After last week’s VAT rise, we now have the final masterstroke in Michael Gove’s plan to stop that horrific scheme to continue improving schools. You can just see it now, the last Labour government sitting in the death star, cackling away as it planned to give kids a school building with a functioning roof. Evil. That’s what it was. Pure, undiluted evil.

Seriously though, Gove’s latest mad cap lunge at policy making is one that could have an even bigger impact than Nick and Dave’s VAT rise. In one swoop the government has taken funding from an excellent and affordable schools programme that builds on past investment in a way that surely, even in these tough economic times, could have been protected. It was designed to renew or rebuild tired buildings that had not been covered by past projects, or needed a further uplift to keep them to a high standard. 

But now, that has all been binned, either placed under review or scrapped.  The “axe” list for Lambeth – revealed late last week after a few more tiresome Gove Gaffs – is a long one and tallies to a staggering £200 million. Thousands of children and their families will be affected. And the final cherry on the cake is that Lambeth has already spent more than £6 million on preparing planning permissions and producing designs for the eleven new schools which were to go ahead. That will now go down the drain. 

None of the schools are thankfully in Clapham Town, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care. Besides the fact it is plain wrong, these cuts to schools, like those being announced elsewhere by Vince, Nick and Davie on a daily basis, will have a much wider impact than just the areas they are in.  

By cancelling these projects, money will also be sucked out of local businesses, particularly construction firms, who may have to cut the pay or even the jobs of their employees – hard working labourers, engineers and so on. These people will obviously face a tough time ahead and will cut back on their own spending, resulting on a further impact for the local economy. Whether you have kids or not, this is a move that could well have a knock on effect on you or your friends, even if you don’t directly realise it. 

To fight these cuts, Lambeth Labour are now leading a ‘Save Our Schools’ campaign, to shame the Tory/Lib Dem government into reversing this decision. They are urging local residents to write to Education secretary Michael Gove telling him how their decision will affect their education, and urging him to restore the funding Lambeth needs.

He can be contacted at the below addresses – get in touch and express your views!

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT

Or email: ministers@education.gsi.gov.uk

“Of all the measures to restore the public finances it seems to me that a VAT rise has to be among the least welcome of all of the alternatives”

This went down like a lead balloon with his colleagues – dont expect an Xmas card from Nick Clegg this year Andrew. A further amendment from Labour that would have exempted groups such as charities, local authorities and other groups was also voted down by the Conservative government.

This isnt, as some Tories claimed yesterday, a courgeous move, its one that is going to hurt millions across the country, as well as those on low and middle incomes throughout Clapham Town. Every part of the government needs to save money to combat the aftermath of the global recession, but we need to protect those services and sections of society – charities and pensioners in this case – that can least afford more taxes and less support.

A key vote in the House of Commons will decide whether or not the Coalition Conservative government’s planned hike in VAT will come into force – and thereby hit millions of people who can least afford it. Vince Cable, who was clearly a bit confused over just about everything when he spoke to the Telegraph last month,  still believes it is a regressive tax measure that hurts the less well off. Nice of him to admit, but like the rest of the Liberal Democrats he appears willing to march into the lobby tomorrow night with his Tory chums.

There is only one way to stop this – let the Lib-Cons know that they shouldn’t renege on their key election pledge and let down thousands of people in Clapham. You can either do this by contacting their MPs on the TheyWorkForYou site, or alternatively signing Labour’s petition which we’ll present to the 57 liberal democrats in the Commons.

Its not too late to send a message to the Lib Dems – so take action before tomorrow night’s vote!

It was horrific, a wave of caffeine hyped suits jumping up and down trying to win the “Ive shut down the most school projects/transport schemes” competition. The last time I saw something that bad was when I was at a relative’s wedding and had to watch a succession of boozed up middle age men trying to out do each other with ever more shocking interpretations of the funky chicken.

One of the most deplorable parts of the budget (and its up against some stiff competition for that title) was the decision to raise VAT to 20%. This is clearly a regressive tax, as Vince Cable once said in the time before he had to clear his media interviews with the Conservative press office. 

