Welcome to West Central Liberal Democrats

from Cllr. Paul Sargent and Cllr. Alan Armitage

Welcome to the home of West Central Liberal Democrats online. When not in cyberspace, West Central Lib Dems are campaigning across this new County Council Electoral Division, incorporating the three Oxford City wards of Jericho & Osney, Carfax and North.

Recent news

May 23rd 2006: Lib Dems take charge of Oxford City Council

As a result of the Oxford City Council elections on 4th May, the Liberal Democrats now form the largest group on the Council, though not holding an overall majority. A cross-party Executive Board was elected at the Council Annual General Meeting on Thursday. Seven Lib Dems hold the portfolio positions, with day-to-day management responsibility for the council's operations.

In Oxford North ward, Lib Dem candidate Alan Armitage received 49% of the votes cast, on a turnout of 33%, and won with a substantial majority. The results were:

Across Oxford, Lib Dems received the most votes of any party, as they did in the last City Council elections in 2004 and in the County Council elections of 2005.

The balance of seats on the City Council is now:

Apr 27th 2006: Majority in Oxford reject ID cards

Oxford Lib Dems are hoping that the local elections on May 4th will give a clear message to Labour, locally and nationally, that they cannot continue to erode people's civil liberties. While many of the issues involved are national ones, the success or failure of the government's ID card proposals will largely rest on whether local authorities choose to use them in their work.

Surveys carried out by Lib Dems among residents of North and West Oxford, and among Oxford University students, have shown strong resistence to the introduction of compulsory ID cards in Britain. More than two-thirds of residents said they would be a "waste of money".

Lib Dem Councillor Alan Armitage proposed a motion on ID cards in both the county and city councils condemning ID cards and committing the councils to not require anybody to produce an ID card in order to get access to council services. This was opposed by most Labour councillors on the councils, but supported by all other parties - and was therefore passed overwhelmingly. Three other district councils in Oxfordshire have passed similar resolutions.

ID cards were introduced in Britain during the second world war as an emergency measure, but retained after the war by the Labour government as an administrative convenience. In 1951, a Liberal called Clarence Harry Willcock refused to show his ID card to a policeman, and his protest became an election issue. Prominent among the objectors was the British Housewives' League which mounted a demonstration outside the houses of parliament, when a number of them attempted to burn their ID cards. Mr Willcock's case reached the High Court in June 1951. Although his conviction was upheld, the Lord Chief Justice warned this issue was turning law-abiding subjects into law breakers, and that good relations between the police and the public would be likely to suffer.

Clarence Willcock became a national figure. On a mandate to "set the people free", the Tories won the ensuing general election and promptly scrapped the accursed identity card. Is history destined to repeat itself?

Apr 23rd 2006: Auditor says Labour-run Oxford City Council not providing Value for Money

Though the Labour-run City Council tried to prevent the latest auditor's report from being made public until after the city council elections on 4 May, a copy of the draft report has now been made public as a result of protests by Liberal Democrats on the Council.

The context is this: in 2004, Oxford was assessed by the Audit Commission as a `Weak' Council. There are 229 district councils in the UK, of which just 38 are judged to be `Weak' or `Poor' – which means that Oxford City Council is in the bottom 15% of councils in this country. Readers can decide for themselves whether Labour – which has run the City Council for 24 of the last 26 years – should be held responsible for this state of affairs.

The 34-page report on the City's performance identifies some areas of its operation where the authority is improving, others have stayed at the same level, and others have deteriorated.

The area of Council activity about which the Auditor is most critical is Oxford's inability to provide its residents with value-for-money services. Just to be clear: this does not mean doing things `on the cheap'. What it means is providing a decent service at a reasonable price. This is essential if the City is to have the flexibility to spend additional resources on those services it especially values – for example, concessionary bus fares for pensioners.

On this, the Auditor's judgement is unequivocal:

"[The City Council] has made gradual but not significant overall improvements, and thus needs to demonstrate that it can achieve substantially better services. Its overall value for money is poor." (p.5)

"... the Council is not able to demonstrate clear progress against its agreed priorities, such that it can be clear that its resources are targeted and being used effectively to deliver agreed service improvements and other benefits to local residents." (p.9)

"... the Council's capacity to deliver change is still relatively weak, and the confidence to deliver it therefore remains fragile. Stronger understanding between councillors and managers has been emerging, for example in the shared focus on corporate priorities - but this is inconsistent, and suffers from tensions in some areas." (p.10)

"In 2006, we concluded that the Council's value for money is poor, with considerable room for improvement. Costs are high across a range of services, in some cases exceptionally so, for average outcomes." (p.11)

"... while some services have been addressing value for money, and there are pockets of stronger performance, the overall message is that the Council's culture is not yet attuned to it and that improvement will require considerable focus throughout the council." (p.11)

"The Council's costs compares unfavourably with other Councils on a range of value for money indicators. Costs are high across a range of services, in some cases exceptionally so, for average outcomes. There are pockets of stronger performance - and areas of improvement, but the overall pattern is of significant weakness in value for money." (p.27)

There are improvements taking place in various parts of the City Council. Very often, these are occurring all too slowly, or the general improvements are masking some areas of decline. In particular, the City's finances are now more soundly based, with a far better knowledge and understanding among both councillors and senior officers of how the Council is spending its money. One exception, noted by the Auditor, is the City's capital programme, which has proven wildly unrealistic.

"The Council's financial position continues to be soundly based. It has a good record of meeting its budget, within acceptable tolerances. It continues to experience slippage on its capital programme." (p.5)

"The results of its MORI staff survey in 2005 were particularly impressive, and demonstrate a shift in culture. ... However, the strong results from most services in its 2005 staff survey also reveal a contrasting marked lack of confidence among staff working in leisure, parks and in the unit providing some of its cleaning and waste services." (p.10)

"... services are improving, with some also focusing on achieving better value for money. However, the overall level of performance remains average and there is clearly much more to do." (p.10)

"The Council has not yet realised its ambitions to achieve significant levels of service improvement. ... In the last year the Council has set itself some ambitious improvement targets in 40 key areas, but has only achieved 11 of these." (p.10)

"... the Council still needs to achieve much more before it can demonstrate consistent and significant service improvement. This is because its overall current value for money is poor, and it has not yet developed cohesive and effective ways of challenging the balance between its costs and its performance." (p.10)

Just as there are areas of the Council where improvement is taking place, but sluggishly, there are one or two areas where there is definite good news. These are highlighted below:

"In 2005 our landlord services inspection assessed the Council as having `promising' improvement prospects, having already developed considerably to achieve a `fair' service." (p.6)

"Similarly, our review of human resource management shows that the Council has improved its approach, with scope to develop further. We also followed up our 2002 review of managing rent arrears, finding considerable progress." (p.6)

"The Council has responded positively to our recommendations from last year regarding governance arrangements. The Council has successfully recruited a substantive Monitoring Officer and has taken steps to strengthen its arrangements." (p.6)

"... the Council's planning service has steadied ... Our landlord services inspection in 2005 found a number of areas of improvement in housing management that benefit residents and tenants." (p.11)

"Based on performance indicators for all district councils for 2004/05 the Council has improved in 63 per cent of the areas available for comparison." (p.10)

It's also welcome that the Auditor has noted the sterling work of Overview & Scrutiny Committees (Chaired by Lib Dem Councillors) in shining a search-light on those aspects of the Council where the public has been in the dark. The Finance Scrutiny Committee, which Lib Dem Cllr. Stephen Tall has chaired for the last two years, is praised for its review work, and for driving change within the City Council's operations:

"The independent scrutiny review has identified all of the issues [surrounding the infamous Cornmarket Street paving debacle] which needed to be brought to the attention of the public, and an appropriate commitment has been made by each council to address the weaknesses identified." (p.6)

"... although there is much more to achieve throughout the organisation, its executive has led and developed a much stronger financial focus, supported by the Council's financial scrutiny committee and by better access to financial systems and information." (p.9)

"It is to the council's credit that it acknowledges [its failure to provide value for money services] fully; for example, with its finance scrutiny committee active in exploring potential barriers by establishing a series of VFM studies." (p.11)

So there you have it: a quick health-check of Oxford City Council. We are, of course, in the middle of an election campaign which will decide who runs the City after 4th May, with the Lib Dems aiming to wrest control from Labour.

Whoever wins will have to face these challenges, and will need to do so honestly and courageously. The City Council is not going to transform itself by sitting back, and hoping that the incremental improvements so far made will take it over the finishing line. There is a lot of hard work ahead if Oxford is going to become one of the 85% of district councils providing a fair, good or excellent service to the public.

