Many horses graze on open spaces in my ward over; for example at Swannies field and Mill street.
They are owned by those from the travellers community who have a life time history keeping horses. These are kept purely because they like horses.
I am trying to negotiate a piece of Council open space where they could be placed with a modest rental cost, kept safe and allowed there with a number of conditions.. after all it costs the council to maintain an open space...as long as the horses are well looked after and are properly secured, the council gets some rental...everyone could be happy. doing the confrontational bit is only necessary if those who own the horses are not prepared to communicate.. A current spot is in mill street where the horses are in the way of an approved car park....i can confirm that they are prepared to follow this mentioned suggestion....and the big stick approach trumpeted in the media by Cllr Harris is doomed to failure.. and i am very surprised that these proposals are made by someone who has strong links to the travelling community via his fairground rides business.
Let us have some kind of a reasonable , understanding and safe approach.. which would also save a lot of legal costs and bring in regular income for a cash strapped Council
regards
cll ian robertson
blakenall ward
cllr ian robertson, walsall
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Democracy 1 Bullies 2
Democracy 1 Bullies 2
I was ashamed to be part of the planning process on Thursday night where the committee granted permission for a change of use of a corner shop to become a fish and chip outlet.
Officers, the police and 150 residents opposed the application, the petition raised by the applicant was shown to list signatures without any address , a petition without any heading as to what the petition was about and the rest from homes which had signed for and against. I visited a number of those who had signed both ways and they admitted they had done so because of the intimidation by the applicant They are all against this application both for safety reasons at the busy junction and the smell and nuisance form having such a take away next door with a flue overhanging the pavement... what an eyesore … he also had attacked the owner of the Chinese take away who was collecting a petition ( on police record) attacked the lady in the post office and threatened the crossing lady. That is the bully bit.
He got the permission because of a letter from the club next door allowing the applicant to have access to their car park adjacent to the proposed fish and chip shop for customers to use. This is in spite of the fact no details of times, whether this car park can be left open in spite of the club only being open occasionally for functions in the evenings. There are already drug dealers operating on the pavement of Essex str and I fully expect them to move into the opened car park where they will then be hidden from view.
Democracy and fairness has been lost to the actions of an arrogant bully who as a major owner of properties throughout Walsall , he believes he can try and manipulate the names and views of local residents on petitions and conditions of planning approval to suit his aims.
Democracy 1 Bullies 2 What an appalling result. Residents call foul.
This may not be the final score... we shall play into extra time and maybe score a couple of penalties
I was ashamed to be part of the planning process on Thursday night where the committee granted permission for a change of use of a corner shop to become a fish and chip outlet.
Officers, the police and 150 residents opposed the application, the petition raised by the applicant was shown to list signatures without any address , a petition without any heading as to what the petition was about and the rest from homes which had signed for and against. I visited a number of those who had signed both ways and they admitted they had done so because of the intimidation by the applicant They are all against this application both for safety reasons at the busy junction and the smell and nuisance form having such a take away next door with a flue overhanging the pavement... what an eyesore … he also had attacked the owner of the Chinese take away who was collecting a petition ( on police record) attacked the lady in the post office and threatened the crossing lady. That is the bully bit.
He got the permission because of a letter from the club next door allowing the applicant to have access to their car park adjacent to the proposed fish and chip shop for customers to use. This is in spite of the fact no details of times, whether this car park can be left open in spite of the club only being open occasionally for functions in the evenings. There are already drug dealers operating on the pavement of Essex str and I fully expect them to move into the opened car park where they will then be hidden from view.
Democracy and fairness has been lost to the actions of an arrogant bully who as a major owner of properties throughout Walsall , he believes he can try and manipulate the names and views of local residents on petitions and conditions of planning approval to suit his aims.
Democracy 1 Bullies 2 What an appalling result. Residents call foul.
This may not be the final score... we shall play into extra time and maybe score a couple of penalties
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Are we being ripped off, vandalised and abandoned by Walsall Council ?
Are we being ripped off, vandalised and abandoned by Walsall Council ?
I read that Walsall council have ‘saved’ over £1million each year on the contract for recycling by renegotiating the contract. We learn that there are negotiations to reduce the cost of the SERCO contract that Walsall by £2.5Million ( £7.5 over 3 years) to look after education in Walsall. Walsall signed an extension of this contract for another 12 years . This in spite of the fact that education standards in Walsall are at a dismal failure being 151st out of 171in the Country this new contract pays them £345M over these next 12 years..We have improved a bit but basically we continue to fail most of our young people.. if we did not have the results from Queen Marys’ schools we would be even lower. I suspect that now Walsall education is the only education contract run by SERCO ( all other councils have given them the sack) all failing schools will be forced into becoming Academies to allow SERCO to make a good profit for their shareholders and not lose out by imposition of any penalty clauses… our children are of course not the priority… the shareholders are!! Such a rip off! How long have we been overpaying for these services?
