Blogging MP Kerry McCarthy is this year’s winner of the ‘best engagement award’ and commented on her own blog:
“The award, by the way, was for both - the website and blog. Apparently I am regarded as being the best MP in the UK at engaging with the public. Which I shall remind you of at regular intervals!”

David Lammy MP and Andy Reed MP were both finalists in the same category.

The best design award went to Labour’s John Hutton MP.

Alan Johnson MP, the Secretary of State for Health, won the accessibility award.

A Labour MP also became the overall winner - Derek Wyatt. The BCS judged that “his website was considered to combine the very best of design and the latest in integrated communications technology, presentation and content.”

KPMG have been hired by Westminster City Council to review the Council’s “investment strategy and internal control systems” and to investigate “whether any failures in internal control systems have, or continue to, expose the Council to financial loss”.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said:

“The cost of Westminster Conservatives’ financial incompetence mounts every day. Over a year ago, Labour Councillors warned the Conservatives about chasing high interests and advocated a cautious approach with the Council’s investments. Those warnings were ignored and now Westminster Council Tax payers are paying a very high price.”

£6.26 Million remained outstanding at end of the 2007/08 financial year, a record so poor that only two councils are worse – the London Boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth.

In the South West, Bristol, a much larger city with many more Council Tax payers, had less owing than Plymouth.

This information was gathered by the Department of Communities and Local Government and is published by the GMB Trade Union in its Vision Magazine.

Labour leader Cllr Tudor Evans said:

“It is a woeful performance, but I expect nothing better from the Conservatives.

“You will remember the last time they were in power in Plymouth their Council Tax collection was amongst the worst in the country. Plymouth is still dealing with the consequences of their failure to collect the Poll Tax when they only collected 71% of the money owed. They have learned nothing from their previous mistakes.”

Wrexham’s AM, Lesley Griffiths – who has led the political campaign in Wales for the two nations to submit a joint-bid - was commenting after news that a rival bid by France to host Euro 2016, has taken a major step forward in recent days.

At the end of September, at a meeting in Bordeaux, UEFA changed the format of the competition to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24 teams. This move effectively ruled out a solo bid from Scotland and left the door open for a possible joint-bid to host Euro 2016 between Wales and Scotland.

However, in recent months, the French Government have established a 21 member strong “Grands Stade” Commission to assess existing stadia in the country and submit modernisation proposals for its existing sporting infrastructure, with a view to submitting a bid to host Euro 2016.

Now, the French Minister charged with administering public projects, Eric Besson, has called on private investors to help with France’s bid to host the championships.

As well as a potential French bid, in recent months there has been speculation about Sweden and Norway bidding for Euro 2016.

With this in mind, Lesley Griffiths now believes the time is fast approaching for Wales and Scotland to make their intentions known, on plans to co-host the competition. Commenting, she said:

“I believe there is a genuine will by the Football Association of Wales to explore and pursue a joint-bid with Scotland to co-host Euro 2016 – they have gone on-the-record in support of this idea.

“However, there has been silence from Scottish Football Association in recent months on the subject - at a time when potential rival bids are now gathering serious momentum. I believe there is a real risk that any future Welsh and Scottish bid could fall by the wayside, unless we match that momentum and soon.

“Whilst, ultimately, this is a matter for our respective football associations to indicate their wish to proceed with a joint-bid, it is clear from what the French are currently engaged in that any joint-bid will require full Government backing. This means Cardiff and Edinburgh working together to ensure a viable bid can be submitted on behalf of our respective nations.

“My understanding is that it remains the stated aim of the Scottish Government to host Euro 2016. Indeed, just twelve months ago, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond ordered a feasibility study into this happening.

“What has changed in recent months is that Scotland cannot host the new enlarged competition on its own. It has to be in a joint-bid and I hope they will consider Wales as their partner, given the FAW’s positive approach to the idea.

“I genuinely believe that amongst the Welsh and Scottish people, there would be immense public support for a bid. If a joint-bid fails to materialise, I think it would be huge opportunity missed.”

The draft Budget, which was the subject of debate in the National Assembly yesterday, marks an important step forward in Welsh Labour’s commitment to creating a fairer, more self-confident, prosperous and healthy Wales.

The Assembly Government’s budget has increased from £7bn in 1999 to £15bn in 2009-10, and to £16bn in 2010-11. An additional £3.6bn will be invested in Wales’ public services between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

As a result of continued investment and a record of taking the right decisions since the establishment of the Assembly, the Labour-led Assembly Government is currently investing over £5,000 for every single person in Wales – double the amount spent in the first budget in 1999.

Welsh Labour’s Finance Minister Andrew Davies said:

“As a Labour-led Assembly Government, we are committed to ensuring that we take the tough decisions during these challenging times to ensure Wales is a fair, confident, prosperous and healthy country.

“We are investing significantly in education, in health and in other key public services – ensuring that we invest in the services that matter most to the people of Wales.

“Once again, the Tories and Liberal Democrats have failed the test for responsible opposition parties by failing to produce a costed, consistent alternative budget which meets the priorities of the people of Wales.”

The budget debate came on the same day Tory leader David Cameron announced plans to abandon Labour’s spending plans for 2010/11 – which would mean Tory cuts in health, in education, and in other vital public services in Wales.

