Bury’s Lib Dem Group Leader, Cllr Tim Pickstone is meeting ‘Metro Mayor’ Andy Burnham this week as a delegation of Lib Dem Group Leaders in Greater Manchester.
Anything you want us to ask him?
This is a summary of the GM Metro Mayor powers produced by the Centre for Cities.
In Greater Manchester the Mayor also has responsibilities as Police and Crime Commissioner for police and crime.
Let us know anything you would like us to raise: email tim@burylibdems.net
Metrolink Fares are to to rise by around 6% a year until 2020, the ten Greater Manchester Council Leaders have agreed. The decision was to rise fairs by ‘inflation + 2.33%’ on 1 January 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. At todays inflation level that is an increase of 5.93% on 1 January 2018, and over the three years a fare rise of around 19% over three years.
The Liberal Democrat group leader on the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, Oldham councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has condemned the decision by the Labour-controlled Greater Manchester Combined Authority to increase Metrolink fares by almost 6% from January of next year, well above inflation, as “another blow for hard-up passengers”.
“This decision made by the Labour Leaders of nine of the Greater Manchester local authorities, with the support of the Greater Manchester Mayor and the Conservative leader of Trafford Council, shows how out of touch they are with the financial situation of many tram passengers.
“This is the first of three years of pain as Metrolink fares will be steadily increased year on year, but the pain will not end there as from January 2021, fares will increase annually by 1% above inflation.”
“Labour complains constantly about the Conservative’s austerity and wage freezes in the public sector and then hits passengers who are feeling the pinch with unremitting fare increases. This is simply not fair – Metrolink is in profit. We should be encouraging more passengers to use the service and cracking down on fare evasion to increase revenue not hammering the fare-paying passengers who already use it.”
Councillor Sykes is also concerned about the impact this increase may have on our environment: “I repeat the comments that I made in advance of the rise in rail fares in July. Price hikes discourage tram use and encourage passengers to get back in their cars increasing air pollution and traffic congestion – this is not good for us or for our planet or Greater Manchester.”
Full Report here.
Responding to the news Conservative backbenchers have called for a pause to the rollout of Universal Credit, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesman Stephen Lloyd MP said:
“There is a mounting sense that the government could be defeated if it does not immediately pause the roll-out of Universal Credit.
“The roll-out has been an utter failure so far, with many claimants waiting over two months for their first payment and some relying on loans to survive. Rent arrears among universal credit claimants are also through the roof.
“If the Conservatives are serious about helping ordinary people get ahead in life, they must immediately pause the roll-out of Universal Credit until these issues are resolved. Reversing the huge cuts to UC in this Autumn’s budget would be a good start.
“Universal credit was supported by the Liberal Democrats in coalition because it promised to make work pay.
“Sadly, under this Tory Government it has been cut to shreds, leaving families worse off and with weaker incentives to find work.”
Bury Council has pledged to support the Royal British Legion ‘Count Them In’ campaign to include ex-military personal questions in the 2021 census, thanks to a move by Liberal Democrat councillors.
Bury’s Liberal Democrat Council Group brought a motion to Bury’s Full Council to highlight the issue, which went on the receive support from both other parties and is now the Council’s policy.
Prestwich Lib Dem Councillor Steve Write, whose younger brother served as a Navy diver for over 25 years, said:
“After the 2011 census we knew more about the star wars Jedi population of the UK than about those who have served in our Armed Forces.
“Despite an estimated 1 in 10 of the UK population being members of the Armed Forces community, there’s very limited information about where they are or what their needs might be.
“We have a once in a generation opportunity to change this. By adding new questions to the 2021 census we can improve our understanding of this unique community and ensure that politicians, charities and service providers fully meet the needs of our serving personnel, veterans and their families.”
He want on to say:
“We all know the vital contribution members of our armed services make to our country, including risking their own lives to make sure that this country is safe, and that we live in a world which is safe. For this borough, with its special links to the Lancashire and Royal Fusiliers, this is a particularly important issue.
The Lib Dem proposal was supported by all other parties. Bury is now the 120th local council in Britain to back the Royal British Legion’s campaign.
Liberal Democrat Councillors Mary D’ALbert, Steve Wright and Tim Pickstone.
More information from the Royal British Legion.
The Liberal Democrats, at their annual conference held this year in Bournemouth called for significantly safer building standard in the light of the terrible Grenfell Tower tragedy.
In a motion overwhelmingly agreed, the Party expressed its deep regret at the appalling Grenfell Tower fire.
It called for the public inquiry to be full and as swift as possible, and commits Lib Dems to implementing quickly any recommendations it makes. It then went on to call for a number of fire safety measures to be implemented immediately in all social or privately rented homes, including annual fire checks for all tall buildings, and having fire drill evacuation practices for very tall buildings.
Specifically it said:
-Residents in social or private rented homes to be comprehensively listened to when there are issues of concern over the quality of their housing, through clear channels of accountability and a means of redress when action is not taken.
– Sufficient funding from central Government to ensure all homes are brought up to safe standards.
– All blocks over four stories to have annual fire checks by persons on a professional register who meet the competency criteria established by the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council with mandatory actions on private and public landlords, owners, freehold owners and managing agents stemming from such checks.
– Central government to now comply with the recommendations of the Coroner who investigated the Lakanal tower block fire in 2013, and provide clearer guidance on the extent to which fire safety regulations apply to residential blocks.
– All blocks over ten stories to have a fire evacuation drill practices at a time of peak occupancy by the end of June 2018.
– Compulsory electrical safety tests in all rented homes in both the social rented and private rented sectors.
– A review of the emergency planning procedures for all councils to ensure there is clarity over how incidents will be dealt with and where responsibility lies.
– A complete review of the content and implementation of building regulations, including provisions for:
The use of sprinklers and cladding in tower blocks.
The ability of local councils to check details of development prior to building and during building or renovation.
— The ability to update building regulations as new products, processes and techniques become available.
— The ability of building regulations to be used to enforce changes where necessary in buildings based on updated knowledge of new products, processes and techniques.
Read the highlights from Vince Cable’s speech to the Resolution Foundation on inequality, delivered on the 6th September 2017.
Vince Cable will today make a major speech warning of the dangers of inequality arguing that if the problems we face today are not addressed then our country risks tearing itself apart.
Speaking to the Resolution Foundation he will warn that “growing inequality is linked to poor economic performance, greater economic instability, more social tension, insecurity and unhappiness.” He will also argue that generational inequality is increasingly proving as much of a challenge as class-based inequality. He will warn that “a serious review is needed of the set of taxes which are there to mitigate the sharp, jarring difference brought about by asset inflation and unearned income. We must tax wealth effectively.”
He will say:
On the new, unequal Britain:
“In modern Britain, there is something stirring around the idea of inequality: something new and worrying. This impression is based on the observation that inequalities of income, wealth and opportunity, between classes, regions and generations, are worsening, and that Britain is becoming a more unequal society compared to its neighbours and its past.
“Sometimes an event crystallises this feeling. The Grenfell Tower disaster wasn’t just a horrific accident with severe loss of life, but illustrated in a graphic way how the less well-off are not listened to by those with authority.”
On what inequality means personally:
“What motivates me personally and politically is the way this new Britain contrasts with the more egalitarian society I grew up in. In 20 years, my parents progressed from being factory workers in a house with an outside loo, to being part of the professional class and living in a detached house. Though they both left school at 15, they were able to see me grow up to attend an ‘elite’ university.
“My sense today however is that big differences in living standards and opportunities have since opened up. Social mobility is not what is was.”
On the collapse of social mobility:
“My parents’ experience of economic and social mobility would be very difficult to achieve today. The housing market no longer acts as an escalator when growing numbers cannot get on it, and there is a strong correlation between educational attainment and the educational attainment of the next generation.”
On the importance of inequality of wealth, not just income:
“Perhaps most significantly, wealth inequality is greater than for incomes and is growing, a trend apparent in almost all western economies. In the absence of compensating wealth taxation, high earners can turn their income into assets, and the value of assets can be compounded through investment. This is then passed on as inheritance, entrenching inequality across time between generations and classes.”
