Can you be sure that the Tories are on your side?

The Glasgow East by-election result has taken us into interesting and unpredictable political territory.If the pundits are correct, we may only be weeks away from another change in the leadership of the Labour Party and only months away from a General Election.

So now is the time to start spending regular, column-sized amounts of words, de-bunking two particular and damaging ideas.

The first is the notion that the Conservatives have changed.

And the second is that they are on your side.

Amber Rudd, my Tory counterpart, wrote about the welfare trap in her column last week.

I am always interested, and highly skeptical, when Conservatives start to posture or position themselves as ‘advocates of reform’ in this field.

We must always have a healthy mistrust of Tory radicalism when it comes to welfare, because the truth is that vulnerable people lose out.

Note the casual reference to private companies being incentivised to get people back to work for a year.

Let’s just think… Why would private sector companies be any better than public sector ones given proper amounts of trained staff, and time to spend with jobseekers? No chance that the Tories might want to halve the budget by engaging the private sector?

Amber also failed to mention that the Tories plan a ‘three strikes’ approach for Incapacity Benefit claimants – that means witholding benefits for people who thrice refuse the jobs that they are offered.

Tory plans are based on a theory of ‘you can work or you can’t', completely misunderstanding the complex nature of some Incapacity Benefit claimants’ circumstances.

As a mental health social worker, I see day in day out the need for a more personalised support programme for people wanting to get back in to work, with built-in trials and tapered benefits, with more responsive systems which can restart benefits should the employment not work out.

These are the kinds of incentives that people will need in order to risk coming off their benefits.

Never mind the need for more jobs for people to try to hold down.

In Hastings and Rye in particular, with the economic situation starting to bite, job creation is a key issue – particularly for our young people.

The Tories also talk big on the problems of Tax Credits, the CSA and the meagre state pension. But they have no policies on how to resolve these problems.

Remember, the Tories made political hay out of the 10p Tax Band issue, but they failed to vote against it in the Budget debate when their vote would have really counted.

And there are Tories failing to deliver wherever you look! They run the County Council, will not deliver the seafront cycle path until 2012 (which I will return to in future) and have failed our young people at secondary school level. They run Hastings Borough Council and cannot give you the correct telephone number for the Town Hall…

These are the same Tories who will try to tell you that they are New, and trustworthy, and ready for Government.

Let me tell you, Cameron’s Tories are Blairites without a social conscience.

This means that they will only ever be on your side if it is politically expedient.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be temporary.

Former MP shows Nick his Winkle!

Last Friday Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye was accepted into the great Hastings tradition of the Winkle Club!  Nick was given his Winkle by the President of the Club and former Conservative MP for the constituency Sir Kenneth Warren.

Speaking after the ceremony, Nick said, “I am very proud to have been accepted into this wonderful club.  I have spent my whole career fighting poverty and I want to help the club in its good works however I can.”

Lib Dems press for change to hospital parking charges

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, and Conquest campaigner Margaret Williams met with hospital bosses on Friday 18 July to lobby for changes to the parking charges regime at the Conquest.On the back of their recent petition, Nick and Margaret made clear to Irene Dibben (Chair of the Board) and David Philliskirk (Director of Estates & Facilities) that the NHS should be free at the point of delivery, and that local people are struggling with the charges that are in place.

Nick says,

“I am pleased that Irene and David have listened to us and seem willing to go ahead with a fairer pay as you leave system. They are looking into the costs of this at the moment.

“We believe that there should be a free period of parking for the public and we are lobbying for it to be two hours.

“I was shocked to learn that staff parking charges were brought in 18 months ago to provide for a Healthy Transport Plan, and that because of the market forces factor, the Trust is receiving between £4-5 million less from Government than it needs. Our view is that the hospital should not need to charge for parking.”

Margaret Williams said, “I was glad to make good my promise to local Conquest residents that I would take up the issue of problem on-street parking following the imposition of staff charges.

“Local Lib Dems believe that Hastings County councillors have failed to deliver improved public transport links to the hospital. And that the Trust should do regular mapping of where staff live, and what their transport options are.”

