Aidan Burley MP <news@aidanburleymp.org> To: <news@aidanburleymp.org> Reply-To: <news@aidanburleymp.

org> News Bulletin from Aidan Burley MP #73

24 October 2013 12:12

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In this edition:
Aidan Burley MPs Diary Website of the week: Scuba Pursuits Cannock Aidan organises Hednesford drop in session on Chase Line electrification Aidan joins school for Harvest Festival celebrations Aidan welcomes fall in crime Do you run your own small business? Photo news: Rawnsley residents visit Aidan at Westminster Aidan welcomes new help for hardworking motorists Burley welcomes extension of Equitable Life payment scheme How to contact Aidan Burley MP

Issue 73 Thursday 24th October 2013

Since the last edition, Aidan has:

Questioned the Health Secretary on the number of people in the West Midlands who have received funding from the Governments Cancer Drugs Fund. Met with local Head Teacher Paul Bennett and his Chair of Governors, and the County Council Cabinet Member for Education, to discuss the need for additional school places in the area. Visited Chancel Primary School, to join them for their Harvest Festival and also to support their bid to the Lloyds TSB Community Fund for 3,000 to develop their links with the local community. Welcomed two groups of residents from Rawnsley to Westminster for a tour of Parliament and a question and answer session. Questioned the Education Minister on the number of two to four year-olds in Staffordshire who are currently eligible for a funded early education place and on future eligibility following the Governments reforms to childcare. You can see all of Aidans Parliamentary Questions and the responses here.

Website of the week:

Scuba Pursuits Cannock

www.scubapursuits.com/SCUBApursuits%20-%20Cannock-U66

Located just 10 minutes off the M6, between J11 and J12, SCUBApursuits Dive Centre in Cannock includes massive scuba showroom, rapid turnaround equipment servicing, air gun loft, two multimedia classrooms, full air, nitrox and trimix filling station and is also home to their group head office facility. Aidan can confirm from his Try Scuba dive last Sunday that the team pride themselves on being super friendly and approachable, whether youre a fresh faced novice or snorkeller just starting out or a well seasoned salty sea dog! Go try em!

Aidan organises Hednesford drop in session on Chase Line electrification

Aidan is pleased to announce that he has arranged with Network Rail to hold an additional public 'drop in' session, at Hednesford, on the 30m Chase Line electrification project. The session will be held on Saturday 23rd November 2013 between 10am - 2pm at the Tesco Supermarket located at Victoria Street in Hednesford, and follows on from similar sessions held earlier this month in Cannock, Rugeley and Walsall. Aidan worked to secure this additional date after hearing about concerns from Hednesford Town Council and others that local people in Hednesford were not being kept fully informed about the multimillion pound project. Official figures show that Hednesford is the second busiest station on the Chase Line and experienced an 18% increase in passengers in 2011/12 and now generates nearly 180,000 passenger journeys a year. This 'drop in' session will allow the public and businesses an opportunity to meet Network Rail staff and find out more about the project and the benefits it will bring to the town's residents and businesses. While the Chase Line electrification project had been a longstanding aspiration of local authorities along the route for over 20 years, it was only following Aidan's personal intervention in organising an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on 14 June 2012, where he directly argued the business case to the then Rail Minister, Theresa Villiers MP, that funding for this important transport project was secured. Following the debate Aidan immediately secured a private meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and further put the business case to him for the 30 million of funding required, which the Treasury would need to give to the Department of Transport to fund the scheme. Commenting today, Aidan said: "I am delighted that after twenty years of well-meaning but unsuccessful attempts by others to deliver this project, my personal intervention led to 30m of Government funds being secured to deliver this important scheme. I am proud to have taken practical steps to turn this dream into a reality. Electrifying the Chase line will transform journeys for my constituents who catch the train to work or visit Birmingham for leisure, and marks the biggest improvement to passenger services since the line was reopened in 1989. I welcome Network Rail's agreement to hold this additional 'drop in' session at Tesco in Hednesford and would encourage all my constituents to attend." Hednesford is also the location for two of the bridge reconstruction works that are due to commence after Christmas at Station Road, Hednesford and on the access road to the Chase Enterprise Centre. Electrification will be delivered by December 2017. Network Rail staff will be on hand to talk to the public as well as providing information material and fact sheets. The session will take place in the foyer of the Tesco Supermarket in Hednesford. Full address: Hednesford Superstore, Victoria Street, Hednesford, Staffs, WS12 1BT.

