Friday 22 March 2013

There were scenes of amazement as North Tyneside’s Tory Mayor Linda Akley chose to snub her own council meeting to attend a Conservative Federation political fundraiser.

PRESS RELEASE
Mayor snubs her own Council Meeting
‘Mayor is failing the leadership test’ – Jim Allan

There were scenes of amazement as North Tyneside’s Tory Mayor Linda Akley chose to snub her own council meeting to attend a Conservative Federation political fundraiser.
The Mayor who earns over £61,000 per year and her entire Cabinet and Conservative group of twelve councillors failed to show for last night’s Council (21 March 2013) meeting which was due to agree the council’s pay policy and the new Health and Wellbeing  Board which will be responsible for over £10m of NHS and council spending.
Now the Mayor faces calls for her to ‘explain and apologise’ why she led the whole Conservative group in the council into, what is being described as a ‘dereliction of duty’ before she faces election on 2 May.
Labour group leader Jim Allan said
‘In the first time in the history of this council, a Mayor and her entire political group have snubbed their own meeting. Tonight’s pay policy and the establishment of the Health and Wellbeing Board are her own policies and she’s deserted her post. The Mayor and her Cabinet are paid collectively over £120,000 to make decisions and she’s decided to put her own party political aims above the needs of the residents of this Borough and the priorities of the council’.  
See Photograph of empty conservative seats in the full council meeting.
There were scenes of amazement as North Tyneside’s Tory Mayor Linda Akley chose to snub her own council meeting to attend a Conservative Federation political fundraiser.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

The government's economic plan is failing. Instead of more of the same failing policies we need a bold and radical Budget this week to kickstart our economy and help millions on low and middle incomes struggling with the rising cost of living.

Briefing for Labour Group Leaders

Pre-Budget script

The government's economic plan is failing. Instead of more of the same failing policies we need a bold and radical Budget this week to kickstart our economy and help millions on low and middle incomes struggling with the rising cost of living.

Our economy is flatlining, prices are rising faster than wages, the deficit is going up and even our triple-A credit rating has been lost. On every economic test this Government set itself, it has failed. It’s no wonder the Cabinet are losing confidence in the Prime Minister and his downgraded Chancellor by openly calling for a change of direction.

We need action now to kickstart our economy, create jobs and support businesses:
·         bring forward long-term infrastructure investment in schools, roads and transport and build thousands of affordable homes — getting builders back to work, creating the homes we need now and strengthening our economy for the future;
·         temporarily reverse the government’s VAT rise to boost spending power in the economy;
·         give small firms a national insurance tax break if they take on extra workers;
·         get people back to work to help get the benefits bill down by guaranteeing a job for every young person out of work for a year or more and every adult unemployed for over two years – a job that they will have to take up or lose their benefits – funded by a fair tax on bank bonuses and changes to pensions tax relief for the very richest;
·         and get lending going to small and medium-sized companies, who desperately want to invest and expand, by establishing a British Investment Bank.

A strong and sustained recovery can only be made by the many, not just a few at the top. So we need to ease the squeeze on people on middle and low incomes who are seeing their living standards fall year after year:
·         next month's tax cut for millionaires should be cancelled. It cannot be right that millions are being forced to pay more for this government’s economic failure - and through cuts to tax credits, child benefit, maternity pay and the bedroom tax - while millionaires get an average £100,000 tax cut;
·         we need fair tax cuts for millions of people on middle and low incomes, for example by bringing back a new lower 10p starting rate of tax (paid for by a mansion tax on homes worth over £2 million) and putting right a mistake Labour made in the past;
·         and if the government finally wants to help families with the growing cost of childcare, they should start by reversing their cuts to childcare tax credits which cost a family with two children up to £1,500 a year and extending Labour’s free nursery places from 15 to 20 hours a week.

The government is borrowing to pay for economic failure:
·         David Cameron says any action to kick-start the economy will lead to more borrowing. But the government is already borrowing more to pay for the costs of their economic failure.
·         Without growth we cannot get the deficit down. If confidence is crushed, businesses go bust, long-term unemployment soars, the Government gets less from tax revenues and the benefits bill goes up.
·         That is why the deficit is rising this year and the Government is set to borrow a staggering £212 billion more than planned to pay for the mounting costs of its economic failure.
·         This doesn’t make any sense. A steadier and more balanced plan – sensible spending cuts and tax rises, together with measures that support our economy, create jobs, invest in infrastructure, and reform our economy for the long term – would be fairer, more successful in getting the deficit down and make Britain better off for the future.

Background: Three years of economic failure

After nearly three years in the job, George Osborne’s record is one of failure – failure on growth, failure on living standards and failure on his own tests on the deficit and debt.

Failure on growth

·        Since George Osborne’s spending review in 2010, the UK economy has grown by just 0.7% compared to the 5.3% forecast at the time.
·        Only two other G20 countries have grown more slowly than the UK in that time.
·        Last year the UK went through a double-dip recession and the economy shrank by 0.3% in the last quarter.

GDP growth (%)
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
June 2010 Budget OBR forecast
2.3
2.8
2.9
2.7
2.7
n/a
Latest OBR forecast
0.9
-0.1
1.2
2.0
2.3
2.7


Failure on living standards

·        With the economy flatlining and inflation high, real wages have fallen since this government came to office meaning people are worse off.  

Real wages (%)
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
June 2010 Budget OBR forecast
-0.5
0.4
1.8
2.4
2.4
n/a
Latest OBR forecast
-2.3
-0.1
-0.3
0.6
1.7
2.0


Failure on the deficit and debt

·        Lack of growth has meant more borrowing to pay for the costs of economic failure – with borrowing forecast to be over £200bn more than planned at the time of the spending review.
·        The government will not “balance the books” by 2015 as David Cameron promised.
·        National debt as a % of GDP is not now forecast to start falling until 2016/17 – breaking one of the government’s fiscal rules.
·        Latest ONS figures show that public sector net borrowing (PSNB), excluding the Royal Mail and Asset Purchase Facility transfers, is over £5 billion higher so far this year than the same period last year.

PSNB (£bn)
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16
16/17
Nov 2010 OBR forecast
117
91
60
35
18
n/a
Latest OBR forecast
121.4
119.9
111.6
98.6
81.2
49.0


Debt (% of GDP)
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16
16/17
Nov 2010 OBR forecast
66.3
69.1
69.7
68.8
67.2
n/a
Latest OBR forecast
66.4
74.7
76.8
79.0
79.9
79.2


Government Cuts to Childcare

Brief for Labour Leaders
Government Cuts to Childcare
Tuesday 19 March 2013

From Stephen Twigg MP and the Shadow Education team






Further Information:
Please contact the office of Stephen Twigg MP, Shadow Education Secretary
020 7219 4158

A open letter to the Chancellor

Dear Chancellor,
Your Government's efforts to deal with the deficit so far have focussed on cutting public spending. Since 2010, 1,500 fire fighters have lost their jobs; over 300 libraries and 400 Sure Start centres have closed; police numbers have been reduced by over 6,000 and there are 5,000 fewer nurses. The rise in people relying on food banks is a clear sign that many are facing high levels of economic and social distress. 
We believe that you should invest in growth. Local government is demonstrating its ability to drive growth by providing infrastructure investment and supporting local businesses. Allowing local government to borrow in line with prudential rules will enable us to invest in building houses and create desperately needed jobs.
Councils have been handed some of the deepest cuts in the public sector. Local authorities have seen their budgets cut by 33% in comparison to 8% across Whitehall departments. Further cuts to local government would only shift costs to other public services leading to more budget pressures overall on healthcare, policing and prison services.
We believe that you face a clear choice. Rather than hitting frontline services, this Budget presents an opportunity to pool funding across public agencies and could save taxpayers up to £4 billion each year. We are offering help to deliver this policy.
At a time of increased unemployment, the nation's safety net has been seriously compromised. The bedroom tax, council tax benefit reductions and other cuts will mean that many people will struggle to keep their heads above water.
We believe that you should support those who are being hit hardest by the economic downturn. Scrapping the bedroom tax and looking again at the costs to families of all the benefit changes should be a priority before giving tax cuts to the richest people in the country.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Alan Smith, Leader of the Council, Allerdale Council
Cllr Paul Jones, Leader of the Labour Group, Amber Valley Borough Council
Cllr Robin Stuchbury, Leader of the Labour Group, Aylesbury Vale District Council
Cllr Liam Smith, Leader of the Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Cllr Alison Moore, Leader of the Labour Group, Barnet London Borough Council
Cllr Stephen Houghton CBE, Leader of the Council, Barnsley Council
Cllr Simon Greaves, Leader of the Council, Bassetlaw District Council
Cllr Susan Oliver, Leader of the Labour Group, Bedford Council
Cllr Chris Ball, Leader of the Labour Group,           Bexley Council
Cllr Sir Albert Bore, Leader of the Council, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Kate Hollern, Leader of the Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Cllr Simon Blackburn, Leader of the Council, Blackpool Council
Cllr Eion Watts, Leader of the Council, Bolsover District Council
Cllr Clifford Morris JP, Leader of the Council, Bolton Council
Cllr David Green, Leader of the Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Cllr Philip Barlow, Leader of the Labour Group, Braintree District Council
Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, Brent Council
Cllr Mike Le-Surf, Leader of the Labour Group, Brentwood Borough Council
Cllr Gill Mitchell, Leader of the Labour Group , Brighton & Hove City Council
Cllr Helen Holland, Leader of the Labour Group, Bristol City Council
Cllr Julie Cooper, Leader of the Council, Burnley Borough Council
Cllr Mike Connolly, Leader of the Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Timothy Swift, Leader of the Council, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of the Labour Group, Cambridge City Council
Cllr Sarah Hayward,         Leader of the Council,    Camden Council
Cllr George Adamson, Leader of the Council, Cannock Chase District Council
Cllr Jewel Miah, Leader of the Labour Group, Charnwood Borough Council
Cllr Justin Madders, Leader of the Labour Group, Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cllr John Burrows, Leader of the Council, Chesterfield Borough Council
Cllr Alistair Bradley, Leader of the Council,            Chorley Borough Council
Cllr James Alexander, Leader of the Council, City of York Council
Cllr Tim Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Colchester Borough Council
Cllr Elaine Woodburn, Leader of the Council, Copeland Borough Council
Cllr Tom Beattie, Leader of the Council, Corby Borough Council
Cllr John Mutton, Leader of the Council, Coventry City Council
Cllr Tony Newman, Leader of the Labour Group, Croydon Council
Cllr Stewart Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Cumbria County Council
Cllr Bill Dixon MBE,           Leader of the Council, Darlington Borough Council
Cllr Mrs Joan Butterfield OBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Denbighshire Council
Cllr Paul Bayliss, Leader of the Council, Derby City Council
Cllr Anne Western, Leader of the Labour Group, Derbyshire County Council
Cllr David Sparks OBE, Leader of the Council, Dudley Council
Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of the Council, Durham County Council
Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of the Council, Ealing Council
Cllr Trevor Webb, Leader of the Labour Group, East Sussex County Council
Cllr Sheila Carlson, Leader of the Labour Group, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Cllr Doug Taylor, Leader of the Council, Enfield Council
Cllr Julie Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Essex County Council
Cllr Mick Henry CBE, Leader of the Council, Gateshead Council
Cllr John Clarke, Leader of the Council, Gedling Borough Council
Cllr Kate Haigh, Leader of the Labour Group, Gloucester City Council
Cllr Trevor Wainwright, Leader of the Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Cllr Brian Jones, Leader of the Labour Group, Gwynedd Council
Mayor Jules Pipe, Executive Mayor, Hackney London Borough Council
Cllr Rob Polhill, Leader of the Council, Halton Council
Cllr Claire Kober, Leader of the Council, Haringey Council
Cllr Thaya Idaikkadar , Leader of the Council, Harrow Council
Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher, Leader of the Labour Group, Hartlepool Council
Cllr Jeremy Birch, Leader of the Council, Hastings Borough Council
