more … ]]> In 2009/10, we were lucky that, here in Winchester, we had a Mayor who cared passionately about homelessness and raised a large amount to support local homelessness charities.

This is the film that was made to support Dominic’s campaign.


[See post to watch Flash video]
To support homeless people in Winchester, you can donate online to Trinity or to the Nightshelter – and both organisations are also always looking for volunteers. Two other organisations are also actively helping homeless people locally: Emmaus and the Winchester branch of the Salvation Army.

more … ]]> Mildly astonished not to have found these somewhere already.  Here are some basic attempts at Twitter and Flickr social media map pins for Google Maps.

And here are the political ones I did ages ago for Ming.

more … ]]> Inspired by the LDV Friday 5, I’ve just been checking the stats for the Lib Dems online petitions. Here are the results for the last week:

Five most active local constituencies with online petitions:

1. East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
2. Bedford
3. Hornsey and Wood Green
4. Ealing Central and Acton
5. Lanark and Hamilton East

Five most active online campaigns

1. Save our ticket offices - http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/saveourticketoffices
2. Stop the Dovesdale Incinerator - http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/pages/stopdovesdaleincinerator
3. Save Bedfordshire Police - http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/savebedspolice
4. Borough-wide 20mph limit in Haringey - http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/20mph
5. Save Bradford on Avon Swimming Pool - http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/savebradfordonavonpool

Looking at Winchester, our most popular online petitions over time have been:

Five most active online campaigns in Winchester

1. Quiet Please! – http://www.quietplease.org.uk/
2. Defend Freedom of Information – http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi
3. Save Our Loos – http://www.saveourloos.com/
4. Save our buses – http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/saveourbuses
5. A trip to the shops this Christmas – http://www.triptotheshops.com/

more … ]]> It seems a long time ago now, but on the day that the coalition was announced, Mark Easton reported on the views of activists from Winchester on News at Ten.

Here’s the report:

more … ]]> It seems a while since Winchester City Council had its troubles with Icelandic banks.

I realised to my surprise that I never uploaded the video of the original BBC News report on it, so here it is:

I particularly like Steve Humphrey’s line about the Conservatives in Winchester feeling the blues and the Lib Dems in Eastleigh basking in a golden glow!

more … ]]> More catching up. Here’s a BBC South Today report on ambulance response times from April 16, 2009 using the results of an FOI request I did on ambulance response times.

The response to this FOI request and subsequent meetings with the trust, led to the discovery that Hampshire had too few ambulances per capita, persuading the trust to admit this at their AGM, and an increase in ambulance numbers towards the end of last financial year.

more … ]]> Having a brand new blisteringly fast computer for my birthday means I can start processing and uploading video again.

Here as a starter for 10, is a BBC South Today report from April 17, 2009 by Peter Henley on the use of the web, video and Twitter for campaigning, featuring the successful Save Our Loos campaign we ran in Alresford in the first half of 2009.

You can see all my latest uploaded video on this page.

more … ]]> Ever since moving my video to stream from Amazon, I’d been getting a rather annoying error on the otherwise excellent Wordtube plugin with playlists: in essence it refused to play any of the streamed videos on the playlist with the error message ‘playlist could not be loaded due to crossdomain policy restrictions’.

After much playing around, I finally found the likely cause of the problem via this guide to XML playlists on the JW Player website.

In essence, Wordtube was sending the format it uses to store the location for streamed video direct to the JW Player – instead of the format JW Player needed.

The playlist file was including this:

<location>rtmp://video.martintod.org.uk/cfx/st?id=video/LunchtimeObamaReportReloaded.flv</location>

when it needed to include this:

<location>video/LunchtimeObamaReportReloaded.flv</location>
<meta rel="streamer">rtmp://video.martintod.org.uk/cfx/st</meta>

Fortunately, this was a fairly quick fix. The code for the playlist is in the Wordtube directory at myextractXML.php and you can borrow most of the code to make the necessary change from wordTubeClass::ReturnLocation() in /lib/wordtube.class.php.

I attach a modified version of myextractXML.php here and you can see the functioning video playlist here.

more … ]]> I’ve been playing with the WordPress theme that this site uses for the last few weeks.

Changes have included:

• Reconfiguring it as a child theme to the standard TwentyTen theme that was introduced with WordPress 3.0.
• Making it entirely customisable from the WordPress admin pages (of which more later), including:
  • Full control of all text on the page
  • Drag and drop control of the images used in the rotating headers and boxes
  • Control of the Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube accounts to show on the front page
• Writing drag-and-drop widgets to show Flickr photographs, social networking icons and the sign-up box.

While I was at it, I moved my video hosting to Amazon’s S3 and Cloudfront services.

The latest change is to the Flickr widget at the bottom of this page. It now uses a slightly modified version of Leandro Vieira Pinho‘s jQuery lightbox plug-in so pop-up big versions of the images shown if you click on them.  (The modification is to enable a link through to each image’s Flickr page as required in their Community Guidelines and automatic resizing if the image is too big for the screen).

I’d previously used Lightbox JS by Lokesh Dhakar to do the same thing on another site, but that’s based on script.aculo.us.  I’d moved everything else I was doing to jQuery, so didn’t think it made sense to go back to script.aculo.us just for this one thing.

I could also have used ThickBox, since that’s built into WordPress. But that’s no longer maintained, and I only spotted that WordPress supported it after building in jQuery lightbox!

more … ]]> I can’t find a website with this information, so here it is:

WINCHESTER’S BIG LUNCH EVENT AT ABBEY GARDENS –
SUNDAY 18th July from 12 until 3pm

DELICIOUS FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD, LIVE MUSIC AND DANCE is all on the menu at Winchester’s Big Lunch event on Sunday 18 July in Abbey Gardens, next to the Guildhall.

For only £2 for three portions, guests will be able to enjoy authentic Indian, Chinese, Thai, Nepalese, Philippine and African dishes prepared by the city’s varied restaurants and community groups. Portions are small so that you can try servings from several nationalities. Take your place at One Big Table!

For everyone’s entertainment there will be steel drums, salsa dance lessons, story telling for the whole family, traditional dance from Nepal and Thailand, African drumming, plus music from around the world.  The event will be launched by Councillor Richard Izard, Mayor of Winchester, from the Guildhall with a Chinese “lion dance” procession to Abbey Gardens.

Entry and entertainment is free and everyone is welcome!  There is, however, a charge if you wish to have food from the various cuisines on offer. Here’s how it works:  You purchase a ticket which entitles you to a three-portion serving from one of the six national cuisines.  Each ticket costs £2.  Portions are small so if you want to try dishes from another nationality you pay for another ticket and try another country.  For £12 pounds you can try all six nationalities – if you can handle it!

One Big Table is a local version of The Big Lunch.  One Big Table has the aim of bringing together and celebrating the increasingly diverse cultural communities in Winchester.

CultureNet was set up just over a year ago to bring together Winchester’s ethnic minority communities to promote opportunities for greater integration and to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the city and district.  Culturenet aims to do this through various means, including events such as today’s One Big Table, as well as various social forums.  One Big Table has been devised by Winchester’s ethnic minority groups including CultureNet and Footsteps, working in partnership with Winchester City Council’s Arts Service, Hampshire County Council’s Community Service and Winchester Area Community Action, with additional funding from Awards for All Lottery grants.

We look forward to seeing you in Abbey Gardens.

For more information contact Christopher Newberry on 01962 712858.

ends

Many thanks to Miff Kayum of Bangkok Brasserie for sending the information through.

more … ]]> First, a big thank you for the incredible support given to me by so many people during (and after) the recent election.  The level of support was astonishing and humbling – the personal support, along with all the hours spent delivering, canvassing, writing and stuffing envelopes, printing, sticking up posters etc.  It was something to behold and I am intensely grateful.

Regrettably this didn’t translate to a win the in Parliamentary Election.  Through everyone’s work, we got 43.1% of the vote – the fourth highest losing vote share in the country, a higher share of the vote than Mark achieved when first elected in 1997 and 24,107 votes – more than 458 of the MPs in Parliament. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

We won the local election vote, but too many of our local voters switched to back the Conservatives in the General Election because (ironically) they believed the line that voting Conservative was the only way to avoid a hung parliament and get rid of Gordon Brown!

Taking majority control of the City Council for the first time since 2002

Despite our disappointment in the parliamentary campaign, we do have grounds for celebration. As a second result of the team’s hard work, we won the majority of seats on Winchester City Council for the first time since 2002!  We now have outright majority control for the first time since 2003.

The results in Chandler’s Ford are equally encouraging. We beat the Conservatives across Chandler’s Ford in the Borough Council vote for the first time ever (or at least since Martin Kyrle’s records begin in the mid-1960s).

Preparing for the future

Obviously, our councillor team have a lot to do preparing to lead the City Council, but we also need to build up our organisation and our funds for future elections and a referendum on the voting system.

As Winchester and Chandler’s Ford residents know, we are active all year round across the whole constituency. The money we raise to produce our leaflets, pay our staff and run our offices also comes from local people.

If you’re able to help with any upcoming campaign, please let me know.  We also want more people to join us as party members. You can join online at http://www.winld.org.uk/join.

Despite any personal disappointment, my commitment to Winchester and my commitment to tackling the environmental, social, economic and political crises we face – and working for a freer, fairer and greener way of living – remains undimmed. And there are a thousand ways to change the world other than being a Member of Parliament!

Once again, if you were one of the many thousands who helped my campaign or voted for me on May 6th, thank you.

more … ]]> Last Sunday, I went up to Milestones in Basingstoke to take part in the BBC South edition of the Politics Show.

If you missed it, it’s still available on the iPlayer.

The relevant section starts here.

Post-note:

It’s not available on the iPlayer anymore, but I have finally managed to upload it here.

[See post to watch Flash video]

more … ]]> News from the University of Glasgow (as passed on to me by their University Rector over dinner this evening):

Preserving the fabric of the nation’s treasures for future generations, a new textile conservation centre is to be established at the University of Glasgow.

The Textile Conservation Centre Foundation (TCCF) and the University of Glasgow have agreed to found the new teaching and research facility – the only resource of its kind in the UK – in the University’s Robertson Building.

Peter Longman, Deputy Chairman of the Textile Conservation Centre Foundation said: “There was such concern over the closure of the Textile Conservation Centre in Winchester that over the last 18 months we have been approached by several institutions anxious to work with us to continue aspects of its work.  We have considered a number of options, but the combination of Glasgow with its world class University and History of Art Department and the unrivalled collections in and around the City proved an irresistible location.

A happy ending, although still a loss for Winchester.

You can read Glasgow University’s press release here and read previous posts about the TCC closure here.

more … ]]> Last Wednesday, Martin Tod used a wheelchair to accompany local wheelchair user, Andy Cadle-Mills around town to try and understand what it’s like to use a wheelchair in Winchester.

Martin Tod learns about using a wheelchair inWinchester from Andy & Jane Cadle-Mills

“I was surprised how tough it was” commented Mr Tod after the session was over. “Winchester has a lot of steep curbs, pavements with sharp cambers and uneven surfaces – and that’s before you even consider how steep it is to get from the bottom to the top of town.”

This was the latest of a series of visits that Mr Tod has done alongside people with with disabilities to try and understand how we can make Winchester more disability friendly.

Mr Tod added “After an hour I was worn out. Winchester is hilly, the surfaces are uneven, and it’s not always possible for blue-badge holders to get to a convenient place to get out of their car. It’s been said that Winchester is the worst place in Hampshire for wheelchair users. I can’t judge whether that’s true, but it’s clear we need to do more.”

Ideas for action that Mr Tod discussed with Mr Cadle-Mills included:

• Moving to level pedestrian crossings – instead of dropping kerbs
• Flattening surfaces and removing obstacles such as the dropped drain by Middle Brook Street market
• More central Blue Badge parking spaces to enable people to get to their destination without tiring journeys up and down hill
• Scrapping charges for blue-badge holders, or having clearer signs on the Brooks Centre car-park to make it clear that it’s one of the only two car parks in Winchester that charge blue-badge holders to park.

more … ]]> Liberal Democrat Prospective MP, Martin Tod, has backed residents of Danemark Court wanting action on heating.

Martin Tod discusses the heating problems at Danemark Court with Mrs Esme Lipsham

During the cold period, elderly residents suffered as the boiler at the city council-run Danemark Court sheltered housing complex couldn’t keep up with the job of keeping people warm. Elderly tenants in their 80s and 90s were forced to use electric heaters running up extra bills of hundreds of pounds.  Some were unable to have hot baths or showers.

The council has now said that the boilers will be replaced.

Mr Tod met Mrs Esme Lipsham, 89, who has been organising the campaign to get better heating.

After meeting Mrs Lipsham, Mr Tod commented:

“The residents of Danemark Court are owed an apology.  I’m shocked at how they have been treated.  The City Council has let people down.”

“Since the new communal boilers were installed, central heating for the building just hasn’t been good enough, especially for people whose flats which are furthest from the boiler. Despite what has been said by councillors defending what has happened, switching on the immersion heater isn’t enough to keep the flats warm.”

“Some people have run up extra electricity bills of hundreds of pounds to keep extra electric heaters on so that they stay warm.  The council has promised to pay back the difference, but it’s still very worrying for people with small pensions.”

“One thing that rightly annoys the tenants is that they’ve still not seen councillors or senior council management come along to apologise and explain what’s going to happen.  It’s time for them to stop hiding in their offices and go along to face the music.”

more … ]]> Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, visited Alresford on Monday, March 8, to meet local businesses.

Vince Cable and Martin Tod meet John Sole of Sole Butchers. (Photo: Alick Cotterill)

Accompanied by Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Winchester, Martin Tod, Mr Cable visited the Alresford Gift Shop, both the town’s butchers – C.E. Evans & Son and Sole Butchers, the Alresford Builders Merchants and the Alresford Cobbler before finishing with a cup of coffee in Caracoli.

Mr Cable visited the town after speaking at a conference on the “Hampshire’s Road to Recovery” held at Intech.

