Darlington Councillor

Proud Day for Darlington

2010-09-09T00:09:00.002Z

The Rifles march into the Market Place, Darlington

Cllr. Nick Wallis | MySpace Video

A packed town centre today as The Rifles accepted the Freedom of the Borough in a special ceremony in the Market Place.

There was lots of cheering and clapping from the watching spectators - especially the school children in attendance. A day they'll remember for a very long time, and a fitting way to honour the sacrifice of our service personnel in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Residents unite to protest about company's antics

2010-08-07T19:47:00.002Z

Around 40 residents from Rockwell Pastures and Albert Hill came together this morning to express their anger regarding Albert Hill Skip Hire Ltd in Nestfield Street.

We had decided to organise a mass walk by the river to have a look at the site for ourselves. Led by our local MP Jenny Chapman, we had an excellent turnout, especially given the cloudburst immediately before we were due to meet.

Jenny summed up the mood of the protestors at what we saw - there was still a shocking amount of waste piled high, with broken fences which presumably could allow children to enter whet is clearly a very hazardous place. After the walk, petitions were eagerly taken away by residents, keen to achieve the 1,500 signatures we need to trigger the first council debate under the new arrangements.

We've had 2 other pieces of good news; firstly, after pressure from the campaign, the Environment Agency has agreed to issue a number for residents to call about any concerns they might have - if the particular issue should be dealt with by the Health and Safety Executive or the Council, for example, then the phone operative will record the complaint and pass it on. This is a fine piece of joined up administration, which I applaud.

The number is 0800 807 060.

Secondly, the Council issued a new, tougher stop notice against the company on Friday relating to the company's operating hours and the height of the waste, I have been told. The maximum fine if a successful prosecution is achieved is up to £20,000! Maybe that will finally make the company's bosses think twice before operating at all times, as they do at present.

As Jenny told the protestors, both the company and the enforcement agencies need to knnow that local people are in this for the long-haul, and will not simply "go away" in time. The quality of life of too many people has been adversely affected for too long for that.

A walk by the river

2010-08-06T22:35:00.002Z

Does this look like a scene from a responsible operator? (photo taken by a resident last Sunday)

The campaign against the activities of Albert Hill Skip Hire moves up another notch tomorrow morning, when local people will be taking part in a campaign walk along the riverside between Albert Hill and Rockwell Pastures.

Since the fire, residents have reported continued breaches by the company of the hours of operation set down by the council. Unasnwered questions remain, although I've been reassured by the extent to which the various agencies responsible for regulating companies like this one are now palpably working together. I'll have more on this shortly.

If you've been affected by the fire, or the previous transgressions by the firm, please do come along - we're meeting by the Hutton Avenue footbridge at 10am. The walk will be led by our local MP Jenny Chapman. The media (Tall Ships providing) have been invited along. It will be great to see you there!

The last Sure Start?

2010-08-01T18:20:00.004Z

Haughton Sure Start Centre - work begins

Cllr. Nick Wallis | MySpace Video

The Sure Start initiative was one of the last Government's projects that I was most proud of. It invested significantly in the families of children under 5, whilst enabling key workers (health visitors, social workers and the like) to work together rather than in their professional "silos".

One facility is being created in my ward in Haughton West - in the former children's home on Salters Lane South.

The Tories of course, never liked it, and had to be dragged away from a position of complete hostility before the last election. It's not clear what if any commitment they have to the initiative now.

That means that the Sure Start in Salters Lane South could be one of the last to be built - that would be a tragedy for those communities who haven't yet benefitted from such a facility, and not just in Darlington. It's vital that the pressure is kept on the ConDems to continue with this fantastic initiative.

Barmpton Lane Allotments Open Day

2010-07-31T21:25:00.004Z

I spent a sunny lunchtime meandering around the allotments at Barmpton Lane, where the allotment association was having its annual open day.

It was very well attended, with stalls selling fresh fruit and veg, as well as a bric-a-brac tables and a raffle. It was good to see Whinfield Residents' Association represented (Eileen and Bev) as well as Haughton North local councillor Tom Nutt & family. Hundreds of pounds was raised for St Teresa's Hospice.

As a seriously rubbish food grower, it was helpful to learn from others exactly where I've been going wrong with the raspberries this year. And the onions. And the gooseberries.

And from a portfolio point of view, the work at Barmpton Lane is exactly in line with Darlington's local food agenda. There was fresh discussion about this at the Greener Theme Group earlier this week - we explored the lessons we can learn here in Darlington from Todmorden's "Incredible Edible" experience, and there will be a meeting next week to take the matter forward. After a really interesting chat with a local resident in Whinfield on Friday, there may even be a Haughton West ward angle, which I hope to explore with officers in the very near future...

Slash & Burn

2010-07-28T22:04:00.005Z

It was a solemn, downbeat meeting of Cabinet this afternoon. We were contemplating the cuts necxessary to balance the books - cuts imposed in-year by the ConDem Coalition, and which were of necessity deep and difficult.

Chairing the meeting, Deputy Leader Bill Dixon made sure that everyone who wanted to speak had their opportunity - they ranged from residents who would be affected by the ending of the Dial-a-Ride subsidy (one of whom was on oxygen) to staff representatives, who spoke passionately about the services delivered by hard-working council staff, and how low morale is now.

It is of no comfort that the same debates, the same impossible choices, will be rolling out in every council chamber across the country.

Still, no doubt everyone who was there to have their say would have been reassured by a report today by the respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research that the Emergency Budget, which directly led to today's Darlington Cabinet decisions, was born of "political theatre" rather than actual financial need. Apparently, our ConDem friends thought it was important to send the markets a message that we were not going to go the same way of Greece (not, as the report points out, that there was ever any real danger of that).

The report also points out that the decision to place so much of the burden of reducing the deficit on spending cuts (rather than tax raising) may be an error too. It will drag growth right back down - maybe as far as a fresh recession.

Still, at least we've all got to enjoy the political theatre of George Osborne's emergency budget, eh? Maybe our local Tories and their LibDem apologists could explain that to the lady on oxygen, the DBC staff losing their jobs - and everyone else whose lives will be blighted by the cuts to come.

Five words

2010-07-28T10:39:00.003Z

Five words. Just five words. How can something so small inspire a unique feeling of anticipation, contempt and dread? No easy task, you might think.

But a sub-editor at the Telegraph managed it today with the headline "Jeremy Clarkson joins Burqa debate." Although I hated myself for doing it, I had to read on.

Now the burqa debate is, as I needn't remind my literate, well-informed and overwhelmingly liberal audience, a sensitive issue - exquisitely so, one might say. With debate raging in France about banning the Muslim dress altogether, and one Tory MP refusing to meet with constituents who have the affrontery to turn up to his surgeries wearing one, passions are running high.

So what does Britain's leading social commentator have to say on the subject? The Telegraph quotes him on Sunday's Top Gear as stating (after Richard Hammond suggested that the burqa could dissuade men from ogling women as they drive),

“No, no, no. Honestly, the burqa doesn't work. I was in a cab in Piccadilly the other day when a woman in a full burqa crossing the road in front of me tripped over the pavement, went head over heels and up it came, red g-string and stockings. I promise that happened. The taxi driver will back me up on that.”

So that's that, then. And not sleazy at all, from the 50-year old jeans-wearing fool. It makes every penny of my license fee seem worthwhile.

Civic Accounting for Dummies

2010-07-28T06:46:00.003Z

The first of what will be a miserable set of meetings in the months and years to come, as a special Cabinet meeting this afternoon considers the Council's response to the early ConDem Coalition cuts.

Matters aren't helped by our local Tories' wilful misleading of residents regarding the scale of the cuts to come. In public speeches, and on their own website, they claim that Darlington will "only" lose £22 million out of a total grant of £428 million by 2013-2014.

In fact, the total is much nearer to £50 million - leaving aside the £2.5 million being snatched this year; the estimates for the next 3 years are a reduction in grant of £10.2m in 2011/12 and a further £7.5m and £4.8ms in the years to come.

But these are cumulative figures, so the sums are £10.2 + £10.2 + £7.5 + £10.2 + £7.5 + £4.8 in terms of actual grant lost.

The council's controllable grant will have dropped £22.5 million from £107 million to £84.5 million in 2013/14, but in all, £50 million will have been stripped from the Council, and Darlington's economy.

Here endeth the lesson!

"Boycott Albert Hill Skip Hire" say angry residents

2010-07-25T10:21:00.004Z

Jenny Chapman addresses the packed meeting yesterday

Yesterday morning we held the residents' meeting in the aftermath of the Albert Hill Skip Hire fire. I estimate between 80 and 90 people were there, from both sides of the river.

The mood was predictably very angry. The company (and its predecessors) have been making local people's lives a misery for as long as I've been a councillor in Haughton West. There was a palpable sense that the company has got away with murder, and used various ruses and trickery to evade proper scrutiny and enforcement. To a man and woman, the meeting wanted the company's operations to be stopped.

Our new local MP Jenny Chapman chaired the meeting (brilliantly, I thought). After resident after resident had spoken about the terrible impact of the fire on the communities, and the years of noise/dust nuisance - and lots of questions had been posed about the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies - we looked ahead and devised an action plan so this could never happen again.

Jenny had brought along a letter of apology from the company's MD which (completely unsurprisingly) the meeting formally refused to accept - after all, actions speak louder than words, and this company has broken every promise ever made to the statutory authorities and local people.

There was also unanimous agreement that we would not be using Albert Hill Skip Hire as individuals, and would encourage other Darlington residents to boycott the company. Other ways of applying financial pressure to the company to clean up its act were also discussed, which will be explored in the coming weeks.

There will be a big walk around the Skerne beneath the company to see what impact it is having on the local environment, and keep an eye on what's going on inside the plant. And most importantly, pressure will be applied to the agencies who are responsible for regulating the business - unanimously, local people want it shut down, although this may be legally difficult, as one resident who has worked for the Environment Agency told me afterwards.

On a very positive note, local residents were queuing up after the meeting to volunteer to be part of the steering group that will take the protest forward. And I had a very useful chat with Gill Cartwright, the Tory Councillor for Harrowgate Hill in ASDA yesterday (where all the best politics is done!) and we discussed how we could also involve the residents who suffered so badly from the firm's antics at 630 Whessoe Road.

It was sometimes a fraught meeting, but at the end there was a clear consensus for targetting the villains (ie the comapny) whilst applying polite but firm pressure to the regulating agencies. You can be sure we'll be keeping everyone updated, including on here.

The Cost of the Coalition

2010-07-23T11:43:00.004Z

Full Council was dominated last night by a spirited debate about the robbing from Darlington of the Building Schools for the Future money by the ConDems. It was, shall we say, interesting to watch Tory and LibDem councillors opposite performing logic gymnastics as they tried to reconcile their support for the BSF campaign with a slavish defence of their Government's slash and burn approach to public spending.

I would imagine the debate would have been more heated still had councillors been privy to the news released by Durham Constabulary today that it is issuing 90 day redundacy notices to all of its 1160 civilian staff, which include its community support officers. The BBC website says that it is expected that 200 will lose their jobs.

To quote from the press release in full;

"Durham Constabulary, along with all other public sector bodies, is considering its budget for 2010/11 in line with the government’s comprehensive spending review which will be announced in the autumn.

"We expect that some jobs will go; how many depends on the outcome of the comprehensive spending review which reports in October.

"In preparation for this, all 1,160 members of police staff employed by Durham Police Authority are being issued with notices advising that their posts are being considered for potential redundancy and that the statutory 90 day consultation period has started.

"This does not mean that all 1,160 police staff posts will go. "It means that when we are in a position to consider where cuts will be made, the formal process will already have been underway for some time."

Assistant Chief Officer, Gary Ridley, said: “Despite undertaking a range of actions to save money, such as freezing recruitment, offering early retirement, voluntary redundancy and centralising functions within its HQ site at Aykley Heads, it is clear that compulsory redundancies need to be considered in light of likely future reductions in the amount of government grant the constabulary receives.

“We are working closely with the Police Authority and Trade Unions to try and minimise the impact on our staff whilst maintaining a service to the people of County Durham and Darlington."

From my perspective as a ward councillor, the community officers perform a valuable role in tackling crime and responding to concerns, and we will all be watching the situation closely. No-one should be in any doubt either of the importance played by civilian staff - they free up officers to work on the front line, and from my own experience politically and professionally, I kmow how they help keep the public safe, albeit not in a way many will appreciate on a day-to-day basis.

Another bleak day. But believe me, this is just a taste of what is to come over the next few months.

The "R" Word

2010-07-22T23:12:00.002Z

Now and again, the previous Labour Government was accused of being some sort of Orwellian Thought Police by political opponents. I couldn't help but smile, therefore, when I attended a seminar recently in the North East, where senior civil servants were making presentations.

The event was technically very good, and I went along because of my portfolio interest - in my long and wearisome experience, events aimed at middle management professionals tend to deliver significantly more insight into difficult issues than those 'dumbed down' for councillors.

Anyway, the keynote speech was given by a senior civil servant, who explained apologetically at the start that he couldn't use the "R" word. Privately, I was bemused. The "R" word? Recession? Realignment? Rolph?. But you know how it is - I felt an idiot tapping the shoulder of the person next to me to ask what on earth the speaker was talking about.

Sure enough, on a couple of occaions, the officer stopped himself during the presentation and apologised, and soon all became clear - the "R" word is "Region" or "Regional".

I appreciate that the Tory bit of the ConDem Govermnent has a major problem about regions and regionalism (arising from their europhobia - but that's another blogpost). To actively ban civil servants from even using the word 'region' however, strikes me as lunacy, and the sort of 'thought crime' that Labour was often (unjustly) pilliored for.

This is all of a piece with the fact that it would seem that policy in the area concerned is virtually non-existent 2 months after the election. Banning civil servants from using perfectly good bits of the English language, however, would appear to be a replacement for policy development in the wacky world of our ConDem Government.

Albert Hill Update

2010-07-19T22:06:00.003Z

It has been a miserable week or so for residents on both sides of the river, in the aftermath of the fire. Despite the best efforts of the fire service, the Environment Agency and the Council, I'm very disappointed that the company themselves have not played their part in helping with the situation. The latest problem has been the smell apparently generated by rotting material onsite - as far as I am aware, inert (ie non-organic) waste only should be handled there. We have continued to liaise with all the responsible bodies to try and get the mess sorted out as soon as possible.

Today we were informed that last Friday, the Environment Agency served an enforcement notice on Albert Hill Skip Hire under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010, requiring that by 23 July they:

(1) Remove from site all waste which consists solely or mainly of powder.
(2) Ensure that all non-hazardous waste is stored in a building or secure container and on an impermeable surface with sealed drainage OR remove such waste from the site.
(3) Enclose odorous waste in a sealed container OR remove such waste from the site OR take other appropriate measures to prevent or where that is not practicable minimise the odour.

Given the terrible impact the fire and smoke have had on the local communities in Haughton and Albert Hill, it is frankly appalling that the Environment Agency should have had to go to these lengths to make the company comply with existing rules governing the site.

As you may have seen in the Northern Echo, our new MP Jenny Chapman has joined up with us three councillors in Haughton West and the two councillors in Central ward (which covers Albert Hill), and a public meeting has been arranged for this Saturday at 10am at St James Church Hall in Barton Street. If you have an opinion about the company and its impact on the community, please do come along and have your say. This is not intended as a 'one-off' gathering - we fully intend to have futiure meetings as the company's response to the concerns - and those of the responsible agencies - becomes clearer. A well-attended meeting this Saturday will send a clear message that local people have had enough!

Finally, huge thanks to the residents locally who have volunteered to help put out notices around the area about the public meeting. It's made the task of telling as many people as possible about Saturday's meeting much, much easier.

Back in harness

2010-07-19T21:12:00.003Z

First day back today after a week away in a narrowboat, travelling through Cheshire.

It's a holiday I can thoroughly recommend to anyone - the countryside was gorgeous, and steering the narrowboat on the elevated platform of the boat gave the impression of standing on one of those slow-moving escalators you find in airports - totally serene.

There is also a culture of comradeship amongst the boating fraternity which made the holiday a joy. Everyone was friendly, and more than prepared to help out when we (inevitably) ran into difficulties. We travelled from Anderton to Chester and back, via Nantwich. Only the occasional downpour, which left me soaked to the skin, blemished a great break away.

Although I had agreed not to take it with me, somehow the Black Berry found its way onboard, (ahem) which was just as well, given the ongoing problems in the aftermath of the Albert Hill Skip Hire fire...

Albert Hill Fire Update

2010-07-10T10:49:00.001Z

I've just come off the phone from one of the senior fire officers dealing with the blaze at Albert Hill Skip Hire.

Firefighters have been tackling the blaze all night, and are now moving to an "offensive" phase which should lead to the fire being put out, although this could take a day or so.

The actions of the fire fighters may lead to way seems to be more smoke being generated - in fact a lot of this is steam. The fire brigade believe that most of the waste which has been burnt to date has been inert - ie the smoke should not have been toxic.

I'll blog again when more is known.
Cllr Nick Wallis
Cabinet Member Sustainable Environment and Climate Change
----------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
1. This mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the intended recipient. Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this mail in error please notify the sender at the above address and then delete the mail from your system.
2. Any opinions expressed in this mail are those of the individual and not necessarily those of Darlington Borough Council.
3. Darlington Borough Council's computer systems and communications may be monitored to ensure effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes.
4. This mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus. It is however the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free. No responsibility is accepted by Darlington Borough Council for any loss or damage arising from the receipt of this mail or its contents.
(v2.1)

Important information

2010-07-09T19:31:00.001Z

This has been sent out early this evening about the aftermath of the Albert Hill fire;

Info in relation to fire at Albert Hill Skip Hire, Darlington.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service are continuing to deal with an incident at Dodsworth Street, Darlington. We understand that the Fire and Rescue Service are attempting to deal with this fire as quickly as possible by spreading the waste out, which may lead to more smoke, but that this process should reduce the length of time it takes for the fire to be safely put out.

Any smoke can be an irritant and as such, if people need to be outdoors, they are advised to avoid outside areas affected by any smoke and to limit the time that they spend in it. If indoors, to keep doors and windows closed wherever possible.

Any chemicals contained within the smoke may worsen existing health problems so people that have respiratory conditions such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma may notice these effects more than others and should ensure that they have any inhalers or other medication they use with them.

Some of the substances present in smoke in general can irritate the lining of the air passages, the skin and the eyes. Respiratory symptoms can include coughing, wheezing and breathlessness. If symptoms occur, people should seek medical advice or call NHS Direct 0845 4647.

I'm now out of the area on holiday, but you can contact me if there are further issues arising from this if you are being affected by the smoke. Otherwise, contact my ward colleagues David Lyonette on 464693 or Andy Scott of 253707.
Cllr Nick Wallis
Cabinet Member Sustainable Environment and Climate Change
----------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
1. This mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the intended recipient. Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this mail in error please notify the sender at the above address and then delete the mail from your system.
2. Any opinions expressed in this mail are those of the individual and not necessarily those of Darlington Borough Council.
3. Darlington Borough Council's computer systems and communications may be monitored to ensure effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes.
4. This mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus. It is however the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free. No responsibility is accepted by Darlington Borough Council for any loss or damage arising from the receipt of this mail or its contents.
(v2.1)

Off on our jollies!

2010-07-09T06:21:00.002Z

A week break from blogging, and as my BlackBerry is staying firmly locked back here (Sandy's orders) some time off from Darlo stuff too.

Anyone who knows my practical skills will be alarmed to learn I'm skippering a narrowboat from Anderton to Chester and back. What could possibly go wrong?!

Hopefully nothing, but keep an eye on BBC News in case we get involved in a "spectacular"...

Breaking News - Albert Hill Fire

2010-07-08T14:51:00.006Z

A resident has just rung to tell me Albert Hill Skip Hire's facility over the river is ablaze. There have been explosions, and the flames are as high as the buildings. A source at the Echo has confirmed that at this stage, 4 fire engines are attending.

The plant is notorious locally for its dreadful environmental record, as I've blogged before on several occasions.

Today, however, we can only hope that no employees have been hurt, and that the brave fire officers from Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue manage to tackle the blaze unscathed.

More when I get it.

UPDATE

Thanks to Alan for sending me this pic.

UPDATE 5.13PM

Fire was started in a pile of rubble and rubbish, according to the Echo. There are still explosions going off according to local eyewitnesses. There are 50+ spectators on the other side of the river, who the police have tried to disperse with a loudhailer.

UPDATE 6.41PM

The Fire Service has reported that the situation is under control and the fire should be out within the hour, with damping down over the next 3 hours.

The shape of things to come

2010-07-08T09:55:00.002Z

I repeat here the text of an email sent to all Darlington Borough staff by the Chief Executive yesterday;

This financial year

You will remember, you were updated last month about the loss of £1 million of grants. Cabinet will be meeting later this month to consider proposals to reduce the 2010/11 budget. Once proposals are fully developed they will be communicated to you.

Planning ahead for next year

Last month the Government announced its emergency budget and signalled significant reductions to public spending including an indication that grants to Local Government could reduce by 25% over the next four years.

We will not know the exact level of reductions or when they will happen until October this year, however, what is very clear is the level of savings the Council will have to make are far greater than we expected when we set the budget in February this year.

In February, we thought the Council would have to save a further £11 million, the figure now is more likely to be £22 million over the next four years, it is also likely that a major element of the saving will have to be made in the next financial year, therefore, we are starting to develop plans to save £11 million next year.

To put this into context our controllable gross budget is around £107 million, so we face a massive challenge. The approach we planned to transform the Council to become sustainable in the future as set out in the new business model remains, however, the size and speed with which we need to make savings means the emphasis of the approach will need to focus on large savings which will inevitably mean significant reductions to services as well as efficiency savings.

The challenge for the Council will be tough and we will keep you informed on a regular basis.

Making swingeing £1 million cuts in year will be no easy task, and the Council has no room for the usual consultations about budget changes. As you can see from the email, next year looks far more fraught, if the ConDem budget is to be believed. We are entering a period of cuts to public services unprecedented since the 20's, immediately before the Depression took hold. This is an ideological attack which owes more to the far right's desire to reduce the role of the state to a rump, rather than anything to do with the economic situation. The LibDems of course are fellow travellers, and it will it seems put up with anything if they can wangle a voting system which benefits them.

People in Darlington can be assured, however, that whatever the Coalition may throw at us, the Labour Council will make the right decisions to put the needs of residents first, especially those most in need.

A final note - I trust that this all puts into context the reason why the Council simply couldn't agree to consider waving goodbye to £80,000 (plus other benefits) via an unsecured loan to the Forum. No-one doubts the value the Forum adds to the town, and the Council has in different ways done a lot in recent years to help the enterprise. I hope that another way can be found to keep the Forum in business.

Coalition turns its back on Darlington's children

2010-07-05T21:21:00.004Z

I'm not sure anyone was truly surprised by today's announcemnent that the Tories and LibDems are turning their backs on Darlington's schools, and refusing to honour the pledge of the last Labour Government to substantially rebuild Longfield, Branksome and Hurworth Secondary Schools.

There was solid community support behind the schools' bids, and even a cross-party consensus locally. As for the guff that Michael Gove came out with in the Commons to justify the cuts - that some schemes were delayed - in Darlington's case precisely the opposite was true. It was the Council's ability to turn round projects quickly and within budget - as demonstrated with other Building Schools for the Future Schemes - that was a key element in the previous decision to prioritise the Borough's remaining 3 unmodernised schools.

No matter. Gove's speech was always a figleaf for a Coalition that wants to push its own idealogical pet project of Free Schools, despite sound evidence that they just don't work.
The truly ridiculous thing is that the cost of maintaining these crumbling, outdated buildings will probably far outstrip the price of a fresh build over time. But hey, why let logic get in the way of right wing nonsense.

Dragging myself back to blogging

2010-07-05T21:04:00.002Z

I can't remember feeling more less inclined to blog since I started back in 2006. And that's not overwork - though the usual pressures apply which I won't rehearse again.

Instead, I'm profoundly depressed and angry about the emerging political landscape, and the future for all of us. It's not just the duplicity of the Budget, when attacks on the most vulnerable were dressed up as progressive politics - it's the dawning realisation that those of us involved in community politics will be spending the next few years cutting valuable programmes that made a difference to people's lives, and seeing dedicated public employees thrown on the scrapheap of unemployment.

It's not what I came into politics for. Seeing the hope sucked out of communities will be a profoundly dispiriting spectacle. Still, it's important to plough on, to articulate Labour's progressive alternative. I don't believe this Coalition of chancers will survive anything like a 5-year term. We have to hope that their project to gerrymander British politics will ultimately fail, and a better programme - and governing party - will replace it.

Nailing the Coalition Lies

2010-06-25T04:34:00.002Z

I'll be returning to the emerging true nature of Tuesday's Budget shortly - in the meantime I'm indebted to my friends at Liberal Demolition for this timely corrective on the record of the outgoing Labour Government.

Today George Osborne claimed that “having inherited from Labour the largest budget deficit in Europe bar Ireland, the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has been forced to take drastic action”. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23848140-george-osborne-we-had-to-deal-with-the-problem.do

The reality is that as a result of the prudent early decisions of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown we entered the recession with the 2nd lowest level of debt of any of the G7 countries. One of Labour’s key decisions was to use the £20 billion plus windfall from the 3G auction (the mobile phone spectrum) for debt repayments.

The OECD figures for G7 countries for the calendar year 2009 give general government net financial liabilities as a percentage of GDP as:

Japan – 108.3%
Italy – 101.0%
United States – 58.2%
France – 50.6%
Germany – 48.3%
UK – 43.5%
Canada – 28.9%

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/5/51/2483816.xls

The OECD figures for 2010 show that the UK’s general govt net financial liabilities as a percentage of GDP is 53.5. Lower than the Euro zone average of 59.5.

Other EU countries which have higher levels of debt are:

Italy – 104.1%
Greece – 97.8%
Belgium – 83.3%
Portugal – 64.3%
Hungary – 60.1%
France – 57.2%

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/5/51/2483816.xls

Labour put the country on a steady footing to weather the recession. Because of this the budget deficit could have been reduced at a steady pace, without the risk to future growth and without the raid on the most vulnerable in our society. Instead The Coalition has opted to slash public services and hike up taxes in a direct attack on hard working families in this country.

On bombshells

2010-06-22T20:55:00.003Z

Has there been a bigger U-turn than that performed by the LibDems on VAT?

I have to say that my private thinking was that the ConDems wouldn't dare hike VAT precisely because of the above shot from the General Election. Which either goes to show what a lousy political pundit I am, or the extent to which many of us continue to underestimate the LibDems sheer, brazen cheek.

In truth, the LibDems know that VAT, like all sales taxes, is regressive, and hits the poorest hardest. Introducing it in a single slug after Christmas will not only depress sales, but also push up inflation. Elsewhere...

*Child benefit, the universal benefit payout received by all families, will be frozen for three years.

*Tax credits, brought in by the previous government to help working families and people on low incomes, will be cut for households with a combined income of more than £40,000.

*Other changes to family-centred benefits will see the health and pregnancy grant abolished in 2011.

*The Sure Start maternity grant will be restricted to only the first-born child.

As always, my old mate Hopi Sen has done some spot-on reasearch amongst the budget pages - he's found that "the Office for Budgetary Responsibility projects lower growth, higher unemployment and higher inflation as a result of this budget. Yummy. It even states that it expects the output gap to be greater at the end of this It’s pretty rare for a government to come out and say that this is what it’s budget will do."

The real pain is yet to come, however, with the 25% reductions in departmental budgets. Believe me, if the reductions are anything like that in local government, services will be worse than decimated. And here's why:-

Education accounts for 40-45% of local spending. Yet the ConDems have said that education spending will be protected in the Comprehensive Spending Review. So that will leave councils trying to find a net 40-50% savings in the remaining (non-education) budget. And remember, some services rightly have to be protected by law (Social Services and the like). There is the real prospect that local services we have come to value, which are an intrinsic part of our everyday life, will disappear rapidly. Trust me - this isn't scaremongering.

We've always known that Tories have dreamt of hacking away at the State until there was little left. What no-one could have predicted was that it would be the LibDems - the cuddly, inoffensive slightly barking LibDems - who would be complicit in the deal.

Liberal Democrats - be warned. Labour will be coming after you to account for the havoc your Coalition is about to wreak on services that protect the weak and vulnerable. For the decision to allow public services to take the brunt of the pain rather than troubl;e the rich and ask them to shoulder their share of the burden. Whether you're a LibDem MP, a councillor or just a local candidate - expect to see the picture above on election literature time and time again. I hope you have some half-decent answers for the communities your Government is about to attack.

Tackling ASB - Update

2010-06-22T20:30:00.002Z

PACT meetings, which bring the Police, the Council, other partners and of course the community togather, have been a great initiative by Durham Constabulary. We've given their Springfield, Whinfield and Haughton meetings our support as ward councillors. Indeed, I think I'm right in saying that Springfield PACT meetings are amongst the best attended anywhere in the Borough.

The last Springfield PACT agreed that one of its priorities for our local beat team would be dealing with anti-social behaviour problems in Wheeldale Close/Riverside Way, and also Hambleton Grove/Springfield Road. You may recall that we put out an ASB survey in Wheeldale Close/Riverside Way recently, which got a great response.

Residents in Hambleton Grove too have suffered from problems associated with the footpath which runs up to Springfield Road. We organised a site visit there with local householders and Street Scene to see what could be done about the litter and how deterrents to ASB could be developed (prickly bushes and the like).

Rather than leave the issue for three months until the next Springfield PACT, I was delighted that our local Police beat team agreed to join us for a street surgery last Thursday, covering both Hambleton Grove and Wheeldale Close. We got a great response in both streets, with lots of residents wanting to talk to our local beat manager PC Jeff Summerhill and PCSO Liz Harley.

There were some contrasting points made, but that's the nature of community politics. One person's lively behaviour can have a real impact on others' quality of life. After 2 hours of talking and listening, I think that everyone came away with a better understanding of the varying perspectives locally.

To ensure that there were some concrete results, the Police have subsequently met with the Council's ASB team, and put out a joint letter around Wheeldale Close tonight. The police are also looking at a restorative approach with young people, and how to get communication going with them too.

Tackling anti-social behaviour in our communities is never as easy as grabbing some easy headlines in the local paper - it's about the hard slog of listening to local people to identify exactly what the difficulties are, and then forging the relationships to deal with the issues collaboratively. I remain hugely impressed by the constructive attitude taken by Darlington Police across Haughton.

Sauce for the Gander

2010-06-22T10:49:00.000Z

Budget Day today. And we have been promised austerity measures amidst the rumblings of doom by our new ConDem Coalition Government.

Specifically last night (via Radio 4) I learnt that Council Tax was going to be frozen. And this morning peeple who earn less than £10,000 are going to be taken out of the tax system altogether. Sometime.

