September 11th saw the opening of the West Dorset Skills & Training Centre in Bridport, the result of 2 years of hard work by the Bridport Local Area Skills Training (BLAST) management team, chaired by Arthur Woodgate, of which I am a director.
The centre opens at an opportune moment with youth unemployment up to 18.5 % & we have been supported all the way by Nacro which has funded the training at the centre to provide opportunities for 16 + year olds not in education, employment or training.
Dorset has the highest rate of exodus of young people in the United Kingdom. One of Blast’s aims is to give them something to stay for – both in terms of training that is relevant to the 21st century & support for employment opportunities that mean they can stay & work in the area.
The project has taken us hours & hours of work to get off the ground. What it gives evidence of however is the value of committed local community groups, pushing for funding & support to do for themselves something which a town has been waiting for for years & which local authorities & colleges alike have failed to deliver.
As a Liberal Democrat I am committed to increasing localism - power to ordinary people in their communities to do things for themselves in order to benefit the whole community with the support of public funding where there will be a measureable return. End the top down centralisation of policy & empower communities to take responsibility for delivery where they are able. I only hope the Swanage Education campaign will be able to make a move in the same direction if their bid for local training at secondary level is scuppered by the County Council - as I suspect it will be.
What we have achieved in BLAST is what motivated me to go into politics. I am proud to have been part of the team that has made this happen !
Sunday, 4 October 2009
FIGHT TO SAVE WEYMOUTH REFUGE CONTINUES
I would like to thank all those who have contacted me directly to support our campaign to save the Women's Refuge. I think that the word 'disgusted' probably best describes the shared response . The County Council's Cabinet gave short shrift to the combined arguments of several Lib Dem councillors, myself & Jim Knight . There was no real attempt to listen .
At the beginning of September however I attended a meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee whose role it is to examine the operation of the Supporting People Commissioning Body & it was clear that they were prepared to listen to the arguments & were gravely concerned, voting unanimously against the closure of the refuge.
I hope that this wasn't a pyrrhic victory. Whilst I'm sure the cabinet will ignore this decision it has now been minuted & can be debated in Council.
We are at the stage however where if the decision is not overturned we may well need to begin to raise money in order to save it. Public opinion is so strong & the refuge too important to lose.
People from all over Dorset as well as the Borough are outraged. I have rarely seen people so angry. We have over 5000 signatures on our petition now & people are still signing. When I have spoken to individuals on the street they all express the same opinion: to close a service like this goes beyond the pale.
We must also remember that cutting this service in Weymouth cuts the number of places available for women seeking safety across the whole of Dorset.
Some services are simply too important to cut. The Conservative Cabinet at County Hall think that the safety of women is less important that providing an outreach service: it is not. But this issue goes beyond party politics – we must all work together to get the Council to change its mind, & if it won’t to raise enough money to keep the refuge open ourselves.
When people in power refuse to listen to what ordinary people want, we have to take action as a community to make sure that they do.
At the beginning of September however I attended a meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee whose role it is to examine the operation of the Supporting People Commissioning Body & it was clear that they were prepared to listen to the arguments & were gravely concerned, voting unanimously against the closure of the refuge.
I hope that this wasn't a pyrrhic victory. Whilst I'm sure the cabinet will ignore this decision it has now been minuted & can be debated in Council.
We are at the stage however where if the decision is not overturned we may well need to begin to raise money in order to save it. Public opinion is so strong & the refuge too important to lose.
People from all over Dorset as well as the Borough are outraged. I have rarely seen people so angry. We have over 5000 signatures on our petition now & people are still signing. When I have spoken to individuals on the street they all express the same opinion: to close a service like this goes beyond the pale.
We must also remember that cutting this service in Weymouth cuts the number of places available for women seeking safety across the whole of Dorset.
Some services are simply too important to cut. The Conservative Cabinet at County Hall think that the safety of women is less important that providing an outreach service: it is not. But this issue goes beyond party politics – we must all work together to get the Council to change its mind, & if it won’t to raise enough money to keep the refuge open ourselves.
When people in power refuse to listen to what ordinary people want, we have to take action as a community to make sure that they do.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
More on the Purbeck funding fiasco
SHAM OF UPGRADES IN FLAGSHIP SCHOOLS’ POLICY
Government policies to rebuild or refurbish almost every school in England have been labelled a sham after Liberal Democrats have discovered that one in every five projects had provided only computers !
Last year, out of 41 projects, 9 involved little more than an upgraded computer suite, according to data provided in answer to a parliamentary question by the new schools minister, Vernon Coaker.
David Laws, Lib Dem Schools Spokesperson said “The inclusion of such small scale projects turns what is supposed to be a flagship programme into a bit of a sham”
“Schools in Purbeck are supposed to be being reorganised on the basis of this money” said Lib Dem parliamentary Candidate for South Dorset, Ros Kayes. “I hope that the County Council planning this unpopular move have taken these figures into consideration. The Government is running out of money & a Conservative administration would be committed to cuts: schools restructuring in Purbeck is clearly a question of wrong time, wrong place.”
Government policies to rebuild or refurbish almost every school in England have been labelled a sham after Liberal Democrats have discovered that one in every five projects had provided only computers !
Last year, out of 41 projects, 9 involved little more than an upgraded computer suite, according to data provided in answer to a parliamentary question by the new schools minister, Vernon Coaker.
David Laws, Lib Dem Schools Spokesperson said “The inclusion of such small scale projects turns what is supposed to be a flagship programme into a bit of a sham”
“Schools in Purbeck are supposed to be being reorganised on the basis of this money” said Lib Dem parliamentary Candidate for South Dorset, Ros Kayes. “I hope that the County Council planning this unpopular move have taken these figures into consideration. The Government is running out of money & a Conservative administration would be committed to cuts: schools restructuring in Purbeck is clearly a question of wrong time, wrong place.”
South Dorset Support for Clegg's bank plan
BANK CHARGES CHALLENGED BY LIB DEM LEADER
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has described the refusal of banks to repay unfair charges as “scandalous” & is tabling a parliamentary motion backing a campaign to force banks to repay them automatically, rather than making customers apply for them to do so.
Around a million customers have had refund claims frozen until the result of a test case that will decide whether fairness rules apply to charges of up to £35 a time for unauthorised use of overdrafts.
Seven major banks & a building society have asked the law lords to overturn rulings that the charges for making just one payment over an agreed overdraft limit come under “unfair contract “ rule making them subject to Office of Fair Trading regulation.
“This is a hugely important case – but I don’t think it goes far enough” said Ros Kayes, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for South Dorset. “The banks say they make £2.6 billion a year from these charges. They have the ordinary customer by the short & curlies here. If a payment goes out by direct debit & it’s been a difficult month, even the most careful customer can go over that limit all too easily.
“Perhaps if they win the case, another should be made for making them pay us the interest on the money they make by taking 5 working days to clear a payment into our accounts. I wonder how much they are making from us in that process, in an age when debits can be made at the push of a button. I applaud Nick Clegg & he is right – but all of these antiquated & unfair practices need to be challenged, not just one of them.”
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has described the refusal of banks to repay unfair charges as “scandalous” & is tabling a parliamentary motion backing a campaign to force banks to repay them automatically, rather than making customers apply for them to do so.
Around a million customers have had refund claims frozen until the result of a test case that will decide whether fairness rules apply to charges of up to £35 a time for unauthorised use of overdrafts.
Seven major banks & a building society have asked the law lords to overturn rulings that the charges for making just one payment over an agreed overdraft limit come under “unfair contract “ rule making them subject to Office of Fair Trading regulation.
“This is a hugely important case – but I don’t think it goes far enough” said Ros Kayes, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for South Dorset. “The banks say they make £2.6 billion a year from these charges. They have the ordinary customer by the short & curlies here. If a payment goes out by direct debit & it’s been a difficult month, even the most careful customer can go over that limit all too easily.
“Perhaps if they win the case, another should be made for making them pay us the interest on the money they make by taking 5 working days to clear a payment into our accounts. I wonder how much they are making from us in that process, in an age when debits can be made at the push of a button. I applaud Nick Clegg & he is right – but all of these antiquated & unfair practices need to be challenged, not just one of them.”
A NEW KIND OF SCHOOL REFUSAL
PRIVATE SCHOOL’S REFUSAL TO ALLOW STATE SCHOOL USE OF FACILITIES IS SELFISHNESS IN CARNATE says South Dorset parliamentary candidate.
South Dorset’s Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate, Cllr Ros Kayes has slammed the Independent Schools’ Council (ISC) following a statement by its chief executive earlier this week that the LSC intends to challenge the Charity Commission in court.
The Commission has interpreted legislation passed in 2006 by insisting that schools should pass a new “public benefit test” to continue to qualify for charitable status & tax breaks worth millions of pounds every year.
That would mean allowing state pupils to use their facilities & having a number of free state bursaries to allow limited number of children from poor backgrounds to attend the schools for free.
“If the private schools challenge this”, said Ros, “it makes them no different from the banks ! In receipt of millions of pound of public money every year in the form of tax breaks because they claim to exist for charitable purposes. This stretches the definition of charity very far”, she continued. ”Fees at these schools are very high – more than most of us earn in a year for the top schools. In my opinion, with parents who can afford these fees, schools should not be claiming charitable status at all. It’s charity for the very rich.
The schools claim that without their existance, ordinary tax payers would be having to pay £3 to 4 million extra in taxes and therefore they ae already giving aid to the poor. “A ridiculous argument !” said Cllr Kayes. “ How much do the tax breaks schools receive already cost us in lost revenues that could be ploughed back into the state system. On the contrary, if private schools did not exist, those same parents would be sending their children to comprehensive schools & giving generously to those schools to ensure that their facilities were upgraded instead – improving education for all of us.
“It’s selfishness incarnate to seek to challenge legislation that attempts to make private schools take some responsibility for supporting the public sector & at least goes some way to improving education for all of us.”.
South Dorset’s Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate, Cllr Ros Kayes has slammed the Independent Schools’ Council (ISC) following a statement by its chief executive earlier this week that the LSC intends to challenge the Charity Commission in court.
The Commission has interpreted legislation passed in 2006 by insisting that schools should pass a new “public benefit test” to continue to qualify for charitable status & tax breaks worth millions of pounds every year.
That would mean allowing state pupils to use their facilities & having a number of free state bursaries to allow limited number of children from poor backgrounds to attend the schools for free.
“If the private schools challenge this”, said Ros, “it makes them no different from the banks ! In receipt of millions of pound of public money every year in the form of tax breaks because they claim to exist for charitable purposes. This stretches the definition of charity very far”, she continued. ”Fees at these schools are very high – more than most of us earn in a year for the top schools. In my opinion, with parents who can afford these fees, schools should not be claiming charitable status at all. It’s charity for the very rich.
The schools claim that without their existance, ordinary tax payers would be having to pay £3 to 4 million extra in taxes and therefore they ae already giving aid to the poor. “A ridiculous argument !” said Cllr Kayes. “ How much do the tax breaks schools receive already cost us in lost revenues that could be ploughed back into the state system. On the contrary, if private schools did not exist, those same parents would be sending their children to comprehensive schools & giving generously to those schools to ensure that their facilities were upgraded instead – improving education for all of us.
“It’s selfishness incarnate to seek to challenge legislation that attempts to make private schools take some responsibility for supporting the public sector & at least goes some way to improving education for all of us.”.
Monday, 6 July 2009
FAIR VOTES FOR DORSET
A campaign for electoral reform as the first step to reforming UK government is being launched by cross party group FAIR VOTES FOR DORSET. It will involve public meetings on what impact a fair voting system would have for us locally & nationally plus a mock election.60% of voters in West Dorset do not vote for Oliver Letwin & 54% of voters in South Dorset didn't vote for Jim Knight. If the whole of Dorset was one constituency with a fairer voting system (ie not one where the winner only needs one more vote than his or her nearest rival) we would certainly have a Green MP as well as Tory, Lib Dem & Labour.I didn't vote until I was over 30 because the system seemed so pointless. As a Green & later a Lib Dem my vote has never counted, because I have always lived in areas where the MP was Conservative.I think it matters because people don't get interested in politics where there's no one they agree with to represent them - loads of other reasons too I know, but if we had a more varied Parliament perhaps the corruption would be less likely ? Anyone agree ? Watch this space for more details.
PIE IN THE SKY OR DANGEROUS SOCIAL ENGINEERING ?
LIB DEM SLAMS TORY VOUCHER PLAN FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Controversial Conservative plans for International Development to be revealed later this week have been described by South Dorset Liberal Democrats as naïve & dangerous.
The plans which would give aid vouchers to millions of people in the poorest parts of the world so that they can shop around for the best private schools & private health services are ludicrous, pie in the sky, & show ignorance of the situation on the ground in developing nations according to South Dorset’s Lib Dem Prospective MP Ros Kayes.
“It’s a nonsense to think that poorer countries have schools or services within easy reach of some of the most poverty stricken neighbourhoods. How can you have choice when there are no services available ? “
An Oxfam spokesman said that the idea was only superficially appealing:
“In many poor countries there are no services available, full stop. There is a chronic shortage of teachers, nurses, doctors, infrastructure & materials”
The plans would also be redeemable for development services of any kind, thus allowing private companies to jump on a gravy train of grants for services, say the Lib Dems.
“This is right wing social policy at its worst” said Ms Kayes “Trying to superimpose the system of inequality which exists in this country onto existing inequalities in the 3rd world instead of investing in free public health & education systems.
If taxpayers money is to be spent in this way it will be an outrage. It also reveals that the Conservatives have changed little in their social agenda since the days of Margaret Thatcher. If they are prepared to do this in Africa, what is their real agenda in the UK ?”
Controversial Conservative plans for International Development to be revealed later this week have been described by South Dorset Liberal Democrats as naïve & dangerous.
The plans which would give aid vouchers to millions of people in the poorest parts of the world so that they can shop around for the best private schools & private health services are ludicrous, pie in the sky, & show ignorance of the situation on the ground in developing nations according to South Dorset’s Lib Dem Prospective MP Ros Kayes.
“It’s a nonsense to think that poorer countries have schools or services within easy reach of some of the most poverty stricken neighbourhoods. How can you have choice when there are no services available ? “
An Oxfam spokesman said that the idea was only superficially appealing:
“In many poor countries there are no services available, full stop. There is a chronic shortage of teachers, nurses, doctors, infrastructure & materials”
The plans would also be redeemable for development services of any kind, thus allowing private companies to jump on a gravy train of grants for services, say the Lib Dems.
“This is right wing social policy at its worst” said Ms Kayes “Trying to superimpose the system of inequality which exists in this country onto existing inequalities in the 3rd world instead of investing in free public health & education systems.
If taxpayers money is to be spent in this way it will be an outrage. It also reveals that the Conservatives have changed little in their social agenda since the days of Margaret Thatcher. If they are prepared to do this in Africa, what is their real agenda in the UK ?”
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