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Newsletter July 2014

Posted by Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, at 13:24, Thu 31 July 2014:

Dear Subscriber,

Although given less attention than the Government’s reforms to education and welfare, reform of the Police has been no less far reaching. There is less bureaucracy, more police preventing and detecting criminal activity, fewer in support roles and there have been changes to overtime and management processes which most informed observers agreed were long overdue. The effect of some of these changes will be felt over the long term; but it is very encouraging that in the last three years crime in the West Midlands has fallen by 17% at the same time as £146 million of saving have been made.

For the first time, in 2012 everyone in England and Wales elected Police and Crime Commissioners. The PCCs, as they are known, were the first step towards the introduction of real public accountability in the Police Service. Very sadly our PCC for the West Midlands, Bob Jones, died recently and so there is now a by-election in our region to elect a replacement.

Cllr Les Jones has been selected by the Conservative Party as our candidate in this election, due to be held on Thursday 21st August. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, will be in the West Midlands on Thursday July 31st to give her support to the PCC election and to Les Jones. A win for Les would be good news for residents in the Black Country of course, as Les has served as leader of Dudley Council, and as a local councillor in Stourbridge for fifteen years. Les also has invaluable experience in the area of police and crime prevention, having served as member of the Police Authority prior to that body being replaced by the offices of the PCC.

If you are a resident of Stourbridge, or anywhere else in what is the vast area covered by the West Midlands, you are eligible to vote in this important election. If you are going to be away on August 21st it is not too late to secure a postal vote or a proxy vote. Contact Dudley Council’s elections team via http://www.dudley.gov.uk/about/elections/ for details on how to apply.

--Parliamentary work

I asked questions and spoke in debates about:

I wrote to Ministers about the following issues:

  • Dominic Grieve, former Attorney General, asking his department to review the short sentences given to care workers who abused an elderly patient in a dementia care home.

  • Treasury Ministers, on behalf of a constituent, regarding bank fraud and calling for better checks to be put in place to prevent people losing money at the hands of fraudsters.

  • Michael Gove, former Education Secretary, regarding concerns about payments made by some of the Birmingham schools under investigation for extremism to groups seeking to undermine the review into the issue.

  • Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary, urging him to take a tougher stance with Israel over the Gaza conflict, so as to curb the violence and help protect people living in Gaza.

  • Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary, regarding the Minimum Income Guarantee for doctors, and asking how he will protect smaller surgeries during forthcoming changes to funding.

  • Lord Freud, Welfare Minister, on behalf of a constituent who is unable to receive bereavement allowance.

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

  • The Food and Drink Federation’s annual reception in Parliament.

  • The finals of the Rock the House competition, where I was delighted to see Base Studios win the award for ‘Best Venue’ – very well deserved for Warren Evans and the team! Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-hails-local-music-studios-triumph)

  • Guide Dogs UK’s Parliamentary reception to raise awareness of their talking buses campaign.

  • Hosting MPs from our sister party in Germany, the Christian Democrat Union, for lunch in the Commons.

  • Meeting with Patrick Crawford, CEO of the Charity Bank, to discuss their current work, and in particular the application from Unity3Sixty for a skate park.

  • Speaking at the Women in Public Affairs Network’s summer reception. It was great to meet women from a range of companies and backgrounds, and discuss what we can do to make sure more women enter the sector.

  • Leading a delegation of MPs and businesses to the Farnborough Airshow.

  • A summer BBQ hosted at Number 10 Downing Street.

Lastly, having worked as PPS to the Minister for Trade & Investment for two years, I was delighted to have been appointed PPS to William Hague, Leader of the House, at the end of this month. I enjoyed my former role and will miss working for Lord Livingston who has been an excellent influence, but the opportunity to work for such a hugely respected global figure and Parliamentarian as William Hague is a real privilege.

--Out and About in Stourbridge

  • I met Paula Clark, Chief Executive of the Dudley Group of Hospitals, to receive an update on the priorities of Russell’s Hall Hospital and to draw her attention to the views of constituents on topics such as hospital food and car parking.

  • I organised and hosted a public meeting at Greenfield Primary School for local interested parties and residents to discuss the future of the Longlands site. Following the meeting, I wrote to local residents to update them on my work to facilitate contact between site owners Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) and Dudley Council. I have also highlighted residents’ concerns about the maintenance and security of the site with BMet and the Police. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-hosts-community-meeting-future-longlands-site)

  • I took part in the Glasshouse College leavers’ celebration for those students who have passed through the college and are now moving onto work or further education. I particularly enjoyed presenting prizes to deserving students at the college. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-congratulates-students-graduating-glasshouse-college)

  • I joined in the festivities to celebrate Black Country Day by taking part in the Dudley Festival. I really enjoyed the live music, street entertainment and Black Country themed arts and crafts throughout the afternoon! Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/margot-james-joined-festivities-celebrate-black-country-day)

  • I spoke at a dinner organised by disability charity ‘Access in Dudley’. This remarkable charity was founded in 2004 with the aim of improving access to facilities and services within the local community.

  • I visited the Lye Lunch Club, which is organised by the Royal Voluntary Service for the older people in Lye. I had a really good time talking to some of the people at the Club and the dedicated staff that operate the service deserve great praise for all their hard work.

  • I met David Packham, director of Central Supplies, a distribution company in Stourbridge. We had a very interesting discussion about his business and David kindly showed me around the site, which I thought was very impressive.

  • I was interviewed by the Black Country Talking Newspaper and Magazine, and discussed my recent visit to Burma. The Talking Paper is organised by the Thomas Pocklington Trust, a local charity that supports people with sight loss.

  • I met Sadie Griffiths, Customer Service Manager at the local Tesco branch in Stourbridge, to talk about the store’s progress over the past few months and to listen to customer feedback.

  • I joined Adam Greathead at a local allotment open day, during which activities were organised to fundraise for those living with diabetes. Adam and his allotments, near Charles road are an absolute revelation and I was really impressed.

  • I attended a meeting to discuss the vacant premises in the Colley Gate area with elected Councillors, Council officers, the Police and Fire Services along with representatives from the Cradley Action Group.

--It wasn’t all work…

July has been such a lovely month weather wise, also as Parliament comes to a close an end of term feeling sets in which is good.

Jay and I had a party for friends and work colleagues, I have known some of my ex work colleagues for nearly thirty years, during which time they have become good friends.

It was also Jay's birthday, on July 22nd, and we had a very nice Japanese dinner out with a few of her close friends. Next year we will be celebrating Jay's 50th.

My friend Jenny McGregor, her husband Geoff and I went to see the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Wolf Hall, adapted from the novel by Hilary Mantel. It was the most electrifying play I have seen for twenty years. We were due to see the sequel, Bring up the Bodies a few nights later but the situation in Parliament changed and I was not allowed out, so I shall go in September.

I really enjoyed the joint performance by the Parliament Choir, and the Bundestag Choir, given in Westminster Hall to commemorate the First World War.

I shall be going on holiday for a few weeks now. I will be back in touch after that, in the meantime I would like to wish everyone a very good Summer, whether at home or abroad.

Margot James

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