From Mark Hunter:

Yesterday, Thursday 9th July, Care Services Minister and Lib Dem colleague Paul Burstow joined Cheadle MP Mark Hunter on a special visit to St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green.

On the day that a top level announcement was made about a review into care funding, the Minister was introduced to the new Chief Executive, Jayne Bessant, and toured the outstanding facilities of the well known, reputable Hospice.

Mr Burstow and Mr Hunter toured the facilities to view the exceptional work that is carried out at St Ann’s, and met with individuals and families to discuss the importance of these facilities. The Minister had previously heard from local MP Mark Hunter about the excellent work at St Ann’s and was encouraged to make it his first official visit to a Hospice as a Minister.

The review announced yesterday, which will be chaired by Tom Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care, will look at how Government can make sure that the money intended to help look after people who are approaching the end of life is spent in the right way. It will also make recommendations for a funding system that will cover care provided by the NHS, a hospice or any appropriate provider:

• which encourages more community-based care, so a patient can remain in their own home; and

• that will be fair and transparent to all organisations involved in palliative care.

Commenting, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow MP said:

“Everyone who is seriously or terminally ill should be properly supported. I have been to the St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green to see for myself the work that is going on and to meet families that use the services.

“The Government is committed to more personalised care for people at the end of life. Just last month we made this clear through confirming that £40 million will be invested to help hospices improve the environments where they provide care and support for patients, their families and carers.

“I am delighted that we are today taking the first step to honouring our commitment to introducing a new per-patient funding system for all hospices and providers of palliative care.”

Commenting, Mark Hunter MP said:

“I was delighted to bring the Minister along to see for himself the wonderful work which St Ann’s does. It has touched the lives of so many people – both locals and those from further afield.

“It was also a great way to welcome the new Chief Executive, Jayne Bessant, into her new role. Her predecessor, Terry McDonnell, was an extraordinary champion of St Ann’s, and I am sure Jayne will rise to the challenges of maintaining the strong reputation held by the organisation.

“It is absolutely crucial that the Government do all that is possible to help Hospices and other care services. After taking the previous Chief Executive of St Anns to meet with then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the last Parliament, I am committed to helping every bit as much in the future.”

From Deputy PM Nick Clegg:

We’ve already scrapped ID cards. Now I’d like to ask you - which other laws do you want to scrap?

Your Freedom

The Liberal Democrats have always stood up for civil liberties, scrapping unnecessary laws and reducing the burden of regulation on businesses and charities.

In our manifesto, we proposed a Freedom Bill to roll back Labour’s attacks on British civil liberties. In government, we are doing just that.

Nick Clegg writes:

Yesterday I launched Your Freedom, a national dialogue on how to create a more open, inclusive society. Anyone can make suggestions about which laws we need to scrap and where we can cut red tape. You can also rate and comment on other people’s suggestions. The best ideas will be put into practice – because this is a listening government.

This is the open government we have long campaigned for. So tell us about every time you’ve felt snooped on by the state, or had to fill in the same form three times. Help us put Liberal Democrat values into practice in Government.

I know people are talking about this up and down the country – so please do have your say and pass this message on to anyone who has ideas for Your Freedom.

Have your say here.

Press release from Mark Hunter:

Local MP Mark Hunter has hailed the Liberal Democrat/Conservative Coalition’s announcement on giving local councils powers to prevent the building of new homes in back gardens as “a great success”.

Many local residents have contacted Mr Hunter concerned about the number of new houses being built in gardens due to their classification as “brownfield” sites. This means that developers are, in principle, free to use this land to build new properties in the same way that they could with disused factories or railway stations.

Last week, however, the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government signalled that he would change the designation of these sites, giving local authorities more influence over the process.

Commenting, Mark said:
“I have campaigned on this issue over a number of years with residents and the local Lib Dem team and am absolutely delighted we have finally achieved success.

“A number of local residents will share my response and look forward to having a real say when planning applications like this are submitted in future.

“Between 1997 and 2008 over a quarter of new housing across the country has been built on these sites, often with fierce opposition from the surrounding community.

“This announcement is just the first step in a whole reform of a system that favours top-down dictats - it is about time that councils had more freedom to work closely with local people to make the decisions that affect them.

The press release from Mark’s office:

Local Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has been appointed Deputy Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats. His appointment also means he now becomes an official Government Whip in the new Lib Dem/Conservative Coalition.

Commenting on the appointment, Mark said:

“This is a great privilege - particularly to have a job in Government - and I am already looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“The appointment places me right at the centre of Government business and I believe that this can only be good news for my constituents who, as ever, remain my first priority.

“I firmly believe that our ground-breaking Coalition will provide the necessary stability for the country to start the climb out of economic recession and into economic recovery.

“These are tough times for many people, and the Lib Dem/Conservative administration will not shirk the tough decisions, but we will always be guided by the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.”

If you were disappointed by the results of the elections you had every right to be. In the North West of England the Liberal Democrats won 21.6% of votes but just 8% of seats. Compare that to Labour’s performance: they won 39% of the votes but nearly 63% of the seats. (The Tories came out evens).

And they call this a democracy!

THE GENERAL ELECTION

I had thought that we would increase our representation in the North West but instead our number of MPs stayed the same at six. We gained Gordon Birtwistle in Burnley (so much for that town being a ‘BNP stronghold’!) but we lost Paul Rowen in Rochdale, despite his years of dedication to the town, principally through a rise in the Conservative vote and boundary changes that led to the result being offically described as a Labour ‘hold’.

We had high hopes of making a breakthrough in Warrington South, Liverpool Wavertree and even Manchester Gorton, but the efforts of Jo Crotty, Colin Eldridge, Qassim Afzal and their teams were not sufficient to beat the tide of people who in the last few days opted for one of the parties most likely to form a government. Elwyn Watkins in Oldham East and Saddleworth missed out by just 103 votes.

On the bright side we did benefit from the incumbency factor and the hard work and good reputation of our MPs. Mark Hunter (Cheadle), John Leech (Manchester Withington) and John Pugh (Southport) all triumphantly confounded the pessimists. Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale) turned a marginal seat into one with a majority of more than 12,000, the largest of any Liberal Democrat in the region. Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove) lost that particular title but by way of compensation has become our first-ever government minister.

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS

We have past experiencing of suffering in council elections when they take place on the same day as a general election and little heed is paid to local issues. This pattern was repeated on May 6. One third of all our councillors standing for re-election in the North West lost their seats, and we experienced particular problems on Merseyside where we lost control of Liverpool and St Helens Councils. We lost 9 seats in Liverpool and 5 each on the Wirral and in Knowsley, including that of campaigns officer and former regional chair Dave Smithson. It was particularly hard for Dave because he was also mayor of the borough.

None of those who lost their seats should take it personally. When local elections take place on the same day as national ones it can be like trying to stand up against a tsunami.

The exceptions tended to be in the held seats and target seats, where intensive campaigning often led to the local vote exceeding the national one. Maybe we failed to establish our credibility as rivals for government but won compensation marks for effort from the voters.

In Warrington South, for example, to which I had been asked to devote my time, we won 15,084 in the general election but our local votes added up to 19,441 (our best ever result). If every local vote had been converted to a national one we would have elected another MP. Mind you, it can be argued that we are generally at fault for not talking about key issues of Liberal Democrat policy and principle in our leaflets. We are going to have to change our approach if we are going to sell the positive benefits of having Liberal Democrats in government. If we fail to do so the same local problems will be experienced again in 5 years’ time, and maybe in every election from now on.

THE COALITION AGREEMENT AND SPECIAL CONFERENCE

If you have not read the detailed ‘Programme for Government’ (published 20 May) then please do so; there is a great deal in it to be welcomed. It will be difficult working with the Conservatives, and many unpopular decisions will have to be taken, but if this agreement is implemented in full then Liberal Democrats will be able to point to a host of positive achievements when we face the electorate in 2015.

I have taken to buying the Daily Telegraph. I love reading the complaints about all the Conservative policies that have been discarded!

Some 2,000 party members attended the special conference held at the Birmingham NEC on Sunday 16 May. During the course of a 4 hour debate they will have heard many concerns and fears expressed about the coalition arrangement, all of them shared by our MPs now in government, yet the agreement was approved with hardly a vote of dissent.

We are in uncharted waters. Interesting – and difficult – times lie ahead. Let’s hope the journey will prove worthwhile.

THE AGREEMENT IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

I am pleased to be able to report that the Liberal Democrat MEPs occupy a coalition-free zone.
No agreement exists between the two parties in the European Parliament. We are members of a separate institution to that at Westminster, respect the EU separation of powers between the Council of Ministers and the Parliament, and belong to different parliamentary groups (ALDE and ECR) between which there is no special relationship.

As a gesture of goodwill it has been agreed that the leaders of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative delegations will get together once a month to look at the parliament’s agenda and consider the minefields ahead. But this will not be to try and reconcile our differences, just so that colleagues at Westminster can be warned if an explosion is likely.

The MEPs’ position is no different to that of colleagues in the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, or on any local council. I welcome it. I do not wish the Liberal Democrats to lose one scrap of their separate identity, and do not believe that we will do so.

CONSULTATION FOR COUNCILLORS

The Coalition Agreement includes the following statement: “We will allow councils to return to the committee system, should they wish to.” (It also promises to scrap the Standards Board).
Personally I have always detested New Labour’s abolition of the committee structure and its replacement by scrutiny panels. The cabinet structure suits those in power very well but leaves other councillors out in the cold – or so I believe. Strong leaders were perfectly capable of providing strong leadership under the old system.

As a former member of two local authorities myself I’m interested in pursuing this issue, but first I’d like the opinion of our councillors (and former councillors). Do let me know your views. Do you want the committee structure restored – YES or NO?

Chris Davies MEP

The 2011 Census will mainly be delivered by post out and return of questionnaires, so it is vital that there is an accurate list of addresses for Stockport. In January, the Council’s GIS Team supported the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to develop an accurate list for Stockport. The next stage in this process is a visual address check by census staff from ONS who are currently checking addresses in Stockport to identify:

· Those that are not on their list, such as, newly built or converted properties

· Those that should no longer be on their list, such as, demolished properties

· Numbers of people living in establishments such as hotels and care homes

This process has already started and address checkers will be working in a series of postcodes across the Borough until the 28th August. Census staff will mainly be undertaking visual check, but may knock on doors to clarify how many households are present. All census staff have an official ID card, which they carry at all times, and census staff will not be entering properties during the address check process. The Police and our Customer Contact Centre have been informed that this activity is underway.

If you have any questions about the address check process, or receive any from residents, please contact Annalie Burns, Assistant Census Liaison Manager on 0161-474-3021 or by e-mail: annalie.burns@stockport.gov.uk.

Those of you who voted for a Lib Dem MP and Lib Dem policies can hopefully be pleased that the party hasn’t let you down.  Clegg did exactly what he said he would when it came to building a coalition and the outcome is an agreement heavy on Lib Dem policies.You voted Lib Dem, you got Lib Dem - as much as we could manage, anyway!

Here’s the summary:

The policy agreement for the new Government is full of Liberal Democrat policies. It is a real chance to put into action the ideas that we have campaigned for.

A Fair Start for Children

·        Introduce a Pupil Premium to give all children a fair start.

Fairer taxes and Economic Reform

• A substantial increase in the personal allowance from April 2011 with a longer term policy objective of further increasing the personal allowance to £10,000, making further real terms steps each year towards this objective
• Reform of the banking system, ensuring a flow of lending to businesses and a Banking Levy. An independent commission on separating retail and investment banking.
• Capital Gains Tax reform

Fair Politics

• Fixed-term parliaments and a referendum on electoral reform for the House of Commons.
• A power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP was found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing.
• A wholly or mainly elected House of Lords on the basis of proportional representation.
• Giving Parliament control of its own agenda so that all bills are properly debated.
• Enacting the Calman Commission proposals and a referendum on further Welsh devolution.
• A statutory register of lobbyists.
• A limit on political donations and reform of party funding in order to remove big money from politics.
• Radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups.

A fair and sustainable future

• Establish a smart electricity grid and the roll-out of smart meters.
• Establish feed-in tariff systems in electricity
• A huge increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.
• The creation of a green investment bank.
• The provision of home energy improvement paid for by the savings from lower energy bills.
• Retention of energy performance certificates when HIPs are scrapped.
• Measures to encourage marine energy.
• The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
• Establish a high-speed rail network.
• Cancel the third runway at Heathrow and refuse additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
• Replace the Air Passenger Duty with a ‘per plane’ duty.
• The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
• Make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal offence.
• Promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity.
• Reduce central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months.
• Increase the target for energy from renewable sources.

Pensions

• Restoration of the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011 with a “triple guarantee” that pensions are raised by the higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%.
• Phase out the default retirement age and end the rules requiring compulsory annuitisation at 75.
• Implement the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman’s recommendation to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders.

Civil Liberties

• Scrap the ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric passports and the ContactPoint Database.
• Outlaw the finger-printing of children at school without parental permission.
• Extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act to provide greater transparency.
• Adopt the Scottish approach to stopping retention of innocent people’s DNA on the DNA database.
• Defend trial by jury.
• Restore rights to non-violent protest.
• A review of libel laws to protect freedom of speech.
• Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
• Further regulation of CCTV.
• Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.
• A new mechanism to prevent the proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences.
• End the detention of children for immigration purposes.

So the negotiations are over.  The UK is to have its first coalition government since 1945, and Liberal Democrats will sit in the Cabinet.  After the disappointments of last Thursday it is all very different.

I joined the Liberal Party in 1974.  I have waited a long while for us to have the chance to shape the policies of the government.

There are great risks: “Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly.”  But the Lib Dem fly comes armed and cannot be devoured - at least until the next election is called.

From what I hear, the deal that has been thrashed out incorporates significant Liberal Democrat objectives.  We will, of course, have to compromise and accept some Conservative ones too.  That’s the price to be paid for an agreement between two parties.

It’s not just a matter of promoting Liberal Democrat views but also of curbing the extreme position taken by others.  There will be Lib Dems who detest the idea of working with the tories, but right wing Conservatives will hate this arrangement even more.  The need to work with us will be used by the tory leadership to justify the abandonment of policies cherished by the right-wingers and europhobes.

A deal with Labour was not credible.  A Lab-Lib government would have survived the first crucial votes but it would have been worn down by attrition.  Vote after vote would have been lost in the months that followed until the government collapsed in disarray.  We would not have had the strong, stable government able to make the difficult decisions now required, and we would have little or nothing to show by way of achievement.

We have not got a commitment to a proportional voting system, which is bad news, but we don’t have the votes in Parliament to secure it.  Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas.  I hope the other political reforms that have been agreed, and the hugely enhanced credibility that our party now gains, will stand us in good stead for the future.

I have known Nick Clegg for 12 years.  We had next door offices for the 5 years we shared in the European Parliament.  I voted for him to become party leader.  I like him and I trust him.  I have no doubt that the deal negotiated by he and the team that included our own Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove) is as good as we were ever likely to get.

The way ahead will be rocky, and what lies ahead is uncertain, but today I am proud to be a Liberal Democrat and I am looking forward to the journey.

Chris Davies MEP

11 May 2010

I’ve had a few calls and contacts asking me what’s happening down in Westminster with the coalition talks.  I wish I knew!  Sadly - along with most people from all parties - I know no more than anyone else and quite possibly less.

