Bishop of Gloucester joins calls to stop legal aid cuts

It was good to see this evening an online article by the Bish of Gloucester highlighting the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which is soon to be debated at Report Stage in the House of Lords, of which he is a member. He notes around 3,000 people in Gloucester will be left with no way of enforcing their rights when faced with employment, welfare benefits, housing, debt or immigration problems. See here.
Rachel Taylor of Young Legal Aid Lawyers has produced a very useful summary of the issues. I tried to find it online but couldn't so have copied it below - I hope Rachel wont mind as it arrived in my email box with a message to try and get more people to understand the importance of this issue. Last November I emailed Neil Carmichael but was not so happy with the response. Indeed you will find on this blog a number of posts on this issue - see for example January 2011 blog here and Greens emergency motion last May here.

Good SNJ article on Glasman visit

Decent write up in SNJ online this week and in the SNJ today of the talk in the Sub Rooms by Maurice Glasman - apparently he did not please all and was not great on climate change but nevertheless it sounds like he gave much food for thought and spoke very much from the heart....refreshing...sadly I missed as was at the Full council meeting.

See link or click read more.

http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/9556004.Lord_Glasman_outlines_his_strategy_for_taking_on_the_banks_and_rebuilding_society

Ruscombe and Randwick springs run dry

Some rivers are currently lower than the 1976 drought - springs have dried up in Ruscombe and Randwick - something that is not known in the lifetimes of people locally. Water flows are very low on the brook itself - local farmers that have contacted me are very concerned. How will cattle manage? Will this mean troughs will be needed in all fields? The Telegraph reported last week farmers already being affected by drought and the impact this will have on food prices - see here.

Severn Trent has been contacted - little joy apparently from them - although it really is an EA issue. It is the EA that has responsibility for water resources and they should be the farmers’ first port of call. But again no replies.....Neil Carmichael has also been written to but no answers yet...

The odd thing about this drought is how patchy it is - some areas are near to average for this time of the year and in others well below what we would expect. Of course history is against us - when many of our water resources were developed the population was half what it is today and used half the volume of water per head we use today. Mix that difference in with nearly the last two years of dryer weather than usual and the water table will start to be affected. As climate change really takes hold these events will be more common......Anyway it is an issue that the Stroud Valleys Water Forum will I hope also raise with the EA.

See Daily Mail about drought in South East where Southern Water has already applied for a drought permit - it includes video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103809/UK-drought-2012-Water-companies-say-mustnt-spend-FOUR-minutes-shower.html

More exaggerated turbine photos!

Back in April last year it was found that campaign groups against wind turbines in Berkeley Vale had used photos that exaggerated the size of the turbines - see here - well now it seems the same has happened down in Sharpness. The proposal at Sharpness Docks for a single turbine - see here - has, I understand, also had around 600 leaflets delivered in that area with the picture seen left.

The true representation is more like the second photo - although that hasn't printed well in my version of the photo - I welcome that the Alliance 4 Wind group door knocking in the area to speak with residents and answer questions. There has been lots of miss information as often seems to be the case with wind - for example I should note the height of the proposed turbine will be 122m not 3 times the height of the test mast ie 210 metres as suggested by a leaflet.

Taxcast; worth a listen

This is worth a listen:



The Taxcast is a15 minute monthly podcast with the latest news, research and analysis of global events in tax evasion, tax avoidance and the shadow banking system. It features headlines, analysis with economist Richard Murphy of The Courageous State and a mini-documentary. In February's Taxcast: Are City of London Police really serious about prosecuting financial crimes? Are bankers paying fair taxes on their bonuses? And how Facebook is saving billions in tax via Ireland and Bermuda.

See more at: www.tackletaxhavens.com/taxcast

Article: Global Warming: real and human caused

Pine Glacier cracked October 2011; likely to create a 350sq mile iceberg

Rob Hopkins tweeted this article - and it is worth a read as it dismisses those unscientific and deeply damaging arguments that the press keep printing - 'How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused' by Donald R. Prothero. See here: http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/12-02-08/#feature

Whiteshill and Ruscombe Telephone Box to become a gallery?

A series of old-fashioned telephone boxes are to be placed around London over the summer.
The boxes - nearly 100 in total - will not have phones in them or be red in colour - instead they will be decorated by artists and designers - see BBC short news item here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17047805

Well locally for some months Parish councillors have been working on what to do with the empty telephone box at Double Spout, Ruscombe....Chris Gardner, one of the Parish councillors has pulled together the various ideas including a successful example from Settle -  he has put them in a paper - he kindly has let me reprint it below - click on read more. It looks like there is Parish approval for a very small project - I'm looking forward to hearing more - if anyone is inspired to get involved do contact the Parish Council.

Carmichael says no to release of secret NHS report

On Wednesday, MPs voted on a motion to force the government to release their secret report into risks facing our NHS. Over 60,000 of us emailed our MPs before the vote. Sadly only four government MPs rebelled and voted the right way (see here) - Neil Carmichael wasn't one of them. A further 15 Lib Dems added their name to a separate statement calling for the risk register to be published.




So the changes are going ahead without us knowing the risks - what a b***** awful way to govern. I've already emailed Neil yesterday - you can email Neil or your MP at:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/risk-report-against

Polly Higgins in Stroud 10th March

Don't forget Polly Higgins in Stroud - see previous blog here. Governments can no longer claim to have no knowledge of the adverse  impact of fracking, land grabbing and mining. Our right to life is being put at risk by dangerous industrial activities. Europe is switching from coal to to natural gas without
regard of impact to health of all life on the earth. THIS CAMPAIGN FOR AN  International Earth law WILL MAKE ECOCIDE A CRIME.  Don't miss this important event at Stroud Subscription rooms Saturday 10th March 11- 2.30 - doors open 10.00am.