I mention this because before Labour budgets, the Tories and LibDems useed to get very aerated that announcements, especially Budget measures, were being leaked to the press, rather than being heard by the House of Commons first. Tory MP's in particular would pronounce sonorously at the drop of a hat about this outrage to the "Mother of Parliaments". And now that ConDem bums are on seats, they comport themselves in exactly the same way. I had to smile.

The furious leaking, which is of course all about the management of expectations, was doubly ironic becuase the ConDems had used exactly this excuse to scupper an EU plan whereby Governments would have shared budget plans in advance of their public announcement. That seemed an entirely sensible bit of 'peer review' to me, which might have benefitted good decision-making around the Union. The Tories, who cannot agree to anything that comes out of the EU without major therapy, however, soon put a stop to the scheme.

Elsewhere, I thought there were more straws in the wind with the announcement yesterday that key NHS targets were being abandoned by the ConDems. No longer will patients have the right to be seen by a GP in 2 days, or in A&E within 4 hours.

So what's that all about. An infusion of localism, as the Tory Minister responsible was trying to make out? Or dropping key targets that will soon become undeliverable as the NHS is squeezed? I'll let you decide. Frankly, I don't know how LibDem MP's in particular can look themnselves in the mirror at the moment. As Andy Burnham correctly observed, it takes power away from patients, and hands it back to the administrators who think they know best.

This still feels like a period of "phoney war" which will begin to come to an end this afternoon with the Budget, and then will be exploded with the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review in the Autumn. That's when Tory aspirations to slash the work of the public sector will be realised, under the pretext of defecit reduction. Believe me, it will a very miserable period indeed.

Gove snubs Darlington's BSF Delegation

2010-06-14T12:10:00.004Z

For those of us who love consensus (and that includes most members of the public) Darlington's political parties have shown admirable restraint by agreeing to work together on the Borough's Building Schools for the Future bid.

Cllrs. Williams, Scott and Swainston, for Labour, the Tories and LibDems respectively, requested a meeting with the Minsiter to press Darlington's case for the much-needed investment.

The stakes are high - £42 million high, to be precise, the cost of remodelling the outdated Branksome, Hurworth and Longfield schools.

The first fruit of the spirit of co-operation has received a dusty answer from the Coalition, however. Michael Gove, the Secretary of State, has said that he is just too busy to bother himself with this at the moment. Well, ok, what a civil servant wrote was "unfortunately, owing to pressures on his diary, the Secretary of State is unable to meet with you at present." But you get the idea.

It's a shame, because it's good to see the local political establishment, in the shape of the 3 parties, together with schools, parents and pupils working together to a shared objective.

Elsewhere, more evidence has emerged of the Coalition's antipathy to the North East in the recently announced cuts to education spending. ANEC (the Asssociation of North East Councils) states that the Department for Education’s grant reduction to local government is to be taken from the Area Based Grant (ABG) in 2010/11, which amounts to £311 million.

The proposed cut to the ABG by a standard percentage of 24% will amount to a reduction of £19.982 million in the North East, which equates to £39.14 per child, compared with an England average of £28.92 per child - a reduction of over £10 per child more and an extra £5.2 million across the region.

Reacting to the announcement Cllr Paul Watson, Chair of the Association of North East Councils, said: “Such reductions and disparities in funding appear to run counter to the Coalition Government’s commitment to fairness, the need to address and eradicate child poverty across the country and measures aimed at reducing regional disparities. We are, therefore, concerned that the level of in-year reductions being proposed will place an even greater burden on children in areas facing higher levels of deprivation.

“We all recognise the need for the Government to make efficiency savings in the national interest and are willing to work in partnership with Government to achieve these. What we must avoid, however, is spending reductions having a disproportionate impact on this area of the country. All councils in the North East will have difficulties in achieving the level of in-year reductions we now face, which will have a significant impact on service delivery."

Indeed. The Northern Echo's headline about Cameron targetting the North East for 'special treatment' before the election is now looking particularly prescient.

Building Darlington's Future

2010-06-12T16:33:00.004Z

Facebook is assuming an increasingly important role in community politics. Now a great new site has been created, spearheaded by our local MPs Jenny Chapman and Phil Wilson, pushing for the rebuilding of Branksome, Hurworth and Longfield Schools to be honoured by the Coalition Government.

There's also a petition too - if thousands sign, maybe that will help shift opinion down at Westminster.

It Starts

2010-06-10T20:55:00.004Z

Remember the LibDem statements before the election that an early slashing of public expenditure might hurt the recovery?

Hollow promises, and local authorities, with Fire and Rescue and Police Authorities, are now digesting the first of what I guess will be several raids on community services.

There will be £1.2 billion of cuts to local government this year alone.

In Darlington, £2.5 million is being stripped from the local authority. This amounts to the following;

Education: £756,000
Supporting People: £114,000
Road safety £43,000
Home office £16,000
Total £929,000

In addition, the Council, together with its partners in health, the emergency services and the voluntary sector, had been awarded £1,800,000 by the last Government for good performance - this money would have been invested in further service improvement. That has been cancelled by the Coalition.

The people of Darlington are also losing £380,000 in transport capital cash.

The cuts aren't ring-fenced - in other words savings could be made in other areas to make up for the shortfalls in cash - but the priorities of the Coalition are clear. Education, roads and services for vulnerable adults are all under attack.

There is an urgent need for social housing across the country - the Housing budget nationally is losing £146 million. It's not yet clear what the effect here in Darlington will be.

It's too early to say what the impact on services here in Darlington will be, and the Council and partners will have to crunch through the figures.

I haven't been blogging regularly for a couple of weeks, and for the most part have been sitting open-mouthed at the brazen affrontery of some of the statements coming out of the new Government. For all their posturing, this is most certainly going to be the most cycnical and value-free Government this country has experienced since the mid-Victorian era.

Making hurried cuts mid-year is always hard - the absence of detailed planning means that these cuts can bite hardest. Residents can be sure that whatever the LibDem/Tory coalition may decree from Westminster, Labour locally will do everything it can to protect the services residents value most.

The Prerogative of the Harlot

2010-05-29T19:37:00.003Z

I have to say I'm not surprised to learn of David Laws' resignation this evening - though emphatically I'm not celebrating. As soon as David Cameron pledged higher standards for MP's in the Coalition, the die was cast for anyone who fell short. The unfortunate truth for Mr Laws is that his transgression would have cost him a Cabinet job in the last Government, so it certainly did for him now.

The whole episode raises some important questions about the press in Britain today. In the last few weeks we've has the News of the Screws 'Fake Sheikh' doing over poor Fergie, and immediately after the election the Mail on Sunday holed England's World Cup bid below the waterline with its sting on Lord Triesman.

Now the Daily Telepgraph, bastion of the old Right in the Tory Party, has nailed its colours to the mast by finishing the career of easily the most talented LibDem to sit in Cameron's cabinet. Anyone who thinks this was purely an act of investigative journalism needs to take a reality check. The Telegraph has been trawling round MP's expenses for over a year now. It beggars belief that this information has only come to them now. Instead, they've waited until Laws was nicely esconced into his role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury before running a story that has done a lot of damage to the Government's short-term credibility. If I were a Parliamentary LibDem right now, especially in Government, with a secret I'd rather not let my constituents (or family) know about, I'd be getting worried.

What should the response of the public be to this thoroughly unpleasant development in our jornalism. Over on his blog, Pete Barron addresses the issue via Newcastle United's response to the Triesman debacle. Newcastle have banned the Mail stable from its matches. Pete says he has doubts about the wisdom of the Mail's story, but thinks Newcastle's action is folly. he compares it with George Reynolds barring the Echo from Darlington's games in the past.

This is a fraught issue. Of course meglomaniacs like Reynolds had to be challenged when they responded to even minor criticism in that way. But the Mail On Sunday wilfully destroyed the career of a decent public servant and did untold damage to England's bid on the basis of a private conversation that was never meant to be repeated.

Politicians, of course are in a no-win situation when it comes to the operation of the press, and the national print media knows it. Quite rightly, the British public would react violently against anything which smacks of muzzling the press. Even the relatively-moderate idea of a statutory Press Commission, with real teeth to punish transgressions, has never got off the ground.

So the question back to Pete has to be - if you are aggrieved by a partisan or destructive piece of journalism in a particular paper, how should you respond? I don't know how many Liberal Democrats buy the Daily Telegraph, (not many, I guess) but my sense from the comment thread on Conservative Home tonight is that quite a few moderate Tories will be considering whether to renew their subscriptions.

In the 1980's, when it was at the height of its baying right wing ascendancy, the Sun ran a notorious piece blaming Liverpool fans for the tragedy at Hillsborough. The city of Liverpool responded, almost to a man and a woman, by boycotting the paper. It was a supreme act of collective action. Ever since, the Sun has trodden on eggshells when the issue has been raised.

It seems that in today's journalism, the one language proprietors understand isn't right or reason, but the bottom line. If Newcastle United feel strongly enough to start a commercial war with the Mail stable, then good on them I say. They (and we) have precious few other ways to let our disgust be known.

Gobsmacked

2010-05-16T17:23:00.003Z

Unfortunately, I had to give my apologies for Council last Thursday. It was doubly unfortunate, however, as according to my blogging colleague Gill Cartwright, I missed

"the group hug between us [and] the Lib Dems before we went into the chamber and rumours of joint group meetings!"

From her experience of the NHS, Gill can't see what the problem is with the ConDem tie up at national and presumably now at local level. Maybe I'm showing my naievity here, but I'm staggered that the 2 parties here are contemplating a formal arrangement in advance of the next local elections.

Particularly for the LibDems, closing off options by formalising a relationship with the Tories at this early stage seems very brave. Mike Barker has spent a deal of time and effort establishing his party as a distinctive third voice in local politics. He will appreciate what his smaller party has to lose from being irrecoverably linked with the town's right wing group.

I guess local LibDem and Tory parties will respond differently to the coalition around the country - it seems here in Darlington they may effectively work as a single entity. Quite how the electorate respond is anyone's guess.

Radio Silence

2010-05-15T20:05:00.007Z

Well, it's been over a week now since the election, and three days since Dave n' Nick's gooey tryst in the Downing Street garden.

With their parties now finally wielding power after 13 long years in the wilderness (65 in the case of the LibDems) you might have thought that their various representatives here in Darlington would be fizzing with excitement about the new Government.

Alas, not. I guess we can forgive Mike Barker, who must be recovering from the strains of the campaign (as well as the jaw-dropping deal his party has done with the Tories). And Mike has found time to make some ultra-loyal comments on one comment thread here about his party selling-out its principles for a few Cabinet seats. Nothing yet on the Darlington LibDem website, though.

Meanwhile, the 'Feedback' section of the Darlington Future website is if anything going into reverse, having deleted the most recent (pre-polling day) entry. I see that Edward's own site has used my election night Facebook clip of the declaration (which is absolutely fine, by the way) and a nice brief goodbye note from the man himself.

From the silence, you might have thought that Darlington's Tories and LibDems were embarrassed and/or confused about what to say or think about their new chums in Government. They might want to turm their minds to what on earth they are going to say to local voters next time they meet.

Big Trouble in Littlebeck Drive

2010-05-14T18:04:00.004Z

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman interview after door-knocking in Hau

Cllr. Nick Wallis | MySpace Video

We had our first door-knocking and street surgery sessions today since the General Election.

It was great that our new Labour MP Jenny Chapman was able to join us as we chatted to residents in Inglewood Close and Martindale Road. We targetted these streets (together with Littlebeck Drive) after receiving fresh complaints about the operation of the waste disposal facility in the factory opposite Rockwell Pastures on Albert Hill. Resident after resident told us about the factory operating outside the permitted times, and about the wood dust it spews into the atmosphere. Understandably, residents who have children with lung complaints were particularly anxious.

As I write this, a series of emails are on their way to officers in the Environmental Health and Planning Enforcement teams. Jenny's on the case too, and we'll all be looking for speedy action to deal with this rogue operator.

Regional Roundup

2010-05-11T21:02:00.003Z

With David Cameron now having been photographed smirking on the steps of Downing Street, that finally brings to an end the post-election horsetrading. Before the moment completely passes by, time just to reflect on the election results here in the North East.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that I am a huge fan of Dari Taylor, the defeated MP for Stockton South. She was and is a genuine grassroots campaigner, who was an inspiration to ordinary members of the party like me. Ashcroft money, the national swing and some backwash from Corus did for her on Thuirsday, however - the people of Stockton have lost someone special. She can be proud of her record as an MP, however.

The shock of the evening was in Redcar, where Vera Baird lost her seat to a LibDem. They had been swarming all over the constituency for a while, notching up several local by-election wins, but in the end it was Corus that cost her the seat - desperately unfairly, given that together with Dari and the late Ashok Kumar, Vera worked tirelessly to try and save the works and the thousands of jobs that went with them. We were in office, however, and the easiest thing for residents to do was give Labour a kicking.

Senior LibDems in the region must have breathed a sigh of relief at the Redcar result, because it distracted attention away from a miserable night for them elsewhere. Roberta Blackman-Woods' victory in Durham defied many of the pundits, and owed everything to good old-fashioned street campaigning. The LibDems were incredibly confident about taking Durham City - hence Clegg's photocall there before polling. Given the very negative, personal campaign the LibDems in Durham ran against Roberta, I doubt whether victory tasted sweeter anywhere else in the country.

It was a similar story on Tyneside, where Labour more than held on. Those of you who saw the second Northern Decision Makers will recall that my fellow "legend", LibDem Durham County councillor David Stoker "called" Newcastle North for his party a whole 2 weeks before votes were actually cast, such was his confidence that the LibDems had it in the bag. In Tynemouth, Alan Campbell comfortably saw off the Tories in a seat that was Cameron's number one North East target. Revenge for the untimely defeat of our excellent Mayoral candidate John Harrison in North Tyneside last year.

A word too about the local council results - polling for these was held on the same day in Tyne and Wear and Hartlepool. Labour made impressive gains against the LibDems in Newcastle and against the Tories in North Tyneside. Coupled with the parliamentary results in Newcastle, Blaydon and Durham City, there is a real sense that Labour has begun to learn how to match and turn around LibDem campaigning tactics, at least in those areas.

For a while, the momentum seemed to be with the LibDems in places like Durham, Newcastle and Gateshead. Labour was licking its wounds. Coming to terms with local election losses is never easy - I always liken it to the bereavement process. Denial, anger, depression all can set in. Without getting all social work-y on you, there's no guarantee that you move seamlessly from one stage to another before finally reaching acceptance. The process can take months or years.

I mention this because I get the sense now that Labour across Tyneside and in Durham has now dealt with its setbacks, and is ready and willing to take the fight back to the LibDems. Results like those of Roberta were just the inspiration Labour needed. It might be an uncomfortable few years for North East LibDems now they've shacked up with Cameron's Tories.

Levers of Power

2010-05-10T18:05:00.002Z

So farewell, then, Gordon. In truth, you were a brilliant Chancellor but an ill-starred PM. Your double act with Tony Blair defined the political landscape from the mid-90's, and left the opposition struggling to catch up. But whereas Tony was always sprinkled with a bit of stardust, your feet were firmly on the floor.

I've always thought that Gordon's greatest crime was not to be a media player - he never came to terms with the limelight that 24/7 news politics now seems to entail. The simplest devices we councillors use to communicate with residents seemed sometimes to escape him. His mix of high principles and a driven personality were better suited to the politics of the 1840's rather than the early 21st century. He is a good man, too good perhaps for the TV age.

