Cambridge Labour Party

“Tax credits bombshell” as hundreds of families in Cambridge will lose £4,000 from April

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:11:42 +0000

Over 200 couples, with children, who are in part-time work in Cambridge could lose around £4,000 a year from this April, following a change to tax credit rules being introduced by the government. This will hit over 400 Cambridge children, cutting their parents weekly income by £75 per week.

Chair of Cambridge Labour Daniel Zeichner is urging the Conservative-led government to reconsider a little-noticed change to tax credit rules which means thousands of families will lose all of their working tax credits unless they can significantly increase their working hours.

The change means that couples with children earning less than around £17,700 will need to increase the number of hours they work from a minimum of 16 to 24 hours per week or they will lose all their working tax credit of £3,870 per year.

Government figures revealed in parliamentary answers show that 210 households in Cambridge, with 410 children, and 212,000 households across the country could lose out.

A More

Labour’s Contract with Cambridge

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:08:30 +0000

Cambridge Labour Councillors say their ‘Contract with Cambridge’ will deliver a cleaner and safer Cambridge, and tackle neglected areas of the city that are making Cambridge a ‘two tier city’and ending the service priority given by the Lib Dems to some areas over others.

Labour’s Top 3 Priorities for the City

1 Cleaning dirty streets and grot spots in neglected parts of Cambridge, plus an extra focus on reducing dog mess, including a Dog Enforcement Officer

2 Tougher city centre enforcement on anti-social behaviour like offensive drunken behaviour and aggressive punt touting. We will work with the Police to ‘reclaim the streets’ and to issue penalty notices against a range of offences including littering, parks damage and pavement blocking.

3 Making Cambridge safer for young and old including fixing broken pavements and installing shopping centre seating for older people across Cambridge, removing snow and ice immediately, and more investment in safer cycling and secure cycle parking.

Wider More

Huppert backs mean and vindictive benefit cuts

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:59:30 +0000

Cambridge Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert opposed changes proposed by Bishops in the House of Lords which would have softened the impact of mean and vindictive benefit changes being introduced by the Government. Mr Huppert failed to join Lib Dem rebels led by former leader Sir Menzies Campbell in a series of Commons votes. He supported time-limiting insurance based benefits already earned by contributions, including people suffering from cancer; new charges on vulnerable women pursuing child maintenance; and weakening government commitments to tackling child poverty. He also backed a punitive attack on social housing tenants, forcing them to move to smaller homes possibly far away and opposed Labour suggestions to help people in high-cost housing areas such as Cambridge.

Chair of Cambridge Labour Daniel Zeichner says that many Liberal Democrats in Cambridge will be horrified: “these cuts fall particularly severely on some of the poorest children in Britain. The housing benefit changes will hit people in Cambridge More

Cambridge Citizens Survey not as good as Council claims

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:31:13 +0000

Cambridge Labour Councillors have challenged claims by the Leader of Cambridge City Council that everything is basically fine with City Council services, following clear evidence of services that residents want sorting out.

Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Lewis Herbert said

‘Sadly, the response to the survey from Council Leader Councillor Reid is typically complacent, trying to brush aside the big fall in resident satisfaction with their council.

‘Worse still, Councillor Reid is dismissing the wake up call from nearly a quarter of residents being clearly dissatisfied with five of the most vital city services – street cleaning (23%), working with the police to make Cambridge safer (22%), toilet provision (21%), consulting people about growth (21%), and helping the homeless (20%).

‘Labour Councillors will propose dramatic improvements for these and other services this year, and residents will have the choice in May’s local elections to really make their voices heard. When the LibDems ignore their own More

Puddle Watch

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:23:12 +0000

County Councillor Tariq Sadiq, Labour Group Leader, is launching ‘Puddle-Watch’ to persuade the County Council to repair roads, pavements and drains across Cambridgeshire.

He recently got the County Council to fix a long-running problem in Radegund Road in his Coleridge ward where some residents had suffered years of having to wade through pools of water outside their homes because the drainage was completely inadequate. He also recently had some road junctions repaired on Cherry Hinton Road after a wheelchair user had contacted him about getting stuck on uneven junctions.

