Cllr Michael Carr

The Labour Party and the government

2006-12-19T21:55:00.000Z

It is increasingly obvious that the actions of some members of the government, particularly the prime minister, Tony Blair, have little if anything to do with the basic values and traditions of the Labour Party.

There is, of course, a huge amount that is good in the record of the government, especially in increasing employment, the minmum wage, implementing the EU social chapter, family tax credits, the Sure Start programme.

But the prime minister's obsession with the market is damaging the education system, with city academies and trust schools handing power without accountability to private entrepreneurs and so-called faith groups. The NHS has had a massive injection of public funds but the private sector is increasing its role, and profits, in the health service.

Then there is foreign policy. Not only the disastrous intervention in Iraq, but the PM's absurd posturing in the middle east. Having blatantly supported Israel's aggression in Lebanon and Gaza, he cannot expect to be taken seriously as a 'peacemaker' in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict.

And back at home, the 'cash for honours' scandal is, at best, an affront to the democratic traditions of the Labour Party, while the dropping of the corruption investigation into alleged British Aerospace-Saudi bribery is a breach of the principles of the rule of law.

Blair's arrogant and self-serving attempt to secure a personal 'legacy' is damaging to the Labour Party and the country. The sooner he goes, the better.

Pinochet - good riddance

2006-12-10T20:10:00.000Z

There should be no sympathy for the death of Pinochet, the former Chilean military dictator. He took power in an American-backed military coup on 'the other' 11 September, in 1973. He was responsible for the documented deaths of more than 3000 people, and the 'disappearance', torture, imprisonment and exile of tens of thousands more.

It is a matter of shame to Britain that the Thatcher government chose to hold Pinochet in high esteem and, even now, in her dotage, Thatcher declares her sadness at the dictator's death.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to recall with sadness and respect the democratically elected President of Chile overthrown in the bloody coup, Salvador Allende (pictured left), who died when Pinochet's aircraft bombed the presidential residence.

He led a democratic socialist government which was instituting reforms that were improving the lives of the ordinary people. It is Allende who should be remembered as the person who set a standard for Chilean democracy, not the evil and corrupt Pinochet.

'Site 44' and the environment

2006-12-01T15:02:00.000Z

‘Site 44’ is an piece of land close to Stainton Way in the Marton / Coulby Newham area. It has been designated for housing in the Coulby Newham master plan for more than twenty years, but until recently had been ‘sterilised’ because of electricity pylons crossing the land. Now that they have been removed, the land is available for development.

However, there has been a campaign by some residents of Marton to ‘save’ this land for so-called environmental reasons. They claim that the potential loss of trees and wildlife including, allegedly but improbably, deer, means that there should be no development on the site.

This is a classic example of how ‘the environment’ as an issue can be captured for essentially conservative and selfish reasons by those with a personal vested interest.

Creating and implementing an ‘environmentally-friendly’ policy in an urban setting like Middlesbrough emphatically does not mean refusing to build on developable land simply to protect the dog-walking arrangements of the comfortably-off.

It means balancing the whole range of environmental obligations with the necessity of expanding employment opportunities, improving transport links, renewing the fabric of the town and improving accessibility to better quality housing.

In fact, Middlesbrough Council, far from ignoring the environment, has an excellent record. Despite our reputation as an industrial town (‘smoggies’), air quality is better than most other parts of the UK. We have well-accepted policies on green spaces and climate change. We are moving forward on our recycling policies. Government Office North East has just commended the council for the environmental element of the draft Local Area Agreement, particularly its policies on biodiversity.

The decision to appoint a developer for site 44 has been ‘called-in’ for reconsideration at a meeting on 7 December. I cannot participate in the review because of my membership of the Erimus Housing board. But I hope that the decision to go ahead with improving and expanding the range of housing in the town is supported. ‘Environmentalism’ shouldn’t be allowed to become a cover for narrow self-interest.

Alcohol free zone

2006-11-28T08:56:00.000Z

An ‘alcohol-free zone’ sign was first introduced at the Broughton Avenue shopping area several years ago, but the sign went missing during the regeneration of the community building and shops. It has now been recovered and replaced.

The situation is now much improved compared to the not-too-distant past. There is now less open drinking and harassment. The police have been effective in moving on the youngsters who congregate there; the shop has a more restrictive sales policy; and the Pod provides a welcome alternative for some of the estate’s young people.

