Thursday, September 30, 2010

Merseyside Police Force's ASB Task Force at risk

A leaked paper to the Liverpool Echo yesterday tells us of proposals to scrap the ASB Task Force, something that has been fundamental to helping communities to get on top of this scourge.

I have been the darling of the BBC for the last two days, they found some of my blogs on ASB and asked if they could interview me and local residents about the positive impact of the Task Force and our fears for the future.

I did Radio Merseyside yesterday (2 minutes in) and North West Tonight today (7 minutes in) and will be on R4 next week, along with local residents and community workers.

Kensington in the spotlight.

But what I found most interesting was a tiny bit of footage that Stuart Flinders had found in the archives, of Kensington 10 years ago. My God, it left me speechless. I worry sometimes about whether we are pushing forward hard enough or fast enough, but when I saw the scandal of what it looked like in our area back then, I realise just how far we have come with a Labour Government supporting local regeneration.

Unrecognisable! We went today to the worst parts of the ward, and it all looks pretty damn good in comparison to how things were. Shame on the LibDems who at the time of my election in 2006 had served for nearly 60 years between them in Kensington and Fairfield. How did they live with themselves, if the place looked quite that bad back then?

Looking at our new houses, shops, the fire station, the new academy (opened by Tony Blair), the new primary schools and the sure start centre, the improved shop fronts, the environmental improvements to house frontages, new bus lanes, road humps, alley gates, cleaning and greening, new RSL head offices etc, we are the bees knees, we are the place to be, we are on the up! In fact Kensington is so much improved now that our new MP has moved in, permanently, buying her new home right in the centre of the ward.

Amazing.

What a disgrace then that the ConDem coalition is forcing cuts like these on our area.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

3 things Louise, -

1. Great stuff you and the team have achieved

2. Did you have to mention that man Blair- just the academy opening was fine- So glad the heir to blair lost the leadership- i couldnt have voted Labour if he'd become leader- honestly

and finally the fact that the Wavertree Mp has bought a house in the constituency ( any ward for that matter ) is not something to boast about im afraid - it should be a pre-requisite

other than that keep up the great work

Louise Baldock said...

Hi Mate

I voted for Ed, so you wont get any argument from me on the leadership.

Of course our new MP should and must live in the constituency, but choosing Kensington over everywhere else - leafy suburbs, is very commendable in my view.

Cheers, nice to see you back here
Louise x

scouseboy said...

The thing I find most disconcerting, from my perspective in Warbreck, which has the broadly same issues as kenny, about the abolition of the ASB unit, is that the work they currently do will be put on the neighbourhood police teams, and that will devalue tor service they provide.