There was a strong unanimous feeling from residents at a public meeting Lee Waters AM and I organised last Friday to halt and rethink traffic lights on Capel Ifan Road before it becomes another Sandy Road bottleneck.

It is crazy to say that there cannot be any change to the plans going forward. One positive suggestion was to use the lights as pedestrian controlled, so that pedestrians could cross the road safely, but the lights would only come on when used by pedestrians – and so not cause the intolerable build up of traffic outside residents’ front doors and the frustration to drivers of long tailbacks.

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has received a special award, in recognition of their support for the Long Live the Local campaign and helping to secure consecutive freezes in beer duty.

Gwynne was presented with the ‘Beer Champion’ award, a unique tap-handle trophy created especially for the occasion.

The special award is an initiative from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) to recognise the role of Andrew Gwynne MP and other MPs from across the House, in supporting Britain’s national drink since the 2017 General Election. The award especially recognises support for successive freezes in beer duty which secured thousands of jobs and millions of pounds worth of investment in the brewing and pubs sector.

Brewing and pubs are vital to the local economy in every part of the country. The Long Live the Local campaign is campaigning for a cut in beer duty in this year’s Budget and so far over 90,000 people have supported the petition this year, including 171 in the Denton and Reddish constituency alone.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I’d like to thank the British Beer & Pub Association for the Beer Champion 2019 Award.

 

“The brewing and hospitality industries play such a vital role in both our local and national economies, providing thousands and thousands of jobs across the country.

 

“I will always campaign in Parliament to support this sector.”

Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said:

“This award recognises Andrew Gwynne MP for his invaluable support for the Great British pub and Britain’s historic brewing industry.

 

“I want to thank Andrew for the work done in securing two beer duty freezes in this parliament, and for their support for the brewing and pubs sector since the 2017 election.”

On July 11th I spoke at a Resolution Foundation event on tackling the crisis in social care alongside the Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb and the Conservative MP Damian Green.

I argued that we must set out a bold and positive vision for social care which promotes wellbeing and connections with the wider community, which meets the needs of adults with disabilities as well as older people, and which supports unpaid family carers alongside the paid care workforce. We need a cross party consensus on how to fund this vision so that it lasts for the long term. This must be fair across the generations as well as across different income groups.

You can read more – and watch the whole event – here.

The post Liz calls for bold vision for the future of social care appeared first on Liz Kendall.

As the circus masquerading as the Tory Leadership campaign continues to wind its way across the country, I am regularly reminded of the phrase that a week is a long time in politics, and that now every week brings yet another drama, writes Lesley Laird.

Reflecting on everything that has happened since 2016, it really is quite astonishing. When David Cameron’s poor judgement led him to call the EU referendum, I’m not entirely sure he knew the political forces he had unleashed.

It soon became apparent that what started out as an act of Tory self-preservation could result in the biggest and most fundamental shock in British political history – the break-up of the UK.

Boris Johnson has emerged as the clear favourite. He was first out of the blocks, leaving the other contenders in his wake, not that Ruth Davidson seemed to notice.

First, she proclaimed that Sajid Javid was the man for her, but it transpires that he was not the man for her colleagues. Second on her list was Michael Gove, until his campaign disintegrated on the back of his drug confession. Now, she finds herself supporting Jeremy Hunt who also looks likely to fall by the wayside.

While Ruth’s approach appears to be ‘Anyone But Boris’, it very much looks as if the Tory membership’s approach is ‘Boris Before Everyone’, and he looks set to be propelled to victory, and through the door of No 10.

The Tory membership are ruthless when selecting new leaders and nothing highlights this more than the YouGov polling of Tory members which showed that in order to get Brexit over the line they would happily see Scotland become independent, Northern Ireland reunified with the Republic, the Tory Party destroyed, and the UK economy trashed.

It would appear that the traditional priority of Tory Party members, namely economic competence, has been consigned to the scrapheap, and that for Brexit they would be willing to sacrifice the Union.

With the two candidates effectively having ripped up their Party’s 2017 Manifesto with their outrageous campaign spending pledges, this should be a cause of great concern for every one of us.

Here in Scotland, Brexit, has let the constitutional genie back out of the 2014 bottle and brought with it new, and very difficult challenges.

The parliamentary processes at Westminster have fully exposed many cracks in the UK’s current constitutional settlement and has highlighted that it simply doesn’t work for ordinary people, and not just in Scotland.

In Scotland, powers have been hoovered into Holyrood. Captured, and either never used or used in such a timid fashion that it has made no real impact in addressing some of basic societal ills, despite the rhetoric of the SNP for the last 10 years.

It is against these backdrops that I believe that there is an existential threat to the Union of the UK.

