Renfrewshire Council have announced 700 posts could go in next 9 months, on top of 300 posts shed this year. 700 jobs is 10% of the Council’s non-teaching workforce by March 2011. All this when many bosses received the final part of 22% pay hike over two years.

Education

Education has borne the brunt of local cutbacks. Renfrewshire has axed more teachers, 245, than any other Council in Scotland – taking account of its size. Schools have been closed, school buses axed and remaining nurseries have been closed or downgraded. For full details read here.

RAH Car Parking Plan – Update

You may remember the campaign achieved initial success when the Health Board agreed to delaying the planned June implementation, stating this would allow for “further engagement and discussion with staff and their representatives.”

Click here for the current response from the Chief Executive Robert Calderwood. It shows little of the flexibility I would have hoped for to reassess the situation at the RAH.

Be assured I continue to press the case for a full re-think from the first principles – and I continue to raise questions about the Health Boards’ parking policies in Parliament.

Town Centre

Some of you will recall I ran a campaign last summer to win monies for Paisley from the national Town Centre Regeneration Fund for which I had long campaigned.

Paisley won £1.8m which is now being used to begin the redevelopment of the Arnotts site.   I recently met both the Director of Planning and the Police Chief in Mill Street to keep the pressure on for further improvements.

The Paisley Vision Board of local retailers want to attract more high quality ‘outlet stores’ like those at McArthur Glen in Livingstone, and have hired expert help to market Paisley to such stores. In the coming weeks temporary frontages will be used to entice new retailers. This is encouraging evidence that Paisley’s entrepreneurial spirit has not been extinguished. Click here for more details and see the Herald article this week.

At the Arnotts Site remodelling has begun with demolition, site clearance and environmental improvements underway including improving the existing car park area and the opening up of pedestrian routes though from Lawn Street to Smithhill Street. The Listed buildings will be protected and are not involved in the demolition works. But full site regeneration will take time. Overall market conditions for new retail and residential development are still challenging but the initial works being funded jointly by Park Lane and the Council will position the site to attract new investment.

More generally, over £7.5m was committed in 2007 to be spent 5 years on Paisley the town centre regeneration. Since 2007 nothing has been added to this pot – but nor has it been cut – so slowly we are seeing improvements: The Abercorn Bridge; Central Way; Renfrewshire House and the Arnotts site. Encouragingly Network Rail have agreed to upgrade Gilmour Street Station.

One real blot on the landscape is the Littlewoods site. The site’s owners are still getting a rent from Littlewoods so they have little incentive to find a new occupier.

I am urging support for new powers for  Councils to pursue landowners who own buildings in High Streets but make no effort to find new tenants because they continue to pick up rent through long leases. Councils need better powers to force landlords to ensure the shops are occupied or trading. For example if landlords knew they would have a rates penalty if they left a viable shop empty for a prolonged period, we might get faster re-leasing.

Lottery Fund monies are also now helping improve the area around Causeyside Street & Orchard Street and the Old Fire Station

In the West End progress is slower. I continue to urge the Council to improve the fabric of the buildings and refurbish Well Street – perhaps in partnership with established local housing associations.

Tackling underage drinking

Paul Main, Police Commander at Mill Street, tells me there is finally a mood for tougher action on underage drinking. The Inverclyde Licensing board has recently adopted a ‘first strike’ policy which sees shops caught selling to someone underage, having its licence suspended so hitting the shop’s bottom line by thousands of pounds. Click here for more details.

In Renfrewshire the Licensing Board has not yet adopted the Inverclyde approach. I am lobbying strongly for them to do so. I am urging a ‘first strike’ policy here in Renfrewshire and I hope it will happen here to.

A Public Local Inquiry into the proposals was held in 2008 and the Reporter’s conclusions were formally submitted to the government in October of that year – hence ministers have sat on that decision for over 20 months. A separate report on the M8/M73/M74 improvements was submitted to ministers on 24 July, 2009 – now a year on their desks.

Under the original plans unveiled in 2003, the project to improve the 10km section of the A8 between the M73 at Baillieston and the A73 at Newhouse to ensure a complete motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh should have been completed by the end of 2010, but Transport Scotland estimates the date for completion is now 2013/2014 (see notes).