In the last few minutes, the rumours flying around are that chances of a deal between the Lib Dems and Labour- never exactly strong in the first place for all sorts of reasons - are sinking down to zero.

So what are we meant to think of all this?  All the people who have spent the last few weeks giving every minute to campaigning against the opposition (in my case, the Conservatives) now being told we might be working together with them?  And the nearly-seven-million people across the country who voted Lib Dem presumably wanted a Lib Dem MP and maybe even a Lib Dem government.

Perhaps surprisingly, I’m pretty happy with what the Lib Dem leadership have done and how things look to be going.

Is it my ideal scenario?  No, I wanted a Lib Dem government with Nick Clegg as PM and Vince Cable as chancellor.  Had we got 40% of the vote across the country, that would have happened.  But the voters decided otherwise, we got 23% of the vote (our highest since 1983, so not bad), and here we are.

So the party had three options: work with the Conservatives, work with Labour or work with no-one.

As promised in the campaign, the Lib Dems first spoke to the Conservatives, who’d won the most votes and the most seats.  When those negotiations didn’t produce a result the Lib Dem MPs were happy with, the party spoke to Labour too.

Quite right.  Anything else would have been letting down our voters.  Those nearly-seven-million who voted for no tax on the first £10,000 of your income, for investment in schools, for a strong approach to the economy including breaking up the banks and for reform of our broken political system.  That’s what’s most important - the policies for Britain.

So the party has talked to both Labour and the Conservatives to see where we can both get the best fit for our policies and build a strong government for Britain.

There are those who believe talking to the Conservatives has betrayed some progressive agenda (despite Labour not exactly scoring highly on the progressive front over the last few years, to say the least).

There are others saying talking to Labour is keeping a discredited party in power.

Both views are mistaken in my opinion.

Let’s be honest - I’m a tribal politician.  I’m a Lib Dem and I always have been.  I’ve fought the Conservatives and Labour in numerous elections - sometimes winning, sometimes losing, never doubting that I was on the right side.

But the voters have told us loud and clear that we need to put that tribalism aside, at least partly, for the good of the country and to get at least some of our policies into law.

Working with another party doesn’t make us from that party.  If there were to be a Con/Lib Dem coalition, the Conservatives wouldn’t suddenly turn into Lib Dems.  They’d be Conservatives, working with Lib Dems in a grown-up way to deliver stable government and a particular programme.

It happens in most modern democracies around the world.  It happens in Scotland, in Wales and in local authorities up and down the country.  And now it looks like it may happen at Westminster too - welcome to the new politics.

The voters could have given Cameron, or Brown, or Clegg an outright majority.  They  didn’t.  They told them to find a way of working together and that’s what they’re doing.

The political risks are high, especially for the Lib Dems.  It could all end in tears and mutual recriminations.  Or it could work pretty well, giving us not only stable government but more Lib Dem policies turned into reality than ever before.

Give them a chance.  The voters said “no one party in control - you’ve got to work together“.  The parties have worked night and day to make that happen and everyone, especially the Lib Dems, have taken huge political risks.  The least we can all do is let them give it a go and not rush to judgement.

Majority - 3272
Total votes cast - 52512
%Poll (turnout) 72.7%
No of Registered Voters 72,458

Mark’s contract with everyone in our area:

1. I will continue to put local people first. I will be there to help, listen to your concerns and stand up for what matters to you.

2. I will continue to be an accessible, locally based MP with advice surgeries held twice each week to assist residents.

3. I will make sure your voice is heard - locally and at Westminster - and will continue to be a strong voice for our community.

4. I will report back to the people I represent with regular newsletters, leaflets and website entries containing details of my activities.

5. I will continue to be open and honest about all expenses incurred in representing you at all time.

6. I will always be a full-time MP, and undertake no other employment whilst representing your interests.

Today, 20th April, is your last chance to make your voice heard on 6th May and have your vote.

You can register to vote online - it just takes a couple of minutes.

Click here to register and have your say on the future of our country.

Since Thursday the Lib Dems have been neck-and-neck with Labour and the Conservatives across the country, much to our amazement.  We never doubted we had the best people and the best policies, but we’ve always struggled to overcome the credibility gap and persuade people we can win.

That’s changed.  The Lib Dems can win.  Not just in Cheadle constituency - in Gatley, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Heald Green, Bramhall, Stepping Hill and Woodford - but across the country.

For the first time in generations, people can vote for change - real change - and get it.

Real change on tax, with the richest paying a bit more so those on low and middle incomes pay less - £700 less for many people.

Real change for our schools, police and hospitals weighed down with paperwork and bureaucracy, with civil servants in Whitehall deciding what’s best for local people.

Real change for our corrupt and failing political system - where Labour could end up with the most seats even if they get the fewest votes.

The Conservative message in Cheadle, as elsewhere across the country where they’re up against the Lib Dems, has been “Vote Lib Dem, get Brown”.

OK, so Cheadle’s been Lib Dem held for nine years.  OK, so Labour only got 4% last time round and have zero chance of winning the seat.  But, lacking a local candidate with any sort of track record either here or elsewhere, what else do they have?

The Lib Dems are the only party offering real change from the two old parties; and we can win - with your vote and your help.

With your help, we can keep Mark Hunter, who’s been a great MP for our area, get Brown out and get Nick Clegg and Vince Cable in.

Here’s how you can help Nick Clegg’s Lib Dems win on 6th May

•  Display a Lib Dem poster in your window. Download it here and print on a colour printer, or email me and I’ll drop one round.
• Join the Lib Dems today.
• Help our campaign by delivering a few leaflets or doing some clerical work: these last 16 days will make all the difference.
• Make a donation.

One of the most important Lib Dem policies for me is raising the tax threshold to £10,000 - giving most people an extra £700 a year.

The policy’s fully costed and tax neutral - it doesn’t rely on unspecified efficiency savings that might or might not emerge.  It’s funded by increased taxes on the very wealthy, on large companies and by closing tax loopholes.

It would give most people a lot more back than the Conservative plans, but more than that, it also helps break out of the benefits trap - giving those on benefits more of an incentive to get paid employment.

The spending plans of the big parties looks to be becoming a big battleground in the General Election.

The Lib Dems have a fully-costed plan that puts £700 in the pocket of most taxpayers.  Under the Lib Dems, your first £10,000 of income is tax free, and the party’s set out exactly how that gets paid for.

The Lib Dems have also identified billions of pounds of savings in public spending - to start bringing down the huge national debt run up under Labour.

The Conservatives won’t cut tax by nearly as much for people low and middle incomes  - but have been unable to say how they would fund those they’ve proposed.

As Nick Clegg will point out later today, the Conservatives have come up with a series of proposed tax cuts:

• Tax breaks for millionaires with a £2m exemption from inheritance tax.
• Tax breaks for married couples.
• A freeze in Council Tax
• Reducing the impact of Labour’s proposed rises in National Insurance.
• And another National Insurance tax break for small businesses.

Paying for all these tax promises would cost £13.5bn, Nick will say, and the Conservatives have identified just £100m of alternative tax revenue to pay for it, together with a series of vague and unconvincing statements about increased efficiency which David Cameron himself says are a trick.

It is time for the Conservatives to come clean about how they will pay for these tax cuts, without decimating schools, hospitals and police forces across the country.

There are two sets of elections in Stockport on 6th May.

The first is the local council elections - one third of Stockport’s councillors are up for election.  In Cheadle & Gatley that’s me.  Although I was only elected last September, I’ve got to stand again as that’s when the late Brian Millard would have been up had he lived.

The second, as you might have spotted, is the General Election.   Cheadle’s had a Lib Dem MP since 2001 - first Patsy Calton and then Mark Hunter since 2005.  We want to keep it that way.

The Conservative’s want to persuade us that the election is Cheadle is between Labour and them - an interesting claim to make when Labour got 4% of the vote last time round.  The reality, as we all know, is that whatever happens in Cheadle isn’t going  give Gordon Brown one more or one fewer MP.

