Four New Labour & Co-Operative Mps Make History
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Party Support Mailing December 2012 NATIONAL NEWS Please find below the latest news from Parliament, our national campaigns, the Co-operative Councils Network and more. Please circulate to your members or include this in your local newsletters. You can find all the latest news and opinions from the Co-operative Party at www.party.coop. Four new Labour & Co-operative MPs make history Excellent by-election results mean that there are a record 32 Labour & Co-operative Members of Parliament, as Andy Sawford, Lucy Powell, Stephen Doughty and Steve Reed join the Parliamentary Group. Manchester Central was the first of three by-elections on 15 November to declare its result, bringing the news that Lucy Powell is the new Member of Parliament, a Co-operative MP representing the heart of the UK co-operative movement, including the HQs of the Co-operative Group, Co-op Bank and Co-operatives UK. Next up we heard the news that Stephen Doughty, Head of Oxfam in Wales, was elected in Cardiff South & Penarth to replace outgoing MP and Co-operative Party NEC member Alun Michael. Finally that afternoon came the declaration in Corby, where Andy Sawford took the seat from the Conservatives with a huge swing, representing a Labour Co-operative gain. Two weeks later, Croydon North elected Steve Reed, a pioneer of the Co-operative Councils initiative and the 32nd member of the Co-operative group of MPs. Thirty two Co-operative Members of Parliament represents the Party’s highest ever number. Karin Christiansen, General Secretary of the Co-operative Party, said: “It is fantastic news that these three great new MPs are joining the Co-operative Party’s Parliamentary Group. Co-operative candidates winning in all three by-elections demonstrate that there is appetite around the country and within the Labour movement to promote and deliver co-operative values and principles. 77 Weston Street Robert Owen House Transport House London SE1 1SD 87 Bath Street 1 Cathedral Road 020 7367 4150 Glasgow G2 2EE Cardiff CF11 9HA www.party.coop 0141 304 5550 020 7367 4178 Party Support Mailing – Issue 53 – December 2012 - Page 1 of 8 Party Support Mailing December 2012 “This is a great set of results for the Party and the Corby result in particular highlights the dissatisfaction around the country for this Conservative-led coalition’s programme for Government. I know these new Parliamentarians will be great advocates for co-operation; advocacy we know Britain’s public policy will benefit from enormously.” In addition, both the Labour & Co-operative Police & Crime Commissioner candidates were successful. Alun Michael was returned in South Wales and Oliver Martins won a fantastic result in Bedfordshire. Caroline Flint MP: Introducing the Power Book Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Caroline Flint MP introduces the Power Book launched last in October by the Co-operative Party, SERA, LGiU and the Shadow DECC team. As a new energy industrial revolution unfolds, future technologies, sources of renewable and low carbon energy and their application offer more scope than ever to challenge the existing market, reshape relationships and create new agents of delivery. There is huge potential for individuals and communities to create and save energy. In truth there are plenty of examples both here and abroad which demonstrate the potential of community energy as a low carbon driver. Important as that is, it is equally about empowering people to take more control over their use of energy and at what price. At the 2011 Labour Party Conference Ed Miliband talked about responsible capitalism. One year on, it is clear to everyone what he was talking about. Whether it is rising train fares, unfair bank charges or soaring energy bills, it is clear that in too many areas of our society, while there are large profits to be made, ordinary people feel powerless. ‘The Power Book’ is about power. And power relations. About the choices people have to power their homes and businesses and with what. About influencing the cost of energy whether by collective consumer action, community ownership or through reduced energy consumption. About local government and community organisations as low carbon energy providers with local buy in. Whilst the chapters do not represent Labour Party policy they are a welcome contribution to a more open and diverse energy debate. Caroline Flint launched the Power Book at Labour Party Conference. It brings together a collection of chapters by different authors, with a foreword by the Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP. To download your copy of the Power Book, click here. Party Support Mailing – Issue 53 – December 2012 - Page 2 of 8 Party Support Mailing December 2012 Co-operative childcare at forefront of Stephen Twigg’s review Shadow Education Secretary and Co-operative MP Stephen Twigg has outlined to the Observer that co- operatives are