Wendy Alexander, Labour MSP for Paisley North, said:

“The SNP government needs to explain why it is taking so long to make a decision on the upgrade of the A8.

“Ministers have been sitting on more than one Inquiry report for the past year and this project is in danger of slipping further and further behind the original timetable.

“Completing the M8 is vital for motorists who commute in and around Glasgow and Lanarkshire and to Edinburgh. Why have SNP ministers sat on their hands for 20 months and 12 months following receipt of Inquiry reports?

“Business wants the route, the travelling public want it, and Scotland’s economy needs it – so why are they still dragging their feet? This vital piece of infrastructure could provide much needed construction jobs, and help counteract the Salmond slump.

“It took the SNP government less than six months to make a decision on the Aberdeen Peripheral Route after they were handed a report of the public local inquiry.

“The SNP now need to explain why when it comes to the M8 there is only dither and delay.”

Wendy Alexander has criticised the Scottish Government’s scrapping of short term sentences as a failure to protect the victims of domestic abuse.

The criticism comes as the number of domestic violence cases soars by 1,500.

Currently 68% of those sent to prison for domestic violence got a sentence of less than 3 months.

The new presumption against sentences of less than three months, passed by the SNP Government in June, could mean that the majority of perpetrators of domestic abuse would escape jail.

Scottish Women’s Aid, in their members’ assessment of plans to scrap short sentences warned that they wouldn’t work and “most likely make matters worse”.

Paisley North MSP Alexander said that there was no room for complacency on domestic abuse.

Ms. Alexander said:

“1500 more domestic violence incidents marks a sizeable increase in these types of crimes and is yet another reminder that there must be no room for complacency on domestic abuse.

“By scrapping jail terms of less than three months, the Scottish Government will be letting more perpetrators of this despicable crime skip jail.

“There is no doubt that detection rates are up but to give the victims of abuse full confidence to come forward they must know that the strongest penalty awaits their attackers.

“By scrapping short jail sentences, the SNP Government risks failing the victims of domestic abuse.”

Since 2007 the Greater Glasgow Health Board has spent £959,792 on media and communication staff at a time when staff at the frontline are badly needed.

This year £ 4,075,060 that is being spent by Scottish health boards on press and communications it could pay for 154 nurses on a starting salary. Wendy believes this would be a far better use of NHS resources.

Ms. Alexander said:

“I am astonished that Scottish health boards are spending over £4 million every year on press and communications. I want to see the NHS employing real doctors, not spin doctors and employing nurses, not press officers.

“As a result of the Scottish Government’s cuts, the NHS is planning to cut 4,000 jobs this year including over 1,500 nurses. You can’t take this number of staff out of our hospitals without having a real impact on patient care.

“The £4 million that is being spent on press and communications should be going on the frontline. It could pay the salary and staff costs of over 150 nurses. I am sure that most people would agree that this would be a far better use of resources.

“Why does our local health board need 7 spin doctors? With the Board about to cut hundreds of nurses – NHS press officers should not be a priority. 

“The Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon needs to get a grip, but her own bloated press office is part of the problem. She has her own spin doctor and a team of 9 press officers working for her in the Scottish Government.”

Schools have now finished for the summer and pupils and teachers are now enjoying a well earned holiday. But our local schools continue to be short-changed by the Governement at Holyrood and the powers in Renfrewshire Council.

“More NATS: Fewer Teachers” – that will be the epitaph of this administration as they near the end of their four year term.

They have overseen the loss of 2,500 teaching posts across Scotland – 245 in Renfrewshire, the deepest cuts of any council of our size. Leaving us with the worst secondary school pupil teacher ratios in all of Scotland. On education the  end of term report is a fail. The Scottish Government have failed on class sizes of 18, failed on free school meals for P1 to P3, failed on PE, failed on student debt, failed us on nursery education – and now they are failing us on the Curriculum for Excellence.

Boiler Scrappage

July may seem an odd time to talk about boilers – but the summer is a good time to get the replacement installed. Following the axing of Labour’s scheme for free central heating systems for pensioners – we finally succeeded in getting a boiler scrappage scheme for Scotland to match the English scheme. The scheme awarded £400 towards the cost of a new boiler. But such was the demand for the small number of £400 grants available, added to the fact they were advertised to be released on a certain date, it created a race situation not unlike the frantic clamour for a T-in-the-Park festival ticket!