If Boris Johnson is Prime Minister, he will bumble and bluster his way through his opening 100 days. We will be heading for a crash-landing No Deal scenario on 31 October. Because, and let’s be clear, he can do that, by simply doing nothing, apart from frustrating the parliamentary processes.

At that point you can write the script; the SNP will be begging the Scottish people to press the eject button while they can. But as their Growth Commission shows, that would be akin to ejecting without a parachute.

As we celebrate 20 years of devolution this year, it is clear that neither the Tories nor the SNP support the concept. David Mundell’s appearance before the Scottish Affairs Select Committee this week appears to indicate there will be no more devolution for Scotland and the Scottish Government will need to just like it or lump it. As for the SNP, they are not interested in devolution – for them it is all about their goal of independence.

Devolution was foreseen to be the embodiment of cooperation, yet those currently responsible for preserving it are not interested in doing so. For the Tories and SNP, grievance and identity politics have become the only game in town.

Democratic decision-making was never intended to stop at Holyrood’s doors – but it has certainly stalled there. People do not feel that they have control of the decisions that make sense for them to take locally. Powers need to go with a clear purpose and where they can do most good.

That’s is why I believe it is time to move devolution on to its next evolution and take our democratic processes across the UK to a better place than they are today.

Labour believes that the time is right to take a more federal approach and a fresh perspective. We must engage in wide-ranging inclusive conversations in Scotland. Just as we did when establishing devolution, we must lead the way.

A narrow focus on independence won’t work – it would not be representative of Scottish society. That is why we need a constitutional settlement that is equipped to deal with the social, economic, environmental and political challenges we are all facing.

For now one thing is for certain – as long as the Tories and the SNP are allowed to continue, unchecked, sawing away at the legs that support the Union, it’s future will not be secure.

The post Why Boris Johnson poses as big a threat to the Union as SNP appeared first on Lesley Laird.

South Shields MP, Emma Lewell-Buck was delighted to announce she has been elected Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dyspraxia. All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party organisations that are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords. They are made up from MPs and Lords from different political persuasions and their aim is to reflect members’ concerns. APPGs are an effective way of bringing together parliamentarians and interested parties to help change legislation and influence the Government. Speaking about her election as Chair of the APPG Emma said, “I know how lucky I am to have a job where I can publicly speak out about my condition and raise awareness, but I know all too well that many other Dyspraxia sufferers aren’t so lucky, since I was elected as an MP I have been frank and open about this often misunderstood condition and now as the Chair of the Dyspraxia APPG I am hopeful that I can work with other parliamentarians to make a difference to many people’s lives, with the APPG behind me I am determined to change the culture of our society and how neurodivergent people and people with disabilities are treated.” Like many people who suffer with Dyspraxia Emma was diagnosed relatively late in life, at the age of 27, after being assessed by an educational psychologist on the advice of a lecturer while she was studying for a master’s degree. She said: “My whole life clicked into place. I suddenly realised why, when I was growing up, I always felt different to other kids and always used to isolate myself. “I realised why I put my shoes on the wrong feet, why I couldn’t tie my laces properly, button my coat up, why I was always spilling my drinks and why the whole family always referred to me as ‘our clumsy Emma’.” Upon Emma’s appointment, Sophie Kayani (Chair of Dyspraxia Foundation) said “All of us at the Dyspraxia Foundation are delighted to have Emma Chairing the APPG. Having someone with Dyspraxia representing others with Dyspraxia is key to raising awareness and we know Emma will do her upmost to represent the community”

Featured in the photo is Emma with Eleanor Howes, Chief Executive Officer of the Dyspraxia Foundation and Sophie Kayani Chair of Dyspraxia Foundation

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to A connected society: A Strategy for tackling loneliness – laying the foundations for change, published 15 October 2018, what progress has been made on his Department’s commitment to work with external stakeholders such as the UK Cohousing Network to build […]

The post Loneliness | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | Written Answers appeared first on Stephen Morgan.

There has been considerable concern recently following the news that staff at Hasland Hall School had gone on strike in protest at behaviour and disciplinary standards at the school.

I was already pursuing and responding to complaints from parents and staff concerning the school’s approach to Special Needs education and behaviour.

I am a strong believer that every single school day is important to our children’s education and want to resolve these issues to ensure there are no further strikes and to ensure that the evidence base around any issues is as wide ranging as possible.

I also want to ensure that everyone interested in the future of the school and with knowledge of matters there gets an opportunity to have their voice heard.

I have been attempting to meet with the school in recent days and have now been able to secure an urgent meeting with the Headteacher, Miss Ruth Moore, and Ms Kathryn Boulton, Service Director for Schools and Learning at Derbyshire County Council, that I will be attending on Friday 19th July.

