Well, Where Do I Start?!?

OK, let's start with the Conservative successes. There weren't any local elections in Birmingham yesterday, except for a by-election in Lozells and East Handsworth. Not exactly fertile Tory territory you might think.

Well actually, we polled 1,622 votes and went from 4% of the vote last year to 23% this year. This is a huge swing and proof in itself that people everywhere are turning to the Conservatives.

Now lets look at the national picture - the graphic below shows the current state of play (thanks BBC):



Bearing in mind that we've had several successful years on the trot already, this is a brilliant result for us. Closest to home, we're now in control of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, which Labour had controlled since (wait for it!) 1981. We've also taken Devon and Somerset from the Lib Dems - we're winning everywhere.

If you look at a projected share of the national vote, we're comfortably ahead with Labour now in third place.

In other news, I've been trying to keep track of what's been happening at No 10 today, but in all honesty there's just too much madness going on to know where to start.

Apparently Sir Alan Sugar's going to become a lord and made some kind of enterprise or business tsar. This is the guy who, in last year's series of The Apprentice, awarded the job to someone who admitted lying on his CV. Hardly inspiring stuff.

And then we have Caroline Flint's final salvo as she returns to a life on the backbenches, 'Several of the women attending Cabinet - myself included - have been treated by you as little more than female window dressing.' She also points out that although she was Europe minister until today (a position that's been taken over by Glenys Kinnock?!?), she wasn't even invited to the Cabinet meeting preceeding yesterday's European elections!

Gordon Brown has transformed No 10, that venerable and internationally respected British symbol of good governance, and home to generation after generation of statesmen, into his own version of the Big Brother House. But he can't hold on forever. We will all have our say before much longer.

I look forward to the day when David Cameron and his team start restoring dignity and common sense as the next Conservative government.

European Parliament Elections TOMORROW, Thursday 4th June

Don't forget to vote for the West Midlands Conservatives team tomorow!

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm and you don't need your polling card to vote.

If you'd like to know more about the candidates, please have a look at the following:

http://is.gd/NlMP

Harborne Pool Taking Shape

On Wednesday, nearly all of the Councillors across the Constituency met to discuss important local issues.

Top of the list was Harborne Pool, which the Conservative-led Council is committed to rebuilding on its current site. The pool is very popular with Quinton ward residents, especially those who live in the 'B17' part of the ward.

I inspected the plans along with fellow Quinton Councillors Jane James and Len Clark (pictured). There are some very interesting features, including fitness rooms and a grassed roof.

I asked some questions about the suitability of the building in an urban context. A lot of wood is being used externally to improve the visual impact of the building, and I was interested to know how easily any graffiti could be removed from wood. I was informed that the wood facings would not be used on the ground floor. I also asked what features are being designed in to prevent the flat areas, kerbs and so on being poached by skateboarders, and I was assured that this will be addressed at the detailed design stage.

A lot of thought has gone into the plans, and I look forward to the day when residents of Quinton, Harborne and elsewhere can enjoy our new pool.

European Election Canvassing

I started the day at the launch of the West Midlands Conservatives European election campaign, which the Party held in Edgbaston constituency (which includes Quinton). We heard from many excellent speakers, including all of our European candidates, Cllr Deirdre Alden, Parliamentary Spokesman for the constituency, Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, leading local businesspeople and others.

Then the real work started - I took a joint team from Birmingham University Conservative Future and City Branch over to Quinton, where we did several hours canvassing. The responses on the doorstep were very positive; we're set for a great result on 4th June, and we're ready for the General Election, whenever it comes.

Supporting Our Forces

Today, I spent a very worthwhile evening attending a presentation by the Royal Air Force at the Jaguar plant. I met many serving members of the RAF and members of the Air Cadets.

I was interested to see the varied career options available to those who wish to join, and the RAF's array of aircraft and other vehicles and equipment is second to none.

I'm always pleased to be able to support any of our armed services. They have a tough and demanding job to do and deserve our support.

Pictured with me are the The Right Worshipful, The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham and the The Worshipful The Mayor and Mayoress of Solihull.

Stop Press!!!

The new pedestrian crossing for Woodhouse Primary School is NOW WORKING!!!

And the Number 10 bus is SAVED - thank you Central Connect! And thanks Cllr Deirdre Alden and others for organising the petition!

Pitt's Wood Open Day

Today, Cllr Deirdre Alden and I went along to the Pitt's Wood open day. Pitt's Wood is a piece of woodland behind Overdale Road and there are some committed volunteers who make it a great resource for local children and adults alike.

One of the volunteers was showing the kids how to make bird and bat boxes. I helped with some weeding and litter picking.

All very worthwhile, and I got to take home a bat box too! It turns out that you're supposed to face them South - the opposite direction to bird boxes. Now I all I need to do is work out where in my garden to put it...

Welsh House Farm Off-Licence Application

Quinton's Parliamentary Spokesman Cllr Deirdre Alden, Quinton Councillor Len Clark and I met with Welsh House Farm residents yesterday to discuss an alcohol licence application from Wisley Way News. The shop has applied to sell alcohol from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week.

The residents we spoke to were very concerned that this would lead to a rise in antisocial behaviour, just when we're starting to see improvements in Welsh House Farm. We've recently improved much of the Council housing in the area. We've coated local cable TV boxes with anti-graffiti paint. And of course, Conservative activists from all over the country renovated a local community centre in the 'We Love WHF' project.

