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Update from Joan Walley MP

Posted by Joan Walley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, at 14:01, Mon 27 September 2010:

I am writing to bring you up to date with my work in what will be a challenging year ahead.

As your elected representative to Parliament, I shall be speaking up in Parliament and doing all I can to get the policies we need in Stoke-on-Trent North. Given the Coalition Government's stated intention of reducing the public debt at all costs, it is important that I set out what my priorities for my work are. I shall be concentrating on what can be done, all the time keeping in touch with constituents and those working here in whatever capacity to make our constituency the place we want it to be.

To date, my agenda includes:

Ensuring Stoke-on-Trent’s Building Schools for the Future Programme funding remains on course. I want to be satisfied that the detailed plans drawn up by the Council conform to the highest environmental standards in the design, and have regard to existing sports facilities on school sites.

Focusing on maintaining European funding, and securing regeneration funding under the new government Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) regime. There is no guarantee that the application that is made will receive government support. Yet accessing this 'regional pot' is essential for our constituency. I have met and shown support for those in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire who are responsible for making this bid, and am working with local MPs to press our case to government.

For me, it's about what we need to do to get the jobs, the skills and the training we need in Stoke on Trent and across North Staffordshire.

For whatever reasons, the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership- NSRP- is no more, and we have to move on. Local leaders need to urgently consider what this means.

My priorities are to build on the foundations of the sustainable federation of the six towns, and local neighbourhoods. Yes we need a vibrant business centre for Stoke-on-Trent as a whole, but our conurbation's future should not be exclusively retail in Hanley, and any investment into the business district centre of Hanley should allow for the individual towns of the Potteries to play their part. Burslem cannot be overlooked, and it is as vital as ever that the private sector and the Council jointly build on what has been achieved so far to safeguard Burslem.

My priorities are that they continue the Townscape Heritage and European funding for the Burslem town centre and find a beneficial use for the Wedgwood Institute and adjacent buildings to promote local craftsmen and women. Any LEP bid must support existing employers in the town, create new jobs (ceramics sector/ SMEs/ environmental technologies/ tourism/NHS services) and bringing footfall into the town. The aim is to make Burslem viable and promote it as a place of quality for people to live, work and visit. The original masterplan set out a coordinated vision for the town centre, linked to the Middleport canal area through the town centre, park- already boosted by the £2million Heritage Lottery Fund grant - right up to Port Vale's community stadium with its enterprise units, children's centre and football in the community programme. It is important that this is a fundamental part of the new LEP strategy.

The local authorities have commenced work on the next phase of the Local Transport Plan, and it is vital that the integrated public transport needs of this constituency are reflected in this. I want to see an emphasis on sustainable transport planning, investment in public transport, including direct and regular rail links through local stations- Longport and Kidsgrove- to Manchester Airport, cross country destinations east and west, destinations to and from the North/South, including London and Manchester, and connection to the proposed high speed rail link, for local bus services to connect to these, and for a policy which encourages safe cycling and walking where appropriate. Yes we need a new bus station in Stoke-on-Trent, but one which is functional, effective and linked to a transport hub, not gold plated at the expense of other spending commitments.

I also want to see urgent consideration of how to safeguard non-statutory basic services vital to health and well being- and here I include swimming facilities. I have asked Stoke-on-Trent Council to set out for me exactly what it has done so far to safeguard the future of public swimming and I cannot condone closure of well loved pools in the absence of any alternative strategy. I am hopeful that the Council will respond positively to the responses given to me by the Swimming Association, Lottery and Heritage Lottery Fund that they will work with Stoke-on-Trent Council to address the urgent problems we face given the earlier proposals to close Tunstall and Shelton. Generations of committed citizens have fought for and used these facilities, and we cannot allow pools to close at the say so of accountants oblivious to the contribution these facilities make to health, well being and sporting excellence in our city.

Fortunately, the swimming facilities in Kidsgrove seem assured.

