Idkal

Popularity: 22% [?]

As readers of my previous post will have guessed, I am disappointed that Kevin Coyne did not unseat Derek Simpson as Joint General Secretary of Unite in the result announced on Saturday. Whilst Derek is loyal to the PM and deserves credit for that, I would have preferred a Joint GS who had a more dynamic, open and inclusive leadership style and a sharper political definition (OK I’d really prefer Sir Ken Jackson still to be in post, but recognise that isn’t an option - then again I’d like Ernie Bevin to still be running the TGWU). The full result is here: http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=9439

We shall have to see what happens when the first election for the GS of the whole of Unite takes place, and then you are into territory where frictions/dynamics between and within the TGWU and Amicus officer machines will cut across left-right considerations.

My take on the results:

• Derek’s ambiguous political positioning - talking left but, thank goodness, backing Brown politically and the party financially - meant that instead of being the clear left candidate as he was versus Jackson he seems to have lost hard left support to Hicks but picked up some moderate support to offset this.
• Abysmal turnout - under 15% - indicates that a small number of voters will decide how Unite’s huge slug of votes - 13% of the whole electoral college - gets cast in any future Labour leadership election.
• People who are serious about becoming the first GS of the whole of Unite need to start building a national media profile - on the TV and in the tabloids, not just the Guardian and Tribune - now - you can’t win an OMOV postal ballot just by being a union officer with a good reputation amongst activists.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Compass don’t seem to be making very much of the poll they got YouGov to do of Labour Party members.

This is not surprising when you read the detailed results: http://www.yougov.co.uk/archives/pdf/Compass-FEB09_results.pdf

Party members don’t want post office part-privatisation, and are keen on a windfall tax, but aside from that their views will have contradicted Compass’ soft left world view:

They overwhelmingly think Gordon Brown is doing a good job.

More of them think Lord Mandelson is going a good job than they do Harriet Harman!

Only 11% say they are “very left wing” (Hard Left?) and a further 36% “fairly left wing” (Soft Left?), whilst 50% are either “slightly left-of-centre” or to the right of that.

Younger members, women, middle class members and southerners are very slightly to the left of their older, male, more working class and more northern comrades.

A majority want to see the DWP’s welfare-to-work reforms implemented.

Popularity: 21% [?]

I’ve finally succumbed - 140 character moderate Labour rants will now be flowing from here: http://twitter.com/lukeakehurst

Popularity: 21% [?]

I went to Rt Hon John Spellar MP’s annual dinner at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich last night along with about 300 other guests.

Amongst them I had the pleasure of meeting fellow blogger David Hallam.

David is a former Sandwell Councillor and (rather leftwing by my standards!) MEP for Herfordshire & Shropshire but more importantly is originally from Hackney where he was Chair of Dalston Branch Labour Party.

I’ve promised to link to his blog, which is an intriguing mix of stuff about his political life and his role as a Methodist lay preacher, so here it is: http://www.methodistpreacher.com/

Popularity: 22% [?]

Last night’s council by-election results. Not a good night for the Tories at all:

Buxton Ward, Broadland DC. LD gain from Con. LD 555 (71.4%, +50.4), Con 201 (25.8%, -14.6), Green 22 (2.8%, +2.8). Swing of 32.5% from Con to LD since 2007.

Belah Ward, Carlisle BC. Con hold. Con 700 (46.4%, -39.8), Lab 307 (20.3%, -3.4), Ind 221 (14.6%, +14.6), BNP 142 (9.4%, +9.4), LD 79 (5.2%, +5.2), Green 61 (4%, +4). Swing of 18.2% from Con to Lab since 2008. Carlisle is the Tories number 93 parliamentary target.

Castle Ward, Carlisle BC.LD hold. LD 465 (36%, -8.3), Lab 304 (23.5%, -0.1), BNP 255 (19.7%, +19.7), Con 143 (11.1%, -5.1), Green 125 (9.7%, +9.7). Swing of 4.1% from LD to Lab since 2008.

Ravenscliffe Ward, Newcastle Under Lyme BC. Con hold. Con 229 (25.4%, -14.5), Lab 213 (23.6%, +1.2), BNP 180 (20%, +20), LD 149 (16.5%, -2.4), UKIP 131 (14.5%, -4.4). Swing of 7.9% from Con to Lab since 2008.

Atherstone Central Ward, North Warwickshire DC. Lab gain from Con in a split ward. Lab 320 (37.1%, -4.8), Con 221 (25.6%, -17.9), BNP 186 (21.6%, +21.6), Ind 136 (15.8%, +15.8). Swing of 6.6% from Con to Lab since 2007. This is in the number 147 parliamentary target seat for the Tories.

Llandow - Ewenny Ward, Vale of Glamorgan Council. Con hold. Con 612 (69.6%, +3.8), Plaid Cymru 140 (15.9%, -3.4), Lab 127 (14.4%, -0.5). Swing of 3.6% from PC to Con since 2008.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Council I’m a member of, Hackney, has been rated today by the Audit Commission as “improving strongly” and also retained its 3 star rating in the national Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

Hackney’s Value for Money element of the Use of Resources score has risen from 2 to 3. That is of major importance in the current economic climate – in which Hackney’s position of financial strength has enabled us to keep Council Tax frozen for four years in a row - we froze the Council Tax again last night at Budget Council - without cutting services, while continuing to drive up the quality of our services.

