Are Tories serious about home-to-school transport?

Local Lib Dem Councillors are questioning the Conservative-led Council’s commitment to developing a sustainable home-to-school transport package which has been shelved for at least another 9 months.

 

The strategy has been developed to get more children out of private transport and on to school buses on their way to and from school.  Currently parents find it easier and more cost effective to drive their children to school, thus adding to congestion across the district, and especially in Bath.  Lib Dems in Bath see home-to-school transport as a key element of providing transport improvements in the city.

 

Leader of the Lib Dem opposition on the Council, Cllr Paul Crossley (Southdown) said that “This is deeply disappointing news, and makes me wonder whether the Conservative Council is as serious about congestion in Bath as it should be.  Everyone who travels into Bath at peak times knows how much extra traffic there is during the school term.  Getting our children out of their parent’s cars and onto buses is a massively important step in reducing congestion in the city, yet it is being delayed for another year.  It is even more concerning that the £16million Bus Rapid Transit is being forced through, whereas a project that will actually help to reduce congestion is being put on the back-burner.”

This project is of major importance in promoting sustainable transport in Bath and it is a massive blow to see it delayed for a year.  Parents across the city want to be able to send their children to school on reliable and affordable public transport.  This decision by the Conservatives is a kick-in-the-teeth to these parents, and we want to know why this scheme will now be delayed until the 2009/10 academic year.  We have real doubts as to whether the Conservative Council will ever deliver this crucial service.

Warm welcome for proposals for free childcare for every family

We have praised new Liberal Democrat proposals offering free childcare for every family, that would see children and parents in Bath really benefit. 

The plans include:

  • 19 months of paid parental leave, replacing current maternity and paternity leave arrangements. To get the maximum entitlement, parents will have to share the leave as no parent will be able to take more than 12 months
  • Free and flexible childcare for children aged between 18 months and 5 years for 20 hours per week
  • A commitment to improve the quality of childcare provision by expanding the role of children’s centres as training institutions for local providers

 Paying for childcare is a real struggle for many parents, particularly when times are tough.As we enter the recession, more parents are going to find themselves having to look for work or wanting a part-time job to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent.  These proposals offer real help to families in Bath.  Support for new fathers is currently very poor.  Paid parental leave will give both parents in Bath an opportunity to spend meaningful time with their newborn baby during those precious first months.

  

Our Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP said, “Britain is a long way off becoming a child-friendly country.  Our childcare provisions are among the worst in Europe.  They discriminate against workless parents and freeze fathers out of looking after their young children.   What we need is a childcare revolution. Finding childcare that fits around a family’s needs can be a real struggle for parents.  The Liberal Democrats want to make things easier for parents and give children the best start in life by providing free, good quality childcare for every family.

“With family budgets getting tighter, more parents are looking at going back to work or training to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent.  As a father of two young sons, I know what a struggle it can be for fathers to take time off work to spend with their newborn child.  Paid parental leave – giving both parents the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their baby – will put mothers and fathers on a more equal footing and give families a chance to bond and enjoy those important first months.”

The proposals will be debated at the Liberal Democrat conference in March.  Let us know your views…

The scandal of our wasted taxes

A shocking dossier from the Liberal Democrats has revealed just some of the ways our taxes are being wasted on extravagant and incompetent projects.

luxury party

Despite the hardship many local families and residents face, Labour found £130 million to refurbish the Ministry of Justice’s office, £29 million to build accommodation for asylum seekers which was never built, £7 million for chauffeur-driven cars for ministers in just one year – and £50,000 for a party to which only 20 guests were invited!

A massive £13 billion has also been spent on an NHS records system which doesn’t work.

