Calls for more Multinational taxes on Tech Giants

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Leader Jo Swinson MP and Vince Cable MP have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling on him to throw his weight behind a new Europe-wide tax initiative on tech giants.

This urges Philip Hammond to use the Budget to set out how he will incorporate what is currently an EU’s initiative into any Treasury initiative to tax big internet firms.

Jo Swinson said:
“Tech giants are getting away with not paying their fair share of tax because we make it easy for them.

The time to act is now if we want to create a level playing field for businesses in the UK and give our struggling high streets a much needed boost.

Britain is always at its best when it brings countries together in a common cause. If we want to tax tech giants we must work together with our European allies and others around the globe.”

I urge the Chancellor to focus his energy on making this EU-wide tax happen. This is a golden opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.”

Reporting Back – Meeting the Mayor

Last week was the regular meeting between the Mayor of Greater Manchester (Andy Burnham) and representatives of Liberal Democrat Council Groups across Greater Manchester. Our group leader in Bury, Councillor Tim Pickstone, was at the meeting.

Greater Manchester Spatial Framework
Residents may have read in the local press that the major ‘Greater Manchester Spatial Framework’ is likely to be delayed again.

GMSF is the Greater Manchester plan for housing, infrastructure and other land use for the next 20 years. The second version of the proposals was due to be published in October 2018, for another stage of public consultation, but this is now having to be delayed.

The reason is new population figure estimates nationally which, on the face of it, show that Greater Manchester needs significantly less houses in the future than previously thought. (The original plan had 227,000 new houses required over the next 20 years, the new figures suggest more like 155,000. HOWEVER, Greater Manchester waiting for the Government to publish a ‘formula’ to interpret the figures, and it may be that this future is pushed back up again.

This seems like good news. Greater Manchester has enough ‘brownfield’ sites to build over 190,000 new homes without touching any of our precious green belt land. If this was to happen then Manchester and Salford was be taking slightly than their ‘fair share’ of new houses, but feels sensible for the more urban and central areas of the region.

The other big demand on land is for ’employment land’ to make sure that there are places for everyone to work. I the north of Greater Manchester, including Bury, there are calls for more employment land which may or may not be on current green belt land.

Prior to his election, Andy Burnham promised ‘no net loss of green belt’, if he was elected. It will be interesting to see if he can stick to that promise. In Bury it will be interesting to see what our Council does with its plans and whether it still pushes ahead with a loss of green belt for new houses and/or employment land.

Trains and Regional Development
We asked the Mayor about how we can tackle the ‘summer of chaos’ on our regions railways, but crucially about future investment in our rail infrastructure. Big decisions are imminent on the Manchester to Leeds rail electrification, which is a really important next step to giving the north of England the good rail connections we need. We also asked about progress on High Speed 2 to Manchester and again there are worrying indications from Government about wanting to reduce costs and whether it is willing to provide us with the the High Speed 2 infrastructure we need in Greater Manchester (which is what London is getting!)

Other Issues
We also spoke to the Mayor about some of the pressures on our local hospital services, all of which are experiencing to a greater or lesser extent problems with capacity and finances.

We also spoke about how we can make sure that the decision making bodies in Greater Manchester are politically representative of everyone in Greater Manchester, and in particular spoke about how decision making bodies for the fire and police are being brought together

Please let us know if there are issues you would like us to raise at future meetings.

 

Swinson secures govt commitment on parental pay transparency

Commenting on the Government announcement that it will consult on greater transparency on parental pay, Jo Swinson, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

“I am delighted that the Government will be consulting on putting my parental pay transparency bill into law.

“This is a simple regulatory change with great benefits for employers, employees and job applicants.

“It is a national scandal that each year in the UK 54,000 women lose their jobs because of maternity and pregnancy discrimination. Conservatives must listen and deliver real change.

“The Government is right to consult on this but it must take swift action in the interest of all working parents.”

Jo Swinson is pursuing a Private Member’s Bill, tabled on 6 June 2018, to require organisations with more than 250 employees to publish details of their parental leave and pay policy.

This latest campaign victory comes after Swinson secured support for her Bill from ten major employers last week. These were Accenture, Addleshaw Goddard, Deloitte, Direct Line Group, EY, KPMG, Linklaters, RBS, Santander and PwC.

The Government announced its consultation on 1 October: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-legislation-to-ensure-tips-and-gratuities-go-to-employees

Decision made to reduce IVF provision for Bury patients

From October 2018, any new applications to seek funding for IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) services will be capped to one funded cycle for Bury patients.

