Author: Andy Mooney

Labour Condemns GP Funding Cuts

Fareham Labour Party has condemned GP Funding Cuts. Spokesperson Richard Ryan said:

“Almost everyone with recent experience of GPs surgeries will recognise the truth of Dr Richard Roop’s comments (GPs Surgery’s Under Pressure Due to Funding Cuts – The News 25 April). In the last year it has become much harder to get an appointment with a GP and we have less choice, or frequently no choice, of which GP we want to see. The Royal College of GPs has stated that almost 11% of the NHS budget was spent on general practice in 2005, compared with 8.5% in 2011 – a cumulative loss of £9.1bn at the same time as 40 million additional appointments are being requested.

This is undoubtedly part of the reason for increased pressure in A & E departments across the country. Primary Care is a crucial, perhaps in many ways the most crucial, part of the NHS. It is our first point of call when we have a health problem, or at least it should be. The Labour Party recognised the importance of the NHS and primary care and invested in it.

The Conservatives just want it privatised. The idea of paying for GP appointments is already being floated by some Conservative commentators.”

Labour has been receiving support across the political spectrum which has included the former leader of the SDP Lord David Owen donating money to The Labour Party because he supports Labour’s proposal to reverse the 2012 legislation saying that “Unless there is a change of Government the NHS in England will be completely destroyed by 2020”.

Labour Oppose Hallam Development south of Longfield Avenue

Fareham Labour Party is opposed to the proposal for a new housing development off Peak Lane by Hallam Land Management.

Peak Lane, Fareham
Junction of Peak Lane and Rowan Way

We believe this proposal to build 1550 houses plus infrastructure and amenities on the strategic gap between Fareham and Stubbington undermines the principle, and part of the borough plan, of maintaining separate and distinct communities within the borough. Local residents are obviously concerned about the impact of this huge development which would remove a vast swathe of green space that provides habitats for wildlife and enriches the character of Fareham. It would impact adversely on Oxleys Coppice, an ancient semi-natural woodland remnant, designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.

Fareham Labour Party is on record as opposing house building south of Longfield Avenue, and we continue to hold that position. Indeed in a submission to Fareham Borough Council regarding the Stubbington By-pass we specifically proposed that no houses should be built along the route of the by-pass.

Longfield Avenue, Rowan Way and the surrounding roads already suffer from significant congestion at peak periods and this would only be exacerbated by a development on the scale proposed by Hallam Land Management. This proposal is not welcomed by the local residents and is not the right answer to addressing the housing needs in Fareham Borough.

Labour will oppose this or any other planning application to build off Peak Lane. We believe that any major new house building should be kept to Fareham’s ‘new community’ of Wellborne, which is one of the reasons we supported its creation.

The truth about Debt, Deficit and Labour’s Legacy

When discussing the economy (and even when not discussing the economy) our political opponents continually refer to “Labour’s legacy” and “The mess we inherited from Labour”. They are briefed to repeat one or both of these phrases at every opportunity. The Con/Dem Government uses these mantras to excuse itself for its inability to deal effectively with the debt, which is still rising, and blame Labour. They are clearly using the Joseph Goebbels approach to propaganda; “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ramesh-patel/growth-cameron-austerity_b_2007552.html

The enormous debts and budget deficit was caused by the financial crisis, i.e. the banks, not by the Labour Government. Data from the OECD, IFS, ONS and OBR Supports this. Public sector net debt, net borrowing, and the budget deficit were all lower in 2007, i.e. prior to the financial crisis, than Labour inherited in 1997. The structural deficit did increase very slightly. No one suggested that the economy was in a mess in 1997.

Year 1996-97 2007-08
Public sector net debt % 42.5 36.5
Public sector net borrowing % 3.4 2.4
Budget deficit % 3.9 2.1
Structural deficit % 2.2 2.5

Massive amounts of public money were used to prevent the collapse of the banking system. That is why by 2010 the debt had risen to 85.6% and continued to rise to 105.2% in 2012.

Interestingly, writing in the Spectator (21 November 2013) Fraser Nelson, a Conservative Party supporter, agrees with Labour that, without adjusting for inflation, George Osborne has borrowed more in under four years (£417 billion) than Labour borrowed in thirteen (£407 billion). He asks the question “is this recovery real or another debt-fuelled illusion?” His answer “the annoying truth is that we just don’t know”.

The Labour Party is proud of what we achieved in Government, spending for the future of our country on new and updated hospitals and schools many of which were in very poor condition prior to 1997. Right now we really need much more investment in house building to stimulate the economy. This would create jobs; reduce spending on unemployment and make houses affordable for people trying to buy their own house.

Instead of cutting taxes for millionaires the Government should not be making the lives of the poorest miserable by savagely cutting benefits and instituting the vicious and iniquitous “bedroom tax”. Poor people will spend any additional income, giving a boost to the economy; the rich will just save it.

The quickest way to reduce the budget deficit and the debt is to grow the economy. Labour was doing this in 2010 when they left office. The temporary cut in VAT stimulated the economy. The Tories Increased VAT which choked off the recovery. Tory cuts and lack of investment have prolonged the time taken to get the economy back on track.

Fareham Labour Party response to Fareham Borough Council consultation on Welborne development

Introduction

Labour supports the principle of the Welborne development. We believe that this new community is needed in Fareham to supply much needed housing to reduce the housing waiting list and allow our young people to be able to still live and work in the area. Without it our children and grandchildren will be forced away from Fareham to seek affordable housing. We also believe that this development will ease the pressure on the few green open spaces and strategic gaps within the borough.

Housing

It is our strongly held view that the provision for affordable housing proposed in the consultation document is inadequate. We believe that a mix of both affordable and social housing is necessary which should equate to 50% of the overall development. Such housing must include a high proportion of shared ownership, housing association, council and co-operative ownership.  A key requirement is that there is long-term security of tenure for residents. Labour believes that the increase in the proportion of affordable / social housing is needed to help alleviate the housing waiting list which is currently at 2000. Our view is that this proposed amendment to the plan will allow enough housing to help low and medium income families get good housing and still give provision for those who aspire to more expensive / larger housing.

Schools

We are supportive of the proposition of an all-through school, enabling the earliest possible development of secondary school places within Welborne. It is desirable that provision of school places within Welborne is made as early as possible such that a culture of travelling does not become embedded, consistent with the policy objectives of self-containment and minimising the traffic impact on adjacent communities.

We would encourage the adoption of space for nursery/per-school places in close proximity to the primary schools, such that parents and children requirement to travel is minimised. We also expect that space should be allocated for Nursery provision within neighbourhood centres.

Employment

We encourage the plan for Welborne to provide for a number of reasonably sized ‘anchor’ employers to provide job opportunities for residents of the Welborne development. It is also desirable that employment opportunities within the Welborne development covers a range of skills at a range of levels, consistent with the desire to maximise the self-contained nature of the development and minimise commuting to nearby population centres.

Transport

We are concerned about the potential impact of Welborne on traffic in the northern part of Fareham, if adequate safeguards are not put in place. In order to limit the adverse impact, we urge Fareham Borough Council to ensure that the modification to the M27 junction 10 is constructed early in the development timescale and that an early traffic survey is undertaken in north Fareham to see if any highway alterations to ease congestion are needed.