Nick added, “We will be taking our campaign to the Board, and hope to be able to bring back good news soon.”

Foster defence on expenses row is feeble

Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful Nick Perry has bitten back following MP Michael Foster’s defence of his vote to block the reform of MPs expenses.

See this link for today’s story in the Hastings & St Leonard’s Observer.

In response, Nick has quoted The Times’ 4 July article on the subject:

‘Plans for rigorous external audits, a reduction of the threshold of receipts from £25 to zero and a ban on furniture or home improvements were all thrown out by MPs who voted against the plan by a majority of 28′.

He says to Mr Foster, “You cannot turn this round and say that you, the obstacles to reform, were actually the shining knights of the piece.

“If only local government workers had had the same sort of backing from you that you gave to your fellow Labour and Conservative MPs.

“Of course, you did not respond to my invitation to join the recent campaign for fairer pay for the public sector’s lowest paid workers…”

[What do you think of Michael Foster's voting record?]

See this link for Michael’s voting record.

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Nick slams Editor on Academies plan

Dear Peter,

Let me say first of all that Liberal Democrats are supportive of schools being given the freedom and financial backing to innovate and succeed.

However, I think you have overstepped the mark in respect of your editorial comments on Academies this week (18 July).

I am sure that the County Council will be less than pleased that you have torpedoed the hope that their statutory consultation will be fair and meaningful.

Let’s be clear, the consultation is a legal requirement, and forms part of the feasibility study. And we must take it as read that any scheme failing to secure the backing of our young people, parents and teachers, will be about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Those of us who have real concerns about the Academies plan and the reduction in levels of accountability to local people and local government are unlikely to be reassured by the Observer’s one-sided approach to the issue.

I hope that, in future, you will be as assiduous in airing legitimate concerns as you are at promoting the Academies plan. Local people must be given all the information, so that they can form their views on the proposals.

Cllr Kathryn Field, shadow member for Children’s Services, and Lib Dem councillor for Battle & Crowhurst, has already put some initial Liberal Democrat concerns to the County Council’s Cabinet.

The bottom line for us is that the consultation is a crucial part of this process.

Any sniff of a whitewash and we will be down on Conservative-run ESCC like a tonne of bricks.

Yours sincerely,

[What do you think about the Academies plan?]

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Fun for all the family at the St Leonard’s festival

Many thanks to all those who worked to make St Leonard’s festival such a fun day out this year.  Ruth, Zoe and I went along and loved the way that Kings Road and Warrior Square were buzzing with excitement and diversity.  We were surprised that the event was alcohol-free, but actually this was really nice and made the atmosphere particularly family-friendly.  The acts, the stalls, the carnival – it was all brilliant.  Let’s big-up St Leonards.  If it can put on a show like this, then there is no limits to what can be achieved!

[Did you go to the festival?  What did you think?]

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Nick puts his money where his mouth is on pay

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, and a local social worker, has joined fellow UNISON members striking for a fairer pay deal from local government employers.

UNISON has organised a 48-hour strike following employers’ refusal to come back to the negotiating table and improve a 2.45% offer.

Nick says, “Along with other members, I am taking industrial action because, in the current economic climate, this paltry offer on pay hits those on the lower bands hardest.

“Inflation is currently around 4%, food prices are up 9%, energy bills are up 15% and petrol is up 22%. 

“Local government workers provide essential services, often to the most vulnerable in our society and they deserve a pay deal that at least keeps track with inflation.

“Our MP has spent his time recently blocking reforms to MPs expenses, but he did not take up my invitation to back local government workers, and come to the picket line this morning.  I’m afraid that’s New Labour for you…  All mouth and no trousers.”

Are we valuing our young people?

It was poignant that last week, on the same day as I submitted my column about Michael Foster’s vote on MPs expenses, I went to Hastings Town Hall after work to listen to the discussion on the Hastings & St Leonards Homelessness Strategy. Whilst it is comprehensive and informative, this document makes for depressing reading [see link to the document].

