Lib Dems Welcome Rejection of Riverside Monstrosity
Lib Dems on Bedford Borough Council have slammed the proposed Riverside Square development in Bedford and welcomed its rejection by the Council's Planning Committee last night.
22 May 2007
National News
Disability terms 'put firms off'
Employers feel the politically correct language of disability can be a barrier to employing more disabled people, a survey suggests. Remploy, an employment services provider for disabled people, said most of the 400 employers polled believed in working towards a diverse workforce. But some complained a lack of understanding of the terms to use when describing disabilities put them off.
22 May 2007
Remploy to announce closure plans
Plans to close factories which employ disabled workers are expected to be announced later. The Remploy company says it wants to cut costs and place more disabled people into mainstream employment rather than in sheltered workshops.
22 May 2007
"FairTrade brand should include British farmers" - Farron
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming called today for the 'FairTrade' brand to be extended to include getting a fairer deal for British farmers during a Westminster Hall debate on the dairy farming industry. At present dairy farmers receive only a very small amount of money for a litre of milk while supermarkets' and processors' profits soar to unprecedented heights.
22 May 2007
Farron backs local man in franchising debate
Local MP Tim Farron has today spoken in a parliamentary debate on the regulation of the franchising industry to support a constituent who had lost tens of thousands of pounds of his own savings. Paul Wakefield of Ackenthwaite invested over £100,000 in a franchise registered with the British Franchise Association only to discover, having lost his money, that the directors of the parent company of the franchise were in fact banned from holding directorships.
22 May 2007
"Hospital finances don't have to result in heart and stroke unit closures"- Farron
Local MP Tim Farron used today's Health Questions in the House of Commons to highlight the financial situation of Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust. The Trust recently benefited from the change in rules which means that the Trust will not be financially penalised for being in deficit. Last summer's acute services review which recommended the closure of the heart and stroke units was motivated by financial problems, which have now largely been removed.
22 May 2007