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Newsletter October 2013

Posted by Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, at 14:51, Fri 4 October 2013:

Dear Subscriber,

I am sorry my October newsletter is a few days late. I have just returned from the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester which accounted for the delay. For my take on the conference please click here (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot%E2%80%99s-diary-party-conference) , I’ve written a bit about the Prime Minister’s speech and in particular the issue of benefits for young people. However, for me, the most important thing we heard from the PM, in his fifty minute speech, was the link he made between the cost of living and the growth of the economy.

Labour has made a bit of headway in the last month on the cost of living (although I’m delighted to note, of course, that the poll lead they built up has been dashed away according to a You Gov poll for the Sun today). The Labour argument is twofold: one that the economy is, they admit through gritted teeth, turning the corner, but people are still earning less than they were pre-crisis. And secondly, that the recovery is only benefitting the people already on high incomes.

On the first, well figures out today show that Britain is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Figures for the last quarter show Britain growing at the strongest pace for 16 years. One almost feels sympathy for Balls, the economic "policy" he has foisted on the Opposition for the last three years now lies in tatters.

But back to the central argument. Incomes will always lag as we emerge from one of the worst recessions this country has ever faced. One of the reasons this recession was so bad was the huge level of debt, not just government debt, but household debt that was built up during the boom years. Both families and small businesses have been in a process of paying down debt over the last few years so spending has been depressed and wages likewise.

The other reason for pressure on incomes is that this recession has been unlike any of its forerunners in that there was little increase in unemployment. In a lot of private companies I know people accepted a wage freeze, or even a wage cut, in order to avoid redundancies. That has been very true of some family run firms I know in the Black Country who really care about their staff. So of course wages have been depressed; but Labour never explain this, flat or reduced incomes are just a handy line of attack for them. (Actually it is up to us to put these points across hence my rather over long introduction...)

Secondly, having been forced to accept that the economy is now recovering, Labour allege that this is a recovery from which only the ‘haves’ will benefit. The ‘have nots,’ those on minimum wage or in low paid work, will be left behind. Well I’ve got news for Labour; not by this Chancellor they won’t be. George Osborne is totally committed to the government doing absolutely everything to help support those out of work in to work and to support those in low paid jobs in to better paid work.

That is why the government have taken 2.2 million people out of income tax altogether, cut taxes for 25 million people by an average of £600 per year, frozen fuel duty, is forcing energy companies to put customers on the lowest tariff, have provided record numbers of apprenticeships and is making it easier for young people to get on the housing ladder with the Help to Buy scheme.

None of this would be possible without the steady economic policy that has been pursued by the Chancellor. As I said to voters on the doorstep in 2010, if you elect us we will restore sanity to the public finances; we cannot carry on borrowing £1 for every £4 we are spending. Most of them agreed with me, and despite the very difficult decisions we have had to make as a government, most of them still agree.

So the PM was absolutely right, you cannot have rising living standards without wealth creation and economic growth. And the other crucial point to come out of our conference last week was that there is so much more work to be done, we are not half way there yet but the economy really is heading in the right direction. Confidence has returned.

---I asked questions and I spoke in debates on:---

---I wrote to ministers on the following subjects:---

  • Nick Boles, Planning minister, about changing planning regulations to allow councils to have a say on all developments, regardless of whether they are classified as permitted developments.

  • Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Justice, regarding claiming legal aid overseas.

  • Norman Lamb, Care Minister, about how the Government plans to help local authorities improve support for adults with autism and their families

  • Hugh Robertson, Minister for Tourism, about the high cost of holidays and travel during school holidays.

  • Elizabeth Truss, Education Minister, regarding changes to the AQA English GCSE examination halfway through the course.

  • Steve Webb, DWP Minister, on behalf of a constituent concerned about the Child Support Agency.

  • Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, regarding the Friends and Family test, which is used to rate particular hospital wards, and the way results are being interpreted.

  • Anna Soubry, health Minister, on behalf of a constituent to ask what action the Government is taking to support people with endometriosis.

  • Damian Green, Justice Minister, about changes to how children are supported by our criminal justice system.

  • Earl Howe, Health Minister, to update him on my campaign to allow generic asthma inhalers to be kept in schools.

---I attended various events and had meetings in and around Parliament:---

  • A Save the Children dinner to discuss the UK’s foreign aid commitments.

  • A reception to launch the ‘Alternative Review into the High Street’.

  • A Spectator magazine podcast recording about the UK’s aviation capacity.

  • The Institute of Directors Annual Convention. It was fascinating to hear so many speakers from the Government and from businesses.

