|
Sun 21 June
This week I've focused on two things - jobs and community issues & get togethers.
I've been round some of the major training programmes in the city, looking at how they work, what they offer, their problems and successes and what might be done better - or just more of it. My starting point is that although the employment figures look good relative to other parts of Britain, they disguise issues that we shouldn't ignore. The good news is that Gloucester Quays and Sainsburys are providing new jobs - and working with Gloucester Works so that a high number of these are locally sourced. The one hour interview talks that trainers like Polly at Gloucester Works provide for people looking for jobs is really helping put the right candidates in touch with the right employers. And the training courses that companies like Prospect offer get people good qualifications as quickly as possible.
Dan, Jackie, Richard, Polly & Michael at Gloucester Works; Abby & Dan review building training
 
The less good news is that unemployment figures exclude people on training courses and single parents on benefits without jobs, as well as people on disability benefits. So the real figures are higher than the official data. Also many employers in important sectors like construction and finance are still seeing business decline. So job opportunities aren't across the board, and although there are some signs of recovery, I fear that unemployment will increase both nationally and in Gloucester during the rest of 2010.
What the government can do is to increase the amount of funding for training and help for the unemployed. In a recession it is easier for the recently laid off to get jobs: while the long term unemployed stand even less chance of being recruited. Gloucester Works could deliver even more success if the government were to allow the training companies more funding to process more of the unemployed. The saving on benefits alone should mean this is an attractive idea.
Community get togethers.
On Friday I was in Grange Ward (what was Lower Tuffley) looking at planning and property development issues with City Councillor Nigel Hanman. He took me to the site of the recent Bovis application for more homes - right on the edge of Daniels Brook at Streamside, where I first visited during the floods of 2007 with Alan Mackay of the Tuffley Flood Committee.
There are two things worth saying: first the Environment Agency (EA) & City Council have done a good job of clearing up the brook here and improving the passage of water. We must make sure that work continues regularly. The second is that the proposed site for more homes is clearly in the middle of a large water meadow. There were cattle here not long ago, Nigel reminded me, and I can see why. It will always be wet here and increasing the size of a small balancing pond will not be enough for sensible protection. We would be mad to build homes in a water meadow and the pond itself could be dangerous for small children when it gets boggy. I say NO to more houses here. If Bovis feels that the council response has changed over the years, of course the 2007 floods did change many things and especially the risk assessments from the EA - but talks could take place to see what else they might do in Gloucester: that's for both parties to discuss. I want to see a very investor friendly planning system, but there are things which just shouldn't happen. I believe this is one.
Here's Nigel showing me the balancing pond (left) and right we've just walked along Daniels Brook to the improved passage under Streamside Bridge:
 
We went the the new disabled toilets that Nigel and the county council established in the Tuffley Community Association Centre before going to the Grange (or Lower Tuffley) St George's Craft Fair. This was a real inspiration with all ages pulling together - from school children to pensioners and I hope it becomes an annual event.
It was the brainwave of Brian and Cynthia Woodruff (below centre), seen here beside church priest Rev David Smith, Brenda Meadows, myself, County Councillor Jackie Hall and City Councillor & former Sheriff Nigel Hanman.
 
There was lots to see and admire in the Arts and Crafts world. My favourite exhibit is above, from Year 2 at Harewood Infants School in the Gustav Klimt style - a brilliantly colourful coat of many colours. I also loved the superb pen and ink sketches from Beaufort Community School (below). They show a real love of church architecture in the Hugh Casson/John Piper tradition, and if anyone knows the artist I have an interesting idea, so do please contact me!
 
And here (above right) are Jill Ponter (left) and Pauline Deeley (behind) demonstrating delicate sugar craft work (I've seen courses advertised in Westgate, down by the hairdressers) and Margaret Whittle doing equally delicate work on card crafting. There were some lovely examples of both on display, which would make special presents.
On Saturday morning I was at Quedgeley for their Fun Day. They have a lot of space at Dimore and so it was good to see it being used with archery and The Warehouse climbing mountain (very popular with my younger son) as well as a strong team from St Johns Ambulance for all ages including the Badgers under Nita Emery.
Below left: St Johns Ambulance regional officer Keith Llewellyn, Elaine St John, Oliver and Christine, City Councillor Andy Lewis and myself;
 
and (right) Quedgeley Parish Councillor Helen Smith, Andy Lewis, Fire & Rescue Service officer Graham Owen and I. It was good to see 4 of the Fire & Rescue team showing people round. They do a terrific job and it's very sad to see the Tri Service Fire Control Centre being dismantled in favour of a new regional centre in Taunton - yet another behind schedule and above budget Labour government project. Anyway a different, successful community get together in good weather.
I dropped in briefly at the Oaklands Park Residents Association (OPRA) Fun Day, at the Widden Old Boys Rugby Club. There was a large bbq lunch, plant and sweet stalls, face painting and a band. Like the St George's Craft Fair this is a first and everyone was having an equally good time. Like the Quedgeley day there was a fire engine, a bouncy castle and a good neighbourhood presence.
Here is organiser and OPRA Chairman Jennie Dallimore (below second from right), with Paul Barrett of the Fire & Rescue Service, Chris and Jack Brickell (Chair of the Youth Committee) and Cherina Latimer (Youth Worker, Three Bridges Project) - a lot of energy went into getting this successfully off the ground:
 
On the right above is hard working new County Councillor for Tuffley & Podsmead Gerald Dee swapping notes on the Three Bridges Project with Cherina.
The day finished with my younger son outscoring and outbowling me for Gloucester (GCW), which is v satisfactory for both of us!
Sun 14th June
I would love nothing more than to highlight good news every week. And when the weather is good, the wickets hard and the Tall Ships are in the docks it is hard to be too gloomy. Young Joe Sligh (12) made his Adult League debut for Gloucester last week and was still batting with me at the end, hitting a four off his second ball. Joey's family only came to Gloucester from Zimbabwe a few years ago and have made a great success of it, and now he's representing his city with real pride - well done Joey!
Hnery Jordan also made 35 in this game, his highest league score yet - as with Aran Tonks (46) and Olly James (91*) who've made their highest scores this season with me - these good partnerships with younger players are what it's all about.
But this week's news about C&G is really sad - and no less depressing because I predicted it 3 months ago (see Letter to the Citizen 13 March below).
In essence 150 years of High Street presence has been wiped out: 1,500 jobs lost from our largest UK owned private sector Gloucester based employer and huge uncertainty left about the future of over 1,000 jobs in the Barnwood former HQ - all a direct result of the Prime Minister's encouraging Lloyds to buy the seriously mismanaged HBoS. This led to us, the taxpayer, bailing out the combined entity and C&G being swallowed into the larger mortgage business at Halifax. The Man Who Saved the World has destroyed C&G.
And whereas shareholders have already forced the Chairman of Lloyds Bank to resign for buying HBoS without due diligence, voters have been given no chance to have their say on the PM.
The timing of this announcement by a nationalised bank, so soon after the elections, makes us all suspicious. Who decided the timing? Who knew? Was this another 'good day to bury bad news'?
In the same week the South West Regional Development Agency halved the amount of money to be spent in Gloucester. Of course productivity has to be raised and cuts have to be made in all parts of government - including the county council where about 200 jobs will be cut over 3 years - because this government's debts are mounting by the day. The sad thing is that the PM and many Labour reps won't admit this has to be done. In Parliament just before the election the Labour rep for Gloucester and the PM spoke proudly about the regional government programmes - which we now know are severely constrained. So who knew what before this little exchange and who was kidding who?
Does the government really think people will believe they can go on spending even though their tax revenue has shrunk radically? And how do they square this line about the government 'investing' and Tory cuts when they nationalise banks with our money and then sack lots of employees. It just doesn't add up.
On the big picture, I anticipate that the national deficit in 2009 will amount to about £200 billion. The bond markets are used to buying about £30 billion of government debt. So this surge of government debt is only possible because the Bank of England buys much of the issuance ('quantitative easing'). We are in unknown territory here. The danger is this causes a sharp rise in inflation. Anyone holding government bonds - be very wary.When quantitative easing stops, there will be a surplus of issue, not much demand and rising inflation - all bad news for bonds. I suppose I shall now have to put in a caveat that this website is not licensed to provide investment advice, everything you read might not be accurate etc.
The Waterways Museum.
On Friday night I hosted a party for about 100 people in the Waterways Museum. It was to thank a lot of Gloucester people for their hard work (on foot, not horse..) during the elections and to raise the profile of, and funds for, the Museum.
Historian and author Hugh Conway-Jones gave a good slide show about the Museum, which was open, and I think together with curator Doreen we've shown this is a very good venue for corporate entertaining and functions. I can only encourage more people to use it. The Trust that runs the Museum needs restructuring, it should be renamed the Glouucester Waterways Museum and the first goal is to make sure there is enough money and volunteers to keep the Museum open 6 days a week. As so often, it's a case of use it or lose it.
 
Sun 7th June
The count of the European elections has just finished, the counting teams gone home after a long weekend, and we now have all the results.
The county elections saw us return to Shire Hall with an increased majority and a much stronger team, including 3 very good new Conservative councillors - two of whom (Mark Hawthorne and Gerald Dee) won divisions that have been Labour for a very long time. Negative campaigning from Labour in Quedgeley, with an almost desperate obsession against waste to energy programmes and no idea of how to tackle the residual waste problem, was treated as it deserved to be by the electorate.
