Malcolm Harbour, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands has welcomed new rules on animal testing voted through the European Parliament.

The new rules seek to reinforce and strengthen animal welfare legislation, and at the same time encourage the phasing out of animal testing as new technologies come forward. The report also recognises the vital contribution that animal testing makes to human health.

Speaking after the vote in which he supported the compromise, Mr Harbour said: "The EU has come forward with a common sense compromise. A blanket ban on animal testing that was put forward by some is simply not realistic at the moment.

"Instead we have come forward with a balanced package that increases the protection of animals in labs whilst ensuring that testing can still continue under tighter regulation. This further safeguards animal welfare until new developing technologies can replace animal testing altogether.

“Above all, our compromise protects human health and allows vital, and in some cases, life saving, research to continue"

Andrew Mitchell MP has once again arranged for the participants of the Sutton Coldfield Inter-Schools Debating Competition to visit Parliament.

All 16 students who took part in the 2010 competition (which took place in March of this year), and two teachers, travelled by train from Sutton Coldfield to Westminster last Tuesday where they took a tour of the Houses of Parliament and watched Parliamentary Questions in the House of Commons.

It was an opportunity for the students to see how MPs undertake debates in the Commons as well as learn about the history of the UK Parliament.

The students were also treated to a lunch and a talk from Christopher Pincher MP, who was recently elected to represent the nearby constituency of Tamworth.

Speaking about the visit, Andrew Mitchell MP said, “It was a pleasure to have the Sutton Coldfield debaters down to Westminster again this year. I hope they enjoyed their trip and got to learn a bit more about how we hold debates here in Parliament.

“Huge thanks must go to Birmingham Metropolitan College – without whose sponsorship this visit would not have been possible – as well as Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls who hosted the 2010 Competition and helped to organise this trip.”

Malcolm Harbour, West Midlands Conservative MEP has welcomed the unveiling of the new Range Rover – the Evoque. Being involved in the West Midlands automotive industry for many years Mr Harbour said: “It is great to see Jaguar Land Rover release another world beating product, and at the same time showing the great future and potential that this car manufacturer has.

“The company has battled through very difficult times over recent months so it is now good to see positive news coming from the business.

“Despite the Evoque being manufactured at Halewood, many West Midlands automotive parts manufacturers are set to benefit from this new model, which of course is excellent news across the industry.

“It is very fitting that as the Range Rover celebrates its fortieth year, we see this new and exciting model launch and I wish Jaguar Land Rover forty more successful years with the Evoque.”

Conservative MPs Dan Byles (North Warwickshire & Bedworth) and Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) are standing shoulder to shoulder in support of Bedworth Fire Station.

The future of Bedworth Fire Station remains in doubt as a result of a consultation exercise in the county following advice from the Chief Fire Officer that could lead to the station being closed as part of a wider reorganisation of Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service.

Tory MPs Dan and Marcus were vocal in their support for Bedworth Fire Station throughout the consultation last year, and both pledged during the general election campaign to fight to keep the station open. Now they are honouring that pledge with a hard hitting message to the County Council, who must decide the future of the station in the next few months.

Dan and Marcus have called on County Councillors to listen to the concerns of local people, to reject the Chief Fire Officer’s proposal, and to keep Bedworth Fire Station open. Both MPs have sought and held one to one meetings in recent weeks with leader of the council Alan Farnell, and have put their views to him firmly.

Bedworth MP Dan Byles said: "The people of Bedworth made their feelings very clear throughout the public consultation – they don’t want to see their fire station close, and neither do I. I am not opposed in principle to reforming the emergency services when required, but this change is not needed and not wanted.

"I was very grateful to the leader of the County Council, Cllr Alan Farnell, for coming to Bedworth to personally chair the public meeting on this issue last year after I warned him that the people of Bedworth were not not happy. Alan heard for himself the strength of feeling locally, and he gave his pledge then that no decision had been taken and that the results of the consultation would be heeded. I am calling on him to keep that pledge. A growing town the size of Bedworth needs its own fire station. All political parties locally are united on this issue, and I will keep up the pressure until we know that the fire station is safe."

Marcus Jones, who represents Nuneaton, added: "I have maintained throughout the consultation that in the absence of a robust business case and comprehensive plan for a new joint station between Nuneaton and Bedworth – I could not support the closure of Bedworth Fire Station under any circumstances, and my position has not changed. The County Council have been right to look at the response to the consultation very carefully, we are now coming to the end of that process. We have been served very well over the years by having separate stations for the two towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth and I will be calling on the County Council to maintain that position and keep Bedworth Fire Station open"

South Herefordshire’s new Conservative MP Jesse Norman was called on this weekend for a tough early assignment–judging a bid for the world’s largest three-legged race at the Much Birch Primary School Family Fun Day.

The school was taking part alongside dozens of other schools across the country in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records, as part of National Family Week. More than 50 pupils, parents and teachers took part in the 200 metre race, which was filmed for the record by WyeNot.com.

Commenting afterwards Jesse said "It’s an honour to be asked to be an official Guinness world record judge for this race, especially since the rulebook is quite fearsome!

"But what a tremendous and hilarious event. Many congratulations to Colin Howard and Caroline Owens, and all the others involved in making this such a special day."

The new MP for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, Dan Byles, has singled out measures in the Queen’s Speech over alcohol pricing and licencing as being of particular welcome for his constituency.

The new measures, which have the backing of the British Beer & Pub Association and of Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy, include:

• Banning the sale of alcohol below cost price
• Reviewing alcohol taxation to tackle binge drinking whilst not unfairly penalising responsible drinkers
• Introducing stronger powers for police and local authorities to remove or refuse to give licences to problem premises
• Providing police and local authorities with the power to shut down permanently any shop or bar found persistently to be selling alcohol to children
• Enabling local councils to charge more for licences to pay for more police
• Increasing the maximum fine for selling alcohol to children to £20,000

Dan said: “Many local people are deeply concerned about antisocial behaviour fuelled by cheap supermarket-bought alcohol. I am delighted to see this being addressed, and to see major supermarket chains like Tesco supporting the measures.

“But most importantly the issue of underage children buying alcohol is one that has been raised with me time and again, particularly in the villages where there are few leisure and sports facilities for young people. The current licencing laws need to be tightened, and these measures will go a long way towards helping the problem. Any establishment caught repeatedly selling alcohol to children should be shut down, and this is an issue I will be watching very closely.

“Finally, the local British pub has been under threat for a long time. Too many pubs are closing every week because they can’t compete with supermarkets selling alcohol below cost price. These measures will help to protect local pubs, which are a vital part of our heritage and in rural areas are often the centre of community life.”

Following years of battling for fair treatment and compensation on behalf of Sutton Coldfield’s Equitable Life pensioners, Andrew Mitchell MP has today written to all those constituents who contacted him after they were affected by the fiasco to tell them that the new Government will now make payments in accordance with the Ombudsman’s original recommendations.

In his letter to constituents Andrew says: “As you are aware I strongly believe it is time for Equitable Life’s policyholders to receive the justice they deserve. The last government failed all those who have suffered from the Equitable Life debacle and sought at every stage of the process to block, frustrate and delay justice.

“The new Government has made clear that it will now implement the Ombudsman’s recommendation to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policy holders, through an independent payment scheme, for their relative loss as a consequence of regulatory failure.”
In her speech to Parliament on Tuesday (25 May) the Queen confirmed the Government’s plans to introduce legislation to start repaying Equitable Life policyholders saying: “Legislation will reform the framework for financial services Regulation and implement the Government’s commitment to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders.”

Andrew Mitchell MP added, “I am extremely pleased that we are finally able to put into action the Ombudsman’s recommendations – recommendations that were originally put to the House in July 2008 and which the previous Labour government disgracefully ignored.”

Dan Byles, the ex-soldier and newly elected Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, has welcomed what he described as a series of ‘strong measures’ in the Queen’s Speech.

Her Majesty unveiled the new Coalition Government’s programme for the coming year by announcing a series of proposed new laws which gave us the first indications of the priorities of the new Government for their first year in office.

Dan Byles, who defeated the previous Labour MP Mike O’Brien by a nail-biting 54 votes after three counts, is in London this week in his new role representing the people of North Warwickshire & Bedworth on the national stage.

Dan said: “I am very pleased that the Queen’s Speech contained some very strong and necessary measures designed to put the country back on its feet, after the last Government literally ran out of money and left us virtually bankrupt.

“But I am also pleased to see some concrete measures that will bring a real benefit to local people.

“Firstly, we saw strong action to deal with the deficit. There is no money left, so measures to bring the country’s terrifying debt under control are essential.

“Secondly, we saw measures to simplify to tax and benefits system to make them fairer. This was a major issue on the doorstep during the election and I am pleased to see David Cameron getting to grips with it straight away. I am particularly pleased to see that Equitable Life Policyholders will at last be treated fairly.

“Non-EU immigration will be curbed, with clear limits on the numbers who can come to the UK to work, and the unwanted and unnecessary ID cards system will be scrapped.

“Locally, I am particularly delighted to see that we have honoured our pledge to sweep away the central and top down housing targets. Decisions on housing and other planning issues will be decided locally in accordance with local needs – a move that is long overdue and will lift the threat to our local greenbelt from the last Government’s unsustainable housing targets.

“This is a good programme that will bring some real benefits to local people, and is an example of the new Coalition Government working together for the good of the country, rather than in a narrow Party interest.”

Following his appointment to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell has returned to his constituency to tackle the issues important to local residents and the town.

On top of his agenda was a meeting with the town centre manager Mike Bushell, who was appointed in January of this year, to talk about Sutton Coldfield’s progress and development.

Andrew Mitchell also met with his supporters and campaigners from the recent General Election.

He said: "I am so grateful to all of those who worked so hard on my campaign to deliver this outstanding result with a majority of over 17,000 votes. And I am grateful also to all those who voted for me in the General Election.

"I pledge to work hard for all of my constituents regardless of their political beliefs."

Prime Minister David Cameron has named Andrew Mitchell, Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, as the new Secretary of State for International Development.

Caroline Spelman, Conservative MP for Meriden, has been named by Prime Minister David Cameron as the new Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Owen Paterson, Conservative MP for Shropshire North, has been named by Prime Minster David Cameron as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

At a meeting of the Bromsgrove Conservative Association Sajid Javid has been selected as the Conservative candidate to represent the people of Bromsgrove at the General Election.

Mr Javid said: “It is a great privilege to have been chosen to champion Bromsgrove and its residents at the upcoming General Election.

“The effects of Gordon Brown’s recession are still being felt in our town and across the West Midlands and I look forward to working with the local community and the Bromsgrove Conservative Association to bring around a Conservative government and the change our country so desperately needs.”

At a meeting of the Ladywood Conservative Association, Nusrat Ghani has been selected as the Conservative candidate to champion the people of Birmingham Ladywood at the next General Election.

Ms Ghani said: “It is an honour to have been chosen to represent Ladywood’s residents at the upcoming General Election.

“This is an exciting time for Ladywood as Birmingham city centre continues to transform thanks to flagships projects such as the new library and the proposals released yesterday for the regeneration of Paradise Circus.

“However, Ladywood is suffering from high levels of unemployment and is one of the areas worst hit by the effects of Gordon Brown’s recession and I look forward to working with local residents and the Ladywood Conservative Association to bring around a Conservative Government and implement the right policies to address these issues and get our region working again.”

Dominic Fisher, Chairman of Ladywood Conservatives, said: “I am delighted that the association have chosen such a strong candidate for the forthcoming General Election. In Nusrat we have found a local candidate with the experience, dedication and passion to truly represent the entire community in Ladywood”

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hereford Jesse Norman has strongly backed a Conservative policy commitment to roll out superfast broadband services, with a special focus on rural areas, over the next few years.

The Conservatives have unveiled plans to help make the UK the first major European country that has superfast broadband in the majority of homes by 2017.
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said the UK is "currently one of the slowest countries in the developed world for broadband", but with the Conservatives it would become one of the fastest. He said Britain’s digital and creative industries must have a proper communications infrastructure if they are to become world beaters. Under the new plans "high speeds will be available not just in our cities but across the rural areas that have been left behind for too long".

The Conservatives plan to create a regulatory framework to ensure the roll-out of superfast broadband at speeds of up to 100mbps to the majority of homes across the UK by 2017. This could involve either mobile or fixed line solutions and will be significantly faster than the Government’s proposed target. It will open up BT’s ducts and poles to competition, an approach which has

Jesse Norman has vigorously led the campaign for better local broadband services in Herefordshire over several years.

He said: "This policy announcement is terrific news for Herefordshire, because it includes a specific mechanism to ensure that new broadband services reach rural areas.

"If the market does not deliver access in rural areas, the proposal is to use the proportion of the BBC licence fee dedicated to digital switchover to help finance superfast broadband roll out after 2012.

"Broadband is vital to the long-term development of Herefordshire, but at present coverage is often terrible or non-existent.

"The current government’s plans all but ignore rural areas such as ours. But now we have a real and far more credible alternative."

Local campaigner and Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hereford Jesse Norman saw what could be the future of broadband in Herefordshire last week, when he visited the Allpay wireless broadband pilot scheme in Kingstone.

He toured the Allpay broadband technical centre with their CEO Tony Killeen and tested the system personally, before visiting the antenna site located on the top of St Michael and All Angels Church. The new network offers up to 2 megabit broadband.

Jesse launched a major initiative to develop broadband access in Herefordshire in May 2008, when he convened two seminars on the different possible technologies and the opportunities they offered for local people and businesses. At the same time, he published his "Wireless Herefordshire" discussion paper on the same topic.

Only last week Jesse encouraged Peter Luff MP, Chair of the influential House of Commons Select Committee on Business, Innovation and Skills, to push for wider rural access to broadband, at a breakfast event in Hereford.

Speaking afterwards, Jesse said, "Herefordshire is already a centre for creative people and businesses. But we badly need better infrastructure, including better telecoms.

"The sad fact is that huge parts of the county lack any decent access to broadband at all. The government is preoccupied with high speed communications in city centres, when it should be equally focused on decent access in rural counties such as this one.