The decision to reduce provision in this area from the current offer of up to three funded cycles, to one, was made at the most recent meeting of the NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Governing Body, and follows a six week consultation period.

IVF is one of a number of areas where the CCG has explored potential savings to reduce the expected financial gap. Moving to one funded cycle of IVF will save the CCG up to £170,000 every year.

The consultation which ran from 6th August to 16th September aimed to capture views and feedback on plans to review Bury’s policy in relation to the provision of IVF services. More than 400 individuals shared their views through a survey. The opportunity to feed back views was promoted through the press and social media, online, in GP practices and through local networks, with requests to speak to any local groups welcomed.

The NHS say that having considered the responses received, no significant areas emerged that the CCG had not already considered. There was a strong theme to emerge around concerns the impact a reduction in provision could have on mental health and demand for mental health services.

This change in provision from October 2018 will relate to new referrals, and will not affect those couples that are already having an individual funding request referral considered, or have had funding agreed.

Calls for International Treaty on Plastics

A legally binding international treaty on plastics is the call from the Liberal Democrats following a major debate at their Party Conference. The treaty would encompass phased reductions in the production, consumption and trade of virgin feedstock.

It would also include a financial mechanism providing aid and capacity-building assistance to developing countries.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader in Bury, Councillor Tim Pickstone said:
“The problem with plastics is not only on our shores. It is a problem that impacts the environment, communities and wildlife across the globe. The Government therefore has a duty to lead from the front and start weaning the world off plastics. But instead of leadership on the environment, all this Conservative Government offers is empty words.”

We are calling for real international action to save our environment from the scourge of single-use plastics.

– Banning the use of non-recyclable single-use plastics that have affordable alternatives
– Implementing a deposit system for all container products.
– Requirement all packaging to include recyclability options.

Demand better on plastics – add your name to our open letter today.

Photo Credit: Christophe Launay/Race for Water 2015.

Taking Action on Rising School Uniform Costs

The Liberal Democrat team on Bury Council have been successful in getting the Council to take action on the rising prices of school uniforms, in a move to help parents who are struggling with the costs. According to research by the Children’s Society, 3 million families in Britain are struggling to pay for school uniform costs.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Mary D’Albert said:
“We very much support the principle of school uniforms, but the rising cost in some schools is causing unnecessary hardship to parents who are struggling to make ends meet. This can be made worse where uniforms can only be bought from single suppliers and the cost of branded PE kit.”

“As a parent, I know what lengths a parent would go to make sure their children did suffer stigma or bullying because they didn’t have the right uniform, but for some people that might mean having to go without basic household expenditure.

Schools could help by having a more sensible approach to school uniform costs.”

The move, which secured all-Party support and is now Council policy, commits the Council to principles on School Uniform pricing which have been set out by the Childrens’ Society nationally around sensible guidlines for schools.

As a result of the Liberal Democrat group proposal, the Councils will now work with schools in Bury to develop a sensible set of Bury guidelines on school uniform costs which schools will be encouraged to adopt and follow.

The full text of the Liberal Democrat group motion is here.

Over 1/3 of Home Care Visits in Bury still only 15 minutes

At the last meeting of Bury Council, Liberal Democrat Councillors Mary D’Albert tabled a formal question to determine the number of home care visits, commissioned by Bury Council, are of 15 minutes or less.  

“Could the Leader of the Council inform members of the number and proportion of home care visits undertaken within the borough in 2017-18 that were 15 minutes or less, and 5 minutes or less, and how does this compare to previous years? “

Here is the response: 

Bury Council commission’s Care at Home services for Adults which are based on the individually assessed needs of each customer, delivering the care and support required to enable the customer to remain as independent as possible.

Currently, the Council commission’s external providers to deliver Care at Home services in 15 minute blocks.  As the visits are based on the assessed needs of the customer, the duration of each visit should enable the customer to receive the service they require appropriate to their needs.

The number and duration of weekly visits to customers in 2017/2018 is as follows:-

15 Minutes 3,422 (35.3%)

30 Minuts 3,495 (36%)

45 Minutes 984 (10.1%)

60 Minutes 454 (4.7%)

Over 60 minutes 1,341 (13.8%)

The respected disability charity Lenard Cheshire has long campaigned against 15 minute care visits (more details on their campaign here). The trades union Unison, which represents many of the people employed by Bury Council is also completely opposed to 15 minute care visits (more information on their campaign here.

