Recent Press Releases:

7th December

CONSERVATIVES FREEZE COUNCIL TAX

Residents of Kingston will be £83 better off thanks to proposals put forward by the Conservatives. The Conservative led Coalition Government announced further funding to local authorities to freeze their Council Tax for a second year, saving residents across the borough £2.14m.

However, the LibDem Executive Member for Finance Cllr Rolson Davies suggested at the October Full Council that “accepting the money would fall well short of being a good deal for residents.”

Your local Conservatives moved swiftly to put forward a motion at the December Full Council which would call on the LibDem controlled council to accept the money and spare our residents anymore financial hardship in the coming year.

Conservative Shadow Finance Member Cllr Priyen Patel said “residents of Kingston already pay the highest Council Tax in London and second highest in the country. This was an opportunity for the LibDems to grant residents a bit of breathing space and some much needed help in keeping more of their hard earned money in their pockets.”

Conservative Shadow Member for Safeguarding Children Cllr Mike Burden went onto say that “the LibDem administration have a real opportunity to accept £2.14m from the Government. This would make a real difference to families across the borough who are experiencing rising food and energy costs – on the back of hiked parking charges in excess of 200% - levied by the LibDems.”

After much deliberation and reluctance on the LibDem benches the Conservative motion was unanimously passed. Conservative Shadow Member for Healthy Living Cllr Eric Humphrey said “£2.14m is a substantial amount of money that would make a real difference to residents. Let’s hope the LibDems actually keep their word and are not looking gift horses in the mouth.”

7th November

LIB DEMS BREAK THE LAW – ONE LINE TOO FAR

Kingston Council has broken the law on a number of occasions in its pursuit to penalise motorists at all costs. Cllr Rolson Davies member for Finance was unwilling to give a commitment that the LibDem Administration will stop the Mobile CCTV Enforcement vehicle parking on yellow lines and obstructing traffic whilst carrying out its enforcement duties.

The council has generated over £564,000 through penalty notices alone from this one vehicle over the course of this year – with residents claiming some of these penalties being issued whilst the Mobile CCTV vehicle was reported to be parked on double yellow lines.

Cllr Howard Jones leader of the Conservative Group said“It is a fundamental premise of English Criminal Law that you should not break the criminal law in pursuance of investigation of into another criminal offence and parking on double yellow lines to photograph offending vehicles is not acceptable. Residents are fed up with the Council lining its coffers using this tactic in its fight against the car user with what amounts to another tax on the motorist.”

1st November

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Proposals put forward by Conservative Councillors calling for greater transparency and accountability of elected representatives was unanimously passed at the October Full Council Meeting.

Conservative Group LeaderCouncillor Howard Jones has expressed his delight after yet another Conservative-proposed motion was passed, building on the previous success of re-introducing the original Committee structure earlier this year.

Put forward byCllr Howard Jones the motion called for the Council to support the aims of the Localism Bill & the Government’s drive for greater transparency and develop a strategy to implement measures which will benefit Kingston residents, such as removing bureaucracy, empowering communities and strengthening of local democracy.

The recommendations called for the recording in the minutes of all meetings of how Councillors voted, together with a summary of the debate and to have available either full handwritten notes or electronic recording for future reference purposes.

The Conservative Group Leader said ‘very sensibly the LibDems have listened to our argument and agreed that releasing this information to the public will provide a wealth of local knowledge and spark more improvements in the way services are delivered.

18th July

KINGSTON COUNCIL STRIKE LUCKY

To claim that residents of Kingston are receiving ‘value for money’ by the Lib-Dem administration after recording an under spend of just £71k for the final year-end budget (2010/11) fails to demonstrate transparency and the reality of how this council spends tax payers money.

The statement by Cllr Rolson Davies Lib-Dem Executive member for Finance was released despite residents across the borough continuing to pay the highest council tax in London and the second highest in the whole country!

Cllr Howard Jones said: “that the council has been somewhat fortunate to deliver a £71k under spend when £827k alone was saved due to the coalition government’s decision to cease the Build Schools for the Future programme an area that the council had no control over”.

In addition,Cllr Priyen Patel said "a further £206k was saved due to a one-off income of VAT rebates concerning parking fees dating back over 40 years. Taking these two ‘un-budgeted’ events into account the council would of in fact recorded another overspend in excess of £962k!”

This result comes against the backdrop of cuts to adult social care and hikes in fees for the most vulnerable, whilst senior officer’s pay continues to remain ‘excessively’ high in relative terms to the size of the borough.

Whilst yet again more taxpayers money has been pumped into subsidising the Rose Theatre. All this compounded further by hikes to parking charges and business parking which has undoubtedly had a knock on affect on the Council’s income after recording a staggering fall in revenue of over £503k from off-street parking.

