Local Government Conference

Today saw a trip down to London, to observe and take part in the proceedings at the Labour Local Government Conference. Amongst the speakers, (as pictured left) was Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party.

A more detailed report from today's event will follow in the mornings as its being a fairly long day !

End legal loan sharking and support credit unions

I've recently written to our MP, asking him to support work being done by Compass (and others) around ending legal loan sharking and supporting credit unions.

The main ask was to attend a debate in parliament that has being organised by Stella Creasy MP, along with signing an early day motion on the issue (no 660).

The text of my letter is as below :

Dear Andrew,

Some loan and credit companies are charging annual interest rates equivalent to over 2500% (despite the Bank of England base rate being just 0.5%), whilst some door to door lenders charge up to £82 for every £100 borrowed. This is legal loan sharking, a national scandal which must be stopped.

Borrowing at these rates repeatedly tips customers into inescapable cycles of debt and poverty. High debt repayments are linked to rent, council tax and utility arrears, constraints on job seeking behaviour, poor diets, cold homes, and mental and physical health problems.

Stella Creasy MP has secured an adjournment debate on the topic of Consumer credit regulation on Tuesday 9th November at 11am in Westminster Hall.

Locally HPCH and HPBC are working with others organisations to extend credit union facilities into the area to give an alternative, but action is needed now to end legal loan sharking and I urge you to attend this debate and ask the government what steps it is taking to end legal loan sharking.

If you haven't already I also urge you to sign EDM 660 - Loan Sharks.

Kind Regards

Anthony Mckeown

The reply back received so far from our MP's staff thanked me from bringing the debate to our MP's notice and advised if his diary allows he will look in on the debate and pass on my concerns. I'll follow up on if he arrived later.

There's also an additional early day motion that's worth signing that I forgot to mention which is no 872

If you would like to support the campaign or even just find out more information, you can go to their website at : http://www.endlegalloansharks.org.uk/

Is this the end of a home for life ?

Concerning news this evening with the reported announcement from Condem Prime Minister David Cameron, on changes to tenancy that could see the idea of secure tenancies for life ended.

Cameron is reported as saying that Council houses should be allocated on fixed-term deals rather than being granted automatically "for life".

The comments come following a visit to the West Midlands where questions were raised by a mother of two teenagers that had slept on a blow-up bed for two years because her council could not find her more space.

However Cameron’s comments misunderstand the root of the problem which is not that tenants should be forced out of their homes, to address the failings of both the current and I have to say previous Labour government’s policy on correcting the error of the Tory Thatcherite years where large amounts of housing stock where sold off.

I say error because whilst this policy was popular with those who benefited from it, it has lead to huge problems and pressures on the remaining housing stock as the various scheme to get new houses over the years have not being sufficient to meet need.

I do however agree with the comments of John Healy MP the Labour Shadow Minister who said the following :

Shadow housing minister John Healey said Mr Cameron's words confirmed his party's worst fears about Conservative plans.

"What is needed is more secure homes not less. Before the election Labour warned the Tories had a secret plan to get rid of secure tenancies and they accused us of scaremongering."

"Less than three months later we have the truth."

"This is so important because people highly value the affordable cost and long-term stability of secure tenancy."

Future Jobs Fund

Whilst the news that the future jobs fund which was targeted at getting unemployed young people in work is to be abandoned was an unwelcome sign of the cuts to come by this new “ConDem” government, it will no doubt have being welcomed in some places, the closest of these no doubt being the Conservative administration running High Peak Borough Council.

Now you may think I’m being harsh but the reason I say that is because as I posted earlier this year, High Peak in a combined bid with our ‘strategic alliance’ partners could only come up with 2 jobs via the future jobs fund, as opposed to other nearby council’s who managed a lot more.

In fact the only time they expressed more interest in the fund was when a press release could be issued claiming-taking the credit for 50 jobs across Derbyshire which were created with the fund.

I wonder if now (although I’d be surprised if there was) there will be an updated press release from the executive member concerned apologising for the future jobs scheme coming to end ?

And it’s good bye from him !

James Purnell of fake photo fame, and MP of neighbouring CLP Stalybridge and Hyde, has surprised and shocked many with his decision to stand down at the forthcoming general election.

From my own point of view I have mixed views on his announcement, whilst I didn’t like some of the things he did during his time as a minister, some of his recent comments including his speech last Monday and the associated launch of the essay collection ‘We mean power’, led you to think there was a glimmer of good things to come in the future.

Reaction elsewhere has been more mixed from the glad to see him go such as blogging councillor Bob Piper, to shock from nearby blogging Labour locals Adam White and Vicky Heywood  to annoyance from Tom Harris MP and finally almost melancholy from Tom Watson MP

Most thoughts now turn to who comes next, which unfortunately due to the timing of Purnells’s announcement (if the process goes as per some of the guidelines I’m aware of) in terms of democracy within the local party, will see them having a limited say in the process of selecting there next candidate.

I expect there will be pressure from above for an all women shortlist given that the other two seats in the Tameside area have male candidates, which if they do could bring a surprise opportunity for daughter to follow father with Lord Pendry’s daughter still been a local in the area.

If instead it’s an open process I’m sure there will be much local interest with I imagine a number of the current Tameside Councillor’s looking to take over, including near neighbour (ward wise) and former vice chair of Labour Students Jonny Reynolds.

Best Questions to the candidates

Following on from the annoucement that Tom Levitt MP was standing down the local Labour Party has being going through the process to look for our replacement candidate.

We're part way through that process, and coming up in the next few week's there will be a number of opportunities to speak too and question the candidates looking to replace Tom, and from that find out there views on a whole range of issues prior to local members making there decision to vote for there candidate of there choice.

Now whilst I have a few issues I may wish to raise with them, what would you want to know from our potential candidates and what would be your best question be ?

Youth unemployment – Today’s Sun

Today’s Sun newspaper carries a special centre page spread investigating the extent of youth unemployment across the UK.

It includes such statements as 94% of school leavers think it will be hard to get job matching qualifications, along with the figure of 925,000 young people across the UK being unemployed, reported as the second highest in Europe.

The article makes little mention of the government’s plans to tackle this, with just a single line about the future jobs funds instead preferring to give greater sway to Conservative Shadow Works and Pensions Secretary Theresa May, who comments that the “Conservatives have pledged more help for all young people unemployed for six months or more, backed up by hundreds of thousands of new apprenticeships and training opportunities”.

Fine words you might say, but consider that against local action in the High Peak where the Conservatives are in charge of the borough council, where there bid to the future jobs fund will create just 2 new apprentices, as opposed to nearby Labour controlled Bolsover whose bid will employ 105 people in apprenticeships across the Council and in public and voluntary sector organisations - fine words and neat sound bytes but very little action.

Best way to do damage ?

In a week when certain Bitterites (as John Prescott called them) were seeking to do damage to the Labour Party and it’s electoral fortunes, has Peter Watt (or Peter something sounding like Watt here), the former general secretary of the Labour Party shown them how to do more ?

I say that because, whilst in a sense the damage done by the bitterites has essentially been passed, the damage done by someone who should know better, may be of greater and longer lasting impact.

I say ‘know better’ because when he took over the post all the talk at the time was around the privilege and pride in taking on the job, and all about the challenge of renewal for the party, where as now the approach seems to have been about how much damage can be done.

But perhaps (as some who know him better) it’s right the Peter Watt has his say and the opportunity to restore the damage to his reputation from the issues over party funding, I just wish he’d picked his time better than in the run up to the general election.

Gritting (part rant / part considered)

Over the Christmas period and in recent days there have been a number of problems and complaints raised with me (and the other Cllr Mckeown) with regards to the gritting that has been done locally.

This year the general theme of these comments has been on how poor the service has been with at least up on Gamesley there been a number of days where there appears to have been little or no gritting on the estate with the knock on effect of this been that on a number of days over the last 3 weeks there have been no bus service locally.

