Just a little of what I've been up to...

One of the good things about recess is that it gives MPs a chance to catch up with people from some of the key local institutions/ stakeholders. (The best thing about recess is not having to flit from one city to another every three or four days; in fact I gave up my London flat at the start of recess and won't start looking for another until the new parliamentary session is upon us in October).

So this week for example I've met with the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive of Bristol City Council, along with my fellow Bristol MPs Doug Naysmith and Dawn Primarolo, for a very useful chat about how we can work together in future to get the best deal for Bristol, for example in accessing new funding streams. We also talked buses! (You can't have a meeting with the Council without talking buses - the Chief Exec told us she'd met with Sir Moir Lockhead from First Group and Justin Davies of First Bus in Bristol recently, but the thrust of that conversation seemed to be that First Bus is a ringfenced operation and can't be subsidised by First Group's profits - and fares aren't going anywhere but up. But the fight goes on).

And today I had a really interesting meeting with the Vice Chancellor of UWE. Nothing to blog about, but a really useful overview of how the university's funding stacks up (e.g. the NHS is a big funder because UWE runs nursing courses), and how they make decisions on student numbers and which courses to offer (e.g. whether every uni should attempt to offer courses across the board, or accept that it's not worth running under-subscribed courses and stick to their areas of strength). UWE is big on the STEM subjects, teacher training, nursing (etc) and creative/media courses, so we had an interesting chat about the value of vocational courses. And UWE doesn't differentiate between so-called 'hard' and 'soft' A level subjects. After all, if you're doing a media studies degree, an A Level in Media Studies is a hell of a lot more useful than Classics. We also talked about student finance, of course, and the availability of bursaries. And we also talked buses! The Uni puts on its own free bus service for students, (free at point of use but paid for as part of the initial package) to ferry them between campuses and from the city centre - and this is because First Bus is basically too unreliable. Under the terms of their licence the buses have to be available to everyone, not just students.

Tomorrow I'm catching up with the head of the Bristol Credit Union for an update on all that's happening there.

From Bristol to Bath and back again

Bristol City Council is consulting on plans for the Greater Bristol Bus Network along the A4 Bath Road. Let's hope they do a better job than last time, when they consulted on the A420 Showcase Bus Route. The consultation took place over a relatively short period in the summer, when many people were away. The drop-in shop in Church Road where local residents could supposedly go to learn more about the plans was staffed by people who knew nothing about the proposals, couldn't answer any questions and did little other than hand out maps of the proposed route. After meeting with local residents and local shopkeepers I lobbied the Council to get the consultation period extended, and for an actual dialogue with those who had concerns, e.g. council officials actually getting out and talking to the shopkeepers about the impact the bus lane and new parking restrictions would have on passing trade.

So has anything been learnt from the experience last time? The signs aren't good. What's billed as an 'informal consultation' is already running, from 4 July to 14th August, a period when many people are away. There's a drop-in shop, which is open three days a week over a short period. I hope we aren't in one of those scenarios when very few people know about the consultation, the plans are published, no-one likes them - and the council responds by saying 'well you were consulted'. It's only a genuine consultation if (a) everyone knows it's taking place, (b) there's a two-way dialogue, with as much information as possible being given to those who are interested in the consultation and someone who can answer their questions as and when they arise, and (c) people are given sufficient time to check out the plans and to respond, including organising their own informal consultations within their community. In the latter case I'm thinking of local residents' groups, neighbourhood partnerships, shopkeepers, businesses on the industrial parks, schools (not just the school run, but there's quite an issue in transporting pupils from schools to other premises to use facilities there, and the time it takes). I simply don't think this can be done in the time available, but I think it's essential that such groups pool information with each other and hammer out their collective response. It will give their submissions much more clout.

So I have some questions for the Council: Who decided that this was a suitable time to have the consultation, and why? What efforts have been made to let local residents and road users know about the consultation? A leaflet drop to local residents would not suffice; it's a major road from Bristol to Bath, many of the road users aren't local. Has, for example, information been distributed to motorists using the A4 Park and Ride? What happens after the informal consultation closes? Will the submissions be made public, at least in summary form? What feedback will those making submissions get, and will the Council facilitate opportunities for the concerns and objections to be discussed, for example in public meetings?