6th June

'FAT CATS STAY FAT'

Yet again another opportunity was wasted when Kingston Council failed to reduce council officer’s pay at last month’s Senior Staff Panel. The decision not to reduce senior staff pay provoked a strong display of disapproval from Conservative Leader Cllr Howard Jones and Cllr David Cunningham.

Cllr Jones:“an opportunity was wasted for the size of the Strategic Leadership Team to be reconsidered, with a view to it being slimmed down and for senior officer’s contracts to be re-negotiated.”

The decision not to reduce senior officer pay comes against the backdrop of cuts to adult social care and hikes in fees for the most vulnerable. This has been compounded with residents of Kingston paying the highest council tax in London and the second highest in the whole of England.

Cllr Jones’ said this comes on top of revelations that the Lib-Dems have ‘freely’ spent £8 million of council taxpayer’s money on agency staff and consultancy since June 2010.

12th May

KINGSTON COUNCIL ELECTS CONSERVATIVE MAYOR

Kingston Council has elected Councillor Patrick Codd to be the Mayor of the Royal Borough for the municipal year 2011/12.

Councillor Codd is one of the best loved and most respected member of the Conservative Group on Kingston Council.

A passionate local activist, has been a councillor for Coombe since 1994.

He has been Chairman of Maldens and Coombe Neighbourhood Committee, Deputy Leader of the Council, Chairman of Planning and Development, Chairman of Development and Royal Park Neighbourhood Committees.

Churchwarden at St Luke’s Kingston, he has been a governor of Robin Hood Primary School since 1992.

His Deputy Mayor will be Councillor Geoff Austin. He was elected as one of Canbury Ward’s Conservative Councillors in 2006.

Geoff and his wife Sheila have lived in Clifton Road for almost twenty years, and they have one son and two grandchildren. Not surprisingly after a career working in Social Services, Geoff’s particular interests are Child Protection and the welfare of the elderly and people with disabilities.

A familiar voice on the Kingston Talking Newspaper for the Blind, and Kingston Hospital Radio, Geoff’s other passion is sport, and after a long playing career he is now an active Rugby Union referee. He also enjoys watching football, and is a Patron of our local football club Kingstonian F.C.

5th April

VICTORY FOR LOCAL DEMOCRACY

Tuesday 5th April 2011 will be remembered as the day that Conservative Councillors succeeded in ending the 'top down' approach to how local government makes its decisions.

Thanks to the efforts of the Conservative led coalition and our local Conservative Councillors, the Liberal Democrat administration in the Council agreed the creation of three new strategic committees which will take over the legal powers of the Executive.

The proposal will now be debated at Full Council on April 27th. If agreed the new committee structure will give Councillors on all sides a greater opportunity to engage in the decision making process of the Borough.

Power will no longer be centralised with a small delegation of councillors, thus enabling the views of all councillors and the residents they serve to be voiced.

2nd March 2011

COMPASSIONATE COMMISSIONING!

Proposals agreed unanimously by the Liberal Democrat administration will see the most vulnerable hit hard by devastating cuts. This provoked a strong display of disapproval from many residents in the council chamber. Conservative Shadow Portfolio holder for Finance Councillor Priyen Patel said “These are not times to be spending money on what we would like – thequestion is what we must spend council tax payer’s money on?”

Conservative Leader Councillor Howard Jones argued that he could not support a budget that will see the most vulnerable people in Kingston endure huge cuts to services such as day care centres and social care for the elderly, whilst the Rose Theatre is set to see a further injection of £2.5 million over five years.

Cllr Jones said “Commissioning without compassion is not the way we want to see our council operate. They have choices on how to spend our money and I think we should be putting vulnerable people before the theatre.”

Residents of Kingston will pleased that they will not be hit with an increase in their council tax. Thanks to the hard work Boris Johnson Mayor of London and a Conservative led Coalition have done to help people through the difficult economic climate the Kingston Lib Dems have been able to forgo an increase in council tax this year. Their financial mismanagement over several years however, means we will still be paying the highest council tax in London.

Conservatives also attacked the lack of ambition in the Commissioning programme, lack of tackling issues such as over paid senior staff, lack of urgency in seeking economies in scale by joining services with other councils and service providers.

3rd February 2011

Good News for Council Tenants!

Under proposals from the Conservative-led Coalition Government, Kingston Council will be able to keep all the rents raised from tenants and spend it in Kingston. Under rules set by the former Labour Government, nearly a third of the rent was paid to the Government. This money was then sent to Labour heartlands. For Kingston residents this meant that money that could have been used for repairs was never made available.