In addition to the problems with the road gritting, there has also been the problems with footpath gritting which the borough used to do some of, but in an apparent season of good will gesture to the county the following press release was issued where the borough abandoned all responsibility for it and handed it back to the county :

“Highways officials back in charge of all gritting

Date: 22/12/2009

Derbyshire County Council has resumed responsibility for gritting roads and pavements across High Peak.

For several years, the Borough Council had gritted some roads and pavements for the county council, as well as clearing certain road gullies.

However, a service review by both councils has resulted in a recent decision for the county council to take the entire gritting service back in house. The borough will continue to clean gullies for the county.

The decision was taken before the recent severe weather started.

Requests for gritting should be made by telephoning the Call Derbyshire contact centre on (01629) 533190 and following the menu of instructions.”

Now my problem with this is that the decision for the council to abandon the service back to the county has been done without been reviewed through the select committee process (at least as far as I can see from the environment agendas) with the last time the issue of winter maintenance was discussed been in November 2008.

With the report that was discussed in November 2008, been essentially the same one that has discussed by the committee several times before (Nov 2001, Nov 2003, Nov 2004, and Feb 2007) detailing what streets the borough council would grit since 2001 when the former highways maintenance agency run by the borough council (and in turn locally run gritting) was handed back to the county.

Now whilst knowing the process doesn’t necessarily help with understanding where things have gone wrong this year. In terms of what the county does their website still lists that various routes (including in theory the locally bus routes that should be done as a priority) but it doesn’t include details (at least so far) on what’s gone wrong this year and in terms of the borough it doesn’t explain why we’ve stopped the imperfect (but at least something) system of pavement gritting and what the staff who would have done it are doing instead.

It also doesn’t explain to residents outside of the centre of Glossop how they can be paying the same council tax as residents in the centre of Glossop and be reading in the papers that the borough is doing no gritting but seeing in the centre of Glossop the clean team and associated staff gritting the pavements of central Glossop, all of which or at least the borough part (at least) I hope to hear a greater explanation on at the next meeting of the Environmental select committee where I’ve asked for issues around winter maintenance to be put on the agenda.

Perhaps looking at in a bypartisan way, it dosen't bode well for the new Conservative management at county, who along with there Conservative allies at the borough next want to run the country.

What qualities do you look for? - High Peak Parliamentary Candidate Selection

Obviously given the recent announcement from our current MP, the local Labour Party will be going though the process to select a new parliamentary candidate to stand for the Labour Party in the High Peak at the next election.

The process which will involve all local party members along with the various groups that affiliate to the constituency will cover a variety of stages from the initial look at whether it should be an ‘all women selection’ or a ‘open process’, to the gradual sift through of candidates expressing an interest until we get to our new candidate.

My question in a sense is what do you look for in a new candidate, noting the in place Conservative candidate is a local person with an awareness of the issues more important, or do you look for a great campaigner even if they don’t have the local knowledge at start of the process?

I’m sure all the issues will be considered in great depth over the forthcoming weeks, but I would welcome any comments or questions you think whoever comes next should have a view on or a particular skill they should possess.

Tom Levitt MP – My thoughts

My initial thoughts on hearing the news that Tom would be standing down at the next election was in a sense one of surprise at the announcement.

I say surprise because in my view at least following a difficult summer when there was the start of the aftermath of MP’s expenses, which I think Tom dealt with as well as possible including holding a number of ‘difficult’ public meetings where he was strongly questioned by the various people over the issue, things seemed to have been moving on, and in particular great strides have been made in raising awareness of issues around the strategic alliance.

However all that said, what’s done is done, and  I would echo the comments of Constituency Chair Alan Barrow and other in thanking Tom for the work done so far, and more importantly for the work still to do.

Tom has and will remain to be until the next general election a very hardworking MP for the people of the High Peak, and if anything looking with a little element of devilment at the announcement. The lack of the pressure of seeking re-election may mean that some issues that would normally be too controversial to work on in the run up to an election may be able to be pushed to fore.

In terms of the future I join with other’s in wishing Tom and Teresa well for the future, but more importantly look forward to working with Tom on the variety of issues been worked on at current and that will arise in the period until the general election from individual casework issues to the wider issues such as the campaign to raise awareness over the dangers of Carbon Monoxide.

