Demolition of community asset Dartmouth House goes ahead despite community action

Demolition of Dartmouth House in Blakenall goes ahead despite battle by residents supported by their local Labour cllrs to save this registered community asset.

6^th June One of the last acts of this current Tory Council has been to authorise the demolition of Dartmouth House, Ryecroft Place Blakenall, now taking place.

 Walsall Council recently agreed to list and register this building as a community asset under the terms of the legislation provided by the Localism Bill. The local community supported by Dartmouth Neighbourhood Forum were excited at the prospect of assembling a sustainable business case to take over running this building for the benefit of the large number of local elderly residents. Under the legislation, the community should have been allowed up to 6 months to finalise such a plan but this has been denied by the  Tory run Council . This decision to demolish has also been fully supported by local independent Councillor Peter Smith in contrast to a total opposition to such a demolition by local Labour Councillors Ian Robertson and Ann Young and the Labour Group in Walsall.

If Dartmouth House had been saved, the community had planned to run a day centre with meals, evening entertainment, health facilities, welfare advice and eventually a tenant Management Association for the benefit of the 350 local elderly residents.

Dartmouth House was forced to close by Walsall Council and the welfare rights service moved to the Civic Centre , the NHS given notice to quit ( and gone to Short heath at enormous cost to the NHS) and now the local community has been totally ignored and snubbed by carrying out a demolition order, despite a vigorous campaign by local residents and the 2 local labour cllrs. This even involved direct appeals to the secretary of State Eric Pickles whose  Localism Bill was designed to support such bids to save important community assets.

The local community have a case under ‘Wednesbury reasonableness ‘ case Law to take Walsall Council to court and claim substantial damages and the Officers who authorised this demolition could be held personally liable.

This is a bad decision and not listening to residents is unforgiveable. Waiting for but a few weeks for any start to a demolition ,until the new administration is on place and who runs Walsall Council would have been fairer to all.

more information from

Cllr Ian Robertson 01922 634642  or 07956 829549

Some face a bleak Christmas. Scrooge is alive and well and lives at No 10 Downing Street.

Disabled people hit by changes to the benefits system are having to rely on food banks, according to a coalition of disability charities. The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), which is made up of 50 charities and other organisations such as the MS Society, Leonard Cheshire Disability and RNIB, is warning the situation will get even worse as the government implements more changes.


A survey of nearly 4000 disabled people, carried out by the DBC, reveals that of those hit by housing benefit changes – such as the ‘bedroom tax’ – more than one in ten (12 per cent) have needed to use food banks to feed themselves and their families.

There have also been changes to council tax that have hit some disabled people hard, increasing the amount of money they have to pay when they were previously exempt. A similar number of people affected by those cuts – 9 per cent – have also needed to use food banks.

Among those people unfortunate enough to be affected by changes to both housing benefit and council tax, as many as 15 per cent are using food banks.

The DBC is warning the government that even more disabled people and their carers are going to be forced to rely on food banks as benefit changes continue to come into force.

The Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is currently being replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is supposed to help disabled people with the additional costs of living with a disability, but under the plans more than 600,000 people will no longer qualify for support. It will leave them even more likely to need help with the costs of housing and council tax.

News from Blakenall

Interesting mess being created with the debacle around the land issue where at present Bloxwich baths stands.
We have the past announcement that these baths and leisure centre will be rebuilt with lottery grants.. however who actually owns the land on which this Leisure centre stands? Have the Miners charity who left the open space of Leamore Park for the continued benefit of the people of Blakenall been consulted?  How incompentent can you get? and risk losing precious regeneration funds?

News also that the Ryecroft NRC based in Ryecroft Place is to close along with the adjacent health centre facilities. All those using Ryecroft NRC will be expected to move to the Dartmouth centre based in New Forest Road .. the welfare rights service and the ryecroft training unit.. Have the people of New Forest Road been consulted? Not a bit.. we have sent round a consultation paper to seek their views and most feel that the Dartmouth Centre in new Forest Road should be considered for demolition.. they already have too many cars parking there on the road and to increase usage by making the Dartmouth centre the hub of a gigantic spoke will vastly increase the car parking.
Ryecroft NRC I in the right place and if Dartmouth centre was demolished , the land sold for housing, some of the proceeds would cover doing up Ryecroft NRC and expanding into the adjacent health centre.. to be used as a day care centre for the elderly living in the area for lunchtime meals etc
.. a much more sensible plan,.. needs proper meaningful consulting of course .. but your local independent councillor Peter Smith accepting this way forward with £200K to facilitate has done this without asking all local residents about it.. the idea makes good headlines but local residents have to live with the consequences.!

We have news that the Goscote area will be offered up for development... all that debate about the open space called the Lea.. in reality there was never any probable cause for alarm that the Lea would be built on.. the essential first step was to get the advert out to see if any major developer would come forward to talk about it.. as we stand the save the Lea campaign has just delayed the talking and allowed the tipping paradise open space to remain for longer.
WHG should concentrate on looking after their tenants as a priority and I fear that too many times they have lost sight of that with distractions into too many other areas

We have been asking many residents on the effect they see of the introduction of the so called bedroom tax.. a great many horrific personal stories of residents caught up for no fault of their own in the accompanying cuts to their household incomes and so reducing their standard of living to below the poverty line... guilty of ruining peoples' lives... there will be more evictions, family splits and domestic violence and continued wrecking of lives... those who are well off can just shrug off these changes... those in charge have lost touch with reality.. time to turf them out!!
Ian Robertson

What future for our NHS?

Our National Health service seems to be continually under attack by often misguided politicians and also from within by those who work in this sector but forget the basic principles of how to select treatment plans using evidence based medicine .




We have a Government that . has caused a crisis in A&E and cut 4,000 nurses while wasting £3 billion on a damaging reorganisation of our NHS, founded 65 years ago on Friday this week .







People worried about difficulty in getting medical advice with their own GPs now often opted out of out of hours cover go to where they know a place is open and even with a horrendous wait at A and E will eventually get that medical care. This ha created serious pressures on those who are trying to cope with running this part of the service and where sifting through the patients attending is often down to the non medical person sitting on the reception desk. Of course there are many who attend A and E who have relatively minor medical needs and have come to the wrong ‘medical bus stop’ and so hamper health care delivery elsewhere in the system.