NOW, thanks to the Conservative-led Coalition Government, all that will change. From April 2012 Councils like Kingston will be able to keep all their rents raised from tenants. This good news was revealed on Tuesday night to the well-attended Housing Consultative Committee.

But that still leaves years of enforced neglect of our housing stock thanks to the Labour Government storing the unspent rentals that they insisted the Council hand over. The money needed by Kingston could exceed £100 million and the Council has already applied for some of that.

But the Housing Minister Grant Shapps told Councillor Dennis Doe, who, last week, met him together with other Conservative Cllrs, that the Government is sitting on £3 ½ billion at least. He hopes to distribute this later in 2012.

Cllr Dennis Doe said ‘At long last we have a Housing Minister who is listening. I found him a breath of fresh air.’

25th January 2011

Care Charges Scrutinised

Conservative Group Leader Councillor Howard Jones last night slammed the brakes on the Council’s care charge proposals for the vulnerable and disabled.

At the Scrutiny Panel meeting investigating the charge hikes, which was chaired by Cllr Jones and attended by many of the residents who will be affected by them, Shadow Executive Member for Adult Support Cllr Eric Humphrey accused the Administration of rigidly adhering to Dept of Health guidelines in order to justify the hikes, guidelines which were drawn up by the previous Government and which ‘punished the prudent and rewarded the profligate’.

Having heard from service users, Executive Members and council officers, the Panel moved to make a series of recommendations for the Executive to consider before taking their final decision. These included: rewarding prudency by increasing the level of savings at which the full charge is levied; finding ways to mitigate the effects for those with greater care needs; publishing guidelines on what will be exempted, specifically relating to the costs of vehicles and wheelchairs, making allowances for savings for a deposit for a home, and to recognise that young disabled people have a right to realise the same ambitions as the rest of the community.

Cllr Jones said “Whilst those who can afford to pay should make more of a contribution we have a duty to make sure we do not penalise those who because of no fault of their own have disabilities which require essential care; they are our community’s most vulnerable and we must look after them. Tonight serves as a reminder that we as a society will be judged on how we help maintain their quality of life’

19th January 2011

Conservative Motion Passed Unanimously

Conservative Group LeaderCouncillor Howard Jones has expressed his delight after yet another Conservative-proposed motion was passed unanimously.

Put forward by Cllr Andrea Craig, Shadow Executive Member for Education for All, the motion called for the Council to support the aims of the Decentralisation & Localism Bill and develop a strategy to implement measures which will benefit Kingston residents, such as removing bureaucracy, empowering communities and diversifying the supply of public services.

After a debate in the Council Chamber, the motion was supported by Councillors from both sides and became the third consecutive Conservative motion to pass unanimously.

Cllr Jones said ‘we are delighted to have passed a motion which seeks to create a charter for local residents and requires the Council to develop a strategy to assist with its implementation. We also see the cross-party support as a welcome move towards consensus politics which can only benefit the residents’.

12th January 2011

Conservatives Overturn Parking Charges Increase

Councillor Howard Jones has welcomed news that the decision concerning the unprecedented increase in parking charges has been deferred until Budget Council on 15^th February.

The announcement comes after Coalition Minister Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Local Government, said that pushing up parking charges was “the lazy approach to saving money”.

The Council has deferred any decision on the unpopular and outrageous hikes in both on-street and contract parking, recently announced by the Council on Christmas Eve, which would adversely affect small businesses and the viability of the town centre, after representations from Cllr Jones.

The Conservative Group Leader said ‘very sensibly they have listened to our argument and agreed that all financial decisions should be addressed in totality rather than piecemeal throughout the year and we’ll wait to see the budget proposals in February before we take an holistic view on our precarious financial situation.’

11th January 2011

Cllr Jones meets with David Cameron

Councillor Howard Jones met with Prime Minister David Cameron at a reception hosted at 10 Downing Street, and discussed the Government’s proposals to give more power to councillors and local residents in Kingston.

The Government’s Localism Bill will lay the foundations for the Big Society by radically transforming the relationships between central government, local government, communities and individuals. It aims to strengthen local democracy by handing new powers down to councils, establishing powerful new rights for local people, overhauling the planning system, as well as making housing decisions fairer and supporting local businesses.

Commenting, Councillor Jones said: ‘It was an honour to visit Downing Street and to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss the positive changes the Government are making to the way local councils are run. By putting an end to the hoarding of power within central government and the top down control of communities, local people will have the freedom to run their lives and neighbourhoods in their own way. In Kingston we intend to confirm our support for this huge decentralisation in a motion we have already proposed to Council.’

