For those who missed the 'exciting' 3 hours of entertainment at full council on Monday evening... if you have problems with sleeping do come and practice in the public gallery at such times.
The Notice of motion calling for a fair pay to match our neighbouring Towns in paying for social workers ( we are 30% less than Staffs County Council ) was defeated by the Tory Councillors. While I agree that there are other factors such as conditions, promotion prospects, opportunities for training, schools for their children etc are always important it is the pay that will influence the final decision. we have only recruited one senior social worker in the past 3 years which should tell us something. the offer of the golden hellos of £1500 and the promise of a bonus of £1000 if you stay for three years still puts recruits way down on the pay scales. It costs us a fortune extra to employ up to 40 agency staff to fill in and despite I am sure agency workers trying to cover, this is not as good as having permanent staff. Still we tried but lost.
Another one we lost was protesting at the loss of Educational Maintenance Allowance from last December which has removed support from about 4500 families in Walsall. I suspect that the numbers in wards like Blakenall are far higher than the average of 200 or so per ward. This is a kick in the teeth ot those young people from disadvantaged homes when we should be targeting them especially to encourage them into further education. Only one in a 100 goes for further education in comparison to 17 in 100 from other areas. The young people from wards like Blakenall can achieve as well as those from other wards... they do not have the parental support, self esteem and subsequently the ambition is lost. The removal pf EMA is a backwards step in addressing those inequalities.
News that 6 libraries will close as a result of budget cuts but this Sword of Damocles now hangs over the whole of Walsall and the library service The philistines in the cabinet do not realise that the battle to raise the dreadful level of educational achievement in Walsall is not helped by closing these lifelines to better education. I seem to recall in history those who destroyed libraries coming to a sticky end. Maybe this will happen to this lot.
Like many things that are happening under this hasty cuts regime we will live to regret and find it costs us dear.
One good point is that we all agreed that post offices are a vital part of any community. The move to privatised our Royal Mail service should worry us that very few post offices will be able to survive with that important source of income removed.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Post Offices to become as rare as a hen's tooth
More than 1,000 post offices have shut or been put up for sale this year, with some not showing up in official closure lists, according to new research.
The Communication Workers Union said there was a "growing trend" of closures in 2010 which it warned would get worse if the Government pressed ahead with controversial plans to privatise the Royal Mail.
A study by the union showed that 162 post offices were listed as "long-term temporary closures" this year and over 900 were put up for sale,
Many are likely to stay closed indefinitely and those that do reopen are liable to provide a diminished service, such as an outreach van with no access to financial services, said the union.
The CWU said almost 10% of the entire network was currently up for sale, warning they could also be lost to the "temporary closure loophole".
Many subpostmasters are retiring or leaving the business because of the low levels of revenue generated in sub-offices, and in many cases it is difficult to find alternative premises or service providers, according to the CWU.
General secretary Billy Hayes said: "Post offices have been closing at an alarming rate this year, but didn't register because they are misleadingly classed as temporary closures. We're seriously concerned about empty government rhetoric on avoiding post office closures. These promises are contradicted by government taking business away from the Post Office and by the planned privatisation of Royal Mail.
"Post Offices rely on work generated by mails business and most would be unsustainable if this was removed. Many of the proposals in the Postal Services Bill, including privatisation of Royal Mail and splitting the postal group apart, seriously threaten mails business arrangements for the Post Office.
"With uncertainty hanging over Royal Mail and the post office network, it's no surprise that buyers are hard to find. The government must change its approach or face the decimation of our cherished post office network. Who's going to buy a business which stands to lose a substantial part of its income?"
Ministers have pledged there will be no repeat of the closure programme under the previous Labour Government, arguing that the plan to privatise the Royal Mail will safeguard the branch network.
There is a notice of motion down to debate at next full council in Walsall on the subject of post office closures. Many of us campaigned against closures of local post offices only to be ignored des[ite a lot of concerns by local residents. I cannot see the current colation of Tories and Liberals stopping the momntum of closures.. they are already on the way to privatising the Royal Mail which subsidises the Post Offices... can you really see a market economy run private company helping to subsidise a local post office?