Mark’s shown that he does a great job at sticking up for us and getting things done in our area - even many of his political opponents readily admit that.  The question is whether we want a hard-working local champion, or not.

As political activists, the next month is what we’ve all been working towards for years, but it’s also daunting, and it’ll all come down to the count at the Town Hall in a few weeks time.

We’ll be working to persuade you that Mark’s the best person to be our MP, and that I and the Lib  Dem candidates for the local elections are the best people to represent you and work for you on Stockport Council.

Dear resident,

As it is widely anticipated, tomorrow Gordon Brown will call for a General Election to take place within weeks. I want to take this latest opportunity to update you on some of my recent activity as your local MP:

Let me fill you in on what’s been happening in recent weeks:

•          As a Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson my recent priority has been pushing the Government to make sure any High Speed Rail developments through Stockport actually stop at Stockport. There is great concern that we will be left out of the plans and this simply cannot be allowed to happen; rail companies are already suggesting journey times can be reduced by omitting stops:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000623/hunter_speaks_up_for_high_speed_rail_stop_in_stockport.html

•           I delivered a keynote speech to the Stockport Branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists about Road Safety policy - there are thousands of lives to be saved through some relatively simple measures such as clamping down on uninsured drivers:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000611/mark_delivers_speech_to_the_stockport_group_of_institute_of_advanced_motorists.html

•           Deputy Lib Dem Leader and Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable came to Cheadle to launch my re-election campaign at the Village Hotel, just 48 hours before he was a clear winner in the live TV debate with Tory Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne placed third behind Vince and Alistair Darling in the online poll:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000622/vince_cable_wows_cheadle_audience.html;

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000621/victory_vince_cable_wins_channel_4_chancellors_debate.html

•           I visited the Seashell Trust (formerly Royal School for the Deaf) in Cheadle Hulme to celebrate their recent ‘outstanding’ achievement in its recent Ofsted inspection. Like so many schools in our area, it continues to go from strength to strength:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000618/hunter_joins_celebrations_of_top_ofsted_report_for_the_seashell_trust.html

•           There was massive progress in my national campaign to save the cheque from being abolished in Britain when the official Treasury Select Committee held an inquiry into the decision by the banks to phase out the use of cheques – despite 4 million still being written every day:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000613/cheque_campaign_gathers_force_as_treasury_committee_hold_inquiry.html

•           I hosted a special reception in Parliament to launch a new report on stroke care. The report highlights the positive impact physiotherapy can have on the lives of many of the millions of people in Britain who have suffered from a stroke and continue to suffer:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000615/mark_hunter_mp_hosts_campaign_for_improved_physiotherapy_care_launch.html

•           I signed up to NSPCC’s latest child protection campaign. It is absolutely vital that all politicians stand up for the protection of children, and this campaign calls on every parliamentary candidate to make that vow:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000617/mark_pledges_support_for_nspcc_general_election_campaign_to_protect_children.html

•           Local student Amy Jo Brownson from North Cheshire Jewish Primary School in Heald Green launched her joke book ‘Laugh your socks off’ to raise money for Sport Relief in Bramhall’s Simply Books. I joined her and her family and school friends to support the brilliant efforts made. I was also on hand to support the Gatley Sport Relief fun day, where I started the race and presented the medals to the winners. Congratulations to all those involved!

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000614/hunter_helps_launch_laugh_your_socks_off_for_sport_relief.html

•         I have strongly criticised the recent Budget as Alistair Darling gave one of the most disappointing Budgets in history:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000619/budget_a_donothing_plan_for_the_british_economy.html

•       I have spoken out about the practice of Energy companies who continue to con Stockport householders out of millions of pounds per year:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000612/energy_companies_overcooked_energy_profits_to_13_million_across_stockport.html

•       Last Saturday I went along to Bramhall Precinct to support the launch of the new ‘Love local life’ discount card, which offers discounts in over 20 shops and restaurants in Bramhall. I spoke about my latest campaign which calls on people to ‘shop local’ to provide a much needed boost to our high streets in the midst of the recession. Dozens of people have already backed the campaign – just send me an email if you too would like to sign up!

As always, if you require any further information or I can help with any problem whatsoever, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Mark Hunter MP

Students and young people across Great Britain could miss out on the opportunity to vote in the upcoming general election because they are not registered to vote, the Electoral Commission and National Union of Students have this week warned.

One in five (22 per cent) students may be missing from the electoral register meaning they will not be able to vote come polling day. The Electoral Commission and NUS are calling for students to visit www.aboutmyvote.com as a simple and quick way to register. For further information please click here.

This nationwide scheme is supported by the Council as part of the Stockport Boost campaign, Home Access is a national project to supply low-income families with a

laptop and access to the internet through a national application process. The aim of the programme is to support families by ensuring access to the educational and social benefits of current technology.

Applications for the Home Access grant were invited from January this year. Feedback from Welfare Rights and other local support services has identified a high level of interest. The scheme is due to run until February 2011, or until the grant money has been allocated.

There are no catches - if approved, the Home Access Grant is yours to keep and does not need to be paid back and equipment given back when your child finishes school. At the end of the initial 12 months of the programme, you can decide if you want to keep the internet - you won’t be locked into anything that you don’t want or can’t afford.

Full details of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are available by clicking here.

For further information contact Mike Partridge by email at mike.partridge@stockport.gov.uk or the National Team on 0333 200 1004. If you would like Home Access posters to display contact Aine Graven by email at aine.graven@stockport.gov.uk.

Mark Hunter has been leading the “Save the Cheque” campaign, aiming to persuade the banks not to dump cheques in a few years time - millions are still sent every day and they’re used far more than electronic banking.

Part of that campaign was a petition on the Number 10 website, to which we’ve now had a Government response.

The closure of Cheque and Credit Clearing is a commercial decision and one that the Payments Council, an independent body that sets the strategy for UK payment systems, will take. The Government, however, recognises that certain groups still value cheques as a significant method of payment and appreciates all concerns.

The Government believes it is imperative that adequate alternatives be in place for all users of cheques, in particular for users identified as being highly dependent on this method of payment (such as the elderly, small businesses and the Third Sector) ahead of any potential closure of the cheque clearing system.

The Government further considers that the Payments Council, in consultation with all users of cheques, should develop a robust set of criteria by which the suitability and usability of the alternatives are assessed, and should develop a strategy to make users aware of the available alternatives.

The petition read:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to save the cheque by reminding the banks of their duty to serve the customer - and not vice versa - and by asking members of the Payments Council to vote against abolishing the cheque bearing in mind the great inconvenience such a decision would cause to Britain’s most vulnerable people.

With additional information:

On 16 December 2009 the Payments Council - which represents the major banks - will vote on whether or not to scrap the cheque as a method of payment in Britain. Over 4 million cheques are being written each day and many people prefer to pay with goods and services in this way. Some of Britain’s most vulnerable people, including many elderly, disabled and housebound people, rely on cheques as a means of payment and will be greatly inconvenienced by this decision. The “save the cheque” campaign is backed by a high number of MPs from all political parties, is lead by Cheadle MP Mark Hunter and supported by leading consumer group Which? The campaign seeks to ensure the Payments Council do not decide to abolish the cheque.

We still have several years to save the cheque (or to get an alternative that meets the needs of customers, especially the elderly, and not just the bankers).

Dear resident,

I hope that I find you well after such a cold start to 2010. January and February have been unbelievably busy – largely because of an ever-growing list of engagements and commitments to do with the fast approaching General Election, which is now certain to take place in the coming weeks.

Thanks to all of you that have already been in touch to voice your support for my re-election – not to mention those that have made financial donations to the campaign – serving local residents is my passion and I hope to work hard towards building on my current record of action for many more years to come.