Occupy Stroud call 'Move Your Money'

Barclays protest last year in Stroud

I mentioned the campaign on this blog, Move Your Money. The website is now up: www.moveyourmoney.org.uk and Occupy Stroud who held the first public event last Saturday have adopted the campaign as part of their actions. See SNJ report of the event here. The campaign has 4 suggestions:

1) Signing up to the PLEDGE to move your money at
www.moveyourmoney.org.uk and bank on something better.
2) Join the mailing list
3) Follow us on Twitter,
4) 'Like' us on Facebook

March 2012 is being billed as 'Move Your Money Month', when all will act together by moving money and holding awareness raising events to build a banking system that works for people, small business and wider society. Occupy Stroud is meeting on Sat 3rd of March (top of High St. 1pm) to share publicity materials and ideas for Move Your Money month, and on Sat 17th March (same time and place) for a Move Your Money themed day of discussion and action.

One Occupy supporter writes: "In terms of places to move your money, locally we have a Nationwide building society branch offering pretty much all the services a high street bank does, the Coventry building society, a smaller society with a smaller range of services but arguably a better record, and the Stroud Valleys Credit Union, which could all be used for borrowing and saving. There are also often options to invest in local businesses, so there's really no excuse to have your loans or savings hanging around in the big banks. There's lots of information about the different options nationally and on how to move your money on the website www.moveyourmoney.org.uk which is well worth a look."

See YouTube 'Better Bailouts' at Barclays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arjaTqNBmWE&feature=youtu.be.

Josie Cowgill writes before last Saturday: "We're fully aware of how lucky we are in Stroud – local food, independent retailers, a lively arts scene and an active and engaged community. But we are also part of a larger system, one that is cutting public services, allowing large businesses to dodge their taxes and widening the gap between rich and poor. The aim of the meeting on the 18th is to explore what can be done to challenge a system that promotes economic growth at all costs. We warmly invite all 100% to take part in this conversation by joining us on Saturday the 18th of February. Dust off your idealism and bring your sense of humour – we intend the event to be peaceful and inspiring with a focus on what we can actually DO here in Stroud."

While here was my quote to the press: "Occupy is about many things, but the key slogan "We are the 99%" refers to the vast wealth concentrated in 1% of income earners. Economic inequality in the UK is the highest ever and we’re now one of the most unequal countries in the developed world. Everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. We haven't learnt from the previous financial catastrophe. We are governed by politicians that have all promoted the current neo-liberal system with it's "light touch regulation". Occupy is about non-violence and exploring socially just and ecologically sustainable alternatives to that system that currently serves the interests of the City of London's 1%. It is great Stroud is joining this debate. We can and must find a better way of bringing people closer together and building a better society."

Support national safer cycling petition

Oh dear last week I had a tricky situation - I've used the same number on my combination lock since I was a wee lad - of course now I have a sooooper doooper strong lock - well it gave up last week when I was locked on a fence outside the Canal Centre - no amount of twisting and turning and retrying unlocked it - I borrowed massive bolt cutters but they were broken - in the end Travis Perkins came to the rescue with a hack saw - still don't know why the lock failed.....anyhow it means a new lock is needed....anyway I am clearly still traumatised by this....but onto what I was meaning to write about....

The Times is running a campaign to make cities fit for cycling - it includes calls for 20 mph in residential areas.  They have launched an 8-point manifesto, and it is hard to argue against any of their aims - I think it should be supported by all.  Sign petition at: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/

Meanwhile after years of lobbying for simple changes to traffic sign regulations, CTC, The UK's National Cyclists' Organisation with 68,000 members, welcomed last year that the Government has finally agreed to a relaxation of certain rules. This includes for example permitting an ‘except cyclists’ plate to be used in conjunction with a ‘no entry’ sign, a trial permitting cycling over zebra crossings, as well as an advanced green light phase for cyclists and the means to bypass standard traffic signals. The changes should make streets safer and road engineering cheaper.

Local authorities will now have the freedom to allow two-way cycling on quiet one-way streets with a simple sign change. This has long been common practice in Europe and is a safe, sensible approach to improving cycle access whilst reducing street clutter. The move to give greater local flexibility over signing may help make it easier for authorities to allow cycling where current regulations create a stumbling block. Green County councillor Sarah Lunnon is in the process of finding out how Gloucestershire intend to act.

New nukes to be built on false info

Oldbury - site of possible new nuclear build

Here is a copy of my email last week to the Environmental Audit Committee and Public Administration Select Committee plus Neil Carmichael MP. This really is shocking...

You may have heard of about the Report called 'Corruption of Governance' launched in the Houses of Commons on 31st January 2012.  I have now read this shocking easy to read report that shows that two of the National Policy Statements, EN-1 and EN-6, recommending a new generation of nuclear power stations and, approved by Parliament, are based on false information.

I am very concerned by the evidence outlined that suggests that the decision to support new nuclear power stations was made based on flawed and misleading information. The report also confirms, what many of us have suspected, that we do not need any more nuclear power stations 'to keep the lights on' - and that nuclear power is not the most cost effective form of electricity generation. 

