Links on related stuff "Common Good"
GlasgowLOST
On the 1st of April 2007, the management of Glasgow's common good assets was transferred to a private charitable company...
Community Management and Ownership of Assets
Government Response to Quirk Review Published
The Government has published its response to Making Assets Work, the Quirk Review of community management and ownership of public assets. A practical action plan, "Opening the transfer window" sets out how Communities and Local Government will work with partner organisations to implement the review's recommendations in full. You can download a copy at www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1510746 .
Don't Back the Bid Blog
Don't back the Commonwealth Games
Games Monitor (Olympic)
Local People Leading
calls on the new coalition government to recognise the economic, social and environmental value to Scotland of having a strong and independent community sector.
Action 1: Put power in the hands of local communities. Commit to the principle of decentralization and invest communities with greater control over decision making and responsibility for matters which shape local quality of life. Links
Klondike park
In case people are unaware the authorities are proposing to build a school in Kelvingrove Park. The experts see the idea as a wonderful opportunity, most parents and locals involved see the idea as stupid. I find it difficult to waste time on their reasoning for this school anymore. The basic difference is. One side want there kids to go to a safe, secure, local educational, environment and the other can only think of how to make money from anything, (that's public) they can get there hands on.
Well done to the people of South Lanarkshire!
Victory of the people versus the planners
Andy Wightman
The Story of the Edinburgh Common Good Fund (audio)
"Across Scotland, hundreds of millions of pounds in funds and capital assets are missing from Common Good Funds. This wealth belongs to the people and this talk will highlight how this state of affairs has come about and what should be done about it." The story of all our Common Good funds
O Rose, thou art sick!
Outsourcing Glasgow's Cultural & Leisure Services. Variant
On April Fools' Day , Glasgow City councillors rushed through the removal of the City's entire Cultural and Leisure Services and staff from the control of the people and delivered them into the hands of bankers: the Charitable Trust and Trading Company 'Culture and Sport Glasgow'. Drawing on UNISON and activist sources this is an otherwise missing public account of the hiving off of Glasgow's common good. PDF
Variant 29 Summer 2007
Tesco station demolition 'illegal' say campaigners (Partick)
Supermarket giant Tesco today posted record profits of £2.55billion - equivalent to more than £4800 a minute. The underlying pre-tax profits for the year to February 24 underlined the store's dominance in the sector.
Glasgow's cultural ambassador out to woo US galleries and Scots exiles More stuff about rich people and how beneficial they will be to our high culture?
Culture trusts's first priority... hire a £52,000 spin doctor
ONE of the first actions being taken by the trust looking after Glasgow's culture and leisure facilities is to hire a £52,000-a-year publicity officer.
So we have to be advised on how to run our Common Good by an American Neo Con. I suppose it figures
"Common Good Games" booth at GalGael Govan. Come to Buchanan Street on Thursday between 12:00 and 2:00. Have some fun and create awareness of the Common Good and what it means.
Taxpayers won't foot Games bill
"
Mr Purcell said the council would sell surplus property and land to meet the costs of hosting the event." Duh! So who owns the surplus property?
Curtain up on Tory plan for private firm to run theatres and museums Edinburgh
Comments are always more enlightning
Local Government and Transport - Session 2
Remit: To consider and report on matters relating to local government (including local government finance), cities and community planning and such other matters (excluding finance other than local government finance) which fall within the responsibility of the Minister for Finance and Public Services; and matters relating to transport which fall within the responsibility of the Minister for Transport.
Letters& comments Scotsman: Disgraceful plans
'Pseudo-charity' threat to Glasgow's culture and leisure services
"Outsourcing Glasgow's Cultural and Leisure is likely to prove an election issue. Glasgow City Council is proposing to transfer nearly 2,500 staff working in Glasgow's libraries, museums, leisure centres, swimming pools and other sports facilities, and arts development to a private charitable trust, in order to avoid paying tax and business rates."
Leisure Trust Failure: Alternative Option for East Hertfordshire District Council East Hertfordshire's Leisure Services contract with Enfield Leisure Centres Ltd (Aspire Trust) had a major financial crisis in the first year of operation. It had a £500,000 deficit - a crisis in the making during the evaluation of the market testing bids in 2005.
