Redcar and Cleveland Council's Labour Leader should explain walk-out

Labour Council Leader George Dunning walked out of a vital meeting with Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, yesterday.

He claims he had another meeting to go to. It is inconceivable that the Leader of a Council that desperately needs to attract business and get more jobs for its people could have a more important event to attend.

“Cllr Dunning needs to justify his behaviour and unwillingness to use this key opportunity to promote the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland to the Government.

“The Minister has already shown that the Government is prepared to help local business to bring jobs to Teesside and announce major assistance to a North East company yesterday.

“If Cllr Dunning is not prepared to bang the drum for our area, he should move over and let someone else do the job.”

Redcar Lib Dems urge visitors not to get caught short in the town

At yesterday’s meeting of the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Lib Dem Councillor Mary Ovens highlighted a serious flaw in the Council’s tourist plan for Redcar.

Questioning the Labour Cabinet Member Olwyn Peters, Cllr Ovens criticised the shortage of public toilets available or planned in Redcar.The great need is at the west end of the beach in the area of Majuba Car Park.

Cllr Ovens’ comments come after a sustained campaign by Coatham ward Lib Dem councillors Irene Curr and Josie Crawford.

Councillor Mary Ovens said:

"The oversight of Labour in Redcar is appalling. There is a clear need for additional facilities.

Redcar Lib Dem Councillor Josh Mason added:

Last week I heard of a pregnant woman being refused access to toilets in the “Vertical Pier” because she was not using other parts of the facility. This is nothing short of scandalous.”

Admin error in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Tax bills

Mr John Sampson, Head of Corporate Financial Services at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has sent the following note to Councillors: 

"The Council Tax bills that have just gone out to residents this week contain an error on the unique reference number and associated bar code. We are in the process of contacting all residents, by letter, who are likely to be affected by this, circa 27,000 

"The error is down to our partner Liberata and their validation prior to the printing of the bill, this error will be explained to residents. All costs associated with this error are being covered by a combination of liberata and their printers. 

"The letter to residents will go out on Friday (15th March), which will provide an apology from Liberata, along with a corrected reference number and bar code. 

"I can confirm, that this only impacts on those residents who pay their Council Tax via cash/card at post offices and similar counter services. Any direct contact with the Council to pay or payment via Direct Debit will be unaffected."

Labour dodging democracy on Council Tax say Redcar Lib Dems

Redcar and Cleveland Liberal Democrats have condemned the Labour Council for proposing for a 1.97% increase in Council Tax.

If the rise was above 2% the Council would have to call a referendum in which the people would decide. The rise will give the Council an extra £1.1 million.

Central Government has offered the Council well over half a million pounds if it freezes Council Tax this year. This is the third time Labour bosses have refused Government money to help keep Council Tax frozen.

Last year Labour raised Council Tax by 3.5%, the highest in the country.

Despite this the Labour council has managed to spend: over £4,319 on new furniture for the Mayor’s Parlour; £168,000 hiring a temporary officer; £95,000 on equipment it already had; £37,600 on bird monitoring; £36k on a temporary civic building; £78,000 on a legal case it had no chance of winning and was prepared to spend £20,000 on hiring a consultant to find out what everybody already knew about opposition to parking charges in Saltburn!

The Government has offered councils the equivalent of a 1% Council Tax increase if they freeze Council Tax. Liberal Democrats say Redcar & Cleveland Council should accept this offer which amounts to £585,000. Lib Dems think the extra money the Council says it needs could be found through savings and, at last, making a real effort to eliminate inessential and wasteful expenditure.

Councillor Glyn Nightingale, Lib Dem Group Leader, said:

"I am appalled at Labour cynically keeping the Council Tax rise just below 2% to avoid a public referendum.

“The 1.97% rise will raise an extra £1.1 million. By freezing Council Tax the Government will give the Council £585,000. The gap of £579,000 exactly matches all the wasteful schemes Labour didn’t need to pour money into plus the £200k unspent from this year. There is plenty of wasted money spent on things they can scrap if they have the will to do it. It’s not difficult.

“But instead they seem to want to organise yet another raid on people’s wallets.

“If they want 2% more they should have the guts to say so and let the people decide.”

An Historic night - Redcar Athletic's first floodlit match at Green Lane

Finally, after a years painstaking work littered with setbacks, Redcar Athletic FC are set to embark on an historic night for the town of Redcar with the first floodlit football game to take place in the town.

Redcar Athletic will take on current Wearside League Leaders Stockton Town on Tuesday 26th February 2013 in what will be an enthralling passionate derby game between the two sides.

Kick off is 7.30pm at Green Lane, Redcar, Yorkshire, TS10 4NF.

Athletic have switched the game from its usual Wednesday night slot to avoid a clash with the big FA Cup game Boro v Chelsea in in the hope that this will draw a big crowd for the game.

The club would like to publically thank several people for the hard work and long hours they put in to ensure that the floodlights were ready they include Paul Wilson, John Neesam, Ian Best ,Chris Dryden, Vince Peel, Wayne Burkill and Manager Nicky Ward.

Entry for the game on Tuesday is £2 adults £1 concessions a programme will be available at £1 and snacks and hot/cold drinks will be available.

The club will now try and embark on attempting to provide covered standing and seating accomodation at the ground. This would ensure that the set up meets Northern League approval. However, funds are now strictly limited and the club is appealing to anybody out there individuals, sponsors, companies to come forward and offer their support.

We can offer several packages so anybody with football in Redcar in their hearts please get in touch we would be delighted to hear from you. The last 12 months have been very difficult and frustrating for the club. But with financial support a keen and enthusiastic bunch of volunteers, plus an ambitious committee, we can eventually put football in Redcar on the map.

The club are hoping Redcar residents will turn out on Tuesday night to enjoy the football and support our local team

Redcar and Cleveland Liberal Democrat Councillors call for a Council Tax freeze

Redcar and Cleveland Liberal Democrat Councillors are calling for a Council Tax freeze in response to the Labour controlled Council threatening to impose a 1.99% increase in what council taxpayers are being asked to pay.

Last year Labour raised Council Tax by 3.5%, the highest in the country.

This came despite the Government’s offer of £1.4 million to the Council if it had frozen its council tax in 2012-13.

This is the third time Labour bosses have refused the Government money to help keep Council Tax frozen. Since then, instead of spending all of this additional money on services, Labour has continued to waste taxpayers’ money on things like new furniture for the Mayor’s Parlour and alterations to the City Learning Centre.

The Council has also underspent in some areas. This proves they didn’t have to make local people pay such a massive increase last year, and as a result they should freeze the Council Tax this year.

The Government has offered councils the equivalent of a 1% Council Tax increase if they freeze Council Tax. Liberal Democrats say Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council should accept this offer which amounts to £585,000.

The Labour leadership can’t continually complain that the Council gets an unfair deal from government, then turn down Government money while hitting the pockets of local residents.

Councillor Glyn Nightingale, Lib Dem Group Leader, said:

"Labour in Redcar and Cleveland have shown that they are happy to waste Council Taxpayers money, whether it’s £1.5 million on a Vertical Pier that nobody wants, £37,600 on bird monitoring, and £125,000 doing up the Town Hall just before it was demolished.

"I am appalled at Labour's cynicism of keeping the Council Tax rise below 2% to avoid a public referendum.

"It is high time the Council’s Labour bosses started thinking about local residents."

Redcar Lib Dems demand more democracy on health

Liberal Democrats in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland are urging the Labour controlled Council to make an influential new committee more democratic. 

The Labour Cabinet is proposing to give only three places out of 17 on the new Health and Wellbeing Board to elected members. All of these will be Labour Cabinet Members. The rest would go to senior officials from health organisations in the area. 

However, at a recent Council Scrutiny Board meeting, Lib Dem Group Leader Glyn Nightingale proposed that a majority of members be councillors, selected in proportion to their parties’ strengths on the Council. This received support from Conservative, Independent and Labour Councillors. 

Lib Dem Councillor Glyn Nightingale said: 

“Transfering the powers of unelected Primary Care Trusts to the Counci by the Coalition Government was major step in improving local democracy But now the Labour hierarchy l seems to want to replace one unelected body with another.

“This is a very important committee. It will be responsible for making sure the health of the public in our area is protected and improved. The quality of life for thousands of local people will depend on it doing its job well. That is why it is so important that the committee is democratic and accountable. 

“I am pleased that the Scrutiny Board has challenged the Labour Cabinet on this. I hope they will think again.”

Another Marske Labour Councillor resigns from Redcar and Cleveland Council's Labour Group

Losing one Councillor from St Germains Ward might be considered unlucky but losing two is just careless of the not listening Redcar and Cleveland Council Labour Group:

The following email was sent today to all Councillors from Councillor Sean Pryce:
Dear George and Labour Group members,

I have a duty to do what is right for the residents I represent. I stood as a councillor so that I can represent the views and wishes of residents. The Labour leadership of this council and certain cabinet members are repeatedly and consistently refusing to listen to the views of residents. This could not have been more clearly proven by the response to more than 99% of residents opposing a parking scheme. The council has no mandate to introduce such a parking scheme, and to propose and support spending a further £20,000, just so the council can justify raising revenue by parking charges, is possibly illegal, and if not is certainly immoral.

Residents are also tired of the annual rounds of council tax rises, when other councils that already have lower council tax rates are again freezing theirs.

From a personal point of view, as an ex serving police officer I had enjoyed my roles involving Cleveland Police, but the group saw fit to remove my involvement in favour of yourself and Councillor Goddard, when neither of you have a fraction of the knowledge of policing or policing issues. The fact that this was a paid role was not my concern.

Hence, I think that I can better represent the interests of residents by continuing my councillor duties in opposition to the Labour group and so resign from the Labour Group and from Labour Party membership herewith.

I hope that you can turn round what many interpret as an arrogant and “we know what's best for you” attitude from the leadership and some of the cabinet for the benefit of the council and our residents. No problems with anyone personally, just the unwillingness of some to listen to the residents they are supposed to represent.

Cllr Sean Pryce

Sean Pryce
Labour & Cooperative Councillor
St Germains Ward
Marske by the Sea

Lib Dem Group Leader Glyn Nightingale commented:

"Sean Pryce's resignation from the Labour Party is hardly surprising. This is yet another in a series of Labour defections and resignations since 2011. To lose three Cabinet members is serious. But to see its majority whittled away by defections is calamitous for Labour.

“The only two gains Labour made in Redcar in Council elections in 2011 have now been lost to defections.

“Labour continue to take their local dominance and power for granted.

They shamelessly ignore common sense, waste taxpayers' money and disregard what local people want.

They have rejected the Government's money to freeze Council Tax; squandered money on a vertical pier and £20,000 on a consultation that ignores a popular petition protesting against parking charges in Saltburn. It’s typical of their incompetence in running a multi-million pound organisation. Clearly, Cllr Pryce shares our view on these key issues.

“No wonder sensible people are still turning their backs on Labour, just as they did in 2010 when they turfed them out of government and elected the first Liberal Democrat MP, Ian Swales, in the Borough. Now, it seems they can’t even keep support within their own party."