I was particularly horrified to learn that ‘26% of all homeless acceptances in 2007/8 were applicants under 16 or 17 year olds. The national average has been 9% for the last five years, recently reducing to 8.5%.’

The figures speak for themselves.

And they have a number of related effects.

I was pleased to see that the authors of the report have understood that homelessness impacts on employment and education, physical and mental health, substance misuse and crime.

The reality is that people’s lives are complicated. And because problems are often joined up, solutions must be too.

Young people know this better than any of us.

A couple of months ago I went to take part in a question and answer session with young people at the (excellent) Xtrax project (‘a chilled out safe place for 16-25 year olds’). The young people that came to grill the politicians pointed out difficulties that they are facing with the new Local Housing Allowance, and the fact that it is paid direct to tenants rather than landlords.

That some young people would like to have money going straight towards bill payment, without them having to ‘handle’ it, is something we must take on board. We must hear that there can be unintended flip-sides to measures which may start out life as strategies to empower people.

I have just been asked by my Party to join our national policy working group on young people’s issues. We will be reporting to Party Conference next year.

At a local and a national level I will be arguing that the people who have real expertise on this are young people themselves, and that they must be supported to participate fully in the development of the policy and services designed with them in mind.

What we must aim for is a public service culture which is working in direct partnership with young people, and being shaped by this partnership. We cannot afford for such services to be tokenistic about it.

There is no more pressing issue in this regard than the proposed Academies project.

Whilst I will be coming back to this issue in future columns, Liberal Democrats have a number of concerns about the proposals, and have put down a marker this week about the consultation that is a legal requirement of the process.

Make no mistake, young people must be at the heart of this consultation.

And Liberal Democrats will fight tooth and nail to make sure of it.

Nick challenges MP on support for local government workers

Dear Michael,

Despite the parliamentary time you have spent recently on MPs expenses, I am sure you will be aware of the demands of local government workers across the country for a better pay settlement. And about the UNISON strike action planned for 16 and 17 July.

Can I ask you, do you back our claim?

I would be glad if you would make a public statement on the issue.

I am not sure if you are a member of a trade union, but I am sure that your presence on the picket line would be welcome.

I will be there from 7am tomorrow morning.

I will hope to see you in St Leonards!

Best regards.

[What do you think about the LGA's pay offer to local government workers?]

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Lib Dems demand proper consultation on Academies

Liberal Democrats in Hastings and on East Sussex County Council (ESCC) have demanded a proper consultation in respect of the proposal to close three Hastings secondary schools and to open two Academies. Conservative-run ESCC decided, at a meeting of its Cabinet on 8 July, to press ahead with a feasibility study and consultation about the plan, as part of the important task of improving educational attainment for secondary school pupils in Hastings.

However Unions, staff, parents and pupils have all been shocked by the move.

Lib Dem shadow member for Children’s Services, Cllr Kathryn Field, has said that the Council must listen to key stakeholders:

“As Liberal Democrats we want to see schools given the freedom to innovate and succeed, but we have concerns about the Academies plan and the bottom line is that it must be an acceptable plan to local people.

“There is a legal requirement for consultation as part of the feasibility study. The Liberal Democrat Group will be holding the Conservative administration to account on this. Any sniff of a whitewash and we will be down on them like a tonne of bricks.”

Nick Perry, the 31 year old parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, who has just joined his Party’s national Policy Working Group on Young People, says,

“Everyone agrees that we must prioritise and deliver improvement in educational attainment for the young people of Hastings. There is no time to lose, and we must think creatively about how to achieve this goal. But my instinct is more haste, less speed with the Academies model. Our MP wants full steam ahead, but I am urging caution.

“We must, for example, preserve the important principle of our schools being accountable to local people and to local government. We must preserve the rights of children with special needs. And we must remember that there is more to regeneration than expensive new buildings.”

Cllr Richard Stevens, Leader of the Lib Dems on Hastings Borough Council says,

“Lib Dems locally will be doing all we can to provide information and support to worried staff and parents who, understandably, will be wanting to know what the plans mean for them.”

[What do you think about the Academies plan?]

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