That the National Policy Statements were used as planning guidance for Local Authorities is extremely worrying.  I am therefore writing to ask that your Committees to take up the recommendations of this report and investigate this issue.

Yours faithfully,

Philip Booth

Please anyone reading this also write to the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Ms Joan Walley MP and the Chair of the Public Administration Select Committee, Mr Bernard Jenkin MP, to ask that their Committees to investigate this issue because the decision to support new nuclear power stations has been made on the basis of false evidence, misrepresentation of evidence and omissions of evidence. Their emails are: walleyj(at)parliament.uk and bernard.jenkin.mp(at)parliament.uk 

Also download the latest excellent NuCLear News: http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/nuclearnews/NuClearNewsNo37.pdf

Food Strategy for Stroud District

Allotments, farms and all to be part of plans

Will there be a food crisis? This was the topic of a Coffee House Discussion last year - see my videos of the two presentations here - it is clear we are heading towards some very very challenging times. I don't need to spell out to regular readers of this blog the impacts of peak oil, climate change and a host of other challenges.

A Sunday Times article in 2009 looked at some of the what Transition Towns are doing - it notes the report, "Can Stroud District Feed Itself?" from December 2008, written by Former Green District councillor Fi Macmillan and Green Town Councillor Dave Cockcroft - both of Transition Stroud (you can download it here). Well now we are at last picking up on one of the recommendations of that report to establish a working group to take it forward - sadly there had been much hope it would be taken forward by the Local Strategic Partnership, the County and others - nothing really happened - well another Glos-wide strategy got written for GlosFirst but I understand that is also gathering dust....

The group of some 15 or so people who met Friday morning were diverse - farmers, a green economist, GRCC, LSP, SDC, TS and a host of other initials....they were very clear this was not going to be another strategy without actions - we need actions that are possible and have clear plans. Indeed there was talk of it being an 'action group'. We cannot afford to not act. Already alot of work had been done by several people there - one looking at funding opportunities, another at the background and there seemed to be a great energy amongst the participants to take this forward.....anyway more of this soon...

Big Cats in Glos; evidence and implications

Big Cat photo?

Some might have seen The Sun coverage of Stroud 's Coryn Memory filming in Summer 2010 what looks like a Big Cat - see here. There is apparently lots more than these edited highlights here. Well you can hear about this and more at a talk coming up....

Indeed basically this post is a bit of publicity for the illustrated talk by Rick Minter and Frank Tunbridge: Rick Minter is author of BIG CATS - Facing Britain's Wild Predators while Frank Tunbridge has recorded big cat sightings for 25 years.

The speakers will…

• Present the evidence for big cats living and breeding in Gloucestershire
• Discuss the implications of feral big cats for people and for other wildlife

THURSDAY 15TH MARCH 7.30 – 9.30pm at St Laurence Church Hall, Stroud. Price £3 Adults/£2 Child. Booking essential. For more details and to book your place contact Clare at Stroud Valleys Project, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud Glos Tel 01453 753358

The BBC Wildlife web site also has a report of the Woodchester big cat - see:
http://www.discoverwildlife.com/blog/gloucestershire-big-cat-stays-shadows

Two days left to stop Wallbridge Road reopening

The chicken was out as part of Stroud Against the Gyratory - see photos by Ruth Davey of the fairly new local business LOOK AGAIN (Photography, Film, Vision) - see my previous blog post with my video and details of the consultation here. Basically many of us think the Wallbridge road in Stroud should remain closed and we all have a chance to vote at the Cotswold Canal Centre until 17th Feb.

Petition: Save BSL Interpreter Service for Glos Deaf

Deaf people in Gloucestershire are petitioning NHS Gloucestershire for a return to a local BSL interpreter service for doctors appointments. Please support them and Gloucestershire Deaf Association (GDA):
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-local-bsl-interpreter-provision-for-glos-deaf.html
Last September NHS Gloucestershire moved to consolidate its PCT interpreting and translating services to a single company outside of the county.  For the first time in years, Deaf people in Gloucestershire are no longer able to pop along to GDA and organise their own communication support for GP appointments. NHS Gloucestershire says it is keen to promote 'Advancing Equality in the NHS in Gloucestershire' for vulnerable and hard to reach groups, and about a more people-centred approach to health. However this move looks set to make it more difficult. Please consider supporting the petition.

Brewery Bridge opened

I was out last week and managed to see Princess Anne opening the Brewery Bridge - happened to be in town so no special trip but great to see so many people marking this key step in progress. Indeed crowds were there despite the snow

Meanwhile we have until Friday to vote regarding the Wallbridge road  reopening - see my previous blog post with my video and details of the consultation here. Basically many of us think the Wallbridge road in Stroud should remain closed and we all have a chance to vote at the Cotswold Canal Centre until 17th Feb.

I came back via Wallbridge after a meeting and the canal boat was being winched out and put on a lorry.

You can see some photos by Ruscombe photographer Mike Gallagher from Friday if you access flickr via link on www.cotswoldcanals.com latest news.

Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe 20 mph update

I've not had a chance to write up quite a number of recent meetings like Parish Councils, Green councillors and more - I'm not sure I will now as have another busy week with meetings every night - but I did want to add a note about the recent Working Party looking at 20 mph within the two Parishes. For those interested in the long history click on the 20 mph label - for me the story goes back 7 years but I read in the Randwick Runner Brian Stanley has campaigned for 33 years!! In 1988 he got a 30mph through the Parish but still hasn't got the 20 mph.....we were promised 7 years ago but at the last minute it was taken away....anyhow since then we've had working party's 20 is Plenty, a big Parish petition and much more...

