Update on the work of your local MP, James Duddridge
Posted by James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, at 10:28, Wed 11 July 2007:
Hi there,
With the recent change of Prime Minister, I thought it was a good time to let you know what I’ve been up to over the last couple of months and what’s coming up.
Pensions have been a matter of special focus, in particular the loss of savings that many people in Southend and beyond have faced. Then Shadow Secretary of State for Pensions, Philip Hammond, came to Southend last week and met up with some of the victims, who lost their live savings when their former firm’s pension scheme collapsed. We sat around one of the pensioners’ dining tables and talked through the measures they think would help them. The Pensions Bill is going through Parliament at the moment so there is another opportunity to press for steps such as creating a Lifeboat Fund, which would top-up the incomes of the 125,000 people from around the country who’ve lost their savings.
I’ve also been focusing on mental health laws, as the long-awaited Mental Health Bill has been in front of the House of Commons. It addresses the issues that arise when a person with mental health problems needs to be treated against their will and possibly even detained. As you can imagine it’s been quite controversial, as it raises a strong debate about how to strike the right balance of ensuring a person’s civil liberties are not violated while ensuring the public is protected against a person who is potentially dangerous to others or themselves.
I was on the cross-party committee that examined the draft law in close detail, and although we’ve seen some minor concessions for the Government I’m still not satisfied that the right balance has been struck.
Here in Southend we’ve got a new Mayor, Daphne White, and a new Council leader, Nigel Holdcroft – both of whom I know are committed to serving our town well. We also continue to have some inspiring local volunteers, who I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time with recently. Together we marked Carers Week and Volunteers Week, and I was able to meet up with volunteers from a range of groups at SAVS (Southend Association of Voluntary Services) and RAVS (their Rochford counterpart), which is always a pleasure.
Best wishes,
James
PS. Space is of course limited here, but if you want to know more about what I’ve been up to then visit my website at www.jamesduddridge.com or drop me a line at james@jamesduddridge.com. You can also call me on 01702 616 135.
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