 |
|
 |
| |
SALFORD COUNCIL GOES AHEAD WITH CUTS TO HEALTH IMPROVEMENT BEFORE LEGAL CHALLENGE HEARD
|
|
Star date: 10th November 2015 HEALTH IMPROVEMENT SERVICE TO BE SLASHED IN BONKERS COUNCIL DECISION Weeks before a judicial review takes place at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, Salford City Council today voted to slash its Health Improvement Service and put jobs at risk – even though it might have to reverse its decision if the legal challenge is won. At lunchtime today, members of Salford City UNISON held a lobby outside the Civic Centre urging councillors to defer the cuts decision until after the court case – but the logic fell on deaf ears as councillors and Salford Mayor, Ian Stewart, approved the axe. Full details here...
|
.JPG)
click image to enlarge
|
`It's silly to let people go on redundancy or early retirement if, in six weeks time, we're going to have to re-employ someone to do their job anyway...'
At Manchester Civil Justice Centre on 27th November there is to be a judicial review initiated by a service user into Salford Council's £1.616million `savings', or cuts, to the Health Improvement Service (H.I.S.) which will see community support services slashed, fifty posts lost and four staff at risk of redundancy.
Things like support for mental wellbeing, young people, community events and groups, as well as help to stop smoking and obesity will be scaled right down, with a return to Dickensian do-it-yourself health and wellbeing on the cards (see previous Salford Star articles for full background – click here and click here and click here). The original decision to hammer the Health Improvement Service was taken by Salford Council last February but was put on hold due to the legal challenge and the fact that no consultation had taken place in the community. Since then, the Council has rushed through its consultation which showed a majority of people disagreeing with the cuts. Indeed, in every single category of the Health Improvement Service's work, bar one (work place health for small to medium businesses), the community was against reductions, which ranged from 10% cuts to 95% cuts. Meanwhile, only 219 people responded to the consultation out of thousands of people in Salford who use the service. And, in many categories of current H.I.S. activities which were consulted on, around one third of people didn't answer the questions or didn't know whether they agreed or disagreed with the Council's proposals. Which doesn't say much for the accessibility of the consultation or the rigour in which it was carried out. Despite a majority of those who filled in the consultation disagreeing with the Council's actions, and despite the looming legal challenge, this morning the Cabinet, led by Mayor Ian Stewart, and, at noon the Workforce Panel, were to meet to rubber stamp the cuts to H.I.S. Last night, Salford City UNISON branch secretary, Steven North, wrote to councillors on behalf of his members urging them to defer any decision until the staff who are at risk of redundancy, or reduced terms and conditions, are offered redeployment within the Council. Meanwhile, in between today's meetings, UNISON held a lobby outside Salford Civic Centre attended by workers from all departments supporting the Health Improvement team... "The decisions management have made to divert money from the service faces a legal challenge by a member of community and we are asking them not to make any decisions that they may have to alter" a UNISON steward explained "It's seems silly to me to let people go on redundancy or early retirement if, in six weeks time, we're going to have to re-employ someone to do their job anyway. All we're doing today is asking them to defer the decision until the legal challenge has been heard." Pointing out that the work H.I.S. does prevents costs at a later date, the steward added that the Council's cuts will have a huge effect on the community... "The Council wants people to start taking on more responsibility for their own communities but it's more difficult to do that without support" they explained "The ideal way of getting people engaged is through community groups and by doing events; supporting them into doing it themselves. If the Council thinks people will do that without a little nudge there's no chance." Of course, Salford Council's Cabinet and its Workforce Panel voted to go ahead with the cuts. The judicial review on 27th November, the Salford Star understands, will go ahead anyway...
• See also previous Salford Star article: Council spends £thousands at MIPIM property orgy while community events get cut – click here
|
|
|
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 07:13:05 on 18 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Dev: Glad to hear it! I suspected there were more commonalities than differences. We should recruit some more to the cause :) |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 18:29:39 on 17 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Winston finally we have some common ground. Fully on board with your ideas mate!! |
|
|
?
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 13:41:40 on 17 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Devo: It might be tedious to you but I think scraping political Parties off what should be a democratic system is a fight worth fighting and yes, it’s currently only a dream but not a fantasy. I despise Punch and Judy politics with a passion; if politicians want to make mooing noises and ridicule each others jumpers they should do it on their own time and at their own expense. I accept your logic about bringing the power and money closer to home, I think most people would also say that’s exactly why the UK should be out of Europe. However, my core concern is how that money and power are managed when it IS devolved. THE MONEY AND POWER SHOULD BE IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE, NOT POLITICAL PARTIES. So, to answer your question very directly then: Under DevoManc, BAN PARTY BRANDING. SIMPLE AS THAT. Practically speaking - if we’re voting for a Mayor, or a police commissioner, or a health commissioner, or a social services commissioner, or a councillor, it should be the PERSON we’re voting for, not a PARTY BRAND. The reason is this: Local people are the ones with the knowledge and passion for local causes but they’re completely eliminated from the decision making because they just don’t have the resources to compete with national parties. Independents can’t afford a propaganda department or spin doctors and don’t have powerful friends in the media, or powerful friends they went to Eton or Oxford with, or millionaire donors and they can’t get themselves marketed on TV like the national parties can. Therefore the only options are to fail as an independent or accept the traitor’s shilling and stand for a national party and do the Partys dirty work, and THAT IS NOT DEMOCRACY. In a nutshell, banning party branding would be an effective way of helping level the playing field and allowing the locals to have a say (for a change). Not much to ask for a worthwhile result, yes? |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 06:56:07 on 17 November 2015 |
|
|
| @winston Aha right mate. Ur just making just a tedious tribal party political point. That's why you don't want Devo you LOVE the Punch and Judy of it all don't you?!?! I couldn't give a toss about red blue green purple anything mate but as long as they are there, power and money is ALWAYS better closer to home than not. That is a reasonable and practical and rational position no? It is YOU that is avoiding the question. You are living in a FANTASY world in which the current system does not exist so I will turn Paxo on you. What system would YOU replace the party system with then eh? I'm guessing the only one that would suit you is the one in which there is the Winston Smith party and everything is devolved to YOU. I'm right aren't I?! |
|
|
?
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 18:25:38 on 16 November 2015 |
|
|
| Devo: You are deliberately missing the point, so I’ll continue to Paxman you on this. I’ve read the article but I don’t need convincing how crap parliament is. It’s full of politicians. It’s crap, we’re agreed, so we can park that one. I want local people *running* their affairs (more than just ‘influencing’ as you propose). My worry, as the examples of the Mayor(s) and the Police Commissioner clearly show, is that as soon as there is a sniff of any power being devolved to the People, the Labour party make sure they’ve got their enormous undemocratic arse on the seat of power well before the local people have a chance. So we still end up being controlled from down south anyway. So, I’ll ask you again - how do we prevent involvement by the Labour Party (or any other southern or national party)? |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 14:33:40 on 16 November 2015 |
|
|
| @winston for someone that says they don't know how Devo will work you seem very sure all of a sudden how it wil b organised. You don't seem to know WHAT you think do you mate?! And I don't think you did read the link I posted showing how Westminster cuts impact locally. Even the PM is clueless to their impact!!! We live in a centralised state. Comparison to Scotland is spot on. Too much power at the centre leads to poor government, poor decisions and bad for democracy!! Your devotion to Westminster establishment is depressing. You must be connected to it to be arguing against local people having more influence in their affairs!!!!
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/11/david-cameron-letter-cuts-oxfordshire
|
|
|
?
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 21:27:22 on 15 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Devo: If you actually thought it through, no, it's not simple. We both know why you're avoiding describing the decision making process, and that's because it will be one that leads to yet more layers of Labour politicians, Mayors, Assistant Mayors, Ceremonial Mayors, Health Commissioning Mayors, etc, etc. You only need to look as far as the 'local democracy' of Salford Council, the cuts they've introduced, the mess they make, their opacity, their lack of ownership, the way they automatically blame the national government for their own mistakes, etc, to see what DevoManc will look like. Incidentally, the Scottish Assembly is a NATIONALIST idea, it's absolutely not the same as trying to devolve power to CITIES. And, while we're on the subject, yes - mayvbe we should look at devolving European power back to the UK if devolution is such a great idea. |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 13:11:01 on 14 November 2015 |
|
|
| @wrote / Winston it's quite simple mate! It works though decision making and funding being much closer to you and me which means our needs don't have to compete with voices of people from around the country or the voices of international companies or the London media. The Scots understand this and understand that Westminster rule is bad for them so if it's good for Scotland then it's good for GM. |
|
|
?
|
wrote
at 13:56:39 on 13 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Devo: I think everyone is agreed that what people want is a system that works. My issue is the heavily spun, Party backed ASSUMPTION that devolution will work. It won't. I keep asking you and other DevoManc supporters just how it will work, IN PRACTICE. How will local wishes affect ANYTHING??? E.g. do you think we'll all be able to use our local knowhow to decide whether social services or tramlines get funding??? So I'll ask you one last time before I give up asking you - by what mechanism will these decisions be made and how do you stop political interference from the likes of Labour and the Conservatives? I.e. how can the people bypass the politicians and run things democratically? Crack that problem and DevoManc might have a chance |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 05:20:52 on 13 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Winston What people want is a system that works, that makes a difference to their lives!! Local councils are agents of central gov. Their money comes from central gov and they are told what to do by central gov. People are disillusioned and think fringe parties like UKIP or fringe politicians like Corbyn or fringe ideas like leaving the EU will change their lives. WILL THEY B@LLOCKS! None of them will give young ppl the skills they need for the sort of job that exists in Greater Manc. None of it will tackle the terrible health problems in Salford that don't exist in other parts of country. None of it will get a tram track or cycle lane built to the Trafford centre where Salford ppl can shop or get work. LOCAL KNOW HOW - LOCAL FUNDING - BETTER LOCAL SOLUTIONS!!! |
|
|
?
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 07:55:40 on 12 November 2015 |
|
|
| @Devo: You're so ironic - it's the London based Labour and Conservative Parties who are telling us that we somehow need DevoManc. I don't recall lots of people around here screaming for it. What we ACTUALLY need is party politicians to stop trying to run a healthcare system on political bullshit. |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 07:55:15 on 12 November 2015 |
|
|
| @winston think you better read this mate http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/11/david-cameron-letter-cuts-oxfordshire |
|
|
?
|
Devo wrote
at 18:56:28 on 11 November 2015 |
|
|
| @winston central gov cuts come whether there is devolution or not!!! At least when local people are involved you have a chance of making your ten pence spent on stuff we ACTUALLY NEED rather than what someone in London THINKS you need. |
|
|
?
|
Winston Smith wrote
at 16:48:23 on 11 November 2015 |
|
|
| Have a look at this closely Salford, it's a small preview of what DevoManc is going to do for you when the council gets its hands on NHS purse strings |
|
|
?
|
Em3 wrote
at 07:07:35 on 11 November 2015 |
|
|
| Utterly vindictive behaviour!! |
|
|
?
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
.jpg)
advertisement
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Hi Paul I hope you are well, please can you tell me how much it would be to have the George Best Mosaic made? Indeed if you are st... [more] |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am Marjorie Goodwin's grandson. I still have that battered tobacco tin. I don't know what happened to the silver one!
... [more] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I parked here with a disability badge and my back tyre was slightly over line as I suffer with coordination and it says if I appea... [more] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 North Johnson Street, Salford.
My Great Grandfather was the son of Household James Rowlands 68. x2. His wife Frances Rowlands... [more] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
lived for many years as a kid in Murray st. Hilda who was mum to John would visit my grandmother and would tell us about what john... [more] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Days |
Hours |
Minutes |
Seconds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Help the Salford Star...
all donations welcome
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