Public Private Partnerships Staffing Protocol UNISON
The STUC and Scottish Executive have agreed a Protocol covering employment issues in Public Private Partnerships. UNISON Scotland played a major role in the preparation of this Protocol and has welcomed its introduction as an important step forward in protecting staff and eliminating the two-tier workforce
CULTURE AND LEISURE TRUST
UNISON's Twin Track Approach
Negotiations are continuing with CLS regarding the imminent transfer of the department to Culture and Sport Glasgow . While UNISON objects in principle to the transfer, talks have continued with a view to ensuring the protection of members' jobs, terms and conditions. In tandem with this, we are obtaining legal advice and campaigning against the principle of the transfer.
Leisure Trusts Briefing UNISON
Glasgow City Council, amongst others, is considering setting up a charitable trust to manage all its cultural and leisure services. This idea is based on a belief that there will be substantial savings in taxes and that a charitable trust is more likely to attract private donations than a council department. Museum and leisure trusts have been in place for some time but there is little evidence that the savings and improvements promised actually materialise.
Adrian Babbidge Moving to Museum Trusts Learning from Experience: http://www.mla.gov.uk/resources/assets//T/
UNISON briefing no 36 Public Interest Companies:
"
Companies (which can raise and pay dividends) and from the public sector (which cannot raise finances on the capital markets). This means a PIC can raise money when it needs to for things like new buildings, but it does not run the risk of conflict of interest between shareholders and the public interest.
"
Letters to Herald "Common Good" (pdf) See "Common Good" Campaign below. See: Andy Wightman site
Sold down the river
Evening Times using the rhetoric of the dissenting public to defend the developers? + Readers emails.
"Sold Down The River" Conference Partick
A conference looking at "Community Consultation" and what to do about it ?
Flattened . . . by Tesco
Evening Times. After demolition news, when it's ok to give the publics view
"The Scottish Executive is open for business"
Big banks looking after big business
The creeping begins, as the cities jewels start to slip from its hands See below
Healthy cafe set for listed Kelvingrove site
These people are stealing my ideas. Why can't the council run a place for kids.
Plans to turn park toilets into chic cafe
The Herald version on the same theme
Is Glasgow doing enough to preserve its parks?
Evening Times Survey Someone suggests "Maybe the City Council would have done better if the question was: "Is Glasgow doing enough to sell-off its parks?"...Yes
16.67% No 83.33%
Glasgow City Council Parks and Facilities Committee(PDF)
Delivering Enhancing Visitor Facilities in the parks 28 Sep 2005
The language " Enhancing Visitor Facilities" and "An opportunity has been identified" "It is envisaged"
Mandelson: we are all Thatcherites now
Well at least they are admitting it
UPDATES ON COMMON GOOD CAMPAIGN at
http://www.caledonia.org.uk/commonweal/cgl_progress.html
Andy Wightman's Blog
Common Good Land
Who Owns Scotland
Land Reform Scotland
http://www.caledonia.org.uk/land
http://www.caledonia.org.uk/commonweal
Key Risks. Business. plan
Green Olympics?
Bulldoze gardens
Help Required Owning Glasgow
Land reform Newsletter
Lessons from LA Gentrification of American Cities
Hacking Democracy
City Strolls
Council Votes
And housing Residents news
Sold down the river pdf
Subterranean methods
Hutchie E lesson
The Rush
Development response Park Quad.
We are all Thatcherites?
Parks Planning?pdf
The Buildings - Sell-off
Common Good Assets Register
Against Labour Policy
What are we waiting for
The Scottish Executive is open for business
Healthy [private] cafe
Toilets/cafe
Sport Connections
London Olympics Greed
Spectator Sports
Sport and resistance
Olympic Sized Horror in Greece
Strolls Sports Page
Common Good
Restoring common sence to America
Politics for the common good
Americans want to engage in 'fair minded politics'. A politics that understands that truth and certainty are not the same thing.
(Comment Gardian)
The common good
This is not the Rich List, the Power List or the Fame List. Guardian journalists interviewed 200 public servants - from a hospital porter to a general. Their voices are not often heard. The results are surprising - and inspiring (Comment Gardian)