Charlotte MacKenzie

Posts Tagged ‘Falmouth’

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Visit to Falmouth firestation

In Uncategorized on January 22, 2008 at 4:49 pm

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As the campaign continues to save Falmouth firestation’s full-time cover at night, Labour’s parliamentary candidate Charlotte MacKenzie visited Falmouth firestation with Cornwall County Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee.

Local fireservices and the budget to support them is being discussed at the Community Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 23 January. A report for that committee by Chief Fire Officer Matt Littmoden says that “Station strengths are now at an absolute minimum”. Falmouth Labour Party wants the County Council to lift the recruitment freeze which has been in place since the Liberal Democrats took control of the County Council in 2005, resulting in 16 unfilled vacancies for full-time firefighters. Independent assessment of the County Council’s performance since 2005 confirm that the fireservice only meets minimum requirements.

Speaking after the visit to Falmouth firestation, Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee said “The greatest risks facing Falmouth are at night: statistically more fires, more risk of death, greater area to cover geographicallly. Our population – thanks to the continuing influx of students – is rising faster than any town in Cornwall, with the widest range of risks (including the Docks) whilst being far from the A30 and having the rural hinterland to contend with on top. All this at a time when the fire service is 10% below strength, increasing pressure on the already failing recruitment of retained firefighters. Now tell me we are LESS in need of 24 hour fire cover by full time manned fire station. Its absolutely ridiculous. What does it take to convince those at County Hall – another Penhallow?”

Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We want the Council to fill the full-time vacancies which are currently leaving some firecrews undermanned in Falmouth and Truro. It isn’t enough to invest in improvements to the retained service. Ken Yeo and his colleagues should remove the threat to Falmouth’s 24-hour cover, which has hung over the firestation for more than a year. It is bad for morale – and the reputation of the service – for firefighters to be forced to respond to calls with less than a full crew. The whole service operates on the basis that full-time firefighters and retained crews are there when needed to back each other up. Cornwall County Council has an 8.5 per cent increase in Government funding next year and it is scandalous that they are not making fireservices a priority.”

Labour’s petition to keep Falmouth’s 24-hour full-time cover can be signed here.

Photos: (above) Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee and Charlotte MacKenzie with Falmouth firecrew and the specialist water rescue equipment based at the station.
(below) Mark Boeck and Charlotte Mackenzie.

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Save Falmouth firestation

In Uncategorized on November 29, 2007 at 3:42 pm

Responding to the news that Cornwall County Council executive are now proposing to retain the 24 hour firestation at Camborne, but refusing to withdraw their recommendation of cuts to Falmouth firestation, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Truro and Falmouth Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“I welcome the good news for residents in Camborne and Hayle. However, I’m appalled at the way in which the Liberal Democrat executive at Cornwall County Council have handled this.”

“It is totally arbitrary to recommend prioritising 24 hour cover at Camborne when they have previously stressed the need to consider the findings of the enquiry into the fire at the Penhallow Hotel in Newquay. They are still waiting for the risk assessment which should have been undertaken before these dangerous cuts were proposed.”

“I urge everybody who wants Falmouth firestation to continue as a 24-hour station with full-time cover at night to sign our petition.”

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Labour selects Charlotte MacKenzie for Truro and Falmouth

In Uncategorized on November 18, 2007 at 4:52 pm

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Charlotte MacKenzie has been selected as Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the new Truro and Falmouth constituency.

Commenting after her selection Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“I’m very happy to be selected as Labour’s parliamentary candidate in my home constituency.”

“Cornwall needs Labour representation. In Truro and Falmouth, the Liberal Democrats drew up plans which only expect one in three new homes to be affordable, despite the fact that regional plans recommend two out of three new homes should be affordable in areas of greatest need.”

“An independent inspection this year confirms that – on the Liberal Democrats’ watch – Cornwall’s adult social care, children’s services, and fireservices only meet minimum requirements, a deterioration since 2005 when the Liberal Democrats came into control of Cornwall County Council. This is despite the fact that the Labour Government has given the County Council above average, above inflation funding increases.”

“The Liberal Democrats once gained ground partly because they advocated a new politics of consensus. In Cornwall, it is the Liberal Democrats who now have Tweedledum and Tweedledee squabbles, with their MPs evidently feeling unable to support their councillors’ decisions on issues such as waste management and councillors’ allowances. No wonder seven of their councillors have left the Liberal Democrats.”

“I will be urging everyone who feels let down by the Liberal Democrats to support Labour because of our track record in Cornwall. Thanks to Labour’s investment in Cornwall’s future we have new schools and a university; we will be getting a new purpose built healthpark, and a dental school in Truro; there will be further investment in Falmouth docks; the A30 has been widened at Goss Moor; and unemployment has fallen by two thirds. Neither opposition Party has effective influence on Government decisions affecting Cornwall.”

“I will continue to serve my local community as a Truro councillor, and I hope to continue as Chair of Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change, a position to which I was re-elected recently by the Board.”

“This is the only constituency where I applied for selection and it is the only place that I would want to represent in Parliament.”

