Marking International Women's Day
Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 09:40, Fri 9 March 2012:
This week, we’ve marked the 101st anniversary of international women’s day with a debate in parliament, and the publication of Labour’s new report on women’s safety. The report makes worrying reading: cuts to refuges for women fleeing domestic violence, cuts to police, cuts to programmes in schools to educate young people about the unacceptability of sexual abuse and violence, and even the news just this week that there’s to be a huge cut to funding for the railways, with potential reductions in staff numbers at stations, leaving many women anxious about travelling at night. All this is a real worry for women concerned about their personal safety.
The government did announce a new stalking law, but it doesn’t really do anything to strengthen existing harassment legislation – which has proven totally ineffective in getting convictions for the 120,000 stalking incidents that take place each year. Labour will be proposing amendments next week in the House of Lords to toughen the law.
But Ministers did agree to take forward Hazel Blears’ suggestion of a legal right to know if a partner has a previous history of violence, with pilots starting this summer, including with Greater Manchester Police.
This week also saw a mass lobby of parliament by organisations and individuals worried about the future of long-term care for elderly and disabled people. I was visited in parliament by Janet, a constituent who is deaf-blind and receives 47 hours of support each week from workers who help her to communicate. Janet’s very concerned that cuts by Trafford Council to social care budgets might lead to her receiving reduced support. That would leave her isolated, unable to get out and about to the groups and activities she’s involved in.
The manager of a local care provider also attended the lobby, and came to speak to me. He told me there are real concerns that care providers simply won’t be able to afford to keep going if Trafford’s cuts go through as planned. Staff will be asked to take pay cuts – which means many will be forced to give up their jobs, and quality of care will be compromised.
My visitors asked me to write to the Prime Minister about the crisis in care, and I agreed – this is a really important issue. As one respondent to the Council’s consultation said, “I think it is a disgrace that they are singling out the people who most need help”.
Just to show how varied this job can be, this week I also participated in a debate about water services. The government is putting through a very limited bill to allow customers in the south west to get help with water bills and to allow Thames Water to build a new tunnel for sewage.
No help for hard-pressed North West customers who may be struggling with their bills. And no help for people in Urmston whose lives have been turned upside down by the concrete blockage in the sewer that’s closed Flixton Road for weeks.
Finally, in another debate this week, I raised concerns about cuts to funding for the Greater Manchester Fire Service. Metropolitan fire services are suffering huge funding cuts, while shire county services serving more rural areas may in some cases actually be getting grant increases.
That’s unfair, and reckless. Anyone can see that with the Trafford Centre, Trafford Park, Old Trafford football and cricket grounds, not to mention the M60 all in the constituency, we’ve got some very high-risk venues locally, in very built up areas. How can it be sensible or responsible for the government to cut funding for services for areas like ours?
If you are subscribed to HearFromYourMP in this constituency,
log in to post a reply.
Otherwise, if you live in the UK,
sign up in order to
HearFromYourMP.