This notice of motion was put down by the Walsall Liberals... a Party that has dug a big hole for themselves to now fall into... and the more they dig the bigger this hole will become and sure enough the Tories will welcome having a junior partner to pass all the blame onto!
The Communication Workers Union said there was a "growing trend" of closures in 2010 which it warned would get worse if the Government pressed ahead with controversial plans to privatise the Royal Mail.
A study by the union showed that 162 post offices were listed as "long-term temporary closures" this year and over 900 were put up for sale,
Many are likely to stay closed indefinitely and those that do reopen are liable to provide a diminished service, such as an outreach van with no access to financial services, said the union.
The CWU said almost 10% of the entire network was currently up for sale, warning they could also be lost to the "temporary closure loophole".
Many subpostmasters are retiring or leaving the business because of the low levels of revenue generated in sub-offices, and in many cases it is difficult to find alternative premises or service providers, according to the CWU.
General secretary Billy Hayes said: "Post offices have been closing at an alarming rate this year, but didn't register because they are misleadingly classed as temporary closures. We're seriously concerned about empty government rhetoric on avoiding post office closures. These promises are contradicted by government taking business away from the Post Office and by the planned privatisation of Royal Mail.
"Post Offices rely on work generated by mails business and most would be unsustainable if this was removed. Many of the proposals in the Postal Services Bill, including privatisation of Royal Mail and splitting the postal group apart, seriously threaten mails business arrangements for the Post Office.
"With uncertainty hanging over Royal Mail and the post office network, it's no surprise that buyers are hard to find. The government must change its approach or face the decimation of our cherished post office network. Who's going to buy a business which stands to lose a substantial part of its income?"
Ministers have pledged there will be no repeat of the closure programme under the previous Labour Government, arguing that the plan to privatise the Royal Mail will safeguard the branch network.
There is a notice of motion down to debate at next full council in Walsall on the subject of post office closures. Many of us campaigned against closures of local post offices only to be ignored des[ite a lot of concerns by local residents. I cannot see the current colation of Tories and Liberals stopping the momntum of closures.. they are already on the way to privatising the Royal Mail which subsidises the Post Offices... can you really see a market economy run private company helping to subsidise a local post office?
This notice of motion was put down by the Walsall Liberals... a Party that has dug a big hole for themselves to now fall into... and the more they dig the bigger this hole will become and sure enough the Tories will welcome having a junior partner to pass all the blame onto!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
what the cuts may mean for you.. to be updated!!
What effects of cuts to the residents of Walsall?
- national cuts… VAT up to 20% which will affect everyone but proportionally more those on low and middle level incomes. There will be an increase in unemployment and further pressure on unemployment benefit costs.
- Cuts of EMA ( education maintenance allowance) this is an amount up to £30 a week paid to families where there is a 16 year old and family of low income to encourage the 16 year old to stay on at school for further education. There has also been an up to 30% rise in tuition fees which risks future generation of young people who go to university only with a wealthier family background.
- There will be a 3% cut in real terms to the NHS ( after inflation, increase in demands etc taken into account) Primary care trusts will go and 80% of spend will go into hands of local doctors who will buy your NHS care. Some GPs may do this well but experience from the last move to GP fund holding showed a lot of GPs were very bad at handling such a vast budget.
- There will be a cut in the police budget which will mean less police. Exact numbers are being discussed by the Chief constable but I cannot see such a level of cuts being implemented without a marked cut in beat officers.
- Cuts to the grant settlement to Walsall Council amount to 9% or £14M for 2011 budget on top of £10M of recent cuts this year. This will mean the loss of at least 450 Council staff plus the knock on affect on support services funded by the Council and supply services to the Council.. Those who get disability living allowance which has a mobility part to it will be expected to pay this towards transport costs. The levying of a cost of transport that was in a previous year’s budget will also be implemented for all. Care packages and respite care support will be cut to the statutory minimum. There will be much greater dependence on ‘telecare’.. detectors that send signal down telephone line to suggest that for example someone suffering from dementia has left the house and not returned for a while.