The NHS appears to use their resources inefficiently. A health service has the prime objective of treating ill patients , getting them better quickly and helping them to return to normal living and to continue as independently as possible. We also allow public companies whose main interest is producing a profit for their shareholders to write contracts that have so many self interest clauses in to protect those profits and so cost us the tax payers dear. How can these highly paid executives in our NHS and elsewhere be so naive and such poor negotiators?



However we use enormous resources to screen large sections of the public … screening for breast cancer, prostrate cancer, aneurisms, colon cancer which do find some early signs of disease but when you look closely at the figures these numbers are very small ( unfortunately) screening should only be targeted at very high risk groups.. otherwise the only use is to raise awareness of future signs of ill health.



We are now going along the trail of preventative medicines .. such as statins when the proper and only real ‘prescription’ is an adoption of a more balanced and healthier diet maybe with evidence based knowledge of how for example the diet pattern in Southern Italy results in much lower incidence of CHD.



We do not support and coordinate the voluntary sector who are absolutely vital to the sustainable care of the vulnerable, elderly and those convalescing after recovering from illness or supporting with dignity those who are terminally ill.



We must save our NHS from itself becoming terminally ill and drifting into a privatised service where the size of your bank balance determines the quality and speed of access for treatment of your illness.

Death by a thousand cuts.

Death by a thousand cuts


News that Walsall Council will be obliged to make £80 million more cuts over the next 5 years could ring the death knell for services for the vulnerable who are the weakest in our society and who have the most to lose in quality of life. We in the labour Party will do our utmost to ensure that we help those who are already falling through the net and are facing a very bleak future for no fault of their own.

How to move forward?

As a start a serious cull of those in upper management must occur… we do not need an army of over paid civil servants.. as the Gilbert and Sullivan song goes.. they will not be missed…

As a Council we are not anything like skilled enough in the art of robust and fairly ruthless negotiation of contracts and getting the best possible deal for the Council tax payer.

A number of services could be provided by the not for profit sector in many cases, much cheaper and more effectively than

We need a streamlined joined up organisation of the voluntary sector who , if given a seat at the top table in joining in a proper partnership can deliver vital support to our caring services but they need proper acknowledgement of this important role.

All partners need to join forces whether it be housing, social services, the police, the NHS along with the voluntary sector to avoid duplication of effort and resources.

Peter Smith is a Tory

In May 2012. A year has passed since the local elections in Blakenall which resulted in defeat for myself as the Labour Party candidate and the election of the Independent candidate Peter Smith. His vote supporting the Tory group on the Council tipped the balance to keep Walsall Council run by the Tories and his vote again in May 2013 has directly prevented the Labour group from again taking over. I still however continue to fight for your futures.


What damage has happened over this last year? Over 400 households in Blakenall have suffered from the imposition of the ‘bedroom tax’ penalising households who happen to have a spare bedroom , often with a genuine need to have one available. No availability of any smaller property to move into will result in a forced housing benefit cut. Peter Smith again keeping these Tories in power will lead to further big blanket cuts to the budget for care of the more vulnerable disabled and elderly residents living in Blakenall and over all Walsall.. the continued disastrous outcomes of education for our children in Walsall and unacceptable levels of unemployment ; the continued favouritism of budget spends in road and pavement repairs for the more prosperous Tory wards leaving Blakenall behind yet again We continue to lag behind in ill health statistics while the resident tat wagons still plague our neighbourhoods supported by Cllr Smith.

There will be local elections in Walsall in 2014. For the sake of the more disadvantaged wards such as Blakenall, I hope that Labour will win back at least one seat and so put a more caring Labour party in control and so stop independent Cllrs such as Peter Smith from blocking and defeating the Labour Party

Is Peter Smith a Tory? Walsall residents are again condemned to suffering a Tory/ Liberal run Council until 2014 when the ballot box can change the balance of power after 14 years under the Tories.

The three Independent Councillors who are not members of the Labour Party Peter Smith from Blakenall ward and Paul and Chris Bott from Darlaston, two of the more disadvantaged wards of Walsall Borough have for the second year running refused to vote with the labour group of councillors and so allowed the current Tory/Liberals to continue in power and so in control of the budget.This last year has seen failure of the Tory Council in their job creation schemes, overseeing child protection services judged inadequate on inspection, a failure in securing the future of our Town centres and threatening to close our Gala swimming baths… while the ruling Tory Councillors awarded themselves this year a massive pay rise. How Councilors such as Smith and the Botts can allow another year of a Tory run Council who have a record of letting the weakest in our Town go the wall with their policy of ‘let the market decide’ OK for those who earn lots or live in the more prosperous parts of Walsall. Here we have three who profess to be concerned about the most disadvantaged in their wards and end up abandoning their so called principles in return for a promised seat at the top table.

We note that Councilor Smith is now installed to be Mayor in 2014, while residents in his ward suffer increased unemployment, increased fly tipping, and disastrous effects on the many very poor residents in his ward unable to avoid the cuts caused by imposition on their families with the ‘bedroom ‘ tax.

We now see the reality of the effects on our NHS by the so called re-organisation with accident and emergency departments finding at times unable to cope, while those who were in the top management of our NHS for example at Stafford Hospital where hundreds of patients died prematurely due to concealed continued incompetence claim to be ‘not guilty’ and announce their intention to retire with a nice £2 million pension.

There is a more positive way forward .. a council driven by a partnership of organisations who are determined to address the unfair inequalities in our society, are committed to social justice and recognize that our children deserve a better future by receiving an education that is not judged as at present near the worst in the Midlands and to live in a Town that is not amongst the worst in the Country for hosting empty shops … we are all in this together but the Tories are in it for themselves and their friends…. Please join us in helping to gain those crucial extra 3 seats for Labour and so enable a caring and listening Labour group to take control of Walsall council after 14 years of mismanagement by the Tories.

The risks to those on benefits in Blakenall

17th September

You may know that this Tory Government plans to introduce Universal Credit in October 2013.
While I think everyone would accept that the benefit system needs a continuous reform process, this step will seriously affect many of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Walsall and especially in Blakenall. I post the concerns of many organisations that deal on a day to day basis with those at risk.

The evidence shows there is widespread concern about managing Universal Credit online, the implications of it being paid monthly and being paid to one member of a household, and the gap when the current system is phased out and the new one starts.


Ministers are very keen to ensure that the new system should be "digital by default" - in other words, managed and run online.

The new universal credit system risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million people who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have virtually no ICT skills," says Citizens Advice.

Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier”

Women's Budget Group

The public sector workers union Unison makes a similar point, as does the National Housing Federation, the umbrella group for homeless organisations, Homeless Link and Community Links, a charity based in east London, amongst others.

Concerns are raised too about paying Universal Credit monthly.

The Women's Budget Group, which describes itself as an "independent organisation bringing together individuals from academia, non-governmental organisations and trades unions to promote gender equality," also makes some observations.

It tells the MPs: "The government says monthly payment of Universal Credit mimics life in work.

"But many on low incomes in work have wages and/or benefits and tax credits paid more frequently, which matches common budgeting patterns for those on low incomes.

"Only one in ten of claimants think it would make their lives easier. Women are likely to be hit harder, as in low income families they tend to make more frequent purchases that will be squeezed as money is stretched."

There are concerns too that the payment of Universal Credit to one person in a household could, in some instances, upset the family dynamic: potentially putting that individual in a position of considerable power and influence.

Many of those who have submitted evidence are worried about how some people will cope when the changeover from the current benefits system to the Universal Credit takes place.


Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith wants to overcome problems in the benefits system "What consideration has been given to providing grants to cover a shortfall when transitioning from fortnightly to monthly payments, rather than claimants having to rely on budgeting advances or 'pay-day loans' which need to be re-paid?" asks Gingerbread, the charity for single parents.

Manchester City Council raise a broader concern: the effects not just on people, but communities.

"We have concerns about the impacts on people but also on 'place' - either from large scale churn de-stabilising people and communities or reductions in income within areas with high concentrations of people currently on benefit."

Let's now turn to look at some of practical problems around making this change happen on time.

A wide range of organisations involved in meeting the government's deadline are clearly very worried about achieving it.

At the heart of the Universal Credit is what is known as the Real Time Information system. The aim is it will be much more responsive to people's changing circumstances.

It will require employers to report their employees' pay each time they are paid. In addition the self-employed will have to report their income every month instead of every year.

This will be a "significant and difficult burden, reliant on information from others", the Chartered Institute of Taxation tells the MPs.

The success of the Universal Credit depends on the new computer system being completed "under extremely tight timelines," the employers' organisation, the CBI says.

"The new system's tight delivery timetable, coupled with low awareness among companies, is a risk to business and to the implementation of the Universal Credit."

"There is a real risk that the central government Universal Credit IT systems will not be ready on time," adds the Local Government Association, which represents councils.

So how does the government respond? Radio 4's The World This Weekend invited a minister to appear on the programme, but the invitation was declined.

In its evidence to the committee of MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions claims that "digital skills are a factor in around 72% of jobs", and so encouraging people to manage their Universal Credit online is sensible. It also saves a significant amount of money.

Advice will also be available, the department says, for those recipients who need help with managing their family budget.

"Rigorous, integrated IT testing has also commenced," it adds, pointing out it has "some of the best contingency arrangements in place across government" if things go wrong.

Do you think that this Tory run Council cares a jot about the potential   effects on residents of Blakenall? And your new Blakenall Councillor Pete Smith voted with the Tories to get them into control of Walsall Council.  How can anyone who claimed to be a socialist do such a thing?

Please commit yourself to supporting Labour here in Walsall who cannot stop these changes but at least are compassionate on their effects and will ( if they are in charge) try to mitigate the disastrous effects on the most vulnerable in our society.
Please post support or otherwise!
Regards
Ian Robertson

what news now for the future of Blakenall?

News is that there are discussions about a probable decision that Bloxwich Leisure centre will go as part of the reorganisation of Walsall Leisure services.. no mention of what is to be provided in place... also no news on future of Dartmouth centre, support for the 'cottage' in Ryecroft place or some positive support for the Ryecroft centre and what is needed .. a partnership approach with the Hollemeadow site ( run by WHG) and the Walsall College and the Forest arts site... if the disgraceful inequalities suffered by those residents in Blakenall is to be solved in a sustainable way such issues as these must be addressed.. however this Tory run Council have their own areas to prioritise as usual... such as spending £200,000 plus on employing an agency provided temporary head of childrens' services after the resignation or ? removal of the head and deputy after the dreadful recent inspection report... again the support of more especially the children from Blakenall have been let down.. hardly surprising that the young people of Blakenall come to the conclusion that they cannot succeed, are expected to fail and their parents very often take the same view. It is also now revealed that the new head of childrens' services from Medway has a worrying history of possible failures.. far from the rosy picture reported by our current Tory great leader of the Council.. is this another cast off as we got from Liverpool with our Annie?
The open spaces such as the 'Lea' at the rear of Hardy road remain in a dreadful state... I note that a committee has been formed to try and get some action.. best of luck to them but I fear that unless ( sorry to bring in the politics but it is the reality) a Labour run administration is voted in with a clear mandate to make a difference, such areas will continue to languish for many years to come.
Residents will continue to live on average 9 years less than residents in the leafier areas of Walsall.. have the lowest level of young people seeking further education and low levels of achievement ( despite the amazing efforts of the local schools) , have the lowest level of road and pavement repairs, and the highest levels of unemployment ( although there are many who are listed as out of work but in fact work in the 'black' economy) , have the highest level of single parent families struggling and often failing   and  and so perpetuating to cycle of their children going on to form failed families in the future and having the highest levels of incidence of domestic violence...
There is a way forward as a partnership , led I believe by the foundations built by New Deal ( now called New Horizons)... I fear that residents will become even more cynical and lose hope altogether if the area is allowed to languish as the grip of the economic recession now really starts to bite.

Regards
Ian Robertson

what future for Blakenall

I do regret that labour failed to gain control of Walsall Council this time in May.. me losing was a major factor here.  Running the Council in these difficult economic times cannot reverse the cuts but at least we could have looked very carefully at individual cases and families where really severe hardship will happen.
We hear that such centres as the Dartmouth centre will be axed.. when a dynamic business plan for this centre and for the nearby Ryecroft centre with a bit of coordinated effort would have brought a successful sustainable result. Also to secure the future of the cottage in Ryecroft Place which serves so many elderly people and helps to make their daily lives so much better.
The regeneration of the Goscote and Poets area is now stalled and will now probably not happen for many years. The successor of the New Deal organisation, New Horizons needs to be a lead in this regeneration of the whole of North Walsall and Bloxwich... I do not think that a tory run council will care to support this being too interested in ensuring their wards are well served.
The issues of 'tat' wagons, drug dealing, fly tipping remain and the only way to tackle these issues is to ensure enough resources are placed into enforcement. What chance of this happening in Blakenall?
The issues left in North walsall also remain as the 'forgotten' corner of Walsall.... it is time for Blakenall to be leading not trailing behind...
Regards
Ian Robertson
ex labour Councillor Blakenall.