Cllr Caitlin Bisknell, Leader of the Council,             High Peak Borough Council
Cllr Jagdish Sharma MBE JP,  Leader of the Council, Hounslow Borough Council
Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of the Council, Hyndburn Borough Council
Cllr David Ellesmere, Leader of the Council, Ipswich Borough Council
Cllr Geoff Lumley, Leader of the Labour Group, Isle of Wight Council
Cllr Catherine West, Leader of the Council, Islington Council
Cllr Judith Blakeman, Leader of the Labour Group,           Kensington and Chelsea Council
Cllr Mehboob Khan, Leader of the Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Cllr Lib Peck, Leader of the Council, Lambeth Council
Cllr Mrs Eileen Blamire, Leader of the Council, Lancaster City Council
Sir Peter Soulsby, Executive Mayor, Leicester City Council
Mayor Sir Steve Bullock, Executive Mayor,           Lewisham London Borough Council
Cllr Richard Metcalfe, Leader of the Council, Lincoln City Council
Mayor Joe Anderson OBE, Executive Mayor, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Hazel Simmons, Leader of the Council, Luton Borough Council
Sir Richard Leese CBE, Leader of the Council, Manchester City Council
Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of the Labour Group, Medway Council
Cllr Stephen Alambritis, Leader of Merton
Cllr Charles Rooney, Leader of the Labour Group, Middlesbrough Council
Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of the Council, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
Cllr Gareth Snell, Leader of the Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme  Council
Sir Robin Wales, Executive Mayor, Newham London Borough Council
Cllr Bob Bright, Leader of the Council, Newport City Council
Cllr Graham Baxter MBE, Leader of the Council, North East Derbyshire Council
Cllr Jim Allan, Leader of the Labour Group, North Tyneside Council
Cllr John McGhee, Leader of the Labour Group, Northamptonshire County Council
Cllr Grant Davey, Leader of the Labour Group, Northumberland Council
Cllr Brenda Arthur, Leader of the Council, Norwich City Council
Cllr Alan Rhodes, Leader of the Labour Group, Nottinghamshire County Council
Cllr Dennis Harvey, Leader of the Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
Cllr Jim McMahon, Leader of the Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Lady Liz Brighouse OBE, Leader of the Labour Group , Oxfordshire Council
Cllr Nazim Khan MBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Peterborough City Council
Cllr Tudor Evans, Leader of the Council, Plymouth City Council
Cllr Jim Patey,  Leader of the Labour Group, Portsmouth City Council
Cllr Mrs Sandra Davies, Leader of the Labour Group, Powys County Council
Cllr Peter Rankin, Leader of the Council, Preston City Council
Cllr Jo Lovelock, Leader of the Council, Reading Borough Council
Cllr Colin Lambert, Leader of the Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Sam Souster, Leader of the Labour Group, Rother District Council
Cllr Chris Roberts, Leader of the Council, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Cllr Dr James Shera MBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Rugby Borough Council
Cllr Keith Dibble, Leader of the Labour Group, Rushmoor Borough Council
Mayor Ian Stewart, Executive Mayor, Salford Council
Cllr Darren Cooper, Leader of the Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Eric Broadbent, Leader of the Labour Group, Scarborough Borough Council
Cllr Mick Lerry, Leader of the Labour Group, Sedgemoor District Council
Cllr Peter Dowd, Leader of the Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Steve Shaw-Wright, Leader of the Labour Group, Selby District Council
Cllr Julie Dore     , Leader of the Council, Sheffield City Council
Cllr Alan Mosley, Leader of the Labour Group, Shropshire Council
Cllr Andy Perkins, Leader, Labour Group, South Gloucestershire Council
Cllr Mark Wilson, Leader of the Labour Group, South Lakeland
Cllr Mrs Eleanor Hards, Leader of the Labour Group, South Oxfordshire Council
Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of the Council, South Tyneside Council
Cllr Richard Williams, Leader of the Council, Southampton City Council
Cllr Peter John, Leader of the Council, Southwark Council
Cllr Martin Leach, Leader of the Labour Group, St Albans Council
Cllr Marie Rimmer CBE, Leader of the Council, St Helens Metropolitan Council
Cllr William Kemp, Leader of the Labour Group, Stafford Borough Council
Cllr Kevin Jackson, Leader of the Labour Group, Staffordshire Moorlands  Council
Cllr Sharon Taylor OBE, Leader of the Council, Stevenage Borough Council
Cllr Mohammed Pervez, Leader of the Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Cllr Sandy Martin, Leader of the Labour Group, Suffolk County Council
Cllr Paul Watson, Leader of the Council, Sunderland City Council
Cllr Victor Agarwal, Leader of the Labour Group ,Surrey
Cllr David Phillips, Leader of the Council, Swansea City and County Council
Cllr Jim Grant, Leader of the Labour Group,         Swindon Borough Council
Cllr Kieran Quinn, Leader of the Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Stephen King, Leader of the Labour Group, Three Rivers District Council
Cllr John Kent, Leader of the Council, Thurrock Council
Cllr Peter Box CBE, Leader of the Council,    Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of the Labour Group, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Chris Robbins, Leader of the Council, Waltham Forest London Borough Council
Cllr Rex Osborn, Leader of the Labour Group, Wandsworth London Borough Council
Cllr Terry O'Neill, Leader of the Council, Warrington Council
Cllr John Barrott, Leader of the Labour Group, Warwick District Council
Cllr Tod Sullivan, Leader of the Labour Group, Waveney District Council
Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, Westminster City Council
Cllr Kate Wheller, Leader of the Labour Group, Weymouth & Portland  Council
Lord Peter Smith, Leader of the Council, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Ricky Rogers, Leader of the Labour Group, Wiltshire Council
Cllr Phillip Davies, Leader of the Council, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Roger Lawrence,       Leader of the Council,    Wolverhampton City Council