On why inequality is harmful:
“Too much inequality is bad for all of us. Put simply, growing inequality is linked to poor economic performance, greater instability, more social tension, insecurity and unhappiness. There should be a broad basis of support for measures which are seen to reduce inequality and contribute to a reduction in economic and social ills.”
Why higher income taxes on the rich aren’t the answer:
“Progressive income tax is often seen as the most politically appealing route to greater equality. The Left – as Labour’s manifesto demonstrated – remains very attracted to high marginal tax rates on the rich.
“Yet history shows that high marginal tax rates are counterproductive, and lead to rapidly diminishing returns. There is greater merit in trying to eliminate the large opportunities which exist for legal tax avoidance and arbitrage, and encouraging greater public disclosure of tax returns.”
On wealth taxation as the solution:
“If Britain is to become a more equal society, a serious review is needed of the set of taxes which are there to mitigate the sharp, jarring difference brought about by asset inflation and unearned income. We must tax wealth effectively.
“A first step would be to reform council tax – which is somewhat regressive and based on outdated property values – by creating more bands and making the bands proportional to the value of a property. Low bands would pay less, high bands more.
“This would need to be combined with effective taxation of inherited wealth. Inheritance is a major factor perpetuating inequality and inhibiting social mobility. That is why genuine meritocrats – like Bill Gates – argue for aggressive taxation of inheritance. Yet policy in the UK has moved in the opposite direction.”
Liberal Democrats leading the fight for greater equality:
“My party and I want to lead on the issue of reducing inequality. Our 2017 manifesto was judged the most redistributive of all by the IFS. There is a concrete Coalition legacy of measures like the Pupil Premium, improving minimum wage enforcement, regulating executive pay, and seeking to lift low earners out of tax. This will be a theme of my leadership.”
You can read Vince’s speech in full here: libdems.org.uk/cable-inequality-full-speech-060915
Last Sunday, 10 September 2017 was the 15th Worldwide Suicide Prevention Day. The day was launched to raise awareness of, and take action on the 800,000 people who die each year globally as a result of suicide.
Councillor Mary D’Albert represented us at an event in Bury hosted by Samirtans Bury to raise awareness on the theme ‘Its Okay To Talk’. A memory tree marked the number of people lost to suicide in Bury in the last three years.
In the UK suicide rates amongst men are around three times higher than with women. It is the leading cause of death for men aged 20-34, though the highest rate are in men between 40-44.
There are many services, nationally and locally, that provide information and help in the links below.
http://www.samaritans.org/media-centre/our-campaigns/world-suicide-prevention-day
Vince Cable has made a major speech on tackling inequality:
On the new, unequal Britain:
“In modern Britain, there is something stirring around the idea of inequality: something new and worrying. This impression is based on the observation that inequalities of income, wealth and opportunity, between classes, regions and generations, are worsening, and that Britain is becoming a more unequal society compared to its neighbours and its past.
“Sometimes an event crystallises this feeling. The Grenfell Tower disaster wasn’t just a horrific accident with severe loss of life, but illustrated in a graphic way how the less well-off are not listened to by those with authority.”
On what inequality means personally:
“What motivates me personally and politically is the way this new Britain contrasts with the more egalitarian society I grew up in. In 20 years, my parents progressed from being factory workers in a house with an outside loo, to being part of the professional class and living in a detached house. Though they both left school at 15, they were able to see me grow up to attend an ‘elite’ university.
“My sense today however is that big differences in living standards and opportunities have since opened up. Social mobility is not what is was.”
On the collapse of social mobility:
“My parents’ experience of economic and social mobility would be very difficult to achieve today. The housing market no longer acts as an escalator when growing numbers cannot get on it, and there is a strong correlation between educational attainment and the educational attainment of the next generation.”
On the importance of inequality of wealth, not just income:
“Perhaps most significantly, wealth inequality is greater than for incomes and is growing, a trend apparent in almost all western economies. In the absence of compensating wealth taxation, high earners can turn their income into assets, and the value of assets can be compounded through investment. This is then passed on as inheritance, entrenching inequality across time between generations and classes.”
On why inequality is harmful:
“Too much inequality is bad for all of us. Put simply, growing inequality is linked to poor economic performance, greater instability, more social tension, insecurity and unhappiness. There should be a broad basis of support for measures which are seen to reduce inequality and contribute to a reduction in economic and social ills.”
