From: Aidan Burley MP news@aidanburleymp.

org Subject: News Bulletin from Aidan Burley MP #78 Date: 10 January 2014 10:27 To: news@aidanburleymp.org

In this edition:
Aidan Burley MPs Diary Record numbers take up apprenticeships in Cannock Chase Aidan welcomes extra funding for new school places in Staffordshire Photo news: Aidan cycles the Sherbrook Trail Reminder: Aidan offers unique chance for local people to attend Prime Ministers Questions Burley welcomes retention of Chase Day Service in Cannock Aidan in Parliament: Aidan speaks in debate on Stafford Hospital Council Watch: Labour Cannock Chase Council fleece motorists, but still can't break even! Aidan in the papers: MPs reveal economic hopes for road ahead Aidan in the papers: Taxpayers foot the bill for full-time union reps How to contact Aidan Burley MP

Issue 78 Friday 10th January 2014

Since the last edition, Aidan has:

Spoken in a debate in the House of Commons on the future of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. See below for a video of the debate. Visited Soul Care Aesthetics to celebrate the opening of their new and expanded premises in High Green Court, Cannock. Welcomed news of a record uptake of apprenticeships in Cannock Chase. Questioned the Home Secretary on the number of businesses in Cannock Chase and Staffordshire who have been fined for employing illegal foreign national workers. You can view the Ministers response here. Been quoted in the Express & Star on Stafford Hospital, taxpayer funded union reps and the UK's economic outlook for 2014. Cycled the Sherbrook Trail on Cannock Chase. Weclomed news of over 23 million pounds for extra school places in Staffordshire.

Record numbers take up apprenticeships in Cannock Chase

There was good news today for young people looking for their first job with a report showing that 1,380 people in Cannock Chase started an apprenticeship in 2012/13. This was up from just 580 in the last year of the Labour Government in 2009/10, and almost half of this year's figures were at the Advanced or Higher Levels. Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government's mission to rebuild the economy, giving young people the chance to learn a trade, to build their careers, and create a truly world-class, high-skilled workforce that can compete and thrive in the fierce global race. These latest figures come after the Government introduced measures to cut red tape for employers taking on apprentices. Over the lifetime of this Parliament, the Government are funding 250,000 more apprenticeships than planned under the last Labour Government. Commenting on the figures Aidan said: This is great news. Not just for these individuals, whose lives are being transformed by the opportunity, but also for the whole local economy. I have put job creation at the heart of my work for Cannock Chase, and these latest figures clearly show that the changes made by the government to streamline the system are complementing my efforts and really starting to have an effect.

Aidan welcomes extra funding for new school places in Staffordshire

Aidan has welcomed the news that the Government has announced an extra 2.35 billion to create more school places. This is in addition to the 5 billion that is already being spent in this Parliament. This means that between 2014 and 2017 schools in Staffordshire will receive 23,580,423. This is part of the Government's long-term plan to give every young person the opportunity to fulfil their potential. It is the first time that councils have had 3-year allocations of funding to spend on school places, so Staffordshire County Council can plan ahead and ensure every child has a school place. This Government has already created 260,000 new school places and this announcement means thousands more are on the way. Commenting Aidan said: "The last Labour government ignored the fact that rising birth rates meant we will need thousands more school places in the coming years, and did nothing to prepare. "It is great news for young people in Cannock Chase that this Government has found billions of extra funding to ensure every child has a place at school so that they can fulfil their potential. "This is part of our long-term plan to create an education system that gives young people who want to work hard the skills they need to get on in life and have a more secure and better future." Education Secretary Michael Gove MP said: "Labour were warned repeatedly that they hadn't done enough to plan for a growing population and once more it's been left to the Coalition Government to clean up the mess. "Labour cut 200,000 primary places, slashed the amount spent on areas of population growth, and let immigration soar and all this in the middle of a baby boom. "The Coalition Government has, however, taken swift action to repair the damage. We have more than doubled funding for new school places and we are also setting up great new free schools, which are giving parents a choice of high quality school places in areas Labour neglected. "Ed Miliband is too weak to apologise for the shortage of school places his government left behind and too weak to stand up to the unions and back free schools."

Photo news:

Aidan cycles the Sherbrook Trail

Aidan and his fianc, Jodie, after a New Years mountain bike ride across Cannock Chase. They completed the Sherbrook Trail, in the mud and rain, followed by a warming hot chocolate at the visitor centre! If you're interested in exploring the Cannock Chase Trails, click here.

Reminder:

Aidan offers unique chance for local people to attend Prime Ministers Questions
Chase MP Aidan Burley is offering six lucky constituents in Cannock Chase a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Prime Ministers Questions in person at the House of Commons. Aidan receives just three confirmed pairs of gallery tickets each calendar year to the parliamentary show piece event and so as to ensure absolute fairness to all his constituents, has this year decided to hold a ballot a few weeks before each date which will be drawn from all received entries. The ballot for the most sought-after parliamentary tickets is open to all his Cannock Chase constituents and will be held in good time to notify winners so they can make the necessary arrangements. The three dates Aidan has been allocated for 2014 are: Wednesday 19 March 2014, Wednesday 25 June 2014 and Wednesday 26 November 2014. Commenting Aidan said:"I have been determined to make Parliament more real and more accessible to the people in Cannock Chase. I have been organising tours, which have been packed out and feel the next step is to let people see what the House of Commons is like during its most prestigious event. Parliament is always buzzing on a Wednesday so I can promise a really interesting and exciting trip to Westminster for those who are successful." Constituents who would like to be entered into the draw for any/all of the above dates can do so online via Aidans website at www.aidanburleymp.org/pmqs. Alternatively constituents can apply in writing at: Aidan Burley MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA where they should include their full name, postal address, contact telephone number and the dates they would like to be entered for.

Burley welcomes retention of Chase Day Service in Cannock

Aidan has welcomed the news that Staffordshire County Council have agreed that the Chase Day Service must remain in Cannock. The County Council's proposed decision on the future of day services for people with learning disabilities was recently made public, following the consultation that was held between August and November 2013. Following the consultation the proposed decision was to continue to support people with complex needs in council-run services and to move other people into more personalised care. The Cabinet decision will be taken on the 15th January. During the consultation Aidan made clear that the Chase Day Service currently supports both profoundly disabled people as well as those with less acute learning disabilities in a traditional day care setting and that those with profound disabilities must continue to be supported 'in house'. Aidan has therefore welcomed the news that a Specialist Day Centre will remain in Cannock, and that the new, improved centre will be closer to Cannock town centre and more accessible to those service users. There will also be capital investment from the County Council in the new centre. Commenting Aidan said: "It was clear from my recent visit to Chase Day Services that those service users with profound disabilities need a specialist centre locally and it is good news that the County Council will continue to fund a Day Care Centre for people with complex needs in Cannock. Better still, the new Day Care Centre will be located closer to the town centre, making it more accessible for relatives, and the services will be invested in and improved. I will now be ensuring that no service users will be moved to the new facility until it is fully equipped and ready to take them." Aidan added: "I also believe that people with less profound learning disabilities should have independence and the freedom to choose support that suits them. During my visit it was clear that this type of service user is increasingly choosing personalised, community-based care and as a result their attendance at Chase Day Centre has fallen dramatically, with much of the current building lying empty as a result. I will be working with the County Council to ensure that all current service users will be assessed and supported to move to suitable alternative care where appropriate."

Aidan in Parliament:

Aidan speaks in debate on Stafford Hospital

Click on the image above to watch the debate.

Labour Cannock Chase Council fleece motorists, but still can't break even!
The Express & Star are reporting that Labour run Cannock Chase Council is set to make a whopping 152,300 from parking fines for the 12 months between April 2013 and 2014, which is up from the 135,200 brought in over the previous financial year. The number of fines given out has also gone up. From April to September 2013, there were 3,926 penalty charge notices issued an increase of 1,080 on the same period last year. With such income, you would think they could run the parking service at no cost to the general taxpayer. But think again, they will actually end up with an estimated 28,500 deficit in their parking budget. Once again, inefficiency reigns supreme in Labour's town hall.

Aidan in the papers:

MPs reveal economic hopes for road ahead

Express & Star Wednesday 1st January 2014 Better schools, new opportunities for businesses, a new rail station and a Pizza Express. Those are the just some of the New Years hopes of West Midlands MPs who have revealed their wishlists for 2014. Politicians from both sides of the political divide had lots of goals and ambitions for the coming 12 months but were pressed for just one or two things they want to see happen. One ambition that stood out was the need to improve education. Wolverhampton was recently revealed to have the lowest number of good or outstanding primary schools anywhere in the country with just 56 per cent making the grade according to education watchdog Ofsted. Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden said: I want to see some improved results by the end of 2014. We have to create better opportunities for Wolverhampton schools. Our reaction to the Ofsted report is as important as the verdict itself. Neighbouring Dudley fares much better with 72 per cent. But Dudley North MP Ian Austin said education should be the key aim for everyone in public service. He said: We have to make education the number one priority. 2014 has to be the year in which standards in the Black Country rise by more than anywhere else in the country. Its the only way were going to attract new industries and new jobs. We have some brilliant headteachers. But the whole community has to make this its priority. It should be the number one thing for everyone from parents to businesses. They have to get involved and support their schools. Paul Uppal, Tory MP for Wolverhampton South West, agrees but added: Jobs and education are the real issues in this city. Everyone talks about the great opportunity offered by Jaguar Land Rover. I want to see those jobs go to people from Wolverhampton. The real threat is from not having the right skills this company and its supply chain will want from their workforces. Wolverhampton is a great place to invest and we have to show that. His comments were echoed by South Staffordshires MP Gavin Williamson, who said: 2014 is going to be a momentous year because were going to see the opening of Jaguar Land Rovers engine plant at the i54. I want to get as much as we can out of it for the West Midlands, with local businesses involved in supplying it. I also want to see schools working with JLR. Aidan Burley, MP for Cannock Chase, was recently celebrating his constituency seeing one of the biggest drops in unemployment figures in the West Midlands. He said: We need to bring jobs and growth back to the area. Thats my number one priority for 2014. The number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance has fallen a lot and I want to see it come down further. The most important thing for anyone is to have a job. If you have one, then almost everything else flows from that and Ill do everything I can to help. Meanwhile John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, has set his sights on getting rid of the controversial bedroom tax. The policy, introduced in April 2013, strips 14 or 25 per cent of housing benefit from council and social housing tenants if they have one or more spare rooms. Mr Spellar said: By the end of 2014 Id like to see an end to the Bedroom Tax. Its particularly having an impact on people with disabilities. Thats borne out by national statistics and by my caseload in Warley. Meanwhile Emma Reynolds, MP for Wolverhampton North East, believes regeneration to be the number one aim. She said: I hope that by the end of 2014 we have a plan in place for Wolverhampton rail station. I also want to see the start of regeneration and transformation in the city centre. We need to see more people living there, which will help businesses. And this may seem like a very small wish but I want to see a big chain restaurant like a Pizza Express. Thats not about just catering for people who like pizza. We need to see more restaurants and more places for people to go in the city centre. Some restaurants may be waiting to see what happens with retail and how that improves. But its a question of what comes first. We need more restaurants in the city centre now to bring people in.

Aidan in the papers:

Taxpayers foot the bill for full-time union reps

Express & Star Thursday 2nd January 2014 Taxpayers money is being used to pay union representatives even if they spend none of their time doing their council job, figures have revealed. Figures obtained by the Express & Star show that there are workers in councils and other public bodies around the West Midlands seconded to their unions full time. The work is permitted under laws governing so-called facility time. But it has sparked anger as many unions fund the Labour party. Critics say they should use their resources to pay for their own reps. The Unite union gave Labour 777,740 in the three months to September. Unison and GMB gave 372,603 and 297,698 respectively. But if their members are employed by councils and become reps, they can continue to be paid by the local authority even if they are on union business. Cannock Chase Tory MP Aidan Burley has campaigned for unions to fund their activities for themselves. At Sandwell Council, a full-time Unison branch secretary is on 30,851 a year while a full-time Unite union convenor gets 30,011. The GMB also has a full-time rep on 20,858. Councils in Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley also employ full-time union reps, the figures revealed. There is less provision at district councils where no-one spends all their time on union duties. South Staffordshire Council lets two people have time off for union activities but says it is minimal. There are six reps at Lichfield District Council and three at Wyre Forest Council. Cannock Chase Council has five reps, split between GMB, Unison and UCATT. One of the UCATT reps spent 17 per cent of their time on union matters last year. It is also different at fire services. Staffordshire Fire Service has 19 reps who do union work on their days off while West Midlands Fire Service gave six people between one and three days each paid leave for union work last year. Mr Burley said: Hard-pressed people will be astonished to learn that rather than doing the job which they are being paid for, there are members of council staff working for their trade union at the expense of the taxpayer. Brian Strutton, GMB national secretary for public services, defended facility time, saying it meant union reps could be available for their duties. Its time off from their job, not being paid for trade union work, he said. By reducing the number of employment tribunal cases, the saving to employers and the taxpayer is between 22 million and 41m a year.

5 ways to contact Aidan Burley MP:

By Phone: 01543 502 447 By email: aidan.burley.mp@parliament.uk By post: Aidan Burley MP 6 High Green Court, Newhall Street Cannock, WS11 1GR In person: Click here for details of how to book an appointment at Aidan Burley MPs regular help and advice surgeries.

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