Labour's glass ceiling

Jeremy Corbyn is the nineteenth substantive leader of the Labour Party, and all nineteen have been male. On three occasions Labour has been led by a female, and each time was temporary, a short interregnum whilst a new leader was being elected. Thus, Margaret Becket and Harriet Harman (twice) have had the reins of power, but only as a short-term solution to either the death or resignation of a male leader.

We have our second female Prime Minister at the moment, and regardless of the merits of their leadership, the Conservatives have been more progressive than Labour in this aspect; two female Prime Ministers, both Conservative.

The argument about choosing the best person for the role not only belittles the ability of woman MPs, it also misunderstands how our democracy works. We have a representative democracy, where our representatives are meant to be like us, the electorate. Yet, over the half the electorate is female. Labour only having women leading in a caretaker capacity just is not good enough.

Don’t get me wrong, Labour’s record in getting more women elected is admirable; but without doubt there is a glass ceiling. I hope I live to see that change.

Locally, in Southend-on-Sea, the situation is not much better. I do not know all the leaders of the local Labour Group on Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, but here is a list of the most recent (please correct me if there are errors or omissions here):

Ian Gilbert

David Norman

Kevin Robinson

Stephen George (acting leader for three months owing to the ill health of the substantive leader)

Chris Dandridge

Nigel Smith

Alan Hurst

Bert Dunn

This, as you will have noticed, is an all-male list. I hope our next leader is a woman, because it is time that Labour, both nationally and locally, was led by a woman, was able to demonstrate a commitment to equality at levels within the party.

Southend Labour secures new council homes for residents

Press release

This week five new council houses in Shoeburyness will be occupied by local families,  due to the work done by Labour councillors in administration over the last couple of years. This will provide better quality, more affordable housing in Southend, all the homes have been built according to Communities Agency (HCA) space standards, and to Lifetime Homes specification.  

Under the joint administration formed in 2014, the Southend Labour Party launched a £3 million scheme to construct between 13 and 27 council homes.

 With house prices up 14% on last year, it is essential the current Conservative administration continue to implement the Labour Party’s flagship scheme in Southend.  

Cllr Ian Gilbert, Leader of the Labour Group, says:  "The government is making it harder at every turn for local councils to build council housing. We recognise that these new homes are a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed, yet this is still five more local families who will have decent place to live. It shows that even in a brief spell in administration we can get things done."

With Theresa May refusing to provide a clear national direction for solving the housing crisis, Councillor David Norman and colleagues within Southend Labour have worked tirelessly to guarantee Southend resident’s affordable housing.  National Tory policy fails to provide more social housing, better private rental regulation or the construction of more council housing. Ultimately, this left many people unable to gain a foothold on the first rung of the property ladder.  

According to data collected by the charity Shelter, Southend had in 2013 5,676 people on housing waiting lists.  The Conservative administration must accept their responsibility to rapidly expand this program in order to assist these residents.

Press Release

Labour rejects SCAAP

The Full Council meeting of October 20th, 2016, had an item on the Southend Central Area Action Plan (SCAAP).

Minute 329 (SCAAP) from the agenda and pack included this:

"On consideration of the report the Corporate Director for Place confirmed that, outside of the SCAAP process, it was the intention to develop a parking strategy and a tourism strategy for submission to a future meeting of the Cabinet".

This was of sufficient concern for the Labour Group that they unanimously voted against accepting the SCAAP. Labour believes that an incomplete SCAAP cannot be presented to the public or the Government inspectors. How can the public be expected to comment on a document with such large holes in it?

Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Julian Ware-Lane, said: "This borough has historically had a number of part implemented plans - I hope the SCAAP does not follow this unfortunate trend. Since parking and tourism are huge issues for the town centre, how can we be asked to endorse this without detail in the interim?"

Cllr Ian Gilbert, Labour Group Leader added: " "There were, in our view, sufficient unanswered questions in relation to this document to merit going back and having another look at it. It would seem sensible to wait for the outcome of the parking and tourism review before passing this critically important planning policy. Although the Tories and UKIP hide behind the fact that it will be subject to statutory consultation, the fact is they have voted to make this document the official policy of the council, and they must take responsibility for that." 

The vote on sending the SCAAP back to Cabinet was defeated with all of the Conservative and UKIP groups voting to support the document as it is.

The promised consultation process is undefined at the moment.

Southend Labour Group pleased about Queensway development but has some doubts regarding Tory plans

PRESS RELEASE

The Labour Group in Southend-on-Sea is pleased that the Council is continuing with the plans for a Better Queensway. This project was initially set up by the Joint Administration that Labour was a part of.

The new stock of social housing should address issues with  the current stock that is scheduled for demolition and replacement. The Better Queensway Project should also see additional social housing created.

However, the Labour Group has concerns that the Conservative-UKIP administration is planning for taller structures than were in the original proposals. The current plans show some buildings at twelve storeys high, whereas in the Joint Administration plans the planned maximum height was expected to be eight or nine storeys.

The Labour Group is encouraging the current administration to ensure that the road infrastructure is able to adequately cope with the increased traffic volumes.

Cllr David Norman said of the latest plans: "It looks like we are replacing one set of tower blocks with another." He added: "I would be interested to see what the ratio of social to private housing now is - I hope that the Conservatives and UKIP have not watered this down."

Cllr Julian Ware-Lane said: "I have had concerns about the road layout at the top of Victoria Avenue for some time. This project, with developments planned for the Seaway car park and Marine Plaza, will likely see huge increases in traffic volumes. I hope our roads can cope. I will be encouraging the Council to ensure that improvements are planned in."