The main issues that have been raised to me as concerns by staff and parents are:

• Discipline
• Class Disruption
• Bullying
• Governance
• Record keeping and transparency
• Over reliance on supply teachers
• Violence & aggression towards staff
• Lack of support for children with Special Educational Needs

I am keen to make progress on these issues as quickly as possible so that hopefully many of these issues can be addressed before the start of the new academic year.

I am collecting evidence, both positive and negative, about the school so that we can identify what is and isn’t working well and provide support to the school and the County Council to make the necessary improvements.

To this end, I have booked a room in the Hasland Methodist Church for a series of confidential meetings with anyone that would like to discuss their recent experiences of Hasland Hall School.
If any parents, staff or governors would like to speak to me, they should call my office on 01246 386 286 to arrange an appointment.

The special appointment-based surgery will be at Hasland Methodist Church on Friday 19th July from 11am to 2pm. If you are unable to make it on Friday, I will be arranging further appointments at a later date.

You can also email your views and comments to me at toby.perkins.mp@parliament.uk

My latest survey seeks you views on both Brexit and local issues, follow this link to let me know your views:   Brexit and local issues.

The post Your views on Brexit and local issues. appeared first on Ruth George MP for High Peak.

Tracy Brabin MP has hailed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s support for mandatory reporting of sexual abuse as a “significant step” towards a change in the law to help protect children and vulnerable adults from harm.

The Batley & Spen MP is now calling on the government to bring forward legislation to make the reporting of sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults mandatory across all institutions.

It comes after survivor Matthew Ineson, from Heckmondwike, who has waived his right to anonymity, re-lived the harrowing ordeal he endured at the hands of a Church of England priest over 30 years ago at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Ms Brabin, who has been supporting Matthew in his quest for justice for over two years, has previously urged the Prime Minister to introduce mandatory reporting to help prevent child sexual abuse.

When pressed on the matter by Ms Brabin during Prime Minister’s Questions in December last year, Theresa May would not commit to introducing mandatory reporting, saying evidence for its effectiveness was “mixed”.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who has previously resisted calls for mandatory reporting, told the ongoing inquiry on July 11 he’s now “convinced” a change in the law is needed.

Batley & Spen MP Tracy Brabin said: “Matthew and many other survivors have shown incredible bravery in coming forward and reliving their ordeals, and we must do all we can to ensure others are heard and action is taken.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury’s support for a change in regulation represents a significant step forward and one which I believe could prevent further suffering in the future.

“There is significant international evidence to show that mandatory reporting can double the number of at-risk children placed into safety. A change in the law can’t come soon enough.

“The government must act on this evidence now and bring forward a change in legislation to protect children and vulnerable adults across all institutions.”

Earlier in the week, the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, also signalled his support for the introduction of mandatory reporting.

Many abuse survivors have long argued that mandatory reporting of suspicions or allegations of abuse to the relevant authorities is a crucial part of effective child protection.

Ends

Full transcripts of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse hearings from this week can be found here https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/video-batley-mp-tracy-brabin-tells-of-brave-constituent-as-she-urges-theresa-may-to-bring-in-mandatory-reporting-for-child-sex-abuse-1-9466916

http://www.wrexham.com/news/clwyd-south-mp-joins-jeremy-vine-to-demand-fast-track-benefit-claims-for-people-living-with-terminal-illness-170985.html

The post Clwyd South MP joins Jeremy Vine to demand fast-track benefit claims for people living with terminal illness – Wrexham.com appeared first on Susan Elan Jones MP.

Bristol South MP Karin Smyth has welcomed national recognition for a local Ade Williams at Bedminster Pharmacy in the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards.

MPs in England were asked to nominate individuals and teams serving their constituents across ten categories. Regional champions were selected in June, with the national winners chosen by a panel of senior leaders representing staff and patients.

Ade scooped the national prize in the Primary Care category at the NHS Parliamentary Awards, held in Parliament on Wednesday 10 July, after being put forward by Karin earlier in the year.

He was nominated for, among other things, supporting a number of pioneering schemes to support the health of people in the local area including the annual men’s health campaign known as the ‘Bemmy challenge’ with pubs, barbers and tattoo parlours and ‘pulse in the pub’ blood pressure checks.

Karin said: “I was pleased to be able to nominate Ade and I am delighted that he has won the Excellence in Primary Care Award. Ade is a great example of a pharmacist who really cares about his community. He keeps in touch with GPs to improve services and is always publicising important health campaigns. Ade is very well known in the local community for giving top quality care and advice. He even finds time to contribute to academic research and to write for both health professionals and the public. He provides a valued service to many of my constituents, so I know that everyone in Bristol South will join me in welcoming this richly-deserved national accolade.”

She added: “The success of the National Health Service is built on its wonderful staff, so it is right that MPs champion the outstanding work happening in their local area.”

The NHS Parliamentary Awards, supported by FUJI FILM, were launched to recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS.

Ade was one of twelve winners – selected from more than 600 nominations submitted by over 230 MPs – to receive their awards at a ceremony on the Palace of Westminster’s Terrace Pavilion, hosted by Dr Sara Kayat, NHS GP & TV Doctor. Health Select Committee Chair Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP, and the panel of judges collectively representing millions of NHS staff and patients were also on hand to pay tribute to the winners and all those shortlisted.

With a new report from international scientists suggesting that climate change will radically alter weather patterns in the next thirty years, it is essential that we start a national conversation about the steps we need to take to reduce carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by at least 2050. The report from ETH Zurich’s Crowther lab suggests that by 2050 our weather could resemble that seen in North East Spain, with summers getting warmer in Europe by 3.5C and winters warmer by 4.7C, equivalent of shifting Nottingham south by about 1000 kilometres.

Earlier today I visited school pupils in year 4 at the Djanogly Northgate Academy primary school in New Basford, who have been learning about issues around climate change and deforestation (pictured below with their School Council who asked some amazing questions!). The engagement of young people in this issue is impressive but also vital; they are the generation who will have to reap the consequences of our inaction today.

We are going to have to completely rethink the way we build residential and commercial property, with different heating arrangements and of course a significant and modal shift in our transportation as well. Electricity generation has made some good progress moving away from fossil fuels towards renewables but there is still much further to go. Our land use and ‘disposable’ culture will also need to change.

Nottingham has had a reasonably good record in local initiatives in recent times, but there is still much more needed to do in boosting recycling and providing infrastructure for electric vehicles. I’ll be asking questions not just of the local authority but nationally as well – and I hope that in Parliament we can take steps to promote international change as well. The UK accounts for just 1% of carbon emissions, so we must try to influence others, especially in country’s like Brazil where the rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate. My greatest fear is that our withdrawal from the European Union – with 500million residents – is that we lose influence in pressing our own continent to act more thoroughly and more quickly.

I recently visited the Community Shop in Athersley to meet John Marren and his team. Following the success of the original Community Shop in Goldthorpe, the Athersley shop opened its doors just over two years ago and has had an incredible impact in that relatively short time.

Essentially, the aim of the initiative is to help prevent food poverty, whilst reducing food waste.

Rushanara Ali MP has supported a campaign calling for funding to continue the National School Breakfast programme.

Rushanara, along with 35 MPs from across the House of Commons wrote to the Minister for Children and Families, Nadhim Zahawi, highlighting the positive impact of the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) and urged the minister for continued funding, to ensure this vital programme can continue the fantastic work it does.

The National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast,  reaches over 1,775 schools in disadvantaged areas across England and provides free and nutritious breakfasts to an estimated 280,000 children every school day, 115 000 of whom are eligible for Pupil Premium funding. In Bethnal Green and Bow, the NSBP provides free school breakfasts across six different schools.

The post Debbie’s comments on Knowls Lane planning development appeared first on Debbie Abrahams MP.

Over 220,000 women are diagnosed with cell changes every year in the UK following their smear test – a vital first step in preventing the development of cervical cancer.

This week’s Cervical Screening Awareness Week is highlighting the fact that 80 per cent of women treated for these early cell changes never experience a recurrence.

The consequences of cervical cancer can be devastating and screening is an important prevention tool. That why it is so important that women have all the facts and information to hand about what screening and treatment involves.

The charity Jo’s Trust has produced an excellent jargon buster to help make sense of medical terms and reduce anxiety. I’ve reproduced it above, or you can download a copy by clicking here.

Jo’s Trust also surveyed over 1,500 women about their experience of having cervical cell changes and has made many important recommendations on how treatment and aftercare can be improved. Its report, ‘Not so simple. The impact of cervical cell changes and treatment’, finds that too many women having treatment for cervical cell changes are not being informed about potential side effects. High numbers remain fearful of their cancer risk many years after treatment.

Cervical screening uptake in England is at a 21-year low with more than a quarter of women not attending. This means more women are being given a diagnosis that could have been prevented.

We need to do more to encourage women to attend.

In fact, cervical screening coverage is just 67.1 per cent in Liverpool, which means that almost one in three eligible women do not attend a screening appointment although they receive a letter inviting them for the test.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust previous research found young women who delay or don’t go for cervical screening feel scared and embarrassed. Yet, cervical screening prevents up to 75 per cent of cervical cancers developing.

That is why it is so important we get all the facts out there and push for services to listen to the experiences of women to ensure they constantly improve

If you think you have missed a test or want to find out more, you can ring the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust on 0808 802 8000.

The Government has announced the monthly unemployment figure for May 2019. It states that the roll out of Universal Credit is currently affecting the claimant count. Change in claimant number may be a result of the roll out rather than … Continue reading →

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