Well now at last with the Community Offer by Highways we are moving forward again...Gloucestershire Highways cannot fund non priority schemes and police enforcement resources are limited and therefore communities are being given the opportunity to look at what they can do to put in place traffic calming and speed reduction measures in partnership with GCC. The Gloucestershire Highways Community Offer details can be found on the GCC website: http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highwaysyourwayhttp://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=105872  


At our working group meeting in Westrip we looked at the options with a Highways Officer and have now embarked on further research into options and costs. Reducing speeds is clearly the aim - and a key issue raised with me on the doorstep - we basically are exploring two ways - should we go for a mandatory 20 mph across both Parishes - or just go for an advisory? Advisory is cheaper but how much do people really take notice of such advice...

The mandatory is a more complex process and more costly although Highways pay half and the two Parishes would split the cost - mandatory is also about changing the culture of speed - increasingly residential areas are wanting to create more pleasant environments which are not determined by giving priority to traffic. We also all know that hit at 30 mph you are much more likely to die than hit at 20 mph - see my 500 words in The Citizen here, the report I wrote here and the letter to GCC councillors here. Of course some of a mandatory speed limit's effect will also wear off as they do with the advisory - speeds can creep back up - but to me it is also a message about caring for our villages and the people in them - in Norway for example and other places in Europe 30 kph (about 20 mph) is mandatory in residential areas - drivers get used to it - already there is huge demand from Parishes across Gloucestershire for traffic calming and indeed across the country - Portsmouth has just turned their whole city 20 mph. I am convinced the better option is a mandatory but clearly even an advisory would be an improvement.

Of course none of this is possible without other traffic measures - 'gateways' are being considered - these are entrances to the villages - in some places they are earth bunds, others white gateposts (not like the Standish ones), some have lots of planting and in some places Cotswold stone walls (set back from road) - but basically a way to tell drivers you are entering a different area - a village with people in the streets...they work in many areas with strong evidence they cut speeds. I personally don't like humps or rumble strips as they urbanise our village environment......

Anyway we have a way to go - TRO's take about 2 years but we have at least started the process and will also be looking at how residents can be consulted - do drop me a line with any thoughts.

Energy, climate and a wasted £50bn

New shock for solar - see here

Yesterday's Independent covered Greens three point plan on energy - I've copied it below - it is extraordinary - we have rising carbon emissions especially from home heating - and now by the government's own admission, loft lagging will fall by 93% when the Green Deal starts!!!
The fact that a six-month shutdown of the Sizewell nuclear reactor was partly to blame for the recorded rise in emissions is yet another reason for the government to ditch its belief that nuclear can deliver the secure, reliable and low-carbon energy we need for the future.

The Bank of England has just launched it's latest quantitative easing - £50billions worth! A new report from the Green New Deal Group and Southampton University economics professor Richard Werner, who coined the term quantitative easing, is calling for such cash to be injected into green investment to support badly needed renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Yet it goes to the banks!!! What a waste - they could have put the money into the wider economy - creating thousands of new jobs, improving energy security and tackling climate change at the same time. What planet are they on? Caroline Lucas has a comment piece on that here and below is Caroline Lucas' piece with the End the Big Energy Fix campaign that made front page of The Independent:

It is estimated that more than five million people in the UK are facing fuel poverty. Average annual household bills for gas and electricity exceed £1,200, and uSwitch has predicted that by 2020 this could rise to £3,202. Yet energy companies' profit margins go up and up. Ofgem warned last October that profits on dual fuel deals had risen from £15 per household to £125 – a rise of 733 per cent.

Something is going very wrong and it's time we did something about it. That's why today more than 100 public figures have launched a new cross-party campaign called End the Big Six Energy Fix.
We are proposing three simple and sensible solutions.

First, we are calling on the Government to impose a similar levy to the one it has imposed on North Sea oil companies and the big banks. Over time, such a levy could raise billions, revenues that could be ring-fenced and used to ensure that every home is insulated and highly energy-efficient – starting with the homes of the fuel-poor. This would form part of a Green New Deal and would help to create thousands of new skilled jobs.

Second, to prevent energy companies from passing the cost of any levy on to customers, we want the Government to give Ofgem the power to cap prices. This could be linked to the wholesale price to make energy prices fairer. Third, we want the Government to launch a public inquiry into the Big Six energy companies. The industry has a huge problem in terms of trust, and it is in the interests of energy suppliers themselves that these issues be addressed. We then need to devise appropriate reforms that ensure we have a market and an industry that serve people and planet before profit.
Energy provision should be viewed not merely as a market commodity, but as a crucial public service on which we all rely.

Caroline Lucas is the leader of the Green Party and one of the key figures behind the Compass campaign

Homemade artisan bread in Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe

Fresh artisan bread delivered to the door - this is a fantastic service - a couple of slices are a meal in themselves - quite unlike the supermarket breads.

Yes I know I've mentioned this bread project before (see here) and a similar one (see here) - well it has now launched this week - I had two loaves from the first bake-off delivered to me on Monday morning. Both loaves were delicious - I had an 'Organic Seeded White bread: Organic white and light rye flours with poppy and sesame seeds. Ideal for sandwiches with your favourite fillings, sweet or savoury' and a 'Organic Walnut Rye bread: Organic white and dark rye flours with crushed walnuts.  Delicious naked or with cheese, ham, chutneys, soup, etc.'

