A call has been made to Labour supporters who are outraged at the “anti-democratic” election of Ed Miliband as the new Leader of the Labour Party to switch to the Liberal Democrats and help to make sure that the Coalition Government deals with the country’s economic crisis while helping to offset the worst outcomes of the forthcoming public spending cuts.

The call has been made by Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester Bob Russell who said that Mr Ed Miliband had only been elected Labour Leader because of votes from Trade Unionists, when the majority of Labour Party members and MPs had voted for his older brother, Mr David Miliband MP.

“We have an astonishing situation whereby the winner in terms of popular support from members and MPs has been cheated because of Union votes,” said Bob Russell.

“That is not democratic. Therefore those Labour folk who believe in democracy would be better off supporting a party which is democratic.”

Bob Russell revealed that only 34 members of the Colchester Labour Party had voted for Ed Miliband, whereas 61 had wanted Mr David Miliband to be the new Labour Leader. Out of the 211 Party members, many of whom did not bother to vote, 21 chose Mr Ed Balls MP, 16 for Diane Abbott MP and 13 for Andy Burnham MP.

He recalled: “When Mr David Miliband visited Colchester as part of his Leadership bid he was welcomed to the town as ‘the next Leader of the Labour Party’. Clearly Mr Ed Miliband is not the choice of Labour in Colchester.”

Bob Russell added: “After Labour’s 13 years in power, the gap between rich and poor widened and 3.9 million children were left living below the official poverty line. Of the forthcoming public spending cuts, 75% of them are Labour’s cuts and would have happened if we had a Labour Government.”

N E Lincs cycle forum rides again
Anyone who has an interest in cycling issues is being invited to wheel along to the North East Lincolnshire’s cycle forum, which takes place at 5.30pm on November 25th

Anyone who would like to be part of the forum should contact North East Lincolnshire Council’s transportation officers by calling (01472) 324489 or via email at pedalandstride@nelincs.gov.uk.

Meetings take place once a quarter at venues across North East Lincolnshire, there is also a cycle forum webpage on the council’s website that can be accessed via www.pedalandstride.com that keeps members informed of all the latest developments.

Minutes of recent cycle forum meetings are available below:

Minutes 23rd March 2010		36KB
Minutes 21st January 2010		40KB
Minutes 17th November 2009		38KB

Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has warned energy companies not to block changes which would give energy consumers advance warning of hikes in bills.

Energy companies currently can wait up to 65 working days before they have to tell their customers that bills have increased, which means that some of their customers are not aware that they have to pay more for their energy, and giving them no chance to budget or give an updated meter reading.

Ofgem is due to consult energy companies and other groups next month about ending the practice, which could see the regime changed by the end of the year, but energy companies do have the power to block Ofgem’s changes if there is sufficient opposition.

Chris Huhne, said last week that if energy companies were to block the changes, then he would consult with the intention of using his legislative powers to end the practice.

Chris Huhne said:

“It’s outrageous that energy companies have been able hike up prices without even bothering to tell their customers.

“I can’t think of another example where you start paying more for something without being told about it.

“The best result for consumers will be if energy companies don’t block the changes that Ofgem will propose, but if they do, I won’t hesitate to use my powers to end for good the practice of surprise energy bill hikes, if that’s what consultation shows to be necessary.”

Audrey Gallacher, head of energy policy at Consumer Focus, in response to Chris Huhne’s announcement said:

“Getting energy suppliers to give consumers more warning of price rises is something we’ve called on Ofgem to do and this announcement is a step in the right direction. However, there is no justification for price hikes this winter.

“If people are going to pay more for their energy, it is absolutely right they know in advance, not up to two months later. Knowing about higher prices would at least let people budget and look to switch to a cheaper supplier. This is particularly important for consumers on low incomes.”

In the last few weeks I have spoken to one or two people in the In the last few weeks I have spoken to one or two people in the Freshney Green area who have asked about setting up a Neighbourhood Watch Group.

Neighbourhood Watch Groups have proved to be one of the biggest and most successful ways of working together to reduce crime or address other community issues.

In my job as your Ward Councillor I regularly attend meetings of several Neighbourhood Watch Groups, and would like to offer my support to a group in this area.

If you would like to learn more about Neighbourhood Watch, or if you are interested in setting up a group in this area I would like to invite you to a short meeting at the Community Centre in Yarrow Road at 6.30pm on October 22nd

After this meeting you are welcome to raise any other issues with one of your ward councillors, Humberside Police,or with Shoreline HP.

If you are interested, but unable to attend the meeting, please let me know either by phone on 01472 310855, or by e mail to les.bonner@ntlworld.com and I will make sure that you are kept informed of any developments.

