Tory CCTV Car Anger Swells

The one-eyed 'white vulture' cars have been causing trouble amongst residents once again. There prowling and illegal antics continue to upset council tax payers across Medway, with many residents standing up against the Conservative CCTV cars which have plagued and harrassed for years.

The news that the cars have been treating residents with contempt are not new. We have had numerous examples of the cars breaking the law, from parking on double yellow lines to prowling around primary schools around the same time that parents come to drop off or pick up their children. Coincidence?

The simple fact is that Tory Councillors have planned massive increases in the amount they expect to make from the vehicles. The Council budget, passed in April, highlights starkly that they do not care at all about the plight of motorists across Medway.

Our Conservative masters in Gun Wharf are only interested in the money they can make out of previously law-abiding citizens. The morality of snooping on the same public, which also pays the Council tax rates for the vehicles are ignored.

With that in mind, the news that the all-seeing CCTV Spy Cars have issued more than 16,000 tickets in the last financial year, raking in just over £455,000 in fines from motorists must now be the final straw for many residents.

This is nothing short of a full scale Tory attack on Medway Motorists.

The stunning statistics were revealed in a report by anti-surveillance pressure group Big Brother Watch and showed that on average the authority's two camera cars penalised a combined total of 300 Medway drivers each week between April 1, 2009, and March 31 this year.

The number of tickets and overall income are both roughly four times higher than those recorded in Manchester, a city with more than 200,000 more residents.

Big Brother Watch's figures show that 54 CCTV Smart Cars, employed by 31 councils across Britain, generated more than £8 million in fines last year and fined more than £187,000 motorists.

We are now seeing residents having to take their own action to prove that the vehicle is causing distress.

One stalwart of the communuty, Bill Khan filmed the antics of the Medway Council employee who instead of offering some humility decided to argue with a member of the public for filming him at work.

The 34-year-old stalwart of the community captured the Smart car from the pavement while it was patrolling Batchelor Street, just off Chatham High Street. Mr Khan, who sent his video to the Medway Messenger, said:

"Is this how Medway Council train their employees? Not very good ambassadors for the council, are they?"

Tory controlled Medway Council said Mr Khan could not have been arrested for filming the warden, but declined to comment further.

This blog has previously commented on the CCTV car. It believes the problem stems from the very top. With arrogant and out of touch Tory Councillors in charge why are you not surprised?

Previously, Tory chief Cllr Filmer, who is in charge of the CCTV cars, happily admitted that the CCTV car parked in prohibited places about 70 per cent of the time and was above the law. He also indicated that the car "never causes an obstruction to other vehicles. It is done to ease the congestion of our towns and to provide a safer working environment. It has had a positive impact"

Make no mistake at all, the car has left a terrible legacy. Throughout its tarnished history it has merely served to highlight the total contempt of Tory Councillors towards the general public.

Last year a direct comparison was made between the illegal parking of Conservative Councillors at Gun Wharf in Disabled Parking bays (twice) vis-a-vis the fine the CCTV would have given for parking in the incorrect bays.

The CCTV car has also been spotted parking illegally outside the Conservative Party HQ in Gillingham & Rainham. The Tory group led the purchase of the despised CCTV car and has wholeheartedly supported the punitive taxation of motorists across the town by purchasing further vehicles.

Every month the press is inundated by members of the public who are sick and tired of the CCTV Car. They are tired of the car arrogantly breaking the rules and they are fed up with the insulting manner and its contempt for basic highway rules and the traffic code. There is a general groundswell of support to scrap the vehicle entirely and use the money to fund stand-alone CCTV traffic cameras outside schools, where dangerous driving could harm lives and cameras could actually save lives.

The Tories have a lamentable record on transport in Medway.

The multi-million pound two-way traffic madness in Chatham, the purchase of an unsafe Medway Tunnel which could see a Tory Toll, constant uncoordinated roadworks, disgrace around gritting during the winter months. Pothole madness in Strood and a bus station farce in Chatham which has seen the destruction of town heritage. Meanwhile we have a total lack of oversight around Arriva busses with some areas of Medway left uncovered by a basic service on Sunday's. That is not to comment on the the gerrymandering of funding for the Yellow Bus scheme and the opposition to the Freedom Bus Pass.

Next year you can make a difference and vote to kick this lot from office

Tory Cuts undermining Economic recovery

Ideological and brutal cuts to schools, hospitals and local services. Privatisation of health and school services. Undermining of the police and criminal justice system. A Tory government is now in full swing.

