Redditch Labour Party

So what now for Boris Johnsons vision of connectivity?
2 thousand people woke up this morning to find themselves unemployed from FlyBe.
Countless more will be hit by Flybe’s collapse in the supply chain along with the communities who live around the Airports rely on them. Where many are left stranded as some Airports such as in Anglesey have no or little alternative. [see bar chart below]
... Newquay Airport which has seen significant investment via the EU to improve connectivity to the rest of the UK. Without Flybe the airport is likely to be unviable, as it is very reliant on Flybe (65.9%).
Flybe operated around 30.7% of Birmingham Airport's scheduled departing flights last year.
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Live in Church Hill - have a problem or in need of a chat?
Why not pop in and see Cllr Bill Harnett tomorrow - at his monthly Surgery

NOT TO DIE UNNECESSARILY EARLY THROUGH INEQUALITY - ISN'T A LOT TO ASK FOR IS IT?
An Opposition Day Debate headed by Jonathon Ashworth Shadow Secretary of State for Health was held in Parliament last night to request that the Government end austerity, invest in public health, implement the recommendations of the review, publish public health allocations for this April as a matter of urgency, and bring forward a world-leading health inequalities strategy to take action on the ...social determinants of health.
GUESS HOW THE VOTING WENT
Tories and DUP voted against Ayes: 181 Noes: 319
The Marmot Review 10 Years On; is concerned by its findings that since 2010 improvements to life expectancy have stalled for the first time in more than 100 years and declined for the poorest women in society, that the health gap between wealthy and deprived areas has grown, and that the amount of time people spend in poor health has increased across England; agrees with the review that these avoidable health inequalities have been exacerbated by cuts to public spending and can be reduced with the right policies
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NOT A BIG THING TO ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO SAY THANK YOU AND AGREE TO A REVIEW - IS IT?
MPs have voted 328 to 227 against the motion to thank those who worked to respond to the floods and call for an independent review to assess the government's response and decide what lessons need to be learned.
Tories and DUP - 328 voted against
... Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Allliance, Plaid Cymru, Green Party and 1 Conservative [Andrew Percy] - 227 - voted for.
https://twitter.com/HouseofComm…/status /1235238962404478978…
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Local Labour Councillors can make things happen for our Community.
Things don't have to be all about Tory Cuts on the most vulnerable in our town and to our services. We can do things differently here too.
WATCH and vote Labour in our local elections on May 7th

Report from the DWP Press Office 👇👇👇
Please comment below or private message us with your experiences and thoughts.

It's a good idea for the Department of Health and Social Care to tweet out information of NEW cases of the Coronavirus from a central point to enable people to know if they may have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the virus.
But is "once a week" and "online" enough when there are reports of delays in 111 giving appointments for testing. It's also reported there are delays in getting results. West Midlands Ambulance service run 111 say they don't have ...enough staff.
Michele Paduano BBC Midlands tweets "Great so number of cases has increased to 85. I am a BBC West Midlands Health Correspondent and I cannot tell the public in the West Midlands whether we have any confirmed cases yet?"
LINK TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE TWITTER
https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1235 207174407802880…
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WHAT'S FOR THE ALEX?
Good to see WAHT Trust Chief Executive admitting the Worcester Royal isn't big enough and can't cope after years of the previous Labour Council, Residents and groups like Save The Alexandra Hospital and Watchdog telling them and our Tory MPs time and time again.
However, there's nothing physically transpired for the Alex yet again - despite Rachel Maclean claiming she has been pressing the Trust to bring back services to the Alex and an extension of A&E a...long with more funding. Lobbying ministers including the former Chancellor, Sajid Javid being MP for Bromsgrove all has amounted to nothing.
The Alexandra Hospital was also not included in Boris Johnson’s £1.8billion one-off NHS cash boost announced in August last year or included in the 6 refurbished [meant to be 40 NEW] hospitals either.
Nearly 3 years on as our MP for Redditch and we have yet to see any results for her "No:1 Priority"
Redditch deserves a lot better.
2 weeks ago Redditch Borough Councillor Bill Hartnett (Lab, Church Hill) who set up the Council’s Health Commission three years ago, reiterated its findings that the Alex should pair with a Birmingham health trust.
“Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is simply not viable. It has been in deficit for 20 years. They’ve had countless changes in management and it’s still no better,” he said.
“Worcester should pair with Hereford, Kidderminster with the Black Country and Redditch with Birmingham as the Commission concluded.”
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During yesterdays education questions in the House of Commons, Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary said it was “shocking to see reports that the chancellor is considering scrapping free school meals”, and called on education secretary Gavin Williamson to save the scheme.
Angela Rayner said: “I know the secretary of state stated that he had made representations to the chancellor, but will he state categorically today that he’d resign rather than implement such budget... cuts? And while he’s at it, shouldn’t he also adopt our proposals for free school breakfasts – an idea he once supported?”
But Gavin Williamson was missing from Parliament and so children’s minister Vicky Ford, responded on his behalf, focused in her response on the government’s breakfast clubs programme, and said absolutely NOTHING about the plan for universal infant free school meals.
The shadow education secretary said her response was “deeply alarming”.
“With children turning up to school too hungry to learn and millions in food poverty, the government must urgently assure parents and teachers that universal infant free school meals are safe.” Schools Week revealed last week that the programme, which provides meals for around 1.4 million infants, has been “long-listed” by the Department for Education as part of the spending review process. Cabinet ministers have been asked to find departmental savings of 5%.
Since it was introduced in 2014 by the coalition government, the universal infant free school meals policy has been threatened on several occasions.
Most recently, the Conservatives pledged in their 2017 election manifesto to ditch it, but then U-turned following a huge backlash and the loss of their majority.
Dominic Cummings also opposed the Free Schools policy when he worked for Michael Gove at the Department For Education.
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ministers-dodge -questions-about-…/
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LABOUR PARTY MEMBERS
If you haven't had a #LabourLeadershipElection ballot paper yet, members and supporters can request a reissued ballot from 2nd-27th March for postal ballots, and until 30th March for email only.
Link available on our Leadership Election Hub FAQs section:

