Latest news from Bolton West and Westminster
Posted by Ruth Kelly, MP for Bolton West, at 13:19, Tue 13 January 2009:
Dear Constituent,
I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year. I am writing to keep you updated regarding developments both in my constituency and at Westminster.
Bolton West
Update on Lever Park development
I have been liaising closely with Lindsay Hoyle MP with regard to the development of an activity park in Lever Park, Rivington, as the area resides within the boundaries of his Chorley constituency. Several answers have been given to Parliamentary Questions which were tabled to the Department for Communities and Local Government. These questions related primarily to the Liverpool Corporation Act of 1902 and whether commercial activities are permitted to take place on the grounds of the park. The main point of interest arising from the answers has been that it is for the relevant Minister to enforce the Act. Both Lindsay and I are currently waiting for the response regarding what powers can be used in this respect.
I have written to the Chief Executive of Chorley Borough Council to ask for her views following the concerns which have been expressed by local residents. She has responded that she feels unable to comment as the matter has been referred to the Ombudsman. The Parliamentary Ombudsman has stated they will report back within 6 weeks; they have written to Chorley Borough Council and officials have 28 days to respond.
I have also contacted officials at Chorley Borough Council with regard to the unauthorised felling of trees at the site. I have received assurances from officials that these trees will be re-planted at a three-to-one ratio. Go Ape must complete the first phase of the development in order to assess what further action they would need to take (such as the felling of trees). They will have put up two zip wires by the completion of the first phase. After the first phase is completed, the company must then submit their plans to Chorley Borough Council before further work can be carried out.
I will continue to keep constituents updated with developments with regard to this issue.
Tougher enforcement of Hunting Act
A number of my constituents have expressed concerns regarding the enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004. I have raised this issue with Ministers at the Home Office who have assured me that they are continuing to liaise with anti-hunting groups, the Countryside Alliance and the Association of Chief Police Officers to ensure the legislation is properly enforced.
Home Office officials are working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to identify what more can be done to enforce the legislation. ACPO held a conference last month with police officers from across the country, the Crown Prosecution Service and both pro and anti hunting groups.
At the conference, police forces shared best practice with regard to enforcement of the Act and guidelines will be published shortly. I am pleased that the government are also looking into what more can be done to enhance legislation and I have asked senior parliamentary colleagues to ensure that I am kept updated on this issue. Offenders to wear ‘hi-vis’ jackets
I have welcomed the introduction of high visibility jackets for offenders on community payback schemes. The government has announced that offenders on this initiative must now wear high visibility orange jackets, with the Community Payback logo. This measure is part of the government’s drive to further reform the criminal justice system so that justice is not only done, but seen to be done by local residents. I believe that it is important that members of the public know what is being done in their local community. Several constituents have mentioned to me that sometimes they didn't know that projects were being undertaken to improve their area were actually being carried out by offenders. These new jackets will show residents that this work, like cleaning up graffiti, is being done by offenders to give something back to society. Community sentences are a crucial part of our approach to providing a justice system which provides both punishment and reform. Often, for less serious offenders, they are more effective than a short prison sentence as they reduce the rate of re-offending. However the government has recognised the need to ensure public confidence in community sentences and one way is by increasing the awareness of the value such work can bring to local areas. Cold Weather Payments issued
I am delighted that record numbers of constituents will benefit from highest ever Cold Weather Payment which is additional help for the most vulnerable during these cold winter months. The benefit will be paid to thousands of vulnerable people and pensioners nationally.
The Cold Weather Payment, which has been trebled by the Government this year from £8.50 to £25 a week, is paid out every time the average temperature at a weather station falls, or is forecast to fall, to 0ºC or below for seven consecutive days. There is no need to claim and those eligible to receive Cold Weather Payments include pensioners, severely disabled people and families with a child under five or a severely disabled child, receiving the following benefits: Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance. As of last Monday, payouts had been triggered at 48 of the country’s 76 weather stations. This means that 3.7m payments will be made totalling £93 million across Britain. The Government is spending an extra £575 million this year on winter fuel payments for pensioners, with £250 for those in households with someone 60 or over, and £400 for those with someone 80 and above.
Christmas card competition
I visited six schools in the constituency last month to hand out prizes for excellent entries for my annual Christmas card competition. The standard was very high this year and it was lovely to see the efforts made by local pupils. It was also a great opportunity to discuss the progress which the schools are making with teachers and pupils.
