Labour Doorstep 1

Yesterday I was out on the doorsteps of Pinhoe with Cllr Moira MacDonald, Pinhoe's Labour City Councillor (who took a seat from the Tories at the last local election) covering part of Pinhoe Road, the Mede, Whipton Village Road, Summer Lane and Summer Close.

Completing the inevitable "paperwork"!

A fair number were out (which was predictable on the penultimate Saturday before Christmas) but of those that were in, I can only describe the welcome as warm. We decided we would knock on every door by way of introduction, not just those we knew to be sympathetic to Labour, and I am glad we did. Even those who clearly not naturally "Labour people" genuinely seemed to be pleased I'd called, and took time to talk through some of the local issues. Several said that while their vote usually went elsewhere, they would be prepared to support me next May because - as one put it - "At least you've bothered to come round. I've never seen the other lot."

How sad. A councillor's job is to represent. How can one possibly represent people one has never bothered to get out to meet. I've never understood politicians that see "getting out there" as a chore. Maybe it's because my "day job" has always been in community work, but I love meeting people and hearing what they have to say. It would be incredibly arrogant to assume that simply because I have been elected I know what is best for an area. It is by listening to people who have lived experience of their neighbourhood that one sees community issues from their perspective.

As an example, Summer Close. What a wonderful little street! Summer Close has a fair share of bungalows for older people, many of them adapted to help residents cope with their various disabilities and mobility problems. Moira and I met one elderly couple on their way to the shops, both infirm and partially sighted, but spritely, cheerful and ready to talk. "Lovely to meet you," they said at the end of our chat, "It's good to put a face to the name," and then again, "we never see the others here." I watched as they made their way slowly down the close, to the junction of Summer Lane where they had to navigate the barriers on the pavement edge until they were closer to the busy junction of Whipton Village Road.

Another resident of the close reinforced the concern I had when I asked about local issues. "We could use a crossing," he said, "A lot of folks in this close can't walk so well, and folk like me, well, our eyesight isn't what it was. Summer Lane is busier now. Busier than when I moved here."

A simple issue of getting local perspective. Looking at the junction from my own perspective, it all seems to flow, it doesn't seem too bad... Yet when one goes out and meets the residents, seeing that here we have a whole close that is made up of mostly elderly people of limited mobility, the same junction then seems too busy, and the traffic too fast. It's a perspective I would only have got from getting out, meeting people, and - crucially -  listening to them. They are the experts on Whipton, on Pinhoe, not me. 

It was great to see Moira at work in the same way, scribbling down several issues raised by residents as we made our way round. She is a true community activist, attentive to the concerns of everyone she spoke to. I cannot wait to be elected to the local Labour Group on the council. A team serving Pinhoe made up of 2 Labour City Councillors in a Labour-led Council, a Labour County Councillor (Saxon Spence) and a Labour MP in Ben Bradshaw will achieve so much for our community.

I'll leave the last word to a lady we called on in Pinhoe Road. "Does any particular party usually have your support?" I asked.

"I voted Conservative last time," came the reply, "But never again. Not after what they are doing to this country."

"Do you have any idea who you might vote for instead?"

"No. Not yet," she said. And then, grinning slightly, "I may vote for you. But you'll have to work for it."

And that, for my money, is exactly how it should be.

Hello Pinhoe, come in Pinhoe, this is Labour calling...

The nerve centre of Exeter Labour HQ. Kind of.

Last night I began phoning around the residents of Pinhoe from the Labour offices in Exeter. Telephone canvassing nights are more fun than they sound. Honest. In a large meeting room in the labyrinthine Labour HQ in Clifton Hill, there are telephones situated all the way round the room. The offices always seem to have people there (I have a theory that Dom and Ollie may actually be living there.) 

Cllr Richard Branston (Newtown) was already busy on the telephone when I arrived, and seemed to be taking an age on every call, as it seemed that everyone he spoke to knew him and had things they wanted to discuss. The sign of a good ward councillor, in my book. 

Cllr Ian Martin (Mincinglake) was busy on the laptop before he was due to head off to a community forum in his ward with Cllr Saxon Spence (County Councillor for Mincinglake & Pinhoe.) With every email he opened, or Twitter / Facebook update he read, there was a cryptic, "Aaaah, that's interesting..." before he went back to tapping away on the keyboard. There's a man at the hub of every decision in Exeter, it seems. Saxon - busy lady as she is - was munching on a sandwich between meetings, and Ollie was wandering around with something microwaveable and steaming on a plate. Possibly a paella. It smelled better than it looked, at any rate. 