Now we have 'credit' bounty hunters being paid by the government to spy on the citizens of our country targeting the poorest in society.

This Conservative Government has scared consumer confidence and cut too early and too quickly. House prices are wobbling and people are fearful for their jobs.

The Coalition has squandered the economic recovery that they inherited by Labour. A recovery that came after a recession caused not by government, but by the greedy market.

Tory cuts. They must be opposed.

John Jones - Voice for River Ward

John Jones, Cllr Stephen Hubbard and me.

Voters will go to the polls on Thursday to elect a Councillor for River Ward.

Six candidates are campaigning for the seat, with each of the three main parties represented alongside the Greens, BNP and English Democrats.

This blog will be encouraging readers in River Ward to vote for John Jones on Thursday for three major reasons.

1) Character - John has been a champion in the ward for years. As Chair of the Residents Association and involved in the PACT he has already shown years of service in the community. Unlike any other candidate he can claim and has a network of contacts in the community should he win

2) Judgement - the Conservative Council has made some pretty lousy decisions over the last three years. It has not managed or scrutinised road-works. It has purchased the Medway Tunnel with a potential for a toll in the future which would hurt River residents. Tories nationally are undermining the fight against anti-social behaviour by supporting a national government which is cutting police numbers, undermining magistrate services and introducing shorter sentences for career criminals.

3) Scrutiny - John has been involved in local politics and understands how to fight for resource. He has first hand expertise on matters of regeneration, which will impact the ward in future years.

The Conservative candidate is very credible but taking experience, judgement, involvement and ability together; John Jones has shown he has all four in equal measure.

The other candidates in the ward will not come close. This a two-horse race between John Jones and David Craggs. A vote for any other party will let the Conservatives through the back door.

This blogger knows John well and believes he will be a fantastic and tireless representative for residents.

If you want someone who will stand and fight for River ward, who will be out every weekend speaking to residents (in eight languages), improving his community and who can challenge and scrutinise our Council then vote John Jones on Thursday.

Tory Academy cuts Averted

It is only a tad two-faced for senior Conservative MPs to be taking credit, in full public, about the fact that our Medway Academies have finally been granted the funding to build new buildings.

It was a Conservative Government which threatened the funding in the first place and which has caused head teachers, parents and pupils untold stress and heart ache for months.

The credit, if any, should go to the tireless head teachers, school staff and Academy Sponsors who have had to wait, on every baited breath, from that call from the Department for Education indicating that Michael Gove had saved them from the Tory axe. The credit should also go to all those cross-party campaigners who worked hard to represent the Academies.

As we can now see, the funding for the Medway Academies was never a slight of hand by the previous Labour Government.

It was always costed and totally fundable.

The threat to these Academies had always and only come from a Conservative Government which had quite clearly rushed through, on what now can be seen by the public, to be a monumental mistake of judgement. The fact that Michael Gove himself has had to apologise for a litany of errors and the Department for Education has had to publish half a dozen (at least) corrected versions of the BSF cuts list highlights the total ineptitude of this current administration.

The next step is to identify what went wrong in government.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, it has seen internal memo's showing that Mr Gove was repeatedly warned by top officials that the £55 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme was a minefield which could not simply be abandoned at a stroke. He ignored the advice.

The general public can spot a mistake of this kind and identify its cause.

Everyone knows that Gove has managed this process so appallingly that a school-child with half his supposed IQ could have stepped in and got it right, after the first list of BSF cuts. Gove simply and carelessly rushed out lists of cuts to prove a political point, that Labour had made-up the funding for the Academies. The fibs that Labour had pledged money before the election that the government did not have, now stand totally hollow.

The announcement this week that our Medway Academies have secured funding is a welcome u-turn for sure, but this whole process highlights why Michael Gove, a former journalist, simply is not qualified to manage a major department of state.

The numerous errors point to one judgement. Michael Gove is simply not up to the job.

Local Tory MPs should be careful to take the credit for this process too quickly. The public, Academies and sponsors are under no illusion that the threat came from a Tory Government. The Academies and head teachers will remember the stress and hurt caused by the process. They will remember who gloated to celebrate and who apologised for the pain caused.

Lastly, they will remember the man who managed this process so poorly; one named Michael Gove.

Acadamies Success

Welcome news today that the Strood, Brompton and Bishop of Rochester Academies have been given the green light. The exact timetable for building programmes is due to be confirmed but many parents, pupils and staff can now plan ahead.

