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Thursday 26th February 2009

Citizenship for Democracy

Half of all the City's schools, primary and secondary, sent four our five students accompanied by a teacher or governor and packed a real purposeful buzz in the Stoke Town Hall yesterday. As a Council we have often talked about engaging with young people more and on a systematic basis. The support of many of the minority of Members who showed any enthusiasm for such projects waned a little after the very first Assembly held by the Council some five years ago. The theme was youth engagement, and young people from a cross-section of the City's youth groups packed into the Council chamber for a lively debate. It proved a trifle too vocal and too demanding for some Members as many young people robustly voiced their frustrations. However, although few subsequent debates were held and little in the way of Member outreach to young people developed, a nationally acclaimed skate park was built in Hanley Forest Park, mainly thanks to the determined follow-up work by the then Eleceted Mayor, Mike Wolfe.

One of my contributions to the Council's engagement with young people has been to initiate an annual schools' Citizenship in the Curriculum one day conference during Fairtrade Fortnight, and indeed the 2007 and 2008 events focused on Fairtrade. A range of activities and speakers, including Conrad James, a Fairtrade banana grower from a cop-operative in St Lucia, captured the hearts and minds of those present. The City Council's Citizenship Advisor, Tracy Ellis, provided invaluable support and made the dream a reality. Both conferences were funded by the United Co-operative's Membership Group.

Democratic processes are a key requirement of all Fairtrade producer co-operatives and so this year the conference was focused on democracy and for the first time fully funded by the Council's Children and Young People's Directorate. Once again, Tracy Ellis devised a varied and stimulating programme of exercises, highlighting in a practical way different aspects of the democratic process, such as deciding how to priortise issues for an agenda, discussing and deciding how to spend £5,000 in you area and a plenary discussion in the Council Chamber discussing a Cleaner City Review, engagingly led by Cllr John Daniels. The session teased out a fascinating range of reasons why people drop litter and a surprisingly no-nonsense tough response for offenders...all the way to custodial sentences! (picture courtesy City Council communications  department)

That was followed by the concluding question and answer session. Each school group's elected representative presented their group's  question, prepared during a morning session. Cllrs Ibbs, Naylor and Brian with Director of the Children & Young People Directorate, Ged Rowney, gave their answers. Not a squeak of party politics in sight, though perhaps as a result somewhat sanitised session, rather like the National Trust's presentation of history at their historic houses! Still, I am sure the young people will have plenty of opportunities to develop their skills for democratically debating differences within their citizenship courses. The Lord Mayor, Cllr derek Capey, as ever ably chaired the session and he gave a clear and succinct outline of a typical Full Council meeting.

At a time when some 70-75% of the City's electorate don't vote in local elections this kind of engagement with the next generation of voters, guardians of our democracy, really is one of the most important issues the City Council can actively support. 

Wednesday 25th February 2009

Democracy Conference

Front of house outside smoking at public venues is a classic example of how legislation displaces rather than deters anti-social behaviour. I walked across a carpet of butts as I entered the Kings Hall this morning prior to the arrival of more than 170 students and teachers for the third annual citizenship in the curriculum conference. Fortunately a member of the facilties staff came to the rescue pretty quickly. The pile of butts you see in the middle distance was only half of what was swept away. Thanks to roving cameraman, John Edwards, the City Independent Group's political assistant, I was caught in the act. I'm the one with the red tie!

The conference was widely acclaimed a success by young people and teachers and a flavour of the day will be posted later. In the meantime, I'm away to the New Vic Theatre for an evening with Tony Benn.

Friday 20th February 2009

Charter for Corruption granted by Political Abdication 

Every thing that is bad about our City Council was on display in the council chamber as the BNP, most Independents and some non aligned councillors walked out of the chamber before the vote was taken on measures to help city businesses through this credit crunch!

