Welcome to Gordon Brown !

Nigel Knowles and members of Wyre Forest Labour Party salute confirmation of Gordon Brown as the leader-elect of the Labour Party. Nigel is a long-standing supporter of Gordon Brown and stated

“Gordon Brown will bring renewal to Labour’s purpose in striving for a more prosperous and fairer Britain. There has been a huge difference here in Wyre Forest in the last 10 years with: full employment for the first time in a generation, the minimum wage, working families’ tax credit and pension credits. I am proud to be a Labour parliamentary candidate under Gordon Brown’s record and leadership.”

Gordon Brown’s policies have removed 600,000 people from poverty and he has doubled investment in your NHS,

INCLUDING OVER £20 MILLION FOR THE NEW TREATMENT CENTRE AT KIDDERMINSTER HOSPITAL.

Remember the Tories, only 10 years ago: millions unemployed, record unemployment in Wyre Forest, record business and workplace closures, jobs paying £2-00 per hour in Kidderminster, home repossessions, real cuts in NHS spending, and the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital.

Labour has given us a better Wyre Forest and a better Britain!

Well Done Harriers

As a Kidderminster lad, I’m really proud of the Harriers for reaching the FA Trophy final at Wembley. They provided a really exciting and thrilling match.

My family and I were deeply honoured to be among the stalwart Kidderminster fans who cheered the lads right through. We’ll win it next year!

My message to the fans is that we must never give up, and we must take a huge pride in our local team and get more people attending games at Aggborough.  Please continue to support the Harriers as we did today.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM  

- C’mon you Harriers!

The Wyre Forest Education Review

If voters and parents want to know the Tories attitude to the Wyre Forest Education Review (WFER), then they need look no further than Tory controlled County Hall.

I would have thought that with every school in Wyre Forest being closed and new schools opened as two tier entry instead of three, it was important to have a democratic input into the re-building programme and its financial management? No chance!

 Even the meagre WFER Board is being wound up by Christmas! It’s a body with just three elected County Councillors on, including myself –Governor reps, Head teachers and County staff. But even that is too ”democratic” for Councillor Mrs Liz Eyre, Cabinet Member at County Hall, safely ensconced 30 miles away from Kidderminster in Broadway!

 I asked the Tory Leader of the Council if the WFER Board had sufficient “gravitas” to deal with the Review. He said very unconvincingly, that it did! My question at full Council on 10^th May to Liz Eyre asking for the WFER Board to be kept intact was dismissed out of hand.

So now we have NO democratic input into the Review. Tories OUT!

Come On You Harriers !

Nigel Knowles will be travelling down to the new Wembley Stadium, on Saturday, along with all of his family, to cheer on Kidderminster Harriers in their quest for the FA Trophy. Nigel stated “This is an amazing day for Kidderminster Harriers and for the whole town of Kidderminster and I’m sure all the people of Wyre Forest will be cheeering the Harriers on Saturday. Being a born and bred Kidderminster lad and living in the Wyre Forest District, Nigel is proud to be an avid Harriers Fan and was present at their last Wembley victory. Come on you Harriers !

Wyre Forest Labour Salutes Tony Blair’s 10 Years

Wyre Forest Labour Pays Tribute to Tony Blair.

After 10 years in office, and a record three Labour general election victories, Wyre Forest Labour salutes Tony Blair’s time as Prime Minister:

A record period of economic stability and prosperity. The UK is now Europe’s most powerful economy. We now have almost full employment in Wyre Forest, for the first time in a generation thanks to Labour.

For workers, the minimum wage and huge improvements in working rights.

Winter fuel allowances for ALL pensioner households. Tax credits for working families. Pension credits for low income pensioners.

Reforms of Britain’s democracy: tackling hereditary peerages in the House of Lords,
more say for people in Wales and Scotland over their own affairs. Peace at last in Northern Ireland.

Record spending and new treatments in the NHS (In 1997, we had 24 hours to save the NHS!)

We’ve only just begun! Don’t let the Tories take it away

Wyre Forest Tories in Disarray

Following the spectacular failure of Wyre Forest Conservatives to take a single seat from Labour in the recent District Council Elections, Tory Group Leader Stephen Clee has stood down. Even in the leafy Cookley Ward, they couldn’t take a seat from Labour. Wyre Forest is a crucial seat for the Tories to capture, if they are to win the next General Election. Goodbye Mark Garnier next?

Labour Councillors continue to serve the people with pride and with unified leadership.

Local Election 2007 – Wyre Forest

Congratulations to Labour Councillors Chris Nicholls and Mike Kelly on re-election. Both were very significant in stopping the Tories from taking overall control in Wyre Forest. Did the Tories not learn anything from their defeat in the St. Chad’s Ward in the recent County Council by-election? The Tories were convinced that they would take the Cookley Ward but were stopped by Labour. Big Mike did us proud, yet again in Habberley and Blakebrook.

Labour are sad to be without Jamie Shaw, the Labour Group Leader on Wyre Forest District Council for this year. Jamie will be back on the council after the 2008 local elections. He has served the people of the district for 23 years with distinction. the result was the narrowest in the Wyre Forest counts with 11 votes between the third place candidate and the winner.

The Tories must take three seats in Worcestershire in order to win the next general election. They failed to take key wards in Worcester City, Redditch and Wyre Forest, their three local target seats. So, not much progess for Cameron’s campaign in Wyre Forest or the rest of Worcestershire.

Hope not Hate

Sadly, the fascist BNP have  become active on a small scale in Worcestershire towns and have fielded candidates in the recent local council elections.

The BNP has no tangible policies except hate and racism. In areas where they have been elected as local councillors they have provided poor service to their constituents and have said nothing in council meetings.
They only divide communities.

A BNP organiser in Liverpool was convicted of sending a razor blade to a Jewish community leader.

They are an insult to every person who fought and died in the battles against fascism in World War II.

Wyre Forest Labout will not engage in any debates or any communication with the BNP and deplores
them as rascists.

It’s time to ban these movements, just as they are banned in many other European countries.

Wyre Forest Workers – be Afraid of the Tories, Very Afraid.

Working rights are one of the few areas where David Cameron has been bold enough to make a policy statement. Cameron and Wyre Forest Tory Candidate Mark Garnier, have declared their intention to stop employment rights applying to British workers. For those of us who have to work for a living this means:

1. An end to the minimum wage (£5.35 for those over 22, £4.45 for those aged 18-22 and £3.30 for those 16-18) Remember the days before the minimum wage when some jobs paid £2-50 per hour in Wyre Forest?

2. Thanks to Labour, you cannot be made to work more than 48 hours per week. You currently have a right to rest periods of 11 hours every working day. The Tories will take this away.

3. Thanks to Labour, you have the right to four weeks paid holiday (full-time or part-time). The Tories will take this away.

4. Thanks to Labour, you can now have up to 40 weeks maternity leave. The Tories will take this away.

MARK GARNIER AND DAVID CAMERON WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS
WYRE FOREST WORKERS HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE AFRAID OF THE TORIES.