Figures released this week demonstrate how Labour is investing in Bexley’s schools.

In 2005-6, Bexley received £160m for its education budget. In 2006-7 this was raised to £170m, and in the last year it has been £179m. Education Minister Jim Knight announced there will be at least £6m extra for next school year - although the full allocations have not be announced yet.

This year’s funding equates to £4,550 per child across the borough.

Howard Dawber said: “The Conservatives have failed to raise four Bexley schools out of special measures and also have failed to tackle the four local schools where fewer than 30% of pupils achieve Grade A-C GCSEs.”

“Although no local schools were in special measures when Labour ran the council, the Conservatives have blamed Government saying they don’t get enough money.”

“These figures demonstrate that Bexley has had above inflation increases in education funding for three years in a row - and that the Council is simply not spending these extra resources properly.”

“Labour has made education its number one priority - the Conservatives have made cuts their number one priority.”

Howard is still waiting for a response to his recent letter to Council Leader Teresa O’Neill asking what she plans to do to help sort out the 6 “failing” schools in the Borough.

See the detailed figures here.

We were campaigning in three places at once today (Sunday 22 June).

First of all we had a whole team of people out on the streets talking to local residents in Christchurch, the ward abandoned by Ian Clement as he goes off for his big job at City Hall.

People wanted to talk to us about the waste collection changes, parking, speeding along the residential streets and anti-social behaviour. More and more people are asking what the point of electing a 54th Conservative councillor would be when they don’t see much value from the other 53 of them.

(Pictured - Ursula Ayliffe, Labour’s local candidate for the council by-election, with Howard Dawber and local Labour campaigners.)

We were very pleased to have a vist from Kevin Bonavia, the Labour Party Candidate for Southend, and some of the Southend Labour Party who dropped by to lend their support to Ursula.

Secondly we of course have our web site which is updated every day - the latest news is our support for the campaign against TESCO’s proposed megastore in Bexleyheath.

Finally, Howard also appeared on the Politics Show for London today talking about Labour’s work against crime in Bexley. Watch the programme here.

On the streets (where it really matters), on the telly and on the web, all at the same time.

This is multi-channel campaigning for the digital age . . .

I attended the local campaign meeting this morning (Saturday 21 June) called by local residents worried about TESCO’s application for a huge megastore in Bexleyheath, on the site of the old Woolwich HQ (pictured).

I am always humbled to see people who have no particular experience of campaigns - or of the frankly often very confusing planning system - get together to fight something like this. I pledged my support for their campaign.

For the record, I am not anti-Tesco or (obviously) anti-development. Tesco have done a lot of good things and in the right place a Tesco megastore creates jobs, provides some very cheap food and other products (although I have some real issues about how they source their clothing having visited the sweat-shops of Bangladesh last year).

This is not the right place.

It’s also a potential huge missed opportunity for the Council to redevelop the whole of the eastern end of the Broadway - effectively what should be Bexleyheath Town centre - in a sensitive way.

(Left: Howard speaking at the meeting)

The Civic Centre, the Woolwich HQ site, perhaps the car showroom opposite and then the links across the road to the Mall and Car park should all form part of a masterplan looking 10-20 years ahead. We should be trying to keep the cinema and enhance it with some other healthy night-time activity.

I’d like to see a new civic centre , some commercial office space, perhaps space for an open air market and some public open space for events, as well as the sort of retail facilities like a John Lewis which would attract people to shop in Bexleyheath - not just park and shop in one store. All of this should be serviced directly from the main road and also by public transport.

A comprehensive plan is what we need for making Bexleyheath beautiful, vibrant and commercially successful, so we can compete with Bluewater and other centres.

(Left: the well-attended meeting on Saturday)

This TESCO application actually prevents this sort of future vision - it is a short sighted rush for a quick buck and the Council CAN and SHOULD oppose the scheme. There couldn’t be a worse time to go into speculative development of retail and residential apartments.

If you agree with me then write to the local campaign group at: TESCONO@GOOGLEMAIL.COM