Right-wing blogs. We still exist Iain!

So, it seems Iain Dale is worried about the future of the Right-wing blogosphere. Fired up by a disappointing drop in conservative blogs in the latest TotalPoliticics Blog Awards list, he used his column yesterday to ask where the next generation of right-wing bloggers were, and why there had been a drop in interest from that side of the spectrum.

"The comparative decline of the right is not because existing right-wing blogs have been performing badly, it is because there has been no new blood."

I think one of the commentors on his post had it right. When your Party is in power, the impetus to blog about what you disagree with is considerably weakened. Put simply, the anger isn’t there. Rather than risk blogs becoming tribalist lists of real (or imagined) success, they instead become defunct.

Some events can re-fire interest. The Blue Guerilla came out of mothballs for this summer’s Conservative Future election campaign, as to a certain extent did London Spin. They helped fill a gap in the ‘Tory yoof’ stakes created by Tory Bear’s seeming lack of blogging time. Once the results are announced next week, though, it will be interesting to see if they keep up the pace. As I have found, time for blogging is generally short, particularly when you have a day job outside politics, and a demanding toddler!

Anyway, if Iain Dale is putting out a call to action, then I’m stepping up to the plate. I may not have the most impeccable of national sources to send stories my way, but nonetheless toes will be dipped outside the calm waters of Epsom slightly more often from now on. Iain, fancy giving me your little black book?

The Big Society - A Flower Bed Too Far?

The Big Society was always one of the more diaphanous elements of the Conservative manifesto in the recent General Election. Ostensively a codification of previous attempts to conjoin local government and local community groups, it has been described as the Conservative Manifesto’s ‘Big Idea’ as well as an easy way to get cuts in through the back door.

Personally, I have always been a fan of the idea. The concept that community groups, charities, and NGOs should be more involved in the delivery of local services is not new, but if it is to succeed in any measurable way, the involvement of Westminster is welcome. Local Councils too, I had imagined, would be fans of the scheme. In the face of declining government grants, any chance to use interested parties to ensure the money goes further would be welcome. It seems, in Epsom and Ewell at least, I was wrong.

I have blogged previously about the recent Hub project – an excellent example of the ethos of the Big Society in action. A post on the Epsom Conservatives blog – run by Conservative Leader on the Borough Council, Sean Sullivan – the other day seemed to offer up another potential scheme; gardening. With less money available for landscaping in the Borough, why not get local groups involved? Hey, it worked for Newsnight!

It seems, though, that my suggestion of getting local groups involved to assist the Council in keeping its flower beds up to scratch didn’t go down too well with Liberal Democrat Councillor Anna Jones…

Not a believer in the Big Society, it would seem.

Personally, I see only positives in using the talents and interests of the local community to help the shrinking Council budget to stretch further. I’m not talking about getting local residents in to replace redundant public servants. I’m merely saying if we muck in here, they can focus their time more efficiently in other areas.

For the record Anna, time allowing, I would be willing to help out in any way I can. As far as school dinners go I’ll even cook the pudding. We could call it Jamie’s School Dinners?

The 'Big Society' hits Epsom

There is a shop in the very centre of Epsom, next to Marks and Spencer, that has been lying empty for months. Previously a newsagent, the family who owned it evidently decided they could make more profit by moving from a shop to a market stall and so moved out into the square next door. Until last week the shop was abandoned, with only a mysterious planning application from the Council, stating an intended use of the space for the disabled, joining a couple of leftover newspapers and some junk mail as decoration.

I say 'until last week' because seemingly overnight it has had a fresh coat of paint, new carpet, a security blind fitted, and is now seemingly to be known as 'The Hub'. The Hub, opening 13th September, is "a drop-in First Stop Shop for information, advice, advocacy and other services, which will be run by disabled people for disabled people and carers."

