PaulRogan

The first Forum (Open) meeting in 2007 of the Voluntary & Community Strategic Partnership in Brighouse takes place on 13th February at the Assembly Rooms. We hope to get a good turn out and that as many people as possible turn up to be part of formulating a public vision for the future of our Town. I will attatch an agenda/flyer as a comment.

Hope to see you there!

The recent winds and heavy rain have again highlighted many concerns about the poor condition of the Library roof.

Last summer I wrote a Council questian to the Portfolio Holder responsible outlining residents and users concerns over the roof. If anything has been done to repair the leaks, as was promised and many do not feel anything has, it has been woefully inadequate.

http://www.halifaxtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=1986443&Section

I will post further details as comments.

The Government is planning an overhaul of the legal aid system. I welcome this but feel quite sure any progress will be up against serious pressure from a profession which is the best represented in Government. By this I mean. There are more lawyers in Government, Senior Civil Servants as well as Politicians than any other. This is not a criticism, it is a statement of reality and I am encouraging my son to go for legal qualifications as he grows up. The ‘business' of law making naturally falls in the sphere of those who make judgements, represent and defend the people in its process.

A scheme to cut costs for taking legal aid cases means paying lawyers less for doing what they do. No surprise lawyers don't like this. Would anybody be happy to take a wage cut and yet agree to do more work?

Never the less, there does have to be a facility to make, what has become a very expensive and self perpetuating legal system, accessible for those on low incomes as for others.

However unpleasant, I think that as part of getting an annual licence to operate, whatever that process is, all levels of lawyers must do a percentage of work for nothing (legal aid).

A new idea to help and encourage children to wash their hands, reducing the spread of germs and infection has been launched by a local mum with support from Old Earth School and many others including our MP Chris McCafferty. I wont try to say here what is explained well and in detail on the groups website. www.happy-hands.org.uk

I hope that the various funders who are considering grants for new equipment for the scheme will consider them favourably.

At the start of this week, the Home Office was again under fire. Already another criticism. I am sure there's nobody out there who doesnt believe it is 'not fit for purpose' although the remark was not very sensitive to the staff who work there and no doubt do the best they can with what they are given to work with and asked to do. There is no doubt that New Labour has put money into the Home Office but it has been wasted rather than be effective.

A good example of this is the Circle Project. We had one in my ward. It took time to get going but get going it did, despite not having any proper entry plans. We were motoring well, then the money starts comming to an end.. Only 1 years funding.... Then we start wasting time discussing exit strategies rather than dealing with asb. Knee jerk initiatives! It could have been really good, but it did nothing except raise the public's expectations and waste a load of money.

This kind of stop start policy making, by the Government is why things are so bad. I blame them, not the people working at the Home Office. The Tories are no better. Bleating on about how bad things are is also unproductive. Solutions, proper ideas which will be seen through. (cant use the word initiative anymore, its now damaged goods) is what is needed. Problem by problem, solution by solution. Common sense must be applied.

The reality of the Council now being responsible for enforcement of illegal parking and handing out fines, rather than the Police, is now being felt by many in the area.

I could understand why the Police did not want to keep this unpopular job. Local Police Officers, trying to build good community and neighbourhood relations were never going to make many friends handing out parking tickets! One asks why the Council wanted this unpopular job when already not particularly seen as the public's favourate son. Especially as it was not to be a cash cow. This fact has now been confirmed to me twice in public statements by the Porfolio Holder responsible. I also have public confirmation that Brighouse and Rastrick Wards should each typically see one Council Parking Officer every day, although things will have to be 'flexible', he adds. Well, there's not much chance of the road safety patrols, especially in front of the Ward's schools at this level of manning, despite to be fair, with 15 Officers in total and 17 Wards, we appear to be getting our fair share on parking enforcement, if not any other of the Council's services. However, even when the full compliment of 21 Parking Officers is reached, taking holidays, sickness and training days into account I can't see there being much time for any of the much needed road safety work which was promised and which was to make an unpopular function a winner with the local taxpayers, when the idea was first being hailed as 'a good thing'. Never mind, even though it will not be a cash generator (watch his lips), perhaps some parking enforcement revenue will help to keep parking charges at the same level or even reduce them. Let's see.

In the league tables published today, I read the Yorkshire Post one, Brighouse High and Rastrick High came out the best in Calderdale. Setting aside the Grammer and Independant Schools within the Borough, Brighouse and Rastrick lead the field in the Secondary Schools league tables for GCSE results. Very well done to both school's Head Teachers, Staff, Governors and most especially to the Students and their families.

Sadly no such success was reported for the Ridings, with one of the poorest results in the Country. I place the blame for this firmly at the door of the Conservative Cabinet holders responsible for running Calderdale's schools. They have demonstrated a total lack of imagination, commitment and ability to deal with an education concern locally over a number of years. It is now past the joke, children in Calderdale are suffering because of a string of Conservative Education Portfolio Holders being inadequate to tackle the matter. I hope the electors of North Halifax will go to the polls in May and let the Tory-Labour Axis controling the Council know how badly let down they feel.