ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog

UNISON celebrates closure of nursery schools and services for disabled

An email from Eric Pickles MP has alerted us to this page on Unison's website, celebrating the impact today's strike action is having on communities across Britain:

Here are some key quotes:

"Reports coming in that Wyre and Kidderminster are effectively closed - which is great work by our team."

"5000 driving tests cancelled as driving examiners back the action."

"Barnet branch in Greater London region calls in - they've shut all the nursery schools."

"Carmarthenshire depot UNISON members have been picketing since 4.30am this morning."Everything locked down. No dust, no highways or parks and gardens working." Someone get these champions a cuppa!"

"News of strike-forced closures in from Calderdale, Yorkshire and Humberside region - Westgate House Halifax Town Hall Hebden Bridge Picture House Central Library, Halifax Elland Library Hebden Bridge Library Mytholmroyd Library Skircoat Library Todmorden Library Jerusalem Farm Camp Site Hebden Bridge Cash Office Hebden Bridge Council Offices Learning Disability Services at Chatham Street, Royd Square, Clay House and Hipperholme. Todmorden Market And on top of that, no large or small mobile library service."

It's one thing to strike, quite another to celebrate the misery the action causes.

3pm: Check out Alex Deane's blog on this same subject.

Eric Pickles talks to Stephen Greenhalgh about the Conservative Councils Innovation Unit

Related links:

> Eric Pickles' previous video.

> Stephen Greenhalgh: Help me write a bold Conservative blueprint for local government

Local councillors tell Eric Pickles what they want David Cameron to say about local government

And you'll love Eric's naughty ending to the video!

Eric Pickles' previous video diary.

Pickles comments on the "non-cooperation" story

The Guardian today picked up on Pickles' speech to Conservative councillors at the start of the month urging them to sometimes "say no" to the Government's demands of them.

In the second instalment of Pickles' video diary he says he is not taking a Conservative victory for granted, there is still a lot to do, but that Conservative Councils should not spend too much time helping the government plan for a Labour fourth term:

The TPA has welcomed a letter Eric sent out last cautioning Conservative councillors against the bin tax.

> This is the second in a series of videos from Eric.  The first is here.

Three minutes of Eric Pickles

Eric Pickles is producing a video diary for ConservativeHome from this year's LGA Conference. This first installment also features Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Tory local government leaders disagree on new LGA ad campaign

The BBC is reporting that the Local Government Association is embarking on a major advertising campaign to promote the work of local authorities.  The campaign is defended by the Chairman of the LGA, Sir Simon Milton:

"Most people just think that the council collects the bins and they haven't the faintest clue of the vast range of services that town halls provide.  From archaeology to zoology, from cradle to grave, councils provide over 800 services to improve people's lives and help them get safe and sound through the day."

But Sir Simon - former leader of Westminster Council and now a key adviser to Boris Johnson - is not backed up by Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government:

“This is a damning portrait of Gordon Brown's Britain. Binge-drinking is spiralling out of control and our streets are littered with mountains of rubbish. Council tax has doubled, yet frontline services have been brutally cut back.  People will be offended that not only is taxpayers' cash being wasted on this propaganda but also that such disgusting images are being used.”

We can't find how much these ads will cost.  A selection are posted below:

 

Eric Pickles hopes to depoliticise funding of town halls

We recently noted Philip Dunne MP's findings that rural councils - largely Tory - were losing out to urban councils - more likely to be Labour.

Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government, signals that the Conservatives want to stop the possibility of any future manipulation:

“We are toying with the idea of going towards an Australian system of grant distribution – to take it out of the hands of the politicians so that we no longer have the capacity to punish our enemies and reward our friends.”

Mr Pickles gave the hint within the main story in The Sunday Express: The Great Council Tax Giveaway.

The story suggests that the Conservatives want to give council tax refunds of up to £1,400 to 400,000 households that have been allocated to the wrong council tax bands.  Misallocations are obviously injustices that need to be corrected but lower council tax for some will also mean more pain for others.

Eric Pickles urges Tory councils to "say no" to this dying Labour government's demands of them

Later this morning Eric Pickles MP will be addressing the Conservative Councillors Association's Leadership Conference in Nottingham.  He intends to deliver a blunt message: Stop Implementing The Orders Of This Dying Labour Government And Start Behaving Like Conservative Councils.

