Unions In Favour Of Labour? Options

[user23]

I wonder if the local unions who represent public sector workers and also fund the Labour Party nationally are happy with the Newbury Labour plan to try to re-negotiate hard working council workers contracts to reduce pay and benefits?

Incidentally Newbury Labour also plan to provide courses on game keeping and estate management at a new local campus.

This doesn't seem very true to the party's working class roots, if you ask me.

[Richard Garvie]

I wonder if the local unions who represent public sector workers and also fund the Labour Party nationally are happy with the Newbury Labour plan to try to re-negotiate hard working council workers contracts to reduce pay and benefits?

Incidentally Newbury Labour also plan to provide courses on game keeping and estate management at a new local campus.

This doesn't seem very true to the party's working class roots, if you ask me.

So it's wrong to identify savings in the council cost base? Our manifesto says:

Investigate possible savings in District Council internal cost base.
This will be done by looking at salaries paid for positions versus other authorities and look to implement salary reductions where necessary, departmental head counts, departmental spending and wastage.

Sounds like the responsible thing to do to me, and I think if you look at the actual pledge it says: "This will be done by looking at salaries paid for positions versus other authorities and look to implement salary reductions where necessary". Isn't this what the council was asked to do before cutting day centres and closing youth clubs?

As for the rural campus, it is part of a wider plan to make Lambourn a centre of ecxcellence for the racing industry. We have taken the time to consult with the Lambourn community, and it would appear that this is the sort of thing they want to attract the best talent to the area. The full pledge:

Work with the horse racing industry to create a centre of excellence in Lambourn
This would include improved facilities and academic qualifications set up to attract top talent to the area. By working with a further education provider, we can introduce a small college campus for the sole aim of attracting the very best talent from the racing industry to learn specific job roles. This campus could also provide courses on game keeping, estate management and the like providing one of the only rural focussed further education outlets in the UK. Further measures will be introduced to prevent redevelopment of yards, and if a campus was introduced additional leisure facilities could be included such as a swimming pool for community use.

Living in a rural community, I would have thought all parties were looking at ways to enhance what we do here and safeguard the village of Lambourn against future development.

[Andy Capp]

I wonder if the local unions who represent public sector workers and also fund the Labour Party nationally are happy with the Newbury Labour plan to try to re-negotiate hard working council workers contracts to reduce pay and benefits?

This is happening already, to a certain extent.

[Richard Garvie]

For those who wish to view the document, please visit: http://newburylabourparty.org/west-berks-manifesto

[user23]

This is happening already, to a certain extent.

Yes, you're right, but aren't Labour supposed to be the party of the people?

Attempting to cut public sector pay and conditions whilst promoting game keeping and estate management doesn't seem like they are, in Newbury.

[Richard Garvie]

Yes, you're right, but aren't Labour supposed to be the party of the people?

Attempting to cut public sector pay and conditions whilst promoting game keeping and estate management doesn't seem like they are, in Newbury.

Again, read the pledges in full. What should we do? Cut key services and allow Lambourn to be redeveloped?

Have a look at the whole manifesto and you will see what we are doing to stand up for the people of West Berkshire.

[Strafin]

Council workers are the biggest waste of money going, Labour are for the people for sure but workers, not shirkers.

[Richard Garvie]

Council workers are the biggest waste of money going, Labour are for the people for sure but workers, not shirkers.

The majority of council workers do a fantastic job, and this is not as User23 is trying to make it. What we have committed to do is look at what West Berks pays versus other local authorities, and that should have been implemented before cuts to services were carried out.

Once again, we have a council manager spinning against the Labour Party to protect the current administration.

[Bloggo]

Once again, we have a council manager spinning against the Labour Party to protect the current administration.

RG, you are priceless. How you of all people can accuse someone of "spinning the truth" is beyond me.

[Bloggo]

Council workers are the biggest waste of money going, Labour are for the people for sure but workers, not shirkers.

A little harsh in my opinion Strafin but I expect that there are still those employed by the WBC that could do with having their work responsibilities looked at closely.

[Richard Garvie]

A little harsh in my opinion Strafin but I expect that there are still those employed by the WBC that could do with having their work responsibilities looked at closely.

Why do we need so many people in the PR team for example, why do we spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on PR materials? Why not keep two people in the PR team, cut what we spend on PR in half and give that to the local media outlets to report what we release in an impartial way rather than burning good money on those silly glossy magazines?

Do we need so many people working in policy? If elected members and executive portfolio holders did their share, we would be able to save money there too.

There are opportunities throughout the council to save money before hitting key services, and it's not because council workers are lazy. We need to look at every aspect of council operations and see what can be done to reduce what we spend, it just depends whether the political will is there to do this.

[dannyboy]

I thought the local Labour party stood for 'No vested interests'?

[Bloggo]

There are opportunities throughout the council to save money before hitting key services, and it's not because council workers are lazy. We need to look at every aspect of council operations and see what can be done to reduce what we spend, it just depends whether the political will is there to do this.

More to do with "good housekeeping" than political will.

[Guest_Bill1_*]

Council workers are the biggest waste of money going, Labour are for the people for sure but workers, not shirkers.

[Richard Garvie]

I thought the local Labour party stood for 'No vested interests'?

We haven't got any interests. None of us work for the council, sovereign or anyone else who plays a big role in what the district council does. Anything we do will be on merit and a sound business case.

[dannyboy]

We haven't got any interests. None of us work for the council, sovereign or anyone else who plays a big role in what the district council does. Anything we do will be on merit and a sound business case.

You see no possible conflict then with a person connected with the media proposing to cut the council's PR dept & hand out the work done by it to the local media?

[NWNREADER]

For those who wish to view the document, please visit: http://newburylabourparty.org/west-berks-manifesto

Has the standard of English been addressed?

[Richard Garvie]

You see no possible conflict then with a person connected with the media proposing to cut the council's PR dept & hand out the work done by it to the local media?

Not at all. Nobody within the Labour Party locally has links to any of the media outlets in West Berkshire, so that accusation is without foundation. The fact is that our policy is in complete harmony with the policy set out by Eric Pickles. If Labour support it, The Tories support it, we save money and that money can be used to protect key services, what is the problem?

The problem as I see it is that the Conservative Party locally is run in the interest of a few people at the top, and they consistantly ignore Government policy. It's like David Cameron saying that every Unitary Authority should be run by a directly elected mayor. The only reason the Tories refuse to do it here is that they don't have a candidate who could work as leader on a full time basis. So whilst a mayor is desired by the Prime Minister, once again we have to go without as it would be detrimental to "Our Graham" <said in a Cilla Black style accent>.

[dannyboy]

Nobody within the Labour Party locally has links to any of the media outlets in West Berkshire

Which is akin to our MP being Rural Minister.

[Richard Garvie]

Nobody within the Labour Party locally has links to any of the media outlets in West Berkshire

Which is akin to our MP being Rural Minister.

What has the MP got to do with it? For the record, Mr B owns various estates and is involved in farming. Unlike the daily mail, I think that we should have people with Mr B's experience in DEFRA. My only criticism of Mr B was that he appears willing to hide what payments are made to his estate by the EU, with whom he works very closely. He could have killed all of those stories dead by saying he would personally publish what payments are made to his estate, but rather than engaging, he hid away giving people a reason to speculate on his motives.

You miss my point. Your post about it being ironic that I wish to see the council PR budget cut and given to local media outlets as set out by Eric Pickles because I've worked and still work with media organisations is only relevant if me or any of our members have links with any of the media outlets that would stand to benefit. As there is no link, your post isn't valid.

Unlike this Conservative run council, we will support Government policy that we agree with, as I've said many times before we only speak out against legislation we don't agree with. For whatever reason, it appears that Graham Jones and his colleagues ignore a lot of Government legislation!!!