MSPs have rejected legislation to introduce mandatory six-month jail terms for anyone caught carrying a knife. Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown argued the threat of prison would not act as a deterrent, saying the cost of jailing 1,345 people for six months would cost almost £321m. “The single thing which deters people from criminal behaviour is the likelihood of being caught,” he said, adding: “The stop-and-searches carried out by Strathclyde Police have been very effective.”
The above statement is lunacy, “the likelihood of being caught” but not going to jail is a recipe for disaster, what the SNP and Liberals have done today is to put out a clear message that if you carry a Knife, you don’t necessarily go straight to jail. So why do people walk out their front door with a knife in their pocket? To protect themselves, to threaten in the hope the big bad boy will walk away? This shows an amazing lack of understanding of youth culture where respect and the fact that to back down shows weakness, the outcome is obvious and sadly well documented, someone ends up dead. And it may be the knife carrier not the intended victim.
I would also have to question the statement that prison does not work particularly short sentences. If prison is not working then maybe we need to look at making life inside an unpleasant affair that the offender never wants to revisit.
Kimarnock Prison Video Link
From EAC website “Over 60 members of the local community attended the event to learn more about the future of housing in East Ayrshire. Delegates attended workshops on Homelessness, Housing Asset Services and Rent Setting and presentations were given by Elizabeth Morton, Depute Chief Executive/ Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services and Chris McAleavey, Head of Housing. As part of a packed programme delegates could also speak to representatives from a range of agencies and services including Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, NHS and East Ayrshire Credit Union.”
I was sad to read that the attendance at the annual conference has taken a nose dive this year. As for the NHS, SF&R and the credit union, what have they got to do with housing policy? Looks like housing did it again, fill the day with useless nonsense; take up all the time with speeches from overpaid egotistical officials and limit any opportunity to voice dissent.
On other matters:
I am still waiting for Fiona Lees to contact me regarding the meeting she agreed to at the request of Willie Coffey. I know I said leave it till after Christmas but come on, we are into June!! Maybe the topic for discussion is not to your taste?
Newlands Drive Housing Phase 2;
I was surprised this week to find not one but three tenants did not have a clue what I was talking about. Strange as it seems, they did not know that 16 homes were being built outside their front door starting around October if planning permission is forthcoming. As a result, we plan to inform all tenants and get an idea if there are any objections over the next week. Personally my view is that Cllr Coffey has no qualms about the loss of recreational green space for the schemes children. And before I get emails about the title above asking what the phase 3 proposal is, could I suggest you ask Willie Coffey.
Interesting article on the BBC website, regarding local authority newspapers, or in East Ayrshire’s case newsletters. This got me thinking about the content and value for money for tenants. It could be argued that the newsletter is a waste of money, does not meet best value criteria, and is nothing more than “propaganda on the rates”.
Another area where best value is an issue is the annual “Tenants Conference” normally held in the Park Hotel. The rhetoric that precedes this event goes something like “Planned by Tenants” yet I am always amazed how effectively the housing dept can influence this agenda to avoid the hard questions. For example, two years ago after a particularly hard bruising by tenants on the council’s performance, I found in the following year, there was no part in the programme where tenants could voice an opinion using the electronic voting system that had been used in previous years?
Then there are the surveys, like the recent one to change the rent setting system. Now they think if a bus runs near your home of you are near shops you should be paying a higher rent. The actual choices presented in the survey could not be analyzed in any meaningful way. In the past I have been involved with North Ayrshire Council in designing and conducting a Community Survey and their interrogation by computer. I can assure you that this survey is nothing more than an amateurish attempt to find a new method to increase rents by the back door. Given that several of the amenities quoted are out with the control of the council, what right do they have to use them within the scope of a survey?
The chancellor said “decisive action” to raise VAT and cut spending would boost confidence in the economy.
He also said spending cuts might be reduced if more savings could be found in the welfare budget.
He further added;
“But by increasing the personal income tax allowance for people on the basic rate what I have done is tried to protect low and middle income earners, people who are in work, I wanted to reward work.”
So the dismantling of the welfare state is to continue, those less able to defend themselves are under a sustained Tory attack to support middle class families. Do you realise that someone earning over £30,000 a year, that’s around £600 a week are still getting Tax Credits from the state, while the unemployed and those on other benefits are to be subject to cuts! Hell even the yearly increase in benefits have been fiddled to ensure those on the breadline stay there, by changed from the RPI rate to the CPI which is the lower of the two.
