GMSF Phase 2 Consultation DELAYED

The Council Leaders who sit on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority have delayed the next phase of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

A revised version of Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, due out in March, has been delayed by six months. The proposals, which at present include plans to decimate Greater Manchester’s greenbelt, will now be out in <strong>September</strong>, with consultation period extended from six to 12 weeks.

There was a massive public response to the first stage of consultation with over 25,000 responses received. Many local people have campaigned against the proposals to destroy so much green belt land. Liberal Democrat councillors across Greater Manchester have used their local Council meetings to propose that the GMSF process be scrapped.

More information on this as soon as we have it.

<a href=”http://timpickstone.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/10/21/massive-plans-to-build-on-green-belt/green-belt-mapjpg/” rel=”attachment wp-att-4328″><img class=”alignnone wp-image-4328″ src=”http://timpickstone.mycouncillor.org.uk/files/2016/10/Green-Belt-MapJPG.jpg” alt=”” width=”720″ height=”506″ /></a>

The full report being considered by the GMCA is <a href=”https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/1881/joint_gmca_and_agma_executive_-_31_march_2017_merged”>here</a> (it’s not very detailed). (Page 25)

Highlights are here.

Greater Manchester Mayoral Elections 4 May 2017

Residents will now be receiving polling cards for an extra election this year. Voters across Greater Manchester will be asked to vote for the first elected ‘Mayor of Greater Manchester’.

Voting takes place on Thursday 4 May 2017. If you don’t already have a postal vote but would like one, you can download form here. If you’re not registered to vote then you can find out how here.

People who already have postal votes will be sent postal votes for the Mayoral Election in late April 2017.

The ‘Greater Manchester Elects‘ website has basic information about the election.

 

The Liberal Democrat candidate in the election is Jane Brophy. Jane is an experienced councillor representing the Timperley area on Trafford Council. She works in the NHS and someone the Lib Dems in Bury have worked with over many years on campaigns together, for example on the GMSF, on Metrolink and on environmental issues.

Find out more about Jane on her website here.

 

 

Liberal Democrats call for ‘NHS Passport’ for the 59,000 EU Citizens who work in our NHS

The Liberal Democrats have called for an “NHS Passport” to secure the rights of the 59,000 EU citizens working in the NHS, as figures have revealed a sharp rise in nurses from the EU quitting the health service.

Over 2,700 EU nurses left the NHS in 2016, a 68% increase compared to two years ago. Separate figures from the Royal College of Nursing have shown the number of EU nationals registering as nurses in England has dropped by 92%, while there are 24,000 nurse jobs unfilled in the NHS.

Figures obtained by the Lib Dems show that 1,849 EU national left our local NHS Trust, Pennine Acute, in 2014, 2015, and 2016, including 558 nurses – one of the highest figures in the country.

The Liberal Democrats have called for an immediate guaranteed right to live and work in the UK for all EU citizens working in NHS and care services, in a motion passed by members at the party’s Spring Conference in York today. The motion also called for the urgent reinstatement of the nursing bursary to address the huge shortage of nurses in the NHS.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb commented:

“These shocking figures show you can’t have a hard Brexit and a strong NHS.

“It is vital that we reassure NHS staff and social care workers from the EU that they remain welcome and valued in the UK following Brexit.

“These people save lives, yet this Conservative government is treating them with careless disregard.

“NHS and care services would struggle to cope if significant numbers of doctors, nurses and NHS staff from the EU left.

“Theresa May must do the decent thing and ensure the right to remain for all EU citizens, with an immediate guarantee for those working in health and social care.

“It’s time to scrap GMSF” says Mayoral Candidate

JANE BROPHY, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, is calling for the Greater Manchester Spacial Framework (GMSF) to be scrapped.

The GMSF process will only go ahead if all ten councils in Greater Manchester and the newly elected mayor vote in favour of it. If any one of the eleven deciding vote against the plans, then it will fall – and the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate is now pledging to do just that.

Jane Brophy said: “The Government and Greater Manchester Combined Authority should have worked together with local councils, local people and local communities to ensure no more houses were built on our greenbelt until all other options were exhausted.

“There was no attempt to have any conversation with local people and their voices have been ignored. We now risk blindly destroying our green spaces and depriving our children of the areas to grow and play in.

“Before we open up the greenbelt for development we must bring empty homes back into use, develop every old mill building, empty warehouse, factory, brownfield space and derelict piece of land that we can.

“Only when all those options were exhausted should we have considered moving onto the greenbelt. But our voices have gone ignored for long enough and it’s now time to scrap this GMSF process.

“There was no discussion about where was going to be developed, and clearly no intention to begin any discussion.

“The GMSF has been top down, rather than from the bottom up. We need a plan that fully involves local people and their communities right from the start.

“This should have been about responsibly building affordable homes in areas that are near public transport and existing links, and it should be for local people in each area to decide the future of their community, not for a secret group at Manchester Town Hall to present a completed plan.

“Therefore, I am now withdrawing my support from the GMSF process and if elected I will vote to block the process, and work to ensure each and every local resident and local community is involved properly in the process to build the much-needed homes.”

More information www.janebrophy.com

 

Councillor John Leach writes – Help save fire-rescue hero from deportation

By Manchester Lib Dem Councillor John Leach:

If I asked you to imagine your ideal community, who and what would be in it? What kind of people would you choose to have as your neighbour? Would you want a neighbour who would be there in your moment of need – maybe even go as far as risking their life for you?

Well, you may have heard that just over a month ago, a resident here in Manchester did just that.

Robert Chilowa ran to the scene of a ferocious blaze engulfing a neighbour’s house after hearing screams of terror. He rescued two young children from the flames and assisted another who had broken her ankle in the disaster that had already claimed the lives of their grandparents. His heroic efforts were the only saving grace in an otherwise tragic event.

Now, I’ll take a pretty good guess that you’d want this man as your neighbour, right? Well, despite braving the devastating fire in Withington, rightly garnering national headlines, he has now been threatened with deportation.

Mr. Chilowa received a letter from the Home Office informing him he had no right to stay and was to be deported back to Zimbabwe. Mr. Chilowa is a member of the political opposition party in Zimbabwe, and could face persecution for his political activity, were he to be forced to return.

Deporting this man would be an act of gross injustice, critically undermining our sense of humanity and our commitment to inclusion and tolerance. As a Liberal Democrat, as a local representative, as a Mancunian, as a citizen of the UK and the world, I will not stand by and watch this happen.

After meeting and speaking with Robert last week, I wrote a letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd demanding that he be allowed to continue living here in Withington.

Yesterday, I made my letter public. And since then, more than 700 people have backed me.

An extension to his deportation deadline was granted, but a final hearing will be held this week to determine whether he can stay, and I need you to stand with me.

I need you to stand up for an open, tolerant and united country, and I need you to do it right now.

Because this may be happening in Manchester, but it is of national significance – just think about the kind of message we would send out if he were forced to leave the UK? Right now, whilst a family mourns, this Government, instead of lauding and thanking a hero, is trying to deport him.

I need you to add your name to my campaign. Please, go here, add your name and share it as far as you possibly can.

Lib Dems call for £7m extra for NHS in Bury

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government’s failure to provide enough extra cash for the NHS in today’s budget, warning that local services will struggle to cope with growing demand.

Ahead of the budget the Liberal Democrats called for a £4 billion funding boost for NHS and care services this year. That would amount to a cash injection of £7 million for local NHS services in Bury and £6.7 million for social care across Bury. The Budget announced by the Government today will instead see the share of national income spent on the NHS fall in the coming years.

NHS services in Greater Manchester currently face a funding gap of £897 million by 2020-21, analysis of local NHS plans has found. The NHS funding crisis also risks being made even worse by the Government’s hard Brexit plans, which are set to increase borrowing by £100bn in the coming years.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson Councillor Tim Picktone commented:

“The Government is refusing to stump up the extra cash NHS services in AREA so desperately need.

“This is a woefully inadequate response to the impossible pressure our NHS and care services are under.

“Chronic underfunding of our NHS is leading to longer waiting lists, cancelled operations and loved ones being stranded in hospital.

“Only the Liberal Democrats are being upfront with people that to protect our NHS and care services, we may all need to pay a little more in tax.

“We will also stand up against Theresa May’s reckless plans to pull out of the Single Market that will blow a £100 billion hole in the public finances. It’s clear you can’t have strong NHS and care services with a hard Brexit.”

We need an emergency £4 billion for the NHS and Social Care in tomorrow’s Budget.

The Liberal Democrats have called for an extra £4bn funding in this week’s Budget for the NHS and Social Care services to tackle the crisis emerging across the country.

Cuts to local government have hit social care badly, with more than a million older people having un-met care needs and thousands stuck in hospital for days after their treatment has finished because the care they need once they return home is not available.

Alongside this, the NHS has seen rising demand for treatment and needs more funding to deliver vital improvements such as achieving equality of access to timely treatment for those with mental ill health, and digitising the NHS to improve care and to make the system more efficient.

The Liberal Democrats believe we need a long term solution for funding Health and Social Care which will include raising additional revenue for these vital services from taxation.

The party had established an independent expert panel who will make evidence based recommendations on how this can be delivered in the fairest way.

Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron said:
“People across the country know the cost of underfunded health and social care services. It is the longer waiting lists and the trolleys in hospital corridors. It is the shorter care visits and the loved ones stranded in hospital because their local authority hasn’t got the resource to provide the care they need.

“The Government cannot continue to avoid this issue. More money is needed for NHS and care and only the Liberal Democrats are being upfront with people about the tough decisions that need to be taken and that will include fair tax rises.

“This looks like it will only get worse, with Theresa May’s reckless dealings with Europe hitting our economy, meaning even less resources will be available. The Government needs to face facts – you can’t have a strong NHS and care service with a hard Brexit.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb said:
“It is time for a new deal for our NHS and care services.

“Anyone using the NHS and care services knows they need more money and that is what the Liberal Democrats will deliver. We will set out a long term plan for funding, which will include fair tax rises. However we also know that services are at crisis point. Patients can’t wait any longer. That is why the government must put in this upfront investment without delay.

“Patients and their families are fed up with politicians sidestepping the difficult questions when it comes to improving the NHS and social care services. I am determined to set out a bold, new deal and a vision that will safeguard Britain’s health and social care services for generations to come”.

Liberal Democrats are calling for an injection of £4 billion extra funding for 2017-18 and that it should be delivered as follows, to ensure it has maximum impact and reaches those services where it is needed most:

£2bn additional funding for social care
£1.5bn additional transformation funding, to deliver modernisation and improve efficiency in the NHS
£500m additional dedicated funding for mental health

Stepping Forward for Education.

The Liberal Democrats have a bold vision for what education in Britain could become. As party leader Tim Farron has said:

“Education creates the level playing field so that every individual can play a full part in their community”

Lib Dems know that education is not just about tests and targets. It’s also about making sure every student has the opportunity to unlock their potential.

Kirsty Williams AM

Last week, Kirsty Williams spoke about the Liberal Democrats plans for education in Wales. In her Welsh Assembly role as Lib Dem Secretary for Education, Kirsty is making sure that ‘Liberal voices and Liberal values’ are heard so that we can create “an education system that the profession are proud of and that parents and learners have confidence in”

 

Mayoral Candidate: Jane Brophy

Here in Greater Manchester our Mayoral candidate Jane Brophy is speaking up for our local young people too. Speaking at a hustings event in the city centre Jane said she would press Greater Manchester’s council leaders to invest in services for young people and fight against budget cuts to youth centres. “We are not serious about aspiration if we choose to cut services for people who need them the most”.

 

KEEP UP with JANE and KIRSTY: 

Jane Brophy

Kirsty Williams

Reporting Back: Bury’s Budget Council 2017

At Bury’s recent ‘Budget Council’ Meeting the proposals from the majority Labour Group were voted through, which is a Council Tax increase from 1 April 2016 of 4.94%. Your local Liberal Democrat councillors voted against this budget.

The increase is made up of a basic increase of 1.94%, plus a further 3% ‘social care levy’. Bury has opted to ‘front load’; the Social Care Levy increases, so although this wasn’t announced last night, we can expect a further increase of 4.94% the year after, and 1.94% in 2019/20. This means Bury’s Council Tax will rise by almost 12.5% over the next three years.

When the Police Authority and Fire Authority charges are taking into account the actual rise for a Band D property will go up about £72 from April. A full list of the new Council Tax band rates is below.

One piece of good news is that an extra £10 million is to be invested in roads and highways over the next three years. The Council will borrow the money, paid back from the savings it makes from not having to make so many road repairs. Just how far £10 million will stretch remains to be seen – Lib Dem-run Stockport borrowed £100,000 million a few years ago which has enabled them to resurface about 1/3 of their roads – so I think we can all see that £10,000 isn’t going to do everywhere in across the whole of Bury.

The three-year budget sees ‘cuts’ of over £30 million pounds in almost every area of Council work following the relentless reduction in money that Councils get from the Government. We are very concerned that not enough detail is being given to members of the public about what these cuts will mean – what services will be cut, what jobs will be lost – and it would be better to be ‘up front’ about what the savings mean.

What did the Liberal Democrat councillors do?
The Liberal Democrat Group voted against the budget. Although we recognise that so much money has to be saved we felt that we couldn’t vote for £30 million of cuts when we didn’t know what they would mean to ordinary people.

We did propose changes to the budget:
– More money to help keep some of the smaller libraries open using volunteers.
– More money to help clear up fly-tipping.
– Money to provide for additional parking enforcement around schools.
These proposals were unfortunately voted against by the majority Labour Group.

Council Tax for 2017/18 is:

Band A – £1,096.26
Band B – £1,278.98
Band C – £1,461.69
Band D – £1,644.41
Band E – £2,009.83
Band F – £2,375.26
Band G – £2,740.67
Band H – £3,288.81