How our money is wasted

* £13 billion on an NHS record system that is a complete failure
* £130 million on refurbishing Ministry of Justice offices
* £81 million on a Department of Transport economy drive that was supposed to save £57 million
* £29 million on accommodation for asylum seekers that was never built
* £265.8 million the amount the government spent on advertising, marketing and public relations in 2007/8, an increase of £197.2 million since 1997-98
* £200 million wasted over the past five years on IT projects that were never completed
* £7 million on chauffeur driven cars for ministers in one year
* £28.78 million in rent for unoccupied houses for soldiers and their families
* £330 million overspent by government departments on their premises
* £4.2 million by the Government’s Qualifications & Curriculum Authority on hotel rooms in an 18 month period
* £50,000 on a party to which only 20 guests were invited
* £2,000 each on image and public speaking training for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Culture Secretary Andy Burnham

City of Bath Building Programme halted by Crazy Government Decision – Foster

Following the decision of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to halt funding decisions for college rebuilding, Bath’s MP Don Foster is one of the joint sponsors of a Parliamentary motion urging ministers to intervene as a matter of urgency.

Commenting, Don said that this decision means a significant delay to the City of Bath College’s plans to remodel their facilities and create new construction jobs in the city.  Putting such a large-scale construction project on hold flies in the face of the Government’s claims of investing to kick start the economy.  What’s actually happening is the opposite.”

Colleges like ours have had to fork out large sums of their own money to make their applications to the LSC.  This delay is putting even greater strain on their already tight budgets. At a time when ministers should be looking to support the building industry, large scale projects are being put at risk. 

The Government must now ensure that the LSC starts granting approval to existing applications as a matter of urgency.

Government aims to deny a voice to local people

The Labour government is planning to introduce legislation that will mean all petitions to local Councils will have to correspond to set guidelines – if they don’t then the Councils will not be able to accept them. 

The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill has 8 pages and over 3,000 words dedicated to the form petitions must now take.

Bath MP Don Foster said, “This Bill is, quite frankly, ludicrous.  It will give Councils the chance to throw out any number of petitions because they won’t meet the strict guidelines.  These rules are bureaucracy gone mad.

We need to make it easier for local people to get involved in local politics, not discourage them by making submitting petitions a bureaucratic nightmare.

“Instead of wasting councils’ time and resources, they should be freeing Councils’ hands to provide support to local people during the economic crisis.”

Bath Cllr Steve Hedges (Odd Down, Lib Dem) said, “Here in Bath we have really seen how local campaigns and local petitions can make a difference.  Take the recent saving of St Martin’s Garden Primary School – where the sheer number of people against the knocking down of the school forced Conservative Councillors to have a rethink.

“What kind of message will we be sending out to local people if we refuse to accept a petition because it doesn’t meet government guidelines?  As local Councillors, we need to encourage people to get involved in local decision making.  This Bill can only put people off.”

Don launches plan to help boost Bath economy

Following his meeting with a selection of local business owners last month, Bath MP Don Foster has launched an 8-point plan which, if implemented, would boost the local economy. 

Possible measures including running park & ride services at limited times on a Sunday; offering a free parking period once a week and conducting a full scale rent review of Council property.

Don has written to Council Chief Executive John Everitt and all four group leaders to outline has plan.

The plan in full includes:

  • Increasing the take up of small business rate relief
  • Introducing a park & ride service at appropriate hours on Sundays
  • Ensuring the Council pays its suppliers promptly
  • Offering a free parking period once a week
  • Giving local businesses as single point of contact at the Council
  • Conduct rent reviews that reflect the current economic situation
  • Consult properly with local small businesses on all changes
  • Effectively promote the ‘Buy with Confidence’ scheme

Don Said that we have got to start talking positively about local business, it is not all doom and gloom out there.  The Council must start helping the local economy by promoting schemes that encourage people to spend.

Read the rest of this entry.

First Great Western charge up to three times as much as other operators

Liberal Democrat research has revealed that First Great Western, which operate the trains which call at Oldfield Park Station,  are charging up to three times much per miles as some other train operators, and are by far and away the most expensive operator nationally. 

