Yesterday George Osborne - the man who would be Chancellor of the Exchequer (despite no actual expertise in finance, not to mention Treasury finances), stood up in the British Museum and when he spoke the Tory manifesto pledges on the economy and budget deficit etc started to unravel before our very eyes. 

You may recall that the Conservatives had pledged massive cuts in their first 50 days of Government. For this they were roundly attacked because of the damage such mid-year cut backs would have on the finances of many public sector and voluntary organisations. 

Now they say they are not going to be nearly so brutal after all. But most worrying of all, they have decided that they are not going to tell us anything about the cuts. Yesterday George Osborne was repeatedly asked about the cuts - where, when, how much. Repeatedly he refused to answer.

It is frankly not credible to stand up and make vague and veiled promises about how they would handle the economy and budget deficit and then refuse to go into any detail. He might as well of stood up and said “Just trust me, I’m a Conservative politician”. It would be as detailed as the spinned double-talk of a speech yesterday and would have saved him and the media a lot of time.

The Tories are now in turmoil over the economy. They wanted to act tough with cuts and appear strong in their handling of the economy, prepared to take the tough decisions etc, But for whatever reason they are now recoiling from that position. There policy seems to vary depending on which Tory is speaking!

Only the Liberal Democrats have a coherent economic policy that is both credible from a treasury/economy point of view and importantly is designed to protect key public services.

The Liberal Democrats want to split up the banks so that taxpayers no longer have to underwrite reckless risk taking.

We will create a fairer tax system with an income tax cut which will make work pay for those on low incomes.

Through targeted cuts in spending we will be honest about how to reduce the deficit. And by setting up an infrastructure bank we will ensure that public infrastructure projects get the private funding they need to revolutionise our economy.  Now that is how you usher in an economy that is fit for the challenges ahead.

This sunday the Longfield precinct in Prestwich will be holding another of our now popular farmers markets, with a host of quality produce from across the North West.

The event runs from 9.30 to 3.30 - but be warned stalls have sold out previously so get there early.

As ever there is something for all the family with a free raffle, Childrens ride, Squeaky the clown and a Town crier.

Last night I attended Bury’s Environment, Economy & Transport Scrutiny Commission. Unsurprisingly the recent weather and Bury’s handling of the gritting of our roads (or not) dominated much of the meeting.

I raised concerns that the Council appeared to have difficulties trying to cope with bad weather when it was affecting the whole Borough simultaneously and that their gritting strategy seemed to reflect this, this was denied by officers.

I mentioned that we had been informed that due to the weather being so bad in Ramsbottom and surounding area that extra attention had to be given to that area in order to maintain main roads open. I suggested that this seemed to lead to less gritting in certain areas of Prestwich and Whitefield which received unusually large snowfalls. 

I also asked why the Longfield Precinct hadn’t been properly gritted, and officers appeared puzzled and said that it should have been, I have asked for this to be investigated.

Finally following another councillors concerns about keeping schools open, I suggested that Schools in difficult (non-gritting) locations should perhaps be supplied with their own gritting bin to help them keep their areas and frontage clear and safe. This seemed to be taken on board by officers.

With Government instructions to reduce gritting by 40% to conserve salt stocks , we better hope we don’t have any more bad weather for a while - preferably next winter!

Meanwhile Bury Council have recently produced a Gritting policy which explains the hows and why’s of where Bury Grits where it does. It’s currently a draft policy only as it is being consulted on, so if you have any comments to make please let the Council know asap.

You can read the draft policy here: burymbc-draft-gritting-policy.pdf

If you have Prestwich specific issues you want to raise, by all means let your local councillors know, or attend next weeks Prestwich Area Partnership meeting at Sedgley Park School at 6.30pm - the item will be on the agenda. 

As I drove to work today, passing a billboard with David Cameron staring down at me trying to look all ernest and serious, the election campaign ahead became even clearer to me.

You listen to Cameron and Brown and all you seem to get is a bidding war as to how much they would cut public services in order to deal with the budget deficit. They both pledge to “protect” the NHS. Although it would seem the Tories now don’t mean all the NHS, just certain bits.

It’s as if they are trying to prove they are tougher than each other and in the mad scramble to chop services they are forgetting that we need radical change to improve many of our public services and crucially the great British Public need to know where those cuts will fall. What services will they be left with after the great cull!

That’s why we need the real change only the Lib Dems can offer not the fake change Tories or No change Labour. There has been much damage to many of our services with countless tinkering, interfering and gimmicks over the past 13 years and blatantly we can’t afford a Conservative Government when Labour have left Britain with wider poverty gaps than ever. The Economy is in a delicate position and we need sustainable economic policies not soundbites for the city.

Real change for Britain has never been more needed, Only the Lib Dems can offer the changes we need at a cost that we can afford. It’s about creating a fairer Britain for all.

As Prestwich Town Centre regeneration plans are firmed up over the coming year Bury Council must not lose sight of the fact that one of the strengths of the local economy is the small local independent traders, some of whom have operated from the Longfield Precinct for many years.

I believe it is reasonable to expect Bury Council to place relocation and support packages high on the agenda in negotiations with the landlords/developers, Hollins Murray Group (HMG).

Successful businesses know only too well the benefits of planning ahead, and at present many of the small businesses in the centre of Prestwich feel that they are in a state of limbo, uncertain of when development will take place and what support they will get towards relocation. They need plenty of notice and we need to ensure as much as possible that they don’t suffer too much as a result.

It would be devastating to lose local businesses as a result of regenerating the town centre to make it more attractive for new businesses!

I have already raised this issue with the Council and I will be pursuing the matter in the new year. We’ve got to back our local businesses.

As is usual with this Government the devil is in the detail. With the pleadges to protect services and the fairly minimal increases in taxation combined to a pledge to half the country’s borrowing, if anything was clear it was that the sums didn’t quite add up.

Now thanks to the Institute of Fiscal Studies we have expert examination that confirms what many feared , that “unprotected” services will face cuts of £36 Billion over the next 3 years. To put this into context the Armed Forces budget is £38 Bn.

Whilst that is a worry to put it mildly, what is also worrying is that we now learn that Gordon Brown overruled Alastair Darling and the Treasury on the proposed strategy. The Treasury wanted to make deeper cuts sooner - which the opposition generally believe is necessary. But Gordon Brown with an eye on the coming election clearly felt the medicine would be too severe and stepped in - but at what cost to the economy and peoples livelihoods?

Interestingly Brown is on record as a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher. Older readers will recall that Thatcher regularly usurped her Chancellors - remember Lamont, Howe and Lawson? Has Brown modelled himself on Thatcher? If so with £36 Billion of cuts coming our way the suffering will be long and hard.

Last night I sat down to watch a couple of my favourite TV programmes. Spooks, A fictional MI5 drama was all about the fact that if the Government couldn’t sieze assets of around £2 bn from an unscrupulous bank, then the country would be bankrupt and unable to pay public sector workers.

This scenario then seemed to morph into the news where I was confronted with Alastair Darling the Chancellor informing the country that we were in a worse mess than he had thought but he had a plan that involved bingo and boilers!

I have to tell you “Spooks” was more believable. Alastair Darling looked like a rejected pilot episode of “Yes Minister”.

I doubt there is anyone left in this country who does not know the nations finances are in a mess, that tough action is needed. Yet we saw a Chancellor trying desperately to offer nuggets of comfort, little tasty morsels to see us through a miserable winter.

He promised to protect Health and Education from cuts and offered increases in some benefits for next year - but what about the following years, after the General Election?

Read the rest of this entry.

I don’t know what planet the RBS Board are on but if they think that they should get their way and pay investment bankers £1.5 Billion in bonuses or resign, frankly they should resign.

This bank is effectively owned by the British Tax payer that has pumped billions into keeping it afloat. There would be no investment bankers at RBS if it wasn’t for taxpayers money, in fact there wouldn’t be a Royal Bank of Scotland.

It’s been a hard year for many. There are many wondering how they will manage this Christmas, whether they can afford presents and all the other goodies - whilst they struggle to afford food and bills. There are many that had decent jobs a year ago and are now unemployed. There are many that owned there own homes that now live with others, rent, or are even homeless or up to their necks in debt.

So perhaps a decent christmas present for the investment staff at RBS would be a nice card from the Chairman and Alastair Darling a thankyou for all their hard work a christmas party and a gentle reminder that they still have a job this year thanks to us all.

There but for the grace of God….

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveal that 1.5 million people have been claiming Incapacity Benefit, Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance for more than 5 years. Of these, more than half a million people have been claiming for between 5 and 9 years, while 700,000 have been claiming for over 12 years. 

Commenting, Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South, said:  “Under Labour people have become trapped in a system where they have to be out of work for a year before getting extra help to find a job. Under Labour you fend for yourself or fall by the wayside for the first year. This is the way to destroy a person’s confidence not boost their job prospects.

“The situation is even worse for people with health problems who are sent away and abandoned on benefits. People who don’t get help from day one find themselves ignored and forced into debt, with the constant worry making it even harder to get a job, and the far reaching impact for their families.

“Ministers need to change the system so that people get real help from the second they walk into a Jobcentre. They need help immediately and are better equipped to respond to help at an earlier stage. This Government has failed too many people just when they have needed help most. How many more will they fail before making changes that will really count.”

The Government has just admitted that a massive £3 Billion in benefits were overpaid last year as a result of fraud and error.

It is absolutely staggering to consider that a combination or fraud and errors are seeing such a massive waste in tax payers hard earned money. The Government really does need to get a grip of the situation.

Firstly they need to cut down on official error. It is incredible that officials appear unable to administer a system of their own creation.

Secondly at a time of recession with millions worse off and many in genuine need of support it is crucial the right people get help. At a time when we are all facing the impact of impending spending cuts it’s crucial that money isn’t being poured down the drain due to poor administration. That is obscene.

If they simplified the benefits system it would go a long way to addressing these issues. At present it would appear the officials don’t understand it, claimants can’t get whats due and fraudsters are the key beneficiaries of an over beaurocratic over complex system.

Today it has been announced that in order to satisfy competition rules Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB are to be split  - my immediate thought was great bring back Williams & Glyns, and the Trustees Savings Bank!

However, whilst it may not be to difficult to appreciate the need to split these banks up, it will be difficult for Joe Public to swallow the extra £30Billion needed for the exercise.

At a time when most people are feeling the economic squeeze and political parties are falling over each other to promise greater public spending cuts, another handout to these failed institutions will I suspect be nigh on impossible to explain let alone justify.

I am also growing increasingly concerned that the great British public will end up with the dodgy end of the stick with this whole affair. Lets face it it’s Ok to split banks up and sell off branches etc, but any new business created or business hived off will have to be from the more profitable sections of these 2 banking giants to be an attractive proposition. So what will be left, and will that mean a longer term investment and further bail-outs from the UK Government? 

This Labour Government needs to tread very carefully here. They are playing with the future of the British economy with these financial initiatives. But maybe they’re thinking they won’t be there to pick up the pieces after next May.

Commenting on today’s GDP figures, which show the economy shrank by 0.4% between July and September, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“For all the hopes of a quick recovery, these figures make it clear we are still in the longest and what could yet become the deepest recession on record.“For all that has been thrown at the economy to try and stimulate a recovery it is clear that massive structural problems remain, particularly in the banking sector.

“This news adds to serious concerns over the realism of Government plans to deal with the burgeoning public debt. It is critical ministers spell out a credible path as to how they will deal with the deficit.

“With the legacy of unemployment likely to remain for years after the end of the recession, we need radical measures to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1990s which left millions on the scrap heap.”

Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South, Vic D’Albert added: “With thousands of families across Bury struggling to cope with the recession and unemployment, it is crucial that they see leadership and real action to deal with the affects of recession, providing genuine support, new opportunities and jobs.

“This Government is struggling to meet the aspirations of those worst affected and that means they are failing people in their hour of need. When leadership and action is expected they get the response of a head-less chicken and that just isn’t good enough.” 

As Gordon Brown announces a £16 Billion Sale of public assets I can almost here the character from Dads Army shouting “Don’t panic”.

Any remnants of “prudence” has finally been expunged from his character with this one. The timing of this sell-off off public assets, in the midst of a recession has to be questionable proposal and one could almost lead to panic as to the true state of public finances. If indeed it was a simple case of being able to pick the timing in order to maximise interest and income, then this wouldn’t be happening now.

However, It could be that this sell off has nothing whatsoever to do with the state of our public finances and more to do with an impending General Election preceeded by a Budget. It could well be a cynical attempt to try and free up some resources - only time will tell.    

So the Conservative Party is gradually coming clean. And it is clear already that as part of their “pain for all” plans phase one is taking a scorched earth policy to public spending.

With a freeze on public sector pay, delayed pensions, restricted pay limits and a 10% cut to public services this is a scorched earth policy designed for more than control of public spending in mind.

The more I here from Cameron, Osborne and co. the more I believe this weeks announcements are part of a concerted attempt to scare the British public into accepting the most demanding and fierce medicine they can throw at us. The big question is this. If the Tories are planning this scale of attack on our public services and spending, what do they intend to do with the savings? Something tells me when the public purse has recovered, we won’t be seeing re-investment in those same public services, and then they may just delay restoring the pension/earnings link or even put back retirement age further. And we shouldn’t forget that they have already pledged cuts to inheritance tax to make life easier for the rich as well.

Phase two should be very interesting - there is no doubt we need to cut public spending and we do need people to face up to some stark choices. However what we should be doing is not taking a chain saw to our public services but discussing which services should be protected and which need improving and which need support. What should our priorities be. I suspect the Conservatives know what they’re priorities are - so how about telling us. Now. Or is it all a case of slash and burn?

MEDIA STATEMENT

Bury’s dole queues have lengthened by over three quarters this year to over 4,000.

Now Bury South Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Vic D’Albert says the Government must act fast to halt the rise in job losses and home repossessions in the borough.

There are now 4,230 people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in Bury, an increase of 78.9% compared to this time last year, and an increase of 41.7% in the last three months.

Unemployment in the borough is now at a higher level than before Labour came to power in 1997, after the ravages of 18 years of Tory government.

Commenting, Vic D’Albert said: “Despite some sterling work by local businesses, these figures show that the recession is continuing to hit Bury hard as more jobs and homes are being lost. It is clear to me that the Labour government has failed Bury, and that the Tory Council isn’t doing anything like enough to help.

“It is vital that the Government offers help to the millions who are struggling to keep their heads above water. Income tax should be cut, and the banks must pass on the cuts in interest rates to reduce the cost of borrowing and keep people in their homes, and businesses open.

“The Prime Minister promised to abolish boom and bust, yet for the people of Bury it’s unemployment that’s booming, and their businesses that are going bust.
At the same time, the Tories at the Town Hall are dithering over Lib Dem proposals like our “Park Free After 3″ idea which would be a big boost to jobs.

“The banks have had their bail-out, how much longer must ordinary people wait for theirs?”

(source: Office of National Statistics)

Last nights EET meeting thankfully improved after the “coffee machine” disaster.

PARKING IN BURY

A annual report was presented about Parking services which outlined the number of penalty notices issued and other parking issues.

The report highlighted that the number of people parking in the town centre had reduced over the past year, that revenue from meters and notices will be less than budgeted and 6703 penalty notices were issued. My collegaue,Cllr Donal O’Hanlon raised a very interesting point that 24% or nearly 1 in 4 notices issued were eventually cancelled. In other words we (the Council) were paying people to cancel notices rather than being less heavy handed, reasonable or accurate in the first instance.

I requested that a wide ranging visitor survey be undertaken to focus on parking issues and identify any further issues. This was in response to a limited survey of 1000 motorists that appealed against notices.

STREET LIGHTING

Some avid readers of local current affairs will remember that the Conservative authority , first announced that they wanted to turn off street lights, then had an executive panic attack and decided to change their minds. This angered member of the Environment scrutiny commission who were aware of the need to improve street lighting both in terms of efficiency bu reducing CO2 emissions. Lighting accounts for 13% of the Borough total.

Last night we agreed to set up a working group to look at street lighting issues with a view to applying for a public finance initiative to improve our street lights.

HOUSING GRANTS

A paper was presented to the commission proposing changes to the grants available for residents to carry out housing improvements or adaptations. Much of these changes were non contentious - for instance amending the Minor repairs and Improvements Grants to take account of sustainability issues and decent homes standards.

However what bothered me intensely was changes to the Disabled Facilities Grants. Currently it is mandatory that the council finance up to £30,000 of adaptations, how they now propose that any further “top-ups” required will be only available in exceptional circumstances. Officers admitted that this was due to budgetary pressures - The council has a budget of around £1.2m which included £617,000 from the Government.

I am concerned that this is a start on squeezing local authority grants and support generally - and it greatly concerns me that this is once again financially driven - officers admitted that it is likely residents would have to wait longer or may be turned down for additional essential work.

The long awaited regeneration of Prestwich village moved a step closer tonight when Bury Councils Planning Control Committee approved an outline planning application.

The initial outline application basically designates areas for use and provides a general overview of the proposals. This application will now be followed in the coming months with detailed applications relating to specific site developments.

I am pleased that the application was unanimously approved. St.Mary’s Ward Councillor Mary D’Albert sought clarification on the size of the proposed supermarket and assurances that the Longfield Suite will be unaffected and the new libary will be at least as big as the existing one.

St.Mary’s Lib Dem Councillor Donal O’Hanlon could not vote because he has a vested interest in the development as Chair of the Town Centre Regeneration Working Group that has monitored and pressed forward these proposals on behalf of the Area Partnership. He did however suggest a number of conditions of which one regarding contractors and subcontractors parking was adopted.

So onwards and upwards. Developers will hopefully be working on key aspects/detailed applications now and there may well be detailed consultation with Town planners on the details.

It is also hoped that these detailed applications remain true to the Love Prestwich Strategy document which has been so well received and the the Area Partnership and Town Centre Regeneration Working Group remain an active consultee of the developers.

Watch this space - or to be more specific the Longfield Precinct space!

Last night was a case of one extreme to another. I started off in the Councils Economy and Environment Scrutiny sub group looking at the Local Development framework for Bury and ended up in a pub in Prestwich in a Tenants and Residents meeting.

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

This important sub group is responsible for monitoring the progress of the production of the Local Development Framework and associated documents. The LDF looks at the allocation and use of all land throughout Bury and for instance identifies land for business use, housing and of course the green belt. Perhaps the most controversial aspects include the need to identify new sites for gypsy’s and travellers as well as identifying land for about 11500 new homes.

As if that wasn’t enough they have to deal with the impact of climate change which will dramatically affect areas prone to flooding which we were told will have an impact on Radcliffe and Ramsbottom proposals.

LDF documents are still work in progress at this stage and there is much consultation and examination before they become adopted as policy by the council, but clearly there will be significant challenges with wide ranging impact on most of Bury.

POLEFIELD TENANTS & RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

Following the LDF meeting at the town hall I had to rush to a meeting of Polefield TRA at the Parkside Hotel in Prestwich.

The meeting included tenants, police, Six Town Housing officers and myself. We received reports that suggested that things were pretty quite on the estate - limited anti-social behaviour.

Plans are progressing for a Halloween night disco for under 11’s at Heaton Park School and a public meeting in November.

Tenants raised concerns about speeding on the estate, the use of (often illegal) bikes and quad bikes etc and potentially dangerous junction of Cuckoo Grove, Polefield Hall Rd and Polefield Circle. I promised to request the Council to investigate possible improvements to this junction along with the provision of some improved street lighting and road repairs.

It really does not achieve anything for Labour and the Tories to constantly try and twist each others words and statements on public spending in order that they then bleat “I told you so” to the media. With the Tories pledging to increase the costs of a ploughmans lunch in the House of commons and Labour trying to match the rhetoric with strong words but without saying much at all, we desperately need a grown up debate.

They talk of Public services as if they were something that is a luxury that can’t really be afforded in tough times - like eating out less or not replacing your ageing TV.

In all the talk of spending cuts and committments we need to remember that many public services are by definition quite vital and essential - relied on by many of the most vulnerable in our communities and by necessity not always affordable or providable through the private sector.

So in these difficult times whilst it is right to address Government spending, let’s also address Government income and Government waste, and lets have a sensible grown up discussion about services - the services that we can do without - ID cards etc and the services that need protecting - because of the impact of cuts.

The TUC were right to wade into the debate yesterday on the eve of their conference because we must not forget the implications of cuts invariably mean redundancies directly and indirectly.

Cuts will need to be made, but we need to ensure vital services are protected. It’s about services that matter, it’s about people lives as well as livelihoods.

I have just signed up to the 10:10 pledge.10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.

I increasingly believe that if we are to tackle carbon emissions in the UK we need to tackle it as individuals as well as applying pressure to our Government. Green policies are stalling with a Labour Government faced with recession and financial instability, but what about climate instability?

We need to show the Government that as individuals we want action to cut emissions and we are prepared to do our bit.  So go on take the pledge to cut your carbon footprint by 10% in 2010.

To sign up just visit the 10:10 web site at www.1010uk.org

Last night I chaired the Council’s Local Development Framework Sub group (of the Economy, Environment and Transport Scrutiny Commission). Believe me it’s more interesting than it sounds!

Ostensibly the group has been set up to oversee the progress of the Council’s production of a Local Development Framework (LDF) and to scrutinise the consultation process and ensure all bases are covered etc.

The LDF is a votal planning document that will inform future development and conservation across the whole of Bury for the period up to 2026. For instance it will highlight where development will be permitted, whether that development can be for employment purposes or housing for instance. It will identify green belt and green “facilities”.

So all in all its a crucial piece of work that will have a far reaching affect on he future of Bury. Last night was only our second meeting so some way to go yet. But good progress is being made.

The meetings are open to the public - next meeting September 14th, 6pm Bury Town Hall.

Amid the recent reports that 19000 high street shops are likely to close this year and reposessions likely to rise to 75,000 this year why is this Labour Government appears utterly inept and paralysed.

This Government is seemingly unprepared to tackle the banks over the lack of help for small business and indicisive to the point of neglect in bringing to the table useful, properly funded initiative to provide support and re-training for the unemployed and incentives and further support for struggling businesses.

Personally I am sick of hearing a Government spokesperson standing in front of a camera exclaiming about all the great things they are doing , then seeing another local business go bust.

The problem with such devastation to small business is the knock on effect to other small businesses and the decimation to small towns suburbs. Small businesses usually have precious few reserves of any kind to tap into and find it harder to make cuts and offer the same services.

If Iraq was Blairs legacy, I fear Browns may well be Economic dithering and too little too late.

With Northern Rock’s announcement of £724 million losses for the first half of the year it looks like it’s going to remain owned by the taxpayer for some time yet.

In fact I think for stability it may well be prudent for the Government to make clear their intentions to hold on to this business for the significant future or at least until certain criteria are reached.

It’s quite clear that Northern Rock was all but terminally damaged by the lending/banking crash and that at present any attempt to sell it off would merely appease asset strippers and speculators and prove an expensive write off for British tax payers.

I just hope the Government are proactive in working with the bank to ensure restructuring and revamping of their financial products is in such a way as to be in the best interests of the taxpayer in the long term. After all it is important to sell off these nationalised assets but not at any price.

Following on from the news that 12,000 high street businesses have closed their doors this year, I remain alarmed at how little is actually happening on the ground to help struggling small businesses through the worst recession for decades.

If you strip back the warm rhetoric from the Government we are left with the facts that banks are not lending as they should - they have admitted to building up reserves rather than lending, and the Government just keeps moaning about it in the media. Not good enough.

As if that isn’t bad enough we have a local Council that sees the building of a new shopping centre and cranes towering over Bury as a sign that Bury is booming. Cllr Bibby if you bring your gaze down from the lofty cranes you will see boarded up shops, shops To Let etc all over Bury. The trouble is when the shopping centre is redeveloped will there be any local independent businesses left to be part of it or will it be the usual collection of national chain stores you can find anywhere?

The Government must apply more pressure to get banks lending and at local level we need Councils to stop “living the dream” and get real with the plight of struggling local businesses and do what they can to ensure they get whatever support we can offer them. After all small businesses are the lifeblood of towns like Bury and Bury Conservatives must not forget that. 

Back by popular demand! - Sunday 23rd August 9.30am - 2.30pm

It is hoped to have another Farmers Market in November to coincide with a Christmas Lights “switch on”

Alongside the market activities incldue:
- giant free raffle
- children’s ride
- face painter
- squeaky the clown
- bag piper

In the wake of the Tory by-election victory in Norwich North their treasury spokesperson Phillip Hammond has called for a massive Tory majority after the next election in order that the Tories are not held up in Parliament from making the necessary public spending cuts.

Hopefully there are still plenty of people out there who remember the early 1980’s. A new Conservative Government had come to power and they set about making deep cuts to public spending. Cuts that decimated local councils, cuts that hit front line services, cuts that hit the vulnerable and the weak.

The Thatcher Government politicised me and (I suspect, many more). I joined the Liberal Party in 1983 as a result - the need to fight such damaging policies, to fight for the vulnerable and the weak, the disadvantaged and the poor.

The last thing this country needs is a massive Conservative majority after the next election. Its generally agreed by all main parties that we need to make spending cuts, but they need to be justified to Parliament and to the people and they have to be managed.

A large majority for any party right at the start of a new Parliament would lead to a Government that could push cuts through without taking notice of opposition or the people. That would mean bad policies, bad cuts and bad news for the weakest in our society.

No Mr Hammond a massive Tory majority is not what’s needed, a caring supportive, unifying Government that can take the tough decisions and make cuts sensitively is what’s needed and the Conservatives aren’t it! 

Unemployment in Bury has risen to 4589.

While the lastest figures represent a slight increase from May to June of 0.7%, they show that unemployment in Bury has doubled over the past year. There are now 78314 unemployed (on job seekers allowance) across Greater Manchester. The rate of unemployment in Bury matches the national average at 4.1%.

1 IN 3 UNDER 25

As if that isn’t alarming enough the amount of young unemployed (16-24’s) now stands at 1595 a staggering 34.8% of the total Bury unemployed. Or to put it another way 1 in 3 Bury unemployed are under 25. Bury now has the highest proportion of young unemployed across Greater Manchester. Overall there are 25115 young unemployed in the region.

LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED UP 113.9% IN A YEAR

Meanwhile those that have been out of work for over 6 months has now reached 1080 in Bury, representing 23.5% of the total unemployed, up 13.7% since last month and a staggering 113.9% in a year.

Sadly the number of vacancies doesn’t lift the gloom with a total of 531 vacancies posted in June- down 11% on last month and down 41% compared to the same time last year.

While incredibly some commentators are suggesting that we are starting to see a the light at the end of the tunnel due to the slowing increase of unemployment, personally I remain sceptical for now. After all now is the time we start to see a lot of seasonal jobs traditionally easing unemployment figures for the summer. If that is actually represented in these figures then things are even worse than we fear.

With businesses still struggling to get funding from banks (despite Mr Browns insistence) and a mass of university leavers hitting the jobs market any time soon, we need positive assertive measures now to stimulate the economy further.

Labour are almost paralysed with dithering and despair and effectively making a bad situation worse, when we desperately need a Government that can take decisive action and initiatives.

Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs is currently trying to install a new software system. As a result it has led to massive delays in processing tax returns etc.

Now whilst this may be great news for those that are ultimately due to pay tax over as a result, many of those that are due tax refunds are struggling to cope.

One local business I know is currently owed £20,000 by the Revenue. Small businesses in the middle of a recession need that kind of money. Another Bury business I know is also owed thousands - tax paid via the revenues Construction Industry scheme for sub contracted staff - not repaid byclients - refundable from IR.

The Government must ensure that HM Revenue and Customs  get a grip of the situation and sorts this mess out soon, before the inevitable happens and businesses go to the wall as a result. That would be criminal negligence so far as I am concerned with the impact that small business failures have on local communities and the families involved.

If there is no immediate prospect of getting through the backlog and making these vital tax refunds then they should make imterim payments to cover (say) 80% of the expected repayment. That’s assuming they can still write cheques!

The Conservatives have announced their plans for reform of financial regulations and the regulatory system in the wake of the global financial meltdown.

The headline suggestion is that by scrapping the Financial Services authority and passing those powers to he Bank of England would somehow improve the system.

Sadly the Tories once again fail to address the front line problem and that is the power of big financial institutions and the greed mentality that led to over exposure and excess risk taking in an unstainable financial market place.

They do not address the fact that once banks start doing well again they will start acquiring other businesses and growing their financial portfolios once more.

That is why we need to address this empire buildingand limit the expansion of banks developing across all financial sectors, but essentially risking financial stability by moving into high risk areas. And that is why Vince Cable and the Lib Dems are right when they say we should be taking a lead amoving to break up the nationalised banks into appropriate small units that can focus solely on specific banking sectors ie retail (high st) banking seperate from merchant banking, investments etc.

What stopping the Tories from supporting this practical sensible approach? Perhaps they are too close to these institutions, too reliant on them for financial support. Perhaps too many vested interests. 

Last night the Government gave a fierce defence of the abolition of the 10p tax rate claiming it would bring down the budget and lead to tax chaos.

“The fact of the matter is however that Brown’s bloody mindedness and determination not to reverse this damaging cut will only serve to punish further in this recession many of those who have suffered most already. ”

The Government defeated the amendment to restore the 10p basic rate by 43. Lib Dems and Tories were joined by a number of Labour rebels led by Frank Field.

“A good Government must always be prepared to listen, however increasingly, Brown’s bunker mentality is leading to entrenchment and lip service, the result of which is leading to more and more suffering for those in the front line in this recession.

“Last nights “win” for Browns failing Government was a hollow victory confirming once and for all that Labour are no longer prepared to fight for the poor, the disadvantaged and the vulnerable. ”

It’s started with a storm at Prestwich Clough and should end in glorious sunshine at Prestwich Carnival. After 35 days, 55 events, 1,000’s of visitors to events, money raised for charity Prestwich Festival puts its feet up and says goodbye for 2009 with a final weekend of fun.

The final push starts tonight with a Friday Night Social - Shangri La at 8pm at, Carlton Club, Bury Old Road featuring live music and a stand up comedian. And of course this will be followed by the customary bumper weekend of family entertainment at the Prestwich Carnival.

On Saturday 20 June a Football Tournament organized by FC United of Manchester will take place from 9am until 4pm at St. Mary’s Park.

In addition the Friends of Butterstile School will be holding their traditional fund day from 12.00 noon at Butterstile Primary School. As part of the fun all the children from the school will have the chance to enter a series of competitions to celebrate Prestwich, the four categories are photographs, poems, paintings or portraits. I understand Cllr Donal O’Hanlon is in the stocks for the wet sponge throwing. Now that’s an attraction not to be missed!

And finally on Sunday 21 June Prestwich Carnival Grand Parade kicks off at 1pm. The Parade arrives in the park at 2.30pm with six arenas showcasing local talent.

Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.

Local Lib Dem Councillors have praised clean-up staff following recent Oasis concerts in Heaton Park, but voiced concerns that not enough was done to protect local people during the recent events.

The concerts, which saw 210,000 people enjoy music in the park over three nights, generated controversy over noise, but passed largely without major trouble.

Commenting on the concerts, Cllr Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat member for Holyrood and Parliamentary candidate for Bury South said “What’s clear is that over 200,000 people came to Prestwich and had a great time. But there were lots of problems for the people that live here, and we need to get the balance right. Before Manchester City Council think about having more concerts here, they need to think about Prestwich residents.”

Residents complained about excessive noise, particularly on the first night when a power failure caused a delay to the end of the concert. Cllr D’Albert said “Of course there was going to be noise, but I think continuing until 11.25 was too late, and I will be demanding that this never happens again. I want to know why the stage was set up facing the houses of Prestwich rather than the open space of the park, and why revellers weren’t moved on quicker at the end. This was particularly unpleasant for older residents and people with young children.”

Parking arrangements were only partially successful. Vic D’Albert said “We were given assurances that public transport would work and parking wouldn’t be a problem. Whilst streets in St Margaret’s and Sheepfoot Lane were well protected, those in Sedgley and Rhodes were not, and this wasn’t good enough. Buses and taxis were dropping off people in the wrong place, and queues for trams were very long. We need improvements to help residents.”

Cllr D’Albert did praise some aspects of the organisation. “I thought the street cleaning service was excellent, and lots of local people enjoyed a concert, either as paying spectators or for free in their gardens. A lot of local people enjoyed themselves, and local businesses received a welcome boost in trade. The gigs have raised the profile of Prestwich, and that’s great. In addition, some of the profits will be spent improving local parks, so people will see long term benefits as a result of short term disruption.”

“Prestwich Local Area Partnership will receive a report into all aspects of the concerts, and make this available to local people so that we can represent their views. I look forward to working with everyone - local people, and Bury and Manchester Councils - to make sure that if these things are to happen again, we in Bury make Manchester City Council learn from what happened.

There’s certainly room for improvement, but perhaps not for 200,000 people across three nights in quick succession. We need to deal with the noise better, reduce the numbers and restrict activity to sensible times and durations. We need to strike a balance between Prestwich people and money for Manchester.”

BURY UNEMPLOYMENT DOUBLES IN A YEAR!

Latest figures show that unemployment in Bury almost doubled over the year to April 09.

Job Seekers Allowance claimants shot up to 4558 in Bury up 1.8% from March and up 97% over the past year. Overall 4% of the working population are claiming JSA.

However, this still compares favourably with the Greater Manchester average. Across Greater Manchester 77908 were claiming JSA , up 2.4% on March and up 80% over the past year. Overall 4.8% were claiming JSA.

Worryingly the long term jobless figures are now on the increase. Bury now has 950 residents (claimants) out of work - up 12.4% in a month and 94% in a year. Long term jobless accounts for 20.8% of the jobless in Bury. In other words 1 in 5 have now been out of work for 6 months or more!

This is where this paralysed Labour Government is really failing people. While Brown fails to deal with the economic crisis and dithers over Government/Parliamentary reform, back on our towns and communities people are increasingly suffering the fallout and trauma of job cuts and businesses crashing.

This was the week that…

·         Allegations into the misuse of MPs’ expenses continued – one MP claimed for his ‘servants’ quarters’ [more]

·         Labour and Tory MPs decided to stand down over their expenses claims [more]

·         Former Labour Deputy Leader Roy Hattersley called for ministers who avoided paying tax to be sacked [more]

·         Nick Clegg, writing for the Guardian, set out his proposals for electoral and constitutional reform [more]

·         A number of Cabinet ministers and former ministers called for electoral reform [more]; [more]

·         The Treasury’s economic forecasts were doubted by a survey that it commissioned [more]

·         The BNP faced the prospect of an inquiry into their funding [more]

·         David Cameron was criticised for failing to wear a seatbelt in his latest party political broadcast [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         The government’s mortgage rescue scheme has only helped two households in four months [more]

·         Despite government attempts, social mobility in the UK is still falling under Labour [more]

·         Mortgage lending has hit a new low [more]

·         The taxpayer has funded a former Tory spin doctor to the tune of £66,000 through Tory MPs’ expenses [more]

·         Conservative proposals could force a British exit from the EU, claims a group of senior lawyers [more]

·         Tory and UKIP MEPs are the worst UK MEPs for voting for EU transparency and reform [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Launched the campaign for fundamental political reform [more] and http://www.takebackpower.org/

·         Challenged UKIP MEPs to publish their expenses claims as Lib Dem MEPs have [more]

·         Renewed calls for extra police officers to tackle the credit crunch crime wave [more]

·         Highlighted concerns arising from the nationalising of banks [more]

·         Cast doubt on train punctuality figures [more]

·         Demanded the publication of MI5 agents’ guidelines [more]

·         Called for the FSA to launch an allegation into financial irregularities at HBOS [more]

This was the week that…

·         The Speaker of the House of Commons bowed to pressure and stood down [more]

·         The government finally backed down and granted Gurkhas and their families the right to settle in the UK [more]

·         Two Labour Lords became the first peers to be suspended from the House of Lords since 1642 [more]

·         The government’s car scrappage scheme got off to a chaotic start [more]

·         A Tory MP blamed the outcry over MPs expenses on public ‘jealousy’ [more]

·         The UK’s reputation suffered on credit markets as the outlook for government debt was downgraded [more]

·         A business leader attacked the government’s ‘economic vandalism’ [more]

·         Labour sunk to an all-time-low in opinion polls [more]

·         A group of Lib Dem MPs were named ‘heroes of the week’ [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         Car production fell 55% in April [more]

·         Household spending has fallen at the fastest rate since 1980 this year [more]

·         Mortgage lending fell again in April, this time by 9% [more]

·         The government has paid out £15bn too much in tax credits since 2003 [more]

·         Spending on NHS management consultants has trebled in the last two years [more]

·         The UK economy has slid further into deflation [more]

·         Prison violence is increasing [more]

·         Government buildings, including the Department for Energy and Climate Change are not meeting green standards [more]

·         Jo Swinson, Lib Dem MP, has made the most parliamentary contributions of any Scottish MP [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Challenged the government to make the difficult decisions needed to cut the budget deficit [more]

·         Called for a complete transformation in the way politics is conducted [more]

·         Revealed that 24,000 people die prematurely every year in Britain due to air pollution [more]

·         Showed how the government managed to block the creation of 10,000 new jobs [more]

·         Held the government to account for failing to tackle Britain’s alcohol problems [more]

·         Uncovered a huge rise in sexually transmitted diseases among under 16s [more]

·         Warned that the UK is facing a junior doctors crisis [more]

·         Federal Executive published its response to the revelations of misuse of MPs expenses [more]

·         Lord Rennard announced he would be stepping down in September for health and family reasons after six years as Chief Executive of the party [more]

So as Harriet Harman announces some interim changes to the expenses and allowances MP’s can claim it is clear that the big danger now will be that reform stops there.

Failure to go further,with root and branch reform of the biggest “gentlemans” club in the world would be a further betrayal and cynical attempt to stall progress. Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of progress to a 21st century model of democracy, and open transparent Government.

That means we need to see archaic rituals that serve no purpose scrapped, we need an elected second House instead of the Lords, we need regulation of MP’s and greater Government and ministerial accountability to the House of commons. And yes, we need Fair votes - because everyones vote should count equally whenever and wherever there is an election.

The contract between our Parliament and the people is fractured - if it is to heal and safeguard our democracy we need reforms that spread through the veins of our government and to the very fingertips of democracy. Sooner rather than later.

This Labour Government may not have much time left - it needs to concentrate on the two fundamental problems we currently face on this island. Our economy and restoring the reputation, dignity and honour of our parliament.

This was the week that…

·         Parliament was rocked by revelations about the misuse of MPs expenses [more]

·         One of David Cameron’s closest aides was forced to quit over his ‘unacceptable’ expenses claims [more]

·         Labour suspended a former minister from the parliamentary party [more] and accepted the resignation of the Justice Minister over the expenses scandal [more]

·         Two Labour peers faced suspension from the House of Lords after being found guilty of intending to accept money to amend legislation [more]

·         An opinion poll showed that Labour support has fallen to a record low [more]

·         A poll of Euro-election voting intentions showed a three-way tie for second place, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP all on 19% [more]

·         European leaders criticised Cameron’s decision to move his party to the fringes of European politics [more]

·         Nick Clegg’s public approval rating continued to rise [more]

·         An expert on crime reduction said Labour had failed in its pledge to be ‘tough on the causes of crime’ [more]

·         On Burnley Council, Labour and Tory councillors teamed up with 4 BNP councillors to try to unseat the Lib Dem council leader [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         The number of unemployed jumped 244,000 in the first three months of the year [more]

·         BT announced that it is to cut 15,000 jobs, mostly in the UK [more]

·         100 primary schools are closing every year as demand for places looks set to grow [more]

·         Alistair Darling’s economic forecasts are over-optimistic, according to the Bank of England [more]

·         Teenage crime has soared 60% under New Labour [more]

·         The government has cut funding by 25% for five key environmental initiatives [more]

·         Only 13% of terrorism arrests lead to convictions [more]

·         Gordon Brown is “brutal” and has “anything but” a moral compass according to a former aide [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Launched their European Election campaign under the slogan ‘Stronger Together Poorer Apart’ [more]

·         Wrote to party leaders urging them to fully accept the recommendations of the investigation into MPs’ expenses [more]

·         Called for intercept evidence to be made admissible in court in terrorism cases [more]

·         Welcomed proposals for a mandatory code on alcohol sales [more]

·         Revealed the environmental impact of the government’s major road schemes [more]

·         Uncovered the fact that over 15,000 farmers earn less than the minimum wage [more]

·         Argued for a shift in focus in crime policy - from punishment to crime prevention [more]

·         Pushed for an investigation into allegations against the police at the G20 protests [more]

This was the week that…

·         Cabinet members came under fire as details of their expenses claims were revealed [more]. Outrageous expense claims included claiming for mock Tudor beams [more]; storm windows [more]; hanging baskets [more]; and plumbing to fix water that was ‘too hot’ [more]

·         A Labour peer was accused of abusing the expenses system by claiming expenses for an unoccupied flat [more]

·         A senior Cabinet minister attacked the “lamentable failure” of her own government [more]

·         The pressure was kept up on the government over the poor treatment of Gurkha veterans [more]

·         A Tory MEP received a standing ovation from the European parliament for criticising David Cameron [more], while another Tory MEP described Cameron’s European policy as “dotty” [more]

·         Senior figures in the Foreign Office called into question Tory foreign policy [more]

·         Labour braced themselves to lose their four remaining county councils at the local elections [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         The gap between the rich and the poor has widened significantly under Labour [more]

·         A think tank believes this will be the worst recession since the 1930s [more]

·         House prices are set to fall 28% on average overall [more]

·         Over 20,000 civil servants think the government is run badly [more]

·         Only one in four voters back Brown and Darling to manage the economy properly [more]

·         The gender pay gap is higher in the public sector than in the private sector [more]

·         The government has spent £28,000 on ‘media training’ [more]

·         A Tory MP claimed swine flu is “nothing worse than a cold” [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Revealed the significant increases in train and bus fares under Labour [more]

·         Wrote to the FSA to encourage them to release details of bank ‘stress tests’ [more]

·         Continued to press the government for the fair treatment of Gurkhas [more]

·         Called upon the government to go further after the abandonment of Science SATs [more]

·         Pressed the government for further action on the removal of innocent people’s DNA from databases [more]

·         Uncovered the fact that two million social tenants have missed out on a government rent promise [more]

·         Demanded an urgent review of the out-of-hours care system [more]

·         Rubbished the government’s proposals to ‘fix’ the social services system [more]

I am sure i’m not the only person who is sick to the back teeth hearing about seemingly endless MP’s expenses revelations on an almost daily basis.

Finally the tabloids have got what they have been so desperate for for months and that is (allegedly) controversial details about Gordon Brown’s own expense claims. So they smell blood.

This issue is a real worry on two fronts. Firstly and foremost it is a distraction from the real issues the Government and Country faces. The economy and treasury (and soon public services) are in a terrible state. That should be the focus of attention and how we get out of that mess.

Secondly, Gordon Browns dithering and half baked proposals have if anything aggravated the problem. He was so desperate to be the guy to solve the expenses row that he charged in and if anything has made it worse. Nick Clegg has been consistently right all along on this, calling for a speedy resolution and clarification of permitted expenses and sorting out the second home scandal.

If this is now allowed to carry on it will undoubtedly be damaging to the Prime Minister, but even worse damaging to the integrity of our MP’s and national politics in general. lets face it faith and confidence in politicians is probably at an all time low. That coupled with Euro elections and a failing economy create a dangerous climate that extremists will seek to capitalise on. That must not be allowed to happen. So it needs sorting and now!

This was the week that…

·         The World Health Organisation warned of the threat of a pandemic as swine flu spread across the world [more]

·         Gordon Brown was forced to make concessions in his plans to reform MPs expenses [more]

·         Labour MPs, including two former Home Secretaries, queued up to criticise Gordon Brown and his government [more]; [more]; [more]

·         The government made a u-turn on their communications database plans [more]

·         And the government also cancelled plans for Titan prisons following Lib Dem opposition to the scheme [more]

·         The Home Secretary who launched ID cards called for the scheme to be scrapped [more]

·         Gordon Brown was snubbed by the Pakistani President on a visit to the region [more]

·         The van maker LDV went into administration [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         A record number of people were declared bankrupt in the first quarter of the year [more]

·         Government departments are set to miss their own carbon-cutting targets [more]

·         Labour has lost half its voters from the 2005 election [more]

·         A Labour Minister bet against Labour winning the next election [more]

·         The recession can be “constructive” – according to one Labour Minister [more]

·         Tory parliamentary candidates are more socially conservative and less green than the leadership line [more]

·         The Tories tried to recruit a BNP member to stand as a councillor, saying the parties “sing from the same hymn sheet” [more]

·         David Cameron took an all expenses paid trip to apartheid South Africa as a young party worker [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Defeated the government over Gurkha rights – the first time since the 1970s that a government has been defeated on an opposition day motion [more]

·         Revealed that the government’s mortgage rescue scheme has only helped one household [more]

·         Nick Clegg wrote to other party leaders to try to find a solution to the issues of MPs pay and expenses [more]

·         Welcomed government climbdowns on databases [more] and Titan prisons [more]

·         Criticised the policy that has led to a huge increase in imprisonment of mentally ill offenders [more]

·         Demanded tougher building regulations to prevent an “environmental catastrophe” [more]

·         Uncorked the statistic that the government has a wine cellar worth nearly £800,000 [more]

A successful wind farm close to the Lake District national park is one of the sites recently approved by the Government for a new generation of nuclear power plants.

The site at Kirksanton in Cumbria - home to the Haverigg turbines – was one of Britain’s first wind farms and is also one of the most efficient.

The site’s owners, local environmental groups and the British Wind Energy Association have spoken out at the lack of early consultation and the speed at which nuclear plants are moving through the planning process.

You can read the full story in the Guardian: http://tr.im/jUbp

NO TO NUCLEAR POWER!

PS Remember: you can help our campaign against nuclear power by encouraging people you know to sign the petition at http://ourcampaign.org.uk/no2nuclear

This was the week that…

·         The Budget was unveiled to severe criticism, revealing the dire state of the nation’s finances [more]

·         Labour broke their election manifesto promise by raising the top rate of income tax to 50% [more]

·         The Education Minister and the General Secretary of the Labour Party were drawn into the email smears scandal [more]; [more]

·         The Education Minister faced further criticism for allegedly ‘sexing up’ evidence given to an inquiry [more]

·         Francis Maude became the latest Conservative politician to become embroiled in an expenses scandal [more]

·         A former Labour MP resigned from the party, citing the culture of spin as her reason [more]

·         The Lib Dems new tax proposals were well received by influential political figures [more]

·         Unison, a Labour supporting union, attacked the government over their “childish venom” [more]

·         Allegations of ballot-box tampering threw the selection of a Labour parliamentary candidate into further controversy [more]

·         A leading think-tank said that the government’s income tax rises could lose the Treasury money [more] 

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         Unemployment has hit a new high of 2.1m [more]

·         The national debt has crept over 50% of GDP [more]

·         Deflation has arrived in Britain for the first time in 50 years [more]

·         The IMF are far less optimistic about the economy than Alistair Darling [more]

·         1 in 10 households are struggling to pay their council tax this year [more]

·         The care system is “catastrophic” for vulnerable children a report concludes [more]

·         The number of burglaries has risen for the second quarter in a row [more]

·         UK youth are some of the unhappiest in Europe [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Launched tax proposals including a pledge to cut income tax £700 for low and middle income earners [more]

·         Attacked the Budget as “a political supermarket sweep of random promises” [more]

·         Reacted to the Budget’s proposals for housing [more], broadband networks [more], car scrappage [more], energy [more] pensions [more], child poverty [more] and college funding [more]

·         Gained council seats from Labour, the Conservatives and an Independent in a spectacular week of council by-election results north and south of the border [more]; [more]

·         Nick Clegg rejected Gordon Brown’s proposals for reforming the system of MPs expenses [more]

·         Warned that the UK was facing a “credit crunch crime wave” [more]

·         Demanded that David Miliband corrects the Parliamentary record over torture allegations [more]

·         Led a debate calling on the government to provide greater support to armed forces veterans [more]

·         Criticised banks for charging exorbitant credit card interest rates [more]

·         Called for greater support for the children of nuclear test veterans [more]

Responding to Alistair Darling’s Budget, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said:  
 
“Today we got a pick and mix Budget of recycled announcements from a government skilled in raising people’s hopes but incompetent at actually delivering help. 

“This Budget is a political supermarket sweep of random promises, without even a hint of a plan or any likelihood the promises will be put into practice. 

“Britain’s taxes are too heavy on those who can least afford it. And too easy to avoid for those who know how.  

“The Liberal Democrats would get practical help to people who are struggling and cut the vast majority of people’s Income Tax bills by £700, paid for by taking aggressive action to clamp down on all the loopholes and exemptions that benefit the richest people and biggest businesses. 

“With a shocking deficit this year of £175bn we need a national debate about what the state can and cannot afford in the future. 

“But Labour is out of ideas and out of steam. 

“Today they have condemned us to years of unemployment and a decade of debt. 

“The country deserves something different.” 

Read a summary of the party’s Economic Recovery Plan at www.LibDems.org.uk/RecoveryPlan

You should be able to read Nick Clegg’s Budget response in the House of Commons at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmtoday/cmdebate/home.htm from around 5pm today

TAX
• Income tax for those earning more than £150,000 to rise to 50% from April 2010• Tax relief on pensions to be reduced for people on more than £150,000 a year from April 2011

(source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8011882.stm)

So today we finally saw the death of dear old prudence, once held so dear as a treasury principle by Gordon Brown. The chancellor weighed in and with his second budget gambled the future prosperity and economic fortunes on a roll of the dice and a spin of the wheel.

The big big gamble is that he tells us the economy will start to improve (grow) by the end of the year and much of what he is putting in place is designed to reap the rewards of growth from 2010/11 - so precious little support for those struggling in the hear and now.

The second gamble is that he is trying to maintain spending at reasonable levels through massive record level borrowing, both in the hope of a speedy turn round in the economy but also in the hope of turning round Labours fortunes especially at the next General election.

Well I suppose now we own most of the banks we should be able to borrow plenty, but the sums just don’t add up. He has tried to please environmentalists - perhaps successfuly re:wind farms, not so with car scrappage scheme, and no Green tax switch. No easing of the tax burden with personal taxation and precious little else.

He has spun the wheel, but he can’t tell where it will stop. However it will cost us dearly when it does. It became clear today that this Labour Government is as bankrupt on ideas to get out of this mess as they are financially. But they are prepared to gamble everything on getting re-elected . Whoever gets elected next May/June - the first budget in a new parliament would be very interesting indeed.

As we approach budget time a few thoughts.

It is generally accepted that this years budget will be the toughest for a generations, from all angles, the Governments,The economy and for the ordinary person in the street - directly or indirectly or both.

My hopes for this budget will be that he re-invigorates personal spending, frees up disposable income and thus eases the pressure on those struggling to meet bills and mortgages etc. That means personal tax cuts.

Despite what some think now is also the time to introduce greater environmental taxation. remember the Lib Dem green tax switch plans - there has never been a better time for that.

And business is struggling, especially small business, so lets reduce the burden on them and help small businesses keep their heads above the water.

My fears are that the Government will be blinded by the need for a General Election next June and may even be thinking of a snap election before that, so may well seek to offer ludicrous bribe giveaways to enhance their prospects. Enhance their chances, but further damage the economy. Short term political gain against damage to long term recovery prospects.

What will they go for? Well clearly in part the answers will reveal how desperate this Labour Government is and also how bankrupt the Treasury is ? Will they get stuck into the problems the country faces in this crisis or will it be a cop out? All will be revealed soon.  

Unemployment in Bury has risen again thi month to 4248 o Job Seekers Allowance, a rise of 15.5% from January to February 09. Even more alarming is the fact that unemploymentin Bury has now risen a staggering 78.9% over the past year ie since February 2008.

Young people seeking work are also suffering. Among the 16-24 year olds, 1476 are unemployed in Bury. That’s a rise of 18.6% in the month January to February 2009 and 63.9% over the past year.

Other Unemployment headlines:

• The total number of jobseeker’s allowance claimants stood at 72,783 (4.5% of the working age population, above the national rate of 3.9%). January’s figures represent  a ninth straight month-on-month rise in the claimant count, a 12.5% increase (8,100 claimants) on January, and a 69.6% increase (29,878 claimants) on February 2008. However, yet again, the increase in JSA claimants in GM over the last month has been less than the UK increase (13.8%).
• Long-term unemployment (those claiming JSA for over 6 months) increased by 36.6% over the year - a greater rate than nationally (30.7%) or regionally (30.6%).
• The youth unemployment count (those aged 16-24) increased by 64.1% over the year (9,405 claimants), but this was at a lower rate than the UK (67.9%).
• The number of reported vacancies has increased significantly this month, to 17,533 - a 187.0% increase on the month, yet a decrease of 35.3% on the year. Vacancies have increased significantly across most occupations and sectors.

The figures are detailed in the monthly ”Unemployment Monitor” which can be read in detail here  unemployment-monitor-march-2009.pdf

Thousands of people in Bury will be taken out of income tax altogether by new tax proposals launched by the Liberal Democrats. And thousands more will see their income tax bill slashed by £700 a year. 

The plans were launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg on 20^th April who said that they would boost family budgets battered by rising food, power and transport prices. The plans call for the personal tax allowance to be raised to £10,000.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Bury South said, “Thousands of families on low income in Bury will benefit from this tax cut. They will be lifted out of income tax altogether.  

“People earning over £10,000 will pay £700 less income tax a year, paid for by ending the loopholes and tax avoidance schemes used by the wealthy and big corporations. 

Richard Baum, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Bury North added, “Ordinary people are struggling because of the recession. Now is the time to make a far reaching and permanent change to the tax system that benefits those on low and middle incomes. Liberal Democrats want to see more money left in the pockets of ordinary people rather than taken away by the Government. 

“Here in Bury Liberal Democrats will be going into the general election committed to a lasting income tax cut.”

This was the fortnight that…

·         Gordon Brown’s key aide’s plans to smear senior Tories and their families were exposed [more]

·         And Gordon Brown eventually accepted responsibility [more]

·         The Home Secretary came under pressure following the collapse of the case against Damian Green MP [more]

·         A DNA pioneer attacked the government for storing the DNA of innocent people [more]

·         The Chancellor admitted that his previous economic forecasts were wildly optimistic [more]

·         The CBI attacked the government’s environmental policy [more]

·         Two organisations criticised the government’s ‘knee jerk’ crime and prison policies [more]; [more]

·         A teachers’ union called for a boycott of SATs [more] and adopted a Lib Dem policy [more]

·         A high profile Tory MEP branded the NHS a “mistake” [more]

·         A former Tory councillor was jailed for a year for abusing his expenses privileges [more]

·         Vince Cable published a “lucid and eloquent” book on the recession to positive reviews [more]

Over the last fortnight we learnt that…

·         The UK economy will not recover from the recession until 2012 [more]

·         A bailed-out bank will cut a further 4,500 UK jobs [more]

·         Unemployment will reach 3.2m by 2010 [more]

·         UK industrial production is falling at the fastest rate in four decades [more]

·         Car sales have fallen 30.5% in the last year [more]

·         The government have overpaid the Irish health service – possibly by €750m in the last five years [more]

·         Cost-cutting in the NHS is responsible for 4,000 blunders a year and putting up to 1m patients at risk [more]

·         The Treasury will be left with a £39bn public sector spending gap by 2015 [more]

·         Two thirds of small businesses feel they are not getting enough government support [more]

·         Three ministers have claimed their second home allowances while living in grace-and-favour apartments [more]; [more]; [more]

·         The leader of the Green Party thinks flying to Spain is as bad as stabbing someone in the street [more]

Over the last fortnight the Liberal Democrats…

·         Criticised the governments plans for a new generation of nuclear power plants [more]

·         Rejected government proposals to dock alcoholics’ benefits as ‘inhumane’ [more]

·         Dismissed the government’s new electric car policy as a ‘gimmick’ [more]

·         Uncovered the fact that the NHS is paying the government £81m at a rate of up to 5.6% [more]

·         Published research showing that 4 patients a day die in mental health trusts [more]

·         Revealed that the number of anaphylactic shock cases has doubled in ten years [more]

·         Found that the government’s VAT cut is principally benefiting the rich [more] 

·         Discovered that the dole is worth less now than in the previous two recessions [more]

·         Condemned a proposed 30% price hike by water companies [more]

In order to take forward the “Love Prestwich” Village Centre strategy, a further retail capacity study has been undertaken to ensure that the key recommendations of the Love Prestwich Village Strategy are based on the most up-to-date possible assessment of the capacity and need for new retail development within Prestwich.

This new evidence, the Prestwich Town Centre Retail Capacity Assessment, has now been prepared by Drivers Jonas and can be viewed by following the link below:

Download Prestwich Town Centre Retail Capacity Assessment document (1mb 127 page pdf)
Visit the Prestwich Regeneration page (see menu left) for a summary and more information.

A report from the National Housing Federation today warned that 2.65m people could be living in overcrowded accomodation by 2011 if the Government don’t provide a major house building stimulus as soon as possible.

Whilst they make some valid points and I confess I haven’t read the report in detail, I am concerned that such reports from organisations with a clear vested interest only address part of he problem and with simplistic solutions at that.

There is already a major problem developing. homelessness is now grwoing sharply again, the hidden homeless (those sleeping temporarily under someone elses roof) is been growing for some time and yes, overcrowing is a growing problem too.

But the answer is just about more houses. Yes we do need more homes to be built, but we need to seriously tackle the amount of empty and derelict properties and empty and derelict commercial buildings. We need more funds at local level for compulsory purchase of such properties, for refurbishment, conversion etc.

We need joined up thinking and some imaginative working to provide real solutions. On the same day as another report highlighted the decline in marriage, that 1/3rd of 20-34 year olds still live with their parents and the growth in living alone, we need modern solutions that address the changes we face in society reconciled with housing demand and disused properties. And the NHF are right - we need these solutions and action now.

So there we have it. The answer to the banking crisis before us today is smaller banks. Well according to the Conservative-would-be-chancellor, George Osborne.

How could we have missed it. While Governments and economists have been tearing their greying locks of hair out, wondering about regulation, capping salaries, bonuses et al, the answer was just to make them smaller.

One teeny weeny flaw in the idea George. How would a plethora of much smaller banks find the resources to provide the services and financial services people demand, and oh yes , come the next recession (and there will be one) how do they survive.

Smaller banks is fine so far as it is not essential to be big. But business size should not be limited by the state - thats state intervention gone mad - and extremely bizarre coming from a Conservative. Just think of all those apoplectic tory supporting share holders out there!

The answer is to kick out a bonus culture not tied to financial success and the greed immersed boardroom that goes with it. Then to make banks more accountable to the Bank of England (at least) and their shareholders as well with the introduction of better, tighter regulation.

The fact of the matter is that the Conservatives haven’t a clue what to do, to be fair its new territory for all of us, but George and Dave, please spare us the silly gimmicks and half baked initiatives.

Vince Cable and the Liberal Democrats have been warning about this for years, offering answers, solutions and hope. At all times derided or ignored by Labour and the Conservatives.

Labour has failed, Conservatives offer nothing. Its time to choose a better future. 

Despite recent assurances, notably at the recent Prestwich Area Partnership, I am growing increasingly concerned about aspects of preparation for the Oasis concerts in June.

I understand that despite initial suggestions to the contrary it is now expected that half the numbers attending these gigs will be travelling from out of the area by car or coach etc - that’s an influx of 35,000 using private transport on our local roads.

In addition I am concerned that the provision of portable toilets is likely to be wholly inadequate.

It also surely makes sense that we introduce some form of Residents permit for key blocks of residential areas adjacent to the park. If these events are to be a success then that means local residents won’t suffer unecessarily as well.

I will be seeking assurances over the coming week that these aspects will be re-examined. We need a committment from the organisers that the safety of local people and the Prestwich environment will be protected.

This was the week that…

·         World leaders met in London and agreed to pump $1 trillion into the world economy [more]

·         A report showed that only 0.6% of the Government’s fiscal stimulus will be spent on green measures [more]

·         At least 4,000 jobs were lost in the UK across a range of sectors [more]

·         The UN named and shamed the UK over its response to the Somali refugee crisis [more]

·         The Home Secretary was criticised for charging the taxpayer for her husband’s adult films [more]

·         An inquiry began into a millionaire’s donations to the Tory party [more]

·         21 NHS trusts failed to meet new hygiene standards [more]

·         Lord Myners came under pressure to resign after he was accused of misleading Parliament [more]

·         A Select Committee called for the National Curriculum to be slimmed down – a Lib Dem policy [more]

·         The scandal into MPs expenses showed no sign of disappearing [more]; [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         Unemployment will hit 3 million within two years [more]

·         The national DNA database has grown 40% in two years and now has more than 5 million people on it [more]

·         There are 10% fewer hospital beds today than there were three years ago [more]

·         The Government’s adult literacy drive is failing and wasting billions according to a government adviser [more]

·         According to most measures, house prices continued to fall in March [more]; [more]

·         Boris Johnson proposes to cut his environmental team in half [more]

·         160,000 kids left primary school without basic English and Maths competency [more]

·         Older people do not have fair access to mental health services in most mental health trusts [more]

·         The Europe Minister hasn’t read the Lisbon Treaty [more]

·         Conservative run Bournemouth Council are employing a transport manager who lives in Edinburgh – and paying £200,000 a year for his travel expenses [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Challenged Gordon Brown to turn the G20 agreement into real help for British people [more]

·         Led a debate challenging the Government in the House of Lords over tax havens [more]

·         Unveiled research showing that 80% of hospitals do not pass on knife crime information to the police [more]

·         Led a debate calling for a step up in nuclear non-proliferation action in the House of Lords [more]

·         Proposed a bill to end discrimination in the line of succession to the throne [more]

·         Highlighted shocking figures showing that prison assaults took place every half an hour in 2008 [more]

·         Called for the same guarantees of access for mental health care as for other health services [more]

This was the week that…

·         HSBC became the latest company to make cuts – 1,200 jobs are to go [more]

·         Business leaders queued up to warn that Britain cannot afford another fiscal stimulus [more]; [more]

·         The government confirmed there will be an Iraq War inquiry, but suggested it will be held in private [more]

·         A UK bond auction failed to find enough buyers for the first time since 2002 [more]

·         The split between the Prime Minister and the Treasury began to widen [more]

·         The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner launched an inquiry into a minister’s expenses [more]

·         A Sunday newspaper revealed the affair of a Labour MP and close friend of Gordon Brown [more]

·         The Conservative Party Chairman came unstuck justifying his expense claims [more]

·         Ken Clarke admitted he wasn’t sure if controversial Conservative tax reforms could be afforded [more]

·         Vince Cable was the only politician named in a ‘fantasy boardroom’ [more] 

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         GDP suffered its biggest quarterly fall since 1980 in the last quarter of 2008 [more]

·         The government will borrow £351bn in the next two years – more than in the 306 years up to Labour’s election victory in 1997 [more]

·         Retail sales almost stalled in February, coming in well below expectations [more]

·         15% of shops will be vacant by the end of 2009 [more]

·         Poor leadership at the Foreign Office has created a culture where “mediocrity flourishes” [more]

·         £3bn of overpaid tax credits have been written off as unrecoverable [more]

·         As many as one quarter of government databases may be illegal [more]

·         The Department of Transport misled environmental groups over Heathrow expansion [more]

·         Unemployment is good for your health – according to one government minister [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Launched their G20 development plan [more]

·         Successfully amended the Coroners and Justice Bill after forcing a government u-turn [more]

·         Tabled an Early Day Motion calling for the second home allowance to be abolished for London MPs [more]

·         Called on the Government to replace the VAT cut with investment into public transport and home insulation to create new jobs [more]

·         Revealed that anti-terror legislation is routinely used by local councils against minor offenders [more]

·         Wrote to the Chancellor over Sir Fred Goodwin’s pension payments [more]

·         Highlighted shocking statistics about Britain’s knife crime culture [more]

Last nights Area Partnership meeting at Sedgley Park School was billed as “the one not to miss”, and I think it lived up to expectations.

The meeting was well attended - although most members of the public were there to here further about proposals for the development of Prestwich Village or arrangements for the Oasis concerts in Heaton Park. Key highlights included:

Prestwich Festival

Panel and residents received an update on progress for this years inaugural Prestwich Festival which will run from May 17th to June 21st.

David Curtis who leads the carnival organising committee and is coordinating the Festival on behalf of the AP gave an update and confirmed that at present there are 25 events scheduled to take place. Starting with the Clough day on May 17th and climaxing with the Carnival on June 21st.

More events are being finalised and added all the time so its a case of wait and see. The Prestwich Festival programme will be printed in the next month and will schedule out all the events.  

Oasis concerts

3 concerts are too take place in Heaton Park on 4th, 6th and 7th June with Oasis headlining. Many residents have expressed concern at these proposed concerts. Especially with regard to home security, traffic, anti-social behaviour  etc.

The event promoters attended alongside the Manchester City Council project manager and a representative of the Event traffic and & transport management company. They addressed concerns raised and informed residents that a information leaflet is to be delivered shortly and a hotline number is to be established. Inspector Ryecroft confirmed that there will be a massive police operation to maintain security. In addition a private security firm are to be deployed.

Its fair to say that concerns still remain about traffic and parking issues and the impact across Prestwich, although they will be directing traffic through Middleton Road. and from Bowker vale Tram station.

Prestwich Centre Regeneration

Representatives of Hollins Murray Group the owners of the precinct - gave a presentation on their plans for the precinct following the proposals formulated by Urbed and subject to extensive consultation. Plans were also made available to view. Essentially at present they are not significantly dissimilar from the Urbed love-prestwich vision plans and that can only be good. Obviously it is relatively early in the process still and HMG informed the meeting that an Outline Planning Application would be submitted shortly. It would be fair to say that the presentation and proposals were well received from those that asked questions or made comment.

Police Report

Inspector Ryecroft reported on the last crime and security situation. he outlined that there has been a spate of burglaries across the area  and a drop in anti-social behaviour generally - although Holyrood ward remains the worst affected.

Graffiti was raised by a number of residents and Inspector Ryecroft was delighted to report that a main culprit has been caught who has confessed to 65 graffiti offences.

Next meeting: May 14th, Heaton Park School, Cuckoo Lane. 

Residents are urged to attend the next meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership when three massive issues will be on the agenda.

Prestwich Festival, the summer’s Oasis concerts, and the latest plans to regenerate the town centre will be discussed.

The LAP meeting is on Thursday March 26 at Sedgley Park Primary School in Prestwich, starting at 6.30pm.  There is a chance to meet and great local councillors, the police, housing officers from 6.15pm onwards.

• Love Prestwich co-ordinator David Curtis will outline plans for the five-week festival, which runs from May 17 to June 21, and how local people can take part and help out.

• Rock legends Oasis are playing Heaton Park on June 4, 6 and 7. Concert officials and promoters will be at the LAP to detail arrangements for the shows and plans to minimise disruption to residents. 
• Topping the bill are developers Hollins Murray Group, who will unveil their proposals to redevelop the Longfield shopping centre. These have been drawn up in direct response to residents’ comments on their original vision. The plans will be on display in Prestwich Library on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (March 24 to 26).

Councillor Vic D’Albert, chair of Prestwich Local Area Partnership, said: “What can I say – these are three massive issues for Prestwich residents.“Prestwich Festival is about bringing our community together and celebrating the best we have to offer, so please come along and listen to what’s planned. 

“The Oasis concert is a massive operation and this is a great opportunity for residents to seek reassurances about safety, security and traffic.

“Finally, the Longfield redevelopment plans are long-awaited and much needed and I hope that local residents feel that their views are listened to and have been responded to. All I can say is, be at this meeting!”

LOVEPRESTWICH FESTIVAL

Starts at Prestwich Clough Sunday 17 May till Sunday 21 June at Prestwich Carnival. To Keep up to date with LOVEPRESTWICH visit www.iloveprestwich.com 

This was the week that…

·         Unemployment passed the 2m mark for the first time in 12 years [more]

·         The IMF predicted that the recession in Britain will be the worst in the developed world [more]

·         Evidence grew of the Government’s complicity in torture [more]

·         NHS target culture was blamed for up to 1,200 people dying unnecessarily at a Staffordshire hospital [more]

·         The NHS was criticised for spending millions on unproven schemes [more]

·         The Immigration minister announced plans for a detention centre outside Calais – although no one in France had heard of the plan [more]

·         After Lib Dem pressure, the government backed down on plans to share data between departments [more]

·         Senior Labour figures lined up to criticise the PM and make him accept blame [more] ; [more]

·         The Government Chief Whip accused his own backbenchers of “idleness” [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         Car production fell by almost 60% in January [more]

·         Each adult in Britain is an average of £40,000 worse off because of the recession [more]

·         Gordon Brown was warned over Britain’s weak regulatory regime in 2004 – and did nothing [more]

·         2m people will be on the waiting list for social housing by 2011 [more]

·         The UK will borrow more money than any other major economy next year [more]

·         Britain is giving less help to the country’s poor in the recession than other G8 nations [more]

·         Youth crime has soared over the last 10 years under Labour [more]

·         The Government’s new Department for Energy and Climate Change is in chaos [more]

·         Housing prisoners in police stations has proved more expensive than the Ritz per night [more]

·         The Government has spent £780,000 on flowers in four years [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Condemned the Government over their management of the Northern Rock crisis [more]

·         Exposed a £2bn black hole in the government’s unemployment benefits estimates

·         Challenged the Prime Minister over the Government’s “frenzied” target culture [more]

·         Attended the launch of a cross-party campaign for a ‘Post Bank’ (a long-standing Lib Dem policy) [more]

·         Revealed shocking statistics about alcohol related youth hospital admissions [more]

·         Heaped pressure onto the Government to open a public inquiry into the invasion of Iraq [more]

·         Called for a green road out of recession and criticised the Government’s neglect of the environment [more]

So now we learn that Northern Rock provided millions of punds worth of high risk loans AFTER being bailed out by the taxpayer and as if that wasn’t bad enough we are gradually finding out that Barclays was laundering £billions in overseas investments and accounts in a bid to avoid paying tax.

The more we find out about the murky world of banking the more its clear that if one good thing comes out this whole crisis then surely tighter regulation and controls over our financial institutions will be it.

However its a sorry day indeed when we see the High Court upholding a gagging order by Barclays to hide details of its murky dealings overseas. And by the way this is a bank that’s negotiating with the Government to borrow millions of hard earned tax payers  money. 

Yes, that’s right you heard right. They are prepared to take legal action to stop you finding out what they are doing with it , but would like some more please. I know what my answer would be. I may be an accountant but my response wouldn’t include any financial jargon! 

The more we find out the more I feel we need to properly nationalise the collapsed banks and start talking tough to the likes of Barclays. I dread to think what more scandals there are lurking.

Its like lancing a boil with the smallest pin you can find!

LIBERAL Democrats in Bury have slammed as ‘totally inadequate’ a government scheme supposed to help families facing the loss of their homes. 

The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was announced in November last year by the Government following an alarming rise in the number of people having their homes repossessed by mortgage lenders. But Labour ministers have restricted the scheme to only 6,000 homes across the whole of England.

That means only one in 25 households facing repossession claims in the courts – the first part of a process mortgage lenders have to go through to repossess a home – will get help under the scheme. 713 repossession claims were issued in Bury in 2008, and many more are expected in 2009. But only 29 are likely to have their homes saved under this scheme.

Vic D’Albert, Parliamentary candidate for Bury South said, “The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was launched with a great fanfare by the Government in the autumn. But it is totally inadequate for the tidal wave of repossessions that local residents are facing. 

“The idea behind the scheme is something Liberal Democrats have long been pushing – giving councils and housing associations the opportunity to help residents in mortgage arrears by buying a share in the equity of the home, or even buying it outright. The householders would then rent back their home, therefore avoiding eviction. “But Labour have taken a good idea and then failed to make it a reality. Only 29 families in Bury out of 713 facing repossession will get help. This is totally inadequate. “Labour are behaving like King Canute sitting on the beach hoping they can order the repossession tidal wave to roll back into the sea. At the same time, families are being engulfed in repossession orders and homes are being swept away. 

“Repossession is a terrifying reality for too many people in Bury. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme needs to be expanded urgently or else residents will face being thrown onto the streets.This failing Labour Government is failing people in their hour of need”

So now there are proposals (apparently dismissed by the Government) to deal with the binge drinking culture by charging a minimum price per unit for alcohol.

Whilst the idea has some merit I think its failing to deal with the causes of the problem and fails to address the situation generally, merely adding a further complication to the mix.

Will raising the minimum cost of alcohol pro-rata based on strength solve the problem? I think not. The Government raises taxes on alcohol already, and it might be more appropriate to increase taxation in this instance which might also aid a public purse now considerably strained by bailing out numerous banks.

But there are other issues. One is the flow of dirt cheap and often illegally imported booze into this country. Raising prices for legal purchases may well only increase the flow of illegal imports and grow the black market trade in such goods.

Another issue is alcohol education. For too many years now we have concentrated on telling people its wrong to smoke and to do drugs. As a nation we’ve done our best to ban public smoking and warn of the dire consequences of smoking with considerable affect, but what about alcohol?

Alcohol has been shown to potentially as damaging as Cannabis but its not treated as such. Now I like a drink as much as the next man - so I won’t be advocating a ban by any means. But we need to start having a sensible conversation about how to deal with this issue. And what we don’t need is more gimmicky ideas or schemes to throw public money at.

Perhaps we need to consider raising the minimum age to 21? Stronger enforcement of underage drinking controls, Heavier penalties for drunk and disorderly offences, and I would certainly advocate stiff penalties for illegal imports.

There may well be other tactics and strategies available, I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but lets start talking sensibly and start tackling he problem rather than merely increasing the profits of the retailers or brewers.

THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT…

·         House sales fell to their lowest level in at least 31 years [more]

·         The recession in the UK continued to gather pace [more]

·         A United Nations report declared that the UK had breached human rights [more]

·         Government divisions over the need to apologise for the economic crisis continued to grow [more]

·         A former cabinet minister publicly attacked Gordon Brown on Labour’s lack of ‘narrative’ [more]

·         Labour MPs rounded on the PM at Prime Minister’s Questions [more]

·         A business leader said that the government was focusing on ‘red herrings’ [more]

·         Government ministers failed to comprehensively reveal their financial interests [more]

·         A Tory MEP described climate change as a ‘media driven frenzy’ [more]

·         A Labour mayor resigned after his arrest over corruption charges [more]

OVER THE LAST WEEK WE LEARNT THAT….

·         Continued systematic failings in the social services are leaving vulnerable children at risk [more]

·         Almost one playing field a day was sold in 2008 despite government commitments to reverse this trend [more]

·         Many elderly people are looked after by untrained staff in unclean care homes [more]

·         One in six children did not get into their first choice secondary school [more]

·         New Royal Navy destroyers will be delivered £1.5bn over budget and two years late [more]

·         The private sector pension deficit is at a record £219bn – and is still growing [more]

·         One in four of the world’s CCTV cameras are in Britain [more]

·         Gordon Brown is the country’s most boring public speaker! [more]

OVER THE LAST WEEK THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS…

·         Revealed that over 1000 serving police officers have criminal convictions [more]

·         Said government economic proposals were “shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted” [more]

·         Visited Google to discuss internet privacy issues [more]

·         Called for dirty care homes to be closed down [more]

·         Demanded a public inquiry following revelations of heavy-handed policing at a protest last year [more]

·         Called for a tougher government response to reduce knife crime [more]

·         Exposed a huge decrease in the amount of domestically produced food consumed in the UK [more]

·         Attacked the government’s insubstantial approach to tackling domestic violence [more]

·         Accused the Home Office of being “illegal, immoral, and ineffective” for keeping the DNA of a baby on record [more]

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Bury South, has called for a revival of the spirit of the blitz to help people through the recession. 

“People recount to me how during the war there was a tremendous spirit amongst neighbours and communities. People supporting one another, looking out for each other and generally helping each other through difficult times. And those days have become an example of how in tough times the British people find inner strength and determination to carry them through. 

“Well thankfully we are not at war, but we have been hit by an economic blitz with many losing their jobs and even homes, and generally people finding things much tougher.  

“So I think it’s time for people to stop “looking after no.1” and hiding in front of the TV of an evening and instead to keep an eye on their neighbours and offer support and help in these times of need. 

“The authorities have already warned of rising crime and illnesses such as depression and stress related illness. But if we can only summon up the spirit of the blitz I believe many potential problems can be averted and we can help get people through this recession.”

This was the week that…

·         UK and world markets sank to new lows [more]

·         Repossessions and losses soared at the nationalised bank Northern Rock [more]

·         The Bank of England created £75bn to boost the economy in an unprecedented step [more]

·         Gordon Brown’s speech to Congress received a mixed reception [more]

·         20% of pupils failed to get into their first choice schools [more]

·         Government ministers finally admitted to mistakes over the economy [more]

·         A double Victoria Cross holder condemned the government’s treatment of veterans [more]

·         The government made a u-turn and adopted Lib Dem policy on voter registration [more]

·         Discontent over Brown’s leadership continued to grow [more] but his deputy did herself no favours [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         Labour has spent £7bn on an army of consultants [more]

·         The government misled the public over opposition to Heathrow’s third runway [more]

·         A top Tory became the latest opposition MP to break parliamentary rules [more]

·         Government incompetence and waste has put UK soldiers at risk [more]

·         David Miliband spent £7,000 on ‘presentation’ lessons [more]

·         A breakthrough depression treatment launched two years ago is still not available in most of the country [more]

·         A Labour-dominated committee of MPs launched a stinging attack on the DCLG’s competence [more]

·         It could take a decade for the country to fully recover from the economic crisis [more]

·         12,000 kids could be left without primary school places in London alone [more]

·         One third of young people have carried a weapon in the last year [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Boycotted the government’s new unrepresentative Regional Select Committees [more]

·         Warned the government that it had run out of options to tackle the economic crisis [more]

·         Fought to cap individual party donations to £50,000 [more]

·         Voted against the continuation of control orders legislation [more]

·         Revealed that 45,000 pensioners were forced to sell their homes to pay for care homes [more]

·         Called on the Chancellor to stop propping up Labour’s failed PFI projects [more]

·         Pointed out that less than 3% of the government’s fiscal stimulus is going on green measures [more]

There has been increasing coverage in the national media as to whether Gordon Brown should apologise for his part in the Global financial meltdown aka credit crunch that now engulfs most of the planet.

I’m not sure whether an apology is appropriate or indeed whether it would serve any point. Clearly I don’t think he is directly responsible for the global financial crisis. I think that is largely brought about by the globalisation of financial institutions and world wide corporations coupled with greed, corruption and failure to self regulate amongst other things.

However, where Gordon Brown is directly responsible is for the damage done to this country’s financial institutions and economy as a result of his policies and that of this Labour Government when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer.

You may recall he was going to end boom and bust - well he certainly seems to have ended boom (for the forseeable future), and he was the self named “prudent” chancellor. Yet under his prudent watch he allowed the markets and financial sector to run wild, to speculate wildly and to overreach without proper regulation. To lend under obsurdly lax terms in a desperate drive for business and to ultimately cause misery to millions of home owners and businesses.

An apology for damage to the British economy perhaps? Surely a public enquiry would be more appropriate - I won’t hold my breath, we’re still waiting for a public enquiry into the Iraq war! 

The Liberal Democrat leader tells his party conference that it will be a long, slow climb out of recession but his party offers hope for the future.

Click here to read the full text of Nick Clegg’s speech

Nick Clegg laid the blame for Britain’s economic crisis and political malaise squarely at the door of both Labour and the Conservatives, in his keynote speech to the party spring conference in Harrogate:

“A never-ending cycle of red-blue, blue-red government has got us into this mess - it is never going to get us out.”He said now was the time to try something new:“Now is the time to think big.If you want better, choose different.Choose the Liberal Democrats.”

Nick made a stinging attack on the Labour Government for having let people down: 

“Labour is like a spent match. There’s nothing left. You remember how hopeful people felt in 1997? Remember the promise of a better future?  Don’t you feel the disappointment?“An economy in tatters. A country more unequal than before. An illegal war, our government implicated in torture and rendition. Our environment poisoned. Our privacy invaded, our freedom curtailed. If you believe, like I do, in progress.If you feel let down by Labour, and see that the Conservatives will never be a party of change. Turn to the Liberal Democrats. We carry the torch of progress now.”

Much of the speech was devoted to the state of the economy and what the Liberal Democrats would do to turn things round:

“At least 3 million unemployed by the end of the year. That’s devastating. Let me be clear. We will do everything possible to help. Everything to protect jobs, keeping viable businesses going. Everything to make sure being made redundant does not mean you lose everything. And everything to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, to get people back out to work as soon as possible.”

Nick told conference that the government has borrowed twelve and a half billion pounds to finance this year’s VAT giveaway:

“That money alone could have created nearly 100,000 new jobs. And laid the foundations, quite literally, for a new green economy.”

Nick said the party should be proud of their progressive policies and enduring liberal values:

“Let us say it loud and clear. We are the only party who will put money into people’s pockets with fair tax cuts. The only party to offer universal childcare and smaller classes in our primary schools. The only party who would use Gordon Brown’s wasted billions to create thousands of jobs today by investing in homes, hospitals, schools and public transport to build the green economy of tomorrow. The only party that will rebuild the jobs, homes and hopes this recession has destroyed.” 

Amongst all the depressed news coverage of economic downturn, job losses and global recession there is one aspect that this Government can definitely deal with and thats the failed British based banks that have caused their share of the woe to ours and the world financial crisis

Quite frankly I now find it obscene that these banks having failed and been bailed out then failed to start lending and expect even further bailouts. They are waging a power struggle to maintain the processes and culture of the past but still access Government funds. They not only want to “have their cake and eat it”, they want to know that they can have more cakes when they want! They are playing a dangerous game of bluff with a Government that they know is petrified at the thought of a bank folding - and they are winning.

The culture of greed coupled with obscene financial power is clearly evident in the banks approach to public money and the bonus culture.

However the Government has to stop this mad tax payers money go round. We cannot allow the banks to fail and we have to put fund in but lets do it properly. It time to nationalise. It secure the long term future, cuts through the tug of war currently being played out with the banks of lending and enables the Government to get in and sort out the whole rotten mess.

Now is the time for the Government to be strong and to take decisive action - and to stop the nonsense from these failed banks.

Last night I chaired the launch meeting for Prestwich Festival (May 17th - June 21st) at Prestwich Arts College and it was good to see so many people there.

As hoped for, we had quite a wide audience from local restaurants and other businesses to charities and representatives of Prestwich Clough centenary committee, Prestwich Cricket, Tennis and Bowling club, shangri-la, All the Skills, and more.

I briefly outlined how this event has come together and the Area Partnerships vision for the festival (at least to start with) and that is:

• To provide a platform for local talent
• To bring Prestwich success stories back to Prestwich
• To support local businesses
• To raise funds for local charities and projects
• To bring Prestwich together.

David Curtis from the Sunshine Team (that organises Prestwich Carnival) has kindly agreed to help coordinate the festival and he outlined the growing list of organisations and local groups that have come forward to date to express interest in putting on an event.

Keep an eye on the local press for further details and announcements. Remember it is all down to local organisations and local people to come forward and offer events - it won’t happen without you. If you are interested in staging an event at a local venue or would like to take part please contact:

David Curtis on 07875 596713 or email d-curtis2@sky.com or c.o’grady@bury.gov.uk or indeed drop me a line.

Lets bring Prestwich Together - We look forward to hearing from you.

Bury South Liberal Democrats have welcomed plans to boost affordable housing and avoid home repossession. 

The plans, launched by the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP and Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Teather MP, include: 

• providing refurbishment loans for owners of empty homes if the homes are leased to housing associations,

• boosting the amount of private housing for rent including using empty commercial property temporarily as housing,

• bringing in a new type of secure mortgage to help boost lending to house buyers,

• letting councils and housing associations buy up unsold private houses and allowing them access to funds to bring their homes up to social housing standards,

• making sure the courts allow repossession only as a last resort.

Parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South Lib Dems, Vic D’Albert said, “There are many people right across Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich who are struggling to get their own home or are facing repossession because of the recession. We must do all we can to help residents through these bad times. 

“Many homes built just before the recession started lie empty, often because the banks are not lending to people wanting to buy, yet there are many people needing a place to live. We want to unblock the system and our plans will help to do that. 

“Giving housing associations and councils the opportunity to buy up empty homes that builders cannot sell will mean hundreds of local families will be able to rent a place of their own.

With a package worth more than £16m and payments of £650,000 per year for the rest of his life no wonder Sir Fed Goodwin is trying to hang onto his pension from failed bank RBS.

And this all comes at the same time has his bank  RBS announce the biggest loss in corporate history and require a further £13 billion bail out from us, the taxpayer - equivalent to every person in the country handing over about £215.

The problem is of course Sir Fred was at the helm of this bank at the time of its demise and arguably can be held at least partially responsible for the strategic decisions that ultimately proved so costly, not just to the bank but the taxpayer as well. Which of course is why he had to go at the time of the collapse.

So why then did the bank offer Sir Fred such a massive pay off? A bank fails, and they not only agree to pay his pension etc but top it up with what we now know are discretionery elements.  It’s smacks less of a golden goodbye and more of a golden shutup and keep shtum.

I think first and foremost the board of RBS needs to explain and justify to the British taxpayer WHY these massive discretionery elements to his pension scheme were paid at the same time as they were going cap in hand to the Government.

Secondly if all reason and moral obligation fails to persuade Sir Fred then it really is incumbent on this Government to take all necessary action.

The message has to be sent out loud and clear that as a country, and especially in times such as these, we cannot sit back and reward failure, especially when that failure leads directly to financial misery, and employment uncertaintly to be heaped on fellow employees and all associated with RBS.

Thirdly the Government has to take action to ensure that this nonsense one rule for the those at the top of the tree, one rule for the rest culture is ended once and for all.

I have always believed in fair pay for a fair days work. That should extend to all employment benefits and apply to everyone, from the cleaner to the Chief Exec.

Lets hope common sense and a sense of moral duty comes to the fore in the meantime.

Bury Conservatives have ignored the recession and forced through an inflation busting 4.79% Council Tax increase amidst cuts to public services at the special Budget setting Council meeting last night.

Much of the debate was focussed on the proposals to cut youth services in the second year of the 3 year budget approved. The Conservatives plan to cut £200,000 from the service by outsourcing aspects of this vital service.  A large number of young people attended to ask questions and lobby against the proposals.

The other controversial issue was the proposal to save money by turning  a number of street lights off at night. Full details of this proposal are yet to emerge, however it has to be made clear that this is a money saving measure from the Conservatives NOT an environmental energy saving measure. It clearly has not been thought through as yet and may well take some persuading before it happens. But that doesn’t bother the Conservatives.

Whilst there was a welcome cash injection for disabled adult services which has struggled with adequate funding, there were cuts across the service spectrum and further use of reserves.

Opposition parties proposed amendments which were both defeated by the Conservatives. The Lib Dems proposed an additional £300,000 for local street repairs and an additional £300,000 in support of a apackage of measures to support local businesses through the recession over the next 12 months. In addition we proposed a review of youth services - but significantly with a view to ploughing back any savings directly into providing better youth services across the borough.

The debate was marred by the constant “bating”, provocation and insulting behaviour by a number of senior members which in my opinion bordered on showing a lack of respect for their office and threatened to reduce the debate to a cross between a playground squabble and a circus.

I raised concerns in the debate that the Conservative group were using the budget to announce major policy initiatives involving significant resources, without any consideration by officers, scrutiny by councillors nor consultation with the public. This could lead to serious problems as the year progresses.

It is now clear to me that the Conservative strategy is to bump up Council Tax this year and cut services as there are no elections. Then prior to next years elections we will see more cuts in an attempt to set a council tax as close to 0% as possible. Politics of manipulation, deceit and cynicism.  

The Five Stars Appeal on Bury New Road has just notified the Area Partnership of a new monthly networking event at Croma Prestwich which will be held on the last Wednesday of every month. This will be a very informal affair with no joining fee, no commitment and everybody is welcome. Croma Prestwich and Five Stars Appeal are looking at working together with the local community through this difficult time, to encourage new relationship building that will be of benefit to all.

You will be greeted with a glass of wine before heading up to the mezzanine to mix and mingle with local business people, a selection of mini pizza and dough balls will be served during the evening.

Where              Croma Prestwich

                        The Radius , 30 The Longfield Centre

When               Wednesday 25^th February

Time                6.00-9.00pm

Cost                 £10.00 per person (to be prepaid)

To reserve your place at this new event please contact Nicola@fivestarsappeal.co.uk or call 0161 798 8901 or 0789 9971000

It has just been announced that repossessions last year rose 54% to 40.000. Meanwhile at the same time it was announced that the Governments home owner support scheme (to support people struggling with their mortgages) has been delayed and put back to at least April.

At the very time people need such a scheme they are faced with delays. In some instances this delay will prove critical and effectively mean even more families will lose their homes. The Government has got to react more effectively to support people through this recession. No gimmicks, No spin, just hard, fast, effective action.

In the North West it was announced that repossessions were up 8% for the last 3 months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. This compares well with the South West up 20% , but poorly compared to Wales up only 1%. However the only statistic that will matter to many will be the repossession they face.

The Government must redouble efforts to ensure there are no further delays and that if possible they can bring forward this urgently needed support for people in severe arrears. 

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

128,650 pensioners and families in the North West of England had their application for a crisis loan turned down by the Government last year, figures highlighted by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. The figues amount to around 1/3rd of all applications.

Applications for the loans, aimed at low-income families and pensioners unable to get credit elsewhere, rose by more than 68% last year to 456,940. The figures come at a time when the Government is encouraging banks to increase lending. 

Vic D’Albert said, “People who apply for crisis loans are desperate and have nowhere else to turn, yet too often they get turned away when they should be getting help.

“It is very worrying that with the recession hitting the North West hard, even more people will turn to the Government for help. Yet the evidence for the past year is that more and more people will be turned away by Government run Job Centre Plus.

“At a time when the Government is demanding that the banks lend more, here we have the Government itself doing the opposite.

“The Government has got to practice what it preaches to the banks and make more cash available to families through these loans.”

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black american President of the US is of course the most visual symbol of the new world era that beckons. Seemingly a wave of  goodwill is sweeping the world in his direction and clearly he will need all the goodwill and luck he can get when he starts to tackle the global economic downturn and US recession.

But if President Obama is the symbol of the new era the world is entering then surely the evidence and signs are everywhere around us. It is hard for instance to imagine Governments and the ordinary person in the street ever having such confidence in banks as we previously had. The volatility of our currency and the now daily job cuts announced are further worrying signs.

Of course we have had economic problems and recessions before, but rarely have so many nations faced the same problems at the same time - again a symptom of the new world era of global economy and global banking. The worlds financial institutions have been building skyscrapers without foundations and first the cracks appeared and now they are seemingly collapsing altogether.

What we need now is strong leadership. In the US at least we seem to have someone prepared to take tough decisive action - but its early days yet. However in the UK, Gordon Brown has been around for some time and is catastrophically failing to address the issue. Virtually daily announcements of some scheme or tactic to shore up the banks or stimulate the economy are followed by further share price falls and further job cuts. The economy is drifting on rapids without the proverbial paddle.

We need strong decisive action that sends the right message to the banks, industry, investors and other Governments and offers real help, NOW to our ailing businesses and economy. Dithering, dodging and pointless initiatives can only spell disaster.    

Last nights Prestwich Area Partnership was dominated by the latest twist in the regeneration proposals for Prestwich.

The much debated and consulted Prestwich regeneration plans were due to go before Bury Councils Executive Committee this evening for approval, however it was revealed last night that the item had been removed from the agenda and will not now be considered until a later meeting

It was confirmed that the item was “pulled” because of concerns that because it will become a material planning document and is crucial to the redevelopment of Prestwich it is essential that it is as “robust” as possible and would withstand detailed scrutiny. As such some additional consultancy work is being carried out which will be subject to a short public consultation and this inevitably means a slight delay. It is now expected that the Prestwich regeneration Strategy will be adopted in May.

I have voiced my dissapointment and will be monitoring developments very closely. On the plus side this also provides an opportunity for the documents references to car parking to be strengthened. Finally it was also confirmed that the Railway and Naturalist pub will now feature as one of the buildings to be preserved under the strategy.

There are of course numerous voices pointing towards Tesco’s as the reason for this delay. It is certainly the case that they have responded to the consultation by challenging retail capacity aspects of the strategy. However it is the Council that have rightly decided that to delay a little longer to ensure the plan is as sound and justified as possible can only benefit the regeneration and future development proposals.

For reference as a material planning document the Regeneration Strategy would have to be referred to by Bury Planning Officers when considering any planning applications that are submitted in future that affect the town centre. Planning applications would have to meet the requirements of the strategy. So its crucial we get it right now.

Bury Liberal Democrats today expressed his deep concern at figures showing that unemployment in Bury has increased by over 40% since the start of the downturn in November 2007.

New government figures published this week show that unemployment rose right across Bury.The figures show that there were over 3,000 people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in Bury in November, an increase of 39.8% on the same period in 2007. Across Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe there were 1,459 people claimed Job Seekers’ Allowance an alarming increase of over 48%.  The figures also show that unemployment has actually increased slightly since Labour came to power, and across Greater Manchester there are 53,857 people claiming job seekers’ allowance, an increase of 36.56% since November 2007.

Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South, Vic D’Albert, criticised Labour’s work in Bury: “While our Labour MP’s offer hollow words and empty promises of hard work for Bury South the reality is that Labour has failed the people of Bury. We have fewer jobs, a spate of violent crime in places like Prestwich, and less money given to Bury Council to make the improvements we need.” 

“It is no good Ivan Lewis talking tough when his government has been so woeful in giving local people what they deserve. The Liberal Democrats are proposing making real changes, taxing less and creating more jobs. Labour in Bury are all talk and but offer no solutions to the problems they’ve created.”

Liberal Democrats in Bury have given their backing to plans for investment in green schemes that will make homes warmer, cut energy bills and improve public transport.

The plans, called Green Road out of Recession, were announced on 18th December by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP. 

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the recent VAT cut. The vast majority of that money will be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away. 

• A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year

• Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more

• Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses

• Buying 700 new train carriages

• Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years

“The plans proposed by Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats will give an immediate boost to the economy here in Bury,” said Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Bury South“. And by insulating people’s homes, it will help thousands of residents whose heating bills have gone through the roof in the past year.

 “I would particularly welcome the widespread introduction of smart meters in homes which would prove a massive boost to the increasing numbers of residents suffering from fuel poverty across the area.” 

Richard Baum, Parliamentary spokesperson for Bury North also welcomed the proposals adding, “Whilst Labour and the Conservatives are quietly dropping serious interest in tackling climate change and damage to the environment, Liberal Democrats believe that moving forward with green action on homes and transport will create jobs, cut energy bills, put money back into people’s pockets and protect the environment. It’s right for Britain and it’s right for Bury”.

In a resounding thumbs down vote against Congestion Charging ALL 10 Greater Manchester Authorities voters have rejected proposals to introduce Congestion Charging as part of a massive Transport investment package.

The vote was a damning verdict on congestion charging in the proposed format to secure investment with nearly 80% of over a million voters voting NO to the scheme and only 20% in favour (only 218,860 of vote cast).

This is what you get when an out of touch government bullies local councils into a scheme without being prepared to listen to local concerns. Millions of pounds of public money has been wasted in holding a referendum on a fatally flawed ill-thought out scheme and millions more wasted on publicity to promote it. Its a disaster for the area that is still in need of massive public transport investment.

I hope the Government will now go back to the drawing board, listen to what local councils and local people are saying and develop a sustainable scheme with finance proposals that can be supported by local people.

And, I for one sincerely hope that any new scheme takes account of the currently very expensive cost of using public transport in this area. If we can make the transport system more affordable that will cut congestion at a stroke!

The Government’s plans for new laws will do little to help hard-pressed families in Bury, claim  leading local Liberal Democrats.

The plans were outlined in the Queen’s Speech but disappointed Liberal Democrats say that the Government’s announcements will do very little to help people in Bury cope with the recession.

Latest figures from the Congestion Charge referendum returning officer show that already 27% or 38,394 Bury voters have returned their ballot papers for the referendum (Manchester is only at 13%).

Whilst clearly no one knows how people have actually voted it certainly indicates a strong desire from Bury voters to be heard on this issue.

Polls close on December 11th - so your ballot paper must be in the post well before that deadline. Don’t get caught up in the Christmas post!

Age Concern are predicting a big increase in winter deaths due to a deadly cocktail of higher energy bills and the economic climate. In addition to many vulnerable elderly people at risk - frightened to turn the heating up - increasingly the rest of the population, especially those directly affected by the economic climate,  are putting their health at risk by turning the heat off to save money.

In october, Gordon Brown announced a £910m package of fuel measures aimed at helping people with soaring fuel bills with money for insulation etc. At the same time he said energy companies, Council and Voluntary organisations would be making door to door visits in deprived areas.

Well the cold is beginning to bite and so I have asked Bury Council for an update on how many homes have been called on - as I have heard nothing about any door to door calls. Or was it yet another instance of warm words from our under seige PM?

In any event what we need is joined up action with HNS trusts, Voluntary organisations and the Council and partners (ie Police) working together to identify people at risk from the current economic and weather climates.

As I listen to The Chancellors Pre-budget report the one thing that is very clear is that the desperate situation faced by our economy has culminated in the biggest gamble by a Chancellor and his government in living memory.

If the “fiscal stimulus”being proposed doesn’t work over the coming weeks and months he ain’t going to have a lot left to put on the table, and for everyones sake we better hope that it works because we could end up knocking on the door of the IMF again for another loan and Darling could go down in history with Jim Callaghan, as a member of that small band of chancellors that had to go cap in hand to the IMF.

The biggest concern other than the big gamble is, if indeed it does actually save the economy from a protracted recession, how will all this borrowing be paid for in the future, especially as most of the measures are temporary ones. The Lib Dems have advocated clearer goals amidst reduced taxation as a stimulus, permanent tax cuts where it is needed. That presents a clear picture. Darlings proposals however are mired in the mirky waters of Labours attemps to survive through the next election and that is a very worrying thought indeed.