The scandal of Government premium rate help lines

Valerie Vaz, Labour MP for Walsall South, has quietly been finding out how much the Government makes from premium rate lines.  Each Department has been asked in turn.  The one that is going to stir up a storm (according to today's Daily Telegraph, is dear old Work and Pensions.  Their appalling record is listed in full at Hansard here.

There are 180 premium lines (and no ordinary phone number alternatives), so unless you are a benefits expert you are very likely to have to ring more than one at up to 41p a minute.  150,000 rang the Bereavement Hotline (there are no bereavement benefits) and 4 million rang about the Social Fund, presumably to be told "How can you claim to have no money when you can afford to ring this number?"  Oh how Duncan Smith and the lads must have laughed!

It's the ultimate Tory dream - not only taking money from the poor but turning a profit on them at the same time!

Overall, Government departments receive 130 million premium rate calls a year.  Cable & Wireless, who operate the system, make a cool million per annum from the so-called service.  Have to say they missed a trick, though.  They should have set up a dedicated number for Bedroom Tax inquiries and halved the deficit overnight.

Youth unemployment, local education, other issues

We recently had 2 great speakers addressing our meetings.

In October, Professor Sue Maguire of Warwick University talked about employment among young people in the UK. She told us that over 1 million young people aged between 16 and 24 were currently NEET, (not in education, employment or training), which is 15% of this age group.

As the under 18s are not counted in national unemployment figures, a large proportion of these young people become invisible in the national statistics, and therefore its difficult to know what is happening to them, and to help them find work or training. Cuts to Local Authorities, for example funding to Connexions, make is harder for LAs to track and help them. These are worrying times for young people.

In November, Tim Morrely, Principle of Thomas Astley School, Broughton Astley, gave an excellent overview of education in Lutterworth and environs. There have been lots of changes to education recently. He explained how, as Local Authority input has being substantially cut, that the local schools have formed a close -knit community of umbrella schools, to collaborate and help each other, and provide the best educastion for all children of all abilities.

December meeting will be our annual Quiz, with mega quiz master David Fish and food at Red Admiral pub. Prizes and raffles!

Freeze that Bill

Huge thanks to everyone who has taken part in Labour's FREEZE THAT BILL campaign around the country today.

 

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

First, a statistic - this is the 100th post on this blog - congratulations! This is an excellent blog, and I wish you well for your next 100 and beyond.

This last weekend saw another row blow up about the misuse of statistics. The Daily Telegraph claimed

"More than 600,000 unemployed European Union migrants are living in Britain at a cost of £1.5 billion to the NHS alone, according to an EU report. The authoritative study, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, shows the number of jobless European migrants coming to Britain has risen dramatically in the past five years, intensifying demands for the Government to renegotiate EU membership."

Outrageous you might say - and that was the intended response. This was a story intended to promote the Tory agenda of scapegoating both the poor and the EU. All Britain's ills come from the feckless poor and the evil empire that is the EU. Nothing to do with this government's redistribution of wealth from the many to the few; the activities of it's friends like the bankers (who it is standing up for against attempts to limit their bonuses...) and the pay-day lenders; and the policies which mean most people are working more for less.

But if you misrepresent a report - you face a backlash from its authors - and so the writers of the report have pointed out that:

• The proportion of non-active UK citizens in Britain is higher than the equivalent proportion of non-active EU nationals in Britain. Just under half (43%) of UK citizens aged over 15 are classified as non-active. This compares with 30% of EU nationals in the UK. There are 2.3 million EU residents in Britain, of whom 611,779 are non-active.

• A relatively small number of EU citizens in Britain – 60,000 – are claiming jobseeker's allowance, which works out at around 10% of the total non-active EU group. This compares with a 28% figure for the EU as a whole. The 60,000 figure is from the latest Department for Work and Pensions figures.

But they have "form" - Duncan Smith wrongly claimed in 2011 that EU citizens are costing Britain more than £2bn in benefits. This was revised down to £150m. An analyst commented, "Even for the £150m they haven't produced any figures to back up that claim."

Jonathan Portes, (An Economist) of National Institute of Economic and Social Research has said -

 

"The big picture is that most migrants from the new member states of the EU come here to work; they are young and place relatively few demands on public services.

Migrants in general, in particular those from the new member states, are less likely to claim benefits than the general population.

Overall, our assessment is that the impacts on the UK economy and labour market (of EU migration) are likely to be small, but broadly positive, as you would expect given that most new migrants will be relatively young and their primary motivation is to find work."

But the sinister background to this story is that they knew their misuse of statistics would be speedily challenged. They knew that the claims were unsustainable - but their election gurus will have told them it doesn't matter. People don't remember statistics - but the impression stays. We will meet people on the doorstep as the European and General Elections come closer, who will be affected by the impression that we are being overrun by benefit scroungers from Europe. We can't let them get away with it!

Angela Merkel

David F sent me this article from the Economist about Angela Merkel, who will still be Europe's dominant figure when we come to power in 2015. She will also be setting the agenda for the Euro elections next year, upon which the British parties will have to take a stance.

Thanks, David.

Youth unemployment update

I have posted as a separate page - click on the link on the right of the blog - Professor Sue Maguire's notes from her talk to the Branch last Tuesday.  As ever, enthralling and not a little terrifying. 

Fighting the same battle

David F sent me this quote:

"If Margaret Thatcher is re-elected as prime minister on Thursday, I warn you. I warn you that you will have pain–when healing and relief depend upon payment.
I warn you that you will have ignorance–when talents are untended and wits are wasted, when learning is a privilege and not a right.
I warn you that you will have poverty–when pensions slip and benefits are whittled away by a government that won’t pay in an economy that can’t pay.
I warn you that you will be cold–when fuel charges are used as a tax system that the rich don’t notice and the poor can’t afford.
I warn you that you must not expect work–when many cannot spend, more will not be able to earn. When they don’t earn, they don’t spend. When they don’t spend, work dies.
I warn you not to go into the streets alone after dark or into the streets in large crowds of protest in the light.

"I warn you that you will be quiet–when the curfew of fear and the gibbet of unemployment make you obedient.
I warn you that you will have defence of a sort–with a risk and at a price that passes all understanding.
I warn you that you will be home-bound–when fares and transport bills kill leisure and lock you up.
I warn you that you will borrow less–when credit, loans, mortgages and easy payments are refused to people on your melting income.
If Margaret Thatcher wins on Thursday–
- I warn you not to be ordinary
- I warn you not to be young
- I warn you not to fall ill
- I warn you not to get old."

It was made by Neil Kinnock, in Bridgend, on Tuesday June 7 1983.  It serves as a reminder just how good Kinnock was at making speeches - and why the Right Wing Press simply had to dub him the Welsh Windbag.  It also reminds us how, thirty years on, we are still fighting the same battle.

Substitute David Cameron or The Coalition for 'Margaret Thatcher', change the date to Thursday May 7 2015, and the rest holds as true today as it did in 1983.

Laying down a marker

Ed Miliband's speech to the TUC - full text here.

Post your reactions and thoughts, either here or over on our Facebook page.

Thinking about the Euro campaign

It appears the date for the Euro elections is Thursday May 22 2014.  Apparently there are some changes to electoral procedure, due to come into force for the Euros but applicable to all elections, one of which we need to build into our campaign planning.

The key change is that postal votes should now be issued a.s.a.p. after the close of nominations.  Thus people could potentially be casting their vote from the very beginning of the traditional campaigning period.  We have to start canvassing earlier and we need to put together some material, ready to drop through letterboxes, several weeks in advance.

The other changes mainly relate to the technicalities of postal voting and are of no real consequence for us.  One change I find reassuring after the 2010 fiasco is that people queuing at a polling station at 10pm should still be allowed to vote, even though by the time they do so the polls have officially closed.

Ed Miliband's Syria Speech

The full text of Ed Miliband's speech on intervention in Syria can be found here:

Essential reading, not just for Labour members, but for everyone who takes a moral stance on declaring war.

You can also see it here.

Britain's rip-off energy prices

The Party has launched a series of comparisons like the above on its Facebook page.  If you're not already Labour's Facebook friend, shouldn't you be?  I have to say, I thought the divergence between cost and ability to pay would be more extreme.  Oh...  I see... I'm thinking of water.

Seriously though, a commitment to make these parasites invest some of their gargantuan profits in UK energy infrastructure would be a guaranteed election-winner.  I would also suggest that the independent parliamentary watchdog should make it impossible for ministers' blind trusts to invest in privatised utilities.  The purpose of blind trusts is to ensure disinterested decision-making - but any minister since the turn of the century must know that any trustee worth their salt would be failing in his or her duty if they didn't buy up these surefire money-spinners by the lorry-load.  No tax, no investment, low wages, profits up ten per cent year on year, every year - the investors' dream.

More pics of BBQ, July 2013

Lutterworth Branch members and comrades enjoying the sun and food at Mikes Summer BBQ

Summer BBQ

In July the Branch held a BBQ hosted by Mike Wailoo in his lovely Lutterworth garden, and featuring his fantastic cullinery skills. We were lucky to have real barbecue weather, and lots of home made lemonade, made according to Mikes Carribean grandmas recipe! Thanks to Mike for a splendid day, and to Sandra for compiling a beautiful hamper for the raffle, which was won by Dave.

Sandra, Dave and Mike at Summer BBQ

Garden Fund Raiser! June 2013

The Branch held our annual tea in the garden event in Arnesby this year, at Elaine and Peters. Despite threats of heavy rain and strong winds, the storm held off for a couple of hours, and no-one got wet!

Over 30 members and friends braved the weather to come along, including old members who came all the way from Buxton and Market Harborough to visit, and Leicestershire members from over the borders in other Branches!

There were plenty of delicious cakes, as usual - yum!

It was hard work providing all those cups of tea.....

Excellent reading material was available at very competitive prices!

Peter Soulsby, Mayor of Leicester attended, and after talking about the positive results in the recent County elections; and his hopes for the Euro and 2015 elections, he stocked up on a wide range of reading material for his forth coming holiday!

Willy Bach also discussed current issues and our prospects in the Euro elections.

A happy raffle winner.....

 

The treasurer was happy that there are now funds in the Branch - we made £200!!

The next events are: Lutterworth Carnival, where our stall will be a Quiz, written by Willy B, and money raised will go to Lord Mayors Appeal; and BBQ at Mike Wailloos, (in the red jacket!)July 13th, 2pm. Tickets £10 from David Fish, Secretary. See you there!

If even people from the FT say austerity has failed...

There's an argument that the financial crisis was fuelled, if not started, by endless commentary in the news media.  Now Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, says this:

"Austerity has failed. It turned a nascent recovery into stagnation. That imposes huge and unnecessary costs, not just in the short run, but also in the long term: the costs of investments unmade, of businesses not started, of skills atrophied, and of hopes destroyed."

You can read the full article here, on The New York Review of Books site.  It's also apparently available on the FT site, but that of course is a pay site, which is anathema.

Saving the NHS

'Outgoing NHS England Chief Executive David Nicholson  launched a sustained attack of the political debate around the health service in his farewell speech to the NHS Confederation.

'Sir David argued for the need to get away from the "tyranny of the electoral cycle" and said
that the government 'wasted' two years restructuring the NHS  instead of addressing the need to  transform services.

'Worse, during the 2010 election campaign, politicians "went around the country making promises
of no change".  David Nicholson made explicit reference to moratoriums on hospital reconfigurations, which had been promised by former health secretary Andrew Lansley before he took office.

'"We said at the time it was not the right thing to do - so what happened when we got a new government in, we wasted those two years where can really make change happen."

'David Nicholson argued that the reason that NHS England was set up was to look ahead and think strategically about the future of the NHS.  This strategy would get the NHS "out of the tyranny of that electoral cycle, to think about the NHS over the medium to long term".'

[Health Service Journal 14 June 2013 Page 15]

Thanks to David Fish for submitting this item.

Alternative transport strategies

David Fish has sent this question from the Bite-Sized Masters of Business Administration Course delivered by Rupert Vernalls (below):

Question – what is the biggest airline in the World?

Answer – A regional airline!

Question – what airline

Answer – South West Airlines America

Question – How do they do it

Answer – effective (and alternative) strategies

e.g. Standardised Aircraft, technicians, pilots

e.g. Agreements with airports

e.g. Turnaround process

e.g. Frequent Flights

for example – South West Airlines only flies from secondary airports and turns round in 30 minutes

 

David  says, "Doesn’t this suggest that we could look deeper into alternatives to provide

High Speed 2 and  airport capacity in South East England?"

 

 

 

Very relevant, especially now that Birmingham is proposing to make its airport bigger than Heathrow, specifically tied-in to HS2.

June Branch meeting update, and forth coming Social events!!

The June meeting was even more lively than expected. It`s often the case that even the simplest agenda item or passing comment turns into a lively discussion and an impromptu debate on topical affairs! This was the case on Tuesday, when interesting conversations led to us needing to be thrown out by the caretaker as closing time approached!

An Arnesby Parish council decision prompted debate on the issue of windfarms. We are as a Branch very much in favour of clean energy, but are keen that energy initiatives and wind turbines are erected in a co-ordinated manner and in the most appropriate places to get the best wind. We decided to ask the GC to write to HDC and LCC to ask what their policy is on this.

David Fish, our Membeership secretary, brought a Branch membership record of the last 10 years. We notices a sad decline after the Iraq war, then a sudden increase after May 2010 - what could have caused that, we wondered??!!

Roger, our IT Wizard, has made further improvements to our Blog site and added a permanent email address for the Branch. He also proposed we get a phone, to further increase our availability to the public. We decided to do this as soon as we have more funds...(any funds, that is!) NB Pleasant, painless fund raising events will be taking place this Summer - see below.

Our official speaker for the evening was David Gair, Secretary of S Leics GC. He was talking about the environment, but because of previous discussions was allowed only 7 minutes to explain how humans have decimated the globe over the past 100000 years, but on a positive note have shown an ability to rectify their misdemeanors if they decide to do so, as in the case of CFCs, which was modified within 5 years. He did a masterly job in the 7 mins available, and we will continue this discussion at the next Branch meeting!

SOCIAL EVENTS THIS SUMMER
1.Tea in the garden, Sunday, 23rd June, 3 - 5, At Elaine and Peters in Arnesby, £3 entrance. Tea, cakes, book and plant stalls, raffle and a speaker.
2. Lutterworth Feast Day. Saturday, July 6th, 11 - 4. We will have a stall, with a Quiz written by Willy Bach, and any funds raised will be donated to the Lord Mayors Appeal.
3. BBQ Mikes garden. Delicious food, cooked by Mike. Saturday, 13th July, 2pm. £10 a head. Hamper to be raffled, organised by Sandra. Tickets from secretary, David Fish, davidfishcf@msn.com

See you all soon!

Calling time on tax havens

Calling time on tax havens

Important article from Melanie Ward of Action Aid UK on the true, human cost of tax avoidance.  Surely this has to be one of the key battlegrounds for Election 2015.

Why May 8 is important

Today, the Queen goes to the House of Lords to read out 'her' government's agenda for the next session.  This is important in its way but not that important as it will largely consist of a list of sometime-never initiatives that will grab tomorrow's headlines but then sink quietly into the swamp of forlorn political hopes.

Far more importantly, today marks just two years to go until General Election day when the electorate can show what it thinks of five years of pointless austerity which has seen the rich get richer, the rich pay less and less tax (quite an achievement this, given that many government donors have never paid any), the food bank movement become one of few remaining growth endeavours, energy and water cartels cease to pay any attention whatsoever to so-called official watchdogs, and bankers become far and away the biggest recipients of state handouts.

I look forward to it.

Many Thanks

I would like to say thank you to all of you who put so much hard work into the Lutterworth Division. It was quite humbling to see people coming in from other divisions to help in what was not, on previous results, a marginal. Though we did have high hopes. Then there were those who, after a hard day in this division, went off to help elsewhere. Thanks also to our home team who knew, at times, they were leafleting in Tory heartlands but got on with the job. It felt good to be part of such a dedicated team.

The Results are in...

The results are in for yesterday's Leicestershire County Council election.  We did OK, but the plaudits have to go to the six Labour gains in the north of the county: Thurmaston, Loughborough South, Whitwick, Coalville, Ibstock and Measham.  Lots of people thought we could win a one or two of these, but nobody dreamt we could win all six.