I also attended the Conservative Party Conference, which was held in Manchester. I participated in a wide variety of events:

  • A reception for West Midlands Conservative Party members, at which the Prime Minister spoke.

  • An NHS Confederation breakfast to discuss the future of older people’s care.

  • An event to discuss the challenges facing the Conservative Party at the next election.

  • A Business for New Europe event to discuss EU reform and whether Britain’s economic future lies as part of the EU.

  • Receptions hosted by Sky News and the Spectator Magazine.

  • Visiting various charity exhibition stalls, including Cancer Research UK and Parkinson’s UK, to learn more about their work.

  • A Conservative Europe Group event about the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU.

  • A Policy Exchange event about SME lending and how to fund small businesses.

  • Meetings with both Toyota and the Local Government Association, to discuss their current work on hybrid cars and public service reform respectively.

---Out and about in Stourbridge---

I visited several organisations and held meetings in Stourbridge as follows:

  • I attended a meeting of the Stourbridge Conservative Association and was very proud to be formally re-selected as their candidate for the 2015 General Election.

  • I spent a day shadowing staff at Russells Hall Hospital. I welcomed the chance to see firsthand what goes on in a busy hospital to understand the realities of the NHS.

  • Some patients in Stourbridge are referred to the QE in Birmingham for treatment so I visited the QE and met CEO Dame Julie Moore to discuss their service outside Birmingham.

  • I attended a governors meeting of Redhill School and reported on my area which is children with special needs to the board.

  • Opening the new-look Post Office branch on Stourbridge High Street. It was great to see how the branch has been modernised for local residents and I was very interested to learn about the new conversation area at the back of the branch for customers to discuss financial services discretely. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-officially-opens-new-look-stourbridge-post-office)

  • Attending a one-stop shop sight loss event hosted by the Thomas Pocklington Trust to learn about the range of support and information available locally for people with sight problems.

  • Visiting the newly launched Castle & Crystal Credit Union desk at Stourbridge Library to mark the 20^th anniversary of the credit union. It is important to encourage people to borrow only what they can afford to repay, which Castle & Crystal focuses on, so I was delighted to welcome them to Stourbridge on their first day in our library. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-supports-launch-local-credit-union-service)

  • Visiting FlexEJ, a manufacturer of engineered and standard products in Lye, to discuss their recent use of export finance and tour their factory. I was really pleased to hear that the Bond Support Scheme has helped FlexEJ to fund a contract in the Middle East. I also invited them to attend the Stourbridge Careers Day that I am hosting in October for pupils from Stourbridge schools (please see below for more information or to sign up). Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot-james-visits-local-manufacturer)

  • I was given a tour of Stourbridge’s new 24 hour Tesco superstore. I was very impressed with the design, spaciousness and also with the three hours free parking that will be offered to visitors, regardless of whether they shop at Tesco.

  • Meeting with Simon Hall, a Director of the BeActive Partnership, to discuss ways of regenerating existing sport facilities for young people in Stourbridge. I am also interested in providing more local sporting facilities for people with disabilities. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot-james-pushes-improvement-local-sports-facilities)

  • Officially launching a local sponsored walk organised by Amblecote Dental Care Practice. The six mile walk raised hundreds of pounds for the Mouth Cancer Foundation and I was very pleased to hear that it marked the Practice’s 25th anniversary of providing dental care in Stourbridge. Well done to all the staff and clients that got involved in the walk. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot-james-launches-local-sponsored-walk)

  • Helping to clean up the Queensway area of Stourbridge in a local litter pick organised by Mike Wood, our council candidate for Pedmore. I was also joined by Pedmore Councillors Ian Kettle and Les Jones, thank you Mike, Les, Ian and to all of the helpers that got stuck in on the day. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-joins-local-litter-pick)

On Thursday 10^th October (4pm-7pm) I will be hosting a careers day at the Glasshouse College Arts Centre for students from Stourbridge schools. A wide variety of companies and sectors will be represented and all students are most welcome to attend. For more information, please contact my office on 01384 370574 or you can sign up here: http://signup.margotjames.com/.

---It wasn’t all work...---

September proved rather an uneventful month socially, partly because like many others at the moment, I had a bad cold for a week or so which caused me to abandon some things I had been looking forward to, most notably going with a friend to see Othello at the National Theatre which was a real loss.

Television came to the rescue that week and Jay and I have been enjoying the new series of Strictly, The Great British Bake Off and Downton. I have also enjoyed a few parts of Simon Schama’s excellent series on the history of the Jews on a Sunday night.

And I spent a nice Sunday sharing joint birthday celebrations with my nephew Rupert and his family.

Margot

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