FACEBOOK REACHES POLITICS

Article printed in the Bath Chronicle - 24 August 2007

Now some of Bath and north east Somerset's senior politicians have joined the Facebook revolution.

A host of councillors and MPs are registered on the social networking site.

And one of them, Cllr David Speirs (Lab, Paulton), has created a B &NES group for people living in the local area.

The aim is to make it easier for people to contact their ward councillor and discuss issues in an online forum.

There are currently almost 170 members, including several of B &NES' Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors and Bath MP Don Foster.

Cllr Speirs said he had sent an invitation to all councillors via the council's internal email and that he had been pleased with the response.

He said: "I wanted to create an online forum for both residents and councillors to raise cross-ward issues.

"It is all about making local government more accessible, especially for younger people.

"It's been really exciting having councillors join up and we've started some really good discussions."

So far the group has been used to discuss issues such as the SouthGate development, out-of-hours healthcare provision and the possibility of a casino coming to Bath.

Cllr Speirs added: "Facebook gives us as local councillors an opportunity to interact with residents in new and exciting ways.

"I would encourage all Facebook members living in B &NES to join the group which can be found by searching for 'B &NES Network'."

Facebook is a rapidly expanding site that started at Harvard University in the United States.

It has now opened up to people all over the world and, with more than 30 million members worldwide, it is one of the largest websites of its kind.

The B &NES Network can be found at http://bristol.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2413551107 .

The Campaign Continues. Here is an article in the Somerset Guardian (15th February) concerning the new internet charges:

ANGER AT NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY INTERNET FEES

18:00 - 15 February 2007

New internet charges introduced at local libraries are a "tax on learning" introduced as a result of overspending on the Bath Spa, according to two Labour campaigners from Paulton.Visitors now have to pay if they want to read and send emails, visit online shops or view entertainment websites, although they can still access most research and public information sites for free.

Under the new regime introduced by Bath and North East Somerset Council, full access to the internet and use of some programmes means having to book slots in advance and then pay £3 per hour if they are library members, £3.60 per hour if they are not, or £1.80 per hour if they are aged under 16 or registered disabled.

The charges have been introduced to stop abuse of the system and cut costs, but critics claim the district's poorest residents are being denied a valuable service.

Labour campaigners John Bull and David Speirs say they have written to the councillor in charge of libraries, Nicole O'Flaherty, executive member for tourism, leisure and culture, to highlight the part the internet plays in modern learning.

The pair, who say they want the decision to be reversed, are concerned that residents are being treated unfairly, as internet access in surrounding areas remains free.

Mr Speirs said: "Residents of North East Somerset towns should not have to pay to use the internet in their local library.

"We are calling on the council to reverse its decision, which appears to amount to a tax on learning designed to help offset the massive expenditure of council tax on the Bath Spa fiasco."

Mr Bull claimed charging for library internet use penalises poorer families who do not have internet access at home and 16- to 18-year-olds who rely on computers for further education.

Computer use remains free for visiting some educational, research and charity websites, but word processing, emailing and all other services must now be paid for.

The pair claim the list of free websites is too limited and will be impossible to keep updated.

Mr Speirs added: "At the very least the council must consider raising the age of exemption from charges to 18."

B &NES Council leader Paul Crossley said that the charges had no connection to the Spa.

"The issue is that people were using the network not for public library reasons but to conduct their own private business.

"The government gave us £300,000 to install the People's Network in libraries.

"This was insufficient money and the council added over £150,000 extra," he said.

He added that Cornwall, Devon and Torbay had also introduced charges.

-Article Ends-

Of course what Councilor Crossley failed to mention is that the Lib Dem controlled Devon, Cornwall and Torbay Council allow the first 30 minutes of internet use FREE in their libraries (with Torbay allowing an hour free access).

Dan Norris, your local Labour MP, is conducting a survey about the new charges B&NES libraries are introducing for internet use. Vote online by clicking here

David Speirs
Paulton Labour Team

The campaign against BANES Internet Library Charges continues. Here is a letter I sent to the Liberal Democrat Councillor responsible for them:

68 Hurn Lane
Keynsham
Bath and North East Somerset

January 30th 2007

Dear Councillor O’Flaherty,


As a member of the Paulton Labour Team I am writing to you in order to protest at the imposition of charges of £3.00 (for library members ) and £3.60 (for non-members)to access the internet in BANES libraries, replacing the present free service.

The members of the public with the greatest need to use a free service are those who are the least likely to have a computer, with internet access, at home. These residents are often the most disadvantaged members of our community who would benefit the most from having free access to the internet in libraries. They will also include many school students between 16 and 18 who are to being asked to pay charges which are being waived for under-16s.

I understand that certain sites are to be regarded as free sites, which is welcomed, but many more are likely to be charged for, such as those belonging to charities, voluntary organisations, universities and a whole range of other organisations. It also seems that the process for adding free sites to the list is a bureaucratic and unnecessary form-filling exercise that will probably deter many library users.

In order to allow the most disadvantaged residents of Bath and North East Somerset the opportunities which others enjoy I ask you to reverse this decision, or at the very least to consider increasing the age of exemption to eighteen.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely

David Speirs

Pictured: John Bull

A Tax on Learning.

One is a posh London hotel known throughout the world for its pricey facilities - the other is a West local authority meant to provide services that can be accessed by all its taxpayers.

But guess which one charges the most for accessing the internet - Bath and North East Somerset Council, or London's Savoy Hotel?

After blowing £30 million on the Bath Spa debacle, council chiefs have found a new way to try to claw back some lost revenue: by charging people - even disadvantaged schoolchildren with no computer at home - more than the Savoy Hotel charges its rich businessmen to get online.

Furious opposition councillors branded the charge as a "tax on learning" after libraries across North East Somerset began making library users stump up their cash before logging on.

The charges began at the start of February, and have to be paid by everyone. While internet access in libraries across the West is free for anyone, Bath and North East Somerset council chiefs charge as much as £3.60 an hour - or 6p a minute - to visit websites. For library members, the charge drops to £3 an hour, and for the disabled and under-16s, the charge is still £1.80.

Even the concession rate is more than twice the 73p an hour rate equivalent the Savoy Hotel in the Strand charges guests to access the internet in their rooms.

Bath and North East Somerset will allow free access to only a limited number of websites - ones about local government, health, news and business.

Labour candidates in Paulton, John Bull, pictured, and David Speirs launched a campaign yesterday to get council chiefs to rethink.

"People most likely to rely on libraries for internet access are those without a computer at home, so this new policy seems to target and penalise poorer people," said Mr Bull."I am most concerned about the impact on school students, which could be profound. The council's new policy allows free viewing of certain websites, but while this core entitlement is welcome, it is the very least anyone would expect. Many more sites will attract the new charges, including those belonging to charities, voluntary organisations, universities and many more which a crude classification could not possibly cover."

Mr Speirs said: "Internet access is a vital tool in education. Many school and further education students use this facility outside school hours to work on projects and essays. Residents should not have to pay. We are calling on the council to reverse its decision, which appears to amount to a tax on learning designed to help offset the massive expenditure of council tax on the Bath Spa fiasco."

Council chiefs appeared to put the blame for the charges on the Government. It said £300,000 over three years had been spent on providing computers and internet access to libraries in the form of a government grant under the "People's Network" scheme, which had now ended.

But almost every other West local authority got money under the same scheme and no other council in the region has introduced charges.

A spokesman said: "Libraries have provided a completely free service for as long as possible. The council regrets it has to introduce limited charges for access to some websites, email and software packages but has no alternative since the funding from central government has come to an end. The charges will bring B &NES into line with other library services across the country, which already charge for computer access."