News from LGA Labour Group

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Labour Group Logo with amended red for eBulletin

9 October 2018

Nick Forbes

News from the Leader of the LGA Labour Group

Visit our website

Follow us on Twitter

Like our Facebook Page


'Breaking point'

Dear colleague,

There has been a phenomenal response to the new ‘Breaking Point’ campaign we launched last Friday – over Labour 1,000 councillors signed our petition in the first 48 hours!

The Tories have pushed our councils to Breaking Point - and we need every Labour councillor to join together to say that enough is enough. We’re demanding that the Prime Minister and Chancellor truly end austerity in local government by:

- Using the Budget to reverse next years planned £1.3bn cut to council budgets;

- Immediately investing £2bn in children’s services and £2bn in adult social care to stop these vital emergency services from collapsing;

- Pledging to use the Spending Review to restore council funding to 2010 levels over the next four years

If you haven’t yet added your name please take a moment to do so now.

We will be presenting the Breaking Point petition to Downing Street on 18th October, ahead of the Budget on 29th October, and including your name will demonstrate to your local members, residents, and communities that you are demanding a real end to austerity in local government.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Nick Forbes
Leader, LGA Labour Group
Leader, Newcastle City Council
@nick_forbes

Save the date - Labour Local Government Conference 2019

Please save the date of next year’s Labour Local Government Conference 2019 in your diary! It will take place at The Slate, Warwick University. The details are:

Friday 8 February 2019, 19.30 – 22.30hrs

Drinks reception and dinner

Labour Local Government Conference
Saturday 9 February 2019, 09.30 – 17.00hrs

Run jointly by the Association of Labour Councillors (ALC) and the LGA Labour Group, the event is an opportunity for the Labour local government family to meet and hear from keynote speakers, and to debate policies, discuss campaigning ideas, and attend training relevant to Labour councillors.  We will be advertising details of how to book your place soon including how to book accommodation, but for now please save the date.

News from the Labour Party

A record number of responses were received when Labour-run Southampton Council ran a consultation on the introduction of a Clean Air Zone.

Government intervention in Tower Hamlets has now formally ended thanks to the work of Labour’s Mayor John Biggs in cleaning up the mess left by disgraced independent Mayor Lutfur Rahman

Camden Council is the latest council to debate whether there should be a People’s Vote on the terms of the Brexit deal, and Tower Hamlets has backed the call

Labour mayors demand control of EU cash after Brexit

Sheffield Council is the latest Labour council to sign up to the Coop Party’s Charter Against Modern Slavery

News from the Labour Party

Andrew Gwynne MP responds to new warning by local government leaders that Council budgets will be cut by a third next year

Tinkering at the edges will not solve social care crisis – Barbara Keeley MP

May’s austerity claim is a con if Hammond does not cancel cuts

Schools still facing a funding crisis – Angela Rayner MP

LGA Fire Commission - vacancies for Labour members of Fire and Rescue Authorities

Three vacancies for balancing members on the LGA Fire Commission have arisen for Labour members, so we are asking councillors who are members of Fire Authorities to self-nominate themselves if they wish to become members.

The Fire Commission provides a forum to discuss matters of common interest and concern to fire authorities. Combined fire and rescue authorities and principal authorities with a fire and rescue service each nominate a member to represent them, and additional members from fire authorities are appointed by the political groups to ensure political balance.

These roles will require attendances at meetings in London and in other parts of the country. Travel and subsistence costs incurred in attending Committee/Commission meetings are met by the member’s home authority. If you currently sit on a Fire Authority and are interested in nominating yourself please email lewis.addlington-lee@local.gov.uk

"Winning England: How can Labour reach voters in Yorkshire?"

 All Labour supporters are welcome to attend this event, run by the English Labour Network. Sat 20 Oct, 10am at Civic Hall (East Room), Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 1UR

Join shadow cabinet minister Jon Trickett MP, Rachel Reeves MP, Leeds Council Leader Judith Blake and the English Labour Network's John Denham to discuss how Labour can do more to reach voters in Yorkshire, particularly working class voters and those beyond the major cities. RSVP here.

LGA events - free to attend

Migration and Change – LG, Friday 19th October

The LGA is running a free event (for member councils) looking at how councils can improve insight around migration and change in communities. Trevor Phillips (broadcaster and commentator) and Richard Webber (originator of Mosaic and Acorn) have produced a powerful tool to help map communities in real time, which could be vital for community cohesion work, and which has already been applied with several local authorities.  Hear the story of how it can help you and participate in the key debate on cohesion and integration.   

Improve your council’s cyber resilience – Wednesday 7 November 2018 

You are invited to a free event hosted by the LGA. Delegates will hear the high level findings of the LGA Cyber Security Stocktake; a snapshot study of the cyber security arrangements in place across all councils in England, providing an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses across the sector. 

Delegates will also hear from the LGA about how to use their own council’s stocktake assessment to bid for funding to improve their organisation’s cyber resilience. You will also hear from key partners – including the National Cyber Security Centre, the police and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government – about the free resources they also have available to support councils. Council delegates should go away armed with a range of steps they can take to improve their cyber resilience. 

News from the LGA

LGA responds to scrapping of the housing borrowing cap

LGA responds to Government announcement on funding for social care

Response to government launch of FGM awareness campaign

Response to Centre for Ageing Better report on home adaptions

LGA responds to Sajid Javid announcement on funding to tackle serious violence

Opposition Watch

Conservative London Mayor candidate is quickly out of the blocks in his bid to be an even worse candidate than Zac Goldsmith 

Sex text MP Andrew Griffiths facing new inquiry over possible rule breach 

UKIP MEP resigns with scathing warning that the party is seen as "vehicle for hate towards Muslims and the gay community"

By-elections

By-elections held on 4th October:

Chesterfield BC, Moor

LD 532 [47.1%; +12.1%]

Lab 445 [39.4%; -9.9%]

Con 84 [7.4%; -8.3%]

UKIP 69 [6.1%; +6.1%]

Lib Dem gain from Labour

 

Cambridgeshire CC, Soham North and Isleham

Con 858 [48.8%; -17.4%]

LD 527 [30.0%; +12.5%]

Lab 191 [10.9%; -5.5%]

Ind 184 [10.4%; +10.4%]

Conservative hold

 

Hambleton DC, Thirsk

Con 679 [65.4%; -0.4%]

Lab 251 [24.2%; +24.2%]

Yorkshire Party 108 [10.4%; +10.4%]

Conservative hold

 

By-elections on 11th October:

Halton UA, Ditton

West Lancashire BC, Tanhouse

Warrington UA, Penketh and Cuerdley

Hartlepool UA, Hart

Adur DC, Southlands