There's a petition going round to object to the proposals and I've asked the Police to consider their views on the application too.

Bob's Got on his Bike!

Quinton ward resident Bob Holland is cycling all the way to France to raise money for the Little Sisters of the Poor, who run a residential care home for older people in Harborne. Bob was inspired to raise money for the home after his uncle became a resident there about eighteen months ago.

Bob says, 'I have seen at first hand how, with extraordinary dedication, the nuns, their staff and team of volunteers have created a wonderful home. The quality of the surroundings and service is exceptional and I felt compelled to do as much as I could to raise funds for them.'

Bob will be taking part in the London to Paris Cycle Challenge, which takes place over three days this June. It will also be a very personal challenge for Bob, as he took up cycling only three years ago to regain fitness after surgery for cancer.

I'm very pleased to support Bob in his bid to raise thousands for St Joseph's. If you wish to sponsor him yourself, you can find out more at http://www.bobthebikeman.co.uk/.

Below Inflation 1.9% Council Tax Increase - FOURTH Year in a Row!!!

On Tuesday, the Conservative-led Council passed the annual budget, setting your Council Tax increase to only 1.9% - below inflation for the fourth year in a row. This means that it's the fourth effective cut to your Council Tax in a row.

The Labour group looked thoroughly demoralised at the meeting and for the first time in years didn't even present an alternative budget. So the voters of Birmingham have no idea where they stand. What would they spend your money on? How would they pay for essential services? Would they cut or raise your Council Tax?

Why they've given up this opportunity to participate in the normal democratic process is anyone's guess, but the most likely explanation is that they're so riven with splits and divisions that they simply couldn't agree amongst themselves.

In the meantime, we'll get on with the job of running Birmingham effectively and efficiently.

Cable TV Box in Purbeck Croft / Moreton Close / Wisley Way Area

If you live in the Purbeck Croft / Moreton Close / Wisley Way Area, you might have noticed some unsightly graffiti on a cable TV box. I noticed it too and arranged for the box to get the 'green paint treatment' I've mentioned before.

The photos above show 'before' and 'after'.

City Branch Interview

Conservative City Branch, which is the branch of the Party for Birmingham's city centre professionals, has recently interviewed me. Check it out at the following address:

http://www.citybranch.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=1&Itemid=58

Cable Boxes Going Green!

As promised, the programme to paint cable boxes in a special green anti-graffiti paint is in full swing. We're confident that this will reduce the amount of graffiti in Quinton and continue the upward trend of keeping Quinton clean and green.

Also have a look at Cllr Deirdre Alden's blog for news about new measures to reduce speeding in Quinton Ward:

http://deirdrealden.blogspot.com/2009/01/road-safety-measures-in-quinton.html

Police Halloween Events a Fantastic Success

Last Friday, I helped out at the Police’s Halloween night event on West Boulevard. The event was attended by hundreds of local people. I was glad to be able to help in what was a triumph for the local Police and community. The event featured a disco and traditional party games including apple bobbing. The Police also ran an event in Onneley House for older people, which was also a great success – well done!

The Clangers

I came home from Full Council a couple of hours ago and tonight was a spirited affair. Doubtless the main debates will be covered by others so I just want to point out a couple of clangers dropped by none other that the leader and deputy leader of the Council's Labour group.

Sir Albert Bore told us about someone who's apparently been paying rent on a three-bedroom Council property where only two of the bedrooms are accessible. If true, this needs to be sorted out, but he also mentioned that this has been going on for the last fifteen years. That means eleven years under the old Labour administration!

Ian Ward then admitted that his constituency of Hodge Hill had intentionally overspent their budget to avoid 'their' money being taken off them the following year! Deliberately overspending taxpayers' money to get even more taxpayers' money - appalling, but sadly a typical Labour attitude.

Anyway, I'm off to watch an election. Let's hope there might be another one closer to home before long.

At the Haven Centre in Welsh House Farm

The We Love Welsh House Farm project is in full swing! One of the main activities is renovating The Haven Centre on Rilstone Road, which is a great centre for community activities. Conservative volunteers from all over Birmingham and further afield have been pitching in and the place is taking shape. We're always on the lookout for more volunteers - it's a very rewarding way to spend an evening! Let me know if you can help.

New Video about Local Post Office Closures

No commentary necessary for this one - it speaks for itself. Thanks to Simon Russell for making it.

'Build it, and they will come'

Before I kick off, I'd better say that these are my views and I try to represent the positions of everyone there as I saw them.

Today was my second Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and I think everyone there would agree that passions were running high. The main business was scrutinising the proposals for the new GP-led health centres that are being planned by Birmingham's Primary Care Trusts.

I don't think that there was much disagreement on the Committee that some people do have problems in accessing GP services. I myself have had the experience of phoning at precisely 8am to try to get an appointment, only to find that the phone rang so long that BT disconnected the call. All subsequent calls were met with the engaged tone and when I paid a personal visit a few minutes later, I was told that all appointments had already gone. But that's not the point.
Why does this happen? Is it government targets creating a narrow time window that GPs are then judged against? Is it GPs not responding to patient need? Are there too few GPs?