Martin Tod commented:

It was great that Vince had the chance to meet local businesses and hear about how the recession has impacted them and also about the treatment they’ve been getting from the banks. Because we’re a relatively prosperous part of the country, some people assume that we’ve been unaffected, but that certainly isn’t the case for everyone. It’s vital that we get economic policy right if we are not to be thrown back into a deeper recession.”

more … ]]> Winchester Prospective MP, Martin Tod, has signed up to support the National Union of Students (NUS) campaign Funding Our Future campaign. The campaign believes that the education funding system is too complicated to be helpful to students. Instead, the NUS are proposing a single, simple student finance support system that can be a central distribution mechanism for all finance questions and solutions.

The Government launched a review of higher education funding on 9 November 2009 which is expected to announce top-up fees of up to £10,000, an increase that both the Liberal Democrats and the NUS are vigorously against.

Commenting, Martin Tod said:

“Everyone who has the ability and desire to go to university should be able to, and the price of study should not be a hindrance.

“The Liberal Democrats have strongly opposed top-up fees and want to phase out tuition fees. We are strongly opposed to any increase. The Government should not be saddling students with even more debt. Instead we need one simple, centralised system of student finance that increases accessibility to further education, rather than acting as a further barrier to it.

“Higher education funding must be based on fairness and access to all, and I am therefore delighted to support the NUS campaign.”

more … ]]> The number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in the Winchester district rose again in January 2010 by 78 to 1,283 – the highest figure since August 2009 and the second highest figure since February 1997. This more than reversed the decline in December 2009.

The level of unemployment amongst the under 25s remained higher than any other age-group, although the increase in unemployment came mostly from people in their 40s and 50s.

The number of long-term unemployed (i.e. those claiming JSA for more than 12 months) rose 20 to 110, more than twice the level in December 2008 – and the highest figure since July 1999.

Martin Tod, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Winchester, commented:

“We’re not out of the woods yet. Although the unemployment figures were good for December, they’ve got worse in January.  There’s still a worryingly high level of unemployment amongst the young, and worrying increases amongst people in their 40s and 50s. It’s also a concern that increasing numbers of people have been unemployed for more than a year. The recovery is still very weak and there’s a real possibility that we could go back into recession. The last thing we need is a slash and burn approach to public spending, or we could end up seeing a bad situation get even worse.”

more … ]]> Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Winchester, Martin Tod, has backed proposals for 3 wind turbines to power a local nursery business outside Crawley near Winchester.

Martin Tod near the site of the proposed turbine with Derek Taylor, who is applying to build the three turbines.

Local business, Kirton Farm Nurseries, on the Stockbridge Road near Crawley, is home of the Hairy Pot Plant Company, which provides eco friendly, sustainable and ethically produced cottage garden plants and herbs grown in hairy coir pots to individual businesses across much of the south of England.

Commenting on the plans, Martin Tod, said:

The draft plans are excellent. I wish some of the ones we saw for buildings in the city were as good.  It’s a brilliant location with lots of wind and is barely visible to nearby residents.  This is exactly the kind of countryside innovation we should be supporting.  The Winchester district has one of the higher carbon footprints of any area in the UK and we need to be taking a lead with this kind of initiative.

Details of the plans are available online at http://www.kirtonfarm.co.uk/

more … ]]> Liberal Democrats in Winchester & Chandler’s Ford have set out plans to revitalise Britain’s high streets, protect the future of the Post Office, and help small businesses establish and grow in a fairer marketplace.

The announcement comes as research shows one in eight shops is now empty after the recession. The report, published by the Local Data Company (LDC), says that vacancies shot up by 24% in the second half of 2009.

Vacancies in Winchester in December 2009 were 9.1% – below the national average of around 12.5% – in line with Basingstoke and Reading – better than Southampton (16.3%), but significantly worse than Salisbury (5.0%) and Chichester (5.7%).

Martin Tod, Prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester & Chandler’s Ford said:

“Even though our vacancy rate is below average, we can’t afford to be complacent. Other cathedral cities like Salisbury and Chichester are doing much better than we are.

“Even before the credit crunch hit, we’d lost too many small independent shops from Winchester’s High Street.

“The Government’s skewed planning system has seen almost every high street in Britain end up as an identical collection of chain stores and coffee shops.

“We need a thriving high street in Winchester, one with real character that allows local businesses to survive and grow.

“Our economy has suffered from treating the City of London as the most important part of our economy at the expense of everything else. We need to give greater focus to small business. Small businesses are the biggest engine for new jobs and will be the key for building a healthy and distinctive High Street for Winchester.”

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

“Thriving high streets are at the heart of local communities.

“But it has been our high streets that have borne the brunt of this recession, with boarded up shops scarring towns and villages across Britain.

“I believe that people value the wide range of goods and services available locally and want to see their high streets thrive and prosper.”