Chuka Umunna MP

New police and court powers have been announced by the Home Office which will help deal with gangs who use dangerous dogs. There is concern that dogs, such as Pit Bull Terriers, are being trained by gangs to be aggressive and increasingly used in violence or to intimidate others. The new powers will allow courts to restrict the movements of gang members and prohibit them from owning or being in control of dogs. Those breaking such an order would face up to two years in prison. The announcement comes as part of the Home Office’s wider effort to tackle gang culture. Certain dangerous breeds are already restricted by law and last year the Metropolitan Police seized over 600 dogs, the majority of which are on the list of banned dogs, compared to only 27 in 2004/5.

Chuka, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Liberal Democrat MP  Vince Cable, and others who spoke at last week’s Convention on Modern Liberty take issue with Conservative speakers at the event in today’s Observer newspaper.

In their letter today, which can be read in full here, Chuka, Kennedy, Cable and others say:

“The Convention on Modern Liberty last weekend that we attended and addressed was right to identify the threat to our civil liberties represented by the current levels of surveillance and collection of personal data, and we welcome the support of Conservative MPs Dominic Grieve and David Davis (“Liberty groups unite to defend UK rights”, News, last week).

However, the threat to civil liberties goes far wider than these issues. The litmus test of a commitment to fundamental and universal human rights is whether we are prepared to support their application beyond the chattering classes – to gay couples, drug addicts and even terror suspects.

The voting record of the Conservatives on these issues is even worse than that of the government they attack. The Tories are committed to repeal of the Human Rights Act, which allows our European Convention rights to be protected by the British courts. So at the same time as attacking the government on torture, they want to prevent UK courts from applying prior judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.”

You can watch Helena Kennedy, the Labour peer and leading human rights lawyer below:

Lambeth’s Labour administration has decided to freeze council tax for the next two years.

Recognising that in the current economic climate value for money is the top priority for Lambeth residents, Labour is determined to help by keeping council tax bills down. Having successfully managed its finances, the council is in a position to make this pledge while guaranteeing funding for front-line services, and without any cuts. For example, lunch clubs for older people are opening across the borough and youth clubs’ opening times are being extended to seven days a week.

Lambeth now has the sixth lowest council tax of the thirty three London boroughs. This stands in stark contrast to the way the Lib Dems ran Lambeth: raising council taxes over 40% while in power, including a colossal 23% rise in one year. Notably, the Lib Dems and Tories both voted against this year’s freeze.

Alongside the council tax freeze, the Labour administration launched a Credit Crunch Taskforce (of which Chuka, an employment law solicitor, was a member), pledging over £350k to helping residents and businesses through these difficult times in Lambeth. This will mean a range of new measures including a telephone advice service for local businesses, the promotion of local food initiatives and reducing the council’s payment time to small businesses from 30 to 10 days. The council is also expanding its collaboration with the Lambeth Savings and Credit Union.

Commenting on the council tax freeze, Chuka said,
“I welcome the decision to freeze council tax and applaud the measures Lambeth is taking to help the borough through these difficult economic times. This move shows what a difference having a Labour council can make.”