Well, whatever the cause, the government and Birmingham's Primary Care Trusts think they have the answer. It's 'GP-led health centres'. These are something of a departure from traditional GP surgeries. They're commissioned and funded directly by the Primary Care Trusts. Any company can bid to run one. They will probably have some kind of walk-in facility and maybe a pharmacy.

So far, so good you might say. Here are some of the reservations I have.

First of all, the Primary Care Trusts have basically been told to implement them by April 2009. It was quite clear to me that exactly what services these centres should be providing hasn't been worked out first. The whole idea seems to be, 'build it, and they will come'. There's also the issue of whether April 2009 is a realistic timescale.

On a similar note, we were told that there was nothing to stop existing GPs from forming companies and bidding for the work. We were also told that there was nothing to stop GPs from expanding their existing surgeries to provide the services that are being put to tender. However, the Primary Care Trusts already seem to have decided that these will be new centres, new buildings, new facilities. They're already scouting for locations. Perhaps it was always the intention to build new buildings, because that's the easiest way of showing the public that there's been an improvement in an area. The GPs that presented to us clearly thought that there was no prospect of successfully bidding for the work to be provided from existing, expanded surgeries.

Another issue is patient records. There's an intention from the Primary Care Trusts for patient records to be available in the new centres, but no apparent detail of how they will make this happen. Clearly the government's grand Connecting for Health programme won't be finished by April 2009 so personally I think there's little or no prospect of this.

Finally, there's a serious question over whether this will really increase the amount of GP services in any area over the longer term. It doesn't necessarily take a large number of people leaving an existing surgery (maybe for good reason, maybe not) for that surgery to become unviable and to close altogether. This would force the rest of the patients, who may well have been happy with the service, to seek an alternative. In the end, all we may be left with is the closure of most of the 'traditional' GP surgeries in the area, leaving people with no choice but to go somewhere where they see a different doctor every time and which may end up being as busy as the surgeries they were supposed to augment.

It's particularly interesting that one of the new centres is likely to be built in Selly Oak, with a large, transient student population. At present, the surgeries there are dependent on the influx of new students replacing the efflux. If a brand spanking new attractive centre is built, the existing surgeries may see a decline in their numbers of patients through no fault of their own.

One of the Councillors said that she'd received an assurance from the Primary Care Trusts that no existing GP surgeries will close as a result of all of this. I don't think that the Primary Care Trusts are in a position to give that assurance. A surgery might close for all sorts of reasons - is the Primary Care Trust going to stand up on every occasion and say, 'That's down to the new Health Centre, so we'll accept responsibility and help them?'

The only 'assurance' that I could get was that the PCTs will 'work with' existing GP surgeries. I must say that I was surprised that such an explicit assurance was necessary - I would have thought that it would have gone without saying!

In the end, this is all supposed to be about choice. My concern is that, in the rush for more choice, we will ultimately end up with less.

Welsh House Farm Family Fun Day

Just found time to put up a couple of photos of the Welsh House Farm Family Fun Day a week last Sunday. Great day!

Councillors Support our Troops and Help Cut Food Waste

Along with Cllr Matt Bennet from Stockland Green (centre) and Cllr Gareth Compton from Erdington (right), I've asked the Lord Mayor to help us support British troops in the field by donating money that would be spent on meals for us to a local regiment.

At the end of each Full Council meeting, all Councillors are provided with a meal, whether or not we choose to eat it. We've asked that a sum equivalent to the cost of the meal (approximately £14 per head, ten times per year) is donated to the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, a regiment with close ties to the City and which the Council voted this month to grant permission to march through the City.

We hope that by making this gesture we can, in some small way, show our gratitude to the men and women who serve tirelessly to keep us all safe.

In addition, food waste is a hot topic at the moment. Rather than dishing out lectures, we thought it only right to set a practical example.

What I've Been Up To

Here's a short video of some of the things I've been up to over the past twelve months. Crank up the volume!

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Health Overview and what?

Today was my first meeting of the Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Even though healthcare is provided mainly by the NHS, the Council has a duty to scrutinise what's going on in Birmingham. After the usual formalities, we got stuck in.

Health Inequalities - The Term

Cllr Deirdre Alden's the Chairman and she opened with a comment that 'health inequalities' is a government term that we're kind of stuck with. It's not all that helpful because one (unacceptable) way of removing health inequalities would be by making everyone as unhealthy as the unhealthiest people!

What are Health Inequalities?

We had a presentation on the subject. I examined the BMJ's definition of 'health inequalities' on two counts. Firstly, it uses the term '...inequalities are claimed to exist...'. The implication is that perceived health inequalities may not be inequalities at all.

Secondly, it's measured by 'when different groups... consume different amounts of health care.' This is different to a group's need for healthcare and there could easily be a disparity between the two - it's just easier to measure consumption than need. The presenter agreed with my comments.

'I live in Ladywood, therefore I won't live as long'

There were loads of diagrams that supported the presenter's general assertion that how long you live for depends on where you live in Birmingham. This is in part related to access to services etc.

I for one don't particularly like this approach - it risks creating a victim culture. I suggested that this difference really exists because location is a very good indicator of socioeconomic status, and it's this that's the real cause of the difference. For example, people on lower incomes are more likely to smoke or have a poorer diet. I didn't face any real challenge to this assertion.