at the forefront of his review of childcare policy. The Observer has reported that the cost of childcare is soaring and that working full-time is now ‘hardly worthwhile’ financially. Labour is considering “co-operative childcare”, in which parents could ‘take a stake in the nurseries they use and take a share of the profits, reducing childcare costs by about £150 a year’. This of course reflects the work of existing childcare co-ops, such as the one visited by Ed Miliband in Edinburgh earlier this year, and the nationwide organisation The Co-operative Childcare, part of Midcounties Co-operative Society. Stephen Twigg told the newspaper: “We want to explore co-operative models, whereby local parents have a far bigger say in running their local nursery and get a share of the profits. Childcare centres are run successfully along these lines in Sweden and in some parts of the UK already. We want to see this model expand. Co-operative childcare can reduce costs to parents, provide flexibility for those who work and can reach communities that don’t have enough nurseries.” Jennette Arnold AM urges Boris to put his money where his mouth is, and only use responsible banks The London Assembly last month urged the Mayor to ensure that the Greater London Authority only uses banks with a strong record of lending to small business and a commitment to corporate responsibility. Labour & Co-operative Assembly Member Jennette Arnold describes why the GLA should move its money. The motion, agreed unanimously by London Assembly Members, called for the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to take a close look at where they buy banking services. In the four years from 2008-12 the GLA group spent almost £35 million on charges and other costs for a variety of services including card processing, foreign exchange, bonds and securities. Party Support Mailing – Issue 53 – December 2012 - Page 3 of 8 Party Support Mailing December 2012 In seconding the motion I highlighted how Londoners, many from my constituency of North East London (Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest), are struggling with financial exclusion, forced into the debilitating clutches of loan sharks and because of a lack of affordable finance caused by the failure of the big banks find themselves unable to provide for their needs. I believe it’s time the GLA joined other cities like New York, Seattle and Buffalo and move our business to banks that share a commitment to responsible banking. As the most senior tier of local government in London, the GLA could give a clear moral lead to other local authorities in moving the management of public funds over to banks and building societies that do not engage in “casino-style” banking operations. By supporting alternative finance and increasing the size of the sector the GLA can directly boost the amount of affordable credit available to Londoners. In my own constituency, Hackney Council now banks exclusively with the Co-operative Bank. Co-operatives and building societies recognise that Co-operation – as opposed to Competition – can create a financial sector that is run in the interest of the wider public as opposed to a narrow group of shareholders. As a strong and committed supporter of a number of campaigns around banking reform including: the Co-op movement’s The Feeling’s Mutual Campaign which called for Northern Rock to be re-mutualised and for an end to the de-mutualisation of the sector and also the Move Your Money Campaign, I felt proud to be seconding this motion and to receive the unanimous cross party support from London Assembly Members. Given the scale of economic hardship being experienced across our capital, particularly within my constituency, Londoners rightly expect that their representatives procure services from institutions that contribute positively to their city and pay close attention to those who suffer financial exclusion and the isolation and poverty that it leads to. It therefore really is not too much to urge Mayor Boris Johnson to put his money where his mouth is, and only do business with banks who have a strong track record of lending to small businesses in the capital. The full text of the motion agreed at the meeting (14/11/2012) reads as follows: “This Assembly notes that the GLA group procures a variety of banking services, from card processing and foreign exchange to bond and securities services. In the four years from 2008-12 the GLA group paid almost £35m in charges and other costs for these services, representing a significant combined procurement budget. “This Assembly calls on the Mayor of London, the GLA Head of Paid Service, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, the Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and the Board of Transport for London to explore opportunities to move taxpayers’ money to banks with a better track record in lending to small businesses and with a track record that is a better fit with the group’s Responsible Procurement policy.