Each week, Claire will have 2 varieties of bread for you to choose from, and the varieties will change each week, so that you can experience many!  The loaf sizes will vary slightly depending on the type and ingredients used, but there will always be a choice of "small" (approx 400g) or "large" (approx 750g).  For simplicity the prices will be the same whatever the flavour, i.e Small = £2.00 and Large = £3.00 (plus free delivery!!).

To receive your bread you will need to order type and quantity by the Friday evening beforehand, either by email or text! So email Claire at: chickpeas(at)hotmail.co.uk

Enjoy!!

Glos NHS Services Escape Privatisation after High court Drama

Great news - NHS bosses have backed down - this afternoon options for community health services in Gloucestershire are set to remain within the NHS consultations. Stroud Against the Cuts who have been supporting this write: "This is what the people of Gloucestershire wanted. This outcome shows what can be achieved, and gives the people of Gloucestershire, health workers and health unions the opportunity to continue to work together to defend our local NHS hospitals and services. It will continue to be crucial for people to make their views known, and we well be organising a public meeting as soon as possible. We continue to collect signatures on our online petition. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us. As Nye Bevin said, "the NHS will continue to exist for as long as there are folk left with faith to fight for it." We hope our local health services will more remain in the nhs, publicly owned and accountable, for many years to come."

NHS Gloucestershire and claimant Michael Lloyd issued a joint statement at the Royal Courts of Justice that The Citizen has printed - click read more to see it:

How ethical is your bank?

In a moment Mary Poppins but first a campaign is being launched that seeks to encourage individuals, organisations and enterprises to move their money from the major high street banks to more ethical, local and socially useful alternatives including the cooperative bank, building societies and credit unions.  A similar campaign in the US has resulted in over 4 million people switching current or savings accounts in the past 6 months alone.

'Moving money' has the direct impact of strengthening the ‘alternative’ banking sector, but it is also a positive and intelligent way to engage with the banking system. They aim 'to provide the information and confidence to broaden and enhance the public dialogue around what a socially useful and sustainable banking system should look like'.

So now to their video - see what Mary Poppins has to say about building a better banking system. Find out more at http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk/

Privatisation of health.......aggggggh!

Commercial companies are preparing to cash in on a multi-billion pound opportunity to run NHS hospital services - according to the latest report from the NHS Support Federation. They looked at the business strategy of a group of leading private healthcare providers - and unsurprisingly found them to be highly enthusiastic about the government’s changes to the NHS and the business opportunities that they will create.

Indeed they are amongst the very few organisations who are in support of the proposed reforms. It is utterly exasperating to hear Cameron talking about how the NHS is safe in Tory and Lib Dem hands.....there are so many concerns and this report outlines a load more....in their detailed analysis of six healthcare providers actively seeking NHS contracts it suggests that their commercial interests will inevitably clash with those of the NHS and its patients. Here are the key findings from their report:

Commercial providers plan to expand on the back of the new opportunities for more private/NHS partnerships. The UK's two largest providers of private inpatient care believe that the pressure on the NHS to make savings will mean a boost for the self-pay and insurance market.

BMI/GHG and HCA International are planning to help NHS trusts raise their income by developing their own private patient units - one of the commercial opportunities created by the government’s controversial health bill.
 
There is strong interest in contracts to run entire NHS hospitals. Circle won a race against 11 bidders, the first contract of its kind, to manage the Hinchingbrooke NHS hospital. That contract began last week (1st February) and is part of a market opportunity worth billions. Our report identifies clear dangers from becoming more reliant on the private sector to treat NHS patients. Public statements from providers like Ramsay Health indicate that they would be willing to walk away from contracts which weren’t creating enough profit.
 
Four of the companies analyzed in the report have large investments from private equity companies, which could force changes in a company’s business strategy to suit their own profit motives but undermine the care of NHS patients. Circle and BMI are both backed by private equity firms and have structured their assets so that property can be disposed of when the market is right or have property already managed as a separate business. This approach is widely considered to be a major reason for the financial mess that care-home provider Southern Cross found itself in.

The business record of some of the new providers also raises doubts about their suitability as partners in the NHS. Our report highlights companies with connections to corporate fraud and illegal kidney transplantation - which brings into question whether some commercial companies would uphold the values of the NHS, as would be their duty under the NHS constitution.

Flood 'stars' Mary Dhonau and Judy Gibson visit - best ways of community disaster planning?

Judy Gibson and Mary Dhonau

Last week we had a meeting of the Stroud Valleys Water Forum - as many will know this was a group I helped found to bring together the flood and water action groups in the Stroud valleys - well we've been going for about three years and we have decided to formalise the group with a constitution - that was part of the meeting but the other part we had guests Mary Dhonau and Judy Gibson talking about the EA flood awareness scheme.

Well it was great to meet these two 'stars' of the flood world - both were full of enthusiasm and passion to make a difference - Mary Dhonau has been flooded 12 times and has an approach of  developing a blue print for best practice for communities to 'work with' rather than 'against' those who manage flood risk - she believes in managing the flood waters rather than trying to resist them....see more at: http://www.marydhonau.co.uk/about-us 

Judy Gibson who has, like Mary, appeared lots on TV and radio has also been a flood campaigner for years - see more about her home here. 