Here are Vic, Jackie, Gerald, Mark and Pam rightly celebrating - now the hard task begins
 
 
I expect Gloucester to be well represented in the new county council Cabinet, which is good news for the city. Of course there will be hard decisions - but unlike this government, whose record debt continues to balloon, I'm confident that the GCC will make tough decisions and make sure that taxpayers don't have to bail it out. Quite extraordinary that the Minister for Local Government should resign 24 hours before a local election, but then the extraordinary is rapidly becoming ordinary under Brown. If you wrote in a novel that 7 (or is it 8?) ministers would resign within 3 days no-one would believe you.
The European elections confirmed what we already know and Labour don't understand: people want less Europe, not more. Not long ago I was interviewed in the Bristol BBC studio next to a junior minister who rabbited on about the need to engage with Brussels: like most Labour ministers he had no experience of business, not much of Europe and simply didn't understand that the main issue is to stop Europe interfering in yet more areas of domestic policy. So Labour's vote crumbled across the SW on the day their Minister for Europe resigned. Nul points..
And now the question is all about the general elections. I anticipate that Labour will not have the courage to tell Gordon Brown to go, the frustration of the electorate will increase and locally we will see yet more hypocrisy.
The Labour rep last week copied an earlier move by me (see the blog and photo a month below) to criticise the taxation on Bingo by his own government - the only form of gambling to suffer double taxation. One slight technical problem - the double taxation levy was imposed by this government while he was a minister, without a murmur of his disapproval at the time. Bingo players be warned: there is no solution to your problem so long as this government continues. So long as Labour continues to pile up record debts it's hard for our front bench to know what will be left in the kitty, but I, and others, will be lobbying for changes as soon as possible. If Labour goes on for too long there won't be any Bingo halls left.
Sun 31st May
I write this at the end of surely the most glorious few summer days for a long time. What a weekend. The Park was full of people: Gloucester Quays was outselling comparable outlets across the country: the Tall Ships Festival was terrific: business in the city centre was booming - and all the stuff about the 'linkages', well, everyone found their way about. You don't really need one of the new orienteering courses launched in the Park yesterday to find your way from docks to cathedral.
Late on Saturday evening I walked across Llanthony Bridge, past Tommy Neilson's, round the docks and on to the Yacht Club - scene of two good nights' partying (thank you Helen and Peter). There were still a couple of hundred people, photographing in the late sun, as I was, and thinking how gorgeous it had been all day - the Spanish paella feast on one boat, the string quartet on another, the Ferris Wheel, the military enactments, the boat parties and the picnics. Those who live in the suburbs and were gardening all weekend, and we have some outstanding gardens around Gloucester, had a good weekend. But for anyone who went to the docks, this was Gloucester at our finest. Huge congratulations to all those who made it happen.
 
 
Saturday was a good day for Gloucester cricket. All 4 Gloucester City Winget teams won, a bit of a red letter day. I ran out my skipper, not a career enhancing move, but was in the runs again, this time with a 16 year old rugby player who hits the ball fabulously and was only 4 short of his maiden 50 this year. The youth cricket development at GCW is terrific.
A major problem with these European elections being in early June is that they interfere with the cricket season...Twiglet and I were back on delivery duty today. It was so hot that in the heat of the day Twiglet and I went into the gardens on Barnwood Road that lead into Armscroft and she paddled in the stream that divides the park from the Old Boys rugby ground. Gloucester is full of hidden gems and this year everywhere the gardens and the council planting seem to have been better than ever. We had much to celebrate in St James's church this morning, and lots of people were there to do so.
But this coming week sees election day and this does matter too. There is a real chance to improve the wards that have been taken for granted by Labour for many years and where litter, abandoned buildings, anti social behaviour and damaged stairwells have just been ignored for too long. It really is time for a change - and although the snollygosters of Parliament from all parties have made voters very angry, let's not confuse that with local issues. The Labour rep can explain both his expenses to the electorate (about the highest in the land in his early years) and why he voted for secrecy in due course and we will hold him to account - but for now the question is which party can deliver good value sensible council services. The electorate will, as always, decide - and may remember the last Labour-Lib Dem coalition that would have closed special schools and grammar schools and a single sex girls comprehensive. The verdict will be known by next Friday afternoon. The most important thing is to vote - however irritated you feel , and believe me I am too.
22 May
Today I door knocked in one of Tredworth's loveliest streets - where can be found residents who were born there, and houses from the early 19th century as well as Victorian times: abandoned gardens and beautiful gardens, gorgeous shrubs, university lecturers, an Irishman on holiday and a man who lets cherry and pine wood create designs for him. This is real Gloucester, and we have all political views here - communists, won't votes, won't vote for Labour again votes - and at least one vote for my dog Twiglet. A naked to the waist man calls down from his window that he'll vote for Yakub (our candidate, a man who has worked hard for communities in Gloucester for many years). Twiglet wags her tail in appreciation.
On to the formal opening of Gloucester Quays. Success has many fathers: failure is always an orphan. So lots of people are keen to take credit for this success. I'm just delighted that Peel and British Waterways did work together to develop the Quays, and that the City Council and others helped make it happen. I went round with my daughter, an all too discerning window shopper. She thought it looked and felt like London, better than Cheltenham and Swindon. Customer service looked good too - and apparently yesterday the Quays took more business than any other shopping centre in the UK. Of course there's more to do - especially the restaurants coming in the summer - and this is only the start, but what a start.
I would love to make Gloucester one of the most business friendly cities in Europe - quick and efficient planning above all. That's what we need for others to follow - thank you Peel and BW for showing what can be done.
Meanwhile now for the hard task - improving the infrastructure around the city centre.
 
Peel, BW, Paul James and I Visitors to Gloucester Quays
20 May 2009
Sometimes you get a good reminder that there is more to life than politics. Most of us take life itself for granted. I got a rude wake up call late on Monday night when knocked flying off my little 125hp motor bike by a huge dog belting across the road.
The bike is now in hospital. The dog limped off after a few minutes of lying down looking very wobbly. I limped off not long after. Amazingly not a bone broken, though well bruised. Who knows about the marbles. But as the french x ray specialist said, 'the good lord was with you for this crash'.
Yesterday I spoke to a resident who is old and lonely. Her children are far away, she's short of friends and confused by the paperwork needed for pension credit. These are real life issues for many pensioners in Gloucester (and no doubt elsewhere). And although there are charities to help - Age Concern for one - I can't help wondering whether we've lost something. What happened to neighbourliness, to calling on each other and to ways of all meeting? We do have them in every part of the city - the coffee and biscuits in Christ Church and St James's after every service, the Hucclecote and Coney Hill Rugby Clubs to name a couple - but at a street level there is still loneliness.
I'm lucky - when I fall off my bike my work colleagues laugh and send me off to the doctor, and my family is anxious. Many don't have others who are there for them. Politics matters, but it has to be connected to Mrs x and her worries.
19 May 2009
To any reader who read this website early Monday morning, when there were some typos - including a word I never use verbally or in writing - a BIG apology. I am extremely sorry for any offence caused.
I wrote it – I don’t have staff and nothing I do politically is paid for by the taxpayer - and should have proofread it better before publishing late at night. Some of the comments on The Citizen website have got it right: the sentence made no sense with any obscenity, and no candidate is going to last long using them on their website deliberately. It was an unacceptable mistake and won’t happen again.
Sunday 16 May
From a letter to The Times:
Sir,
Perhaps it's time for the long forgotten word 'snollygoster' to return to common usage; a 19th century term meaning corrupt or greedy politician. It's hard to understand how it ever became obsolete.
For anyone aspiring to be an MP it's been pretty depressing to see how ridiculed politicians have become. 'You're all the same' is the cry on the doorstep - but of course they/we are not, even if the Telegraph has unearthed an awful lof of bad apples. It was reassuring both yesterday and today to meet people who realised that and just want to see some honesty and hard work from their councillor.
The best bet for all MPs is to come clean and publish their expenses. If you have nothing to hide, why would you not publish in this environment. So that's what I encourage the Labour representative to do. Over the last 3 days a lot of people have asked me about his expenses. I'm afraid I just don't know if he employs family members, puts food and clothes on expenses or any of the other favourite tricks. I would like to see the representative explain where he stands on the major issue of trust. Should taxpayers pay for cleaners at the Rep/s London flat? Gloucester doesn't deserve 'snollygosters'.
We should all be grateful to the media for exposing the amazing list of small and big abuses. It really is time for a clean out of this government and of dodgy politicians.
May 1st 2009
A particularly lovely day, with the Farmers Market busy at The Cross, and good to be with Alan Myatt exhorting everyone down to Blackfriars to see the Regeneration exhibition. Some of the big schemes are on ice - not much government funding, Network Rail won't play ball, and the complexities of design, planning and consultation have held others up. I hope Linden Homes get their planning application right for the old Gloscat site and that the planning committee don't delay. The cost to regeneration of having city centrebuildings sitting around empty and vandalised is immense.