Along with this blog, Labour Councillor Vince Maple and the opposition Party on the Council have been putting significant pressure on the Conservative Government to move ahead with the Academies.

The Conservative Government should never have threatened the BSF budgets and the local u-turn must reflect the fact that Michael Gove rushed through on the cuts to the BSF Budget in June.

Despite this welcome change of heart, his capability in office is now in question.

Mark Reckless MP also campaigned to safeguard the fuinding and his contribution was very much welcome. His government however threatened the Academies in the first place.

A full list of Academies saved can be accessed here.

Total Liability

Another foreign policy gaffe.

Once can be forgiven, twice accepted, third is a trend.

Cameron needs to get a grip and fast because he is making the office of Prime Minister a laughing stock across the world and is being seen as a liability by key allies.

Academies: What is happening?

Despite the announcement by Michael Gove over a month ago on the cuts to the Labour Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, in favour of the Tory 'Free School' project, Medway Academies are still none the wiser as to whether they are to receive funding, or indeed whether pupils and staff are to continue for years to come in portacabins and temporary accommodation.

The Strood Academy, Bishop of Rochester Academy and Brompton Academy were all due to be modernised under the Labour Building Schools for the Future programme, which was a funded scheme of £45 billion investment in secondary education.

Concern is now being raised by pupils, parents and teachers of the three schools, especially at Strood Academy, which was guaranteed bespoke modern buildings after the Conservative controlled Council rushed through the merger in 2008/09 between the Temple Boys School and the Chapter Girls School. The new buildings for the Strood Academy were due to be built in 2011.

Strood suffers from some of the poorest social indicators of any wards in the South of England. A savage cut to the aspiration of students will be as a direct result of decisions taken by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government.

All three local MPs are very much aware of the cuts to front line secondary schools. The success or failure and the judgement of residents will rest upon their ability to lobby for this necessary programme of works.

The ConDem government claims there is no money to fund school re-building programmes, but it is of note that it can still spare the duplication cost of overheads for the 'Free School' initiative, which is privatisation by the back-door of education for children under 11. An initiative that the Kent Conservative Leader, Paul Carter has lambasted as a waste of money and which has no popular mandate from local residents.

This blog has learnt that the delay to the announcement maybe due to the complex and intricate nature of the tender, whereby a single contractor has been used for all three academies in an attempt to reduce cost for each. However, with the three academies at different stages of there respective mergers this initial focus on reducing cost may come back to bite.

The worst possible outcome is the withdrawal of either or any of the three academies as it would leave the tender effectively worthless for the other two. The staff of each must remain firm in the face of threats.

With less the five weeks before the beginning of term it is about time the Conservative Government told the people of Rochester & Strood what is to happen with our three academies.

If they are to be cut then the wrath of parents will descend upon the ruling Conservative administration on the Council who campaigned and leafleted during the election on the pledge there would be no front line cuts to services.



Update - 04/08/2010

It appears that the Conservative Government is playing a game with the future of the three Academies in Medway.

Despite giving assurances to the Council that we would hear news this week on the outcome, the government have now decided to postpone the decision to a later date, likely to be September / October. At which point many of the schools concerned will have started a new term.

This shows the total and utter contempt for pupils and staff who can not plan ahead.

The potential cuts to new school buildings also comes as Tories are salivating over further cuts to front line schools budgets in favour of the ideological 'free school' programme which was recently lambased by Kent Conservative Chief, Paul Carter, who indicated that it will duplicate costs at a time of fiscal constraint.

This is simply unacceptable.

Cllr Les Wicks, the Conservative Education Portfolio holder needs to get a grip on this issue immediately and put pressure on Conservative MPs and Ministers to push this decision up the agenda. He should clearly make a statement to the press and to the schools concerned about what is happening.

Our MPs are apparently lobbying but we have heard precious little from them on what pressure they are putting on the Department for Education.

Make no mistake, this issue is significant and simply brushing the issue under the carpet and delaying is causing concern amongst the schools and most importantly the pupils and staff concerned who quite frankly have to plan ahead.


Update - 06/08/2010

The news from sources that the decision was postponed was incorrect it would seem. The Department for Education released a list of saved BSF programmes today and with welcome news for Medway Acadamies.

The Conservative Government however rushed the BSF cuts and Michael Gove and his judgement on this issue is very much in question. A welcome u-turn but his card is marked.