The obscenely rich grow in numbers in the UK year after year.


At the same time, the number of people using foodbanks, paying unavoidable bedroom tax and relying on social security just to exist has sky-rocketed.


Cameron's Britain is failing the vast majority of our citizens. 


http://bbc.in/1szOqZS

These elections will see Labour setting out plans to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. Hardworking Britain will be better off with Labour.
 
David Cameron can’t solve the crisis because he stands up for a privileged few not working people and the Liberal Democrats are part of the problem not part of the solution.
 
What's happening today
 
Labour has revealed new research showing that despite David Cameron's claim to have cut energy bills millions of people won't benefit.
 
Top lines
 
David Cameron's energy policy is a con - the Government has failed to ensure that promised savings on energy bills are passed on to customers. The next Labour government will freeze your energy bills until 2017.
 
Key points
 

• 3.7 million people won't benefit from the cuts to green levies that David Cameron boasts about.
• The Tories didn't force the big energy companies to pass on savings to consumers.
• The average energy bill is still £60 higher this year compared to last year and up £300 since 2010.
• Labour's energy price freeze would save families £120.

 
Background
 
In response to Labour’s price freeze David Cameron announced cuts to green levies. He repeatedly claimed consumers’ bills would fall by £50 following these changes.
 
However, figures uncovered by Labour and published today show that four of the big six energy companies have failed to pass on the full savings to all of their customers. In total 3.7 million customers are estimated to miss out on over £140 million of savings.
 
Hardworking Britain will be better off with Labour
 
Labour will stop unfair price rises by freezing energy bills up to January 2017, to help families and businesses facing a cost-of-living crisis. This will save a typical household £120. An incoming Labour government will legislate immediately to make this happen.
 
We will increase competition and transparency by forcing the energy companies to do three things: separate out the parts of their business that generate energy from the parts that sell to consumers, sell all their energy in an open pool, and introduce a simple new tariff structure.
 
We will abolish Ofgem which has failed to stand up for consumers and replace it with a tough new energy watchdog from January 2017.
 
We will provide the policy certainty and support needed to unlock investment in clean energy by setting a 2030 decarbonisation target, giving the Green Investment Bank more powers.
 
Other issues
 
Pfizer's bid to take over AstraZeneca: Labour has serious concerns about Pfizer’s bid for AstraZeneca that could undermine one of the UK’s most significant investors in research and development. Instead of David Cameron cheerleading for this bid, he should be standing up for the national interest with a proper assessment of the long term effects it will have.
 
Railways: ‎As Ed Miliband said yesterday, we have got to be pragmatic and recognise that the system at the moment has flaws in it. Passengers are paying high fares in this country and we are paying big subsidies from the taxpayer. We are looking at the options on the railways but we are not going to go back to old-style British Rail.‎
 
UKIP: UKIP and Nigel Farage are pretending that they are the champions of Britain’s hardworking people. But this is a politician who is the only one ‘keeping the flame of Thatcherism alive’. We have a clear message for UKIP and Mr Farage: you cannot claim to be a party for working people when you would put up their taxes, destroy jobs, introduce charging for our health service, and strip back basic rights like maternity pay.

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