Apart from the fact that it's my job to ask such questions, as the A4 runs through my constituency, I'm also asking these questions now because I think it's absolutely crucial we get this right. The A4 is a dreadful transport corridor at the moment. The traffic is always heavy, and often unpredictable; what should be a ten minute journey can sometimes take three-quarters of an hour, not just at peak times but at random points throughout the day. It affects shops, businesses, people's jobs and lives. The GBBN is being supported by a considerable amount of Government money - £43 million or so across the city - which we've lobbied hard for over the year. It's too good an opportunity to squander.

All out elections for Bristol?

OK, here's a quick post. Bristol Labour types have launched a petition for Bristol City Council to move to all-out four year elections. I've blogged on here many times before as to why I support this. We need clear leadership in Bristol, and the fact that we have one-thirds up every year just means that the Council is hampered by indecisiveness and timidity as soon as polling day comes into its sights (which is more or less about six months after a new administration takes over, unless of course it's a Lib Dem administration in which case it's as soon as the Focus leaflets have to be translated into political action). I would urge you to sign the petition but I've tried three times now and failed - it says 'unknown column "town" in field list'. Wil get Mr Cook on the case.

A look-back at the local elections

That last post was the equivalent of the 30 minute part-walking, part-running you do on the treadmill when you haven't been working out for a while. And now I'm into my flow, in the zone, so to speak.

So... what's been happening while I've been away? (That's a rhetorical question. I'm about to tell you.) The Lib Dems took overall control of Bristol City Council, which at least means that when (not if) they make a shambles of it, everyone will know it's them. And they might have to make some decisions for a change. Apart from that I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that the people of Easton have in their wisdom re-elected John Kiely. John Kiely! Have they never met the man? I've not done any number-crunching since June 4th, but it's fairly clear that in the main the Labour vote stayed at home rather than switching to other parties. Sad loss of some of our long-serving councillors across the city although to be honest, we were always going to find it tough, given that we were defending seats won on General Election day 2005, when there was a much higher turnout. Add to that the MPs' expenses stories and a certain person 'rocking the boat' on the eve of poll...

It was also good to see no increase in support for the BNP in Bristol. They polled more or less the same in wards like St George East and Hillfields as they did last time round. In 2008 I was very much of the view that we shouldn't overtly campaign against them, so as not to give them any additional publicity. They weren't doing much more than running paper candidates anyway. This time there was some high-profile anti-BNP campaigning from Unite Against Facism, Hope Not Hate and the Labour Party. So did that manage to dampen down BNP support, and/or rally the voters to go out and vote against them? Or wasn't the support for them there in the first place? They certainly put out more literature this time, and had a car bedecked with Union Jacks and St George flags being driven round St George on polling day, so I think it was probably right to rise to the increased threat and step up campaigning. Just in case. There was, however, anecdotal evidence that some voters were sufficiently incensed at being told not to vote for the BNP, that they decided to do just that. But in the main, common sense prevailed.

Back... (sort of)

A lazy post here, because I've got lots of work to do... Extract from Ian Onions piece in today's BEP. I've said this plenty of times before, but it bears repeating.

"Unlike most councils, Bristol continues to use a senseless election system in which a third of the city's seats are contested every year for three years (there are no elections every fourth year). It's senseless because it's difficult to understand what you are voting for or what difference it makes. You might find a green voting slip coming through your door if you live in north Bristol but if you live south of the river, the local elections will pass you by because no seats are being contested there.

Our neighbours in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire hold all-out elections every four years which is far more sensible.It means everyone has a say on who runs the council at the same time. It also means a clean break, an easily defined watershed when one administration stops and another starts. Even if the same party is in control, all-out elections can mark a new beginning, a chance to make changes. In Bristol, councillors are always keeping one eye on the elections which are always just around the corner."

Cows - a follow up

I was obviously feeling far too mellow when I wrote my first piece. Now I've done whatever the opposite is of 'mellowed' and I'm more than a little cross, not least because I've since been to the newsagents and seen that this non-story graces the entire front page of today's BEP. So here's my letter to the editor. Let's see if it makes Monday's edition.

"I was very disappointed to see the front page of Saturday's 'Evening Post' ('Pull the Udder One'). The link between the livestock industry and climate change is a serious issue, accepted by many people, from the UN and Al Gore down. I raised this in Parliament last week because I believe the facts demand action, whether that be the farming industry exploring ways in which emissions can be reduced or individuals who are concerned about the environment choosing to limit their meat consumption, in the same way that others are choosing to use their cars less or take fewer flights.

It is simply irresponsible journalism, however, to conflate this issue with the story about Bristol City Council's proposal to keep a herd of cows on Stoke Park. As I made clear in my contribution to that piece, the appearance of another 100 or so cows in the Bristol area is neither here nor there when it comes to the question of global warming. The fact that only one vegan (not 'vegans' as your strapline suggested) was found who would condemn the proposal on those grounds speaks for itself.

Whether keeping a herd of cows is a sensible project for the Council to embark upon is another matter. I, for one, would suggest their energies might be better expended in sorting out the buses and fly-tipping, and I think most council tax payers would agree. When can we expect to see serious proposals put forward by the Council for a Quality Bus Contract so that we can bring in real competition to First Bus, and an Integrated Transport Authority for the Bristol area? The Government has done its bit, giving local authorities new powers under the Local Transport Act. Now it's time for the Council to do the job that council tax payers are actually paying it to do.

Kerry McCarthy MP."

Stoke Park - the new Heathrow?

The Bristol Evening Post has picked up on the livestock issue with some enthusiasm, headlining their latest piece 'Cows as damaging as airports'. I should make clear that wasn't a quote from me, and that I don't think a herd of 100 cows or so matters a jot in the big scheme of things. As for whether Bristol City Council should really be moving into the beef-farming business, that's another matter entirely. How about sorting out the buses first?

Well said, Terry

Cllr Terry Cook calls for all-out elections in Bristol, once every four years. I agree. (In fact I've got a poll running on it on my 'proper' website at the moment - The elected mayor option seems to be winning at the moment 'though. Terry has also resurrected his rather fine blog. All councillors should have one! And he's on Twitter. All councillors should be on Twitter!

Goings on at Bristol City Council

I gather the Lib Dems have now taken 'control' of Bristol City Council after tonight's Budget meeting, where the opposition parties united to vote down Labour's waste scheme. No doubt they will make as much of a hash of it as they did last time. Still, only three months till the local elections.

Here's the resignation statement, hot off the press:

Tory and Lib Dem Alliance forces Labour Resignation at Bristol City Council

Amendments to Labour’s Budget at Bristol City Council from the Lib Dems, which aimed to derail the city’s waste strategy, were backed by the Tories – and Labour decided they could not push forward a policy with which they fundamentally disagreed.

The waste strategy is agreed council policy and is also agreed by the West of England Partnership comprised of Bristol and the Conservative led authorities of South Glos, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.

The Liberal Democrats challenged Phase 3 of the Waste Strategy, and gained Conservative support for that amendment.

The Labour administration had no alternative but to resign believing that the consequences of pulling out of Phase 3 would put an impossible financial burden on Council Taxpayers and will force cuts in other services.

When the Tories joined with the Lib Dems to force through their amendment it left the city of Bristol without any plan for dealing with the city’s waste and with no real funding for any alternative.

Despite advice from officers that the council will now face compensation claims from neighbouring councils this irresponsible amendment was passed – and could cost the council up to £6m a year over 24 years.

In resigning Cllr Holland said: “We believe that more than the waste strategy is at stake here - we are proud of the work we have done to transform the city council in the last 20 months building better relationships with partners and giving confidence in Bristol to government and other funders.”

The concern about the impact on confidence in Bristol is an important point. I know that Bristol - and Helen in particular - was well regarded in Government circles, not just by politicians but by civil servants too. We've been the beneficiaries of this, winning extra funding or being chosen to run pilot schemes because the Government trusts BCC to deliver. Will the Lib Dems be able to rise to the challenge? I doubt it.