On average, First Great Western customers pay 70p per mile on their journeys, a staggering 18p more per mile than the next most expensive, East Midland Trains.  In comparison, customers using South West Trains pay just 34p per mile on average.  Bottom of the pile are Arriva Trains Wales, at 25p per mile.

Bath MP Don Foster said, “There can surely be no excuse for First Great Western to charge almost three times as much as Arriva Trains Wales.  People in Bath are simply being ripped off.  It is little wonder that many here are sceptical of public transport.  This country now seems to have a postcode lottery with regard to rail fares.  It is unacceptable that there is such a huge variation in the price per mile of travelling by train in the country.

We are lucky in Bath that we have a choice of trains to London, and many people are very grateful for the affordable service provided to South West Trains to London Waterloo, even though it takes almost twice as long.  Sadly, the Government takes no interest in how much rail passengers have to pay and is content to see prices ratcheted up above inflation year after year.

Liberal Democrats are asking the Office of Rail Regulation to investigate the issue of relative ticket prices between companies.

Local Council takes almost 9,000 to court over Council Tax

Liberal Democrat research has revealed that in the 2007/8 financial year Bath & North East Somerset Council took just under 9,000 of its residents to court for failing to pay Council Tax. 

The Council sent bailiffs to around 2,500 homes and filed for bankruptcy for 2 residents.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for all public bodies, including local authorities and government departments, to follow a Code of Conduct to ensure that families are not bankrupted unnecessarily during the recession.

Bath MP Don Foster said that Court appearances and bankruptcy need to be a last resort for Councils in these matters, not tactics used as a matter of course. 

This research shows the devastating effect that failing to pay Council Tax can have on families, especially those already struggling to cope with mortgage repayments and rising bills. It is high time the unfair Council Tax was scrapped and replaced with a fair tax based on the ability to pay.

New Minister has no timetable for Housing Reform

Liberal Democrat Councillor Shaun McGall (Oldfield) has revealed that the Government has no timetable for the Housing Reform Green paper. In a response to his letter to new Housing Minister, Margaret Beckett MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Iain Wright MP replied, saying, “We have not yet made any decisions on the timing or the content of the Housing Reform Green Paper.”

Previous Minister Caroline Flint MP had won the support of local Councillors and MPs when she announced action on “Studentification” and initial plans to give local Councils more control of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) in their area.

It is of great concern to me that this process seems to have taken a backward step in the short time Margaret Beckett has been Housing Minister. Residents, Councillors and local MPs will now surely be worried that they will have to go back to the beginning and start campaigning all over again.

Caroline Flint seemed to understand that this was an important issue, but the reply I have now received suggests that this work is now not a priority.

Local authorities need to been given the proper controls to deal with HMOs in the way that best suits their area. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for the entire country. I hope that the new Minister will realise this and continue the good work of her predecessor.

Shaun has lobbied both Bath MP Don Foster and Liberal Democrat Housing spokesperson Sarah Teather MP on the issue and is delighted that they are supporting the plans for local authorities to have a greater say over HMOs.

Consultation meetings on the future of the Bath Press Site

We have recently recieved news, from Trimedia, about some forthcoming consultation meetings about the future of the Bath Press site

The first round of consutlation took place back in November 2008 and this identified topics which the developers wanted further discussion on.

They would welcome local residents and businessed input at the following sessions:

Tuesday 10th Feb 2009 – Oldfield Park Infant School, Dorset Close
6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. – Heritage and Design

Wednesday 11th Feb 2009 – Hedley Hall, Denmark Road
9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. – Heritage and Design
12.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. – Transport (Traffic issues)
3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. – Transport (Walking and cycling)

Wednesday 11th Feb 2009 – Oldfield Park Infant School, Dorset Close
6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. – Working with our neighbours

Thursday 12th Feb 2009 – Hedley Hall, Denmark Road
9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. – Transport (Walking and cycling)
12.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. – Heritage and Design
3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. – working with our neighbours

Thursday 12th Feb 2009 – Oldfield Park Infant School, dorset Close
6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. – Transport (Traffic)