Friday 7th November
I met with a resident in Hanover today who was concerned about the volume of through traffic in their street, especially trade vehicles. We are going to write a joint letter to residents and see if others feel the same way so we can campaign and get action to slow things down a bit!
Saturday 8th November
It’s National Campaign Day again and we were out in Hollingbury and Stanmer meeting residents. One resident raised concerns about the abuse of the Blue Badge scheme so I explained what Labour is doing to tackle this.
The Labour government has recently taken action to reduce Blue Badge abuse by:
• Providing local authorities with up to £10 million, over the next three years, so that they can establish a system of data-sharing to reduce fraudulent misuse of Badges;
• Examining the scope for on-the-spot seizure of Badges being used unlawfully by non-Badge holders;
• Improving Badge security features;
• Raising awareness of the negative consequences that misuse of the Scheme can have for severely disabled people
Sunday 9th November
I joined our MP David Lepper and paid my respects at Remembrance Service held at the Peace Memorial this morning. A group of us then went to the Ex-Service’s Club in St. James Street to have a drink with them.
Saturday 15th November
Celia Barlow MP, Simon Burgess Labour PPC for Brighton Kemptown and I held an event to meet and discuss issues with trade union representatives this morning. There was a good attendance from a range of unions and it was useful to have a proper chance to catch up with them.
Thursday 20th November
I was delighted to join the local Women’s Refuge for their re-branding this evening. Now know as RISE, under Gail’s leadership, this organisation is just going from strength to strength. Rise provides support for women, children and young people living with the effects of domestic abuse. Find out more from their website.
After the event at RISE, I joined residents in the St. Peter’s and North Laine area for a discussion about the need for regeneration and renewal of The Level and London Road area. I made a contribution about the need for a published plan and timetable to redevelop The Level. It was clear that local residents are quite rightly getting frustrated at being fobbed off with vague promises and jargon. Plans for a new skatepark and other facilities have been promised for a long time, but there has been little real action to improve The Level. You will recall my campaign that was supported by over 75 young people who want a new skatepark. The Council Officers said that something will be happening on Monday so I will be going down to take a look.
Monday 24th November
I had a lovely time visiting two nurseries today, meeting staff, parents and children. I went to Tarner Nursery School and the Montessori School in the Preston Park area. It was useful to catch up on the latest thinking and see how national policies are really working on the ground as it is a while since I worked in the childcare sector.
I also met up with Unite bus reps to discuss recent changes to road layout which seems to be giving the bus drivers precious little space to manoeuvre around Brighton. They also raised some concerns with me about road safety for pedestrians. The new-style crossings are very confusing and not very visible! I will be writing to Brighton and Hove City Council about these issues.
Tags: Hanover, Preston Park, Traffic
Posted on November 28, 2008 in Campaigns, Tory Cuts.
