Westminster Week
Posted by Kitty Ussher, MP for Burnley, at 15:58, Fri 7 September 2007:
Dear Friend,
I always enjoy September because I get to spend more time in Burnley when parliament isn’t sitting and I don’t have to rush up and down the country each week to vote.
Recently returned and refreshed from a great family holiday, my first task has been to finalise our surgery schedule for the remainder of the year. We’re planning six surgeries this month, starting with Padiham today, Friday. As usual we’ll be out in the neighbourhoods of the constituency as well as our usual venues of the central Methodist church in Burnley town centre, Padiham Town Hall and the Open Hands Centre on Colne Road. So between now and the end of the year, we’ll also be holding surgeries in Burnley Wood, Trinity, Asda, Brunshaw, Kibble Bank and Queensgate. I hope this will make it easier for people who live nearby to come and have a chat. Over the course of a year we aim to be in all communities of the borough. For full details, you can check my website on www.kittyussher.com or give the office a ring on 01282 450840.
Next on the list has been to continue our campaign against the scrapping of compensation grants to those people forced to leave their homes under the Elevate housing renewal scheme. I was disappointed to hear that the Liberal Democrat council had decided to proceed with their plans to replace the grants with loans at one of their meetings in August and I congratulate the members of the council scrutiny committee who advised against such a move.
On this issue, and on behalf of the people of Burnley, I spoke this week down in Westminster to one of the national government ministers responsible for housing policy, Ian Wright MP. He confirmed to me that Burnley and indeed Elevate were perfectly free to continue their policy of grants and that it would not make a difference to the allocation they got from central government. This is the same advice that we got from the cabinet-level housing minister, Yvette Cooper, when I brought her to Burnley in June. She said, in comments that were reported at the time by the Burnley Express, that this was a matter for local people to decide. However the leader of the council tried to imply the opposite to justify his decision to local councillors in August and I find this extremely disturbing.
Either the council should explain why they think replacing grants with loans is best for the town or they should join my campaign against it. They do not need to worry about whether this decision will affect the (generous) budget that comes from national government.
For my part, I campaigned successfully three years ago to raise the level of the compensation grant from £25,000 to £30,000 so I’m not about to see it scrapped. I also think changing to a loan is unfair on the people affected, who have seen their neighbourhoods deteriorate through no fault of their own. And since the proposal is that the loan does not need to be repaid until the house is sold, which could be many decades away, I don’t see how it will lead to more money being available to sort out our urgent housing problems.
So the fight goes on, and I’m pleased to be able to welcome the aforementioned junior housing minister, Ian Wright MP, to a meeting of Burnley Labour Party this evening where we can discuss the situation. He’s coming to town at my invitation to hear from his political colleagues how the housing projects are going in Burnley and what he can do to help; I am sure there will be plenty to say!
In the meantime on the national political scene, speculation is mounting as to whether Gordon Brown will use the opportunity of his popularity, plus the increasingly obvious splits in the Tory party, to call an early general election. Whatever happens it will certainly make the party conference season, that kicks off later in the month, an interesting time to be in politics.
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 email: ussherk@parliament.uk On-line: www.kittyussher.com
In person: Office open 10am-5pm Monday to Friday. Next surgeries are today, Friday 7th September 3.30pm - 5.00pm in Padiham Town Hall and tomorrow, Saturday 8th September 10am -12 noon in the Central Methodist Church, Hargreaves Street. No appointment needed.
Comments
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Posted by Darren Reynolds, 22:07, Fri 7 September 2007: (Is this post abusive?) #
What I can't understand is why Kitty is trying to make it look like this is a Council decision, when in fact the decision comes from Elevate. All the Council had to do was decide whether they wanted:
(a) for Elevate to fund the loans, or
(b) to get no relocation assistance from Elevate at all.
Whether the government would give Elevate the same amount of money is irrelevant. Elevate has made it quite clear to Burnley that they would not pass it on.
Besides, Yvette Cooper (the Labour government's housing minister) wrote to Kitty Ussher some months ago backing Elevate's decision.
This could be cleared up quite clearly if Elevate would state publicly whether they are forcing this decision on Burnley Council. If they publicly deny this, then the Council would be free to change its decision. I suspect that Elevate will remain silent.
I disagree with the loans scheme and so do most of my colleagues on the Council. Sadly we really have no choice but to go for the loans, because continuing the grants isn't one of the options.
Cllr Darren Reynolds, Burnley Liberal Democrats