That's the opener on the pitsnpots website following the Special Council Meeting yesterday, originally called just to debate the Mitchell Memorial Theatre refurbishment project. But added on to the agenda was the extraordinary proposal by the Executive to give them complete freedom to act outside the budget and all policy frameworks so that they may, on a so-called "case by case" basis grant financial assistance in some form to local firms struggling as a result of the "credit crunch".

I agree with the website header, NOT because so many of us walked out immediately prior to the vote. I agree, the appallingly chaired meeting by the deputy Lord Mayor and the extraordinary abdication of their political responsibility by the Labour-Tory-Lib Dem cobbled coalition, displayed in BOLD CAPITALS everything that is bad about our City Council.

Councillors were expected to hand over complete political control of the City Council's resources to the Council Manager and his senior colleagues. Only AFTER they had done their deals and delivered their deeds was the proposed monitoring group, composed of one representative from each political Group, to be informed! Talk about shutting the stable door...

I and a good many more Councillors - unlike, it seems, the Labour, Tory and Lib Dems - take our political responsibility to the public seriously. I was not prepared to ABDICATE my political responsibility for the sake of the supposed need to make urgent decisions or to maintain supposed commercial confidentiality. I wanted no part in a charter for corruption of open, transparent democratic processes. 

My amendment would have simply required proposals from the Council Manager to be brought to the Monitoring Group prior to decision. Half baked bleetings about business privacy and the need to act quickly were complete red herrings produced and swallowed whole by the politically comotosed Labour Group, guided as it is by a leadership in a political sleepwalk. 

I also tried to make the point that the ill-conceived Executive proposal could very likely create all kinds of inequalities; rent reductions or freezes for businesses in Council owned properties would disadvantage similarly cash-strapped firms located in private rented properties benefiting from no such deals. 

The hilarious farce, the serious tragedy of the sorry, sad debacle of a debate was that AFTERWARDS most Councillors were being made aware of the REAL reason behind the Council Manager's push for the proposal. Towards the end of the debate Cllr Ibbs warned that without this power the Council Manager would be prevented from possibly saving a local employer of some 200 people from going bust but only in the corridors of non-political responsibility afterwards was the identitiy of the company revealed.

Secrecy and stealth have permeated the pores of this administration to such an extent that they cannot function in any other way! Fortunately, for the record, fewer than 25% of Councillors remained in the Chamber for the vote of political abdication.

What about the dozens of firms that will be trading with this particularly financially strapped company running the risk of being undermined themselves if they should be faced with unpaid bills for goods and services supplied? As much as we all want to support local business, a global economic crisis cannot be solved locally, nor in any significant way, be mitigated locally within the current economic system.

City Council's crisis of confidence 

What Michael Clarke's Governance Commission on Stoke-on-Trent City Council last year lamentably failed to do was to offer any evidence or analysis for its claim that the political system was broken. Had it done so it would have been unable to avoid the singular cause for the dysfunctional political system, namely the government's favoured elected mayor system, which uniquely in our case vested ALL executive authority in the hands of the unelected head of paid service, namely the Council Manager. The lack of political leadership has fostered a moribound, disengaged, demotivated senior management body, increasing numbers of which are tendering their resignations.

The interim Council Manager, Chris Harman, wrote to all Group Leaders today. I replied as follows: 

Dear Chris, Thank you for the copy of your letter to Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government dated 26th January 2009 and the Elected Mayor's letter to you dated 23rd January 2009, the day after the Full Council meeting at which Members voted 27 for & 27 against the motion to approve all-out 4 yearly City council elections, conveying the Elected Mayor's request that the Minister intervenes to implement all-out 4 yearly elections. 

I am frankly stunned that you chose to wait more than a fortnight before adopting an open, honest and transparent approach with Councillors via Group Leaders. My astonishment and disappointment is compounded by the fact that we had discussed the issue a week or so following the 22nd January Council meeting and you even asked me to put my views in writing to you.

