Westminster Week
Posted by Kitty Ussher, MP for Burnley, at 14:08, Tue 14 August 2007:
Dear Friend,
The other day I chaired a meeting of people interested in making Burnley a fairtrade town. I know from my mailbag that the this is an issue that a lot of my constituents feel strongly about. All too often poor farmers in third world countries find it difficult to get a decent price for the basic commodities they produce such as sugar, tea, coffee and cotton. However if you buy something with the fair trade logo on it you can be sure that the farmer has received a guaranteed price at a level high enough to support his or her family and that the farm itself is run as a co-operative, able to invest in the wider community.
If we achieve fair trade status for Burnley it will mean that fairtrade produce is widely available in the town - in cafes, restaurants, shops, workplaces, schools, community groups and the town hall. It will also show people that Burnley is doing its bit to support farmers in poorer countries. There are certain criteria that need to be met and the good news is that we’re making strong progress. We’ve now established a formal steering group. The council has decided to support it, for which I am grateful. We’ve met the criteria for fair trade employers and community groups. We’re well on the way for schools, cafes and restaurants.
However what we really need is to get better information about shops that have fair trade produce on their shelves. We need 18 shops in Burnley and Padiham to make fair trade produce available and so far we only know of 11. So please check your local store and if they stock two or more fair trade products , let me know on the details below and you can play your part in making Burnley a fair trade down. If you are a retailer, can I urge you to stock products with the fair trade logo, even if its just tea and coffee.
There’s a real demand out there from your customers and we can ensure you get some good publicity for taking part. For example, we’ll shortly be setting up a website of participating organisations and in due course the council will also publish a directory.
Sunday was a beautiful day (for once) and my family had a great time sampling all the best the town has to offer. We started off by worshipping with the congregation at St Johns Worsthorne then went down to join the community barbeque at the Daneshouse Community Centre, where my two year old spent a happy half hour on with the other children on the bouncy castle. From there it was off to Padiham where the sun shone over the duck race, there was a great fair with games and bric-a-brac stalls and Padiham looked splendid. After that I was in need of a cup of tea so we returned back to Worsthorne to have a look round the annual arts and crafts fair and sample the fabulous cakes on offer. I then attempted to restore some order to my unruly small garden before collapsing for the evening.
Meanwhile with my ministerial hat on, I have this week been one of a team of ministers from across government who are visiting various parts of the country to emphasise that, despite the (hopefully) contained foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey, the rest of the countryside remains very much open for business. Its important to send out the message that the public need not change their behaviour because of what’s happening down in Surrey, not least for the sake of the two million people employed in the British tourism industry. It is an anxious time for the farming community but everyone understands that the important thing is to learn the lessons from 2001 and act swiftly on the basis of the best scientific advice which is what the government is doing.
I would like to wish you all a very pleasnat summer.
With all good wishes,
Kitty Ussher MP
6 ways to contact Kitty Ussher MP
Write to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or 2 Victoria Street, Burnley BB11 1DD By Phone: 01282 450840 By Fax: 01282 839623 By e-mail: ussherk@parliament.uk On-line: www.kittyussher.com In person: The office is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday during August for constituency enquiries. Next surgeries are Friday 7th September 3.30pm to 5.00pm at Padiham Town Hall and Saturday 8th September 10am to 12 noon (venue tbc
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