Dom Collins, our local strategist-come-call-centre-gangmaster had the call sheets all ready for me, and strong black coffee in hand I got on with it.

One never knows how one's call at 5 or 6pm on a dark December night is likely to be received. People may be eating, organising the kids, watching the news (or the Simpsons!) or getting ready to go out. However, I can honestly say that not a single person I spoke to was abrupt or even sounded as though they were desperate to get away.

Our calls always start by asking people if they have any local issues or concerns that they want to raise with our councillors or with Ben, as our MP. The issue that came up most frequently (though only 3 or 4 times) is the prospect of any development of Eastern Fields. It was handy having Saxon there. Between mouthfuls of sandwich she explained that in the New Year there were likely to be 3 or 4 possible proposals going to public consultation from Devon County Council for local residents to have their say on, so watch out for that. 

The other issues raised were almost all national issues, or at least the local manifestation in people's lives of consequences from national policies. One woman I spoke to - a single parent - described how terrified she was of increased speculation about Coalition cuts to tax credits. "I rely on them", she said, "and I don't want to go on to benefits. I want to work, and I enjoy my job, but it's only part-time. Tax credits mean I can afford to work." 

Another parent, this time of adult children, told of the frustration of her sons - both in their late 20s - being priced out of local property markets, and this is not even property to buy, but property to let. One of her sons shares with his partner and child in a small flat, but the rent is over 40% of their income. Her other son still lives with her and her husband as all he would be able to afford would be a bedsit in a cramped house. "I don't want him living like that," she said, "he is already suffering with depression."

It's calls like this that make the remind me why I am involved in politics. The decisions that we make as elected representatives, whether local or national, really impact on people's lives. I never forget that. I don't know what difference my calls last night made to people, but they certainly reaffirmed my own commitment to work hard with my Labour colleagues to make things better for the people and communities of Pinhoe and Exeter. 

My favourite call of the night was to an elderly but spritely couple. "Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked as my closing question.

"Yes," came the reply, "Get this shower out of government."

I'll try, Mr & Mrs B. I'll try.

Apologies...

Incidentally, sorry for the lack of blog actively lately, but I have been busy with a house move into my new home in Pinhoe.
So now as well as Twitter (@simon4pinhoe)...
email (simon4pinhoe@gmail.com)...
and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003217840244)...
...you can now write to me at:
Simon Bowkett
20 Rews Park Drive
Pinhoe
Exeter
EX1 3QL
...or if you're REALLY keen, come to my daily weekday surgeries on Platform 2 of Pinhoe station, 7.30am...!


:-)

It's nearly Christmas, let's lose the cynicism...

£3 well spent!

On the way into work today, I bought a Big Issue. I was holding out the usual £2, when the vendor said, “It’s three quid this week, sir.”

“Christmas bonus is it?” I laughed, still offering out the £2.

“No it is, look,” He insisted, this time pointing to the £3 Bumper Issue flash on the front cover.

I felt awful, and rooted around for the extra quid.

My assumption, even after working with rough sleepers and the vulnerably housed for years, is that – given half a chance – they will always try and get one over on me. When did I get so cynical?

Last week, this same dynamic was played out nationally with the public sector strikes. Radio phone-ins, social media, newspaper letters pages and internet message boards were full of polarised, adversarial debate between those that work in the public sector and those that work in the private. The mutual cynicism and suspicion was worrying and showed how divisive the debate could be.

At their worst the arguments seemed to be that those working in the public sector are ungrateful, lazy, work-shy whingers hell-bent on class warfare on the tax-payers’ time; and those that work in the private sector are amoral money-grabbing fat-cat tax-dodgers or ignorant lackeys blindly doing the bidding of those thereof. The truth, of course, is that we need a vibrant, productive and socially-responsible private sector and an efficient, dedicated public sector that delivers the quality universal services that we all rely on. 

Like me with my Big Issue friend, we have all become suspicious of “the other” – the assumption that everyone is after something at our expense. We have lost a community sense of mutual interest and cooperation, and instead bought into “everyone for him / herself”. The truth, of course, is that we need a vibrant, productive and socially-responsible private sector to help fund an equally productive, reliable and consistent public sector that delivers the quality universal services we all rely on.

I see this same cynicism sometimes on the doorstep. “Ah, politicians – you’re all the same…” is usually followed by a list of perceived faults, flaws and episodes of recent political shame. We are all, I am told, in it for the money, the power, the expenses, the “back-handers”, the networks, or whatever. In 8 years as a councillor, I have received one free perk. Let me publicly declare: a curry. My local balti house made it into the top 50 best curry houses list, and to celebrate, the owner invited the local MP, business leaders and councillors to a free curry night. That’s it.

I have to say, in all my time as a councillor, the people I have met are by and large in it because they care, because they feel they have something to offer their communities, because they have a vision (however mistaken, in some cases!) of a better community that is sincerely held.

Now, I am certainly not a perfect councillor. I don’t always agree with everything that my consituents tell me, or do everything they ask, because sometimes I think we have to stand up for what we think and believe, even if it loses us votes. I don’t always remember to get back to people, but that is occasional forgetfulness, not arrogance. And I can be a nightmare with names! However, I’m not interested in the money (it really isn’t very much!), the position or the perceived perks of being a councillor. What I am interested in is being part of the decision-making processes that means I can involve the residents of Pinhoe in making our community better, and working with other councillors to make our city better.

Exeter has proven to be very resilient in the latest Tory recession. A busy Labour MP and equally hard-working and visionary Labour councillors means Exeter has not seen the devastating levels of business closure that other areas have seen. While some towns are boarding up retail units, and seeing their public spaces deteriorating, Exeter has seen investment and regeneration.

Out on the doorsteps of Pinhoe with former
councillor Val Dixon and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw

Throughout this winter, and up to next May’s elections you will be hearing from your local Labour candidates, councillors and activists as we will be phoning you and calling on you. It would be so easy to think “another politician”, and to fall into the trap of being cynical about local politics, but please take time to talk to us, and you will see that we are genuinely here for you.

Yes, I want your vote – like my friend from the Big Issue wanted £3 not £2 this week. But the fact that I seek your support is not something to be suspicious of – it is a sign that I want to see a great ward and a great city be even better, and I can only do that with you. I look forward to hearing your ideas, concerns and questions, and if on a frosty or rainy Saturday morning there’s a cup of tea going spare, that’d be great. (And I promise to declare it…)

Consultation, consultation, consultation...

When this Conservative-led government was formed last year, it came in with an agenda to deeply cut the public sector. The argument at the time was that the national debt was too big, and harsh austerity measures were needed to bring the debt under control. So, local authorities, together with other public sector bodies have experienced unprecedented cuts. In Exeter, around 40% of jobs are reliant on public sector money, so we will be harder hit than most. Devon & Cornwall Police have to lose 746 officers - the 5th highest cut in the country. (http://www.campaignengineroom.org.uk/police-map)

Devon County Council are proposing to cut a further £30million of services in 2012-13 on top of the £26million+ that was cut in this financial year. Exeter City Council has faced cuts of 24% over 2 years.


Nationally, there is increasing concern among economists, businesses and politicians that these nationally-imposed cuts are simply not working. The national debt has not come down, growth remains stagnant, and unemployment continues to rise to levels not seen since - well, the last time the Tories were in. Even yesterday's announcement that growth had risen to 0.5% was not good news - it needed to be at least 1.3% if George Osborne was to be on track to meet his own deficit reduction target for the year.


So locally Exeter City Council and Devon County Council have no choice but to continue to cut vital public services next year because of national Tory ideology and a Lib Dem unwillingness (or impotence) to stand up to their Tory bosses.


Both councils however, are asking local residents to talk to them about the services that matter most. It often feels like Hobson's Choice: Do we want more housing for a growing number of homeless people, or more care for a growing elderly population? Do we slash services for disabled people, or child protection services? Do we collect rubbish, or fix pavements and roads? No one is pretending it's easy, but you have a chance to have your say about the services that matter most to YOU.


Details of Exeter City Council's consultation can be found at http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=13880


Devon County Council's consultation page is at: http://www.toughchoices.co.uk/

I love it when a plan comes together...

I remember my first week of being a councillor. I received a phone call at 9pm from a local resident who lived near a shopping precinct in my ward. "There are young people by the shops," she said. "Skateboarding."
"Right," I said, knowing that all the shops would be closed and shuttered by now. "Are they damaging anything?"
"No. They're skateboarding."
"Are they drinking? Are there cars in the car park?"
"No. But there's about 8 of them. I had to walk my dog past them."
"Were they abusive? Threatening?"
"No... but it's dark..."


And so it went on. For this resident, a group of young people out together could seem threatening, but the reality was they were in a safe, well-lit spot, and they were not doing anything wrong. Whenever we look at these sort of issues, we have to balance the perception of what is happening with the reality; and often also have to balance the rights and freedoms of one section of the community with another.


Anti-social behaviour is not pleasant. I have had to work many, many times with families whose quality of life, and sadly even health, has been affected by persistent and deeply unpleasant behaviour from a tenacious minority. Whenever this behaviour occurs, the best outcomes always arise from prompt action and intervention.


Earlier this summer, police received a number of complaints about persistent anti-social behaviour from a small, but significant, number of young people in Pinhoe. On the 1st August, a Section 30 Dispersal Order was introduced, giving the police powers to break up groups that might be behaving anti-socially, and to require them to leave a specific area. Failure to comply with that order is a criminal offence.


Today I attended a meeting at the City Council along with Pinhoe's Labour city councillor, Moira Macdonald to review the impact of the Section 30 order, and to discuss how to tackle any future occurances of the anti-social behaviour that had warranted the dispersal order in the first place. It was a well-attended meeting, with representatives of the police, the council's community safety team, the youth service, schools, and housing associations represented.


What was good to see was that the people around the table understood that often a very small number of people are responsible for a disproportionate amount of anti-social behaviour. Therefore any action that is used must try to avoid being a "hammer to crack a nut." The meeting also recognised that we cannot focus purely on enforcement, without offering (in this case) young people positive reasons to change their behaviour.


We will not be able to rely on Section 30 orders much longer as next year the present coalition government is likely to scrap the anti-social powers that Labour introduced. However, the meeting has agreed that what is needed is a multi-agency approach to engaging with young people, offering them active roles within the community - not a marginalised role where they feel they have no stake. From a position of relationship and mutual respect we need to talk and listen - reinforcing appropriate behaviour, but also doing all we can to support their own ideas. Then, for those that still wish to disrupt the community life of other young people and residents, they can expect a full and robust response from the police and authorities.


I welcome the success the Section 30 order had this summer, but there will now be a clear multi-agency action plan drawn up to pull together schools, youth services including the Vibe club, council services and the police to ensure that Pinhoe is a place where all residents - from the oldest to the youngest - feel safe, valued and respected, and - crucially - part of one community together.


Moira and I, as ever, will be interested in your views and ideas.

Out & About: Part Two

Well, another great day on the doorsteps of Pinhoe. I met up with Cllr Moira Macdonald (after the rugby world cup final!) at the junction of Pinn Lane and Harts Lane and covered all the Monkerton area. What a beautiful area it is too - with some lovely houses, and incredibly friendly people. I was made to feel very welcome.


Over the whole weekend, chatting with people, it was fascinating to see that I just could not predict voting intentions! Some of the biggest, most impressive homes on Pinn Lane I found were Labour supporters. Mind you, maybe I shouldn't be surprised now that polls are routinely showing that people do not feel the Conservative-led government are handling the economy at all well.


There are some clear issues emerging as local concerns - but there is also great concern about countywide issues - particularly the local cuts to services; and indeed nationally - particularly (not surprisingly) the squeeze that everyone is feeling on their disposable income. Those in rented accommodation are particularly anxious as rents become more unaffordable while of course inflation across other area (not least utility bills and petrol) continue to rise too.


Pinhoe is always a straight fight between the Conservatives and Labour with a very modest Lib Dem vote. That said I've chatted with a few former Lib Dem voters this weekend. I say "former" because they expressed their shock at how the Lib Dem career politicians at the top are propping up this Tory government, and one said he would never vote Lib Dem again. "Labour's not perfect," he said (fair point, and I wouldn't argue!) "but you've got my vote from now on. Nothing could be worse than this shower."


One other thing struck me about what I've seen meeting the people of Pinhoe, and that is the level of community action here. David and Margaret Mogford work tirelessly running the Pinhoe Community Association. Dave is also a great salesman, and got me signed up to membership on the spot! Frank explained to me at some length the involvement he and his wife have in a charity that takes aid to Eastern Europe - specifically Moldova - with the help and support of local churches and businesses. I was involved with a similar project some years back linked to orphanages in Romania, so I know the effort that is required to sort out the logistics of such things. Elsewhere, a coffee morning was going on to raise funds for an education project in Peru. (I hope that it was the local Amantani charity - we host those chaps at my work office in Exeter CVS!)


So, a great weekend on the doorsteps and I have been made to feel most welcome by residents and locals in the pub! I'm going to enjoy living here! :-)


Now, I've had the rugby and  the doorstep deliveries -so if you'll excuse me, I now have just the small matter of the Manchester derby followed by the Mighty Chelsea taking on QPR to go....

Out & About

Well, I had a great time out and about in Pinhoe yesterday. I hope you've started receiving your Pinhoe Ward News from us. If not, you'll be receiving a copy very soon.


It's fantastic to be part of a team working so hard for a local area, and I have some great support this weekend. Yesterday I was joined by Ben Bradshaw MP, Cllr Ian Martin and Hon. Alderman Val Dixon, and today I shall be out in the Monkerton area with Cllr Moira Macdonald.

Ben deserves his great local reputation as a hard-working constituency MP who really connects with his community, and demonstrates his care and concern. I saw first-hand the time he took with people whenever he was stopped - which was often! He is clearly well-known and well-liked. It was a pleasure to have him working with us and great to see in these days a politician held in high regard.


Cllr Ian Martin needs no introduction, of course. A veteran (hope he doesn't mind me calling him that!) campaigner and an experienced local politician. Ian is a local councillor for Mincinglake, and also portfolio holder for Business Transformation at the council - doing an excellent job of navigating the council and its valued staff through major restructure against a backdrop of aggressive cuts to local authorities' services by Tory central government.


Honorary Alderman Val Dixon deserves a special mention. Val is a local Labour stalwart and was a councillor for Pinhoe from 1996, and was Exeter's first Lord Mayor in 2002. That year she raised over £25,000 for the Force Cancer Support Centre. Val was honoured by the city in 2010 with Alderman status, and has remained a high-profile citizen in the city, and was very much in charge yesterday as no one know Pinhoe and its people like Val! It was Val who led me from house to house, usually enthusing "there's someone here I want you to meet...!" 


Val lost her husband only this summer - himself a Labour activist, and as an Alderman she has every right to take a back seat and class herself as "politically retired". No chance! Val remains an active and dynamic worker for the ward, the city and the party - it was incredible to see her at work and to draw on her considerable knowledge and experience. 


So, back out today - ready to meet more of you and to listen to what concerns YOU in our ward. If you see us out, please do say hello!

Come and meet your Labour team

Tomorrow morning (Saturday 22nd October) we will be out and about in Pinhoe delivering copies of the Pinhoe Rose, Labour's newsletter from your local MP and City and County Councillors and hearing first hand the issues that are affecting you at ward, city & county level.


I'll be out with Ben Bradshaw MP and Cllr Ian Martin tomorrow from 11am to 1pm and looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and I'll also out again on Sunday at the same time. If it's very wet, we'll be at the Spar shop sheltering (cowering?!) under the canopy and having a "walk-by" clinic for local issues. (Note: This venue may be changed to the Heart of Oak or the Poltimore Arms by discretion!)


You may also be seeing Cllrs Saxon Spence and Moira MacDonald and Honorary Alderman Val Dixon doing the rounds as the Labour team in Pinhoe swells! 


Please feel free to stop and chat to any of us, and raise the issues that matter to you in Pinhoe, or about the wider city and county. We're here to listen, but more than that, we're here to DO. 


Looking forward to seeing you. :)


P.S.: Don't forget to follow my activities on Twitter using @simon4pinhoe, and on campaigning days you can follow the Twitter hashtag #labourdoorstep for updates on what people are telling us.

Welcome to my latest reader....

It's always good to make front page news... even if it is the...er.... Conservative Party Pinhoe Road residents survey!

So, welcome to my latest Blog reader, Councillor Cynthia Thompson, who has given as much space on her latest newsletter to writing about me as she has to talk about herself - quoting from this very blog. It's all rather flattering really. :-)

However, as with Theresa May talking about immigrants and their cats, or Liam Fox talking about globetrotting with his "advisor" / "friend", it's funny how you don't quite seem to get the whole truth with the Tories!

Cllr Thompson seems to want to make much of the fact that I do not currently live in Exeter. She neglected to say however, that I have worked in community services in Exeter since 1996 working first with drug users, and more latterly with charities and community groups through Exeter CVS. I lived in Exeter up to October last year when, for one year, I have been living near Honiton while still working in the city; and will be moving back to the city next month.

She also cites, quite rightly, that I have been a councillor in Weymouth for the past 8 years. However, she omitted to say that for the past 4 years I chaired the Audit committee, and won the chair of the Scrutiny committee this year - both appointments with the support of Tory councillors as well as my Labour colleagues. Why? Well, as one Conservative councillor told me, "...because we know you'll do the job, and do it well."