Fingers crossed there is money enough for the linkages between Docks and city go ahead. I ask about small but important projects that we can afford, control and complete - and then show the people of Gloucester what's been achieved. Robert Raikes House yes: what about the New Inn, The Fleece and so on? There'smore interest in this way forward in a New Era (no dosh) than a couple of years ago when The Magnificent Seven were all the rage. Small is beautiful? Well perhaps more achievable in the Age of Austerity.
April 2009
Sun 26th
Just back from the Conservative Conference at Cheltenham - the first time any major party has had aconference in Gloucestershire. Frankly Labour is no more likely to have a national party conference in Gloucestershire with the entire Cabinet here than it is to meet on the moon.
That party is not remotely interested in us. The Lib Dems are interested in Cheltenham. Only the Conservatives are interested in every part of this great county, and over the next year the Conservative Party will show the full extent of its commitment to our city.
The entire Shadow Cabinet were there today as David Cameron outlined the era of austerity and how our goal is to do more with less - during the 20 odd years we all pay for Gordon Brown's debt.
The theme of his speech was, in one word, SERIOUS - the scale of the problem demanded nothing less. All unnecessaries - regional government, HIPS etc, ID cards would go immediately under our government. All my surveys show that Gloucester would agree with all of this.
Europe - who can you trust?
And William Hague reminded us that if Labour had kept to its promise on a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty we would have all had a chance to stop it happening: and if the Lib Dems had kept to their promise then the vote against the Treaty in Parliament would have been won. He reminded us that UKIP had voted IN FAVOUR of the French and Spanish to take over more of our fishing rights. Only the Conservatives can be trusted on Europe.
Local government impact
The 'More for less' theme is familiar to us on education where we get funding in the bottom 10% and results not far off the best 10%. The county council has the lowest tax rises over the last 4 years of ANY county in Britain. We now have to do even more - and the Conservatives will keep the most important bits and slim down elsewhere. Exactly what Brown and Darling should have done - but completely failed to do.
The city has made good productivity improvements but more will inevitably be needed. I believe, for example, that guests attending civic functions should contribute to events that all taxpayers pay for: that the hours buildings are floodlit will need to be reduced and local government senior management pay should be frozen. And some functions could be amalgamated - do we really need separate scrutiny and audit committees? What's the evidence? At each level of government we're going to have to look hard at whether government should be doing it at all, and how many people you need to do it. Could have fewer numbers of reps - whether MPs, county or city councillors? Yes. In a relatively small ward like Moreland do we need 3 city councillors? I doubt it. What we have to do is to make sure that help is still there for the poorest andneediest, and especially for hard working, not well off families. I know that Paul James and his cabinet will be looking at these and many other issues and doing their best for Gloucester.
One key to the age of austerity working in Gloucester is cutting wastage eg benefit claims that aren't justified - and helping people who deserve it: the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly savers etc. I absolutely agree with David Cameron's focus on getting rid of the National Insurance rise that hits everyone on £19,000 and above.
Expenses
And my views on the transparency of salaries/allowances for MPs were reinforced. My 'main residence' is here in Gloucester and always will be. My expenses will be published, whatever the rules, and I do not expect extra payment for turning up to Parliament for goodness sake! There will be a vote on this suggestion by Gordon Brown - after promising to wait for independent proposals - and I hope he loses it. It's absurd and the people wouldn't accept it. An MP for Gloucester should get a sensible sum for the cost of living 4 days aweek in London and the train tickets back and forth - and NOTHING for the New Labour Cabinet range of accessories - bath plugs, porno films etc.
Bear these commitments in mind when the MPs' expenses are published this summer.
Promoting Gloucester
The other part of any Conservative Conference for me is marketing Gloucester - talking about what's happening in our city, getting commitments from ministers to come and see particular issues or developments in Gloucester, and making sure that our experience and knowledge influences policies that will affect us - for example the end of regional government and the return of planning powers to the county. Also I hear from other candidates on how they've handled eg MPs who've abused the Parliamentary Communications Allowances: Trade Unions who - whatever their members think - won't meet to exchange views on ways to help their city: and how others are tackling eg housing problems/unused retail premises. There's lots of informal brainstorming.
Surveys & Allowances
A big thank you to those who've returned recent surveys - on the economy and more generally. These are paid for by voluntary donations, unlike surveys from the Labour Rep. These are paid for by US, the taxpayers, under another Labour introduced wheeze - a Communications Allowance - which we are pledged to get rid of. It is clear that residents worry most about jobs and how to pay mortgages and rents are the key issues.
Residual waste
And while on issues, I hear the Labour Rep's website criticises me for 'sitting on the fence' on what to do with residual waste. I don't sit on fences made of waste. So let me spell it out:
- No decision will be taken for about 2 years on this critical issue for our city and county
- During this time the county council has promised to look in detail at all the known and proventechniques and possible sites, whether single or multiple
- I encourage everyone to join the debate with an open mind
- I want this process to achieve a solution for Gloucester that:
- closes the hideous tip at Hempsted
- is fully controlled by the county council
- handles only our county's waste
- makes financial AND environmental senseavoids huge fines from the EU
- and sits alongside an ambitious goal of recycling 70% of our waste
- And I believe any MP in this county who has already made up his mind about what is right or not right, before we see the results of the GCC's research and analysis, is doing his constituents a gross disservice.
So - again - I challenge the Labour Rep in Gloucester for a debate on this in public, with a neutral Chairman,any time he likes. I've invited him for a debate on this and any other issue worth debating for the last two and a half years and he hasn't accepted once. That isn't just sitting on the fence - that's rank cowardice, and a total unwillingness to be held accountable in public: in line with everything that we have come to expect of this rep and this government.
Would someone please put the record straight on the Labour Rep's website?
Sat 18th
After doorknocking in Tuffley & Podsmead I called on Paul Hornfield of Mecca Bingo - 30 employees and 34,000 members: with a long history in Gloucester, and about 200 people playing when I visited. This is the safest face of gambling - and the most female friendly. And yet bingo is the only part of gambling that ischarged both a gambling levy and VAT. The government first denied this and now acknowledges it: has promised to review it - and has done nothing. It is bizarre and I intend to lobby the government on it. There is an early day motion (EDF) on this at the moment. Less tax should mean more payouts - good for customers - but more importantly we do not want to see the Bingo halls in G'ster throttled by tax, and possibly closing because of this.
I played cricket for Gloucester City Wingate v Tewkesbury in the afternoon. Daffodils by the Abbey andblackbirds singing. A team aged 12-55, with two muslims and one female - not because some Politically Correct Commissar ordered so, but because we all share a love of cricket. Parents scored and umpired. And to think that only two years ago the floods rose to a food above the bar floor - or about 9 foot above ground level. Extraordinary.
 
Meanwhile the news from Twickenham was not good. Gloucester sadly outplayed by Cardiff. Dreams of silver ware will have to wait another year. I've only seen us wn this year, with some great moments. Overall though a bit off and on, and too much off for some.
Fri 17th April
Went with the police late to see at first hand the extensive operation against the car damaging vandals. It's a good operation using plenty of resources but they need more leads from residents to catch those involved. PLEASE do feed in any news/sightings of these gangs.
Easter weekend
Good Friday came at a difficult time this year. People have been in shock for some time about what's happening in our country: then fear about jobs and homes; and now anger as the government - again - has to admit they got it wrong and that yes, this recession is deeper and harsher than they ever imagined. As many of us expected, the shrinking of the economy continues at a ferocious pace. It is high time the government stopped talking about changing the cost of the public sector and did something about it: there is not enough tax from individuals and the private sector to pay for it as it is. I expect the budget to see some expenditure cuts (but not enough) and some increase in tax (but not too much). The hard decisions will be left to the winners of the election.
What I'd like to see is less quangos and MPs, lower pay for top mandarins, no or very small public pay increases (most of us in the private sector have had no salary increases for years) and fewer NHS managers.
At this time, when the nation needs real leadership about how to make things better, it is pretty depressing to read that a Downing St strategist's idea of strategy is to spread made up gossip about Conservative leaders. In our fear and anger we need somewhere else, somewhere more lasting, for our peace of mind.
But Good Friday is also the happiest day of the year for Christians, so I happily joined the walk and sing from Kings Square to the Cathedral, with fellow anglicans, catholics and others. It was to good to hear Father Bernard of St Peter's talk of his experiences as an Army chaplain, and for all of us searching for peace of mind as well as the peace of the world to be together. Here we all are walking towards Shire Hall:
And thanks to the Salvation Army band, led by John and Pauline Smith, for bring the music alive amongst April showers. Here they are with hard working outgoing Mayor Norman Ravenhill and Sheriff Nigel Hannam and I:
I spent that Friday night as a volunteer at the Night Hostel in Southgate. This is the last hope for those who can't - for whatever reason - live on their own paid by benefits. The problems are mostly drink and drugs and the staff and regular volunteers offer hotmeals, a dormitory bed and a shower for up to a month. Some will say it only encourages them. But there has to be something in a caring society - and we should care - for the weakest and we're lucky to have the GEAR charity that runs the hostel. There are issues about the level of benefits and whether some users could be galvanised into making more effort - but for now let's be happy that Brian and his team are there and tackling what they can. I will look into more into these issues, because where families and individuals fail, our city is disrupted.
March 2009
Job Centre and Voluntary agencies (GAVCA) should work more closely
When people are made redundant, they sign on at the Job Centre in Spa Road for job seekers allowance and get given information about various organisations. One is that of GAVCA - the Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action for both the city and county. But I'd like to see much closer co-operation between them to benefit the unemlpoyed and city based charities.
GAVCA could provide the Job Centre with a list of key vacancies for both paid and unpaid jobs in ourcharities that its members need filled: and the Job Centre could encourage those laid off to volunteer as soon as possible. It's fun, it's good for morale, it looks good on the cv and prevents people into getting up late and losing the work habit. Could head hunters, training agencies and Job Centres alike please recognise the importance of attracting good candidates to help Gloucester's many charitable causes and the value of their experience and contribution. As unemployment grows, so I believe that differentiating themselves in interviews through voluntary action may be key to candidates' ability to win a job.
Kingsholm Primary shines
I was so impressed by Kingsholm Primary that I decided to include a photograph of one of the pupils - Helen - showing me her 'Splash' book in class there. Water is a big theme at the moment - involving everything from river patterns to floods and baths, and the children take huge pride in their own albums. My mother was and sister is a Deputy Head teacher: and I spent much time as a diplomat visiting schools and identifying ones for UK Overseas Aid to fund. You get a pretty quick feel after a while about schools, and the vibes here were good. The pupils buzz with enjoyment and the school has made ambitious changes and knows what it wants to improve as well. Kingsholm & Wootton is well served.
Rate Relief for small businsses
I'm really pleased, and so will the local Federation of Small Business (FSB), that the government has confirmed that following Conservative lobbying they will bring forward measures on small business rate relief in the Budget next month. The Small Business Rate Relief (Automatic Payment) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons by Conservative Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, (also Chairman of the Business and Enterprise Committee).
The Bill sought to make rate relief automatic for all eligible small businesses, rather than the current system where small businesses have to apply for it. Under this present system, half of these businesses are not receiving the relief they are entitled to. The Minister said that the government would not support the Bill, but as a result of the pressure put on them by Conservatives, they will make announcements in the Budget statement.
All of us involved in business have to make sure the government keeps to its word and DOES something when the Budget is announced on April 22nd. This would be good news for small businesses all around the city.
(In England small businesses are generally entitled to small business rate relief if the rateable value of their premises is less than £15,000 (£21,500 in London). The amount of rate relief depends on the rateable value: eg f the rateable value of the property is less than £ 5,000 , the rates are calculated using the small business multiplier, which for 2008/09 is 45.8 pence, and reduced by 50 per cent.
If the rateable value is from £5,000 to £9,999, the reduction decreases on a sliding scale of 1 per cent for every £100. For example, if the rateable value is £7,500, the rates are reduced by 25 per cent.
If the rateable value is from £10,000 to £14,999 (£21,499 in London), rates are also calculated using the small business multiplier. For 2008 /09, the small business multiplier is 45.8 pence (instead of the standard 46.2 pence).
Award to Gloucester defence lawyer
I was delighted that Quedgeley based solicitors Graham Wallis of Wallis Solicitors are the only criminal practice in the county to acquire last year, and retain in 2009, the coveted Law Society LEXCEL practice management standard.The Law Society makes it clear this is only awarded to practices 'who meet the highest management and customer care standards': so this is good news for their clients and those needing legal advice on criminal issues.
Graham Wallis is of course pleased that his practice's high standards have been recognised.'
Wallis Solicitors can be contacted on 720827.
Tamil residents of Gloucester seek Conservative help
I saw a delegation of Tamil residents of Gloucester at the Conservative Club on Saturday, and a letter from Gerard Nicholas on their behalf seeking the Conservative Party's help in implementing a ceasefire in Sri Lanka and installing a new devolved authority for the Tamil homeland
I said 'I will forward this letter from the Tamil residents of Gloucester to William Hague. All of us who have travelled to Sri Lanka know of the tragedy of their civil war, and the deaths of so many civilians. The Tamils who have come to Gloucester - predominantly over the last ten years - have done so because normal life in their home villages and towns was simply no longer possible. They have suffered dreadfully. It is time for the international community to refocus on what has been happening, especially in the North of the country.'
Westgate's Cass-Stephens is insurance broker of the year
I was delighted to join James Cass (MD) and fellow directors at Spa Road based Cass-Stephens receive the Westinsure Broker of theYear for 2008, ahead of 170 other brokers in the UK. Local can be best and for the Gloucestershire based clients who make up half Cass-Stephens business this was never more true than after the floods of 2007. A great success for a family based business in Gloucester.
Richard joins the Gloucester Credit Union - and it's open for business
I've joined the Gloucester Credit Union because I believe it's a part of the future of finance for people in the city.
Making my first payment at the Credit Union’s office in Barton St, I said: “Many banks can no longer fulfill their historic role for the community. It is time for other organizations to fill the gap, and Gloucester Credit Union could be one of them.”
The credit union’s treasurer Christine Bergin, who enrolled me said: “We're delighted to have Richard's support. It's important that Gloucester Credit Union is open to everyone, not just those who are vulnerable to loan sharks – although that is an important reason for people to join.
The Gloucster Credit Union currently has more deposits than loans, and are open for anyone from Gloucester postcodes GL1 to GL4 to borrow what they are reasonably be able to repay. People tell me they can't get small loans for a washing machine, university fees, a holiday or a wedding and our local credit union is there to help exactly these sort of problems.
Christine said “When I started working, bank managers knew their customers and discussed their ability to repay loans or get mortgages." That world has disappeared and today the Credit Union offers a way back to where we started. It's entirely staffed by volunteers –- nurses, journalists, office workers and retired people are all involved - and they’re there to help by understanding the members and their financial situation. The Credit Union encourages you to save what you can and borrow only what you can repay, at 2% per month on the reducing balance, which means in effect we only pay around 6.5% over a year.
I believe the future will now look more like the past, with smaller, more local financial institutions working to restore the trust of customers, and no more silly money being offered or accepted. The Co-op, the mutual insurers (like the one I work for), the Friendly Societies and Credit Unions will help get us back there, alongside those banks which can reinvent themselves successfully in the private sector.
In Ireland & Canada credit unions are an important part of the fabric. This is your time - seize it!
Notes:
· Gloucester Credit Union started in July 2002
· Original members come from the former St Peter’s & Glevum Credit Unions, amalgamated 3 years ago.
· Members may borrow up to twice the amount they have saved after three months of membership.
Time for the developers to finish the job
'Now that so many residents are living in Kingsway it's time for the developers to finish the infrastructure'.
I contacted the media today (15 March) after a walkabout with Councillor Jackie Hall, Quedgeley campaigner Vic Rice and residents of Leemings Walk. Residents pointed out the lack of lighting outside the houses, which has attracted anti social behaviour, half filled in potholes, uncompleted pavements and utilities' covers sticking up dangerously above the road surface. Richard pointed out: 'Leemings Walk is intended purely for service and emergency access, but there aren't enough bollards and so joy riders are coming down the access road and across residents' parking spaces'. Nor is Leemings Walk the only road with problems. 'At the far end of Thatcham Avenue and high kerbs which could be responsible for pedestrian accidents.
Of course things are difficult for very developers at the moment. But the residents have paid for their homes on the basis that the developers are legally bound to complete the infrastructure for Kingsway. That commitment should be kept and many residents have now been there over a year. The council won't take over responsibility for the area until decent drains, lighting etc have been put in place. I will contact the Chairman of the consortium of developers, Andy Hill, and would be looking for positive news.
There is another aspect which needs addressing. Planning laws or new developments don't stipulate at the moment how long before the developers must complete the infrastructure (pavements/roads/lights etc) so that the Council can adopt them. This should be looked at for any future developments. Otherwise in theory this type of situation could drift for years. But I hope that the Quedgeley Village team will see how important finishing the job soon is.
Sixteen years of hard work for the Chinese Community in Gloucestershire
I paid tribute last Sunday to the Chair of the Gloucestershire Chinese Womens Group, Mrs Mew Ning Chan, for having founded and led the group for the last sixteen years:
As guest of honour at the Gloucestershire Chinese Womens Group (GCWG)AGM in Gloucester's Eastgate St. I spoke in rusty Mandarin and Cantonese to about 150 guests and said the Chinese community in the the city and county was lucky to have such a dedicated volunteer group to help solve their problems: 'Mew Ning has been working for you all for sixteen years, and if every ethnic community in Gloucester was as well served, then Gloucester would be lucky indeed.'
Letter to The Citizen Thurs 13 March: Time is running out for C&G staff
Dear Sir,
As of last Wednesday, Cheltenham & Gloucester ceased to be a separate business with its own board of directors. It is now a small part of the mortgage business of a majority government owned bank. This is the direct result of a decent bank (Lloyds) being encouraged and blessed by the Prime Minister to merge with a catastrophically inept one (HBOS). The result is a socialist dream, and this country's humiliation, of nationalising both - at vast cost to us all. All that remains of C&G, a once fine and independent building society with 150 years of operations in our county, is its brand name: and a headquarters in Barnwood which has already lost meaning and will soon lose staff. The first page of the C&G website has an advert: 'C&G Fixed rate ISA: Time is Running Out'. It's true not just for the ISA but for the company and its 4,500 staff.
