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Newsletter June 2014

Posted by Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, at 08:27, Wed 4 June 2014:

Dear Subscriber,

I am sorry to be late with my newsletter this month. Things have been busy with local elections, European elections and the ongoing by-election in Newark. The day job carries on however, as if nothing else is happening.

I try to meet representatives of all the public services two or three times per year; to get a sense of how Government policy is impacting on Stourbridge. Last month I visited the Job Centre on Lower High Street. I receive a very small, but steady, number of complaints (and occasional positive stories) about the Job Centre and I find the managers there helpful in trying to resolve individual problems.

We hear quite a bit about people being sanctioned by job centres and there being a lot of jobs based on zero hours contracts. Stourbridge Job Centre don’t force claimants to go for zero hours contracts, I was pleased to hear this. The centre has a very good record of helping people in to work, 31% of those registered as unemployed twelve months ago are now in employment. Almost a third, which is an excellent record, and testimony to an improving economy.

The Job Centre culture has changed considerably. There is far more emphasis on helping people in to work, especially young people. There is also far more scrutiny of the minority of people who don’t show much commitment to finding work.

At the beginning of the year the Government introduced a “Claimant Commitment” in which the individual seeking work outlines the steps they will take to secure employment; in return for the benefits funded by those in work.

Mostly these contracts are adhered to but occasionally they are not, and the Job Centre has to step in with the threat of sanctions. In practice, fewer than 4% of claimants have their benefits withdrawn so the vast majority of people are not affected in this way.

I asked the managers how much, on a scale of one to ten, they thought the Government had tightened up the system. They replied “seven or eight”. That sounds about right to me. It was one of the things we were elected to do, indeed it was one of the things about which both Labour and Conservative voters in my constituency were absolutely united.

--In Parliament--

I asked the Prime Minister a question about manufacturing, to outline that the UK is the number one competitive manufacturing country in Western Europe and number four globally. I was pleased that he confirmed that the Government remains committed to investing in our manufacturing base. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot-james-welcomes-manufacturing-growth)

I wrote to Ministers about the following issues:

• David Gauke, Treasury Minister, on behalf of a constituent, to ask whether the new Employment Allowance for young people can be extended to dental surgeries.

• Elizabeth Truss, Schools Minister, to outline my concerns about home education and the lack of regulation in this area.

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

• A dinner at the Guildhall in honour of the Japanese Prime Minister.

• The Social Worker of the Year Awards. I was delighted to meet with Amanda Beaufoy from Stourbridge at the reception, who was awarded ‘Children’s Social Worker of the Year’.

• A meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma, to hear from the FCO minister responsible for Burma, Hugo Swire.

• A meeting with the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson MSP, to hear about her work on the campaign to keep Scotland as part of the UK in advance of their referendum on this issue.

• A lunch at the Foreign Office with some of the UK’s Ambassadors in Europe and Asia.

• Hosting an event on food and drink exports in my role as Chair of the APPG for Trade and Investment. It included a seminar and a showcase of food and drink exporters, and we heard from speakers including the Trade Minister Lord Livingston, the Food and Drink Federation, and several small food businesses. It was great to have so many samples available at the showcase, from cheese to English wine.

http://www.margotjames.com/content/british-food-and-drink-exports-celebrated-parliament

I also travelled to Japan this month for the UK-Japan 21st Century Group annual conference. It was most interesting to hear from experts on a range of topics, and I presented the issue of Gender Diversity in Politics and Business, alongside the CEO of BT in Japan, and a professor from Nihon University.

--Out and About in Stourbridge--

I took part in various visits and meetings:

• Visiting Glassworks Hounsell, a business in Lye that works in the glass, confectionary, automotive and aerospace sectors in a number of different countries.

• I caught up with War Kites, a young Stourbridge band that won the ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest that I hosted in March. I congratulated the War Kites on being selected for the under 19 final of the national Rock the House competition, which was held in South London.

http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-congratulates-local-band-finalist

• I enjoyed meeting constituents at another drop-in advice surgery held in the Ryemarket.

• The Stourbridge headquarters of the Thomas Pocklington Trust, a brilliant charity that seeks to improve the standard of living for people with visual impairments

http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-visits-local-sight-loss-charity

• Speaking to groups attending prayers at two Mosques in Lye. I talked about our communities' shared heritage and the positive contribution made by Muslim groups to local and national charity work.

http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-meets-local-congregation-during-lye-visit

• Visited the Crystal Gateway, a Stourbridge care and support service for people with dementia, to highlight the importance of Dementia Awareness Week. I had an excellent time watching the events that staff had organised throughout the day, which included a reminiscence group discussing childhood memories of the Second World War.

• I attended a meeting with managers at the Stourbridge branch of the Job Centre. I very much enjoyed meeting centre staff and I found our discussion highly informative and very useful.

My time last month was quite taken up by campaigning in the local and European elections. I was pleased of course that the Conservative Party won the largest share of the vote in the local elections and I would like to thank all our candidates for the great effort they made. Warmest congratulations to newly elected Cllr Mike Wood in Pedmore and re-elected Cllr Nic Barlow in Wollaston.

Finally I would like to thank Cllrs Liz Walker and Colin Wilson who decided to step down from the Council this time round. Liz has served with great distinction as lead member for children’s services across the borough as well as being an excellent community champion for Amblecote. Colin has provided exemplary service in my own ward of Pedmore, as well as contributing a great deal of expertise to planning matters across the borough.

On Friday 13^th June I am hosting a visit to Parliament for constituents. Tickets are still available (no charge) so please get in touch with my office (01384 370574) if you would like to join this visit. It will include a tour of Parliament and a sandwich lunch at which I will host a discussion.

--It wasn’t all work…--

Oddly enough it felt like it was last month, which is ironic since Parliament was in recess for some two weeks of the month. I kept reading newspaper comments about what a ridiculous amount of time off MPs get and wondering where I was going wrong! I think the combination of my travel to Japan and the elections made it a normal working month for me and it was really quite enjoyable.

Jay and I did manage to get to the Cotswolds for a few days which was, as always, lovely despite almost continuous rain. A good friend and ex colleague in business, Emma Sergeant, came over for lunch just before taking over a senior European role for Omnicom, a global advertising and communications firm.

I went to the National Portrait Gallery and saw the exhibition of portraiture from the First World War with my friend Jenny McGregor. And I had a good time at a really splendid party given by my colleague, Claire Perry, who represents Devizes at her new home there to celebrate her fiftieth birthday.

Margot James MP

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