The new government is considering a rethink on the Right to But (RTB) as part of its strategy to help resolve the housing crisis. This in my view is a step in the right direction. But more needs to be done, RTB is just one element in a complex issue. It requires a comprehensive housing […]

People who use the bus to commute to work across Willenhall could be hit by the equivalent of a 1p income tax rise due to the government’s decision to raise the bus fare cap from £2 to £3 which Walsall’s Lib Dems have labelled the ‘bus tax’. Analysis by the Party shows that the average […]

All Councils in England are required by law to set a balanced budget each year. Walsall Council is no different. Over the past 15 years the Council has had to make savings of around £285 million. Partly because of reductions in the grant funding they received off central government. This amounted to £103m. And partly […]

Wednesday saw the first Labour Budget for 14 years and the first by a woman. There was much to commend it in that it began to shift the balance away from favouring the wealthy towards creating a more equal society. The number of millionaires in the UK increased by 41% since 2010, and according to the Equality […]

Less than 24 hours to go until we get to know exactly what the Autumn Budget has in store for us. At around 12.30pm on Wednesday Rachel Reeves will stand at the dispatch box in the House of Commons and deliver the Labour Government’s Budget Statement. It will be the first from a Labour Chancellor […]

I represent Maintained Primary School Governors on Walsall’s Schools Forum. At the October meeting of the Forum, I secured the agreement of members to have the Link to meeting agendas and documents circulated to the Chairs of Governors of schools across Walsall. This should enable school governors across the Borough to see, from our Forward […]

First off let me say thank you to all those who took the time to read my recent post on the housing crisis, in particular those of you who left comments. Today I want to explore further into this issue as things are never as simple as they first seem. On the point that was […]

Thursday 24th October 2024 sees the third raising awareness of cancer drop-in session at The Hive Hub, New Invention Square, Lichfield Road, Willenhall. Doors open at 9. 30am. There will be a short presentation given by a senior bowel cancer surgeon from Walsall Manor Hospital. He will give a quick overview of what to look […]

Sky high rents. Sky high house prices. Drastic shortage of social housing. All signs that successive governments have failed to tackle the basic responsibility of ensuring that sufficient new homes, of the right type are being provided to satisfy the demand. They have controlled things from the centre and left it to market forces (apart […]

Have you noticed that there has been little or no mention of the B word for quite some time, in spite of many across our community struggling to make ends meet. Back in 2016 when the British people voted to leave the EU by 53% to 47%. There was great optimism at what the future […]