Do me a favour

Not really in blogging mood tonight. Been reading tributes to Deasy on this website, and not looking forward to having to switch into by-election campaign mode very soon.

Have also just heard on Points West that a constituent of mine has been committed to stand trial at the Old Bailey in September on charges under the Terrorism Act; he's an 18 year old lad, who'd been studying sport at the City Academy. I know him, I met him again on Friday, and I have to weigh up what is and isn't appropriate for me to say in public before I speak out, but... let's just say I'm not happy

Anyway, she sighed.... Musings on the role of a constituency MP (Pt. 1) It seems to me that a large part of what I do could be described as 'making sure people aren't fobbed off'. To give a couple of examples...

A woman has been writing to me rather a lot about the lake in St George's Park, complaining that discarded fishing lines cause injuries to ducks. Bristol City Council replied: not a problem, only been one incident, basically, she doesn't like fishing and is making a big fuss about nothing. It could have ended there, but I spent a day with the RSPCA last week. (Very interesting, I should blog about it). I took the opportunity to ask about the lake - and was told that, yes, it's a huge problem, they make 100 visits or so each year, ducks get injured, birds are trapped in lines caught up in the trees on the island. They take a boat out on the lake every now and again, and every few feet or so in the water they pull up loads of line. Eastville is even worse. But they don't bother reporting it to the Council anymore. So it's my job to convince the Council this is a problem, and what's more: it's their problem.

Another recent case. A constituent made an application to the Borders and Immigration Agency (don't need details but basically he wanted to travel abroad). He could have applied by post, which would have taken up to 14 weeks, or could pay a premium fee to get a same-day service. He went for the latter. That was February. His application is still 'being considered'. We made enquiries and were referred to a website which says there's no guarantee that the same-day service actually means it will be dealt with in one day, and they don't refund premium rate fees if it isn't. To use one of my favourite phrases: 'not good enough'. He's missed his holiday, it's cost him money, they've messed him around - and they still won't say how long it will take to deal with it. Again, my job to tell them that they can't really treat people like this, and that they need to get their act together.

I could cite numerous other examples. Quite often we start from the premise that we probably can't do anything about it, but ought at least to try: only to find that a letter from an MP has a miraculous effect and bureaucrats start admitting that things might perhaps be their fault, or that people might just be entitled to compensation, or that something is a lot more urgent than they originally thought. Sometimes we have to go backwards and forwards rather a lot, making the same points over and over again until we get an answer - or the answer we want. (And sometimes we have to accept that the constituent isn't always right.) What I have learned though, during my 3 years in this job, is always to question what I'm being told when I get an official response. Are we - me and the constituent - being told the truth, or are we being fobbed off? Far too often it's the latter.

P.S. Note to the ducks who kept me awake for hours last night, in what seemed to be a (very) prolonged courting ritual. See - I'm on your side. Any chance you could shut up?

Bristol becomes a cycling city

Good news that Bristol is to become the UK's first cycling city. I think the extra money could make a real difference, particularly the bike rental scheme, and the proposals to provide free bikes to people in deprived areas. If people are able to rent bikes they'll be more likely to use them for exercise and leisure trips, even if they can't fit cycling into their daily schedule. And I'm sure there are plenty of people in the areas surrounding Bristol city centre who would be prepared to cycle to work if bikes and facilities were made available - and, of course, if we can established a better network of well-marked and safe cycle lanes.

Congratulations are due to Sustrans and the City Council for their work in promoting cycling in the city. I know Rosie Winterton, the Transport Minister, has been impressed by what she has seen on her visits to Bristol, and when I've told her about the number of people who turned out to support the campaign to protect the cycle path.

Stealth learning

I suppose there's a pretty good chance that those of you who read the Guardian don't always read Tuesday's Education supplement. This week's featured the Assistant Head of Ashton Park school in Bristol talking about a programme called Enquiring Minds, developed by Futurelab, which aims to encourage pupils to develop a more questioning approach to their studies and to work independently. It's something I've seen in action on a smaller, informal scale in the Bristol schools in my constituency, and I think it's fascinating. The idea is that the teacher acts as a facilitator, but it's the children who decide on an issue they're interested in, and have to motivate themselves to develop a project and explore it in detail.

