European & Local Elecation

[Mike]

Don't forget to vote today. I forgot to go to the polling station earlier and I hope that I will be getting home in time to vote later on today. What a dumb ass I have been this morning. Oh well. Live and Learn!

[Chrissie]

Plan ahead, postal vote...just make sure your read the instructions properly: I opened it, duly detached the signature confirmation sheet from envelope B, then read "Do not detach from envelope B"

I too am a dumb ass!!!!

Oh well, stuck it back on with selotape, might mean I've "spoilt" my ballot and my vote won't count, but its worth a shot, make best efforts and all that!

[Mike]

Luckilly St Marks is open for votes until 10pm. It was surrounded by lots of annoying children but never mind, it was all voted for in the end. I put my big cross on the ridiculously long list of candidates and we will have to wait for the results now.

[Mike]

Guardian Interative Map showing the local election results as they come in. Should be quite interesting to see how big a bashing Labour get!

[Mike]

Conservatives +230 councillors at the latest count. I am rather worried about this lets not forget it was the Conservatives who started the whole financial problem by de-regulating the Financial Services. Everyone seems to have short memories (and I wasn't even alive when they did this!).

If the Conservatives win a General Election then I can probably kiss my job goodbye as I guess they will immediately cut spending in Education and Healthcare Buildings and therefore leave us without any work to do at all.

[johnriley1uk]

I think there could be a different aspect to this. Going back to the last time the Labour party had power, they nearly ruined the country. The Conservatives took over and after some very hard years got everything back on track. Gordon Brown has now spent it all, and don't forget raided our pensions on the way.

It's a complex issue and I don't think that one act of any kind has led us to where we are today. Labour governments spend money whether they have it or not. This one has been lucky to have a buoyant world market to help them along, but now the good times have run out and we can't spend our way out of trouble. The UK's credit cards have all been maxed out.

I hope that the building programme isn't axed, although would there be quite a delay in the effects whilst existing contracts were fulfilled? Would a better financial sutuation for the country mean that private sector work would return and make up the deficit?

I don't know what is right or wrong in all this, but I wonder if in the long run you'll find it better rather than worse. Let's hope so!

[Andy]

If the Conservatives win a General Election then I can probably kiss my job goodbye as I guess they will immediately cut spending in Education and Healthcare Buildings and therefore leave us without any work to do at all.

When the BSF was announced in the Wigan borough and we all became excited at the prospect of a building that would suit the demands of the modern curriculum we were also told that it wouldn't happen if the Conservatives got in because they stated in their documents/manifesto that they wouldn't honour the commitment.

The one thing I will say is that some contracts have already been drawn up and signed so legally they should be finished but they will probably find a loophole. Some councils/boroughs apparently haven't yet got round to doing the necessary submitting of contracts so those are the ones that are unlikely to get it. How they haven't got round to it yet I do not know but there must be an obvious reason.

[Mike]

Gordon Brown has now spent it all.

Agreed he has spent a lot of money, but it was required based on years of under-investment. I have seen pictures of Secondary School that are so bad there are plants growing out of sinks in the toilets.

and don't forget raided our pensions on the way

Wasn't that legislation set up by the Conservatives in the Thatcher period?

[johnriley1uk]

Wasn't that legislation set up by the Conservatives in the Thatcher period?

No, that was done in one of Gordon's budgets. £5 billion in lost tax releief on pension funds. It's been the root cause of the massive decline in the solvency of pension funds and led to rthe widespread cancellation of so many final salary schemes.

I agree that re-investment was needed, but like our household budgets we need to spend wisely on core issues, not carpets and paintings for offices and wars in Iraq. This is the sort odf wanton spending I object to. Building new schools and hospitals is a good thing where needed, although equally well I'd like to see renovation of some existing very fine buildings as an alternative.

Is the new TCP any better than the old one? I rather liked the ramshackle rambling old TCP, it's just a pity they wouldn't spend money to maintain it. The new one will no doubt need expanding very soon as it was too small when built.

Interesting area for discussion.

[Andy]

Building new schools and hospitals is a good thing where needed, although equally well I'd like to see renovation of some existing very fine buildings as an alternative.

I agree with you John to the point where it can house the modern curriculum - the onset of new diplomas, etc, is going to be absolutely horrendous if it is not properly thought about. Old style school Buildings, especially old Grammar schools are very atmospheric and have loads of character, however, they are also massively out-of-date and don't house enough rooms to suit the amount of new subjects and new initiatives that have to be provided by a school.

On a local note, the BSF gives weight to the likelyhood that Bedford is going to lose lower school and be one building whilst keeping the Upper school. This a prospect that makes me sad because it is a beautiful building but ultimately it doesn't work and a positive change has to happen. Plus, child safety will also increase. If you look at other schools such as St Marys and Freddies who have undergone extensive interior remodelling they are still going to have to change - New technology brings new advances, etc. I suppose that adds weight to an argument of why rebuild not remodel but new facilities attracts a different mental attitude for all concerned. Wouldn't it be nice to actually spend money on technological facilities and modern educational resources rather than constantly having to ''patch up'' an area? It is rather galling when your budget is cut and you can't afford the latest products to allow children to learn more independently and interactively because the money has gone on revamping the heating system. Also, consider this, I know for a fact that Freddies has been renovated twice in the last ten years, two departments every five years but even they do not believe that is going to be enough to successfully manage a) the new curriculum b) students' safe passage from lessons c) new students from different schools coming to the site every week under the new proposals by the year 2015. On an even bigger scale, under the new plans, Westleigh is going to have to expand to incorporate 500 extra children by the year 2012 which leaves them with no choice but to have some new build.

[johnriley1uk]

very interesting indeed. Is there a proper integrated plan for all of this change or is it just happening on a piecemeal basis?

[Mike]

Older buildings are built strongly (althought not as well as we all think) but as they are so SOLID it takes forever for them to degrade to destruction. The problem is they are more risky and more difficult to renovate and not condusive to the 'spend as little as possible' attitude. The major risk is that you strip the building back and end up spending £5million repairing damage you did not even know existed.

New building will reduce the significant maintenance for the first few years but we have to avoid the attitude that they don't need any work. If you don't do the regular stuff it won't be long before you have the same problems with budgets.

From my experience many schools are operated totally inefficiently. One example is the administration team each having a printer + and office printer with the official letter head paper stored in the tray. I mean, honestly, is it that difficult to change the paper occasionally or get up from your desk to walk to the printer?! We are talking about £2000 of excessive computer equipment for no good reason (not to mention the overspend on ink and electricity).

Generally the development has been piecemeal. The BSF represents, on the main, the first push for a co-ordinated effort to get an integrated new development that is flexible enough to encorage well thought out improvements. I wonder how long it will be before they are all building shed like little Chemistry blocks though!

[Mike]

PS I am embarrased that the BNP have won a seat in the North West. Shame on all those people who did not vote and good on the other politician who walked off stage when Nick Griffin made his speach. Have we forgotten that D-Day was a celebration of the efforts and lives lost to defeat Facism in WW2?! Shocking.

[BarcelonAl]

I too am shocked and appalled by the BNP and by the people of the North West for not ensuring that they don't rot in the kind of hell that'd make Beelzebub himself wince! The correct response to the situation is to make it clear that everytime one of their muppets makes a speech or even appears in public that they are met with the kind of reaction that the other politicians showed...walk off and don't even listen. They don't have anything to say that I even remotely agree or feel comfortable with.

I'm also slightly disturbed by the rise of UKIP, who if you read their propaganda are basically the BNP minus the neo-Nazis!

[Andy]

From the way I understand it, the BSF is in three stages for the Wigan area so presumably that is how it will be done across the other boroughs. I'll attempt to snag a copy for you and drop it off when I'm around your way. Most of it is fairly boring but there are a few interesting local developments and some pretty good explanations. In many ways the ''blocks'' system works and I advocate it much more than I previously did because if it is done properly and the kids are manageable it allows a department to put their own identity onto an area which can lead to a very purposeful learning environment.

Also, if the management of the school are flexible to negotiation then involving the actual teachers in the planning process (i.e. asking what they want) can yield excellent results as they at the 'chalkface' all the time and know what works and what can be achieved. I know their ideas are sometimes far-fetched and not realistic but some of the ideas that I have seen occur in other schools have been brilliant and very simple - my dad's idea actually only cost Freddies £10k, gave them a lot of extra space and provided them with a dance studio because he suggested renovating the squash courts and not knocking them down and making smoker's alley into an covered storage area / corridor for staff and children. This then assisted them in getting Arts College status and roughly £100k a year for the next four years. Strangely, the management liked him for that one...

Mike, I agree with you, I think that most schools are operated completely inefficiently and when you go to one that is it really irritates you because you feel you've been running into a brick wall for years. How can a department that offers 1 GCSE be upgraded with 28 brand new Apple Macs but a core subject's request for one basic IT computer be scrutinised? Potty.

On the subject of Nick Griffin, I feel gall stirring in my blood every time he speaks or appears on T.V. especially when he is talking about democracy.