"Allpay have declared themselves very happy with the Kingstone trial, and are now moving forward with plans to develop further coverage across the county. There is thus a huge opportunity for local people and local communities to form user groups and approach Allpay with a view to joining their network."

Those interested in learning more about getting wireless broadband should write to Jesse at 49 Broomy Hill Hereford HR4 0LJ, or email him on jesse4hereford@gmail.com.

Nuneaton residents are being called on to put some time back to their community. Marcus Jones, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Nuneaton, is leading a team of local volunteers on a ‘community clean-up’ on Sunday, January 31st and is looking for more people to join them.

Marcus and his team will be focusing their efforts on one of the town’s worst litter hotspots, which was brought to Marcus’ attention by local residents. The private land at Park Street (to the rear of industrial units in Holman Way) has been the cause of numerous complaints from people unhappy at the state of the area.

Marcus, who has seen first-hand the positive effects social action projects have had in Bosnia, said he wanted to bring the same community-based focus to Nuneaton.

He said: “Putting something back into our community is so important and since my experiences working in Bosnia I have wanted to do something for my home town. After hearing the complaints from local residents I contacted the landlord who consented for the clean-up to take place.

“Now I am looking for as many local residents as possible who can spare a little time to help us transform an area, which has quite frankly been forgotten.”

Stourport-on-Severn faces more cuts to postal services just 14 months after the town lost one of its local post offices. But this time, it is the local sorting office that faces the axe.

Local staff are worried that the local sorting and delivery office could close as soon as April, with services moving to the sorting office in Kidderminster’s Crossley Retail Park. The fears come after a manager was put in place to run a feasibility study and cost analysis.

The Stourport office is an important local resource for the town. An average of 174 parcels are collected by local residents every day, whilst 48 local businesses and residents collect their mail each morning. Finally there are 18 PO boxes. From April onwards, local residents and businesses will have to travel into Kidderminster to collect their mail and parcels, increasing local congestion, and putting greater strain on businesses already suffering under the recession.

Twenty-eight people work from the sorting office and for the members of staff who are based in the office itself, the future looks bleak. Meanwhile the post men and women who are based there will have to operate from Kidderminster.

Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman said: “This is bad news for Stourport for three reasons. Firstly it puts a greater strain on local small businesses, which rely on collecting their mail in the morning, at a time when we should be giving them more help not less. Secondly, it increases the burden on our already congested roads, forcing post office staff and customers into their cars to get to Kidderminster to do a job they currently walk to.

"Finally, it is yet another resource being taken away from Stourport. We should be bringing more resources to the town; not taking them away. We should be making the town more attractive to attract businesses and employment; not running it down.

“Local Conservatives are fully behind the campaign to save this important local resource.”

To view a video of the campaign launch log onto www.markgarnier.co.uk/

Following last week’s bombshell that Solihull’s maternity will be downgraded in less than three month’s time, local hospital campaigners have injected a boost into the campaign by starting a new online petition and Facebook Group to ‘Save Solihull Hospital’.

Healthcare watchdog and prospective Conservative MP Maggie Throup, who has been leading the campaign to save the maternity services, said: “Last week’s maternity news has brought great public comment, as much in sorry as in anger.

“Many Solihull residents have posted comments on the Facebook group and contacted me directly to express their support for our campaign which is now spreading out even further.

“If we lose full maternity services, what message does it put out about our hospital? I now fear for its future and as so many of us did ten years ago, I will be campaigning to ‘Save Solihull Hospital’.

“Residents can show their support by signing the online petition at www.ipetitions.com/my/petitions/24738 or joining the new Facebook Group ‘Save Solihull Hospital’ which has already attracted over 700 members.”

Local campaigner and Conservative candidate Jesse Norman welcomed a key Westminster figure to Herefordshire last week.

Peter Luff MP, Chairman of the House of Commons Business Select Committee, spoke to local businesspeople at a breakfast at Saxty’s in Hereford. Mr Luff, recently described by The Times as "fiercely independent", has the job of holding to account the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, led by Lord Mandelson.

In a wide-ranging talk, Mr Luff highlighted the importance of helping small and medium-sized businesses to grow even in the current difficult economic context. He said it was vital to reduce the burden of taxation and regulation over time, and to recognise the value of manufacturing, given that Britain remains the 6th largest manufacturer in the world.

But successful entrepreneurship required high skills, and so flourishing schools, colleges and universities, he said. And it involved a measure of risk. It was absurd and counterproductive for any government to think it could somehow abolish risk, and the result was throttling small businesses with new regulations.

Commenting afterwards, Jesse said: "It is great to have Peter Luff in Hereford, given his influence and insights into economic policymaking.

"Among other things, his select committee is considering the current Digital Britain report on broadband speed. In 2008 I published a consultation paper on the potential for new wireless broadband services in the county. And I have strongly pressed now for the committee to come out in favour of wider access to decent broadband, rather than the Government’s current approach which ignores rural areas and focuses on large cities.

"Present policy on broadband has failed disastrously in Herefordshire, where the service is poor in Hereford city and often non-existent in rural areas. Proper broadband access is essential for local business and the local economy."

With more businesses having gone bankrupt during this recession than in any previous downturn, the Conservatives have also announced new policies to encourage enterprise and make it easier to start new businesses.

Rugby’s Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Mark Pawsey has this week launched a new campaign to bring a comprehensive high-speed broadband internet connection throughout the Rugby constituency. This campaign has been launched his new, redesigned, website www.markpawsey.org.uk.

The campaign includes uses a short, simple but effective survey to assess peoples Internet speed which can be found at www.markpawsey.org.uk/campaigns.

Speaking about the campaign, Mark said: “We all know that, in this day and age, the internet is an invaluable tool for keeping in touch, making business transactions, buying and accessing the latest news, information and headlines. It is important for both businesses and individuals in Rugby to have access to the best possible resources in this increasingly digital age. Our indication is that across Rugby the speed and quality of internet connection is currently variable.”
“This is a relevant issue for lots of people every day and I know first-hand the frustration and problems that people face as a consequence of poor internet access. As a country, it is important that we are at the sharp end of technological initiatives and these will be essential to take us out of recession and on to new economic growth.”
“The aim of our campaign is to build up a picture of the internet speed in and around Rugby, with a view to ensuring that resources are targeted to provide a consistently good service across the constituency. I will welcome the help and support of the people of Rugby by taking part in our survey in ensuring that this aspiration can become a reality.”

Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Minister for Birmingham, has paid a visit to one of the city’s leading manufacturers. Joined by Conservative parliamentary candidate for Yardley, Meirion Jenkins, Andrew Mitchell met with Charles Horsfall, owner and CEO of Yardley-based Webster and Horsfall – manufacturers of the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable – to discuss the company’s expansion plans.

Charles Horsfall, CEO of Webster and Horsfall, said: “Webster and Horsfall has been making wire and cable in Yardley since 1720, having re-invented ourselves several times along the way. We are now embarking upon a 10 year investment program to modernise our plant and equipment and introduce new products with a higher element of value added.

“Part of our existing site will become a new industrial park, thereby attracting further employment to the area. I was delighted that Andrew, as Shadow Minister for Birmingham, was able to take such a close interest in our plans.”

Meirion Jenkins, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Yardley, said: “Unemployment in Yardley has risen by over 44 per cent since Labour came to power and there are now 14 people chasing every job in the constituency.”

“I trained in Midlands manufacturing and feel very strongly that we have to re-invigorate manufacturing. Since 1997 we’ve gone backwards, with output down 10 per cent. With a program of real training for the young and financial incentives for business to create employment, I will prioritise working with local firms to increase growth and employment.”

Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Minister for Birmingham, added: “Local businesses such as Webster and Horsfall, who play a vital role in the region’s economy, need more protection from the economic downturn, not less. Yet more businesses have gone bankrupt during Labour’s recession than in any previous recession. “

“That is why the Conservatives under David Cameron are committed to supporting business and creating new jobs and opportunities by getting credit flowing again through our National Loan Guarantee Scheme, by creating 22,500 new apprenticeships in the West Midlands and by reducing tax on small businesses.”

Mark Pawsey, Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby Conservatives, has met the Managing Director of Technoset Ltd, a manufacturer of Precision Machined Components based on Glebe Farm Industrial Estate, together with the Chief Executive of the Manufacturing Advisory Service, West Midland to discuss the current difficulties facing the manufacturing sector.

Mark, a strong supporter of local manufacturing businesses, said: “As a parliamentary candidate I receive a fair few invitations to meet with various companies, groups and organisations. I am always keen to understand their relevance to Rugby and so when I was asked if I could meet a local company manufacturing high quality products for the Aerospace Industry, I was delighted to accept.

“Technoset Managing Director, Kevan Kane, showed me around his business in Rugby. I saw a well organised manufacturer of high precision machined components which has clearly benefitted from the input of experienced professionals from the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service. Manufacturing is a tough business to be in at the best of times and today’s climate is particularly difficult.

“As a country we need a strong manufacturing base to generate the wealth that enable Governments to do all of the good things we want them to do. I am pleased that there are strong manufacturing companies in Rugby and that advice is available from MAS to provide the back up and support that businesses such as Kevan’s need.”

In response to the announcement from Solihull’s Health Bosses affecting maternity services in the town, ‘Save Solihull’s Maternity Services’ campaign leader Maggie Throup said: “I am utterly dismayed at the total disregard for public opinion or indeed for any official public consultation before the changes are made. It goes against the wishes of many thousands of Silhillians who have signed my petition and joined the Facebook Group.

“This ill-timed decision denies the mums-to-be of Solihull a voice and a choice.

“I am disturbed that a full risk assessment has not been carried out on any transitional arrangements or indeed the long-term impact of any changes.

“According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence [NICE] the jury is still out on stand-alone midwife-led units, yet the Hospital bosses are completely ignoring this.

“Surely the costs incurred at all three sites to accommodate the changes would be much better invested in front-line clinical staff and giving Solihull mums the consultant-led maternity service they truly deserve.

“I will be continuing to fight to get the right maternity services for Solihull families.”

Join the Facebook Group to show your support: ‘Save Solihull’s Maternity Services’.

Arctic snow conditions did not stop a week of work experience for young local people organised last week by Jesse Norman, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire.

In all, eight young people, many of them studying politics or economics, were involved in the pilot programme. They came from across Herefordshire, including Ross-on-Wye, Longtown, Orcop, Leominster and Hereford City.

The programme involved learning about social action, political debates, policy creation, the role of the media, and campaigning on the ground. It ended with a fascinating tour of the BBC Hereford and Worcester studios in Hereford.

One of the students, Aidan-Leigh Smout of Hereford 6th Form College, said: "I really enjoyed the various activities we took part in, which provided a fantastic insight into campaigning. This work experience was an opportunity which allowed myself and the other guys who took part to become involved in local politics and get to know the Conservative candidate for Hereford and South Hereford.

"After an exciting week I would recommend anyone passionate about politics or the issues in their area to get involved!

Commenting afterwards, Jesse said: "There is so much distrust and lack of engagement with politics these days that I thought it was important to try to get out there and involve more young people, of whatever political affiliation.

"The only casualty of the weather was a litter pick we had planned, where the snow was so thick it covered everything, including the litter!

"With luck we will be able to run a larger programme next time–but maybe in the summer!"

Dan Byles, Conservative Candidate for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, has welcomed an announcement by David Cameron for a new generation of Sure Start Centres to focus on the most disadvantaged families.

David Cameron set out the plans during a speech in which he reiterated Conservative support for marriage, and said that first time parents needed more support.

The new Sure Start Centres will operate as independent institutions outside of local government control, and will be funded directly by central Government – so they will put no addition burden on local council tax payers.

David Cameron said he wanted to improve on the current model by returning Sure Start to its original purpose: "…early intervention, increasing its focus on those who need its help most and better involving organisations with a proven track record in parenting interventions".

Speaking after Mr Cameron’s speech, local Parliamentary Candidate Dan Byles said: “I am delighted at David Cameron’s speech. I have always strongly welcomed policies to support and strengthen families, and these proposals will help to look after the most vulnerable families at a time when they are most in need of support.

“I am also a big fan of encouraging independent organisations, such as charities like Lifeline and 4children, who already have proven track records in helping parents and families. Thay are part of the wider circle of society that goes beyond expecting Government departments to do everything – and they are often more efficient and more in touch with ordinary people than civil servants in Whitehall.

“So the proposals to invite charities and organisations like this to run children’s centres, and to be paid by the results they achieve, is a practical way to harness the knowledge and experience that already exists in the voluntary sector.

“This is a positive policy, and I’m delighted that David Cameron is standing firm in his commitment to supporting families.”

Maggie Throup, Solihull’s Prospective MP was joined by Shadow Cabinet Member Francis Maude MP this week for the launch of the health section of the Conservative Party’s draft manifesto and at the same time unveiling a new nationwide poster campaign.

The health section of the draft manifesto outlines the Conservative Party’s reform plan for the National Health Service. It explains how a Conservative Government would create an NHS based around the needs of patients, run according to the clinical judgements of healthcare professionals, not the preferences of politicians, with a greater focus on improving the nation’s public health. And it confirms the party’s commitment to protecting NHS spending in real terms.

The poster is displayed at nearly 1,000 sites across the UK, including the site in Shirley and features a picture of David Cameron alongside the wording ‘We can’t go on like this. I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS’.

Commenting Ms Throup said: “Our draft NHS manifesto is very timely with everyone here in Solihull so concerned about the future of our Maternity Services.

“Conservatives are committed to a system that is more personal and more local – with more choice, through our proposals for maternity networks.

“Under Labour all we seem to be getting is bigger and bigger baby factories where mothers can feel neglected with some even being turned away on the doorstep – and some even in labour.”

As Wyre Forest goes back to work on the first working day of the new decade, local Conservatives get into action for the general election.

Across the country Conservatives marked the start of election year with the launch of the Health manifesto, a number of poster launches, and a day of action in many constituencies. Wyre Forest was no exception and local activists were joined by three Shadow Cabinet Ministers and a further four Members of Parliament delivering Mark Garnier’s annual report across the Stourport ward of Mitton. In just one day of action, nearly 4,000 leaflets were delivered.