Here are three key extracts of what he is expected to say:

Labour is dying: "Time is running out for Hazel [Blears] and her friends. Every week that passes the government’s authority diminishes. With every passing week their ability to dictate to local authorities gets that little bit less. In its remaining few months in office Labour now has fewer levers of power to pull.  The ability for Labour Ministers to influence local events without our support is slipping away."

Conservative councils have waited too long to stand up to Labour bullying: "Over the past 10 years Conservative local authorities have cooperated with the government to make the best of ill thought out plans and deliver the best possible results for local residents. Swamped by ever changing government targets, overburdened by red tape and overloaded by regulation we have delivered quality services and low council tax. The time is overdue for Conservative Council's to stand up to this bullying and controlling government on behalf of their communities. It is time for Conservative councils to “just say no.”"

It's time for Conservative councils to be Conservative: "The electorate in a series of successive elections have soundly rejected Gordon Brown and this Labour government. Right across the land Labour has lost its mandate, it is unreasonable to Conservative councils to deliver for the government unless there is consensus. We are not in the business of delivering “Labour Lite;” local priorities now must take precedent. Local residents want quality frontline services at value for money prices. They don't want their council wasting time on money on nanny state, politically correct or vanity projects. They want councils who serve the people, not wasteful or intrusive town halls who serve as agents of the state.  Local people elected a Conservative council and they have the reasonable expectation of enjoying one and anticipating a Conservative government."

Mr Pickles encourages Conservative councils to cooperate with Labour but not to underestimate their power in setting the terms for that cooperation.

One of the big themes of the next two years will be attempts by the Conservative leadership in London to encourage local councils run by the party to tap into the best and most innovative policies being pioneered by other Tory councils.  To that end Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh of Hammersmith and Fulham recently launched the Conservative Council Innovation Unit.  This has been a consistent theme of Christina Dykes in contributions to ConservativeHome; see here and here.

Tory questions unveil infestation danger of fortnightly bin collections

Questions tabled by the Conservatives have forced the Government to reveal the findings of a £27,000 study that warned of increased health risks from rats, flies and seagulls if rubbish collections were reduced in frequency.  The report found that vermin and insects could be "encouraged into the home environment" as a result of fortnightly collections.

Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Local Government Secretary, told The Sunday Telegraph:

"Ministers   have been caught red-handed trying to hide worrying research from the   Government's own scientists. There is a clear health risk from cuts to   weekly rubbish collections, as will become apparent in the summer as   temperatures increase. Under Gordon Brown, local residents are paying exorbitant levels of   council tax but are failing to get decent public services in return. People genuinely want to improve recycling and go green, but Labour's   approach of forcing rubbish cuts is not the answer, as it will harm the   local environment and public health."

Stephen Greenhalgh: Help me write a bold Conservative blueprint for local government

Stephen Greenhalgh is Conservative leader of Hammersmith and Fulham and a key member of the team that Boris Johnson has appointed to audit City Hall.  He won ConservativeHome.com's 2007/08 'Local Hero Award'.  In this article Stephen introduces the aims of the new Conservative Council Innovation Unit and its aim to write 'the bible' of best practice for Conservatives in local government.

This May we have witnessed the death of both New Labour and old Labour in power. Last week Eric Pickles masterminded Labour's first by-election defeat since the 1978 by-election in Ilford North, a Labour seat, when a young Tessa Jowell lost to Vivian Bendall who is currently my Association Chairman. A couple of weeks ago my Labour predecessor as Council Leader described the loss of Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London "as the worst blow to Labour since the 1992 general election defeat".

However, many of our critics point to a lack of vision or programme for government. As we already dominate local government, our challenge is to define and articulate our Conservative vision. It is an opportunity for our party to demonstrate our priorities and goals for the communities we seek to represent.

We need to find the right language, establish Conservative values and develop a new Conservative lexicon to replace the New Labour mantras that dominate public sector thinking today.  Frankly New Labour's sole political legacy has been to rewrite the language of local government. For instance this month's pamphlet published by the SOLACE Foundation which is the professional network for local authority chief executives and senior managers is entitled "How equality shapes place: diversity and localism". Their rhetoric has been about "equality and diversity", "fairness" and "social justice" and the reality has been greater levels of inequality and a decrease in social mobility.

Labour haven't binned rubbish tax plans... they'll return after polling day

The Daily Mail reports documents uncovered by the Conservatives that show that ministers HAVE NOT shelved plans to introduce taxes on household waste but that these taxes could be introduced for 62% of households once tomorrow's elections are over.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Eric Pickles MP said:

"Ministers know that bin taxes will cause a massive public backlash. Yet, just as with cuts to weekly rubbish collections, they are telling town halls to keep quiet until after elections. The public have a right to know if their town hall is going to increase taxes on them after election day. Labour ministers are deliberately conspiring with a cadre of town hall bureaucrats to keep the public, candidates and councillors in the dark."

Families will be hardest hit by these plans and although the initial annual estimate of the tax was £30, ministers have now admitted that the charge is likelier to be £50.  The Daily Mail suggests that the cost could actually be £100.

Related ConservativeHome link: How council tax has outpaced inflation under Labour and how other local stealth taxes have rocketed

Eric Pickles accuses Labour of favouring urban north in local government funding

This from the Daily Mail: "Labour has been accused of giving extra subsidies and grants to northern towns and cities, which allow them to keep local taxes down.  Tories, who obtained the information through Westminster questions, said yesterday that Labour has been favouring its own voters.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said:

"Everyone has faced soaring levels of council tax, with homes across the South and East Anglia being clobbered the most under Gordon Brown.  The police levy on council tax is going through the roof, but police numbers are being cut. Local services like weekly rubbish collections are slowly being cut, while bills rise year on year. People are paying more and getting less.""

Eric Pickles warns of £92,000 'golden goodbye' for Ken Livingstone if he loses in May

Earlier today CCHQ released this press statement:

"Ken Livingstone and Labour politicians on the London Assembly look set to be given ‘golden goodbye’ payouts of up to £92,000 for losing office. Little-noticed provisions in new laws being introduced by Gordon Brown will introduce ‘severance payments’ for losing elections for the Greater London Authority.

Not only will taxpayers have to pay even more for the cost of City Hall, but Conservatives warned today that such cash perks now look set to be extended to local government across England – to compensate Labour for losing seats in local elections. Pay-outs of up to £20,000 have already been given out by the devolved Labour administrations in both Wales and Scotland to unpopular (typically Labour) local councillors.

• Livingstone to get up to £92,000 pay-off: The Greater London Authority Act 2007 introduces new ‘golden goodbyes’ for ceasing to hold office as London Mayor and for the London Assembly. Labour Ministers stated in answers to Parliamentary Questions this week that they expect all the provisions of the Act to be implemented before the 1st May elections. Ken Livingstone is currently paid £137,579 a year, and could receive up to £91,719 for losing office after serving eight years.  Labour’s London Assembly Members also could also receive five-figure pay outs for losing their seats.
• Cash payouts for losing elections spreading across local government: Last month, a Labour-dominated ‘Councillors Commission’ report recommended to Ministers that councillors across England should also receive golden goodbyes if they “lose office through the action of the electorate”. Cash handouts of up to £20,000 were dished out to councillors by the Labour-run Scottish Executive in last year’s Scottish local elections, and by the Labour-run Welsh Executive in the 2003 Welsh local elections.
• Council tax payers to foot the bill: The cost of the London pay-outs will be met from the Greater London Authority’s budget, funded by council tax. Ken Livingstone’s levy on London council tax bills has almost tripled under his administration, rising from £123 on Band D in 2000-01 to £304 in 2007-08. Such payouts for town hall councillors would similarly be met by hard-pressed council tax payers.

Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government, said:

“Local residents will be outraged at cash being stuffed in the pockets of electorally-challenged Labour politicians, and Labour's unpopularity in the polls being rewarded with taxpayers' hard-earned money.
 
"Ken Livingstone's levy on London's council tax bills has already tripled since his vast empire was created, and now local taxpayers are going to have to pay yet more.”"

Related link: Labour councillors seek higher pay, more perks and better pensions

Eric Pickles MP: Are you up for it?

Eric Pickles, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, launches ConservativeHome's new local government blog with a challenge...

I’ve got a question for our Conservative Councillors – are you up for it?

Or, to put it another way - are you part of the dependency culture?

Do you want us to replace one set of targets with another?

Do you really want a Conservative Government to scrap the raft of bureaucracy and regulation that stifles local democracy, or are you just looking for the comfy option?

Dependency culture runs deep. Unless you have been a Councillor for at least a couple of decades you will have no experience of exercising unfettered power and freewill to make decisions for your local community.

I asked local government leaders recently, “do you want us to tear down the prison walls of regulations or do you want me to build you a more comfortable cell?” Perhaps one with a better view, and a more humane jailer?

There is something soporifically comfortable about CPA (Comprehensive Performance Assessment)- you tick the boxes, you get the stars, and then you try to persuade your electorate that this is important.