Tory Localism Fundamental Flaw Number Three – Jamie Shaw, Wyre Forest Labour

I return to the example of Free Schools and Academies because it is an area somewhat more clearly defined than the vague notions of Neighbourhood Planning, community-run libraries and charity-provided, rather than professionally-staffed, public services.
Schools policy sees the role of the local authority removed from Academies. Power, and public funding, is transferred to each school’s governing body. It can be argued that this is the essence of Localism’s beneficial effect, devolution to a more local base. However, it is power without accountability. The governors may wish to use their powers to amend the school’s admission policy, the range of subjects taught, the priority accorded to Special Needs, the schools in the local pyramid with which they wish to co-operate, etc, etc… How is that power to be challenged, should there be dissent? There is no mechanism to do so, because schools are free of local democratic control. Free Schools are even more undemocratic, since they can be established with public money to cater for special interest groups, irrespective of the damage they could do to community cohesion or educational fairness.
This, then, is fundamental flaw number three, ironically for a policy entitled “Localism”, local public services unaccountable to any local democratic forum.

Jamie Shaw, Wyre Forest Labour

Tory Localism Fundamental Flaws One & Two – Jamie Shaw, Wyre Forest Labour

English Baccalaureate – a new qualification recognised by no-one but the Education Secretary says Tom King, Wyre Forest Labour

Michael Gove has made many controversial announcements since becoming Education Secretary: his latest – the English Baccalaureate.

The new Baccalaureate will be awarded to those who achieve A*-C at GCSE in a narrow set of ‘traditional’ subjects. Students must take English, Maths, two Sciences, a Language and either History or Geography to gain the Baccalaureate.

This new qualification shows Gove’s old fashioned, out-of-date view of education which completely discounts the value of the creative arts, ICT and design and technology. It sends a clear message that those who study drama or music aren’t as worthwile as those taking a GCSE in French or History. The Government claims not to believe in top-down diktats but the Englsih Baccalaureate imposes a prescribed, narrow curriculum on students making their first choice in education.

Despite this, perhaps the most glaring problem with the Baccalaureate is that no exam board offers it as a qualification. Those achieving it don’t even receive a certificate. Nor is it recognised by post-16 providers. Effectively, it does not exist.

All the English Baccalaureate will achieve is to narrow student’s choices, ignore important subjects and create a new qualification which is recognised by no-one but the Education Secretary.

Tom King Wyre Forest Young Labour

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t cut our Public services without the support of the Lib Dems

Cameron announces ideological attack on Public Services says Tom King, Wyre Forest Labour

A ‘battering ram’ to the services we hold dear.

Today, writing in the Daily Telegraph, David Cameron unveiled his plans to end the ‘state monopoly’ on public services.

The plans, to be set out in full in the next fortnight, will give the private sector the automatic right to bid for public work and will see private companies brought schools, council services and, even, the NHS.

Although Cameron and Wyre Forest MP, Mark Garnier, insist the Government is not motivated by old small-state Tory ideology, this latest announcement is clearly an attack on the public services we all hold dear.

The plans are a clear code for rolling back the state, dismantling our public services and flogging them off to the highest bidder. Just as with our forests, this Government wants to see our national treasure, the NHS, in the hands of big business. The announcement will mean that Tory beliefs about the free market will be enshrined at the heart of our public services.

Just as with our forests, we can force this Government to think again before they attack our great British institutions. We’ve done it once we can do it again.

Telegraph 20.02.2011

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t cut our Public services without the support of the Lib Dems

Puxton Marsh Homes Planning decision will be regretted says Nigel Knowles, Wyre Forest Labour

Wyre Forest Planning Committee gave permission to build 71 houses on Puxton Marsh at its meeting on 8th February. I believe two councillors voted against – ( Chris Nicholls and Ken Stokes).

I realise that the decision has been taken and I cannot appeal against it. I have objected to such developments over many years because houses should not be built on a marsh that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Nature Reserve and is on a Flood Plain.

I am saddened by Wyre Forest Community Housing Group now being such a major player in developing the scheme.

I believe residents, the developer and Wyre Forest District Council will regret the decision to build there in the years to come.

I close this account with a quote form the report tabled on the 8th February by the Environment Agency (page 2 of 6, Final update)

“We can confirm that the bank (bund) on this side of the Kidderminster FAS is not considered as an asset or flood defence structure and therefore we would not maintain this boundary.”

a further quote states,

“No calculations have been provided by the applicant to clarify the area of flood storage that would be lost as a result of current proposals”.

I am very concerned at this situation. The Secretary of State should have called this case in.

Nigel Knowles
Former Chair of Planning – Labour

Tory Localism is Fundamentally Flawed says Jamie Shaw, Wyre Forest Labour

I’ve read the Conservative-led government’s briefing paper on its Localism Bill, through which, it claims, it will de-centralise political power away from Westminster. I can’t say I disagree with all its sentiments. For example, it promotes a Power of General Competence for local authorities. I seconded a motion on this very issue at the Association of District Councils’ annual conference as long ago as 1992. However, the disagreements I have are fundamental. I summarise a couple of them below and will make further comments in my next couple of blogs. In the interests of brevity each comment will include only one example as evidence.

Philosophy
As manifested in its educational policies promoting Free Schools and Academies, the Conservative vision of how society works most effectively is so bad as to be morally objectionable. It maintains that an arrangement of autonomous units, such as its favoured schools, loyal to nothing higher than their own self-interest, competing against each other and co-operating only when it is to their immediate advantage to do so, is the best means of achieving higher standards. This is extreme right-wing dogma, not practised in the educational provision of any other liberal democracy in the entire world. In my view, it is fundamental flaw number one.

The Lesson of History
The Localism Bill promotes the seemingly unexceptional idea of different organisational solutions for different geographical areas. Of course, it is already the case that structures are different in different areas, for example, two-tier Worcestershire and unitary Birmingham. However, this “Localism” proposes to go much further in denying the need for any common coherent structure for the reliable delivery of public services. Councils could have a bewildering mix of joint, opted-out, privatised, balkanised or community group-based services. The model the Conservatives are rejecting is that which began to be established in Britain in the 1830s and has been built upon since, in all other liberal democracies as well as Britain, based on a partnership between central and local government and responsible to an electorate. This is fundamental flaw number two, an impossible-to-manage chaos of disorganisation, based on a rejection of the structures of government of the last one-hundred-and-eighty years.

Jamie Shaw, Wyre Forest Labour

Tory health reforms will damage NHS says Lee Wright, Wyre Forest Labour

The ConDem government have forced through the start of the NHS Reform Bill that will decimate our services in an unprecedented experiment.

The only supporters are Tory and LibDem MP’s and all the private health care companies that are lining up to take millions of pounds profit out of the NHS. More than 20 major health bodies including the BMA and RCN are against these extremely risky and rushed proposals as they strip away all the services that we rely on.

Small District hospitals are at risk of closure if business is sucked into the private providers that are guaranteed equal access to patients. This is despite Cameron’s pre-election pledge to safeguard them. Watch out Kidderminster as we find Cameron’s pledge is as worthless as all his others on no VAT increase, cuts to child benefits, EMA funding etc, etc, etc.

He promised no top down reorganisation by government of the NHS but what else can you call this total destruction of the system that has seen year on year improvements in heart and cancer treatment and outcomes, contrary to his PR claims.

There is no mandate for these changes – it was not in either coalition parties manifesto but hey, why should that stop them.

Cameron wants to achieve more than his heroine Margaret Thatcher by finally dismantling the NHS, which has long been the envy of the rest of the free world.

I warn you, do not be sick or old or poor in the new land where profit is king and those without private healthcare will become second class citizens.

Lee Wright

Don’t be fooled by the Big Ideological Society

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t Cut without the support of the Lib-Dems

Kidderminster Shuttle Poll 96% reject Forest Sell Off

Kidderminster Shuttle Poll

Kidderminster Shuttle Poll results

Wyre Forest MP Votes to Sell Off The Wyre Forest

Update 525,000+ have now signed the Petition. You can Sign the Petition here http://38degrees Petition/

LibDems Sell out: Who would believe the LibDems would support the Tories in selling our Forests.

