SOS Bus

The Medway SOS bus is an important local resource

Am currently working very closely with fellow Labour Councillor's to identify further funding streams for the SOS bus.

The SOS bus is a well supported scheme that deserves to be safeguarded given its good work in the community.

There are questions about future funding; but with a Big Lottery Grants for inner ward areas of Medway I do feel that the Council could be doing more to safeguard this resource and we are communicating that to senior Council officers.

The bus does have a big impact; it not only aids people in distress but also provides a useful resource for street pastors and other emergency services. The presence of such individuals reduces the likelihood of anti-social behaviour which did blight the highstreet from 1995-2005.

It's all over

And no; we cant call ourselves what we like...

That's it folks. We didnt win City Status.

The sponsored stationary and dust carts can now be pulped and wheeled back into the litter closets and us 'twits' can remove the logo; and we can continue along our merry way as five major towns and associated villages.

Whilst it is beholden on me to congratulate the winners they are I might add a very odd selection indeed.

St Asaph in North Wales has a population of about 4,000 - about half the size of Hoo Peninsula and smaller than Chatham Central ward. Look below to find out more. Chelmsford is an interesting choice but I cant recall any major campaign effort for the new city; as it was most pundits had put them way down the list. Perth had put in a worthy bid and was expected to do well.

Not the winning bid vid...

Im not bitter at all. And on a serious note; we did deserve to win - a lot of people worked very hard and put together a very very strong pitch.

So why did we, including all the bookies, get it all wrong? I do not know; its all a bit odd. This process is even more secretive then the Medway Tunnel purchase...

Still if St Asaph can win it with only 4,000 it does raise the question; could Rochester return for a bid. After all Perth lost there own city status apparently too... only to win it back

I understand from sources the Medway Lib Dems are sipping the bubbly this evening; not only did Cleggers do well at PMQs today but they have something to celebrate today, with the culmination of their superb campaign efforts.

Ooo a hay ball...

CCTV Car swoops on Overbudget Bus Station

Declining profitability; up until the controvertial bus station opened

The news broken in December that the Tory CCTV car was a liability in all but name could be about to re-suface, as the Council spin machine released a statement today indicating a new potential revenue stream had been identified at the over-budget bus station, at the same time that the cars were lambasted for declining profitability and high staff turnover.

In December the press reported in great detail (see above) about how the cars were loosing profitability and were subject to huge numbers of public appeals against there operation.

It now appears that the Tory Car had found a new wheeze with which to make money

You will remember the below facts from December

• Tory CCTV issued over 55,000 tickets, but only two-thirds have been paid due to disputes. A quarter have been cancelled after residents fought and won
• Tory CCTV car has made revenues of £1.6m since 2008, with £771,000 remaining after costs
• Staff have cost £421,000, the cars have cost £319,000 and fuel, maintenance and the 'uniforms' have cost £31,000
• 30 staff have left since 2008. Six were sacked, five were laid off and 19 left of their own accord
• Number of tickets issued has declined since November 2010 with only 754 tickets issued in October 2011
• The cars made equivalent to £192,000 per annum or a total profit of £771,000 profit after cost

Readers will be particularly interested to read the Council statement rushed out today indicating the 'danger's of motorists driving through the Chatham Bus Station' which has come as a response to an FoI request disclosing 'Penalty Charge Notices issued at Medway St' the fact the CCTV car has potentially made a small fortune out of catching motorists using the bus station as a cut through.

This blog welcomes enforcement of inappropriate driving but does raise serious questions about why a permanent camera was not fixed in October, and more worrying that other resources, namely the Police have been used to give out warning notices over a key period; namely Halloween and Bonfire night.

The press release states the timeline which shows why a fixed ANPR camera should have been fixed far earlier;

"For the first four weeks (between 10 October and 7 November 2011) after the bus station opened, Medway Council worked with the police to warn people rather than fine them in order to give motorists fair time to get used to the new layout. A total of 486 warning notices were given out instead of fines during this time."

This statement indicates that Police Officers, paid by you the tax payer to combat real crime, namely anti-social behaviour in my ward in Luton & Wayfield or Gillingham North were actually spending periods of time giving warnings out to drivers undertaking minor traffic offences.

Whilst I have no issue with the Police warning people, we do have traffic wardens that could do the same job. Why have Police resources, already stretched due to budget cuts, being used to in this regard?

This type of non-endorsable wrist slapping is a waste of Police resource for absolutely no gain at all. Taking into account the number of days (equivalent to 30/31 days) that is the equivalent of a cop car giving out 16 non-endorsable notices per day.

Moving on...

"Between 7 November, 2011 and 9 January this year, 962 motorists have paid fines after being issued with Penalty Charge Notices within the bus and taxi only zone in the bus station"

Now comes the crux. All residents are aware that the CCTV cars have been a declining revenue source and after reports in December, were at serious risk of being deemed decreasinly profitable to the point where the PR reputational damage would outway revenue raised.

How convenient, how terribly convenient, that the CCTV car finds a miraculous source of income for its exploits, which it is allowed to exploit for almost two months, twice the length of the Police operation, to penalise road users. In total this car would have made on my calculations £28,860 if everyone paid the £30 charge as stipulated, on the Medway Council website, and if all these PCNs were given by the vehicles.

In the press release it states that the Council has 962 notices paid but in their own FoI submission to a member of the public a total of 1786 fixed penalty notices were given. An amnesty of four weeks was given from the Police but it is still questionable tactics employed.

Despite the warm words of Conservatives indicating that CCTV car would in fact be ensuring schools and residential roads were clear of traffic the cars also spent a disproportionate of time at the bus station. One could say why move if the cash keeps flowing into the coffers...

You may remember the justification a few years ago that:

"Our CCTV cars make it safer for children by operating outside schools and help cut down on congestion by people illegally parking on roads throughout Medway."

It seems however this car was spending a lot of time not outside schools at all.

The Council have now stopped the cash cow and have

"Now permanent ANPR cameras are being put in place to stop those that continue to flout driving regulations. "

Notice the words 'are being' not 'have been'

Absolutely correct; but why did it take months of penalising the public with the CCTV car to install ANPR cameras, and when was this decision made (e.g. not today)? ANPR camera's or fixed camera's should have installed from the very start on this stretch of road or surely after Police reports; the fact they were not, and the CCTV car allowed to operate at such revenue does raise serious questions here. The timing is very co-incidental indeed.

It looks very much like, one could argue, that a previously decreasingly profitable set of vehicles, with a declining revenue stream, were seemingly allowed to rake in revenue from an area which should have been fitted with a permanent camera at the very start.

Pointing both ways; revenue generation or simply enforcement? You decide?

Of course there are a number of ways that individuals can oppose the PCNs but one very interesting spot tonight from the above. The bus symbol used on the turn 'right' side of this image is not one I have seen before. Also; I cant say I saw a lot of indications of a bus lane on the roads themselves.

This is a very suspicious state of affairs; someone somewhere needs to ask how much profit these cars made out of this failure, and why it took so long for a decision to made to place a permanent camera.

School Data Re-visited

Have spent the last hour or so churning into the numbers and some concerning trends have been revealed which show just how stark the system of education we have in the Medway Towns has become.

Find below the breakdown of some key indicators which you may find interesting. I have picked three indicators which will become clear:

This is the sort of analysis a good researcher or analyst would undertake

This blog does not advocate any top-down re-organisation of our education system without the consent of parents; so I want to say at the outset that this is not a campaign pitch for the Comperehensive cause. I actually believe in good schools and do not want to tinker with any that work. I do however have a seething dislike for failure and as you would expect from someone of the centre-left; how it impacts those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Evidence

• Grammar Schools were the only schools to get above average GCSE results. All other publicly funded schools; whether comprehensive, secondary modern, community, academy or sponsered were below average performance
• The average cohort at grammar schools was 148 pupils. At other schools cohort was 195 (and that is including Rochester Independent College (ony 24 cohort so a statistical outlier). We know that those with smaller cohorts did better overall
• 72.5% of all pupils in Medway taking GCSEs attended schools that are below average performance.
• Grammar School pupils are on average wealthier then those at all other schools in the area if you take into account free school meal %. On average grammar school pupils (3.98%) v non grammar pupils (15.48%). From a social mobility perspective this is important.