Aidan joins school for Harvest Festival celebrations

Aidan with staff and pupils from Chancel Primary School in Rugeley for their special Harvest Festival assembly. Chase MP Aidan Burley earlier this week joined pupils, parents and staff at Chancel Primary School in Rugeley to watch their special Harvest Festival assembly. Aidan watched impressive musical performances and heard poems especially written by the pupils for the occasion. Aidan was particularly taken aback by the generosity of the donated food hampers which were given to local sheltered houses for their elderly residents to enjoy. Aidan also used the visit to give his support to the Schools bid for 3,000 of funding from the Lloyds TSB Community Fund. If successful the school hope to use the funds to increase their involvement with local community groups by hosting coffee mornings, special assemblies, and performances which will encourage a wider participation by their pupils and their parents. They also hope to develop their wildlife garden into a community space, including seating and a community notice board. Speaking after his visit Aidan said: I was absolutely delighted to be able to join the school for such a special assembly, and I was extremely impressed with all the hard work that had evidently gone into preparing for the Harvest Festival celebrations. Events like this are simply not possible without the whole school community working together; parents, pupils and teachers alike, and it was a joy to see. I would also like to pay tribute to the pupils, parents, staff and governors for the excellent work they are doing to make the school an integral part of the local community. To help support them even further in this cause, I would strongly encourage local people in Cannock Chase to support their bid for funding from the Lloyds TSB Community Fund. The Lloyds TSB Community Fund vote is now open and runs until 1st November 2013. You can vote for the School by visiting www.communityfund.lloydsbank.com or by texting VOTE KMTA to 61119. Voting is open to all members of the public and they do not have to be a customer of Lloyds Bank.

Aidan welcomes fall in crime

Aidan has once again paid tribute to the police in Staffordshire after figures released today by the Office of National Statistics show that recorded crime in the county has fallen by 8 per cent in the year to June 2013. Over the last three years, recorded crime in Staffordshire has fallen by 20 per cent. Recorded crime nationally is down by more than ten per cent under this Government, and the crime survey says that crime has more than halved since its peak in 1995. Commenting, Aidan said: "Staffordshire Police are continuing to step up to the challenge of providing value for money and this further fall in crime is testament to the hard work of all those who work at the force who do so much to keep our communities safe. "England and Wales are safer than they have been for decades but it is, of course, important that the Government continue to deliver measures which keep pace with the changing nature of crime and improve our ability to combat emerging issues."

Do you run your own small business?

Karren Brady has recently become the Conservatives Small Business Ambassador and has launched a small business programme to listen to concerns and promote the interests of entrepreneurs all over Britain. You can learn more about her work here. Karren Brady will be in regular contact with the businesses that sign up and they will be invited to meet her when she visits the area. So Aidan is encouraging local businesses to sign up and encourage Karren Brady to come to Cannock Chase!

Photo news:

Rawnsley residents visit Aidan at Westminster

Aidan answering questions from a group of residents from Rawnsley during their visit to the House of Commons last week.

Aidan welcomes new help for hardworking motorists

A new raft of measures to cut the cost of running a car, including a crackdown on whiplash fraud, a freeze on MOT test prices and a pilot scheme to reduce the cost of fuel at motorway service stations has been welcomed by Chase MP Aidan Burley. Average motor insurance premiums have already fallen by more than 12 per cent over the past year, equivalent to a 80 reduction on an average policy, because of Conservative action to cut excessive lawyers fees and to ban the referral fees which helped create a compensation culture. Commenting, Aidan said: Conservatives have already helped hardworking people by cutting income tax for 25 million and helping with tax-free childcare. Petrol is now 13p per litre cheaper than it would have been because Conservatives have cancelled the rises in fuel duty which Labour had planned. But there is more that can still be done. Thats why I welcome this new package of measures to keep insurance premiums low, freeze the cost of a MOT test and make it easier to get cheaper petrol on the motorway. We are on the side of people who work hard and want to get on, and these changes will make things easier for motorists in Cannock Chase. Roads Minister Robert Goodwill MP said: The costs of owning and running a car are felt by millions of households and businesses across the nation. The Government is determined to help keep those costs down. That is why we are freezing the price for an MOT test and looking again at the costs associated with getting a driving licence.

Burley welcomes extension of Equitable Life payment scheme

Aidan has welcomed the recent decision by the Government to extend the Equitable Life Payment Scheme (ELPS) to 2015, and has called on his constituents in Cannock Chase who may be eligible to contact the scheme. The last Labour Government sought to evade responsibility and then tried to block the Ombudsman from launching an investigation, despite failings being identified as far back as 2004. However, because of pressure from Aidan and other Conservative MPs, the present Government set up a compensation scheme in 2011 that has seen policyholders already receive 734 million. The Government is now extending the scheme to make sure as many Equitable Life policy holders as possible receive the payment they are due for the injustice they suffered when the insurance company came close to collapse in 2000. The scheme had previously been due to close in April 2014. Commenting Aidan said: "In my view it is one of the most shameful actions of the last government that they failed to fully compensate those who had been affected by failings in the regulatory overview. Along with my colleagues, I pledged that we would not repeat their mistakes and I am proud that, within the financial constraints placed upon us by the last administration, we were able to fulfil that pledge. "I fully appreciate that this saga has been immensely distressing for a number of my constituents, and while I welcome the strong progress made so far, it is vital that all of those people eligible receive payments. Extending the scheme to 2015 will help to maximise the number of people who receive their payment from ELPS, and I would encourage all local people who think they may be eligible to contact the scheme." Constituents who think they may be eligible should contact the scheme on 0300 0200 150.

5 ways to contact Aidan Burley MP:

By Phone: 01543 502 447 By email: aidan.burley.mp@parliament.uk By post: Aidan Burley MP 6 High Green Court, Newhall Street Cannock, WS11 1GR In person: Click here for details of how to book an appointment at Aidan Burley MPs regular help and advice surgeries.

www.aidanburleymp.org

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