let me just remind you of one of my first blog posts:
Labour run Ipswich Borough Council agreed tonight to freeze the new locality budgets which were introduced by the last conservative/lib-dem adminstration.
This is totally unnecessary as Suffolk County Council have already agreed verbally that they will keep the libraries and the school crossing patrols.
Let me guess what is going to happen here - ah yes, Counc Ellesmere is going to say they saved the libraries. This, of course, is nonsense and well they know it, but freezing our locality budgets, in case they need the money, has happened despite this reassurance from SCC.
So folks in Ipswich if you were hoping that you could go to your ward councillor with valid requests for some of their £ 5k locality budget to help your local community, then you will just have to wait. And I think that is totally unreasonable and unjustified.
Let's see what happens to this freeze, if the money is not needed, as I expect will be the case (Counc Ellesmere would not let me ask this question in a supplementary.)
Keep watching this space...............
Ok so back to present. the labour executive have postponed any decision again until Jan 2012, which means that Councillors will not have their locality budget for this financial year. It is shameful and a deceiptful sleight of hand by Counc Ellesmere who thinks everyone in Ipswich is so worried about a couple of libraries that they think IBC should take over the responsibility of this function from Suffolk County Council but not only that, do it when it is to totally unfounded and is really all about scaremongering and getting votes.
I have called this decision in, on behalf of organisations in Ipswich that will now not have ANY access to this money.
I am looking forward to the Overview and Scrutiny call in October 5th!
And of course feel free to give me your opinion on what is more important to you ie
hold back the money just in case the unlikely event it will make any difference to already saved libraries
OR let SCC get on with it and give Councillors their locality budgets
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Truth about single parents
Having seen so many tweets showing indignation from those that come from single parent families or who are themselves a single parent, I feel the need to explain what Cameron meant about this sensitive subject.
I was a single parent for 11 years and took no offence at all because the cap didn't fit. The real lesson that our PM wants society to learn, is about the devastating effect on our society in the decline of family values under the last government.
There are many reasons why we can find ourselves in single parenthood and many scenarios on how we handle it as individuals. I will try and highlight the main ones.
First there is the breakdown of a previously loving marriage where perhaps it is even kinder to the children if the parents split. This leads to two further scenarios where the parents can either do this in a loving way, where the children come first, or in a destructive way. The effect on children can be negative and even scarring, If handled badly. Those of us fortunate to have partners that continue to show love and attention to their children can escape pretty much unscathed, but all too often this is not the case.
Then there is the scenario where a woman has a baby without that commitment, believing that her man will be around only to watch while he turns on his heels, never to be seen again. A child can be brought up feeling angry and unwanted by a very important figure - that of a father.
Then there are the groups of women who will have one baby after another either by different fathers or by the same one without caring if the father is around or not, believing that they alone are all the child will need. Some even do this just to get a council house and benefits, because they do not have the self esteem to think they can make it in the world.
There are also women who use every tool available to them, to keep their children away from the father in some misguided notion that it is best for them. And belkve me this is not an uncommon occurrence. I could write a blog just about this. So how do we think a child will feel being told that one parent didn't want them?
All of these scenarios can bring suffering and anger to the child depending on how that child views the world and how the parents behave after they have split up.
Instead of taking offence, children of single parents could help to shape future policy with their insights. Those who have experienced single parenthood have real knowledge to share.
But all this requires the truth about single parenting. Lets have this conversation, instead of all the wise cracks.
then perhaps one part of the complicated puzzle can be solved.
I was a single parent for 11 years and took no offence at all because the cap didn't fit. The real lesson that our PM wants society to learn, is about the devastating effect on our society in the decline of family values under the last government.
There are many reasons why we can find ourselves in single parenthood and many scenarios on how we handle it as individuals. I will try and highlight the main ones.
First there is the breakdown of a previously loving marriage where perhaps it is even kinder to the children if the parents split. This leads to two further scenarios where the parents can either do this in a loving way, where the children come first, or in a destructive way. The effect on children can be negative and even scarring, If handled badly. Those of us fortunate to have partners that continue to show love and attention to their children can escape pretty much unscathed, but all too often this is not the case.
Then there is the scenario where a woman has a baby without that commitment, believing that her man will be around only to watch while he turns on his heels, never to be seen again. A child can be brought up feeling angry and unwanted by a very important figure - that of a father.
Then there are the groups of women who will have one baby after another either by different fathers or by the same one without caring if the father is around or not, believing that they alone are all the child will need. Some even do this just to get a council house and benefits, because they do not have the self esteem to think they can make it in the world.
There are also women who use every tool available to them, to keep their children away from the father in some misguided notion that it is best for them. And belkve me this is not an uncommon occurrence. I could write a blog just about this. So how do we think a child will feel being told that one parent didn't want them?
All of these scenarios can bring suffering and anger to the child depending on how that child views the world and how the parents behave after they have split up.
Instead of taking offence, children of single parents could help to shape future policy with their insights. Those who have experienced single parenthood have real knowledge to share.
But all this requires the truth about single parenting. Lets have this conversation, instead of all the wise cracks.
then perhaps one part of the complicated puzzle can be solved.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Government response to Barnado's campaign against child sexual exploitation
From Barnado's
"As you may be aware, Barnardo’s has launched the Cut them
Free campaign to end the horror of child sexual exploitation in the UK.
Child sexual exploitation is an appalling and often hidden crime where perpetrators manipulate children and young people into performing sexual acts.
In response to the launch of our campaign and the significant public support that we received earlier this year, the Government announced that Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Education, will hold national responsibility for protecting children from sexual exploitation.
The Minister has since committed to producing a cross-departmental national action plan by Autumn 2011, which will build on the existing guidance on safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation."
Conservatives in Ipswich are happy to support the following statement:
‘I support Barnardo’s campaign to cut children free from sexual exploitation and will work to ensure that my local authority takes the necessary steps to tackle the risk of this abuse.’
"As you may be aware, Barnardo’s has launched the Cut them
Free campaign to end the horror of child sexual exploitation in the UK.
Child sexual exploitation is an appalling and often hidden crime where perpetrators manipulate children and young people into performing sexual acts.
In response to the launch of our campaign and the significant public support that we received earlier this year, the Government announced that Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Education, will hold national responsibility for protecting children from sexual exploitation.
The Minister has since committed to producing a cross-departmental national action plan by Autumn 2011, which will build on the existing guidance on safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation."
Conservatives in Ipswich are happy to support the following statement:
‘I support Barnardo’s campaign to cut children free from sexual exploitation and will work to ensure that my local authority takes the necessary steps to tackle the risk of this abuse.’
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)