Is This To Be Birmingham's Olympic Legacy

Some years ago a certain Labour Prime Minister (Tony Blair if you must know), went off to the far east and made promises that if London were to be given THE OLYMPICS, then as a Government, more importantly as a Country we would be committed to ensuring that there was an Olympic legacy, not just after the games, but in the lead up to them.

Until this year that promise had been kept, no matter how difficult times had been.
One of the prime funding methods had been through the Schools Sport Partnership, now today I hear that locally in my ward, the £250,000 spent locally each year, engaging young people in school sports and sport activities outside of school times has been totally cut.
What has annoyed me is that we have one of the most successful Sports Colleges in the country on our doorstep, Baverstock School and if we are to continue to maintain a sporting presence throughout our area, then most of the funding formally spent by the School Sports partnership, will probably have to come from Baverstock School and out of their school budget. Totally and utterly ridiculous.
Read more here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/oct/21/funding-cuts-school-sport

We're Watching Over You

Technology over the years has been evolving at a significant pace, including that of CCTV systems. Speak to most residents and they want reassurance, they want CCTV coverage, they want a reduction in crime.

Now it comes as no surprise too me that Birmingham Council has spent the most of any council in the country on surveillance systems, after all we are the single largest authority in Europe.
Criminal activity coupled with the ever present threat of terrorism means that modern surveillance techniques are becoming increasingly more popular and as a whole beneficial to our community and those who police it.
The changes we have seen over the last few years or so in the CCTV industry have been very dramatic and the rapid growth of Internet Protocol (IP) cameras has been phenomenal.
There have been two key areas of development, which both bring benefits to us, members of the public. One form of IP camera system we have all heard about is the ones used for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). Used properly ANPR will distinguish between those cars that are legal and those which are not, allowing the Police to take the correct action in most cases, for stopping a vehicle.
So to sum up, in my opinion, used effectively CCTV systems can and do give reassurance to the public, can and often do deter criminal activity, but must not be intrusive to law abiding residents.
Read more with this links.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334200/CCTV-cost-councils-300m-3-years--city-spending-10m.html

Who Is Taking Who For A Ride?

Capita, the company that runs through a partnership with Birmingham Council all of the IT Support and telephone systems, at Birmingham Council, earning it tens of £millions a year in profit, has had its contract not only extended until 2021 but also expanded to take in all of the councils revenue services. Overall the extension of contract etc, should make about £300 million profit for Capita.

Hang on a minute, hang on a minute. Isn’t Birmingham Council looking to make a saving of around £300 million over the next few years and to do this they want to make how many employees redundant?
Why can’t we claw back the £300 million going to Capita's profits and then save the threatened jobs. No that would be too easy!!!!!!!!!!!
Trade story here;
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/QuickFacts.aspx?Id=1492970&SM=1

Smoke Kills - Don't Let It Be You or Your's

A family of four from the Druids Heath part of my ward, can sleep a little more soundly tonight, after experiencing what no home owner or tenants wishes, a house fire when everyone is sound asleep in bed.

This all happened yesterday in the early hours of the morning, when a heating unit went faulty and started to give off smoke, what saved them all is that a smoke alarm was already installed in the property and woke up the inhabitants, giving them time to get out of the premises and saving their lives.
If you HAVEN'T A SMOKE ALARM phone this number NOW 0800 389 5525

I Want You To Follow

If you like what you see, then why not Follow me, click on the link to the right and register, it's that easy.

Change That Works For You? Not If You're About To Become Student

A manifesto is a statement of what you stand for and a pledge is the principles you hold, now should you be elected in to power, whether that be to an office of your local British Legion or a political body, such as government, the manifesto is your collective aim, whilst your pledge is paramount over everything. Which is exactly what Nick Clegg and Co did prior to last May, they pledged to their supporters that they would do something if in government and that was to abolish tuition fees. They weren’t dragged kicking and screaming in to 10 Downing Street, they walked in, almost hand in hand with David Cameron. Hence they made a pledge and now won’t keep it.