Other local issues include;- how to ensure a sports facilities strategy for all sport; how to invest in communities – such as Smallthorne wanting to secure Renew funding; what we do with local centres, and how we access the lottery funding etc across the constituency; the regeneration, capital investment and maintenance in public parks, including Tunstall, and keeping watch on housing issues - whether standard of repair, new build, refurbishment and energy efficiency improvements to older buildings using the CESP programme. Local councillors have an important role here if we are to match central funding available with local initiatives.

Alongside input into the local agenda, and doing all I can to impress upon the local decision-makers that they should have regard to the views expressed to me by constituents when drawing up their plans, I will have to deal with the issues arising from the Coalition Government's soon to be announced Comprehensive Spending Review, as well as to changes to policies already announced – e.g. on council house tenure, rules relating to eligibility for incapacity benefit, changed commissioning procedures for NHS healthcare etc. Fortunately Cobridge new health centre is now under construction.

To help me understand the impact locally I am doing what I can to get fully briefed although I am all too aware that many who would normally have provided this briefing are themselves at risk from job cuts in the public sector.

As well, I want to support local groups in respect of the community, sport and cultural work they do. For example, I have contributed to the Coalfield Communities Review, and continued to work closely with the Big Lottery Fund and others to make the case for continuing funding streams to benefit this constituency.

Recent examples of where this is making a difference include UK Swimming Association £50,000 funds to help upgrade Holden Lane Swimming Pool for school and community use, confirmation of Big Lottery Funding for Chell Heath and Fegg Hayes, recent completion of environmental resource at Westport Lake, full take up of Carbon Trust management programme funding by Stoke on Trent Council, ward walkabout in Butt Lane relating to Aspire, and planned meetings with Stoke-on-Trent MPs regarding funding for Stoke-on-Trent College with the Business Minister. In respect of Parliament, the Environmental Audit Select Committee of the House of Commons is now up and running, scrutinising the government's record on environmental and sustainable development issues. I am proud to have been elected to chair this by my colleagues and intend that my committee will play a vital role. Anyone interested in our work will be able to follow our inquiries on the Parliamentary website http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-archive/environmental-audit-committee/eacom/

I will be looking to balance my time between Westminster and constituency, I continue to use the IPSA funding to run a constituency office, staffed to deal on my behalf with local queries, casework, and to be a point of contact.

Parliament returned on September 6. First on the agenda was a Bill to reduce the number of Parliamentary constituencies, and to introduce a referendum on voting methods. There will be further Bills, debates, and the daily round of Question Times to government ministers. These are often the best opportunities I have to raise topical matters of concern arising from the casework, questions and issues raised with me by constituents.

For those who take an interest in what our Parliament is debating, and want to visit, or give me your views, please do get in touch. The more people who understand the detailed workings of the House of Commons, the better informed people are to play a constructive role in our precious democracy.

Finally in the weeks leading up to Christmas I shall be introducing a private members Bill on November 12 to set a code of practice to apply to any public sector food bought using taxpayers' money e.g. that in the NHS, Armed Forces, schools, prisons. This has developed from my work in the constituency and one indirect benefit, were it to get onto the statute book, would be a spotlight on tableware. The main purpose of my Bill is to ensure publicly procured food meets appropriate standards, helps maintain local economies and is there to promote good health rather than ill health - leading to savings in the long term.

I very much value the ongoing support and engagement I have with so many constituents, businesses and groups operating in this constituency. Whether you have contacted me in the past as an employer, official, resident, community, trade union or faith leader, or worked with me as a professional with a national dimension to your work, I value the supporting role you play.

My purpose in contacting you now is to keep you informed of the work I am doing and to ask for your active engagement the months ahead to help me deliver for the people I am elected to represent. If you have any suggestions as to how we can better work together please do let me know.

Please forgive the length of this post but I thought it important to give you a full flavour of what I will be working on in the year ahead.

To keep up-to-date with my work please log onto my website at www.joanwalleymp.org.uk

Many thanks.

Joan Walley MP