This evening I went to a school governor training session at Mount Pleasant Junior School, on subject of the Extended Schools agenda.
All schools will have to have an extended schools programme in place by 2010 and in Southampton, schools will be expected to group together in clusters to deliver this.
It will involve all children being offered activities or child care provision from 8am in the morning till 6pm in the evening in the form of a wrap around scheme to the school timetable.
This is a subject which I am very interested in and it was the subject of my motion to full council last week. Schools are expected to work with other bodies in the city to deliver the programme and I have been strongly pushing for the city council to take up the offer made by Southampton Solent University use its 1,500 sports undergraduates to teach sports classes in city schools.
In the end my motion to council wasn't carried and Labour and Lib Dem councillors decided not to push ahead with the scheme and not to commit funding for a pilot. They did say that it was worth investigating but they in effect neutered the proposal by taking out the money and a deadline for implementation.
I am still confident that in time the scheme will get off the ground as its such as fantastic opportunity for the city.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
New Website Launched
I now have a new website up and running for my Parliamentary campaign: www.jeremymoulton.com.At moment it is just a few basic pages but I will be adding to it when I get some spare time. I will still keep this blog going with my comments on issues in Freemantle and in Southampton. The website will focus a bit more on national issues in the run up to the next General Election.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Labour MPs Let Down Southampton
Last night MPs rejected a Conservative motion in Parliament protesting at Labour plans to force the closure of 2,500 post offices by just 288 votes to 268, slashing the government's majority to 20.
Southampton’s two Labour MPs, Alan Whitehead and John Denham are being accused of hypocrisy for having campaigned to save post offices in the city whilst voting last night for the post office closures.
Our MPs are not standing up for the city. Once again when it comes to the crunch they are simply Gordon Brown’s voice in Southampton. Local communities in Southampton will be hit hard by these closures which will be very damaging and disruptive, particularly for elderly people.
The Conservatives are calling for the government’s closure programme to be suspended to allow a full revaluation of the process and work to be done to see where more business can be put into the post office network. For example this might involve working with Royal Mail or local councils.
The government is simply managing the decline of the post offices and we are arguing that they should be focused on building up the post office network so it becomes dependent more on its business rather than government subsidy.
Read more about keeping our post offices open.
Southampton’s two Labour MPs, Alan Whitehead and John Denham are being accused of hypocrisy for having campaigned to save post offices in the city whilst voting last night for the post office closures.
Our MPs are not standing up for the city. Once again when it comes to the crunch they are simply Gordon Brown’s voice in Southampton. Local communities in Southampton will be hit hard by these closures which will be very damaging and disruptive, particularly for elderly people.
The Conservatives are calling for the government’s closure programme to be suspended to allow a full revaluation of the process and work to be done to see where more business can be put into the post office network. For example this might involve working with Royal Mail or local councils.
The government is simply managing the decline of the post offices and we are arguing that they should be focused on building up the post office network so it becomes dependent more on its business rather than government subsidy.
Read more about keeping our post offices open.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The First Lab-Lib Cabinet
On Monday I went along to the first Cabinet meeting since the Lab-Lib pact on the council took power on 20th February.
The first thing to say is that they survived without any obvious gaffes. Everyone was on their best behaviour.
It was quite clear to me however that this new Cabinet is totally dominated by Labour. Of the 4 Lib Dem cabinet members, 1 wasn't there, 2 didn't speak at all, leaving Cllr Adrian Vinson who had only limited involvement in the discussions. Indeed there was more debate generated by Labour and Conservative backbenchers who asked questions from the audience.
Despite claims to the contrary it was appear that the Lib Dems are very much the junior partner in this relationship and in the words of Nick Clegg MP are simply "an annex to another party" - in this case Old Labour.
All there is for the Lib Dems in this sorry set up is a false feeling of importance, a slightly smoothed ego and a few pennies for their front benchers. For Lib Dems voters there is nothing of what they voted for.
Later on today the full council will be debating the merits of the Lab-Lib pact. I am looking froward to the debate.
The first thing to say is that they survived without any obvious gaffes. Everyone was on their best behaviour.