I will agree that in a coalition, compromises are necessary, but the electorate should be informed beforehand what you would do, if a coalition was to come about. Once again the Fib-Dems didn’t do this either.
By making a great deal of their pledge, the Lib Dems gained tens of thousands of votes primarily because of their pledge on tuition fees. Hence they will have to live with that pledge come hell or high water, otherwise it could end the political career of many a Fib-Dem politician, locally and nationally.
Here is Nick Robinson's view on his BBC blog;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2010/11/does_a_pledge_t.html

Petition 1286 - Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

Just had new correspondence in from The Director of "Safer Birmingham Partnership", following a petition I handed in from a large number of local residents about saving ASBO's, at the last Full Council meeting.
She states, "Earlier this year, the Home Secretary announced that the government intended to review the ASBO and this was widely interpreted as a decision to discontinue its usage" the letter goes on to say that "In the mean time, I can reassure you that Birmingham Anti-Social Behaviour Unit and the Council's Housing Department will continue to lodge applications for ASBO's with Birmingham courts whenever the need arises."
Well I'm glad to see that officers of the Council realise the importance of ASBO's even if the Government don't.
Although saying that, it does seem that some local politicians are of the same mind as the Tory Government, my reason for saying that, is, as of last Friday all of the members of Birmingham Anti-Social behaviour Unit, who manage the key problems throughout the city, were issued with 30 day redundancy notices.

Phewwwww!!!!!!!

I wondered what I had read at first, when I first saw this headline in my alerts, “Group renews push for Birmingham to annex Brighton”. I had though that Council Leader Mike Whitby and his crowd had gone a bit over the top, then realised my mistake, thank heavens.

Cold Weather - Rough Sleeping

What is needed in reality is a proper one stop shop for ALL, where the right benefit claims are made for those who do suffer job loss, where proper advise is available for those who have had a relationship breakdown.

Why am I going on about all of this? Birmingham Council has just announced the opening of the Cold Weather Shelter for the "Rough Sleepers", who according to a recent report amount to only 4 people, whereas those who work in this field know that this number is well exceeded and by some margin to boot.

Read page 13, which wants us all to believe that only 4 people sleep rough in Birmingham City Centre!!!!

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?%26ssbinary=true&blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1223414621385&blobheadervalue1=attachment%3B+filename%3D488249AreaAssessment2009Birmingham_Full.pdf.

Shhhh, They're Keeping This One Quiet As Well

First of all Michael Gove stopped the building of a new academy school in the Druids Heath area, following the amalgamation of Baverstock and Kings Norton School. Now Michael Gove is about to upset the Head Teachers by clawing back funding, which is normally given to schools for keeping sixth form students, all of this in an attempt to make further savings for his department.
Already we know that those youngsters who qualify, are to shortly lose their "Education Maintenance Allowance" and yes I know it's only around £30 a week, but for those youngsters it can and often does mean the difference between staying on or leaving school.
Education for these young people is such, that if we don't encourage them now, we could lose them from the system altogether.
Read more here;
http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6064206&navcode=94

Death Concerns at New QE

It comes as no surprise to me that someone, more than likely based in London, once again wants to have a go at Birmingham and this time slagging off OUR new QE hospital.

In a report exclusively published in today’s Observer “Dr Fosters Hospital Guide 2010” says they examine data freely avaiable from the hospital, but they take no account of any primary or community care, no data that shows what happens to patients over the whole course of their illness. Hence we don’t get a full picture, only a statisticians analysis and headline grabbing news items.
Whilst I will be the first in a queue to have a go at ANY failing public service in Birmingham, headline grabbing and headlines about one of the most worrying aspects of life, one’s own health or that of a family member is a dis-service to everyone involved with our hospitals.
The new QE is one of the top teaching and research hospitals in the country and earlier this year got an  excellent for its financial management and good for the quality of its clinical and non-clinical services in the Government's Healthcare Commission's Annual Health Check.
As I said headline grabbing for some petty researcher and their report.
Read more here;
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/11/29/birmingham-hospital-trust-shortlisted-for-national-patient-experience-awards-97319-27735981/
Then here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/27/hospital-death-rates-nhs-dr-foster
http://www.drfosterhealth.co.uk/docs/hospital-guide-2010.pdf

EMA Is Important - Save It.