The reappearance of the sign is therefore appropriate and symbolic of the new circumstances. It is the responsibility of all concerned to see that this improvement is now sustained and extended.

Middlesbrough's historic buildings

2006-11-26T17:26:00.000Z

There has been a great deal of comment about the demolition of the old North Riding Infirmary. The sad fact is that it was - quite literally - neither use nor ornament:

> there was no realistic economic use for the building as it stood - it was a warren of rooms and corridors which had outlived its usefulness as a hospital and which could not effectively be adapted to another use

> despite claims to the contrary, it was an architecturally undistinguished building which was refused listed status.

Having said that, Middlesbrough does not have a very happy record in protecting and retaining its historic buildings:

> in the 60s and 70s a number of town centre buildings were cleared to make way for the Cleveland Centre and other retail developments:

> in the 80s, the Royal Exchange was demolished by Cleveland county council to make way for the A66:

> this year, the Cleveland Scientific Institute disappeared overnight, apparently legitimately.

But there is still at least one important historical building in Middlesbrough that deserves not only to be protected, but to be restored - the old Town Hall in St Hilda’s (pictured right in L S Lowry's 1950s painting). The old Town Hall was built in the early days of Middlesbrough’s development as an industrial town, in 1846, and was the scene of Gladstone’s description of the town as ‘an infant Hercules’. In more recent times, it has been used as a library, health clinic and community centre.

It is currently simply decaying.

The old Town Hall - along with another building of significant historical importance, the Custom House in North Street - is located in one of the later phases of the Middlehaven development and presumably it is intended that it should be somehow be incorporated in the long term redevelopment of the area.

However, my concern is that the scale of disrepair is such that, unless there is some fairly immediate remedial action, it will be irrecoverable and the old Town Hall will join the long list of other lost buildings in Middlesbrough.

I raised this issue within the council almost a year ago. It is now time for some clear indication that action will be taken to secure the future of this most important feature of Middlesbrough’s heritage.

Middlehaven launch - again!

2006-11-22T20:26:00.000Z

"More visions than Mother Theresa - more launches than the Royal Navy!"

The many and varied plans for Middlehaven have always had a lot in common - a mixture of business, residential and leisure uses, taking advantage of the waterfront of the dock and closeness to Mbro town centre. The difficulty has always been getting significant private sector involvement, creating an access across the A66 and the railway, and preparing the land.

Despite some suggestions to the contrary, it isn't true that nothing has happened over the years - the Riverside stadium has been on site for more than ten years, the land ownership has been consolidated, the land has been remediated, a major road access has opened up the area from the A66 - and the rest of the site is now ready to develop.

I have welcomed the new proposals in a Tyne Tees interview. But, apart from the Middlesbrough College building which is now under construction, work on the new scheme will not start until September 2007. Let's hope it's worth the wait...

Building Schools for the Future

2006-11-21T22:37:00.000Z

The main business of the Executive Board on 21 November was to agree to submit the council’s ‘Strategic Business Case’ for the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. BSF is one of the Labour government’s lesser-known policies, but it is enabling local authorities to make massive physical improvements in secondary schools.

Some government policies on secondary education are dubious, to say the least - particularly the policy of handing over vast amounts of public money to private companies and so-called ‘faith’ groups to run academies with no democratic accountability.

Nevertheless, BSF is enabling Middlesbrough Council to develop a vision for integrated community education across the town. The current proposals are:-
> Acklam Grange - a new build school on the existing site
> Hall Garth / Kings Manor - a new build school on the existing site
> a new RC school on an existing site
> Ormesby - a remodelling of the existing school
> Priory Woods - a remodelling and extension of the existing school
> Tollesby - a remodelling and extension of the existing school
> Beverley - a remodelling and extension of the existing school
> Ashdale - a new facility adjacent to Parkwood

The total investment is currently calculated as around £90 million, but it is hoped that additional resources might be released for some projects from land sales and other sources. A more detailed submission to the government will be made in March 2007 which will be scrutinised by councillors.

As a local councillor, I welcome this huge investment in Middlesbrough's education, particularly as it will be of direct benefit to many pupils from Easterside, Marton Manor and elsewhere in Ladgate ward who will be moving into community secondary schools in the coming years.

