Labour Group Would Have Saved Carehomes
10 May 2011 by Scunny Independent NewsYesterday Visit Scunthorpe learned that should the Labour Party have retained power after last week�s election, then they would have saved Scotter House and The Lilacs.
When we found out about this, we had two questions which we are sure every one will be asking.
1 - Why tell us this now, after you've lost the election
And
2 - Where's all the money suddenly come from?
The council entered into a consultation with the public about both care homes approximately 6 weeks ago. Some campaigner's felt that the questions asked on the consultation questionnaire were unfair as they offered no choice of keeping the service open as it is, just closing or reducing the services available.
Users of the services combined with campaign groups, employees and trade unionists worked together to collect signatures both on the high street and also online. There have been several protests, the most recent of which was attended by Neil Poole who (we have been told by those are the protest) reportedly told campaigners that if her were to be elected he'd campaign to save the services.
Well Neil, here's your chance.
Back to our questions. The first one we already knew the answer to, so its rhetorical on our behalf, but its to do with a legal practice in the campaign period of an election called Purder.
The Purder rules state that once a campaign has been called, a council, elected body, MP etc can not undertake an action or make a decision which may influence the outcome of the election.
The issue that we really didn't know about though was where has all of this money suddenly come from? We thought that reader's may appreciate knowing, so we investigated and have discovered that due to a renegotiation of the waste contract (announced at the last council meeting) that enough funds were generated to allow both the Lilacs and Scotter house to be saved.
This comes just 1 day before the Coalition of Resistance plan to hold a meeting to discuss the potential impact of the Tory cuts.
Knowing that there is more money in the bank than was originally though, questions the statement made by local Conservative MP to Visit Scunthorpe yesterday. Andrew Percy told us that the new Tory group would need to implement an emergency budget, perhaps as soon as the 25th of this month.
In a statement given to Visit Scunthorpe yesterday Cllr Pauline Carlile, Labour's spokeswoman on Adult Services, said: "The consultation period ended last Tuesday but our minds had been made up by that point by the sheer weight of feeling. It was an extremely effective consultation process and one we needed to go through to ensure any future decision was robust. It would have been wrong of us to announce that decision in the week of the local elections - people would have said we were playing politics with the situation - so we made the decision to wait until today."
Labour leader Cllr Mark Kirk added: "Today would have been the day we announced The Lilacs and Scotter House were to be saved. I would like to thank all of those who participated in the consultation. We listened. I now call on the new Conservative administration to do what we were intending to do and make a decision without delay. The consultation results are pretty clear and people should be told what will happen immediately."
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Comments
The reason its timely Bill is because legally they could not have released this information once the election had been called. Didn't you read the first part of my article or perhaps you think that this is some sort of conspiracy too?
At least one party in the election didn't try to intimidate voters outside polling stations and rig postal ballots.
Strikes me you're going to be let down, and not gently either.
Paul, As you well know, I don\'t miss anything. Rather than repeatedly making false charges and using the lame excuse and tactic of conspiracy. Please consider that one mans conspiracy is anothers extremely predictable (just in case you missed it 1st time)astute but devious political ploy. A ploy that backfired on Labour while in control and, I suspect has the potential to do so in opposition!?
And please don\'t you or others seek any sympathy from me and mine for any tactics of alleged intimidations, retaliations, foul mouthed abuse and character assassination etc etc. Standards of conduct and crude tactics that are part and parcel of North Lincolnshire\'s parochial, political and local government culture.
Don\'t worry, nothing can surprise or let me down in respect of the standards and calibre of North Lincolnshire\'s local government.
It seems to me that the only people who been despicably let down are the many residents, their families and carers who have been clearly distressed by the dubious and premature announcement that the Lilacs and Scotter House were being considered for closure. And who I believe may have been and are being used as a political football.
As if they do not already have more than enough pressures and stress on them!!
Once again Bill I fail to understand the point behind your post.
You talk about abuse and character assassination, who's done this to you?
Looking at the national picture, when one of the major parties looses a General Election the leader steps down or resigns their position. The electorate looks upon them as a failed leader as too do the most of the party faithful. If they stayed as leader it is perceived by the public that the party won�t change and it still has its own embedded ideas. Therefore given that the local Labour party failed to win the local elections is it time their leader stepped down and resigned?
Fantastic news! All the hard work of those involved in the campaign to save Scotter House and The Lilacs has clearly had a big impact. We can only speculate about whether Labour really would have saved the homes.
We can be sure that the Tories will be looking to make savings. The campaign to save the homes has to go on, but we also have to be ready to defend whatever vital services they choose to have a "consultation" about next.
Paul, You, and more importantly others in the NLC round trawling these forums, know exactly where I am coming from.
From your own input and your regular perusal of and links with the ST, political blogs and social networking; I am sure that you must be just as aware that North Lincs is rotten to the core with both instances and allegations of such unsavoury conduct and tactics.
Aside from the insincere patronising, nice try!!
Getting bored with the snide comments bill, very bored.
My question regarding abuse and character assassination extends to this forum alone, what ever trouble you get your self in to else where is of no concern to me.
I think I must be missing something here Bill. I agree that the Lilacs and Scotter House are invaluable services as you said in your first post. I agree that local politicians of both sides (and many in trade unions positions) are rotten to the core, as you said in your last post. It seems we agree on a few things but i'm not sure what you want that's different.
I think we should defend valuable services wherever the attacks come from. I intend to fight the Tories just as hard as I fought Labour when they threatened to wield the axe. Are you with me?
Think I need to have a word with Shooda about building a "like" button into the site, cos if we had one, I'd be pressing it repeatedly in response to Durutti's last post!
I suggest that my opening comment; signatories to both NLC online petitions; my comments and efforts on several ST articles promoting this issue and encouraging others to sign up etc. more than qualifies my stance and intentions.
As does my past record of sticking my head above the parapet to challenge and expose the derisory standards and calibre of certain and too many pockets of Noth Lincolnshire\'s local government.
What do I want? More of those concerned, with the commitment and backbone, to do more \"sidelining, out manoeuvring and forcing out\" of the deadwood in your political and local government system. Instead of being perceived to defend, harbour and seemingly condone such conduct and self serving individuals who are not fit for public office.
Thoades, As regards your perception of my \"troubles elsewhere\"!! :-) Trust me, I am more robust and have far more resilience than certain has beens, never weres and sore losers, purporting to be long established hard nosed current and/or EX politicians and councillors.
As regards your earlier and past comments;I can assure you that the feeling and contempt is mutual and returned!!
I love the fact that no matter what the issue, Bill always makes the comments about him! This has nothing to do with anything other than two care homes. Sadly the comments section has been hijacked by someone who uses a lot of words, but sadly says very little.
Interestingly, I did read Bill's comments under one of his many assumed names on the ST website about how honourable Rob Waltham is/was. How ironic - Bill, ask Rob about his eBay feedback, his numerous failed businesses and the CCJ he ran away from for three years!
Durutti,
Just to confirm my commitment and support if required to fight against the closure of either the Lilacs or Scotter House.
Also to forewarn you to be mindful of certain Tweets in the round on this one!!
Truly, I would hate others to be undemocratically stifled or to fall foul of vindictive retaliation, threats and damages of legal action for alleged lies and misconceived character assassination.
Particularly from certain of North Lincolnshire's venerable politicians, councillors and other eeejits who seem unable to tell the difference between the risks of actual character assassination, defamation and, the democratic scrutiny, challenges and mockery of any councillor's political judgment, calibre and credibility.
Having said that all of that, Thoades tweet to cllr Andrea Davison provides some cold comfort and smug satisfaction:
"As you are very well aware, all sides in Scunthorpe have their crock of corrupt politicians, dont see any point denying it".
One thing that I don't understand is ,if they were never going to shut them,why create all the pain and heart ache?
More Party politics from those paid by us to run the town,not play politics.
Dead right Fans. The pain for those who rely on those services is unimaginable to the rest of us, whether they rely on them for care or they are those committed individuals who provide the care for little more than minimum wage. It is disgraceful that closure was even considered and it is equally disgraceful that we don't yet have a firm commitment to keep either or both services open.
Now we have a new council I expect there will be more savage cuts to come. It is time to put people before politics and profit.
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