Hers is a true life experience of someone who had EMA, and is now a member of Parliament no less. Her name is Bridget Phillipson MP, hear Bridget explaining why EMA was important for her and why it's still important today for future MP's.

Who Will Help Now To Sort Out Any Anti-Social Behaviour ?????

Since September, Barry Henley, my colleague and me have been campaigning to protect our local Police numbers and against any proposals from either the Government or from Birmingham Tory run Council to stop using ASBO's as a means of tackling unruly behaviour.
I have handed in petitions  from local residents in to Council on both of these issues and we are still campaigning against changes to both.
Hearing that yesterday that redundancy notices have been issued to staff at BASBU who handle serious cases of anti social behaviour, is unbelievable.
Don't they recognise what they are doing???????
Read more here;
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/11/27/axe-falls-on-birmingham-asbo-unit-97319-27725720/

Lies, Damned Lies And Statistics

Just came across this piece written by Will Straw and thought too right. far too often politicians read out fact and figures given to them, without questioning them in the first place. Here is yet another one, but one which has such ramifications for a very large number of our population.

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/11/uk-statistics-authority-serious-deficiencies-in-dwp-use-of-statistics/

Tuition Fees And The Right To Protests

It has always been, at least since I was a child, that students protested.
When at university, they gained the independence of mind to make up their own opinions. I'm not going to say that they always got it right, but it was and should remain a fundamental right for students to protest, as they did throughout the 60's at numerous educational establishments throughout the UK.
The more recent protests over tuition fees have realigned the student protest movement, in so far as there hadn't been much protesting since the early eighties, in my opinion, other than against the Poll Tax and more recently over the Iraq war.
It is a fundamental right in this country to protest, we are a democracy after all  (violent demonstration is another matter and I'm not going anywhere near that, at least not in this blog,) and so should it remain.
The reason for the protests is as much to do with a broken pledge by the Fib-Dem leadership, their supporters in Parliament , as well as the Government's plan to increase tuition fees from around £3,000 a year to close to £9,000 a year, tripling the fee in one foul act of parliament.

Soldier Soldier

Here is something to get you thinking and hopefully taking part.
Wink-Ball want to collect a million Christmas messages of support for the Armed Forces.
Show your gratitude by leaving your own personal video message.
Here is the link
http://www.winkball.com/users/h4e7HlW12WSk/faces-for-the-forces/

Now on a more brighter note. You may recall that last week I mentioned that a friend of mine had a son injured in Afghanistan and was on his way to The Military Hospital of Selly Oak at the New QE, well the good news is that he is on the mend, out of imminent danger but will probably take about a year before he's fully recovered and back to normal duties. He's a very lucky soldier, by all accounts.

So Some vote Against, while Some Sit On Their Hands - Typically Fib-Dem

Now That's What You'll Do. Have you Got That Nick?

Fib-Dem leader Nick Clegg has decided that he along with other Fib-Dem M.P.'s could abstain rather than vote on tuition fees, being presented to Parliament by his colleague and Fib-Dem Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable.

Now those of us in politics know from past experience, Fib-Dem's tend to sit on the fence, generally saying and doing one thing in one area, then doing the exact opposite next door. Nailing them down is generally difficult across the city, but TUITION FEES is a national issue, where they promised to students, current and future and have since reneged on it.

Now for those of you thinking that the bill in Parliament could be defeated in the commons, think again.  Those Fib-Dem ministers and Secretary of States will not want to risk their large salaries, so will probably "sit on their hands", allowing others in their party to vote against, in an attempt to save face, regardless, it's a Fib-Dem Government bill, a charge of £9,000 a year on each student and their family, enabling only those who can afford too, to gain a degree.

Read more here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/26/nick-clegg-lib-dems-tuition-fees

Birmingham City Council Job Cuts

At the very least I know that come next year, I will have a job, or at least until 2014, when I’m up for re-election again in Brandwood.