Published today - a post showing that over 60% of Conservative Party members surveyed do not believe in climate emergency. Are the Conservatives a party of climate change deniers?

The closure of the One Stop Shops reduces access to services - these are not just places to pay council tax bills, they provide a link between the council and vulnerable, potentially isolated, residents. One Conservative councillor suggests that the VCS groups could help those people access services instead. He has already forgotten that he voted to cut funding to the VCS groups! Redditch Labour voted against these closures, and will continue to challenge the #Tory government of #cuts.

Our thoughts are with all those that have and are continuing to be affected by the floods and all the emergency and agency services out helping day and night.
Environment Agency manager Dave Throup for Herefordshire and Worcestershire tweets continuous updates
"The craziest one since"
... "Last week."
"I thought I knew how our local rivers behaved. Not any more."
"Worrying times."
A big thank you to Dave Throup for his excellent feedback on his Twitter page - through this link 👇👇👇
https://twitter.com/DaveThroupEA
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LOOKS LIKE NOTHING IS SACRED - EVEN OUR FOOD AND FARMLANDS
In plans set out by the then environment secretary Michael Gove last year, the UK government said it would guarantee current funding levels for farmers up until 2022. Now a leaked Government email says we don't need our Farmers at all.
A spokeswoman for the National Farmers Union (NFU) previously said: "Farmers and growers manage more than 70% of the UK landscape and play a fundamental role in providing safe, traceabl...e and affordable food as well as environmental and economic benefits for the nation.
The NFU went on to say "We need clear and cast-iron commitments from this government on how they plan to back British food and farming."
At the time a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We've been clear that we will maintain the same funding for farmers until the end of this Parliament, expected in 2022.
"This will apply whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal."
"Our Agriculture Bill is our greatest opportunity to reset the agricultural sector for a new generation of farmers and land managers, breaking away from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. The Bill will be brought back to Parliament as soon as possible."
However, in leaked emails yesterday the Treasury adviser Tim Leunig argues that the food sector is not 'critically important' to the economy and that agriculture and fishery production 'certainly isn't'.
A senior economic adviser to new Chancellor Rishi Sunak has argued that Britain could become 'like Singapore' and import all our food.
Appears giving in to Trump in Trade Deals are far more important than our Farmers or our food.
In 2018 it was reported there were more than 4,400 farm businesses and smallholdings in Worcestershire of varying in size.
The land they grow crops and rear stock on could fit into Worcester Warriors' Sixways Stadium more than 7,000 times, with room to spare. Imagine what that does for our local economy and access to fresh, local food.
Many people voted Brexit to enable us to take back control of our Farmlands and Fisheries. What an absolute let down and blow for us and our Farmers to wake up to this today who are already struggling due to unprecedented floods.
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Yum yum
What a great idea and good to see all ages joining in.

FOR THE RECORD
There have been Facebook comments and message enquiries regarding Emma Marshall the Redditch Conservative Candidate for Greenlands, who apparently has been knocking on doors claiming that the long standing Councillor and Labour Candidate for Greenlands Joseph Baker is a "Climate Change Denier"
We would like to say for the record - that this is not only fake news but a malicious attack and slur on our hardworking and caring Councillor.
... You can see for yourself in this shared post from Greenlands and Woodrow, Wirehill Labour Team that Joe has supported Climate Change events all over Redditch and various groups.
It's very concerning that nasty tactics like this are being used in the Redditch Conservatives local Election Campaign. Our advice is to be very careful and request evidence for everything you are being told on your doorsteps.
#greenlandswardnotforgranted
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BREAKING NEWS - WATCH VIDEO
The top civil servant in the Home Office has resigned and said he intends to claim against the government for constructive dismissal.
Sir Philip Rutnam said there had been a "vicious and orchestrated" campaign against him in Home Secretary Priti Patel's office.