- Support for leisure centres and libraries is under threat. Some closures and further reduction in opening hours I am sure will be proposed. Swimming pools attached to schools, I am sure will suffer closures from the current level of 44 to around 6.
- The road safety budget ( education etc to young people about road safety ) has already been cut.
- Walsall are now the only Council using SERCO to deliver their education services… all other councils have not renewed their contract… does that tell us something about value for money? Walsall have signed up to another 12 years of SERCO who provide a wide range of services nationally such as transporting prisoners . I do not believe we are scrutinising their spend properly.
- We already contract out a number of services such as the road maintenance to Tarmac. I believe we pay far too much for their services in comparison to other Councils For example we are taking out a new recycling contract that will save over £1Million in a full year… does that not suggest we have been ripped off before?
- I believe that we have to reduce expenditure, but that there has been and continues to be large amounts of wasted or poor value expenditure, serious overlaps and duplication of services and costs, too little cross boundary cooperation, too little encouragement and support for local businesses to access contracts in the Walsall economy, a real threat to ‘spend a little to save a lot’ schemes which will build up much higher costs in the medium to long term. The cuts will fall more proportionally on the lower and middle earners than on the rich who also have the ability to organise their affairs to avoid payment. Maybe all has been decided before we try and protest... but at least we shall try and make those points!
- national cuts… VAT up to 20% which will affect everyone but proportionally more those on low and middle level incomes. There will be an increase in unemployment and further pressure on unemployment benefit costs.
- Cuts of EMA ( education maintenance allowance) this is an amount up to £30 a week paid to families where there is a 16 year old and family of low income to encourage the 16 year old to stay on at school for further education. There has also been an up to 30% rise in tuition fees which risks future generation of young people who go to university only with a wealthier family background.
- There will be a 3% cut in real terms to the NHS ( after inflation, increase in demands etc taken into account) Primary care trusts will go and 80% of spend will go into hands of local doctors who will buy your NHS care. Some GPs may do this well but experience from the last move to GP fund holding showed a lot of GPs were very bad at handling such a vast budget.
- There will be a cut in the police budget which will mean less police. Exact numbers are being discussed by the Chief constable but I cannot see such a level of cuts being implemented without a marked cut in beat officers.
- Cuts to the grant settlement to Walsall Council amount to 9% or £14M for 2011 budget on top of £10M of recent cuts this year. This will mean the loss of at least 450 Council staff plus the knock on affect on support services funded by the Council and supply services to the Council.. Those who get disability living allowance which has a mobility part to it will be expected to pay this towards transport costs. The levying of a cost of transport that was in a previous year’s budget will also be implemented for all. Care packages and respite care support will be cut to the statutory minimum. There will be much greater dependence on ‘telecare’.. detectors that send signal down telephone line to suggest that for example someone suffering from dementia has left the house and not returned for a while.
- Support for leisure centres and libraries is under threat. Some closures and further reduction in opening hours I am sure will be proposed. Swimming pools attached to schools, I am sure will suffer closures from the current level of 44 to around 6.
- The road safety budget ( education etc to young people about road safety ) has already been cut.
- Walsall are now the only Council using SERCO to deliver their education services… all other councils have not renewed their contract… does that tell us something about value for money? Walsall have signed up to another 12 years of SERCO who provide a wide range of services nationally such as transporting prisoners . I do not believe we are scrutinising their spend properly.
- We already contract out a number of services such as the road maintenance to Tarmac. I believe we pay far too much for their services in comparison to other Councils For example we are taking out a new recycling contract that will save over £1Million in a full year… does that not suggest we have been ripped off before?
