PUB CAMPAIGN GETS PARLIAMENTARY BACKING

Posted on March 31, 2009 by PitsPots

By Matt Taylor

After divine intervention from a local priest earlier this month, we reported that the Coachmaker’s Arms was thrown a lifeline which could save it from demolition plans as part of the East West Centre development.

Father Peter Weatherby of the Sacred Heart Church stepped in and got the campaign national recognition by arranging to get the petition onto the Number 10 website, which lobbies direct to the Prime Minister’s office. Now, having had such high-profile coverage, the plight of the pub is attracting attention from global media organisations. Last week, licensee Jason Barlow was even interviewed by the New York Chronicle.

But closer to home, the fight to keep the pub, which is one of very few thriving traditional pubs in the city-centre, has now gained the support of the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group which believes:

“British pubs are an important part of this country’s history and heritage and are hugely important to the communities they serve; believes that well-run community pubs are sociable, controlled environments in which to enjoy alcohol and so are part of the solution to problem drinking; further believes that too many pubs up and down the country are being closed, for a variety of reasons, and often when they do not need to and should not close; further believes there is an urgent need for the Government to take action in terms for support and legislative changes to address this.”

In a letter to award-winning licensee Jason Barlow, Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds and chairman of the group, said:

“The”¦Group fully recognises the importance of Pubs such as the Coachmakers Arms to the communities they serve and particularly striking in this case is the pub’s one hundred and sixty year history within the community of Hanley.

“We think it is a scandal that popular and in many cases viable pubs are closing, usually just so developers can make money from what they see as a soft option to get planning permission. Some councils are supportive of pubs and will work with communities, some sadly are not. This is why it is so essential that planning law is of statuary consultation whenever a pub is closed and including a mandatory viability test.

“I have signed the petition that you have put on the Number Ten website and am also happy to formally give you the support in your campaign to save your pub on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group.”

The paper and online petitions previously attained nearly 10,000 signatures. Now the pub and its followers have the support of local MP Mark Fisher, as well as all of the MPs who have joined the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group. Can all of these people really be wrong? Or should the architects come up with modified plans to retain the historic Coachmaker’s Arms within the East West development?

It’s time to transfer power from the central state to local people! – Say the Tories.

Posted on March 31, 2009 by PitsPots

By Tony Walley.

David Cameron has launched a major policy green paper outlining Conservative plans to give power back to local communities.

He explained that “decentralisation, devolution and empowerment” are naturally part of a Conservative approach to government, and stressed the importance of an “empowering state” rather than an “overpowering state”.

“ËœControl Shift’, our decentralisation green paper, outlines a series of policies that will see powers transferred from the central state to local people and local institutions:

Abolishing all regional planning and housing powers exercised by regional government, returning powers and discretion back to local communities
Creating bottom-up incentives for house building, by allowing councils to benefit more from the increase in council tax revenues from new homes, rather than being equalised away by Whitehall
Allowing councils to establish their own local enterprise partnerships to take over the economic development functions and funding of the Regional Development Agencies
Giving local authorities a new discretionary power to levy business rate discounts, allowing them to help local shops and services, such as rural pubs or post offices
Provide citizens in all large cities with the opportunity to choose whether to have an elected mayor, through mayoral referendums
Greater use of direct democracy, including allowing residents to veto high council tax rises, and instigating local referendums on local issues
Requiring councils to publish detailed information online on expenditure by local councils ““ including the pay and perks of senior staff, and issuing new guidance to stop “Ëœrewards for failure’ to sacked town hall staff.

Caroline Spelman, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said, “It’s not just about empowering local government; we want to empower the people it serves so that they can have more say in how much of their money they want their council to spend on their behalf.”

But would this work here in Stoke? You could argue that we are close to government intervention now aren’t we?

It would be a good move if local communities were involved with the decision making progress especially relating to the areas in which the live.

How do the people from Trentham feel about this Conservative party initiative given the fact that they are represented by two Conservative councillors who they accuse of not acting in the ward’s best interests and seem hell bent on pushing policies through that the community definitely do not want!

Councillor Ross Irving said this afternoon that he fully supported the delvolvement of power on certain issues that effect communities and he feels that that is where the “ward budget” and how it is spent could involve local people.

Mr Irving felt that you could not widen this out to policies like BSF because it is a city wide policy and that this proposal has to be of benefit to the whole city. He did acknowledge that the TAG were unhappy with the decision but he still feels that the overall proposal is right.

On the question of whether this conservative green paper would give the people of Trentham a say on whether any new school is an academy or a Co-operative Trust, Mr Irving said that although the TAG have been a very powerfull action group he did not know if they were willing to take on the responsibilty of running a school. But he has always been willing to meet with the TAG and discusss the issue.

Is this not another example of how the EMB and coalition have destroyed the political party infrastructure in this city. Here we have a clear conservative initiative that local party activists have no chance of pushing in this city.

Over to you…………………

POLICE MANHUNT AFTER DEATH OF LOVING FATHER

Posted on March 31, 2009 by PitsPots

By Pits’n'Pots reporter.

Police are looking for a man who fled the scene of an accident in which father-of-one Sean Davy, aged 38, died late last Friday night.

The photograph of Ivan Weekes, aged 26, formerly of Princes Street in Stone, has been released by officers who want to talk to the man who was believed to have been driving another car involved.

Police want this man to come forward: Ivan Weekes

The fatal accident happened just before midnight on Friday March 27, when Mr Davy’s Peugeot 106 was in a collision with a silver Renault Megane near the George and Dragon pub on the A520 between Stone and Meir Heath.

Mr Davy, of Melrose Avenue in Meir Heath, was head chef at Granville’s in Stone, and leaves behind his 21-month old daughter, and partner, Claire, who has implored for anyone who has any information about the man who fled to contact police.

The family has now released a tribute to Sean, which is printed below in full:

Doting father, loving partner, and respected chef, Sean Davey

“Sean Davy aged 38 from the Meir Heath area, has been with partner “ËœClaire’ for the past 12 years. He was devoted to her, and to his 21 month-old daughter Christina ““ she was very special to him as she was born premature at only 26 weeks, weighing only 2 Ã‚½ lbs.

“He became a Chef after leaving school and worked all over Staffordshire. His career culminated in him working as “ËœHead Chef’ and Granville’s Brasserie in Stone for the past 2 years. He built up the venue to have a reputation for good food and was well liked and respected by his hand picked team.

“In regard to his interests ““ being a chef was a driving passion, he was also devoted to his family and had varied interests in music.

“Sean had a wide circle of friends.

“He will be greatly missed, Claire is totally devastated. They encountered many serious problems in regards to their daughter’s health (as a result of being premature) and as that improved, they were starting to enjoy life once again ““ and were due to go on holiday in the summer to put their problems behind them.

“Claire and Sean’s family implore any person with any information on the whereabouts of the driver who made off, to contact the police.”

Anyone with information about Mr Weekes’s whereabouts or the collision is asked to contact police on 0300 123 4455 or anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

MPs’ EXPENSES UP FOR SALE!

Posted on March 31, 2009 by PitsPots

By Tony Walley.

Details of MPs’ expenses receipts are being offered for sale for up to £300,000, it has been claimed.

Labour MP Sir Stuart Bell, who sits on the Speaker’s Commons Estimates Committee, told the BBC the committee was investigating the reports.

Sir Stuart said the claims of about 650 MPs are thought to have been for sale.

In the wake of a string of allegations about MPs’ expenses, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has suggested scrapping MPs’ controversial second-home payment.

Sir Stuart said: “All of the receipts of 650-odd MPs, redacted and un-redacted, are for sale at a price of £300,000, so I am told.

“The price is going up because of the interest in the subject.”

Sir Stuart added that all three of the main political parties should commit to reform of MPs’ expenses in their manifestos for the next general election.

Newspapers have reported a series of allegations about MPs’ expenses in recent weeks, fuelling speculation that information might be being leaked by officials within Parliament.

The allegations have prompted calls for a reform of the additional costs allowance – known as second-home allowance – which covers up to £23,083 of the cost of an MP staying away from their main residence to perform their parliamentary duties.

The row intensified when official figures showed the total expenses claimed by MPs went up 6% in 2007-8, to just over £93m.

In a letter to the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, which is looking into MPs’ pay expenses, Mr Brown has now urged it to consider replacing the existing payment with a “simpler overnight allowance” that would be independently determined.

He also suggested that all London MPs should receive the same allowance, ending the current distinction which allows those in outer London to make the additional claim for a second home.

In the Sentinel today, the expenses claimed by Stoke on Trent’s three Labour have been published.

Rob Flello MP

Collectively Rob Flello, Mark Fisher and Joan Walley claimedÃ‚ more than £450k in the main for travel, second homes and the running of offices.

Out of the three Stoke South MP Rob Flello claimed the largest amount. He ranked as the 75th highest claimant out of the 645 MPs’ with a total of £162,116.

Flello claimed £150,405 for running a second home and a constituency office.

Stoke North MP Joan Walley claimed a total of £146,719 in expenses. This amount included £134,210 on allowances and £12,509 in travel expenses. This put her in 325th place out of 645 MPs.

Stoke Central Mp Mark Fisher claimed a total of £147,664 which included £139,360 in allowances and £8,304 in travel expenses. This put Fisher in 309th out of the total of 645 MPs.

Mark Fisher MP

Our three city MPs are by no means abusing the system. I Live in Stoke South and I have visited Rob Flello’s constituency office and it is professionally run and is more akin to a public drop in centre. We get regular mail through the door updating us on what is happening in the community of Stoke South.

The real issue is of those MPs that are based in and around London yet are still claiming towards the cost of running a second home. I heard one London-based MP say on the radio the other day that she knew of a number of MPs who live within a ten mile radius of the Commons and still claim for another home apart from their main dwelling.

This type of abuse of public funds must be stopped and quickly! How do people feel reading the details about Jackie

Joan Walley MP

Smith & Tom McNulty who on the face of it are fleecing the taxpayer for all they can get away with, when so many citizens are losing their jobs and their homes in this recession. And they seem to be getting away with plenty.

MPs give up much of their time to live away from home to attend the various parliamentary meetings and to carry out their duties in Westminster. I know Rob Flello travels up from London late Thursday/Friday morning to start his constituency work. It is a hard life and at times comes at a great cost in MP’s personal life.

It is out of respect for all the hard working MPs that the abuse perpetrated by the few must be eradicated as a matter of urgency.

In our city there is always the suspicion that our politicians are in it for the rewards and national stories like those that have hit the headlines in the last few days do nothing to dispel the myth.

Source: BBC/Sentinel