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Author Archives: GovWorldMag

South West trains

Network Rail wrote to me with some good news this week. They reminded me that by 2018 they will increase peak capacity into Waterloo by 30%, meaning more seats for rail travellers.

The letter however, was more about the bad news of getting this expansion in place. This August they will close platforms 1-10 at Waterloo to extend and straighten platforms to accommodate longer trains and more passengers.

Commuters and other passengers are warned that this August will see reduced services. The network will be more prone to delays and difficulties if things go wrong. They tell us “there is never an ideal time to undertake such significant work.We have chosen this period to do the work as August is much quitter for the rail network…”

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John Redwood MP •

Green Party calls for immediate lifting of public sector pay cap

4 July 2017

*Co-leader Jonathan Bartley: “Private companies are having a banquet organised by the Government while public sector workers aren’t even getting the crumbs from the table”

The Green Party has called on the Government to immediately lift the public sector pay cap after a damning report revealed the scale of the impact on workers [1].

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“What will it take for Theresa May and Philip Hammond to listen? The staff on the frontline in our most important jobs – including the emergency services they have been so ready to praise in the last few months – and even their own party colleagues have urged them to see sense.

“Enough is enough and it’s time for the Government to shift its priorities away from cutting taxes for those who don’t need it and start paying public sector workers fairly, many of whom are struggling just to make ends meet.

“The Prime Minister’s attempt to sneak out this report is the latest indication that she knows this unpopular policy is nearing the end of its shelf life. Planned tax cuts for corporations should be scrapped immediately. Private companies are having a banquet organised by the Government while public sector workers aren’t even getting the crumbs from the table. Let’s give our teachers, doctors, firefighters and police the pay rises they deserve.”

Notes:

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/03/damning-government-report-shows-scale-of-public-sector-pay-cuts

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Green Party •

The shocking findings of this report should serve as a wake-up call to this Government- Lewell-Buck

Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families, commenting on the Children’s Commissioner’s report on measuring the number of vulnerable children, said:

“The shocking findings of this report should serve as a wake-up call to this Government who have so far refused to even measure the scale of the problem let alone come up with effective policy solutions.

“From the 800,000 children suffering from mental health difficulties, the 46,000 thought to be in gangs, or the 119,000 homeless or in unstable housing, these figures lay out the startling facts about the lives of vulnerable children who have largely been ignored by this Government.

“The Government should be taking action now to support every child and ensure that they are safe, secure, and have a roof over their head.

“Labour will enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law, as we tackle the root causes of vulnerability, such as housing, crime, and poverty, deliver universal infant free school meals to address food poverty and school based counselling in secondary schools to support vulnerable children, as we ensure every child gets the best possible start in life.”

Ends

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Labour •