Confirmed – ConDem government is bad for your health

Labour’s claims that Tory Government is bad for your health have already been verified in the early days of the Con/Lib Government.

The news that Surrey Heath has the highest level of road accidents for children in Surrey comes with the announcement that Runnymede and Chertsey MP Philip Hammond is cutting the Government grant for speed cameras.

“There is now every chance that more children will be injured on our roads,” says Labour County Councillor Victor Agarwal.

As well as this Health Minister Andrew Lansley has just announced that NHS Direct will be cut. This service deals with 1400 inquiries every day. It is estimated that the saving to the NHS from NHS amounts to £162m every year due to people not having to use accident and emergency services or consult their doctor.

As well as this Lansley is withdrawing support services for people seeking to quit smoking in Surrey.

London’s Labour politicians forego allowance rise

* Labour members of the Metropolitan Police Authority forego 2.6 per cent rise in their allowances.
* Politicians of other parties urged to show same restraint.
* Contrast with Conservative-run London Fire Authority pay rises.

Labour members of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) have today written to the authority’s chief executive Catharine Crawford to reject a 2.6 per cent increase in their annual allowances, arguing it’s “the only appropriate thing to do in the current economic climate”.

Joanne McCartney, Jennette Arnold and John Biggs – all London Assembly members – took the decision in light of the two-year pay freeze announced for public sector workers. The scheduled rise was due to go ahead this year as it was agreed before the pay-freeze was announced in the April budget.

Last month Boris Johnson refused to criticise Conservative members of the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority LFEPA when they voted to award themselves a 25 per cent pay rise and voted down a proposal from Labour members to forego the increase.

Why are Surrey based Ministers the focus of extreme policies?

“It has been suggested that Labour ask South East Water for a test of Surrey’s water supply to discover the reason why so many of its MPs are promoting dangerous reactionary, off the wall, ideas,” Murray Rowlands, the Chair of Labour in Surrey says.

“If we examine what they are saying the result is rather scary,” Mr Rowlands adds.

Runnymede and Chertsy – Philip Hammond MP. Transport Minister
Millionaire City businessman Hammond has withdrawn the Government grant for speed cameras. With severe cuts in local government spending many councils will be unable to pay for them in their area. Only petrol heads and Jeremy Clarkson are likely to benefit as dangerous speeding goes unchecked putting us all at risk.

Hammond is about to announce cuts in the Government’s support for rail travel meaning that fares are likely to rise by more than 8 percent.

Epsom and Ewell – Chris Grayling MP. Welfare Minister
Chris Grayling has just announced a regime of spying on people in receipt of benefits. On the other hand conspicuously absent is any attempt by the Con/Lib Government to trace serial tax avoiders.

Westminster Labour welcomes new Halfpenny Steps Health Centre

Labour Councillors have welcomed the opening of the new Halfpenny Steps Health Centre on the Harrow Road which has opened today and will serve residents in Queen’s Park and Harrow Road wards. The Halfpenny Steps Health Centre provides health services for registered and walk-in patients. It is staffed with a team of GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals to deliver a high quality, continuous service.

Opening hours are from 8am to 8pm, 7 days week. The surgery is open for new patient registrations now.

Halfpenny Steps Health Centre,
427-429 Harrow Road,
London, W10 4RE.

Tel: 020 7286 6009

Queen’s Park Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said: “This is a fantastic new local health facility which will provide and even better local service to residents seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Six get the sack as Tory Westminster moves post room

Six more Westminster City Council staff have been given the sack following the Council’s decision to save money by moving its post room from City Hall in Victoria Street to the Council House in Marylebone Road. The six staff are: a Manager, a Post Driver, 3 Post staff; and a Porter.

These latest cuts are the result of the Council’s financial bungling which led to a £20 million hole in the Council’s budget following a shortfall in the planned income from car parking.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said: “Every week brings more news of job losses, price increases and service cuts at Westminster Council. These six jobs are from some of the lowest paid Council staff and it is typical of Westminster’s heartless approach that the most vulnerable staff are targeted for the sack.”

ConDems condemned for cutting university places

Paul Blomfield MP congratulates A-level students and attacks Government cuts in university places.

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, has congratulated A-level students for achieving record exam results. He also criticised the Tory-Lib Dem government for cutting 10,000 extra university places this year and for failing to respond to the unprecedented demand for university places.

Paul Blomfield MP said: “I would like to congratulate all A-level students who got their results today. The record results show that young people are working harder than ever to go to university.

“However, the unprecedented demand for university places means not everyone will get onto their course. So the Tory-Lib Dem government’s decision to cut 10,000 extra university places, just at the moment when they are needed most, is madness. They have completely failed to respond to the demand.

Surrey’s applause for Audit Commission closure not surprising says Labour

It is hardly surprising that Conservatives in Surrey and at National level welcome the closure of the Audit Commission – the independent watchdog has been Surrey County Council’s fiercest critic.

Only because of The Audit Commission’s thorough investigation of Surrey’s Children’s Department did we discover that it ranked as one of the fourth worst in its care of vulnerable children in the country. Despite this Surrey only managed to drag its standard of care up to “adequate” for one of the wealthiest Counties in England.

Despite this Tim Hall the councillor in charge of change and efficiency for the Surrey County Executive attempts to blame Labour for Surrey’s long list of identified failures highlighted by the Audit Commission. It appears from his comment that Councillor Hall welcomes Surrey Council taxpayers having no objective analysis of how their money is being spent.

Teachers and pupils praised for exam success in Wales

In reaction to the excellent A-Level results in the Vale of Clwyd, Labour AM Ann Jones said: “Students across the Vale of Clwyd should be really proud of themselves.

“I pay tribute to all our teachers, parents and governors for their hard work in helping learners reach their potential.

“It is also fantastic to see the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification going from strength to strength. There has been a big uptake in pupils entering the award this year and it means an extra 4000 plus learners have the equivalent of an A grade at A level on top of those students taking the standard A level examinations.

“I wish all students the very best as they continue their educational journey.”

Ipswich’s Murray Road Rec hit by Tory playground cuts

Labour Councillors in the Priory Heath area of Ipswich are up in arms after plans to upgrade the play area at Murray Road recreation ground fell victim to Government cuts. A grant for £50,000 to transform the play area has been withheld after the Playbuilder programme was scrapped.

The £235m Playbuilder scheme was launched two years ago by the Labour government. It was set up to develop 3,500 playgrounds designed by, and for, the communities they were to serve. Chantry Park has had a great new play area through the scheme.

Hundreds of community playground schemes in England are being axed or scaled back because of the Government cuts. Education Secretary Michael Gove has frozen grants to 132 councils for building and running up to 1,300 schemes, many designed by youngsters.

Labour calls on all Cornish MPs to reject “Devonwall” Bill

Cornwall Labour Party is challenging the county’s Conservative and Lib Dem MPs to vote against the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, because the Bill as it stands will inevitably result in a Cornwall-Devon constituency.

Launching an online petition against the cross border constituency, Jude Robinson, Cornwall Labour Party Chair said: “The coalition government is pushing through major constitutional change without proper parliamentary scrutiny which WILL result in a cross Cornwall-Devon constituency.

“The Labour Party believes the government is wrong to mix the issues of Electoral Reform and Parliamentary Boundaries and is playing politics with the integrity of the historic county boundaries of the UK including the Cornish border for perceived party political gain.”

Leadership contender Ed Miliband launched the campaign during his recent visit to Cornwall and meeting with Labour members at the Eden project. The petition is available at here.