Let me fill you in on what’s been happening in recent weeks:

• With regards to the cold weather, there are a number of pieces of info:

1. To save money on your heating bills which will inevitably by more expensive with the weather take a look at this: More Info

2. Make sure you are not one of up to 8000 people in the area who are entitled to cold weather payments that don’t receive a penny: More Info

3. Freezing temperatures are responsible for a large number of new potholes across the area. The Liberal Democrat team are as a result checking roads across the area and reporting them to the Council. Just this week Stockport Council have announced an extra £2 million to tackle this problem – I am sure residents will agree this is an important step!

• We have all seen the images and heard of the tragedy in Haiti, and many of us have donated money to the relief project and emergency funds. Many will be aware that our local fire-fighters in Greater Manchester have been out there saving lives – my parliamentary colleagues and I co-sponsored a special parliamentary motion to pay tribute: More Info.

• I’ve been campaigning for the introduction of vital new heart drug (Dronedarone) to be made available on the NHS – it has been rejected because of costs but experts predict it could save an estimated 40,000 lives a year – see the article on the front page of the Daily Express.

• I challenged the Secretary of State for Transport in the House of Commons to guarantee any new high-speed rail links would stop at Stockport – as a Lib Dem Shadow Transport Minister I will continue to campaign to make sure we get the best deal from High Speed Rail, despite the Conservatives putting its funding in doubt: More Info

• Great news for Cheadle Hulme – there are to be massive railway station improvements after continuous campaigning from local Lib Dems and the Cheadle & District Rail User Group. This includes full disabled access for the first time – just get in touch if you’d like a copy of the plans: More Info.

• I recently revisited Cheadle Kingsway Sports Club’s impressively refurbished clubhouse – here’s further information on the opening and for booking details for social functions.

• I joined with residents in Bramhall to oppose a controversial planning application in Bramley Close near Bramhall village centre: More Info

• Cheadle Hulme Shopping Centre traders got together to beat the cold and celebrate Chinese New Year recently. I was delighted to join in the festivities organised by Linda Lee and her team at Rainbow 88: More Info

• One of my key election pledges is to protect and develop local health services – here’s a note on a recent pledge I’ve signed on cancer care.

Often readers of my Notes ask me why other pieces of local news they know I’ve been involved in aren’t included – the answer is simply that to include everything would be impossible – since I’ve been the local MP I’ve helped many thousands of people and these notes are just to give you a taster of what I’m working on locally and nationally 365 days of the year. In addition, the Lib Dem team regularly send out Keeping in Touch leaflets and Newsletters to keep everybody informed – always funded by voluntary contributions.

As always, if you require any further information or I can help with any problem whatsoever, please do get in touch!

Best wishes,

Mark Hunter MP

On Thursday night Manchester Evening News held a Question Time-style debate with Tony Lloyd (Labour, Manchester Central), Graham Brady (Conservative, Altrincham and Sale West) and Mark Hunter (Lib Dem, Cheadle).

You can view a report of the event (via Twitter feed) at the MEN site.

Bramhall North is a ward in the Cheadle Parliamentary Constituency, part of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.

For the last decade, Maureen Walsh has been one of three councillors representing Bramhall North (the other two are currently Lib Dem Helen Foster-Grime and Conservative Linda Holt).

A few weeks ago, Cllr Maureen Walsh was forced out.  Having wanted to re-stand in May, she was blocked from doing so.  The Conservative candidate will now be Lisa Walker, who also happens to be the Constituency Chair and Tory Parliamentary Candidate Ben Jeffrey’s campaign manager.

Maureen is so angry she’s resigned from the Conservative Group* and now sits as an Independent on Stockport Council.

Now, in a way that’s all fair enough.  I happen to think Maureen is a good councillor and the Conservatives are daft to get rid of her, but it’s up to them and I assume they have their democratic procedures for candidate selection.

But I don’t think it’s OK to make up the story about Maureen choosing to stand down, and to put that out in a leaflet and to the media - which is just what the Tories have done.  When people simply choose not to restand, they don’t normally resign from the party and threaten to put out their own leaflet directly contradicting the party line!

Ben Jeffreys, the  Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle lives in the Bramhall North ward, and is clearly involved in all of this.

I think the Conservatives need to be a little more honest on this one.

Why has Cllr Maureen Walsh really been deselected and replaced as candidate by Lisa Walker?

Why did the Tories put out an explanation for Maureen standing down which clearly doesn’t stand up to scrutiny?  What are they trying to hide?

And what is the involvement of Cheadle Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Ben Jeffreys in the whole affair?

* My understanding is that Maureen has resigned from the party.  Cllr Syd Lloyd tells me she’s resigned from the Tory Group, and he’s in a better position to know than me, so I’ve amended the story.

In a speech to Demos, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable will today set out the key pillars of the Liberal Democrat economic manifesto.

Vince Cable will say:

We have an economy too dependent on consumer spending and borrowing rather than saving and investment. Too much financial engineering in banking rather than real engineering. Too London-centric. Too dependent on the City of London rather than the talents of the rest of Britain. Too preoccupied with the artificial, paper wealth of inflated property prices rather than productive work and invention. Too absorbed by growth for its own sake rather than protecting the environment and maintaining a sense of fairness and community. But we don’t have to despair. The challenges are enormous but if we are prepared to face up to them we can use the current crisis to refashion our economy so that it serves the country not the just the square mile. That means making the sort of radical changes that we propose: a credible plan for bringing the public finances back under control, sorting out and breaking up the banks, building a sustained recovery and creating a fairer tax system.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party of genuine economic reform.

Bringing the Public finances back under control

What is absolutely clear is that the incoming Chancellor must have a clear plan to eliminate the structural deficit. The government keeps changing its definition of what and how big the structural deficit is but the common sense point is that public spending was built up on impermanent sources of tax and now needs to be scaled back to levels that the UK taxpayer can pay for. The current government estimate of 5.5% of GDP is a guess; it could be worse. The government plan to reduce this deficit by half over four years may also prove to be too laid back for the markets. It is however a starting point. It is also a major challenge and tough by the standards of previous fiscal tightening.

In recent weeks, the markets have been jittery about the outcome of the General Election and the uncertain aspect of its outcome on Government spending.  They are right to worry: the consequences of failure to bring the deficit under control are serious.  This cannot be allowed to happen – what we need is a credible plan to deal with the deficit and to be delivered by whatever Government is formed after the British public have had their say.

Let me be clear that bringing stability back to the public finances is an unambiguous commitment. For the Liberal Democrats it is the first pillar of our economic policy.

What is needed is a calm and rational plan, a proactive rather than reactive approach, identifying the priority steps which need to be taken to cut government spending. The Liberal Democrats have for a start put on hold many of our previous spending commitments – to free personal care, to a generous citizens pension, to universal child care – which are undoubtedly popular ideas but are not, now, affordable.

We have so far identified an additional £10bn in net savings beyond what the government has put forward which is, altogether, about half of what would be needed to meet the government’s deficit reduction objective. I do not hide the fact that much more would need to be done.

Sorting out and breaking up the banks

There is a big, structural, issue which until recently was being studiously avoided by both the Government and the Tories. Since the banking crisis broke in November 2008, I have argued that this question cannot be ducked since the British global, banks which are too big to fail are too big to bail out and are a danger to the systemic stability of the economy. Now that President Obama has taken on the issue of breaking up the banks on his side of the Pond, it is time that we do the same in the UK.   A modern version of Glass Steagall is required separating retail and investment banking and there is need too for more meaningful competition in business and mortgage lending. Until the banks are broken up, and are able to compete and succeed or fail without UK government guarantees, they should pay an insurance premium – a supplementary tax on bank profits.

Beyond that, there is need for a much more varied ecology in the banking industry: local banks; more mutuals including credit unions; a banking arm for the Post Office network to reach the financially excluded; specialist banks to support with long term finance, new ventures and for infrastructure.  I see, at present, no evidence that the Government or the Conservatives have any vision of banking beyond the immediate crisis.

