Latest news with #Labour-led
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire council 'regret' at axing free school buses
From September schoolchildren in Monmouthshire will only qualify for a free bus pass if they live more than three miles from their secondary school or two miles for primary school pupils. The county council tightened its qualifying distances, which had been two miles and one a half miles, to bring them into line with the Welsh Government's statutory distances and said a home to school transport bill of £7 million a year was unaffordable. The decision was confirmed in September last year and the cut to the transport allocation included in the current budget that was approved in March by the Labour-led council. But at their July meeting councillors backed a motion by Conservative councillor for Portskewett, Lisa Dymock, that 'regrets' its adoption of the statutory distances 'will cause financial hardship and logistical difficulties for many Monmouthshire families'. Several Labour councillors spoke in support of the motion and criticised how the decision had been implemented. Labour's Rachel Garrick said 13 children in her Caldicot Castle ward, who attend a local faith school, are impacted and claimed no parents were aware of an email from the council regarding it. She also criticised an impact assessment as she said it hadn't taken account some parents are having to reduce hours at work to accompany their children to school. Bulwark and Thornwell member Sue Riley said she and her Labour ward colleague, Armand Watts, had raised their concerns about impact on low income families for the past two years. She said she doubted many children from her ward, one of the most deprived in Monmouthshire, would 'have the benefits of a good pair of shoes and warm coat' as she had when she walked to school. The council's consultation was also criticised while Conservative member for Mitchell Troy and Trellech, Richard John, said children in his ward will be expected to walk six miles to and from Monmouth Comprehensive. Shirenewton Conservative Louise Brown outlined fears regarding the council's 'safe route' to Chepstow school, along the A48, and a number of incidents where pedestrians had bene 'clipped' by passing vehicles. 'Anyone who says it is safe has quite frankly never walked it,' said Cllr Brown. She said she will present a 220 signature petition to the council while St Arvans member Ann Webb said 300 have signed a petion concerned at the route to Chepstow and the Dell Primary. It passes the racecourse which she said was also a concern: 'People leaving can be quite jolly, whether they've lost or won, and it can be quite intimidating for parents and children.' Former cabinet member for education, Cllr Martyn Groucutt, defended the original decision and said the council was being 'ripped off' on some bus contracts, which operators can hand back at short notice. He also said when he made the decision he had spoken to headteachers and none had raised school transport as a concern and that he was aware of the socio-economic position in Bulwark and Thornwell but said the headteacher at the primary hadn't raised it as issue. Current cabinet member for education Laura Wright said she was 'entirely happy to support the motion' but defended the 'unfortunately necessary' changes. The Abergavenny councillor said: 'It was not a decision we wanted to make but governance involves difficult choices'. She said it was better to continue to support services such as educational psychology in schools than continuing to provide a more generous transport policy. She also said the other points in Cllr Dymock's motion regarding expediting appeals, contacted affected families and setting out their rights to appeal and working with schools and communities on 'exploring, safe alternatives' were already being done. At the meeting it was also confirmed 51 primary pupils and 64 secondary pupils will lose their entitlement to free transport from September as a result of the changes and a further three pupils will no longer be entitled to a bus pass as a safe walking route to their school has been identified. The council had previously expected more than 300 children to be impacted but said final figures wouldn't be known until application for this September had been made.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Monmouth Shire Hall refurbishment confirmed by council
The 301-year-old grade I listed building, where the Newport Chartist leaders were tried in 1840, is to undergo a £2.8m refurbishment with a £1.5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund confirmed this week. Visitors will also be able to see the historic courtroom where John Frost, Zephaniah Williams and William Jones were convicted of high treason and the cells in which they were held as well as exhibits related to naval Admiral Lord Nelson. The latest stage of the refurbishment is to create new galleries, learning and community spaces and make the entrance foyer 'more welcoming' as part the revamp of the building that dates from 1724 and is considered of national importance. Monmouthshire council's deputy leader Paul Griffiths said the refurbishment that includes relocating the museum into the revamped Shire Hall could boost town centre footfall. He said: 'The challenge for all our town centres is to create ever more reasons for people to be in the town centre. The days have gone when one goes to town purely to shop. One goes out for a range of reasons and very often shopping is coincidental to that. For our businesses to thrive we've got to find those other reasons to bring people into town. 'This project will create a truly exciting visitor experience that will encourage local people to come to town, and as importantly, my ambition is for families in Gloucester and Bristol to think, 'what can we do with the kids on a Saturday afternoon? We can go to Monmouth there's an excellent museum there'.' Cllr Sara Burch, the cabinet member responsible, said the council has also secured £228,850 from the Welsh Government towards the costs and a £30,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation. The council's Labour-led cabinet approved a further £300,000 in capital funding towards the project and Cllr Burch, said she is confident the authority can 'close the gap' of the £500,000 still to be secured. She said a part time fundraiser will also be appointed as part of the project. The Monmouth Museum collection, that is relocating from the Market Hall, includes its large collection of Nelson memorabilia, including his naval sword and those of the defeated Spanish and French commanders at Trafalgar and letters from him to his wife Lady Hamilton. The collection was bequeathed by local landowner Lady Llangattock, mother of Rolls-Royce founder Charles Stuart Rolls, in 1923. Monmouth Town Council will continue to be housed in the hall while the shop and visitor information area will also be expanded. Listed building permissions have been granted for the works.
ITV News
a day ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Keir Starmer urged to use his 'power' to end Birmingham bin strike
The Prime Minister has been urged to use his influence to intervene in the long-running bin strikes in Birmingham. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called on Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner to step in to deliver a "decent settlement" to the bitter row over the scrapping of a role which would lead to some workers losing £8,000 a year. Members of Unite the Union have been on an indefinite strike since March 11, leading to bags of rubbish piling up across the city. FBU general secretary Steve Wright said unions affiliated to Labour, like the FBU, would not tolerate a 'betrayal' by the party - drawing comparisons to high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that he says Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in. Steve Wright said: 'The treatment of the bin workers has been outrageous. 'It's a disgrace that a Labour-led council forced these dedicated public servants to go on strike by attempting to cut their pay by thousands of pounds. 'The Prime Minister and his deputy cannot stand by any longer and allow this attack on the jobs and wages of these workers who have lost their family incomes and faced dire poverty for many months. 'Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner could easily resolve this dispute by insisting that Birmingham Council halts the planned pay cuts and compensates the bin workers for all lost earnings. 'The leadership of the Labour government has the power to do this, and there must be no excuses. 'Nearly 30 years ago, Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in favour of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers. 'Unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU that help fund the party's election campaigns will not tolerate a repeat of this betrayal of striking workers.' The council insists its move is aimed at improving the waste and recycling service, adding that affected workers have been offered other jobs. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government has been working intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets in the interests of Birmingham residents and public health. 'The Government remains committed to supporting Birmingham's long-term transformation, for the benefit of local residents, and to a sustainable resolution of the equal pay issues which have been left unresolved for far too long.' Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership of the union and is re-examining its relationship with Labour as a result of the dispute. The city council said this month all its offers had been rejected by the union, sparking fears of redundancies. But Unite warned bin workers could make unfair dismissal claims.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Keir Starmer urged to intervene in Birmingham bin strike
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner to step in to deliver a 'decent settlement' to the bitter row over pay. Members of Unite have been on all-out strike since March, leading to bags of rubbish piling up across the city's streets. FBU general secretary Steve Wright said the Labour Government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts, which Unite says would lead to workers losing £8,000-a-year. The firefighters' leader said unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a 'betrayal' of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that he says Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in. Steve Wright said: 'The treatment of the bin workers has been outrageous. 'It's a disgrace that a Labour-led council forced these dedicated public servants to go on strike by attempting to cut their pay by thousands of pounds. 'The Prime Minister and his deputy cannot stand by any longer and allow this attack on the jobs and wages of these workers who have lost their family incomes and faced dire poverty for many months. 'Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner could easily resolve this dispute by insisting that Birmingham Council halts the planned pay cuts and compensates the bin workers for all lost earnings. 'The leadership of the Labour Government has the power to do this, and there must be no excuses. 'Nearly 30 years ago, Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in favour of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers. 'Unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU that help fund the party's election campaigns will not tolerate a repeat of this betrayal of striking workers.' Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership of the union and is re-examining its relationship with Labour as a result of the dispute. The council insists its move is aimed at improving the waste and recycling service, adding that affected workers have been offered other jobs. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government has been working intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets in the interests of Birmingham residents and public health. 'The Government remains committed to supporting Birmingham's long-term transformation, for the benefit of local residents, and to a sustainable resolution of the equal pay issues which have been left unresolved for far too long.'
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Keir Starmer urged to intervene in Birmingham bin strike
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner to step in to deliver a 'decent settlement' to the bitter row over pay. Members of Unite have been on all-out strike since March, leading to bags of rubbish piling up across the city's streets. FBU general secretary Steve Wright said the Labour Government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts, which Unite says would lead to workers losing £8,000-a-year. The firefighters' leader said unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a 'betrayal' of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that he says Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in. Steve Wright said: 'The treatment of the bin workers has been outrageous. 'It's a disgrace that a Labour-led council forced these dedicated public servants to go on strike by attempting to cut their pay by thousands of pounds. 'The Prime Minister and his deputy cannot stand by any longer and allow this attack on the jobs and wages of these workers who have lost their family incomes and faced dire poverty for many months. 'Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner could easily resolve this dispute by insisting that Birmingham Council halts the planned pay cuts and compensates the bin workers for all lost earnings. 'The leadership of the Labour Government has the power to do this, and there must be no excuses. 'Nearly 30 years ago, Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in favour of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers. 'Unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU that help fund the party's election campaigns will not tolerate a repeat of this betrayal of striking workers.' Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership of the union and is re-examining its relationship with Labour as a result of the dispute. The council insists its move is aimed at improving the waste and recycling service, adding that affected workers have been offered other jobs. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government has been working intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets in the interests of Birmingham residents and public health. 'The Government remains committed to supporting Birmingham's long-term transformation, for the benefit of local residents, and to a sustainable resolution of the equal pay issues which have been left unresolved for far too long.'
