Westminster Labour calls for an ‘outbreak of democracy’ over election of new council Leader

Labour Westminster Councillors say that the prospect of the election of a new Leader of Westminster City Council by just 48 Conservative Councillors, 47 of whom consistently voted to support outgoing Leader Colin Barrow’s failed West End parking charge plans, is an ‘insult to democracy’. Labour say that the new Leader of the Council should be elected by all 250,000 Westminster residents and open to candidates from all political parties.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said; “Confining the election of the next Leader of Westminster City Council to 48 out-of-touch Conservative Councillors is damaging for both democracy and for the credibility of the Council.

“Everything is shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Nobody knows who is standing for election. None of the likely candidates have issued a ‘manifesto’ setting out their values and priorities. And nobody knows whether any of the ’seven dwarfs’ who have been mentioned as possible candidates would do things any differently than Colin Barrow.

“The only people who get a say on who will be Leader of one of the most important Councils in the country are 48 Conservatives – 47 of whom, like sheep, supported the failed West End parking plans without a word of dissent. Is this really the way to inspire confidence in the future of Westminster after the appalling West End parking fiasco?

“Westminster Council is like the Titanic, with the 48 Conservative Councillors acting as the deckchairs, waiting to be re-arranged as the Council’s reputation sinks further below the waves.

TfL reports another huge operating surplus of £310m – it’s time to cut the fares

A financial report released today by Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed the organisation has amassed an operating surplus of £310 million over the last 9 months.

In the report (Operational and Financial performance and investment programme reports – third quarter 2011/12) TfL predicts an annual operating surplus of £338 million by the end of the financial year.

TfL’s operating surplus is money which is over and above budgeted income. The huge surplus has been amassed as a result of higher than expected passenger numbers and rising fare levels.

The financial report (see page 19 of this pdf document) will be discussed by the TFL board today.

Ken Livingstone said; “This financial report is the latest document from TfL which confirms a fare cut is both affordable and necessary. The combination of rising fares and rising passenger numbers has meant TfL have got hundreds of millions of surplus income which they had not budgeted for.

“I believe after four long years of rising fares under London’s Tory Mayor it’s time to use TfL’s huge operating surplus to cut the fares and save the average Londoner £1,000 over four years.

“Out of a transport budget of £9 billion if you can’t find money to fund a fare cut there is something wrong.”

Water bills hiked as Southampton Council and Southern Water waste public money

Local Labour MP John Denham has reacted angrily to the 8.2% hike in water bills by Southern Water, the highest increase in the country. He’s accused Southern Water and the City Council of wasting money and driving up bills.

Warning that many families will struggle to meet the new charges he said that it is particularly galling that Southern Water has to spend £500,000 on replacing a sewage pipe in the Sholing Greenway, without recovering the costs from those responsible for the damage.

Mr Denham said: “If the Tory City Council had not ignored warnings about illegal fly tipping in Sholing the damage could have been prevented. And once it had been damaged, neither the Council nor Southern Water have recovered any money from those responsible.

“I told the City Council about the fly-tipping three years ago, before the damage had been done. I know local residents had raised the issue even earlier. Nothing was done to stop the tipping. Nothing was done to collect evidence against those responsible.

“Of course, this isn’t the only reason bills are going up, but people will ask how much other avoidable waste is being stuck on their bills.”

Murder detection rates down 10% in London as police numbers fall

New figures published today have shown the steep falls in the detection rates of a range of serious crimes including murder, firearm offences, knife crime offences and rape. A fall in the ’sanction detection rates’ means fewer offences are resulting in a prosecution (charge, caution or warning).

The figures, which come from written answers from the Mayor of London, show sanction detection rates of murder and attempted murder in London have fallen by 10% in just six months. Detection of firearm offences, knife crime offences, rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation have all also fallen in the last six months. Overall, less than a third of violent crimes are now ending in prosecution, with sanction detection rates for violent crimes falling by 1.9% to 32.7%.

The new figures follow Tory mayor Boris Johnson’s admission on LBC last week that 1,700 London police officer posts have been cut in the last 18 months. According to the Metropolitan Police the number of police officers has fallen from a peak of 33,260 officers in March 2010 to just 31,478 officers in October 2011.

Ken Livingstone, Labour’s candidate for London mayor said: “It is deeply worrying that the percentage of murders, rape, firearm offences and knife crimes that result in a charge, summons or other formal sanction is actually falling.

