Statistics

There’s a lot been said about the health service (NHS) recently

But now the latest scare takes the biscuit,  apparently we are now going to sack everyone who works for the NHS, we are even being told when someone retires or when a doctor moves his job to another hospital we are sacking them as well.

FACT

The number of doctors in the NHS has actually risen by 2,484 since the coalition took over, while the number of managerial staff has fallen by a similar amount and to top it all the overall NHS headcount has risen by 3,261:

Sandwell Tory said

When you are poorly do you want to be treated by an accountant or a doctor? I prefer a doctor !

Have a look your self

http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6725008/50000-nhs-jobs-to-go-apparently.thtml

http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/

AV voting "The Test"

A quick look at Labours leadership election tells a good story about AV voting

There were 5 candidates to start with

first round

Diane Abbott: 7.42%

Ed Balls: 11.79%

Andy Burnham: 8.68%

David Miliband: 37.78%

Ed Miliband: 34.33%

David won but as did not get more than 50% overall, Diane Abbott was eliminated and her second preference votes distributed to the others.

Second round

Ed Balls: 13.3%

Andy Burnham: 10.41%

David Miliband: 38.89%

Ed Miliband: 37.47%

David won again but as he did not get more than 50% of the vote, Andy Burnham was eliminated and his preference votes distributed to the others.

Third Round

Ed Balls: 16.02%

David Miliband: 42.72%

Ed Miliband: 41.26%

David won yet again but as he did not get more than 50% of the vote, Ed Balls  was eliminated and his preference votes distributed

Fourth Round

David Miliband 49.35%

Ed Miliband 50.65%

David lost after being the main choice in 3 rounds, yet the loser of 3 rounds Ed Miliband passed the 50% threshold and was the winner. put there by 2nd or 3rd level preference votes.

With AV voting this could happen in Sandwell

Labour “Wood” love another smoke screen

Is Red Ed having a laugh

Labour attacked us for consulting on our Forests, yet the last Labour Government sold off

25,000 acres of forest. 

The coalition Government has stopped this programme of sales until adequate measures are in place to safeguard access and biodiversity

(The Times, 27 January 2011; Defra, The future of the Public Forest Estate in England: a public consultation, 27 January 2011).

Yes Labour sold freeholds to forest land

• Equivalent to 24,000 football pitches.
• Larger than the island of Guernsey.
• A bigger area than cities such as Leicester, Coventry, Hull, Wolverhampton and Nottingham.
• Twice the size of Oxford and three times the size of Blackpool.

Sandwell Tory said

“ I can hear their spin machine making another smoke screen”

British Bill of Rights.

At long last it’s nearly here a British Bill of Rights, This follows two big cases about Prisoner votes and the Sex offenders register.

The Home Secretary announced to the House of Commons on the 16^th February:

‘the Deputy Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary will shortly announce the establishment of a commission to investigate the creation of a British Bill of rights.

It is time to assert that it is Parliament that makes our laws, not the courts; that the rights of the public come before the rights of criminals; and, above all, that we have a legal framework that brings sanity to cases such as these’

 (Hansard, 16 February, Col. 960).

Sandwell Tory said “Its about time”

Smoke Screen

Following the Politics TV programme we applaud James Morris for giving it straight.

We have been saying for years that Sandwell has been down at the bottom of the national league tables for qualifications, despite minor improvements.

Yet our kids have to compete with kids from other boroughs who get higher qualifications, this causes our kids serious problems getting into College or University.

Put it simply achievement must rise or our kids will be trapped in low wage jobs

Sandwell Council must also accept that school doors and windows do not go rotten over night, they went rotten during the 20 years Labour were the custodians of

the buildings, a school building is a very valuable asset for both community and financial reasons.

But ask yourself “Who would by a car and never get it serviced ?”

  

They must also remember the outline business case had not been approved, This money never existed, it was effectively borrowed money (PFI) , the money was never really there, it was this approach which helped create the financial mess the whole country is in. 

We want to see our schools improve, we want to see our kids get better qualifications and jobs, that’s simply the Conservative way,  that’s why we’ve introduced the pupil premium £Millions in extra funding for books etc in Sandwell.

There is also money for rebuilds and repairs, under the free school programme

The only proviso is the schools have to ask; yes the Schools have to ask.

we have to wonder why in Sandwell only a dozen have

E-mail us and we will send you the details  

Sandwell leading the field

Dudley apply for funding and manage to get £Millions in for 250 new social houses, bringing quality homes for families stuck on waiting lists   

Walsall apply for funding and get £Millions for a massive new business park bringing in new jobs not only to build it, but new employment for local people when it’s built

Sandwell applies for funding and gets £millions for a pavilion up the park

Sandwell Tory said

they say comedy is dead

Sandwell Education

Despite Sandwell officials annually saying our schools are improving, our schools continue to languish in the bottom of the countries league tables for achievement.