- I believe that we have to reduce expenditure, but that there has been and continues to be large amounts of wasted or poor value expenditure, serious overlaps and duplication of services and costs, too little cross boundary cooperation, too little encouragement and support for local businesses to access contracts in the Walsall economy, a real threat to ‘spend a little to save a lot’ schemes which will build up much higher costs in the medium to long term. The cuts will fall more proportionally on the lower and middle earners than on the rich who also have the ability to organise their affairs to avoid payment. Maybe all has been decided before we try and protest... but at least we shall try and make those points!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
what is in store for 2011?
The cuts brought about as a result of the actions of greedy bankers will cause hardship in many areas of our communities. Maybe those who are better off will not notice these cuts much, but there are many less well off who will find these cuts really hurt. The problem is that this Tory Government and so this Tory Council are cutting harder and faster than is needed. The cuts will hit areas that will have a higher cost long term
- trebling tuition fee limit which will make access to many universities restricted to young people with rich parents. This could have been prevented by Liberal MPs who broke their election promise. There is also the loss of the education maintenance allowance paid to 16 year olds help support them staying on at school .
- cuts in child benefit
- Those potholes in our roads I suspect will get bigger and cause more damage to both vehicles and pedestrians.
- Libraries will have both their opening hours cut and some will be axed altogether. Libraries used well can be vital to the progress of our children.
- Cuts to the music service based at the Forest will reduce access to music lessons and support over the whole of the schools in Walsall Borough.
- Support for the most vulnerable in our society, those with disability, the elderly, the mentally handicapped both young and old will see their support cut to the absolute legal minimum, loading carers to breaking point. Those who depend on the services of Social services will be very worried about their future level of support.
- Those who receive support from social service will be especially worried with reorganisation of the meals on wheels service and other support services.
- Cuts to the police force will mean a reduction in Officers available to deal with crime and criminal activity. I am sure the criminals will be waiting to take advantage.
- VAT will rise to 20% in 2011 which will mean most items will rise in cost … not much of a dent in the finances of the well off but will make a real impact for most of us.
- The future of our leisure centres , their opening hours and charges are also under the spotlight. This Tory Council would like to off load these to the private sector. Certainly I will expect that most of the swimming pools attached to schools will be closed ( there are around 46 pools which may well be cut to 5 or 6).
- We have to make the decision if we wish to maintain a quality of life that is fair for all our citizens young , old, disabled, handicapped or seriously disadvantaged. I fear that the current Tory direction will carry us towards a ‘ let the market decide’ economy where those with the savings, receivers of banker bonuses will survive and live excellent quality lives. Those who have much more limited resources will tell a very different story. Living in a caring society is the only sort that I want to live in. What do you think?
- trebling tuition fee limit which will make access to many universities restricted to young people with rich parents. This could have been prevented by Liberal MPs who broke their election promise. There is also the loss of the education maintenance allowance paid to 16 year olds help support them staying on at school .
- cuts in child benefit
- Those potholes in our roads I suspect will get bigger and cause more damage to both vehicles and pedestrians.
- Libraries will have both their opening hours cut and some will be axed altogether. Libraries used well can be vital to the progress of our children.
- Cuts to the music service based at the Forest will reduce access to music lessons and support over the whole of the schools in Walsall Borough.
- Support for the most vulnerable in our society, those with disability, the elderly, the mentally handicapped both young and old will see their support cut to the absolute legal minimum, loading carers to breaking point. Those who depend on the services of Social services will be very worried about their future level of support.
- Those who receive support from social service will be especially worried with reorganisation of the meals on wheels service and other support services.
- Cuts to the police force will mean a reduction in Officers available to deal with crime and criminal activity. I am sure the criminals will be waiting to take advantage.
- VAT will rise to 20% in 2011 which will mean most items will rise in cost … not much of a dent in the finances of the well off but will make a real impact for most of us.
- The future of our leisure centres , their opening hours and charges are also under the spotlight. This Tory Council would like to off load these to the private sector. Certainly I will expect that most of the swimming pools attached to schools will be closed ( there are around 46 pools which may well be cut to 5 or 6).
