I want to start this blog by wishing everyone connected to the borough of Knowsley a happy and prosperous 2016.
I will not lie and tell you 2015 delivered everything I hoped. It was the year of a General Election in which we strived for a Labour Government that would deliver the positive changes needed for our communities. Despite a great performance here in Knowsley and across Merseyside – all seats held with increased majorities and Tories defeated – we were the exception to the national trend rather than the norm.
There are now many articles and books being written looking at the reasons for a Tory victory and a Labour defeat throughout the UK. Very few have examined the reasons we were successful across Merseyside and the City region. I think there is learning on a national scale for our Party from the Knowsley and Merseyside experience of the 2015 GE. My strongly-held view from conversations on the doorstep and through listening to the experiences of colleagues and party workers was that our messages of promoting hope and fairness, and highlighting the brutal injustices of Tory cuts resonated strongly. It is also my view that the pure ideological brutality of Tory cuts will, unfortunately, begin to resonate strongly over the coming years as well. Cuts to flood defences at a time of Climate Change? If Labour nationally can replicate the coherent message we delivered on the doorsteps in the spring of 2015 there is hope.
What of the positives from 2015? From my perspective there were a number of positives that made a difference to families, residents and the communities of Knowsley:
· Improvements in Children’s Social Care;
· Retaining quality Social Workers and reducing the use of (expensive) Agency workers;
· Defending Knowsley’s schools;
· Increasing the number of Foster Carers in Knowsley;
· Supporting and championing Children’s Centres in Knowsley;
· Advocating for the voice and rights of Knowsley’s children and young people;
It is also traditional to state a resolution for New Year too.
I go for a health resolution for 2016 and particularly aim to please my colleague Matt Ashton who leads on Public Health in Knowsley. January is a busy time for our fantastic providers of health in Knowsley as it is the time when the average person is committed to improving their health – often after an over-indulgent Christmas period. So, I will commit to taking more exercise during this year. I can walk the dog, walk my children to school or just enjoy the many wonderful walks throughout my wonderful community of Halewood. Read the next blog for my progress!
You can find our about health related activities across Knowsley by clicking here
Welcome to Gary See's Blog 