Monthly Report for July 2007
Below is a summary of my work in Parliament and in Southampton for the month of July 2007. Click here to read previous reports.
If you'd like to know more about any of the work I've been doing, or if you think there is another issue you think I should be acting on, you can always contact my office.
In Parliament
New Government
The New Government under Gordon Brown has got off to a very good start: there have been a number of significant new announcements in Parliament over the past two weeks that indicate some important new directions in policy. Announcements of note include the Green Paper on constitutional reform, announcements on student support, and on regional and local economic development, and the statement on Lords reform. There will also be a green paper on housing coming out this week, which will set out new proposals on house building, including a new national target of 240,000 houses to be built per annum, together with indications about the role that direct council build will play in developing this affordable housing agenda.
The Prime Minister has asked me to run the Labour Party’s manifesto group on the future of local government (this will, effectively be the Government’s 'end' of the manifesto process as set out in the Party constitution, the other end of course being the NEC). I will be consulting widely on the priorities and form of the document, but will be hoping to look particularly at local economic development, the relationship of local government to central government, and of course local government finance for the future.
Legal Aid
The Carter Review on legal aid has now been published. Throughout the review, the government’s position has been to look to use a system of ‘best-value tendering,’ based on broad market principles, when awarding legal aid contracts. I have played a substantial role in the Select committee examination of the proposed reforms and also spoke in the debate in the house recently. In the debate I argued that the experience of best-value tendering in local government has been that the process does not always produce the results we might expect it to, particularly in the second round of tendering where the losing side will have disbanded or dispersed the resources necessary to bid on a subsequent occasion.
Because legal aid provision is fragile in most place in any event, the likely result of the tendering process will be to decrease, rather than increase supply of legal aid, The result could be not only that the cost of legal aid provision does not significantly decrease, but also that some people in rural areas may find there are no teams willing to take on legal aid cases at all.
It is obviously important to separate criticisms of the Carter Review that focus on the technical efficacy of the proposals, from criticisms that sometimes stem from vested interests who want to protect what can be very lucrative arrangement for some lawyers. But I believe we still have a way to go yet on framing changes that will genuinely lead to a better use of public funds whilst still protecting the universality of the legal aid principle. I will continue to lobby Ministers to look again at the best-value tendering process and how it could be improved.
Doorstep lending
The Competition Commission has yet to follow through on its pledge to introduce a cap on the total amount of credit that can legally be offered by doorstep lenders. I have, in conjunction with the National Housing Federation, written to the Commission to urge them to introduce a cap as soon as possible.
Sustainable energy
I am happy to report that PRASEG (the All Party Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group), of which I am the chair, was awarded ‘best campaigning group’ at the 2007 Renewable Energy Association Sustainable Energy Awards.
In Southampton
Summer newsletter
My summer newsletter has now been published and is now being distributed across Southampton Test. This year it has a ‘housing’ theme and covers my work on HMOs, support for first time buyers, and more rights for renters in the form of the tenancy deposit scheme and cracking down on unfair prepay meter charges (which tend to be installed in rented accommodation).
Learning Futures
As many will be aware, the city council’s Conservative cabinet has taken the decision to award the contracts for running the two new schools in Southampton to Oasis Community Learning. The approach both John and I have taken is to emphasise this is a bad decision not due to there being anything markedly wrong or reprehensible about Oasis, but rather because there was a golden opportunity, in the form of the SET bid, which has now been lost. SET was the only bid that would have locked in Southampton’s major employers, colleges and universities into providing structured and in-depth support to the new schools. Oasis, whilst easily being the strongest bidder amongst the remaining competitors, simply did not possess that level of business or community support. It is also worth remembering that the Council’s own report showed parents, students and teachers all overwhelmingly favoured the SET bid.
The decision reached does not reflect badly on Oasis as much as it does on the Conservative council administration. They had a clear steer from parents and teachers as to what bid was preferred, and an officer’s report that showed the SET was the strongest placed to raise standards. Their decision has also placed Oasis in the very difficult position of having to now build up enthusiasm for the new schools from a very low base.
Ultimately, however, the debate about education in our city is bigger than who runs two of the schools therein. It must be about raising standards across the board. Despite an overall improvement in standards, we are not improving at the rate of other cities with comparable demographics. That problem will not go away, whoever is running the new schools.
An Inconvenient Truth Q&A
As part of the Big Ask campaign to get a strong climate change bill made into law, I hosted a Q&A session at a special screening of an Inconvenient Truth at the Harbour Lights cinema. 168 people turned out to watch the film and ask questions, which it is fair to say probably exceeded the expectations of the all organisers.
Other meetings
Also this month I met with students from the Compass Centre to see their work on the ‘send my friend a teacher’ campaign; attended that Mela Festival in Hoglands Park; met in Parliament with councillors from Southampton primary schools, spoke about recycling policy at the SCRATCH AGM; and attended a Commons reception for outstanding community activists.