The feature doesn't seem to be online - perhaps because it was a supplement to the supplement (it's entitled 'stealth learning') - but it's worth digging out of the recycling bin.

By-election in Bristol?

No, not me, I'm not intending to go anywhere just yet.

People in Bristol are losing patience with a certain councillor, who was re-elected in May 2006 but has not quite been giving her voters the hands-on attention they expect and deserve. In fact, she's now living in the USA. The Lib Dems had to fly her in for the last but one council meeting at their own expense as she'd otherwise have fallen foul of the rule that says that if a councillor fails to attend a meeting for six months, they'll be removed from office. Are they going to keep this up until 2010 when she's due for re-election?

Postscript on "incapable" Lib Dems

Cllr Woodman's defence of his party's refusal to take control of Bristol City Council (apart from the fact they're "incapable" of running the city) is that the Tories would not have actually supported any of their policies, so they wouldn't have been able to get their programme through. But everyone knows that the majority of decisions these days are taken by the Council Executive, and that very few decisions go to full Council. For example, the potholes in the road they are so fond of pointing at on their leaflets - doesn't take a full Council vote to get them fixed!

OK, they might have struggled to get a budget through, but as supporters of proportional representation, which tends to lead to coalition government or minority rule, surely they accept that doing deals with other parties and achieving a consensus is part and parcel of politics?

Lib Dems "weak and ineffectual" (says a Lib Dem councillor)

Some extracts from Lib Dem councillor Alex Woodman's blog:

He says that if the Lib Dems had taken control they would have been “incapable of actually running the city”... He goes on to say "we feel that at the moment what Bristol needs is stability, not another change which would have left the city with a weak and ineffectual administration".

Actually I've just checked this against his blog, and it now refers to "an unsupported administration" - but I have it on good authority that's not what it said originally!

Cllr Woodman also works for Stephen Williams MP.

And what are the Tories playing at?

Quick postscript on yesterday's council meeting. The Tories voted against Labour's Helen Holland continuing as council leader, but then, acccording to the BEP: [Tory leader] Mr Eddy - who denied he had been under pressure from David Cameron and Conservative Central Office to distance himself from Labour - said afterwards: "It was the best result for Bristol."We have seen that the Liberal Democrats are not up to the leadership of this city."

And the Lib Dems' Barbara Janke said: "Another political shake-up at the top after barely a year, with no elections taking place, could make the city council a laughing stock." Let me get this right - she's saying that if the Lib Dems took back control...?

What exactly are the Lib Dems for?

So at yesterday's council meeting, it went like this. The Tories voted for a Lib Dem administration. The Lib Dems abstained - i.e. they didn't vote for themselves! Labour are therefore still running the show.

The Lib Dems could have taken control, could have replaced the Labour administration they so roundly criticise, could have seized their moment - but they turned it down. Obviously they're far happier carping from the sidelines than they are being in a position where they might actually be held to account for their actions (as with the debacle over the Home Care workers last year). Surely being in electoral politics is about wanting to gain power so that you can actually implement your party's policies (although hang on, this is the Lib Dems we're talking about - do they have any?) Are our local Lib Dems just there to complain to the council about holes in the road and litter not being picked up, or do they have a broader vision for regenerating our city and improving council services? If they do - why did they turn down the chance to do something about it?

Seems to me that if the Lib Dems don't think they're up to running the council, don't have the confidence in their own ability to take control, they're going to have a hard job next year convincing the voters they should be given another chance.

Tories jump ship

Reliable rumour has it that at tonight's Bristol City Council AGM the Tories will back a Liberal Democrat adminstration. They're apparently doing this because instructions have gone out from Central Office for them to side with the Lib Dems whenever there's a hung council - presumably so as to pave the way for a Lib-Con pact after the next General Election. So much for all Cameron's talk local democracy!