Votes at 16 - Rossendale Council passes motion to support

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Delighted Rossendale Council is supporting votes at 16.

My grandmother passed away having sadly suffering senile dementia for a good few years. I had to help her to the polling station and she didn't really understand fully what she was doing.


No one is suggesting she should have lost the right to vote so I don't think the argument that 'adults between the ages of 16

DECC chaos; Governments shambolic energy efficiency programme hits Hyndburn hard

Hyndburn Council launched an energy efficiency scheme on the back of government grants last November. Within weeks the government scrapped the incentive. This month Hyndburn Council launched a second scheme based on new government grants. Last week after just a few weeks of the governments launch of energy efficiency grants, they scrapped the scheme pulling the plug on Hyndburn Councils efforts

Extra curricular provision in foreign languages for young children in Hyndburn

I recently wrote to LCC to ask about extra curricular provision in foreign languages for young children, particularly Mandarin and Spanish. I am now writing to all the head teachers in the constituency.

In 20 years time when most of these young children are beginning their working life the world will have moved on significantly. There is no getting away from the fact that the world will appear

More Sport for All Consultation

More Sport for All Consultation

Harriet Harman has published the More Sport for All consultation to support everyone, from children through to the elderly, to do more sport and physical activity.

People's love of sport and enjoyment of it make it an important issue for public policy. Sport helps make us healthy, brings communities together, contributes to the economy and brings our country

Electoral Commision annouce there are 7.5m people missing off the electoral register

I received this letter from my colleague Chris Ruane which he has asked MP's to circulate more widely. It was my question on the floor of the House of Commons on 18 June 2012 which revealed for the first time that the government accepted a figure them of 6 million unregistered voters.

The Electoral Commissions announcement today is that there are 7.5m people missing off the electoral register.

Summer childcare costs rising under cameron - more pressure for struggling parent

Under David Cameron childcare costs are soaring and the availability of childcare is plummeting, causing a summer of misery for many parents trying to balance work and family life in the holidays.

But while families facing a cost-of-living crisis come under more and more pressure, this Government has no plan to support families struggling with their childcare before the next election.

New

Reply from LCC - Provision of trains for the Todmorden Curve

I have received a reply on the provison of a train for the Todmorden Curve and it appears that there will now be further delays beyond December.

I know a a diesel carriage has been uding the new track, presumedly testing it however LCC advise that the track won't be commissioined until November.

There is still the outstanding issue of a diesel train which is going to be cascaded down from

A summary of the NPF last weekend.

At the National Policy forum at the weekend the Labour Party agreed a program for Government which will deliver big reforms, not big spending.

By building a consensus the Party have produced one of the most radical policy platforms of any political party in recent years including:

• Increasing the minimum wage by more than average earnings
• An end to the abuse of zero-hours contracts
•

Fwd: Ofcom advice: Don't get stung by mobile phone bills when abroad this summer

Ofcom advice:Don't get stung by a high mobile phone bill this summer Summer holidays are just around the corner for many, and with mobile internet access and Wi-Fi it's never been easier to stay in touch with what's going on at home and upload photos to share with friends.  Also, new roaming charges (effective from 1 July) will make it cheaper to use your mobile phone when travelling abroad in

Licensing of Scrap Metal Dealers a success in Hyndburn

I led the cmapiagn with the ENA in Parliament to licence scrap metal dealers. That legistaion was taken forward by the government and became law in October 2013. From the 1st October 2013 all scrap metal dealers (site operators and collectors) must have a licence to operate.

According to British Transport Police and BT metal theft is down by almost 60%. The government failed to implement changes

BACK ON TRACK CAMPAIGN - Latest reply from the DfT

Below is the latest reply fomr the DfT in the campaign to secure a diesel engined train for the newly complete track between Accringotn/Burnley and Manchester Victoria.

