PlanetWestminster

This week Westminster has been preoccupied by possible changes in the voting system.

The bill to give the people a referendum vote on whether to move to the Alternative Vote system or not was granted a second reading on Monday.

The history of this measure is complex. It failed to get a Parliamentary majority in the 1920s when a previous Coalition looked at it. In the 2010 General Election the Conservatives opposed AV strenuously, Labour proposed it, and the Lib Dems said they would prefer a more proportional voting system.

After the election the Lib Dems said they wanted it as part of their price to join a Coalition, Labour said they now opposed it because it is linked to other changes to constituencies in the Bill, and Conservative Ministers said they now support a referendum on it, but will urge people to vote “No”.

It is in a way surprising that Lib Dems are now enthusiastic about this measure. They should study two different and interesting General Election results. In Brighton a Green emerged as the outright winner, leaving the Lib Dem struggling in fourth place. In a future election under AV more Lib Dem members and voters might decide the Greens were a purer version of what they believe in, and give them their first preference votes. Telling themselves they will vote Lib dem second preference, they could just get a Brighton effect. We know Greens can draw enough votes from across the party spectrum to win in an individual seat with a leading Green candidate.

Buckingham shows us something different. Labour and Lib Dem withdrew from this contest, giving UKIP the best possible conditions for their best known candidate to win. He struggled in well behind not just the former Conservative Speaker, but also behind a pro EU integration independent. This implies AV is less of threat to Conservatives, than it is to Lib Dems.

Under an AV system we should expect to see more splinter group or single issue type parties, as people can vote for them on first preference and still express a view on between the better supported candidates, where their preferred candidate is a minority cause candidate. This may not work well for the Lib Dems.

As has been reported in the Harlow Star, Harlow Magistrates Court and the County Court are under threat from closure, following the Justice Department's review of the courts around the country. I oppose these closures and believe that Harlow needs a County Court and Magistrates Court. I also believe the move would impinge on local policing. For this reason, today, I have sent a submission to the Justice Ministry.

The MoJ's own consultation document admits that Harlow Magistrates' Court is a busy and thriving court with a 'reasonable' workload and it accepts that the court, which is used Monday to Friday, shares among the highest numbers of magistrates of any court in Essex.

I have also discussed the proposed closure was discussed when I met with Harlow Chief Superintendent Simon Williams who said the loss of the court would delay the issue of search warrants, which would have to be driven to Chelmsford, sworn in front of a magistrate and then driven back to Harlow.

In my view it is clear that the urban extensions that are planned and currently under development will add tens of thousands of population over the next ten years.

Harlow Magistrates' Court has the capacity to grow, to become a sub-regional hub. The Ministry of Justice consultation document statesthat 'additional land around the periphery of the courthouse has been secured for a possible rebuild/extension. A new cell block was built in 2008-09. The case for closing the court is made entirely on direct costs to the Ministry of Justice rather than holistic costs to the public purse.

There is no assessment of the increased costs of running a larger Chelmsford court, no assessment of the increased workload that will inevitably fall on the police with more warrants for non-attendance and no assessment of the greater travelling times and cost for local police officers to attend court in Chelmsford or to swear in search warrants out of normal working hours with magistrates in Chelmsford.

This will also mean police officers, because of the increased travel times, will be away from front-line duties. This incurs an opportunity cost. There is also presumably a cost to the Ministry of Justice budget in increased late and non-attendance caused by difficult travel. Some assessment of these points would help to determine whether the closure of Harlow Magistrates' Court is genuine value for money.

I wholeheartedly support the need to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the HMCS magistrates’ estate. However my concerns are that Harlow Magistrates' Court is highly utilised, Harlow has a high crime-rate and the loss of the court would pose a major operational problem for local police.

Harlow is a major growth town and the court has recently been invested in, and has the capacity to grow. The court is linked to the police station by a tunnel so the building cannot be sold without major and expensive renovation. Taking all these factors into account, I am concerned that the true holistic cost of closure has not been assessed.
by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Holding a referendum on changing the voting system is set to restore public faith in everything, official data shows.  News comes the day after the House of Commons voted to allow a referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) system for Parliamentary elections.

“Until folk knew that they’d be able to vote on electoral reform next May, they sometimes doubted the integrity and judgement of politicians.  But all those decades of incompetent public policy-making have been put to one side according to our data survey” revealed Whitehall sources.

Tinkering with the ballot system means that decades of growing contempt for the political system has been replaced with glowing admiration for our law-makers. “Those MPs might still ignore the things that really matter to us – but at least they’ll be doing it with AV!” gushed one citizen.    

Officials at the Department of Progress are keen to emphasise that a referendum on AV is not the only reform ministers are planning.  “Obviously AV was a top priority on the doorstep during the election.  Especially in the posh parts of Islington.  So we had to deliver that with breakneck speed.  But change doesn’t stop there.”

“Not holding a referendum on the EU after having promised one, is just as important, too, so that we can build trust in the new politics”.   

Officials are also drawing up plans to modernise democracy by replacing traditional elections with a citizen’s jury.  “Having a citizen’s jury making decisions will cut the cost of politics.  We can all just sit down together on a few sofas in Downing Street and decide things”.

James Morris, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, will be available in Halesowen town centre this Saturday lunchtime between 12.30 and 2.00 p.m. as part of a series of informal ‘MP in the town’ events over the coming weeks.  read more »

Yes it’s good to be back in Westminster and we certainly hit the ground running – debates and voting on the the AV system went on well into the night finishing about 11pm – followed by the Adjournment debate brought by Diane Abbott MP on Public Expenditure Reductions (Women).

I stayed to listen and take part in this debate, which sadly turned out to be no more than a written  list of complaints by the opposition without any suggestions of ways to move forward. (An opposition I hasted to add that has only been in opposition a matter of weeks having had 13 years in power hardly a time for a list of complaints for surely those complaints need to be directed to those who have just vacated office!!)

Whilst I totally appreciated some of the points raised by Diane, having worked with Women in business for the last 10 years and having written articles on women in business and the types of business they work in, I was disappointed with what appeared to be a backward looking rant without any solutions, conclusions or suggestions on how to support women in business.

In stark contrast to the debate, I was interested to read an article out this week by Candise Kreiger looking at the very real and diverse picture of women in business. She outlined how nearly 1/3 of women are the main breadwinner in the home, aided significantly by flexible hours becoming the norm, what is more, this has helped women up the corporate ladder enabling them to take up senior, part-time roles.

According to the Office of National Statistics the number of people in part time employment has increased by 147,000 in the last quarter to reach 7.66million making up 26.9% of employment. ‘This part time work is now at an all time high, and the number of those in part time work is because they want to be as opposed to because they are forced to be’.

The future challenge is to keep this going, developing this area for women,  particularly women juggling family demands. As Candice Kreiger concludes ‘Women who have been holding out for quality part-time or flexible roles are starting to find them. It has been the silver lining of the recession cloud’

Moving forward therefore, one suggestion has to be, that we the coalition, despite the disastrous financial situation we find ourselves in,  need to build on this ‘flexibility’, so helping employees and employers, private and public sector.

It has indeed been a lively debate today. Charles Walker’s courageous and eloquent speech at about 8 pm this evening was particularly memorable – I will link to it when it is available on Hansard (update: available here). There is much to say, and no doubt it will be said in the committee stage, but I will make

Back to Parliament this week with a bang. The Coalition is revving up for some radical and powerful legislation and looks likely to get most of it through. So it cannot be a coincidence that, after a summer of non-stories, some serious mischief making – aimed at the three most significant Tories in this Government - is afoot. William Hague has been under siege for his choice of special advisor and was forced to make a statement denying that he is homosexual.  Michael Gove has been beset with nasty suggestions that his academies and free schools have failed to attract support from school heads  – when the truth is that teachers and parents are being held to ransom by militant unions. And the Labour legions are baying for a new investigation into an old phone bugging scandal, which happened while Andy Coulson – David Cameron’s Head of Communications - was Editor of News of the World. All are vicious attacks in different ways, all are potentially hugely damaging and all bear the marks of the old Labour smear machine.

 

Robbs is the lynch pin store in Hexham and recently things looked decidedly bleak when news broke that it was to close. However in a good sign for the local economy Robbs was taken over and its new parent company has invested £2million in bringing the store up to scratch.

I joined Hexham’s Mayor Coun. Terry Robson for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday and the staff are determined to make the revamped store a success.

The new investment will hopefully spill beyond Robbs and provide a further boost to tourism and local traders in the town.

Chloe Smith today commended Counsel and Care's ElderCare Week which aims to promote their range of information and advice guides for older people, their families, and their carers.

As part of ElderCare Week, Counsel and Care is launching the results of a survey of over 1,300 UK adults, which reveals that there is a severe lack of public understanding of and information available on the care system for older people. They found that just 5% believe the social care system is easy to navigate and 79% think that not enough is done to tell people about the care options available.

Commenting on the week, Chloe Smith said:

"There are six million carers in Britain today - and many thousands in and around Norwich - and it is important that they have access to information about the care system and their entitlements. The current system of social care urgently needs reform in order to provide much more control to individuals and their carers, and to ease the cost burden that they and their families face.

 

"I would praise Counsel and Care for the work that they do in providing information to carers. A campaign week like this can highlight the top problems quite effectively and stand up for carers.

 

"To tackle the biggest issues, I look forward to the publication of the Government's Commission on the Funding of Care and Support's report which is expected next year. In the meantime I am also pleased to see that Government plans have made £100 million available within local NHS baseline budgets this year to help authorities to budget for more breaks for carers."

 

 

For once, we were lucky with the weather.  The Isle of Wight proved to be a much-needed family break in the sun for a week before tomorrow’s return to Parliament.  The Summer has been a very useful opportunity for me to take some time to visit local groups and to catch up on some reading.  I have long wanted to read Thomas Pakenham’s “The Scramble for Africa”, which charts the period from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century when the European powers carved up the continent between them.  The most remarkable story has to be that of King Leopold II of the Belgians, whose personal fiefdom in the Congo made him stupendously rich (thanks to rubber exports) but was also the setting for acts of senseless and stupendous cruelty.  The transfer of the Congo to the Belgian Government proved to be a huge albatross that was finally removed in 1960 but which has been the source of much conflict, pain and suffering ever since.  Only today, I was reading of mass rapes by rebel troops in the Eastern Congo.

The scramble was precipitated by pioneering exploration and the development of significant commercial interests.  In the vast majority of cases, it was commerce that drove things.   National Governments wouldonly later become involved, and very often the politicians were very doubtful and reluctant to formalise things.  The fear of annexation by other powers was the main driving force behind the Scramble.  All of this seems a very long time ago in another age, but there are lessons for the present.  China’s considerable financial and economic interests in Africa do not presage a new political empire as in the past, but power and influence is being wielded nonetheless.    

What, then, should Britain’s relations with Africa be about?  We are lucky to have the Commonwealth, which gives us useful and immediate links to our former colonies plus other nations such as Mozambique and Rwanda.  The judicious and effective use of overseas aid is a useful means of diplomacy.  There is no ulterior motive in our dealings with Africa, which means that the trust should be greater.  Basing aid programmes on what local groups say they want rather than upon assumptions as to need is a much better way of spending taxpayers’ money.  Rather than delivering lofty lectures about democracy, practical help and advice on improving legal and judicial procedures is what is needed in many areas. 

It seems almost certain that this century will be the Chinese century, with India and Brazil coming up on the inside track.   The African century may be some time off yet, but laying some groundwork now will prove to be a wise investment for wise old Albion.   