It was quite clear to me however that this new Cabinet is totally dominated by Labour. Of the 4 Lib Dem cabinet members, 1 wasn't there, 2 didn't speak at all, leaving Cllr Adrian Vinson who had only limited involvement in the discussions. Indeed there was more debate generated by Labour and Conservative backbenchers who asked questions from the audience.
Despite claims to the contrary it was appear that the Lib Dems are very much the junior partner in this relationship and in the words of Nick Clegg MP are simply "an annex to another party" - in this case Old Labour.
All there is for the Lib Dems in this sorry set up is a false feeling of importance, a slightly smoothed ego and a few pennies for their front benchers. For Lib Dems voters there is nothing of what they voted for.
Later on today the full council will be debating the merits of the Lab-Lib pact. I am looking froward to the debate.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Southampton Could Have Two Conservative MPs
The Conservatives have opened up a 16 point lead on Labour, according to a YouGov survey for the Sunday Times.
Support for Labour fell to 27 per cent - its lowest poll rating since 1983 - with the Conservatives on 43 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent.
David Cameron would have enough for a Commons majority if the results of the Sunday Times survey were repeated in a general election. The Conservatives would have a 120 seat majority in Parliament and a string of high profile cabinet ministers, including John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, would lose their Commons seats.
Both Southampton seats would turn blue if the national swing was uniform which would also see Alan Whitehead lose his seat.
The poll also found that there has been a slump in Gordon Brown's personal approval, with the -26 rating the lowest since he became prime minister.
Yesterday's ICM poll for the Guardian showed a 13 point lead, with the Conservatives on 42%.
Support for Labour fell to 27 per cent - its lowest poll rating since 1983 - with the Conservatives on 43 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent.
David Cameron would have enough for a Commons majority if the results of the Sunday Times survey were repeated in a general election. The Conservatives would have a 120 seat majority in Parliament and a string of high profile cabinet ministers, including John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, would lose their Commons seats.
Both Southampton seats would turn blue if the national swing was uniform which would also see Alan Whitehead lose his seat.
The poll also found that there has been a slump in Gordon Brown's personal approval, with the -26 rating the lowest since he became prime minister.
Yesterday's ICM poll for the Guardian showed a 13 point lead, with the Conservatives on 42%.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sport Relief
I enjoyed a much needed break from local election campaigning this afternoon.
Along with other Conservative Councillors and local council candidates I joined thousands of other runners to do the Sport Relief race in the city centre.
More sport is one of key policies Conservatives in Southampton are pushing.
On Wednesday I am leading a debate in Full Council on Conservative plans for a scheme to dramatically increase the amount of sport provision for children locally.
A few weeks ago Labour and Lib Dem councillors rejected the scheme but I am hopeful that on Wednesday they will have a change of heart, back the policy and back my motion to council. Last week a cross party panel of councillors, who have been carrying out a study into youth services in the city, gave their wholehearted support to the scheme.
Motion to council on Sport
This Council notes that the Government wishes to see a fully functional Extended Schools programmes in place by 2010, where all children are to be offered activities or child care provision from 8am in the morning till 6pm in the evening in the form of a wrap around scheme to the school timetable.
This Council notes that Southampton Solent University (SSU) has 1,500 students on various sports courses ranging from foundation Sports Studies to specialist Sports Science Degrees and that it has the largest resource of qualified coaches in Southampton.
This Council welcomes the proposal from SSU to create an Extended Schools programme within Southampton and agrees to commit £50,000 to pilot this programme in 08/09.
This Council welcomes the opportunity to work with SSU and benefits that the programme will bring; namely, encouraging a healthier lifestyle amongst the children of the city and combating obesity, providing positive activities and reducing antisocial behaviour, encouraging sports club links and providing valuable work experience to SSU students.
This Council notes that Southampton Solent University (SSU) has 1,500 students on various sports courses ranging from foundation Sports Studies to specialist Sports Science Degrees and that it has the largest resource of qualified coaches in Southampton.
This Council welcomes the proposal from SSU to create an Extended Schools programme within Southampton and agrees to commit £50,000 to pilot this programme in 08/09.
This Council welcomes the opportunity to work with SSU and benefits that the programme will bring; namely, encouraging a healthier lifestyle amongst the children of the city and combating obesity, providing positive activities and reducing antisocial behaviour, encouraging sports club links and providing valuable work experience to SSU students.
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