News - Somerset Labour

Argos Workers Strike at Bridgwater Depot

Friday, 18 August 20171 Reply

Unite the Union on strike at Bridgwater Argos

UK catalogue retailer Argos faces three weeks of strikes across its distribution network in a dispute over the failure of the company to negotiate a national agreement covering redundancy and severance packages.Unite, the country’s largest union which represents the 1,100 workers affected, warned that deliveries to customers will be severely hit. Strikes by the warehouse staff began early in the morning of Tuesday 15 August and will continue until early in the morning of Tuesday 5 September.

Bridgwater Trades Union Council Secretary Dave Chapple urged local people to support the action saying “Unite ARGOS Bridgwater picket lines are from 5.30am till 3pm so try and get along to give solidarity from your union.” His call was backed by UNITE delegate and Bridgwater Labour Councillor Brian Smedley who said “Argos are clearly being unreasonable and the Union is simply seeking guarantees about their members futures including relocation packages, agreed redundancy or severance terms and challenging future attacks on their terms and conditions. They should be supported.” Continue reading “Argos Workers Strike at Bridgwater Depot”

Labour Protests Weston A&E Closure

Friday, 18 August 20171 Reply

Weston Labour Party are calling on comrades across the South West for help in their campaign to protest A&E Closure in their town. A statement today read “Bridgwater, Wells ,North Somerset, and of all Constituencies fighting the cuts to our NHS imposed by this Conservative Government. What happens to one of us today will surely happen to another tomorrow.”

Continue reading “Labour Protests Weston A&E Closure”

Food bank appeals for baked beans – as Tories push up child poverty

Thursday, 10 August 20171 Reply

West Somerset Labour Party says the unprecedented demand being placed on the local food bank is evidence that the Conservative government is driving up child poverty. Labour is calling for a halt to the roll out of the discredited Universal Credit, an end to the public sector pay cap and better help for families in need.

West Somerset Food Cupboard is asking local people to donate tins of beans, along with other non-perishable food, to help it to meet record demand from people who can’t afford to feed their families during the summer holidays. The food cupboard has given out more than a thousand food boxes and parcels so far this year. Continue reading “Food bank appeals for baked beans – as Tories push up child poverty”

Labour Tells MP: Stop Employing Your Wife

Monday, 31 July 20172 Replies

Labour says the Bridgwater and West Somerset Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger should fall into line with new standards in public life and stop employing his wife to help him with his work in parliament.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority says employing family members is “out of step” with modern employment practices. It says the need for transparency and good employment practice outweighs the benefits MPs find in hiring relatives. Continue reading “Labour Tells MP: Stop Employing Your Wife”

Labour calls for common sense on toilets

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

West Somerset Labour Party is calling on the government to use common sense to end the chaos surrounding provision of public toilets. And it says there should be an end to the charging of business rates for this vital public service.

West Somerset is one of many parts of the country where the future of public toilets is in doubt because of the squeeze on council budgets. Until this year the district’s toilets were owned and run by West Somerset Council. But, faced with a financial crisis, the council decided it couldn’t afford to run them. The buck was passed to towns and parishes. Continue reading “Labour calls for common sense on toilets”

Sedgemoor Labour Leader attacks ‘failing’ Universal Credit

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

SDC Labour Leader Mick Lerry speaking at a recent council meeting

The Bridgwater Citizens Advice Bureau has highlighted the huge problems in the roll out of Universal Credit, which is forcing many working families into debt, homelessness and towards food banks, due to the inadequacy of the implementation of the system. Universal Credit is failing to support many vulnerable people locally. Growing income inequality and insecurity accentuated by austerity is not needed in a modern society. Sedgemoor Labour Leader Cllr Mick Lerry (Bridgwater Victoria) says “We should not be experiencing a time when those people who rely on “hard work” are facing a decline in their living standards.”

Cllr Lerry launched a major attack on the failings of Universal Credit saying “Unemployment does not appear to be the problem locally it is in fact low wages. All people should be entitled to a basic income that allows individuals and families to live without the fear of debt and homelessness. Such a policy would allow families and individuals to investment in their future and the local economy. Business and employers can rely on Welfare to boost the wages of employees, which is really a subsidy for employers while employees remain on low wages. Citizens who pay their taxes are paying for this subsidy.” Continue reading “Sedgemoor Labour Leader attacks ‘failing’ Universal Credit”

Labour tells MP: “Speak against Universal Credit roll-out”

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Labour is telling the Bridgwater and West Somerset MP, Ian Liddell-Grainger he should be telling ministers what a disaster Universal Credit has been.

Universal Credit (UC) is a replacement for a group of other benefits, including Jobseekers Allowance and Housing Benefit. Bridgwater has had early experience of UC, because the district of Sedgemoor was chosen as a pilot area. UC is due to be rolled out in many other parts of the country later this year. The experience in Sedgemoor has been a terrible one for claimants. Payments are delayed for weeks and it is nearly impossible to get sensible answers to queries.

Putting Pressure on ILG

Andy Lewis of West Somerset Labour Party worked for several years with benefit claimants. He has written to Liddell-Grainger saying:

As you know, Sedgemoor has been a pilot area for Universal Credit. As I am sure you also know, there have been many problems with its implementation.

Citizens Advice Sedgemoor, in a report last year, highlighted problems including long waits for payment, difficulties with the online claiming system and the near-impossibility of meaningful contact with Universal Credit by phone. It concluded that people are falling into rent arrears and other debt as a direct result of the shortcomings of Universal Credit. More recently, Citizens Advice nationally has made clear that the problems with Universal Credit are continuing.

Universal Credit is scheduled to be introduced in other parts of the country this autumn. I am writing in the hope that you will tell ministers that based on the experience in Sedgemoor, wider implementation should be delayed until the many problems have been ironed out and it has been made into a system that is fit for purpose.

Universal Credit has caused much hardship in Bridgwater and other parts of Sedgemoor. I hope you will agree that it would be wrong to put other people through this, and that Universal Credit must be seen to work properly in the pilot areas before it is extended further.

Andy has not yet received a reply.

Best Labour Result in decades but Liddell-Grainger clings on

Friday, 9 June 2017

Back to the future in Bridgwater and West Somerset where once again it’s a 2 horse race presenting voters with a clear choice

A sensational surge in the Labour vote in the Bridgwater and West Somerset area saw local councillor Wes Hinckes achieve a tally of 16,663 , a brilliant 29% of the vote, yet at the same time Tory incumbant Ian Lidell-Grainger increased his own vote and clung on to his feudal seat.

The Labour vote is the best in the constituency since 1979 and over recent years has been a distant 2nd or 3rd in a battle for the disingenous LibDems ‘Labour Can’t win here’ to the single-policy ‘Brexit or Bust’ Ukip. Continue reading “Best Labour Result in decades but Liddell-Grainger clings on”

HUGE SURGE IN LABOUR VOTE ACROSS SOMERSET ON NIGHT OF TRIUMPH FOR CORBYN

Friday, 9 June 2017

Wes Hinckes Labour candidate in Bridgwater and West Somerset

The Labour vote in Somerset virtually doubled yesterday as young voters surged towards Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Brexiteers who voted UKIP in 2015 turned to Labour and the Lib Dems faded.

Labour’s total for the county was up 90 per cent – from 27,188 in 2015 to 51,897 this time. The biggest triumph was in Bridgwater and West Somerset, where Labour’s Wes Hinckes won 16,663 votes, pushing the Lib Dems into a distant third place. That was a 74 per cent increase in the Labour vote – up from 9,589 in 2015.

Labour up across the county

And across the county there were similar stories. In Somerton and Frome, the Labour vote was up 148 per cent, from 4,419 to 10,998. And there were big increases, too, in Taunton Deane, where we won 9,689 votes (up 81 per cent) Wells with 7,129 votes (up 88 per cent) and Yeovil – 7,418 (up 83 per cent).

Labour growth around South West

Elsewhere in the South West, there was a clean sweep for Labour in Bristol, we held Exeter and gained Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (that’s one place, not three, unfortunately)

So on a great night for Labour across the country, a base for future success here in Somerset. And we may get the chance soon enough. If this turns out to a re-run of 1974 (and it feels a bit like it) we can do it all again in October.

Results in Somerset

SOMERSET LABOUR CANDIDATES IN FINAL PUSH FOR VOTES

Thursday, 8 June 2017

As a vibrant campaign reaches its close, candidates and activists across Somerset are preparing for the final effort to bring out Labour votes.All over the county, Labour activists and supporters have been energised by a campaign that has pushed forward Labour’s values of social justice while the Tories offered their discredited policy of more austerity.

And with the Liberal Democrats still tainted by their disastrous coalition with Cameron, Labour is the clear choice for all who want to register opposition to Theresa May.

For us: a radical manifesto, a charismatic leader, a brilliant campaign giving hope for Britain.

Against us, a robotic, untrustworthy prime minister at the head of a government based on fear.

With Labour: a secure NHS, public control of vital services, a million new homes, a constructive partnership with Europe.

With the Conservatives: more hard times and a crumbling public sector, more hungry families at food banks and a clumsy, expensive Brexit.

And today’s the day when we make the choice. Continue reading “SOMERSET LABOUR CANDIDATES IN FINAL PUSH FOR VOTES”