It is important to know and understand the needs of the community one represents; and then to know HOW to address those needs, and to have the drive, commitment and energy to do just that. My training as a community worker has enabled me to work with communities using a solution-focused  approach for many, many years. I shall be moving house to be near the residents that I want to represent - with all the upheaval that entails - because I am committed to being a part of the community, and working with residents to empower Pinhoe to be all it wants to be, and to play a full and active part in the city. Maybe that is exactly what Cllr Thompson fears - an experienced campaigning councillor and a committed proactive community activist standing against her. 

All that said, I do not intend to have a campaign that is characterised by personal attacks on my opponent. I think the arguments can and will be won on what I can do for Pinhoe, as another Labour Pinhoe councillor, working in a team with Cllr Moira MacDonald, Cllr Saxon Spence, and our Labour MP Ben Bradshaw. 

It is what I do - and what I can do -  that qualifies me to me an effective advocate for the people of Pinhoe, not where I have previously lived. 

The Plan's Not Working, Dave

What a depressing day yesterday was. The House of Lords failed to block the terrifying NHS Bill progressing, Liam Fox still appears to be above Parliamentary standards, and then some appalling unemployment figures were released.


Unemployment in England is now at the highest levels since 1996. This, of course, was the last year the Tories were in power. It gets worse. Unemployment among women is at its highest level since records began in 1992. Similarly, youth unemployment is also at an all-time high. More than 1 in 5 under 25s is now unemployed. The Future Jobs Fund, Labour's scheme to get young people trained and into work, and KEPT in work, has been scrapped. 


The south west is being particularly hard hit. Devon and Cornwall saw a 5.7% increase in youth unemployment in the last month alone, and a staggering 29.3% increase on this time last year. (This compares with national average increases of 3.5% and 16.2% respectively.)


Why? Devon is reliant on Public Sector jobs. Two major local authorities are based in Exeter, a large hospital, a health trust, the PCT, the Met Office, a major global university, schools, colleges... 40% of Exeter's employment is in the public sector. And those services are now being cut. 


Of course the mantra is that private businesses will fill the void, that private sector jobs created will offset public sector job losses. Well, Job Centres across Devon are being notified of 13.2% LESS vacancies than last month, and 34.1% less vacancies than this time last year.


In recent history, the UK's highest unemployment has been in the years 1984-86; 1992-94; and now, 2011. There's a pattern. It seems you cannot have a Tory-led government without paying for it with jobs and livelihoods.


Cameron and Osborne's "Plan A", and stubborn insistence of sticking to an austerity programme that is strangling any hope of growth is killing the employment market. Don't believe the "deficit reduction" line - the structural deficit in the UK has gone UP under the coalition. People are losing jobs, and households are spending less on consumer goods as fuel costs, rent costs and food costs escalate. Growth is stagnant, and the public sector is bracing itself for further cuts - Devon County Council has already said it needs to find a further £40 million of savings next year.


There is an alternative. Ed Balls has set out a clear five-point plan nationally, to get the UK growing again, and locally Labour councillors are fighting hard to retain vital services for Exeter's communities. Next May you will all have a chance to send a clear message to Westminster by voting Labour in the local elections. 


Our message? "Your plan is not working - it's hurting."

Block the Bill - The Fight to Save the NHS

When Nye Bevan, the Labour visionary who first foresaw an accessible, universal national healthcare system, free at the point of contact to all, was asked about the future of the new NHS, he said:

"The NHS will survive as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it."

I believe he knew that there would be some who would be seeking its demise, who would be seeking to undermine its values of being "accessible", "universal" and "free". 


Tory MP, Oliver Letwin, told a meeting in 2004 that "the NHS will not exist within 5 years of a Tory government". (http://ind.pn/f1biL1)


Increasingly, it seems he may be right. You will recall that Andrew Lansley's plans faced fierce opposition in the Commons - so much so that the Prime Minister announced a "pause" in the development of the Bill. Since that pause, 1000 amendments have been made to the Bill, but still it has not been fully scrutinised again in the Commons. This week, it sits with the Lords. There is a reasonable chance the Lords will block the Bill, and I for one sincerely hope that they do.


These plans will mark the end of the NHS as we all know it. Private providers will move in, and profit, not the quality of care, will become the new "bottom line" for clinicians. Even in the United States, a doctor is not allowed to refer a patient to a service that the doctor has a financial interest in. Even such a rudimentary safeguard against conflict of interests and profiteering do not exist in Lansley's Bill. 


That is why I went to London yesterday to add my voice to thousands who went to protest against the Bill, and against the putting of profits before people. It was great to see a healthy contingent from Exeter getting up very early and taking a nearly 8 hour round-trip to participate in what was a very good natured, diverse, but powerful protest against this assault on a National Health Service that is the envy of the world.