The service has been developed by local voluntary groups, local charities, and the Borough/County Council. It will be staffed by volunteers, both disabled and non-disabled, and will "help improve access to local sources; and to promote the rights of disabled people to equal opportunities and independent living."

Two things make me very happy about The Hub. Firstly, the concept of Local Government and charities/community groups coming together to provide useful services at a reduced cost is exactly what the Conservative Party had in mind when they were trying to put across what their Big Society message meant. The message may not have been defined to everyone's satisfaction, but it is great to see projects like this up and running.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it shows that there is at least some impetus to improve disabled services in Epsom. Coming in the face of the parking charges recently levied by the Borough Council, it is good to see action behind their talk of also improving provision for those with disabilities. Good stuff.

Publicity costs in Epsom

When Epsom and Ewell Borough Council posted their annual accounts for public consumption last month, there were some curious omissions. Not least the fact that, for some reason, officers were not keen to detail any publicity costs for the Council over the past year. A few well-placed questions from our local paper later, and the reason becomes more clear. At the same time as cutting services for its residents, our Council is spending £54,000 a year to outsource its newsletter to an external agency…which is then charging them to advertise in their own publication.

A month ago, the Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles announced a toughening up of rules regarding council newsletters. His goal is to ensure that local newspapers are not put out of business by tax payer-funded publications. Indicating that Council-authored papers increase junk mail, and undermine the free press, Pickles said:

"Councils should spend less time and money on weekly town hall Pravdas that end up in the bin, and focus more on frontline services like providing regular rubbish collections.”

I couldn’t agree more. The situation is even more exasperating in Epsom, however, as the company which won the tender to produce our local ‘Borough Insight’ (EM Communications) claims the Council specifically asked them to price advertising separately from the production and distribution costs of the paper. As the Epsom Guardian reports, the Council voted against allowing commercial organisations to advertise in the Insight to drive down costs. Instead, EM Communications only accepts Council-sponsored adverts, charging the Town Hall £150 for each one.

At an approximate cost of £10,000 per issue, the Epsom and Ewell ‘Pravda’ is a luxury this Council can no longer afford. If Eric isn’t looking hard at Epsom and Ewell Borough Council now, I’m guessing he soon will be. I think the Council’s Liberal Democrat Leader Julie Morris put it best:

“Spending £54,000 each year on a publication which, for the most part, is very dull and merely props up the policies of those in control of the council, is no longer appropriate…£54,000 would offset quite a lot of the spending cuts this year, wouldn't it?”

(N.B. - links to Epsom Guardian story to follow once it is posted online)

Epsom - Disabled must pay

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council met on Tuesday, and as per there was the usual raft of egregious decisions pushed through by the controlling Residents’ Association group. Examples of their scorn for those they allege to represent are almost becoming too legion to mention in full, but one really stood out this week.

On Tuesday, the RA pushed through plans to charge Blue Badge holders to park in Council car parks, ensuring that additional strain will be placed on the most vulnerable members of the Borough to help pay for the Council’s imagined deficit.* These plans were confirmed in the face of overwhelming opposition from local Residents, a petition of just under 1,000 signatures submitted to the Council, a campaign in the local newspaper, and strong feelings expressed by the disabled residents the Council saw fit to poll during their ‘consultation process’ (more on the failure of consultation here).

One Residents’ Association Councillor had previously resigned from the Group over the plans and duly voted against them along with every opposition Councillor. Even with these votes, and two abstentions, the motion was still carried due to the numerical advantage the RA has on the Council.

The main point raised by the RA in support of their plans was that there are other disadvantaged members of society that have to pay to use the car parks. This completely fails to recognise the differences between ‘disabled’ and ‘disadvantaged’, not least the fact that the disabled often have to use car parks where others don’t due to the difficulties of using public transport. In addition, it can often take a disabled individual much longer to pay for their parking as under both current and future plans they have to go to the parking office in person to pay/get any discount.

The new rules, which will come into effect, makes Epsom and Ewell one of the only 21 Councils in the country to charge the disabled to park. An incredibly regressive move.