He said ”After the recent rain residents will have noticed lots of puddles in Cambridge and across the County. Large amounts of standing water on our streets and pavements are a nuisance especially at junctions where people have to cross the road. But puddles are just a symptom of other serious problems: blocked drains, broken kerbs, and poorly maintained roads and pavements. So not only does More

Slashing Police Staff will have consequences

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:21:54 +0000

Home Office figures released today show that Cambridgeshire Police have cut police staff by 17% in the last 12 months – a much higher proportion than in neighbouring forces.

Chair of Cambridge Labour Party Daniel Zeichner says that such dramatic reductions will have an impact on local policing: “While there is an understandable desire to maintain visible front-line policing, cutting police staff so dramatically will make it tough for police and police support officers to do their job effectively. Cambridgeshire has also lost proportionately more full time police officers than other forces in Eastern England. These cuts are a direct consequence of decisions made by the Government that have put local police authorities in an impossible position. They run the real risk of undoing the excellent progress made over the last decade in cutting crime in Cambridgeshire.

Excessive Rail Fare Rises

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:18:03 +0000

Rail fare rises make it unhappy New Year for Cambridge Commuters as Lib Dems break another promise Thousands of rail travellers will be going back to work tomorrow after the Christmas break, to find inflation-busting rail fare rises. The standard single fare from Cambridge to London rises from twenty pounds to twenty one pounds twenty pence, adding an extra ten pounds to the weekly bill. Chair of Cambridge Labour Party Daniel Zeichner says that commuters should remember the promise made by Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert ahead of last year’s election: “We will cut rail fares, changing the rules in contracts with Train Operating Companies so that regulated fares fall behind inflation by 1 per cent each year, meaning a real-terms cut”. (Lib Dem manifesto) Mr Zeichner says that this is the second year in succession that the Lib Dems have broken that promise: “Cambridge commuters have seen inflation-busting fare rises each year on a route which More

Cambridge Bus Monopoly fails passengers!

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:59:45 +0000

Bus users in areas like Cambridge with little competition are getting a raw deal, according to a comprehensive report published today by the Competition Commission. Twenty five years after bus services were de-regulated by the Conservatives, the Competition Commission today said that: “in many areas bus operators face little or no competition, leading to passengers facing less frequent services and, in some cases, higher fares than where there is some form of rivalry.”

Chair of Cambridge Labour Party Daniel Zeichner has long called for Cambridge buses to be re-regulated: “Today’s very comprehensive report from the Competition Commission confirms what we all know: where companies like Stagecoach run a near monopoly service, there is no pressure on them to cut fares or improve services. After twenty five years, it is clear that this experiment in leaving things to the market has boosted the profits of bus companies, but done nothing for long-suffering bus users. It is now time More

Cambridge Youth Unemployment Soars

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:42:26 +0000

Labour show there is a better way as long term youth unemployment soars in Cambridge by 85% since January. Young people in Cambridge are backing Labour’s 5 point plan for jobs and growth.

A £2 billion tax on bank bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs Bringing forward long-term investment projects Reversing January’s damaging VAT rise A one year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements A one year national insurance tax break.

Labour’s 5 Point Plan for Jobs and Growth in the East of England:

1. Create up to 4,000 jobs for young people and build 1,400 new homes 2. Bring forward investment projects like new school buildings 3. Temporarily reverse the Tory-led Government’s VAT rise- a £450 boost for families with children. 4. Cut VAT in home improvements to 5% for a year. 5. Give 210, 000 small firms a tax break to take on extra workers.

Cambridge Labour supports TUC Day of Action

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:17:25 +0000

Cambridge Labour Party will be supporting teachers, council staff, hospital workers and many others employed in public services in their day of action to protect pensions, next Wednesday November 30th. Party members and supporters are encouraged to join the rally on Parker’s Piece at 12.30 which is expected to attract many thousands.

Chair of Cambridge Labour Daniel Zeichner says that the responsibility for the disruption of services lies squarely with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Government: “Without any consultation, the Government has changed the way inflation increases for pensions are uprated. Their action is being challenged in court, but in the meantime, every pensioner, current and future, is worse off, in many cases by many thousands of pounds. They are now demanding that public service workers pay an extra 3% which will not be used for pensions – in effect, an extra tax levied solely on those working in the public sector. In these circumstances it More