Sheffield Lib Dems propose cuts to fuel poverty programme

Sheffield Liberal Democrats were today exposed for trying to cut a Labour scheme to invest in tackling fuel poverty.

As part of the Council’s Housing Revenue Account Business Plan, Labour have outlined plans to prioritise investment in heating systems, which are important in tackling fuel poverty a problem faced by many tenants in the current climate of high energy prices and fuel bills. As a result heating and boiler renewals have been identified as the number one priority in addressing the maintenance backlog.

However, when the scheme was due to be passed through Full Council today, the Lib Dems proposed an amendment which sought to cut £400,000 from the investment programme to replace energy inefficient boilers and heating systems.

Experts have said that people in fuel poverty or who live in poor accommodation, the elderly and people with health conditions are the most likely to suffer in cold weather conditions.

Labour Cabinet Member for Homes and Regeneration, Councillor Harry Harpham, said: “Many people in Sheffield and throughout the country are struggling with the cost of heating their homes, which is why we have taken action to prioritise installing more efficient heating and boiler systems in our council properties.

Sheffield Lib Dems exposed over ‘merciless’ opportunism on fortnightly collections

Labour has exposed shockingly cynical political tactics from the Sheffield Lib Dems regarding the Council’s recent proposal to move towards collecting black bins fortnightly instead of weekly.

Following the recent announcement that the Council is minded to move to alternate week collections to help to meet the £170m budget gap between now and 2015/16, local Liberal Democrat Councillors have attacked the move left, right and centre, making numerous false claims about the proposals and misleading Sheffield people.

However Labour have now revealed a comment made by Lib Dem Councillor for Nether Edge, Anders Hanson, exposing the Sheffield Liberal Democrats’ cynical political opportunism over fortnightly bin collections. Writing on the blog ‘Lib Dem Voice’, Councillor Hanson stated that:

‘I think it has now become almost impossible politically to introduce new fortnightly bin collections as both the opposition and the press will mercilessly attack anyone who does it. … However most people are happy with fortnightly collections when they get used to it.’

Labour claim that this comment shows that although the Sheffield Lib Dems believe that most people would be happy with fortnightly black bin collections, they have been cultivating a premeditated plan to ‘mercilessly attack’ the Council, should it move towards introducing fortnightly collections, purely for political gain.

Decline in university applications could be start of very worrying trend

Responding to today’s announcement that university applications have declined Paul Blomfield, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central, says that this could be the start of a very worrying trend. Mr Blomfield is a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee and Secretary of the All Party Parliament Group on Higher Education.

Paul Blomfield MP said: “Today’s announcement that UCAS applications have declined by nearly 9% could be the start of a very worrying trend. I’m not simply concerned with the overall drop, but by the varying rates of decline hidden within the main figure. I’m concerned that when more detailed figures are released they will show a big drop-off in the number of applicants from low-income families where there isn’t a tradition of anyone studying at university. The Government’s decision to treble fees to £9000 and increase the burden of debt that students now have to take on is a major disadvantage for people from low-income backgrounds.

“We are seeing the biggest fall in university applications for 30 years, reversing the growth in applications under the Labour government. This will not only reduce the life chances of those who now cannot afford university, but undermine the development of the skills our economy needs. Britain cannot afford to have fewer graduates each year than our global competitors.”

Sheffield MP applauds BBC Trust’s decision to reverse local radio cuts

Paul Blomfield MP has welcomed today’s announcement by the BBC Trust to reverse around half of the planned £15m cut to the budgets of BBC local radio stations, regional news and 5 live.

Paul Blomfield MP, who has campaigned against the cuts to BBC local radio, said:

“Today’s announcement is good news for BBC local radio. I’m pleased that Lord Patten has listened to the public consultation and to those of us who have argued in parliament against the cuts. He is right to have recognised that BBC local radio is so highly regarded because listeners value the localness of the content. People in Sheffield, including myself, enjoy listening to radio content about Sheffield, made and delivered with local accents, knowledge and experience.

“Sheffield has a strong city identity, and whilst we’re also proud of being part of Yorkshire there is a big difference between our city identity and a regional Yorkshire identity. The original proposals for shared regional content with BBC Leeds and York would have provided less local news and views. This would have lowered audiences and created a spiral of decline for local radio. So the Trust is right to scale back the increase in shared regional programming, the job cuts in local newsrooms, and to give local radio stations the freedom to continue to provide specialist local services.

Blomfield welcomes reports university privatisation plans dropped

Paul Blomfield MP has welcomed reports that the Government has axed plans to give for-profit private companies a greater role in UK higher education. The Government’s proposed legislation would have opened the door for private companies, including hedge funds and big American education companies, to set up new universities and access taxpayer funding.

The Sheffield Central Labour MP has warned against privatisation by stealth and will still be pushing for a debate in Parliament to clarify the Government’s position.

Mr Blomfield, who is Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Universities and a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, has led opposition to the plans in Parliament and tabled an Early Day Motion on this issue last year which warned against the expansion of for-profit providers in the higher education sector. The EDM attracted support from 134 MPs from all political parties, including former Higher Education Minister David Lammy, as well as ex-Lib Dem leaders Charles Kennedy, Sir Menzies Campbell and current Lib Dem President Tim Farron.