The final act of the Age of Irresponsibility, presided over by the Man Who Abolished Boom & Bust and Saved the World, now includes the destruction of one of our best businesses. The bottom line is that votes in Edinburgh and Halifax were too important for government with no interest in Gloucester. A Freedom of Information request has shown that the Pensions and Work Minister has been lobbied by the Yorkshire regional development agency (RDA) to keep jobs in Halifax at the expense of those in C&G which (the RDA claimed) was 'struggling to efficiently service the mortgage book'. Only under a Labour government obsessed by the North could this be said without irony of a company which lost over £10 billion last year.
As we race towards 2.5 million unemployed, with the latest figures showing unemployment in Gloucester now growing faster than the country's average - what of the claims by this Prime Minister, repeated by our MP here, that they would do everything possible to save jobs?
Say a prayer for C&G and all its staff, and I hope that enough of them are angry and hungry enough to recreate a new, small, local, building society miles away from incompetent Scottish bankers and politicians.
There can surely be nothing worse for any father or mother than the death of their child. Perhaps especially if that child has been weak from birth, and watched over intensely ever since. So the death of Ivan Cameron hits all of us in Gloucester, and I hope and pray that the family can draw strength from each other in their awful sadness.
February 2009
Latest stats & facts
* Out of a UK population of 60m, 6.5m were born overseas, and only 31% of the migrants moved here to work (the rest were joining families, studying etc)
* The benefits claimants in both Gloucester and Gloucestershire jumped in Jan 09, up 0.4% to 3.6% in the city and up to 2.7% for the county. 2,579 people in the city are now claiming Job Seekers Allowance - an increase of 16% since Dec 08 - way above the national average of an 11% rise.
* The Chairman of the FSA and The Prime Minister have talked about limiting loans to 100% of the price of the property. Two problems. First this is called shutting the stable door after the horse has..and second they can't be aware that most banks won't lend more than 70-80% at the moment.
* I believe it's time to get back to small is beautiful. One way is to create our own Co-op/mutual insurer/credit unions because this is the way to rebuild trust locally, and know your customers. On Saturday I became the 526th member of the Gloucester Credit Union in order to give it a real push, and show that any of us can save and be lent money: and you SHOULDN'T go the loan sharks.
Meanwhile outside - the snow has gone and crocuses have come out: it's easy to forget what was here a moment ago. Here's a new garden seat design in Westgate which is sadly no more..
 
And (right) an afternoon neighboorhood walkabout with PCSO Sylvia Lane in Podsmead, seeing how residents were faring..
Watch out C&G, Gordon has saved you..
There's plenty to worry about at the moment, and here's my biggest worry about Gloucester businesses and jobs. What will the re-organisation of the merged Lloyds/HBoS group mean for jobs at the Cheltenham & Gloucester in Barnwood? A well run, small mortgage lender is at the mercy of the restructuring of a huge company struggling with massive debts run up by the Bank of Scotland. The Labour government is run by a Scotish mafia and it's already been revealed that there will both be an element of protecting Scottish jobs for Scottish workers and that politicians in Halifax have been lobbying for the same special treatment. Not hard to guess who will lose out - little old Gloucester. And who encouraged the merger of the two banks - which would never have got through the Monopolies Commission? The Labour Prime Minister.
Does the Labour MP understand what's going on and its implications? The man who claims to have saved the world has irreparably damaged our city's bank, while his government allows the bankers at HBoS and RBoS to go off with their knighthoods, payoffs and unimaginable pensions. C&G is a medium sized company which offered good career opportunitites for our graduates and school leavers. Now it will be a shrinking brand within a mortgage division run by an HBoS director. Less jobs, less opportunities and more unused (but still taxed) office space. What about C&G sponsorship of Gloucester Rugby and charitable donations? Don't hold your breath.
Good news on Dementia
It isn't all bad out there. The government has come up with a National Dementia Strategy aiming to transform the quality of life for dementia sufferers and their carers. There are 17 recommendations (details on www.dh.gov.uk/dementia). The one I like most is a named dementia advisor to help point new sufferers/carers in the right direction. It's a journey for which the current sign posts have been poor, as all my family discovered when my mother got Alzheimer's. This should make a big difference.
Of course there are questions. Is this for real from a government whose epitaph is 'a day without a new initiative is a day wasted for New Labour' (David Blunkett)? The professionals are enthusiastic and so am I. It could be a real step forward in dealing with these ghastly diseases. It will be up to the next government to implement the strategy, amend it where need be and and make dealing with mental health a priority. Meanwhile there is always the Alzheimer's Society helpline 0845 3000 336 and their factsheets on www.alzheimers.org.uk/factsheets.
Elected Mayors and Gloucester
The Conservatives announced over two years ago that we would have directly elected mayors in the big cities (like Boris in London) and devolve to all local governments real power, so that councils greater control of its own revenue and spending. At the moment the city and county councils depend far too much on the (central) government for their budgets. so although we've always said Gloucester was too small to benefit from a directly elected mayor, we do want more local control of local decisions - like planning, which New Labour took away from us.
It's disappointing that the Labour MP for Gloucester continues to spread what he knows is a lie that there is any future threat to the Mayor of Gloucester. People in an economic crisis want their politicians to tell it straight, show leadership on what matters and not waste time taking media inches on imaginary future scares. There are plenty of real issues for the representative of this Labour government to sort out today.
Murmurations of starlings
At the moment almost every evening in Gloucester Park, an hour before dusk, there's an air display better than anything at Fairford or Kemble. Thousands of starlings gather together, sometimes in three or four groups, and sometimes altogether in one great murmuration, swooping over Brunswick Square and towards the docks and the sunset. They sleep mostly in yew trees, mostly by Christ Church. Here's a photograph that gives an idea of this great winter sight that reminds me nature is greater than us all:
Mid January 2009
Here are some quick thoughts on things that matter this week:
Good news for Gloucester train users and business
Users of Gloucester trains services, and businesses looking for good rail connections to the south, have had a good week. The Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) is looking again at installing a dual track on the Swindon-Kemble part of the Gloucester-London line. I use this line twice a week and the greatest constraint are those few miles of single line track. An additional line would mean no delays in one direction when a train going in the opposite direction is held up, and potential for more trains overall on the service to Paddington. This is good news for Gloucester (and Forest) based passengers and businesses who need to get to London frequently and currently drive to Swindon to connect with a greater number of trains. Reducing the road traffic between Gloucester and Swindon would also be good news for road users and for the environment.
I supported the petition for this organized by the GCC a few months ago and was frustrated when the ORR said it wasn’t going to move on this yet. Now they’re changing their tune, and I hope this is part of the government’s push to bring forward infrastructure expenditure – although it will take some time to complete the work. The key to the survival of Gloucester Station is greater usage – and more services should help.
Secrecy on Parliamentary expenses
Last week, after much wriggling, the Labour government finally decided NOT to improve transparency by publishing the details of MPs’ expenses over the last five years. This was a mistake, and one Parliament will rue. MPs need to show that they spend taxpayer money sensibly. All my working life, in both the public and private sector, I've had to produce expense reports, and so should everyone. I would vote happily for complete transparency on this if elected to Parliament – and residents in Gloucester can hold me to that!
Rugby star Mike Teague and Polish duet Remi & Martin help Christ Church
Part of Gloucester's Regency Christ Church, dating from the 1820s and the creation of Gloucester Spa, has been renovated due to help from former England and Gloucester rugby star Mike Teague and the Polish decorating duet Remi and Martin. I approached Mike Teague to provide scaffolding free of charge and Remi & Martin to strip the damp damaged walls, and then replaster and paint them during the coldest week of the year at a special 'christian discount'. I knew that Remi & Martin, who've worked on two other Regency properties had the expertise to do this delicate job without damaging the stained glass windows. Church Warden John Gannon said 'this is a happy start to the New Year for Christ Church and we are all delighted with the quality of work. It was good to have this finished in time for the last service taken by outgoing rector John Marshall and and the arrival of new vicar Robert Simpson.
Remi & Martin can be contacted on 0773128127.
Retirement of the Vicar of the City Benefice
John Marshall gave his last Sunday sermon in St Mary de Lode this morning - and very good it was too, in front of a good congregation. But he isn't leaving Gloucester, which is the good news.
The Regional Spatial Strategy (ie thousands of houses by Grange Road)
I went with many others (tho only 2 others from Gloucester, including Gerald Dee the excellent councillor for Tuffley) to lobby the relevant Minister in Parliament on the degree of anger in Gloucester about a development proposal which has no backing from any directly elected democratic body anywhere in Gloucestershire. Like a good Whitehall farce, the Minister refused to see us: and and only briefly the MPs. And I now understand the publication of the new RSS isn't due until June - entirely coincidentally, the same month as the county and European elections. I think we can assume that if there is good news Labour will reveal it a week before the elections: and, if bad, a week after. Let's hope this cynicism is WRONG!
What would the Conservatives do?
Few people know what we would do differently from the other main parties. In fact the difference on this are significant. Labour created regional governments that took planning powers from the shires. Lib Dems liks regions because that's the European agenda. We believe in local decision making and have pledged to abolish the regional planning authorities altogether. Decisions would then be made at Shire Hall and the North DocksThe other parties either won't or can't, and the Labour rep for Gloucester was the man who voted for the regional planning powers and then who - as a Minister in the relevant department - told The Citizen he was pleased that the Whaddon development has been taken out. It hadn't - and still hasn't.