 

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Labour supports Falmouth firestation

In Uncategorized on September 26, 2007 at 3:57 pm

Members of Truro and Falmouth Labour Party will be supporting the walk to save local firestations in Falmouth and Penryn on Saturday 29 September. Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We started a petition to save Falmouth firestation when the proposed cuts were first discussed in January. It is outrageous that initial discussion of closing Falmouth and Camborne stations at night was undertaken with no proper review of the safety implications. And it is disgraceful that the Liberal Democrat led County Council will not rule out these cuts after the tragic loss of life in the Newquay hotel fire revealed how stretched Cornwall’s fireservices are. Labour totally supports the FBU’s campaign against these dangerous cuts and we will be joining the march on Saturday to say so. We urge everyone who wants Falmouth station to remain open at night to do the same, and to sign our petition here ”

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Falmouth firestation

In Uncategorized on July 17, 2007 at 5:38 pm

We are delighted the County Council is pausing for thought on the proposed night closure of 24 hour firestations in Falmouth and Camborne.

In January we started an online petition against the cuts when they were first proposed, which we submitted as part of the formal consultation.The County Council has received more funding than ever before from Labour in government. It is a question of how they choose to spend it and the Liberal Democrats have got their priorities all wrong. It is outrageous that the initial decision was apparently taken without a full report on the safety implications.We must keep up the pressure to make sure the Liberal Democrats don’t make Cornwall the only County in the UK with no 24 hour firestations.
 

 

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Keep up the pressure to stop fire service cuts

In Uncategorized on June 1, 2007 at 1:14 pm

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Truro and Falmouth Labour Party representatives were amongst people joining the protest against cuts to fireservices which the Liberal Democrat led County Council is proposing to make. Supporting firecrews on the protest from Union Place to Lemon Quay in Truro.

Speaking on behalf of Truro and Falmouth Labour Party, Charlotte MacKenzie said: “These proposals put lives and jobs at risk. The final decision has not yet been made, and it’s vital to keep up the pressure on the County Council to stop these cuts. The Government expects fireservices to be provided on the basis of risk, but the Liberal Democrat led County Council would rather spend money on free newspapers and bottled water.”

 

“We share the FBU’s concerns that these cuts would have an impact on fireservices and emergency response times throughout Cornwall. The proposed changes to night cover at Falmouth Fire Station would slow down response times after 6pm for all call outs to Falmouth docks, fires at sea, large hotel fires, fires at home, and to Penryn, where the local firestation closure was only accepted by residents because of cover provided by the 24 hour firestation at Falmouth.”

 

In January, Truro and Falmouth Labour Party started an on-line petition against plans to close 24-hour firestations at night in Falmouth and Camborne. This petition was submitted to the formal consultation in April. Charlotte MacKenzie is pictured delivering the petition to County Hall.

 

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New Labour councillors

In Uncategorized on May 9, 2007 at 3:23 pm

For information about how to contact your new and re-elected councillors in Truro and Falmouth, see here.

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Lib Dem firestation plans “put lives at risk”

In Uncategorized on April 8, 2007 at 2:46 pm

In January, Truro and Falmouth Labour Party started an on-line petition against plans to close 24-hour firestations at night.

Lesley Trenchard of Boslowick Road in Falmouth is one of many people who signed the petition. She said “Falmouth firestation covers the docks as well as thousands of homes. These proposals put lives and jobs at risk. It’s vital this petition makes the powers that be think again.”

 

 

Handing in the petition at County Hall in Truro, for the formal consultation which closes on Tuesday 10 April, local campaigner Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We are deeply concerned that the proposed changes to night cover at Falmouth Fire Station would slow down response times after 6pm for all call outs to Falmouth docks, fires at sea, large hotel fires, fires at home, and to Penryn, where the local firestation closure went ahead because of the availability of the 24 hour firestation at Falmouth.”

 

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Lib Dems fail to tackle local housing needs

In Uncategorized on March 19, 2007 at 10:28 am

The Labour Party in Truro and Falmouth hit out today at local housing plans drawn up by the Liberal Democrat led Carrick District Council. 

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West recommends local authorities specify up to two out of three new homes or more are affordable in areas of greatest housing need. Despite being identified as an area for growth, local development plans only make a commitment to one in three new homes being affordable.

Speaking on behalf of Truro and Falmouth Labour Party, local campaigner Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We welcome the fact that Truro has been identified as a growth point. But we are very concerned that this will not tackle shortages of affordable housing in Falmouth. In 2006/7, 20 new affordable homes to rent were completed in Truro, and none at all in Falmouth.”

“Carrick District Council covers an area of very great need for housing that local families can afford. We are concerned that Carrick District Council is not planning realistically to meet the need for affordable homes in Falmouth and Truro. At the Lib Dems’ pace, it would take 20 years to house the current housing register for the Carrick District Council area. They need to do more.”

Truro and Falmouth Labour Party has made a written submission about local housing needs to the RSS examination in public, which will take place shortly.

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Lib Dem budget will mean cuts to vital services

In Uncategorized on February 13, 2007 at 10:16 pm

Truro and Falmouth Labour Party slammed the Lib Dem budget agreed by Cornwall County Council today as a let down for local people. Local campaigner Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We oppose the cuts the Lib Dem led County Council is proposing to current levels of social care, free transport for some people with disabilities, and night cover at firestations.”

“Cornwall’s fireservices cost the average Council Tax payer just over £1 a week – less than most everyday insurance policies. It is money well spent. Closing Falmouth firestation at 6pm would increase the time local fire-crews take to reach fires, so endangering lives. A final decision has not yet been made and you can sign our online petition against these cuts to local fire-services and jobs.”

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