Town centre renewal

2006-11-21T16:25:00.000Z

There has been a lot of controversy about the council's policy of improving and renewing older housing in the town centre. Some 'independents' seem to be making a career of exploiting understandable concerns about the process of change, particularly in the areas of potential demolition.

What isn't emphasised enough is the amount of money and effort the council is putting into improving the quality of existing housing. My colleague, David Budd, has just approved expenditure of £1.5 million to give a major facelift to 270 properties in Woodlands Road, Ayresome Street and Princes Road.

If Middlesbrough is to grow and renew itself as a town, rather than simply decline, then this policy of building sustainable communities should gain support from everyone with the interests of Middlesbrough people at heart.

Damaged verges

2006-11-18T19:53:00.000Z

A problem on many estates built in the 1950s and 1960s is that there is lots of green space, but only relatively narrow roads. As car ownership and the volume of traffic has grown, many of the green areas, especially road verges, have become badly damaged.

Several areas of Easterside are badly affected in this way, particularly Broadwell Road (pictured). Dave Budd and I, as local councillors, and the Easterside Partnership have now secured £20,000 from Middlesbrough Council to make improvements to parking provision on the estate. Negotiations are taking place with Erimus Housing to add to this amount from their environmental improvement budget.

The aim will be to create parking bays where possible and to repair and strengthen verges, so that parking will be less damaging and the area will be more attractive.

However, there is still a responsibility on drivers to park sensibly and to take care when moving around the estate so as not to damage the environment for others.

Health service review

2006-11-15T14:41:00.000Z

Earlier this year, councillors from Middlesbrough and surrounding authorities conducted a joint review of proposals to reorganise some parts hospital provision in the Teesside area. While they agreed with some parts of the review, there were others which were considered unacceptable for the needs of patients:

> the proposal to move maternity provision from North Tees to Hartlepool: this not only disadvantaged mothers-to-be who would have to travel from Stockton to Hartlepool, but it was likely to put a strain on services at James Cook hospital, as patients from some areas of Stockton would come to Middlesbrough rather than travel to Hartlepool

> the proposal to move certain types of surgery from James Cook hospital to North Tees: councillors believed that this was likely to put lives at risk, particularly as it would reduce the numbers of general surgeons at the Middlesbrough hospital.

Fortunately, because of the arguments of the councillors’ scrutiny committee, the surgery proposals were withdrawn. However, the maternity proposals were not withdrawn. As a result, the councillors insisted that the decision was called-in for review by the Secretary of State.

Further discussions are now taking place, with the visit of the snappily-titled Independent Reconfiguration Panel to the area. The Secretary of State’s final decision will be based on the advice of this panel.

Hopefully, the efforts of councillors from all authorities and parties will prevail in the interests of patients.

Massive investment for Marton Manor school

2006-11-14T19:35:00.000Z

Marton Manor primary school is to receive investment of more than £1 million pounds from Middlesbrough Council over the next couple of years.

In the current year (2005-06), £90,000 is being spent on replacing the boilers.

Next year, £466,000 will be invested on a new nursery, improved car park and new school entrance. The following year, a further £455,000 will go towards completion of this work, with a final £7,000 in 2008-09.

This investment demonstrates the commitment of the local education authority to maintaining successful community schools in the town.

Remembrance Sunday

2006-11-14T14:14:00.000Z

I was at the Remembrance ceremony on Sunday, along with councillor colleagues and several hundred others. The vast majority of people were there to remember family and friends who were involved in conflicts, some of whom died in the course of duty.

There has been some dispute in the media about what the wearing of poppies and the Remembrance ceremony actually represents. In truth, different people attach different symbolic meanings to poppies and remembrance.

Personally, I do not regard them as a form of glorification of or justification of war. Although the 2nd world war was clearly legitimate as a war against fascism, many of the other wars of the 20th century were of dubious morality – particularly the colonial wars trying to hold on to bits of the empire. The current Iraq war certainly comes into that category too. I am also not impressed with the military element of the ceremony, nor the religious trappings – which seem at best irrelevant and intrusive.