Adding in the statistics from the Centre for Cities analysis which shows that Medway has noticeably poor education with only 22.8% with a higher qualification (ranking Medway 51/64 for same sized cities in UK) and 13.6% with no formal qualifications at all (43/64). How much of these same statistics are influenced by school performance? It is of note that on all the other indicators on the CfC analysis we performed above average.

This blog is not seeking a political outcome from the above points merely to point out some statistical realities. The decision for education in the area must be for its residents to decide.

Incidentally the above also highlights why anyone managing the education department in Medway Council has a very very tough job. Unlike in other areas our team have to work within a very difficult environment and context; one which you could argue is inherently skewed.

CCTV Car Review Required

CCTV Car Timeline (KM Group)

Many people reading this blog will be aware of the authors views on the Medway Conservative CCTV cars which are a law onto themselves. Symbolic of the administration, many consider it a 'white vulture', a flight of fancy, whilst others are apparently 'almost' demanding these cars on their street corners

Medway Conservatives claim there is a groundswell of support for the vehicles - yet never substantiate this - nor do they choose to mention it once on the Medway Conservative website or the Rainham Central website. So many passionate advocates that, from my recollection, it did not feature on any electoral leaflet in the local election.

I along with most people somehow find it hard to believe that there is a massive hidden majority out there who are salivating for one of these vehicles down their road, but if you believe the (Rainham) Tory spin in the press; these cars are the salvation of the Medway roads and a paragon of virtue.

Or course I am willing to be proved wrong and I am sympathetic to the argument that people want appropriate enforcement of parking and scrutiny. But sub-contracting out two vehicles to a potentially poor contractor who inflicts much reputational damage onto the Council, should and needs to be scrutinised very closely. I believe some Tories are in denial about this.

Let me explain why.

Universally despised wherever they operate these cars are seen as the physical embodiment of an overly centralist and controlling local authority. Many Conservative Councils will never introduce such schemes, and the leading campaign group Big Brother Watch, who oppose the cars, is being managed by a former Conservative PPC. Let us be clear; many authorities do have the opportunity to introduce the cars but choose not to...

And why? There is something fundamentally wrong about being caught breaking the same rules it imposes on everyone else which it does on a regular basis (see here, here, here, here, here and here) and the inequity of the fine; it has created more front page scoops than any other story added up over the last 2 years and it will continue to do immense damage to the trust of politics in Medway.

Indeed, the only positive news on the cars can be found on the Medway Council website, who have ironically awarded the vehicles several Customer Service awards. The cruel irony is that the car was awarded an award in April 2010 not because of customer support, but one month after it issued an eye-watering 2,762 tickets against residents in March 2010.

This type of public back-slapping angers the public immensely. It should.

The leading supporter of the cars is none other than Councillor O'Brien. Indeed, such a supporter that he has stated that "at every single community meeting I go to I have residents almost demanding the CCTV car."

Well if residents of Rainham are 'almost' demanding a Council spy car on every road that settles it. In fact the only (not almost) cases I get are people moaning about the inequity of the vehicles choosing to fine people in narrow terraced streets, where parking can be difficult at the best of times.

And are the cars raising important sums? The vehicle (s) has made a revenue of £770,000 over four years or £192,000 per annum. In the grand scheme of Council budgets this is pathetic sum and could be more than corrected by increasing number of actual wardens, or constant use of fixed site camera's.

The argument of course used to oppose any review is that the cars are fulfilling a service and slapping down those who are inconsiderate.

This I believe is woefully ignoring the fact that 1 in 4 of the fines is overturned on appeal and as to why only two-thirds have been paid. It would ignore the challenge tabled by many that these vehicles has been anything but professional with 30 CCTV car staff having left since 2008, of which six were sacked, five were laid off and 19 have left of their own accord. No review and we may continue with a management failure caused by inappropriate recruitment or staff training.

The Tory line that the number of tickets is reducing proves CCTV enforcement is having a positive effect is also totally unsubstantiated with fact, and actually ignores the reality for why a review is necessary

Lets just look at the Tory CCTV Car in more detail

• Tory CCTV car has issued over 55,000 tickets, but only two-thirds have been paid due to disputes. A quarter have been cancelled after residents fought and won
• Tory CCTV car has made revenues of £1.6m since 2008, with £771,000 remaining after costs
• Staff have cost £421,000, the cars have cost £319,000 and fuel, maintenance and the 'uniforms' have cost £31,000
• 30 staff have left since 2008. Six were sacked, five were laid off and 19 left of their own accord
• Number of tickets issued has declined since November 2010 with only 754 tickets issued in October 2011
• All tickets issued could be void due to 'blunders' in the paperwork

So why the review?

The above facts make a review sensible. Backbench Councillors would then be able to ask the decent and substantive questions about the operational effectiveness of the cars.

Labour have been consistently aware of the public concerns of the vehicles which is why we called for full review of them in the local election 2011. Despite protests from leading Conservative Councillors that the cars were well managed and popular the facts now stand for themselves.

At present, the Tories have refused the opposition demands for a full operational review

We know there is some sympathy in the ranks; even some Conservatives dont like them. Both Alan W Collins and leading Medway Youth Chairman (who represents only one and a half constituencies) Joe Armitage have both savaged the vehicles. With friends like those there is a small glint of light that they may reflect more widespread opinion...

It is time the CCTV car had a full review so that backbench and opposition Councillors can undertake a proper and thorough assessment, so that if appropriate we can scrap the cars when the contract expires in April 2013.

Tories costing me £51 per month. You?

Train fares are already too expensive, but now they are set to skyrocket even further.

You can calculate how much the Conservatives are charging you extra.

The move to increase fares was contained in the Department of Transport Comprehensive Spending Review settlement which was supported by Mark Reckless, Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chisthi.

Tories have voted to up your fares. Money that could be spent on your family.

As part of their austerity cuts, the Government is planning massive fare hikes from January 2012. Fares are set to go up by 28% over the next four years - that's £1,500 more for some season tickets. Expensive train fares are:

• A rotten deal for passengers. Being forced to pay ever more each year without seeing any improvements is simply unfair.
• Harmful for the environment. Prices need to be cheaper if more people are to choose the train and help cut congestion and tackle climate change.
• Bad for business. High fares price people out of jobs in London and our other major cities, damaging the UK’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.
• Unfair. Many people are being forced to change jobs or make difficult choices between transport and other vital expenses. Trains shouldn’t just be a luxury for the rich.

We can’t let prices go up even further. Together, we can change the Government’s minds and make fares truly fair.

The Road Ahead?

Increasing unemployment as Medway Tories obsess over Europe

We all know that the Conservative Coalition policies are not working and because they decided to cut too far and too fast we are now at greater risk now than had the Country taken a different course in May 2010.

In the General Election the Labour Party were absolutely clear that we would not cut as far and as fast until the recovery was in view because of the risk of a double-dip.

You may remember this Labour Party Election Broadcast from May 2010 warning of the Tory path:

We lost the election and Cameron rejected our position.

They took the wrong path and now we are once again staring down the barrel of a gun but with a weak leader and a party which believes that 'unemployment is the price worth paying.'

Dont take my words for it; Cameron's own Conservative colleagues are falling over themselves to distance themselves from the Economic record of the current government

The below is from a Conservative, Patrick Mercer MP according to The People.

GUEST: I enjoyed your kind words. Some people have a gift for that.

MERCER: It’s sort of what I do. I’ve only made three speeches today. The first one in rather faux support for the Home Secretary who I assume will not be the Home Secretary by Friday.If the Prime Minister expresses his utmost confidence in you that means pack your bags. It always has done ­especially with Cameron. What a creature!

GUEST: You don’t rate him?

MERCER: No, I think he’s the worst politician in British history since William Gladstone.

GUEST: What about Gordon Brown?

MERCER: At least Gordon was ­human. Gordon had all sorts of errors, frailties – but at least he was human.

GUEST: Where did David go wrong?

MERCER: Well, he was born.

GUEST: You can’t say things like that.

MERCER: Yeah I can. He’s a most despicable creature without any real redeeming features. If I can think of one ... he’s very rich, how’s that? That’s a redeeming feature.

GUEST: He’s in a terrible situation, the poor guy.

MERCER: And he’s making it worse.

GUEST: Well what are his side going to do about him.

MERCER: We’ll sack him.

GUEST: You reckon?

MERCER: We’ll get rid of him.

GUEST: Well who’s going to take his place.

