News from Westminster
Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 09:39, Fri 21 December 2007:
WELCOME
Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter. It will be my last newsletter of 2007, so I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy new year.
OUR HOSPITAL - CLOSER THAN EVER
Detailed planning applications have now been submitted for the South Bristol Hospital and the City of Bristol Skills Academy at Hengrove Park. This is really great news and building work should start next year. Now, we need to make sure the application is approved, and approved quickly, to avoid any unnecessary delays. There are currently three applications: one for the hospital, one for the skills academy, and one to support the infrastructure the project requires. You can look at the plans at www.hengrovepark.com. The website explains how to comment on the proposals or you can email or write to me with your thoughts, which I will pass on to the council.
CHILDREN'S PLAN
Bristol could see new or improved play areas for children and places for young people to go, as part of the Government’s Children’s Plan. Labour’s Children’s Plan announced £225 million to build or upgrade 3,500 play areas across the country. In addition, £160 million will be available over the next two years for new youth facilities, which will be shaped by young people themselves. Across the country this could mean either 50 new state of the art youth centres, or 500 refurbished centres, or 2,000 smaller scale centres or mobile units. Local groups, parents and young people across Bristol South will be able to bid for funding. Other announcements in the Children’s Plan include more support for families with new measures to help parents take a more active role in their children’s education, a review of the primary curriculum, a move owards ‘testing when ready’ and more catch-up support for children falling behind.
ARENA ANNOUNCEMENT
The announcement that the Bristol Arena will not go ahead comes as a big disappointment. Unfortunately, the Regional Development Agency (RDA) came to the difficult conclusion that the scheme was no longer financially viable. While I can understand people’s anger and frustration at this decision, it is important to remember that the RDA and the council have a responsibility to be prudent in their use of public money. I will, however, be asking the RDA for a full explanation. Bristol still needs a venue capable of holding major events, and I will be speaking to Bristol City Football Club at an early opportunity to see if there is a chance that these facilities could be provided with any potential new stadium plans.
SUCCESS FOR SUSTRANS
Congratulations to Sustrans, the Bristol based sustainable transport organisation, who have secured £50 million funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The funding means that work can begin on Connect2 – proposals to invest in walking and cycling routes across the country – in January. Bristol will benefit from the Festival Way, a cycle route linking central Bristol to Ashton Court and Long Ashton. There will also be better links to Tyntsefield, the National Trust’s 19th century estate in Wraxall. Thank you to everyone who voted for the bid, and congratulations again to all the staff and volunteers at Sustrans who have worked so hard to make the bid successful.
FREE CASH MACHINES
For some time, Parliament has been looking at how to make sure that free cash machines are available in all of our communities. You may have noticed the Evening Post’s campaign against fee paying cash machines, and it has become obvious that some deprived communities have either no cash machines at all, or fee-charging ones in pubs and shops. I’m delighted, therefore, that seven new sites for cash machines have been agreed in Bristol South. You may have noticed the new (and free) cash point at Morrison’s in Hartcliffe. We are really making progress in ensuring that everyone in Bristol can access their money for free.
UNEMPLOYMENT CONTINUES TO FALL
Figures announced by the Department for Work and Pensions on Wednesday showed that unemployment continues to fall, and there are record numbers of people in work. There are now 29.3 million people in work, and the Government will continue to support people who want to work. Over 750,000 young people have been helped into work by the New Deal, while a million lone parents have found employment. There is still much more to do to break down barriers to employment, but we are making progress in the right direction.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have any queries about these issues, or have a question you would like to ask about anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Just respond to this email, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH. Alternatively, for more information on what’s happening in and around Bristol South, you can visit www.bristolsouthlabourparty.org.uk.
Comments
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Posted by Steve Knowlson, 21:07, Sat 22 December 2007: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dawn,
The reason why we don't have an Arena is because central Government gives Bristol far less funding per capita than other comparable British cities.
Ian Knight, Bristol Head of Operations for SWRDA, last week stated his frustration at the low levels of comparitive funding. For every £1 that Bristol receives from the central Government pot, Cardiff receives £8 and Glasgow a whopping £15. These are Mr Knight's figures, not my own.
That would explain why Bristol doesn't have an Arena, has the worst public transport of any British urban area and why our three main hospitals are falling apart.
This gross inequity may also explain why two out of three of our Harbourside Millenium attractions have closed due to a lack of funding whilst their counterparts in Cardiff Bay are kept open by Welsh Assembly (taxpayer's) money.
It could also explain why the Arts Council (another Government quango) is reluctant to stump up the money to save our only major theatre, the Old Vic. And also why drug addicts in Bristol have some of the lowest funding in Britain, even with the recent increase.
Bristol is relatively successful in economic terms but this success and enterprise is costing the city dear, as it's infrastructure continues to fall behind those of other British cities. I recently wrote to Mr Knight to explain my frustrations and he agreed with me stating that - "Bristol's infrastructure deficit now runs into the billions of pounds" - this from the man tasked with the city's regeneration.
Private money has provided Bristol with plenty of flats and offices and soon a shiny new shopping centre but unfortunately this Government has not kept its side of the bargain and would rather spend Bristolians' tax pounds in other parts of the UK. We lag far behind in transport, culture, educational attainment at both primary and secondary levels and leisure. We have old and unsuitable hospitals. Even our new PFI-funded schools are built with private money and will prove to be a financial millstone around the city's neck, especially as the number of empty desks is so high, thus keeping our per capita education funding low. And we still don't have a Strategic Transport Authority to effectively call First (foisted upon Bristol by this Government) to account.
This poor level of Government funding allied to weak and incompetent civic leadership has caused enormous disquiet and disenchantment amongst many Bristolians. In my job I travel regularly to Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham and their urban regeneration and civic amenities are vastly superior to our own. This is due to two main factors: they receive far more Government funding than Bristol and they have local councils with determination and vision.
I love Bristol and especially South Bristol. I'm happy that we're likely to finally get our overdue (by about ten years) community hospital and Healthplex, but I'm angry that this Government shows such an arrogant disrespect for my city. I'm also fed up that money generated by Bristol is being redistributed to other areas of the country whilst our infrastructure is crying out for Government investment.
I feel that it is incumbent upon you, Kerry McCarthy, Doug Naismith and Roger Berry to ensure that Bristol gets a fair crack of the whip from central Government. Something that is most definitely not happening at the moment.
Merry Christmas.
Yours
Steve Knowlson.
Posted by Steve Knowlson, 21:12, Sat 22 December 2007: (Is this post abusive?) #
I forgot to mention that if "the RDA and the council have a responsibility to be prudent in their use of public money", why then are they spending £18 million+ on a new foyer, bar and ticket office for the Colston Hall and £25 million (and rising) on the Museum of Bristol that no-one seems to want? That £43 million would go a long way to providing Bristol with the first-class major venue that it so clearly wants and needs.
SK
Posted by Dawn Primarolo, 11:09, Tue 5 February 2008: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Steve
Thank you for your comments and I apologise for my delay in posting a reply.
I understand and share your disappointment that the arena project will not be going ahead; however, this is not because of a lack of central government funding. The £260m development was estimated to need a contribution of at least £86 million from the public sector and the partners involved took the difficult decision not to proceed because they felt it would not be good value for money for the tax payer. I understand the RDA now hopes the area can be developed to include housing, retail and leisure facilities which will be a marked improvement on the previously derelict site.
You mention the expenditure on the new Colston Hall and Museum of Bristol which “no-one seems to want”. This has not been my experience; on the contrary, I have spoken to many local people during recent months who are very excited about these two projects and the benefits they will bring to our city.
Best wishes
Dawn