The real importance of the ceremony to me is remembrance of the individuals who have lost their lives – often for pretty dubious political objectives. Listening to the families of some of those killed in Iraq brings home the personal loss involved and the futility of that loss in a war that began with lies and is now failing in a bloodbath. As well as the British casualties, we should also remember the tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of Iraqis killed, directly or indirectly, as a result of the actions of the leaders of the US and British governments.

Given the huge issues of wars, past and present, the attempt by an independent councillor and group of residents to use the Middlesbrough ceremony to make a cheap political point was sad and pathetic.

New CCTV system in Easterside

2006-11-11T20:13:00.001Z

We have obtained funding, through the Easterside Partnership, to upgrade the CCTV provision on the estate.

The current CCTV is recorded onto tape, and has to be viewed later if there has been an incident reported. This is an effective way of identifying individuals – and has been used in prosecutions and other proceedings. However, it can only be checked after the event and is time-consuming.

The new system has a new location pole and a high quality camera. Its main advantage, however, is that it will now have a direct line into the Middlesbrough CCTV centre at the bus-station. Now, incidents can be watched in real time, police or other agencies can be despatched while an incident is taking place, and it is much easier to compile evidence for any proceedings which may follow.

This is more evidence of the success of the efforts of local councillors, local residents and the Partnership in improving conditions on the estate.

There are some people, nationally, who have raised objections about what they call the 'surveillance society'. I agree that CCTV and other systems shouldn't intrude into people's private lives. But I'm sure that the vast majority of people in Ladgate ward and Middlesbrough as a whole are only too happy with improved security provision which can help to make all our lives a bit safer and more pleasant.

'Independent' politics in Mbro

2006-11-11T19:23:00.000Z

One of the features of recent politics in the Teesside area has been the increase in the number of ‘independents’ in local councils.

Traditionally, in this area, the Labour Party has been the dominant force in local and parliamentary politics. And, despite the many changes in society and politics in recent decades, neither the Conservatives nor Liberal Democrats have been able to challenge, let alone replace, Labour as the main party of local government. As a result, the only real challenge has come in the form of a random assortment of independents.

Some independents are genuine people who have something to offer their communities. Some are cast-offs from the major parties, whose self-regard and personal ambition exceed their loyalty to the party which gave them their careers in local government. Some are simply people with a massive list of complaints, whinges and grumbles, but with no vision for the future.

This type of independent is relentlessly negative. There is always something or someone to complain about – young people, thugs, hooligans, council workers, whatever. The cry of the independent is – “something must be done!” And it is invariably the council’s fault for not (allegedly) doing something about it.

The only problem is that most independents completely fail when it comes to developing constructive policies to deal with the many problems which, we all acknowledge, do exist. And that is why party politics is still important in local, as well as national, government. Only political parties offer a coherent set of policies that address all the issues and set out a programme for action that is clear and consistent. Campaigns built solely on negative complaints should be rejected out of hand.

I don’t think much of the Conservatives’ or LibDems’ policies – but at least they exist. Labour’s record on Middlesbrough Council, where the majority of Executive members are Labour councillors, will stand any examination. Only Middlesbrough Labour has a range of policies on regeneration, the environment, community safety, education, and more, that will take the town further forward in the next four years.

Independents who want to be taken seriously should either join one of the political parties, or make clear that they are willing to work closely with political party colleagues on a joint programme for the benefit of the town as a whole.

Proposed Tees Valley metro rail system

2006-11-10T23:37:00.000Z

Plans have been published by Tees Valley Regeneration for a metro system to run between Saltburn and Darlington with stops at key points in Middlesbrough, including Middlehaven and the Riverside stadium, as well as Teesside Park and DTV airport.

It should be welcomed as a potentially major benefit to the Teesside area, improving mobility and reducing dependence on cars, with all their environmental drawbacks. The local economy will significantly benefit from better access to the different centres of commercial, employment and leisure activity.

The strength of the proposal is that it is intended to use mainly existing rail tracks and so it should be possible to develop relatively cheaply and with limited impact on existing communities. Previous proposals suffered from plans to put tracks right through Middlesbrough town centre (along Newport and Corporation Roads) and along Acklam Road and Marton Road. Those plans would have had more negative than positive consequences.

The current proposals need government support. We hope that, with the backing of the local councils and the business sector locally, funding will be put in place to deliver the new metro within ten years.