Building a sustained recovery

A sustained recovery will rely on the private sector, especially small and medium sized business, to generate jobs. For this to be possible, government will have to help create a business environment conducive to start ups and small business – centring on moderate taxes, getting rid of red tape, secure intellectual property rights and ensuring that there is a flow of credit on competitive terms. Beyond that most entrepreneurs want to be left alone. But there are several respects in which government has to give a lead to underpin stable, sustainable growth in future and this is the next pillar of our economic policy.

The first element is to provide, where possible, economic stability. Gordon Brown’s ‘abolition’ of ‘boom and bust’ has become his signature: and a joke. We must maintain the operational independence of the Bank of England. Its terms of reference must now include management of asset inflation, as in the case in Sweden. We also need greater independence in the monitoring and assessment of fiscal policy.

A second key role is education. A key priority for the Lib Dems is to reallocate some of the financial savings made to reinvest in early years education of the most deprived children so that there is a reduction in the apparently endless cycle of educational failure for those at the bottom. Another priority must be science and maths education at all levels leading also to engineering.

The third is the financing of capital investment in infrastructure, in the widest sense. Britain has, on most measures, poor infrastructure. There is a need for substantial investment in energy networks and storage, public transport systems and new renewable energy. We want to create an Infrastructure Bank, with some pump priming, public money (or assets) but essentially privately financed.

Creating a fairer tax system

It could be that there is a painful period ahead of slow growth or weak recovery with continuing high levels of unemployment and severe restraint or cuts on public spending. The public will accept such privations if they understand the necessity for these measures and if there is a sense of fairness in the sharing of burdens. That is why we suggest a revenue neutral package of tax changes centring on tax cuts for the low (and average) paid, by lifting the income tax threshold to £10,000.

The Liberal Democrats believe that it is simply not possible to address the problem of an unsustainable budget deficit without parallel action to rebalance the tax system and eliminate the unfairness at its core.

There are painful times ahead but we believe that the measures I have set out to support economic recovery will do much to reduce the pain. We understand the enormity of the challenge ahead and are ready for it.

January 2010

Dear resident,

First of all, Happy New Year! I hope that you had a relaxing and joyful time over the festive period and were lucky enough to spend time with loved ones.

Sadly, as my mother passed away just before Christmas, it was not such a good time for me this year but as ever I did enjoy the chance to spend a little more time with family and friends. Thanks to all of you who have been in touch with messages of sympathy – they are much appreciated.

With a New Year comes new challenges and let me start out by saying that I am just as determined as ever to continue to deliver results for our community and overcome the many obstacles we face. Let me begin by bringing you up to date with some of the things I have been out and about doing recently:

• Just before Christmas I was delighted to welcome Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg to join me at Stepping Hill Hospital after inviting him to come and see for himself the new world-class neo-natal unit and childrens’ services. I am proud to be the MP for an area with such outstanding health services on offer: http://bit.ly/7O6fXa

• I am spearheading the national campaign, now backed by over 100 MPs, to stop bankers from abolishing cheques in Britain. The proposal will have serious repercussions on the country’s most vulnerable – particularly elderly, disabled and housebound people – not to mention many businesses. Consumer group Which? have backed my campaign along with the country’s leading Business organisation, the Federation of Small Businesses, and I have heard from people all over the country in full support. It is surely about time the bankers that taxpayers bailed out put the interests of customers before their own - learn more here: http://bit.ly/6Hxxxs

• I’ve been pressing Gordon Brown to keep his promise to abolish prescription charges for people with long-term health conditions. I have signed a special parliamentary motion putting pressure on the PM and am determined to see the Government deliver on this promise: http://bit.ly/5T4nsg

• Along with a cross-party delegation of MPs, I met with Defence Procurement Minister Quentin Davies to try to retain jobs at Woodford for as long as possible. Unbelievably, it looks as if the Government will give extra orders to the US instead of local workers: http://bit.ly/4TuuOT

• Stockport Council continues to be short-changed by central government and is now face a funding shortfall of £3.5 million from government over the next two years. In a special Commons debate I challenged the Local Government Secretary over the injustice taxpayers in Cheadle are facing: http://bit.ly/82CV1n

• Revealed: I uncovered the scandal behind the Government’s glib promises over Stockport Railway Station – Government headline grabbing has meant that we have all been misled over our local station: http://bit.ly/6C5wNR

• Gatley Youth Group were the latest of many groups that have made the trip to Westminster for a tour round the Houses of Parliament and the opportunity to put me on the spot in a Question and Answer session. It is always a pleasure to welcome local groups to parliamentary and I’d encouraged others who are interested in doing the same to contact me directly: http://bit.ly/4N0LAE

• My research into official figures showed that a quarter of drink drivers in Greater Manchester have previous convictions for drink driving – I am calling for stronger action to combat this problem and protect drivers and pedestrians alike: http://bit.ly/7fq8Mf

• I invited Transport Secretary of State Lord Adonis to come and see for himself the poor conditions at Cheadle Hulme Railway Station and how we need to see the station improvements, particularly to allow disabled access: http://bit.ly/8oCaZH

• Wolstenholmes law firm in Heald Green, established in 1818, has been closed down and five solictors have had their licenses suspended. Many local residents have money and/or documents held by the firm and are extremely distressed. My battle to deliver justice for those people: http://bit.ly/6j3ir7

As always I am eager to hear your views and if you have any new issues that you would like me to take up either locally or in Parliament please get in touch. You can contact me either by email; telephone on 0161 486 1359; or write to me at Hillson House, Gillbent Road, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 7LE. I also have twice-weekly advice surgeries on Mondays and Fridays, and can make home visits when requested. Please just call to make an appointment at your convenience.

Again, a Happy and successful 2010 to you and your family!

Best wishes,

Mark Hunter

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg today visited Stepping Hill Hospital and then came to lunch at the Village Hotel in Cheadle.As the Stockport Express reports:

Mr Clegg, himself a father of three young children, praised the way the new unit involved families, especially fathers, in the birthing process.

He said: “This neonatal unit is cutting edge. I would like to see units like this in every hospital up and down the country.

“Speaking not only as a politician, but also as a dad of three, it is fantastic to see the way children are catered for here.

“The maternity centres keep families involved from day one in the child’s life, which will benefit the child in every way as it grows up.

“By having families involved from an early stage, this hospital in Stockport is leading the way.”

Millions were invested in the maternity service to cope with the increasing number of births at the hospital.

The new unit, which has received the highest rating in the country, has three en suite parent bedrooms, a full kitchen, play facilities, two breastfeeding rooms and a transitional care unit for babies to stay with their mothers until they are fit enough to go home.

The Stockport Express today has a story about how the Lib Dems and Conservatives are neck-and-neck in Cheadle when it comes to the betting odds.

I guess it goes to show how quickly these things can change.  Perhaps it’s the admission from the Conservatives that they don’t think they can win Cheadle, but the odds are now favouring a Lib Dem victory in the General Election with Mark Hunter favourite to hold the seat.

Odds change over time, and you can see the latest for all UK parliamentary seats here.

Today the new way of assessing councils has been launched by the Government and the first reports are all online.

Unfortunately, they aren’t comparable to the old star ratings: they measure totally different things in totally different ways and have a different scoring system too.

Stockport’s reports are here (if the site is back up).

My one-sentence summary is that Stockport is healthy, green, safe and economically strong compared to others, but needs to do more to improve our poorer areas.

As with all assessments, there will be long arguments about whether it’s measuring the right things and whether it’s getting the right answers - both questions on which it’s too early for me to draw any conclusion.

People might also be confused by what the green and red flags mean.  “Green” is does not mean good.  It means that a service is exceptional and something special and different is being done that other Councils need to learn from.