MERCER: Well if I don’t kill him, then I probably will out of fun – and show the country how really badly it can be run.

I’ve never, ever come across anyone less suited to the job in my life.

I would take a beggar off the streets and put him in that position rather than have Cameron. I loathe him.

What this snippet shows you is that despite all the spin and rubbish peddled by Tory MPs in public they know that they have called the recovery wrong and have a leader who could not even win an absolute majority. He is a dud...

The worry is that this dud cant control his party. We are seeing evidence of similar rebellious actions to Patrick Mercer MP locally.

Both Mark Reckless and Tracey Crouch joined a growing number of rebel Euroloons on the back-benches on the referendum vote only a few weeks ago. They rebelled against the leader of their party and voted against the national interest, in the persuit of an extremist agenda which would have called for a referendum in the middle of the Eurozone crisis, which could have cost this country millions as the markets would have inevitably responded had the motion passed.

They both irresponsibly put the share prices of UK companies, jobs and employment of millions of people at risk and they did it because they saw a political opportunity while the Eurozone struggles to secure itself.

Do you think they acted responsiblity in the interests of the moderate middle?

What is most worrying though; whilst they have been focusing on Europe they have said precious little about the current state of unemployment which blights Medway and beyond.

This week we will likely see an extremely grim milestone, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) preparing to release the latest unemployment figures which is expected to cross the one million mark.

In Medway youth unemployment is sky high:

Rochester & Strood unemployment: Number of 18-24 yr olds claiming over 6 months up 114% with the total number up from 2,425 to 2,430 from May 10 to Sept 11

Gillingham & Rainham unemployment: Number of 18-24 yr olds claiming over 6 months up 206% with the total number up 4.9% frm 2,358 to 2,473 frm May 10 to Sept 11

Chatham & Aylesford unemployment: Number of 18-24 yr olds claiming over 6 months up by 150% and a total number up 2% frm 2,720 to 2,774 from May 10 to Sept 11

Cameron is taking us in the wrong direction and our rebellious and factional MPs are putting the national interest behind that of a faction within the Conservative Party.

Meanwhile our young people continue to be let down...

There are risky times ahead; but Labour will continue to fight and talk about the issues that matter. Jobs, NHS, schools, police and a sensible relationship with Europe.

Boundary Changes

It seems the boundary reviews are taking the attention of Conservative Councillors of late with many jumping over themselves to declare how municipal identity is being eroded by the Boundary Commission proposals.

The proposals which come as a direct result of Cameron Conservative meddling in the number of MPs have led to movements of several wards in Medway.

The independent boundary commission result, though never ideal because of the required size of constituencies, is on balance a sensible outcome.

It is therefore ironic that Cameron's proposal have led to what can only be described as a desperate scrabble by Medway Conservatives to try and gerrymander, and it is gerrymander, the independent proposal into something which guarantees the return of Conservative MPs; at direct expense of the people of Medway.

I have been particularly interested to read and listen to the core arguments of Conservatives, which are essientially based on loose historical and economic affiliation between neighbourhoods.

The Tory argument is primarily based on local identity and affiliation but that is also the biggest flaw in that same position. Not only because it exposes them for the pure partisan instincts they pretend to stand above, but it also fundamentally misunderstands what a constituency has become.

The current constituencies so lamented by Tories as a paradigm of identity are arguably poorly constructed. It isnt just that people living in Chatham Dockyard and Brompton have voted for the MP in Rochester & Strood. It isnt just that the people of Aylesford have arguably nothing to do with the people of Chatham, and vice versa. Or, indeed, that those in Halling and Cuxton have very different concerns to those in Hoo or Horsted.

We currently have an imperfect situation which is not actually related to identity in its strict sense. Our existing constituencies are fundamentally imperfect constructs which are only loosely related to shared historical relations

Another argument I have read is about shared services; but that argument is also flawed. People dont just eat in restaurants and shops that happen to be within the constituency. A person in Chatham may share an Asda with that of Rochester. A person in Rochester East who has a below average income may share the same social problems of those in Luton & Wayfield in the same income bracket; though they sit in different areas the problems they have are not based or even identified by those with those problems on artificial Parliamentary boundaries. If any, the identity is based on local authority, but even that only impacts on issues of direct reciprocation.

