News From Westminster
Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 11:43, Mon 15 March 2010:
WELCOME!
Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter.
WORK UNDERWAY AT THE SOUTH BRISTOL HOSPITAL!
I was on hand to cut the first turf at the site for our new hospital at Hengrove Park. Builders on site at the £43 million facility will be working flat out to ensure that the hospital can open by the end of 2011.
This hospital simply would not have happened without thousands of local people backing my campaign. Over 7,000 Bristol South residents signed my petition, calling on the Council to get moving with this project. We have waited for too long for a hospital in our part of the city. Now, thanks to the hard work of so many people it is being built. The hospital will be part of a fantastic development at Hengrove Park, including the City of Bristol Skills Academy, where building work is nearly complete, and the leisure centre and swimming pool. Unfortunately, despite extra Government investment, work on the leisure centre seems to have stalled in recent months. Rest assured I will be pressing the Council to get on with it.
WARMER, GREENER HOMES
I welcomed the “Warm Homes, Greener Homes” Household Energy Management Strategy that was published earlier this month. The document sets out the Government’s plan to upgrade the British housing stock with the aim of cutting energy bills, reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy security by reducing our reliance on imported energy.
Around a quarter of UK emissions come from energy used in our homes, so the Government is keen to reduce emissions from homes by 29 per cent in the next ten years. By 2015 every home in Britain, where practical, will be fitted with loft and cavity wall insulation, and by 2020 up to 7 million homes will have benefited from eco-upgrades. New technologies such as solid wall insulation can help to cut energy bills by £380 per year and will help to create up to 65,000 jobs in the green home industry.
There will be legislation to allow new ‘pay as you save’ green loans tied to properties, which will avoid the up-front cost of eco upgrades. More information about this and the “Warm Homes, Greener Homes” document are available from the Department of Energy and Climate Change website: www.decc.gov.uk
THE BALLET COMES TO HARTCLIFFE CHILDREN'S CENTRE
I went along to Hartcliffe Children’s Centre on Friday morning, where the English National Ballet were paying a visit. The Ballet were holding a Cinderella ballet workshop for sixty toddlers and their mums. The visit to Hartcliffe Children’s Centre is part of a series of ‘Back to School’ events taking place across the country: musical master classes hosted by music and dance icons from across the globe, aiming to get children and young people inspired about the ways in which music can enrich their lives. Dancing has become far more popular in recent years thanks to programmes like Strictly Come Dancing. However, the chance to get this close to the magic of ballet in real life is a fantastic opportunity for the children, and one they certainly enjoyed. Innovative workshops like this show just how important our Children’s Centres are to our communities.
YOUR CHOICE OF GP SURGERY
Most people are very happy with the fantastic services GPs offer. However, in some cases, patients find that their surgery is not convenient and, until now, restrictive practice boundaries have made it difficult for patients to see a GP of their choice. Last week, the Government launched a consultation to look at making changes to put patients in control. Perhaps you’d prefer a GP close to where you work, or on a school run. Maybe you’d prefer a surgery that guarantees evening and weekend opening. Whatever the reason, it is clear that some people would like the choice to move. To have your say on this important consultation, please visit: www.GPchoice.dh.gov.uk.
“GROW YOUR OWN”
I know that more and more people are keen to grow their own food so I was very pleased when Communities Secretary, John Denham, and the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, recently announced new plans to bring under-used land back into use so that local residents have more places to grow fruit and vegetables. The new measures to help meet this demand for growing space include:
- a national community land bank so that organisations with spare land and community groups who want to set up “grow your own” schemes can find each other.
- New “meanwhile leases” so that community groups can grow their own on land that is waiting for development.
- New advice for local authorities on how to reduce allotment waiting lists and make the best of the land that’s available to them.
The new plans form part of the long term promotion of sustainability, health, community cohesion and social inclusion and will help everyone play their part in getting high quality, affordable food and a bit of exercise at the same time.
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 email primarolod@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH.
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