I leave you with some rather unpalatable number crunching. During the meeting, one Councillor mentioned that the projected income from Blue Badge charging in 2010/2011 - £45,000 – is less than the Council spends on its newsletter - £54,000. Our Council obviously thinks it is more important to screw money out of the disabled than to stop telling us about it…

* One ex-RA Councillor made the excellent point that, despite a couple of years of declining revenue, the Council is still running a surplus, and has a significant emergency reserve in place to deal with any funding shortfall.

Labour Leadership hopefuls snub Surrey

So, the Labour Leadership contest is in full swing, with the candidates rushing around the country speaking at everything from public debates and think tanks to the opening of an envelope.

At a mere 17 miles from Westminster, you would think that the would-be Leaders of the Opposition would be keen to show their faces in Epsom and Ewell as a quick round trip. Sure enough, the Chair of the local Labour Party sent a letter to all members last month with the exciting news that David Miliband would be gracing Bourne Hall with his presence on Thursday 1 July. The other candidates were as yet unconfirmed, but would no doubt fall into line to avoid D-Mili hogging the limelight. In even more exciting news, this was to be the only event in Surrey during the entire campaign!

Sadly, all has not worked out well. An update e-mail went out today informing Members that the main Mili-man would not be able to make it down to the event, but was instead sending the smooth-talking doyenne of TV political chat Ben Bradshaw in his place. The other candidates are still unconfirmed.

But why wouldn't people go anyway, after all - "with no World Cup football on TV, there's no excuse!". No excuse indeed, but seemingly little point either. It seems that the Labour heavyweights are loathe to put themselves out even a few miles to speak in areas where their vote isn't high. A pity.

UPDATE:

In other news, rumours are circulating that local press are not being allowed to cover the event tomorrow night, in whatever form it takes. What have they got to say that's so secret?!

Epsom Council doesn't get it pt.94

I’ve never had much discipline as a blogger – hence the large gaps between posts on this site. Thankfully my local Borough Council normally manages to do something egregious enough to make me pick up my pen (well…laptop…) before long, and last night’s Strategy and Resources Committee meeting has afforded just such an opportunity.

One point at the meeting centred on petitions to the Council. Epsom and Ewell has a minimum 2% of population limit on all petitions before discussion is triggered at Council – effectively, if you don’t get more than 1,500 signatures, attention won’t be paid. Last night, Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors argued that this limit disregarded issues that were important, but only to a small percentage of the Borough’s population. A fair point – even in the furor that met the Council’s decision to deny the local Regiment the Freedom of the Borough last year we only managed just over 2,000 in our petition.

It seems, however, that the Residents’ Association isn’t so keen to change the rules. Councillor Eber Kington from Ewell Court ward went so far as to say that he didn’t want debates to have to be triggered by ‘residents’ backgarden’ issues. A moot point certainly, but it beggars belief that it is the Residents’ Association that is making it. The entire raison d’être of the RA is to localise politics; to ensure that national agendas are not followed in Epsom and Ewell; and that Residents can have direct representation on the Council. Their entire structure is based on Councillors being beholden to their locality through an Association Committee and Street Representatives. For Cllr. Kington to argue in this way seems to be completely against the objectives of his own group. I wonder how many Ewell Court residents are happy to see their local issues dismissed as NIMBYist posturing?

It saddens me that, yet again, the controlling party on the Council has not ‘got it’. If you are going to have a body allegedly run with direct input from local residents, then you have to listen to their concerns. Last night seems to be yet another erosion of the true few merits of the RA as an organisation. Added to the huge arguments going on in Stoneleigh and Auriol, where Councillors are ignoring the wishes of their RA Committee on the closure of the local conveniences (covered superbly, as ever, by the Epsom Guardian here and here), it surely can’t be long before these Councillors are finally called to account. Perhaps in the local elections next May? One can only hope…

Post-election 1: Epsom & Ewell

So now that I've actually managed to get some sleep in after a mammoth Thursday night's electioneering, I thought it was high time I added my two pence in about the results, both locally and nationally. First up - the local area and campaigns I was directly involved in.