How can we save our NHS?

Those who manage our National Health Service and have been tasked to preform the largest reorgansiation since the NHS began are failing. In the Manor Hospital we hear that the hospital is £1.3M overspent this year mainly due to £1/2M alone in agency fees for temporary staff: reports by a whistle blower of total incompetence.. which earned him the sack after 18 months and now granted leave to appeal .. and this person of consultant status: reports that the death rates for patients with respiratory complaints is much higher than the national average; reports that we are failing to ensure patients get a proper fliud intake ( I suffered this one myself as an inpatient follwoing an operation, having the cleaner eventually bringing me the water) .. and so the list goes on... well organised and scrutiny by a team of well informed independents is urgently needed to look in depth at waht is happening... we are handing over most of the commisioning of the budget for our NHS to consortia of GPs who are being paid and employed by the very NHS that they are administering.... how can they act independently and if they are, they need high quality and robust scrutiny and a very strong health and well being board to look over them and a strong robust joint needs assessment to control where the are going... we will hope that those of us who can do this will be really active to save our NHS from I fear either a move to privatisation or a two or three tier standard service.
I am very proud to have served the NHS for over 40 years, but never have I so much feared for th efuture of what is in my opinion , the best method of delivering health care without fear of the cost to every patient.
Ian Robertson

Labour should be running Walsall Council

23rd May
News that it will be a tory/liberal run council is bad news for many Walsall residents who are fighting to keep their heads above water with rises in food prices, travel costs and just about every other cost and facing serious cuts in support services and allowances.. whether this be disability living allowances or other direct support for lower income families.
Whatever your politics, at least labour in control of Walsall would try and look carefully at those who are affected by the current economic woes and try to keep up their quality of life.. those on higher incomes will hardly notice and can organise their affairs to avoid any hardships...
Shame on the independents such as the two Botts and the person who took my seat Peter Smith who did not vote and allowed them in... their motto is 'let the market decide' in other words let those who are vulnerable get trampled under foot while the better off rush to the trough!!
All three have let the residents in their wards down and all the people of Walsall Borough.

We face serious health inequalities in Blakenall and have had to make do with second best as we were not on control on this council for the past 12 years.. here was an opportunity to Bring back some fairness in the allocation of resources and make a lasting sustainable change in the lives of residents in some of the disadvantaged wards in Walsall such as Blakenall where on average residents lose 9 years of life and suffer more illness in comparison to better off nieghbouring wards.
We need to clear our streets of tat wagons operating from residential properties... a by law to compel all such vehicles to have to display a licence plate as with taxis and have to be interviewed ( as do potential taxi drivers).. an action I did a lot of work to move forward.
we need to tackle unemployment and give more access to properly run apprenticeship schemes such as the ones I supported at Holleameadow centre and at the Ryecroft centre. Here is the key to raising the earnings potential and so the quality of life of residents and their families.
a fairer distribution of resources for whether it be road repairs, street and pavement cleaning or maintenance of our parks could have been instigated to the benefit of Blakenall residents.
pressure on walsall Housing group and developers to get on with the regeneration rebuilding in Blakenall will now possibly not happen.. the risk that areas around the derelict open spaces will go downhill and those open spaces which should be maintained will fall into further deterioration. we could have bargained for a lot better.
The changes now being implemented on our NHS will now be monitored by a tory/liberal pact.. who introduced these potentially disastrous changes with national policy.. Labour could in control of Walsall council set up a really robust scrutiny process and tried to prevent the dangerous privatisation of many of the parts of our NHS.
A robustly reorganised voluntary sector was very high on my list for action.. I fear this again will be a lost opportunity and those who will suffer will be those who depend on that service to be of high quality and free at the point of delivery.
We came close to taking walsall forward on a united caring pathway together in these difficult times and I do think the electors in walsall have overall made the wrong choice in casting their votes.
Regards
Ian

Lost by 13 votes

4th May
I lost the seat by a very narow margin of 13 votes after a recount.
Sad after 14 years working very hard to make Blakenall Ward better. I thank all those who voted for me and wish all residents the best for their future but regret that this will unfortunately not with me driving things forward. I am proud of what we have acheived together . More comments later when we find out who runs walsall Council

Regards and thanks
Ian Robertson

My Pledge to residents in Blakenall




  published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU

 

Labour Manifesto for May 3rd Elections

“YOUR VOICE IN TOUGH TIMES”



THE WALSALL LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR THE 2012 COUNCIL ELECTIONS





The Conservative government has let down people in the borough of Walsall - with the backing of the Liberal Democrats. And the local Tories are not standing up for local people.



The people of the distinct and proud communities that make up our borough have a history of hard work, independence and self-reliance which made it a watch word for craftsmanship, high quality and innovation. The term “Made in Walsall” was something looked for, and to be proud of. That accolade was earned by the endeavors of its people; by their industry, their vision, their determination not to just make do or accept that “it is good enough”, because they wanted better for themselves and their children.



But during the industrial decline of the 1980s our borough has seen the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, our wages fell well below the national and regional average - and remain so. Our public health has split into an east / west divide where those in the more deprived areas die, on average, eight years earlier than those in the leafy suburbs. Our education system lags behind the rest of the country in almost every significant aspect.



Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour government made good on its pledges to invest in health, in education, in jobs and economic growth. . With the support of the Labour government, we have a new hospital, a new college and there was a chance that our manufacturing industry might be able to start to grow again. But from 2000 the borough has been controlled by the Conservatives with, at times, support from the Lib Dems, and the opportunities of that economic growth were too often wasted.



Now with a Conservative-led national government, supported by the Liberal Democrats, we have seen a return to mass unemployment, cuts in health and education, and a manufacturing industry struggling to survive. Since being elected this government has cut a staggering £100 million from our council’s budget. On top of this, there are cuts in our NHS, in our police and emergency services. There have been wholesale reductions in services to the elderly, disabled and the most deprived.



For hardworking families home re-possession has become a constant fear as they struggle to pay the bills, while our town centre now hits the headlines - not for the quality for its goods, but for its record number of empty shops.