If you live in any other area of the Yarborough Ward, and you would be interested in setting up a Neighbourhood Watch Group, please contact any of your Ward Councillors:

Les Bonner – les.bonner@nelincs.gov.uk

Peter Bailey – peter.bailey@nelincs.gov.uk

Annie Darby – annie.darby@nelincs.gov.uk

“Labour can’t claim to have moved on until it’s policies and votes in Parliament reflect the seriousness of the mistakes Labour made and the problems they left.”

Commenting on Ed Miliband’s speech to Labour Party conference, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Simon Hughes said:

“One speech can’t wash away his record as a key part of the New Labour government that trampled on our civil liberties and left our economy in ruins.
 
“Ed Miliband was special advisor to Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor and voted for ID cards and 90 day detention without charge when he was in government.
 
“Labour can’t claim to have moved on until it’s policies and votes in Parliament reflect the seriousness of the mistakes Labour made and the problems they left.”

Liberal Democrat Communities Minister Andrew Stunell is calling on Jobcentre Plus staff to stop telling claimants they will lose benefits if they volunteer.

It seems that Jobcentre Plus staff have been stopping unemployed people from volunteering by incorrectly saying they will lose their Jobseeker’s Allowance if they do.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Liberal Democrat Conference last week, Andrew Stunell said some staff at Jobcentre Plus mistakenly believed jobseekers would not be entitled to benefits if they did voluntary work.

“One of the first things I discovered when I looked into this issue was that the Department for Work and Pensions provides Jobcentre Plus staff with a workbook full of information about jobseekers and volunteering,” he said. “But almost none of the people behind the counter have seen this book.

“We need to make sure the people giving advice understand the rules. This could be as simple as asking managers to make sure staff read the workbooks.”

There is no limit on the number of hours jobseekers can spend doing voluntary work, as long as they are also actively seeking work and are available for job interviews.

The following article which supports the Keeping It Real campaign against the use of airbrushing in fashion photography appeared in The Sun last weekend:

Kaya Cheshire may have only recently turned 18, but she’s got far bigger things to worry about than boyfriends, make-up and A-levels.

The aspiring journalist has turned her compassionate personality and hard working skills to a global issue in the fashion industry – whether airbrushing in magazines is really right.

The student from South Wales used London Fashion Week this week to promote her Natural Beauty: Keeping It Real campaign that she launched via Battlefront, a Channel 4 funded project that helps 14-21-year-olds platform charity campaigns…

She says:

“When I started studying media at school, my eyes were suddenly opened to airbrushing. Previously I had assumed that all of these celebrities and models were just blessed with good looks, but really, computers are used to make them look perfect.

“While airbrushing contrast and lighting is often essential to getting the right picture, using the technique to make women facially different or slimmer or lighter in skin is just plain wrong.

“Then I read a piece by the plus-size model Crystal Renn who was airbrushed to make her look thinner. This woman is a beautiful, natural lady who represents real women and still the magazines change her to suit the ideal – it just made me so angry.”

You can  read the full story here..

It has been announced  that more than 100 debt management companies could lose their licences after the the Office of Fair Trading discovered widespread problems in this area.

The Office of Fair Trading uncovered a list of poor practices among businesses that offer advice to people struggling with debts, with companies often more interested in their profits than helping their customers.

It said  one of the main problems was misleading advertising, with many firms claiming their service isfree when it is not.

It also said advisers often lack competence and do not collect enough information on customers’ circumstances as well as giving poor advice.

Nearly all of the firms examined during a mystery shopping exercise failed to give information on all of the available debt solutions, with companies tending to suggest the more profitable solution for them, instead of the best one for the customer.

The group, which carried out an 11-month review, said in some cases it seemed that business models had been set up to take the maximum amount of money from customers, regardless of their circumstances.

Three quarters of the firms investigated were found to front-load their fees, which reduces the amount of their customers money that initially went towards repaying their debts, and some businesses appeared to deliberately “recycle” customers from one debt solution to another to earn more fees and extract the maximum profit..

The OFT said there was also a lack of transparency for consumers, with many firms’ websites not making the commercial nature of their business clear, or setting out the fees they charged,which makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish between fee-charging firms and charitable bodies that offered their services for free, and in the worst cases, groups were using misleading trading names to make it appear that they were charities or Government bodies,and some firms sought to mis-represent or discredit the services provided by charitable debt advice groups.

The OFT also found that there was a low level of industry awareness of the Financial Ombudsman Service rules for resolving customer complaints, with a third of firms failing to comply with the rules in this area.

The group is working to improve standards across the industry, and will take robust enforcement action against firms that fail to treat consumers properly.