20th October 2010

Scrutiny Unearths One Council Failures

Conservative Group Leader and Scrutiny Panel Chairman Cllr Howard Jones accused the portfolio holder for One Council[i] of showing a ‘lack of leadership’ and said that the delay in initiating discussions on joint working was ‘unjustifiable’, as the Scrutiny into the cost-cutting and money-saving initiative ‘One Council’ revealed several wasted opportunities.

Firstly, the project aimed at restructuring has taken so long to even identify which steps to take that months of potential savings have been missed, resulting not only in a missed opportunity to reinvigorate a flagging money-saving exercise but also to save a considerable amount of money over the summer months.

It also emerged that the Administration has failed to even investigate the possibility of working jointly with neighbouring councils (for example by sharing services or merging departments) until 30^th September this year – some four and half months after their re- election! – failing to inject any new impetus into the project.

These revelations came as a blow to the Conservative Group, who have for a significant time (stretching back before the election) proposed looking into joint working with neighbouring councils in areas such as Legal Services, Trading Standards, Audit, ICT provision, and Environmental Health.

Also, despite repeated offers from the Conservative Group and its leaders to work side by side with the Administration and reduce the volume of polarised, adversarial politics at the Council, the Administration has failed to consult the opposition Conservative Group on key issues such as these One Council Projects which will affect the Councillors and their work so profoundly.

A meeting between One Council Project Managers, the Executive and the Shadow Executive was proposed by Conservative members but as yet had not been agreed to by the relevant Portfolio holder. Cllr Jones concluded by saying that in future ‘all councillors should have a closer relationship with the progress of One Council.’

20th October 2010

Stalinist Kingston

A motion proposed by the Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr Howard Jones was passed unanimously at Tuesday evening’s full Council meeting. Cllr Jones sought a shift away from the Council’s current Stalinist, Soviet style of decision-making toward a more democratic style of leadership ‘whereby all matters will be discussed and reviewed in committees in which all parties are represented before going to the Executive or full Council for final decisions’, as they previously were.

He was referring to the so-called modernisation of the decision-making process in 2002, when the Council adopted what is known as the ‘Leader and Executive’ model, promoted by the Labour Government, whereby the Council’s formal decisions are made through the Executive. Secretary of State for Local Government Eric Pickles has recently made it clear that Local Authorities can now choose for themselves how they formulate their decision-making processes.

In his proposal speech, Cllr Jones said he was concerned that ‘all major decisions of this Council are now made by a small group of seven Executive members all drawn from the majority party’ and that this had the potential to alienate backbenchers, who are now only required to provide loyalty, rather than policy input, to the Executive.

Leader of the Council Cllr Osbourne said that he was in agreement with the Motion and also felt that backbenchers, and the Opposition, should have more of an input. He requested the addition of a small amendment, concerning the ‘costs and practicalities’ of bringing forward the proposals.

Cllr Jones said afterwards ‘I am very much in favour of a committee system with suitable time built in for discussion and review by representatives of all parties, prior to determination and recommendation to the Executive or full council as the way forward. A re-introduction of the recognition of the role of Councillors in developing policies, of the role of opposition in contributing to that policy development is surely one way of ensuring a return to transparent democracy. Our residents believe that their Councillors – the people that they voted for - are making the decisions – they think – like most of us did before we were elected – that democracy meant that we all have a say – - well I say let’s change the system so that we all have a say again.’

Full transcript of motion (amendment in black): ‘The Council’s current Executive style of decision making ill serves the democratic process. Therefore this Council is determined to introduce a more democratic style of leadership whereby all matters will be discussed and reviewed in committees in which all parties are represented before going to the Executive or full Council for final decisions. This Council requests the Executive, through the Constitutional Review Working Group, to bring forward proposals that will ensure a more transparent democracy which includes all Councillors in the democratic process with a full examination of the costs and practicalities.’

Full transcript of speech also available

20th October 2010

Licensing Requirements Ignored!

At last night’s meeting of the Full Council, Conservative Cllr Adrian Holder asked a question in response to the recent news that out of all 624 wards in London, Grove Ward has one of the highest rates of violent crime. Cllr Holder wanted to know how many licensed premises in the ward that have the requirement of SIA door staff as a condition on their license have breached it and how many have therefore received a warning or indeed been prosecuted.

Executive Member for Licensing Cllr Simon James responded by claiming that one prosecution had been conducted this year for a breach but Cllr Holder, a member of the Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee, was therefore aware that this prosecution can only have taken place subsequent to the most recent meeting of the Licensing Sub-Committee on 24^th September, when those present were informed by the Metropolitan Police that no business had yet been prosecuted for such a breach, and that in fact, there had been numerous reports to police of premises having no door staff (full figures below).

In response, Cllr James suggested that these breaches had not been logged at the Council and he was therefore powerless to do anything about them. He also blamed the restriction of the Licensing Act 2003 and a lack of funding for not being able to monitor and admonish those found in breach.

