What did Nick Clegg refuse to do?

Children's services still not safe

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has welcomed the decision by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales to invoke the use of the Serious Concern Protocol for Children's Social Services in Neath Port Talbot.

Peter Black was reacting to an inspection report that was published today by CSSIW that concluded that "the service lacks direction and staff need clear guidance and support to promote consistent levels of good practice." The Inspectorate states that the "high turnover of staff has continued to have an adverse impact on the performance and continuity of service delivery to children and their families. [An improvement plan] has not resulted in clear direction for staff nor the improvements in practice which were identified in the last inspection as being necessary."

"Overall caseloads are too high, a significant number of new social workers have little experience of practice, there is a continuing dependence on agency workers, there is a high turnover of staff and stress related sickness absence. This is the third report of its type in two years," said Mr. Black, "And yet Inspectors still have serious concerns about the operation of this department and its effectiveness in protecting children

" I share those concerns, having had a number of issues brought to me by concerned parents and teachers over the same period.  What is clear is that committed and hard-working front line staff are being swamped with unmanageable caseloads, and are not receiving the support and guidance that they need. In these circumstances there is a real danger that a child could slip though the safety net. That is an unacceptable risk, so it is absolutely right that the level of intervention by CSSIW is stepped up to try and turn the service around."

Welsh LibDems welcome greater devolution proposals

The Commission chaired by Paul Silk published its report today. The report recommends empowering Welsh Government by giving it tax-raising powers.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said: "We have been arguing for greater devolution for over a century. This is the latest step in our long campaign for a federal UK. It will strengthen Wales and help make a real difference to the lives of people across the country."

Peter Black backs independent for PCC

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has given his backing to Independent candidate, Mike Baker in Thursday’s election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for the South Wales area. Mr. Black met Mr. Baker today at the remembrance march in Bridgend and was impressed with both his experience and commitment to the role.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are not contesting this election because we believe that the Police should be above party politics,” said Mr. Black. “My vote inevitably will therefore go to one of the independent candidates.

 “Mike Baker is a retired Police Officer, having served across the South Wales Police area for 30 years. He is currently working as a civil and criminal solicitor within the South Wales area. As such he has experience on both sides of the fence, being familiar with the system as well as the demands put on a modern police force.

 “It seems to me that the Police Commissioner role was designed with people like Mike Baker in mind, an independently minded individual, who knows what is needed to ensure that front line policing gets the resources and support it needs. I will be giving my vote to Mike Baker on Thursday and I urge others to do so as well.”

Neath Liberal Democrats select by-election candidate

Local Liberal Democrats have chosen Charlotte Cross to contest the 6th December by-election in Neath South. 

Deputy chairman of Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats, Mathew McCarthy, said:

 'I'm extremely pleased Charlotte is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Neath South. She is local, young, and determined to make a difference in her community. Charlotte finally offers a real alternative to Labour who for too long have taken the people of Neath South for granted'

Mobile Home Bill to be introduced in the Senedd

On 25th October Peter Black formally launched his Mobile Homes Bill at a Consumer Focus Wales event in Llandrindod Wells. 

On Wednesday he will be introducing it into the Welsh Assembly.

The Bill is intended to modernise the licensing regime for park homes across Wales - giving local authorities the powers to award and monitor licenses and to ensure site owners pass a fit and proper persons test.

The Bill also offers protection to mobile home residents wishing to sell their homes without prior agreement with site owners. It can be viewed here.

LibDems want to reform the EU

Because we believe in the EU, we want to tackle its inflated spending, its protectionist Common Agricultural Policy and unfair Common Fisheries Policy - among other things. As Stephen Tall writes:

 the Lib Dems have always championed a reformed EU. An EU which is more responsive to democratic opinion. An EU which liberalises the free movement of people and trade while tackling the problems we share, such as environmental pollution and crime.

Frank Little

Trident: defence secretary's speech in Scotland changes nothing

John Leech MP explains here.

The ambulance service in South Wales

First Minister's Questions, about 15 minutes in.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/wales/newsid_.stm

Welsh Government control of grant aid "weak" says report

The long-awaited Wales Audit Office report (pdf here) into the AWEMA scandal has concluded that the "management and coordination of grant funding to AWEMA ... has often been weak". Its criticism is milder than that of an earlier report, but it provides useful background information including a timeline. This may not be the end of the matter. BBC Wales states that a file is with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Peter Black AM has responded: “The negligence that has been exposed in this report highlights something that most of us knew already – that Labour can’t be trusted to act responsibly with the public’s money.

“Time and time again allegations about Awema were raised with the Welsh Labour Government, but still it failed to put things right.

“It is nothing short of disgraceful that an organisation as badly run as Awema was allowed to continue receiving millions of pounds of public money, while this Welsh Government sat back and did nothing. 

“For months the Welsh Labour Government has hidden behind the investigation into this report, using it as a reason not to comment. In spite of intense public and media interest, the Government thought that it had the right to wriggle out of being held to account. It is now time for Ministers to explain themselves. The people of Wales deserve to know why it was considered appropriate for Awema to receive over £7m of public funds.”

LibDem AM leads fight against bad park home site owners

There are fair site owners who do not take advantage of park home residents, but too many are unscrupulous, as this BBC report shows.

South Wales West AM Liberal Democrat Peter Black is fighting for park home residents in Wales. His private members' bill, aimed at reforming the civil legislation surrounding mobile home sites, is due to go before the assembly later this month.

Labour catching up with what Liberal Democrats are doing in government

Things Labour are proposing as if they're new that @LibDemsare already doing in govt, No 1: Setting up a business bank.

Things Labour are proposing as if they're new that @LibDemsare already doing in govt, No 2: Boosting the number of apprenticeships.

Things Labour are proposing as if they're new that @LibDemsare already doing in govt, No 3: Separating retail and investment banking.

Things Labour are proposing as if they're new that @LibDemsare already doing in govt, No 4: Boosting house building.

We are still no wiser about Welsh Government performance, says LibDem AM

The 2011/12 National Survey for Wales found strong satisfaction levels with health and education in Wales, according to Wales Online.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Eluned Parrott said it would be a “justifiable aim” for the Welsh Government to learn about the success of policies. But she added: “However, I am deeply suspicious that this survey is too vague and unfocused to give any indication that could help steer the Welsh Government in any meaningful way. “When using a ‘1 to 10 scale’ on questionnaires, most organisations will expect to hit at least a 7 out of 10 for quality of service – unless they have significant problems.”

Liberal Democrat conference asked to reaffirm industrial democracy

Luke Hildyard writes in Liberal Democrat Voice:

While Labour and the Tories debate how to reinvigorate their annual party conference programme, the Liberal Democrats democratic policymaking structure means that debates at their conference remain engaging and relevant. And with the party now in Government, the journey from the Conference floor to the statute book is rather more direct than has previously been the case. This means that over the next few weeks, the Lib Dem gathering in Brighton is the most likely place for progressive yet plausible policy ideas to get a hearing.

The Social Liberal Forum’s motion 106 on employee ownership, to be debated on Monday 24th September from 09:05-11:05, is a particularly good example. The motion calls for a number of radical measures relating to the stewardship of large companies (greater than 250 employees) including: 
 • The right for employees of listed companies to request 5% of company shares
 • A role for employee representatives in major corporate decisions, including conditions of employment; Director’s pay; and the strategic direction of the company
 • The right for companies to implement German-style two-tier board structures, with a supervisory board (including a shareholder’s representative) and a management board (including a worker’s representative). 

It is exciting to think that these kind of policies could shortly be adopted by a governing party. They would go some way to ensuring that more of the profits from businesses go back to the people who generated them, in the communities they were generated. They would also help to combat inequality and out-of-control executive pay by empowering and incentivising ordinary workers, rather than resorting to punitive taxation.

Furthermore, employee ownership makes economic sense. Research from Centre Forum found that businesses with some degree of employee ownership were more productive and more resilient than their competitors. The Employee Ownership Index of companies with more than 10% employee share ownership has outperformed the FTSE All Shares Index by an average of 11% pa since 1992.

Intuitively, it makes sense that businesses that involve their workforce in decision-making processes will also take greater responsibility for their social and environmental impact. Current business models are entrenching inequality and failing to create jobs. With an annual income of £4.86 million, the average FTSE 100 CEO currently earns 185 times the national average We have recently witnessed major scandals in the banking, media and pharmaceuticals industries. So there is an urgent need for a new way of doing business with the needs of the community at its heart. Employee ownership might go some way towards this – workers representatives on boards would bring a different perspective to strategic decisions on areas like executive pay packages, for example, or environmental pollution affecting the community in which they live.

‘Business ethics’ is the theme of the High Pay Centre’s party conference programme this year, and we are hosting an event in Brighton in conjunction with the SLF on Monday 24th September at 8pm, with speakers including Lord Oakeshott and former Gregg’s CEO Sir Mike Darrington, on the evening after the debate on motion 106. Hopefully our discussion will encompass a set of radical new Liberal Democrat policies on employee engagement. 

 ‘The Independent View‘ is a slot on Lib Dem Voice which allows those from beyond the party to contribute to debates we believe are of interest to LDV’s readers. Luke Hildyard is the Head of Research at the High Pay Centre.

Coverage of Liberal Democrat Brighton conference

There is a live relay by BBC-Parliament. Huffington Post, Liberal Democrat Voice, Mark Pack and various other outlets will provide video clips and/or commentary

Liberals win Dutch legislative elections

The elections in The Netherlands have been marked by a victory for the liberals of VVD and of D66. In his victory speech to an ecstatic audience VVD leader Prime Minister Mark Rutte triumphantly said that “[we] obtained the best result in history, and again have become the largest party in The Netherlands.” D66 leader Alexander Pechtold MP claimed “the fifth victory in a row”, saying that “in the bizarre duel between left and right, D66 managed to grow nonetheless”. Together the liberal forces now hold more than one third of the entire political spectrum. LI President Hans van Baalen MEP has called the election result a “great achievement for the Dutch liberals”. He said: “The populists of Geert Wilders had to accept a heavy defeat. Its anti-international and anti-European campaign did not appeal to the electorate. Wilders and his party are sidelined”. LI President expressed confidence that “PM Mark Rutte will be able to build a strong centre coalition, in which both liberal parties take part.”

[Thanks to Liberal International newsletter for this]

Welsh Liberal Democrats support supermarket ombudsman

A NEW "supermarket ombudsman" for the UK is being backed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

The party said it sympathised with dairy farmers after some processors said they planned to reduce what they pay for milk by 2p per litre. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, AM, said, "The creation of this new supermarket ombudsman is great news for farmers. "I'm pleased the UK government has made a start, but this can only be the beginning."

Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats welcome GWR electrification

The Department for Transport this morning announced a "landmark decision to take electric rail beyond Cardiff to Swansea, completing the full electrification of the Great Western Main Line out of London Paddington at a total cost of more than £600m, and electrifying the Welsh Valley lines, including Ebbw Vale, Maesteg and the Vale of Glamorgan. These will give two-thirds of the Welsh population access to new fleets of electric trains helping to generate Welsh jobs and growth by slashing journey times and boosting passenger and freight capacity."

Local Liberal Democrats welcomed the boost which the decision will give to confidence in businesses in the Neath Port Talbot area, as well much-needed construction work.

Olympic washout for Wales

An opinion poll has found that the London 2012 Olympics are of no benefit to Wales.

Eluned Parrott, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on business, said: “These results do not come as a surprise to me. The Welsh Labour Government’s childish attitude in engaging with the Coalition Government in Westminster meant that many Welsh businesses that could have won lucrative contracts from the 2012 Olympics lost out.

“In the months and years running up to the 2012 Games, the Scottish and Northern Irish Governments were busy engaging with the UK Government and the London Organising Committee. Instead, in Wales, the Labour Government hadn’t even written to the body responsible for rewarding the £6bn worth of contracts to make representations on behalf of Welsh businesses.

“It is no wonder that the people of Wales don’t necessarily feel engaged with the Olympics because this Welsh Labour Government hadn’t seen the opportunities that the 2012 Games could have brought to Wales.

“For those companies who have managed to win contracts, I am of course delighted and hope that they are able to use the kudos of the Olympics to raise the profile of their business. It is just sad that those companies are few and far between.”

State of the NHS in Wales

The status quo of NHS finances has been branded “unaffordable” as the organisation faces major short-term challenges in managing its budget, a finance watchdog has warned.

Next week, Wales' health minister will face a no-confidence vote in the Welsh assembly in a row about a report into reforming hospital services. Opposition parties united to table a joint motion and called on Labour's Lesley Griffiths to resign.

Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “This was not a decision we came to lightly. It is a serious step when the three party leaders of Wales come together and state that we have no confidence in the Health Minister’s ability to run our NHS. We are effectively calling for her to resign and she and the First Minister should seriously consider what we are proposing.”