The OFT has told 129 debt management companies out of the 300 to 400 firms that are active in the market, that they will lose their consumer credit licences unless they take immediate action to comply with its guidance.

Ray Watson, director of the OFT’s consumer credit group, said:

“People who are heavily indebted, desperate and vulnerable need advice which makes their problems better not worse and should not be exploited.

“Debt management firms must be clear about their charges and the options available to consumers. The level of non-compliance we found across the industry is unacceptable.

“We are also looking to the two main industry bodies to lead the way in raising standards and to meet their commitments to make the industry more professional and responsible.”

Consumers are expected to have paid £250 million in fees to debt management companies by the end of this year for services such as setting up Individual Voluntary Arrangements and debt management plans for customers, and negotiating settlements with creditors, when these services are available to consumers through debt advice charities and Government groups free of charge.

Since April 2008, when the OFT obtained new powers under the Consumer Credit Act, it has taken 37 formal actions to impose requirements or refuse or revoke licences held or applied for by debt management firms, and has also shut down websites and taken action to address issues such as companies posing as charities, systemic cold-calling and the mis-selling of IVAs.

The group has also worked with Trading Standards to stop so-called debt sale scams, under which companies claim to be able to take over consumers’ debts and then have them written off.

Andrew Smith, spokesman for the Debt Resolution Forum, said:

“We welcome the report. We have been working with the OFT to raise standards in the industry for several years.

“We have already put in place two-thirds of the measures that are required to ensure we have an industry that consumers can trust.”

He added that the group required advisers of member firms to have passed the Certificate of Debt Resolution or have a qualification of an equal standard, but he said only around 50 of the companies that were active in the sector belonged to one of the trade bodies.

Michael Land, chairman of the Debt Managers Standards Association (DEMSA), said:

“We applaud greatly the initiative of the OFT.”

He added that DEMSA members were already compliant with the OFT’s requirements.

Joanna Elson, chief executive of charity the Money Advice Trust, said:

“We are pleased to see the OFT taking action on this issue. We have long called for better protection from the fee-charging debt management industry for people in debt.

“We are concerned that many people turn to fee-charging debt management companies from a position of forced ignorance.

“Many are unaware of free independent debt advice provided by agencies such as National Debtline or Citizens Advice, since charities don’t have the advertising budget of the fee-chargers.”

Steve Meakin, chairman of the Institute of Money Advisers, said:

“The conclusion drawn by the OFT that poor practice is endemic amongst fee-charging providers comes as little surprise.

“The sector has completely failed to grasp the many opportunities that have come its way to prove it can act responsibly – it should not be provided with any more: the time for Government intervention has now arrived.”

“The IMF’s strong backing of the Government’s economic plans shows that the Coalition’s approach to sorting out the economic mess we inherited is the right one.”

Commenting on the IMF’s report on the British economy released yesterday, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Treasury Parliamentary Committee, Stephen Williams said:

“The IMF’s strong backing of the Government’s economic plans shows that the Coalition’s approach to sorting out the economic mess we inherited is the right one.

“Labour left us a soaring deficit and we had to take responsibility to ensure future generations are not burdened by their debts. No one relishes the task ahead but we know that it is essential we stay on course, as the IMF makes clear.

“It is now up to Ed Miliband to come up with a credible response and show the country he will not duck the tough choices ahead. Opposition for opposition’s sake, as some of his trade union supporters would like to see, is simply not acceptable.”

Last week was National Consumer Week, and the aim was to raise consumers’ awareness of a range of issues that impact on their daily lives.

The theme of the event this year was online shopping, with the message is Be Safe Online – beware of fake sites and fake products.

Junior Apprentice Arjun Rajyagor, who runs a computer repair business from his home, was the face of the campaign, reaching out to the teenage age group, the generation most likely to be not only prolific online shoppers, but may also be reckless.

You can find advice on safe internet shopping HERE.

With “be Safe Online” as the key message, and to help get this across to the public, Del Boy, Britain’s favourite dodgy trader, appeared at two public advice events in North East Lincolnshire. These took place at St Peter’s Avenue car park on Wednesday September 22, and at Morrison’s on Thursday September 23.

The campaign reminded local people how they can access advice through Consumer Direct, the UK European Consumer Centre, and the UK Consumer Centre for Services.

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for community safety, neighbourhoods and customer services, said prior to the week:

“This year’s campaign is focusing on an important topic – that of online shopping. The internet makes it easy for us to access goods and services from around the world, but it also offers fraudulent traders and scammers an opportunity to target unsuspecting buyers.

“We hope National Consumer Week this year will help to raise awareness of the risks, giving shoppers more confidence in buying goods over the web.”