The Tory position is an exagerated artificial political construct which ignores issues of socio-economic status, culture and religion. Indeed its categorisation purely on the basis of local geographical affiliation is flawed.

Chatham & Aylesford epitomises that point; two utterly different areas merged into one... two areas with two different Council arrangements, transport and local geography. They share very little with each other but they have been placed together because of political imperatives

Constituencies are now of such a size across the United Kingdom that they are more like a collection of areas as opposed to those with a geographical or political affiliation with each other (with a few notable exeptions like the Isle of White). The spread of technology, transport and the scalibility of distance has left the Medway Tory argument exposed as out of its time.

The Tory arguments about Boundaries are therefore not really about shared schooling, vet services and retail facilities, it is simply and purely a reflection of partisan conivance for the political gerrymander they seek, and nothing more. This is not about shared identity, because even if there was such a thing in an area, they are happy to ignore the identities of those who happen to vote the right way... Aylesford linked with Chatham?.

The objections are therefore politically convenient and contrived. They ignore much larger identity differences for the sake of electoral gain. Pure and simple.

The Labour position is to support the independent recommendations as imperfect but the best outcome, we take a natural argument over our pooled identity to rename constituencies to the idea espoused below by Councillor Jarrett.

This position is not unique and can be seen across the country; from Liverpool, Portsmouth, Norwich, Sunderland, Newcastle and many other areas of the UK represented by Labour, Conservatives, Liberals and independents.

The below is from Medway Conservative, Deputy Leader Alan Jarrett;

"There are many benefits to be gained from city status. It would bring greater and wider recognition to Medway and as such would do even more to put us firmly on the national and international map.

There are financial benefits that can flow from this, and you only have to ask other towns which have achieved this accolade in the recent past to realise that it is not something to be taken lightly.Wolverhampton and Brighton - to name but two - have seen big improvements since becoming cities.Of course there will be those who disagree.

Certainly some have expressed concerns that our five towns - Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham - will lose their identities. But this has not happened since the formation of Medway as a municipal area 13 years ago.

Then there are those that say that Medway is not a place but a river. It is, of course, both. The Medway Towns has long been recognised as an area and increasingly over the years Medway has achieved that same recognition.

The widespread acceptance of Medway as a place is now palpable. Even this newspaper has long since rightly adopted the name. Paradoxically some of those opposing Medway as a city also use the name Medway in their own title!"

The Tory boundary change arguments are not only incoherent, vacuous and without historical merit they also do the exact opposite of what they preach. Medway is either accepted as a place that 'is now palpable' or it is not.

The creation of three renamed constituencies is actually a consistent and fair position that accepts the political imposed realities of constituency size and our future aspiration to be a true city.

It accepts the independent recommendations of non-partisan actors but it also seeks to re-affirm the position of both administration and opposition that our shared identity as a place is in Medway.

It is time Tories stopped playing partisan games with the boundaries; accept the independent recommendations and move on.

Tory Allotment Tax

The Tory hatred of anything green isnt just in the Planning law which they are deliberely watering down to make development easier.

It isnt even in the London Conservative plan to bulldoze over the Peninsula and put a slab of concrete over our beautiful landscape.

Labour Councillor, Isaac Igwe in Strood has expressed major concerns at the manner in which these taxes are being increased; with little or no consultation with the huge number of people who enjoy using their allotments.

It also includes huge increases in taxes on allotment holders. The hard men and women who strive and struggle to till the ground.

2006 cost

2011 cost

Taxing our allotment holders; poor show...

Tory CCTV Car(s) Cost

Tory CCTV Car in press again as issues of legality and profitability hit the white vulture cars

Looks like a few interesting Freedom of Information requests this month...

Please confirm the total of all drivers and operatives used for the Medway CCTV car, from the first day they were used, and up to 20 September 2011?

There have been a total of 45 members of staff involved with the operating, driving and reviewing of CCTV since it’s implementation.

Please supply the details of how much this has cost in wages over the same period above.

The cost of staff wages over the same period is estimated to be £340,000

Please supply all the fuel costs, repairs, servicing and costs of uniforms, also any other costs involving the CCTV cars, for the same period.

The associated costs involving the CCTV cars for the same period is £357,335.