“Its all about teamwork” said Mark Garnier after the successful day campaigning. “Political parties are all about people helping each other – from helping each other deliver the message to helping each other represent our constituents effectively. The world is a complicated place and no individual can ever hope to be an expert on everything that affects his or her constituents. That is why individuals, of a similar mind, have been getting together to form political parties for hundreds of years – so they can help each other help their constituents.”

The visiting MPs were Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families; Caroline Spelman MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; Francis Maude MP, Shadow Minister for The Cabinet Office, Brian Binley MP, Tony Baldry MP, Philip Hollobone MP and Andrew Robathan MP

Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Minister for Birmingham, has paid a visit to St Basil’s in Birmingham to see first-hand the work being carried out to combat youth homelessness over the festive period.

Mr Mitchell met with service users and staff at St Basil’s Edmunds Court Foyer, which provides 39 accommodation units and training to homeless youngsters or those facing homelessness aged between 16-years and 25-years-old.

Speaking after the visit Mr Mitchell said: “Homelessness affects thousands of youngsters across Birmingham, with St Basil’s seeing almost 4,000 people each year. With 40 per cent of homelessness across the country caused by the breakdown of the family this issue is much more pertinent during the festive period. This is why we should be encouraging more third-sector organisations such as St Basil’s to help in tackling this problem.

“For years the Conservative Party has called on the Government to do more to stem the tide of homelessness across the UK, including ending the deceitful practice of bracketing down the true number of homeless and rough sleepers, which has only helped to undermine the work by homelessness organisations.” ENDS

Conservative Shadow Minister for Health Andrew Lansley MP, a senior member of David Cameron’s front bench team, this week visited the George Eliot Hospital accompanied by local Tory candidates Dan Byles and Marcus Jones.

They invited him to see for himself the superb job done by staff and management at the hospital in recent years, including a tour of the Special Care Baby Unit, and the innovative way in which staff are now dealing with suspected stroke patients.

Mr Lansley met with Chief Executive Sharon Beamish and Trust Chairman Stuart Annan as well as senior managers and nurses, and was given a tour of a number of key departments, including an explanation of an innovative new approach being trialled by the stroke unit.

The George Eliot has been piloting a new scheme to treat stoke patients. The service sees all patients arriving by ambulance between 9am-5pm, suffering from a suspected stroke, being taken directly on to the Felix Holt Stroke Unit rather than going through Accident and Emergency as was originally the case. This allows for intensive specialist support for these patients to start immediately leading to a better clinical outcome.

This initiative is currently in a pilot stage and if successful, the Trust will look to extend the service to cover patients arriving at the Trust with a suspected stroke at any time of the day or night.

Mr Lansley was impressed by the hard work done at the Trust, and praised staff for their efforts. Speaking after the visit, he said: "I was glad to have the opportunity to visit the George Eliot Hospital.

"The NHS is a top priority for the Conservative Party. We know that we need to support hospitals like the George Eliot, which are seeking to maintain local access to good quality services.

"In particular I was very pleased to meet staff in the specialist baby unit and the stroke unity. Both demonstrated that high standards of care can be maintained in District General Hospitals."

Dan Byles and Marcus Jones, the Parliamentary Candidates for North Warwickshire & Bedworth and for Nuneaton, have strongly supported the George Eliot, and the principle of maintaining a local District General Hospital providing a full range of secondary care. Marcus Jones was recently appointed as the borough council’s representative on the hospitals trust board.

Dan Byles, who serves on the Board of a West Midlands NHS Trust and whose wife once worked at the George Eliot as part of her medical training, said: “I am delighted that Andrew could come to see for himself the innovative work being done at the George Eliot. The Trust has done a superb job in recent years in pulling back from what was a worrying financial situation just a few years ago.

“I gave the Trust a hard time then, and made it clear that I didn’t want to see services cut as a result of the deficit. I am very pleased with the direction the Board has since taken the hospital, and it is clear that strong leadership and good management has succeeded in turning things around and ensuring that the George Eliot is now well placed to continue providing excellent services to local people. It is vital that we maintain the George Eliot as a fully functioning District General Hospital providing the full range of services.”

Marcus Jones, who holds fond memories of the hospital where he witnessed the birth of his son Oliver, said: "It was great to welcome Andrew to the Eliot. During our visit it was noticeable that he was impressed with the enthusiasm and depth of knowledge shown by the nursing staff who explained the vital work that they do on the special care baby and stroke units.

"The last few years have seen un-certain times at the hospital with the acute services review, infection rates and budget deficit. I am pleased to see that under the leadership of the current management team the hospital is improving well. The improvement must be maintained, the hospital must keep evolving and improving and I was very pleased to hear Andrew Lansley reaffirm the Conservatives commitment to district general hospitals which can only be positive for our hospital should the conservatives win the next election"

Christopher Pincher, Tamworth’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, joined Shadow Secretary of State for Universities & Skills, David Willetts, on a visit to the Tamworth campus of South Staffordshire College. The pair met college staff and students including Charlotte Burford, who won a bronze medal at the WorldSkills finals in Calgary, Canada. They also met hair stylist students and the builders of the college motor race car in the mechanics’ garage.

The college has over 20,000 students across three campuses in Staffordshire and the Tamworth site is the largest. The college claims that by training over a 1000 more students than its funding allocation, it plays a significant part in the battle against unemployment. Across the country the number of young “NEETs” (Not in Employment, Education or Training) has now topped the one million mark and in Tamworth, which has a young population and a high rate of unemployment, the problem is a real concern. The college Chief Executive, Graham Morley, says the courses his staff provide help improve the life chances of thousands of local youngsters.

David Willetts said: “I was delighted to visit the college in Croft Street and talk to staff and students and see what the college has to offer. We want to support colleges like this to be more flexible in the way they provide their services so that the staff at the sharp end and not the bureaucrats in the QUANGOs make the decisions.”

Christopher Pincher added: “David Willetts visited Tamworth at our invitation so he could see the talent our town has to offer. Tamworth’s unemployment doubled between 2008 and 2009 so we desperately need to use education as a means of helping people find good jobs. There was a real enthusiasm amongst the students, particularly amongst the motor engineering students, which was tremendous to see."

The Wyre Forest Conservative Association held its annual Question Time event in Stourport this year, with a mix of both local members and guests from the wider business community in attendance.

The event, held annually in the autumn, usually hosts a panel representing the European Parliament, the British Parliament, the county council and the local district council. But this year, in anticipation of the general election next year, the panel was made up three MPs, plus Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest’s Conservative parliamentary candidate. The panel was chaired by local businessman Richard Boot, of Churchill.

Following the format made famous by the David Dimbleby Question Time show on BBC TV, the panel were asked questions ranging from foreign policy to local issues surrounding the local economy and social justice.

The panel were experts in a wide area, and comprised of Peter Luff MP, Chairman of the Business Select Committee, Philip Dunne MP, Conservative Treasury Whip and member of the Conservative Treasury Team, Mark Harper MP, shadow Work and Pensions Minister with responsibility for disability, and Mark Garnier, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Wyre Forest.

Mark Garnier commented after the event: “With a general election due next year, and a possible change of Government, it is important that Wyre Forest residents are given an opportunity to meet and question those people who will be involved in the policy making process. That is why I organised this panel of speakers and indeed why I continue to bring Conservative front bench spokesman to our district.”

Shadow Minister for Birmingham, Andrew Mitchell MP, has praised West Midlands Police in its continuing efforts to make Birmingham’s streets safer from anti-social behaviour and the rise of “gang culture”

The latest Home Office statistics show that violent crime across the city has risen 12 per cent since 1999/2000, with the West Midlands suffering from the highest level of knife crime outside London and the third highest level of gun crime across England and Wales.

Speaking after one of his regular updates on the city’s policing with West Midlands Police’s Chief Constable Chris Sims, Andrew Mitchell said: “It is heartening to hear that so much is being done by West Midlands Police, through Neighbourhood Policing and active campaigns, to reduce the levels of anti-social behaviour in our city.

“But we must do more – violent crime in Birmingham has risen 12 per cent over the last decade, with the levels of gun crime across the West Midlands doubling since Labour came to power.

“And more worrying is that gang culture is no longer confined to the margins, with one nationwide estimate suggesting that 30,000 young people in the UK belong to gangs, yet the Labour Government continues to ignore the problem while violent crime increases on our streets.

“Instead of waiting to tackle the problem once it has hit crisis levels, the Conservative Party would give our police officers the power to prevent the causes of crime and anti-social behaviour through education, early intervention and family support.”

New research by the Conservatives has revealed that over 220,000 unemployed working age men have been written off by the Government and hidden from the unemployment figures. Locally, some 370 people have been ‘massaged’ from the figures for the constituency of North Warwickshire – which includes Bedworth.

Under benefit rules men aged 60-64 are able to claim Pension Credit instead of Jobseeker’s Allowance if they lose their job. This means that they don’t appear in the official unemployment claimant count figures each month and are excluded from a proper programme of back to work support.

Over 229,000 working age men are currently claiming Pension Credit – representing one in five of all male Pension Credit claimants and almost one in ten of all Pension Credit claims. In comparison there are only 17,775 men over 60 claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.

If the working aged men claiming Pension Credit were added to the claimant count it would rise by 15 per cent, totalling 1.75 million unemployed in Britain, instead of 1.52 million as the Government’s figures show.

In the constituency of North Warwickshire, unemployment would rise by 14 per cent if the figures took into account working age pension credit claims.

Local Parliamentary Candidate, Dan Byles, said: “Nothing shocks me about this government anymore. Everyone knows they manipulate and spin official figures to the point that no one trusts Government statistics anymore.

“I have been highlighting for months the shocking rise in local unemployment locally – which has been running for most of this year at well over double last year’s figures. Now we learn that the true figure is much higher.

“370 local older people of working age have simply been ‘disappeared’ from the official figures. They have been written off. That represents 370 families who are struggling with unemployment, but to the Government they are an embarrassment – and are literally swept under the carpet and out of sight.

“How can the Government help people in difficulty if they don’t admit they exist? Where are the back to work support programmes for people in this position? Sadly, until Gordon Brown and Labour stop spinning that all is well and that we are ‘best placed’, and start facing up to the real problems the country is facing, they will remain part of the problem.”

Former soldier Dan Byles, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North Warwickshire, who has visited Daw Mill and spent the day below ground with local miners, last year called for increased investment at the site to secure its future.

This week Dan was delighted to learn that UK Coal have announced plans to raise £100 million to invest in a number of sites, Daw Mill included.

The new share deal will allow UK Coal to extend the working life of two deep mines in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, and will allow for investment at Daw Mill to improve output reliability – securing the mine’s future until at least 2028.

Dan said: “I am delighted that the future of Daw Mill looks secure, and that the extra investment needed has been promised by UK Coal. When I visited the site in 2007 there was some uncertainty, but the future now looks good for coal production in North Warwickshire for decades to come.

“With world energy supplies increasingly subject to price volatility and political interference, it is vital for energy security that the UK maintains a diverse energy base. Domestic coal production remains a key part of that diversity.”

Chris White, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Warwick and Leamington, has spoken in support of local firefighters this week following the publication of a report recommending that the County Council reduce the number of operational fire stations across Warwickshire.

The recommended proposal, if implemented, would see seven of the county’s smaller, retained fire stations, including Warwick, put under threat.

Chris White said: “I am firmly against this proposal, and deeply concerned about its consequences for Warwick residents. We all know how congested the roads into Warwick can become, and it is essential that fires in the town can be responded to as quickly as possible.

“It is vital that this is not looked at in isolation. There is currently a consultation under way on future housing development in Warwick District – surely we need to wait to see how many people are going to be living here and where, before making any plans about future fire service provision.”

Former soldier Dan Byles, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, has come down firmly on the side of local firefighters today.

His intervention follows the news that a report has recommended the County Council close or merge a number of fire stations across Warwickshire and reduce the number of retained fire fighters. This could see Bedworth Fire Station moved and merged with Nuneaton Fire Station.

Dan Byles served in the Army for nine years, and in 2004 was responsible for emergency medical and fire response planning for NATO’s Multinational Task Force (North West) in Bosnia.

Dan said: “I am deeply concerned at the possibility that Bedworth Fire Station could be moved and merged with Nuneaton, and that numbers of local retained firefighters might be reduced.

“Clearly this is just a consultation document at this stage, but it is one which I will be firmly opposing. Having been responsible for emergency response planning when I was a soldier, I am only too aware of the need for robust emergency response cover.

“And with the Government planning to impose some 14,000 new houses on Nuneaton & Bedworth against the wishes of local people, it is even more important that the emergency services are properly resourced and located to deal with incidents.

“I will be lobbying the County Council to ensure that any decision made is evidence-based, that local people will be fully consulted, and that nothing will be done to compromise the safety of the people of Bedworth and Nuneaton.”

Young and old turned out in force in Solihull to show their support for Solihull’s Maternity Services at a rally in Mell Square yesterday before parading to Solihull Hospital to hand over a letter outlining their case to keep full maternity services locally.

Rally organiser, Prospective MP for Solihull, Maggie Throup said: “We have had tremendous support today and the NHS Trust really needs to listen to us.

“We are not prepared to let the hospital be closed by stealth and will fight to the bitter end to ensure Solihull families have the maternity services locally they really deserve.”

The rally was addressed by Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley and local MP Caroline Spelman as well as Ms Throup. Mr Jeremy Rowbotham, retired Hospital Consultant who has delivered over 28,000 babies in Solihull and local pantomime star Malcolm Stent joined the rally and back the campaign.

Rugby Conservatives are continuing their dialogue with voters in Rugby by holding regular surveys on national and topical issues. The surveys take place on the doorstep, over the telephone and in addition people can respond online at www.markpawsey.org.uk. The current topic is the state of the National Health Service and proposals for its future, with questions focusing on how it should be managed and what direction it’s funding and resources should take.

