Tag Archives: brent council

In other news… on Jess Ennis, Judy Steel & other stories

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past few days…

Campaign to rename Tudor Square in honour of Jess (Postcode Gazette)

Sheffield politicians want to rename Tudor Square in honour of Jessica Ennis. The Liberal Democrats have backed a campaign which went viral on twitter on Saturday night, following Jessica’s victory in the women’s heptathlon. The suggestion follows calls by Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam, that Ennis be granted Freedom of the City. Coun Shaffaq Mohammed, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Sheffield Council, said: “Every Sheffielder will have been bursting

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Opinion: Brent Labour’s shocking tactics over library closures

Running a Council is tough.  Times are hard, budgets feel like they are shrinking.  It was said before the 2010 General Election that the measures needed to put the economy right would be so harsh that whoever won would be out of power for a generation subsequently.  All the more reason for Councils and Government to ensure that there is sensitive handling and community working on a very local level.

So as a councillor in Queen’s Park, Brent, I have been shocked, appalled and ashamed at the handling of the proposed closure of libraries in my area by the Labour Council.

Kensal …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 12 Comments

Local liberal heroes: Daniel Brown

Earlier in the year, I did a series of posts profiling forgotten liberal heroes (to which a couple of other people also kindly contributed), looking at some of those who achieved great things for liberalism in their time but have been unjustly forgotten – such as Margaret Wintringham, the very first female Liberal MP.

There is also another group of people who I think are often unjustly obscure – those local campaigners who are often at the heart of their local community and local party, delivering liberalism and helping others, but as their stage is a local one they are often unacknowledged in the wider party.

So welcome to a new series, profiling some of those local liberal heroes from around London. The first is Brent councillor, Daniel Brown.

For Daniel, liberalism was a family affair as his mother was already a party member when he joined (and she too was a Lead Member when the Liberal Democrats led Brent Council). Becoming a councillor seemed the natural progression for someone who wanted to do more than talk about liberalism.

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Lib Dems gain a seat from the Tories in Shropshire

New Shropshire Councillor Andrew Bannerrman
Photo also available on Flickr here.

From the Independent:

Liberal Democrats celebrated a gain in the latest council by-elections from Tories who, however, defended two other marginal seats and control of South Cambridgeshire District.

Andrew Bannerman triumphed for Lib Dems at Quarry and Coton Hill, Shropshire despite a strong intervention by Labour which did not fight last time.

The result in Quarry and Coton Hill:

LD Andrew Bannerman 356 (41.8; +5.7)
Con 268 (31.5; -12.1)
Lab 197 (23.1; +23.1)
Ind 30 (3.5; -2.3)

Majority 88
Turnout 30.47%
LD …

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How do you plan cuts? With an overnight trip to a luxury hotel of course

Labour-run Brent Council has hit the local and regional news for its decision to pay for 27 senior staff and Labour councillors to spend the weekend at a luxury country hotel – where they planned budget cuts.

Brent Town Hall. Photo credit: stevecadman on FlickrThe council is quite right that it is good management practice for senior teams every now and again to spend time together making longer term plans. Going to Latimer Place De Vere Hotel in Chesham, Buckinghamshire isn’t …

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Labour’s Dawn Butler’s “strange” complaint: BBC should have invited me on before BNP’s Griffin

Poor Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent South, whose plight – on expenses, her voting record and media outbursts – Lib Dem Voice has covered before. Now she is making the news for lambasting the BBC for inviting BNP leader Nick Griffin onto Question Time.

What’s wrong with that, you say, no more than Peter Hain did? Ah, but Dawn’s complaint is not so much that Mr Griffin appeared, as that she didn’t. Here’s an excerpt from the rather extraordinary letter, written by Dawn, I mean, by Brent’s Labour council group leader Ann John, and 19 of …

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Tory councillors suspended: Tony Arbour and Bertha Joseph

In Richmond, it’s Conservative councillor and London Assembly member Tory Arbour who has been suspended for disclosing confidential information, whilst in Brent it is Conservative Mayor Bertha Joseph for misusing charitable donations by spending them on clothes for herself. Oops.

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