Cllr Holder said afterwards ‘It’s a sad state of affairs when the licensing policy does not properly ensure conditions laid out by the Licensing Sub-Committee are upheld. One of the premises found in breach was reported on a staggering 59 separate occasions, yet we were told on 24^th September by both council officers and the police that no business has been warned or prosecuted for a breach. It is unbelievable that the Executive Member for Licensing has failed to ensure these conditions are enforced either by warning or prosecution. This is disappointing not only for the Licensing Sub-Committee, but for the public, especially those who live in Grove ward which is why I called on Cllr James to relinquish his portfolio to be replaced by someone in his party better placed to support the Licensing Sub-Committee.’

13th October 2010

Council Waste Highlighted at Scrutiny

It emerged at last night’s Scrutiny of the council’s ICT Strategy that enormous amounts of money are wasted on equipment due to poor procurement policies: £500,000 a year is spent, not always wisely.

An example of the expenditure includes a Dell laptop keyboard available on the High Street for £29 being purchased by RBK’s ICT Department for a staggering £80! Scrutiny Panel Chairman Cllr Howard Jones described the revelation as ‘disgraceful’ whilst Interim Head of IT Mike Fogaty admitted it was ‘alarming’ and that a specialist would be employed so that a better process could be implemented by the end of the year. He acknowledged that the areas of contracts and procurement have been ‘poor performers’ for the department.

The Executive Member for Finance, Cllr Rolson Davies admitted that much of the equipment procured by the department was non-essential or outdated, saying ‘emails can be accessed via many mobile phones nowadays – we should therefore look at the type of technology we are buying and whether it is the most appropriate.’

Cllr Jones added ‘This is simply an unacceptable waste of the public funds. It is basic common sense to seek out the best value for money particularly in these difficult times and it is certainly our duty to do that. Better procurement could double the savings in this department to £500,000 a year and I expect the impressive new Interim Head of ICT to implement a proper process as a matter of urgency.’

28th July 2010

Conservatives Back Electric Vehicle Exhibition

Conservative Councillor Robert John Tasker was today in Kingston’s Market Square for the opening of an exhibition showcasing the many types of electric vehicles currently available – many of which were designed or produced by locals including residents and students at Kingston University. The event will also provide an opportunity for visitors to take a look at and discuss the charging facilities within the Borough and across London, as well as the economic and environmental benefits of ‘driving electric’.

The free, two-day event will be officially opened at noon on Wednesday 28^th July, lasting for two days, and including a debate on the future of electric cars at 2pm. Visitors will be able to wander around inspecting an array of eco-friendly modes of transport and aim any queries at members of the Transition Town Kingston team.

Cllr Tasker said ‘It is truly inspiring to see electric cars designed and built by Kingston residents and students at the university. Electric cars really are the future, and it’s great to see Kingston at the cutting edge of innovation.’

29th June 2010

Kingston Magistrates' Court Under Threat Again!

News that Kingston Magistrates’ Court is yet again under threat of closure has been met with disappointment and dismay from the Conservative Group.

The court rooms, which are situated underneath the Guildhall and have been in operation since the building opened in 1935, have been earmarked as one of 157 around the country deemed ‘underused and inadequate’ and could face closure in a drive towards a ‘more modern fit for purpose justice system’

The Borough has three levels of justice operating in Kingston; the Crown, County, and Magistrates’ Courts. The provision of Courts in this Borough goes back at least 400 years. The closure of the Magistrates’ Courts could lead to the disintegration of an efficient administrative unit to be replaced only with extra work and travel for an over stretched police force, and inconvenience for residents.

Were the courtrooms to be permanently closed, cases would be heard in the magistrates’ courts of neighbouring towns and Boroughs, such as Richmond, Wimbledon or Staines, meaning many Kingston residents would face additional expense and inconvenience as they are forced to travel across south-west London in order to see justice dispensed. It could also potentially lead to fewer police officers on the Borough’s streets as they would be required to leave the Borough every time they are needed to attend court.

Conservative Leader Cllr Howard Jones, himself a former policeman, said that the Conservative Group believes whole-heartedly with the principles of localism and the local agenda, and expressed his concern at the prioritising of financial issues, adding ‘we believe in local justice for local people and expecting justice to be at the whim of economic pressures is a slippery slope.’

27th May 2010

Kingston Conservatives Support Tenant-Led Stock Transfer

Kingston Conservatives have demanded that the Executive Member for Housing implement their strategy for tackling the problems affecting Council Housing in Kingston. They further questioned the value of spending over £100,000 on consultant’s fees to test the opinion of residents when a previous, council-led survey had already returned a resounding conclusion.