However the same can’t be said for the many thousands of Birmingham City Council employees, many of whom have over the past couple of weeks been issued with “Section 188 notices”.
This is a formal notification by Birmingham Council that it will be having discussions with local unions on the subject of employment contract changes and/or redundancies.
Whilst the preparatory work is already taking place, the actual knowledge of what is to happen, won’t really be known until a couple of weeks time, when the Government will inform Birmingham Council how much grant money it will be giving to the city.
No matter how much that money is, no matter how little it is, council taxes won’t be used to make up any difference, in fact George Osborne The Chancellor has bribed every authority, that if they don’t put up council tax in 2011/2012, he will give them a 2.5% increase in funding, to make up for council tax contributions. Great news, I hear you say, I’m not moaning either.
But I am and will be over the Rate Support Grant (RSG), this is the one which has, is and will affect all of our employees. As I have already said, the preparations have been put in place, but very few people will really know whether our employees have had their job changed or for that matter have a job at all, until the beginning or middle of January.
Heaven help them all, come that day.

100 New Apprentices To Be Created

I have nothing but admiration for Amey, Birmingham's newly appointed highways contractor, responsible for almost everything on our streets in Brum.
They have just announced that they are to appoint up to 100 new apprentices. Many of the new apprentices will be based at Colmore Plaza in the city centre. They will have a proper Carree development plan, study and  work towards a nationally recognised NVQ and at the same time have an opportunity doing their D of E award. 
In a time of austerity, when employers all around us are cutting back, this is very good news, particularly for the younger generation, lets hope more local employers take the good example that Amey are doing and create more apprentiships for our youngsters.

Nick Clegg & At Least One Broken Promise

Fib-Dem leader Nick Clegg, more or less begged students today, not to protest against tuition fees.

He said "Examine our proposals before taking to the streets. Listen and look before you march and shout". Is it because he knows deep down that it was a significant swing by students in the general election that gave him and his party so much support?
The real consequences of his and the other Fib-Dems in the governments, are their high salaries and not keeping to their original pledge.
The real victims of their actions are the tens of thousands of students taking GCSE and A-levels who will need to find up to £9,000 a YEAR to get a degree.
It will end up with only those who can afford it going to university, like it was in decades gone by, not those on ability.
Shame on you all.

£1million Plus

The Walker Review into the corporate governance of banks reported and clearly stated that all British banks should declare all employees who have earned more than £1 million in any one year, inclusive of bonuses.

George Osbourne Chancellor doesn’t want this to happen, why? Because so many of his city friends would be on the list and it could be embarrassing for him and for them. After all wasn’t it the bankers that caused all of these economic problems in the first place by over egging the pudding and their earnings.
But the real elephant in the room is Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who has been, (that was until he became a ‘Secretary of State’) very critical of bankers and that there is a need to name those on very high salaries.
Now let’s see the sparks fly, or is a Secretary of States salary too much to lose on a principal, after all everything else is now different.

Cemetery Headstone Scam?

I've just received in the post a letter posted in Gloustershire, from a very concerned daughter of a family interned in Brandwood End Cemetery, she claims that the family are to be charged a significant amount of money to put right a "loose" head stone on her parents plot.
It so happened that on the day the tests were being done, this woman's brother was visiting the grave and saw the men carrying out the "test", he complained to them and then to the superintendent's officer on duty at the main office.
It seems that the way that the contractors are paid is at fault as it is by the number of headstones that fail the test, rather than by the day or the numbers tested carried out. So it is in the contractors interest to ensure that headstones fail regularly, all contrary to fair play and justice.
At the end of the day, it will be the family that will end up paying the bill and a hefty bill at that to reinstate the headstone, to ensure that their parents last resting place remains as they would wish, perfect.
Know more about your rights here;
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/safety-burial-grounds.pdf

Who Said Targets For Doctors In The NHS Were Out!!!!!!!!

Here are the latest targets for GP's to come out of the Department of Health.

20% - cut in unscheduled hospital admissions by end of 2013

10% - cut in A&E attendance by end of 2013
25% - reduction in length of hospital stay by end of 2013

Read more here
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=35&storycode=4127817&c=2

We All Have Our Part To Play In Getting Them Even Lower

The number of people dying last winter from the cold, even though it was the coldest winter for more than fourteen years was well below expected.

