TDC Standards Committee - 21st November 2013

TDC and Labour Group Leader - Cllr Clive Hart 

Speaking at TDC Standards Committee - 21st November 2013.

FROM MY TDC LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

"Firstly a few points in the report that I absolutely agree with.

The report says that the conviction of a former councillor has had an adverse effect on the perception of the council. That has to be the understatement of the year! It will simply take years to change perceptions after such an episode.

Also, there is no doubt in my mind that the Government has done us no favours by removing the formal sanctions that were available for the breach of the council’s code of conduct.

However, TDC certainly did opt to retain a Standards committee.

Unfortunately I find it hard to understand how the Independent Members with their experience outlined in the report could not have predicted the negative press that this report would generate for Thanet and that they would not have been able to predict the devastating negative effect on council members and officers it would have.

I also note that Independent Members say they utilize their experience in the service of the council. Unfortunately, the ambiguous, broad stroke manner of this report has tarnished every member of this council – good or bad – and has consequently done no service whatsoever to this council.

Nowhere in this report is there any reference whatsoever to the vast majority of hard working councillors who literally give thousands of hours service to local residents year after year.

(My wife – also a frontline councillor -read this report at 9pm on Tuesday evening after spending two hours dealing with a residents housing problem. You simply cannot imagine how appalled she was by the way it describes councillors).

Neither is there any reference whatsoever to the thousands of hours councillors spend on committees here at TDC working harmoniously together, cross party, for the benefit of our district.

The report says there have been no changes in behavior but I think there most certainly has been. The two main parties agree on large areas of council business and agree to differ on some individual matters. That’s politics and always will be. Where I believe there has been a recent change is in general attitudes towards standards matters. I’m pretty certain that virtually every councillor will agree that there is now just one particular councillor whose anarchistic tendencies and total disrespect for Chairmen, the constitution and procedures is trying to bring the council and every one of us into disrepute. This manifested itself - yet again - at a scrutiny working party only this week, where the Chairman had to postpone a meeting due to total disrespect. The culprit appeared to actually want the Chairman to call the Police to evict him from the meeting. Three of us group leaders present at the meeting expressed our profound disappointment. We jointly felt the individual was yet again holding the democratic process to ransom and wasting enormous amounts of taxpayers’ money.

Another understatement in the report has to be the words ‘there have been suggestions that some councillors have stated in public that they intend not to comply with the democratically agreed decisions of the council’. Suggestions! The same individual has stated that as fact in a full council meeting and on the Internet.

Through words such as unscientific, suggestions, suspicion and appearance, the report is ambiguous and riddled with halve truths and innuendo.

With regards to the report saying that - there are ‘personal attacks taking place between members’. For my part I know that every time I give my leaders report to full council, in his response, the leader of the opposition will make personal remarks about me. I think that’s quite pathetic but it’s his style and although I used to feel aggrieved by his statements, experience has taught me to now laugh it off. We’re in politics and unfortunately some people can get a little nasty.

However, in relation to the wording - councillors are ‘distrustful of the public’. What absolute nonsense! We are elected by the public and represent them to the very best of our ability.

As for the situation ‘adversely affecting the delivery of services’. I have to say I’m proud to be the leader of a council that is as busy and efficient as any in the county. Despite having the deepest and most cruel government grant cuts and our broad social and economic problems, we are still one of the most progressive councils in Kent with a whole host of award wining initiatives and projects.

FROM MY LABOUR GROUP LEADER PERSPECTIVE

The report speaks of ‘action taken within political groups’ and that ‘this option carries a risk of lack of consistency across the council. That may be so with other groups but I can say that just is not true of the Labour Group:

During my term as Group leader I have had one Labour member who clearly stepped across the line of what was reasonable. Not through words in the council chamber or in any committee but by making an inappropriate comment on social media. Despite being one of our longest standing members and the high regard that held him in within our party, he was suspended from our group for a month.

More importantly, before his return to our group he came into my office, shook hands with member of another party that he had offended and even more importantly – both those involved buried their differences and gave a joint undertaking to work together for the benefit of Thanet and its residents. That’s how we work in the Labour Group in our relations with others.