Angela Smith calls for rail improvements in the North

Labour MP and rail campaigner Angela Smith has today called for the government to fast track the full northern hub rail project.

In a debate today in parliament Angela Smith, Member of Parliament for Penistone & Stocksbridge, called on the government to bring forward planned improvements to the north’s rail network.

While the government has brought forward some aspects of the scheme to improve the north’s rail network many others aspects of the improvements are not planned to be completed for another 6 or 7 years.

Already it is estimated congestion around Manchester is costing business money. The £500m improvements called for is estimated to create around 30,000 jobs and have direct economic benefit of £4bn to the North’s economy.

Also for Sheffield it would allow for 2 extra trains to run between Sheffield and Manchester and for faster trains more generally.

Commenting Angela said; “The northern hub project is the North’s equivalent to London’s Crossrail. A completed northern hub project will ease congestion around Manchester helping improve rail traffic throughout the North.

Betts backs more daylight campaign for lighter evenings

Sheffield South East Labour MP, Clive Betts, is backing a Bill to get the Government to look at the benefits of moving the clocks forward by one hour throughout the year.

The Daylight Saving Bill will receive its Third Reading in the House of Commons this Friday. The bill calls on the Government to conduct a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of putting clocks forward an hour throughout the UK, resulting in lighter evenings every day of the year.

Clive Betts said: “The arguments in favour of clock change are very strong. This one simple low-cost policy could bring wide ranging benefits to the whole of the UK including saving lives on our roads, cutting the fear of crime on dark evenings, and create jobs in the leisure and tourism industries.”

Supporters argue that lighter evenings would save lives on our roads by making more of our busiest evening rush hours occur in daylight, create jobs by boosting the tourism sector, and make many people especially older people feel safer going out in the evenings for longer.

Lighter Later, the group coordinating the campaign for change, says support for the cause has never been stronger.

Paul Blomfield signs Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment

Paul Blomfield MP has signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, to pledge his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day, and to honour those who died during the Holocaust.

Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday January 27th will be the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history. Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, the Holocaust Educational Trust placed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons giving MPs the chance to sign and honour those who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust.

In signing the Book of Commitment Paul Blomfield paid tribute to the extraordinary men and women who, having survived the Holocaust, now work to educate young people about what they endured, through the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Outreach programme.

Thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. This year, people will be encouraged to take a stand against racism and prejudice today – and to speak out against hatred wherever they encounter it.

Paul Blomfield MP said: “I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau four years ago and it was a deeply moving experience. I was struck both by the scale of the horror that took place there, but also by the ordinariness of the surrounding villages and countryside. It shows how hatred can poison any community unless we stand up and challenge it.

Tackling fuel poverty at the heart of Sheffield’s Housing Investment Plan

Sheffield City Council will be outlining its plan for investment in council housing and tenant services over the next five years as the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan is set to be approved at a Cabinet meeting next week.

The report sets out the council’s vision for housing in the coming years and the provision of services to create sustainable communities, with homes and neighbourhoods where people want to live. In addition to this the council seeks to make the best use of council homes and to minimise the running costs.

Council housing was until now funded by the central HRA subsidy system. Under this system all rents go into a central pot which the Government distributes to councils based on their assessment of the council’s need using a national formula. Now the financing arrangements are changing meaning that councils will keep all income from rents, but will take responsibility for all the spending on council housing.

Whilst self-financing is on the whole positive for the council, providing the opportunity to take long term strategic planning about investment in homes and services. When allocating the debt settlements for local authorities, the Government failed to take into account the funding needed to address the maintenance backlog for work to be completed on council homes. As a result of this some elements of the backlog of maintenance work may not be completed until the later years of the plan. Sheffield has been left with a debt of £349 million.

Blomfield backs call for King Ecgbert School ballot, and asks Clegg to join him

Paul Blomfield MP is backing calls for a full ballot of parents to be held at King Ecgbert School before a final decision on whether the school becomes an academy is made. After the school appears to have rejected a request from local councillors for a ballot, Mr Blomfield has written to the Chair of Governors urging the school to reconsider their decision. The Sheffield Central MP has also written to Nick Clegg asking if he will join him in calling for the school to reconsider the ballot.

In his letter to the Chair of Governors Mr Blomfield writes:
“Many of my constituents will be affected if the school moved to academy status, and concerns have been raised with me about the short timescale of the consultation period, particularly with it being held over the Christmas period.

“I know that there have been well-attended consultation meetings, but given the short timescale of the consultation I think it would be right for all parents of children currently studying at King Ecgberts and parents of children in Year 6 at the feeder schools to be given their say in a democratic ballot on this decision.

“I’m concerned that the school appear to have rejected the request from local councillors for a ballot and would urge the school to reconsider this decision. If a ballot of each parent was held, with both sides of the argument clearly explained to them, then the Governors will be able to make their final decision knowing the full views of parents. I think this would be the right approach for the school to take and I hope that you will give it due and urgent consideration.”