Apr 12th 2006: Time for a change of direction at Oxford City Council

Oxford Liberal Democrats have launched their campaign and manifesto for the Oxford city council elections on 4th May. Group Leader Cllr John Goddard said: "The Liberal Democrats will make positive changes for the better at the city council. The challenge is to turn the weak city council round and transform it into an organisation that puts people first. That is the goal of our manifesto and of our first years in power.

"Our three main themes are: one, to shift power from the over-centralised council to communities and get the council to work in a whole new way focused on the needs and priorities of local neighbourhoods.

"Second, to make the city cleaner and safer. Our Neighbourhood Environmental Action Teams (NEATs) will bring council staff to work together to make communities clean and safe. These teams will include street wardens, park wardens, street cleaners, estate managers and will work with Police Community Support Officers. The NEATs will be under the direction of local Area Committees.

"Third – and this theme wraps up the others – to face up to the challenge of climate change. The city council will set an example of excellent energy management and use of renewables and will encourage and help businesses and households to do their part, too. Sustainability will be the test by which all our actions will have to be judged in future.

"Our manifesto sets out an action plan for the next few years. We shall make an immediate start by implementing our five pledges:

1. Clean up the city – set up NEATs;
2. Power to communities – devolve more powers to Area Committees;
3. Keep council tax down;
4. Improve recycling – starting at once by extending collection of garden waste across the city;
5. 24 hour access – set up a 24 hour city council help line to improve access to city council services.

"Under Labour the city council is officially a `weak' council where council tax is too high and the services provided give poor value for money. Labour centralise and seek to control. Liberal Democrats devolve power and responsibility and trust the people. It's time for a change of direction at the city council. We ask the voters to put their trust in us to put our trust in them."

The full text of the Liberal Democrat manifesto may be downloaded here.

Apr 7th 2006: Oxfordshire NHS cuts will harm patients

A report in the Oxford Mail quotes health union representatives and health watchdogs in Oxfordshire saying that vital patient care will be put at risk if they are forced to make cuts to save £82m in the current financial year.

Carfax Cllr Paul Sargent, deputy chairman of Oxfordshire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee which monitors the county's NHS, said: "I really fail to see how they can make these cuts and not affect patient care. The county's health service has already been cut to the bone and you can only cut back so much before you start cutting into vital services."

The scrutiny committee can call in any large health service changes, and has already slowed down savings plans for the 2005-6 financial year, such as inpatient bed closures at the Churchill Hospital's pain clinic.

Cllr Sargent added: "I'm very angry. If there are any significant changes to services this year, they'll have to come through the scrutiny committee. But there are likely to be so many that we could become swamped."

The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, responsible for the county's four major hospitals, will shoulder £33m of the savings, prompting its directors to warn of job cuts. But they will not be able to confirm plans for a fortnight. Mark Ladbrooke, chairman of Unison's Oxfordshire health committee, said: "The problem we have when talking to management is working out what this is going to mean in terms of numbers and the impact it will have on staff. We're working in the dark. There are definitely going to be big cuts and jobs will be put at risk, and we need to keep on talking to managers about what is going to happen and assure them we'll not take a passive approach to this. We'll be fighting to defend jobs and services, and our message to members is be active and don't accept this quietly."

Apr 6th 2006: Labour's threats will not encourage recycling

Commenting on the threats by Oxford's Labour administration to fine householders £75 for putting wheelie bins out on the wrong day – and other minor misdemeanours – Lib Dem Cllr Alan Armitage said: "As usual, Labour intends to use a heavy stick without any good reason. People in Oxford want to increase recycling, but they're not going to co-operate if the Council takes this attitude."

All parties on the City Council agree that the levels of recycling have to improve. Labour, with the support of the Greens, are proposing that virtually every home in Oxford is equipped with a wheelie bin and new plastic bins for recyclable materials, and that collections are made only every alternate week.

Added Cllr Armitage: "Oxford Liberal Democrats disagree with the way the administration is trying to force everybody to accept these new arrangements, whatever their circumstances. In many parts of the city, there are terraced houses with front doors leading directly onto the street. Wheelie bins are unusable here. There are also a lot of houses in multiple occupancy, which will be treated as an ordinary household by the bin men. This just hasn't been thought through!"

Apr 3rd 2006: North ward Lib Dems adopt Alan Armitage as city council candidate

Oxford North Ward Liberal Democrats are pleased to announce that they have adopted and formally nominated Alan Armitage as their candidate for the city council elections on 4th May.

