Thought it might be an idea to check out the three main political party's web sites and see what news articles were posted recently on Communities, Transport, and Leisure for example. I found three items and their news pages are updated on a regular basis. However the Lib Dems news page didn't appear to have those topics covered so if you know of a news article I can use and place a link to please let me know. I want to try and keep a balance on this.
Remember these are samples of news articles printed on their web sites. It would be interesting to know what the views are from our local Councillors on these issues, how they plan to get involved with the communities because so far there has been limited involvement from them with local forums and community meetings.
The Labour News Pages
This is just two of many news items I found on communities, transport and sports so check out their news pages and make up your own mind.
Labour's policies on strengthening communities
Sustainable communities are about the things that matter to people: decent homes at prices that they can afford, good public transport, schools, hospitals, and shops; local residents able to have a say on the way their neighbourhood is run; and a clean, safe environment.
What can we do to sustain and strengthen Britain's communities?
The Labour Party believes that decisions should be taken by, or as close as possible to, the people affected by them. This means that we need to give local people more opportunities to change the things that matter to them, while developing the role and functions of local government to be more responsive to local needs. We want to engender a greater sense of ownership and investment in our communities, and to strengthen the role of local government as the champion of local communities.
Labour also believes that everyone should have the opportunity to live in a decent, affordable home. There are now over a million more homeowners than there were in 1997. The quality of our social housing stock has risen rapidly, through the Decent Homes Standard which by 2010 will have improved 3.6 million homes, benefiting eight million social tenants, with investment of over £40 billion. We now need to look to increase provision of decent and affordable housing to meet future needs.
How do we best meet Britain's transport needs?
A sustainable and integrated transport system is essential for our quality of life, continued economic success, and for building sustainable communities. People need to be able to move within and between communities, with choices and in a way that respects our environment.
The challenges we face in pursuing these goals are compounded by decades of underinvestment in our transport infrastructure. Successive governments have failed to devote sufficient resources to our transport network. We are half way through our Ten Year Plan for transport, published in July 2000, which is beginning to set things right. Now, to improve our transport network we need to plan ahead for the challenges we know we will face in the future.
Points to consider:
- What more can be done to empower neighbourhoods and communities?
- How do we build a culture of community leadership?
- What contributions can the third sector make to creating sustainable communities?
- What measures can we take to strengthen the leadership of our towns, cities and regions?
- How do we meet Britain's housing needs and aspirations?
- How can we ensure greater provision of affordable housing in the future?
- What can we do to minimise the environmental impact of new housing growth?
- How can we provide more social housing, including council housing, alongside improving existing stock?
- How can we ensure that the whole of Britain benefits from the London 2012 Olympics?
- What can we do to reduce road congestion in the long term?
- What must we do to create and maintain a sustainable transport system?
Web Link: http://www.labour.org.uk/stronger_communities
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PM welcomes £11 million boost for youth sports scheme
Gordon Brown has welcomed an £11 million boost to the national Kickz project which has been hailed as a success in cutting anti-social behaviour.
Kickz will receive the additional boost over three years, with the funding from the Football Foundation, the Metropolitan Police Service and the Labour Government helping the project expand its sporting and educational sessions.
It will now be extended to 100 projects and will involve 12,000 teenagers in the most deprived areas of the country, increasing the existing provision by four times.
The scheme is a partnership of 19 Premier League and Football League clubs that offer young people the chance to take part in sports sessions three nights a week, 48 weeks of the year.
These activities include football leagues, tournaments and coaching sessions as well as educational sessions about issues like healthy lifestyles and the dangers of drugs use and carrying weapons.
The Prime Minister said: "Football clubs are perfectly placed to offer something back to some of the most marginalised members of society."Through Kickz they can help young people get involved in their community and learn self-respect, personal achievement and a sense of responsibility.
"Kickz shows the extraordinary power of football and sport in general to reach young people and provide a route into volunteering, training, education and employment."
The funding we have pledged today will ensure that this partnership between the Government, football organisations and the police continues to grow and deliver positive results for young people and their wider communities in the years ahead."
In the first four pilot areas of the scheme, police reported that anti-social behaviour and low-level crime fell by an average of 27 per cent on the days that Kickz sessions were held.
The Football Foundation is investing £4.7 million in the scheme, the Metropolitan Police Service £3 million and £1 million is coming from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Matched funding from local bodies will bring the total funding amount to £11 million over three years.
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The Conservative News Pages
This is just one of many news items I found on transport and there is a lot about the train service so check out their news pages and make up your own mind.
Government way off target on transport
Conservatives have questioned whether the Department of Transport is fit for purpose after a group of MPs condemned the Government for failing to meets its targets for traffic congestion, air quality, and vehicle emissions.
Commenting on the findings of the Transport Committee's report into the Department for Transport's Annual Report 2006, Shadow Transport Minister Owen Paterson said: "There should be real questions asked about whether this department is capable of doing its job."
In their report, the cross-party body found that of seven targets, the department had met just two, covering road safety and rail punctuality. Targets for congestion, air quality, public transport and carbon dioxide emissions, have all been missed, leading the committee chairman, Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody to declare: This is a terrible picture of failure."
Seizing on the findings, Mr Paterson said: "This damning report is more evidence of a Department for Transport which only has one idea - road pricing. And it can't even explain that."
And referring to the systemic failures highlighted by the report on road pricing, congestion, buses, concessionary fares, railways and emissions, the shadow minister declared: "There should be real questions asked about whether this Department is capable of doing its job."
Mr Paterson added: "The Department should be in the vanguard of thinking about curbing the growth of exhaust emissions, but instead, as with most other things, it seems to be wedded to old fashioned top-down Whitehall targets, and it can't even meet them."
Web Link: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=135055
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The Liberal Democrats News Pages
There are many news items I found on their web site but I couldn't find anything recent on transport or community spirit. However if someone knows different please let me know and I'll add it to the blog. In the meantime check out their news pages and make up your own mind.
Web Link: http://www.libdems.org.uk/
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