There were many health care professionals there, and the message that was told again and again is that there is no evidence whatsoever that market competition has any effect on either clinical quality OR cost. This Bill is NOT evidence based, it is - as Letwin's comments in 2004 show - quite simply more toxic Tory ideology.

Being interviewed by a Sunday Times journalist

A banner from Exeter of that Nye Bevan quote

Big Soc

I see Dave has been plugging away about his "Big Society" concept again at the Tory conference this week. I have to admire his determination to keep flogging this particular dead horse. For those of us that work in the Charity and Community sector (or "Civil Society", as we now called), there has been a long-held cynicism about the whole "Big Society" concept. Early on in the coalition administration I was sent this:

...along with the caption, "Can you tell what it is, yet?!"

Which pretty much sums it up. No one, least of all most Tories, seem ever so clear on what it all actually means. Every couple of months, I go to Westminster to attend meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Volunteering and Civil Society. Attendance from MPs is not great, and attendance by the Tories themselves particularly low.

I asked one Conservative MP what exactly Big Society is. He checked my name badge, and seeing that I work in the community sector said, "Well - it's people and groups like you. Doing things." Very helpful.

"How will it be funded?" I asked him.

"Well, that's the point. It's free."

*Sigh*. 


The view seems to be that somehow whole armies of volunteers and community-spirited people are going to rise up and deliver services totally free of charge with little or no resourcing, and that the wealthy and private companies are going to donate mountains of money and professional time out of the kindness of their hearts to good causes, rather than having to contribute through a fair and efficient tax system. Good quality voluntary services and community projects need resourcing and support. They are not just a way of making up for cut public services. 

The "Big Society" is just not happening, Dave.

• Only 39% of people volunteered last year - a 10 year low (Daily Telegraph, 23/09/11)
• Only one third of people took part in a civic event (Daily Telegraph, 23/09/11)
• Liverpool City Council, a flagship pilot authority for the Big Society, withdrew from the scheme in February. "I'm not going to pretend the Big Society is going to deliver," said the Council Leader
• The Prince's Trust - a flagship organisation for the National Citizens Service for young people - withdrew from the scheme to focus on "the high levels of youth unemployment" (Third Sector Magazine, 20/09/11)
• The top 100 donors gave 33% LESS this year (UK Fundraising Magazine, 06/05/11)
• Donations to charities were down by £70 million this year (Public Service, 08/07/11)

What so many of us that work in community services are upset about is the way that the "Big Society" announcements have almost sounded as though no grassroots work was happening anyway. The fact is, communities have longed pulled together, often aided and organised by community infrastructure organisations - and it is those very services that are now facing cuts, and some are closing for good. 

Pinhoe has many diverse, vibrant, and active community groups, clubs, and charities; and already has community spirit in bucket-loads! Labour councillor Moira MacDonald recently worked alongside staff from the local building firm Seddon to clear, repair and paint the children's play area at the Arena Park. 

Councillors, local businesses, and volunteers working together for the good of the community. It's not a fad, or a policy, or a soundbite. It's a way of being. It's a genuine sense of social responsibility and pride in our neighbourhood. And - I have to say it - it's been what Labour has been about for generations.


You can keep your Big Society, Dave. I'll stick with an authentic sense of community, thanks - not a badged, branded gimmick that everyone - your own backbenchers included - can see through. 

Wise Counsel / Council

Last night I spent a very pleasant hour or so in the company of Councillors Saxon Spence CBE and Richard Westlake MBE. These two local Labour "Grandees" met me at Buckerell Lodge, just up the road from Devon County Hall where they had spent a busy day in briefings and meetings. 

Their shared history of service to the people of Exeter is both humbling and formidable. Saxon was first elected to the City Council in 1972, and to the County Council in 1974. Richard, a relative newcomer, was first elected to the County Council in 1985. 65 years of shared service between them! 

One of the best things about Labour membership is the sense of being part of a movement - a shared history and heritage, and a profound feeling of continuity. Listening to Saxon and Richard talk over generations of local council administrations, describe the pendulous swings of the fortunes of the major parties gave me a context for the campaign I shall be fighting. We discussed the nature of voting in rural areas - why the rural working class have never seemed to embrace Labour in the same way the urban working class do, and Saxon explained the often strong history of the Liberal movement in the South West, linked as it was to the spread of Methodism. 

What we all agreed on was the current devastating impact of Tory policy nationally and locally on Devon, and Exeter in particular. Devon County Council will be facing deep cuts again next fiscal year, and services will inevitably be impacted. More services are likely to be outsourced, and we share deep reservations about whether - when the chips are down - private for-profit providers will ever put people first in the same way that our public servants do. Exeter has around 40% of employment dependent on the Public Sector. Deepening cuts nationally and locally are bound to see more Exeter families losing their incomes, and it is clear that the local private sector - battling hard against banks that won't lend and customers that are too nervous for their own futures to spend - are not creating new jobs fast enough. Some areas of Pinhoe have 25% of homes reliant on claiming benefits - with a disproportionate amount of women affected.

Labour nationally is now starting to win the argument that the Tory / Lib Dem austerity measures are not working. They are crippling services and communities, strangling any hope of economic growth, and the deficit that they previously tried to blame Labour for (rather than global economic turbulence that we are still seeing) continues to grow. The Tories themselves are concerned that they are haemorrhaging support from women voters because they have been most hard-hit by government policies. (Maybe not surprising when only 4 of the 29 MPs present in Cabinet meetings are women!)

So, against a backdrop of national and international financial crisis, the battle to protect local services and communities is fought in the council chambers of the Civic Centre and County Hall. I am so proud to be shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Saxon and Richard, veteran campaigners who have been trusted again and again by Exeter's residents to fight on their behalf for a better, fairer community in our City. 

I am grateful for the time they spent with me last night, and grateful for their support, advice and wisdom. And Richard, I am equally grateful for the pint of Guinness. :-)

High-Level Research

Now, whenever moving to a new area the key question is: what are the pubs like, and what is the beer like? Happy to report that a) The Heart of Oak has Sky Sports, and b) The Poltimore Arms serves Doom Bar Cornish Ale. I like Pinhoe already...

I had a bit of a chat with some in the pub, and was surprised to find that one of the key issues locally remains low-level (but annoying) anti-social behaviour, to the extent that the police have in force a Section 30 dispersal order in some parts of the ward. I'll be setting up a meeting soon with the Neighbourhood Policing Team to see what it's all about.

This evening I shall meet Cllr Saxon Spence, local Labour Grandee and all-round Legend and also the County Councillor for the area as well as leader of the County Council Labour Group. So, I have met Cllr Tudor Evans in Plymouth and now Cllr Saxon Spence in Exeter. I may consider changing my name to "Viking", or "Regency"... Will report back this evening.

Freshers Week

Forgot to say, welcome to Exeter University's new intake of students...

Right, then Here we go.

So, yesterday - the hottest October day for a gazillion years - saw a room full of local Labour types crammed into Exeter Labour HQ to select the candidates for the Exeter City Council elections in 2012. I have been working as a Labour councillor in Weymouth & Portland (home of the 2012 Olympic sailing events) for 8 years, but work and a new relationship has brought me further south west in the last 3 years, so ever eager to serve the party I love (yeah, I know...!) I put myself forward for wherever I could help, and the party have selected me for the Pinhoe ward. I am honoured and excited!

Now, I already knew of Pinhoe. Kind of. Firstly, it is home to my favourite Chinese restaurant in Exeter, the Oriental City. Secondly, and possibly more importantly Pinhoe was the site of a glorious victory for councillor Moira MacDonald who won here for Labour in May. Pinhoe is a great community of mixed housing, some owner-occupied private housing, but also with its fair share of rented and social housing. A strong, mixed community - part of the city, yet with a "village" feel too. A community with a robust identity. Much like Littlemoor, my ward in Weymouth.

So, right now I am living in Rawridge just outside Honiton. I desperately need to move from here as it was the first place IN MY LIFE where I didn't vote. Last May my partner, Jenny, and I strolled through the village and saw the notice of election... we could vote Tory or.... well, we could vote Tory. Or not vote. So we did that.

At the end of this month I shall be moving back to the civilisation of Exeter, and am now scouring the internet and local paper for places to rent in Pinhoe... there's not a lot of choice just now! Fingers crossed things improve soon. I am very much looking forward to moving into the area, though with the proximity of the Heart of Oak and Oriental City, I fear for my cholesterol levels. Still, walking what is a big, spread-out ward to deliver leaflets has to count for something in the calorie-burning stakes!

So.... the journey starts here. This is a place to discuss, to interact, to debate, and to tell me what Pinhoe is all about, and what the place needs from its representatives and the local authority. I work at Exeter Council for Voluntary Service, and really enjoy and promote community action and active citizenship. Please make this page dynamic with me!

Finally, feel free to follow me on Twitter, I'm at @Simon4Pinhoe , or you can contact me directly on simon4pinhoe@gmail.com

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible!