Supporting Home Wise and the recycling of mobility aids in Accrington Arndale Centre

I am supporting a new campaign by Home Wise, which has begun recycling mobility aids in Accrington Arndale Centre. Most of the equipment that is donated can be recycled and put back into the community, but before this project was launched, the equipment was going into landfill.

They recycle small aids that are no longer needed, in order to give people who have to pay for their equipment a choice

Business conversation event with Lancashire businesses

This morning I took part in a business conversation event with Lancashire businesses at Ewood Park, Blackburn. The event was organised by Downtown Business and attended by local businesses, higher education providers and local entrepreneurs.

Michael Taylor was the host and following a brief introduction about how my grandmother ran her own business whilst my granddad worked for the same company

Proposed closure of GP practice at Accrington Victoria - my letter of objection to NHS England

Dear Martin Clayton,


I am writing to you regarding Accrington Victoria Health Access Centre's GP Service.


I am incredibly passionate about raising health levels in Hyndburn, health levels which are significantly below what they should be and deteriorating amongst those on lower incomes. I am anxious therefore about the possibility of a reduction or cancellation of the provision of this

Low pay, part time work, life on the breadline the realities of life in East Lancashire

David Cameron and his out of touch Government like to claim that things are getting better, and that the actions they have taken have led to a booming economy shared by all. However the reality behind this spin is very different, and some new figures have shown that the North West and Hyndburn is facing a different situation to the one painted by David Cameron. According to the Office for

Labour will scrap the 'Bedroom Tax'

The effects of the Bedroom Tax are being felt around the country, hitting over 660,000 claimants, 400,000 of whom are disabled, who are now losing £720 annual through no fault of their own. For the vast majority of those affected, there is nowhere smaller to move to, hitting vulnerable people through no fault of their own. Polls conducted by ComRes indicate that in the last year, public

UNICEF UK: At least ten children are trafficked into the UK every week

Dear Mr Jones, At least ten children are trafficked in the UK every week to face violence, exploitation and abuse, the physical and psychological scars of which can last a lifetime. However, the data on child trafficking is limited and we fear that the actual number of trafficked children is substantially higher.

Last week UNICEF UK launched a campaign on child trafficking in the UK, which

Branching Out Project Update: One Planet are promoting a series of events during Fairtrade Fortnight.

We’ve been busy at One Planet making plans for Fairtrade Fortnight and here it is!

It’s been a bit like planning for Christmas – where you think you’ve got loads of time and then suddenly it’s upon you and you’ve still got some last minute jobs to do!


Anyway, a few Sunday’s ago Kerry and I went along to Preston Minster to celebrate Preston’s 10 year anniversary as a Fairtrade city. It was

The facade of Government

Today sees the Second Reading of the Government's Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. What could have been an opportunity to make some lasting reforms to our criminal justice system is in fact little more than an attempt to fill parliamentary time so that the Government can claim that it has not yet run out of steam.

The Government has been under fire recently for the absolute lack of legislation.

Last week’s articles and speeches from the Front Bench

Last week's articles and speeches from the Front Bench   Dear colleague,   You may be interested in the following articles and speeches, delivered by members of the Labour Front Bench in the last week:   Article from Ed Balls article in The Telegraph on the need for long-term decisions on flood defences http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/10652776/

DAVID CAMERON’S CHILDCARE CRUNCH IS HITTING PARENTS AND HOLDING OUR ECONOMY BACK

There is more evidence that the cost of childcare is adding to David Cameron’s cost of living crisis and acting as a drag on our economy.

According to a new study around two-thirds of mothers say the cost of childcare is an obstacle to them working more.

Families facing a cost of living crisis are struggling to cope with soaring childcare costs - up 30 per cent under the Tories and five times

Putting fairness back into local government finance

It is families and businesses in local communities that are paying the price of George Osborne and David Cameron’s failure nationally on growth and the deficit.

The next Labour government will not be able to stop the cuts or turn back the clock. We can, though, offer hope to local government that we both understand the depth of the financial challenge that councils face and are committed to

LET’S GIVE PATIENTS AND PARENTS MORE POWER OVER LOCAL SERVICES

For too long patients and parents have been shut out of decisions on the future of local schools and hospitals.

We all want the best for our family. But it can be enormously frustrating when decisions on local facilities are taken without properly consulting those that use them.

I think that’s wrong. That’s why the next Labour government will take measures to empower patients and parents. We

Psephological reflections on Wythenshawe and Sale East by election.

There seems to be much misplaced post analysis on the Wythenshawe and Sale East byelection. Having spent 4 weeks constantly in the constituency I do not recognise the postscripts that have be written by the commentariat. Much of the assessment seems to have be written from far away and based on dubious assumptions.

One journalist wrote that the turnout was dismal falling from 50% to 28%. It was

Summary of this week in the House of Commons:

- Urgent Questions on flooding
· Government Statement on Afghanistan
· Children and Families Bill, Lords Amendments
· Opposition Day debate (SNP and Plaid Cymru) on Inequality and Fairness
· Housing Benefit and Universal Credit in the Social Housing Sector Bill (repeal of the ‘Bedroom Tax’).
· Government Statement on the Hillsborough Inquiry
·

Accrington Observer Column

With New Year now firmly upon us I thought I’d write a piece about the future - the long term future of this area.

I have been visiting businesses in the constituency finding out what they do, what issues they have and how I can help both in Parliament and here in Hyndburn - from policy to planning. It is surprising just how many innovatitive as well as highly competitive SME’s we have.

The

FOBT's - A BetFred managers' concerns

I received a letter today from the manager of a betting shop who understandably wants to remain anonymous. I had recently commented about the industries refusal to provide live data from FOBTs. This individual informed me that the industries don’t want any research done and that their assertion that they want to minimize harm is completely false. In fact, the insider reported that he had been

LABOUR WILL TACKLE RISING INSECURITY AT WORK

Recent figures show that the number of people feeling insecure at work has almost doubled from 6.5 million to 12 million since David Cameron became Prime Minister.

This is a shocking legacy of his time in power. That is why I voted for his government to take action to stop this rising insecurity in a special parliamentary debate on Wednesday.

There has been a rise in the number of employees on

Please Help Reduce Childhood Brain Tumours in Your Constituency

Dear Colleague, As Chairman of the Brain Tumour APPG, I am writing to you to seek your support for The Brain Tumour Charity’s HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children. I would also like to take this opportunity to ask you to write to your local councils to request that they distribute the charity’s free awareness cards to schools and health practices in

Energy Bill Revolution Campaign

Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution



Mervyn Kirk, Director of Isothane, Huncoat


Last week I attended a Parliamentary lobby held by the Energy Bill Revolution Campaign. This is a campaign comprised of 180 organisations calling for more help for people struggling to keep warm this winter. This is a fantastic campaign I am more than happy to give my backing.

As you can see from

TORY CHAOS ON IMMIGRATION MEANS WORKING PEOPLE ARE FORGOTTEN

Last week the Tory-led government had the opportunity to do something positive for the British people on immigration, but they blew their chance and gave us chaos and in-fighting instead.

The government's Immigration Bill is already weak on the problems of border control. The number of people stopped at the border has halved since David Cameron has been in power and fewer people who have broken

POLITICS MUST CHANGE TO BEAT THE WORST COST-OF- LIVING CRISIS FOR GENERATIONS

While millions of families across Britain face the worst cost-of-living crisis for generations, this Tory-led Government listens only to a privileged few.

We need to change that. That's why I'm backing Ed Miliband's big reform to the Labour Party announced this week.

In order to form a truly One Nation government, which gives more power over to people to better shape their communities and the

Smoking in Cars

Cancer Research UK spends £12 million a year on research into curing lung cancer but we can’t beat lung cancer without reducing smoking uptake. Smoking kills one in two long term smokers, and with eight in ten smokers starting this potentially fatal addiction before the age of 19 it is vital that we act now to reduce the uptake of smoking and therefore reduce mortality rates.

The incidence of

WHEN ORDINARY FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING, IT’S WRONG TO GIVE THE RICHEST ANOTHER TAX CUT

After four years of the Tory-led government, most people are working harder, for less. And yet, instead of dealing with the cost of living crisis, David Cameron wants to give millionaires ANOTHER tax cut on top of the £100,000 he gave them last year.

David Cameron has refused to rule out further tax cuts to the richest one per cent of taxpayers - a kick in the teeth for most of us struggling

Free School Milk under threat?

Are the Government taking 'Raising the Particpation Age' seriously?

WHY DAVID CAMERON IS FAILING WOMEN ACROSS THIS COUNTRY

They say a picture tells a thousand words. At Prime Minister's Questions this week there wasn't a single woman on the government's front bench. David Cameron runs his government like an Old Boys Network. No wonder he is failing women across this country.

As ordinary, hard-working people struggle with the cost of living crisis, women are being hit hardest by David Cameron’s failure to act.

Last week’s articles and speeches from the Front Bench

* A speech by Andy Burnham on the State of the NHS http://press.labour.org.uk/post/75477510021/the-state-of-the-nhs-speech-by-andy-burnham * An article from Hilary Benn on the unfairness of local authority funding cuts http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/30/tories-cuts-poor-tax-rich * A Guardian piece by Luciana Berger on protecting children from smoking in cars http://

Q&A at my old school - St Christopher's High School

I was at St. Christopher's School Sixth Form Centre this afternoon for a Question Time event organised by Hyndburn Borough Council. The event was opened by Cllr Judith Addison, the Mayor of Hyndburn who spoke about the Accrington Pals and those who made a sacrifice for the borough and our home town.

The panel included Miles Parkinson, leader of the council; Dave Parkins, Independent Cllr for

Summary of this week in the House of Commons:

· Urgent Question and Government Statement on flooding
· Deregulation Bill, Second Reading
· Government statement on Sri Harmandir Sahib (Amritsar)
·

No trains for the new train line. Only the Tories could achieve this.

I have written to LCC as the PTA responsible and received a reply on the shambles that engulfs Accrington's new direct rail line to Manchester.

At transport questions yesterday Craig Whittaker MP asked about the line; and the "£8 million in the reopening of the Todmorden curve railway line between Todmorden and Blackburn, which is due for completion in May", asking the Secretary of State whether

Labour overspent? A little reminder from George Osborne that Labour weren't overspending.

Labour Press Team (@labourpress)06/02/2014 21:23@CCHQPress a little reminder: here's George Osborne backing Labour spending plans in 2007. youtube.com/watch?v=bR_hfQ…Download the official Twitter app here Sent from my iPhone

Crisis Shut Out campaign to help those sleeping rough.

I was recently contacted by Crisis about their new Shut Out campaign.

They point out that homelessness is rising and younger adults are at particular risk. In the last three years the number of young people sleeping on London’s streets has more than doubled and new figures show 8% of 16-24 year olds report recently being homeless.


Moreover, with almost a million young people unemployed,

What is David Cameron & the Tories problem with women?

It is well known that the Tory party has a problem with women, and David Cameron’s Government is having the effect that you would expect from one that is run like an Old Boy’s Network.

When he became the Tory leader, he promised to modernise the Tory Party, but in realist is going backwards – half of the Tory women ministers from 2010 have resigned or been sacked from office.

Just five out

Snow Emergencies Overview

With all the snow and ice today I though it would be good to have a refresher on what snow level emergencies meant. 

Find emergency classification details and Ohio law pertaining to snow emergencies online at: http://www.weathersafety.ohio.gov/SnowEmergencyClassifications.aspxSnow emergency levels and enforcement

LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Drive cautiously.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work.
LEVEL 3: Roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it’s absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. Employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. During a Level 3 emergency, drivers may be subject to arrest and/or fines.

When a Level 2 or 3 is issued, motorists are advised to seek public transportation. In a Level 3 emergency, conditions are not safe and driving is limited to emergency personnel and personal emergencies. One purpose for issuing a Level 3 snow emergency is to enable snow removal equipment to adequately clear roadways without the obstacle of motorists. Citations could be issued for reckless or unnecessary driving during a Level 3 emergency.

Agapao: The Public Accounts Committee has today concluded the Charities Commission is ‘not fit for purpose’

The Public Accounts Committee has today concluded following an inquiry into its operation, that the Charities Commission is ‘not fit for purpose’. The report focuses principally on issues to do with gift aid and tax relief, but it also touches on general governance issues which are relevant to the case of Agapao.

The Commission is not failing because of complacency, but because of the way it is

Hill Top, Baxenden scheduled for demolition.

Graham Jones MP
‏@GrahamJones_MP





3m








Hill Top, Baxenden scheduled for demolition. Contractor will be on site on 10th February.

My Visit to the Mary Hindle Centre, Haslingden & update on former owners Agapao.

On Friday I visited the Mary Hindle Centre in Haslingden to see how Veterans in the Community have transformed the building into a fantastic community asset and to discuss Haslingden and its future with some local community volunteers.

You will recall that we organised a huge campaign to return the building to the community following its demise under Agapao International. Here's just a few