Fighting for Fairness Alongside GCSE Students in the High Court

You may have seen some of the coverage in the national press about the GCSE English grading fiasco overseen by national regulator Ofqual and exam boards AQA and Edexcel. Thousands of students suffered at the hands of a drastic shifting of the grade boundaries for GCSE English between papers sat in January and then in the summer, in spite of the fact that there was no corresponding increase in the standard of the papers sat.

Stay Safe in the Freezing Weather

It's seems like no time at all since I was writing here about the problems facing residents in some parts of the Borough due to torrential rain and flooding. Now here we are with plunging temperatures and icy roads, bringing its own range of hazards and dangers.

Budget Proposals: Average Council Tax Frozen, Front line Services Saved and Investment in Borough’s Future

Last week's meeting of the Council Executive saw us approve the proposed budget for 2013/14, with the proposals underpinned by the three priorities of protecting front line services, keeping local tax bills down and investing in the Borough's future. That's why, subject to the approval of the Full Council, we will deliver a third straight average council tax freeze, major investment in schools and infrastructure and the protection of services being lost so commonly elsewhere such as weekly bin collections, libraries and rural bus services.

Support from all parties for Budget which keeps tax down, saves services and invests in our future

Speed Limit Review Update: Four More Local Rural Limits Cut to Boost Safety

The Speed Limit Review I launched in 2011 in response to residents' concerns about speeding traffic in their neighbourhoods saw a large number of speed limits in residential areas across the Borough reduced in direct response to local requests.

A Big 'Well Done' to Our Local Schools

In my latest monthly column for the Times and Citizen newspaper, I took the opportunity to say a big 'well done' to our local schools for the truly remarkable run of Ofsted school inspection outcomes they have achieved in this academic year.