. Please do get in touch if you would like any further information. Kind regards, Hannah Gray Research Assistant, Public Law Team Law Commission Steel House 11 Tothill Street London SW1H 9LJ Councillor Tweedie adds: “Bus drivers are reluctant to drive down narrow streets with cars parked both sides when they know they will have to pick up the bill for any damage to cars. We need to look at a solution, such as share-taxis, that will avoid this problem and yet provide elderly residents with public transport on which they can use their over 60s bus passes. I’m glad that the Law Commission is now aware of this problem and hope they can come up with an answer.” Monday 17 September 2012 Albert Road parking problem sent to new Colne Councillor
Ian says: “The shop keepers on this part of Albert Road cannot see why there should not be a parking bay installed outside their shops. There are such parking bays outside other shops on Albert Road and I totally agree that we need to help Colne shop keepers as much as we can in order to keep our town an alive and vibrant shopping centre. Although Albert Road is a conservation area, there is no reason why parking bays should not be installed in a way sympathetic to the architecture”. Cllr Tweedie has got the item on the agenda for Colne Area Committee and now Pendle Borough Council Officers are asking the Highways Authority, Lancashire County Council to take a look at this issue. Ian adds: “Our Tory County Cllr George Askew has left Pendle for a job in Cheltenham so shop keepers turned to me for help with this.” Friday 14 September 2012 Who really gets the most income from “something for nothing” culture?
“Land values, especially those with buildings in the centre of towns and cities, arise from public and private investment in infrastructure, businesses and services. Public and private investments – paid for by all of us as consumers and taxpayers – enable land owners to receive an unearned increase in the value of their land. Tenants (private and commercial) of course get to pay higher rents as a result of increased land values. “The Labour Land Campaign calls on David Cameron to examine the real damage this does to our economy and to introduce an annual Land Value Tax on all land. “Then, as our economy grows, so the increase in land value will be returned to the public purse to pay for maintaining and improving our public services instead of going to property speculators as unearned income. “The theory goes that the results of this taxation would be many, including an extra incentive to develop all unused and underused sites and bring empty homes, shops and unused buildings back into use thus providing homes, business premises and leisure facilities rather than just providing profits for property speculators. This would also increase employment and therefore reduce Government expenditure on welfare benefits. “A Land Value Tax could not be avoided or evaded and therefore the rich would have to pay their fair share of this unearned wealth that is created by the whole of society and not through any effort on the land owner’s part. “Eleanor Firman, Chair of the Labour Land Campaign, says ‘Today all kinds of businesses (not just landlords) speculate in property for capital gain financed by the taxpayer, or use sale and leaseback to cut their tax bill. The result is lower tax revenues and higher welfare expenditure. We should be cutting the vastly excessive tax benefits to landowners and landlords - not the meagre welfare payments to those on low incomes who have no control over inflated rents.’ “Pendle Labour Party is holding a Public Meeting to discuss the Land Value Tax with Labour Land Campaign speaker, Dave Wetzel, at the ACE Centre Nelson, Friday 28th September at 7.00pm.” Sunday 09 September 2012 The coalition government and dangerous dogs
“It’s already an offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place or in a private place where it is not allowed to be. In addition, the ownership of certain types of dog, such as the Pit Bull Terrier, is prohibited. It is also an offence to breed from, sell or exchange (even as a gift) a prohibited type of a dog. “I wish that the current Coalition Government was as keen to take action in this area as the Sentencing Council seems to be. The last Labour Government launched a consultation on toughening existing laws to protect the public from out-of-control dogs in March 2010. The consultation closed on 1st June 2010 but the Lib Dem Tory Coalition Government has taken nearly two years to set out its position. Since June 2010 there’s been 5,000 patients admitted to hospital for injuries caused by dog attacks in England. Several of these patients from Pendle have been people attacked while delivering election leaflets – including our MP’s mother. However, as these attacks took place on private property, the current laws don't apply. “99% of dogs are good dogs if they are treated right. It's dangerous dogs that have been 'demonised' by their owners that we are anxious to protect people from - the ones that are only used as status symbols and are not allowed to interact with other dogs and people and that is what makes them vicious. “In April 2012, the Tory-led Government finally announced a further consultation