Your request must have been made after you had already written to the Minister and consequently I find your approach somewhat baffling.

I have said time and time again to you privately and at meetings that unless and until senior officers and councillors are prepared to work together in an open and honest way this council will continue to find itself publicly humiliated through inadequate research, weak reports, ill-considered briefings, ill-conceived decisions, and incessant back-tracking.

The elected mayor and his political coalition are irretrievably damaged following the resounding rejection of the elected mayor system in last year's referendum. The senior management is seriously weakened and undermined by the continuing resignation of senior officers, an over-dependence upon interim consultants and a near paralysis of the organisational structure.

Since the Council Manager-Elected Mayor system continues until 5th June 2009 I needly hardly emphasise that it is incumbent upon you to provide clear, open, honest, transparent, leadership.

Unless you are prepared to see the City Council become a laughing stock and its esteem reduced even more seriously in both the eyes of the public and the government then you must with all urgency get a grip of the situation.

I suggest without delay, as Council Manager, you convene a meeting of all Group Leaders so that a new, open and decisive strategic leadership may be formed. The alternative is that you preside over a continuing and sure slide into chaos.

All good wishes,

Peter.

Tuesday 10th February 2009

Save to Lend call 0845 224 1215

An easy, local, co-operative contribution to combat loan sharks exploiting people in their hour of financial need is to support the Staffordshire Credit Union (SCU) which was launched last month on 5th January. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has contributed £250,000 towards getting the SCU established and yet our practical involvement is a little further behind. At last, I joined today and made my first monthly regular deposit. I am only the second City councillor to sign up. I am a really keen supporter of Credit Unions, yet it took me a month to join.

I am sure the 58 other City councillors are equally supportive, but like me, have not given priority to filling in the form, getting the identification papers together and actually signing on the dotted line!

Located at the former Dudson Pottery works in Hope Street, Hanley, the impressively converted Dudson Centre is home to a dozen or so voluntary organisations, including the SCU. In its first month, the Credit Union has signed up almost 100 members. An impressive start...but enrolment needs to accelerate a little now if the Bord of Directors' hope of achieving 1,000 members by the time of the AGM in September is to be achieved. The Credit Union needs as many employees at the City Council and neighbouring Newcastle Council, local Housing Associations and local firms, especially the larger ones such as Dudson and Steelite to sign up to the payroll scheme. Whatever amount you decide to save each pay-day, is deducted from your pay and your employer transfers the money to the Credit Union's account.

The Credit Union won't solve the financial hardship of everyone in the area. But it won't solve a single person's financial loan problem if it hasn't any money to lend! By keeping your savings, however small or large with the SCU you save with the knowledge that your savings will soon be helping local people steer their way through a financial need with a loan they will be able to afford to repay and at a moderate rate of interest. It is a sound, co-operative way of contributing to the local community good. 

Making sure I sign on the dotted line, the SCU's Chief Executive Kevin Waters' enthusiastic outreach work is taking the message to an increasing number of employers and voluntary groups across the area. For more details about joining telephone 0845 224 1215.

Monday 9th February 2009

Erosion of democratic leadership continues in Stoke-on-Trent

As I am reported in today's local daily paper, The Sentinel, I think: "It's appalling and totally wrong and the decision was made without any discussion among councillors" to prevent the newly elected Council Leader in June from taking the chairmanship of the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NSRP). Why? Contrary to some of the comments on the paper's website NOT because of insularity, incompetence or inability! The Director of the NSRP is an employee of the City Council as are all of its officers. The City Council is the accountable body for the NSRP. Remember the cry of those who triggered the American War of Independence: no taxation without representation!

The NSRP consists of The City Council, by far the biggest part of the partnership with the neighbouring Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme District Council along with representatives of various quangos such as Advantage West Midlands and English Partnerships.

