Ambitious for our country; Ambitious for our party. Vince Cable’s Leadership Letter

I want to lead the Liberal Democrats because I am ambitious about our future.

I believe we are the only party that can represent the millions of liberal-minded people alarmed by the direction this country is taking: people, whether they voted remain or leave, who hate the intolerance, xenophobia and division that the Brexit vote unleashed.

I want the Liberal Democrats to be at the centre of political life: a credible, effective party of national and local government, and a voice of sanity on Europe.

To achieve this, we will have to fight for every vote and every seat.

It can be done: we have a record membership and the enormous energy that thousands of new members have brought to the party.

I believe I have the ability to give that energy a lead, to hit the headlines and to put our party at the centre of political debate.

Vince

Vince Cable

Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Reporting Back: Extraordinary Council Meeting

Last week Bury’s Councillors met together for an important extraordinary meeting. This was to consider the outcome of an investigation in to senior staff, which had resulted in the resignation of the Council’s Chief Executive and Executive Director of Children’s Services.

This is an important and serious issue, and one which you will probably have seen reported in the media.

Background
An investigation was initiated by the Council at the start of this year around an incident which took place in April 2015. The Council commissioned an independent report into the incident, which resulted in the suspension of senior staff. This was followed by a formal Human Resources Panel and legal investigation which has resulted in the two members of staff mentioned above resigning from the Council.

The details of the case have been reported extensively in the press. Essentially they relate to how senior people in the Council did not follow proper procedures when informed of a criminal investigation of a then Labour councillor for possession of child sexual images. The incident occurred in the run up to the 2015 General Election, and the information was incorrectly kept out of the public domain until after that General Election.

Outcome
Two very senior members of staff (Chief Executive and Executive Director of Children’s Services) have resigned and are no longer employed by the Council.

It is important to stress that the Council, at the start of this process, put in place strong interim management arrangements to ensure that the important functions of the Council are working as they should be.

The Future
Councillors met to consider a joint motion agreed by all three political parties on how we need to move forward from this very serious incident. This has now been agreed by all councillors.

For us there were three things we particularly wanted to ensure happen:

1 – Learn from what has happened
The external experts have made recommendations on how some of the rules that determine how the Council operates are strengthened (particularly the Members Code of Conduct), and there are a number of actions that are recommended coming from the report. We are very keen to make sure that any changes, actions or improvements are taken, and as quickly as possible.

2 – Investigate Elected Member involvement
The investigations so far have been into the paid staff of the Council. There remain questions which are unanswered about whether or not any elected Councillors knew, or were involved, in this process. It has been agreed that there will be an independent investigation into these councillors which we fully support. You may have seen in the press that the former Leader of the Council has been suspended by the Labour Party, pending these investigations.

3 – Review the Culture of the Council
At a senior level it is very important that the different roles of councillors, and the professional paid staff we employ to run the Council are understood. They need to work closely together, but there also need to be clear boundaries in place. We have asked for an all-party review of the culture of the Council at a senior level, which has now been agreed.

This is a very serious issue so if you have any questions you want to ask the Liberal Democrat group at the Council please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Group Leader tim@burylibdems.net.

The papers for the Council meeting are here.

 

 

School funding announcement is attempt to “pull wool over people’s eyes”

Justine Greening has announced £1.3bn of additional funding for schools that she has said will come from “efficiencies” from within the education budget.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary Layla Moran said: “This is a desperate attempt to pull the wool over people’s eyes. Instead of providing the £4bn of extra funding promised in their manifesto, the Conservatives are recycling cash from the education budget. It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Schools are still facing cuts to their budgets once inflation and increasing class sizes are taken into account. Children only get one go at education. We need to invest more in our schools to ensure that no child is left behind.”

The money includes cutting £280m cut from the free schools budget and £315m from “healthy pupils” projects. The DFE is promising £416m extra for schools from `savings” in 2018-19 and a further £884m in 2019-20.

A joint statement from the NUT and ATL teachers’ unions accused the government of “smoke and mirrors”. “Whilst any extra money is welcome this isn’t enough to stop the huge cuts that schools are making,” said the teachers’ unions.

They pointed to evidence from the National Audit Office and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which warned of £3bn funding gap and schools facing an 8% real-terms budget cut.
During the election, the Conservatives had promised an extra £1bn per year, which on top of planned increases, would have meant the core schools budget rising by about £4bn in 2021-22.
Most of this extra funding was going to come from scrapping free meals for all infants, a policy which was subsequently ditched.

Jo Swinson’s message for Pride 2017: Love Happens Here

Jo Swinson’s message for Pride 2017: Love Happens Here

Pride is a colourful, energetic celebration of freedom, love and acceptance. Each year I am amazed as thousands of people of all sexualities take to the streets in the name of freedom and equality.

I am proud to stand with the LGBT community in the continuous fight for a more open, tolerant and united society.

This year’s theme “Love Happens Here”, reminds us that we ought to celebrate love wherever we find it and defiantly oppose the forces of bigotry, hate and division.

This is an historic year, as it marks 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK and I’m thrilled that in that time we have managed to secure more LGBT rights – such as the introduction of same-sex marriage, championed by Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone.

Let us celebrate our triumphs and remind the word of the courage, strength and vibrancy of this incredible community.

Thank you to everyone that has made this year’s celebrations possible.

Prestwich and Bury Walk-In Centres to stay open till March 2018

Our two local NHS walk-in centres will remain open for at least eight more months. NHS Bury CCG has confirmed that the centres, at Prestwich and within Moorgate Primary Care Centre in Bury, will remain operational until at least March 31 2018.

The CCG says that: “The CCG remains committed to the redesign of urgent care services in Bury in order to ensure the best possible care for the GP registered population of Bury. We will communicate further updates on the next steps in this process following the release of further national and Greater Manchester guidance.”

The public consultation on the future of urgent care services in Bury was paused in March to allow for the release of further national guidance. Since then it has been confirmed that the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership is also considering the composition of urgent care services across Greater Manchester. Current indications are that it is likely to be September 2017 at the earliest before this further guidance is released.

The consultation will remain paused until the further guidance is received.

Earlier this year the Liberal Democrats collected a significant number of petition signatures, handed into the CCG before it considered the closure. Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign – this was the only petition received by the CCG.

Our view is that it is great that the centres get a reprive for another 8 months, but the fight to keep them open is far from over.

Full story Bury Times.

Standing Up for Public Sector Pay

Liberal Democrats MPs have supported plans to end the public sector pay cap in amendments on the Queens Speech being considered by Parliament. This follows a clear Manifesto Commitment to end the 1% pay cap by the Party.

After the Conservatives were elected as a majority government in 2015, then chancellor George Osborne said that he would continue with the 1% limit until 2020 as part of the government’s deficit reduction plan. Representatives of civil service employees have said that there was now “an emerging consensus that the 1% pay cap is damaging the capacity of our public services to respond to the challenges facing the UK – public services have seen their living standards cut by 15% or more since 2010 with further cuts still to come under current government plans”

Around a quarter of people in Bury work in the public sector (stats from 2011). Figures were announced this week that more midwives and nurses are leaving the profession in the UK than joining for the first time on record, with the number departing having risen by 51% in just four years. The figures, which will add to concerns about NHS staff shortages, show that 20% more people left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register than joined it in 2016/17.

Vince Cable MP, who is hoping to be the Party’s next Leader said that “public sector workers faced a double blow under the Conservative government, with years of “pitiful” increases to pay combined with higher inflation”.

“Our NHS and schools are already struggling to recruit the staff they need. A better future is available. We will stand up for our schools and hospitals and give hard-working nurses, teachers and police the pay rise they deserve.”

 

Reporting Back: 10 Libraries to Close

Bury Council’s Cabinet met last week to consider the future of Bury’s 14 Libraries. The meeting was the end of a nearly year-long process to review the library provision across Bury.