Given the cars have probably made about £1.7-2.0m in revenue since they started we can actually calculate that profitability on these vehicles is miniscule when compared with other revenue streams and overall spend by the Council.

Labour were clear on the CCTV cars. A full review on these vehicles is required immediately; they should not be cash cows...

Put it into perspective - the overspend on the bus station over its original estimate comes out higher than all the revenue made by the car(s) since they launched.

Update - 7th November 2011

It now appears that the legality of the car is also in question as the Medway News exclusive reveals that the cars may have been acting illegally so potentially seing thousands of fines written off. I have asked a question of senior officers for a full brief on this issue - as yet, nothing...

Labour has consistently warned and pushed for a full review on this CCTV car and it was part of our manifesto in May 2011.

Medway Buses suffering under Tories

Given the botched opening of the bus station in Chatham and the Conservative u-turn over the Freedom Pass, which will still a 14 year old from Strood worse off, than an equivalent in Gravesend, it is worth looking at bus usage in Medway since the coalition came to office.

Transport is an absolutely crucial issue in Medway which is why Medway Labour put it centre-stage at the local election this year.

Labour has a long history of campaigning against fare increases with campaign events at Medway station's we have opposed the Tory train fare rises which are being imposed by the Department for Transport on train operators. We oppose the London Conservative plan for an airport on the Peninsula (Boris Airport) which is slowly but surely working its way onto a government white paper (as predicted by this blog three years ago). We have stood up for our young people pledging a full equivalent to the Freedom Pass for our young people; a pledge firstly derided by the Conservatives before they copied and pasted it this April.

Labour is leading on transport and for that reason it is right that we look at buses in Medway.

When we talk about buses this is not just the failure of the Tories to manage the bus station; though that failure is symbolic of how they manage the whole of our towns believe me. The dithering over planning, the delay over building, the damned lies over spiralling costs. A botched completion job and an operation of spin from the corridors of power to conceal the true impact on residents.

Medway residents deserve a new bus deal. Only over the last six months some scary statistics have now become clear.

Under the Tories the statistics stand for themselves:

• We have seen a massive reduction in Medway bus journeys from 9.3 to 8.9m in just one year. This represents a full reversal of increasing bus usage from 7.9m to 8.9m under the last Labour government.
• According to Passenger Focus over a third (37%) of fare-paying passengers were dissatisfied with value for money and more than a fifth (23%) were unhappy with the frequency of buses. Nothing has been done to change this perception and bus services are being reduced not extended

• We have seen Bus Services slashed – According to Freedom of Information requests we have seen cuts to Bus 165 and further cuts currently being discussed on 26 contracts. Bus services which serve the entire of Medway. These contracts carry a total of 194,392 passengers per annum. Tories are cutting your buses right now.
• Investment cut - The governments budget allocation for Medway's Integrated Transport block (which includes bus capital schemes) significantly cut from £3.5m per year to £1.5m per year in 2011/12. As a result the LTP allocation to public transport capital schemes (bus and taxi) reduced from £299k in 2010/11 to £250k in 2011/12.
• Costs for the bus station continue to be open-ended after it came out £2.3m over the original budget estimate. A number of operators are expressing major concerns at rising costs...(See attached news item)
• Travel for youth: our young people continue to be disadvantaged. Whilst KCC operate a flat £50 or £100 fee for an annual Freedom Pass our young people continue to pay extortionate rates on our bus services. Pricing them off the buses

It is a pity because the bus station could have been so much better had the Tories bothered to talk to residents. After all the original funding for the improvements via HCA (Homes & Communities Agency) Grant from the Labour government investing in buses.

But like the 11+ fiasco and the cost overuns at Walderslade, Woodlands and now on the Stoke Crossing. Its another million pound fiasco a week...

Bus services are so important to Medway residents. It is a pity that we currently have an administration that could have done so much better with the money provided, and that is currently managing significant cuts to bus services, whilst residents continue to feel they are being fleeced by Conservative Councillors.

Update

Despite asking the Conservative-controlled Council for a full list of the 26 routes listed as under consultation I was refused, saying that Councillors will only get a full list after the tender process is to be undertaken.

I have written back to complain that this is a fudge as local representatives should have clarity and transparency over bus services. Clearly proposals are in detailed stages because they are able to confirm the number of journeys made.