Car crime down

2006-11-10T23:36:00.000Z

Good news about an overall fall in car crime, which confirms the decline in crime figures in Ladgate.

The future of The Grove hotel

2006-11-10T23:35:00.002Z

The Grove Hotel on Broadwell Road was a problem for local residents for a number of years, largely because of the anti-social behaviour and alleged drug-related activity associated with it.

Following action by local agencies in support of residents, the council withdrew the Grove’s licence several months ago and it has been closed since. Thanks to the efforts of Partnership staff, the owners have kept it secure and reasonably tidy. However, the owners were also pursuing an appeal, presumably in the hope of being able to re-open it.

We now have news that the owners have dropped their appeal and are intending to sell the Grove. It is likely that there will be some form of residential development on the site. That is very good news for Easterside as it removes the potential for any more anti-social behaviour in that area, and it means we should have some valuable additional housing on the estate.

Sutton wardens move in to Easterside

2006-11-10T23:35:00.001Z

The warden team which has successfully helped reduce anti-social behaviour in the Saltersgill area and has offered reassurance to many older residents has now extended its operation to the Easterside area.

The team of three wardens is being increased to four and the intention is to work with young people on activities which will divert them from behaviour which may be threatening to other residents. They will encourage residents to create a safer environment, by forming neighbourhood watch groups, improving home security and giving crime prevention advice.

The wardens are now patrolling the estate for around 35 hours a week. They will be reporting anything they see to staff in the neighbourhood office, who will pass on the information to relevant agencies. I hope that residents will take the opportunity to talk to the wardens and work with them for the benefit of the whole community.

Activities for young people in Easterside

2006-11-10T23:34:00.001Z

The Boro Buzz programme has been offered across the town as a whole in the weeks up to Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night as a way of giving young people an alternative to getting involved in anti-social behaviour.

In Easterside the programme was funded by the Easterside Partnership. It included the following activities:
> quad biking
> trip to Wet ‘n’ Wild
> a two-day outdoor adventure trip, including canoeing, caving, climbing, etc
> IT activities in the library
> arts and craft sessions in the POD
> a ‘rave’ at the Beechwood youth & community centre

Many thanks to Gary Pearson, Dawn James, Steve Westwood, Linda Irvin, Tom Gatley, the staff of Easterside library, the Sutton street wardens and Jean Canwell for all of their efforts in creating this fantastic programme for our young people.

The Sage Gateshead - a regional asset

2006-11-10T23:33:00.000Z

I was at the Sage Gateshead last night to see and hear Karine Polwart, a folk singer/songwriter from the Scottish borders who is highly regarded for her work. She was excellent and it was a very enjoyable evening.

But the real star of the night – and every other night – was the Sage itself. It is a stunning piece of architecture and offers a huge range of different musical events and styles. It is a fantastic asset for all of us in the north-east and, at 45 minutes away by car, is easily accessible from Teesside.

Indeed, the whole of the Quayside development at NewcastleGateshead, including the Sage, the Baltic and the Millennium Bridge, is something that we should all own and be proud of. Clearly, we need to press ahead with the cultural and economic regeneration of Mbro and the Tees Valley – mima and the Central Square are an excellent example of what can be achieved. But we shouldn't let the petty and parochial intra-regional jealousies that some local politicians display blind us to the wonderful attractions of the region as a whole.

Gresham housing renewal

2006-11-10T23:31:00.000Z

First – a declaration of interest. I am a member of the board of Erimus Housing, which may, at some point in the future, be involved in the renewal of housing in the Gresham area. However, it is a ‘non-prejudicial’ interest – i.e. I do not stand to gain anything personally out of any future development.

The proposed redevelopment of significant parts of the central housing area of the town has been a source of considerable political debate over the last year or so. The intention is to improve the quality of a large number of existing older houses and to demolish up to 1500 in an area including part of Gresham and Middlehaven wards.

It is not surprising that many residents in the area are unhappy and apprehensive about the programme of renewal. For that reason, the council has produced a detailed package of measures which will enable tenants to be re-housed, and will provide owner-occupiers with the full market value of their homes with an additional grant on top of that to enable them to move to comparable housing elsewhere in the town centre.