It is perfectly proper that the principal politician of the City Council is the chair of such a key organisation in the regeneration of the City and the surrounding areas. But let's not forget, it is the City which is by far and away the major focus for regeneration. The creation of the NSRP was a practical demonstration of the way the City Council was happy to work with its neighbouring councils NOT a first stage for hiving off responsibility and control of regeneration from the City Council by an unelected quango.

Let's us also not forget, the chair being occupied by the City's principal politician, ie the Elected Mayor, has not, to my knowledge, been queried. So who, has raised the question now? What persuaded the NSRP Board that such a fundamental change was needed and that they had the competence to make that change without recourse to the City Council?

The potential £20,000 salary of the proposed one day a week chairman is a rip-off and I seriously question the commitment of someone who may not even be from or living in the area having such an important role without a democratic mandate.

The Sentinel quoted the elected mayor, reporting that Mr Meredith said an independent chairman was vital to create political balance. He said: "The board needs to be independent of council chambers and needs to be able to make its own decisions. Getting the political balance right is key to maintaining the confidence of the investors and partners and also respecting the political sensitivities of our partners."

Of course mayor Meredith's term of office and indeed his office expires at the beginning of June. Is this yet another example of the desperate lengths the Labour Party are prepare to adopt to make sure that non-Labour politicians remain powerless after the departure of their unpopular elected mayor system? Unusually, the City Council (for that read Council Manager/Chief Exectuive) declined to comment on the position or the reported salary. Well, what could he say? Hopefully, for the sake of open, honest, transparent decision making he soon will have something to say.

This is yet another example of the travesty of democracy at the City Council. Such decisions do nothing at all to rekindle confidence, involvement and engagement amongst the electorate.

Sunday 8th February 2009

Democracy Conference

Some 40 schools, nearly half of the schools in Stoke-on-Trent have signed up for the one-day Citizenship for Democracy conference to be held on Wednesday 25th February at Stoke Town Hall. Each of the participating Junior and High schools will be sending 5 students along with one or two members of staff. Keynote presentations will highlight key areas of work being done in schools as well as issues which need more concerted attention. Controversial issues and potential conflict will be no deterrent.

This will be the third annual one-day conference for schools held during Fairtrade Fortnight. Last year's and the first one in 2007 focused on Fairtrade within the Citizenship curriculum; democratic principles and practices were inherent but we thought it was time to focus more specifically on democracy as the principal issue. Whereas the previous two conferences were held at the Port Vale Conference Centre at Burslem we felt it was essential to hold this conference at the home of the City's democratic heartland, Stoke Town Hall. 

One session will include a question and answer session with a panel of senior officers and several City Councillors. Hopefully, the session will provide the opportunity for some real face to face nitty gritty exchanges! The conference is being sponsored by the City Council's Children & Youtn People's Directorate. The organising contact officer is Tracy Ellis: 01782 236173 

Saturday 7th February 2009

Fairtrade Fortnight: 23rd February - 8th March

The Co-operative is sponsoring and organising a pre-Fairtrade Fortnight launch at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Bethesda Street, Hanley, on Monday, 9th February. The evening kicks off at 6pm with Fairtrade wine, orange juice, tea and coffee, courtesy of the Co-operative. By 6.45pm hopefully everyone will be comfortably seated in the Forum Theatre to see the two and a half minute commercial prior to its national tv screening designed to tranform the way people think about Co-operative shops. The advertising campaign will be carried through newspapers, magazines and posters nationwide.

Also unveiled will be the Co-operative's PLAN BEE with a stunning new film never before shown in the UK. It charts the wide scale dramatic death of bees around the world. In the UK alone, a third of all hives have been lost. This is a serious problem since at least a third of the food we eat is dependent upon the pollination by bees. Bee-friendly gardening tips, along with some free wildflower seeds will be offered at the screening.

There will also be presentations on the work of the Mifunya Cooperative Savings and Credit Society Ltd and the UgandaLearn4Life secondary school project. This promises to be a packed, informative evening and to make sure of your seat and seats for others you may want to take please book your free places by telephoning Valerie Billington on 0161 246 2226.

Thursday 5th February 2009

Along with scores of relatives and friends this morning, I attended the funeral of Mrs Nellie Simpson at the Packmoor Methodist Church in Samuel Street, Packmoor. As we gathered from different directions snow fell gently and the Rev David Speed remarked on how appropriately the gently falling snow symbolised the gentle nature of a remarkably gentle lady loved, admired and treasured as a friend by all who came to know her.

The Rev David Speed painted a wonderfully accurate and moving picture of this remarkable lady who celebrated her 100^th birthday on her actual birthday, Sunday 4^th November 2007 at a special service and tea party afterwards at this Methodist Church where she had been a member for 77 years. My birthday photograph shows Mrs Simpson with cousins Norman and Peter Taylor. Mrs Simpson was born in Cross Street, Tunstall in 1907, and as the vicar observed, the year before the old age pension was introduced! She and her husband Tom married in 1930 and two years later moved to Packmoor which they made their home.

Then, Packmoor was four terraced streets; Mellor, Thomas, Samuel and Carr Streets. It was essentially a miners' village. Less than half a mile south along Turnhurst Road Turnhurst Hall, home of canal building pioneer James Brindley, had been demolished only three years earlier.

I treasure the Saturday morning chats we had at the Methodist Church Hall fortnightly coffee mornings. Mrs Simpson had a truly encyclopaedic memory, particularly on the large extended families of the area. She could recite her way through the genealogies of it always seemed to me, everyone in the locality, including maiden names, occupations, cousinships to an apparently endless degree and special defining characteristics! From her years of working on the local pot banks I learned quite a lot about pottery manufacturing processes. She may well have gilded my Booth's Real Old Willow crockery! 

The Rev David's tribute was perfect. And as he said, with the passing of this wonderful lady, passed a vital link with the "old" Packmoor.

Racial Equality Council collapses

The North Staffordshire Racial Equality Council (NSREC), a registered charity (number 703053) has collapsed in financial chaos and called in the administrators having made all nine staff redundant. The NSREC had an income of just over £1m annually in 2005, the last year for which audited accounts have been posted by the Charity Commission. Expenditure for that year was just short of the total income, leaving a £21,000 surplus. The wage bill accounted for a hefty two thirds of the £1m income.

Neither annual accounts nor annual reports (detailing up-to-date list of trustees, principal activities etc) have been posted for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Some City MPs, along with a former elected mayor, have already called for urgent action from the City Council to help establish a successor equality council. I suspect Rob Flello, MP Stoke South didn't actually mean what he is quoted as saying: "It is sad in our own city to see that inquality is being used by some groups for political gain." It is certainly sad that the Labour party appear to be so little concerned with addressing the fundamental causes of economic inequality in our country.

The NSREC is not a limited company by guarantee. If negligence or the lack of any form of due diligence on the part of the registered charity's trustees is established those trustees may well be held personally liable for claims any creditors may make. Being a charity trustee is a serious business and until the prime facie case for the absence of proper monitoring of sound financial accounting systems has been addressed the City Council would be ill advised to rush to set up a successor body.

Furthermore, a full evaluation of the role and outcomes of the crashed NSREC should be launched and a careful analysis of the range of ways various inequalities may be most effectively addressed, now brought together by legislation under one national body with regional branches, namely the West Midlands Regional Equalities and Human Rights Commission based in Birmingham. 

The crashed NSREC had singularly failed to adapt its objects and targets to meet the new unified approach and hence lost a major part of its funding from the Commission. The trustees' apparent lack of capacity and responsibility squandered an annual income of £1million of public funds.

Only £26,910 of that, it would seem, was grant from the City Council during the current financial year for which £53,000 had been budgeted but following the City Council initiated enquiry into the affairs of the NSREC last September no further monies have been paid.