Tom Levitt MP

Tom Levitt MP has made the following statement this morning :

Tom Levitt last night sent the following statement by email to Labour Party members in the High Peak:

“Next year I will have completed 27 years in public life, 13 of which have been as the Member of Parliament for High Peak. On April 21, I will become High Peak’s longest serving MP since the Second World War. It has been a huge privilege to represent the constituency in the House of Commons and I have enjoyed every minute of it, but it is time for me to move on.

 

“I have informed the Labour Party that I shall not be a candidate at the next general election. After the current Parliament I would like to spend more time with my wife, our children and grandchildren. I would also like to do something different in the work environment. Between now and the election I will work as hard as ever, both to support my constituents and help secure a fourth term for Labour in government.

 

“The last six months have been torrid. Rightly, MPs have suffered collective as well as individual criticism for the scandalous mess of parliamentary allowances. Steps are now being taken to stop MPs deciding on our own expenses, pay and conditions ever again. This is the right thing to do. We need to demonstrate that a line has been drawn. New levels of transparency, compliance and enforcement can restore confidence in Parliament and the democratic system.

 

“I am proud to serve the people of High Peak in Parliament and I have done my best to be diligent on behalf of constituents. I have also been committed to legislation which, I believe, has improved life for ordinary people in High Peak and elsewhere. There is still much which needs to be done and I will continue to work for the people of High Peak until this Parliament is dissolved.

 

“I thank so many people in communities across High Peak for their support, indulgence and friendship over 20 years. This group extends beyond my natural political allies. My proudest memories will be the acquisition of the Devonshire Royal site for the University of Derby and the central role of High Peak in the pursuit of the historic right to roam.”

More details / comment later

Update - Levitt on Legg

Whilst I don't know if this is the full details or not (of the letter), there is an updated post on Tom Levitt's website with regards to the Legg issues, it reads as below :

Legg enquiry on MPs' expenses (19 October 2009)

Tom Levitt has agreed to repay to the House of Commons £389 as requested by Sir Thomas Legg. This is in respect of a sofa bed purchased in 2004 which Sir Thomas has deemed ‘extravagant’ even though the Fees Office approved it at the time. He said “Had I been asked to pay this balance at the time I would readily have agreed to do so.

Levitt wrong on Legg

Many of you will have seen the coverage in the local papers and similar coverage elsewhere in the national media over the recent letters to MP’s by Sir Thomas Legg, who has been conducting a audit of MP’s expenses.

In the national media coverage there been details of the letters sent to a variety of MP’s including the Prime Minister and various high MP’s from all parties either detailing that they had money to repay or whatever the details were.
However locally in a complete about face from his earlier stance on the expenses issue, our local MP Tom Levitt has decided that the letter is an item of private correspondence to be responded to accordingly.

In my view given Tom’s earlier stance on the expenses issues was to be as open as possible and get as much information as possible on the issue available to people, this current stance is wrong, and I would rather hear that Tom was taking similar action to Frank Field in challenging the results of the audit, than to hear this is a private matter.

I do hope that given Tom’s neighbouring MP’s in Tameside have revealed the details of their letters, Tom will be able to follow suit and whilst I don’t have some of the concerns expressed elsewhere on other sites and blogs the earlier openness on the expenses issues should be replicated now or does the earlier comments from Tom on those MP’s who will not be forgiven from bringing their role into disrepute no longer apply.

Labour Party Conference

This years Labour Party Conference is taking place in Manchester, from last Saturday (20th September) until Wednesday (24th September) as with previous events as well as the main conference sessions there are a number of fringe events taking place during the week.

The fringe events are an opportunity for delegates to hear from minister and other experts on various issues of policy and so far I have attended events (further details to come) considering topics on Palestine, energy, the future of Manchester, delivering affordable housing, blogging, you tube, safety in betting shops, balancing our democracy and the American elections.

This year the delegate from the High Peak is former Whitfield Councillor Ellie Wilcox, who as well as appearing in the daily Conference News Paper, spoke during the main conference session on the Sunday morning.

How Happy are you ?

