The South Glos Post

Press release by South Gloucestershire Labour

A local MP earned almost £14,000 as advanced payments for book-writing deals in the first six months after his election.

The latest edition of the Register of MPs’ Financial Interests shows that Conservative MP for Kingswood, Chris Skidmore, was paid almost £14,000 in four separate deals between May and October 2010. The largest of these up-front deals was for almost £9,900 and the smallest just over £500.  One book deal worth £2,800 up front is requiring Mr Skidmore to work 15 hours a week for two years on top of the hours he is supposed to work as an MP.

The MPs’ register also shows that two speeches made by Mr Skidmore have earned him £3,500 from a firm of pharmaceutical lobbyists called STAC Consultancy, based in Bournemouth.  Mr Skidmore, who is a member of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, has donated the £3,500 to his local Conservative constituency party in Kingswood.

Kingswood councillor and leader of the Labour Group on South Gloucestershire Council, Andy Perkins, said:

“Clearly Mr Skidmore is not spending all of his working hours dealing with his constituents’ problems.  How many employers do you know who would allow their employees to spend at least 15 hours a week writing books?”

Money earned from speeches should go to local charities says Labour councillor »

Source: South Gloucestershire Labour

A South Gloucestershire council building which has recently received a multi-million pound makeover could lie half-empty when it re-opens, and senior Labour councillor Terry Walker is challenging the ruling Tories over the reduced number of staff now scheduled to work at Kingswood Civic Centre.

The council has embarked on a major accommodation strategy with a view to consolidating its headquarters in three main building and vacating expensive leased office space.  As part of the strategy, staff moved out of Kingswood Civic Centre in the Spring of 2010 to enable the multi-million pound upgrade.  This upgrade will provide a smarter One Stop Shop, which also houses a local police presence, a new council chamber and committee rooms, and modern office accommodation for the returning staff.  However, a reduction in staff numbers since the project was planned, combined with recent decisions to divert a large number of staff the council had planned to house there to other offices, means that the new building could be half empty.

(more…)

Source: Labour Councillors on South Gloucestershire Council

Councillors in Kingswood have begun their annual programme of holding surgeries within every street of their ward.

Labour councillors representing the Woodstock ward of South Gloucestershire Council, Gareth Manson, Andy Perkins and Pat Rooney operate their ‘mobile surgeries’ each year in addition to their regular monthly surgeries which they hold in local schools.

A few days before the surgery, residents will get a leaflet through their door advertising the date and time when the councillors will be in their street. Residents are invited to stick the leaflet in their window so that the councillors will know to visit. Residents can also telephone or email their councillors to ask for a visit.

The councillors said:

“People like the idea of their councillors walking their streets rather than just holding traditional surgeries. We often stop for a quick chat with people even if they don’t have any immediate problems they want us to deal with.”

(more…)

Source: Woodstock Labour Councillors

Local Conservatives are claiming that opposition councillors are fighting against moves to reduce the number of directors at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

Press release from the Conservative Group on SGC

As part of a council-wide restructuring, it has been estimated that £175k will be saved if the council’s Planning & Transport department merges with the Communities department to form an all-encompassing ‘Place’ department headed by one director, rather than two.

The £175k saving equals the costs of a director and secretary post.

Back in October, the Council’s Conservative Cabinet proposed moving from five departments to three, including merging the Planning & Transport and Communities departments to form a ‘Place’ department.

But the plans were formally challenged by the Labour Group with the Liberal Democrat Group initially opposing the plans too.

Since then, the Director of Planning & Transport has retired and the secretary position has also become vacant.

And so at a recent joint meeting of the authority’s Planning & Transport and Communities Scrutiny Committees, Conservative councillors again made the case for the vacant posts to be deleted as part of moves to save money and help protect and improve the delivery of frontline services. But this was opposed by the Labour Committee Chair.

(more…)

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council