Anyway it looks like we are planning a day about flooding on Thursday 8th March 3ish to 8.30 at the Sub Rooms - still much to be planned but the idea will be to have speakers and info for folk to drop in on plus an evening which we will share more about hopes for the Five Valleys - in particular we are hoping the County will be able to support the event and explore how we can use natural processes to tackle flood issues. More about all that soon. UPDATE: sadly it looks like the day will only now be about emergency planning without an evening event - the natural processes will be considered later in the year.

The day will also look at community emergency planning - Parish and Town Councils have a role here - and also communities can act - but quite often communities don't act unless their is a clear reason - many see risks of flooding, fire or other big disaster as too small so don't plan....and there is also the issue of who keeps a plan up to date? Well it will be good to explore more about what is possible but I am skeptical about the value of some of the plans and am interested to see which way is best to go....

An interesting article here looks at what was learnt by some following the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and other disasters around the world. In times of disasters neighbours help one another - ambulances and firetrucks and government aid are not the principal ways most people survive during — and recover after — a disaster. Governments were good for getting the power back on but it is the personal ties among members of a community that determine survival during a disaster, and recovery in its aftermath.


"Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you, they're usually neighbors." Daniel Aldrich

Indeed the conclusion is that instead of practicing earthquake drills and building bunkers, we could get more involved in neighborhood events and reach out and make more friends among our co-workers and neighbours. So how does this fit with community planning? Well we'll see!

Future of NHS hanging on High Court Scales

My photo of march - used by The Guardian on their website

Here is the Stroud Against the Cuts press release embargoed until this moment - read it here first!

Summary: A Gloucestershire resident takes to the High Court in London, Wednesday February 8th in a bid to stop the transfer of all nine of the county's community hospitals and local health services out of the NHS and into a standalone 'Community Interest Company' (CIC). Gloucestershire health bosses' plans to transfer the county's community health services, including over 3000 NHS nurses, physiotherapists, health visitors and podiatrists (1), out of the NHS in October 2011 have been halted due to the legal action and a campaign in Gloucestershire that has involved thousands of people in protests, public meetings, petitions and fundraising (2). If successful in today's permissive hearing, the case will then proceed to full Judicial Review the following day (Thursday 9th) in the High Court in Aldwych, London.

The case is being taken by Michael Lloyd, 75, a retired railwayman from Stroud, Gloucestershire. Mr Lloyd said: “I'm worried that if local health services leave the NHS they will be more vulnerable to cuts, more fragmented, more bureaucratic and less accountable. Staff tell me they are frightened for their future, and have had no say in leaving they NHS they take pride in working for.”


Solicitors for Mr Lloyd, Leigh Day & Co (2) are bringing a case that NHS Gloucestershire has acted unlawfully by not allowing proper consideration of other options, including those that would keep local health services in the NHS. Rosa Curling of Leigh Day & Co. said: “NHS Gloucestershire had a number of options open to it, some of which would allow the community services in the area to remain provided by a NHS body. They failed to properly consider these options and their subsequent decision to award the contract to the social enterprise company is therefore unlawful.”


Caroline Molloy from local anti-cuts campaigners Stroud Against the Cuts (3), who are supporting Michael Lloyd’s case, said: “NHS bosses are using harmless sounding terms like social enterprise and making baseless claims about their potential benefits. But experience from other areas shows that where social enterprises have taken over services, patient care has suffered due to higher costs, and the need to turn a profit. Even where health social enterprises have been praised, once services have been transferred out of the NHS they have been forced to compete with multinational health companies waiting in the wings, and have been unable to, as in Central Surrey.”(4)


A National Audit Office report last year described health social enterprises (such as CICs) as “a first step towards stimulating a market” in the NHS (5). People across the region remain largely unaware that, even before the passage of the widely opposed Health & Social Care Bill (returning to parliament today), much of the South West's community health services were transferred out of the NHS in October last year.

Dr John Lister of national campaign group Health Emergency said: “It is vital to expose this type of deal to public scrutiny, despite the determination of health bosses to keep them under wraps. It is a scandal that changes like this, which can have a huge effect both on the vulnerable people that use these services, and on the livelihoods of thousands of healthcare workers have been taken behind closed doors.”

Despite assertions to the contrary, John Lister adds “There is no compulsion on health bosses to open these services up to social enterprises or the private sector: in most of England community health services continue to be successfully provided by the NHS, and that's how it should be in Gloucestershire.”


If successful in the court hearing, campaigners pledge to do everything in their power to raise awareness of the situation and force local NHS bosses to listen to the public and keep services in the NHS.

Click read more for 'Notes for editors' and click on label 'NHS' for previous blogs on this issue and here for video of the legal issues discussed at the talk last November in Stroud. You might like to check their twitter site www.twitter.com/StroudAntiCuts for the latest short updates from court on the day or go to the court: http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/02/491991.html?c=on#c278732




Don't forget petition -  at time of writing, 250 signatures and counting! If you haven't signed yet please do: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-gloucestershire-s-nhs-public/signatures.html

Petition launched: Keep Glos NHS Public

Click on picture left to see the overwhelming opposition to these changes to our health service. In Gloucestershire the campaign continues - the petition is at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-gloucestershire-s-nhs-public.html

The legal hearing that will help decide the fate of our local community health services (ie. whether they are transferred to a private 'community interest company' and opened up to private sector competition in 3 years or fewer) is taking place on Wed 8th and poss Thur 9th February at the High Court in London. Here is the press release from Stroud Against the Cuts, here is their latest leaflet and see here the video I edited  on the talk by Prof Wendy Savage. Tomorrow at noon this blog will publish the latest press release on this issue.

You can also see lots more about the national campaign here: http://www.nhscampaign.org/

Stroud Potato Day success

What a great day Saturday - so many volunteers pulling together to sell so many seed potatoes - the tables were busy most of the day with many people buying seed potatoes for the first time plus those who are experienced growers trying new seed and old.

First to sell out were the organic Sarpo potatoes - Alys Fowler had recommended them in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago - see article here - they have been bred for 40 years in Hungary and are pretty blight resistant - I will be trying a couple of them this year and was telling other folk about them while on the stall in Merrywalks.....other bags also went down rapidly and I hope to have the figures of our top selling varieties soon! Update: over £500 of potatoes sold!

As always huge thanks to Chris Evans from the wonderful Dundry Nurseries - the home of the potato near Cheltenham - if you haven't got yours go there! Anyway Chris has been wonderfully supportive of this project that this year was organised by Transition Stroud and Down to Earth Coop - he has supplied most of what we needed to make this event possible. Of course Amanda Godber, Helen Royall, Jane Bown, Norah Kennedy, Tamzin Bent and others have also been great.

The day also saw a wonderful free lemon cake being handed out (made with potatoes instead of flour - you wouldn't know) and sales of the Stroud Potato Recipe book which was launched for last years event. Loads of fun and hopefully it will have raised some money for Transition and the Down to Earth Coop - it looks like the last bags of potatoes will be sold off locally in the coming weeks so check back here and we'll let you know if that does happen.

See the blog I manage re potatoes here:
http://stroudpotatoday.blogspot.com/

Motorists subsidising biofuels

New research commissioned by ActionAid and Friends of the Earth shows that motorists, the environment and poor people will be hit hard by biofuels in petrol - their new research shows car drivers in the UK will pay up to £2 billion more on the forecourt in 2020 if the government decides to increase the proportion of biofuels in petrol. A typical UK lorry driver will be spending as much as £1,400 extra per year on diesel by 2020.

The policy could also create an extra 13 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year in the UK, and more people in developing countries will go hungry and be pushed off their land as biofuel crops are grown instead of food.

Where on earth is the sense - this blog has covered this issue before and it is great that the campaign is still running to stop this madness. The EU target that the government aims to meet is based on the thought that biofuels are a greener alternative to fossil fuels. The reality is the opposite; biofuels increase greenhouse gases. The money planned to subsidise biofuels would be better spent on improving public transport and cycling.

Take action

Meanwhile on another biofuel matter E.On have submitted a planning application which, if approved, would allow them to generate 270 MW of electricity from burning imported virgin wood every year. At full capacity, they would burn pellets made from more than 2 million tonnes of wood annually. They want to partly convert Ironbridge coal power station to biomass. This large new demand for wood will translate into more aggressive logging abroad and, directly or indirectly, more forests and farmlands being turned into monoculture tree plantations. Take an action email at: http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2012/ironbridgealert/

Stroud Potato Day today!

Today is also Stroud Potato Day (see last post re National Libraries Day) - Transition Stroud and Down to Earth will be selling half a tonne of seed potatoes in Merrywalks from 10 to 3 - see more on our blog: http://stroudpotatoday.blogspot.com/

The pic left is of last years Potato Day from the new book 'The Transition Companion' by Rob Hopkins - I've just started reading and it has many inspiring stories about Transition projects around the country - well worth a look.

National Libraries Day today!

Yesterday I highlighted the consultation survey - not a great start as it is too complex. Anyway today is for celebrations....Children's author Alan Gibbons, who is the brains behind the idea of a National Libraries Day, has said that our efforts in Gloucestershire to ensure a decent library service was "a beacon to the whole country". See about Glos campaign here and more about the day at: http://www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/

Here are two links to great articles that featured in the press yesterday. The Guardian Books Blog to which Demelza submitted a "Save our Libraries : A Readers Report" entry: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/feb/03/save-library-campaigns   and an article in the Guardian which reflects on a year of library campaigning. Glos are mentioned several times and although the battle is far from over it is great to see the impact made not just locally, but nationally.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/03/national-library-day-year-protests 

In a mo I will do a post on this blog about Stroud Potato Day which is also today in Merrywalks.

Survey not a great start to library consultation

Well we all can remember the disaster GCC made of the libraries and the judge's comments about bad government well now comes the new consultation. As part of consultation on their re-drawn library strategy GCC have worked with a private consultation company to design a survey, which is available online and in libraries.  I understand they are spending £60,000 on this private company to conduct the  - this wouldn't be so bad perhaps if the consultation survey wasn't so poor.


The Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries campaign sent a link to the survey out to the FoGL email list, and almost immediately began to receive messages from service users deeply concerned at the survey’s content/design. I criticised the recent GCC budget survey for being too simple well this is too complex. FOGL have written this week to GCC with their concerns. Click read more to see their letter. The letter raises a number of useful points - it is certainly not very user friendly. The survey can be downloaded here: GCC_0018 QUESTIONNAIRE_PRINT

Industry needs to know UK government can be trusted

Caroline Lucas asks in her blog in The Guardian :"If policy can be changed retrospectively, why should business believe that the UK is a safe place to invest?"

Last month the government lost its appeal against a judge's ruling that its move to change the rates for solar feed-in tariffs before the official consultation has ended was "legally flawed". You can see my blog on this back in November when the Government started on this route. Interestingly Green County Councillor Sarah Lunnon raised the issue of tariffs at the County Council seeking support to challenge the government over this - it was dismissed despite it's direct impact on schemes within the County - the Cabinet member even saying 'no one has written to me on this issue.' Perhaps GCC Tories would consider their position a mistake now?

Well this High Court ruling is a victory for the solar industry and for renewable energy campaigners in holding the Government to account over its illegal attempt to make retrospective changes to the solar tariff. Indeed the courts have now twice ruled that these actions were unacceptable. As Caroline Lucas has said: "Investors need to know whether a government commitment to support them can be trusted, or if retrospective changes can be made at any point after investments start. A lack of trust is a huge disincentive to invest. The CBI describes the government's decision to slash subsidies for solar panels as an "own goal", stating that "moving the goalposts doesn't just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors.""

Extraordinarily Decc indicated that it intends to stubbornly forge ahead with its ill thought through plans - wasting time and money in the process. How much money wasted is still unknown - see here. So the solar industry remains uncertain - this is not a good message to give those seeking to invest here - if the rug can be pulled out from under an industry with no warning........ yes the tariff rates were probably too high initially but this is not the way to change them.

Stop the privatisation of our NHS

View over Stoud

Last month I covered the press release from the Stroud Against the Cuts regarding the legal case - see here - well below is the info in the latest leaflet which has been going out in towns across Gloucerstershire. The leaflet is in preparation for the upcoming legal case regarding the future of many of Gloucestershire's health services. For background info you can see my editing of a film of the talk by Prof Wendy Savage here and the bit with solicitor Kate Kaye here saying why we need to act.


Gloucestershire’s health services - nine community hospitals, ten health clinics, and other county-wide services - have been scheduled for transfer out of the NHS. Social Enterprise Trust (SET) or Community Interest Companies like Gloucestershire Care Services CIC (GCS-CIC), which has been proposed to take over the services, are not an alternative to the break up and privatisation of the NHS - they are part of that process. A legal case in Gloucestershire, supported by local anti-cuts groups challenges the claim of management that there was no alternative to social enterprise. It puts the option of keeping staff and services in the NHS back on the table, if management want to consider it. Elsewhere campaigns have successfully defended NHS services. The legal case can buy time for us to campaign together against social enterprise, but even if successful our NHS will be under sustained attack. The proposed Health & Social Care Bill removes all barriers to privatisation of the NHS. Say no to an American-style market-based health system.

We must fight to Keep Our NHS Public

Cheltenham Against Cuts & Gloucester Against Cuts:
cheltenhamagainstcuts@gmail.com • Tel: 07771162308
cheltenhamagainstcuts.wordpress.com
Forest Against The Cuts:
Tel: Diana Gash 01594 839441 or Pete Stanway 01452 760235
Stroud Against the Cuts: www.stroudagainstcuts.co.uk
contact@stroudagainstcuts.co.uk • Tel: Chris Moore 07810732379

NHS PRIVATISATION SCANDAL
Social Enterprise Myth & Reality
 
Myth: GCS-CIC is not about privatisation, it is a non-profit organisation.

Reality: GCS-CIC will be a private limited company, run as a business and will have to make a surplus. After 3 years (possibly 5 years) or sooner the private sector can compete for contracts. In Hull private companies stepped in months after the SET contract was signed. Award-winning SET Central Surrey Health lost out on a £500 million contract to a Virgin owned company, in it’s first bid against the private sector.

Myth: GCS-CIC will continue the NHS ethos and be free at the point of delivery. 

Reality: Staff and services will leave the NHS, services will be more fragmented and a national service undermined. GCS-CIC will have to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. Services will not be judged on the basis of need and quality but whether they will be successful in the market, before being opened to the private sector. A two-tier private/public system will grow.

Myth: NHS terms and conditions will be preserved for staff.

Reality: Protection under the TUPE (transfer of pay and conditions) system is much weaker than staying in the NHS. Unison has obtained a Department of Health letter confirming SET staff will be given new contracts that will be hard to protect. Cornwall Council broke promises to transferred NHS staff on pay and pensions.

Myth: GCS-CIC will be democratic and accountable to staff and the local community.

Reality: Decisions about the awarding of multi-million pound contracts will probably be made behind closed doors. Staff and public have never been asked if they want to transfer to GCS-CIC. The board of GCS-CIC will have 5 members from a list proposed by GCS-CIC. Staff will each have one 1p share, but there are questions about who will hold the majority and what right will staff have
to vote on a takeover.

Myth: If successful it will lead to the immediate privatisation of services.

Reality: If successful, NHS Gloucestershire management would have a choice between two options: either to tender services or keep them in the NHS. They can legally keep the services in the NHS and do not have to open services up to private sector competition. Integration with an NHS trust locally or nationally is one route, and as has happened elsewhere, it could be possible to set up a new NHS trust; there is no legal barrier to this (it would be a matter of Department of Health approval).

What You Can Do: Get in touch with your local anti-cuts group  and tell us what you think. Make your views heard: send letters to local newspapers and elected representatives, contact your GP, consultant or health support group (a template ‘open letter’ is available on the websites overleaf), and tell your friends, neighbours and colleagues. If you are a member of NHS staff email: helpthenhs@hotmail.co.uk (a supporter of the campaign who is a member of staff and union member) and if not already a member, join a trade union and get active in your branch.