The various decisions of the council’s Executive have been scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Board and have, with some relatively minor amendments, been found to be soundly-based. Now, the Local Government Ombudsman has similarly found in the council’s favour.

It is right and proper that residents have the opportunity to challenge council decisions, and that local councillors should be able to speak on behalf of their constituents. What is less acceptable are the accusations of bad faith made by some campaigners on this issue. Misrepresentation and scare-mongering over the council’s proposals can only increase the insecurity and worries of vulnerable residents who should be being supported rather than made to feel threatened.

The fact is that housing conditions in some parts of the town centre are poor and getting worse. The redevelopment offers the prospect of much improved older housing as well as several hundred new houses, in a range of tenures, which will help to keep the town area a desirable and vibrant place to live.

Litter bins

2006-11-10T23:30:00.000Z

Litter bins are one of the most mundane services provided by any council, but also one of the most fundamentally important – if we are serious about improving the environment and having a litter-free town, then having somewhere to put the rubbish is a pretty obvious precondition.

A report from the council’s environment scrutiny panel has shown that the provision of litter bins in Mbro has been less than totally satisfactory. The amount of money available for maintenance and renewal of bins was only £6000 a year – and this was usually used up within a matter of weeks. This meant that many bins were in poor repair or were not replaced if damaged. A further problem was that the small plastic lamppost-mounted bins were too small and too easily damaged.

The report recommended that the budget should be increased to £60000 a year for a short time to get all litter bins up to standard, and thereafter should be £30000 a year to ensure that they are kept properly maintained and in good repair. It was also recommended that the use of plastic post-mounted litter bins should be discontinued.

The council’s Executive board agreed to implement all the recommendations, so hopefully there will be an overall improvement in the condition of Mbro’s streets over the next few months and years.

Excellent exam results

2006-11-10T23:29:00.000Z

GCSE results in Middlesbrough have seen an increase in the numbers of pupils getting five or more A*-C grades over the last eight years - almost double the national average.

In 1998, some 27.5% of pupils achieved this level of passes. By 2005, the proportion had increased to 48.4% - a 20.9% increase compared to 11.8% for the rest of the country. The figures for 2006 show an additional 3.5% increase - also above the national average.

It's usual these days for some people, sections of the right-wing media and some politicians and local councillors, continually to denigrate young people and the education system in general. But here is firm evidence that real progress is being made.

Congratualtions should go to the students themselves, who have worked so hard to achieve their grades; to the teaching staff who have been so effective in promoting the learning of their pupils; and to the local education authority which has provided the support and resources to enable the whole programme of improvement to go ahead.

Iraq inquiry?

2006-11-10T23:28:00.000Z

Recently the House of Commons narrowly turned down a motion calling for an inquiry into the war and occupation of Iraq. I have opposed the war from the start, took part in the huge anti-war march in February 2003, and have seen only confirmation of my view that this intervention in the middle-east would only lead to de-stabilisation and further conflict.

I therefore regard it as unfortunate that there is to be no inquiry, as it seems to me essential that there should be a thorough and independent review of how the government got into this mess and, more importantly, how to get out of it.

While it was cynical and opportunistic of the Conservatives to support an inquiry – given their previously unstinting support for pro-war policies – this was an opportunity for Parliament to assert some accountability and control over the actions of the prime minister and his colleagues.

One can only hope that, with a new Labour prime minister in the not-too-distant future, policy on Iraq and the middle-east will be completely overhauled, and Parliament will be able to have a stronger role in holding the government to account.

Crime in Ladgate is falling

2006-11-10T23:27:00.000Z

The local police officer for Ladgate ward reported a welcome reduction in crime in the ward to the Ladgate Community Council last week.

There were only 2 house burglaries in September (3 the previous month), no car thefts, only 2 thefts from cars and 3 interferences with vehicles.

There were 39 reports of anti-social behaviour, though even this is down from previous months. The majority of instances of ASB were close to the Appletree pub in Marton Manor, but they have now largely been stopped as a result of police action.

The reasons for the general reduction is partly down to effective policing, the use of CCTV as a deterrent and the cooperation of local shops in not serving alcohol to particular individuals.

Despite this, police advise keeping front doors locked – much crime is opportunist snatching of items close to unlocked front doors. Motorists with sat-navs should also remove them from view when parked – they are a major target of thieves operating in car parking areas.