Last year, the Lib Dems commissioned a consultation on the future of the council’s property stock, in which a variety of outcomes were considered, including a transfer of RBK’s properties to a benevolent housing association with the funds to carry out the immediate major improvements that many of our estates so badly need. Yet, with the returned results, the Lib Dem Administration bottled any further discussion on the options that were then available.

Additionally, the Council ran its own survey of council tenants in which a majority revealed that they would support a transfer to a new landlord if all their tenancy rights were protected and it led to improvements to their homes, this is a position largely supported by the Kingston Federation of Residents Associations.

Kingston Conservatives are determined to work closely with The Kingston Federation of Residents Associations, to ensure inclusive resident representation and support, and to guarantee a fully open consultation on the issues that concern residents most, such as tenancy rights and legal security post-transfer. The Federation of Resident’s Associations under a Conservative administration would have been given resources and expected to play a lead role in ensuring a satisfactory future for all Council tenants and leaseholders.

Councillor Dennis Doe, Shadow Portfolio holder for Housing, said ‘The Administration should be ashamed of the conditions many of its residents live in, and with the ever-increasing number of requests for repairs or urgent renovations, coupled with tightly constrained budgets, an alternative solution must be found. Our Group proposed a coherent strategy for Council Housing in the elections. We offer it to the Executive Member for Housing for implementation immediately.’

April 2010

Traffic Flow Scheme Vetoed by Lib Dems

A permit scheme by Mayor of London Boris Johnson designed to give councils the power to turn down or refuse roadwork schemes has been shunned by the ruling Lib Dem administration in Kingston!

The London-wide scheme makes it a criminal offence to carry out road-works above a certain threshold without permission. Twenty-five London boroughs have already signed up; meaning three quarters of all roads in the capital will be covered by the permits by early next year, allowing for a reduction in the 36% of traffic delays caused by road-works in London.

However, Cllr Bob Steed, Executive Member for the Environment, has said despite the ‘current problems’ blighting the Royal Borough’s highways, he is still ‘not quite sure of the benefits’ of the scheme. He has refused to sign up to the code and said ‘we want to see how it goes.’

The Conservative Group has pledged to re-evaluate the scheme if they are elected in the forthcoming local elections. Leader Cllr Howard Jones said ‘Interminable traffic jams and hold ups caused by road-works result in increased carbon emissions, angry motorists, and damage the local economy. We see no good reason for the Administration’s refusal to sign up.’

London Assembly Member for South-West London Tony Arbour has questioned why the Lib Dems would ‘rather play party politics than join the Mayor in working to cut road-works.’

Kingston Conservatives respond to Age Concern Kingston’s Election Manifesto

Kingston Conservatives have been fierce champions of issues that affect older people in Kingston. Councillor David Fraser has stood up for the users of Hobkirk Day Care Centre in New Malden against personal attacks by the Lib Dem Leader of the Council. We have as a Group also always welcomed Age Concern in Kingston and recognised the outstanding work the organisation does.

We believe that the Lib Dems are wrong once again in not recognising the increasing elderly population of the borough. They failed to see the increase in birth rate and now they ignore the growing number of older people. They say we are getting younger in Kingston, many may wish that to be true but when you exclude our ever expanding University population, the remainder both at school age and those in retirement is on the increase.

We need to be more imaginative in how we work with older people and organisations like Age Concern. We need to help people stay independent and able to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. We also need to plan for a new generation of Care Homes to replace Hobkirk House and Newent House that are now showing their own age and need updating. We also want to address the growing problem of older single people not having access to places where they can socialise with others. One local doctor said “There are far too many single older people, waiting behind their front doors to die”. We need to address this and provide more activities in Kingston and not less for older people.

We have addressed your concerns as expressed in the spring edition of Agenda:

Health and care

Age Concern say: Increase investment in preventative measures now, thus saving money on treatment and care in the long run. In addition to this, more funding should be put into

dementia research. Join up health and social care services to create a fully integrated, accessible service and support the voluntary sector to help people to stay independent and in their own homes for longer.

Kingston Conservatives say: We support your views on more preventative care and research into Dementia. We will on a local level look to merge more of our social care services with those of NHS Kingston. In the Long Term we believe NHS Kingston should become part of the Council which would allow us to develop even better services and reduce costs that can be reinvested in new and innovative support to our residents. We passionately believe that everyone should be given the support they need to stay independent and in their own homes for as long as possible and we will support the voluntary sector and work with NHS Kingston to achieve this aim.

Society for all ages

Age Concern say: Create more opportunities for contact and support between the generations in order to strengthen community cohesion and tackle negative perceptions and stereotypes. The balance also needs to be redressed to make older people as much of a priority as the younger generations.