In response to the statement saying we are ‘distant from the reality of peoples lives’. Come along to our Labour councillor surgeries, to our community safety meetings, to all our residents and public meetings. Walk the streets with us delivering ward newsletters to many thousands of homes every month, meeting members of the public in their own homes and on their own doorsteps and discussing their issues with them eye to eye to eye. It’s nothing short of an insult to describe Labour Group members as in any way ‘distant from the realities of peoples lives’.

We certainly are a ‘hung’ council and the Labour Group took control under quite unusual circumstances whilst we were still only the second largest party, back in December 2011. The outgoing Conservative administration was clearly ‘bruised’ by this and was left feeling very bitter.

Ironically, two years on and having lost some by-elections and suffered a defection, the Conservative Group now appear to be coming to terms with the reality of the situation and the Labour Group are now clearly the largest party at TDC. That’s why I find the timing of this report quite incredible.

In my opinion, generally speaking, relations between fifty plus councillors have actually improved over the past year.

Unfortunately though, the report does tar all councillors with the same brush and as such I feel compelled as Labour Group leader to clearly explain that my group has no part in the major misdemeanors of councillors at TDC.

I’m not in any way saying my group members are saints but during my term as Labour Group leader:

None of my members have been convicted and sent to prison for fraudulent behaviour.

None of my members have been sent to prison for drinking and driving.

None of my members have been charged for cruelty to animals.

None of my members have received a caution from the Police.

None of my members have stated publicly that they intend not to comply with a democratically agreed decision.

None of my members have stated that they do not intend to comply with Standards hearings.

None of my members have openly mocked the Standards regime on their Internet bloggs.

None of my members have published or threatened to publish confidential TDC papers on the Internet.

And none of my members have secretly filmed their colleagues during meetings.

I’m sure my members would welcome any training opportunity whether it’s needed or not, but I truly fear it may not help some other individuals".

The report was overwhelmingly rejected by the Standards Committee due to lack of evidence and shortly afterwards the four Independent Members resigned.

Ed Miliband today identifies childcare as a key front in One Nation Labour’s battle to tackle the cost of living crisis

Ed Miliband today identifies childcare as a key front in One Nation Labour’s battle to tackle the cost of living crisis.

He will say parents who are already struggling to cope with rising bills and stagnant wages, are now facing a childcare crunch with the cost of nursery places rising while hundreds of Sure Start centres have been lost since the last election.

He will publish new figures showing that since the last election:

• The cost of a part time nursery place has risen by 30% - five times faster than pay.
• The average bill for a part time nursery place of 25 hours a week for a child aged 2 or over has gone up to £107.
• Parents working part time on average wages would  have to work from Monday until Thursday before they paid off these weekly childcare costs.  
• There are 578 fewer Sure Start centres – with on average three fewer every week – with lower numbers of staff and reduced service levels.
• There are 35,000 fewer childcare places.
• 
  

He will criticise David Cameron for promising to back Sure Start at the last election and then presiding over a child care crunch in which hundreds of centres have been lost – while too many of those that remain are operating with reduced staff and services.

In contrast to the Government which has done nothing to support families over the past three years, Mr Miliband will set out Labour’s plan to:

• Extend free childcare for three and four year olds from 15 to 25 hours per week for working parents of three and four year-olds  funded by increasing the banking levy
• Introduce a legal guarantee of access to wraparound care 8am to 6pm at primary schools

Extract:

On a visit to a nursery with members of Labour’s Childcare Commission on Monday, Mr Miliband is expected to say:

“Millions of parents are facing a childcare crunch. The cost of a nursery place is now the highest in history, at more than £100 a week to cover part-time hours. That means a typical parent doing a part time job would have to work from Monday until Thursday just to cover these costs of childcare. And average costs for a full time place are now rising up to £200 or even more.

“Rising prices have been matched only by falling numbers of places. And hundreds of Sure Start centres have been lost, contributing to a total of 35,000 fewer childcare places under David Cameron. All at a time when the number of children under-4s in England has risen by 125,000. 

“Before the last election. David Cameron described Labour as a ‘disgrace’ for warning that the Tories would put Sure Start at risk. He added: ‘Not only do we back Sure Start, but we will improve it.’

“This morning they were at it again, boasting that there were more than 3,000 Sure Start Centres across the country. 

“But let’s look at the official government statistics: there are, indeed, 3053 Sure Start Centres. But in April 2010 there were 3,631 Sure Start Centres. That is 578 fewer Sure Start Centres than before the election. That is an average of three Sure Start Centres being lost every single week of this government. And too many of those that remain have lower staffing levels and reduced services.

“This childcare crunch is affecting families with kids at school too. Parents are facing a daily obstacle course as they seek to balance work and family life. 

“Under the last government 99% of schools provided access to breakfast clubs and after-school clubs.  But more than a third of local authorities have reported this has been scaled back in their area under David Cameron. 

“That’s what you get from this government: tax cuts for millionaires, cuts in childcare places for millions of families. The Tories say they care about families but they have done nothing to help for three years while all the time adding to the stress and strain of family life. 

“If it’s bad for families, it’s bad for Britain too. Parents who want to work should be able to do so. We need to use the talents of everyone if we are to succeed as an economy and keep social security bills down.  Seven out of 10 stay at home mums tell surveys that the cost of childcare has deterred them from looking for a job.

“One Nation Labour would stand up for families and make work pay. We would extend free nursery places for 3 and 4 year olds from 15 to 25 hours a week for parents at work. And we would offer a legal guarantee to parents with kids at primary school that they can access breakfast clubs or homework clubs, allowing Mums and Dads to do a full days’ work knowing their children are safe and cared for.”

Labour Party

TDC Cabinet approve measures to support tenants

In a move to protect the poorest and most vulnerable people in the district, Thanet District Council is to introduce measures which will support tenants impacted by the government’s Social Rented Size Criteria, often referred to as ‘The Bedroom Tax’.

At a Cabinet meeting last night (Thursday 14 November) members approved the creation of a transfer list for tenants looking to down-size their accommodation. This will see the council providing 25% of its own housing stock as direct lets to tenants hoping to move.

As part of these new measures, the council will also commit not to take legal action against tenants impacted by the policy for non-payment of their rent, unless they decline two offers of alternative accommodation.

Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor David Green, said: “Thanet District Council is serious about doing all it can to protect the people who most need our support. Whilst this isn’t an endorsement for tenants not to pay their rent, introducing these measures will ensure we go as far as we reasonably can to support the people who are affected by this national policy.”

The Social Rented Size Criteria Policy reduces Housing Benefit entitlement for tenants who are deemed to have more rooms than they need.

TDC

Economic Growth and Regeneration Strategy adopted by TDC

Increasing productivity and profit for businesses, creating more jobs and increasing prosperity for residents.

That’s the vision for Thanet following the adoption of a new Economic Growth and Regeneration Strategy agreed by Cabinet members last night (Thursday 14 November).

The strategy, which has been developed in partnership with local businesses and organisations, outlines the key activities that are needed to help make a positive difference to Thanet’s economy.

Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr Clive Hart, said: “We’re committed to driving growth across the district by promoting investment, skills and employment opportunities. But this isn’t something that can be achieved in isolation. By working together in partnership with the public, private and third sectors we want to do all that we can to help to create the conditions that make Thanet the first choice destination in which to live, work, visit and invest.”

The strategy will be monitored by both the Council’s Cabinet and the Thanet Regeneration Board to ensure it remains current and to respond to changes and opportunities as they arise.

TDC

Labour forces vote on Government’s reckless privatisation of Probation Service

1. Labour will vote against the Government’s half baked and dangerous plans to privatise the probation in a debate on the Offender Rehabilitation Bill.
   In the Commons today (Monday 11th November) Labour will argue the untried and untested nature of the Government’s plans risk public safety.

   The Government’s plans will abolish local Probation Trusts, fragment the service based on the risk level of offenders, hand over supervision of serious and violent offenders to the likes of G4S and Serco and impose a never before used payment by results model. This is all being done without any piloting and at breakneck speed.

   Commenting ahead of the vote, Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan said:

   "We seriously disagree with the Government’s plans to privatise the Probation Service, which are a massive leap into the dark. There’s no evidence their fragmentation of the Probation Service will deliver lower reoffending and won’t risk public safety.

   "Labour supports the extension of supervision to those on short prison sentences. The evidence shows that those supervised on release from prison are less likely to go on to reoffend. The extension therefore makes sense if we’re to win the battle to break the cycle of reoffending. But we have no confidence the Government’s privatised probation service will be able to implement this extension of supervision.

   "Experts, probation staff and management and MPs from all side have warned the abolition of the Probation Service and handing over serious and violent criminals to the likes of G4S and Serco will put the safety of communities up and down the country at risk. The Government needs to think again before it’s too late"

   
   

   Labour Party

COALITION'S BEDROOM TAX AND THANET

Cllr David Green - TDC Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning Services.

'In an extremely unusual, perhaps unprecedented move, Ian Duncan Smith has issued a circular saying that his Department (DWP) expects councils to defend appeals where residents are in danger of loosing their homes because they are struggling to pay rents due to the bedroom tax. The Department are threatening to join court cases themselves.

The DWP is deeply worried about tribunal decisions and potential decisions in relation to the bedroom tax. The DWP suspects that Councils may not appeal adverse decisions, or at least not with the vim and vigour the DWP would like to see. The DWP intends to appeal, or appeal and then park, a lot of decisions itself (or to be leaning heavily on Councils to act tough)

The DWP is having a bit of a panic.

I have a vision of IDS banging his fist on the table, eyes rolling, screaming ‘Appeal them, damn you, appeal them all!’

His problem is that even when Councils take residents to court because of the extremely unfair tax, the courts are reluctant to kick families out on the street.

Here in Thanet, The Labour Council has a no prosecution policy unless families have been offered two smaller properties. We believe this is only fair to families but it does cause problems to our severely stretched housing service. I will be recommending to Cabinet this week that we take 10% of houses out of our choice based letting system to offer to families down sizing. This will mean fewer properties available for families on the waiting list.

Eventually of course larger houses vacated will become available for re-letting, but from our viewpoint this tax that hits our most vulnerable families is perhaps the worst decision this government has made. Its bad socially, and makes little economic sense'.

Ed Miliband speech on dealing with the cost of living

Ed Miliband speech on dealing with the cost of living, 4 November 2013

 

Ed Miliband will today (Tuesday) declare that the battle lines for the next election have now been drawn between a One Nation Labour Party that will tackle the cost of living crisis and a Conservative-led Government that has shown its determination to defend broken markets and stand up for a privileged few. 

 

In a speech at Battersea Power Station he will set out the scale and ambition of Labour’s cost of living agenda to reconnect- permanently- the link between the wealth of our nation and family finances.

 

And he will show how One Nation Labour policies unveiled over the past few weeks are part of an emerging programme for government which will transform Britain’s economy so that it once again works for working people.

1. He will set out new figures showing how the wholesale cost of energy has risen since 2011 at an average rate of 1.6% a year but the Big Six have increased retail prices by an average of 10.4% a year. As a result, more than half of the rise in bills has gone straight to the Big Six.

He will announce that Labour will force a vote in the House of Commons tomorrow on Labour’s plan for an energy price freeze.

Ed Miliband MP will say:

 

“For the next eighteen months, people will hear scare stories from the unholy alliance of the energy companies and David Cameron: the Big Seven. It will just reinforce in people’s minds who he stands up for- the six large energy companies- not the 60 million people of Britain.

 

“Today, I am publishing new figures confirmed by the House of Commons library showing that of the average increase in the price for electricity and gas since 2011 over half went straight into the profits and costs of the Big Six. This shows why we need a price freeze now. 

 

“Tomorrow, we will vote on the price freeze. It is workable, it will happen if Labour wins the next election. And tomorrow Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs could vote for it. If they line up against it, the British people will know the truth: this government is on the side of the big energy companies not hard-pressed families.”

2. He will declare that the last month has shown the next election is going to be a choice about how we succeed as a country– and for whom Britain is run.

Ed Miliband MP will say:

 

“The next general election will offer a big choice. A choice about whether we tackle the cost of living crisis or shrug our shoulders. A choice about whether we run a race to the top or a race to the bottom; a choice about whether we reform broken markets or defend them; a choice about how we succeed as a country; and above all, the choice will be about who our country is run for.

