Over the weekend news was circulating about talks between Asda and Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Today it has been confirmed that the two retail giants plan to pool resources and become bigger than Tesco. With over 350,000 employees between them and most of those on the shop floor, those of us with the interests of workers at […]
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Talking gender equality on BBC Sunday Politics
I was very pleased to be invited to speak on the BBC’s Sunday Politics show today (25.3.18), particularly on the very thorny topic of equal pay for women. That we have such a persistent and stubborn pay gap is a disgrace. I have long been an advocate of equal pay, helping to form national policy […]
Your stroke questions answered – CCGs respond
I’m grateful for the response to the set of questions I posted in January. This came in a letter from Patricia Davies, however it raises a lot of further questions. I’m sure you’ll have your own. My key concern is that these changes to the provision of stroke services in Thanet are being driven by […]
Wake up and shake up. Positive action required at TDC.
With the UKIP Leader of Thanet District Council, Chris Wells having resigned, there is an opportunity for some fresh thinking and positive action within our local authority. BBC Radio Kent invited me onto their breakfast programme to discuss changes at the council. I used the opportunity to put the Labour point of view across, highlighting […]
Labour activist highlights from over 35 years
Great news. Local Labour activist, Fiona Crawford has asked me to share how I became active in the Labour movement. She’s speaking with the fabulous Rosie Duffield on the theme of #campaigningwomen at an event in support of International Women’s Day. I’m afraid it’s a long story, which I will keep short. But here are some […]
Addressing housing at the National Policy Forum
I’m back in Thanet, having returned from Leeds where I spent two days helping to formulate Labour Party policy on homes, communities, the future of work, and more. It’s a very clear that Labour’s commitment is that homes must built. The commitment in our manifesto is 100,000 homes built per year at genuinely affordable […]
Thanet District Council performance figures show UKIP failure
Figures from Thanet District Council show a decline in performance which is having a negative impact on people’s lives. At a meeting of the Council’s Corporate Performance Review Working Party this week, subjects including litter and homelessness were discussed. The state of our streets and the rates at which issues such as homelessness are being […]
Labour would ban live animal exports from Ramsgate
Labour today launches radical action on Animal Welfare that would look at introducing a ban on the live export of animals for slaughter. My party’s 50 point draft policy document, ‘Animal Welfare For The Many, Not The Few’, will go out for public consultation and proposes appointing an Animal Welfare Commissioner to ensure Government policy […]
Will Paul Carter support Thanet stroke service option?
NHS stroke services in Thanet are under threat of closure as part of restructuring in Kent. Provision of a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is proposed, along with two other HASUs in the county. This would leave stroke victims on our isle with over an hour to travel in […]
Karen Constantine: District & County Council Report, February 2018
A very busy start to 2018 There are many pressing issues at the moment – the failure of TDC to pass the local plan, real concerns and frustration about litter, rubbish and dog mess (I think it’s driving everyone mad) and the constant threat of cuts to our services. The really central and dominating issue […]