Stop Smoking Services and Under-16s

I was interested to know why the graph measuring this only includes people aged 16 or over. Once we'd established that under-16s can access these services, we were told that the number doing so was 'small'. Personally I don't care how small this number is, these are the people we should be concentrating on most! I asked for future figures to include under-16s.

Speak English?

I asked whether there was any evidence that your ability to speak English affected your access to healthcare. This is a particularly important issue in Britain right now, and in Birmingham in particular. The presented told me that there wasn't much evidence above 'anecdotal' evidence. This surprised me somewhat.

New Acute Hospital

An organisation called 'Towards 2010', which is part of a Primary Care Trust, talked about many things, including a planned new acute hospital. This will be built in Sandwell but also serve the people of Birmingham.

One of the things I feel can get overlooked in hospital planning is the visual impact of such a massive building landing on people's doorsteps. As Douglas Adams once said, 'It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the phrase, "as pretty as an airport"'. I would argue that the same applies to hospitals.

I'd be worried if in the rush to produce the best possible hospital for the lowest possible cost, this aspect were completely overlooked. I do feel that it at least should be on the list of requirements for the architectural and planning briefs. Doubtless there are requirements for the numbers of car parking spaces and other functional issues. I didn't get a positive answer that architectural merit had really been considered so far.

The architectural merit of a hospital should never be a priority for the NHS. However, there's certainly evidence that how buildings look affect our health. I appear to be in good company; my second quote comes from Sir Winston Churchill, 'We shape our buildings and afterwards, our buildings shape us.'

New Boots Walk In Centre for the City Centre - or not..?

I was surprised to find a line in the presentation that read, 'Boots Health Care Floor including Walk In Centre - July 2008'. The strong suggestion in the presentation is that the Walk In Centre is a new thing. However, I have a distinct memory of walking into an NHS Walk In Centre in Boots a few years ago. It turns out that it's not a new thing, but the 'Health Care Floor' is. Hmm...

NICE Guy

We had a final presentation from a chap from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. This has the controversial job of deciding whether drugs are cost-effective enough to be prescribed on the NHS; in other words, whether the improvement to someone's life is worth the cost of a certain drug.

Lucentis

Cllr Jane James did a great job of getting down to brass tacks on the subject of Lucentis, which is very expensive but can prevent blindness in some people. It's approved for use in Scotland but not in England (NICE doesn't cover Scotland). Our presenter effectively said that it hadn't been approved on the grounds of cost, but there's some attempt at the moment to get the drug company to share the financial risk of approving the drug. There's certainly a risk that people will go blind by the time Lucentis is approved (if it ever is), which is bound to cost the state and society more in the long run. Or I guess you could move to Scotland...

UPDATE 19/06: Apparently the issues around Lucentis are more complex than the information that came out in yesterday's meeting, but I believe the essential fact remains that it's not available to prevent blindness in England (as appropriate), for whatever reason.

NICE's Economic Model

I asked the presenter about the economic model that NICE uses to frame its decisions. I'd heard that NICE doesn't publish an 'executable' version of its model (i.e. one in which you can change the figures), but it does publish a 'paper-based' version. Our presenter confirmed this, one of the reasons being that they don't want drugs companies and others to fiddle with the model until they get the 'right' result, and then submit their evidence accordingly.

I must say that I don't understand this approach. NICE should come clean, publish the model and stand by its decisions. I was further confused when our presenter admitted that it would be possible for someone to recreate the 'executable' model from the public information, so I really don't know what purpose this policy serves, other than potentially increasing levels of suspicion around how NICE arrives at its decisions.

Who's NICE's Customer?

Aside from the drugs approval role, NICE has a very important role in offering clinical and other guidance to NHS organisations - Primary Care Trusts and so on. I wanted to look at how it does this, so time for an analogy.

The Police IT Organisation was wound up last year because it never delivered what it was supposed to. One of the reasons given in the Home Office report is that there wasn't a customer. The Home Office paid for PITO, but individual police forces were supposed to be the beneficiaries. However, police forces weren't obliged to listen to PITO and in any case they had no incentive to because they weren't paying. It strikes me that an almost identical situation exists in terms of NICE's guidance.

NHS trusts don't pay for NICE's guidance and they don't have to take it. Does this weaken NICE's position? Our presenter thought not, but when I asked him whether he would prefer NICE's guidelines to be binding, his 'gut feel' was that they should be.

We'll see whether NICE fares any better than PITO.

60,480

Just sit and do nothing for one minute. Sixty seconds, that's all.

Did you manage it? Maybe you couldn't be bothered and gave up. I wouldn't blame you.

Last night, the Labour government voted to allow suspects of certain terrorist offences to be locked up, without charge, for 60,480 times longer than that. 42 days. Six weeks.

Never mind the ancient rights that we've had in this country for so long. Never mind that such a period of detention could cost you your job or your relationship. Never mind the message that this sends out to certain, already beleagured, sections of our community.

And never mind the argument that it's in any way necessary. How many times have the police had to release terrorist suspects because they ran out of time? None. How many terrorist atrocities would this have prevented? None. Does this give terrorists something new to talk about when promoting their abhorrent cause and looking for new recruits? Yes.