 

“The cost of living crisis isn’t just an issue for the lowest paid, it affects the squeezed middle just as much. A country where a few at the top do well, but everybody else struggles. This is not just an issue facing Britain. It is the issue facing Britain. It is about who our country is run for. How it is run. And whether we believe we can do better than this.”

3. Mr Miliband will criticise David Cameron and George Osborne for claiming economic policy has nothing to do with the cost of living crisis.

Ed Miliband MP will say:

 

“David Cameron said recently that I wanted to ‘talk about the cost of living’ because I didn’t want to talk about ‘economic policy’. So we have a Prime Minister who thinks we can detach our national economic success from the success of Britain’s families and businesses. He doesn’t seem to realise that there is no such thing as a successful economy which doesn’t carry Britain’s families with it. And he obviously doesn’t get that the link between growth and living standards is just broken. Growth without national prosperity is not economic success.”

4. Instead, he will say that the success of any economic policy must be judged by whether it raises living standards for working people- and stops Britain being locked into a race to the bottom of low wages, low skills and broken markets.

Ed Miliband MP will say:

 

“We don’t just need average wages to creep higher than prices. For people to be genuinely better off, we have to do much better than that. Ordinary families are hit harder than average by higher prices. They rely more on expensive basic necessities, like electricity and gas. And ordinary families do worse than the average when it comes to wage increases because those increases are scooped by a few at the top. We can’t just make do and mend, we need to do much better than we are.

 

“We have to permanently restore the link between growth and living standards for all of Britain’s working people. This Government can’t do it. And the reason is because they are wedded to Britain competing in a race to the bottom.”

5. He will show how One Nation Labour’s cost of living agenda will restore the broken link between the wealth of our nation and family finances by making fundamental changes in the way our economy is run so that we win a race to the top.

Ed Miliband MP will say:

 

“We are going to earn and grow our way out of this cost of living crisis. Not by spending money we don’t have because we have to bring the deficit down, but by building a different kind of economy: one that really works for working people.”

6. Mr Miliband will set out how Labour’s agenda to earn and grow our way out of the cost of living crisis includes:

·         Tackling rip-off prices with market reforms and regulation

 “Tackling the cost of living crisis is also about ensuring markets work for working people - and that means fixing markets when they are broken.

 

“A price freeze until 2017 will pave the way for us to radically improve the energy market for the long term so we will change the way the energy market works in a way that will provide long-term confidence for investors and a better deal for consumers.

 

“And we will mend other markets that aren’t working in the public interest. Opening up competition in banking, a cap on the cost of credit in payday lending, bringing in a proper cap on train fare increases, ending unjustified charges and fees in the private rented sector, and introducing a duty on water companies to have social tariffs to help the poorest families.”

 

·         Raising pay levels through measures such as support for the Living Wage and helping parents get back to work through the extension of childcare provision.

“We have a low pay emergency in this country. More than five million people are now paid less than the living wage, working for their poverty- up 1.4 million in just the last four years to one in five of all employed workers. And low wages aren’t just bad for working people, they cost money in benefits too as the country has to subsidise more and more low paid jobs with higher and higher tax credits and benefits. And many businesses now recognise that a low pay economy is bad for them too. Better pay means lower turnover of staff, higher productivity.

 

“We would strengthen the minimum wage, which has lost 5% of its value under this government. We are looking at the case for higher minimum wages in particular sectors of the economy. But we will go further than that too. That is why the next Labour government from its first day in office will offer “make work pay” contracts to employers all over Britain. These will raise wages, keep the benefit bill down and tackle the cost of living crisis. It is a good deal for workers, business and the taxpayer too.  Under a One Nation Labour government: work will pay.

 

“And we will help parents get back to work and start earning to support their families so that they play their part in building a successful economy. We will extend childcare provision for working families from 15 hours a week to 25.”

 

·         Improving the quality and quantity of jobs and gold standard apprenticeships, backing small business and reforming banks so they lend to the next generation of wealth creators.

“We can only win a race to the top if we transform our vocational education system and apprenticeships in this country, if we radically transform the way we support business in every part of our country, with a proper regional banking system, if we support the small businesses that will create the jobs of the future, and if we have a proper industrial policy, including for environmental jobs.”

Labour Party