Andrew Davies added:

“David Cameron and George Osborne have proven how incompetent they are by being forced into announcing changes on a daily basis to what is already an incoherent economic policy.

“But this latest announcement shows the real threat a Conservative government would be to Wales.

“The people of Wales now have a clear choice.

“A Labour Government in London and a Labour-led Government in Cardiff working together to create a fair Wales and a fairer Britain, with strong, substantial leadership and a commitment to providing first class public services.

“The alternative is a Cameron and Osborne led Tory government, which would be a government of insubstantial leadership that is now openly committed to cutting spending on our public services, which would be a real threat to Wales’ future.”

“We are already, however, well into the realm of what I call depression economics. By that I mean a state of affairs like that of the 1930s in which the usual tools of economic policy — above all, the Federal Reserve’s ability to pump up the economy by cutting interest rates — have lost all traction. When depression economics prevails, the usual rules of economic policy no longer apply: virtue becomes vice, caution is risky and prudence is folly…

…To pull us out of this downward spiral, the federal government will have to provide economic stimulus in the form of higher spending and greater aid to those in distress — and the stimulus plan won’t come soon enough or be strong enough unless politicians and economic officials are able to transcend several conventional prejudices.

One of these prejudices is the fear of red ink. In normal times, it’s good to worry about the budget deficit — and fiscal responsibility is a virtue we’ll need to relearn as soon as this crisis is past. When depression economics prevails, however, this virtue becomes a vice.”
Read the full article.

Mark McDonald’s candidacy was backed by the LabourHome website, so it’s fitting that he’s used Labour’s unofficial blogging platform to ask Labour supporters what they would like him to discuss with the Treasurer and General Secretary of the Labour Party.
Read the full article.

Councillor Rowley argues that as soon as someone is earning enough to buy a flat they should be evicted from their Council flat. How would this work in Maida Vale which he represents on Westminster City Council?

Someone would have to have a very good job to be able to buy a flat in Maida Vale. So does Councillor Rowley want people to move out of the area to somewhere cheaper, like Barking and Dagenham and then commute back to the West End where they work? And why should a Council tenant have to move out of Maida Vale where they were born and where their family and friends live because they now earn enough to buy a flat in a distant part of London? And what happens to the rest of the family if they do not want to move or need to stay in Westminster because of school, work or caring responsibilities?

Councillor Rowley wants to go back to the bad old days of Margaret Thatcher and Shirley Porter (she too wanted to move Council tenants out of Westminster to places like Barking).

“There is a clear choice for the British people.

“Labour’s approach will give real help now for families and businesses to help Britain come through these difficult times stronger and sooner; the Conservatives won’t act to support the economy when it needs it and won’t help families and businesses right now.

“Unlike the Conservatives, we refuse to abandon people in tough times. Instead of a shot in the arm the Tories would give the British economy a slap in the face.

“The Tory policy of inaction is isolated and incoherent. They are now virtually alone in opposing an urgent boost to the economy and they have been forced yet again to change their plans from one day to the next.

“Ever since the banking crisis hit Britain, David Cameron and George Osborne have been out of their depth and today once again their judgement has been wrong.”

Read Labour’s “Tory Economic Incoherence Under Scrutiny” document. [pdf]

New council development proposals are to introduce a new “sliding scale” of 10% to 50% to cover the amount of affordable housing required on developments of less than 50 homes - the vast majority of all developments in Camden.

The effect of this, warn Labour councillors, will be to reduce the amount of affordable homes required from developers and hamper attempts to reduce Camden’s massive housing waiting list.

In October Mayor Boris Johnson ditched Ken Livingstone’s commitment for 50% affordable housing.

The new Local Development Framework, currently being consulted on by Camden council, states under “Camden’s Preferred Development Policies” (Vol. 2, p.20):

“The Council is aware that the 50% affordable housing target cannot be delivered for schemes that are close to the threshold, and is unlikely to be deliverable for schemes which provide less than 3,500 sq m housing (approx 35 dwellings)…”

“The Council will take the following positive measures to bring forward schemes that reach or exceed the 10 dwelling threshold:

“The 50% target will operate on a sliding scale, subject to development viability, with a norm of 10% for 1,000 sq m (gross) of additional housing and 50% for 5,000 sq m (gross) of additional housing – considered to be sites with capacity of 10 dwellings and 50 dwellings respectively.”

Opposition Labour spokesperson Theo Blackwell said:

“The Council’s commitment to obtaining 50% affordable housing from new developments would be fatally undermined by this approach. The Conservative/Liberal Democrat administration is watering down our access to new housing by this measure, and trying to cover it up in the smallprint.”

“This will reduce the council’s bargaining position with developers to get benefits for local people, who even more than ever will plead poverty in order to get the best deal for themselves. Developers will rush to get fewer and fewer affordable homes, rather than more.”

“The vast majority of developments in Camden would be captured by this proposal. If you think about the area south of the Euston Road, where space is so limited, we are most unlikely to get any affordable housing at all under this proposal – whereas, as we speak, there is a small development in Whitfield Street which is yielding 50% affordable housing on a site of 22 dwellings.”