The outcome is that TEN libraries will close. Ainsworth, Brandlesholme, Castle Leisure, Coronation Road, Dumers Lane, Moorside, Topping Fold, Tottington, Unsworth and Whitefield.

FOUR Libraries will stay open: Bury central library, Ramsbottom, Radcliffe and Prestwich. Radcliffe had been threatened with possible closure, but the conclusion of the review is that this should stay open.

Opposition Leaders are no longer allowed to vote on the Cabinet (we had our votes taken off us in May), but if we had been able to vote we would have voted against as we have at previous stages in the process.

We would be the first to agree that libraries are not for everyone. Changes in society have meant that the function libraries provided 40 years ago can be met in other ways for many people. But, for some other people, those needs are still there. Crucially libraries are also community spaces and we have precious few of these left. Age UK research shows at 1.6 million older people in the UK are chronically lonely (e.g. no contact at all with friends, neighbours or family in an average week). The outcome of Bury Council’s conclusion is that whole areas of Bury (e.g. Whitefield, Unsworth and Tottington) will have no library at all in their community.

Secondly, we believe Bury hasn’t done enough to see whether there are other ways of keeping places open using community groups and/or volunteers. Other places in the country haven’t closed a single library, by using volunteers and community groups to keep smaller libraries open (the books and the systems are already in place for the bigger libraries). Although the Council says that it is open to community groups coming forward to take on the 10 libraries that are open BUT we believe that the timescale now makes this highly unlikely in almost all cases (the 10 libraries will shut their doors in less than 3 months now).

Thirdly, we believe that the Council’s consultation process didn’t provide a real chance for people to say what they wanted for their local libraries. The first stage of the Library consultation asked people what they through of a number of ‘principles’ for libraries – it was difficult to disagree with any of them and not many people did! The second stage asked people whether then wanted to CLOSE 10 libraries, or close 11 libraries. Hardly much of a choice!

Lib Dems table amendment on Single Market to Queen’s Speech

Britain must stay in the Single Market to protect jobs

The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen’s Speech calling for Britain to stay the single market and customs union.

The party is now calling on both Labour and Conservative MPs to support the amendment and inflict a historic defeat on the government, forcing Theresa May to soften her extreme approach to Brexit.

An amendment to the Queen’s speech last year was accepted by the government after it received cross-party support.

Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake commented:

“We’ve already seen living standards fall and prices rise since last year’s Brexit vote.

“But this is nothing compared to the pain that would be caused by Theresa May’s extreme version of Brexit.

“Tearing up Britain’s membership of the world’s largest market would mean fewer jobs, higher prices in the shops and a long-term blow to our prosperity.

“We will not give up the fight to protect our economy by staying in the Single Market and Customs Union.

“I am urging all like-minded Labour and Conservative MPs to be on the right side of history and back this amendment.”

Success for Campaign to ban Letting Fees

Letting agents fees look set to be banned in this year Queen’s Speech following pressure from the Liberal Democrats.

The fees cost on average £223 per tenancy but under the new plans they will be banned and tenants will be given the opportunity to recover illegal fees imposed upon them.

Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, Olly Grender, who has led a campaign against the fees, said:

“I am absolutely delighted that the ban on letting fees set out in my Private Members’ Bill is now being proposed as law. It’s time we made them a much greater priority, including by introducing a public register of rogue landlords.

Government Drops Plans to Scrap Free School Lunches

Theresa May is expected to have dropped plans to scrap free school lunches for infant pupils from today’s Queen’s Speech.

It comes after the Liberal Democrats strongly criticised the Conservatives during the election campaign over the plans which would have deprived 1.7 million children of free school lunches, including 700,000 living in poverty.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary Layla Moran said:

“I’m glad Theresa May has bowed to pressure and agreed not to scrap free school lunches.

“This is a victory for families across the country. Thousands of children living in poverty will now continue to receive a free nutritious meal a day.

“I am proud of the role the Liberal Democrats played in first introducing free school lunches and then protecting them from Theresa May.

“We will now fight to ensure the Conservatives rein back on their plans to extend grammars and reduce school funding.”