I’ve seen some celebration of £20 million being announced for further economic investment in Clifton, the one part of Nottingham to receive money to help centres away from city centres.
Described as a scheme to help high streets that are half-empty, I’m not sure Clifton will take kindly to that description.
Now £20 million won’t be refused, but £20 million is not that big a deal considering at one stage £210 million alone was planned for the renewal of The Meadows – which was then cancelled within 2 months of the Conservatives taking power in 2010, with some of the significant elements of the programme being provided – replacement of stacked maisonettes and implementing the decent homes standard for council housing.
Pro rata, Nottingham’s £20 million scales up to £4,000 million for the whole of the country and that equates to the subsidy we’ve (only a week before) given to a Norwegian company to extract oil and gas from the North Sea (so as to guarantee British energy needs being met). When we could have been reduced home costs and created local energy providing jobs (instead of increasing our dependence of burning hydrocarbons and making the climate crisis worse).
One such area is Clifton and whilst no doubt, a plan can be worked up to spend £20 million over 10 years, it seems a bit unfair on Clifton to describe its main shopping centre as half-empty. Other shopping district centres in Nottingham might be deemed to struggle to match Clifton’s occupancy.
Cos Labour has been ambitious for Clifton. The tram, the leisure centre and Cornerstone (the joint services centre), the no 48 provided by the best bus company in the country; addressing the under-shopping in Clifton (cos of the growth foreseen south of the city) – more units provided besides Morrisons at the Fairham triangle, with BMI and Aldi.
This is a re-allocation of money held back from councils for econ dev. (Remember how The Meadows lost £210 million 2 months after the election of the Conservative government in 2010.
What it is not is reducing bureaucracy. “A ‘Town Board’ will be set up in each of the places getting cash, which will see community leaders, employers, councils and the local MP deciding how it is spent.” And I presume that the board will have to submit plans that comply with nationally set criteria. (“The Government says priorities should include improving transport and connections, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and making high streets more attractive through initiatives such as using empty shops for new housing. … the Government has … created a new ‘Towns Taskforce’ sitting in central Government“.)
And what to say for the proposed New Mayor? Apparently needed to justify £38 million a year to be provided for econ. dev. in Notts & Derbys. – and yet a scheme with perhaps £18 million a year for 10 years can be announced on a Conference Sunday morning, without the involvement of a new Mayor.
The team that was sweeping down both sides of Clifton streets.
Took the chance to reminisce afterwards with Paddy Tipping about the New Labour government and the Good Friday agreement – the 25th anniversary of which was today. Yep, a time when national government was focussed on solving problems.
… by which I mean – standing up to the dog whistle nonsense of the national Conservative government on the doorstep.
Explaining that the national Conservative government are not processing asylum applications properly or efficiently, despite the rate being half what it was 20 years ago;
Explaining that we need to focus on getting people charged with criminal offences trialled at a much faster rate, rather than banging on about new offences for people who groom children;
Reminding people about what our focus was in times of New Labour – getting people into work, paying in rather than merely taking out; trebling the spend on health so as to delver waiting times for operations of 18 weeks or less; nearly trebling the spend on education to equip young people for the future.
In Clifton West, it gets more confusing as first the Conservatives drop the only 2 city councillors they have; then the Independents for Clifton stand 2 candidates with a label that kinda overlooks Wilford and Ruddington Lane. That’s 6 candidates competing for the reactionary vote; more if you remind yourselves that the Lib Dems enabled austerity with Cameron and Osborne.
On he other hand, Clifton West residents are being offered Labour candidates like Hayley and Seb who have a bit of vitality about them.
Campaigning, and prompted memories of how the council allocated an officer to driving development in Clifton and Bulwell in the 2015-2019 term.
Shame about social media carrying comments referring to people as rats. The problem no doubt occurs across all parties. I always cite George Orwell’s line on this, but I will seek to be extra vigilant on any comments on my sites that cross that line.
We quite like to deliver printed reports to residents in between elections. Not the only way to communicate, but we like to fo it as a part of all that is done.
Opponents have tweeted that Labour supporters turned up just to have their photo taken. So therein lies a challenge – are our opponents right to think that Clifton residents will readily agree with such an assertion?
Meanwhile, whilst leafleting, you have conversations – in between the celebrations of Forest scoring at Sheffield United.
The Bridges Community Trust held a fuddle for community activists.
Meanwhile, I have met the Trust’s senior worker to discuss their possible bid to take over the Meadows Youth and Community Centre. I raised a wide range of concerns about any forthcoming proposal and was pleased by the manner in which the challenges were taken.
Photo of Karl is from his retirement do in 2016 – a photo probably taken by his daughter, Shareene. Karl served Nottingham City Council for many years and including with the Meadows Youth Club. He was currently organising football for kids from The Meadows and was serving as a member of the boards of Queens Walk Community Association and The Bridges Community Trust. He was frequently promoting events at the Sheriff’s Club.
Karl came to live in Britain not long after his parents had moved here; he started in the world of work as a welder. He wrote a book about his life in youth work and of his experiences – “My Journey: Four Decades of Transition“.
Karl was taken into hospital with Covid-19, where he suffered a stroke. He was 68.
Frances celebrated Nottingham; here at the opening of a costume and textiles museum in 1983.
TRIBUTE GIVEN AT JULY FULL COUNCIL.
Frances died peacefully in May at the age of 97. For a number of years, she was a Nottingham City Councillor, representing University ward from 1973 to 1976 and the then Clifton East ward, from 1979 to 1987. I knew Frances as her ward Councillor and as a Labour party colleague, but such was the passion involved in her memories of her time serving the people, that I found out relatively little of what she did. I just knew how deeply she cared. She was a Chair of a committee – a substantial role. She was Chair of Leisure Services committee for 5 years. And part of that generation of Councillors who were big and bold in what the council tried to do for the people – a boldness we now remember for major changes like introducing bus lanes and for successful campaigns such as keeping NCT publicly owned. Known too for Frank Dennett being her husband. They had 5 daughters – Paula, Christina, Patricia, Lesley and Sheila. They had 9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Frances, and Frank, worked for all the people, the common people, the people especially when they felt they had no voice. Such was their commitment that their grown-up daughters would kinda complain of having to make appointments at The Council House just to see them to sort family things out. Cos how Frances and Frank loved The Council House – wanting it to be valued and available to the people. They organised an exhibition of the art by T.W.Hammond – whose drawings you see throughout the corridors of The Council House. They made the national Shrievalty organization click and Frances was a volunteer collator of Nottingham’s civic history; she was Honorary Alderman since 1991. For such service and commitment, Frances was recognised as one of 100 Nottingham Women of Substance in 2011 – women recognised for having been an inspiration to others in the city. Heartache for her daughters that Covid-19 prevented them from seeing her in her home – where she Frances survived a bout of Covid-19 – since the lockdown started, and prevented their attendance at her funeral. Let us here celebrate her life, recognise her commitment and know that she valued Nottingham’s people and loved what she regarded as their, the Nottingham people’s, Council House.
Finally, a tribute from former MP Alan Simpson. “Frances and Frank were ubiquitous, as a couple, in all the big battles fought by Labour and [in] all the smaller everyday problems people brought to their door. “I never came across anyone who didn’t both love and like them.”
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