It was good to see that the Conservatives did so well in Epsom. My slightly bullish prediction of a 20,000-plus majority for Chris was always in doubt after the Liberal Democrat surge in the polls (which actually led to an increase in their vote in Epsom, unlike elsewhere), but to increase our percentage of the vote and poll above 30,000 votes is no mean feat. Full results were as follows:

Chris Grayling - 30,868 (56.2% of vote +1.2%)

Jonathan Lees - 14,734 (26.8% of vote +5.3%)

Craig Montgomery - 6,538 (11.9% of vote -8.1%)

Elizabeth Wallace - 2,549 (4.6% of vote +1.1%)

Peter Ticher - 266 (0.5% of vote)

Labour saw its vote all but disappear to the Liberal Democrats, who ran an aggressive campaign in the area. Our unfortunate independent cabinet - Peter Ticher from 'Radical Reform' - had a disappointing night, and didn't even bother to stick around for the count.

These results mean that next year's Borough elections could be very interesting. The controlling Residents' Association will be sure to come under increased pressure from all national political parties. The LibDems will hope to make inroads in the Town and Stamford Wards. Labour will look to add another Councillor in Court (perhaps even the former PPC if the rumours are true and he decides to stick around?). Finally, the Conservatives will be hoping that the increase in their vote translates to further successes following their recent by-election victories in Ruxley. It's going to be interesting!

Epsom Council's pension black hole

The TaxPayer’s Alliance publish their latest research on local Council pensions today, and it makes for interesting reading, particularly in light of recently announced cuts in Epsom and Ewell.

There has been uproar here recently due to our Borough Council voting to scrap free parking for Blue Badge holders in the town’s car parks. Groups of residents and political parties alike have put together petitions to get this decision overturned, stating everything from the necessity to look after disadvantaged members of our society to the sheer impracticality of disabled drivers reaching the ticket machines. The Council has hit back, pointing to the difficulties of balancing the books, and the other difficult decisions that have been made to cut costs including all Council staff taking a pay freeze in 2010.

A quick look at the accounts, however, seems to belie the Council’s talk of doom and gloom. Yes, reserves are down - £7.3m in March 09 vs. £8.6m in March 08 – but at least there still are reserves. What, then, has the Council so worried? Could it be their huge black hole of a pension pot?

According to their accounts, Council pensions in Epsom and Ewell showed an £8.8m defecit increase between 07/08 and 08/09 making the current pension liability for our Council £17.8m, or just over 20% of its entire net worth. This, along with a reduction in investment income, would appear to be the major worry for the Council and therefore the main reason to cut services elsewhere. It seems in Epsom, the Council really is expecting pensioners to pay for its pensions.

And what pensions they are! A 15.5% pension contribution from the Council for every employee…every year! Compared with an average of a mere 6.5% employer contribution in the private sector. One year tax freeze or not, our public servants in Epsom have never had it better. Perhaps the Council officials would do well to read the TPA report, and act on some of their suggestions so that rather than having to cut services for the most at-risk members of our society, they can do some belt-tightening elsewhere…

+++UPDATE+++

Well well well! An interesting little nugget of information has just dropped into the DadForChange inbox. It seems that it's not only Council employees getting a great deal on their pension, but there is also at least one Councillor who is signed up to the scheme. I really hope that they declared an interest and did not vote on the budget. The idea that one of our elected representatives voted in measures to cut local services to pay for their own pension really is beyond a joke.

+++UPDATE+++

And another! DadForChange's Town Hall source has estimated that the blue badge payment proposal is only expected to bring in £60,000 revenue to the Council. This figure doesn't even include the cost of adapting all the town's ticket machines for disabled use. Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to the point?