But a change is coming which will send a shiver through Labour, it’s called “success” and will give our kids the same start as kids in other boroughs and set the path for achievement levels to rise for students in Sandwell.

The Government has announced the “Education Bill” in this failing schools will have government intervention, taking them outside council control, it is also looking at placing  disruptive students on special courses at new venues which will specialise in discipline.

To help teachers the Government is giving back more teacher powers taken away by Labour.

Sandwell Tory said

“ For far too long Labour have allowed schools in Sandwell to fail, some for almost 10 years, while Labour sit in their ivory towers.

 Disruptive aggressive kids have known their rights but not known their class work.

This “I can do what I want attitude”  has held back other students from learning and getting good qualifications.

I feel Labours approach to education as totally failed, giving us NEET’s all over our borough, what a waste of potentially good kids “

Once again Labour hang your heads in Shame

NEET’s     Not in Education, Employment or Training

See also

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351229/Problem-pupils-enrolled-boot-camps-run-soldiers-says-Education-Secretary.html

Sandwell Children’s Services

What is going on in Sandwell’s Children’s services?

Following a damning Ofsted report on 13^th January 2010, we had a quick scan through the press cuttings, which shows

4 new heads of service

£2Million in temporary staff wages

10 staff suspended

100’s redundant

all this and 11 months later and what have we got

A further Ofsted report dated 9^th December 2010 which reinforces the original findings

Appalling, totally appalling

Labours legacy

A simple look at finance 2000 to 2010

When Labour took over our country it was drifting into Surplus, simplistically we had more money in Tax than we were spending (A few bob in the bank) this was from exports, banking and Tax.

Sadly over the last 10 years Labour allowed our manufacturing sector to shrink. Remember: Rover cars, LDV,HP, GEC, Metro Cammell, all producing export cash even Jaguar came under threat.

Consequently the revenue (tax) from this sector also shrank, a secondary knock on effect was as these companies closed, money was removed from the local areas, Shops, News agents etc compounding the problems to come.

One of the last areas of private business left was the Banking sector, this still generated considerable revenue (tax) for the government based on its foreign trade.

Britain Banks trade all over the world, the money they make in interest we tax and spend here in the UK.

During the last Government (Our financial Policemen), people like Brown & Balls were advocates of a “Light touch“ approach to the banks, allowing them to grow and grow they did producing lots of revenue (tax) this allowed the government to increase the size of the public sector, transferring private sector jobs to the public sector.

But a big problem was looming, the banking sectors economy grew to be 4.5 times bigger than the real economy, but Labour were still happy because the revenue (tax) continued going up hiding from the people structural problems within our economy, so we all carried on spending.

Then “bang” what started as a crisis with a loan company in the USA started the dominoes falling. Bank money dried up. , Revenue (tax) from the banks collapsed;

we were now spending more than we earn (Big Style).

Labours answer, called quantitive easing another name for  “Let’s print some money”  was very risky simply put “The more money in circulation the lower its value on the international markets” were we buy our food & fuel, hence inflation.  

What have we inherited?

Massive costs (With the biggest Public sector this countries ever had)

Little income (Private sector weak or gone)

Inflation

Local shop closures over the last 4 years, with cardboard fronts pasted over windows.

To those of you old enough to remember this is not déjà vu but almost a re-run of 1978

when almost the same thing happened the last time they was in power.

You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink !!!

Oh’ and I forgot to mention, they say it’s all our fault

CARE IN THE COMMUNITY

They call it Protecting Front Line Services!

Sandwell Labour have found a new way to protect frontline services in our borough, by looking at closing a home for respite care.

The main problem with this latest casualty with Labour’s cuts, centres around the Warstone Centre, this specialist care facility gives respite care for individuals with serious medical and physical issues who have very aged parents as their carers.

Some parent/carers are 70 to 90 years old and still looking after their children , who they love to bits.

Sandwell Tory said

Words totally fail me, they have now put Warstone up for a consultation programme.

It reminds me of a letter sent to the Councils leader from Eric Pickles stating that

"Front line services  MUST BE PROTECTED”

We have increased the funding for respite care from £178 Million to £200Million across the country so where’s the money going, I expect they will try to blame it on the Coalition.

Read a bit more 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1349102/We-ARE-helping-parents-disabled-PM-pledges-respite-mother-accuses-betrayal.html