Anita Ward

Council re-hires redundant schools staff as consultants

Educational psychologists took 'early retirement' last year, now they're back at their old jobs

By:
Published January 8, 2013, in Politics


Fifteen psychiatrists and support staff took early retirement a year ago as part of an £800,000 cost- cutting exercise in the Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) directorate.But the pressure of dealing with a huge backlog in writing statements for youngsters with special educational needs (SEN) saw council bosses turn to their former colleagues for help.

The psychiatrists now work for Services for Education – a spin-off private company consisting of former city council schools staff.

Chris Atkinson, assistant director at CYPF, told the education scrutiny committee that she did not believe the psychiatrists were being paid more now than was the case

Continues…

Waseem Zaffar gets the POTY!

Chamberlain News readers make Labour rising star our person of the Year

By:
Published January 8, 2013, in The Chamber POTY


So congrats to Labour councillor Waseem Zaffar, on his landslide victory in the Chamberlain News Person of the Year awards – or the Chamber POTYs as we like to call them.

The young councillor  - who boasts almost as many Facebook followers as Lady Gaga – is even now celebrating his momentous victory by touring the streets of East Handsworth and Lozells in an open-topped bus.

He will be presented with his prize of an engraved enameled late 19th century chamber pot that probably might of been used by Joe Chamberlain himself – as soon as we win that bid on ebay.

Zaffar’s victory is all the sweeter as he held off challenges from his own party leader, Sir Albert Bore, as well as the doughty efforts of former Lord Mayor Anita Ward. Even the pre-Christmas rehabilitation of Andrew Mitchell couldn’t help the Sutton Tory MP rise any higher than fourth place in a poll that reportedly saw a greater turnout than the elected mayor referendum and the police commissioner election combined.

Cllr Zaffar took a break from his victory celebrations to tell The Chamberlain News: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for me. I’m flattered. But Lozells & East Handsworth is full of people of the year. They’re the ones who deserve awards. I accept it on their behalf, although it all seems a bit potty to me.”

For those of you watching in black and white, here are those POTY results in full:

 

Related articles

Birmingham school transport cuts ‘harsh’, says Labour councillor

Under-eights to lose free bus pass if school is less than two miles away

By:
Published January 7, 2013, in Politics


schoolbusThe first changes to Birmingham’s free home to school transport system in almost 25 years have been approved, with the expectation that wealthier parents will find themselves out of pocket.

A year after the city’s former Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition pulled back from cutting the £17.4 million transport budget, Labour council leaders have pushed through several controversial amendments to save about £850,000 a year.

Cabinet education member Brigid Jones rejected claims that the new rules would hit the poorest families disproportionately, although she accepted that parents with means would be expected to take financial responsibility for ferrying their children to school and back if they were not prepared to let them walk.

As a result of the changes the council will adopt statutory guidelines for free school transport rather than the more generous interpretation that has existed in Birmingham since 1989.

This means that children under the age of eight will only qualify for free transport if they live

Continues…

Birmingham counts £18m cost of helping special needs pupils

Autism and Pakistani-origin families head 30 per cent SEN rise in three years

By:
Published January 2, 2013, in Politics


kidsThe soaring cost of helping 37,000 children with learning difficulties is threatening to blow a hole in Birmingham City Council’s already perilous finances.

A Chamberlain News special investigation has identified a 30 per cent increase in the (SEN) budget since 2010-11 – from £14 million to £18 million – with forecasts suggesting that the burden will continue to rise year on year.

It’s also emerged that Birmingham is failing by a long way to meet a statutory 26 week deadline for the completion of statements for the most challenging SEN pupils.

Even though the council has recruited a private firm, Independent Business Services, to help it meet the target, so far this year only 24 per cent of statements have been completed within the timescale required by the Department for Education.

It’s understood that the figure fell briefly to

Continues…

Chamber POTY: Cllr Anita Ward nominated by Jilly Bermingham

A Lord Mayor who made everyone feel special

By:
Published December 17, 2012, in The Chamber POTY


My nomination for Chamberlain News POTY is an easy one. As the busiest, most popular Lord Mayor and subsequently Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Anita Ward has made her mark for the West Midlands in 2012.

From having to learn the offside rule for a charity football match to hosting the Freedom of the City for the Guards she has embraced all that is asked of her. One of her lasting legacies will be all the children who still speak about the meaning of the Lord Mayor’s chain, especially after wearing it for a fleeting moment. Meeting royalty and residents – they are all treated the same.

Even those she has chastised

Continues…

 
%d bloggers like this: