What is going on in the ROMFORD TOWN WARD of the London Borough of Havering Your Councillors are: Cllr. Wendy Brice-Thompson Cllr. Joshua Chapman Cllr. Frederick Thompson
Opportunities for south Essex
The FT profiles DP World's new London Gateway port which is expected to give a boost to the local economy in Essex. DP World says the port will provide 12,000 jobs directly when fully operational - 2,000 in the port and 10,000 in the adjoining logistics park. John Kent, leader ofThurrock Council, said: "It's a major shot in the arm to the local and south Essex economy."
Yesterday saw charities, members of the public and Parliamentarians congregate in Committee Room 20 in the Palace of Westminster to hear a discussion about the impact of local government cuts on charities.
The event was chaired by Toby Helm, Political Editor of The Observer, and the panellists wereCouncillor Nicholas Paget-Brown, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council; Karen Mellanby, Director of Communities and Networks at Mind; Tony Okotie, Chief Executive of Community and Voluntary Action Tameside, and; John Tizard, an advisor and commentator who has previously been a council leader as well as having worked in the third sector.
The debate took place in the wake of the recently updated ‘Counting the Cuts’ report byCompact Voice, which used Freedom of Information requests to scrutinise the relationship between local and authorities and the third sector. Their report found that 50% of responding councils are making disproportionate cuts to charities – that’s reducing funding to charities by a greater amount than their overall budget was cut by Central Government.
Toby Helm kicked off the event by reading a statement from Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who was unable to attend the event in person but argued that councils “must resist any temptation to pull up the drawbridge on the voluntary sector by passing on disproportionate savings.”
The event was then addressed by Dr John Low, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, who explained that the Back Britain’s Charities campaign was launched following research showing a 20% drop in donations. He went on to cite CAF polling which found that one in six charities fear being forced to close in the next year, and further research stating that 67% of charities have seen an increase in demand for the services that they provide. Dr Low explained that as a result of the economic situation charities are being forced to carry a harder and heavier load, and that it seems unfair that some councils are using cuts to charities as an easy way of balancing their budget.
Mr Helm then introduced the panel, and invited Ms Mellanby to make her opening remarks. Ms Mellanby explained that her experience has shown her that charities are both inspirational and innovative. She explained that vulnerable people are finding times extremely challenging, and that these people are struggling to access the support that they need. Some councils are making knee-jerk cuts, she argued, and others have even changed eligibility criteria to reduce the number of people dependent on their services – or “cutting without cutting” as she phrased it. Ms Mellanby argued that, in order to survive, charities must continue to innovate in order to deal with direct challenges, and acknowledged the need for councils and charities to work closely together.
Next the audience heard from Cllr Paget-Brown. He explained that Kensington and Chelsea council has been working in partnership with charities for decades, and argued that his area has been operating as a big society long before ‘Big Society’ became a buzz-term. Whilst K&C have been able to increase their spending, other councils, he suggested, should place an emphasis on strong engagement with the charity sector, stable funding plans set over a period of three years, and challenging the sector to seek efficiencies and collaborative working. This, he argued, would help charities and local authorities work together more effectively and ensure that provision of services and support is retained.
Next to speak was Tony Okotie, who was able to offer a view based upon his first-hand experiences in Tameside. He spoke of the importance of dialogue and interaction between councils and charities when it comes to making cuts, and cited the worrying statistic uncovered by the Compact Voice research that 40% of councils are not holding proper consultation processes before reducing funding to the voluntary sector. Mr Okotie then spoke of the contribution of charities in Tameside, and explained that last year charities undertook 1.4million interventions with users and beneficiaries, and that in Tameside there are 26,000 volunteers providing over 73,000 hours per week to help others. He asked the audience to imagine a world without charities, and argued that there needs to be a strengthening of the interdependency between charities and councils.
The last panellist to speak was John Tizard, who explained that according to the Local Government Association there will be a 30-33% reduction in the size of local government as a result of spending cuts. He criticised the lack of transparency surrounding cuts by some councils, and also argued that central government needs to do a better job of managing expectations when it comes to the role of charities in society. Mr Tizard stated that he personally did not believe central government intervening to enforce Best Value Guidance would be helpful as he felt that this would either be seen as a tick-box exercise or a breach of localism principles. Finally, he reiterated the need for councils and charities to work together arguing that, if they are unable to do so, who is left to support beneficiaries?