It came as no surprise that the 5000 Scottish Boiler Scrappage applications were snapped up in just over 24 hours! There were only 211 successful applicants in Renfrewshire – that’s less than one in twenty of those who applied. Given Labour’s free central heating systems went to over 14000 households each year, I am pressing for a relaunch of the boiler scrappage scheme before the autumn.

Student Debt Rising

In 2007 the current Scottish Government made a lot of promises. One was a pledge to students to “dump the debt and reintroduce student grants” (page 6 of the SNP Manifesto 2007)

But the “DUMP THE DEBT” promise made to students is in tatters as student debt increases again. The figures for 2009-10 reveal a 7% increase in the total amount students in Scotland owe. The previous year showed a 9% increase in the total debt.

“Dumping Student Debt” was a cynical and hollow promise made to students and the current  Scottsh Government should apologise for misleading them. Most students I know are struggling to find summer jobs – and are even more worried about what happens when they graduate. With unemployment in Scotland overtaking England again, local job seekers face a double whammy from Tory cuts and the Salmond slump.

Knife Crime

Well done to Kelly McGhee and her family for the way they have risen above the personal tragedy of losing their beloved Paul to argue for tougher laws against knife criminals. The Scottish Government may not have listened to Kelly, but the rest of us tried to reflect the views of the victims in the legal reforms we voted for last week in Holyrood. The vote for mandatory sentences for knife crime may have been lost – but the campaign goes on.

Congrats to Renfrew Old

I am pleased that in its most recent set of grant awards, the National Churches Trust has agreed to contribute £40,000 for repairs to the Old Parish Church, Renfrew. This was the largest grant given in this set of awards.

I know Renfrew Old and other local congregations have a huge task on their hands to preserve historic buildings so every little bit of assistance helps. Well Done!

Wendy supports Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) ‘Fully Charged’ Report

Evidence published in June by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) shows that Scotland’s main banks are still ‘hammering’ their customers by imposing unfair overdraft fees.

The evidence comes in a major new report, ‘Fully Charged,’ which is based on case evidence collected by CABs all across Scotland. Its findings are being backed by Wendy Alexander MSP who  lodged a Parliamentary motion in Holyrood. The motion has gathered cross-party support from many MSP colleagues.

The report’s main findings include:

People go into overdraft for reasons which are often not their fault, yet they are penalised anyway

People on low incomes are hit hardest of all by unfair fees – indeed the poor are actually subsidising the rich (a “reverse Robin Hood effect.”)

After hitting people with high fees, banks often make things even worse by offering them the ’solution’ of a consolidation loan, thus forcing many customers even further into debt

Wendy said

“Despite all the talk from banks about how they were going to be more responsible and help people through the recession, – the banks are still imposing heavy charges on vulnerable people. CAB advisers all across Scotland deal with case after case of people who have been hit by huge overdraft fees.

“What is particularly disappointing is that the people who are worst hit by these charges are those who can least afford to pay them. You have to pay the same amount regardless of your income. So, while the charges are unfair for everyone, those who are poorest are having to fork out a much higher proportion of their income than those who are better off.

The report finds that many people go into overdraft for reasons that are no fault of their own – e.g. sudden job loss, a fall in income, a delay in receiving wages or benefit payments, or even processing mistakes by the banks themselves. Yet they are still penalised by overdraft fees.

Wendy continues,

“If you have very little in your account, you are always on the verge of going into overdraft. So, if you suddenly lose your job, or a deposit into your account is delayed for a few days, and your Direct Debits go out of their account as usual, then you will be in overdraft and will be liable to pay these fees – even though it is not your fault.

“CAS has seen cases where a client with mental health issues built up an overdraft of £180 in 2 months – for an overdraft of just £2. Another client was hit with £66 in charges for being just 60p overdrawn. Another bank charged a 77-year old pensioner £300 in just one month because of one bounced transaction. These cases are at the extreme end, but they are not rare. And the fact they are happening at all is appalling.”

Wendy has called on MSPs to back her party’s plans to take tough action against knife criminals as the party revealed that almost 2000 people were admitted to hospital after knife attacks last year.

A Parliamentary Question revealed that there were 1,857 admissions to hospital due to assault by a sharp object in 2008-09. Over the same period, there were 3,688 acute occupied bed days across NHS Scotland associated with assault by a sharp object.