The minster for state was sacked (Stephen Hammond) and I have taken the opportunity straight away  to speak ti the new rail minister Clare Perry to make the point once again; 18 miles between Manchester (and well paid jobs) and

Visit to Pneumatrol reported in the BVAA Valve User Magazine

I will continue fighting to prevent GP closures and job losses in my constituency...

I recently stood up in the House of Commons to discuss the cuts Hyndburn are currently facing on the NHS, including cuts to the walk-in centre which over 36,000 people have used, and cuts to the NHS GP practice in Accrington Victoria as well as the £1.1m proposed reduction in funding for PMS GP contracts in East Lancashire.

With the Government's increasing focus on hospitals, particularly Sir

Letter regarding the Arndale Centre car park

MPs remember Srebrenica genocide during book signing in Parliament

Contact details
http://srebrenica.org.uk
https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica
https://twitter.com/SrebrenicaUK

Hundreds of parliamentarians last week signed the Remembering Srebrenica Book of Pledges, providing their personal comments in commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

The book signing took place in the House of Commons and different locations across the UK during

Government cuts to the ECO is bad news for Hyndburn's terraced housing

Dear Mr
Jones, I’m writing to update you on the activities at800 is now carrying out in your
area to ensure TV viewers, including the elderly and vulnerable, can continue
to watch Freeview as new 4G mobile services at 800 MHz are activated.

We are sending postcards to some of your constituents to inform them that new
4G masts operating at 800 MHz may soon

This week saw the second meeting of the Haslingden Task Force

This week saw the second meeting of the Haslingden Task
Force, the group which is working with Rossendale Borough Council, local
traders, landlords and community

Srebrenica Memorial

As many of you may know this week marks the 19th anniversary since the appalling Srebrenica massacre. Around the UK numerous different people and organisations are taking part in a historic programme of memorials to look back on this horrific event with the view that this must happen ‘Never Again’.

The Srebrenica offensive itself commenced on the 6th July 1995 with Bosnian Serb forces

Lancashire Growth Deal is anything but a ‘devolution revolution' with nothing for Hyndburn or Rossendale

The Government and the LEP this week announced the Lancashire Growth Deal 2014, which is a 6-year package of ‘new’ investment worth around £370m agreed by the LEP and central Government.

The reason the word ‘new’ should be in inverted commas is that £100m of the money from the ‘Competitive Local Growth Fund’ is described as “Previously Committed Transport Funding”. I obviously welcome spending

Tory Minister for skills, Mathew Hancock is letting down training providers in Hyndburn

I recently blogged on the fact that the Skills Minister has refused to meet with me and the North Lancashire Training Group to discuss the changes that the Government is planning to make to the way apprenticeships are funded.

They are concerned that their sucecss story will be undermined if funding for apprenticeshuips is switched to businesses instead of directly to them for two principle

Governments cuts to energy savings schemes is having a adverse impact on Hyndburn...

Governments cuts to energy savings schemes is having a adverse impact on Hyndburn Council's energy efficiency schemes (‘Warm Homes Hyndburn’) which I previously wrote about here.

As a result Hyndburn's energy efficiency schemes including insulation for solid wall terraced properties is being scaled back.

A conference of interested parties will tale place on Thursday 17th July 2014 from 8.30am

Last week I attended the Cancer Research UK Showcase...

Last week I attended the Cancer Research UK Showcase which was both an interesting and enlightening experience. Cancer Research UK aims to accelerate their progress so that within 20 years 3 in 4 people will survive cancer, an ambitious target they believe they can achieve. They aim to do this by diagnosing cancer earlier, increasing focus on specific cancers whose survival rates lag behind

East Lancashire Concert Band Needs You!

The East Lancashire Concert Band has been in existence since 1842 and more recently they have played in and helped organise the Armed Forces Day concert in 2011 and 2012, followed by Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Titanic Centenary events in 1912.

As part of the WW1 Centenary commemoration the band discovered a “Pals March” written for piano in 1914. This piece has been arranged for full band by

UK Government sat on their hands instead of chasing F35 sales