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.

Labour slams South Kensington frivolity vs North Kensington austerity

Labour attacks “extravagant” streetscape scheme.

As the £25 million Exhibition Road streetscape scheme opened in South Kensington, North Kensington Labour Councillors criticised the Council’s extravagant spending on a scheme aimed at tourists.

A short bus ride away are four of the poorest areas in the country. In Golborne Ward, 51% of the children live in poverty, residents endure high levels of disability and ill health and life expectancy for men is 71 years, compared with 89 in the richer parts of the borough. Exhibition Road is sited in Queens Gate, the most affluent ward in the country. Labour is incensed that the North Kensington residents they represent consistently fail to get a fair share of funding from Kensington and Chelsea Council to provide services and support.

Labour Leader Cllr Judith Blakeman said: “we are facing a brutal package of cuts. One pensioners’ health and social care centre has already shut down; mental health day centres are closing, a Children’s Centre is to go and nursery provision will be “rationalised”. The Council is ruthlessly cutting sports for schools, homework clubs, youth centres and the vital voluntary organisations that help vulnerable residents to live independently. Despite holding reserves of over £170 million, Kensington and Chelsea Council, chooses to spend its money on Exhibition Road rather than the poor and vulnerable of the Borough. That says it all.”

Southampton Labour MPs urge constituents to claim free heating and insulation help

Southampton Labour MPs John Denham and Alan Whitehead are today urging eligible constituents to take advantage of the Government’s flagship energy help scheme Warm Front, to make their homes warmer and cut their energy bills.

The Warm Front scheme – which offers heating and insulation improvements to households living on low incomes – is expected to see up to £30 million worth of funding for this year going unclaimed. This money could help up to 16,000 households struggling to afford their energy bills to cut their costs by a potential £650 per year.

People on certain income-related benefits and living in homes that are poorly insulated, or do not have a working central heating system, are eligible for Warm Front grants.

Applications to the scheme are down by 70%. So Southampton’s Labour MPs together with Consumer Focus urge people to put in a claim now before the funding for this year ends on 31 March.

John Denham MP said: “Insulating your loft and walls is a good way to tackle high energy bills and I urge people to see if they qualify and apply for Warm Front’s free of charge home improvements, before the funding is withdrawn.”

Christine Quigley becomes latest London Assembly Labour candidate

The London Labour party have named Christine Quigley as their newest candidate for the 2012 London elections. Christine, originally from Dublin is Vice-Chair of the Labour Party Irish Society and a former chair of London Young Labour.

Christine was selected as a reserve by the London regional board in 2011 and takes the list place previously held by Seema Malhotra. Seema is stepping dowe from the list to concentrate on her new role as parliament’s newest MP, following her election to the Feltham & Heston seat in December 2011.

Labour’s 2012 London Assembly team is one of the strongest and most diverse ever fielded in London, including 14 women and 10 Black and Ethnic Minority candidates. In contrast, not one of the eight Conservative Assembly constituency candidates is a woman.

Christine Quigley said: “I am delighted to join the Labour slate for London 2012. Young Londoners have been hit hard by Tory policies and cuts, and I feel passionately about the issues that affect my generation and my community. After four years of a Tory Mayor who represents the 1% it’s time we returned a Labour team to City Hall who will ensure that the interests of ordinary Londoners are always put first.”

Welfare changes hit poorest areas in Southampton hardest

Southampton faces huge challenges as welfare changes hit poorest areas hardest, says Labour MP John Denham.

The Government’s welfare bill will have the biggest impact in the city’s poorest communities says a new analysis by John Denham MP. Bevois, Bitterne, Redbridge, Woolston and Millbrook will see the largest number of residents have their benefits cut.

Mr Denham highlighted the challenges:

1. 2600 homes will no longer be available to working families on low incomes because of housing benefit changes.

2. 360 single parents will be expected to look for work, adding to the number chasing fewer jobs.

3. 2,250 are likely to lose Disability Living Allowance.

4. Of those claiming Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disability Allowance, 660 are likely to lose all entitlement to benefits, with another 1,100 expected to look for work.

The 5 hardest hit wards
Redbridge: 443 people will be affected by the changes, including 207 people losing DLA, 154 people losing IB /SDA and 83 single parents losing Income Support (IS).