Kingston Conservatives say: We welcome this suggestion. We will invite Age Concern and the Youth Council to meet with the Conservative Executive Member for Community and Well Being to discuss how we as the Council can work to with both Age Concern and the Youth Council and other organisations in the borough to address the issues raised.

A Councillor will be appointed as an advocate for older people’s concerns and interests and will be charged with raising awareness of the issue and to make sure that the Council acknowledges the needs and gives the same priority as shown to other members of the community.

Support for voluntary sector

Age Concern say: Local authorities should more actively support voluntary organisations such as Age Concern Kingston to enable them to support older people and the local community.

Kingston Conservatives say: We have already pledged in our Manifesto towork more closely with the Voluntary Sector and help build capacity to meet the demands that will be made upon it.

Retirement age

Age Concern says: Scrap the default retirement age and replace it with a flexible, phased approach to retirement. Forced retirement is ageist and leads to a loss of skills and talent.

Kingston Conservatives say: We understand this point of view. Councillor David Fraser is 82 years old and has no plans to retire either from the Council or his job with Surrey County Council as a social worker.

Carers

Age Concern say: Increase support and benefits for carers of older people and older carers and improve access to treatment for early stage dementia, which severely affects carers.

Kingston Conservatives say: The Conservative Party has national policies that address these concerns for carers. We have always been supportive of the Kingston Carers Network and will do all we can to support carers of older people and older carers.

We will review the access for early treatment for early stage dementia and work with NHS Kingston to make any improvements that can be made.

Pensions

Age Concern say: Increase the state pension and link it to national average earnings.

Kingston Conservatives say: This is our national policy and we understand the financial pressures on older people’s incomes. We will do all we can on a local level to freeze the costs of services for older residents and work with Age Concern and others to expand the access to services that can be enjoyed and are affordable to use.

Information and advice

Age Concern say: Support people to make their own choices by improving access to advice and information.

Kingston Conservatives say: We will develop a new day care service for our older residents. It will have as its aim the provision of places to meet, talk, relax, and be entertained, but also somewhere to seek advice and help to enable the enjoyment of life in retirement. We want elderly residents to live independently for as long as possible.

Housing

Age Concern says: Kingston council housing stock is very old and private housing is expensive. Affordable, quality housing is desperately needed to ensure people have the choice to remain living independently.

Kingston Conservatives say: We agree that our Council owned housing stock condition is poor. Working with development partners we have plans and we will seek to address this issue in the next four years.

End discrimination and abuse

Age Concern Say: Bring the ban on age discrimination in the NHS into immediate effect rather than waiting until 2012. Tackle ageism in the workplace and in the media and bring the campaign against elder abuse into the mainstream.

Kingston Conservatives say: We will add our voice to this concern locally and we will also look to how the Council behaviour and how the Council can provide leadership to all local employers on this point, stopping age discrimination in the Royal Borough of Kingston.

Improve public transport

Age Concern say: Create a more accessible, joined up transport system and better and more reliable door-to-door and community transport through consultation with older people, as set out in the winter issue of Agenda. The withdrawal of Capital Call and the Kingston Enterprise has had a severe impact on older people’s mobility and has increased their sense of exclusion and isolation and needs to be tackled urgently.

Kingston Conservatives say: Conservative Councillor Ken Smith has been actively reviewing the provision of specialist transport for older people. We will work with the Mayor of London to ensure we have the best possible services.

Safety and security

Age Concern say: Improve safety and security for older people both inside and outside the home by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and improving the environment to reduce the risk of falls and increase accessibility.

Kingston Conservatives say: We share your concerns and have several pledges to address the issues you raise. We will have one Conservative Councillor in charge of Crime Prevention, Licensing and Enforcement, something the Lib Dems refuse to do. We will work with the Local Police and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, to increase the number of police on our streets. We will respond to the wishes of local people and tackle anti-social behaviour as a priority. We will improve the security of our Parks and Green Spaces. We will show zero tolerance toward those who spoil our neighbourhoods with graffiti.

Adult education

Age Concern say: Redress the balance to make adult education as much of a priority as youth education and make lifelong learning accessible and affordable for all.

Kingston Conservatives say: In our Manifesto we have already pledged to protect and develop our Adult Education Services to ensure access for as many residents as possible. We agree that it has to be given a greater priority both locally and we will lobby for better funding from Central Government.

The Conservative Housing Policy for Kingston: Our Council Owned Homes

Kingston Conservatives believe that the last eight years have been the worst in living memory for our residents who live in council-owned homes. The Kingston Federation of Residents Associations, which represents all council tenants and leaseholders in the borough, recently highlighted the Council’s own admission that nearly one in three of all its council homes are in such a poor condition that they fail the Government’s own very lowly ‘decent homes’ standard.