Then we have the Tarmac contract with clauses here which cost us dear when we wish to install for example dropped curbs at pavement level to allow wheelchair access where the cost has jumped from £350 under the Council to over £1000 under Tarmac. What value for council tax payers of Walsall.
We had the AMEY contract that cost us Council tax payers £7.5 Million due to a set of clauses so badly checked by Walsall Council allowing another private company to walk all over us and take us again to the cleaners.
We have at the moment the tabled acts of vandalism …
Closing 6 libraries and I suspect more next year.
Closing school swimming pools
Serious risk to all of the Walsall Music service
Cut to the Debt counselling service at a time when they are needed more than ever.
More cuts of support to the Domestic violence support service ( report due out in early February)
What support will be there post end of March for LINK… the local watchdog checking on our local health service?
What chance to properly repair our roads , especially with a private company Tarmac setting the price?
What effect on the most vulnerable in our society who depend on Walsall Social services for respite for their carers.?
Will SERCO sell off all the failing schools to private companies and form more academies to leave only those under Walsall Council those which are ‘profitable’ to SERCO?
More items to come as the budget cut debate unfolds.
What sort of Borough and Council will we be left with? Not the sort to be proud of or to attract new communities vital to our futures
I read that Walsall council have ‘saved’ over £1million each year on the contract for recycling by renegotiating the contract. We learn that there are negotiations to reduce the cost of the SERCO contract that Walsall by £2.5Million ( £7.5 over 3 years) to look after education in Walsall. Walsall signed an extension of this contract for another 12 years . This in spite of the fact that education standards in Walsall are at a dismal failure being 151st out of 171in the Country this new contract pays them £345M over these next 12 years..We have improved a bit but basically we continue to fail most of our young people.. if we did not have the results from Queen Marys’ schools we would be even lower. I suspect that now Walsall education is the only education contract run by SERCO ( all other councils have given them the sack) all failing schools will be forced into becoming Academies to allow SERCO to make a good profit for their shareholders and not lose out by imposition of any penalty clauses… our children are of course not the priority… the shareholders are!! Such a rip off! How long have we been overpaying for these services?
Then we have the Tarmac contract with clauses here which cost us dear when we wish to install for example dropped curbs at pavement level to allow wheelchair access where the cost has jumped from £350 under the Council to over £1000 under Tarmac. What value for council tax payers of Walsall.
We had the AMEY contract that cost us Council tax payers £7.5 Million due to a set of clauses so badly checked by Walsall Council allowing another private company to walk all over us and take us again to the cleaners.
We have at the moment the tabled acts of vandalism …
Closing 6 libraries and I suspect more next year.
Closing school swimming pools
Serious risk to all of the Walsall Music service
Cut to the Debt counselling service at a time when they are needed more than ever.
More cuts of support to the Domestic violence support service ( report due out in early February)
What support will be there post end of March for LINK… the local watchdog checking on our local health service?
What chance to properly repair our roads , especially with a private company Tarmac setting the price?
What effect on the most vulnerable in our society who depend on Walsall Social services for respite for their carers.?
Will SERCO sell off all the failing schools to private companies and form more academies to leave only those under Walsall Council those which are ‘profitable’ to SERCO?
More items to come as the budget cut debate unfolds.
What sort of Borough and Council will we be left with? Not the sort to be proud of or to attract new communities vital to our futures
Will the Music Stop for our children?
Grazing the Internet which can be a quite addictive pastime, ending up looking at areas completely different from the original search! I came across the so called Henley review which is a look at funding for music support services to Councils over the country. The reason I found it as there are a number of Boroughs who were looking anxiously at what would be in this report as it was promised before Christmas and delayed now so long that many music services will run out of funds at the end of March. This would include Walsall's most outstanding music service based at Forest Arts achieving such excellent results in areas of serious deprivation such as the ward I represent in Blakenall. This service which consistently receives outstanding marks from their OFSTED reports. Supplying every school in Walsall this is a dreadful kick in the teeth for the dedicated and extraordinary team based at the Forest Arts Centre and to all those young people who have responded to their teaching.Prepare to mount the biggest and noisiest ever demonstration in protest seen in Walsall if those in the current Tory/ Liberal alliance down in London decide to pull the funding..
published by electronic means by Ian Robertson 87 Belvidere Rd walsall WS1 3au tel 01922 634642.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Where now our precious NHS? The new Ryanair model?
21st January
Our NHS has been around for over 60 years and has been the subject of many radical changes by successive Governments. Health care is costly however especially in an ageing population and to maintain a high standard. We have been falling behind in some outcomes in for example areas of cancer treatments.
The latest proposals by the Tory/Lib coalition who now wish to tear up the present structure in a change more radical than anything done before to our NHS. More broken promises and some of the small print not visible in the pre election manifestos... for example no mention there that PCTs would go.
Putting 80% of the NHS budget into the hands of doctors has rung a number of alarm bells... there are some GPs who relish the idea and are capable of running what would be a multi million pound business to commission health care for their patients as a group.. Many others are not so good at it, will waste our money, not being good at running a very large health team and just wish to get on with what they do best ... caring for their patients. There are at least two GP groups at the moment gearing up to try and run the service in Walsall and no doubt there will be a patchwork quilt of groups coming forward to run our NHS post 2013 .. However who will be picking up the bill if any of these holders of our health budget get it badly wrong and go bust? The belief of the Tories has always been 'let the market decide' How happy will you be to find that your operation will be done by a hospital bidding to get the business of doing your operation with the money needed by the hospital to keep in business? All our hospitals will become independent foundation trusts. where will be the democratic accountability of all these health organisations which will be spending most of our health care money? How will the standard of care and support be maintained or will this new model become the Ryanair equivalent in health care?
Why tear up the PCTs , why cannot these organisations be the vehicle for delivery of health provision by the GP's? It will cost over £1 billion to wind up the PCTs with redundancies.. all money that is not spent on health care. I fear that our NHS is in danger... I pray that this patient is not suffering from a terminal illness.!
Our NHS has been around for over 60 years and has been the subject of many radical changes by successive Governments. Health care is costly however especially in an ageing population and to maintain a high standard. We have been falling behind in some outcomes in for example areas of cancer treatments.
The latest proposals by the Tory/Lib coalition who now wish to tear up the present structure in a change more radical than anything done before to our NHS. More broken promises and some of the small print not visible in the pre election manifestos... for example no mention there that PCTs would go.
Putting 80% of the NHS budget into the hands of doctors has rung a number of alarm bells... there are some GPs who relish the idea and are capable of running what would be a multi million pound business to commission health care for their patients as a group.. Many others are not so good at it, will waste our money, not being good at running a very large health team and just wish to get on with what they do best ... caring for their patients. There are at least two GP groups at the moment gearing up to try and run the service in Walsall and no doubt there will be a patchwork quilt of groups coming forward to run our NHS post 2013 .. However who will be picking up the bill if any of these holders of our health budget get it badly wrong and go bust? The belief of the Tories has always been 'let the market decide' How happy will you be to find that your operation will be done by a hospital bidding to get the business of doing your operation with the money needed by the hospital to keep in business? All our hospitals will become independent foundation trusts. where will be the democratic accountability of all these health organisations which will be spending most of our health care money? How will the standard of care and support be maintained or will this new model become the Ryanair equivalent in health care?
Why tear up the PCTs , why cannot these organisations be the vehicle for delivery of health provision by the GP's? It will cost over £1 billion to wind up the PCTs with redundancies.. all money that is not spent on health care. I fear that our NHS is in danger... I pray that this patient is not suffering from a terminal illness.!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Oldham result gives message ' Come back Labour all is forgiven'
The voters in Oldham have shown on Thursday that the pathway of the Tory Liberal coalition is not for them.
Promises by the Liberal Party broken in joining an alliance with a past sworn enemy is unravelling.
A rise of VAT to 20%, threatened cuts to children's centres and Sure Start, cuts to future job's fund, cuts to police numbers, cuts to education maintenance allowance and tripling of student tuition fees will hit especially those young people living in disadvantaged communities and is treating the electorate with contempt as we are not getting what we voted for.
Some politicians appear to be prepared to sell their souls to get elected and that will be reflected in what could be a General election in the near future.
Promises by the Liberal Party broken in joining an alliance with a past sworn enemy is unravelling.
A rise of VAT to 20%, threatened cuts to children's centres and Sure Start, cuts to future job's fund, cuts to police numbers, cuts to education maintenance allowance and tripling of student tuition fees will hit especially those young people living in disadvantaged communities and is treating the electorate with contempt as we are not getting what we voted for.
Some politicians appear to be prepared to sell their souls to get elected and that will be reflected in what could be a General election in the near future.
Oldham result gives message ' Come back Labour all is forgiven'
The voters in Oldham have shown on Thursday that the pathway of the Tory Liberal coalition is not for them.
Promises by the Liberal Party broken in joining an alliance with a past sworn enemy is unravelling.
A rise of VAT to 20%, threatened cuts to children's centres and Sure Start, cuts to future job's fund, cuts to police numbers, cuts to education maintenance allowance and tripling of student tuition fees will hit especially those young people living in disadvantaged communities and is treating the electorate with contempt as we are not getting what we voted for.
Some politicians appear to be prepared to sell their souls to get elected and that will be reflected in what could be a General election in the near future.
Promises by the Liberal Party broken in joining an alliance with a past sworn enemy is unravelling.
A rise of VAT to 20%, threatened cuts to children's centres and Sure Start, cuts to future job's fund, cuts to police numbers, cuts to education maintenance allowance and tripling of student tuition fees will hit especially those young people living in disadvantaged communities and is treating the electorate with contempt as we are not getting what we voted for.
Some politicians appear to be prepared to sell their souls to get elected and that will be reflected in what could be a General election in the near future.
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