Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg has described Gordon Brown’s policy plans as “a hotch potch of unrelated Whitehall schemes” with no unifying” vision from a prime minister who was “running out of steam”.

Mr Clegg said both the Prime Minister and David Cameron were treating the voters as if they were children who were “too young to know the truth”.

He said: “Neither are willing to come clean on the difficult long-term savings we will need to make to balance the nation’s books.”

“It’s like a big hoax: they trade insults and numbers but hide the truth.” The public had been promised a vision based on decentralisation and personal entitlements but many of these entitlements were “just the recycled versions of old targets”, he said.

“Last week you called a cut an investment. This week you are calling a target an entitlement. Can you tell us exactly what’s the difference?”

The Liberal Democrat Leader concluded that the Prime Minister’s statement was nothing more than a “hotchpotch of unrelated Whitehall schemes, a ministerial cut-and-paste job”.

Express and Star 25 June 2009 

Campaigners against the latest site to be earmarked for a £500,000 youth centre in Walsall today accused the council of putting property and cash ahead of opportunities for young people.

Hundreds of people oppose the plans for the children’s complex to be based on the old Jones’ Bakery site in Chuckery but Walsall Council’s cabinet last night approved the idea. Furious residents today said the council had ignored the views of the community. They added that they had not had chance to suggest several alternative sites, the front runner of which is the old Chuckery Neighbourhood Office.After withdrawing plans to put the centre on Chuckery Corner Green following opposition by residents, the council now wants to build it on the corner of Holtshill Lane and Paddock Lane.

Campaigner Alan McDevitt, of Charlotte Street, said: “I think we humble campaigners have scratched the surface of something deeper.“This proposal, along with many others, now comes under the regeneration portfolio, not children and young people. “It seems that property and money take precedence over the life chances of kids.”

Paddock Lane resident Paul Bettan, aged 41, said: “They have done no proper consultation and have not done proper research. I just don’t think they have thought about it at all. It sits on a dangerous bend and there is no room for parking. I think they just want to spend the money quickly and it doesn’t matter what is said.”

Beckie Newman, who lives next door to the bakery, said: “Our street is a little cul-de-sac. It is thoroughfare from The Broadway to Ablewell Street and we already get a lot of drinkers and at weekends drug dealing at the bottom of the road and I think the difficulties and disturbance we have already got will increase ten fold.”

Around £450,000 funding for the centre has been secure from the Government’s Youth Capital Fund.

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats  addressed the new Speaker of the House John Bercow following the announcement of his election to the position. He said:  “We urge you to reinvent the role of speaker as a catalyst for radical change. On your own you cannot bring about that change but you can become one of the prime architects of it.”

Click the image to see Nick Clegg’s address to parliament and the new speaker.

Looking for work? At risk or recently been made redundant? Do you simply want a career change? then join us at “Support Into Jobs” event on Wednesday 1st July 2009 was the message coming out of the Support into Jobs presentation at last night’s meeting of the Willenhall Partnership  reports Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires.

The event, one of a series of on-going events across the borough, being held at the Willenhall CHART Centre, 19 Gomer Street, Willenhall WV13 2NS is open from 10am to 4pm so why not drop in for:

• Job Vacancies and information
• Expert advice and support on where to find jobs, how to apply and what to expect at interviews
• An informal chat with representatives from local employers
• Advice and support available to help you get back into work such as child care, transport, training, in-work benefits and much more
• Information about coming self employed

There will also be free briefings thoughout the day on CV writing, completing and being successful at interviews. Need more information? then contact Walsall Council Recruitment on 01922 655673

Willenhall Local Neighbourhood Partnership has its first meeting of the 2009/2010 municipal year tonight. The meeting will be held in the Activities Room at Willenhall Community and Youth Foundation in Gomer Street, Willenhall. It begins at the new time of 6.30pm and will end around 8.30pm.

First on the agenda will be the appointment of the Chair and two Vice-Chairs for the year. This will be followed by the main business of the night, presentations and discussion on the following:-

• Support into Jobswhich will give details about an all day event on Wednesday 1st July 2009 to be held at Willenhall CHART Centre, Gomer Street, Willenhall. This event has been very popular and successful and is aimed at those looking for work, at risk or recently been made redundant or simply looking for a career change.
• Willenhall Health Priorities giving local people chance to influence how health issues are tackled across Willenhall
• Progress in Developing a Strategy for Willenhall. This is part of the consultation process currently on-going, on the future of Willenhall.

