Beckhampton Mother and Baby Unit

Nottingham City Council is proposing to close the Beckhampton Mother and Baby unit, a specialist centre providing education and support to school age pregnant young women. It is proposed that students should remain in mainstream schools instead, with extra support provided 'when required', presumably by a peripatetic support system rather than one on site.

The Post has an article today including interviews from pupils and you get a strong impression that such an approach will be inadequate. I have also heard from someone connected to the school that referrals to the unit are being blocked to give the impression that demand is falling.

Graham Allen, MP for Nottingham North, has publicly criticised the move which is almost unheard of when it is the City Council responsible for a proposal. Normally Labour Party solidarity prevents him from sticking his head above the parapet.

There is a petition against the proposals and you might also wish to respond to the public consultation being run by the Council. We are told that no decisions have been made (yeah right) so if enough people respond maybe they'll change their minds. We can live in hope.

NCCLols is Billy No Mates

I recently wrote to my three local councillors, Cat Arnold, Rob Lee and Mick Newton, as well as my MP Graham Allen about the CEHRNN debacle. Thought I'd update you on the response I've had so far.

Of the councillors only one has replied, Mick Newton. Not a peep from Cllrs Arnold or Lee, despite my sending a reminder.

I've written to Cat Arnold a few times now and I've never heard anything back. Previously I'd never bothered with Rob Lee after, having voted for him as a Lib Dem, he then defected to Labour over the issue of housing benefits sanctions for alleged anti-social behaviour. I put that to one side for this issue due to its importance but my initial assessment that he is little more than a worker drone for JoCo has yet to be challenged.

Who knows, they may well be so busy campaigning behind the scenes that they haven't found time to reply to lil ole me and if that turns out to be the case I'll be more than happy to take it all back.

As for Graham Allen not a peep, on this issue at least. I know that technically he has absolutely no jurisdiction over NCC affairs (and made that clear in my email) but he does have influence and surely would and should have a view,

On the other hand, today I got a rather chummy letter from him about the Robin Hood Tax. Thankfully, GA supports this measure and was obviously keen to highlight our common ground, a couple of days after the general election was called.

Maybe I'm asking too much, after all I'm only worth one vote.