In other words, many councils will be running good services, performing well and meeting the needs of local people without getting green flags (as is the case for Stockport).

The Conservatives have already said they will abolish the website if they come to power.

Today’s Times reports that the Conservatives are reining back their efforts in many seats to focus on their core targets, as the likelihood of a landslide victory recedes.  It gives Cheadle as an example of a seat the Conservatives no longer think they can win.

Cheadle, currently held by Liberal Democrats with a majority of just under 4,000, is among seats no longer regarded as likely to fall despite a well-funded, two-year campaign to woo key groups of voters. Party strategists privately admit that some incumbent MPs, particularly Lib Dems, are putting up fiercer-than-expected resistance.

Might have something to do with Cheadle having a fantasically hard-working Lib Dem MP in Mark Hunter, who’s been doing a great job representing us in Parliament and helping thousands of local people.

Ten days to save the cheque.  See my story on Lib Dem Voice and sign Mark Hunter’s petition on the Number 10 website.

Three of the seven areas inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were judged to be “performing excellently” and four were “performing well.” In addition the CQC said that all Stockport’s services for older and vulnerable people in 2008-09 consistently delivered above minimum requirements for local residents, were cost effective, and contributed to a better quality of life for local people and communities.

Strong partnership working with NHS Stockport was highlighted and the Council was also praised for its leadership and commissioning and use of resources. To view the full report please visit the CQC website.

Following the launch of the national annual ifs Young Business Writer of the Year competition, Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell has urged teenagers living in the Stockport area to get involved and say what they think about bankers pay and bonuses.

The banking crisis has had wide ranging effects on the UK and much has been said about the huge salaries and bonuses enjoyed by City bankers but up until now voices from younger generations have been left out.

That’s all set to change with the start of this competition which is open to all UK school and college students aged between 14 and 19 and enables them to test their writing skills by inviting them to come up with a 1,000 word article with the headline, “Bankers rewards - asking for trouble?” As well as the title “ifs Young Business Writer of the Year”, the winner will also receive a £500 cash prize.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell said:

“This competition offers teenagers a fantastic chance not only to hone their writing skills and get them thinking about banking and finance issues but also to have their voices heard on a wider level.

“I strongly urge bright and engaged youngsters from across the Stockport community to grab this opportunity with both hands.”

Rod McKee, Head of Financial Capability of the ifs School of Finance, said:

“We are pleased that Mr Stunell has highlighted some of the benefits of this popular competition and urged his constituents to submit an entry. Issues relating to bankers rewards can be complex and contentious so it will be interesting to read local teenagers views.”

Anyone aged between 14 and 19 who wishes to enter the competition simply has to e-mail their article (which must not exceed 1,000 words) to ybwy@ifslearning.ac.uk between now and the competition closing date of Monday 26 January 2009.

For more information please visit www.financialcapability.co.uk

As reported in the Manchester Evening News:

 only 749 people have made an appointment to enrol in Greater Manchester for an ID card.

That is around 0.04 per cent of the total eligible population of 1.8m in this ‘pilot’ area for the ID card scheme.

When will the Government admit they’ve got it wrong and stop wasting our money on this daft scheme.

From Mark’s website:

Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has launched a new campaign to “save the cheque” after growing concern over news that high street banks are planning to stop the use of cheques.

Yesterday (26 November) Mr Hunter tabled a cross-party Parliamentary motion which, just two hours after calling on other Members to sign it, had collected the signatures of over three dozen MPs including that of Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable.

Mark also challenged Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman, at Business Questions yesterday to remind the banks of their role in serving customers, and asked her to hold a debate on the issue.

Commenting, Mark Hunter MP said:

“Abolishing the cheque will cause great inconvenience to many people who rely on cheques as a means of payment - particularly many elderly people.

“This development is most unwelcome in its own right but taken together with the news on bank charges I think they amount to nothing less than a two-fingered gesture to the British public.

“What a way to say thanks after what we’ve done for them!”

Dear resident,

The last two months have been as busy as ever, both in Parliament and in the community tackling the issues that really count.

I have decided to make my email updates more concise and so they are easier to digest, but I have made sure there are links to different news stories on my website and as always any feedback would be gratefully received.  

One issue that has dominated Parliament and the country as a whole in recent months is that of MP’s expenses. For those who aren’t already aware, I publish my expenses on my own website on a quarterly basis. In addition I can confirm that I have not been asked to repay any money after the recent independent Legg enquiry into MP’s expenses. I have never made any claims on my family home in Bramhall and I do not employ any relatives. I will continue to campaign for greater openness, transparency and accountability – it is after all, public money we are talking about.

Recently, Sir David Kelly has produced a report about the expenses system with recommendations to restrict MPs’ allowances and improve the system - all of which I have welcomed - and I am now pushing the Government to implement these recommendations as soon as possible. It will be a difficult process to rebuild trust in politics, but we must start now.

Here is a summary of my activities in Parliament and in our community in recent weeks:

BAE Systems Woodford closure date announced; Prime Minister quizzed over battle for jobs in Woodford; consultation on site’s future is launched:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000542/bae_systems_woodford_to_close_in_2012.html

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000552/hunter_blasts_brown_over_bae_blunder.html

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000549/consultation_crucial_over_woodford_future.html

Stepping Hill Hospital Car Parking Charge campaign update – opposition to massive hike in car parking charges:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000546/nhs_parking_charge_announcement_is_a_move_forward.html

Giving my support to the Royal British Legion in their campaign for better conditions for our troops:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000544/local_mp_pledges_to_do_his_bit_for_british_armed_forces.html

Joining forces with Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell to raise awareness about Breast Cancer:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000554/stockport_mps_wear_it_pink.html

My reaction to the MP’s expenses scandal – and why the Government must put its House in order:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000562/government_must_put_its_house_in_order.html

Official opening of new college development at the Seashell Trust (formerly Royal School for the Deaf):

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000550/seashell_trust_students_celebrate_college_redevelopment.html

Why I am backing the National Autistic Society’s campaign for better access to employment for people with autism:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000555/harman_declines_opportunity_to_back_autism_campaign.html

Latest on the Equitable Life fiasco, and the fight for justice for local policyholders:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000556/government_fails_equitable_life_victims.html

Huge increase in rail fares criticised - and how rail services could be improved:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000564/189_rise_in_rail_fares_ridiculous_says_hunter.html

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000547/longer_franchises_will_put_stockport_on_the_right_track.html

Demands grow for action on climate change as Copenhagen Summit beckons:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000557/lib_dems_lead_the_way_on_1010_climate_change_campaign.html

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000559/letter_about_copenhagen_climate_change_summit.html

My recent visit to Auschwitz:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000558/local_mp_returns_from_harrowing_visit_to_auschwitz.html

Celebrating our local voluntary sector – why it’s a great asset to the community:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000560/local_mps_and_celebs_get_behind_national_volunteering_day.html

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000561/hunter_hails_stockports_free_advice_sector.html

New Cheadle & Gatley Councillor Iain Roberts elected as Lib Dems achieve another convincing win:

http://www.markhunter.org.uk/news/000541/hunter_hails_great_victory_for_new_councillor.html

As always I am eager to hear your views and if anybody has any new issues they would like me to take up either locally or in Parliament please get in touch. You can contact me either by email; telephone on 0161 486 1359; or write to me at Hillson House, Gillbent Road, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 7LE. I also have twice-weekly advice surgeries on Mondays and Fridays, and can make home visits when requested. Please just call to make an appointment at your convenience.

Chris Davies, our Liberal Democrat MEP, shares his views on Afghanistan and would like to know what you think. If I have time to think about it properly, I may be getting in touch.

The fraudulent elections held in Afghanistan, and the further death and
maiming of British soldiers serving in the country, have forced me to
think hard about the situation.  I have written to Nick Clegg to give
him my views and I want also to share them with readers of these
occasional LIB DEM NOTES.

