Last night saw the much needed and delayed scrutiny of elderly persons accomodation review proposals proposed by Bury Council.

In order to get these important proposals properly scrutinised the Lib Dem Council Group had to formally “Call-In” the decision of the Council Executive. The reason for this Call-In was to find out about the impact these proposals would have on people with learning disabilities and the proposals for the elderly accomodation review.

The whole process has been badly handled by Bury Conservatives from the start, with a strong pervading feeling that they were trying to rush these policies through amidst a reluctance to share information and curtail scrutiny.

Last nights scrutiny meeting was notable because after the initial presentation from officers, Council proposals and policies seemed to be peeled off in layers  one by one . Until by the end of the meeting at 10.15 there was seemingly a blank piece of paper left – on which the Council was assuring members and public that all users/stakeholders would be completely and thoroughly consulted on at all stages.

But there is now some confusion as to what we are now consulting on. Proposals for Care Villages for the elderly appear to be being reduced to aspirations rather than real objectives and “wellbeing “centres alongside care villages may or may not be for those with learning disabilities depending on any number of variables. In addition officers confirmed that there may be difficulties in achieving aspects of the councils own 2005 proposals for Learning disability services especially as they no longer have an implementation plan!

 All in all a worrying state of affairs. I left with the one positive feeling that everyone will be thoroughly consulted when we eventually have any firm proposals from this Tory Council. However I am very concerned that some important modernisation to services may never happen and I can’t help feeling that there has been an attempt to manipulate the democratic process, and even worse, the general public throughout this whole sorry saga.

The Committee made a number of recommendations in the end. Which included bringing a further report to scrutiny within 6 months – essentially an updated proposal for learning disability services with an implementation plan. However it was felt that we should not delay the consultation process and so allowed the general decision to move forward.

Democracy and public engagement are two areas of growing concern in Bury at the moment.

Bury’s young people turned out in force this evening to fight for Bury Youth Service.

Under proposals put forward by Bury Conservatives the service face £300,000 of cuts this year as Bury Council seeks to outsource much of the provision.

Campaigners fear this would ultimately mean the end of the service as it is , would lead to a “fractured” service and would mean crucial outreach work on some of our estates is no longer tenable.

“I was honoured to have been invited to say a few words to the protesters tonight”, commented Vic D’Albert, adding, “The Conservatives are dressing this up as improving efficiency and the fstark fact remains they are looking to save money and they see the Youth Service as an easy target. Bury Lib Dems are proud to back Bury’s young people and we will continue to campaign against these proposals and for a better resourced service providing the service improvements demanded by young people not cuts demanded by the Tories”.

Hundreds gathered at Bury Town Hall to vent their feelings in a good homoured turnout. “If nothing else they have sent a message loud and clear to Bury Conservatives tonight – Hands Off our youth service!”

An extra £4.2bn a year will have to be spent on tax credits if the government is to meet its target of halving child poverty, a report warns.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimates that 2.3 million children will be in poverty in 2010, missing the 1.7 million target set in 1999.  

It is fair to say if Labour miss their 2010 target the likelihood is they will never reach the 2020 target of eradicating child poverty in Britain. 

“Labours mishmash approach has cost the country and taxpayers dearly, while failing to deal with fundamental problems that lead to child poverty. And, as we plough into a recession the likelihood is that child poverty may well increase in line with unemployment.

Personally I don’t believe the answer lies in increased tax credits alone but also with family support schemes, advice and practical help for those in most need.”  

“The fact remains that between them Brown and Blair will have failed a generation of our poorest children, what a legacy for a Labour Government.”

Anti-terror measures worldwide have seriously undermined international human rights law, a report by legal experts says.

After a three-year global study, the International Commission of Jurists said many states used the public’s fear of terrorism to introduce measures. These included detention without trial, illegal disappearance and torture. It also said that the UK and the US have “actively undermined” international law by their actions. It concluded that many measures introduced to fight terrorism were illegal and counter-productive, and called for justice systems to be strengthened, warning that temporary measures should not become permanent.

The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a non-governmental organisation which promotes the observance of the rule of law and the legal protection of human rights. The panel of eminent lawyers and judges concluded that the framework of international law that existed before the 9/11 attacks on the US was robust and effective.

Vic D’Albert commented, This report from such a renowned organisation drives a coach and horses through our Governments claims that the UK Governments counter terrorism methods are essential in dealing with the terrorist threat. While undoubtedly tough measures are required against our enemies there can be no trade off in our human rights. Rights won over centuries. In light of this report our counter terrorism measure, in particular the 28 day detention without trial should be reviewed in line with the need to preserve our human rights and redress the balance.” You can read the full report here: assessing-damage-report.pdf

So today is the day David Cameron embraces “localism” and suddenly wants 12 cities to have elected mayors. referendums on Council Tax increases and more control of their own affairs.

Could it be he is getting desperate to find ways of taking control of our major cities in the wake of Boris’s London coup? Surely he wouldn’t be that cynical, would he?

The fact remains if you want to make our local councils more accountable you would restore more powers and delegate more funding and resources to local councils. Powers and resources removed the last time the Tories were in power (because councils didn’t tow the Tory line).

In addition if you want to make Councils more accountable, you don’t need the discredited elected mayors – (Outside london) the few that have them are desperate to get rid. No all you need is a fair voting system. A system that means all votes count and you don’t end up with Councils with massive controlling majorities for one particular party.

If you returned business rates to local control that would help as well. DC forgot to mention all that. But then that’s Lib Dem policy and that would really kickstart accountable “localism” as opposed to his piecemeal, cynical approach. Nice try David, just not good enough.

PLANS by the Liberal Democrats to massively increase the energy efficiency of all homes will lead to big savings in energy bills, say Bury Liberal Democrats. 

In a message to local residents, Parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South, Vic D’Albert has backed the plans to raise the standard of home energy efficiency. 

“The energy efficiency standards of 99 out of every 100 homes fall well below what they should be,” said Vic D’Albert. “Nearly every one of us is spending money on bills to heat the great outdoors as so much energy escapes from our homes. 

“We want to bring home energy efficiency up to the highest level possible. In the past year, fuel bills have gone through the roof. But too often, our heat is escaping through the roof as well. Our plans will put an end to that. 

”By cutting energy waste, we are also cutting the damage we do to the environment. It’s a win-win situation: lower fuel bills and fewer emissions that are leading to climate change that has given us extreme weather.” 

The Liberal Democrats’ plans include requiring energy companies to use some of the £9 billion profit they have made from emissions trading to insulate the homes of the poorest residents. 

They will also set up a National Green Loans scheme which will pay for a complete overhaul of the energy efficiency of people’s homes. Repayments will be added to energy bills with the loan paid off from the savings in energy use. Loan repayments will not be allowed to be more than the savings. 

“This is a great idea for helping people to cut their energy bills and help us save the planet,” said Vic D’Albert. 

The number of attacks on Jews in Britain has risen sharply since Israeli attacks began on Gaza last December, a charity has said.

The Community Security Trust, which is responsible for the safety of Jews in the UK, says more than 250 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in four weeks. They include property vandalism, verbal threats and some physical attacks, most of which centred on north London. This compared to just 27 incidents for the same period last year, according to the trust.

However the trust does point out the overall number of anti-Semitic attacks in 2008 was slightly lower that the previous year, falling from 561 to 541. The trust says schoolchildren have been singled out for verbal abuse and bullying. The incidents took place in predominately Jewish areas in Bury, Salford and London.

Mark Gardner, from the trust, said the “outburst of anti-Semitic rage during the Gaza conflict showed the shocking impact upon British Jews of widespread anti-Israel hysteria”.

Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Chris Huhne called for the home secretary and the police to stamp on anti-Semitic crime “quickly and firmly”. “It is totally unacceptable that any minority should find their lives disrupted because of events in another part of the world, for which they cannot be held responsible,” he said.  

