The Conservative administration’s proposals include making cuts of more than £40,000 to the Robert Le Kyng and the Penhill/Pinehurst Children’s Centres and cuts of more than £8.500 to Children’s centres in places like Freshbrook, Dorcan, Stratton and Drove Road.

These Tories proposed cuts to Swindon’s children centres will be a huge worry to families in places like Freshbrook, Dorcan, Eastcott and Penhill, whose children’s centres are receiving cuts.

SureStart is a universal service for our town’s young families and any cuts to this service are depriving families of this essential support they deserve.

Unlike Labour, who have created and defended the many excellent children’s centres across our town, the Tories do not prioritise young people.

As Labour councillors and representatives of this town, we will stand up for our children and fight this lack of investment in their future. It is a shame that the Tories both locally and nationally are not doing the same.

Tories Proposed Sure Start Cuts in 2012/13

• Support jobs with money raised from repeating the bank bonus tax – not hold back recovery with the VAT rise and cuts that will put almost one million workers out of their jobs.
• Protect police numbers – not cut them while wasting £100 million on new elected police commissioners.
• Protect your frontline local services – not make unfair cuts which will hit the least well off the most.
• Get the deficit down through strong growth and sensible cuts – not by slashing too far, too fast, and putting your local economy at risk.
• Stand up for young people – not kick away the ladder by tripling tuition fees; scrapping EMAs; cancelling Building Schools for the Future; and slashing school sport

DOWNLOAD THE SWINDON LABOUR MANIFESTO 2011

Voting Stations are open from 7am till 10pm.

Guidance on voting procedure is available from Swindon Borough Council.

Labour Candidates and their contact numbers are:

1. Abbey Meads – Mark Viner (07811 142 413).
2. Central – Derique Montaud (07711 556 261).
3. Covingham & Nythe – Peter Watts (01793 529163).
4. Dorcan – Ged Meheran (07989 918 352).
5. Eastcott – Chris Watts (07776 238 327).
6. Freshbrook & Grange Park –  Neil Heavens (07817 262 258).
7. Gorsehill & Pinehurst – John Ballman (01793 694 584).
8. Haydon Wick – Tim Page (07717 669944).
9. Highworth – Anthea Beaumont (01793 762 517).
10. Moredon – Jenny Millin (07879 023 903).
11. Old Town - Cindy Matthews (01793 644 388).
12. Parks – Fay Howard (07952 350 656).
13. Penhill – Paul Baker (01793 334 598).
14. Shaw & Nine Elms – Michael Heal (07810 872 849).
15. St Margaret – Nigel Chalk (01793 346165).
16. St Philips – Joe Tray (07813 170 202).
17. Toothill – Steve Wakefield (07775 911 922).
18. Walcot – Ellen Osa (07577 923 694) .
19. Wroughton – Geraint Day (07753 957 565).
20. Western – Des Moffatt (07709 066 707).

Polling Stations locations are available from THIS LINK:

To use this link you’ll need to know your Polling District. Check on your card – the Districts in each Ward are as follows:

1. Abbey Meads - AM1-AM4.
2. Central – CE1-CE4.
3. Covingham & Nythe – CN1-CN4.
4. Dorcan – DN1-DN4.
5. Eastcott – ET1-ET5.
6. Freshbrook & Grange Park –  FG1-FG4.
7. Gorsehill & Pinehurst – GH1-GH3.
8. Haydon Wick – HG1-HG5.
9. Highworth – HW1-HW5.
10. Moredon – MD1-MD6.
11. Old Town - TL1-TL5.
12. Parks – PK1-PK4.
13. Penhill – PH1-PH4.
14. Shaw & Nine Elms – SE1-SE4.
15. St Margaret – SM1-SM3.
16. St Philips – SP1-SP6
17. Toothill – TW1-TW3.
18. Walcot – WA1-WA3.
19. Wroughton – WC1-WC5.
20. Western – WE1-WE4.

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OFFER YOUR HELP IN NORTH SWINDON OR SOUTH SWINDON

In George Osborne’s budget announcement last Wednesday nothing much was said about the effects of the forthcoming cuts in public services, and the way they are going to further depress the economy and affect people all over the country.  This is to be expected from this callous unthinking government, but the three changes above should have been hightlighted more.  Maybe Mr Osborne thought everyone was having a kip like Ken Clarke.

Relaxation of Planning Regulations:  according to Government spin, the relaxation proposed by our jovial Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles will “assist in the development of  sustainable projects”. Do we believe them?   Mr Pickles says that this proposed new policy will “regenerate redundant sites”., however Neil Sinden of the Campaign to Protect Rural England says that “the planning measures present a potentially devastating threat to the countryside and are unlikely to boost long-term economic growth“.   Is it possible that Tory Councillors on the Planning Committee were aware of these proposed changes, and were content to hold over the final decision on the Coate Water development until the new legislation had been announced? Just a thought.

Cutting winter fuel payments:  Mr Cameron, in the run up to the election made the pledge that winter fuel allowances would not be cut if he got to Number 10. It now transpires that pensioners over the age of 80 could lose as much as £100 next winter since the Government say they cannot afford the top-up payments introduced under Labour.

Reducing our standard of living: recent analysis of the Chancellor’s figures shows that typical families with children, who are already struggling, will see their real incomes fall by between 4% and 7% in real terms over the next year.  Take a family with a three-year-old child, where the father earns £45,000 a year and the mother stays at home to look after the child.  Economists at the Resolution Foundation have found that their disposable income will shrink by 4.6% in one year.  This is partly due to inflation outstripping earnings growth by 2.2% this year and partly because changes to tax credits and child benefit will bring an overall drop in the household’s real income of £1,590.  Take another example.  A couple with joint earnings of £39,000 (he earns £28,000 and she £11,000) who work 42 hours between them and have a baby cared for by a registered childminder while they are at work, will lose even more – some 6.9% of disposable income in 2011-12 compared with 2010-11.

How could Ken Clarke have slept through this attack on those who want to protect the countryside, and on pensioners, and on ordinary families with children?  Are he, Cameron and Osborne sleepwalking into another recession.?

Ged Meheren, Labour Candidate, Dorcan Ward.

After an outcry from the genuine society that even Dave’s “Big Society” could not ignore people have acted and the government has done what it should do – listen.  Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has told MPs that the government had “got this one wrong”, and the announcement is welcome.  A new panel will now look at public access to our forests and examine biodiversity within publicly owned woodland.

Even the proposed inclusion of safe “heritage forests” and guaranteed access rights could not hide the fact that this ridiculous, ideological decision was not going to go down well with the British people. Half a million people signed the petition objecting to the sell off.

However we must not take this decision for granted. Up to 25% of jobs at the Forestry Commission could still be lost. It wouldn’t be beyond this Con-Dem shambles of a government to sneak this one in again later in the year while they think we are not watching.  The plans to sell 15% of publicly owned forest at some stage are still there, and as people are finding out, this government cannot be trusted.

We are watching.  Lets hope we can reverse some of the Tory Council’s daft ideas.

Ged Meheran, Labour Candidate, Dorcan

Caption: Photo courtesy of Guardian

David Cameron promised us he would lead the greenest government ever however Environment Minister Caroline Spelman is rushing through the policy to sell off all public trees for a quick profit, and at the same time Eric Pickles is  stripping away the protection offered by planning permission.

Cameron has said the forest sell-off “empowers local communities” to take over the forests for themselves as part of a “Big Society”, but DEFRA(the ministry responsible) expects only about 1 percent of the sales to go to local co-operatives or green groups.   Most of them will go to the Tories friends who will then put up the fences to keep you and me out!!.  The “Big Society” is being used to camouflage the dismantling of public (state) ownership of the environment.  Many of these forests became public as far back as the Magna Carta in 1215 and should stay that way.

Cameron has been accused of breaking every environmental promise he made prior to the election.   He told us in 2007 when talking about forests that he would “take a more effective and strategic approach to safeguarding a priceless – and irreplaceable – natural asset.”  He said the countries that “are cutting forests down” are “barmy.”

Well this sale is part of the Coalition’s  ideological ‘barmy’ thinking which will see the sale of forests into private hands.  A clear message needs to be given to the Coalition that Britains forests don’t belong to them, they belong to us.

Going through the House of Lords as we write this is the Public Bodies Bill.  This Bill contains measures which enable the sell-off.  Yet at the same time they are about to start another consultation – as if their minds werent set already!

So whats at risk  - well big national forests like the New Forest and the Forest of Dean certainly are.  3,700 ha in Wiltshire are owned or leased by the Forestry Commission (1).  Parts of the Marlborough Forest or Westonbirt could be sold.  Even the Forestry Commission’s lease of Severnake Forest could have to be given up.  Closer to Swindon,  Nightingale Wood (near to Dorcan) might have to go and the work that the Forestry Commission does with the Great Western Community Forest (already suffering Council job losses) could stop.

A YouGov poll today showed that 84% of the British public oppose this plan to sell of public forests .  Please help us by signing the petition on www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests to stop the Government from selling off our prize national assets.

Ged Meheran, Candidate Dorcan Ward, Bob Wright, Councillor Central Ward.

Notes:

1. National Inventory of Woodland and Trees (from which the map comes)
2. Readers in Swindon  might also like to look at the excellent leaflets produced by the Great Western Forest on Moredon Tree Collection, Nightinggale Wood,  Woodlands SW of Swindon, Woodlands NE of Swindon and Woodlands Close to Swindon.
3. his Guardian Article gives good background.
4. If you want to hear more about the local campaign in the Forest of Dean visit www.handsoffourforest.org.

Across the town, the issues that concern people are those that include establishing greater co-operation with the local police in reducing local crime, tackling environmental problems including litter/flytipping / dog waste on the streets, finding solutions to traffic/parking problems (which could increase in Dorcan with the propsed Coate Water build up), monitoring street signs and lights, monitoring the state of  pot holes in the roads.

We must fight the Tory-led coalition nationally and fight the cuts to services in Swindon and help those disadvantaged by the cuts.

I want to be someone who will always be available for people and who will be a visible presence in the ward. I want to keep people informed of what is being decided on their behalf.  The local elections in 2011 will be an opportunity to let the Tories and their partners in the Lib Dems know that there is an alternative to swingeing cuts.  Cuts that disadvantage everyone, but cuts that will damage those who need help most.

Ged Mehran, Labour Candidate

Sarah can be contacted here