In addition, we have these scores for the following services:

4. Benefits - up from 3; Housing - up from 3

3 Environment - up from 2; Use of Resources - maintains its 3 with Value for Money moving from 2-3; Adult Social Services - retains its 3; Children’s Social Services - retains its 3.

Most importantly, residents are feeling the difference, with an almost 12% point increase in resident satisfaction with Hackney the place being a key headline of the 2008/09 Place Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI.

Yesterday it was also announced that the Council has been awarded Beacon status for outstanding work in two areas: Strategic Commissioning and using the Opportunity of Hosting the 2012 Games to encourage communities to be more active.

This is in addition to the improved 2 (out of a possible 3 stars) rating for Hackney Homes, which unlocks significant additional government funding to complete the Decent Homes programme for Council homes.

On 25th March Hackney will find out whether our shortlisted entries for “Most Improved Council of the Year” and “Partnerships/Team of the Year” have won the Local Government Chronicle national awards.

Congratulations to the Mayor, Cabinet and all of the Council’s staff for driving forward these improvements.

The Audit Commission’s Direction of Travel Narrative reads:

“What progress has the authority made in the last year?
Hackney Council is improving strongly. Hackney is delivering significant improvement in priority areas such as community safety, children and young people and adult social care. The pace of improvement is higher than the national average with three quarters of performance indicators improving in 2007/08. Overall resident satisfaction has improved with 60 percent of residents feeling their views are taken into account. This is supported by the Service First programme. Challenges remain in the planning service and tackling childhood obesity The Council works well with partners to deliver wider community outcomes such as health inequalities, addressing worklessness and tackling crime. Infant mortality and teenage pregnancy rates have decreased. Apprenticeships are used to deliver more local job opportunities. Crime overall has decreased. The Council provides improved value for money and financial standing is good. Leadership, planning and prioritisation are strong. Consultation is used well to shape services to meet the needs of diverse communities. The Council continues to improve performance management and is making good use of joint appointments to increase capacity. The Council is well placed to sustain and deliver future improvements.”

Popularity: 4% [?]

Given that we are said to be entering a period of deflation, i.e. falling prices, what is the justification for Boris Johnson racking up the cost of my daily 243 bus commute by 11% each way from today?

This inflation-busting increase - a single Oyster fare goes up from 90p to £1 - will hit the least well-off most because they use buses the most, and will particularly hit people in my borough, Hackney, as we are not on the tube network and depend on buses.

Basically Boris is nicking over £20 a year off us daily bus commuters. He has increased all fares by an average of 6% but bus Oyster fares by nearly double that, 11%. Maybe he thinks Oyster card users won’t notice because you pre-pay the card, in which case it is a pretty cynical move.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The New Year’s Honours list brought the extraordinary news of an OBE “for services to local government” for Islington Lib Dem Cllr Meral Ece.

Had the people at No10 dishing out gongs bothered consulting the Labour Party’s filing system, they would have found dusty copies of the 1995 NEC Report into the Hackney Labour Group, outlining the role being played by Ece, then Labour Deputy Leader of Hackney, as one of five ringleaders of the “group within a group” that eventually quit Labour and brought about a five year hung council period during which local government services in Hackney were almost destroyed through botched privatisations, budget meltdowns and savage cuts. Having screwed up local government in Hackney she then carpet-bagged it across to Islington to continue her new career as a Lib Dem there.

Her appointment discredits and devalues the honours system and calls into question the vetting and nomination process at No10.

What next, a gong for services to local democracy for her fellow Hackney defector, Tory vote-rigger Isaac Liebowitz?

Popularity: 3% [?]

On an initiative from Theo Blackwell local councillors and campaigners on the blogosphere are running up a ‘Local-Labour’ blog-roundup. This aims to highlight local stories by Labour councillors or campaigners from across the country, or examples of poor policymaking by Conservative or Lib Dems or the SNP in power.

The second edition of this falls to me to produce, so here’s my roundup of the best local stories of the last couple of weeks:

Theo himself thinks Ken’s Progressive London conference should feature some local government voices.

Ewan Aitken reports on an eight hour long Edinburgh City Council meeting where the SNP and Lib Dems cut funding for voluntary groups and tried to silence objectors to this.

Darlington Councillor Nick Wallis has a good example of how ASBOs work and why they are necessary.

Phil Dilks is shocked to hear that Lincolnshire County Council’s review into a case of serious child abuse may not be made public.

Labour Councillors in Lambeth’s Larkhall Ward are campaigning to get residents to cut down on the amount of food they needlessly throw away and to recycle this Christmas trees.

Nigel Knowles reveals that Worcestershire has not really been set alight by the debate about Elected Mayors.

Geoff Lumley looks at the impact of Labour choosing not to field a candidate in an Isle of Wight by-election.

And Louise Baldock has the latest Lib Dem scandal from Liverpool.

If you have any good local posts about what’s going on in your area send them to: local_labourblog@yahoo.co.uk

Popularity: 3% [?]