Well given the current economic troubles you may not be sure but according to a recent research report presented to the Royal Geographical Society, High Peak along with our partners on some areas of work Derbyshire Dales currently feature just over half way down the list of areas in the UK with a ranking of 149th out of 273.

This is in contrast to our near neighbours in Staffordshire Moorlands with whom the Council share a Chief Executive who rank just outside the top 10 at number 11 on the list. Perhaps this may be one of areas where we will be looking for expertises from our neighbours?

The research which was conducted by the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, used data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which includes questions on happiness, education and so on along with details from the Census.

The survey featured in the Daily Mirror (amongst other places) and listed the happiest place in the UK to be Powys, with Edinburgh been apparently the most miserable place in Britain.

Interesting noting the recent suggestions by a Conservative think tank that we should abandon the North and all move south, 8 out of the top 10 happiest districts in the Country are in Scotland or the North.

The full list is available by clicking here

The people's railway

Monday saw the launch by the Co-operative Party of it's new campaign, the
People's Rail.

The campaign aims to give the British public real power over the rail
network, through co-operative structures, ensuring that Long-suffering rail
users will get better than a network run for the convenience of managers,
with no one taking responsibility when things go wrong.

The campaign call's on Network Rail to change the way its run, to give real
control to passengers and the public.

For more information on the campaign go to www.peoplesrail.org.uk or join the campaigns facebook group at
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?src=fftb#/group.php?gid=25459946258

GC Meeting

Friday evening saw the delayed April meeting of the High Peak Labour Party, which took place in Whaley Bridge.

As to be expected one of the main topics of discussion was the results of the local elections across England and Wales which as you may have seen were not the best for the Labour Party, despite some (compared to the rest) reasonable results in some places such as Liverpool.

A wide range of concerns, thoughts and suggestions were raised ranging from concerns over the ‘mistake’ of the abolition of the 10p tax rate to concerns over policy direction and style of leadership, along with some suggestions and thoughts on how things can be put right and which way we should be going next.

A similar discussion on which way now is as you can imagine going on in various places across the country including here on the Greater Manchester Fabians blog, here on the Chris Paul Labour of Love blog, and from the ‘wrong side of the Pennines’ (ie Yorkshire) view here on the Grimmer Up North Blog.

Transplant Crime

From details flagged up by local Labour Euro MEP Glennis Willmott, this Thursday sees a report and debate in the European Parliament around measurers to combat transplant crime.

A crime which with the numbers of people needed transplants increasing more rapidly than the number of organs being donated is something which desperate people may be more likely to fall victim too in the form of organ traffickers and transplant tourism.

In fact Glennis who is a member of the European Parliament’s influential Committee on Public Health comments that when illegal organ transplants are practised, safety is often ignored with the lives of both the donor and the recipient being put at risk and as such with almost 8000 people across the UK and nearly 40,000 across Europe waiting from transplants a better system is needed.

Which is why this week following a debate on the report the European Parliament is voting on proposals to improve organ donation and transplantation across the EU.

Glennis says introducing a European Donor Card to boost donor numbers and setting up a Europe-wide ‘transplant hotline’ to improve efficiency could both help stamp out organ trafficking and tourism.

“The international black market in organs is luring people in search of a kidney or other organ and people living in poverty or vulnerable circumstances are being exploited. They become the spare parts inventory for the sick.

“Governments across Europe need to do more to prevent this shameful crime.”

For further information go to http://www.gleniswillmott.labour.co.uk/

10p Tax Rate

As flagged up in a number of places I have to agree with the concerns been raised over the effect of last year abolition of the 10p tax rate which came into effect with the start of the new tax year.

Whilst many of the changes to the tax system will have the desired effect, there is a potential 5.3 million low paid workers who will be likely to be left worst off with the change and the changes to the tax credit system according to the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group will not balance the loss due to a large number of those been effected been paid workers without children and those in work and under 25.

As such I hope that the Government / Chancellor of the Exchequer can find a way in the near future to either reverse this change or to compensate these low paid workers upon who this change could have a huge impact affected by what I hope is an unfortunate consequence of the changes to the tax system.