The hidden agenda the Tory LibDEm coalition has is to punish the poor and those not in work, it’s almost like a return to the workhouse where conditions were intentionally made unbearable to dissuade the poor from seeking help.
What a mess, indirect price increases due to the VAT rise, more households will be plunged into fuel poverty, food prices will increase as manufacturers and supermarkets pass on the VAT increase to customers. No rise in fuel duty but VAT rise will add 2.5p to a litre of petrol. Changing from the RPI to CPI for benefits will see real cuts and increased poverty, this is a backward step. So much for a fair budget, and the poor are the second hardest hit. I just hope that all those councils who are doing deals with Tory Councillors like the SNP in East Ayrshire think again before it’s too late.
The council has been fined £56,000 over the death of an electrician who was killed when a work platform collapsed in a school gym hall. Robert McGill suffered severe brain injuries after the accident at Kilmarnock Academy last April. East Ayrshire Council admitted a charge under health and safety legislation.
East Ayrshire: no figures given
East Ayrshire Council employs 6,500 staff. It has yet to set any targets for future job losses.
That was the comment on the BBC website regarding job loss predictions within the 32 local authorities in Scotland. East Ayrshire as usual are protecting their own, jobs for the boys, the tenants will pay and pay and pay. I also note in the recent Tenants Newsletter ; one of the schemes to keep the old boys in jobs is to dream up a new way to further increase rents, short term gain but long term pain for tenants. You need to study this newsletter and return the survey form or the lunatics really will be running the asylum.
Onthank Residents Association received a commendation for their work on Tourhill Road. The group worked closely with the Council’s Housing Service and Outdoor Amenities Service to improve a number of open spaces in the area which were prone to fly-tipping. They worked hard to encourage an improvement in the standard of open space maintenance and helped to clear a number of open spaces of rubbish, weeds and overgrowth. The group also identified where fences could be improved and Housing Services worked with them on implementing fencing improvements in the area.
Strange, everyone I speak to have no idea what they are talking about? Where was this so called fly-tipping, what areas were cleared of rubbish, weeds and overgrowth, did they mean at the top of the football park? An area the council hardly ever look at never mind clean up. Tourhill still looks like a dilapidated run down area, and while the decent tenants suffer the main issues are never tackled. I urge anyone to walk around Tourhill Road and tell me that the area has been cleaned up or that they have even scratched the surface of the issues that need to be addressed. While they are being led by the nose by the TIS, nothing will change. I find the notion of a commendation amusing.
This ‘scheme’ is not unique. I work in housing and I see worse things every day happening in council housing. Our hands are tied. The tenants have all the rights. And the councillors and heads of departments can talk all they want about how they are turning things around, when in fact it is only getting worse. Councils are a walkover and really have no powers to take back these schemes. Anti social behaviour is rife and homeless people are taken by the hand and given all the help, money and resources that they need, while ordinary decent people suffer.
Read the article and comments here
Duno wither to laugh or cry at this 4 part episode on Tuesday’s on BBC1. From the many comments from residents today which range from (I’m ashamed to come from Onthank, to “Should be locked up” the lot of em, and “How is this going to bring jobs to Kilmarnock”. Even the SUN newspaper got in on the act this week. I also noted a reporter and photographer at the foot of Tourhell Road talking to a couple of youths on Wednesday afternoon.
UPDATE: Decide to change this due to today’s events, comments from those I spoke to and online activity. It seems everyone from Kilmarnock was watching the first episode. The Council seem worried that it may set its glossy we are a brilliant council back on its A$$. And they have good reason to worry, these are issues that they deny are a problem, where community resources have been ripped out of our estate and where both Labour and SNP administrations have turned a blind eye. The irony is that as far as Fiona Lees is concerned, as long as Audit Scotland and the Housing Regulator are happy so is she. But the residents are not happy and these 4 episodes may be the catalyst for increased community activity where apathy has been the order of the day for so long.
To demonstrate just how fast things can get out of hand check out this fine range of T-Shirts
Or the Facebook site here. with over 5,000 views