The Bill now goes to the House of Lords, where hopefully the Labour members will have a bit more nerve. Let's hope that Their Lordships do the right thing.

P.S. Quinton's Labour MP voted in favour of this yesterday.

I'm Back!

I'm back from my holiday and I've got right back into Quinton and Council issues.

On Monday night, Cllr Jane James and I attended a Police consultative meeting in Welsh House Farm. Amongst other things, we discussed the recent scourge of mini-scooters. The Police said that if they're used on the highway then the rider is potentially breaking all sorts of laws. I also added that if they're used off the highway then they may well be a 'statutory nuisance' anyway. The Police have quite rightly seized three of these scooters recently and can potentially crush them.

Perhaps we could do public awareness campaign on the consequences of shelling out hundreds of pounds for one of these things, only to find it posted back to you when it's been through a Police crusher. My only frustration with the current policy is that the Police aren't allowed to pursue riders for fear of getting sued - I don't think this is helping the officers on the ground.

Yesterday, it was my first proper full Council. There were some particularly brave and constructive speeches on intimidatory postal voting practices some Councillors believe are occurring in certain households. If the debate was anything to go by, I believe that we may be able to achieve cross-party support on a way forward with this.

I really wanted to speak on the ID cards issue but unfortunately we ran out of debating time. For the record, I voted against them.

Then off to Quinton to have a look at the garages at the end of Higgins Lane. As you can see, they're in a much better state than a few weeks ago - look a few articles down for the 'before' photo!

On Hols

Even hard-working councillors go on holiday sometimes, and next week is my turn. Cllr Jane James will be picking up any queries in my absence. See you in a week or so!

Timpson Cuts the Key to No 10

Last night, Edward Timpson won the Crewe and Nantwich by-election for the Conservatives. We turned a 7,000-vote Labour majority into a 8,000-vote Conservative majority.

On top of the great local and London mayoral elections a few weeks ago, this is a significant turning point in Conservative fortunes. People up and down the country are ready to trust the Conservatives to form the next government.

Excellent result and well done to all involved.

Welsh House Farm Community Project at the Quinborne Centre

On Saturday, I was pleased to meet up with Simon Jay from the Welsh House Farm Community Project. The Quinborne Community Association were celebrating their 70th Anniversary at the Quinborne Centre and the WHFCP had a stand. I'm very much looking forward to working more closely with Simon and this valuable project in my new role as Councillor.

Higgins Lane Garages

Renovation work has now started on the garages at the 'roundabout end' of Higgins Lane. A local resident had contacted me about the slowly deteriorating state of these garages. You know how it goes - something starts to look shabby, then it gets vandalised, graffiti, and before you know it, it starts to bring the area down.

I contacted the Council about it and I didn't rest until we saw some proper delivery on the ground. This is a great example of how a single resident's enquiry can produce results.

Harborne Swimming Pool - The Latest

Visit Deirdre Alden's blog for the latest on this important issue!

Woodgate Valley Bridge

View Larger Map

I've received reports of some damage to a bridge leading into Woodgate Valley Country Park, so I went over there yesterday. I met up with the local Rangers, who told me that a bridge from Barn Piece has been damaged, but replacement materials are on their way. I'll keep on top of it - watch this space!

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who voted for me yesterday. A terrific result. I'm honoured that you've put your faith in me and I promise not to let you down.

Please Vote for Me Today!

Just a quick one - please vote for me today! Polling stations open until 10pm. Thanks!

Get your Postal Vote in!

If you're on a postal vote, you should have received it by now, so don't forget to send it in. If you haven't received yours, let me know on 643 6478 or peter@petersmallbone.com ASAP! Thanks.

Happy St George's Day!

Happy St George's Day to everyone!

Mayswood Grove Action Day

Today, the Quinton Conservatives Hit Squad and I were happy to join a community group run by local churches in a cleanup of Mayswood Grove, which is between Quinton Road West and Simmons Drive. We spent our time digging and weeding an alleyway, and bagging up the green waste for collection. The place looks a lot smarter now and we received a lot of thanks from the local residents who passed through the alleyway while we were there.

Fantastic effort by all those involved - thanks and well done!

This Weekend

It's been another busy weekend.

Yesterday, we spent a lot of time talking to people on Hamilton Avenue. We helped with a range of problems, from visa issues to paving slabs. Today, I was down at Quinton Lane with Cllr Deirdre Alden, our great Parliamentary Spokesman for Edgbaston Constituency.

Whenever I go canvassing, I don't just try to find out how people might vote. I always spend time listening to people's issues and trying to help. When you knock on someone's door, it should be more than an information gathering exercise.

Now for next week...

Since there's an election on...

...I'd better make sure I have one of these on display:

Promoted by Len Clark on behalf of Quinton Conservatives of 1 Lyncourt Grove, Quinton, Birmingham B32 1DG. Published by Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043.

Blandford Road Police Post Handed Over!

Please check out Cllr Deirdre Alden's blog for more info!

Unpopular and Unsightly Garages to be Demolished

I’m very pleased to announce that the garages to the rear of flats 9-25 Stourton Road, accessed from Highfield Lane, are soon to be demolished.

I’d been contacted by many local residents about the worsening condition of these garages. They’re an eyesore and a magnet for antisocial behaviour. When I visited them recently, I discovered evidence that they’d been used by prostitutes and their clients. People have also been lighting fires there. Hard-working local families in an otherwise very nice area shouldn’t have to put up with this. I contacted the Council and we agreed a plan to give the area a fresh start.

The site will be visited in the coming days by Council experts, who will assess how best to perform the demolition work. The demolition work itself is due to be carried out in the early part of the 2008 financial year, which begins in April. The area will also be secured to prevent any further antisocial behaviour.

Meet The Team!

Last weekend's campaigning all across Quinton ward went very well. And it's all down to the great team!

End of the Line for Cramped, Dark Platforms!

The Government has finally responded in full to our Conservative-led Council's call for redevelopment of New Street Station by releasing a further £260m of funding. This will enable the project to go full steam ahead to the anticipated finish date of 2011.

The total cost of the project is £598m, £200m of which will come from the private sector. It will double passenger capacity and create an estimated 5,000 new jobs.

All great news for residents and visitors alike. Well done to all who made it happen!

We're a Three-Star Council!

Yesterday, the Conservative-led Birmingham City Council announced that the Government has awarded it three stars! In 2004, we inherited a no-star Council with particularly acute problems in Housing and Social Services - it's an amazing turnaround. Adult Care, Education and Housing were picked out for special praise in the Audit Commission's report.

The picture shows me with Alistair Burt MP, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.

New Green Space on Stoney Lane

Along with your local Conservative Councillors Jane James and Len Clark, I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve improved the public area at the junction of Stoney Lane and Hagley Road West. We’ve cleared out the undergrowth and installed a smart new green space. The photo shows myself and Cllr Clark at the site.

Good News for Residents of Quinton Road West Area!

The Quinton Conservatives Hit Squad recently planted lots of flower bulbs in the planters outside the shops at the corner of Gorsy Road and Quinton Road West. These will provide a very pleasant street scene when the flowers grow this spring.

The photo shows myself, Parliamentary Spokesman Cllr Deirdre Alden and Quinton Conservative Councillors Jane James and Len Clark.

You may also be interested to know that a recent planning application to turn one of the shops at the corner of Bolney Road and Quinton Road West into a hot fast food outlet has been turned down. The decision was made after local residents submitted a petition objecting to the planning application.

Toronto Gardens Cleanup

Your local Conservative Hit Squad recently visited Toronto Gardens off Court Oak Rd to see what we could do. We’d had reports of litter and leaves piling up and making the area unpleasant for the many elderly residents. Our Parliamentary Spokesman Cllr Deirdre Alden, Quinton Councillor Jane James and I turned up and got it sorted. We hope that our efforts made the environment more pleasant for everyone!

Today has been cancelled

This is something that appeared on the main conservatives.com website and in several national newspapers today, and I think well worth repeating. Click the image for a better look...

Quinton Ward Gets Greener – Again!

I'm delighted to announce the continued success of the Quinton Green-Up Campaign.

We planted over 600 trees in Quinton ward during the previous two years, and this year sees another 200. Trees improve air quality, enhance the street scene and increase the amount of local wildlife. This campaign is greatly improving the environment for thousands of residents across Quinton ward. It’s yet another example of your local Conservative team delivering results on the ground.

Next to get the green-up treatment is the area around Wedgewood Rd, Faraday Rd and World’s End Lane. The team will also be picking up some other roads, including some that need to be finished off from last year.

Everyone living in the target areas will be given prior notice and have the opportunity to comment before work starts.

Brown Fritters?

'Frit' is a Lincolnshire colloquialism for 'frightened', made famous by Margaret Thatcher in 1983. She was accusing Labour's Denis Healey of being frightened of her calling a General Election.

On Wednesday, I returned from Conservative Party Conference, buoyed up by David Cameron's great speech. Any accusations that he lacks substance were firmly put to bed - there were plenty of policy proposals, incuding raising the threshold for inheritance tax and stamp duty. We're going to pay for this by a flat rate tax on so-called 'non-doms' - typically very rich people who live in the UK but don't pay normal tax for various reasons.

Labour's playing a very cynical game on this. Before we announced our policy, the (Labour-run) Treasury claimed that they didn't have any figures on non-doms. But when we announced it, Labour said that our sums didn't add up, based on figures magically obtained from the Treasury! The reality is that we've come up with some well researched, well costed policies and they're using every trick they can to try and undermine them.

Well, it won't work and the British public won't fall for it. So Mr Brown, why don't you call the election - we're ready. Or are you frit?

UPDATE 06/10/2007: He's bottled it!

Guest Post from Praguetory

Sorry I haven't posted for a while - things have been very busy in Quinton! Today's post is a guest post from my good friend Praguetory.

Since 1997 Labour MPs have been returned in all but two of the 11 Parliamentary seats within the borders of Birmingham. At Westminster we rely heavily on Labour representatives. A recently published government report on unemployment by constituency makes depressing reading for Brummies.

With the exception of Sutton Coldfield, all seats in Birmingham are ranked as having among the highest rates of unemployment in the UK, with Birmingham seats taking the top three positions in a league table that you don't want to head.