The report from the Office of National Statistics just released shows there were an estimated 25,400 deaths which is a reduction of around 30% on the previous year.
The figures measure the number of extra deaths that occur between December and March - usually the coldest months of the year - when compared to the average deaths that occur in autumn and spring.
Office of National Statistics researcher, Vanessa Fearn added: “Previous research suggests that excess winter mortality is lowest in cold countries such as Finland. This is likely to be because their houses are insulated against the weather and people dress warmly when the temperature plummets.”
SO HANDS OF WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCES AND THE WARM FRONT SCHEME Mr OSBOURNE.
Read the release here;
 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/deathsnr1110.pdf
Further info here;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11820511 

The Poor Will Get Poorer

Well we all recognised that there would need to be Government money spent on the Official Visit last month by His Holiness The Pope. No arguments about that, it was an official visit, however to make the Department for International Development contribute a fifth of the cost, nearly £2 million towards that cost is disgusting.
Imagine what that money could have bought for a deprived community in South America, Sub-Sahara Africa or parts of Asia.
Have this Government really got its priorities right?

Fancy Meeting You Here!!!!!!!!

Purely by chance this afternoon, I found out that as well as ourselves, (PRODH, Bells Farm Community Centre volunteers and me), going around the area with Santa and his sleigh on December 10th, as done last year, Moseley Round Table are to do the same, on the same night starting in similar places and around the same time.
So after a quick phone call from me to one of Santa's little helper in Moseley we have agreed to share up the area, we are to take three roads, Brockworth Road, Pennyacre Road and Manningford Road, with Santa's little helpers from Moseley taking Santa everywhere else they can.
Phew!!!! What a relief, just imagine if we had TWO Santas' in the same road at the same time, with all their little helpers. The confusion could have been mind boggling.

It's All His Fault

It now seems that because The Fib-Dems didn't win the General Election, they haven't broken any election promises, in particular the big one hanging around all of their necks 'Tuition Fees'.
This lunchtime Vince Cable said “We didn't break a promise. We made a commitment in our manifesto, we didn't win the election. We then entered into a coalition agreement, and it's the coalition agreement that is binding upon us and which I'm trying to honour".

When he was asked about the pledge he and ALL the other Fib-Dem candidates signed up to, on tuition fees, whether that had been a mistake, he said "From the point of view of political judgement it may well have been, but it's not an issue of trust. We and the Conservatives separately made a whole series of commitments in our manifesto and outside it.
We haven't been able to carry all of them through, partly because we have a coalition and have had to make compromises."
What a hypocrite. He and the rest of them knew that Clegg and Cameron were having secret talks about forming a government if Labour didn’t have an outright win.
Lying is lying, no matter how much you try to dress it up.

Students Receiving Education Maintenance Allowance

The Education Maintenance Allowance was introduced by Labour in 2004, to encourage particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to remain within education and hopefully to possibly aspire to Higher Education, once they achieve the age of sixteen. However Michael Gove the Secretary of Education is axing it, as mentioned in the spending review last month, this despite promises from both David Cameron and Nick Clegg before the election, that the payments would be safe.

The money isn’t for and hasn’t been used for ‘Fun times’. The £30 a week is being used for bus fares, books and stationary. With payments being stopped next year, many of those who are from similar home backgrounds, will find it harder to make ends meet and may well choose not continue their education, which iwould be a real shame.
I think both David Cameron and Nick Clegg owe the young people of Brandwood an explanation as to why they feel it necessary to pull the plug on this allowance, probably their aspirations and that of others in similar circumstances.
Personally I want to see all young people staying on at school, going to college, obtaining an apprenticeship or doing some form of training while at work, better still having an opportunity of getting in to Higher Education.
A Labour Government didn’t just introduce this EMA for no apparent reason and axing it will mean tens of thousands of students failing to reach their full potential, leaving school at sixteen and end up in the endless cycle of wanting work, but only getting it for short terms only.
For those who are able and want to get in to Higher Education, doing a degree at University, there is the added increase of tuition fees of £9,000 per year all to be paid back, with interest, when they get a paid job on the successful completion of their course.

Yet Another Government Climb Down Mk1

Councillor Mike Leddy: Getting A Doctors Appointment Will Damage Your Health

Yet Another Government Climb Down Mk2

Well it seems that the Department of Health has had to back track again, this time over introducing a National Call Centre, for local GP patients, who want an appointment to see their local doctor.

By all accounts, yesterday the very same department was quoting a £600 million saving, but following a major backlash from GP practices across the country, the Dept of Health has now pulled the plug on the daft idea.

More news on the link below;

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=35&storycode=4127795&c=2

The Birmingham Blitz - We Should Never Forget

I spent the morning with an old acquaintance of mine Doug Smith. In recent years Doug has organised at Swanshurst School an event with Steve McCabe MP for those who lived through the last war, explaining to young students at the school what life was like.
At The Veterans Day, there have been a March Past, normally taken by a high flying official, The Lord Lieutenant or Lord Mayor or someone like that, followed by displays, lunch for the older people and then questions after questions from pupils. In the past it has been a very well organised and worthy event.
But this morning was something else. Now I know Birmingham was bombed, as a little one I played on 'bomb pecks' had great times, until they stared to be converted to multiple garage parking sites.
In The Council House, Doug at the request of The Lord Mayor had arranged a fantastic display with people, many of them retired, from The Fire Service, Ambulance Service and Industry showing what went on during the Blitz. Additionally we had people representing The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Bomb Disposal numerous weapons experts, documents, newspapers and equipment used throughout the war years. At the front of the building was a display of numerous motorcycles built in Birmingham during the war.
Being of an age, as I am, I remember talking to some of the older residents, finding out what they went through. We shouldn't forget Birmingham had German air attacks they destroyed 12,391 homes, 302 factories, 34 churches, halls and cinemas, and more than 200 other buildings. The human cost of the "Birmingham Blitz" was a total of 9,000 casualties, of whom 2,241 were killed. This is second only to the damage inflicted on London during the war.
Coventry was bad, there is no doubt about that, but Birmingham’s was worse and more prolonged as they attempted to destroy the aircraft plants in Erdington, Solihull, Acocks Green and Longbridge as well as Morris Works in Washwood Heath, Lucas's in Hockley and Tyseley, BSA at Small Heath, Cadbury's in Bournville, with GEC and IMI in Witton.

Young People - Let Them Eat Cake. Whoops, That Led To A Revolution.

Many a vulnerable young person in coming months, those that have a tendency to slip through the net at school will be the immediate victim and suffer most with the cuts taking place within the Connexion Services.

The client base, the young people, a number are those who know about social problems of all kinds, as they are or have been at the wrong end of them. Connexions Service personal advisers tends to hold out a helping hand and advise those young people on social as well as career and education opportunities.
With local authorities, who obtain funds from The Government, to provide Connexions, struggling to manage the massive 24% area grant cut announced in June, the service's problems are about to get even worse.
But then it’s quite easy to cut services for young people, the tend to be of an age that don’t or won’t vote so there is little of nothing in it for politicians of the day, to hell with the future, it’s today that matters!!!!
NOT IN MY BOOK.
http://www.connexions-bs.co.uk

Thoughts and Prayers

Someone I know has a son in the army, they were told earlier on this week that he had been injured in action out in Afghanistan. Today he has returned back home to Brum, to be treated at The Military Hospital at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the whole family, hoping for a speedy recovery specifically for him, but notwithstanding  the many other service people at the hospital.

Getting A Doctors Appointment Will Damage Your Health

For some people, getting a convienient timed appointment to see their local doctor isn't always that easy and thats talking to the doctors receptionist. Now the latest hair-brained idea to come from The Government is for all doctors appointments to be managed by a national call centre. The purpose of doing this would be to save £600 million in our NHS spend.
These proposals are ludicrous and those that know better, the GP's own newspaper Pulse Today have it here.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4127786&c=2

10,000 extra Police Promised , But We Get 30,000 Police Job Cuts

I really does beggar belief. Yet another promise broken by a certain politician, who promised everything and anything to get his party elected and sacrificed honesty and integrity for 'Deputy Prime Minister' position

Homelessness, Yes Homelessness Right Here in Birmingham

Prevention of homelessness and reducing demand is vital and needs to be key in Birmingham Councils homelessness strategy.


That means there is still a huge effort needed to tackle the spiralling numbers declaring themselves as homeless, in particular families and placed to live in B&B homeless accommodation, here in Birmingham. We are housing families in temporary B&B hotel accommodation at record numbers and it’s costing us an arm and a leg to do it.
It’s important to put it into context; we can’t afford to let the government think that the problem of homelessness is going away, because in Birmingham it isn’t. It doesn’t take away the case for a lot more affordable permanent housing either. People’s lives, whole families are on hold because they are being temporarily re-housed.
While BCC is building or at least planning to build 500 new homes this coming year, it’s a drop in the ocean, compared to the demand, so continuity is needed, hence Government approval to finance additional affordable homes in coming years.
By the way, what sparked this rant, has been the great news that yet another homeless family I've been dealing with, living in a B&B, have been offered a property in Northfield, great news for everyone.
A BIG THANK YOU TO HOUSING OFFICERS FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS CASE.

You Just Couldn't Make It Up - Could You

The front page of today's Birmingham Mail











How can Birmingham Council account for this. It beggars belief.
Mr Peden, a disabled tenant, lived in a first floor flat and was desperate to be moved out so much so that after visits from Occupational Therapists, arrangements were made to offer him a more suitable property. However in the mean time Mr Peden's flat catches fire, he suffers significant burns he died from his injuries two days later at Selly Oak Hospital



Two weeks after the tragedy, Birmingham Council send a bill to the flat for the replacement of the front door, smashed open by fire fighters to gain access to extract Mr Peden from the flat.

Read more here:
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/11/15/disabled-sheldon-man-who-died-after-flat-fire-billed-for-damage-to-door-97319-27658967/

Birmingham Council Will Continue To Use Lie Detectors

Birmingham City Council are to steamroll through the continued use of a lie detection system, even though The Government has found flaws in the exact same system and pulled the plug on its use in Government establishments.

Now if someone is fiddling the system, I would be amongst the first to report them and I have done this and will continue to, but relying on a lie detection system which is probably flawed is not the way forward.

Over years many scientists have questioned the effectiveness of lie detection systems, most recent which was a peer-reviewed academic article "Charlatanry in forensic speech science", the authors reviewed 50 years of lie detector research and came to the conclusion that there is no scientific evidence supporting that lie detectors actually work.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2010/11/15/lie-detectors-dropped-by-government-97319-27657332/

Armed Forces - The Unspoke Covenant

The unspoken covent, what is that you ask? 
When we ask our armed forces to go in to hazardous situations like Afghanistan, Iraq or Sierra Leone, for them to perform their tasks, they need to have no worries about themselves, their wives and family. They did know that The Government, no matter which party was in control, they and their families would be looked after, if something unfortunate became of them.

This was the case until very recently, now it seems that George Osbourne will be clawing back some of their pension entitlements from these brave men and women who have served this country well and been injured, or their widows and children, which is scandlous.
It comes to something when even the head of all armed forces General Sir David Richards said he too was concerned. Here is what he said "We are concerned because the most important thing that the armed forces need to retain and keep happy are our people - we have got outstanding people - otherwise, if you like, our version of punching above our weight just wouldn't happen - so it is really important for all sorts of operational (reasons)." 
The Government stance is quite the opposite.

A Downing Street spokeswoman added: "The Prime Minister has the highest regard for the armed forces and their families but tough decisions had to be made in this particular respect."

This is no way to treat our armed forces and I would have been saying this, even if the Governement had been a Labour one.