Les, rugby and training for the young
This photo shows Gloucester's Les Vanikolo (with a slightly less distinguished rugby player) after a Rotary lunch supporting a project in Les' home island of Tonga.
None of us can say much about the accusations against Les, which are now sub judice, but I believe he's a gentle giant, a good christian rugby warrior, and I hope the charges prove groundless. We need role models for the young - and rugby is a powerful way to learn self belief: which is why the rugby charity The Wooden Spoon has teamed up with Gloucester RFC and training compnay Prospect to help some of our young.
Early January 2009
This extraordinary picture is Gloucester Park on New Year's Day at about 11am. No light, and a frost that lasted all day.
I think this is the metaphor for 2009 and yes it's going to be a grisly year. I have little faith that a government who thought a 2.5% discount on VAT was the way out of a recession will be much help. Prime Ministers who think they've abolished Boom and Bust, preside over the Age of Irresponsibility and lead us into the largest recession for 70 years should resign in embarrassment - but no, they announce they've saved the world and carry on smiling!
The answers are going to have to come from us all as individuals and families - not from our government's political leadership. We're all going to have sort out our priorities, our spending habits, our sympathy and help for others and our ability to pull together as a community. Buying local, talking up our city's star attractions, lobbying for our companies, and reducing taxes where sensible - I have written with many of Gloucester's leading investors to Lord Mandelson calling for the government to review urgently the 'tax on no income' where Labour's new bill charges tax on industrial or commercial buildings regardless of whether there is income/tenants or not.
But survival in a recession will also need another side. Is it difficult to be joyful in an economic recession? I think it easier, because the soul demands relief: pleasures become more simple: and lasting beauty more important again. So these are some of my winter joys in Gloucester:
- 5.30pm Friday evensong in the Cathedral, beside the choir under new and inspired direction: a half hour feast of the highest quality food for the soul
- Followed by a pint of Samuel Smith with Anthea and other friends by a slow burning fire in the Georgian back rooms in the Robert Raikes House pub in Southgate Street
- Walking along the paths and riverside beyond the Boating Pond in Westgate and back along Sandhurst Lane: pure wild Severn country close to the city centre, handlebar moustached John Perry land
- A mug of tea with Imran in the Friendship Cafe, with young muslims playing ping pong, and older Poles chatting by the stools: communities matter, and they come from the ground not from on high
- Bicycling to Kingsholm before a big game with Rowly my younger son, our excitement feeding off others along all the streets that lead to rugby's Cathedral..
- The sunset from Our Ladys Well close to the graveyard behind St Swithun's church, Hempsted: the rooks in squadrons at dusk salute (see Christmas below)
- Buying the last of the soup at 2pm from Philippa at the Farmers Market, whatever she has left over, for supper that night, with rye bread from Lyn, next stall
These are golden experiences, available to all, guilt free and not expensive. We'll need lots of these this year l'll keep building my joys of different seasons - Robinswood in Spring and so on: let me know YOUR moments of joy in Gloucester and we'll build the most popular into an article for my Gloucester wide newspaper..
New Year 2009
I spent part of the last day of 2008 saying goodbaye to one of Gloucester's finest servants - PC Mark Peer of the Gloucester South (Quedgeley) station, and saluting another - Graham Elliott, postman to my part of central Gloucester. Here's how I put it in a letter to the Citizen:
"Dear Sir,
Yesterday I was honoured to say farewell to one of the county's finest policemen, on his last day in the Quedgeley Police Station. PC Mark Peer has been on the beat for 30 years, and anyone would be proud to leave a job with the respect and friendships that he does. There are not many of us in any profession who are rated in the top handful anywhere in the UK - but Mark was, as Runner Up in the national award for Beat Officer of the Year in 2006. What a great example he has been for PCs and PCSOs in the Gloucester South (Quedgeley) Station and for all who believe in neighbourhood policing.
On the same day I learned that postman Graham Elliott had delivered his last letters around the city centre. After even more years with Royal Mail he too is hanging up his boots. And likewise he will be much missed by all the residents around this part of Westgate. Typically he'd said nothing about retirement.
In their different roles, both Mark and Graham have served Gloucester wonderfully, and I'm sure that new doors will now open for both to shine in new ways. Happy New Year and new times to them both!"
(Saying goodbye to PC Mark Peer at the Gloucester South Station with Inspector Sarah Johnson and some of the team. I spent a winter's night out with the Safer Communties Team before Christmas and know what a difference they're making to life aorund Quedgeley)
Christmas 2008
On a bitterly cold and beautiful afternoon just before Christmas I was in Hemspted. Twiglet (my Jack Russell) had just chased a fox through the St Swithun's graveyard, thankfully way behind, and we'd passed Mr Young's tidied mounds of autumn leaves. I walked on the ridge beyond the church graveyard, beside Our Lady's Well and watched this - to my biased eye - wonderful scene looking down on the flooded fields and towards the Severn and May Hill. Here's another image minutes later from Church Lane:
Not many outside Hempsted know how beautiful is this corner of Gloucester, the 'tree bordered lanes, land of blossom and song' that the Glosters in muddy trenches dreamt of in the First War. I thought on the hillside of those lines from my favourite poet of this city and county:
And who loves joy as he
That dwells in shadows?
Do not forget me quite,
O Severn meadows
Let me know through the questions section of the website if you don't at once recognise this brilliant, uneasy mind, and want to read more.
Over Christmas we experienced some of the great moments of celebration that Gloucester has - carols in St James's Tredworth, and midnight mass in the Cathedral, where my neighbour, a Gloucester man all his life, was coming for the first time with his son - for a bit of magic, as he put it. How wonderful to see people looking for that magic in the cathedral and not solely in the shops. In economic recession especially we turn to churches and pubs, and Kingsholm, for our inspiration - and there is plenty to be had.
I hope you haven't all had the same sort of boring cold I've had for over a month now - but if you have, a good book and bed is about the only cure, and most of us can't get away with that for long..
Happy Christmas to everyone in Gloucester!
best wishes
Richard
PS
This is the winner of my Christmas card competition, Dana Riddick of Barnwood, whose image of a skater at King's Square caught my imagination
Mid November 2009
It isn't much fun seeing your gloomy predictions coming true. If you read my May Thought for the Month below, everything I said about the economy has come true. Unemployment is still rising rapidly, with business bankruptcies and house repossessions continuing to increase. But being right about bad news isn't forward looking.
True, things will get worse before they get better. I expect to see further job losses when the plan for the C&G merger with Halifax comes out before the end of the year. These are really tough times, even with the good news about the size of the Bank of England interest rate cut. So what are the positives ahead?
Well we may get some numerate and new entrants to the teaching sector from the finance sector. There are plenty of vacancies, especially in maths and sciences. They'd be very welcome and I know from my mother (former deputy headmistress) and my sister (current deputy headmistress) that you can have a HUGE impact on people's lives by inspiring them young. Go for it!
Meanwhile, and as important as jobs in a different way, is the whole business of community cohesion. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi came to Gloucester to look at community issues wth me. We spent time in Barton & Tredworth, because this is where residents with Jamaican, Indian, Chinese and Eastern Europe roots live closest: with their different Christian, Muslim, Aethist/Christian and Buddhist religious cultures. And we also saw the Dean of Gloucester and Westgate based community charity The Family Haven. Our view overall is that there has been some great community work done in Gloucester and that now is the time for bigger single projects for eg women or young men of all backgrounds and cultures, rather than splitting a shrinking pot of funds into different colours/ethnic origins/religions within any ward or the city. We both admire what the Friendship Cafe has achieved for the Muslims, and it's new reach towards the Poles. Sayeeda was optimistic that this could be a good role model for the city.
 
The bottom line is that communities need contacts with each other in good times - so that the links can help in bad times, when tension suddenly flashes up between neighbours.
Here's a group of us after visiting the charitable funded Al Ashraf Centre, which helped distribute water during the floods, and has since benefited from a Severn Trent donation.
Last week of October 2008
This week: action on business and our communities - and putting Gloucester's views in front of our Shadow Cabinet members and other front bench spoesmen.
On Monday I accompanied the Gloucester Federation of Small Business (FSB) to a meeting with Mark Prisk, our Minister for Small Business. Both Mark and I are small businessmen: and together there was a good discussion of the issues we all face. Doing nothing for businesses is not an option - we need monetary help (ie lower interest rates), fiscal help (ie tax breaks) and regulatory help (ie less red tape for small businesses). Otherwise repossessions will continue to rise (led by Northern Rock) and loans for companies and individuals continue to disappear.
On Thursday I invited Philip Hammond, Shadow Chief Secretary, to visit the Westgate business Hayden Taylor. He also met Westgate Quarter Chairman Ivan Taylor, walked round the city centre with myself and Council leader Paul James and spoke to an audience of businessmen about our response to the economic recession. It was good to see that the Westgate Qarter has a plan to advertise the city centre vigorously in the run up to Christmas, and that this is supported by the city council - who will also reduce tariffs on the Westgate car park on Sundays.