Matters seem very finely balanced tonight, after Gordon fell on his sword in the interests of his party and his country. On one level, it's cliffhanging stuff, reminiscent of an episode of the West Wing. The Tories are very publicly wooing Nick Clegg and the LibDems with the offer of a referendum on the AV voting system. Some in my party are saying we should let them get on with it, and what Labour needs is a spell in opposition. I think they're crackers. So, presumably does Gordon, which is why he brought forward his resignation announcement to today.

In truth, whilst there is a chance that Labour can retain power with the LibDems and the Nats, we should take it with open arms. There is too much at stake. It was on that basis that we fought the election - that the Tories would not only imperil the economy, but inexorably turn the clock back, robbing some of the most vulnerable in our society of hard-won gains. Opposition is impotence. However imperfect a coalition would be - and believe me, the idea of cosying up to Alex Salmond fills me with dread - it would be 100 times more preferable to watching the Tories unravel the reforms we have spent 13 years bringing about.

Do I think a grand coalition is possible? Yes I do. Is it likely? Probably not. Nick Clegg is from the economic liberal wing of his party, and instinctively would want to deal with Cameron rather than Labour and a coalition of the left. Still, scroll forward 48 hours, imagine George Osbourne rather than Alistair Darling loose in the Treasury, and appreciate what's at stake.

All shall have prizes

2010-05-07T20:43:00.004Z

I've managed to grab a few hours sleep. It's been a remarkable 24 hours, with the ramifications of the poll result country-wide still being played out in Westminster. But what about here in Darlington? As Chris Lloyd notes on his excellent Echo blog, all three candidates from the major parties seemed positive after the result last night. And here's why.

Labour

There were some grim predictions from colleagues about the size of Jenny's likely majority - I had a £1 on 2,780 in Tom Nutt's sweepstake, and wasn't a million miles away.

10 days ago, I was even gloomier (though I always tend to see "the glass half-full" at election time), but in the last few days there were tangible signs of the Labour vote firming up appreciably. In football-speak, a win's a win, but in this election, with a new candidate and a very difficult national backdrop, a majority of over 3,000 is a good result in what has always been a marginal seat.

Moreover, Jenny was an extremely strong campaigner, and I was genuinely surprised just how many people she had helped who I came across in my own patch, given her relative youth and short time on the Council. It made campaigning for Labour so much easier - for all the sneering from some opposition circles that Labour overplayed the "local" nature of our candidate, in fact it really did make a difference on the doorstep.

Finally, we can be confident that Jenny's impressive start will continue as she gets to work, which will help continue to re-energise Labour in the town. It was a very happy post-count party afterwards for Labour supporters.

Tories

I spent quite a bit of the last couple of years mocking the Tories and their candidate on this blog for the torpor of their campaign. And in truth they squandered the advantage they had with a candidate in the field, especially in the hiatus for Labour after Alan Milburn stood down. I also wonder whether had they not selected so early (for example after rather than before the expenses scandal broke) they might have looked harder for someone local to contest the seat. Up against 2 councillors with impeccable Darlington credentials, Edward was always at a disadvantage and that told on the doorstep.

There was ample evidence in the last few weeks, however, that the Conservatives and their candidate Edward Legard got into their stride. Edward is to be commended for finally pushing the local Tories out of their West End "comfort zone" and into Labour's territory, perhaps for the first time in 15 years. From what I hear, they were pleasantly surprised by the reception they received.

Until February, I wondered whether any Tory constituency organisation would look at Edward again, given the hopelessly complacent nature of the Tory effort to date. Having seen him now at the Darlington Churches Debate and after the Declaration, I think he's grwon appreciably as an aspiring politician. Whether he sticks around to fight Darlington again (as Tory activists were speculating afterwards) remains to be seen - somehow I doubt it.

LibDems

Mike Barker fought a typically feisty, insurrectionist campaign which played to his and his party's strengths. The LibDem vote wasn't squeezed as happened elsewhere in the North East, despite the clear evidence that Darlington is returning to its traditional role as a key Labour/Tory marginal. He is easily the most impressive thinker and campaigner in the local LibDem ranks - without him they'd return to being an irrelevance hereabouts.

It was a shame then that Mike spoilt the positive aura he'd built-up (in my opinion anyway) by bunking off to Durham City on polling day. For me, if you tell voters that your party has a real chance of victory, and that voting LibDem is not a "wasted vote", you have to spend the rest of the campaign behaving if that's true, even if the majority of your local supporters (understandably) are ordered away to the likes of Durham City. I thought Mike let down those people who believed him and did vote LibDem on the day. If they'd been aware that in fact the LibDems knew they never had a prayer here (as I and others pointed out) the LibDem vote would have been far smaller.

BNP

A brief mention for the BNP, if only because they were completely marginalised here. Unlike the European elections, almost nobody mentioned them on the doorstep to me - I don't think I saw a single BNP activist at the count for the first time ever. After the catastrophic result in Barking for Griffin (where they also lost all 15 of their council seats too - a great result), and beset by factional strife, they are truly on the way out. Fantastic news about the ugliest party of my generation.

UPDATE

Mike has come on to comment that he was only in Durham for the last couple of hours of polling day apparently. I'm happy to clear that one up.

Darlington 2010 - the Declaration

2010-05-07T17:14:00.003Z

I'll be blogging on some thoughts on the campaign, here in Darlington and more woidely around the region, presently.

01.00

2010-05-07T00:00:00.001Z

Labour 16,000
Tories 13,000
Libdems 10,000

(Approx)

Jenny Chapman is elected!

12.30

2010-05-06T23:35:00.001Z

Parties' sources suggest that voting between Labour and the Tories looks much closer now. Declaration in 15 minutes.

23.50

2010-05-06T22:44:00.002Z

Provisional turnout figure 63% - I have to say that's lower than I expected.

23.45

2010-05-06T22:42:00.001Z

About 60 DBC staff are busy counting the votes around the sports hall in the Dolphin Centre. Its been announced that turnout for postal voters was 86.7%.

Several sources from different parties have been speculating that the Tories and LibDems are neck and neck for second place - still very early days.

Tick Tock

2010-05-06T20:29:00.002Z

Half-an-hour til polls close, my friends - so if you have just come in from work, please do go and vote.

I've spent the day taking numbers and chatting to residents on the polling station at St Bede's Primary School in my ward, when I haven't been out knocking on doors reminding people to vote for Jenny.

My overriding impression from the day has been - it's been bloody cold!. Still it was great 'knocking out' the vote, especially when Jenny joined us this afternoon.

It's almost suicidally dangerous making predictions this close to the count, but my strong sense is that Labour's vote firmed up appreciably in the last few days before polling, and that Jenny should be our new MP.

I'm off to the count now though, and will be blogging from there (within the Electoral Registration Officer's guidelines, of course) so do stay tuned for early impressions of what the various parties are saying.

I'll be taking my Flip video with me, and hope to have some exclusive film from proceedings which I'll put up tomorrow.

Wise words from Bill

2010-05-05T21:11:00.000Z

A good start

2010-05-05T06:26:00.003Z

David, Andy and I gave our sore feet a rest last night and went along to the Springfield PACT meeting.

It was probably the best meeting to date - I counted around 35 residents there. The meeting was dominated by talk about anti-social behaviour in various locations, including Hambleton Grove/Springfield Road, which I'll blog on specifically later. The police reported on some success they've had with their motorbike team visiting the area. Speeding remains an issue, and residents were encouraged to take part in the initiative. There will be Community Speed Watch session on Wylam Avenue and Thompson Street East this Friday.

I guess a few people came along too for the first meeting of the reformed Springfield STAR, which followed the PACT. There was a lot of enthusiasm amongst people who remembered how the previous residents' association had worked to get it going again, and a number of local residents signed up to help with the enterprise.

We're solidly behind the STAR, and will give it our full support. More news here as it happens.

PACT Meeting tomorrow

2010-05-03T20:15:00.003Z

In the midst of the General Election campaign, usual ward business continues as normal.

Tomorrow evening at 6pm, the lastest Springfield PACT is being held. The venue is the new Salvation Army building on Thompson Street East. Again, it's a chance for the police to report back on the local priorities set by residents at the last meeting - they include anti-social behaviour, illegal motorbike riding and speeding at various locations around Springfield.

If you have an issue that you want raised, please do come along. Alternatively, email me and I will ensure that the matter is considered at the meeting.

After the PACT has concluded, there will be the first meeting of the reconvened Springfield STAR. This was the residents' and tenants association which lost momentum several years ago. Now Executive Committee member Alan Robinson, together with several other local residents, is keen to get it going again. It would be great to have an active residents' association in the southern part of the ward again.

So if you live in Springfield and want to have your say, please do come along tomorrow evening.

Northern Decision Makers - Live!

2010-04-30T14:46:00.006Z

Yup, we're going live at 4pm. You can see Graham, David and myself, all ably chaired by Chris Lloyd from the Northern Echo in our final Northern Decision Makers of the campaign. And I promise not to cry... here.

Darlington Churches Debate

2010-04-29T22:45:00.004Z

Although they have been hawking their wares before some exotic audiences before now (most recently local estate agents) tonight was potentially the defining moment for Darlington's 3 hopeful PPCs (together with UKIP representative Charlotte Bull) at the traditional Churches Debate.

I estimate over 200 people packed themselves into the school hall at Polam to listen to Jenny, Mike, Edward and Charlotte. This is the first election since the 1983 by-election when none of the main parties are fielding a sitting candidate, so the stakes are high. The debate ran for 2 hours. For me, these were the highlights;

Edward responding to a question about what he would do for young people by responding he would make voting compulsory for the under-25's. Not a policy to rouse the nation's teenagers out of bed anytime before lunch.

Mindful of Gordon's predicament, Jenny cracking a joke about not wanting to be wired up after problems with the sound system.

Edward accusing Jenny of going on "frolics" not mentioned in Labour's manifesto, before setting out on a jaunt of his own by suggesting he supported the re-regulation of the bus industry.

Mike engaged in a tortuous form of words when responding to a question about future VAT rises - faced with the awful possibility that might actually be part of the next Government, LibDems are finally having to give responsible answers to sensible questions!

All the candidates pledging they would spend 100% of their time on working for the constituency. (I think this got the biggest cheer of the night).

On balance, I was impressed by all the candidates. Edward was a bit too sure of himself, and heavy-handed on the politics (he rather misjudged the auduence in this respect, I thought). Mike and Jenny scored heavily in their contrasting styles, whilst Charlotte probably helped explode the stereotype some of us have of UKIP members being a bunch of gin-swilling golf club bores.

Needless to say, I felt that Jenny gave the best all-round performance, but there was something to cheer for the supporters of each of the main parties. Roll on May 6th!

Straws in the Wind

2010-04-27T22:33:00.003Z

I can't remember any election in the last 20 years in which first-time voters may play such a pivotal role as 2010.

They're a key demographic for all the main parties - so the outcome of today's mock election at our QE 6th Form takes on particular significance. It has been reported to me that the results were as follows;

Labour: 61 votes (52%)
LibDems: 30 votes (30%)
Tories: 20 votes (18%)

That suggests that Jenny Chapman has a clear lead amongst younger voters, with the LibDems easily outstripping the Tories. Interesting times!

Northern Decision Makers - Election Special 2

2010-04-23T19:39:00.004Z

The latest Decision Makers, featuring Graham Robb for the Tories, David Stoker for the LibDems and myself for Labour has been recorded and is ready to view now. You can see the programme here.

Ably compered (referee'd?) by Chris Lloyd the Assistant Editor at the Northen Echo, there's some good knockabout. Remarkably, LibDem David Stoker is confident enough to 'call' Newcastle North for his party before a ballot has even been cast!

Although I engaged in a bit of gallows humour at the end of the programme, we had our best night canvassing this evening on Kingsway in my ward. Loads of positive responses for Labour. That's how I like it!

Vote Yellow...

2010-04-21T07:53:00.004Z

Around Darlington, the Liberal Democrats are busy telling disillusioned supporters of both the main parties that it's safe to "lend" them their vote. My blogging colleague Mike Barker boldly states (in response to what was originally a national Tory line) that if you vote yellow, you get yellow. But is that really true?

The results of the last election here in Darlington were as follows;

Labour: 52.3%
Tories: 26.1%
LibDem: 18.5%
Others: 3.1%

So the LibDems, whilst improving on their 2001 performance, still trailed in a poor third.

For Mike to overturn Labour's majority requires an 18% swing from Labour to the Liberal Deomcrats - that would put both parties on or around the 34/35%. But the further Labour's vote is driven down, the closer the Tories get to the winning post too.

Enormous swings do occasionally happen in constituencies at General Election time - usually because of local factors. Nationally, the polls are only showing something like an 8.5% swing from Labour to the LibDems. So even if things are slightly better for the Liberal Democrats here in Darlington, (and I'm not sure they are) they are going to fall well short of the votes needed to pass the winning post - but they will drag Labour's vote down to a level where the Tories are within striking range.

One thing is clear from the doorstep - Labour waverers may be flirting with the Lib Dems (or not voting at all) but one thing they definitely do not want to see is a Tory MP or (God forbid) a Tory Government. So the question I'm asking them (very nicely, of course) is, "Are you feeling lucky?" Plenty take a look over the precipice, shudder, and tell me they'll be voting Labour on May 6th.

The Dad's Army Gambit

2010-04-19T21:52:00.005Z

I spent Monday evening walking and chatting round the ward - this time in the Hercules Street area. David and I bumped into a couple of LibDems canvassing too - I'm sure Mike will report on his blog that the people of Springfield were thronging to the LibDem banner...

In truth, unless you are stuck up a pole in the middle of the desert, things aren't easy for politicians of any stripe right now - the mood seems not to have shifted one iota from the visceral anger that erupted during the European elections over MPs' expenses. Then there was a general recognition that politicians from all the Westminster parties were implicated to a greater or lesser extent, and that is still the case today. Many times residents vented their anger with me about fairness - whether about MPs or benefit seekers or other groups. "You're all the same" goes the refrain. Still, I'm not reaching for my tumbler of whisky and pearl-handled revolver just yet.

How to respond to the astonishing rise in popularity of the LibDems is taxing both the main parties right now. To some extent, the question is most acute for the Tories and David Cameron - having seen his 20 point plus lead squandered, Cameron must be coming under intense pressure from the hard right of his party who would dearly love a "bash the immigrants/welfare scroungers" agenda to shore up his core vote. Cameron is not a complete fool however - he must kmow that tacking off in that direction, even given the current mood, would be a suicidal move. Even beating the old familiar drum of anti-Europeanism carries huge risks - it is the LibDems after all who want at some stage to have an "in or out" referendum (a policy I think isn't completely daft, but which does carry huge risks with the national interest) which would appeal to some Tory/UKIP floaters.

Labour is presented with some different problems. Labour and the LibDems have a fraught but complex relationship, as the recent brilliant post by Hopi Sen sets out. To suggest however, that Labour strategists are relaxed about the current state of the polls, in which Labour are running third, can't be right - and if it is, those strategists should be quietly taken out of the room and shot. Polling around Michael Foot's level of popularity back in 1983 is hardly planning for success.

Over on his blog, Mike has suggested that Labour in Darlington are panicking - nonsense of course, but as I shall blog shortly, there is real truth in the "Vote Yellow Get Blue" line here in Darlington. Instead, rather than "Don't Panic", another refrain from Dad's Army might be more apposite - if there's one thing we've come to learn about the LibDems over the years, it's that "they don't like it up'em!" Willing to tell half-truths and campaign negatively to their hearts content in contests around the country (and I exempt Mike from this, by the way), they are notoriously thin-skinned when attacked themselves.

The Tory-supporting press have already got to work on this, pointing out LibDem crackers policies on crime and justice, and drugs reform for example. Lord Mandelson is busy pointing out that Nick Clegg wants to restrict Working Families Tax Credit - a line which brought 2 Labour supporters back into the fold on Monday night in discussion with me.

My personal favourite, which I don't think has attracted a great deal of attention to date, is the LibDem policy that children as young as 16 should be able to not only enter sex shops and buy hardcore porn, but be able to take part in hardcore porn themselves. Don't believe me? - have a look at the article from the Independent here. I needn't tell you that pornographers (and worse) would be queuing up to take advantage of that change and exploit potentially vulnerable young people.

So here's a challenge to Mike - I'd be happy to go onto the High Row with him and talk to 10 voters currently uindecided about whether to vote LibDem or not, and see how they feel about the LibDems after learning about that little gem. How about it, Mike?

Survey Results

2010-04-18T21:34:00.002Z

Tied up with the election, I didn't manage to blog on the results of our survey on anti-social behaviour in Riverside Way and Wheeldale Close in the ward.

It would appear that anti-social behaviour is a problem experienced by a number of residents in the area, although positively, more householders told us that this was not the case for them – especially at the upper and lower ends of Riverside Way. 13 households told us they had contacted the police or the council, and again it is good to report that their experiences were broadly positive. At the same time, there was a strong feeling that police patrols in the area should be stepped up.

The survey was triggered by the problem caused by the snickets that exist around Wheeldale Close and Riverside Way, reported at the last Springfield PACT meeting. There was support for their closure by a majority of over 3 to 1, although strong opinions were also voiced against their removal.

The other principle problems described by residents were in respect of illegal motor and quad bikes on the open space by the Skerne, and road safety concerns.

We have passed the results of the survey to the police, the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour team and the Planning Department and asked for their comments. We have also reported the other issues to the relevant council officers, and asked for action.

When we have the feedback, we will be writing to the residents again with the outcome. Quadbikes and illegal motorcyclists come up again and again around the ward as issues of concern.

Northern Decision Makers

2010-04-16T20:08:00.004Z

Not sure what to think about the Leaders' Debate last night? Perplexed as to who's up and who's down as General Election campaigning hots up? Then simply sit back and enjoy the revived Northern Decision Makers as Graham Robb (for the Tories) myself for Labour and LibDem Cllr. David Stoker from Durham County Council chew the fat, all ably compered by Chris Lloyd from the Northern Echo. You can see the programme in full here.

(The bit where Graham and David tear into each other probably presages the Cameron/Clegg spat to come in the next Leader's Debate.)

Neighbourhood Watch Audit - the Results

2010-04-13T07:16:00.003Z

In our last Haughton West Community News, we wrote about an audit of Neighbourhood Watch across the ward, and we asked the local police for their help. Neighbourhood Watch is one of the best front-line defences we have against crime, and it helps everyone feel that bit safer. It’s a great way for all of us to look out for our neighbours, especially those who might be vulnerable.

We now have the results – many thanks to Vicky Ord at Darlington Police for her assistance.

There are 23 members of Neighbourhood Watch across the ward (to put that in context, there are about 4,200 adults and 2,500 properties in Haughton West). Not a great figure, but by no means the worst apparently in the town.

Rather than list all the streets which don’t have a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator, it is quicker and easier to list those that have. So here they are;

Balmoral Road, Cairngorm Drive, Beauly Drive, Cragwellside, Danby Court, Glamis Road (has 2!), Hardwick Close, Hercules Street, Hutton Avenue, Idaho Close, Inglewood Close, Largo Gardens, Leven Gardens, Littlebeck Drive, Mendip Grove, Moray Close, Nightingale Avenue, Rockwell Avenue & Sparrow Hall Drive.

By our reckoning, that means that around 57 streets in the ward have no active Neighbourhood Watch presence.

We’d encourage everyone to think about joining up to the scheme – or re-joining, if you once were a member and for whatever reason have drifted away. It is not time-consuming, and is one small way we can all do something for our community as well as ourselves.

As you may have seen in the Echo last month, Francis Jones, the self-styled community protector who runs the for-profit Sparta set-up, had the front to describe his two-bit organisation as the Neighbourhood Watch for the 21st Century. I beg to differ - I think people are still community minded enought to look out for each other - Neighbourhood Watch is more relevant than ever, and we don't need Jones' Keystone Cops outfit in our streets.

If you are interested in joining up to Neighbourhood Watch, simply contact Vicky Ord, the Community Liaison Officer for the Police, who is based at the Central House Annex in Gladstone Street. Her direct line number is 346832, mobile 0781 3675733. Vicky can also be contacted by email – her address is victoria.ord@durham.pnn.police.uk

If you do sign up and you live in Haughton West, please let me know, so we can promote progress via our newsletters. We will be reminding everyone about Neighbourhood Watch when we circulate our Street Surgery Notices in future.

NEWSFLASH - after circulating a version of the above post in our Haughton West e-newslketter, one resident has already come foreward to give his name as a co-ordinator. Let's see if we can't get 9 more people signed up by the end of the summer!

Palybuilders - Have Your Say

2010-04-13T07:12:00.002Z

In our recent newsletters, we’ve been keeping local residents informed about the Playbuilders scheme – a pot of money secured by the Council to substantially upgrade play facilities in the Borough. We argued that Springfield Park deserved to share in the cash, and were delighted when the Council accepted our arguments. David, Andy and I have also been arguing for years that a new play area was necessary south of Whinfield Road, and again this has been agreed by the Council.

Consultation is being led by the Groundwork organisation – they have already begun by knocking on doors of properties overlooking the playing field in Whinfield Park. The response from local residents was very positive - no one was against the play area, and families came to the door with their children because they all wanted to have their say.

There were some comments about anti-social behaviour issues but most of the parents were saying why should they let the older ones ruin it for their children? We completely agree.

Groundwork are now holding a free play and consultation sessions during the Easter holidays to give children, young people and adults the chance to speak with them. If you live in the area, why not get along and let them know how you would like to see money made available for play provision in our community. We've put out 600 letters around the ward promoting the work.

The sessions will take place today, Tuesday 13th April 2010 between 11am and 2.30pm on Springfield Playing Field, and on Thursday 15th April 2010 between 11am and 2.30pm on on Rockwell Nature Reserve (by the river) – it would be great to see you there.

Firebreak

2010-03-30T22:24:00.002Z

After a gruelling day, it was great this evening to get along to Darlington Fire Station for the culmination of the latest Firebreak scheme.

Regular readers will know that I'm a Board member of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, and I try and support their events whenever I can. This evening, 11 young people who had completed the demanding Firebreak scheme gave a disciplined, professional display to their proud families, and then were awarded certficates by a senior fire officer.

Firebreak has been running in our area since 2000. It targets young people who are perhaps disaffected or on the verge of getting into serious bother - in this case from Hummerknott School and St Aidans Academy. The young people, if they choose to come onto the scheme (and there is no compulsion) then complete a 13-week course on disciplines which include team building, fire prevention, first aid, and practicaly tackling fire. Anyone watching their flawless display this evening in the yard, confidently using the kit and tools of fire fighters, could be in no doubt about how much they had gained from the course.

At the end of the course, they also received a portfolio record of the courses they had completed - valuable achievements they could show to potential employers in the future for example. The Firebreak scheme is a great example of how the fire service now isn't simply reactive - responding to fire callouts - but proactive, and playing an important community role. Both the young people passing out, and their trainers, should feel very proud this evening.

Easter Rising

2010-03-30T21:53:00.004Z

I had hoped to get along to Trimdon today to hear Tony speak - alas mountainous work (and ward) commitments got in the way.

It's a shame, because I was going to take my Flip video along and record some of the proceedings. I'd even mentally sketched out an accompanying blog post, based around an Easter/Crucifixion/Resurrection theme. Believe me, it wouldn't have been in the least cliched (ahem).

It's doubly a pity because regular correspondent to this blog Paul Cain from across the pond challenges me in the previous thread on what I think about our former PM entering the race. Paul is in truth not Tony's biggest fan, and I was slightly surpised that he stopped at describing him as Lord Voldemort - surely He Who Can't Be Named is a mere toddler in wickedness compared to our former PM?

In truth, it's instructive that much of the right-wing blogosphere has got a fit of the vapours over this modest intervention. Watching the ridiculous Eric Pickles and slimy Chris Huhne on Newsnight tonight bluster and weave, you can see that Tony is still a potent force for Labour amongst the public.

Tony remains (until Gordon beats the record in 2024) Labour's most successful leader, with 3 election victories. Much more importantly, for this campaign, he can articulate key principles and dividing lines between ourselves and the Tories like no other British politician. I saw him do it countless times in speeches here in the North East and at Conference. It must be making Tory election planners break into a cold sweat - a pithy couple of lines from our ex-PM trumps any number of negative poster lorries they send round the country.

So expect the attacks and smears on Tony in the likes of the Mail and the Murdoch press to continue - they've invested heavily in Cameron winning (lietrally in the case of the Murdoch press). What Labour strategists know is that Tony Blair will play a small but significant part in winning the argument for Labour as we approach election day.

The boys are back in town

2010-03-29T10:49:00.004Z

Great news from Graham Robb, my old political sparring partner, that Northern Decision Makers is going to be resurrected during the General Election Campaign.

Regular readers will remember that it has been the only North East politics-based programme on the internet. Previous guests included MP's Phil Wilson, Nick Brown, Alan Milburn, Helen Goodman, William Hague and the late Ashok Kumar.

The format will be tweaked slightly, and will take the form of a panel discussion featuring Graham (for the Tories), myself and a Liberal Democrat. The Northern Echo's respected Deputy Editor Chris Lloyd will host the show and try and keep order.

The first programme should be recorded on 16th April 2010, the day after the initial televised Leaders' Debate, and will run weekly until the end of the campaign.

I hope we can capture a sense of the key issues affecting voters here in the North East, rather than the tiresome Westminster perspective, as well as news from the key battleground seats up here. It should be good fun.

Dazed and Confused

2010-03-25T21:14:00.004Z

If you are in the slightest bit concerned with the calibre of the person who will lead this country for the next 4 - 5 years, I urge you to take a glance at this Channel 4 News piece. It's film of David Cameron's interview with a Gay Times journalist, and went out yesterday. I had to watch the middle section between my fingers. Truly - car crash TV.

And as the report makes clear, it vindicates everything Labour has been saying about Cameron and his brand of Conservatism - apparently modern and responsive, but in fact nothing more than a thin veneer. The homophobic (and racist) allies the Tories choose to comport with in the European Parliament give the lie to that.

I simply can't imagine any recent British Prime Minister floundering over his core beliefs in the way Cameron does here. As I shall blog later, their campaign is beginning to fall apart.

Blogging Central

2010-03-23T19:13:00.002Z

An only somewhat belated welcome to my Labour Group colleague on the Council Ian Haszeldine, who launched his Lingfield Matters blog last week.

That takes the list of frequent bloggers with a take on local politics up to 4 (Mike Barker, Gill Cartwright, myself and now Ian - 6 if you include Mike Cartwright and Wilted Rose, which had a fresh post at the weekend.

I try and keep an eye on the regional blogging scene - I think Darlington has a more robust and livier political blogging community than anywhere else. Unless you know otherwise?

Jenny Chapman makes the Case for Children's Centres

2010-03-23T07:55:00.003Z

After some campaigning in Springfield last Thursday, Labour's PPC here in Darlington Jenny Chapman came down with us to look at the site of the proposed Children's Centre.

Fortunately, unlike (ahem) one of her competitors, Jenny doesn't need a script or a film crew to speak about issues that matter to her - she gave her thoughts directly to me via my Flip camera.

Nissan - the Regional Dimension

2010-03-18T21:04:00.003Z

Pete Barron, the respected editor of the Northern Echo, can be relied upon to choose his words with care. He knows his opinion, and that of his paper, matter in the North East. He is capable of dismaying politicians of all parties with his trenchent comment.

So his blog piece today on Nissan was particularly telling. Pete makes the point that without the robust support of Regional Development Agency One North East, it is difficult to imagine the investment from Nissan having been secured with such speed. The only alternative to an RDA is a myriad of local authorities pulling in their own directions.

The Tories, of course have a long-standing antipathy towards the RDAs - not because they are not effective - patently they are - but because of their own obsession with regionalism and the European Union. It's a classic example of a party's internal dogma working against what is in the best interests of the people it professes to care about.

Don't expect the Tories to change their spots anytime soon on the RDA's - hatred of anything regional is seared into the party's rassroots' political DNA. Maybe the Nissan development will help reinforce to North East voters, however, that the Tories have nothing to offer them at the General Election.

Ashok Kumar MP

2010-03-16T09:56:00.002Z

There was devastating news for Labour Party supporters across the North East, and for people living in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in particular, with the news of the untimely death of local MP Ashok Kumar.

I came across Ashok several times over the years, but got to know him well during my stint as one of Labour's 3 European candidates last year. When you met him for the first time, he presented as a modest and courteous man - not everyone's model of a self-promoting MP at all. That belied his passion for representing the people of his constituency and their interests, however - a combination of the 2 factors explains how he turned his highly marginal seat into a safe one for Labour.

Being third on a list of three, as I was for the European elections, does not make you a high priority when it comes to election time - realistically, the push was on to win the second seat for Labour. Ashok went out of his way, however, to show me personal kindness, and gave me a speaking slot at his annual dinner to bang the party drum for the European poll. He also agreed to take time out of his schedule and join Graham and I on the sofa for our last Northern Decision Makers.

I spent a lot of my time in his constituency during the run-up to the European polls. As you will recall, it was a time when MP expenses were on everyone's lips, and members of the public were in a lynching mood. Yet in the scattered communities across his constituency, never once did I hear any personal criticism of Ashok from a resident - his work rate and character seemed to set him apart in the minds of the public from "that lot down in Westminster".

Ashok inspired loyalty, and had a close-knit team of campaigners and helpers which gave working for the Party there a wonderful "family" feel - my thoughts are with them now and in the difficult days ahead.

Monday Morning Smile

2010-03-15T07:26:00.004Z

Amidst all this (fairly) heavy politics, time to start the week with a smile. So here's Rufus Hound's landmark portrayal of Cheryl Cole's Fight for this Love on Saturday's Sports Relief.

It may not have had the lithe eroticism of Robert Webb's Jenifer Beals, but as Sian commented on BBC Breakfast, "he certainly went for it".

Graham Drops In

2010-03-14T10:50:00.002Z

My old Northern Decision Makers sparring partner and co-owner of the Recognition company Graham Robb has stopped by via the comments thread to the previous piece.

Graham is of course one of the leading Tory Party members in the North East and (to spare his blushes he should look away now) a PR genius. I'm not sure I can ever forgive him for the campaign he masterminded against the Regional Assembly proposals back in 2004.

His current brief, however, would tax the combined talents of Alistair Cambell, Peter Mandelson and both the Saatchis - how to make our old chum Edward Legard look electable to the people of Darlington? Graham's company has shot a video which you can see here - needless to say, it makes the best of some very unpromising material.

Graham's a master at this sort of film - lots of jerky camera work give the impression of a homespun video for the YouTube generation, but of course the production values are very high. I suspect that Edward's script (and the message behind it) owes a great deal to Graham - it's pared down, and the references Edward used to make about being a local councillor (sic) have been sensibly expunged. In a field dominated by strong (genuinely) local councillors, why try and compete?

(In addition, as I pointed out in my speech to Council during February's budget debate, if I were Edward I'd keep quiet about his role as a Ryedale councillor - he's responsible for the budget there, where residents pay on average £80 more than Band D counterparts here in Darlington. And Ryedale has an inferior Audit Commission rating compared to Darlington. Under Edward and his Tory pals in Ryedale, you pay more for less).