Here is a link to the BBC story on Forces pensions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11752678

Tweeting Can Seriously Damage Your Career Prospects

When you hold a position of responsibility. A position as an elected official, whether in politics or in the local residents group, many other people do look up to you.
So why on earth has a Birmingham Tory Councillor posted this appalling tweet?
Not only has he been arrested for the tweet and bailed, he could be facing charges and if found guilty end up being kicked out of his job and career. One would expect a lawyer to know better, but is this a case of lots of brains but little common sense?
That said, what about the ramifications of the poor woman and her family. I know from experience the taunting that my children went through, just because I was actively involved in politics
Here we have a clear case of engaging mouth, or in his case fingers before brain and it's probably gonna cost one way or another.
Rightly or wrongly tweeting can be enjoyable, but like everything else, one needs to read the warning notices, it can be a  problem when you don't think about what you are doing. 

Liar, Liar, Your Pants Are On Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_AMABsBNgw

After the debacle of Phil Woolas and the election court result, where his honesty was called in to question, rightly or wrongly, the latest news has been that The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was conspiring with David Cameron and his team, well before the General Election, to share power with the Tories if neither Labour or Tories had an outright win. What is being called in to question is the honesty of those doing the negotiating, knowing that what they told the electorate, wouldn't matter, those pledges/promises would be thrown out the window at the first opportunity of sniffing power and to hell with the voters who put them there.
One disillusioned Lib-Dem voter said "There's no other word for it, he's a liar. A confidence trickster. It's like there is actually something genuinely wrong with him. We thought Blair was bad, but at least he believed the rubbish he came out with, Clegg never did. Thats the last time they get my vote.  Now lets forget about Woolas, the Judges should investigate Clegg."

The full story is published in The Guardian, with the link below.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/12/lib-dems-tuition-fees-clegg

Birmingham's Children's Hospitals Has Major Funding Cuts

So all of the promises made by the then opposition parties during the general election were all lies then, or so it seems!!!!!!!
First of all the Lib-Dems signed pledges to do away with student loans, and we see them going up from £3,000 to a "wocking" £9,000 a year. Then the Tories said they wouldn't touch funding for the NHS, in fact they would be protecting OUR NHS from any cuts. Well if that was the promise, how come in todays Daily Telegraph we are informed that The Government are cutting funding to the best five Children's hospital in the country, including our own in Birmingham hospital
I'm reliably informed that Birmingham's Children's Hospital is to loose £12million.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8098846/Childrens-hospitals-threatened-with-major-cuts.html

CUTS TO YOUTH PROVISION

The Tory Lib-Dem Council  continue at making cuts, now it's with the valued Youth Service, which provide essential cover within and beyond the centres, with a number of the hard to get to youngsters around the ward. I'm informed that The Den in Dawberry Road will shortly only be open for two evenings a week and cuts will also begin to effect  The Maypole Centre in Idmiston Croft.
OUR AREA IS CRYING OUT FOR MORE PROVISION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE NOT LESS
Both Barry Henley and me are opposed to any such cuts and will do what we can to save existing Youth Service provision here in Brandwood.
At a recent public meeting at The Council House we had a commitment from all the Labour Birmingham MP's to take this issue to Parliament.
If we don't ensure that the present youngsters are engaged with, using the professional services of youth workers, there will be yet another generation lost to society, as happened with many of those now aged in their late thirties early forties.

Call Centres and Service Delivery - Willmot Dixon Partnership

I spent this morning at Willmott Dixons, going around with one of their operatives who was carrying out repairs to properties. I really enjoyed the experience and found everyone at WDP extremely helpful.

All of this stemmed from a Co-ordinating Overview and Scrutiny Committee review in to the workings and performance of Call Centres. For sometime the committee members have had some concerns about how well the council actually perform against residents perceptions.

I've also agreed to visit Fleet and Waste Management in early December to attempt to understand why, when residents phone the call centres about why their household rubbish, green waste or recycling materials weren't collected in the first place and subsequently after numerous telephone calls to complain.

One of the great concerns I have is that for every call made by a resident to Birmingham Council's call centre, (run in partnership with a multi-national business), the owners of the business make a charge to BCC. What is annoying is that out of a sample of calls noted in October, well over half were repeat calls and then other residents calling in, were asked to phone back in a couple of days. Is this a way to deal with residents concerns?  I think not.