 

Inheritance tax overhaul part of radical Lib Dem plans to tackle wealth inequality

Inheritance tax overhaul part of radical Lib Dem plans to tackle wealth inequality
Liberal Democrats have today set out bold reforms designed to spread opportunity, power and wealth more fairly throughout society and to give everyone a stake in the UK’s economic success.

The party expects these reforms to raise an additional £15 billion per year, though this is likely to grow as the rate of wealth passed down increases in the coming years.

Liberal Democrat members will debate and vote on the proposals at the party’s Autumn Conference in Brighton next week.

Proposals include:
Overhauling inheritance tax – taxing recipients progressively on all large gifts received at the same rates as income from employment, above a generous tax-free lifetime allowance, instead of the current system of levying tax on the value of an estate left behind.
Taxing capital gains and dividends – equalising the tax treatment of wealth and work by taxing capital gains and dividends through the income tax system.
Reforming pension tax relief – introducing a flat rate of relief on pension contributions, thus rebalancing relief towards lower earners; and limiting the tax-free lump sum the wealthiest can withdraw from their pension pots.
Lifelong learning and a “Citizens Wealth Fund” – using the revenues from wealth taxation to invest in public services, fund an ambitious programme of lifelong learning to prepare workers for the future economy, and establish an independent Citizens Wealth Fund to invest on behalf of the country.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said:
“The bold proposals we have set out today represent a serious and informed response to this challenge. They follow closely on the work of the Resolution Foundation and the IPPR, which have reached similar conclusions on the policies needed to address Britain’s deep economic divides.

“While it is increasingly clear that taxes will have to rise if we are to afford the crucial public services and investment we all rely on, hard-pressed workers should not be the only ones paying up. It is time to put Britain’s wealth to work.”

According to the ONS, 44% of UK wealth is owned by 10% of households, whilst only 9% is owned by the poorest half of the population.

The spokesperson’s paper “Giving Everyone a Stake” can be found here.

Schools becoming Academies, what do you think?

A major policy shift for Bury Council seems to be on the cards in proposals that are being put forwards by the Labour Group on Bury Council.

A paper is being received by the Council’s Cabinet this week, and next week (12 September 2018) the full council meeting in Bury will consider a proposal from Labour councillors will set out plans for a Bury Policy on how schools can voluntarily become academies, as well as looking at other options.

A school Academy is an independent school within the state sector. Currently most schools are accountable back to local people through the local authority with parents and local people serving as school governors. This is not the case with academies which are part often part of large ‘Multi-Academy Trusts’ which include schools from different parts of the country.

Bury has very successfully resisted the trend for schools to become academies, but the new Labour proposal seems a big change of this previous policy. They even recognises that there is a greater risk of schools being ‘forced’ to become academies because of the Council’s own poor OFSTED inspection last year for SEND children (Special Educational Needs and Disability).  The proposal from the Labour Group is here (motion 2), the detailed paper for the Cabinet meeting is here.

The Liberal Democrat councillors on Bury Council are interested in your views on this issue, before the important vote next Wednesday. Our Group Leader is Cllr Tim Pickstone – tim@burylibdems.net.

Over 1/3 of Home Care Visits in Bury still only 15 minutes

At the last meeting of Bury Council, Liberal Democrat Councillors Mary D’Albert tabled a formal question to determine the number of home care visits, commissioned by Bury Council, are of 15 minutes or less.  

“Could the Leader of the Council inform members of the number and proportion of home care visits undertaken within the borough in 2017-18 that were 15 minutes or less, and 5 minutes or less, and how does this compare to previous years? “

Here is the response: 

Bury Council commission’s Care at Home services for Adults which are based on the individually assessed needs of each customer, delivering the care and support required to enable the customer to remain as independent as possible.

Currently, the Council commission’s external providers to deliver Care at Home services in 15 minute blocks.  As the visits are based on the assessed needs of the customer, the duration of each visit should enable the customer to receive the service they require appropriate to their needs.

The number and duration of weekly visits to customers in 2017/2018 is as follows:-

15 Minutes 3,422 (35.3%)

30 Minuts 3,495 (36%)

45 Minutes 984 (10.1%)

60 Minutes 454 (4.7%)

Over 60 minutes 1,341 (13.8%)

The respected disability charity Lenard Cheshire has long campaigned against 15 minute care visits (more details on their campaign here). The trades union Unison, which represents many of the people employed by Bury Council is also completely opposed to 15 minute care visits (more information on their campaign here.