Anyway, my bemusement is only how long it took the Tories to get Graham on board - a Svengali figure who really could have rattled the Labour and LibDem camps. But for month after month, especially when Labour were preoccupied with the selection process of their own candidate, Edward chose to sit it out and do nothing in Malton.

As one of the commenters noted in the previous thread, when Edward claims to have been working hard around the town for the past 2 years, the most likely response he'll get is a snort of derision. The people of Darlington aren't daft. Despite Graham's efforts, Darlington Tories have left it far, far too late.

There's Edward! (2)

2010-03-12T22:57:00.004Z

Diamond Giza!

More compelling evidence sent to my inbox of Edward Legard "working hard" around the town.

This time the snap shows, I think, Edward on the Number 4 to Minors Crescent earlier today. He really is a busy boy!

Wierd Science

2010-03-12T20:47:00.004Z

Any excuse to put up a picture of Kelly LeBrock...

Firstly, congratulations to Mike Barker and his fellow Darlington LibDems on coaxing former local councillor Brian Jefferson to defect from the Tories. Mike's revelation comes on the same evening that his national party has announced that respected Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott is crossing the floor to join them.

All political parties are coalitions, of course, but McMillan-Scott's departure brings to centre-stage the fundamental split in Tory ranks, between a dwindling band of decent pro-Europeans, and the slavering horde of europhobes who constitute a significant minority of the Party. Those who think David Cameron might be able to provide leadership in Europe, as Labour under first Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown have done, will have been disabused by the Tory leader's consistent pandering to his right wing.

Disastrously, Cameron dragged the Tories out of the centre-right block in the European Parliament in the wake of last year's European elections, leaving them bereft of influence. The pandering the party has now had to engage in with some of the more "exotic" far right groups in the European Parliament is why McMillan-Scott has had enough and left. It reminds us that Cameron's stitched-together coalition here in the UK is far flakier than is often appreciated.

Anyway, I started this blogpost off on Mike and the local LibDems because one of their leaflets has fluttered onto my desk (thanks Michael!) In it, Mike produces one of those bar graphs for which his party is justly infamous. It purports to show the results of the local elections here in Darlington, and has Labour on 37%, the Tories on 33% and the LibDems on 24%. Mike is a true scholar of the 'Tony Greaves School of Statistical Manipulation' when he places a downward arrow on the Labour icon and an upward arrow on the LibDems, creating the illusion of equality - and hey presto, we have a "3-horse race"! Wahay!

Mike's only mistake in all of this has been to let us in on the calculations behind the bar chart. Apparently, the model is based on recording the vote of the highest placed candidate in each ward in the constituency in 2007 for the 3 main parties. What could be fairer than that, you say?

Except, except. Mike's analysis is fundamentally flawed, and he knows it. Take my ward in Haughton West. There are around 4,100 voters, and 3 seats. Turnout was 38%, which means roughly 1558 people voted. The 3 leading candidates from the main parties polled 741 (Labour), 552 (Conservative) and 489 (Liberal Democrat). That makes, er, 1782. That can't be right?

In fact, in a number of wards across the Borough, whilst Labour stood a candidate for every seat available, the Tories and LibDems could only muster a fraction - so in Haughton West there were 3 Labour, 2 Tory and 1 LibDem candidates. Voting in multi-seat elections is often all over the place, with some residents plumping for a single candidate for example. But in Darlington, with the 2 main opposition parties fielding fewer candidates than Labour, inevitably the Tory and the LibDem vote was at least partially conjoined.

So Mike's graph is predictably dodgy - it overstates the Tory and LibDem share of the vote. Something to think about next time you hear Darlington is a "3-horse race".

There's Edward!

2010-03-11T22:19:00.004Z

Thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier post about spotting our old friend Colonel Legard around town - he has apparently been seen in some fairly lurid circumstances, according to the comments. But no pictures of him. Until now...

This snap shows Edward in what can only be Nevada Gardens in my own patch of Haughton West, albeit a picture taken from a very unfamiliar angle. Good to see that the canvassers pictured with him are a good deal younger than your average Tory.

Election Law for Slow Learners

2010-03-11T21:55:00.003Z

I see that the outcry over the Tories' recent leaflet has made it to the Echo today, together with confirmation that the authorities have been alerted.

In his comments, Tory election supremo Charles Johnson does what any good agent should do, and loyally tries to protect his candidate. So we learn that both Charles and Edward checked the copy that was sent to the printers, and the imprint was there. A pesky computer was apparently to blame for its subsequent non-appearance on the leaflet.

Apparently, the Tories now have introduced another stage for checking proofs before they are despatched.

History, alas, has repeated itself in the wrap-around puff for Captain Legwarmer which accompanied this week's Advertiser. No imprint once more. Neither was there any complete address identifying who promoted the material.

The Tories are now giving every impression of a bunch of amateurs who are delighting in flicking the V's at the bodies who oversee elections. I can confirm that a complaint from Labour was emailed yesterday.

This nonsense from the Tories has to stop.

Class War

2010-03-11T20:26:00.006Z

I've been away for a couple of days, attending the Local Government Association Fire Confernce in Manchester.

To be honest, I rarely go to conferences these days - justifying the time away in a very hectic schedule is difficult, but more pertinently, I'm not convinced that many represent good value for money. In the current economic climate, I certainly couldn't agree to anything resembling a "junket" stay.

I attended the LGA Fire Conference last year as a delegate from the Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority, and learnt more in a few hours than I had done from months worth of agenda and policy papers back home. I was pleased to be asked to go again, and found this conference equally informative.

The burning issue (ahem) which dominated the discussion was the delayed FiReControl scheme, under which local control rooms are being merged into regional centres country-wide. As is often the case in the public and private sectors, however, software problems have dogged the process, leading to delays. Listening to the pompous, garrulous Tories who increasingly dominate local government at all levels these days, however, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a uniquely scandalous state of affairs.

Refreshingly, the civil servant who came to respond to the criticism dealt with it in the only way possible (if he was going to escape without being lynched) - he was brutally honest, whilst challenging some of the Tories more outragous claims. It was a master class in political acumen, prompting the Chair of one Fire Authority, tongue ever-so-slightly-in-cheek, to offer him a position if he ever decided to cross the floor into politics.

One exchange which stuck in my mind, however, took place in the Q&A session following the speech to conference by the Shadow Fire Minister Stewart Jackson, MP. During his (incredibly lightweight) speech, Mr Jackson had taken a gratuitous swipe at Harriet Harman's Equalities Bill. In a passage that would have made a Daily Mail sub-editor swell with pride, Mr Jackson railed against Labour's "class warfare" pledging that middle class areas should not have to suffer to provide additional resources for poorer communities.

An opposing point was made, courteously but directly, by the Chief (not a politician, mind) of a Fire and Rescue Authority. If we know, he said, that someone from the poorest section of society is 14 times more likely to die as a result from fire than a more affluent person, are we not justified in targetting our spending in preventing fire deaths where they are most likely to occur?

The dismissive reply he received - platitudes about education but nothing more- made it very clear that the Shadow Minister's priorities lay with his voter base in Middle England rather than the most vulnerable in society. It was a chilling reminder, just weeks away from a General Election, that the Tories - the self-styled Nasty Party - haven't changed one bit..

Where's Edward?

2010-03-09T04:08:00.003Z

The 2010 General Election Campaign is shaping up to be a classic - the first true e-campaign, with both the Labour and LibDem candidates cleverly using the internet to get their message across and marshall their forces.

Notably, the Tory campaign, even at this early stage, is leaking like a sieve. So in one sense, I wasn't surprised to learn from 2 separate but reliable sources that our Tory PPC and old chum Brigadier Legard is "far too busy" to campaign in Darlington over the next two weeks.

That can't be right, surely? So today I'm launching an appeal to the good voters of Darlington - if you do happen to see Edward out-and-about around the town, take a snap of him and send it to me. ('Though not next to his flash Audi with the personalised number plate, he's a bit touchy about that).

In the best traditions of this site, I will of course publish the best received. Get snapping!

Children's Centre for Springfield

2010-03-09T01:49:00.003Z

As you will read in tomorrow's (today's?) Northern Echo, the next stage in the DBC plans to convert the old children's home on Salters Lane South (opposite the Education Village) into a Children's Centre has been reached.

This is great news for our community, and especially for parents - Children's Centres are intended to be used by everyone who has a child under the age of 5. They provide a one-stop shop for local families, bringing health and Children's Services under one roof.

Services are to include family support including outreach; support for childminders; family health services, employment support to help parents get back to work; and information services as well as play and early learning opportunities. There will also be a play area for 20 children.

Before the conversion can take place, the planning processes need to be followed, and the Council has now submitted an application - the main building will remain, but there will be a single story extension to the front, and a canopy erected to the rear. David, Andy and I are in the process of putting out a special letter in the area to let residents know, and how they can comment on the plans. If you would like to comment, or to see the plans, then you should contact Adrian Hobbs at the Town Hall on 388083. The reference for the application is 10/00087/DC.

We have been monitoring progress of the scheme, and officers have told us that the planning application is likely to be heard in April. If approved, work will start on site in May, and the centre ready to open in November 2010.

One of the key elements for us has been the securing of funding for the scheme - it will cost £526,000. We are delighted to say this has been confirmed - delighted because if the Tories are elected, they've pledged to slash the budget for Children's Centres, and want to restrict them only to the most disadvantaged communities. Labour disagrees - we believe every community should benefit from these excellent facilities for families. Just one more important dividing line between the 2 serious contenders for Government in the run-up to the General Election.

I 'ad that John Denham in the cab once...

2010-03-05T23:29:00.003Z

Spear carriers. Written off as the smallest of the bit parts in Shakespeare. But where would the history of great men (and women) be without them?

So on Thursday lunchtime, it was pleasure to drive the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government John Denham MP round Darlington, as he visited the town. The Northern Echo has already covered John's review of the town centre shops initiative here.

I hadn't met John before - he's an engaging bloke, and was genuinely interested in events here in the town. I took him from the Town Hall up to Branksome Science College, where he met the headteacher and our PPC Jenny Chapman, who of course represents the Cockerton West ward where the school is sited.

Branksome is of course one of the school which will be benefitting shortly from the Buidling Schools for the Future initiative. The school also has an enviable record in promoting sustainability, which John was able to review.

It was good, though, just to chat to John as we zipped (at 28mph, of course) around Darlington heading for appointments. As the MP for Southampton Itchen, John has a strong record in local campaigns (it was a seat he prised off the Tories in 1992 after a couple of unsuccessful attempts), and we swapped experiences of various campaigning techniques. One in particular that John recommended will be unleashed on the people of Darlington in the not too distant future...

Arses & Elbows

2010-03-05T08:39:00.003Z

Normally, I wouldn't bother myself simply repeating what another blogger has posted, but in the case of this blog's old friend Capt. Legiron and the latest Tory leaflet, I shall have to make an exception.

As Echo editor Pete Barron has revealed via Twitter, the hapless Tory has been doggedly pushing his material through letterboxes in Hurworth. Hurworth of course, is miles outside the Darlington constituency boundary - if Labour and the LibDems wanted to create a story that underlined that Edward is from out-of-town and is out-of-touch, we couldn't have done a better job.

(Ironically, I seem to recall when working on Alan Milburn's campaign in 1997 that the Tory candidate for Darlington managed a similar cock-up. Like Edward, he was a scion of a bunch of North Yorkshire aristos with a curiously pronounced name - what is about Darlington Tories that they repeatedly select these characters?)

Much more seriously, over on his blog, Mike Barker comments on the fact that the leaflet also manages to break electoral law by not having an imprint. Let me do Tory campaign maestro Charles Johnson a favour, here - Charles, stop putting out material in another constituency, in fact stop putting them out at all - without an imprint, it's illegal.

No doubt a referral to the police will follow - the Tories simply can't be allowed to flout electoral rules in this way.

The Twilight Zone

2010-02-25T20:48:00.003Z

Full Council this evening, to finally put the Council's budget for 2010-11 to bed. I got such a strong sense of deja vu from the very familiar and tiresome poses struck by the opposition that I thought I was entering (nee-nee nee-nee, nee-nee nee-nee) The Twilight Zone.

The Labour Group had worked hard in preceding months to try and square important circles - recognising that residents needed relief from a DBC Council Tax rise this year in the teeth of a dreadful global recession whilst at the same time protecting front-line services. And whilst some employees were understandably unhappy with some of the efficiencies which potentially impact upon pay and conditions (although I believe negotiations continue), the Cabinet did all it could to minimise job losses.

Not everything was right first time, and we were correct to listen to representations and row back on several proposals for some fresh thinking.

So what does an opposition do? If I've learnt anything about their tactics over the years, the main objective seems to be to rubbish the achievements of the ruling group whilst saying nothing (or next-to-nothing) about what they would have done if in power. And I can see the sense of this approach - why court unnecessary unpopularity? Better to say nothing - or very little - and hope the controlling group attract all the (negative) attention.

And so it proved this evening. There were thoughtful contributions, I thought, from my blogging colleague Mike Barker (even if I completely disagreed with his analysis) and from Tory Alan Coultas. Otherwise, it was very thin stuff indeed.

The point I tried to make (before being very courteously ruled out of order by the Mayor Jim Ruck) was that however much the Tories may pretend to the contrary, they do have an agenda, and it's being followed by Conservative Councils up and down the country. It's a theme I'll return to again here. There are lines in the sand between Labour, striving to protect front-line services and facilities for all, and the slash-and-burn approach adopted initially in London Boroughs by the Conservatives, but increasingly outside it too. And residents deserve to know about it.

And so a rather bad-tempered Budget Round ended for another year. Expect the temperature to be even more fraught in 12-months time, as the local elections loom.

Final Four in Gateshead

2010-02-19T19:02:00.005Z

Not so long ago, Eddie Izzard played the villain in a new adaptation of the Day of the Triffids. It was a compelling performance, with Izzard starring as Torrence, a charming sociopath who stopped at nothing to become the UK's leader.

I think we were meant to shiver, repulsed by the ruthless character. Actually, my response was - brilliant! Eddie Izzard as our unhinged PM. What's there not to like?

I drag this memory back simply because I heard Labour's shortlist today for the Gateshead seat - in the final four is leading Labour blogger and good friend Hopi Sen.

Hopi, as I think I've remarked before, is one of the good guys in politics. He served his apprenticeship up here as a staff member with Labour North, and was universally popular. His blog, a mixture of self-deprecating humour and fizzy political wonkishness, is required reading for anyone serious about UK politics. In one of his more brilliant posts, he has already anticipated how he would govern as a absolute (though dissolute and idle) ruler. Just wish I could find the link...

Hopi would certainly liven up North East politics. Alas, all is not straightforward, and his competition includes local councillor Ian Mearns and Nick Forbes, the leader of the Labour opposition on Newcastle City Council.

Nick in particular would be a fearsomely good MP - able, articulate with a strong background in policy. As a successful local councillor leading the fightback against the city's woeful LibDem administration, he can point to a strong record in representational politics. He's also one of the few Labour politicians in the North East to take the internet seriously.

I suspect more than a few hands in Gateshead Labour Party will hover over the ballot paper with candidates as strong as Nick and Hopi in the final 4.

Vlog Interview with Ed Milliband

2010-02-19T18:27:00.003Z

Interview with Ed Milliband

Cllr. Nick Wallis | MySpace Video

To Gateshead and the Hilton Hotel this morning for a breakfast meeting of Labour's North East Business Forum. The keynote speaker was Ed Milliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. He gave an excellent tour d'horizon, and then answered questions from businesspeople and academics.

He was good enough to spare a few minutes afterwards to record a vlog interview with me. Given my portfolio on Darlington Borough Council, it was a real pleasure to chat with him this morning.

Out with Jenny

2010-02-19T12:09:00.005Z

You can't fail to have noticed that the opening exchanges of the General Election have begun in earnest here in Darlington.

That means canvassing. And lots of it. Activists tend to divide into two simple bands - those who can and those who can't stand it - something to do with not knowing who (or what) you'll meet on the other side of the door, I think.

Me - I love it. So it was a pleasure to join Jenny last Saturday and Sunday when we knocked on doors in Cockerton East's Darrowby Drive and in my own patch on the Whinfield Park estate.

I thought we got a great response in both areas, and Jenny chatted to lots of Labour supporters - including one potential new member on Whinfield Park who really, really can't stand David Cameron.

I recorded some video with Jenny on Oakwood Drive, but unfortunately, the Flip's batteries were low, so the static spoilt the film (does Peter Jackson have these problems?)

I'll do another video interview with Jenny soon, so for the meantime, you'll have to make do with a picture of one of our teams on Saturday not at all freezing on Darrowby Drive...

William flies in

2010-02-18T18:39:00.002Z

I wouldn't normally promote a video interview with William Hague, even one recorded by distinguished Echo Deputy Editor Chris Lloyd. This is a very special video, however, for several reasons;

(1) Edward Legard (true to form) sits uncomfortably and says nowt throughout.
(2) Hague's answers are unbelievably stilted. Did Chris record this at 5am?
(3) For the wonderful 'cameo' appearance by leading Darlington Tory Charles "Chuck" Johnson at the start of the interview. Classic!

Unortunately, I don't know how to get a live feed of the interview to this blog - if anyone does, please tell!

One of our candidates is missing (2)

2010-02-17T19:44:00.004Z

He's rich. He's posh. He doesn't get to Darlington all that much...

Another chapter in the short but entertaining political career of Edward Legard this evening, when his much vaunted Q&A with the citizens of Darlington was cancelled at short notice. Apparently, without William Hague to hold his hand (clash of commitments apparently) Edward didn't think it was worth the petrol money to toddle up from Ryedale.

Remarkable. Talking to Labour's PPC this evening after the announcement (Jenny was in the vicinity, by the way, so got to talk to several disgruntled residents who were turned away) we both agreed that had the "name" not materialised for a Labour event, we would certainly have proceeded. Not to do so would be frankly discourteous.

This latest misshap has led one prominent local Twitterer to wonder aloud whether it was Labour who in a malicious twist selected Captain Legwarmer? We can only plead "not guilty" - the Tories picked him all by themselves!

Setting the Budget for Darlington

2010-02-17T15:46:00.002Z

It was Cabinet last night, and a chance to consider the responses to Labour's draft Budget proposals for 2010/11.

As you may have seen in the Echo, there was a demonstration outside organised by the Trade Unions unhappy with some of the suggested savings around overtime, Bank Holiday/Sunday working and essential car users allowance. On behalf of the Cabinet, Bill Dixon (who chaired the meeting in John's absense) and Resources and Efficiency Portfolio holder Chris McEwan went down to listen to what employees had to say, and respond to their criticisms. That accorded the protestors (who also spoke at the meeting) the proper respect.

At the meeting itself, representatives from the Darlington Story Sack and Toy Library organisation and the Early Years Inclusion Service thanked the Cabinet and councillors generally for the changes made - in the case of Story Sack, £60,000 of funding has been guaranteed to allow them to look for more money, whilst there will be further discussions outside of the budget proposals on the Early Years Inclusion Service.

At this point, I have to respond to my blogging LibDem colleague Mike Barker, who alleges that these were never true proposals in the first place - instead in a move that would have made Machiavelli himself blush, the Labour Cabinet threatened cuts in the knowledge they would be withdrawn. How heartless, says Mike.

And that's right. If there was a shred of truth in it. The idea that the Cabinet would cause needless worry by proposing false cuts is a monstrous charge and completely without foundation. I sat in during all the budget discussions, and no-one once suggested any such tactic - indeed if they did, I think they would be out of the Cabinet and the Labour Group pronto.

IMO, it says more about the LibDems, and the character of the administration they would lead, that Mike can even come up with such a suggestion. Value-free politics are, after all, the preserve of the Liberal Democrats.

That leads me into the freezing of the Council Tax this year. On that Mike came close to adopting a position, when he lauded the 3% increase set by North Yorkshire County Council. Certainly, some of the union members present criticized the Labour Cabinet, stating that a standstill budget took money away from the workforce.

Now Mike and the LibDems may have wanted to jack up the Council Tax by as much as they think they could have got away with this year, had they been in control (though you can bet they won't move an amendment to that effect on Thursday week). Labour has increased the Council Tax in previous years, when the circumstances dictated. As I said in my contribution, however, in a year when there is so much financial pain out there, it was incumbent on any responsible council to tax only where absolutely necessary, and not just to pile up balances to meet future problems ahead.

Away from the Town Hall bubble, many Darlington families have been hit by the Credit Crunch and the world-wide recession. Households where there might have been two wage earners now may have just one. Pay has been cut and hours reduced, especially in the private sector. People on fixed incomes, like pensioners, have seen their savings attract next-to-no interest whilst rates have been so low. A Council Tax freeze, was morally the right ambition in these circumstances for the town, and I'm proud to be part of a Cabinet that (subject to Council approval) has delivered it.

We project that in 2011/12, Council Tax will rise, but by just 1%. Darlington still has the lowest Council Tax in the North East, and this year is I think the only authority in the region standing by its residents in these difficult times by fixing a 0% increase. At the same time, we deliver first-class front-line services. That is just as it should be.

The E-Campaign

2010-02-17T15:19:00.005Z

2010 will undoubtedly be the first e-election we've seen here in the UK. And the candidate who's making all the running on the internet here in Darlington is Labour's own Jenny Chapman, who has her own website, and a growing band of followers too on Facebook.

You can see Jenny's website here (with a sneak preview of her intro leaflet, which hasn't even come from the printers yet!), and request to join up to her (420+) Facebook supporters here.

You can even follow her on Twitter too - twitter.com/jennychapman

Green Awards 2010

2010-02-12T11:09:00.003Z

This year, the Council has launched Green Awards for achievements in the preceding 12 months. Categories include Sustainable Transport, Greener Communities, Good Design and Tackling Climate Change.

Yesterday, together with the chair of our LSP's Greener Theme Group, I judged the entries - 10 in all. It's something of a truism, but the entries, from organisations ranging from the public to private and voluntary sectors, were uniformly excellent, and any one of them could have won the category for which they were entered. It was a nightmare picking the winners.

Who got what, of course, is a state secret, but we're hoping to announce the results in a small ceremony the next LSP Greener Theme Group on 29th March at 4.30pm in Bondgate Methodist Church.

Lessons in history

2010-02-10T04:40:00.006Z

This blog has once or twice gently pointed out that Tory candidate and North Yorkshire toff Edward LeGrand is, ahem, not the busiest politician we have ever seen. Months at a time have gone by since his selection in January 2008, when the town has had neither sight nor sound from him.

When Spectator's Notes in the dear old D&S Times picked up the theme, Cpt LeGrand reacted like a scalded cockerel. His letter on Friday, entitled My Record, lists the many things that he has been up to "in recent weeks and months".

Which would be absolutely fine, were we not able to check some of this stuff up, via Google and indeed this blog. So here's the same list of Laggard's 'achievements', this time with the dates appended;

Campaigning against post office closures - February 2008
Setting up a Darlington Job Club - March 2009
Meeting residents plagued with anti-social behaviour - June 2008
Campaigning against the withdrawal of free bus travel for pensioners - June 2008.

Clearly, time takes on a different quality when you're a Tory!

I could go on. With the General Election almost upon us, Edward is, finally, beginning to stir himself into action, and attending the odd meeting. Unfortunately, the overall impression he has left in the 2 years he has been a PPC - frankly that he is a part-time candidate in a no-hope seat for the Tories - has stuck, and it can't be shifted now. In the battle for second place, LibDem Mike Barker has been a far more energetic and clever PPC, leaving the Tories looking like also-rans.

Edward Legard's letter is curious in another respect. He states that "whether through family connections; work or from the time when stationed in Catterick, I have known Darlington all my life and am ideally placed to represent its interests within the North East."

The trouble is that when candidates pledge their undying and non-transferable love for a constituency like this, we can check their background. And as an anonymous commentor on this blog has pointed out via a newspaper link, Edward was apparently also "ideally placed to represent the interests" of Sunderland Central back in July 2007.

Less a devoted suitor, and more, well, a carpet bagger, I guess. Presumably the Tories in Sunderland wanted a more active candidate in what is a genuinely marginal seat for them?

Labour's PPC Jenny Chapman, of course, is properly local to Darlington, and hasn't schlepped around other constituencies looking for a berth.

Finally, as if to prove that the Tories' ill-starred candidate just hasn't got any luck at all, there's a cruel twist on Wikipedia. Some loyal Tory hack - maybe Edward himself? - has been trying to put an biography of our favourite aristo on the site, only to have it deleted three times by site moderators. The reason - he is a "non notable local politician."

Ah, Edward - I know exactly how you feel!

Springfield PACT

2010-02-08T23:39:00.004Z

Our second Springfield PACT meeting this evening - again a good turnout, with around 15 residents coming out on a cold winter's evening.

One of the PACT's priorities is tackling anti-social behaviour in the area. We spent a good while discussing problems in Riverside Way and Wheeldale Close - the police and the council's ASB team were already aware of the problem, and residents in Wheeldale Close reported that disturbances had ceased in the last 2 weeks. Perhaps inevitably, in adjacent Riverside Way, youths are now starting to cause problems.

A feature of the area are the number of snickets that were incorporated into the estate's design. These must have seen like a great idea back when the houses were planned, but certainly on and off for the last 20 years or so, they have acted as a focus for ASB.

This isn't a problem confined to Haughton West or indeed Darlington - whether it's cuts or back lanes or alleys, the 'out-of-the-way' areas of where we live can be the source of major problems. Closing them off, which is the response residents generally think is most sensible, is however a very different matter.

Going back several years, we were able to tackle the problem effectively through closure - the cuts from Mendip Grove onto Martindale Road, from the field behind Belsay Walk onto Belford Gardens, and the snicket between Wheeldale Close and Littlebeck Drive are cases in point. Now however, the legal advice is quite clear - the legislation makes closing these footpaths very difficult indeed.

There have been changes in the rules governing the closure of alleyways, however, and it was agreed that now is the right time to have another look at what the community wants to do with the cuts around Wheeldale Close. In concert with the police, the Council's ASB team and local residents, we will start by circulating a questionnaire in the affected streets to gauge local opinion. It will help ascertain exactly what the problems are, and how local people would like the authorities to respond.

Once we've liaised with all the local partners on a draft letter, they should be delivered to local households by the beginning of next week. We'll be reporting back to residents on the results at the next PACT meeting.

Can't live with him, can't live without him

2010-02-08T09:19:00.003Z

Both the local Tories and LibDems are getting into a big tizz over Alan Milburn, and the latest expenses revelations.

In today's Echo our old chum Edward Legwarmer, Bart. fulminates against Alan, and demands that Labour's PPC distance herself from her old boss.

Meanwhile over on his blog, Mike Barker is positively spitting about the MP. He rails against what he terms his poor record as a constituency MP, and says he will never mention Alan's name again.

Of course, it's hardly surprising that Alan was unpopular with opposition apparatchiks in the town - he was after all a phenomenally successful advocate for Labour. It wasn't a shady conspiracy that installed him as our elected representative, but often thumping majorities over the Tories and LibDems accorded by Darlington residents in 4 successive elections. Residents liked Alan, and they liked what Labour delivered both locally and nationally.

For all the complaints that he was never around, I think a lot of people appreciated that a "big hitter" like Alan, who had the talent and character to hold Cabinet office, did the town good by raising its profile and being an adept Westminster operator. Without Alan's influence and hard work, often behind the scenes, Darlington would not have gained several big ticket projects that have benefitted the town since 1997.

Yes, he moved from Darlington to live in Northumberland. But that was hardly a state secret kept from the voters - I recall at least one Tory leaflet I think from 2001 which had an activist standing forlornly in Alan's village with a made-up sign indicating the number of miles to Darlington. And still residents voted for him in their droves. It must have driven the Tories and LibDems nuts.

Still, time moves on. Alan has clearly sensed that, and is standing down to pursue other projects. I wish him well. That's no good for the opposition, however, who would dearly love, for the first time, to be facing Alan as a candidate at the General Election. Unfortunately for them, they've got Jenny - talented, approachable and a great communicator for Labour's values.

So expect the opposition to continue pretending they're up against Alan rather than Jenny. Also be prepared for ongoing character assassination against Alan which will be mostly unfair and personal. I don't suppose it will bother him one bit. And neither will the voters be kidded from realising that in Jenny, Labour have a new and exciting PPC who will be a first class MP for the town.

The Labours of Hercules

2010-02-08T00:08:00.002Z

Cleaning the coop

Cllr. Nick Wallis | MySpace Video

You thought being a ward councillor and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Environment and Climate Change here in Darlington was one long glamour call? As a family we are trying to live that little bit more sustainably, so here's how I spent this Sunday lunchtime...

All you ever needed to know about the Climate Change debate....

2010-02-07T21:55:00.004Z

Okay, so it's not chock-full of stats and graphs, but this piece says more about the state of the Climate Change debate than a shelf-full of worthy papers.

Printed in today's Observer, it's an exchange of emails between the paper's science and technology editor Robin McKie, and Dr Benny Peisner, Director of the climate change sceptic thinktank the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

Whilst Robin returns time and time again to the science underpinning man-made climate change, and the overwhelming number of leading scientists who support the theory, Dr Peisner's ripostes are all rhetoric and evasion.

Well worth a look. I thought the article highlighted the vacuity of the 'denial' approach to climate change in telling terms.

Community Speed Watch in Action!

2010-02-04T22:27:00.003Z

Between lots of jobs today, I joined PC Jeff Summerhill and PCSO Liz Harley, together with local resident Alan Robinson, as we tried out the Community Speed Watch equipment for the first time in the ward. Jeff's interview is well worth watching - if you would like to take part in this initiative, then contact him at jeffrey.summerhill@durham.pnn.police.uk

And if you live in Haughton, Springfield or Whinfield, do try and come along to our next PACT meeting this Monday, at 7.30pm in the new Salvation Army building on Thompson Street East.

Kingsway/Balmoral Road Street Surgery

2010-02-04T20:57:00.005Z

A minor triumph on the Kingsway - Dave and Dean had been around for a long, long time.

To the Kingsway estate and Balmoral Road/Killin Road areas this lunchtime and evening for one of our regular street surgeries.

I took the picture of the cleaned wall this afternoon to let residents know about a service provided by the Council. When I was delivering our Haughton West calenders between Christmas and the New Year, I spotted this graffiti which was long overdue coming down.

It had been scrawled on a resident's back wall - what a lot of people don't realise is that the Council's Street Scene team will remove graffiti from private property, but only with the owner's written consent. So I knocked on the door, the resident was more than happy to give her details, and within a matter of 10 days Street Scene had done a marvellous job, and the area looked that bit more spruce. Given the appalling weather conditions at the time, and the other calls on their time, it was great that our local Street Scene team responded so promptly.

Anyway, there were plenty of issues residents wanted to raise with us today. I think we managed to knock on almost every door on the Kingsway, Regal Drive, Monarch Close and Earl Close at lunchtime, and chatted generally issues that needed tackling. This evening, we focussed solely on those residents who had left the "Stop" signs in their windows, and who wanted to see us specifically.

The state of the roads in and around the Kingsway came up several times. So too did what I call "good neighbour" issues - where the thoughtlessness of a few are causing difficulties for others. Parking here is a case in point. There isn't always a council solution - I only wish there were - the answer lies in giving others around us just that little bit of consideration in our everyday lives.

So plenty of emailing to the officers and, in one case, the Manager of the Cornmill with a helpful suggestion from one disabled resident, before bed.

100,000 strong

2010-02-03T20:22:00.003Z

A quick glance at the web counter shows me that today this blog passed the 100,000 hits mark.

Admittedly, as I haven't exactly been a prolific blogger since I started back in August 2006, I've rather coasted rather than surged through the 100,000 point. It's a milestone nonetheless.

In truth, when I began blogging, I was hoping to create a significant audience amongst the residents I reporesent in Haughton West - the blog was intended as a new way of allowing 2-way communication for local people.

And whilst I know some residents do occasionally look at my burblings, I'm afraid it has never really taken off in that regard - the monthly e-newsletters I send out to around 100 households on behalf of the 3 of us in the ward probably are much more effective.

Neither has blogging taken off in the North East in a way I expected back then. Whilst my colleagues Simon Henig and Nick Forbes do have their own websites in Durham and Newcastle respectively, truth to say blogging hasn't really developed as a means of communication and debate amongst either Labour or Tory politicians. Only the LibDems seem to have taken it to their hearts, though whether it is really delivering results for them is hard to say.

Here in Darlington, we have a good micro-blogging community. Whilst the occasional postings of Mike Barker, the Cartwrights and myself can scarecely be described as a Socratic dialogue, we do occasionally make the Echo - indeed I'm surprised that more of my colleagues haven't appreciated that well-written blog posts easily generate news stories, as Mike clearly does.

So it's a case of onwards and upwards. Just as Obama and his use of email helped define the 2008 US elections, we'll see how, if at all, the internet will influence voters here in Darlington in 2010. In what promises to be an increasingly-tight election in national terms, who knows what effect the internet may have on the result in the North East.

One of our candidates is missing!

2010-02-02T00:00:00.003Z

This week's D&S Times will have made uncomfortable reading for my colleagues over at Darlington Conservative HQ.

The Spectator's Notes column - a wry take on the week's news from an authoritative source at the paper - devotes half the column to the mystery of Darlington's own Disappearing Man - or "where is Edward Legard?"

An old friend of this blog, of course, it seems Captain LeGrand introduced himself to the D&S Times source 6 months ago, but as the columnist observes, "since then we have seen neither hide nor hair."

The column goes on to wonder why he has been so absent? Imagining that the Tories have a cunning plan is indeed a possibility, but it is so fearsomely obscure that even Baldrick would have had a migraine trying to fathom it. Complacency, wonders SN? Perhaps. Possibly a thoroughly useless candidate? Or maybe, there was a clue in the annual returns the local party filed which were unearthed by my blogging colleague and LibDem PPC Mike Barker - Darlington's Tories have a falling, ageing membership, and whilst they may have a few quid in the bank, there just aren't the activists anymore to support sustained activity.

All very perplexing. Just as mystifying as why one anonymous source was determined that I should see this webpage. For the life of me, I can't imagine why.

In truth, the Tories have wasted a year when they might have made hay. They've given Labour the space to select a top-drawer, local candidate who is re-energizing the campaigning effort and determined to lead from the front. Taxi for Captain Laggard!

Hopeless

2010-02-01T22:56:00.002Z

This is awful - after finally getting broadband rigged up, I get laid low by a pretty serious case of man 'flu, and then spend precious blogging time watching Law & Order: UK and chuckling at the classic Angry People in Local Newspapers site.

Actually, what I'm really putting off is dealing with the dead mouse in a trap underneath the sink. So time to blog again!

Tooled up

2010-01-26T22:05:00.003Z

Back again, after a long (semi-enforced) absence. Just to explain, I decided before Christmas to give up my old DBC line and laptop - a small saving for the council there which will undoubtedly make my Cabinet colleague Cllr. McEwan happy, but which will also allow me to use the internet for campaigning purposes.

Characteristically, it's taken BT weeks to get a broadband line up-and-running, but we've made it at last. By the weekend, I should have pictures and videos running smoothly again.

Community Speed Watch

2010-01-14T19:09:00.002Z

We had an excellent and well-attended meeting of the Whinfield PACT on Monday evening.

One initiative which is now steaming ahead is the Community Speed Watch (CSW). Supported by both Durham Constabulary and Darlington Borough Council, CSW allows residents to work with the Police on the speed menace in our local streets.

Residents taking part will wear high visibility jackets, and will be accompanied by a police officer at all times. The tyeams will be operating matrices - equipment designed to monitor vehicles' speeds. Offenders wil have their registration plates recorded, and it will be for the Police to write to them to warn them about their behaviour. Repeat offenders may be fined.

The streets which will be targetted initially are those flagged by PACT meetings as having a speeding problem - so in Haughton West that will include Hutton Avenue, Wylam Avenue, Thompson Street East and Whinbush Way. Of course, depending on the success of the scheme, other streets may be targetted if PACT meetings feel that is necessary.

It was agreed by the PACT meeting that we would begin the initiative here in Whinfield, Springfield and Haughton in early February. The Police are now looking for volunteers (although there were no shortage of interested residents on Monday evening).

If you would like to help out, simply contact our local beat manager Jeff Summerhill on jeffrey.summerhill@durham.pnn.police.uk He can also be reached on 01325 60 60 365 x4122.

Fiscal Fibs

2010-01-08T10:50:00.003Z

Regular correspondent on this blog, and our LibDem opponent in Haughton West next year Alan Macnab, had a grumpy letter published in yesterday's Echo about the Labour Group proposal that the DBC element of Couincil Tax be frozen for 2010/11.

Alan's letter is a classic of its type - full of half-truths and - let's face it, full-blown fibs - that chracterise so many LibDem utterances on most subjects. Let's look at Alan's letter in detail;

"It is indeed good news that Darlington Borough Council is proposing that Council Tax will not rise in 2011-11 - the first time a below-inflation rise has beenn levied since Labour came to power."

FIB!! In the first year of Darlington's existence as a unitary, Council Tax was actually reduced by 11.3%. My maths isn't what it should be, but that fact seems to be absent from his subsequent comparison between Darlington and other councils.

In reality, under Labour as a unitary authority, Council Tax in Darlington has risen by less than the average of all similar councils.

FACT. Darlington residents continue to benefit from paying the lowest total Council Tax in the North East.

"The Council also has a debt mountain of £80.8m, which will not be paid off until 2078-79, whilst its reserves are the absolute minimum it is allowed to hold."

WHOPPER!! The Council does not have a debt mountain. Local government financing is a complex subject, and it isn't easy to boil down the facts accurately into a blog (even less in a letter to the Echo). Here's my best stab at what's really the case...

The Council has a £143 million capital programme over the next 5 years. £117 million of that will come from Government grant. Another £10 million is supported borrowing, whereby revenue grant from the Government pays the financing costs.

DBC does invest in assets such as schools, highways, housing and regeneration. Like all councils, it borrows to fund some of these improvements, and most of the borrowing costs are paid for by Government grants.

Lets take a recent (and highly relevant) example. The Council has been sucessful in winning a bid for £57 million to rebuild 3 secondary schools in the Borough. As part of the deal, the Council will contribute £1.8 million. It is hoped that this will be funded through capital receipts, but if these can't be realised, then the money will be borrowed.

Is Alan's position really that £57 million of much needed expenditure on our schools be turned away from want of £1.8 million borrowing? As he signs himself the LibDem candidate for Haughton West, we shall have to assume that he is repeating the official party line on this matter.

I'm not sure this will be terribly popular in Hurworth, where the school is to be modernised, represented for the moment, of course, by 2 LibDem councillors.

In addition, the council's reserves are not "at an absolute minimum". Every year, the Council takes professional advice on the minimum reserves which should be kept. The figure is set at £6 million, and the Council currently has £8 million in reserve. Independent auditors (PWC on behalf of the Audit Commission) recently concluded that DBC's financial management is "robust" and "sound".

As a Labour Councillor, I'm proud of the services we deliver across the Borough, and the fact that we achieve good value for money in their provision. Residents' satisfaction in the recent survy stood at 79% - higher than the average for similar areas.

Whilst Alan and the LibDems try and fashion scare stories and myths about council financing, I'll be continuing to play my part striving for excellence in council services at an affordable cost for the people of the Borough.

Snow Stories (3)

2010-01-08T10:27:00.002Z

I've just received an update from the officers regarding gritting around the Borough.

The Council has around 400 tonnes of salt in store, with more deliveries being received each day. About 200 tonnes can be spread each day if needed.

With further prolonged periods of snow and ice forecast, it is essential that salt stocks are preserved, in case some deliveries are not made as promised.

Salt will therefore be prioritised on gritting the main highway network and the town centre. This is in line with practice adopted by many other local authorities in the North East.

I've also received an update from the Durham and Darlington Fire Authority - it is using its vehicles to support ambulance crews access snow-bound residents in distress. Trained drivers from the Fire Service will meet the ambulance crews where driving conditions have become too hazardous for ambulances and take them incidents in 4x4 vehicles.

The Service has 16 4x4 vehicles available for use throughout Durham and Darlington. In addition, the 7 new fire appliances recently introduced into the fleet are fitted with anti-skid technology. This has resulted in the service safely attending 287 incidents since the 18th December 2009, when the snow first hit the region.

A worrying trend is that the number of raod traffic collisions has almost doubled from 37 last year to 67 this year, primarily due to the hazardous driving conditions. DDFRA is advising drivers to do the following;

Drivers should carry a shovel, warm clothing and a fully charged mobile phone.

In the current waether, it is best that you avoid any unecessary journeys.

If your journey is unavoidable, take extra care when driving, keeping your speed low to allow for additional braking distances and dissiculty in manoevrring yiour vehicle if confronted with an emergency situation.

Setting the Budget

2010-01-06T10:50:00.003Z

Most years, councillors and officers are accustomed to say that this has been the most difficult budget-setting round that they have encountered.

No-one involved in local government country-wide will, however, have experienced a more challenging set of circumstances that the ones we face at present. A near perfect storm of the credit crunch, the economic downturn and reduced revenue streams means that 2010/11 will pose very serious questions for council finances - and matters aren't going to get any better in the next 3 - 5 years.

As you may have seen from yesterday's Echo, Darlington is taking the lead amongst North East authorities and publishing its budget proposals first. You can view the paper going to Cabinet on 12th January 2010 here.

Now it's time for the people of Darlington to have their say; the key proposals upon which the consultation is based is as follows;

Proposal One: Freeze Council Tax

The Cabinet is very much aware of the financial challenges many residents and businesses in Darlington are facing and, in light of this, proposes NOT to increase Council Tax this year.

Proposal 2: Balancing the budget

Due to the increasing gap in levels of future funding and the increasing demand in services, members of the Cabinet and officers have developed a number of key proposals to further reduce spending whilst maintaining effective services.

These include:

investing an additional £1.4 million in social care to pay for the increase in demand for services;
schools receiving a 3.1% increase in funding in line with an increase in Government grants;
driving efficiencies of £4.7 million across the Council and its services.

Proposal 3: Invest in Darlington

Whilst the Council must find savings, it is also important to invest in the Borough. These investments will be made using capital budgets which we compete with other local authorities to secure from Government.

Over the next four years, the Council proposes to invest £143 million through capital schemes, this includes £10 million on roads, £82 million on schools, £19million on regeneration.

You can email the Council directly with your views here, or go online to the forum here. Alternatively, you can attend the special Talking Together event to discuss the oproposals on Monday 25th January 2010, starting from 5.30pm, at the Dolphin Centre.

Draft council budgets have been consistently re-shaped in previous years as a result of input from residents and staff, so it's well-worth taking an active part in the consultation process. I'll keep you updated as progress develops.

Snow Stories (2)

2010-01-02T22:01:00.005Z

I think we knew before we heard that it was the coldest December for 10 years, with the promise of more on the way next week.

Local councils have been following through well-rehearsed gritting and plouging routines since before Christmas - with more or less success. There has been a temptation in recent years, with milder winters, to cut or slash gritting budgets and reduce the total mileage covered. I'm pleased to say that this has been a trend that Darlington has more or less resisted, although there are some examples nearby of big councils doing precisely the opposite, and coming in for heavy criticism as a result.

During that very brief thaw, however, another problem was beginning to come to light. The prolonged freeze seems to have created damage to the road infrastructure across the town. Where there were potholes waiting to be repaired, then the impact of the ice and salt has often made things far worse.

The 2 photos above illustrate the point. The lower photo is of the road surface at the junction of Wylam Avenue and Thompson Street East in my ward. Recently, two residents raised the problem with us here and on Thompson Street East itself, and we duly took up the issue with the Council. We were promised patching for Wylam Avenue (within 20 days), and some more structural work on Thompson Street East, where the problems are more deep set.

Of course, the bad weather will have set back the work, but when I visited Wylam Avenue on Friday, the holes were bigger, as the edges had begun to break up. The top photo is of Barnard Street in the town centre yesterday afternoon. A whole chunk of asphalt has come away as the ice has melted.

Once the cold spell is over, I suspect councils up and down the country will have to review their response to prolonged cold weather, to assess whether changes will have to be made. This will have to be in the wider context of global warming, of course, where the broader challenges we face, as far as roads and pavements are concerned, centre on the damage caused by flooding and very hot summers.

Snow Stories (1)

2010-01-02T18:55:00.004Z

Ward Surgery this morning, which for reasons too complicated to explain, was spent for the first 45 minutes in a freezing cold ASDA car park.

At one point, we were visited by a two residents of Oban Court, the sheltered DBC accommodation block across Whinbush Way. They asked whether we could contact someone at the Council to have the paths around Oban Court gritted? The path down to the bus stop was particularly treacherous.

With no-one from Street Scene probably able to respond until Monday, we resolved to do it ourselves. So here's my record of our efforts, in my first and what may turn out to be my cheesiest photo of 2010.

Transport in Darlington - the next 15 years

2009-12-30T09:51:00.003Z

Council strategies as dry as dust? Well possibly - but they do genuinely influence spending priorities and scheme development. Having a say at the time when strategies are put together really can affect DBC policies for years to come.

The Council has been consulting on the formulation of its Third Local Transport Plan, which will run from 2011 to 2026. The outline themes have been considered by a joint workshop comprising members of the Council's Environment Scrutiny Committee and the Local Strategic Partnership, and an open Talking Together event in November. Now the outcomes are being considered by members of the Greener Theme Group. A final draft will be approved by Cabinet in March.

The headline priorities which have been identified to date are as follows;

1. To share prosperity for employment, economic activity and sustainable development by providing and maintaining a reliable, predictable, efficient transport network.

2. To tackle climate change through quantified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transport.

3. To achieve better health and longer, active and independent lives for everyone by reducing the risk of death, injury and illness from transport, whilst providing active travel options.

4. To achieve a fairer society by enabling people to access jobs, education, training, health, food and green spaces.

5. To achieve a better quality of life for all by minimising the negative impacts of transport such as noise, air pollution and accidents on the natural environment, heritage, landscape and people.

Members are being asked;

a) whether they think the 5 outcomes are right?
b) whether there are any outcomes missing?
c) whether there is one that should be a priority?

If you have an opinion, email me, and I'll ensure your views are passed on.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T00:20:00.002Z

The final present's been wrapped, and Santa's on his way!

Best Christmas wishes to you all from Meadowfield Cottage.