Wendy spoke out as it was confirmed that dozens of knife crime campaigners from across Scotland will be coming to the Parliament to show their support for a change in the law.

The group of campaigners will place a number of red carnations outside the Parliament at 1.00pm on Wednesday – each one signifying the family member or friend that they have lost to knife crime.

Wendy said:

“Today MSPs have a choice to make. We can take tough action and back our plans on minimum mandatory sentences or do what the SNP and the Lib Dems MSPs are proposing which is precisely nothing.

“Almost 2000 people were knifed last year. Over 50 people were killed by knife criminals. Doing nothing is not an option

“Labour’s plans on tackling knife crime are already in the Bill after the Justice Committee backed Labour’s proposals. Kenny MacAskill will try and take it those plans out despite 30,000 Scots telling him he’s wrong.

“Knife campaigners from across Scotland will be coming to the Parliament on Wednesday wanting their voice heard. It’s time that MSPs listened.”

Kelly McGee whose brother Paul was murdered by a knife criminal has written to all MSPS calling for action on knives, in her letter she wrote:

“If your beautiful son or brother was murdered by a repeat offender and a convicted knife criminal how would you feel?  Would you just sit back and think “this is just a part of life”?  Would you simply go with party policy? I suggest that you would in fact fight to ensure that such a horrific crime would not happen to another family.  If a minimum sentence for knife carriers can save one family from the pain and distress that we are suffering then it is worthwhile.”

Violence costs Scotland £3bn every year
Knife crime claims over 2100 bed days in local (Greater Glasgow & Clyde) hospitals

WENDY ALEXANDER MSP has called for  all Renfrewshire politicians to ‘stand up and be counted on knife crime’ and back Labour’s plans to take tough action against knife criminals next week.

As MSPs prepare to vote on the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill  on Wednesday,  Wendy revealed that knife attacks mean that  in 08/09  2193 bed days  were  taken up in GREATER GLASGOW & CLYDE hospitals and highlighted government research that states that violence including knife crime costs Scotland £3bn every year.

Wendy said:

“This week all MSPs have a chance to stand up and be counted on knife crime. We can decide to listen to the tens of thousands of  decent Buddies  who say that enough is enough and introduce minimum mandatory sentences for knife criminals.

“Ordinary, hardworking Scots are sick of the excuses and want action from MSPs on this key issue.

“Labour’s tough plans on tackling knife crime are in the Bill as it stands and can only be removed if MSPs make the active decision to remove them  on Wednesday . It is a choice that  we each  will have to make but Labour will stand up for victims of knife crime.  I want each SNP West of Scotland MSP – Stuart McMillan, Stewart Maxwell, Bill Wilson, Gil Paterson – to support jail for Knife crimes.

“Knife criminals need to know that if you carry a knife you will go to jail. Anything else will mean more violence, more strain on our health service and sadly more needless deaths.”

“In  Renfrewshire , you do not have to look far for examples of lives being ruined by knife crime. That is why I am pleased that knife crime victims like John Muir are coming to the Parliament this week and reminding MSPs that they have an opportunity here to make our communities safer.

“Too many times, the presence of a knife has escalated a confrontation from someone getting a nasty fight to a tragic death and we have to send a message that carrying a knife is unacceptable.” 

“Violence costs Scotland £3bn every year, knife crime costs the NHS £500m alone and with over 3500 bed days in Scottish hospitals being taken up to treat knife crime victims there is no time to waste.

At the end of May I, and fellow Renfrewshire constituency MSPs Hugh Henry & Trish Godman, met with the Health Board Chief Executive, Robert Calderwood and his senior management. I presented a copy of over 600 representation comments I had received to illustrate the real anxieties felt.

On behalf of staff, patients and visitors we urged the Health Board to take the time to consult with all groups, including local Council roads experts, and consider a “first principles” rethink of their current proposals to suit the circumstances of the RAH, identify new parking areas, recognise the distances travelled by many staff and the poor public transport links.

I enclose a copy of the current response from the Chief Executive here.  It shows little of the flexibility I would have hoped for to reassess the situation at the RAH.

Be assured I continue to press the case for a full re-think from first principles – and I continue to raise questions about GGCHB parking policies in Parliament.