Mark Pawsey, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Rugby, said: “The National Health Service will be a key priority for a future Conservative Government, and we are absolutely dedicated to ensuring that it continues to provide the service that is so vital for patients. David Cameron has stressed the party’s wholehearted commitment to the NHS and the principle of a healthcare system that is free at the point of use, based on need and not the ability to pay. One of the key challenges will be to make sure that funding reaches the front line, and is not tied up in petty bureaucracy.”

The survey asks:

· Do you believe the Conservatives are committed to the NHS?

· Should the Government be looking to make efficiency savings in the NHS?

· Is it appropriate for some services in the NHS to be provided by private companies?

· Do you believe patients should have more choice in where they are treated?

Mark added: “We have a precious resource here in Rugby in the form of St Cross Hospital. I am committed to ensuring that St Cross continues to provide local services for the people of Rugby. It is essential for patients to be able to be treated locally whenever possible and to have more choice over where they are treated.

“It’s really important for the Country that the NHS is given the time, attention and funding it needs in order to continue to treat those who need it most. Our policies will focus on managing the NHS efficiently, preserving local choice and ensuring that the service is able to meet the many challenges it faces.

“Our survey on the doorstep, on the phone and on the web at www.markpawsey.org.uk, is designed to find out the views held by Rugby people about the future of the health service.”

The survey will take place throughout the month of September.

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire, this week welcomed the proposal for permanent flood defences for Upton-upon-Severn, outlined at a public meeting last Thursday.

Harriett Baldwin said, “I attended the public meeting last Thursday in Upton Memorial Hall where the plans were unveiled. I would like to thank the Environment Agency and Malvern Hills District Council for all their hard work. They have really listened to the feedback from January’s meeting. I am really pleased to see that the £4.5 million plans now include major landscaping and regeneration of the waterfront. I am delighted that Malvern Hills District Council is considering supporting this scheme with regeneration money from their capital account. It is now up to the people of Upton to give their feedback on the scheme. I have sent in these comments to the consultation.

"I also visited UK Flood Defences in Droitwich last week. The firm is a very promising start-up company with some great products. Their self-raising flood barrier is really innovative. It does have some moving parts and the Environment Agency tell me that the business case for the proposed Upton scheme rests on the fact that it will not require much in the way of ongoing maintenance. However, I am sure they will be looking closely at the firm’s potential to be included in Environment Agency schemes.”

Dan Byles, former soldier and Conservative Parliamentary candidate for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, this week warned that homes and businesses across Warwickshire could be facing power cuts within years. For the first time since the three-day week of the 1970s, consumers will be told to prepare for blackouts, since the supply of electricity will fail to meet demand at peak times.

Over the next few years many power stations will reach the end of their lives, or have to shut because of EU law. But the Government has failed to ensure that replacements are available in time. The small print of Whitehall documents reveal that Ministers have pencilled in power cuts of 3,000 Megawatt hours per year by 2017. This is the equivalent of 670,000 people being without electricity for a day – in other words an area greater than the size of Coventry, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby and Tamworth put together.

In practice the blackouts are most likely to strike at peak times – in the early evening during the winter months – hitting many more people for shorter periods when the need for electricity is greatest. The expected gap of 3,000 Megawatt hours could even mean a simultaneous hour-long power cut for 16 million people simultaneously on a winter evening.

Dan Byles said: “I am extremely concerned that homes and businesses across Warwickshire will face blackouts because the Labour Government put its head in the sand about energy policy for a decade. Ministers have been forced to admit they expect the lights to go out for the first time since the three-day week of the 1970s.

“Conservatives will act quickly to tackle Labour’s energy crisis. We will increase generating capacity, improve energy efficiency by insulating people’s homes, adopt the latest green technology and make Britain’s energy policy a matter of national security.”

Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Minister for Birmingham, has spent an evening on patrol with officers from West Midlands Police to see firsthand the work carried out by the force on the streets of Birmingham.

Andrew, joined by Sergeant James Hillier, visited several areas of the city and spoke to local residents about the effects of anti-social behaviour on their community and reiterated the Conservative’s pledge to scrap the unnecessary paperwork forced on officers in order to keep them on the streets for longer.
The visit comes after figures released by the Conservative Party revealed the true extent of anti-social behaviour across the region. In 2007-2008, there were:

155,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded by West Midlands Police, equivalent to more than 400 incidents a day.
Nearly 100,000 reports of rowdy or inconsiderate behaviour
18,000 hoax calls to the emergency services
Andrew said: “It has been most helpful to spend time on patrol with the West Midlands Police looking at the work being carried out on the streets of Birmingham. They are dedicated to making the city a much safer place to be.

“But these figures clearly show that anti-social behaviour is making many people’s lives a misery and highlight the Government’s continuing failure to address the issues that concern the people of Birmingham the most.

“Labour’s approach to policing has left officers like Sergeant Hillier wasting valuable time on endless form filling and reports when they could be out protecting members of the public. David Cameron has already pledged that under a Conservative government these ‘stop and search’ forms will be scrapped and the bureaucracy that’s holding police back from doing their job cut away.”

Christopher Pincher, the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Shenstone & Stonnall was out and about in Shenstone at the weekend to invite people to a village meeting he is hosting in the village hall this Sunday. He and his team spent a sunny Saturday morning handed over 500 invitations to villagers in their homes.

This local meeting is part of Mr. Pincher’s campaign to meet members of local rural communities and to introduce himself to new members of the community. It also gives local people an opportunity to meet and question their Conservative candidate.

Christopher Pincher said: “I am really pleased to be able to invite people to this meeting in Shenstone. It is a great way of keeping in contact with village communities giving me a chance to hear concerns, listen to opinions, take questions and learn about local issues from those who know most about them – local people.”

The meeting is taking place in Shenstone Village Hall from 3.30pm on Sunday, August 30, with all local residents welcome.

Conservatives will also be conducting “Pincher Direct” meetings in Stonnall, Hopwas, Elford, Bonehill, Drayton Bassett, Clifton Campville, Harlaston, Weeford and Wigginton over the coming months.

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire has this week repeated her call to Advantage West Midlands to support Tenbury’s bid for flood defences.

Following a recent meeting at Advantage West Midlands with Tenbury Mayor Richard Jones, former Tenbury Mayor Bob Martin, County Councillor Ken Pollock, Malvern Hills Portfolio Holder for Finance, Ralph Madden and Harriett Baldwin, a request was made for a partnership contribution from AWM to help build flood defences to support the town’s economy. Separately, AWM recently announced that it had dropped plans to contribute almost £1,000,000 to build a biomass plant on the Tenbury Business Park because of budget cuts at the Agency.

In a comprehensive response to Harriett Baldwin, Mark Pearce, Corporate Director of Economic Generation at Advantage West Midlands, lists a range of contributions made by the Agency in recent years to benefit Tenbury. These include:

· £170,000 to Malvern Hills District Council in 2007 to clean up the town after the 2007 floods.
· £15,000 in grants to Border Film Festival, Tenbury TIC and the charity Speaks Volumes
· £27.500 in grants to convert redundant buildings to retail use
· Over £30,000 to help tourism initiatives, like Applefest and the Mistletoe Festival
· £11,000 for the Tenbury Citizens Advice Bureau

HowHowever, he states that due to budget cuts, "I can offer no prospect of the Agency providing funding for the flooding project in Tenbury in the foreseeable future."

Harriett Baldwin said: “It is disappointing that AWM has given a negative reply to Tenbury at this time. The Environment Agency has worked hard to reduce the indicated cost of the scheme from £5m to £4m. Worcestershire County Council has indicated a willingness to make a contribution to the cost of the scheme. Malvern Hills District Council are making a a significant contribution in kind.

"The economic benefit to Tenbury is calculated to be £7.5m. I have written back to ask AWM to consider their position very carefully, because their mission is to support the region’s economy. In addition, flood defences could mean significant future savings for them in clean up costs.”

Local campaigner and health watchdog Maggie Throup called for the reintroduction of paediatric services at Solihull Hospital when she spoke to the council’s Health Scrutiny Board special meeting last Thursday.

As one of the leading campaigners to save Solihull’s maternity services Maggie said: “I outlined the three options on the table for maternity at Solihull, only two of which are currently being considered by the local NHS Trust.

“It is vital for the future mums in Solihull that my third option is taken into the equation – that of returning paediatric services to Solihull. This is the only safe option for both mum and for baby.”

To help support the campaign log onto www.ipetitions.com/petition/savesolihullmaternityservices

The Conservative Rural Action team took a stand in favour of Honest Food Labelling at Saturday’s Tenbury Agricultural Show.
One of the things highlighted by the team was people’s assumption that "British" pork pies contain pork which comes from Britain. In fact, meat from abroad can be imported into the UK and processed into bacon, sausages and pies which can then be labelled to suggest they are British
Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Candidate for West Worcestershire, who met with visitors at the show, said, “I think this is dishonest. People have a right to know where their food comes from. Meat labelled ‘British’ should be born and bred in Britain, raised to our high welfare standards.
"Judging by the response to our campaign at the Tenbury Show, local people feel the same as I do about Honest Food Labelling.”
Harriett added that consumers should be free to choose food from any country, but real choice requires real information.
Now the Conservative Rural Action Group is demanding honest ‘country of origin’ labelling to restore trust and allow people to choose British food with confidence

Local Conservatives paid a special visit to The Whitacres & Shustoke Show held at Blythe Hall, Shustoke, where led by potential MP Dan Byles they spent the day raising money for the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance by putting local politicians in the stocks and giving visitors the opportunity to hurl wet sponges at them.

Dan Byles and local councillors, including Coleshill County and Borough Councillor Peter Fowler, got a drenching as people queued up for the opportunity to throw wet sponges at them – and it was all for a good cause.

Speaking after the show, Dan said: "Despite the rain, the show was a great success and everybody seemed determined to have a great time regardless of the weather.

"We had a really good day – I can’t imagine why everyone was so keen to put us local politicians in the stocks and hurl wet sponges at us…but for some reason they were!

"And it was all for a fantastic cause. The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance save lives every day of the week, and all without receiving a penny of taxpayers money. The average cost per mission is £1,000, and they rely entirely on donations and fundraising from the public. So a big thank you to everyone who took part and helped us to get wetter than everyone else!"

Local Conservatives paid a special visit to The Whitacres & Shustoke Show held at Blythe Hall, Shustoke, where led by potential MP Dan Byles they spent the day raising money for the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance by putting local politicians in the stocks and giving visitors the opportunity to hurl wet sponges at them.

Dan Byles and local councillors, including Coleshill County and Borough Councillor Peter Fowler, got a drenching as people queued up for the opportunity to throw wet sponges at them – and it was all for a good cause.

Speaking after the show, Dan said: "Despite the rain, the show was a great success and everybody seemed determined to have a great time regardless of the weather.

"We had a really good day – I can’t imagine why everyone was so keen to put us local politicians in the stocks and hurl wet sponges at us…but for some reason they were!

"And it was all for a fantastic cause. The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance save lives every day of the week, and all without receiving a penny of taxpayers money. The average cost per mission is £1,000, and they rely entirely on donations and fundraising from the public. So a big thank you to everyone who took part and helped us to get wetter than everyone else!"

The Government is approving the sale of school playing fields up and down the country despite a commitment for every child to do five hours of sport a week in the run up to the Olympics, new figures have revealed.

In the four years since London won the chance to host the 2012 Olympics the Government has allowed the sale of 49 school sports fields. And more than two hundred school playing fields have been sold off since Labour came into power despite promising in their 1997 manifesto to bring ‘the policy of forcing schools to sell off playing fields to an end’.

Current policy means that each sale must be made with ministerial approval, making a mockery of Labour promises to protect pitches. What’s more, any piece of land smaller than an acre is not subject to approval and it is estimated many hundreds of these are being sold as well.

In Staffordshire, three playing fields have been sold off, most recently at Tamworth’s Belgrave High School in 2008.

Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Jeremy Hunt commented on the local sales: “Labour insist they are the guardians of school sport yet they have clearly failed, and are continuing to fail, on a key manifesto promise.”

“The fact that more than two hundred pitches have been sold with direct ministerial approval shows Labour’s commitment to school sport is nothing more than an empty promise. Their actions simply do not match the rhetoric.”

Tamworth’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, Christopher Pincher, said: “Labour’s broken promise is damaging the chances of local children. How can we build the next generation of sporting talent when schools are losing their playing fields?”

Will double yellow lines be the answer to the long standing issue of parking outside the primary school on Dosthill High Street? Well, that is what Staffordshire County Council’s Highways Department are now looking into together with local campaigners to tackle the problem. Both Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Christopher Pincher and Conservative County Councillor Lee Bates have raised the issue after hearing concerns from local parents and residents.

The County Council proposes yellow lines along the stretch of road on both sides of the High Street near the school. Councillor Bates and Mr. Pincher are seeking residents’ views on whether such action will help solve the issue for residents.

Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Christopher Pincher said: “Cars parking on both sides of this busy thoroughfare presents a hazard for local residents as well as young children walking to and from school. Clearly action needs to be taken to reduce the hazard but I want to make sure the County consults residents, parents and teachers before it moves. We need their backing first.”

Councillor Bates added: “I am keen to work to try to solve this ongoing issue and the proposal of yellow lines on the High Street has been put forward as a possible solution. We want to be sure that residents will be happy with this before the traffic restriction order is written by Highways Department.”

Any one wishing to comment on Dosthill parking issues can e-mail Councillor Bates at lee.bates@staffordshire.gov.uk with their feedback and comments.

Staffordshire Moorlands’ Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Karen Bradley and her campaign team have been out enjoying the July sunshine at the annual Leek Show, where Karen had the opportunity to meet and greet visitors and other exhibitors at the event.

Speaking after the show, Karen said: “Once again the Leek Show has proved why it is one of the highlights of the year – it was brilliantly organised and we have been blessed with good weather.

“Everyone I met was having a fantastic day out and there was a huge variety of things to see and do – I’m already looking forward to next year.”

James Morris, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, has paid a vist to Halesowen’s The Lighthouse Project to meet with Founder and CEO Catherine Marshall and Wendy Riley, who runs the Halesowen centre.

They discussed the current funding challenges faced by the Project across Halesowen and Rowley Regis and the broader role of charities and the voluntary sector in providing public services locally. James and his family also attended the Fun Day at the Project on Saturday 25th July.

Following the meeting, James said: "The Lighthouse Project continues to provide important services to the people of Halesowen and Rowley Regis. I believe that charities and the voluntary sector have a vital role to play in providing services especially for the most vulnerable in society."

James is also volunteering his services to the Lighthouse through providing mock interviews for those looking to sharpen up their interview skills in a difficult job market.

Westwood Conservatives are this week launching a campaign to protest against the proposed closure of a branch of the HSBC branch in Tile Hill Village following a large number of concerns being expressed by local residents at the loss of this valuable facility.

The bank which describes itself as "The World’s Local Bank", will shut the doors of its Tile Hill branch for the final time in October. The staff working affected will be transferred to other jobs within HSBC. The 24 hour free to use cash machine on the side of the building will also be lost when the branch closes. If the closure goes ahead residents would be forced to travel to Earlsdon or elsewhere to access branch services.

Many residents have already expressed their concerns to local Ward Councillor David Skinner, who is a customer at the branch himself, and he wants this vital local service retained. His views are supported by his two Westwood Ward colleagues, Cllrs Nigel Lee and Marcus Lapsa, and Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Coventry South Cllr Kevin Foster.

Commenting Cllr David Skinner said: "Many residents have expressed their concerns to me about the closure of their local bank, in particular those residents who do not have a car. This branch is the only Bank in Tile Hill Village and is a service greatly valued by local people. I hope I can encourage HSBC to think again."

Cllr Kevin Foster added: "It is sad to see another local facility under threat in our area. Many residents depend on the service provided by local bank branches, in particular free to use cash machines, rather than being forced to use those located elsewhere that normally charge for withdrawals. I am therefore delighted to be able to support David’s campaign and I hope the worlds local bank will decide to stay local to Tile Hill residents."

I am writing this column, as I have for the last two years at the end of July, from Kigali – the capital of Rwanda. Project Umubano, the Conservative Party’s social action project is running this year from July 18 to august 1, and I am here with around 100 volunteers including MPs, Parliamentary Candidates, councillors, Conservative Future and Party staff.

Project Umubano 2009 focuses on four key areas: health, education, justice and the private sector.
The largest project this year is the education project, with 42 of us are teaching English to 1,500 Rwandan primary school teachers across the country. We all took the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Course before departure, and brought with us to Rwanda exercise books, dictionaries and pens for every teacher that we are teaching.

The first day of teaching was a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I got to know my class of 50 and tried to work out how much English they already knew. Fortunately quite a lot! I’ve always had a great respect for those who give their life to teaching, and this two week experience reinforces that.

Our medical project – training nurses and treating patients – is being run by a senior councillor from Worcester, Dr Tibbutt, who has been to Africa every year for the last 30 years and brings huge experience to our team.

I can of course reassure my constituents that I am still very much in contact through my constituency office and Westminster, dealing with issues from Kigali, thanks to the miracles of modern communications and the progress that Rwanda has made with ICT. Naturally, Sutton is never far from my thoughts and yesterday during a lesson on comprehension I explained to my class the story of how the Royal Marriages Act stems from a romantic incident in Sutton Coldfield!

CONSERVATIVE parliamentary candidate for Wolverhampton South East Ken Wood has been lending his support to the Great British Pub by meeting with the landlord of a Coseley pub to hear his concerns for the industry while pouring pints for the locals.

Ken visited The Painters Arms where landlord Pete Sharp gave the prospective Conservative MP the opportunity to meet with locals and staff to hear first-hand about the challenges faced by British pubs as the recession and Government tax hikes result in more people turning their backs on their local.

Ken said: “My visit to The Painters Arms opened my eyes to the important role pubs play in our communities and just how much effort goes into running one – especially when it comes to pouring the perfect pint of real ale.

“Wolverhampton has many wonderful traditional pubs like The Painters but with six pubs closing every day of the week, the traditional Great British Pub is facing extinction. Already the Government takes 33 per cent of the price of each pint of beer and planned further hikes will do nothing more than lead to the closure of more pubs and result in further job losses in a region where unemployment is continuing to rise.

“Pubs are not only a part of our heritage but are often the centre of the local community; a meeting place for friends, families and social groups and the Government needs to do more – I would urge everybody to sign the Conservatives’ Save The Great British Pub petition and do their bit to keep this tradition alive.”

Landlord Pete added: “It was great to see Ken taking such an interest in The Painters Arms and hopefully his visit will highlight the troubles pubs across the West Midlands are facing every day.

“Every time a pub shuts its doors it is not just landlords like me who lose out – it affects everybody from the part-time bar staff to the breweries. The British pub is a tradition and we have to make sure we don’t lose it.”

The Conservative Party’s Save The Great British Pub petition can be found at www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Save_the_Great_British_Pu…

Tamworth’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Christopher Pincher and n ewly elected County Councillor Lee Bates have had confirmation this week that Persimmon Homes is to reinstate a site manager on the half built Tame Alloys Estate in Wilnecote and will make it one of its priority sites for completion across the UK.

Residents who have suffered for two years with incomplete roads, drainage and messy open spaces can now look forward to work starting again to vastly improve the site.

Mr Pincher said: “For too long residents have been literally living on a building site. Roads are not properly surfaced, kerbsides are far too high whilst rubble and workmen’s litter makes the estate look messy and unfinished. A lot of residents complained to us in a local survey so we have taken action. Lee Bates and our team have been working hard on this and I am pleased to say we have now got Persimmon to focus on residents’ concerns.”

Councillor Lee Bates added: “The site manager was re-instated on 13th July and we have been in contact with Persimmon for some time regarding the completion of the site. The issue had been raised numerous times by residents as a major concern. We are pleased to see action now being taken and improvements will start being made for the community.”

New house building in England is down by almost a quarter over the last three months, putting the government’s target of two million new homes by 2016 at risk.

The latest government statistics show the number of new builds begun between January and March declined 24 per cent compared to last year, while housing completions fell 18 per cent. It is therefore quite a coup to get Persimmon to prioritise Tame Alloys.

Until the work is completed to the original plan, the site remains the responsibility of Persimmon and cannot be adopted by either Tamworth Borough Council or Staffordshire County Council. So completing the site is an important prerequisite for residents to get the local services they pay for through their council tax.

Conservative MEP for the West Midlands Malcolm Harbour was appointed as Chairman of the European Parliament’s influential Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee by fellow MEPs in Strasbourg this week.

In the first parliamentary session since the European elections, Mr Harbour’s efforts and expertise in previous Parliament’s were recognised and rewarded by fellow MEPs.

Speaking this week from Strasbourg Mr Harbour said: "I am delighted and honoured to be chairing one of the key legislative committees in the European Parliament and one which is of personal interest to me given my work on internal market over the years. I will be continuing my drive to complete the single market and deliver, in full, the promise of economic growth and opportunities for enterprise.

“I will also be working to ensure that consumers are well informed and well protected and are able to take advantage of a dynamic and competitive market. This move also shows that, as a result of forming a new group, the Conservatives in the European Parliament are punching well above their weight and can influence key European legislation."

Campaigners trying to save Solihull’s maternity services have set up an online petition to help residents show their support for the growing campaign. This can be found by clicking onto: www.ipetitions.com/petition/savesolihullmaternityservices

This backs up the street stalls and the Facebook group Save Solihull’s Maternity Service which is attracting lots of support.

Campaigner Maggie Throup said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received for this campaign. So many mums have amazing stories about their wonderful experiences at Solihull Hospital when they gave birth. This really makes us determined to win our argument to keep full maternity services in Solihull.”

WOLVERHAMPTON’S three Conservative parliamentary candidates are putting their best foot forward in an effort to raise money for the city’s Compton Hospice. Julie Rook, Paul Uppal and Ken Wood will be joined by their families and local city councillors for a 14-mile sponsored walk to Birmingham along tcanal tow path this September.

The Conservative candidates decided to organise the event after hearing that the Hospice’s income has dropped as much as 40 per cent since the start of the recession. Each year the Hospice requires £5-million to provide its invaluable service to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. But with Government funding only providing one third of this, the Hospice relies on fundraising to maintain its quality of care.

Julie, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Wolverhampton North East, said: “Paul, Ken and I are very pleased to be able to help this worthy cause. We all know someone who has been touched by a terminal illness and it gives us great pleasure to be able to do something positive and meaningful for our community.

“The Compton Hospice is held very dear to the people of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, so please support them by joining us on Sunday, September 20, and walking the walk to Birmingham.”

Sue Chance, head of fundraising at Compton Hospice, said: “We are all aware that times are tough and here at Compton Hospice we have seen a significant fall in donations. We are delighted that the Black Country Conservatives have recognised our difficulties and are trying to help us boost funds with their sponsored walk”.

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We want our bus back

Elderly residents living in Union Road, Shirley are up in arms over changes in their bus service and have called on local campaigner Maggie Throup to help them get their bus back.

Earlier this year, residents were delighted when the S7 bus began going along Union Road, providing a very useful service for residents of Aynsley Court, Pegasus Court and Elizabeth Grove. But only a few months on, the service has changed its route to fall in line with changes of the S3 bus.

Angry and upset residents are determined to get their bus back as the next nearest bus stop involves negotiating the very busy and dangerous Stratford Road and a much longer walk, which is impossible for a number of the local residents.

Receiving a petition from the residents, Parliamentary candidate Ms Throup said: “Local services, including buses are vital for these Shirley residents. It is ludicrous that one month the service is introduced, then only a few months later it is withdrawn.

“I will be writing to Centro with the petition asking for the S7 to go along Union Road again, even if it means adding an extra small loop onto its route or having alternate buses serving this road.”

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Promoted by Alan Mabbutt on behalf of the Conservative Party, both at 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4DP

*Local MP and Minister for Energy Mike O’Brien accused of double standards
after his own Government’s regulations to blame for local opencast mining
threat*

Local Labour MP Mike O’Brien, who is also Minister for Energy and Climate
Change, was looking red-faced with embarrassment this week after it turned
out that his own Government’s regulations are responsible for the threat of
opencast coal mining at Shuttington village.

The MP has been agitating over the issue in the local press. Councillors of
all parties have come together to fight against opencast mining returning to
the area, but both the MP and Labour Councillor Mick Stanley have pointed
the finger of blame at the County Council. They have been photographed
standing in green fields looking concerned, and have handed out leaflets to
local residents expressing their shock and concern over the inclusion of a
potential opencast mining site in the County Mineral Core Strategy, claiming
un-named ‘council officials’ had ‘invited UK Coal Ltd to say if they would
like to opencast in the area.’ (From leaflet delivered in Polesworth Sun 6
April 2009, with quotes and photographs from Cllr Mick Stanley and Mike
O’Brien MP).

But they were left looking foolish after local Conservatives, who are also
opposed to opencast mining in the area, pointed out that the County Council
had no choice but to include the site in the planning document as a direct
result of rules brought in by John Prescott, and by various other ministers
at the Department for Communities and Local Government. They also pointed
out that this consultation document was approved by an all party group of
Warwickshire councillors – including Labour Councillors Mick Jones and Pat
Henry.

Mike O’Brien was also facing questions this week over his record in helping
to force through opencast mining against the wishes of local communities
elsewhere in the country when he was Energy Minister.

Mr O’Brien’s department has approved numerous opencast applications across
the country over the past few years, and have over-ruled the objections of
local County Councils on more than one occasion.

A recent Panorama programme highlighted Mr O’Brien’s role in pushing through
the controversial opencast mine at Ffos-y-fran in Merthyr Tydfil in South
Wales. Mr O’Brien was criticised at the time for hypocrisy after opposing
opencast mining in his own constituency, but writing a letter to Welsh
Assembly Members urging them to over-rule local opinion in South Wales. He
claimed at the time that the need for coal outweighed local residents’
concerns.

Speaking from Shuttington today, former soldier and Conservative
Parliamentary Candidate Dan Byles said,

“The idea that Shuttington Village is a suitable location for opencast coal
mining is ridiculous. It would devastate the local area and blight the lives
of thousands of local people. Local councillors from all parties have
rightly come together to oppose this, and to fight to have the site removed
from the Mineral Core Strategy consultation document.

“But the question must be asked – why do central Government rules and
regulations impose such appalling situations on local people? Why has the
Government imposed opencast coal mining, against the wishes of local
communities, in places such as South Wales, Derbyshire and Leicestershire?
And why have these rigid rules led to Warwickshire County Council having no
choice over including Shuttington as a potential opencast mining site in the
Mineral Core Strategy consultation?

“We must do all we can to remove this immediate threat. But we must do more.
We must remove a system of Government which imposes such top down solutions
on local communities, over ruling democratically elected councils.

“It is a bit sad to once again see our local Labour MP Mike O’Brien opposing
his own Government’s policies here in North Warwickshire, which he supports
elsewhere in the country. He did it over Post Offices – voting in Parliament
to close them while crying crocodile tears over the loss of nine branches
locally. Now he is doing it over opencast – standing in green fields looking
jolly concerned when it is his own Government’s regulation that have created
this threat, and while his own Government Department forces unwanted
opencast mines on other communites up and down the country.

“The word hypocrite gets bandied around a lot in politics. But sometimes,
it’s because it’s true.”

Michael Fabricant was closely questioned by sixth formers at Chasetown
Specialist Sports College when he visited the School last Friday

Michael said,  "After telling the students about my work as an MP,
they fired questions at me.  They ranged from the problems of savers
who have seen their income slashed over the last few month to the
Iraqi War and the prospects for peace in the middle east. Much concern
was also expressed over the lack of shopping facilities in Burntwood
and the fear of house building on green fields near Hammerwich.
Disgust was also expressed over the closure of Hammerwich hospital – a
view which I share.  It was a hugely stimulating conversation.  And it
was a real pleasure to meet the students and their teachers."  Michael
also had a tour of the School and its excellent sports facilities with
headteacher: Bernice Astling.

Cllr Kevin Foster, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Coventry South,
has welcomed the display of support for Jaguar Land Rover made by the Shadow
Chancellor George Osborne who visited their plant at Castle Bromwich on
Friday.

The Shadow Chancellor’s visit was followed by a speech in Birmingham when he
called for an end to the money for nothing culture that has been allowed to
build up under 12 years of Labour mismanagement of our economy.

Over recent months Kevin has been backing the campaign for the Government to
provide assistance to Jaguar Land Rover as part of a package to help the
motor industry weather the credit crunch. Kevin backed the campaign because
Jaguar is a key part of Coventry’s economy and employs thousands of local
people at its Whitley Engineering site, in Kevin’s Cheylesmore Ward, as well
as at its Browns Lane facility. His visit today follows figures released
yesterday that showed Jaguar sales growing despite the credit crunch due to
the market leading XF.

Cllr Kevin Foster said: "I am pleased that George Osborne has visited the
West Midlands to show his support for Jaguar Land Rover at this critical
time. The future of many thousands of hard working local families depend on
Jaguar Land Rover, as well as the cutting edge research they are conducting
which helps keep Coventry at the forefront of high technology. Jaguar has a
strong future as yesterdays sales figures show and one that must not be lost
to a short term credit crunch"

He continued "I also welcome the comments George made in his speech this
morning. The problems in our banks are a reflection of problems in the
economy, because our banks hold up a mirror to our economy. Gordon Brown
refuses to apologise because he doesn’t think there is a problem and his
sticking plaster solutions won’t fix it. Britain is going to have to work
hard and save hard to get out of this hole: there is no such thing as money
for nothing. We need a new model of growth, an end to incentives for
businesses to accumulate debt, and an end to unsustainable debt in our
households, our companies and our government."

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West
Worcestershire this week welcomed Conservative plans to cut taxes and
paperwork for small shops and small firms. In a new initiative, small
business rate relief would be given automatically to firms across England,
rather than businesses having to claim it and complete time-consuming forms.
This pledge comes as Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff’s Private Members Bill
was withdrawn last Friday after it failed to gain government backing.

Small business rate relief was introduced in 2005, allowing small firms to
claim up to 50 per cent off their business rate bills. However, firms have
to fill out paperwork to claim the rate relief, despite the fact that
Whitehall’s tax inspectors know precisely which firms are eligible for it.

· According to the most recent figures, 861 firms claimed small
business rate relief in Malvern Hills in Tax Year as at Dec 2006, while 866
claimed for it in Wychavon.

· The Local Government Association has estimated that some 870,000
firms are eligible for the rebate but less than half have claimed. The
take-up rate is estimated to be 48% in the Midlands.

· By contrast, in Wales, small business rate relief has been
automatic since 2007.

After rent and staff, business rates are typically the next biggest cost to
local firms. Business experts have warned that 32,300 businesses will fail
in 2009. Firms face a hammering this April from the Government thanks to
soaring business rates:

· Business rates are to rise by 5.0 per cent in April 2009, despite
RPI inflation forecast to be negative this year, due to a statistical quirk
in the way business rate rises are calculated.

· Transitional relief from the 2005 business rates revaluation has
expired, pushing up bills further for many firms in April 2009.

· The Government has slashed rate relief on empty properties. As
the recession bites, firms are unable to rent out vacant property, and have
to pay rates in full without any income from rent.

Harriett Baldwin* *said: “I would like to congratulate Peter Luff MP on the
progress he made with his Private Member’s Bill in highlighting this
important issue. Small shops and businesses across West Worcestershire are
facing tough times in Labour’s recession. These firms, from our corner shops
to local pubs, are the lifeblood of our community. A responsible government
would do more to help them and Peter Luff MP is right to push the government
to include this measure in a package of measures to help small businesses.

“If the government does not act, it is good that a Conservative
government would ensure that small firms automatically receive rate relief,
cutting their paperwork and tax bills and giving many of them a fighting
chance to stay afloat.”

*
*

Margot James, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for women celebrated
International Women’s Day in Uganda with the Federation for Democratic
Change (FDC) Women’s League.

The Conservative Party have funded and led a training programme for the FDC
Women’s League which has taken place across Uganda during the three months.
The programme led to the Women’s League launching ‘Women 2 Win Uganda,’ to
encourage women to come forward to stand for public office and equip them
with the skills necessary for the advancement of women’s interests in
Uganda.

Speaking at an FDC rally in Kampala yesterday Margot James stated this was
her sixth visit to Africa. She had been involved in helping women’s
organisations become more effective in different African countries over a
ten year period. Margot said “despite the income inequalities between
Britain and Uganda we have many of the same problems, domestic violence and
health inequalities for example, but these problems have a common root cause
and that is that there are not enough women where decisions are taken, in
both countries we need more women in public life”.

Margot paid tribute to the women of Uganda who had been so involved in the
winning of independence for their country, only to be left behind as the
male ruling elite had taken power and, according to the world bank, were
siphoning off half a billion dollars a year for corruption and self gain.

Dr Kizza Besigye, President of the FDC, told the gathering that women should
be at the forefront of the battle against the government. He wanted to see
many more women candidates standing for the FDC in the 2011 elections. There
was a need to drastically reduce corruption in government and military
spending. Funds released from these areas would go to education, healthcare
and the building of roads to improve the opportunities for the poor in rural
areas.

Margot James, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for women celebrated
International Women’s Day in Uganda with the Federation for Democratic
Change (FDC) Women’s League.

The Conservative Party have funded and led a training programme for the FDC
Women’s League which has taken place across Uganda during the three months.
The programme led to the Women’s League launching ‘Women 2 Win Uganda,’ to
encourage women to come forward to stand for public office and equip them
with the skills necessary for the advancement of women’s interests in
Uganda.

Speaking at an FDC rally in Kampala yesterday Margot James stated this was
her sixth visit to Africa. She had been involved in helping women’s
organisations become more effective in different African countries over a
ten year period. Margot said “despite the income inequalities between
Britain and Uganda we have many of the same problems, domestic violence and
health inequalities for example, but these problems have a common root cause
and that is that there are not enough women where decisions are taken, in
both countries we need more women in public life”.

Margot paid tribute to the women of Uganda who had been so involved in the
winning of independence for their country, only to be left behind as the
male ruling elite had taken power and, according to the world bank, were
siphoning off half a billion dollars a year for corruption and self gain.

Dr Kizza Besigye, President of the FDC, told the gathering that women should
be at the forefront of the battle against the government. He wanted to see
many more women candidates standing for the FDC in the 2011 elections. There
was a need to drastically reduce corruption in government and military
spending. Funds released from these areas would go to education, healthcare
and the building of roads to improve the opportunities for the poor in rural
areas.

Jesse Norman has repeated his call for a full Highways Agency report
into road safety on the A49, with rapid action to follow, after a
further tragic crash on Saturday which claimed three lives.

Commenting on the accident, he said

"This appalling news underlines how important it is for the Highways
Agency to reopen its files and actually do something meaningful to
make the A49 safer.

"Its recent report did not include data on accidents in 2007 and 2008,
and was clearly flawed in other respects.

"The whole stretch of road South from Much Birch is extremely
dangerous. As I pointed out only a month ago, of the eight principal
junctions on the A49 south of Much Birch, only two have no history of
a collision. Now we need swift action."

“The ‘eco-town’ project is dead in the water. The Government must stop
trying to resuscitate it and let it go”. That’s the view of Mid
Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, who has been fighting plans to build an
‘eco-town’ at Long Marston, which lies partly in his constituency.

Peter’s comments come in response to a report published by the House of
Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee which pours scorn
on the ‘eco town project’. In their report, the Committee conclude:

“The eco-town policy is clearly in some difficulty…This policy appears to be
one of the victims of the Department’s weaknesses in engaging and enthusing
its delivery partners.”

The report continues:

“Putting this policy back on track to deliver the Prime Minister’s early
claims for it will be a difficult task and a severe test of the Department’s
progress in a crucial aspect of improving its performance.”

The publication of the Select Committee report coincides with answers from
the Housing Minster Margaret Beckett MP to questions asked by Peter and
Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP which reveal that as many as nine
officials within the Department for Communities and Local Government are
working to implement the failing policy, and that so far – before any
building has begun, or any sites chosen – the cost of trying to implement
the scheme has spiralled to over £3,000,000.

Commenting Peter said:

“The ‘eco-town’ project has been sinking fast. We have already seen four
independent reports published recently which highlight the unsuitability of
the Long Marston site for development on this scale, and reveal a £300
million funding gap in the developers’ plans.

“But with this damning report from a committee made up of MPs from all sides
of the House ‘eco-towns’ must surely now be dead in the water.

“Sadly, the longer the Government flails about trying to rescue this doomed
policy, the more they seem concerned with saving face, rather than making
sure we get environmentally friendly homes built in the places where they
are actually needed.”

George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, will be talking live to
Birmingham Post readers tomorrow at 1030 about what the Conservatives would
do to get Britain’s banks back on their feet, support industry and protect
jobs. To join in simply visit:
www.birminghampost.net/news/2009/03/04/your-chance-to-put…

Local MP Philip Dunne today welcomed news that the Conservative
administration at Shirehall proposes a Council Tax freeze for the new
Shropshire Council for 2009/2010.

Mr Dunne said: "This is good news for Council Taxpayers in Shropshire. The
Conservatives in Shirehall have succeeded in freezing Council Tax from 1st
April.

Conservatives have been determined to keep Council Tax as low as possible,
particularly during these difficult economic times.

Residents of South Shropshire have been paying more than other parts of
Shropshire because the previous LibDem administration at the District
Council had raised Council Tax by much more than inflation. Bridgnorth
residents were paying less and today’s news is particularly good for them as
the new Shropshire Council had planned to increase their Council Tax by
3.5%."

Birmingham MP and Tory front bench spokesman Andrew Mitchell has accused the
government of dithering over its support package for the UK car industry.

Andrew attended the West Midlands Auto Industry Summit in Birmingham today
and said the ‘Mandelson Plan’, a £2.3 billion package of aid for the
industry, failed to address all of its challenges, and called for the
introduction of widespread loan guarantee schemes.

Andrew Mitchell, Shadow Minister for Birmingham, said: "The automotive
industry is vital to many people’s livelihoods in the West Midlands and to
the UK economy as a whole. The fear is that the clock is ticking for the car
industry and action is needed now. The Conservative Party has been calling
for help for small, medium and large businesses since November last year and
the delay so far from the Government have already resulted in job losses and
problems for the industry. Whilst any support from Government is welcome it
is clear that there are still a number of concerns about their proposed
scheme.

"So far the Government have reacted too slowly to the economic situation and
time is of the essence when dealing with cash flow. The crucial thing now is
to get the credit market flowing.

"I am extremely concerned that the time scale for implementing these schemes
is too slow, that there are too many strings attached and too many hoops to
be jumped through. These companies need immediate access to the schemes
today – tomorrow may be too late.

"The Government also needs to address the issues around consumer spending
and have so far produced no initiatives to encourage consumers to buy
automotive vehicles. It’s package will not help sell a single car. Whilst
they dither we lose risking competitive ground against Germany, France and
other countries that have already acted – ultimately putting further jobs at
risk."

Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest’s Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, has
backed the decision of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Business,
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to conduct an inquiry into the future of
the Post Office.

The Committee wants to identify those services which Post Office customers
value most, and look at services which are not currently provided but could
be in future. The Committee will look at the future of the Post Office
network as a whole, not at the locations of individual offices.

An online web forum has been set up to listen to the views of individuals
and businesses which use Post Offices. The Committee is keen to hear from as
wide a range of people as possible. The web forum can be found at
forums.parliament.uk/post-office-future.

Mark Garnier said:

"This is a welcome effort to look at how to secure the Post Office’s future.
I would like to encourage local people to make their voice heard in the web
forum.

"Post Offices provide vital services to people here in Wyre Forest, and too
many have closed in recent years. I hope that the Committee’s work will lead
to concrete actions which will help to secure the future of the Post
Office.’

Maggie Throup’s Pen4Life project to get pens to children in Rwanda has now
hit a massive 50,000.

Maggie, who is PPC for Solihull, set up the project after doing voluntary
work in Rwanda She said: "Every one has been so generous, donating many pens
for me to send to Rwanda.

"A number of schools throughout Solihull have been collecting pens, as well
as churches and voluntary organisations such as the Soroptimists. Businesses
and individuals have also been very generous.

"Last week the number hit 50,000 as I took 15,000 more pens to the shipping
container near Marlow. I know these pens will make a huge difference to the
Rwandan children and I wish to thank everyone who has helped."

When in Rwanda, Maggie discovered that children can only go to school if
they have a pen. Their parents have a choice – a pen or food – not
surprisingly, the food has to win. Maggie’s Pen4Life project will enable
children to go to school, ensuring they get an education and ultimately give
them a chance in life.

Pens can still be donated by contacting Maggie at
*maggie@maggiethroup.com*or phoning her on
07798 582 398.

The man working to be Burton and Uttoxeter’s next MP has joined the ex
star of Countdown in order to improve maths lessons in the towns’ schools.

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Burton and Uttoxeter, Andrew
Griffiths met with former "Countdown" presenter Carol Vorderman who is to
lead an inquiry into the teaching of maths for the Conservative Party.

The 48-year-old Cambridge graduate, who quit Channel 4′s words and numbers
quiz programme in December, said British children had fallen down
international rankings of maths learning.

"Having left ‘Countdown’ I wanted to do something that was substantial and
meaningful and important to me, and hopefully to other people as well," she
said.

Conservative leader David Cameron has asked Vorderman to look at maths
methods that children use at school, to compare them with methods taught
abroad and to examine whether tests have got easier, a party spokesman said.

Speaking to Mr Griffiths at the launch, Vorderman said:

"Maths is critically important to the future of this country but Britain is
falling behind the best performing countries.

"In the last decade, 3.5 million children have left school without a basic
qualification in maths, a shocking statistic."

Andrew said

"I was thrilled to meet Carol and to be able to discuss education and how we
can improve maths teaching in East Staffordshire schools with her. She is a
well-respected public figure who not only knows maths inside out, but also
how to extend that knowledge to a wider audience in an interesting and
inspirational way. The ability to use numbers is so important, particularly
for future jobs at firms such as JCB. We really need to give our kids the
best education possible, and that means making they know understand
arithmetic and how to use it"

Geoffrey Robinson, the Labour MP for Coventry North West, has admitted
that the Government is to blame for the current state of the economy.
The former Paymaster General told the BBC; "A good part of the
responsibility is with the Government because of our inability to have
regulated the banks to anything like the tight extent we should have
done. I think that there has been a failure on our part, there’s no
doubt about that".

His opponent at the next General Election, Conservative Parliamentary
Spokesman for Coventry North West, Gary Ridley commented:

"Geoffrey Robinson MP has finally woken up to the damage that his
Labour Government has caused to the British economy over many years,
the Government has failed to manage public money wisely and instead of
making sure Britain could cope with a recession, we are the worst
placed of all industrial economies to be able to do so. "

"It is clear that the Government has failed to regulate the banking
system and perhaps if they had done so effectively the taxpayer would
not have had to fork out billions to support the banking system
causing every child born in Coventry to be saddled with £17,000 of
national debt."

He added;

"The Government are clearly not listening to the needs of businesses.
If they were, they would realise that their response to this crisis
has been inadequate and instead of taking up many sensible suggestions
which we have made to improve the economy, such as the national £50m
loan guarantee scheme, they have instead embarked upon gimmicks such
as the failed VAT reduction whilst piling up national debt. "

Conservatives have made several suggestions to help stimulate the
economy such as giving small businesses extra time to pay VAT
charges, reducing the rate of Corporation Tax and creating a new body
to monitor government debt both on and off the balance sheet.

*Christopher Pincher says more must be done to crack down on vandals after
another phone kiosk is ransacked*

Tamworth’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, Christopher Pincher, this
weekend condemned the mindless vandalism that blights the local community in
some parts of the town.

Mr Pincher’s comments came after local residents alerted him to yet another
phone box smashed up by vandals.

The kiosk in Leyfields, on the corner of Barbara Street and Prospect Street
has been comprehensively smashed with broken glass is strewn across the
pavement.

Mr. Pincher said:

"It seems that every week a bus shelter or a phone box is vandalised.
Mindless acts such as this cannot be tolerated. Not only does the broken
glass risk further injury to people, especially children, but low level
crime blights the whole area, dragging it down and encouraging other forms
of more dangerous crime."

"I am pleased that Inspector Ian Coxhead is taking a lead in trying to rid
Tamworth of this sort of anti-social behaviour but he needs to be given the
tools to do the job. I want to see a cut in red tape so more policemen can
spend more time on the beat, and I want to see a zero tolerance attitude to
this sort of crime so people feel their streets are safe."

"Meanwhile, I have reported the damage to our local councillors and to BT so
the area can be cleared up."

Mr. Pincher said that if anyone has any information about who commits these
crimes, they should call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Rugby Conservatives are carrying out regular surveys. The subject for
December and January has been the recession and the Government’s proposals
to deal with it. The aim was to find out about Rugby people’s views and
listen to their opinions.

The survey was carried out between 1st December 2008 and 15th January
online, on the doorstep and by telephone.

Mark Pawsey, who is the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Rugbyexplained:

"Britain is currently facing the biggest and most severe downturn in a
generation. We wanted to see what people here in Rugby think about the
Government’s approach to dealing with the crisis. It’s clear that a huge
majority of Rugby people share the Conservatives’ concern that the cut in
VAT from 17.5% to 15% is an expensive failure. It was intended to encourage
spending. However, at a time when many businesses are cutting their prices
by 20,30 and even 50%, a two and a half percent change is insignificant and
no incentive at all to spend. It simply creates a reduction in the
Government’s income of £12.5 billion which Rugby people realise will need to
be made up by tax increases later on."

Mark added: "There is a feeling here in Rugby that at this time of economic
difficulty the Government should live more within its means. One way it can
do this is to reduce spending on major projects such as the introduction of
Identity Cards, which will cost £19 billion. Many people said to us that
they were having to cut back in these difficult times, so why shouldn’t the
Government do the same?"

Mark concluded, "The Government’s approach to a problem caused by too much
debt is to create even more debt. According to the Government’s own figures
the national debt is set to double to over a trillion pounds in just five
years. People we spoke to asked us to explain how big this sum is. They were
surprised to learn that it is a number one with twelve noughts after it, or
one million million. National debt of this magnitude means that every child
in Britain is born owing £17,000. By a huge majority, Rugby voters are
concerned about this, and rightly so."

Conservatives today set out plans that could see millions of homes given
help to reduce energy bills and go green. The plans include an new
entitlement for every home to be fitted immediately with up to £6,500 of
approved energy efficiency improvements, the cost to be repaid through fuel
bills over a period of up to 25 years but delivering immediate reductions in
the gas and electricity bills of participating households.

Energy bills have risen sharply over the past two years, twice as fast in
the UK as in the rest of the EU. The best available gas prices at the end
of 2008 were 47 per cent higher than a year previous and electricity price
27 per cent higher. In the West Midlands the average annual duel-fuel bill
is now £1,268.

These sharp rises have hit families hard. The most recent figures show that
477,714 households in the West Midlands are in fuel poverty – that is
spending more than more than 10 per cent of their income on domestic
energy. But a national programme of energy efficiency installation could
make a real difference for millions for families

Commenting, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Greg
Clark said:

"Improving household insulation in the West Midlands can have such a
dramatic effect on energy consumption that it’s possible to fit out a home
with energy saving equipment and for the household to still save money on
their bills immediately. Only the apathy and lack of ideas of the Labour
Government is stopping us doing this now.

"We estimate that our plans would deliver savings on energy bills; a basic
package of measures including cavity wall and loft insulation could save
around £160 per year for families in the West Midlands.

"As well as cutting people’s energy bills, our plans will help us to reduce
the emissions that cause climate change and create thousands of jobs during
the recession."

Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council said:

"Householders have been crying out for a simple scheme that makes it easy
and affordable to reduce their energy bills. The Conservative plan does just
that and has our support. Giving people an ‘entitlement’ to energy saving
measures and recovering the cost of this entitlement through the savings
made to energy bills is genuinely radical and absolutely necessary.

"Significant investment in refurbishment and energy efficiency makes a lot
of sense if we want to cut peoples’ energy bills for the long-term and make
big cuts in carbon emissions. It would also represent a valuable green boost
for the economy. We estimate this could provide 40,000 new jobs."

Peter Luff is working with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to
pioneer a Private Members’ Bill (PMB) which would see business rate relief
granted automatically for small businesses – a vital boost during the
economic downturn.

Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire and Chairman of the
Business and Enterprise committee, came fourth in the ballot for PMBs and
will put forward the FSB’s Small Business Rate Relief (Automatic Payment)
Bill to apply rate relief automatically for small firms.

Over half of small businesses miss out on the relief because they don’t know
about it and the FSB is pleased to be working with Mr Luff to introduce
legislation that would ensure that local authorities include the exemption
on rate bills automatically.

According to the Local Government Association (LGA) £400 million was left
unclaimed by businesses entitled to rate relief in 2006. The LGA estimates
that the relief can save businesses up to £2,500 a year. Rate relief was
made automatic in Wales in April 2007.

The Private Members’ Bill mirrors the FSB’s Keep Trade Local campaign, an
element of which urges local councils to automatically apply rate relief to
ensure that small businesses can compete and survive on the high street.

Commenting, Peter said:

"The worsening economic situation is having a devastating effect on small
businesses. A recent study shows small businesses are collapsing at a rate
of nearly 100 a day. My bill provides a simple way of easing the pain for
many of them.

"Only around half of small businesses know about rate relief and apply for
it, despite the fact the Government has budgeted to cover all small
businesses. So most/half of the £400/£800 million earmarked to help small
businesses goes unclaimed.

"Making these payments automatic would ensure the money gets directly to
those who need it. It will be a boost to small businesses and even cut
administrative costs for the local authorities that promote the availability
of the rate relief. Rates are the third largest item of expenditure for
small businesses after wages and rents, so this relief would make a huge
difference.

"Small businesses need help, and I am convinced this is an effective way of
doing that."

Chairman of the FSB’s Local Government Committee Roger Culcheth added:

"Business rate relief is money which small businesses are entitled to claim
and provision is made within the Government’s financial calculations for
such claims to be made so this could provide a significant boost for small
businesses without affecting the Treasury’s budget calculations.

"With around 85 small businesses closing a day, this move would provide
vital support to businesses on the high street struggling with cashflow. It
would support local economies by ensuring the survival of the high street
and the jobs and services it provides.

"We are pleased to be working with Mr Luff to ensure that a system is set up
in England, similar to Wales, where the relief is applied automatically."

* *

Rugby Conservatives have set up a seminar aimed at helping local businesses
survive the current recession.

The seminar will take place at Rugby Conservatives, Albert Buildings, 2
Castle Mews, Rugby, CV21 2XL on Thursday 5 February 2009 at 6.00pm.

People who would like to attend are asked to e-mail Mark Pawsey at
mark@markpawsey.org.uk or telephone Rugby Conservatives on 01788 542677 to
register.

Mark Pawsey who is the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Rugbyexplained:

"Britain is currently experiencing its most severe recession for a
generation and many businesses are finding life very difficult. We felt it
would be useful to bring local business owners and managers together to
share good practice. As someone who ran a business in Rugby for 25 years, I
hope to pass on some of my own experiences, as well as listen to the ideas
people in Rugby have for dealing with the problems we face today. In this
way we are taking positive action locally to respond to the current
challenges facing business."

Mark added:

"At the same time, I know the business community is keen to hear about the
Conservative approach to dealing with today’s economic difficulties. I will
explain why we believe that the real challenge in this credit crunch is to
get credit flowing again. That is why since November last year we have been
pushing for a £50 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme which goes much
further than the Government’s unambitious recent announcement. In addition
we will freeze council tax and reduce taxes on savings to support
individuals who are victims of the recession."

The planned relocation of local boiler and energy company Worcester Bosch to
a new site by junction six of the M5 has been welcomed by local Conservative
MP Peter Luff. The move would bring the company into his Mid Worcestershire
constituency

Commenting Peter said:

"The proposed move will ensure the company has a site which will allow it to
continue to grow. Crucially, moving to this site not only safeguards the
jobs of current employees but will also provide scope for over a thousand
more. Worcester Bosch is a flourishing manufacturing business that is doing
a lot to increase the nation’s energy efficiency. It has a proud local
history and at any time this news would be welcome, but it is all the more
so in the current economic climate.

"My only concern is that junction six will probably need to be remodelled to
cope with the increase in traffic likely to be generated by the development.
I will be making urgent representations to the Highways Agency to ensure
that they do all they reasonably can to manage the impact on an already busy
junction.

"Worcester Bosch is a much valued employer in the local area, and the new
site will mean that we will retain their important manufacturing presence.
At a time when businesses are struggling because of the credit crunch, I am
delighted the company is going from strength to strength, and support the
proposed development wholeheartedly."

Today’s Jaguar announcement reinforced need for Government and European
action.

Jaguar Land Rover has today announced further redundancies to cut costs and
help sustain it’s operations as car sales remain weak across the globe.

West Midlands Conservative MEP Malcolm Harbour commented "Today’s news is
not unexpected and shows that Jaguar Land Rover has to make tough decisions
to get itself into shape for the longer term. It shows why a package of
government support, backed with some European funds is so important.

"At a meeting with Car industry and Government officials in Brussels
yesterday, the European Investment Bank confirmed that the first loans from
the European Clean Transport facility would be approved in March. However,
the Bank was criticised for bureaucratic procedures and slow release of the
funds.

"The Car component makers also put forward proposals to speed up the release
of EU funds with working capital to help key suppliers weather the economic
downturn.

"The Government and the European Commission must work more quickly to ensure
that the car industry keeps investment flowing into new, greener models, and
returns the vital skills necessary for their long term future. Jaguar Land
Rover is now the pivotal company in the UK’s car future."

The Governments proposed £20bn loan guarantee package is similar to a proposal put forward by the Conservative Party last year, yet crucially will not apply to larger employers. The proposal is also more limited in scale than the £50bn loan guarantee scheme proposed last year by the Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne.

The proposed limit on the size of employers who may access the government’s scheme means that Jaguar Land Rover would not be able to benefit from it.

Commenting on this Kevin said; “I welcome the fact that after weeks of delay the Government has at last realised that to tackle the credit crunch it needs to introduce a loan guarantee scheme. It is however disappointing that they have not gone as far as is necessary to help get the economy moving again and crucially have not made their scheme available to all employers.”

He added: “I would call on them to immediately extend this scheme to all employers and in particular to include Jaguar Land Rover. The announcement of more job losses at Jaguar today shows the urgency of resolving this issue and providing them with the support I, and thousands of local residents, believe they need to carry on as the beating heart of our economy. Further delay is not acceptable.”

“This news impresses on us all the severity of the economic challenges our manufacturing industry face and makes it all the more urgent that the Government adopt the Conservative loan scheme in full so that it is extended to companies of all sizes.

“Jaguar Land Rover is a vital employer in the West Midlands and we must hope that those who have lost their jobs today will be successful in finding new work soon.”

In response to the Government’s announcement on loan guarantees, West Midlands MP and Conservative Party Chairman Caroline Spelman said:

“We welcome that the Government has finally, after months of delay, woken up to the fact that this credit crunch is caused by a lack of credit. But the Government’s new loan scheme is flawed and lacks ambition. As a large employer Jaguar Land Rover will not benefit from the scheme which is only available to small and medium sized businesses. There is a basic lack of logic in this Government scheme and it will not have the impact needed.

“As a large employer of around 17,500 workers Jaguar Land Rover is not eligible for help. There is a fundamental short sightedness by this Labour Government not to recognise that by failing to include the larger company in the scheme they are putting the future of not only the 17,500 jobs at risks but also the many small and medium sized businesses which will fail if Jaguar Land Rover’s situation does not improve.

“The Conservatives originally proposed a National Loan Guarantee scheme which could help all manufacturers including Jaguar Land Rover. The scheme announced today by the Labour Government will not help Jaguar because they don’t understand how this industry works.”

Mrs Spelman said: “I have been contacted by one of my constituents concerned about a website that looked to be endorsed by the Government, but in reality is an independent debt management company.

“There is a role for Government-backed schemes, voluntary organisations and independent companies, but each organisation must make it very clear their type of organisation and not inadvertently mislead the public.

“With the economic and employment situation looking to get worse before it gets better, more and more people may be looking for help with their debts. I would hate anyone in such a crisis situation to be misled and would suggest their first port of call is the Citizens Advice Bureau which can then signpost them in the most appropriate direction.”

Shadow Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, yesterday paid a visit to Kingswinford North & Wall Heath. Grant was greeted by Chris Kelly, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Dudley South, Denise Harley (Conservative Councillor for KN&WH), Councillors David Blood, Geoffrey Southall, Patrick Harley & Peter Miller as well as Kevin Billingham, Chairman of Dudley South Conservative Association, & Pete Ashworth from Rooftop Housing Group Limited, a housing association operating in the Borough.

Chris Kelly said: “I was delighted to welcome Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP to Dudley South. I agree wholeheartedly with Conservative proposals to restore localism to housing policy.”

Karen Bradley, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Staffordshire Moorlands, said:

“It is very worrying to see such a high percentage increase in the number of people unemployed in the Moorlands. And we know that there are many other jobs at risk as our local businesses reduce the working week, lengthen work shut down periods and make workers redundant.”

Commenting on the figures which show an increase in national unemployment of 140,000, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Chris Grayling, said:

“The trend in the unemployment figures is now becoming really damaging and will be a huge worry. What Britain desperately needs now is the kind of employment policy we announced on Tuesday offering tax cuts for new jobs to keep Britain working. The Government seems to have no idea of how to help 170,000 unemployed people in the West Midlands”.

The calls come at the beginning of the fourth annual National Identity Fraud Prevention Week which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of identity fraud and inform the public and businesses on the steps they could and should be taking to protect themselves from identity fraud.

This awareness drive has been put in place by an expert group of public and private sector partners, and is being supported by Philip Dunne, the BBC’s Adrian Chiles (who is fronting this year’s campaign) the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office’s Identity and Passport Service, Royal Mail, CIFAS – The UK’s Fraud Prevention Service, Fellowes, CallCredit, Equifax, Experian, the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Retail Consortium, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and regional police forces.

Government figures show that identity fraud costs the economy more than £1 billion annually – and independent pan-European market research, commissioned by Fellowes for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, reveals that Britain suffers one of the region’s highest rates of identity fraud. The survey revealed that 4.3million adults have already fallen victim.

Thanks to ongoing public awareness drives, such as National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, the UK boasts the highest awareness rates – 99% of adults surveyed claimed to be aware of identity fraud and 95% realise that we are all at risk.

However, 64% of British adults do not understand how best they can protect themselves against identity fraud, indicating that yet more needs to be done to communicate best practice in the home and work environment and encourage the public to take this advice – protecting themselves and lessening the impact of identity fraud upon the economy.

The Member of Parliament for Ludlow has welcomed the start of this year’s National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, commenting: “I firmly support the work of all the partners who have come together to raise awareness of the very real problem of identify fraud both in Shropshire and across the UK.

“I join with other MPs and National Identity Fraud Prevention Week in encouraging individuals and business to stop taking chances with their identity, and to start getting identity fraud wise. You wouldn’t leave your car or house unlocked – in the same way we all have a responsibility to protect our personal details.”

Mrs Spelman said: “This is devastating news and I am fearful that it will mean losses of whole swathes of Green Belt across the area as I just don’t know where else house numbers of this magnitude could go. The announcement makes a mockery, yet again, of the term ‘consultation’. With our local council indicating that we can only accommodate 7,600 houses, but the Government tripling that number, I question just why did it waste taxpayers money to consult with key stakeholders.

“I have continually fought to protect the Meriden Gap that gives our area so much of its character and I am now not going to let it be ruined by ill-thought through Government plans. This is yet another example of public trust being undermined.

“The Government should have taken this opportunity to use the Regional Spatial Strategy housing plans to regenerate areas of Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country, not build more houses which, because of land values, could be far too expensive for many families to buy. A sensible, measured and sustainable approach that I, along with other stakeholders put forward has just been completely ignored.

“To put things into perspective, 20,000 more houses is equivalent to a town the size of Lichfield being build or ten villages the size of Dickens Heath. This just beggars belief.”

Thank you to everyone involved and to Birmingham for hosting us!

Mark was working as an adviser to emerging small businesses and spent time with a textile manufacturer; a grower of roses; a toilet tissue manufacturer; a cooperative of farmers growing pineapples and a company making wheelbarrows. Having spent 25 years in a business career building up a company from scratch to a turnover of £5 million, Mark was able to put his experience to good use. He helped these companies put together business plans, pricing policies and marketing ideas, all of which will help them in their development.

Mark commented; “Private business in Rwanda is in it’s infancy following the genocide in 1994 when 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. Many companies are finding life difficult and I enjoyed reviewing their businesses and talking through their problems. I hope that some of the ideas that I was able to pass on will lead to improvements.”

While there, Mark took time to play in a football match between the factory team of one of the companies and a team of volunteers. He also saw how well known teams are from the English Premier League. When he was asked to help by a community he visited, Mark hit on the idea of sending over football shirts.

Mark explained: “It’s amazing how sport can be a common denominator. Throughout Rwanda I saw people wearing English Premier League football shirts and promised to send over some football shirts that my own children have grown out of. This idea has developed into a project to collect shirts to send out to youngsters and others in Rwanda, where I know they will become treasured possessions. People can bring shirts to the Conservative Office in Castle Mews, Rugby or I will be willing to collect them if a phone call is made to our office on Rugby 542677. I am also writing to local schools to ask whether they might be able to issue an appeal to their students for shirts. “

Martyn Ashford, a former Mayor of Warwick, and Andy Leahy, a former Mayor of Leamington, have both resigned their membership of the Labour Party after becoming increasingly disillusioned with Labour Party policy.

Cllr Ashford, who currently serves as a Warwick Town Councillor, commented: “After much consideration, we have decided to make this step. Having been members of the Labour Party for most of our adult lives, this was obviously not an easy decision to make.

“However, we must follow our conscience and declare publicly what we believe is right for our community.

Mr Leahy added: “I joined the Labour Party because it was the Party that best represented hard working families. This is no longer the case.

“In our respective roles, we have had the opportunity to meet a huge number of people and organisations. We have heard so many people who feel let down by Labour and are concerned by the way our country is heading – whether they are struggling to make ends meet, worried about their retirement or concerned about crime, people are crying out for change.”

Cllr Ashford continued: “The residents of Warwick and Leamington deserve better. We want a representative who will speak up on behalf of our community, one who is committed to our constituency. We believe Chris White, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, is that man.”

Chris White, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Warwick and Leamington said: “I would like to welcome Martyn and Andy to the Conservatives. I know this has not been an easy decision, but I am delighted to have been joined by two such well respected local figures. Many people are feeling let down by this Labour government and I’m pleased to have Martyn and Andy’s support.”

Cllr Gerry Guest, Leader of the Conservative Group on Warwick Town Council also welcomed the news. Cllr Guest said: “Martyn Ashford has always been a hard working public servant, working extremely hard for the town during his year as Mayor, and I’m delighted to welcome him to the Conservatives on the Town Council.”

Tamworth’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, Christopher Pincher this week added his voice to calls to tighten the bail laws and ensure public safety is put first. New research has revealed that when criminal suspects breach bail, they face weak penalties or none at all. The latest figures show that almost half of all those who breach bail are let off with a fine, the average amount being just £60 – less than a typical town hall fine for a householder who puts out their rubbish on the wrong day.

Conservatives are demanding that tighter bail laws are needed, and have announced proposals to reform two crucial areas of bail law: decisions to bail defendants and enforcing conditions when a suspect is bailed.
• Public safety will be made an explicit consideration in all bail decisions
• Bail will be denied for those previously convicted of the most serious offences
• A new offence of breach of bail, punishable with imprisonment, will be introduced to tighten up the enforcement of bail condition
• Persistent offenders and those who have previously breached bail will lose the presumption of bail

In addition, there is growing public disquiet over the Government’s use of bail hostels to accommodate early release prisoners and criminal suspects. Hundreds of private bail hostels for criminals and suspects are being imposed on residential areas without consultation. They house offenders released before the end of their sentences or people on bail awaiting trial who would otherwise be remanded in custody. The private contractor ClearSprings has already opened around 160 hostels this year and provides accommodation in Staffordshire in Stafford, Newcastle-under-Lyne and Stoke-on-Trent.

Local authorities are being given little or no say in where the hostels are located. Local residents and neighbours of the properties are not excluded too. Conservatives are demanding that the Government suspends the ClearSprings scheme. It also fails to provide adequate support for, and supervision of, suspects and offenders.

Mr. Pincher said:
“The current system is not working. Bail is too easily granted, frequently breached and weakly enforced. Public confidence is undermined when bail conditions are routinely breached, and offenders now hold the criminal justice system in contempt. New victims of crime are created unnecessarily. Only Conservatives will take effective action to protect the public.”

For further information please contact Birmingham City University.

Every month, the European Parliament makes the 250 mile trip from Brussels to Strasbourg. The move is estimated to cost in excess of £160 million per year, and causes over 20,000 tonnes of CO2 to be unnecessarily emitted.

However, on the 7th August, a large section of the ceiling inside the Strasbourg parliament’s chamber collapsed, making it impossible to conduct any sessions there.

Conservative MEPs have battled against the wholly unnecessary and wasteful monthly ritual, and over 1 million European citizens have signed a petition calling for the parliament to have just one location. Despite this, the arrangements are set out in the EU’s treaties, and only national governments can change them.

Mr Harbour said: “The European Parliament’s monthly relocation to Strasbourg continues to be profligate and gratuitous. It is bad news for British taxpayers and for the environment too, and we will continue to use every opportunity to bring it to an end.

“MEPs have now set a precedent by moving a sitting to Brussels. There are now no excuses; if they can move one meeting, they should move them all.

“Gordon Brown must now show some leadership in Europe and call on his counterparts to end this waste.”

Date: Saturday 27th September

Venue: Cannock Unionist Club, High Green, Cannock, WS11 1BE

Time: 7.15pm

Tickets: £15 (100% the ticket price will go towards Aidan Burley’s Campaign)

You can book via the office on 07595 068 693

Following a hugely successful Cameron Direct event at the Guildhall in which 160 local people met with Conservative Leader, David Cameron and had their questions answered, Robin Walker, the Parliamentary Candidate, spoke out about how local issues are at the heart of the Conservative campaign.

Mr Cameron was introduced by Worcester legend, philanthropist, businessman and Chairman of Worcester Warriors, Cecil Duckworth. Following the introduction, David took the stage and after a short explanation of the format of the event, took questions directly from the audience and answered them unscripted for over an hour.

Robin said,

“I am thrilled that David has come to Worcester but I was even more delighted that he focused, not on the kind of party political point scoring, which people have come to expect from politicians, but on giving real honest answers to people’s questions.”

“David was asked about everything from health, Post Offices and education to taxes, foreign policy and abortion. He didn’t shy away from the difficult answers and he didn’t waste time mudslinging or criticising others. His approach was to say what he believed and to focus on what a Conservative government would deliver. Like me he opposes Post Office Closures and like me he supports local democracy in Worcester.”

“It was significant to me that the event took place in Worcester’s historic Guildhall, the centre of our local democracy. Some local politicians have suggested we should do away with the institutions of local government and pass them off to the County. I believe Worcester merits its own Council, that we should cherish the Guildhall in which so many Prime Ministers have spoken over the years and that David Cameron’s visit was a vote of confidence in both.”

“In the last year, we have had visits from most of the leading figures of the Conservative front bench – the Shadow Ministers for Schools, Health and Universities, the Shadow Home Secretary and the Shadow Chancellor. David’s visit tops this list in showing the commitment of the Conservatives to represent Worcester and not just to win here, but to deal with the issues that affect local people.”

Labour Ministers are currently pushing ahead with plans to replace England’s 46 local fire control rooms with 9 regional control rooms in each government office region. This project is known as FiReControl. The local fire control room in Birmingham would be closed and superseded by a sprawling regional call centre based in Wolverhampton. Regionalisation will result in the downgrading of many ‘tri-service’ centres, the loss of local knowledge and expertise, and significant expenditure.

Mrs Spelman commented: “The Labour Government’s expensive plans for the regionalisation of the fire control services are mired in chaos. The shambolic project is already delayed and £400 million over budget. Costs are likely to rise even more once detailed costings are finalised. I fear that local fire services for Solihull faces cuts or the fire levy on council tax will have to rise, in order to pay for the soaring bill for fire regionalisation.

“Labour Ministers should follow the example of Scotland and dump these cuts to local fire services. There are better ways to improve our fire services than creating distant call centres based on the arbitrary regional government boundaries.”

David Cameron, Leader of the Opposition, will visit Worcester for a “Cameron Direct” meeting on Friday 29th August 2008. It is the first time Cameron Direct has been held in the West Midlands region.

The meeting will take place at Worcester’s historic Guildhall at 6.30pm and will give Worcester residents a chance to put their questions directly to the Conservative leader. It will be webcast live around the country and Cameron will be answering questions unscripted, directly from the audience.

For security reasons, attendees are asked to register beforehand and bring photo ID on the day, anybody registered to vote in Worcester is eligible to attend although places will be limited to 200.

In order to register all you need to do is send a name and addresses to ask@worcesterconservatives.com or call 01905 24058. Tickets are free.

Robin Walker, Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester said,

“The Conservative Party is determined to deliver for Worcester and there can be no better sign of that than the fact that our leader has made it a priority to meet with people here, discuss their issues and answer their questions directly. I am absolutely delighted that David is coming to Worcester and I think it shows that he is determined