Results tagged “Government”

The entire country isn't opposed to the public sector strikes. Just those who haven't got jobs at all, those who haven't got any meaningful pensions, those in the private sector who face far more draconian cutbacks on their benefits, those in the small business sector who live with daily insecurity, and, of course, the army of parents valiantly attempting to arrange childcare as the schools shut.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

Tower Hamlets' churches gathered last Friday to celebrate social initiatives in the borough. Street Pastors, Tower Hamlets Foodbank and the Night Shelter could all be described as Big Society items but these initiatives pre-dated the Coalition and were not designed to replace gaps in services caused by cutting public spending too fast, too deep.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

The Coalition Government's Health and Social Care Bill has recently been the generator of a very large number of emails, all expressing similar concerns about its intentions. My own correspondence to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley highlighted the fears of individuals, patient groups, professionals and experts who have condemned the proposals as wasteful, unnecessary and potentially damaging to the NHS.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

A recent visit to the Bromley-by-Bow Centre outlined how serious some of the cuts are on the least visible members of society. English language lessons (ESOL) for those not actively seeking work will no longer be funded by the Tory-led Government. This may not sound unreasonable unless, like me, you had met the 100 students at the centre who will lose out.

By John Biggs

Last week, I took part in the march and rally in central London against the cuts. It's not that I don't accept the need for belt-tightening but we need to be very careful for two reasons.

First, although tough decisions are needed, we need good public services to support us and to tool us up for growth in the future.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

I'm not a pessimist by nature, but even I have to concede that it's difficult to side-step the effect that the Con-Dem Government's plans are having on people.

There have been messages a-plenty in my inbox, indicating a high level of concern - even anxiety - on such issues as the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Thousands of East London students are facing being "cut adrift" as the Government plans to axe funding initiatives. The vice-chancellor of the University of East London and the principals of three east London further education colleges are warning that cuts to funding are tantamount to abandoning a generation of disadvantaged learners.

By John Biggs

Tackling the economic downturn, while managing the Government's spending cuts, will be a struggle.

We need new jobs to be created, while nationally the cuts mean half a million existing public sector jobs are being deleted. We are being told that new jobs will appear in the private sector.

By Tim Archer

The election to decide who will be Tower Hamlets' first executive mayor is almost upon us. Voters go to the polls on October 21 to decide who should run the council and its £1billion a year budget.

For many it's been a bunch of politicians arguing amongst themselves.

"The Tube strikes were a politically motivated idea to poke the Government in the eye. I couldn't have prevented the strikes - Londoners were used as pawns in a party political game."

So said London Mayor Boris Johnson speaking at his Question Time last week.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

Around the same time every year, I see an increase in the number of people contacting me to say they can't get their child into their school of choice - even though it's right opposite their home while the school offered is some distance away. I make representations to the council accordingly, but it's not easy when demand conflicts with availability.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

It's easy to get hold of a phrase such as "anti-social behaviour" and trot it out without stopping to think about it much.

But it's not a bad idea to consider what anti-social behaviour means in practice. It's not being able to open your window when it's 30C outside, because "problem" families are screaming their heads off.

By John Biggs

So the cuts are coming.

Having previously agreed across the political spectrum that we needed to be careful not to put the brakes on too quickly, to avoid an economic crash, the new Government has changed the tune and announced big and rapid savings.

By Tim Archer

The ramifications of last week's Budget will be felt for quite some time to come. The new Government has rightly prioritised reining in the budget deficit.

If the deficit had been left unchecked the financial crisis would have spiralled out of control.

By Tim Archer

Tower Hamlets Town Hall has re-opened for business after the local elections and there is the feel of a new school term about the place.

The new Labour administration in the Town Hall has wasted no time at all in pushing out the scare stories that the new Government in Westminster will spell disaster for Tower Hamlets.

By Tim Archer

A budget has to balance sooner or later; black holes cannot be financed forever and they cannot be ignored. It's therefore interesting that the Labour-run council chose to overlook the fact that its books contain a £54million gap. Putting that into context, council tax in Tower Hamlets would have to rise by almost 30 per cent a year for the next three years just to plug that gap.

By Tim Archer

Anyone who knows Tower Hamlets knows all about the major housing problems the borough faces.

There are some 23,000 people on the housing waiting list, with 14,000 on the list are living in chronic overcrowding. Housing is where the Government and the Labour-run council have let local people down the most.

By Jim Fitzpatrick

One of the worst things to have to countenance in life is home repossession.

The Wharf's readers might be interested to learn of a new national campaign to help struggling homeowners take control of their finances and make the most of the support available for them to avoid repossessions and stay in their homes.

By Tim Archer

I want to return to the subject of unemployment and how Tower Hamlets is failing our young people. We have the worst unemployment rate in the country, with 11.7 per cent of the population out of work.

As bad as that statistic is, it hides an even bigger issue - the problem of youth unemployment.

The Financial Services Authority defended its role as a watchdog when its top brass faced the public this morning.

Lord Turner and Hector Sants, respectively chairman and chief executive of the Wharf-based regulator, were bullish about past performance and the FSA's future at the annual public meeting in the City.