1. Birmingham Ladywood
2. Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath
3. Birmingham Hodge Hill
12. Birmingham Erdington
16. Birmingham Perry Barr
39. Birmingham Yardley
56. Birmingham Edgbaston
71. Birmingham Northfield
77. Birmingham Selly Oak
78. Birmingham Hall Green
446. Sutton Coldfield

In 1997, unemployment in Birmingham was 10.6%, 1.7 times the national average. In 2006, unemployment in Birmingham stands at 8.9%, 3.4 times the national average. In every year since 1997, the difference between unemployment rates in Birmingham and the rest of the country has widened.

And yet, Steve McCabe, a government whip and the Labour MP for Hall Green is in denial in Monday's Birmingham Post! Since 1997 Labour has utterly failed the people of Birmingham. Their locally elected politicians such as the mendacious McCabe stand complicit.

Planting success in Quinton

I was out on Saturday weeding and replanting the planters on the corner of Gorsy Rd and Quinton Rd West. Cllrs Jane James and Deirdre Alden were also there, along with a team of local Conservative volunteers. We got a lot done and hopefully brightened up the place. If you'd be interested in sponsoring a planter or two, drop me an email!

Local footie tournament

Yesterday, I attended a football tournament where the focus was kicking racism out of football. Loads of teams of youngsters from around the area were playing, including several from Quinton. I was there with Cllr Jane James from Quinton (right) and Cllr Deirdre Alden, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Edgbaston Constituency (left). All the boys and girls had a great time! Match report on Deirdre's blog.

Busy weekend

It's been a busy weekend!



On Saturday morning, a team of local Conservatives (myself included) spent some time strimming, weeding and otherwise cleaning up the junction of Upper Meadow Rd, Hansom Rd and Arkwright Rd in Quinton. Doing this ourselves is only a temporary measure until we get something permanent arranged with the Council. The place looked much better after we'd finished, and certainly the residents we spoke to agreed. Thanks to all who helped, including Cllr Len Clark and Cllr Jane James from Quinton, and Cllr Deirdre Alden, Parliamentary Spokesman for Edgbaston Constituency.

I spent most of yesterday at Harborne Carnival, manning the Conservatives stall. We must have given away over a thousand balloons and plenty of our 'Carnival Special' leaflets. Loads of people came up and spoke to us, and it was a very useful way of engaging with local people and finding out about current issues. The carnival as a whole was a great success and it looked like everyone was having fun. Again, Len, Jane and Deirdre were there, along with Cllr John Alden from Harborne, volunteers from Conservative City Branch, Birmingham University Conservative Future and many others.

And so it starts again...

Was out in Quinton yesterday and delivered a few hundred leaflets. Probably should have avoided doing some of it at midday as it was a bit hot. Good thing I had some sun lotion in the car, or I would have ended up looking like a pork scratching. Dog bite count was zero, although there were some close shaves...

Scottish Parliament visit

I'm in Edinburgh with work, so I took the opportunity to meet up with John Lamont MSP for a lunchtime tour of the Scottish Parliament. John was elected in May for the constituency of Roxburgh and Berwickshire, and deservedly so. He's been working very hard there for many years, building up his support and engaging with the electorate on bread-and-butter issues that matter to them, whether it's a lack of dentists, proposed hospital closures, even rod licences!

I was very impressed by John's work ethic and he's running an amazing number of surgeries now he's been elected. John was kind enough to show me the Parliament chamber (I was tempted to sit in the Presiding Officer's chair, but didn't) and his office, complete with something called a 'Thinking Pod'...

A very interesting and informative tour, and I'm sure I'll be seeing John again at Party Conference if not before. Keep up the good work mate!

What a shower

There was a special edition of Newsnight last night, with all six Labour deputy leadership contenders. Here's my verdict:

Harman: Lose the power dressing.
Johnson: Likeable, but it's as if the Eighties never happened.
Cruddas: See above.
Hain: Statesman-like, but boring.
Benn: Dull, but at least he didn't use any notes.
Blears: Disaster area. Go on Labour, elect her.

Yesterday's real headlines

• The Bank of England raises interest rates to a six-year high.
• The projected cost of the Government's ID card scheme rises by £400m to £5.31bn.
• Tony Blair doesn't resign as Prime Minister or even as leader of the Labour Party, but talks about it a bit.

Coincidence? You decide...

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

So there you have it - the last of the English council results have come in. And let's not pretend otherwise, they're a great set of results for the Conservatives, on top of a great set of results last year. Even some of the Labour bloggers are honest enough to say so.

Tomorrow, Tony Blair will almost certainly announce that he's standing down as Prime Minister. He'll try to take the rap for these results, or at least be blamed by the rest of his Party for them. His ten years in office have been a missed opportunity, and I've been racking my brains this afternoon trying to think of anything positive he's achieved since D:Ream's Things Can Only Get Better rang out that day in May 1997.

The only things I can come up with are ASBOs (which hopefully one day won't be needed anymore) and the continuation of the Northern Ireland peace process, which was started by his Conservative predecessor John Major with the Downing Street Declaration. Yesterday, people across Northern Ireland witnessed the product of the process so far when the DUP, Sinn Féin and the other parties sat down together in government.

But as one Labour Prime Minister gives way to another, let's not forget the tax rises, the billions wiped off pension funds, the rewriting of the government's own fiscal discipline rules, the economic problems stored up for the future. This isn't just the legacy of Tony Blair, it's the legacy of Gordon Brown.

Well done Nigel!

Bournville Councillor Nigel Dawkins has been selected as the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Selly Oak. Having grown up in Selly Oak Constituency, I remember the heady days of the late, great Sir Anthony Beaumont-Dark, the Constituency's last Conservative MP.

Nigel was selected by an open primary, which is a new innovation for the Conservatives and British politics in general. This allows anyone, regardless of political affiliation, to vote for their preferred candidate. As a party, we're trying very hard to broaden our appeal, and hopefully this will go some way to doing just that.

The incumbent (Labour) MP is standing down, and with a fair wind and a healthy swing, let's hope that Nigel can win it for us. Well done Nigel, and good luck!

Elections Reflections

I've been on holiday in Suffolk over the weekend, and I've had time to gather my thoughts about last weeks elections.

Lows

1. Having my car broken into and my sat nav nicked while I was leafleting. (For the record, it wasn't on display and there were no suction marks on the windscreen). On the plus side, the police officer who attended was very professional.

2. Getting two parking tickets while I was leafleting. I got one of them despite texting the new service you can use instead of pay-and-display, because the replacement car I was driving (see 1) had a different registration number than the one they had on record for me. Particularly annoying.

3. Waiting for hours for someone to deliver 67 postal votes to be included in the count. This meant that we didn't get a result until far later than usual.

4. Losing our outright majority in Solihull, but I'm sure we'll get it back next time.

Highs

1. All the people who helped me in so many different ways, be it leafleting, advice or just being there. You know who you are. Thanks.

2. Those 732 pieces of paper that showed that 732 people had taken the time and trouble to write an 'x' next to my name. If I knew who all of you were, I'd come round and thank you personally.

3. Our three gains in Birmingham. Very many congratulations to Barbara Wood in Kings Norton, Colin Hughes in Billesley and in particular to my friend Gareth Compton in Erdington, who trounced Susanna McCorry on a huge swing to the Conservatives.

4. Albert Bore going out of his way to compliment my campaign in his re-election speech. Always good to receive compliments from your political opponents.

5. Being attacked (in all but name) in at least one of Labour's leaflets. You know they're getting scared when they do that!

6. Seeing Labour run around Ladywood leafleting like crazy to try and counter my active campaign. The amount of effort they put in was evinced by the number of Labour activists at the count. This must have hampered their ability to operate in Birmingham's more marginal wards.

7. In the early hours of Friday morning, finding out that John Lamont had become a Member of the Scottish Parliament for Roxburgh and Berwickshire. I met John at the Conservative Party Conference last year, and I know how hard he's been working.

8. Looking at the BBC website (above) and seeing that we've gained 898 Conservative Councillors and 38 Conservative Councils in England.

I've thoroughly enjoyed being the candidate for Ladywood and I'll carry on trying to serve the people of Birmingham in whatever way I can. And as I said in my speech at last week's count, I'll always be proud to call myself a Conservative.

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who voted for me yesterday. A clear second place is a very positive result for the Conservatives in Ladywood, and many congratulations to my colleagues across the city and country for the remarkable gains we've had. More later...

Vote for Peter Smallbone TODAY!

Thursday 3rd May is the day that you can vote for positive change in Ladywood Ward. Please vote for me.

Don't forget - polling stations open from 7am until 10pm
Don't forget - you don't need your Polling Card or ID to vote
Don't forget - voting only takes five minutes

Out and About

My team and I did a load of leafleting round Icknield Port Loop over the weekend. I spoke to many residents during our rounds, and the following themes came out:

1. Recycling collections. Not all residents are getting their boxes returned to their front doorsteps - I will get the Council to sort this out.
2. Illegal dumping and litter. Residents aren't happy that dumped fridges etc just get a sticker put on them, rather than stronger action being taken. One resident suggested putting a skip at the end of the road from time to time to take litter and larger items. I don't know about the viability of this, but again I'll take this up with the Council.
3. Noise. Some residents are unbelievably inconsiderate. I've suggested making a complaint directly to the Council - the offender shoudn't be able to find out who you are.

All in all, a great weekend's work and I'm looking forward to the election on Thursday May 3rd.

Finally, great to see such an amazing turnout in the French presidential election. If only we could get 85% in Ladywood!

Gordon Brown Ate My Pension

We had some fun yesterday handing out a spoof tabloid newspaper at New St Station, illustrating Gordon Brown's shameless tax raid on UK private pensions. This was part of a national campaign at commuter hot spots and accompanied Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's 'No Confidence' motion in the House of Commons.

Labour had a rent-a-mob handing out something or other, but they didn't stay as long. No sign of their candidate either...

Then it was off to another part of Ladywood Ward, where I finished off a round of leafleting. Finally a campaign meeting. Phew!

Register to vote by Wednesday 18th April...

...or you won't be able to vote in the election on Thursday 3rd May.

It's easy - just download the voter registration form, print it out, fill it in and send it off.

If you don't know whether you'll be around to vote on the 3rd, then just apply for a postal vote. Download the postal vote registration form. Again, you've got until Wednesday 18th April.

It's Official!

Last night, I came home to find a letter from the Council telling me that my nomination for the Ladywood Ward election on 3rd May is valid. Bring it on!

Just like last year, I'm the only candidate who lives anywhere in Ladywood Ward!