- We have to make the decision if we wish to maintain a quality of life that is fair for all our citizens young , old, disabled, handicapped or seriously disadvantaged. I fear that the current Tory direction will carry us towards a ‘ let the market decide’ economy where those with the savings, receivers of banker bonuses will survive and live excellent quality lives. Those who have much more limited resources will tell a very different story. Living in a caring society is the only sort that I want to live in. What do you think?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Fly tippers get away with it!
28th December
Noting some anti social folk in a Peugot tipping their garden refuse in Mill Street Walsall, I thought that me taking the registration number and reporting this would mean their number would be up and a knock at their door to pursue this evidence... not so.. the police tell me that i have to report to Steetcare and that they will not take any action unless I possess a video capture in high quality to back up my evidence. I should ask for the setting up of a CTV camera at that site to ensure that when they repeat the tipping they can be filmed and then prosecuted. Get real.... surely the efforts of the public in watching and then reporting evidence of fly tipping should be rewarded by the thought that they will be at least scolded for their act of vandalism... but why not anyway prosecuted.? they cost us thousands and I object to paying for their criminal activity in having to clean up after them.
I have started a campaign to get a change in a current justice bill to make it illegal for scrap merchants to pay for scrap in cash... money would have to go into a bank account to a registered person.. that would in a small step prevent illegal scrap merchants from gettiong any money from their activities. I find it is costing this Country millions... for example over £34M in wales where their rail network has been subject to attacks from these scrap metal theives and so stopped the trains and caused enormous disruption to passengers,,,, then there is the issue of those who attack our power sub stations and again unfortunelty escape with their lives but of course cause serious disruption to our power supplies after trying to short out the sub station and so grab some copper!
What do you think?
Regards
Cllr Ian Robertson
Noting some anti social folk in a Peugot tipping their garden refuse in Mill Street Walsall, I thought that me taking the registration number and reporting this would mean their number would be up and a knock at their door to pursue this evidence... not so.. the police tell me that i have to report to Steetcare and that they will not take any action unless I possess a video capture in high quality to back up my evidence. I should ask for the setting up of a CTV camera at that site to ensure that when they repeat the tipping they can be filmed and then prosecuted. Get real.... surely the efforts of the public in watching and then reporting evidence of fly tipping should be rewarded by the thought that they will be at least scolded for their act of vandalism... but why not anyway prosecuted.? they cost us thousands and I object to paying for their criminal activity in having to clean up after them.
I have started a campaign to get a change in a current justice bill to make it illegal for scrap merchants to pay for scrap in cash... money would have to go into a bank account to a registered person.. that would in a small step prevent illegal scrap merchants from gettiong any money from their activities. I find it is costing this Country millions... for example over £34M in wales where their rail network has been subject to attacks from these scrap metal theives and so stopped the trains and caused enormous disruption to passengers,,,, then there is the issue of those who attack our power sub stations and again unfortunelty escape with their lives but of course cause serious disruption to our power supplies after trying to short out the sub station and so grab some copper!
What do you think?
Regards
Cllr Ian Robertson
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Scouts face cuts in Walsall
I note that the scouts have had all their support cut by Walsall Council... over 250 excellent volunteers from our Borough give up their time to provide suberb motivation, training, guidance and inspiration to our young people and the Council get amazing value and savings from their work. Now Walsall havd cut the £12000 grant they used to get for training and money towards room hire and will mean closure of some groups. Surely this is so short sighted?
What a kick in the teeth!!!
What a kick in the teeth!!!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
This coalition is unravelling and shows up as a con!
Recent undercover recordings show how evern the liberals are concerned at the way thsi Tory Government is handling this Counctry
The cuts brought about as a result of the actions of greedy bankers will cause hardship in many areas of our communities. Maybe those who are better off will not notice these cuts much, but there are many less well off who will find these cuts really hurt. The problem is that this Tory Government and so this Tory Council are cutting harder and faster than is needed. The cuts will hit areas that will have a higher cost long term
- trebling tuition fee limit which will make access to many universities restricted to young people with rich parents. This could have been prevented by Liberal MPs who broke their election promise. There is also the loss of the education maintenance allowance paid to 16 year olds help support them staying on at school .
- cuts in child benefit
- Those potholes in our roads I suspect will get bigger and cause more damage to both vehicles and pedestrians.
- Libraries will have both their opening hours cut and some will be axed altogether. Libraries used well can be vital to the progress of our children.
- Cuts to the music service based at the Forest will reduce access to music lessons and support over the whole of the schools in Walsall Borough.
- Support for the most vulnerable in our society, those with disability, the elderly, the mentally handicapped both young and old will see their support cut to the absolute legal minimum, loading carers to breaking point. Those who depend on the services of Social services will be very worried about their future level of support.
- Those who receive support from social service will be especially worried with reorganisation of the meals on wheels service and other support services.
- Cuts to the police force will mean a reduction in Officers available to deal with crime and criminal activity. I am sure the criminals will be waiting to take advantage.
- VAT will rise to 20% in 2011 which will mean most items will rise in cost … not much of a dent in the finances of the well off but will make a real impact for most of us.
- The future of our leisure centres , their opening hours and charges are also under the spotlight. This Tory Council would like to off load these to the private sector. Certainly I will expect that most of the swimming pools attached to schools will be closed ( there are around 46 pools which may well be cut to 5 or 6).
- We have to make the decision if we wish to maintain a quality of life that is fair for all our citizens young , old, disabled, handicapped or seriously disadvantaged. I fear that the current Tory direction will carry us towards a ‘ let the market decide’ economy where those with the savings, receivers of banker bonuses will survive and live excellent quality lives. Those who have much more limited resources will tell a very different story. Living in a caring society is the only sort that I want to live in. What do you think?
The cuts brought about as a result of the actions of greedy bankers will cause hardship in many areas of our communities. Maybe those who are better off will not notice these cuts much, but there are many less well off who will find these cuts really hurt. The problem is that this Tory Government and so this Tory Council are cutting harder and faster than is needed. The cuts will hit areas that will have a higher cost long term
- trebling tuition fee limit which will make access to many universities restricted to young people with rich parents. This could have been prevented by Liberal MPs who broke their election promise. There is also the loss of the education maintenance allowance paid to 16 year olds help support them staying on at school .
- cuts in child benefit
- Those potholes in our roads I suspect will get bigger and cause more damage to both vehicles and pedestrians.
- Libraries will have both their opening hours cut and some will be axed altogether. Libraries used well can be vital to the progress of our children.
- Cuts to the music service based at the Forest will reduce access to music lessons and support over the whole of the schools in Walsall Borough.
- Support for the most vulnerable in our society, those with disability, the elderly, the mentally handicapped both young and old will see their support cut to the absolute legal minimum, loading carers to breaking point. Those who depend on the services of Social services will be very worried about their future level of support.
- Those who receive support from social service will be especially worried with reorganisation of the meals on wheels service and other support services.
- Cuts to the police force will mean a reduction in Officers available to deal with crime and criminal activity. I am sure the criminals will be waiting to take advantage.
- VAT will rise to 20% in 2011 which will mean most items will rise in cost … not much of a dent in the finances of the well off but will make a real impact for most of us.
- The future of our leisure centres , their opening hours and charges are also under the spotlight. This Tory Council would like to off load these to the private sector. Certainly I will expect that most of the swimming pools attached to schools will be closed ( there are around 46 pools which may well be cut to 5 or 6).
- We have to make the decision if we wish to maintain a quality of life that is fair for all our citizens young , old, disabled, handicapped or seriously disadvantaged. I fear that the current Tory direction will carry us towards a ‘ let the market decide’ economy where those with the savings, receivers of banker bonuses will survive and live excellent quality lives. Those who have much more limited resources will tell a very different story. Living in a caring society is the only sort that I want to live in. What do you think?
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