Conservative Councillors have campaigned for years for action to be taken. The Lib Dems have repeatedly blamed the Labour Government but have done nothing to resolve the problem. Their failure to work with our tenants and leaseholders has resulted in endless meetings without any progress being made.

Last year, the Lib Dems spent over £100,000 on consultant’s fees testing the opinion of residents before bottling any further discussion on the options that are currently available, such as transferring its properties to a benevolent housing association with the funds to carry out immediate major improvements. Yet the Council’s own tenants’ survey revealed that, when asked if they would support a transfer to a new landlord IF all their tenancy rights were protected and it led to improvements to their homes, a MAJORITY said they would!

Following next month’s election, a Conservative Administration will immediately open negotiations with the Federation to agree a timetable for them to jointly put together a business plan that will support a tenant-led stock transfer. We will also consider a funding package that will give them the resources they need to build up inclusive resident representation and support. This funding will be linked to achieving agreed milestones on a path to the ultimate transfer of housing from RBK being completed during 2012/13.

We will not exclude anyone from the process and guarantee to consult openly and fully on the issues that concern residents most, such as ensuring the maintenance of all tenancy rights including their legal security to continue living in their homes after ownership is transferred. This process will be led by tenants and fully supported by a Conservative-controlled Council.

Councillor Ian George, Shadow Housing Spokesmansaid: “We cannot go on like this. It’s a disgrace and heart breaking that so many of our council tenants are asked to live in such poor housing conditions. It is also disheartening for our officers who do their best to handle the ever-rising tide of requests for repairs and renovations when their budgets are so tightly constrained.”

Councillor Paul Johnston, Chair of the Housing Consultative Committeeadded: “We need to work with council tenants and leaseholders and listen to them more. Both we and the Federation are determined to help residents take the lead in resolving their own housing needs. The question of future ownership has to be resolved if we are to unlock the much needed investment that is available through other social landlords, before we see our council estates crumble into even further decay.”

Kingston Conservatives announce Kingston Olympic Festival 2012 (27^th July – 12^th August 2012)

The 2010 London Olympics will be a once in a life time opportunity to our residents and for the borough to enjoy the experience together. The Kingston Conservatives have been working on two proposals. The first proposal is to make sure every school child gets to visit either the Olympics or the Paralympics once and the second proposal is to stage “A Kingston Olympic Festival”. We will discuss and develop our final proposal with the Kingston Youth Council and other community organisations and consult with residents on which of the Borough’s Parks we would be the location for the Festival. Parks to be considered are Fairfield Park (Kingston Town), Victoria Park (Surbiton), King Georges Park (Tolworth) or Manor Park (New Malden) Recreation Ground. The London Olympic Games Organising Committee wants to work with all London Boroughs. We hope theseOlympics will make Kingstonians feel good about themselves!

The Kingston Olympic Festival 2012.

For the duration of the London 2012 Olympics, the chosen Park would become known as Kingston Olympic Festival Park during the Festival. Within the park we propose:

· The Kingston Olympic Festival Screen & Stage - a large mobile LED screen backing onto the central pathway. Our proposal would be to use a mobile big screen unit with stage that can drive into the Park.

· The Kingston Olympic Festival Arena - a central track/field for activities

· The Kingston Olympic Festival Quarter - a walled, temporary structure along the boundary of the park

· The Kingston Olympic Festival Activity Area – a series of Exhibition / trade stands running along the park boundaries

There will be events for residents every day of the 17 days of the London Olympics. We would hope people of all ages and abilities will take part, from nought to ninety. We will aim to ensure all events are fully inclusive and accessible, we will work with any groups of individuals or organisations who would like to submit entries or teams.'

The programme will encourage local high level sports achievers, clubs, facilities and schools to come together. We can offer an ongoing opportunity to try, inspire and engage young people who currently see neither the point nor have the opportunity to develop a passion for a particular sport'.

Personal Well Being and Health issues are a growing concern and this Olympic Festival will give the Royal Borough of Kingston a great opportunity to promote sports and other related healthy activities. Holding events throughout the day will also allow people of different ages to take part, from mums and toddlers, to the over 60’s as well as school children and adults.

Holding an event of this sort also provides other benefits such as promoting sense of community and civic pride in your local area. This event could be limited to sports alone, but the scope has been widened to include the arts as well to allow a wider community base to participate.

Cllr Howard Jones said “The Olympics are almost upon us and we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed. There are so many great things we can do together. This could also be viewed as a community cohesion project in which we can share cultures, learn new sporting interests and skills, become a little healthier and enjoy the spectacular of one of the greatest sporting events together; the Olympic Games in London! We have taken advice