14 January 2011
Labour Outraged as Council Tells Cuts Protestors: “You Can Only Come In If You Have a Ticket”
The Leader of Stockport’s Labour Councillors has demanded that the Council drops plans to limit the number of protestors able to attend a public meeting next week.
The Council’s UNISON branch plans to hold a “silent protest” against cuts and job losses when the Executive meets at 6pm on Monday 14 January. Parents, students and staff of Offerton School are also expected to turn out in large numbers for the meeting, where the Lib Dem-controlled Executive is expected to approve the school’s closure.
Councillors were informed today by email that admission to the meeting, which is by law a public one, will be heavily restricted, with members of the public, opposition councillors and members of the press required to queue up for a limited number of tickets (around 50) to be released half an hour before the meeting starts. Despite the expected numbers, the meeting is to be held in the usual Committee Room and not the adjacent 500-seater Ballroom, meaning that large numbers of protestors are likely to be excluded.
Cllr Andy Verdeille commented:
“It’s an absolute disgrace that faced with the prospect of local people coming to the Town Hall to make a dignified protest, this Council’s automatic response is to come up with a plan to keep as many of them as possible outside on the pavement. It’s quite extraordinary, and just as unacceptable, that they also expect to stop elected members of this Council from going into the meeting.
“This Lib Dem council is running scared, scared that ordinary people will want to object to the measures that they are introducing. Executive Councillors will be cowering in the Town Hall hidden from view, a fine example of the public openness demanded by their coalition government.
“I say move the Executive meeting to the Town Hall Ballroom and allow in anyone who wants to come along. To do anything else would be simply outrageous. This is an important public meeting, and must be open to all – not just an arbitrary number of lucky ticket holders”.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Your Two Labour Candidates in Reddish North!
Pictured: Reddish North Candidates Paul Moss and Cllr David Wilson. Both are standing to be your representatives on May 5th. (Two Votes on May 5th 2011).
Labour Cares for Reddish!
Cllr Peter Scott, Labour candidate (Reddish North) Paul Moss and Andrew Gwynne MP (Denton and Reddish) campaigning on the issues that matter to you!
Your Labour Party in Reddish!
Labours Councillors collecting for Charity ( Over £100 raised ) Xmas 2010.
Paul Moss candidate for Reddish North!
Paul Moss candidate for Reddish North
pictured with Unision members campaigning against Council Cuts at the Stockport MBC Executive meeting in January 2011
Saturday, 14 August 2010
The Lib Dem response to Cllr Walter Brett's letter to the Stockport Express!
From: Cllr David White
To: Cllr Walter Brett
Sent: Thursday, 5 August, 2010 12:06:10
Subject: Letter
Walter,
I note your letter which appears on your blog and I would again ask the question that if 20% VAT is “an attack on the poor” why was 17.5% left as the rate from 1997 to 2010? Apart from a small section of 15%
The issue with Reddish South Station well I was appalled at the decision in 1991 and attacked it at the time but I would still do it now.
The fake shock at some of the things happening now are just sickening from this New Labour Group in Stockport .
This is your deficit and there would have been 12.5% cuts and the deficit would have been 50% of now, how would that have been paid for?
Best Wishes
Dave
Councillor David White
Liberal Democrat, Davenport and Cale Green Ward
Executive Member for Transportation
To: Cllr Walter Brett
Sent: Thursday, 5 August, 2010 12:06:10
Subject: Letter
Walter,
I note your letter which appears on your blog and I would again ask the question that if 20% VAT is “an attack on the poor” why was 17.5% left as the rate from 1997 to 2010? Apart from a small section of 15%
The issue with Reddish South Station well I was appalled at the decision in 1991 and attacked it at the time but I would still do it now.
The fake shock at some of the things happening now are just sickening from this New Labour Group in Stockport .
This is your deficit and there would have been 12.5% cuts and the deficit would have been 50% of now, how would that have been paid for?
Best Wishes
Dave
Councillor David White
Liberal Democrat, Davenport and Cale Green Ward
Executive Member for Transportation
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Cllr Walter Brett's letter to the Stockport Express!
Dear Sir,
It hasn’t taken the local Lib Dems long to return to their old tricks, in this case refusing to take any responsibility for their own actions, while trying to divert attention elsewhere. Andrew Stunnell, newly installed as a minister in David Cameron’s government, hopes to blame the last Labour government for the devastating and unnecessary cuts he is now helping to make, rather than his new Tory master’s determination to carry on where Margaret Thatcher left off. Make no mistake – the current hatchet-wielding has nothing to do with cutting the deficit, which was under control, with a clear plan to pay it down, and everything to do with dismantling our public services for ideological reasons. The rise in VAT (which the Lib Dems were vehemently opposed to in May) is merely a “downside” as far as Mr Stunnell is concerned, rather than the callous attack on the poorest households it actually is.
Meanwhile, Cllr David White, who clearly has time on his hands since his mysterious departure from the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, treats us to a ramble round various topics. Of course we were disappointed that Reddish South station, closed under his new Tory friends in 1991, wasn’t reopened under the last Labour government, despite our campaigning (which will continue) but the fact is that it is now going to stay closed so long as the Con-Dem coalition keeps cutting budgets and services. As far as funding for rebuilding local schools goes, we are quite aware that Lib Dem-run Stockport Council botched and bungled its Building Schools for the Future bid, but as a result of the Con-Dem cuts, our children will remain in crumbling buildings for the foreseeable future. Finally, he too refuses to take any responsibility for the VAT hike, but hopes it might be cut at some unidentified point in the future. I too hope that the Lib Dems (and their new Tory bosses) realise they have got it wrong – I won’t be holding my breath though.
Councillor Walter Brett
Labour, Reddish South
It hasn’t taken the local Lib Dems long to return to their old tricks, in this case refusing to take any responsibility for their own actions, while trying to divert attention elsewhere. Andrew Stunnell, newly installed as a minister in David Cameron’s government, hopes to blame the last Labour government for the devastating and unnecessary cuts he is now helping to make, rather than his new Tory master’s determination to carry on where Margaret Thatcher left off. Make no mistake – the current hatchet-wielding has nothing to do with cutting the deficit, which was under control, with a clear plan to pay it down, and everything to do with dismantling our public services for ideological reasons. The rise in VAT (which the Lib Dems were vehemently opposed to in May) is merely a “downside” as far as Mr Stunnell is concerned, rather than the callous attack on the poorest households it actually is.
Meanwhile, Cllr David White, who clearly has time on his hands since his mysterious departure from the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, treats us to a ramble round various topics. Of course we were disappointed that Reddish South station, closed under his new Tory friends in 1991, wasn’t reopened under the last Labour government, despite our campaigning (which will continue) but the fact is that it is now going to stay closed so long as the Con-Dem coalition keeps cutting budgets and services. As far as funding for rebuilding local schools goes, we are quite aware that Lib Dem-run Stockport Council botched and bungled its Building Schools for the Future bid, but as a result of the Con-Dem cuts, our children will remain in crumbling buildings for the foreseeable future. Finally, he too refuses to take any responsibility for the VAT hike, but hopes it might be cut at some unidentified point in the future. I too hope that the Lib Dems (and their new Tory bosses) realise they have got it wrong – I won’t be holding my breath though.
Councillor Walter Brett
Labour, Reddish South
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