For the past 40 years thousands of youngsters have used Bryntysilio, the council’s activity centre near Llangollen in Wales, now its future has been thrown in doubt by Walsall’s Tory cabinet member for Finance Chris Towe.

He has asked the council’s scrutiny panel to “look at switching activities to more local facilities at Shugborough on the edge of Cannock Chase”. He paraphrases this by saying that children were the primary concern rather than money. If that were the case it’s no contest, Bryntysilio wins hands down - see council’ website for details of what it provides -  www.walsall.gov.uk/index/education/bryntysilio.htm.

Let’s be clear about this, when a Tory Cabinet member, particularly one whose portfolio is finance, asks a scrutiny panel to “look at the possibility of switching activity to a more local facility” they are already contemplating closure and are looking to fob the decision off to someone else.

What makes matters worse is that the Tories on Walsall Council act as “poacher and gamekeeper”, not only do they hold all the 10 Cabinet posts but they also chair all but one of the panels which are supposed to scrutinise decisions made by the Cabinet. How democratic is that!

It is my view, and that of the Liberal Democrat Group on the Council, Bryntysilio is too valuable an asset to lose in yet another round of Tory cuts. It provides valuable life experiences which remain with the many pupils who use the facility every year. To suggest that the activities at Shugborough in any way match those experienced in the rugged Welsh landscape just shows you how much Walsall’s Tories are out of touch.

There are many of you out there who will have either benefited yourself or know someone who has benefited from the Bryntysilio experience. We’d like you to share your thoughts with those of us who are concerned that “review” is just Tory speak for CUT.

The Bryntysilio Scrutiny Work Group met on 7th August, in the the first of a number of fact-finding meetings it will be holding over the next couple of months, this will include a visit to Bryntysilio so that members of the work group can see first hand Bryntysilio in action.

The work group will be looking at all aspects of Bryntysilio, what it does, how it does it, how it’s managed, what users think of it, and what other local authorities are doing.

“As a member of the work group I am interested in getting as fuller picture of Bryntysilio as possible” said Ian Shires, the Lib Dem leader.

Use the “comment” button above or email Ian at shiresi@walsall.gov.uk or drop him a line at cllr. Ian Shires, Liberal Democrat Group, Walsall MBC, Civic Centre, Darwall Street, Walsall, WS1 1TP

There is precious little for young people as it is without taking this life changing opportunity away from them!

The Times has revealed that Gordon Brown will face a revolt over plans to reduce the benefits paid to some of Britain’s poorest families by up to £15 a week.

The new proposals from Labour, which are due to be introduced just before the election, could mean that some people would lose one fifth of their income.

At the moment 300,000 people on low incomes are allowed to keep up to £780 a year of their housing allowance if they can find accommodation that costs less than the maximum benefit.

The Treasury says that the policy is costs too much, and that the right to keep any extra money will be abolished from April 1.  The change would be made only three months after the rate of VAT is increased to 17.5%.

Crisis, the housing charity, said that it could mean that people receiving £65-a-week jobseeker’s allowance would lose 20% of their income.

Former Labour welfare minister Frank Field, who led the protest over the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax, said that he would try to stop the measure being pushed through Parliament.

Karen Buck, a Labour MP who campaigns on housing, said:

“We should not under any circumstances be taking money from the poorest and making them choose between reasonable housing bills and meeting day-to-day expenses. I don’t know how many that applies to. Either way, either the savings aren’t there or poor people will suffer.”

Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat housing spokeswoman who discovered the change, said:

“£15 a week may be small change to ministers, but for families struggling to make ends meet it is incredibly important. Gordon Brown has once again abandoned the people who need the most help.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said:

“Local housing allowance is aimed at providing the people who need it most with decent accommodation. This small change will not affect our customers’ ability to pay their rent and further support is available to those on a low income to help with other expenses.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg is asking people who work in the public sector where they think taxpayers’ money can be saved.

Nick Clegg has launched a website where people who work in the public sector can submit suggestions on how to cut waste.

The ‘Ask the People in the Know’ project recognises that serious savings will have to be made to bring public finances under control and seeks the expertise of those working in the public sector on how to cut out waste while protecting services.

Nick Clegg said:

“Hard-working nurses and teachers tell me how frustrated they are by the money which is being wasted on needless paperwork, administration and computer systems that don’t work.

“David Cameron and Gordon Brown are having a sterile debate about the size of the total Whitehall budget. But they’re asking the wrong question: we first need to find out if money is being spent on the right things.

“It can’t be right that billions of pounds are being spent on NHS computer systems which don’t work, yet basic help for people with serious mental health conditions is still lacking because of a shortage of money.

“The people who are best placed to tell us where money is not being well spent are the teachers, nurses, social workers and other public servants who work so hard day and night on our behalf.

“Politicians should stop talking over the heads of public servants. We need to listen to the people in the know on how we can better run public services, making sure that every penny of taxpayers’ money is well spent. That’s what ‘Asking People In The Know’ is all about.”

To find out more about this campaign, please visit this website.

On Thursday I had cause to need to attend the Manor Hospital after injuring myself, ironically whilst delivering my FOCUS leaflets. I managed to slip and catch my head on a plastic window sill, which left me with two parallel cuts and a nice headache.

Family and friends who looked at the damage insisted I should get it checked out at A&E, so I was duly deposited at the Manor. Within 45 minutes I had been assessed and treated - luckily the offending wounds only required glueing rather than stitching! My recent visit only reinforces my belief that, despite all the detractors, we are blessed with having the best Health Service in the world. Many thanks to all at the Manor for their prompt action and reassurance!