While other councils around the country - including Conservative run authorities - have spoken up and tried to defend their communities against savage cuts, our council has meekly accepted these attacks on the services we rely on. Local Tories tell us that Walsall has to be run like a business. Well if that is true then under their leadership the borough increasingly resembles a shop with empty shelves whose political management settles for second best - whilst it should be remembered has for the last two years tried to give itself a pay rise.



But this year, in 2012, we have the opportunity to change how our borough is run. We have a chance in May’s elections to get rid of the incompetent Tory management and their Lib Dem supporters.



A Labour run council cannot change the economic policy of a Government run by ex-Eton schoolboys who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. But at every opportunity we will defend our borough and its people. And for starters, a Labour council will cut the councillors’ allowance bill by £50,000.



Over the next two years a Labour run Walsall council will make sure the needs of its most vulnerable clients and communities and the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods are protected. It will fight to use regeneration schemes to bring high skilled, high paid jobs to the borough. It will seek to organise education so that children from Suretstart to Sixth Form share in the best practice and most effective support so all our youngsters can move forward and none are left behind. In social care we will demand and deliver a fair and sympathetic approach to needs assessments of the disabled and the elderly. We will turn the council’s £900,000 communication’s unit into a tool that doesn’t tell people how well the council’s political leaders think they are doing, but instead asks voters, ‘how can we do better?’



Who will now dare to tell us that "We are all in this together" ?



FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE

Fairness in service delivery, ensuring equality in resources, cutting waste and delivering better governance starting at the top.



The Conservative budget cuts go too far and too fast, are disproportionate to local government as a whole and to our borough in particular. Furthermore a wide range of studies show that Walsall and the Black Country are amongst the least resilient areas across the country, in terms of the impact on our local economy, increases in unemployment, house re-possessions, rising child poverty - and all the social challenges which will inevitably follow.



The primary role of a Walsall Labour council will be to defend our local communities in the face of the “bankers’ recession”. We recognise that our borough needs financial stability - it would help none of our disadvantaged communities to have a bankrupt council.



We will address widespread elements of unfairness and inequalities currently present in the allocation of resources in all areas of life in Walsall. We recognise that the current central Government is cutting support for Walsall. We must therefore use current funds as effectively as possible, look at every opportunity to develop new funding streams for Walsall, use high-level negotiating skills before signing any contracts, and merge fragmented services where possible into a single commissioning contract. We will place the vital contribution of the voluntary sector at the heart of our strategic plan for Walsall.



Labour will therefore undertake a “root and branch” review of council structures and external contracts, in order to create “value for money” and the flexibility and finance to invest in our local neighbourhoods.



Furthermore the following policy priorities and principles should underpin the implementation of budget decisions :

• to protect the needs of the most vulnerable clients and communities

• to protect services within the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.



Our local Conservatives often tell us that our council should be run as a business. However during their decade in power it is well documented that in excess of £30 million has been lost through errors, misjudgements, project overspends and mismanagement - monies which in other circumstances would have been in our financial reserves and available for use in tough times.



Walsall Labour will give greater priority to the Council’s audit committee and function, with greater emphasis on independent advice and participation. We will improve the accountability of Cabinet decisions, with all relevant minutes reported to full council meetings.



Walsall Labour will revise the current Councillor allowance scheme, within an overall budget reduction of £50,000 over the two year council term.



We would retain a positive “critical friend” relationships and “open door” policy with local trade unions - and will support national not local pay bargaining. Whilst we are unable to make unrealistic promises in the economic circumstance of local government, we also share many common interests.



CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND EDUCATION

Shaping futures for our youngsters, protecting our children, supporting families and building stepping stones for successful lives.



There is much to celebrate and be proud of in the achievements of our children and young people. But the sad fact remains that Walsall’s performance in terms of academic attainment remains well below the national average. Despite recent welcome improvements at key stages 2 (age 11) and 4 (GCSE / O-level), our borough is currently ranked nationally at 144 out of 151 councils at both early years / foundation stage and key stage 5 (A-level). Furthermore attainment is very patchy, with outcomes in the most disadvantaged areas proving year on year that there has been insufficient investment and resources.



Many of our schools across the borough are being forced into academy status. We worry that this is not based on any evidence of educational advantage, but on political dogma. Academy and “free” schools are accountable only to the Secretary of State, which leaves a vacuum in local leadership and responsibility.



Whilst Labour agrees that the SERCO contract is no longer viable in the face of these policy changes (and indeed opposed the extension of the contract in 2008) we have major concerns about the potential vacuum between the local authority and local schools. We strongly believe that there is a responsibility to support, monitor and scrutinise education and schools across the borough whatever their status - both within and without of the local authority family.



We would therefore develop an educational partnership to understand and oversee educational performance and attainment, health and well-being, progress and prospects for our children and young people at all stages of their development. We believe that there remains a crucial need for strategic leadership at a council level, to support local children, parents and families to achieve the best start in life.





Walsall Labour welcomes the continuing local commitment to Surestart programmes for young children and their families. We will ensure that good practice and partnership working are shared across the sector to improve support to challenging families and personal development and performance within nursery and early years settings.



We will ensure that young people are provided with a suitable range of sport and other positive activities. We will also work closely with and recognise the importance of the key role our voluntary sector plays in helping to achieve positive outcomes for young people. This must be balanced with reassurance that anti-social behaviour will be firmly tackled within the wider context of neighbourhood management and community safety.



SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH

Protecting our elderly and vulnerable, fighting health poverty, defending OUR NHS



Provision of effective and efficient social care and health are at the heart of a caring society. Inequality, disadvantage and poverty are major determinants as to quality of life and health enjoyed by local people across Walsall.



It is recognised that there are increasing demographic pressures on budgets, both through the increasing numbers of elderly people and the very high numbers of people in Walsall with long-term illness and conditions. Labour supports the important principle of preventative measures to assist people to live as independently as possible, caring for people as close to home as possible, along with the crucial importance of integrated working between social care and NHS services.



However government policy has also forced major budget pressures being implemented in Social Care, which already in Walsall indicate savings since 2010 of over £40 million, which is equivalent to nearly 30% of the initial budget. Furthermore the dogmatic pursuit of the current so-called "reform" of the NHS has led to massive uncertainty as to the future.



Walsall Labour will ensure that a free community alarm / telecare service is available to all residents over 80 years of age resident in the Borough, and will investigate the possible extension of this provision to other vulnerable adults.



We will amend the current benefits-based charging policy so as to ensure that service users no longer have to pay for services which they do not receive.



We will ensure improvements in relation to :

• a fair but sympathetic approach to needs assessments,

• better communication with service users, including charging formats

• named person contacts to provide continuity and assurance.





We will campaign against privatisation of the NHS, and in the short-term retain a separate health scrutiny function within council structures. We will work to retain joined-up commissioning approaches with NHS partners, including a wide range of general services and including mental health and learning disability, and support the establishment of a strong health and well-being board, able to scrutinise and challenge commissioning decisions.







REGENERATION

Creating skilled jobs, fighting low pay and low expectations, building for the future, protecting our environment



The past ten years of Conservative and Lib-Dem administration in Walsall has yielded little for our most vulnerable communities. They have relied too heavily on major projects to the detriment of our district centres and our most deprived neighbourhoods. Walsall’s Meanwhile the Conservative-led administration has continually taken advantage of the Labour governments’ commitment to spend money on regeneration, claiming credit for millions of government spending on projects such as the ring road, Walsall Manor Hospital, Walsall College - and £50 million alone in the Bloxwich New Deal Area.



Since the Coalition Government came into power, Walsall’s Conservative-led council has fully supported a package of cuts that are now starting to have a negative impact on our most vulnerable residents. The demise of the Future Jobs Fund Training Scheme and the abolition of the Educational Maintenance Allowance have inflicted extreme hardship on young people, with youth unemployment at a level not seen since the early 1980s.



The Conservative-led council’s regeneration strategy has led to a Walsall town centre that is disjointed, unfocused, and full of abandoned retail premises. Walsall Conservative’s housing strategy is in disarray, failing to deliver on the much-needed affordable family homes that they promised, with district centres - the very towns that make up Walsall - starved of investment.



Walsall Labour will ensure that this picture is reversed, by using council assets to support growth in the economy, creating much needed employment. We will work closely with our colleagues across the Black Country to ensure that the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership delivers the sustainable re-development of the Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone.



We will ensure that Walsall Adult and Community College is neighbourhood-focused and works more closely in a sustainable partnership with our Voluntary and Community sector - so that the skills gap is closed and that everyone gets the opportunity to better themselves without prejudice to where they live.



New models of housing investment will be developed to ensure families and individuals have adequate housing and choices of tenure, and we will develop more co-operative housing models to ensure tenants are empowered to take control of their communities.



Walsall Labour will:

• support young people into work

• create housing co-operatives

• deliver regeneration of Darlaston / Walsall enterprise zone

• work with local businesses toward sustainable and skilled employment

• encourage housing developments that meet the needs of our residents

• ensure our college supports our commitment to neighbourhood regeneration.









ENVIRONMENT (TRANSPORT AND PLANNING)



Supporting and encouraging businesses and investment, delivering cleaner and greener communities, review parking charges and stop discouraging motorists and visitors, making planning work for communities by listening and acting on residents’ views.

Recycling has always been high on the agenda for Walsall, and government targets have continually encouraged the council to do what is right for the environment in local and global terms. But under the savage cuts in local government spending, the pressure will be on to change service delivery to suit limited budgets instead of what is right for the community.



Cleaner streets are what local people expect from a good local council. Unfortunately the Conservative-led council have failed to listen to Labour pleas to provide a fair and equal service across our borough. Often this leaves many of our communities abandoned to rubbish and fly tipping as a normal daily experience, whilst lack of meaningful enforcement has led to our streets becoming blighted. We believe is unacceptable.



Transport in Walsall has benefited from major investment during the Labour Government years, but local decision-making by the Conservative-led council oversaw massive overspends on the ring road, putting pressure on other local road repair projects and inadequately dealing with potholes.



The Conservative-led council has continually failed to play a full role regionally, allowing other areas to get major investment in rail and road projects, with no sign of any metro line coming into our borough.



We welcome the principles of the localism agenda by the Government and will support any legislation that puts planning decisions closer to the communities it effects ; however we also recognise the negative view that this may mitigate to oppose planning applications rather than supporting positive change. We believe that planning is a tool to allow neighbourhoods to regenerate and the local economy to grow, and thus will take a more positive stance to enable communities to work together to ensure that new developments and regeneration are neighbourhood-based and supported through our Neighbourhood Management model.



Walsall Labour will :

• ensure recycling is affordable and accessible to all our neighbourhoods

• make neighbourhoods cleaner and greener, where necessary through the use of more effective enforcement powers

• ensure Walsall gets its fair share of investment in our roads and public transport

• review Walsall town centre car parking

• make planning work for communities

• bring decision making back to local people and empower people to play an active role and take pride in their borough.









NEIGHBOURHOODS

Fighting crime , creating safe communities, acting on residents’ concerns, listening to peoples’ needs not telling them what they should want!

Following many years of campaigning by Walsall Labour for the introduction of a Neighbourhood Management model of working in Walsall, the Conservative administration finally caved in and introduced it. We welcomed the better partnership working that this change brought and the impact it had on our neighbourhoods. Unfortunately they neglected one of the most important parts of Neighbourhood Management - that is our residents.



So many things that are important to people happens on their door step and affect them daily. Our Police service is based on neighbourhoods, our schools are based in neighbourhoods, our doctors are in our neighbourhoods - and our neighbourhoods are made up of people. So why does the council finally get all the services working together, but then make it difficult for YOU - the people that matter - to influence how those services work on your behalf ?



Crime and anti-social behaviour happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods ; fly tipping and litter happens in our streets and our neighbourhoods. Our homes, our streets and our neighbourhoods are crucial to our quality of life. Walsall Labour believes that this is where services should be targeted and where people can have a real say in how our council works.



Walsall Labour believes that the regeneration of our communities should be delivered within our neighbourhoods, allowing residents to take control of their own destiny and supporting them to make their neighbourhood the best it can be.



Walsall Labour will :

• develop the Neighbourhood Management model to benefit the most vulnerable

• make residents equal partners in service delivery

• build better partnerships to tackle anti-social behaviour, crime and make our neighbourhoods safer to live in

• support the Voluntary and Community Sector in delivering better services for people

• put people first.


We keep our promises.. Please vote Labour and for myself Ian Robertson on May 3rd




published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU

The decision date for voting gets nearer

 Decision time and voting day of 3rd May gets closer.


While nationally the performance of Cameron’s Government gets worse… a farce and making us the laughing stock as Theresa May our Home Secretary gets her dates wrong, Osbourne in his budget hits the elderly with his granny tax, hits the income of those who are struggling to makes ends meet and gives around a £40000 pay rise to millionaires .. when 25 out of the 27 members of the cabinet are millionaires!

Our NHS is being turned upside down in a reorganisation that threatens to wreck what is a most precious service … listen to what Lord Winston, a pioneer in fertility treatment, said on TV the other night that these health service reforms threaten the whole fabric of our NHS.

In Walsall if we gain those critical 4 extra seats, and I get back in Blakenall, I pledge to lead the fight to scrutinise every change in the service and be a very effective voice to stop any privatisation of our NHS.

We are very aware that there are many with the removal of their Disability Living Allowance will be condemned to a miserable existence.. I have a number of statements where those affected are feeling suicidal at the prospect of trying to manage on a serious loss of income.. maybe alright for those of plentiful means but not for many… Welfare rights service are dealing with well over 100 cases more over the last week or so. We will look very carefully at these cases and ensure they have the best advice and support.

The issue of fairness to all residents will be restored.

This Tory Council has lost over £25 million pounds in failed employment tribunals and many failed contracts. Any Council Officer negotiating future contracts will only be someone who has the high quality skills to negotiate the best possible deal for the public purse// dealing with contracts that in the private sector are mostly interested in making a profit for their shareholders.

There will be a root and branch approach to every area of Council activity and certainly look at the level of wage costs to our very highly paid senior executives.. is anyone worth the equivalent of £230,000? We shall see!



Published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU

Reasons to vote Labour on May 3rd

- Labour has a real chance of gaining 4 more seats in this election to give us a small majority and so able to restore a fairer distribution of the available resources to Blakenall. Our long struggles to get proper road repairs done promptly and regularly will end. We have had some success as in Oak Crescent and around Leamore Park but has taken far to long while other areas of Walsall have had much more.


- Blakenall has been given second best for too long with those in charge deciding that we will make do with a worse standard. That will and must end. Tipping is cleared within 3 days over the rest of Walsall and more money spent on roads per year in Pelsall than in Blakenall, Bloxwich Eat and West combined.

- There are many powers of enforcement and prosecution around fly tipping, litter dropping, failure by the few irresponsible dog owners to clear up after their pet, breaking of planning rules such as running a scrap business from their home residence, non enforcement of tenancy agreements, absent landlords that allow their property to be let to dreadful tenants, owners of empty properties which must be brought back into use , owners of open spaces or parks whether it be the Council , Walsall Housing group or others who allow this land to be used as a tippers paradise and do not maintain these open spaces to allow residents and their children to use these important community assets.

- We would also then hold the chair of the planning committee and pledge that decisions taken there will fully reflect the views and wishes of local residents and not the wishes of big business.

- If elected, the immediate priority will be to resolve the way forward and modify the Goscote development plan to fully reflect the concerns and fears of residents in the immediate vicinity of this site.

- I am certain that if the Council remains run by the Tories after May Blakenall library will be closed and Bloxwich Leisure centre will be privatised.

- The Blakenall Labour team have worked hard together to make a real difference to our ward.. the prospect of becoming a responsible controlling group will , after 12 years of Tory control , give us the power to bring faster and fairer change to Blakenall.

- If re-elected, the proposal to introduce a licensing system for those who deal in scrap will be introduced , similar to the way taxis are licensed. Those who deal with ‘tat’ from their home address and so cause nuisance to their neighbours will not get a licence and so will be stopped.

- There are a number of areas where we must establish a local community group to have real say in how their area is run.. the flats and properties in Walker Road and Newhome way now the doors have been fixed; the area of Poets and Goscote with future plans to discuss and the current area to maintain properly ; friends groups to re-establish such as for Leamore Park, the open space around Cannon Street North, a number of areas in North Walsall to work closely with our excellent beat Sergeant . We hold weekly surgeries on Thursdays 12 noon at Ryecroft Community centre Ryecroft place and attend the police surgery monthly at St Thomas of Canterbury church hall , last Wednesday of each month 6.30pm.

- If re-elected ,as someone who has worked in our NHS for 40 years, I will play a lead role in the Health and Well being board set up to monitor the changes in our NHS and address especially the health inequalities that effect Blakenall.

- I will bring all partners together, the police, Walsall Housing group, the Council and our re-organised health service to take joined up and sustained action to make a real difference.

- There must be better joined up action to coordinate the excellent work of the voluntary sector and schemes to provide real apprenticeship places that will lead to real jobs

- I serve on two local schools Harden JMI and North Walsall Primary which are moving towards becoming academies and need good advice and support .

- I serve as a director on New Horizons and will support that organisation to become a focus for sustainable community development for the whole of North Walsall.

- I am secretary of Blakenall United Reformed Church Blakenall Lane and director of the linked organisation Comex supporting homeless people.
Hope you will consider voting for me on My 3rd in Blakenall!  Thanks
Ian Robertson
ublished by electronic means byIan Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU

My pledge on our NHS

Labour: the last line of defence for your NHS
If elected and Labour may well take control of this Council, we pledge to preserve as much as possible our NHS.. we shall have the chair of the Health and Well being Board and will commit to the following.


The argument in Parliament about the Health Bill may have ended. But the fight for the NHS on the ground is only just beginning.

  Labour will be the last line of defence in your community for the NHS – an NHS now coming under sustained attack from Mr Cameron and his duplicitous Tory-led Government.

His re-organisation is already causing real harm: longer waits and chaos in A&E; operations and treatments restricted as the postcode lottery gets worse; nurses made redundant in their thousands.



1. Protecting an NHS free for all, resisting the encroachment of charges and unwarranted restrictions based on lifestyle choices.

In some areas, some patients are routinely being denied treatment based on their weight or whether they smoke. In York, a GP's surgery even sent patients a price list for minor operations currently free on the NHS. These things are wrong and we will speak out against them.

2. Preventing a postcode lottery.

Cameron’s Health Bill has laid the ground for a postcode lottery writ large. Already, patients in some areas are being denied routine treatments, such as for varicose veins, that are available on the NHS elsewhere. We will ask health professionals to work with others to maintain comparable access for all.

3. Maintaining Labour’s waiting standards for cancer, planned operations and in A&E.

Since the Coalition relaxed Labour's targets, there’s been a 25% increase in people waiting longer than 18 weeks for operations. They lowered our A&E target - and have missed it in 13 of the last 14 weeks. Strong Labour Mayors and Councils will oppose NHS hospitals treating private patients at the expense of NHS patients.

4. Promoting collaboration over competition; preventing the market destabilising valued NHS hospitals and services.

Cameron wants hospitals to go into outright competition. Some valued hospitals are already threatened by this competitive free-for-all.

Labour will call for a 'one NHS' approach in every community.

5. Putting patients before profits.

There are already signs that financial incentives may mean NHS patients get sub-optimal care. Cheaper and less effective drugs are already being prescribed. Labour will always be vigilant in protecting patient choice and preventing profiteering.

I was sickened at the way Cameron rammed his Health Bill through Parliament. But sitting back and waiting for things to go wrong would be the wrong response. The NHS is far too important.


So the 'NHS Pledge' is the next phase of our NHS campaign. It's about doing what we can to protect the NHS from the worst that Cameron throws at it.

By joining forces with health professionals at local level, we can resist the drive towards the privatisation of our country’s best-loved institution. And we can protect the huge advances the NHS made under Labour: the lowest-ever waiting times and the highest-ever patient satisfaction.


May's local elections give people angry about what’s happening to our NHS a chance to tell the NHS Con-man in No 10 what they think of his shoddy betrayal of NHS patients and staff.

In Opposition, he used the NHS to pose as a different kind of Tory. In office, he's been turned out to be more right-wing on the NHS than Margaret Thatcher.

He promised no top-down re-organisation but brought forward the biggest and most dangerous ever.

And Mr Clegg's Yellow Tories, in waving it through Parliament, will go down in history as co-conspirators in this great NHS betrayal.

So our message in this May’s Local Elections is simple and clear: a vote for Labour is a vote for the NHS. We will be, as we have always been, its last line of defence.
Do you think that spending £18 million to reorganise the NHS in Walsall is a waste of good health care money? Vote for Labour and Ian Robertson on May 3rd and as someone who has worked in the NHS for 40 years.. you will see how I shall fight tooth and nail to keep our NHS healthy here in Walsall.
regards
Ian

published by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road Walsall WS1 3AU by electronic means.

- If Labour win just another 4 seats we will have the privilidge and responsibility of taking control of Walsall Council. Our policy is very clear.


- We would address the inequalities of distribution of resources over the Borough to make this much fairer. The much worse health record in areas such as ours must be reduced.

- The cuts to our services and support to the vulnerable are severe and we will look very carefully at how the reduced budgets can be used as effectively as possible . Aiming for properly joined up services ,sharing efficiciently management costs. A root and branch examination of current contracts will reveal better value for the spend of public money.

- We will establish a much more powerful and independent audit committee of the Council to check the spend of your money.

We will introduce a by law that all scrap wagons will have to display a licence plate as do taxis. This will ensure that those who wish to operate a scrap wagon will have to go before a licensing committee who will issue such a licence if they are agreed they will operate according to the law and for example not run their business from their home residential address.

We will look quickly and carefully at cases where due to the introduction of benefit based charging, some serious hardships have happened. these need to be looked at in greater detail to see where we could help.  we shall expand the welfare rights service who will ensure those very vulnerable people receive maximum support.
Cllr Ian Robertson
The fact that this Council receive more in parking fines than from parking ticket revenue reinforces the message from those who run businesses in walsall that high initial parking charges are hurting this Town and driving visitors away. We will look at how we can introduce a free first 1/2 hour or so to atract them back.
We will promote community enterprise and a strong and fully appreciated voluntary sector.

published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU

Gosocte and Poets plans deferred for decision.

Comment regarding Wednesday Planning Committee 15th March


From Cllr Ian Robertson 01922 634642 and 07956 829549



Walsall Planning Committee decided on Wednesday night to put off making a final decision on the application for outline planning permission in Goscote and Poets areas of Blakenall.

There were calls for more complete surveys of ground conditions and the ecology of the sites. Residents have been waiting for over 5 years for the start of the promised regeneration of their communities and the area ,so there must be a real sense of urgency to come to a positive agreement on a robust plan to make a start, especially at a time when the economy everywhere is in such a poor state.

The deadline to agree this plan must happen within the timescale of three months . Anything more will risk missing the slim but real opportunity for both the Walsall Housing Group ( WHG) and Walsall Council coming together with the community and a developer, yet to be identified, to have the vision for a new Blakenall built here. This vision must have plans for excellent landscaping of the open spaces with proper play facilities and expansion and enhancement of local schools and roads.

In the immediate future we need Walsall Council and WHG to properly look after the present open spaces in partnership with the police and an effective neighbourhood watch network of local residents to control the fly tipping and anti social behaviour that causes serious nuisance to residents. There is also an urgent need to re-establish a regular bus service along Goscote Lane.

There is a commitment from all parties including local Councillors to make this happen. If we do win in May and gain control of this Council this issue will be addressed along with the fact that the current Tory Council over the past 12 years have favoured their own areas with resources... we shall redress that balance to give a much fairer distribution to areas such as Blakenall.

Cllr Ian Robertson ( Blakenall Ward)

published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Road walsall WS1 3AU

planning issues about Goscote and Poets

Dear Resident,



We are sure you are aware an outline planning application has been submitted for the re-building of houses on the former Poets and Goscote sites and we are very aware that many of you oppose some parts of that application. We fully share your concerns, but we would just like to clarify some issues.

- These proposals will not touch any part of Swannies Field and will affect The Lea ( for those not sure, the land opposite the former Dolphin Pub and to the rear of Hardy Road).



- If permission was granted ,it would be advertised to see if any developer would be prepared to enter into a very tight contract and would have to submit a far more detailed planning permission which would then come back to everyone for comment and modification.



- The Goscote site would have 98 houses. The rest of the Goscote land would be then landscaped and then swapped for the greenbelt land taken from the Lea and not left as a rubbish tip.



Our fear is, that if we do not at least explore this way forward, the very large areas of non-maintained land will continue to attract fly tipping, motor bikes, fires and many other anti social issues. This will cause a great nuisance to you all , drive down the value of current house prices and result in more empty homes.

- for these reasons we reluctantly support this first stage of the planning application as the only possible way forward at this present economic time. We do have every respect of those genuine residents who are opposing it, but not political opportunists who see this as yet another way of obtaining negative publicity .

If you have any questions or comments please do get in touch with us on the above numbers.



Kind regards

Ian Ann

Cllr Ian Robertson Cllr Ann Young