In the Harborough part of South Leicestershire, otherwise known as us, the results were as follows:

Lutterworth
David Gair (L)      758
Rosita Page (C)   1525
Martin Sears (I)     518
    Spoilt ballots       11

Broughton
Bill Liquorish (C)          1544
Antony Moseley (LD)     183
Sandra Parkinson (L)      521
     SP                                12

Bruntingthorpe
Elaine Carter (L)             572
Graham Hart (C)           1555
Tim Johnson (UKIP)       723
Kevin Loydall (LD)        229
     SP                                  7

Jo Fox her seat in Braunstone, which is great, but you have to feel for Amanda Hack who missed out on a stellar win in Enderby Meridian by 39 votes.  Having been Pete Knight's agent in 1989 when we failed to take Lutterworth by 6 miserable votes, I have particular empathy.  The good news, Amanda, is that we took Lutterworth for Pete by several hundred four years later.

Back in '94, though, there were issues to be fought.  The County Council did things and spent money.  This year, the scandalously low turnout - for us, 31.7%, 26.5% and 32% respectively - says it all.  What is there to fight about with a council that does nothing, plans to do less, and spends very little except on itself?  Surely the turnout of 22% in a battleground seat like Enderby Meridian makes the argument for unitary councils?

Congratulations to the winners, well done to every single candidate.  Certainly in Lutterworth, Broughton and Bruntingthorpe it wasn't for want of effort.  The Lutterworth4Labour team worked as hard as ever.

The full gory details can be found on the County website.

Good luck tomorrow!

DAVID GAIR

 Standing in LUTTERWORTH DIVISION

to press for a proper bypass to the east of the town.

 

SANDRA PARKINSON

Standing in BROUGHTON DIVISION

to make your roads safer

ELAINE CARTER

Standing in BRUNTINGTHORPE DIVISION

to win funding for rural communities

 

 

All your LABOUR CANDIDATES are campaigning to save your libraries, services to schools, and grants to essential voluntary and community organisations from FURTHER TORY CUTS.

 

Good luck to all in tomorrow's County Council elections.  Voting takes place from 7am to 10pm, so they must be expecting crowds.

 

If you want to know what these elections mean nationally, there's a fascinating article here.



Swiftway Polling Station Closed!!!

The polling station at the Swiftway Centre is not going to be available on 2nd May. Instead voters will have to make their way to The Pavilion on the Coventry Road Recreation Ground. Harborough DC did not realise that the building was not in a fit state to use until they came to deliver the ballot boxes for storage.
Obviously this could affect voting; particularly for the less mobile.
HDC are reissuing polling cards, and there will be extensive information on the day redirecting voters. This, however, is not good enough and we are to press them to provide transport; something that they suggested that we should do. If you live in the area and need help, let us know, or, if you are in a position to assist someone else we would be very grateful.
We can win this, but it will be close and every vote will be crucial. Please help us get the vote out and send this government a message that crushing the poorest whilst giving an easy ride to the most wealthy is not acceptable.

Deadline for Voter Registration and Postal Votes

The deadline for registering to vote in the County Elections and for claiming a new postal vote is only FOUR working days away - Wednesday April 17 at 5pm.  If you, or any Labour supporter you know, needs to do either of these things, tell them now.  They need to contact electoral services at Harborough District Council (yes, such is the logic of local government that the District runs County elections) immediately.

Canvassing gets underway in Lutterworth

A very good morning's canvassing in the region of Riverside and Misterton Roads. Many thanks to Elaine, Peter and Sandra for their efforts. Last week's cuts, benefits for the poor and tax for the wealthy, have clearly struck a chord, as have the Chancellors outrageous linking of benfits and the Philpott case. There is a general sense of how unfair this is, and we need to demonstrate to people that Labour is the best alternative.

Locally there is some amazement that we have new footpaths in Church Street whilst the town suffers increasing, and dangerous, levels of traffic pollution. A bit like giving the bridge of the Titanic a lick of paint. Labour, of course, had a solution for this and was ignored. Lutterworth is not even mentioned in future traffic plans, and there is certainly no evidence of preparing a bid for some of the money that is going to become available for major infrastucture projects.

Lutterworth Labour team ready to go!!

The Lutterworth Labour Team is at the ready for the County Council Elections in May! Our first leaflet has been distriuted, and the second is printed and ready for delivery. Canvassing tomorrow, no matter what the weather!! Good luck to:

David Gair, standing in Lutterworth, (on the far right, ha ha!)
Sandra Parkinnson, standing in Broughton Astley, (out delivering)
Elaine Carter, standing in Bruntingthorpe, (taking the photo!)

Time for a change on the County Council

The economy is still doing badly, so austerity continues and the Government has cut 30% of its contribution to the County Council. Leicestershires most needy have borne the brunt of the cuts, for example, there have been huge cuts in services to the elderly and vulnerable, such as home care for the elderly.

At a national level, while making disproportionate cuts to the less well off, the Government continues to blame the poor in our society for the welfare bill, and purposefully misrepresent the truth to justify its cuts to the welfare budget. For example, the Tories repeatedly use terms like "dependancy culture", "benefit cheat" and "intergenerational worklessness" when only 3% of the welfare budget is spent on unemployment benefit -  (the vast majority of it goes on pensions) - and, despite fraud being mentioned repeatedly in Tory speeches, the fraud rate is only 0.7%. Ian Duncan Smith is the main culprit for this mis-representation, while the Child Poverty Action Group and the Rowntree Trust have described this language as unhelpful, and misrepresents what poverty is about.

We know that money is tight, but a Labour Council would seek to get as fair a share of the national cake as possible, and halt reductions in services for the elderly and disabled. Its time for a change in the Council, and the Labour team is working hard to make it happen. Please help by voting Labour in the County Council elections on May 2nd

Well worth reading

 

Fascinating article today by Leon Spence, Labour Group Leader on NW Leicestershire District Council.  Not sure I agree with everything he says - but that's the point of political discussion.

Click here to read - and why not sign up for the daily email while you're on the site?

Get involved in Team 2015

The latest video from the Labour Party seems timely as we prepare to start canvassing. 

Now that's a leafleting team!

 

 The first leafleting team of the campaign season, Sunday February 17 2013.  And somebody's thumb.

County Council candidates

It was a special open GC meeting at Broughton on Tuesday night, devoted to the upcoming County elections.  Main speaker was Nick Brown, former County Councillor and current constituency campaigns organiser, who reminded us of the hard fact that we must be targeted and disciplined to win anything in South Leicestershire.  But it can be done and here, on the right in the picture (the only time the phrase 'on the right' can ever be applied to her) is Braunstone County Councillor Jo Fox.  Labour is standing in every seat in the constituency and these are our nine candidates.

It was a great meeting and what promises to be a successful campaign got off to a great start last Sunday with twenty-odd out on the streets of Enderby Meridian.

Debating the Future

Labour List recently published this ebook/pdf edited by Jon Cruddas, essential reading for those of us who want to help shape the policies that will help Labour win an even bigger majority at the 2015 election.  Today's announcement by Ed Miliband, committing to the return of the 10p tax rate for the forgotten majority, shows the influence of the thinkers who contributed to the book.  Get your free copy now from http://labourlist.org/.  Recommended!

AGM

Last night was our Annual General Meeting and the start of our campaign to win back at least one seat in our area in the forthcoming County Council election.  Yes, another chance to watch the LibDems suffer!

The Chair's annual report has been posted as a separate page - see the Pages panel on the right.  And here, to celebrate, is a picture of our Chair and our Treasurer.

Another new photo has sprouted elsewhere on this page.  All the others Elaine sent me have been uploaded to our soon-to-be-launched photo site.

Legal Aid Cuts

Willy Bach on the latest government driven assault on legal aid funding
    

 "Anti-social, and crude with it"

Today in the Lords, I will ask the Legal Aid Minister, Lord McNally, why the Legal Services Commisssion (LSC) has decided to cease funding the Advice Services Alliance (ASA), the Law Centre Network (LCN), and the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) from 1st April this year. The total loss will be just over £650,000 per year, and obviously will affect all three organisations to a serious degree.

It needs to be emphasised right away that all three of these bodies enjoy the highest respect from all who work in our legal system – at whatever level. It is accepted that the work they have done for many years has been of huge and lasting value to many thousands of citizens faced with legal problems. It is obvious too that they would not have been able to perform in this way if it wasn’t for government funding grants, given without pause over a long period of time – 33 years in the case of LCN.

Taking them briefly, one by one:

The RCJ Advice Bureau, run by the CAB, has delivered for over 20 years a frontline free legal advice service to ‘Self Represented Parties’ (SRP) who bring or defend civil claims and family matters across England and Wales, including County Courts, High Court, and the Court of Appeal. This advice prepares unrepresented parties for court hearings, and ensures procedure and forms are correctly followed. Not surprisingly, it is a very popular service with all who work in the civil and family courts. But it stands to lose £254,700 per year.

The ASA is the central body to whom many advice agencies look to for training, co-ordination and direction. Their work over many years has ensured that the agencies carry out their responsibilities in a professional manner, particularly with regard to public money. ASA has already lost about £100,000 per year since 2010 from National Lottery funding, and now it stands to lose a further £252,000 in one fell swoop. No wonder the future looks uncertain for this outstanding organisation. Its very existence may now be at risk.

Last but not least is the LCN, which is responsible for individual Law Centres, who rely on it for, among other things, best practice, advice, developing purchase schemes, resource sharing, implementing cost saving, reserve sharing; in fact everything that make Law Centres a crucial part of our legal system, so poor and disadvantaged people can get access to justice. There surely must be a significant role for the LCN, even with the much reduced scope of Legal Aid. It stands to lose over £148,000 per year.

Taking the impact on the three organisations together, this crude move clearly shows the government’s policy towards social welfare law and access to justice generally. It is something Ministers clearly do not find important. Coming at the same time as the overhaul of the welfare system, it is hard to see the decision as anything other than a deliberate attack on principles held dear for many, many years.

Lord Willy Bach is backbench Labour Peer and was previously Shadow Justice Minister in the Lords

Published 29th January 2013

[Copied here from the Labour Lords blog]

The kids Gove doesn't care about

David sent me a Guardian article about how it really is for schoolkids in areas that the Eton boys not only don't care about, they've probably never even heard of.  You can read the article online by clicking here.

You can read the fascinating blog from which the article is taken - "Musings of a Head Teacher" - by clicking here.  It's a fascinating insight.

Electioneering

David Fish drew my attention to this fascinating article in The Economist about preparations for the next General Election.  Click on this sentence to visit the website. 

Too much for the forthcoming County elections?  I don't think so.  Just as nothing is more important than saving this country from the Tories and their seedy mates the Lib Dems, there is no point in continuing to have a county council in Leicestershire if this bunch of Tory do-nothings keep control.

You can tell it's election year.  Monday morning, in the freezing fog and frozen snow, the length of Walton Road was closed while a man with a County van filled in potholes one by one.

Happy New Year from Lutterworth Branch!

Happy New Year to all Blog-readers! Here is news from the Branch.

Meetings have been held regularly, with animated political discussions on a number of topics including the ludicrous NHS bill, that is clearly privatisation by stealth; the governments disruption of the legal aid system, youth unemployment, the state of the economy and more.

A newletter has been compiled by Branch members and distributed throughout Lutterworth, Broughton Astley and the villages, drawing attention to issues that affect local people.

We have given fond farewells to some extremely loyal and long-term members who are moving to pastures new - Anne and Martin Willey to Buxton, and Paul and Sue Gray to Market Harborough. They will be greatly missed, and although we gave them a good send off, we hope they will be back to see us!! And no doubt they will continue to fly the flag in their new abodes!!

We have had various social events - our annual Christmas quiz was at the Red Admiral in Broughton, with excellent questions by quiz master David Fish, and funds were raised for the Branch. The annual Gala Dinner was held in November at the Lutterworth Cricket Club. Andy Burnham spoke, giving a moving and amusing speech on the NHS. Willy Bach also spoke with animation on his years on the Front Bench, the Legal Aid Bill, amongst other issues. Music was provided by Peter and Elaine.

We remembered and paid tribute to our fantastic comrade, Councillor Phil Fox, who sadly passed away this year - his endless hard work and lovely, friendly personality will be hugely missed by all who knew him during his 30 years active membership in Braunstone Town.

So - Happy New Year to all, and Good Luck in the County Elections!

Invoice - payment due

 

 

Can somebody please tell me why the Tory-Dems are allowed to get away with it?  Is now the case that endlessly repeated the mantra "It's fair!" automatically makes it true?  The next truth Cameron and Clegg are likely to encounter is the morning after the 2015 election.