The Elms was forced to close early last night after an ugly fight involving a number of groups. I’m advised by witnesses to this frightening violence that those involved were not teenagers but men in their mid twenties or older!

I’m told the police response, involving a considerable number of officers, to the initial fight was extremely prompt and advising the pub to close almost certainly helped to diffuse the flashpopint and avert possible further confrontations.

I understand at least one person was injured, requiring an ambulance and stitches for a cut ear, and two people were arrested. This is not the first time I’ve been told of problems involving The Elms and so I will be looking to the pub owners and the police to see what can be done to ensure those wanting to go out for a pleasant drink in Aldridge do not have their evening ruined and risk getting caught up in such events.

For my friends who were present last night it was certainly not the sort of end to a birthday drink they had imagined!

Walsall Council has produced draft documents for the Aldridge Conservation Area, and they are running a five week public consultation  - ending on Friday 28 August 2009.
There is a display, of maps and documents, in the Library as well a document that can be viewed on line:

http://www.walsall.gov.uk/index/conservation_area_appraisals_and_management_plans.htm

So here is a chance to make your views be known.

I know many people seem to dislike the free weekly newspapers and have signs up saying “NO FREE NEWSPAPERS”, but I for one find them a valuable source of what is happening locally, particularly when it comes to what the council is up to, when you can’t afford to buy a paper! It also provides a useful method for advertising events and unwanted items.

It was with enormous sadness therefore that, owing to a decrease in advertising revenue, Trinity Mirror group announced its decision in July to cease publication of 9 of its free weekly titles, including the Walsall Observer which has been published since 1868. You might have noticed it hasn’t been delivered in the past two weeks.

It looks like to it might be too late to do anything about the Walsall Observer, but I am contacting the owners of the Walsall Chronicle and Walsall Advertiser to see whether there is any question mark over their continued publication.

Motorists would have to pay tolls to drive on newly-built roads under plans being drawn up by the Conservatives to cut public spending.

Telegraph,co,uk by Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor
Published: 9:00PM BST 26 Jul 2009

David Cameron said the Birmingham Relief Road had been ‘a great success’ Photo: GETTY

The road tolls are among a range of new taxes which David Cameron is now being forced to consider as public borrowing is forecast to rise to more than £1 trillion.

Mr Cameron said that he is looking at introducing road tolls and that such schemes have proved a “great success”. However, the scheme is likely to prove unpopular with motorists who already pay some of the highest rates of fuel duty in the world, at 54p per litre plus VAT.

The Tory leader said that he “cannot rule out tax increases” if he wins the next general election. The Conservatives are already drawing up plans to cut public spending and Mr Cameron described the challenge of repairing the country’s finances as “daunting”.

He also indicated that it may be several years before he is able to introduce the flagship policy to cut inheritance tax. It will also not be a priority to scrap the new 50p higher rate of income tax proposed by Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling.

In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, Mr Cameron warned that helping Britain recover from the economic downturn was “going to be a national endeavour.” He said everyone would have to share the burden of a programme of “austerity”.

After ruling out introducing new charges for NHS services, he said: “We’ve said we’re happy to look at road tolls. I don’t think that the eye in the sky big government scheme they [Labour] were planning was going to work, but separate road tolls…

“You know if you look at the one road toll that has been built - the Birmingham Relief Road - great success, a Conservative idea.”

The Conservatives believe that the public may support road tolls for new roads if they reduce congestion. The M6 toll, or Birmingham North relief road, was first proposed by the Conservatives in the 1980s but only opened in 2003. It was forecast to carry about 74,000 vehicles a day but has failed to meet expectations.

The number of vehicles using the road has actually fallen since it opened and only about 39,000 vehicles a day used the road in 2008. The M6 and other local roads have not seen a reduction in congestion as had been hoped.

Much of the criticism has focused on the failure of the Government to limit tolls. Cars are charged up to £4.70 for the 27-mile journey, while lorries are charged £9. Many hauliers decided against using the road because of the high tolls.

Mr Cameron is likely to face public opposition to any widespread plan for road tolls. Labour was recently forced to abandon a plan to introduce pay-as-you drive road-pricing. More than 1.8 million people signed a Downing Street petition against the scheme.

Motoring organisations said that the Conservatives were making a “mistake”. They are concerned that the tolls may be charged to drive on certain lanes if motorways or other roads were widened.

“Politically, the Tories would probably be making a mistake to be talking about tolls at this stage,” said Edmund King, the president of the AA. “All the evidence suggests the public aren’t ready for it and don’t trust politicians to deliver a fair system.”

In response to the above Daily Telegraph article Roy Sheward, Aldridge / Brownhills FOCUS Editor says: “My own view is that the idea of building a road to allow drivers on the M6 to go north /south and vice versa without the need to go through the heart of the midlands and thus easing congestion was a good one. Unfortunately by making it a toll road it has failed to deliver the easing in congestion, as the prices have forced many drivers to avoid using it.

The result is that the Highway Agency are now having to undertake multi million pound plans for four-lane running at peak times to reduce congestion - much to the dismay of the residents alongside the motorway between J8-J10A, and at a cost to all road users.

The rumours about Morrisons seeking to demolish the ambulance station to expand have surfaced again.

This time Morrisons have submitted a planning application, although currently they do not own the land.

West Midlands Ambulance Service have received approaches from Morrisons and the future of the ambulance station is part of a review they are undertaking, which would see Aldridge and Walsall merged, with their being an RRV (Rapid Response Vehicle) facility  sited in Aldridge.

I’m awaiting further information from WMAS as to whether they  are planning to accept morrisons offer for the site and, if so, what exactly the future provision in Aldridge will consist of.