Alan has lived in North Ward for more than a dozen years. Born in Africa, he has lived or worked in sixteen of the countries of the European Union, and also in the USA. He went to school in Scotland and to university in York. He had a career in IT Sales with ICL, ITL, Computer Associates and others, and was a specialist in IT Security before he left the industry in 2001.

Alan was elected Oxford City Councillor for Summertown ward in 2002, and is the sole Lib Dem member of the City Council's Executive Board. He has been County Councillor for West Central Oxford since May 2005.

Alan is a lay member of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. His wife is a doctor managing large scale drugs trials, and they have 3 children, who all attended or still attend local state schools.

Mar 23rd 2006: Tories pander to the car and ignore cyclists

West Central Oxford's Councillor Alan Armitage has accused the Conservative administration at the county council of pandering to car users and failing to promote cycling in their Local Transport Plan, approved by the council's cabinet on Tuesday.

Cllr Armitage said: "As a result of questions during a recent council meeting, I established that the Oxfordshire Cycleway has been withdrawn as a facility under the Tories - without any consultation with the thousands of people who use it daily. So much for Conservative support for cycling!"

Cllr Bob Johnston, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on transport, described the Plan as long-winded, repetitive and without a clear vision. "What there is, appears to be totally dominated by the car," he said. "If the major cycle track schemes for Wootton and Cholsey are deleted, then there is not much in the Plan about cycling, walking and the needs of the two-wheeled fraternity. We welcome the comments on buses in the plan, however a Liberal Democrat administration would have given a higher priority to bus clearways and to preventing illegally parked vehicles causing chaos on so many of Oxford's main arteries."

Mar 23rd 2006: Labour budget does not rise to challenge of global warming

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, commenting on Labour's latest budget, said that the Chancellor had not responded adequately to the challenge of global warming.

He said: "We need a proper system of economic incentives for sustainable behaviour: incentives that encourage people to change the way they live - and ensure that the polluter pays. Under this Chancellor, the polluter isn't paying. The bare fact is that CO2 emissions are higher than they were in 1997, and they are continuing to rise."

Added Alan Armitage, county councillor for West Central Oxford: "It would be good to think that Labour and the Conservatives, who are both talking about the environment at last, had some workable ideas about what to do differently. But they are both addicted to the car and air travel, and hate subsidising public transport. As one small example, Labour is cutting subsidies on train routes in Cornwall – which will result in tourists having to drive more – while pumping millions into developing Newquay airport for use by cut-price airlines. In Oxfordshire, the Tory run county council has cut charges for on-street parking in central Oxford, resulting in more car journeys by people who could perfectly easily use a bus or a train."

Mar 12th 2006: Lib Dem Councillor to Chair International Solar Cities Congress in Oxford

The Second International Solar Cities Congress in Oxford on the 3-6th April 2006 will be an amazing event, involving mayors from cities around the world, as well as scientists, businesses and citizens groups - coming together to help build the Solar Cities we will need in order to survive in the 21st century.

Buildings will have to use minimal energy, with as much of our energy as possible generated from clean renewable sources.

Oxford is proving to be a global leader in this important movement and Liberal Democrat City Councillor Sue Roaf is the Co-Chair of the Congress. All are welcome to attend.

There will be a free Solar Fair on Wednesday 5th April in the Town Hall from 2pm onwards, where you can find out how to improve your home and lower those ever rising gas bills. This event will include a major exhibition, and workshop sessions.

For more information, visit the Solar Cities website.

Mar 8th 2006: Liberal Democrats demonstrate for Green Energy contract

A group of Liberal Democrat students, councillors and other supporters joined a large group demonstrating on Wednesday outside Oxford University's main administration offices in support of the University signing a new contract for Green Energy.

Sam Rowlands, president of Oxford University Liberal Democrats (OULD) said: "The University has a good record of planning in sustainability features for new buildings, and use of energy from renewable facilities. But every year there is uncertainty when the energy contract is up for renewal. Students would much prefer it if the University signed a long-term agreement for 100% green energy."

Cllr Alan Armitage (left in the photo) added: "Global warming is something we all have to take seriously now in our own lives. We simply can't go on burning fossil fuels in the way we have done in the past. Everything we can do as individuals is worthwhile."

Older news items may be found here.

Paul & Alan