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t sell off our Forests without the support of the Lib Dems

Labour Gain in Bassetlaw with 75% of the Vote

Recent By Election results show Labour is making spectacular gains throughout the Country as Voters reject damaging ConDem Policies. It puts Labour in good stead to make further gains in the May Council Elections.

From Britain – Votes: Britain-Votes – Labour Win Bassetlaw

Last night, Labour continued their strong performances in Council by-elections as they received almost three quarters of the vote to gain a seat from the Conservatives in Bassetlaw (Nottinghamshire). The Tories themselves held two (yes, two…we’ll come to that in a minute!) seats in Kent with the reds snatching second place in both contests.

We’ll start in Bassetlaw, where the Worksop North East ward was vacant following the disqualification of Conservative Councillor Bill Graham for non-attendance. Graham narrowly held his seat in 2008 in a straight battle with Labour, but the reds hold the other two seats in this multi-member ward. Last May, Labour won here comfortably and if the Tories were to hold this seat yesterday they would have required a 20% swing towards them from that result. True to form, the swing was in the other direction as Labour gained the seat with an even bigger share of the vote. John Anderton was easily elected with almost 75% of vote, and this puts the current Conservative minority administration in Bassetlaw under serious pressure. They only have a one seat advantage over Labour with three Independent Councillors holding the balance of power. Labour look set to take control in Bassetlaw in May’s partial Council elections.

labour-wins-gloucestershire-county-council-by-election-with-19-4-swing

Britain-Votes

Don’t be fooled by the Big Ideological Society

Cuts to CAB Services will deny access to help & advice says Lee Wright, Wyre Forest Labour

So what does the Tory government cut at a time of falling household income, massive public sector job cuts, rising inflation and increasing taxation (VAT, national insurance)?

Answer – it cuts the funding to the Citizens Advice Bureaux by at least 50% resulting in closed offices and hundreds of special advisers joining the rapidly increasing number of unemployed.

At a time when CABs see rising demand from desperate families and individuals who have mounting debts and risk losing their homes, the government kicks away the only local free source of advice and help.

Guess what will replace this free service – private companies who will charge desperate people who have no money. A national web site will eventually be set up but as usual with this government, it cuts the system that works long before its untried replacement is up and running.

What happened to fairness, what happened to ‘we are all in this together’?

The bankers are ok with their multi billion bonuses, the government ministers are ok with their safe salaries and pensions. It is the majority as usual that has to struggle to get by.

Lee Wright
Kidderminster

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t Cut without the support of the Lib-Dems

Don’t be fooled by the Big Ideological Society

Beales Corner Underpass Bewdley- Job Done, Persistance pays off

Paul Gittins - Job Done

Paul Gittins Labour Spokesperson for Bewdley Town

I am pleased to report that after years of campaigning the high step at the end of the pedestrian underpass on the Wribbenhall side of Bewdley bridge has been improved by adding 2 smaller steps in front of it. Although the land in this area is owned by the county council and maintained by the District Council none will take resposibility for the high step nor would the Highways Department. It was also claimed that there was no right of way although there are signs at each end of the footpath one which says pedestrian underpass. However following several falls, one quite serious 2 more steps have been constructed in front of the original high step.

Paul Gittins
Mayor of Bewdley

Beales Corner Underpass Blog Post May 2010

Beales Corner Underpass Blog Post August 2008

Wyre Forest MP Votes to Sell Off The Wyre Forest

Kidderminster Shuttle Poll

Last Wednesday Wyre Forest MP, Mark Garnier, voted against Labour’s motion calling on the Tory-led ConDem Government to “rethink its decision on the sale of England’s public forest estate”. The motion was defeated by 310 votes to 260. Clearly Mark Garnier does not want to save our forest, our heritage, for us and for future generations.

Our MP is looking into ways of transferring control of Wyre Forest to a purpose-made charity trust despite increasing evidence that the people of Wyre Forest want it to remain in public ownership under the management of the Forestry Commission. No doubt this ‘purpose-made charity’ would be made up of rich business men and large landowners who, once assuming control of our forest, would then download massive funding from their friends in government at enormous cost to the taxpayer. Thus achieving the age old Tory goal of privatisation and looking after their own.

Mark Garnier assures us that most aspects of the forest, including public access, would remain unchanged. However before the general election both Tories and Lib Dems assured us their cuts would be fair, no attack on the NHS, no attack on front-line services, no attack on student fees – the list goes on, these assurances turned out to be fiction. Why should we believe them with respect to forest guarantees?

Mark Garnier, when will you start listening to and acting for the people of Wyre Forest? When will you take Wyre Forest to Westminster and not bring Westminster to Wyre Forest?

Barry McFarland Wyre Forest Labour

Tories will always be Tories but they can only Sell off our Forests with the support of the Lib Dems.

Labour win Gloucestershire County Council By-Election with 19.4% swing

Labour won the Gloucestershire County Council By-Election on Thursday. The Labour Candidate, Brian Oosthuysen came from fourth place in 2009 to win.

This follows a similar County Council by-election in Camborne North, Cornwall, in January when the Labour Candidate came from 5th place in 2009 to win the seat.

These results show the ideological policies of the Condems are being rejected and should send a clear message to the Tories and Liberal Democrats for the local elections in May.

Britain-Votes

Barnfield Road : Job Done!

Vi Higgs and Jamie Shaw inspect the site

Vi Higgs and Jamie Shaw inspect the site.

Finally, in January ’11, Wyre Forest Community Housing has erected bollards around the grassed area at the lowered-numbered end of Barnfield Road. Their purpose is to prevent access.
This outcome follows two years of work by residents, Cllr Jamie Shaw and the Walshes Tenants Consultative Committee. The residents presented a petition, Jamie battled on when the proposal was initially turned down and the tenants’ committee provided half the cost of the work from its Community Fund.

Betty Dawes Hill : Job to be Done

Vi at Betty Dawes Hill

Vi is seen here surveying the rubbish-strewn bank near the bottom of Betty Dawes Hill. She says,
“Wyre Forest Community Housing does a good job of keeping tidy most of the land it owns. However, I know that, frequently, my colleague, Cllr Jamie Shaw, has had to remind its local office to clear this area. He’s done so again this week.”

Wyre Forest Labour say There is a better Way – Build affordable homes instead of new 10.5M ‘Tory Towers’ Council HQ

Media release from Wyre Forest Labour Party in Support of Alternative Budget poposals.

There is a better way to spend taxpayers money. Homes Before Offices.

Wyre Forest District Council is under terrific financial pressure as a direct result of the draconian and brutal reduction in Council grants from Conservative/ Liberal Democrat Government. Even the Conservative leader of the Council believes it’s unfair and has publically stated so.

The reduction of 15.8% or £1,163,329 leaves the authority with some very difficult and heart searching decisions to make.

The Conservative administration, who are in control in Wyre Forest, have wanted to build brand new civic offices for many years.

In the present desperate economic climate the Tories are still hell bent on continuing with the plan to spend £10.5 million.

The Labour Group is totally opposed to this scheme and firmly believe that this £10.5 million should be used to provide much needed new services and regeneration for our community.

The Other, Better Way.

Regeneration is the best way to combat the recession that we are all suffering from.

This District has one of the highest unemployment figures in the West Midlands. We have an ever increasing housing waiting list with homelessness and inadequately housed families rising over the past 2 years from 3,000 to 5,000 (figures from W.F.D.C. W.F.C.H )

The building trade is on its knees, particularly since the Building Schools for the Future was cut by the Tories from our local economy.

The only way to combat these problems is to actually stimulate the local economy.

The Labour Group will invest most of the capital receipts i.e. £ 6 million of £10.5 million at a rate of £2 million per year over the next 3 years.

The building of new affordable homes to rent, or to buy, and to allow shared ownership with a view to buying, will go some way to alleviate the current Housing problem. These houses will be built in partnership with a housing association or company. The cost to this authority will be £30,000 per unit. The actual cost of the houses is £100,000, but for every £30,000 we invest our partners will top up and with a grant from central government the houses can be built. It means that for the £2 million investment per year we get £6 million pounds worth of homes. This will create jobs and we will have the power to stipulate at least 50% or more of the labour employed must be local and hopefully 100% if it is local firms that take it on.

We will be able to stipulate that at least 20 – 30 apprentices must be taken on to help with youth unemployment.

Up to 200 homes can be built over the 3 year period. These are homes for families.

The Fine Point site (Old Brintons sports ground) which the Tories have committed the Council to purchase for nearly a million pounds will be turned into small industrial starter units thus allowing small firms and new firms to find small enough space to set up and trade. This will bring revenue to the Council. Another alternative is to sell on after the small site conversions are completed or sell on for industrial use as it stands.

Not selling Stourport Civic Centre, which the Tories need to sell off to pay for the new offices, means it will be protected. It will take away the need to build new Civic facilities at a cost of £1 million in Stourport, keeping the civic hall for societies and music festivals etcetera.

Most of the sackings the Tories want to make on the council can be avoided, but not all because of the cut in grant from the ConDem Government.

The new cemetery and crematorium, which the Tories took out a £1 .5 million loan for with the interest payable over the years, should be paid for out of the money in the bank, avoiding the debt over the next 50 years and keeping Wyre Forest debt free.

Some council jobs will still be lost in the first year.

This action by the Labour Group is the only way we can stop the building of what would be a monstrous Conservative white elephant which will be a burden to the ratepayers of Wyre Forest for many generations to come.

Yours sincerely

Mike Kelly, Howard Martin, Chris Nicholls, Jamie Shaw

Labour Councillors – WFDC

Kidderminster Shuttle Tories claim new HQ will benefit Community

80% say No to Wyre Forest ‘Tory Towers’

Labour response to District Council Cabinet Letter on 10.5Mill new offices.

Wyre Forest ‘Tory Towers’ projected savings plan is based on flawed evidence says Barry McFarland

‘Tory Towers’ Press Release from Wyre Forest Labour Party.

Wyre Forest Labour Announce Alternative Budget Proposals to 10.5Mill. ‘Tory Towers’ HQ.

Media release from Wyre Forest Labour Party.

The Labour Party has announced its alternative Budget proposals for Wyre Forest District Council in response to the Conservative proposals which were announced several weeks ago.

The main thrust of Labour’s proposals recommends scrapping the controversial £10.5m new office development on Stourport Road which immediately frees up £7.5m of Capital Reserves for alternative use.

Labours proposal involves allocating this £7.5m to facilitate the building of nearly 200 “affordable” homes in the district, in partnership with other local companies, over an initial period of 3 years.

Party Leader, Cllr Mike Kelly said “The plan will make major strides in regenerating the local economy as well as providing much needed affordable housing. It will provide long term local jobs and the opportunity to offer craft apprenticeships to young people from this community and give them a proper start in a trade for their futures. ”

The scheme, which also attracts central government grants, gives the Council a guaranteed return on its investment and will generate extra benefits into the local economy in excess of £100 million over the next 3 years.

£6m will go into housing and £1.3 will be used to part cover the Capital costs of the new cemetery which the Tories planned to borrow on top of the office building costs.

Labour Resources & Regeneration spokesperson, Cllr Howard Martin said “Our alternative plans show, conclusively, that the savings of £500k pa on running costs, as Tory justification for building new offices, are wildly over estimated. The saving outlined in our budget, in 3 years time, are only £200k less than the Tories and that is after adding back cuts we wont make so the net saving with the office proposal is only around £100k per year. Consequently, there is no financial argument for the new build and we want to replace it with a significant regeneration project at a time when our community needs all the help it can get.”

Other proposals include investigating sharing more work with the community housing company which will save proposed job cuts and seeking alternative options to develop Finepoint to provide job creation.

“Our proposals are affordable, sustainable, provide homes and jobs and will help regenerate Wyre Forest in these difficult times. It also proves that there is another, better, way than that proposed by the Tories,” said Cllr Kelly.

The detailed proposals will be presented to the Council’s Budget Scrutiny Panel on Thursday 3rd February evening.

Yours sincerely

Mike Kelly, Howard Martin, Chris Nicholls, Jamie Shaw

Labour Councillors – WFDC

Kidderminster Shuttle Tories claim new HQ will benefit Community

80% say No to Wyre Forest ‘Tory Towers’

Labour response to District Council Cabinet Letter on 10.5Mill new offices.

Wyre Forest ‘Tory Towers’ projected savings plan is based on flawed evidence says Barry McFarland

‘Tory Towers’ Press Release from Wyre Forest Labour Party.

Scrapping EMA would be disaster says Tom King, Wyre Forest Young Labour

Before last year’s election, David Cameron said “We’ve looked at Educational Maintenance Allowance…we don’t have any plans to get rid of it.”

Similarly, Michael Gove, now Education Secretary, said: “ Ed Balls keeps saying that we are committed to scrapping EMA. I have never said this. We won’t.”

Despite these repeated guarantees, the Government has now described the financial support for sixth formers from low-income households as “hugely expensive” and the payments will be removed at the end of this academic year.

The evidence of the policy’s success is overwhelming with research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Loughborough University demonstrating a 6.7 per cent increase in educational participation after 16 due to the allowance.

Other research by the IFS shows that since the introduction of EMA, attainment at A Level has risen by between 5 and 7 per cent.

Perhaps the most notable research is from the National Union of Students, who in 2008 found that 61 per cent of EMA recipients said they would not be able to continue their studies without the financial support.

It is clear that the scrapping of EMA would be a disaster for thousands of young people from low-income households and will undo all of the progress that has been made through the weekly payments.

For the £500 million cost, EMA clearly delivers results in improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged. If paying to support the poorest amongst our students is considered an exorbitant expense, then perhaps it is true that this Government knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

TOM KING Wyre Forest Young Labour & Stourport High School sixth former

Tories will always be Tories but they can’t scrap EMA without the support of the Lib Dems

Kidderminster Shuttle Scrapping EMA would be disaster

ConDem Local Education Authority pressurising Wyre Forest Schools to move towards academy status

The ConDem Worcester County Council Local Education Authority is pressurising Wyre Forest Schools to move towards academy status. Vital support services such as School Improvement Partner Services are being withdrawn from March 2011.

Schools are being “bounced” towards Academy status by:

1. Short term financial inducements (promises of better funding)

2. The County Council and Mark Garnier MP are publically asking the question (does Kidderminster need three secondary’s? ) Any school which decided to stay with the LA becomes vulnerable in those circumstances.

3. Any school which unilaterally decides to stay with the LA will become a “dump school” having to accept pupils the selective academies don’t want.

Academies are about the privatisation of our schools. They will be able to decide their own admissions policies and will have far less statutory responsibilities. They will effectively represent the end of comprehensive education, which is one of the great post-war achievements of the Labour Party.

Academies will only improve standards by rejecting pupils who are likely to under-achieve (those from deprived backgrounds, special needs or School Action Plus measures). Heads will not want to spend budgets on these services in the chase for better League table results.

Academies do NOT improve standards. They only enhance opportunities for middle-class families. The recently published league tables have a number of academies in the lowest 60 performing schools in England, including one in Worcestershire.

The only way Academies can improve the long-term performance of a school is by changing which pupils attend – SELECTION.

IF ACADEMIES ARE ESTABLISHED IN WYRE FOREST, CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND CIRCUMSTANCES AND WITH SOCIAL PROBLEMS WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GAIN A SCHOOL PLACE.

Wyre Forest Labour will continue to defend Comprehensive Education in Wyre Forest.