Site secure - but the Campaign goes on!

I visited the Springbank Road yesterday which was the site of an illegal Traveller occupation last week. I was pleased at the work the Parks and Countryside Division had undertaken to clean up the site and it has now been made secure with robust fencing to prevent re-occupation in the future. The new fencing is made of strengthened steel but will also blend, after a bit of weathering, to prevent the site looking like a prison camp.

I was told by the P and C section that they had spent over £50,000 this year in cleaning up sites devastated by Travellers and this has focused my mind on the campaign to change the law on Travellers. The change would allow an immediate eviction instead of the present civil process where a court order has to be obtained and days pass before an eviciton is granted. During this period the community is saddled with outrageous anti-social behaviour from Travellers.

I am aiming to set up an on line petition when it becomes available on the Direct Gov government site sometime in July. This allows people to show their support for this change and - if you reach 100,000 signatures - there is a pledge for the issue to be debated in Parliament. I still have to get the proposal through some Civil Servants to get the petition on line but - if this hurdle can be cleared and not blocked by some pc obsessed bureaucrat - it should be possible to build up some momentum for this change.

Keep checking this blog for updates on the campaign.

Travellers violate Gildersome Residents

The Travellers who invaded Springbank Playing Fields in Gildersome were finally evicted last Thursday following the obtaining of a court order. As ever with this "Community" they left a pile of devastation and mess for others to clear up.

It is now time to stop the weak and feeble approach we presently adopt which obliges us to obtain a court order while Travellers violate local communities and refuse to play by the same rules reasonable people comply with.

Travellers contribute nothing to their local communities. They have access to all the benefits - both metaphoric and financial - without contributing a penny in direct taxation. They avoid being held accountable for their vile anti-social behaviour because of a reluctance of the Authorities to confront them for fear of accusations of racism or heavy handed policing.

The Republic of Ireland changed the law on Trespass with a caravan over 5 years ago making it a criminal and not a civil offence. This allows the Police to evict immediately without the need for a Court Order. Apart from the inevitable bleatings of the Travelling community the overwhelming reaction of the majority of residents in Eire is that it has improved the quality of their lives immensely.

Travellers have no one to blame for their poor reputation other than themselves. The mountain of mess they left at Gildersome reconfirms residents views that Travellers deserve little if any sympathy. Communities are looking to the Government to take firmer action to prevent this blight. Lets hope Westminster is listening!

Knowle Manor Rally a success!

Saturdays rally against the closure of Knowle Manor was a real success with over 100 people attending to show their support for our campaign. Speakers included Tony Moorhouse, a resident at Knowle Manor resident, Merle Stead, a long time Morley campaigner for pensioners rights and my colleagues Judith Elliott and Terry Grayshon.

Speaker after speaker questioned the closure of this excellent residential care home - the only residential care home in Morley with an excellent rating. Tony's contribution was that he was given promise 8 years ago when he moved in that he would have a home for life and that that promise should be kept.

Up to press we have collected over 1000 signatures against the closure. We have called for the closure programme to be scrapped and we will force a vote on this issue at next months Full Council Meeting.

Two amusing postscripts are worth noting on this matter.

The first is the Labour Party's attendance after the work had been done just in time for the photographer followed by their just as quick disappearance when the photographer had gone while the rest of us continued to campaign. The second was the appearance of failed Tory Councillor Paul "make my a pint" Jamieson and failed wannabe politician Nigel "moanalot" Bywater. Their attendance just to watch - as long as no work was involved - is worth noting.

The Knowle Manor campaign will only be won by ongoing hard work. We will be out again next weekend to collect more signatures with an aim of breaking the 2000 mark!

Knowle Manor Campaign Update

We spent an excellent Saturday morning campaigning to keep Knowle Manor open outside Morley Town Hall. We had a very positive response and spoke to one of the workers at Knowle Manor as well as the daughter of the oldest resident there.

People were raising their concerns following the announcements of the financial problems facing Southern Cross Private Care provider (which has homes in Leeds) and the outrage they felt at the abuse of youngsters with learning difficulties at a private run hospital and home in Bristol.

People were queuing up to sign our petition and many promised to turn up at next weeks rally on Saturday 11th June at 11am in front of Morley Town Hall. We have lined up several speakers to speak up for the retention of the Knowle Manor.

Further analysis shows that Council Care Homes in inner city wards - that is those in Labour areas - are to be retained despite having lower care ratings than Knowle Manor has. Those of you with a cynical attitude may sense some political chicanery and I have to agree.

And what about the Labour Party? Were they campaigning hard to save Knowle Manor by collecting signatures on a petition - or building support for our rally! Nothing of the sort. They were campaigning but campaigning to save Ed Balls MP as they stuffed envelopes for yet another mail out to an unwilling audience.

The Morley Borough Independents have formally requested that this closure proposal should be withdrawn. A resolution will also be put to the new Full Council meeting which will call on the whole programme of closures across Leeds to be withdrawn following the Southern Cross and Panorama revelations. Lets hope the present Labour controlled Leeds City Council listen!

Save Knowle Manor Campaign

Morley Folk will be aware of the proposed closure programme for Knowle Manor in Morley. Knowle Manor is an older persons residential home run by Leeds City Council. The new Labour controlled Leeds City Council proposed closure regardless of the fact that the home is in good condition and has an Excellent rating from the Care Quality Commission. Many of the residents are elderly and disabled with the oldest resident being 102 years old.

We have said closure is unacceptable and formally called for the closure plan to be abandoned. News today shows that the troubled Private Care provided Southern Cross operates in the Leeds area and has over 300 beds which are under threat. One of the arguments for closure of Knowle Manor is that the Private sector can do things more cheaply and there is "overcapacity". This statement has to be challenged following the news of Southern Cross as well as the Panorama programme which exposed care deficiencies from another Private "Care" provider.

We are campaigning hard against closure and will be taking signatures on a petition to request Leeds City Council abandons closure of this much needed and loved local resource. We have a rally planned for Saturday 11th June at 11am and we call on residents to attend to support out campaign.

All that's left is to apportion blame for the present financial mess which has led to this closure proposal. There is little doubt that the new CON-Lib Government is attempting to cut the deficit too quickly and that is causing pain. But the main responsibility lies with the previous Labour Government for creating the Deficit in the first place - and this includes our own local MP Ed Balls. Labours suggestion that its "nothing to do with me Guv!" is dishonest and they should accept their part in the present problems Knowle Manor faces. Their recent election material claims we needed to send the Government a clear message. Perhaps Morley Folk should send Labour a clear message and say closure of Knowle Manor is unacceptable!

Join our campaign and sign the petition or attend the rally. Together we can stop this closure programme.