And Philip was struck, as are all my visitors, by how lovely the city centre is. Gloucester underplays herself - part of my job is to bring high profile visitors so they can appreciate what we take for granted and spread the word.
October 2008
No more 'credit crunch' - which sounds like some friendly new chocolate bar from Cadburys: this is a serious economic recession.
Stagecoach has signed up the first former estate agent to be a bus driver in Gloucester. There are queues in the morning outside the Spa Road Job Centre. One large employer told me he had laid off 3% of his work force and there would be more to come. A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the future of the Gloucester based C&G, because of the Lloyds TSB acquisition of HBoS. The government has sold its stake in another major city employer, British Energy, to the French (EDF): will it too survive unchanged? And most poignantly for a city of many independent and small medium sized companies, the construction and property development sectors have been badly hit. It is easy, like Fraser in Dad's Army, to imagine 'we're all doomed'.
Which we most definitely are not - but it would help if the government carried out the following few proposals:
- Introduce immediately reduced tax levels of 19% for small medium sized companies
- Likewise absolve them from most bureaucracyDropped their top down target of 3 million new houses
- Dropped their new housing proposals on the edges of Gloucester City (and let us focus on brown field sites)
- Gave back the regional control of planning powers to the councils where it belongs
- Stopped regionalising our Fire Control Centres
The sad thing, when you go round parts of Gloucester like Podsmead, is the sense of lost opportunity - all themoney raised from taxpayers in the good years, and not much to show for it. Lots of initiatives, but mostly short term neighbourhood project funding, with little to show at the end, with a Post Office about to be closed and a pub long abandoned. We can, and must, do better.
Meanwhile thank god for some decent weather so far this autumn and a scrappy win at Kingsholm against the Dragons, watched by Anthea, Kitty, Bertie and I..
Richard
September 2008
I've just come back from the Conservative Conference in Birmingham. The back drop was the economic recession and how the current financial crisis plays out: the bigger picture is what the impact of all this on people's confidence, their jobs and their homes. It was right that this - and how we Conservatives would end the Age of Irresponsibility and restore confidence and growth - dominated the conference.
I believe David Cameron and George Osborne hit the right notes by telling people that there is no money inthe kitty, that it is going to be tough and that immediate tax cuts except for businesses are not practical - though the headline announcement on controlling council tax was well received: most Conservative controlled councils - like the Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucester City Council - have plans that keep their increases close to or under 2.5% p.a. anyway. Wearing my professional hat as an investment manager for institutions like pension funds, charities and local governments, I believe that the US Congress WILL approve a rejigged package because there is no alternative.
Worth noting that only 3 per cent of Labour MPs have any business background - the Labour representative certainly has none - and I hope they do the right things in approving new legislation in the UK that should have been passed earlier. This is to allow the Bank of England (the government prefers the FSA) power to intervene decisively in handling banking crises, and differentiate between cases where owners of banks should be left to carry the can or arrange a private sector solution: and those where B of E help, temporary or longer term, is needed. This would reduce the deployment of the blunt instrument of nationalisation where the hardpressed taxpayer picks up the tab.
Of course the main issue in the High Street is confidence - and perceptions of it. On the bus I took to the conference this morning elderly women were asking me if their deposits in eg the RBOS were safe. I gave an unequivocal YES. But if world leaders like Bush and Brown are seen to be no longer in control of events, then confidence deteriorates. Which is why David Cameron is right to stress that we Conservatives will work with Labour - and not fiddle like the Democrats and Republicans while Rome burns.
Also at the conference we covered a huge range of plans in other sectors. I spoke on mental health and the need for much greater clarity about what is available to help carers and the families of sufferers (often the same people) deal with Alzheimers and other types of dementia: and how we need to bridge the gap between care for those on means tested benefits and nothing for those with modest savings. I spoke with Terry Pratchett - he about his own disease, and I about my mother's. There was a lot of support for this.
August 2008
Holiday time: and although there's been a lot of rain we haven't - thank god - had last year's floods. The Gloucester Festival – marked by bogged showmen’s caravans in 2007 – was this year marked by a high turn out, good events including concerts music and a spectacular final fireworks show which we watched from the roof of our Westgate home.
I hope everyone has time to get outdoors, and be inspired into sport by the Olympics, Wimbledon or the revitalised one day national cricket team under Kevin Peterson. Olympics. My younger son and I play for Gloucester City Cricket Club. He tends to be the youngest in a side whose average is about 20, and I’m one of the oldies. We have had several girls playing for us, a couple eligible for free bus passes and several of different ethnic backgrounds. In fact our team is a mirror of Gloucester. When we’re good we’re pretty good, and when we’re bad we take some beating at that too! But it’s huge fun, we get exercise, we tease each other a lot and we try our best. It’s a great way for young and not so young to get out together, to know the joy of winning and not to get too steamed up about losing.
Meanwhile, though, the summer has a way of coming up with bad political news. Over the last month thimngs that affect us all in Gloucester include:
· Gas prices to go up 44% and government puts its stake in British Energy up for sale: almost unbelievably the government first decides to sell its one third stake in Gloucester’s largest listed company – British Energy – and then allows the likely new French owner (EDF) to announce a hefty increase of gas prices. No conflict of interest? If you allow prices to go up this much you will get a bigger price for your stake. On top of that the government has written a clause into the draft sale agreement so that if future profits exceed expectations then the sellers get an ‘uplift’ or extra payment. And who decides whether the company’s tariffs are ok or whether to charge the company a windfall tax? The government. How very convenient if you are Chancellor and your tax revenues are going down and costs are rising. But what about the families who face the bills? Where do we come in on this? Not a word from the local Labour representative on this.
· Increase in new housing around Gloucester: an announcement by the regional government to increase the number of houses being built in Gloucestershire by over 7,000 – that’s on top of what the government (Mr Dhanda’s boss in specific) decided to allow at Hunt’s Grove.
· 1,500 new houses on the edge of Tuffley, in Whaddon, included in the plan. Mr Dhanda has pretended that this government proposal isn’t going ahead. It is – it’s just not called Whaddon in the plan, but the location cannot be anywhere else. This is political spin at its most cynical. Do not be fooled – this is the direct consequence of Dhanda signing the bill that gave planning powers to the SW region. Now look out for him posing to save Tuffley from this proposal. we will be putting out plans to oppose this proposal during the consultation so that residents can oppose vigorously.
· Closure of the Podsmead Post office: The announcement of this was delayed until the last possible moment, ie when many people are on holiday and there are discussions of some form of ‘outreach’ service. Once again the poorest people in Gloucester, who don’t have bank accounts, will suffer.
· No funding for Gloucestershire schools flooded last year: £30 million for eg core Labour heartland like Hull. Of the earlier £13m distributed, Hull got about 3 times as much as Gloucestershire. This government has abandoned both the county and the city. Dhanda says it's all the GCC's fault for not applying: the GCC says the government wrote and told them that if schools were insured then the county could not apply. What has Dhanda done tro help Gloucester's schools in all this? Volunteered to check if the rules were altered for Labour areas like Hull? or is he pplaying politics, happy to criticise the GCC at the expense of school children's welfare?
· Labour proposal to change the police funding formula: sounds academic but this could mean our county police force would have to lose about 100 officers. MP Dhanda tried to regionalise our police force (and failed): now he wants to reduce it in size by changing the formula so that he can return to the regional idea in due course. Right now he is regionalising the fire control centre in a project that is way over budget and behind schedule, like every New Labour project except the Post Office account card: which incidentally is expected to be taken away from the P.O. when it comes up for renewal in 2010. I do hope we have a change of government before that decision.
What all this means is that our utility bills will soar again (a bath now costs 95p according to the media): and our nuclear industry will be in the hands of the French, because we didn’t build any in the last 10 years and so lost the expertise to do so. Our infrastructure will struggle to keep up with new houses planned: our schools get no cash towards the costs of flooding: one more community in Gloucester will have no real Post Office; and we may have less officers on the beat before long.
My solution for most of these issues? Simple: Let Gloucester decide! Instead of Westminster deciding all, we should decide here on planning issues, and on the future of our policing (and fire service). we can't prevent the government selling their stake in British Energy, though I hope they have considred a UK solution carefully.
When you put all this together I’m afraid it hasn’t been a good month. Any silver lining? Well because life is tougher, this makes us more environmentally friendly. We’re getting less wasteful: less shopping, less travelling or travelling with friends – a bit less materialistic. It does mean we should try and grow veggies if we have a garden, and use less electricity at home: it makes solar panels pay for themselves much faster than before. But not many people can afford them, especially now, and the silver lining is small compared with the main problems. These are rising food and fuel bills, real fears about how to pay higher mortgage bills even as your house loses value - and losing your job as the economy goes into recession.
And frankly it beggars belief that MP Dhanda should believe that the future of local government structure should be determined by trying to save money to build a new stadium for Gloucester City Football Club in Stroud. If saving money was the issue, I have a suggestion which would build several GFC new stadiums - in Gloucester please - regenerate the Railway Triangle, provide new public toilets everywhere, and cut all our energy bills in the city for many years. It can be done by Dhanda's government. Just stop the Ridiculous, Unwanted Unnecessary and Unbelieveably Expensive ID Card.
