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Building Britain's Future

Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 15:46, Fri 3 July 2009:

WELCOME!

Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter. If you would prefer not to receive it in future, please email me at primarolod@parliament.uk and I’ll remove you from my mailing list.

ST PETER'S HOSPICE

I know that many residents will have been concerned to have seen news reports about the decision taken by St Peter’s Hospice to close their site at Knowle. I have been in regular contact with the Hospice about their future plans. The building in Knowle, while well loved and fantastically served by staff and volunteers, is over a hundred years old, and would require extensive refurbishment to bring it up to a suitable standard. A large majority of the Hospice’s work – around 85 per cent – is now off-site and in the community. This is because more and more people are choosing to die at home, and the Hospice does all that it can to support patients and their relatives in their own homes. However, I am concerned that this move will mean that there will be no in-patient services in South Bristol. The Hospice had initially considered a site at Hengrove Park, and I understand that, while they are not in a position to move the project forward at the moment, they are keeping it under active review. I have written today to the Hospice to ask that they continue to ensure that people in Bristol South receive the excellent care that the Hospice is so well known for.

FUTURE JOBS FUND

The Prime Minister has set out his vision to make Britain a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society. In an announcement to the House of Commons, Gordon Brown told MPs about his plans to move the UK out of recession. In order to grow the economy, it is vital to increase employment. Young people who become unemployed will be offered a great deal of support to help them find jobs. People under 25 who have been unemployed for a year will receive an offer of a job, work experience or training. Young people will be compelled to take this offer, or face losing their benefits. To deliver this pledge, £1 billion is being set aside for the Future Jobs Fund, which will provide jobs for 100,000 young people, and another 50,000 in areas of high unemployment.

BUILDING BRITAIN'S FUTURE

In his statement, the Prime Minister also announced a number of other proposals across a wide range of issues. First, to deal with the housing shortage, the Government is trebling its planned investment in housing – to £2.1 billion. This funding will provide around 110,000 affordable homes, as well as supporting and creating crucial jobs in the construction industry. In public services, the Government is introducing a range of entitlements, so that citizens should know exactly what to expect. In health, this will mean an entitlement to a free health check for the over 40s; an appointment with a cancer specialist within two weeks for those who need it; and a guarantee that nobody waits more than 18 weeks for hospital treatment. For schools, parents can be assured that their child will have an individually tailored education, and access to one-to-one support if they need it. To tackle crime, there are proposals for residents to have more of a say in tackling crime in their neighbourhoods. Local beat teams are already working well in Bristol, and these proposals will ensure even greater partnership working between local people and the police.

BUS SERVICES IN SOUTHVILLE AND ASHTON

First are proposing changes to the 24/25 services that runs in Southville, Ashton and Ashton Vale. The changes would mean that buses will no longer run along Beauley Road, Greville Street, Luckwell Road and Raleigh Road. The result is that residents will face a walk of up to 800 metres to the nearest bus stop. There are lots of older people in this part of Bristol South, and a number of the roads are very steep, so I do not think this is acceptable. I have written to First to object to these proposals, and I know that lots of local residents have done the same.

SUPPORT FOR STRUGGLING HOMEOWNERS

The Government has been working hard to help people who are at risk of losing their home. More than 200,000 families a month are either receiving Government funded advice from their local council, or help with their mortgage interest payments. During the recession, it is more important than ever that banks and building societies look to find a solution for borrowers who are having difficulty making their mortgage payments. Where repossession is considered it should – of course – be an absolute last resort where all other avenues have been exhausted. The threat of repossession is obviously an incredibly worrying one for people experiencing financial difficulties. That is why the Government has announced extra support and advice available for home-owners in court. Universal access to advice desks is now available in Courts across England, providing free, on-the-day legal advice and representation to people facing repossession or eviction hearings. The Government has announced that it will be doubling funding to support this vital service. The people who will benefit from this advice will be at the final stage before losing their home, but it is very important to note that a court appearance does not mean that all is lost. In four out of five cases, the court desk advisers stop immediate repossession or eviction.

ASHTON GATE SITE

Several residents have contacted me about the future of the Ashton Gate site. As readers will know, Bristol City have announced proposals to move to a new stadium in Ashton Vale. The football club have confirmed that they are in negotiations with Tesco to sell them the current site of the stadium. Planning applications will be submitted in the coming months, and it’s absolutely essential that local residents are given every opportunity to have their say. Whilst I support the ambitions of the club, I do appreciate that some residents have concerns about the impact of a new Tesco store. I will be doing all I can to make sure that Tesco and Bristol City keep residents informed, and that the Council’s planning department ensure that they engage local people, and take note of their views.

POSTCARDS FROM THE PARK

There are a number of well established parks groups in Bristol South. These groups of volunteers work incredibly hard to improve our local green spaces and attract funding to make our parks even better places to visit. Now, we have the opportunity to showcase some of our green spaces on the national stage. Postcards from the Park is a national competition run by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the charity GreenSpace. They are calling on people to submit a photograph of their local park. The winning photograph will be exhibited at a London gallery, and will be turned into postcards for distribution at Lottery funded venues across the UK. The winner will also receive £1,000 in photography vouchers. More information is available at http://www.postcardsfromthepark.org.uk/.

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. Email me at primarolod@parliament.uk, 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.