I was also able to enjoy the last volume of Bevis Hillier’s amusing biography of Betjeman, which amongst many other things recalled his help to raise funds for the preservation of agricultural buildings at Coate in 1975 that are linked with the 19th century nature author Richard Jefferies, of whom he was fond.  Jefferies, who was raised on a farm at Coate that is now a museum dedicated to his memory.

The Second Reading of the 'Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill' takes place tomorrow - a people-friendly title or what? This is the Bill which enables a referendum on introducing the Alternative Vote system for general elections, reduces the number of MPs to 600, and equalises constituency populations at around 67,000 each. There will be several days of more detailed consideration at the Committee Stage in October, the whole House sitting as the Committee. I hope to speak tomorrow, and spend as much time as possible participating in the Committee consideration next month. Its highly unlikely that I'll vote against the Bill, but I'm not going to remain silent about the serious concerns that I have. I suppose I flagged up my discontent in July when I signed an Early Day Motion condemning the decision to hold the Alternative Vote referendum on May 5th 2011. I think I was the only Welsh MP on the Government side to do so.

Firstly, we need to establish one absolute 'given'. There must be a referendum on adopting the Alternative Vote system of election. It was part of the Coalition 'agreement' with the Liberal Democrats - and a deal is a deal. And I must admit I didn't think that it was that big a deal. AV is not as revolutionary, or threatening as some of my colleagues fear. I would probably have voted against any change, but I wasn't that fussed. But since it's proposed that the referendum is to be held on the same day as the Welsh General Election, my "gentle" opposition has been transformed into "unrestrained ferocious antipathy". I hope I have the chance to explain my anger to the Deputy Prime Minister tomorrow. I now want the decision to choose May 5th 2011 to be the death knell for this Bill as it stands. I feel the spirit of Glyndwr rising in my soul.

I must also admit great concern about the equalisation of constituency populations. It sounds easy at first and casual hearing, but when I began trying to work out how it would work in practice, my concern was first awakened, and then just grew - and is still growing. I really do wonder what the House of Lords are going to do with a Bill that drives a coach and horses through every constituency in Britain (except a couple in Scotland) and leaves no-one in Britain knowing the boundaries of their own constituency - all history and tradition tossed into the bin like so much discarded chip paper. I can see one very big rumpus brewing over this.

I spent a few hours this afternoon at Thornaby show.  It was one of the best attended I have seen with large crowds at every tent and attraction.  It was a good chance to speak with the Remembering Thornaby Group and Village Park Residents Association at their respective stands.

It is easy to take things for granted. My meeting with Natural England reminded me what extraordinary natural habitats and features Bristol North West is host to - from the Severn Estuary ( Above, as seen from the superb Kingsweston House. The ideal venue for a coffee-with-a-view!) with its enormous variety of bird life, to The Downs and the Avon Gorge (below) which hosts plant species unique to the Gorge itself.

There is always a balance between preserving what already exists, and making way for progress. Thankfully now there is more emphasis on sustainable progress - changes that are not so detrimental to the world around us that they destroy the environment that makes everything possible in the first place - but that balance is still very hard to get right.

Natural England explained their role in both protecting bird species in the Severn Estuary, and recognising the enormous importance of Avonmouth to the economic prosperity of the city; It was a morning very informatively spent - and it's made me look again at the 'natural assets' our city possesses.

Please click on the link provided to access a copy of a recent article about Second Church Estates Commissioner Tony Baldry from the Door Magazine: The Door Article 010910.

In the last two weeks the West Briton has questioned senior executive pay at Cornwall Council and the “golden parachute” deals paid to senior staff in some cases. This week, Alec Robertson, the Leader of the Council, returned from holiday and took immediate action to tackle the issue. All credit to him for taking a lead.

Getting to grips with the financial mess left by the last government requires some painful decisions on public spending. We need to make sure the pain is shared and I believe that any cuts must start at the top.

It is not a problem limited to Cornwall. Across the country senior pay in local authorities has got out of control. Some people say that council chief executives manage large budgets and so should be on a salary comparable with those in major companies. But there is a big difference. The Chief Executive of a large company has to make money whereas a Council Chief Executive only has to spend money and we all understand that it is easier to spend money than make it.

Then there is the fact that the really big decisions in a council are taken by the Council Leader and his cabinet, not by the Chief Executive whereas the boss of a large private company has to take the major decisions himself.

I think the civil service provides a better guide to the right salary for local authority chief executives. The Permanent Secretary of a typical government department is around £150,000. There is no logical reason why the pay of a council chief should be more than this. But across the country they are regularly paid £100,000 a year more than the Prime Minister. How can that be right? Such high levels of pay are not driven by the market, it is more the case that a high pay culture has been allowed to develop over the last decade and this must now be quashed.

Kevin Lavery is a talented Chief Executive of Cornwall Council and I rate him. I have also met many of the directors of service who have impressed me too but I don’t think we can duck the issue of pay any longer. Some say that you can’t change someone’s contract of employment but just this week I met a woman who works for Cornwall Council who has been asked to consider a 5 percent pay cut as part of a consultation. If it’s ok for the junior ranks to take a cut, it’s ok for those at the top to do the same.

I don’t like to see people at the very top of organisations seeking refuge in arbitrary employment contracts. People who are worth their salt in such positions are guided by what is right not by some piece of paper. They should lead by example and always be the first to make a sacrifice and we should give them credit if they recognise this.

Sunday on Royston Heath, for my Annual Cricket Tournament. My son William bravely put in a team of his own, Ramblers Cricket Club, who enjoyed the Tournament a great deal and even managed to get to the semi finals. Dominic Adams was an absolute star in organizing the whole day and it was also good to see that the Town Mayor and other councillors and officials from the Royal British Legion attended. There were fewer people at the event this year as spectators because of the weather but there were always 100 hardy spectators enjoying the occasion. Babraham did very well to defend their trophy and the final was looking promising until bad light stopped play. We were just unlucky that heavy cloud cover came over. Amjad Afridi of the Market One Team really showed his paces with the bat.
Photo of Royston Town Mayor Martin Beaver, together with members the Ramblers Team, six of whom come from the Royston area:

Standing Left to Right – Adam Tozzi, Nick Waller, Guy Houghton, Will Heald, Ed Jessop
Kneeling Left to Right – Zack King and Tom Hoy

Thanks to everyone who turned up for one of the six town hall meetings I hosted over the last fortnight.

I enjoyed meeting so many new people - as well as some familiar faces - and appreciated you giving up a summer evening to come along and raise a range of local and national issues.

Just back from the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe which was as ever superb. My main job up there was to listen and respond to Mark Thompson's McTaggart lecture at the TV Festival, but I managed to pack in lots more. Highlights included Bryony Lavery's Beautiful Burnout, a sort of boxing redemption story which reminded me inevitably of Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. It is extraordinarily powerful both in terms of acting and staging, and manages to tap into the madness but also the addictive excitement of the sport. I also saw a brilliant Paul Merton improvisation comedy number, Llyr Williams on top form performing Beethoven and Charles Ives and Alexander McCall Smith speaking with characteristic charm at the Book Festival. But as well as being good for the soul, cultural festivals are also good for the country's pocket as a massive driver of tourism revenue, something I hope doesn't get lost as we debate the best ways to sustain economic growth.

Tom Harris has a good blog today regarding Labour’s propensity to shout ‘wolf’ every time the Government make an announcement. http://tinyurl.com/2wsjthn A prime example of this was Andy Burnham’s performance on Newsnight earlier in the week. And...

Pension SectionKent
County Council,2nd Floor
Brenchley House
Week Street
Maidstone
Kent ME14 1RF

Dear XXXX

Firefighters Pension Scheme

I am writing on behalf of a constituent regarding your recent letter to them in which they are required to complete a Certificate of Entitlement.

Having read the contents of your letter and listened to my constituent’s concerns, I am concerned that the process of forcing widows and widowers of those who served so bravely in the Fire Service to prove that they are still eligible to receive their pension is, to put it mildly, insensitive.

As my constituent rightly points out, there is already a legal obligation on recipients of widow’s and widower’s pension to declare a change in their circumstances that may affect their entitlement. It therefore strikes me as being inappropriate and unnecessary to force recipients of this pension to declare their eligibility on an annual basis, a procedure which clearly does imply a lack of trust in recipients, notwithstanding your contrary assertion.

I would be grateful if you would give consideration as to how Kent County Council can go about administering this scheme in the future so as to avoid causing further undue distress to my constituent and others who are in a similar position.

I am, because of the importance of this issue to those that I represent, making my concerns known to the Kent media.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Reckless
Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood

An all-day ministerial excursion took me today to Wrexham, the part of the world where I was brought up and which, in my admittedly prejudiced opinion, is one of the most interesting corners of Wales, with a rich military, industrial and social heritage.

There, I learned some facts of which I was previously unaware:

• Glyndŵr University was constructed in the 1950s, in what I can only describe as a very late art deco style, as a technical college.  It was built, however, with a more sombre alternative potential use in mind: as a hospital to accommodate the victims of a nuclear attack.  Hence, the corridors are particularly wide, to allow for the passage of trolleys and beds.  We must be thankful that it never needed to be adapted from its primary purpose.
• The old police station, which is now being converted, courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund, into the Wrexham museum, was formerly a barracks for the Denbighshire Yeomanry.  It originally had a tower (two of which remain) on each of its four corners  and was planned to be surrounded by a moat.  Like many fine Wrexham buildings of the period, is constructed of honey-coloured Cefn-y-Fedw sandstone, which is sadly no longer quarried.
• The police station’s architect also designed the marble church in Bodelwyddan.
• Owls, according to the members of Owlrescue whom I met at Garth CP School, can rotate their heads through 270 degrees.  They do this because they are unable to swivel their eyes.
• Not all owls are nocturnal hunters; only those with dark eyes are.  Owls with yellow eyes are diurnal and those with orange eyes are crepuscular.

Tomorrow, it’s the Denbigh and Flint show.  I’d bet a pound to a penny that I will learn something new there, too.  Because, in this job, that’s something that happens every day.

Related Articles

• University guide: Glyndwr University (guardian.co.uk)

Filed under: Wales Office Tagged: Glyndŵr University, Life, Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough

The whole of Hampshire is now covered by the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme which offers screening to men and women aged between 60 and 69 years - the highest risk age group. If you are a man or women in this age group and you are registered with a GP then you will be offered screening every two years. However, it is a new programme and so some people won’t receive their first invitation until the programme has been running nearly two years (roll out will continue until September 2010).     Maria is encouraging everyone to get to know the key symptoms, to get involved in the NHS screening programme for bowel cancer and to act quickly on key symptoms and screening.    Maria said “Around 35,000 people will be diagnosed with bowel cancer this year. But the good news is - it is one of the most curable cancers you can get if it is caught early enough. Few people talk about it – yet it is preventable and curable. I am urging all constituents in Basingstoke to raise awareness of Bowel Cancer and NHS screening programme”   To find out more information about Bowel Cancer Faster Diagnosis Week visit www.bowelcancer.tv The most common symptoms of bowel cancer are: a persistent change in bowel habit, especially needing to go to the toilet more often or having diarrhoea for several weeks bleeding from the back passage or blood in the bowel motion severe abdominal pain a lump in the abdomen unexplained tiredness or weight loss

End of Term

Three months have flown by since I was elected in May. I still can’t quite believe how lucky I am to be your Member of Parliament andI  am really enjoying my new job.

I arrived at the House of Commons on the Monday after the election and it was a bit like coming back to school after the holidays as I saw so many of my friends who had won seats. After trying for ten years to become MP for Redditch I have got to know many different people and the first few days were amazing.

Getting an office was the next big challenge and after five weeks of working on my laptop in the coffee shop I was successful. It is a lovely office in the Old Scotland Yard, quite a way from the chamber but large and airy. When the division  bell goes you can see lots of us running for the lifts as we are on the 5^th floor!