Penny Mordaunt MP offers her insights as Dr John Low, Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown and John Tizard look on
Mr Helm then opened up the debate to the audience, which included Parliamentarians such as Penny Mordaunt MP, Lord Hussain, Baroness Warwick and Gareth Thomas MP, Shadow Minister for Civil Society. In addition, charities includingNottingham CVS, NAVCA, and theFoundation for Social Improvement were keen to ask questions based upon their own experiences, as were a number of councillors from across London. In response, it became clear that the two most salient points to derive from the panel discussion were the importance of a healthy relationship and dialogue between councils and charities, and the need for clearer bidding processes when it comes to grants to make it easier for charities to find the support available to them.
It was obvious from yesterday’s event that there is a great deal of concern about the impact of local government cuts on charities. That’s why the Back Britain’s Charities campaign has been so clear –local authorities should not be cutting funding to charities disproportionately. Interestingly, towards the end of the debate a councillor explained that whilst supportive of charities they could not be his priority, because he is accountable to his voters. Tomorrow we’ll be producing exclusive polling showing what the public think about cuts to charities – check back here to see what the consensus is!
Private security cameras controls
Homeowners who set up their own CCTV cameras to improve security could face new controls, after an official said there had been a surge in complaints about snooping neighbours. Andrew Rennison, the Coalition's surveillance camera commissioner, said that the Government may have to address the growing trend in home owners setting up CCTV systems on their properties. He said the cameras can cause "upset" and hinted that ministers may be forced to look at new laws to ensure their use is controlled. The Government this month introduced its "surveillance code of practice" for public CCTV systems, in particular those used by police forces and local authorities.As part of the new code of practice, the Government wants councils and police forces to review regularly all of their cameras to see whether they are still "necessary, proportionate and effective". If they do not meet that criteria, Mr Rennison said, they should be removed. Ministers are also encouraging councils to publish on their websites the location of every CCTV camera used in the area.
New Conservative Commonwealth Association Launched in Romford!
On Saturday 1st June 2013, the first branch of the Conservative Commonwealth Association was launched at “Margaret Thatcher House”, the home of the Romford Conservative Association.
Over 130 guests from over 10 different countries joined together for the inauguration of the new organisation, which also doubled up as a celebration the diamond anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation. The event featured, food, music and dancing from different parts of the Commonwealth.
Andrew Rosindell M.P. hosted the event and welcomed High Commissioners and representatives from different Commonwealth countries to Romford and spoke about his belief that all those of Commonwealth ancestry should stand together as part of a great family of nations and territories.
The countries represented included Malawi, Bangladesh, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Australia, Uganda, Montserrat, Cyprus, Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago and of course the United Kingdom!
The Conservative Commonwealth Association brings together all of those who cherish the shared heritage, values and traditions of the Commonwealth of Nations, along with all of Her Majesty’s Realms, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
The Commonwealth of Nations is made of 54 countries, on every continent of the world and is united by its members’ beliefs in democracy, freedom, peace, the rule of law and opportunity for all.
The branch will strengthen the friendship and co-operation between all people of Commonwealth ancestry that now call the United Kingdom home and uphold the common identity that the Commonwealth represents, under the gracious stewardship of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth.
Cllr. Osman Dervish, Chairman of the Romford Conservative Association said “I am extremely proud that we have launched this initiative to celebrate our shared Commonwealth heritage and pleased to see so many members of our local community come and support the launch which occurred on the same evening as our celebration of the coronation of Her Majesty The Queen. I know that the new group will do a great job in engaging with our local community and I look forward to working with them.”
The office bearers of the Conservative Commonwealth Association are:
Patron
Andrew Rosindell M.P.
President
Lloyd Thomas (Montserrat)
Deputy President
Madhu Pathak M.B.E. (India)
Vice Presidents
Joan Young (Trinidad & Tobago)
Cecilia Shoetan (Ghana)
Tariq Mahmood (Pakistan)
Chairman
Gloria Adagbon (Nigeria)
Deputy Chairmen
Samir Ali (Bangladesh)
Ayo Afolabi (Nigeria)
Treasurer
Sandy Tanner (Australia)
Secretary
Starbuck Coleman (United Kingdom)
Nursery ratio changes to be scrapped
The Deputy PM, Nick Clegg, has said that plans to allow nurseries and child-minders in England to look after more children are being dropped. The Government had previously said the changes would increase places, quality and cut costs. However, critics said care quality would suffer. Conservative MP Chris Skidmore accused Mr Clegg of ignoring the plight of parents. He commented: "This is a huge U-turn from Mr Clegg and undermines his claim that he wants cheaper childcare." Mr Clegg said that there was no real evidence that increasing ratios would reduce the cost of childcare for families.