Why higher income taxes on the rich aren’t the answer:
“Progressive income tax is often seen as the most politically appealing route to greater equality. The Left – as Labour’s manifesto demonstrated – remains very attracted to high marginal tax rates on the rich.
“Yet history shows that high marginal tax rates are counterproductive, and lead to rapidly diminishing returns. There is greater merit in trying to eliminate the large opportunities which exist for legal tax avoidance and arbitrage, and encouraging greater public disclosure of tax returns.”
On wealth taxation as the solution:
“If Britain is to become a more equal society, a serious review is needed of the set of taxes which are there to mitigate the sharp, jarring difference brought about by asset inflation and unearned income. We must tax wealth effectively.
“A first step would be to reform council tax – which is somewhat regressive and based on outdated property values – by creating more bands and making the bands proportional to the value of a property. Low bands would pay less, high bands more.
“This would need to be combined with effective taxation of inherited wealth. Inheritance is a major factor perpetuating inequality and inhibiting social mobility. That is why genuine meritocrats – like Bill Gates – argue for aggressive taxation of inheritance. Yet policy in the UK has moved in the opposite direction.”
Liberal Democrats leading the fight for greater equality:
“My party and I want to lead on the issue of reducing inequality. Our 2017 manifesto was judged the most redistributive of all by the IFS. There is a concrete Coalition legacy of measures like the Pupil Premium, improving minimum wage enforcement, regulating executive pay, and seeking to lift low earners out of tax. This will be a theme of my leadership.”
You can read Vince’s speech in full here: libdems.org.uk/cable-inequality-full-speech-060915
At the last Full Council meeting of Bury Council the Lib Dem team of Councillors asked questions on the
length of home care visits provided by Bury Council.
These investigations have shown that a shocking 37% of Home Care visits is Bury are 15 minutes or less.
Bury Council commissions care at Home services for Adults to deliver the care and support required to enable the customer to remain as independent as possible. Currently, the Council commissions external providers to deliver care at home services in 15 minute blocks.
The typical number and duration of weekly visits to customers is as follows:-
Total Number of Visits per week – 12782 (100%)
Number of 15 minute visits – 4790 (37.47%)
Number of 30 minute visits – 5796 (45.35%)
Number of 45 minute visits – 1433 (11.21%)
Number of 60 minute visits – 578 (4.52%)
Number of visits over 60 minutes 185 (1.45%)
A growing number of voices are speaking out against 15 minute care visits:
Statutory Care Act guidance, states, ‘short home-care visits of 15-minutes or less are not appropriate for people who need support with intimate care needs.’
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) also advises that carers must spend a minimum of 30 minutes during visits to help keep people well.
The disability charity Leonard Cheshire has campaigned for a number of years to end flying care visits through its Make Care Fair campaign since 2013.
Out of the 152 councils surveyed in its survey this year, 16 councils have changed their policy in the last year and no longer commission 15-minute visits for personal care.
The local government Trades Union UNISON is a strong campaigner against 15 minute care visits. It’s Ethical Care Charter is a set of commitments that councils make which fix minimum standards that will protect the dignity and quality of life for those people and the workers who care for them.
The latest figures show that Britain just isn’t building enough houses to tackle the housing crisis – and it’s time for the Government to get their hands dirty and fix the crisis.
Quarterly housebuilding statistics released today by the Department of Communities and Local Government show that just 40,310 were built in the last quarter
They should not be rejoicing when there are still only roughly half the number of homes needed each year actually being built.
There are still millions of people stuck on housing waiting lists or desperately trying to get on the housing ladder, who feel utterly ignored.
The housing crisis will simply not be solved at this rate of building, the Government must get its hands dirty and intervene in our broken housing market.
Britain is suffering at the hands of our broken housing market. There are not enough homes, properties sitting empty, exorbitant prices. The housing market is a closed and exclusive game for monopoly investors.
We would take real action to tackle this crisis – building more than 300,000 homes a year – and if developers won’t build enough, then we think Government should step in and do it for them.
That’s real action to tackle the housing crisis.