My other big challenge this term was making my maiden speech. As there are so many new MPs there was quite a queue to speak in every debate. I decided to wait a while and finally spoke in the Defence Review debate. I sat for nearly six hours waiting for the Speaker to call me and finally got to stand at 8.30pm. It was an amazing feeling and great to be able to talk about Redditch and how nice it is to live here.

I have also visited so many different people over these first three months and hopefully have been able to help some people too. I intend to spend some time with my family over the summer and lots of time in Redditch too.

All in all I have had a great first term and looking forward to returning in September.

Dear All

I thought this would be a good time to update you on the ongoing debate over the proposed high-speed rail link. Since I was elected in May I have taken every opportunity to ask questions regarding the proposed plans and gather as much information as possible.

In June I took part in a Westminster debate that sought to establish the Government's level of commitment to HSR, given the dire state of our economy and I issued a press release following the debate, which you can read here:

Since the Westminster Hall debate I have written several times to Rt. Hon. Philip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Transport, asking him for up to date information on the Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) and on the impact of considering moving the terminus for HS2 to Heathrow.

On Tuesday 13 July I had a meeting with Minister of Transport, Theresa Villiers MP together with Chris Pincher (MP for Tamworth) and Dan Byles (MP for North Warwickshire). We held the meeting in order to get an update from Theresa on the proposed route.

In summary Theresa Villiers made several important comments:

• The Government will take all realistic measures to mitigate the damage caused to the environment and communities along the route. This will include using slower speeds and tunnelling in order to minimise the impact on sensitive areas.

• On the exceptional hardship scheme, the Secretary of State will make an announcement soon on the shape of the scheme. Any compensation paid to homeowners under the EHS would be at 100% of pre-blight levels.

• Theresa also undertook to look into when the Secretary of State may be able to visit South Northamptonshire to walk part of the route and to meet with local residents and see at first hand the impact of Route 3 on their lives. I am hoping that this will be in September.

Two weeks ago I attended a public meeting in Brackley that was arranged by Liz Williams, Chairman of SNAG. The purpose was to update residents on the plans for High Speed Rail. I made clear at the meeting that I believe it highly likely that a high speed rail project will go ahead. There will be a thorough consultation beginning in 2011 and every resident affected will be able to submit their own views. The work of SNAG as an official stakeholder, representing the interests of those affected will be very important. I believe that there is a chance the route may change, but importantly I am increasingly confident that the speed of the train and hence the possibility for good mitigation is negotiable.

Having said that, the publication of the Mahwhinney Report on Wednesday 21 July was not good news for local residents. Lord Mahwhinney has stated that changing the route to run via Heathrow, ‘should not be pursued.' However, I am reassured by the Secretary of State's announcement that he will, ‘carefully consider Lord Mawhinney's recommendations alongside further work by High Speed 2 and will announce our conclusions later this year.'

I have also had a meeting with ARUP who are working with HS2 but who have also put forward their own alternative proposal for a route which would see the line link up with Heathrow and would follow a different route to Birmingham. I was impressed with the case they put forward and I am very keen that the Secetary of State considers their proposal.

On behalf of the many HS2 action groups up and down the line, I am sponsoring a Lobby Day in October around the time of the Spending Review. I hope to be allocated an extremely large Committee Room in the ballot that takes place next week! More information will follow.

As ever, I will do all I can to keep you up to date with any new developments as we get closer to a decision being made regarding the route and all information will be posted on my website.

With best wishes

Andrea Leadsom MP

Age Concern Bexley does an extraordinary amount of good work for older people living in the Borough.  So much of this work relies on the support of volunteers - as I discovered when I popped into the 'Pop in Parlour' in Bellegrove Road, Welling.  The parlour provides snacks and drinks, but more importantly it provides an outlet for people to catch up with friends and know that there will be a friendly face on hand.  

One of the sad things about growing older is that for some people this can lead to a growing sense of isolation.  Services like the Pop in Parlour and the befriending service mean that this doesn't have to be the case.  It was great to meet the volunteers and customers at the Parlour - providing a warm welcome and companionship to help older people in the area stay safe and happy.

 

I have been made the Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries. This is a long title, possibly one of the longest in Government. It also includes in effect two jobs. One is to cover the arts, libraries, broadcasting and the creative industries over at the Department for Culture Media and Sport (known as DCMS). The other is to cover broadband roll out, telecoms, and illegal filesharing over at the Department of Business (known as BIS). Phew.

As a local MP, it is interesting to consider how these responsibilities affect people in the constituency. The first and most obvious is broadband rollout. About ten per cent of all homes do not have broadband at all, and about one in 3 have very poor broadband, mainly in rural areas. There are some parts of the constituency that remain affected. Our aim is to get everyone to have a basic broadband service by the end of 2012, and to roll out high speed broadband over the next few years. If you have any issues with broadband do let me know.

I also cover what is known as illegal filesharing. This is a new law which would allow internet companies to temporarily disconnect people if it could be proved that they have been copying music or films without proper authorisation.  This is something we have to act on, as every piece of music that is copied illegally takes money away from artists and creators, who provide a lot of money for the economy. We're looking to introduce the new measures next year, but no one will be cut off (and then only temporarily) without plenty of warning and a chance to change their behaviour.

Another issue that is likely to be prominent is libraries, which I also cover. Libraries are very important to local communities, but as money becomes tighter, they may suffer. I will use my position to try and ensure that we can make responsible savings so that libraries continue to provide important services for local people - not just book borrowing, but also education and access to broadband and other local and national services.

One local issue has already cropped up which affects my ministerial responsibilities directly. The local television transmitter burnt down, and cannot be replaced until September (they have to build a new one from scratch). Many people have had their TV coverage affected and are understandably looking for a speedy solution and I am looking into this.

I continue to focus on other local issues as normal. I met with those campaigning against the reservoir, ahead of the public enquiry. I am continuing to campaign for a new station at Grove. And I was delighted that the new Government threw out the housing targets which have led to plans for huge housing developments across the constituency. It may not affect those where planning permission has already been granted but it could lead to a rethink where no decision has yet been made.

Recent constituency engagements include a spot of metal detecting (I also cover archaeology!) and as a judge for Didcot's Got Talent, a great night for pupils aged 6-11 to show off their talents. I tried not to be too Simon Cowell-ish!

 

I can still be contacted at the House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, 020 7219 6350 vaizeye@parliament.uk

Next surgeries are 9 July: Grove, Old Mill Hall and 23 July: Didcot, King Alfred Drive Community Centre both at 530pm

Damian thanks the people of Ashford and Tenterden for returning him to Parliament as MP for Ashford.

Yesterday the Labour government proved, yet again, that they have no new ideas. Their fantastic idea to cut the stamp duty threshold for first time buyers, was of course a Conservative idea first, just like cutting the inheritance tax threshold was. What about the hard decisions that need to be made on cutting our enormous deficit and dealing with bloat in the public sector. The best they can do on taking these hard decisions is to relocate people! You ask any business man and he will tell yo...

Desperate to prove they are doing something about the rising toll of deaths from guns and knives the government have resorted to the old idea of an "amnesty." This will enable a few aging war veterans who collected a "souvenir" and some farmers who forgot to renew their shotgun licenses to hand over guns that would never have been used for any kind of crime. Some of the younger "wannabe" gansters may also find that their weapons, usually replicas, are handed in by angry mothers.

This will be enough for the amnesty to achieve its real objective - photos of a smiling Minister in front of an impressive looking array of guns claiming that the government have "taken action".

But make no mistake the serious criminals will continue to roam the streets without any fear of being stopped and searched, (human rights) and knowing that even if by some chance they are found in poossession of a gun or knife the sentence will be minimal.

The toll of death will continue to rise.

the consequences of the Gerrards Cross tunnel collapse are still being felt