The government should help the people by cutting completely the latest planned fuel tax increase (we already pay the highest fuel tax in the world): introduce the fair fuel stabiliser (less tax when the fuel price goes up), cut the proposed road tax in the autumn: cut the headline business tax to enable business to support jobs: and get rid of expensive white elephant projects.
We know Labour has spent the summer plotting against each other: what we want to see in Gloucester are signs that our MP is focused on helping the city. He can make a start in his ministry by advocating the end of regional governments and govong Gloucester back power over planning.
Let Gloucester decide!
The end of June 2008
It's been a strange month. A year ago the floods did more damage to the city and its residents than anything since the Siege of Gloucester in the Civil War. The Citizen got a letter from Gordon Brown reassuring it about all the wonderful things that he was going to do to help the city as we recovered from the floods. So what's happened since?
- The flood defence budget for Gloucestershire (with the Environment Agency) has been cut by £5m
- The much trumpeted 110m Euros (for the whole of the country and Northen Ireland) of EU funding was reduced to £31m. Now it's been increased again, but no-one has the slightst idea how the money will be divided up or what we will get for Gloucester.
- Glos CC have a £25m road repair bill and £16m of government funding. Mind the gap!
- Almost 5,000 people in the county are still not back in their homes
- Sir Michael Pitt's report on the floods was issued
What did the Pitt report conclude?
That the county council had done a great job, that the emergency services worked brilliantly, especially the Tri Service centre, and that responsibilities for eg water courses needed clarification. There were c90 specfic recommendations for the government. I look forward to seeing some real progress on them - not just more talk from Mr Dhanda.
So how is the Labour government doing?
It has just lost its deposit in the Henley by election, coming fifth.
What about Gloucester - what's coming up which is important?
There are some important decisions. First up is the decision on Podsmead Post Office. Will it be kept? I'm no Mystic Meg but I can't see it surviving without cutting back the current service. The government doesn't believe Post Offices have a future. We want to make sure they do!
Next up is the decision on the proposed Regional Spatial Strategy. Why does this matter? Because the government's regional strategy wants lots of new houses in places like Whaddon, on the outskirts of Tuffley. I will be watching this carefully with Cllr Gerald Dee.
Then we have road tax - a national issue but relevant to us all. If I sign up enough people sign my petition.
And in September we will see how Mr Dhanda has spent his allowances....
Are consultations worth the time and money?
Mr Dhanda recently answered a question on this in Parliament. They have had about 75 consultations this year: but don't know in how many of these the original proposal was supported and in how many the public view had its say and a different answer was achieved. Mr Dhanda said it would cost too much to find out .. I say this is ridiculous. We should be able to find out the analysis on such consultations. And I'm afraid the public will just assume this Labour government is just not listening. And they're right.
Richard
Bank Holiday 26th May 2008
Are things getting worse in Gloucester?
The numbers of homes being repossessed are up sharply: as are the numbers of people seeking CAB and other advice on spiralling household debt. Construction companies are laying people off and skilled workers (plasterers etc) are finding work hard to come by. As earnings falter, and tax and petrol costs rise (see earlier Thought for the Month), we all need to cut back on spending. The banks may be refinanced (by us taxpayers) but they're passing on the problem to our retail sector, businesses who can't get loans to expand and individuals who can't get loans to get on the housing ladder. No wonder that the Persimmon housing project on Barnwood Road is mothballed. It won't be the last in the county. If you didn't believe this before - and preferred the easy Labour propaganda that everything was fine, trust them, they knew how to handle things - well please do now. Things are bad and will get worse before they get better: and New Labour has no idea what to do.
What happened on the 10% tax rate Labour got rid of - haven't they re-introduced it?
No. But they have done a messy u turn. We were told that change was unnecessary (Brown) and that changing the budget was impossible (Darling), and then suddenly that they would compensate the over 5 million people who lost out. So the starting level for tax was lowered. That backpedalling on the end of the 10% tax rate cost the country over £2bn of more debt, is only valid for a year and won't help more than a million of those who lost out. Not a brilliant manoeuvre, and one that should never have been necessary.
Was this in able to win the Crewe by election?
That would be the cynic's interpretation. But if so it didn't quite work - Labour lost with a spectacular swing of 17% swing from Labour to Tory.
What did Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda say about this, given that Crewe shares some characteristics with Gloucester?
He said - like every government minister - that Labour should listen and learn.
And what has he learnt?
Well let's see. Perhaps he should start with the brochure he circulated about 18 months ago - '50 reasons to vote Labour'. Most were dodgy then, hardly any are valid now. The only reason Labour gave in Crewe to vote Labour was because the Tory was a 'toff'. Voters, it turned out, were looking for a bit more substance. But I expect Mr Dhanda, when it comes to a general election, will resort to similar tactics here.
What does he offer of substance?
The day after the Crewe by election Mr Dhanda's column in the Citizen pleaded for the Urban Regeneration Company to move the railway station about 500 yards to the Railway Triangle (ie beside main line to Cheltenham/Bristol). There was no mention of what benefits this would bring - and we know that network Rail, the owner and major stakeholder isn't interested.
And what would the cost of doing this be?
Gloucester would have to negotiate the land from Network Rail, build a new station, introduce new signalling, create a new road off Metz Way for access and introduce a connecting bus service between station and town (too far to walk, especially for elderly passengers). The cost would be many millions.
Who does Dhanda think will pay for this?
He proposes the creation of a new Business Improvement District (BID), another New Labour initative which has recently been compellingly damned by Labour MP and businessman Geoffrey Robinson when it was introduced in Coventry as a complete waste of businesses' money. Dhanda also proposes increasing the local business levy by the council in order to raise money for the new station. Dhanda is simply not listening to business if he believes that local businessmen want a new station at their cost and with no benefit to their activity. This is cloud cuckoo land, which is where junior ministers with no experience of business tend to live.
So who would benefit from the new station?
The only human beneficiary of a new station in the Railway Triangle without significant additional train services would be Mr Dhanda. He would bombard the residents of Gloucester with another glossy brochure, paid for by the tax payer, taking credit for another shiny new building (also paid for by the taxpayer). 'Look at what I have done for Gloucester - forward not back' etc.
Don't get me wrong: I like (most) shiny new buildings and I am a big fan of train travel (and unlike Mr Dhanda I use the train a great deal every week). I just have the old or possibly new fashioned idea that public buildings should do something that makes a real difference to people's lives. There is no case for a new station without hugely improved services - but Dhanda goes for the shiny new building every time, it's so much easier than better services. If we can afford new buildings, let's have a new bus station at a fraction of the cost.
Hasn't the government got plenty of money?
It did, it raised taxes big time in 2001-5. Trouble is, that's all spent. The government is bankrupt, and the Olympics need cash (or will the government abandon this now the London Mayor is Boris not Ken?), so Dhanda won't get much money from his friends in the Cabinet.
I do anticipate an ill pitched effort to convert a school or two into a new academy before the county council elections next year. ''£25million for a new academy' he will trumpet - and let's read the small print carefully about which school he wants to close, whether the teaching will be better, and who pays when the project is over budget etc. Be prepared for the marketing pitch coming to us all soon - when something looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Meanwhile Mr Dhanda will try to get the councils and the businesses to pay for his new railway station.
Is this what he's trying with the Post Offices too?
Some Labour supporters will try and blame the county council for the closure of the Post Offices! Suddenly they have become a council responsibility. Of course there won't be any money given for this. Is it a deliberate plan? Since Labour has so few councils, it's happy to legislate for councils to deliver more services free (eg bus services for the Over 60s) while starving them of cash - and does Labour care if Gloucester city or Gloucestershire county councils fail now they they're not run by Labour? And yes the other technique is to encourage councils to take responsibility for services it doesn't want any longer (eg Post Offices). I'm afraid this government is more concerned with fighting itself and other parties to fight for Gloucester - whether it's flood defence work by the Environment Agency, road repairs by the county council or just funding for children's education: we will always lose out to the big northern cities.
What will Glos CC do?
Glos CC would love to help keep Post Offices but it also knows council tax payers can't go on paying more local tax. Flood defence and road repair work is already eating up their cash - and the money that Mr Dhanda trumpeted from the EU seems mysteriously to have dropped from 110 million euros to £30 million, and who knows what we'll get from this for Gloucester.
Meanwhile the GCC is looking at what Essex CC has been trying to do but been prevented from implementing by the Post Office not handing over equipment. It also depends on what the postmasters want to do. Some of those being closed are are so disillusioned that they may want out.
So what should the government do in this time of economic crisis?
It needs to understand that change is needed fast. Individuals and businesses have to live within their means, and for some with big debts this will be painful. It means in most cases shrinking the balance sheet short term. Government should be doing the same. Look at the adverts for public sector jobs - does anyone believe they're all necessary? Why are the numbers of ministerial advisors so much higher than they were in 1997? And why is pr spending up so much?
It should promote more about finance at an early stage so that the young don't get into the bad debt habits of the New Labour years. That's why I'm a strong supporter of the HSBC sponsored 'What Money Means' programme. It's started in several primary schools in the county.
It should kickstart activity by providing incentives and getting rid of unnecessary costs eg for first time buyers by exempting them from stamp duty. With prices in some cases 10% cheaper than a year ago there are op | 
Council