Latest news with #LabourAdministration
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'No confidence' motion published ahead of Peterborough meeting
A motion of no confidence in a city council's minority Labour administration has been published ahead of a meeting next week. An alliance of three parties on Peterborough City Council - Peterborough First, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party - wants to takeover the motion, to be voted on at a full council meeting on 18 June, states a reduction in Labour group members has left opponents "doubting the capacity of the administration to effectively deliver".Dennis Jones, the council's Labour leader, dubbed it a "politically motivated back-room plot", adding: "Their actions do nothing but risk throwing Peterborough back into instability and chaos." Jones became the leader in May 2024 - the first time in more than 25 years a Labour councillor had headed the city council. Deciding vote Peterborough City Council is made up of 17 Labour ,13 Peterborough First, 11 Conservative, eight Liberal Democrat, six independent and five Green Party the Conservative group deciding not to join the alliance, next week's vote is expected to be close, according to the Local Democracy Reporting leader of the Peterborough First group is expected to takeover if the motion is passed. If it is a draw, a deciding vote will be cast by Mayor Judy Fox or Deputy Mayor Peter Hiller, both Peterborough First councillors. It would not be the first time that Peterborough First have taken control of the authority.A vote of no confidence saw former Conservative councillor and leader Wayne Fitzgerald ousted in November 2023. The latest motion states: "This council has lost confidence in the current administration."It adds: "Members of the Peterborough First, Liberal Democrat and Green groups have decided to form an alliance to provide an administration that works across party lines to take advantage of the skills and experience in each group and to increase transparency and collaborative working [with] all parties represented on the council to help meet the challenges and opportunities that the council faces."In order to achieve this [the] council is now calling for the removal of the current leader, so that it can consider an alternative leader." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Saying ‘us' is exclusionary, says Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour has dropped the word 'us' from the national culture policy because it could be 'exclusionary'. The devolved Labour administration devised a series of principles to steer future culture sector policy, including the idea that 'culture brings us together'. However, in a consultation for the plans, the government was told to 'consider how the use of the word 'us' in this statement could seem exclusionary' and urged to use terms such as 'everyone' instead. Ministers subsequently replaced the word 'us' with 'people' in its final published policy strategy. It is not clear which group among the hundreds of consultees took issue, or why. The final version of priorities for culture policy, published this week, outlines how the culture sector in Wales will be managed up to 2030. The first priority in the document, under the new heading 'culture brings people together', states that the sector must 'promote a modern and diverse Wales, reflecting the variety of people and cultures who call Wales their home'. This goal is reflected in the foreword written by Jack Sargeant, the Welsh Labour minister for culture, skills and social partnership. 'True diversity' He wrote: 'By working together to realise these shared ambitions, we can provide a platform from which our culture sector can thrive, innovate, and reflect the true diversity of our nation.' Some of the newly stated principles related to what the government has dictated to be a suitable approach to national history. The Welsh government previously set out its broad approach to history in an anti-racist action plan, which insisted that cultural institutions are expected to promote the 'right historic narrative'. The document states: 'Culture should take an inclusive, thoughtful and balanced approach to interpreting, commemorating and presenting our past, to how we consider and respond to contemporary issues, and to how we look to the future.' Historic sites, and collections in museums and galleries should also 'be relevant to a diverse and contemporary Wales'. It added that there was 'tension between respecting the history and lived experiences of the majority population and supporting their understanding of minority cultures.' Another priority was making the cultural sector more environmentally friendly. The document warns that hotter summers, rising sea levels and an increasing number of pests put heritage assets at risk.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Peterborough First plans motion to oust Labour administration
A no-confidence motion to remove Peterborough's Labour administration from power would be put forward on 18 June, a city councillor leader of the Peterborough First group, Chris Harper, said he intended to do it at the next full council meeting, adding a coalition with the Liberal Democrat and Green Party groups was nearly Harper said discussions were also taking place with independent councillors, whose votes could make all the difference."Things are going extremely well," he said. The Labour Party called the move "disappointing" and a "politically motivated back-room plot". Dennis Jones has been leader of the council since last May when Labour won the most seats to form a minority administration. He has been approached for Liberal Democrat and Green Party groups have also been asked to comment on the last year's election the council was run by Peterborough First - largely made up of Conservative defectors - after the group ousted Tory leader Wayne Fitzgerald. The move was backed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party. 'We are confident' Mr Harper, who took over as Peterborough First's leader in May, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the takeover plans could not be put forward at the last full council meeting on 19 May due to constitutional reasons."We're discussing our joint coalition agreement at the moment which is going through the groups to make sure everyone is happy to sign off on it, but it's very positive and most people seem very happy on that," Mr Harper said."Things are going extremely well. We are confident that we are nearly there now and we'll go for it. It will be up to the vote on the night."The current make-up of the council includes 17 Labour councillors, 13 from Peterborough First, 11 Conservatives, eight Liberal Democrats, six independents and five Green Party members.A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: "It is disappointing that Peterborough First and other groups on Peterborough City Council have decided to create instability with this politically motivated back-room plot."After years of mismanagement and poor public finances at Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Labour has begun the critical work of getting Peterborough back on track."Now is the time for councillors to continue to work together for Peterborough, rather than playing politics with residents' services and taxpayers' money."Mr Fitzgerald, who leads the Conservative group, said the move was about "power" and "selfish ambition"."I personally won't be supporting any vote of no confidence, and as for my other Conservative members they will decide in due course." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
South China Morning Post
19-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong trade unions face tougher scrutiny under proposed law change
Hong Kong trade unions face more stringent scrutiny of their affiliations with external organisations under a proposal to expand the power of labour officials and align their operational requirements with national security laws. The Labour Department said on Wednesday that its proposed amendments to the Trade Unions Ordinance included regulating unions' receipt and use of funds provided by an 'external' force and their affiliation with organisations located in an 'external' place. Under the proposal, 'external' refers to places outside Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau, in alignment with the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. The existing law governs only the unions' connections with groups in a 'foreign country' with less scrutiny of various areas when compared with the proposed changes. 'We [seek to] amend the proposal to specifically strengthen national security without unnecessarily expanding the scope,' Raymond Ho Kam-biu, deputy commissioner for Labour (Labour Administration), said. The amendment requires trade unions to seek approval from the Registrar of Trade Unions to receive funds from external forces by declaring the source and use of the money. If the funds are approved, they cannot be used in designated local elections. Trade union officers will also be barred from assuming office in a non-affiliated organisation in an external place without the approval of the chief executive.
