Last night was the last City Council Cabinet of the civic year - a full agenda which lays the foundations for an exciting future for our great City. 
- develop a bid for City of Culture 2021
- invest £912k of developers' funds in Diglis Public Realm project
- progress on funding new swimming pool
- strategic economic plan submitted to government
- practical support to households to help reduce their energy costs
- participate in a new model to manage public sector properties
- greater focus on customer service
- better Council Scrutiny processes.
I hope people in Worcester give us their support on 22nd May to continue with our vibrant City plans.

The date of the General Election is getting closer. There is light at the end of the dark, long tunnel of despair created by the dreadful Tory-led coalition government.

On Thursday 7th May 2015 we have the chance to kick them out. Find out how many days we have left to campaign for the next Labour government by clicking here http://bit.ly/1euHTg9

Lets work to give people hope over the time ahead.

The Tory cabinet at County Hall intends handing over  important services supporting schools to private operators.

The Learning and Achievement services, which have helped to raise standards in county schools, have always been provided by dedicated and experienced county education officers who know and understand the needs of our local schools.

The plan is to hand these services over, with less money to spend, to profit-making commercial companies.

Cllr Paul Denham, Labour opposition spokesman for Children and Families said, "There is considerably less money given to the council by the Conservative-led government, but simply asking private operators to run these essential services for less cannot guarantee the same level of support to our teachers and children. When the private companies' profits are taken out, there is even less cash left to help our schools. I have seen no evidence that the quality of these services can be maintained if this goes ahead. This is a strategy which puts our children's futures at unnecessary risk."

He added, "The cabinet document talks about "markets" but, as a former senior teacher, I believe that schools are not companies - they are taxpayer-funded public services which ought to be left to concentrate on educating our children, instead of having to negotiate with private service suppliers."

Worcester Nerws ran an article on the taxi discussions (see previous blog entry). There have been a few comments on the Worcester News website as a result, including a very interesting one from a Worcester taxi driver. See the article and comments here: http://bit.ly/1fY7CIE

As chair of Worcester City Council's Licensing & Environmental Health committee, I attended today's Taxi Trade Forum, where members of the trade, licensing officers, police and the parking enforcement manager can discuss matters of mutual interest informally.

Since November 2013, our policy has been to allow only brand new vehicle to enter the taxi fleet which can park on the ranks (Hackney licensed vehicles). This was intended to reduce the size of the fleet and to raise standards.

In tough economic times, the trade said that most taxi owners cannot afford the extra £15,000 it costs to buy new, rather than up to 3 years old (the previous limit)

I agreed to consider alternative ideas at a meeting next month and to take new proposals to next committee in June. We do want to improve the quality of our taxis, but don't want to force drivers out of business in such hard economic times.

I am really excited that Worcester City council is thinking about aiming to be The City of Culture 2021. Worcester is a great place and we need to aim high to promote our city and build its reputation. If we are successful, we become a more prosperous city by attracting investment and this helps all our people. Here is the council's press release:

Worcester, the quintessentially English city where Sir Edward Elgar lived and wrote many of his finest works, is considering making a bid to become City of Culture 2021.
 
The City of Culture programme is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).  The programme uses culture and creativity to transform communities and help grow artistic talent, and designates a City of Culture every four years.
 
Following the first award to Liverpool, Derry-Londonderry (2013) and Hull (2017) have also been awarded City of Culture status.
 
“Worcester’s past, present and future are steeped in rich and varied cultural traditions - we are totally committed to supporting the arts and creating more opportunities for local, national and international audiences to experience them in our city,” says Cllr Adrian Gregson, Leader of Worcester City Council. 
 
“Worcester has a proven track record of delivering high quality, well-attended events.  The full programme of activities planned for 2014 and 2015 would provide a strong platform from which to launch our bid to be City of Culture 2021.”
 
There is a strong choral tradition in Worcester today, which hosts the nationally acclaimed Three Choirs festival every three years, in turn with Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Last year, the city hosted the first Worcester International Festival for Young Singers, attracting choirs from across the globe.
 
The city is also famous for Royal Worcester porcelain, which was made and painted here for over 250 years.  Many of the factory’s potters and artists still live locally.
 
As well as Worcester’s magnificent Cathedral which was founded in 680, the city also boasts some striking modern architecture including The Hive (Europe’s first university-public library and history centre, which opened in 2012) and the University of Worcester Arena.  This recent addition caters for disability by design, and enables real inclusion for a wide variety of sporting, drama and artistic activities.
 
The wider Worcestershire county has a strong literary tradition:  C.S. Lewis and Tolkien both wrote extensively in nearby Malvern.  George Bernard Shaw and J.M. Barry had premieres and productions of their works at the Malvern Theatre, which is still thriving and previews many West End productions today. 
 
Worcester has also received critical acclaim from top chefs including Jamie Oliver, who recently visited the iconic Lea & Perrins factory in the city where its Worcestershire sauce is still manufactured today.
 
Finally, Worcester has a special place in Civil War history, as both the first and last battles of these wars were fought in the city.
 
Worcester City councillors will discuss working with partners on the potential for a city of culture bid at a Cabinet meeting on 15 April 2014. 
 
Programmes are expected to appeal to a wide range of audiences and to increase participation in cultural activities as well as contributing to economic growth, regeneration, community cohesion, health and well-being.
 
If the Cabinet vote in favour of developing a bid, it will be developed in partnership with other relevant organisations including Worcestershire County Council, Destination Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership.
 

Great Western Business Park, at the foot of Tolladine Road, is a real success and will bring more much needed jobs to Rainbow Hill ward. Paul Denham says, “The first phase has attracted lots of new employers. The main fire station is moving here and we have just granted permission for the next phase of commercial units to be constructed. Once built, there will be even more jobs for local people.”

Council Leader Adrian Gregson added, “This is great news for Rainbow Hill ward. Your Labour council has also invested money to help provide more apprenticeships to help our young people get off to a good start.”