The meeting is held in public and is relaxed as far as meetings go. It is laid out “cafe” style and people are encouraged to take an active part in the proceedings. So, why not come along, you may be pleasantly surprised.   

Living next to a natural attraction such as Rough Wood should be idyllic, at least that’s what you’d think wouldn’t you, but for some residents living on the Woodlands estate in Short Heath their enjoyment is being spoilt by a mindless minority intent on ruining things for the rest reports Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires.

In discussions with local residents over the weekend a wide range of issues have been identified. Colleagues in Short Heath Ward will be working with residents to identify what can be done short term and long term to ensure that everyone can enjoy what Rough Wood has to offer.

A request for a deputation to be received by the minister to hear the concerns of Short Heath residents about having Emergency Refuge Areas (ERA’s) foisted on them by the Highways Agency has been sent to the local MP reports Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires.

The move has been taken following the refusal of the Highways Agency to budge on the issue of siting ERA’s close to residential property in plans for four-lane running on the M6 between J8 and J10a.

“Recent talks with the Highways Agency have seen them prepared to look at options to reduce the impact of ERA’s both in the method of construction and once constructed. But on the issue of where the ERA’s are sited the Agency remains totally inflexible” said Ian.

“They say that their hands are tied and that the only person who can change things is the minister himself. Hence the need for a deputation” concluded Ian.

The Liberal Democrat - Local Government Conference which is hosted jointly by the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and the Local Government Association Liberal Democrats tookplace yesterday; the conference “Local Solutions” was held in Sheffield and was attended by many Liberal Democrat Councillors from all over the UK.

  The key note speech in the morning was delivered by the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg he said: “That in this year’s local elections the Liberal Democrats had performed extremely well; the 28% share of the vote was 5% ahead of Labour – and significantly come at a difficult time – in the midst of the damaging row on MP’s expenses. In the future we will be able to look back on these results because events are starting to change; we are at a turning point – Labour has lost its way!

“Labour has lost its soul, when they came to power; they invaded Iraq – that was a massive mistake. After all the promises of change, uplifting, and hope – everyone was pleased to see the back of the Tories in 1997. But who would have thought we would be seeing the demise of the bastion of the Labour Party; they are the same old Tories - which they replaced in 1997.

“The roots that formed the Labour Party in 1906 have changed. Class divide has disappeared and working class voters are no longer voting Labour neither are the rich voting for the Tories – politics has changed for good and the Liberal Democrats can and will capitalise on this situation”.

Speaking about the new localism agenda, and devolution of power in the City of Sheffield, Nick Clegg said: “You have got to give people the power that affects their everyday lives so that they can make the decisions themselves”.

Nick Clegg also spoke about Westminster Reform, he said: “There is something really rotten in Westminster, and it’s not just MP’s expenses – it’s the way political parties are funded, the House of Lords is unelected and the electoral system itself.

“The Labour Party and Tories have hoarded power for too long. Ask yourself, would it have been any different if the Tories had been in power with the bankers or with MPs expenses – I think not, it would have probably been worse.

“Labour has already relinquished the divine right to govern”.   

Vernon Coaker, the Minister of State for Schools and Learning, has agreed to receive a deputation from the Sneyd School Action Group on Tuesday 30th June. The visit was arranged through the local MP David Winnick.

Welcoming the visit Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires said “this will give the group the chance to get around the stone wall being put up by Education Walsall Serco and Walsall’s Tory cabinet and present the case to continue 11-19 education on the Vernon Way site. The action group has been trying for some time to put it’s case directly to the Minister” he concluded.

It is the view of local Lib Dem councillors that as far as Walsall’s Tory Cabinet is concerned closing Sneyd is a done deal based on political dogma rather than the education needs of those living in North Willenhall and Bloxwich. 

I went to the first meeting of Walsall Council’s Social Media Focus Group yesterday afternoon. Very  interesting. No, really, it was.

We looked at where we were now (the we being the council) and where we thought we might be going in IT terms as a council. There were a lot of really good ideas tossed around. We talked about Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon etc. etc.

My own view is that there is no “one size fits all” solution, and councillors should do their own stuff otherwise we’ll get stuffed with all sorts of restrictions and regulations. Everything has its place and it really does depend on your audience.

That’s you. It’s not what I think that matters, it’s what you think that I’m more interested in. So this is your chance. What do you want from your council in IT terms (or any other terms for that matter).

And don’t forget, information is a two way street. It’s not just about how the council communicates things to you. It’s also about how you can make your views known to the council and get involved in the decision making process.

I look forward to hearing from you………