Last month, prominent British Muslim scholars and progressive thinkers denounced the attacks, saying British Jews “should not be held responsible” for Israel’s actions in Gaza.

An international summit to be held in London next week will try to come up with ways to tackle the problem around the world.

Vic D’Albert commented, “It is despicable and cowardly for anyone to single out any members of our society,  for hate crimes for something that’s happened half way across the world. We are all duty bound to defend our neighbours against attacks such as this. If anyone knows anything about race/faith hate crimes they should contact the Police immediately.”

A synthetic drug that is up to five times as powerful as cannabis is being sold legally in Britain, as incense. It has already been made illegal in Germany and the Netherlands and is under review in Austria.

The drug is based on the chemical JWH018 which mimics the effects of tetra hydra cannabol or THC, the main active ingredient of cannabis. Drugs watchdogs are currently investigating the sale of the substance in the UK.

It is now being manufactured in China, and is being sold at UK events like rock festivals as part of the growing “legal high” industry.The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which advises the government on whether a drug should be made illegal, is also aware of the substance, and is investigating it. But scientists do not know what side effects the drug could have, as no tests have been done on its toxicity either in the lab or on animals.

This really does expose the Governments drug regulations as a bit of a shambles. Earlier this week they were saying they would ignore their own drug advisors recommendations to downgrade Ecstasy while at the same time a drug 5 times stronger than Cannabis is legally available without even being properly tested or investigated. 

Last night I attended the meeting of Bury Councils Healthier Communities Scrutiny Commission at the Town Hall.
The following agenda items were discussed:

WORLD CLASS COMMISSIONING
The committee received a presentation from NHS Bury about progress towards proposals to ensure key local health improvements are met and to ensure we have the best local health services possible.
As part of this process NHS Bury have been marked against the best possible standards over a broad range of services etc and has come out fairly well with 8 “good” and 2 Satisfactory.

JOINT HEALTH OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY-PENNINE CARE & PENNINE ACUTE
This was a basic report to provide committee members an overview about the committees jointly established with Bury and local NHS trusts to scrutinise their work, services and policies etc.

ANNUAL HEALTH CHECK 2008/9
NHS Bury has to undergo an Annual Health Check by the Healthcare Commission. This is to check its performance and to provide information in an attempt to improve local services.
Bury Council have been invited to make comments about NHS Bury services for submission to the Healthcare Commission.
I raised a concern that we are being asked NOW to make comments, which have to be submitted by the end of March. As there are no further Healthier Community meetings before then this means we are unable to discuss possible comments as a committee. The Committee agreed that the matter would be delegated to the Committee Chair. I asked that this comes to a meeting earlier in the year next time.

LEARNING DISABILITY TRANSFER OF MONIES FROM FROM NHS BURY TO BURY COUNCIL
An update report on progress towards this aim was submitted for information.

URGENT BUSINESS
I, along with Lib Dem colleagues recently “called-in” the Councils review of elderly accomodation to enable us to scrutinise proposals for elderly persons accomodation and the impact of learning disability services.
The Committee agreed to arrange a special meeting to discuss these proposals on Thursday February 19th at 7pm in the Town Hall. Public as always are welcome to attend.

The meeting finished at 8.45pm

Full minutes of this meeting will be uploaded to the Councils website (meetings pages) shortly. Please contact me if you would like to clarify something or would like further information.

You might feel the urge to sign the petition to stop RBS giving away £1bn of our tax payers money in bonuses.

Feels a little like we must be living in a fantasy world that it’s even necessary to have to sign a petition to stop them doing it. They lose £28bn – get £20bn of tax payers money and then pay £1bn in bonuses!!! You couldn’t make it up.  £3.6bn of the £37bn we paid in cash is going in bonuses in the next 6 weeks. An increase of 1p on income tax raises about £3.7bn. So by not paying it we could arguably have had a 1p cut in income tax. Now let me see what would we all prefer – to make sure the bankers all get their bonuses or to give us 1p in the pound back on income tax.

“No Ifs No Buts-  Give up the Bonus, RBS”

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/giveupthebonus?e