The rise will hit those who can least afford it, especially the elderly and those with families throughout Clapham Town, whether it’s on the estates of Heath Road or the leafy roads around the Old Town. Contrary to what the Tories and Liberals say, its not necessary and not fair.

Unfortunately only two Lib Dem MPs were able to locate their principles and vote against this increase.  However, you can still fight these moves, either by adding to the 25,000 who have joined Labour recently or by logging onto our website to see how you can campaign further. Whatever you decide to do, don’t take these measures lying down!

Well, almost laughing, as the cuts to services and support will impact on the lives of everyone, mostly those who cannot afford it. It will be the residents throughout Clapham Town – from the Willard Estate to Nelson’s Row – who will have their child credits cut, Sure Start Centre’s cut back, their local magistrate courts closed and other public services slashed. It’s likely to get even worse as the Con-Dem government gears up to impose massive cuts to local government funding that will see Lambeth as well as other councils face a budget squeeze, despite the good work Labour has done to sort out the council finances we inherited in 2006 from our own disastrous Con-Dem council.

And there really is no need for this. Yes, the budget needs to be curtailed, but it could have been done with less pain than this and with more progressive taxes, such as when Labour asked the top earners to pay more during the economic downturn.

If youre interested in fighting these cuts then get in touch with us, either by joining Labouror if youre not political contacting your local councillors with your concerns.

However, its not quite as scary as the Tory leader scrambling around yesterday trying to figure out whether the Tories were in favour of some kind of ill defined tax break for married couples or not. One moment Dave was promising it to the nation, then several spin filled melodramas later his advisors were rapidly packing him into a cupboard and pretending the whole thing had never happened. Apparently Cameron – according to one Tory source -  ended up blaming his people for HIS foul up, screaming about briefing papers until the men in the white coats came to calm him down.

While all this was going on one sharp photo-shopper came up with a far more appealing version of that creepy poster. Unlike the slogan on the orignal, the words on this are true…  

The mayor hiked up fares for those without season tickets – commonly people from low income backgrounds – late last year, with the hit being delivered from the start of this year.

A full run down of the prices, borrowed from a summary on Liberal Conspiracy, is below: 

 -A single bus journey by Oyster up 20% to £1.20

- A weekly oyster bus pass up 20% to £16.60

- Six-zone peak single Tube fare by Oyster up 10.5% to £4.20

- A five-zone off-peak single Tube fare (outside zone 1) up 18.2% to £1.30

- Most Oyster pay-as-you-go Tube fares up by 20p per trip.

- Overall tube fares will rise 3.9% and overall bus fares up by 12.7%.

This is obviously not good for anyone, especially as the mayor continues to take the approach of cutting key services, like policing, while jetting off to Europe to beg for super rich hedge fund bosses to be let off from more scrutiny. Or, as he has done today, whining about those poor old bankers and their desire to leave the country (dont suppose they need any help packing?)

Surprisingly, Clapham Tories haven’t uttered a word about these rises and their impact on residents – nothing on their Parliamentary candidate’s website for Vauxhall or on that of the Lambeth Tories.

How about helping to find out what they think by contacting them asking for their view on whether they back yet more of Boris’ far rises – you can contact their candidate here and your local Tory candidates here. Let us know your feedback by contacting your Labour councillors as well on this page.

We believe that hitting people hard, especially those on low incomes, is not what Clapham needs. These prices could have been avoided had the mayor not already mismanaged the capital’s budget. The question is, do Clapham Tories back their Mayor’s fare rises?

The PM talks about the sort of cynicism and slash n burn public spending cuts being espoused by an incredibly gleeful Conservative party, pointing out that neither are necessary as we pull out of the global recession. When the Tories talk about austerity, they are really talking about unfairness.    

Of course, the ramifications of the recession are definitely not behind us yet and as we’ve said on this blog, 2010 is going to be tough, though less difficult than the past 12 months, thanks in part to the government’s intervention in the economy – something Cameron and Georgie Osborne would not have done. Every major nation is still stabilising its economy.  But what we don’t need to do is adopt the firebombing tactics of the Tories – currently being road tested by our Mayor in London in the transport and police fields. It is possible with sensible management to get things moving again, as weve shown by getting extra cash for local primary school places. And in any case, do we really want more scribbled, frothing notes calling for mass sackings as once delivered by Maggie?