about a number of proposals to tackle out of control dogs including: • Extending dangerous dog laws to all private property – without penalizing the owners of animals that defend them against trespassers – Labour agrees with this. • Consultation on whether to micro-chip all dogs. The Government’s preferred approach is to make breeders responsible for micro-chipping the puppy before sale – Labour agrees with this. “The Coalition Government has been criticised by dog and animal welfare charities, postal workers, the police & many others for failing to act now by publishing a further consultation when it took them nearly 2 years to respond to the last consultation. What the Lib Dem Coalition Government did move swiftly to implement was a relaxation of the quarantine laws for bringing dogs into the country. “The Coalition Government has latterly announced some rather limp-wristed measures which could be used to deal with irresponsible dog owners in the Home Office White Paper on Anti-Social Behaviour published in May 2012. Dog owners could be compelled to make their dog wear a muzzle, to put up a sign at their gate ‘Beware of the Dog’ or provide a safe letter box. “There’s a difference between a barking warning dog and a demonised attack dog. When protecting one’s property one is only permitted to use ‘reasonable force’ and occupiers should be liable for personal injuries incurred on their property. Offending irresponsible dog owners must be put on the rack. They should be guilty of a criminal offence not just liable for damages. “Government action is well overdue and thousands of people have suffered debilitating injuries while the government has dragged its feet. What more do they need before taking action? We've had a comprehensive consultation, there's cross-party support, now we need action. The Labour Party and post office workers have been calling for the laws about dangerous dogs to apply on private property for years and we fully back compulsory micro-chipping to identify the owners of dogs and encourage more responsible dog ownership.” Sunday 02 September 2012 The longer the Chancellor refuses to act, the heavier the price our country will pay
Both these truths are only half the story. Without skilful management of the banking emergency we would have been in even greater trouble. Big decisions – to save Northern Rock, to let Lehmans go bust, to take action to prevent a global banking meltdown – these were taken by the last Labour Government. “The Tories failed to win a convincing victory at the General Election and entered into a coalition with the Lib Dems. The coalition government agreed with Labour that we should reduce the fiscal deficit by pruning back some public services; however, their cuts went too far too fast. “The Tories were keen to liken the economy to a domestic household, saying when you are in debt you need to cut back to pay it off. However, a better analogy is that the economy is like a shop, when you are in debt it makes no sense to cut back on buying in stock to sell. While it is true that public services do not actually generate income for the country directly, they do provide a fiscal stimulus to the economy that should not be ignored as much as the Tories seem to do. “Remember David Cameron and George Osborne’s promises on the economy? “We’ll make Britain a safe haven, secure the recovery and get the deficit down”, they said. “Well, in the last two years they have turned Britain’s recovery into a flat-lining economy and now a deep and deepening recession. And with high unemployment meaning a bigger benefits bill, the result is that borrowing is now going up. George Osborne is already forecast to borrow £150bn more than planned. “It’s now clear that the Tory and Lib Dem plan has failed. And the country is paying a heavy price. Prices are rising faster than wages. Businesses are going bust. One million young people are now out of work. And despite the crisis in the euro area, Britain is the only major economy other than Italy in a double-dip recession. “Alistair Darling has told George Osborne that his policies since 2010 'simply haven't worked', Mr Darling said: "You need another plan. Call it plan B. Call it whatever you like. But unless you do something now it will be years before we recover." “Labour’s advice to the Chancellor: when you’re in a hole, stop digging. Change course, listen to Labour and the experts at the International Monetary Fund and take action now to get the economy moving again. “Let’s tax bank bonuses to fund a guaranteed job for young people out of work for more than a year and boost the construction industry by building thousands of new homes. “A temporary VAT cut would ease the squeeze and help our struggling high streets. Tax breaks for small businesses taking on extra workers would help firms who want to expand and create jobs. Cutting taxes for the very rich has not worked and should be reversed. “This is the new direction we now need. All the signs are that George Osborne seems to have given up on any plan for growth. Has he put his political pride above the best interests of the country? The longer the Chancellor refuses to act, the heavier the price our country will pay.” Archived Items (local items removed from this page) |
