Defend council Housing in Bolton.

Any one free to come up and leaflet and need a lift give us a call

Just been to the Manchester Green party meeting.

Well great bunch in Bolton, large group in Manchester and Salford and growing each week, really starting to enjoy politics again. I was amazed how many Socialist there were felt at home. Amazed one liberal came down i wonder if he is defecting?first of our meet the people meetings in Salford next week looks like we have rich pickings with today’s climate. One guy was going on about how bad Manchester Council is, and i thought it was made up of mainly Lib Dems.

Fair point to Mr Kingston,the funny part is sometimes you find out more off one of Neal Keelings moles than in your postion of Local Councillor

SCRUTINY IN SALFORD

Star date: 8th July 2010 SCRUTINY IN THE DARK We do hope there wasn’t anyone in Salford who was thinking of scrutinising Salford Council’s record in regeneration at this afternoon’s `Sustainable Regeneration Scrutiny’ meeting… Click here to find out why…

This afternoon, at 2pm precisely, the great democratic process of Salford City Council swung into top gear with its Sustainable Regeneration Scrutiny meeting. The forum was set to discuss Central Salford URC’s much maligned Irwell River Park project, amongst other things. And everyone was invited to ask questions… …Except that there are no relevant papers to be found anywhere on the web page… No `Report from last meeting’…No `Report on the Irwell River Park Project’… No reports on anything. How can we ask questions on things we have absolutely no information about? Are we supposed to be psychic? Still, it could be worse…anyone who wishes to look up info on the equally badly titled `Strategy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee’ will find absolutely nothing at all – not even an agenda or a web page… That’s what we like – democracy at its best. In Salford. Meanwhile, more and more of Salford Council’s more juicy business is being discussed in committees under what it calls `Part 2′, which means that the public and press is excluded, and no paperwork is shown at all. Things like the discussions around the huge loan given to the Salford Reds Stadium, the finances of the Central Salford URC, Council financial dealings with the New Deal for Communities, extra payments to Council employees  – in fact, most things that have a financial element are taken away from any accountability and scrutiny… and all people get to see is a `decision notice’ which has only the scantiest details on it – except to say that it’s gone through and been approved. And by that time, it’s too late. Alan Westwood, Salford City Council’s Strategic Director for Customer and Support Services, who is the officer responsible for how the council conducts its business, said: “It is an exception for the council to conduct its business in private but there are specific provisions within the Local Government Act which allow us to do that as some matters may be confidential.   “There are good reasons for these provisions and the law is there to protect the interests of the council and taxpayers, as well as those of third parties where necessary. On the occasions when it is justifiable for the council to discuss matters in private, we are still obliged by the Act to weigh up the public interest. Is the public interest better served by the matter being discussed privately or by it being discussed publicly?   “In the cases you are interested in, the decision was made because the nature of the business to be discussed would have included matters that were commercially confidential and the public interest was best served by that being discussed privately.”   We would argue that they were `best served’ by the public being kept in the dark. A £20million loan to Salford Reds Stadium – shouldn’t we know about it, without having to rely on leaks? It is our money after all…

Did you ever think how one copper could be sitting in his car doing his job and ends up like this. i hope they get the bastard before he hurts any one else.

David Cameron puts Eton pal in charge of state school spending

source the Mirror

David Cameron has put one of his Old Etonian chums in charge of state school spending.

Sebastian James was also a member of Oxford University’s notorious Bullingdon Club where he was pictured in its ludicrous tailcoat uniform with the future PM.

Mr James, appointed to a panel to decide how money is spent on new schools, becomes the 13th former Eton pupil to land a top government job since Cameron got in to No10.

Labour MP John Mann said: “This is cronyism pure and simple.

Government website that will ask public what services to cut will cost £20,000 a year

A new Government website asking for views on which laws and regulations should be scrapped will cost nearly £20,000 to run this year, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said today.

The ‘Your Freedom’ site, which forms part of the Coalition’s plans to restore civil liberties and reduce red tape, is expected to cost £19,853.98 during 2010-11.

Mr Maude said the total bill could go up or down according to the number of people visiting the site – but noted that the site did not need signing off by internal spending watchdogs because it fell below a £20,000 threshold.

Source the MAIL