Westminster
Credit card companies agree to fairer practices
I fully support the Government's agreement with credit card companies last month which has led to a new set of ‘fair principles’ that will put an end to overnight hikes in credit card charges and give much needed breathing space to borrowers struggling to repay their debts. In December credit card companies were given a deadline of two weeks to report back to the Government with a statement of fair principles, warning that the Office for Fair Trading would be asked to investigate if strong commitments to fairer treatment were not agreed. I am pleased by the commitments which card companies have made in response to the Government’s tough calls for action. These unfair overnight hikes we have seen need to stop, so it is vital that this agreement means such practices will be prevented from causing real hardship for borrowers. These commitments will help local families manage their finances and cope with repaying their debts during this difficult economic time. The new statement of principles will bring about three main changes for borrowers. They set out how lenders will deal with cases we have been seeing of people having their interest rate significantly increased – sometimes by 10% or more, and at short notice.
Lenders have agreed that borrowers will always be offered an alternative if a lender seeks to increase their rate. All customers will be given the option of closing their account and paying off their debts at the existing rate of interest. The credit card companies have also agreed to give people at least 30 days notice of an increase in their individual rate and to limit how often they will increase it. This will make sure people have time to shop around for a better deal and plan ahead for changes to their family budgets. For struggling borrowers, the industry has agreed that they will not increase rates for customers who’ve failed to make their minimum payments for two months or more, or if the borrower has sought help from a debt advice agency. These commitments come on top of the agreement reached at the Minister’s Credit Card summit last month that the industry will give a breathing space of up to 60 days to borrowers in difficulty. That means they won’t chase a debt where somebody is trying to get back on their feet and to agree a repayment plan with the help of a not-for-profit debt advice agency. Those borrowers who have already experienced hikes should complain to their card provider if they felt their rate increase was unfair. If they are unhappy with the handling of their complaint, borrowers can take their case to the Financial Services Ombudsman Service. If the interest rate has been increased without justification, the Ombudsman can require the lender to compensate the borrower. The Government will ask the OFT to monitor the industry’s progress on implementing these principles into the New Year.
New measures to tackle alcohol-related crime
I am glad that the government has outlined several measures to tackle problems caused by alcohol abuse and the crime that often goes together with such behaviour. I know that this issue has been a concern for many local residents and one that has been repeatedly raised with me. This is a useful step forward and I am encouraged that there will be further consultation.
Shortly before the recess, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced that the Government intends to introduce a new mandatory code of practice to target the most irresponsible alcohol retail practices. The package of Government measures has also been welcomed by the North West’s Director of Public Health, Dr Ruth Hussey and Home Office Regional Deputy Director, Gail Porter. £4.5 million has been set aside for a new police crackdown on alcohol fuelled crime and disorder. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships are also being awarded a £3 million cash injection to target enforcement activities on specific alcohol-related problems in 190 areas across all police forces. The Government will shortly consult on a range of compulsory conditions including banning offers like ‘all you can drink for £10’ and outlawing pubs and bars offering promotions to certain groups, such as women only.
The Government’s new mandatory code of practice will target the most irresponsible retail practices. It will set out compulsory licensing conditions for all alcohol retailers and will give licensing authorities new powers to clampdown on specific problems in their areas. Licensing authorities will also be able to impose these new powers on several premises at once. One person every seven minutes is admitted to hospital with an alcohol related disorder in the North West. The North West has the highest rate of hospital admissions due to alcohol in England. The Government will also shortly consult on stronger local powers for licensing authorities to tackle local problems of irresponsible drinking and alcohol-related crime and disorder. New measures could include: limiting the sale of low price alcohol if this is linked to local disorder, for example being confiscated from under 18s; banning promotions such as happy hours, drinking games or organised pub crawls; and limits on the display or advertising of discounted price offers.
Support targeted to help unemployed
In December, Skills Secretary John Denham announced details of a £158 million fund to help people who have lost or fear losing their jobs. The fund will be used to make it easier and quicker for people to get advice on careers and work related training helping them find secure jobs. Among other measures it will also provide more money for short term pre-employment training for an extra 40,000 people who need new skills or pre-job training in order to get work.
I am proud to back the new measures which have been announced. The government has shown that it is determined to tackle the social problems caused by the economic downturn. This package will give help to the unemployed and provide reassurance for those facing job losses. The government is already committed to investing £4.5 billion in adult training. This announcement will help ensure more of that spending is targeted where it counts in these difficult times - helping people find work. This has now been boosted by an extra £58m from when it was first announced the fund is paid for by both Government training funds and the European Social Fund. The Government is taking action to support people through these tough times: bringing forward projects to provide jobs right now; extra help and support through Jobcentre Plus including skills advice and re-training; and a Rapid Response Service has been established to give real help to deal with significant redundancies whenever they hit local areas. The service, run by Jobcentre Plus, will be open to every workplace notifying us of 20 or more redundancies. In smaller communities where lower numbers of job losses would have a significant impact we will act appropriately The Government is also supporting homeowners with a new Mortgage Support Scheme which will enable households that experience a significant and temporary loss of income as a result of the economic downturn to defer a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years.
Kindest regards,
Ruth Kelly
MP for Bolton West
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