Still whatever you make of Brown’s podcast, all the best for your New Year’s eve – if you’re going out then View London has a list of what is on in Clapham, while if you’re taking the probably less headache inducing course of staying in, here is a full listing of tonight’s TV treats  – all the best whatever you are planning.

 Now, hands up if you know what it was. A competent environmental policy? An end to his proposed firebombing of London’s transport budget? The odd straight answer to the cronyism stories flying around city hall? A parade of dancing Panda’s for anyone who can figure out how to make his runway in the sea idea work?

Nope, instead his consultation around London’s budget announced that the number of police officers on London streets is to decrease across the capital by 455 over the next three years. As always, when he was asked about this plan by a member of the London Assembly – recounted on Tory Troll – he went into the bumbling clown mode and acted as if he had never actually seen the proposal before.

Unfortunately this underlines the problem with London Tories as a whole – they shout from the roof tops that they intend to ring fence key services, like money for rape centres for example, but when it comes down to the crunch, these fences appear to be about as secure as William Shatner’s hairpiece.

 So as we enter election year it’s important to remember what your local Tories are offering – fewer buses, closures to tube ticket stations, cuts to services for the vulnerable and fewer policemen are your streets.

And what a week he had. Disagreeing with Cameron on Europe, delivering one of those incomprehensible speeches that make your head hurt and putting in an entry for farcical interview of the year on Newsnight. It is hardly surprising that our mayor apparently received a fruity text from someone in Cameron’s inner circle that gave him some colourful advice on where he might want to put his opinions.

But beneath the fun of the Boris carnival, there was an incredibly serious announcement that could have ramifications for everyone in Clapham – sweeping transport cuts of up to £5 billion in the next three years. To be fair, Boris didn’t try and hide this, indeed he made a virtue of it, but what he didn’t do was outline real substantive ways in which this budget pole axing is going to be achieved.  He also didn’t feel the need to mention that he has already had a bonfire of transport commitments in the past year that has reduced the scope and employment capabilities of London transport to the tune of nearly £3.6 billion.

Apparently these new savings are going to come out of that mystical, catch all political solution of efficiency savings – as if restricting the number of pens employees are allowed to have on their desk is somehow going to conjure up a pile of fat readies.  The details that have crept out are scant, a pay freeze on some employees and cuts to IT and human resources departments.  Whether or not these figures will add up without the need for yet more sweeping cuts to transport infrastructure – despite Boris’ promises to the contrary – we will have to see, especially as this  mayor has a bit of a problem when it comes to marrying financial issues with the truth.

Earlier this year he went back on a pledge to fund rape support centres, shaving £500,000 off their promised budget, and this week reversed his policy on the low emission zone, blaming Europe, as if no one in the Mayor’s office had thought to have a bit of look at the law before Boris opened his substantial mouth on the subject.

What Boris also didn’t outline was the very real human cost of making these kind of cuts.  If programmes are cancelled, services slashed and departments binned it means less or no work for engineers, technicians, labourers, clerks, building firms, the haulage industry, as well as the IT and human resources employees who Boris already has his eyes on. There is a wave of unemployment that hits hard working people – and their families - in both the public and private sector. And perversely it also results in more costs for us, the taxpayer, as we have to shell out more unemployment benefits and pick up the inevitable costs of social breakdown, such as crime.

This is not to say Labour is blind to the tough financial problems facing the country. But we have to be clear and honest with everyone about where the axe is going to fall and who is going to be underneath it. It wasn’t easy for the Chancellor to freeze the pay of top level government employees this week, but at least he is asking people on big incomes – judges, senior civil servants – to take a bit less next year rather than hitting ordinary people. As we have proven in Lambeth, where we have turned a Liberal/Tory deficit into a surplus, it is possible to sort financial problems out without destroying public services – but only if you’re upfront and talk to people on the ground.

So if and when the Tories turn up on your doorstep in Clapham, how about asking them exactly what they want to cut and how many people will be getting their P45s as a result? You will almost certainly get a bit of a blank expression, because Lambeth Tories like all Tories don’t seem to get the real, practical cost of what they are proposing.