I believe that our troops should be pulled off the front line in
Afghanistan. The justifications for their continuing presence seem to
vary with the day of the week and the desperation of the advocate.  I am
not convinced by any of them, and I don’t know how we would even
recognise a ‘victory’ if it were to be claimed.

Our people are part of a NATO contingent involving troops from many
nations (though our numbers are second only to the Americans) that has
the support of the United Nations.  But we are easily portrayed as an
occupying force in a foreign land, fighting for one side in a civil
war as crusading imperialists seeking to impose our cultural and
religious beliefs on others. Radical Muslim men rally to the cause of
our opponents in consequence.

As we seek to avoid casualties we fall back on the use of technology
that allows us to attack and bomb from afar; all too often killing
innocent Afghans.  Support we may briefly have enjoyed from local people
turns to hatred.  None of this helps to make Britain a safer place.

I bow to no-one in my detestation of the Taliban and the perversion of
Islam they use to justify their suppression of women’s rights.  I would
love to see the country transformed into a benevolent liberal democracy,
free from corruption and a champion of liberty.  But the recent
elections demonstrated how removed that vision is from reality.  If we
are fighting for Karzai’s government are we sure it is a cause worth the
effort?  We cannot use the treatment of Afghan women by Afghan men as an
excuse for military intervention any more than we would use it to
justify an attack on a country where genital mutilation is still
performed on female children.

In any case, genuine defeat of the Taliban may prove impossible whatever
resources and lives are thrown against them.  Its various local
commanders can withdraw in the face of overwhelming odds, only to return
when troop numbers have been reduced.  Individual fighters can cut their
beards, bury their weapons, and pose as hard working farmers – which
indeed is what they may be.  The weapons can be dug up again at any time.

We can continue to train Afghan soldiers, but the Taliban have a role to
play in the country’s future and we should talk with them.  Can that be
so much worse than dealing with our current allies, the cruel and
corrupt warlords who care not a jot for human rights?  Our money at
least buys us some influence with the warlords; perhaps its provision
for development purposes can also be used to persuade the Taliban to
keep Al Qaida at a distance and curb the worst excesses of their
treatment of women.

To make Britain a safer place we have to win hearts and minds in the
Muslim world.  We have to address the causes of grievance used by our
opponents to bring people to their side.  Our attack on Iraq did us
great damage.  Our involvement in Afghanistan risks doing the same.  The
failure of Europe as a whole to address the injustice experienced by
Palestinians is a source of anger amongst Muslims that we consistently
underestimate.  We should learn our lessons.

Yes, we must be prepared to use force to defend our values when
necessary, but military action can only be taken when the objective is
clear.  That is very far from the case in Afghanistan.  We should
not allow more soldiers to be killed and maimed because politicians here
are too unwilling to lose face, too embarrassed to admit that lives have
been lost in vain, or too weak to challenge orthodoxy within NATO.

Afghanistan has defeated Britain in the past.  It has defeated the
Russians.  The present campaign is not going to result in a triumph for
America or its British and other allies.  If our troops are to remain
there it should be only to provide support and training for Afghans.
They should not be on the frontline.

I would welcome your views.

CHRIS DAVIES MEP

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today challenged Gordon Brown at Prime Minister’s Questions on planned cuts to Housing Benefit.

Current Government plans are to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants where their rent is lower than the rate of the allowance. This would see some of the poorest families in the country up to £780 a year worse off.

Nick asked:

“How is it possible that in the middle of a recession, with unemployment now at two and a half million and rising, this Government, a Labour Government, wants to change the local housing allowance rules to take £15 a week from some of the poorest families in Britain?”

From Mark Hunter’s website:

Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has welcomed the recommendations from the Kelly report into MP’s expenses and urged the Government to implement the recommendations as soon as possible.

The Kelly report was an independent enquiry setup to recommend reports to MP’s expenses after the scandal earlier this year. It proposes several changes such as not allowing MPs to claim for mortgages, a ban on employing relatives, and reduced travel claims.

Mark has never claimed on his family home in Bramhall, has not been asked to repay any money by the Sir Thomas Legg enquiry, and publishes his own expenses on a regular basis on his own website.

Mr Hunter has also signed a special parliamentary motion, which calls for the implementation of all of Sir Christopher Kelly’s recommendations at the earliest possible opportunity, without amendment.

Commenting, Mark Hunter MP said:

“Parliament must seize this opportunity to put its House in order. Now is the time for real change - none of this political posturing we have heard in the past - it is time for action. We must accept these recommendations lock, stock and barrel.

“Voters have rightly been outraged at the misuse of taxpayers’ money by a significant number of MPs who purport to serve the people. Our country and our local communities deserve better.

“I have long campaigned for greater transparency and that is why I opposed attempts by some MPs to make themselves exempt from Freedom of Information (FOI) requirements.

“It is a tragedy that the actions of some MPs have tarnished the image and reputation of Parliament as a whole. It will take a long time to restore faith and trust in politics, and we must start that important work now.”

I’ve received this from Andrew Stunell, Lib Dem MP in the neighbouring constituency of Hazel Grove

The Government is set to cut nearly £800 from the budgets of some of Stockport’s poorest people in April, according to Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell.

Government plans to alter the Local Housing Allowance could leave low-income families up to £780 a year worse off. At the moment, families receiving Local Housing Allowance (LHA) are able to keep up to £15 a week if they choose a home with a rent below the Local Housing Allowance’s maximum for their area. Chancellor Alistair Darling now proposes removing the £15 a week payment from April next year.

Estimates indicate that around half of all the people receiving LHA pay a contractual rent that is lower than the LHA maximum rate. This means that over 1,500 people in the borough will lose out as a result.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell said:

“£15 per week may seem like small change to Government Ministers, but for local families struggling to make ends meet this money is important.

“The government has a track record in secretly raising taxes for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Now they want to take away a vital source of their income just like that.

“Cutting this scheme will save very little money, if any at all, but will make a huge difference to local families budgets. This is irresponsible behaviour from Labour during a recession, and Gordon Brown has once again abandoned the people who need the most help.”

Now Mr Stunell is joining with other Liberal Democrat MPs to press the Government for a rethink.

Mark Hunter today questioned Gordon Brown over the Woodford BAE plant at Prime Minister’s Question Time.

To see Mark in action, go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8306561.stm and, on the video, go to 31:20.

Mark’s question:

“The RAF have identified the need for three further aircraft to replace Nimrod R1 spyplanes.  New Nimrods built in my constituency Woodford, which the Govt has already invested £3.6 billion in are ideal the task.  Could he therefore explain why his Government has chosen instead to buy 40 year old American aircraft and how that ties in to his commitment to British jobs to british workers.”

Gordon Brown’s reply:

“I can tell him we haven’t made a final decision on the next stage of orders and I will write to him when we do so.”

Mark Hunter has had his letter from Sir Thomas Legg and has not been asked to pay anything back.  Mark has published his expenses on his website for some time and will continue to do so.

An email I received from Vince Cable this afternoon:

Dear Iain,

Please help me spread the word about the Liberal Democrat solution to the most important issue facing Britain today.

Britain has suffered from an economic heart attack. How to treat the symptoms of our ailing economy will be the dominant issue at the coming General Election.

This afternoon, I made a speech setting out just what the Liberal Democrats would do on this crucial issue. We must make taxes fairer and fix the distortions that disfigure our economy.

You can watch my speech in full here or read it here. But a speech from a Conference platform is never enough.

I need you to help spread the word.

People say the more they hear from the Liberal Democrats, the more they like us.

So please help me spread the word by forwarding on this email to five people you know who will be interested.

There is a simple way to forward this email: Forward to a Friend.

Your support for the Liberal Democrats is appreciated more than ever.

Yours sincerely,

Vince Cable MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor