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News from Your Local MP

Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 14:10, Fri 1 July 2011:

WELCOME!

Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter.

TOWN GREEN DECISION

Last month Bristol City Council’s Public Rights of Way Committee took a decision on whether a 42 acre site in Ashton Vale should be registered as a town green. As many of you will be aware, Bristol City Football Club has plans to build a stadium on part of this site. The Committee recommended that the southern section should become a town green. They decided that the northern part of the site, which includes land where the stadium would be, does not meet the statutory test required for it to be a village green.

WILD ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES

Many local residents have been in touch with me over the past fortnight to raise their concerns about the Government’s recent decision not to ban the use of wild animals in circuses. The previous Labour Government held a public consultation on this issue which saw 94% of respondents supporting a ban. Labour pledged to introduce a ban and I had hoped the new Coalition Government would take this forward after the general election but, following a year’s delay, they announced in May their intention to bring in a licensing scheme instead. Last week the issue was debated by MPs in the House of Commons and such was the support for a ban that the motion was approved without the need for a formal vote. I sincerely hope the Government will now think again on this matter.

BOTSWANA CONFERENCE

I have just returned from a short visit to Botswana, having been invited by The Speaker of the Botswana Parliament to speak at a Conference to Botswana MPs about parliamentary reform. It was a long way to travel for just a few days, but the ties between Botswana and Britain are very close, and the visit was very worthwhile. Botswana's history of free elections, open debate in Parliament and respect for human rights is recognised in Africa and beyond, but Parliaments in democracies all over the world face similar challenges: the need to exercise real and not merely symbolic scrutiny of the executive; to ensure that our Parliaments are the true forum for national political debate; and to ensure that we are relevant to the citizens who elect us.

Like the UK, the Botswana Parliament has too few women MPs and so the sharing of ideas and experience around how to get more women into Parliament was highly valuable. The Conference enabled us to discuss our common aims and various strategies we have followed. Parliaments across the world are beginning to make similar changes to become more accessible and relevant, and the UK is no exception.

AN ITA FOR GREATER BRISTOL?

I was very pleased that the Evening Post has launched a campaign in favour of an Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) for the greater Bristol area. I have long been a supporter of such a body which would give us a stronger voice and more control over our local transport services. As we all know, traffic congestion is a big problem in our city and surrounding areas and we need a better public transport network to provide a viable and attractive alternative to the private car. It has been disappointing that our neighbouring local authorities have not been in favour of establishing an ITA previously – perhaps the Evening Post’s campaign will encourage them to think again.

MEETINGS ROUND UP

Over the past few weeks I have attended various events in Westminster including: hosting a reception for the new Bristol Local Enterprise Partnership; attending briefings held by First Great Western and Airbus; dropping into to a reception held by CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and I also went along to an launch event for Mencap’s “Stand By Me” campaign which focuses on improving justice outcomes for crimes committed against people because of their learning disability. I was also pleased to be able to pop into a couple of anniversary events - the 40th anniversary celebration for the charity, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and a special reception to mark 50 years of the Wild Wildlife Fund (WWF).

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any queries about these issues, or have a question you would like to ask about anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Just email me at dawn.primarolo.mp@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH.