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Parliamentary Newsletter - September 2015
Dear Constituent
Welcome to my September newsletter.
Parliament is not sitting during the party conference season and will return fully on October 12th.
The news locally has of course been dominated by the terrible tragedy at the Shoreham Air Show and the loss of 11 lives. I will not repeat the extensive coverage of the events of the last few weeks and I have written about the aftermath of the accident on my website. As I have said on numerous occasions now, if there was one crumb of comfort from the whole sad story it has been the professionalism of the emergency services doing their work in such harrowing conditions. Added to that, the way the local community rallied round to show that we share the grief of the victim's families and just wanted to help was truly impressive and humbling. I have been prouder than ever to represent the people of East Worthing & Shoreham in recent weeks. I was grateful to have the opportunity to be able to raise this at a debate in Parliament on September 8th. You can read my speech and the response from Transport Minister Claire Perry here: http://goo.gl/P9Wd7x,
Alternatively you can watch the full debate here (starts at 15:58): http://goo.gl/JrC4Kz.
I was very pleased that the Prime Minister took time to pay a private visit to Lancing to give his personal thanks to representatives of the many emergency service personnel, first responders and volunteers, all of whom have done such a tremendous job. I was able to take him to the Old Toll Bridge to lay flowers and to see for himself the strength of public feeling which has focussed on the ‘Bridge of Flowers’, as it has been dubbed. He was clearly moved. Subsequently, I introduced David Cameron to some of the Bridge Volunteers who have been keeping the floral tributes fresh and collecting the cards and tributes laid there. A month on from the accident on September 22nd, the decision was taken to clear the remaining flowers from the bridge as inevitably the stream of people visiting became a trickle. All the tributes have been collected safely and are now being archived by the County Council to turn in to a permanent memorial of the extraordinary outpouring of everyone’s grief. The noticeboard by the bridge has also become the home for a display of photographs showing the events on the bridge over the last few weeks. Well done to the volunteers who have done such a good job led by Shoreham resident Suzanne Heaven, who met the PM at Lancing.
Looking ahead, there will be a memorial service at Lancing College Chapel which will be held on Sunday November 22nd. I am chairing a working group of local people involved in coming up with an appropriate event and ensuring that the families of the victims shape the proceedings. As well as being an opportunity for the families to make their tributes, it will also be a celebration of the work of the emergency services and the response of the local community. Further details will be announced soon.
The Sussex Community Foundation quickly set up a fund to help the victims of the accident, as it soon became clear that many people wanted to raise money to help; almost £100,000 has been raised already. I am sitting on the grants panel looking at making payments and you can find further details here: http://goo.gl/6tzJ5J.
There have been numerous calls for a lasting memorial to the tragedy to be treated close to the Airport. Many ideas have already been submitted to me and the local council. In particular, there is clearly a strong call to focus something on the Old Toll Bridge, which has played such a pivotal role. It may be that this could be a more interactive memorial, such as a riverbank walk with key markers. In addition it could be combined with a bursary scheme helping to fund budding sportsmen and women. There will be plenty of time to think this through properly once the memorial service has taken place and it is obviously important to get it right.
Thank you to all those who have played such an important role over the last few weeks. Everyone has rallied round. Everyone has done his or her job professionally and impressively. We can be very proud in such times of great sadness.
Yours sincerely
Tim Loughton MP
Member of Parliament for East Worthing & Shoreham
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Upcoming Street Surgeries
Southwick Square
Sat 3 Oct 2015
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Shoreham Farmers' Market
Sat 10 Oct 2015
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Lancing Children's Centre
Sat 17 Oct 2015
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Worthing Town Centre
Sat 17 Oct 2015
12:15 pm to 02:00 pm
Surgery details:
If you have a problem you think Tim could help you with and you would like to meet him to discuss it please ring 01273 757182 to book an appointment at one of his fortnightly surgeries.
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Westminster Hall Debate – Tuesday 15th September - Shoreham Air Show Crash
On Tuesday 15th September, I arranged a Westminster Hall Debate to consider the Shoreham air show crash and its implications.
I opened proceedings by explaining the extent of the tragedy:
“On 22 August, a vintage Hawker Hunter jet plane crashed at the Shoreham air show in my constituency. Eleven men tragically lost their lives, and many stories of the personal tragedies that accompanied that loss touched a chord across the nation.
“It represented the largest civilian loss of life in the United Kingdom since 7/7, and the first fatalities on the ground at any UK air show since 1952.”
I commended the emergency services on their bravery and the spirit of the local community:
“I want to pay tribute to the emergency services, particularly to the first responders who had to deal with the most harrowing scenes, and to those involved in the investigation and clean-up operation in the aftermath of the accident.”
Claire Perry MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), who was in attendance, offered her own condolences:
“This debate allows me to put on record my condolence…to all those affected, especially the families who have lost loved ones.
“I also offer my profound thanks to the emergency services, which…responded with professionalism and effectiveness in the face of what must have been a harrowing task. “
She also explained the steps being taken to ensure the most appropriate long-term safety solution:
“The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has commenced a full review of civil air display safety standards.
“The review will conclude by the beginning of next year, but an interim report will be produced next month.
“The CAA has appointed an external challenge panel to test the report’s funding.”
You can find my full speech and complete minutes of the Westminster Hall Debate here:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2015-09-15a.279.0#g279.1
Alternatively, you can watch the debate by following the link below - the debate starts at 15:58:55
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/a494825a-0727-48ce-9520-f6b30654dddb
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Prime Minister David Cameron visited Shoreham to pay his respects to those who lost their lives in the air crash and to give his personal thanks to the emergency services.
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Getting the EU Referendum right
As you know, I have been a big fan of holding a straight in/out referendum on our future membership of the EU. Whichever way the British people choose to vote, it will allow us to put the issue to bed once and for all. The EU Referendum Bill was one of the first pieces of legislation to come before the Commons after the General Election, thereby delivering on one the key promises in the Conservative Party manifesto. I was concerned with some of the detail in the Bill, which would have changed the terms of ‘purdah’ surrounding the way such national votes are normally carried out. These terms normally ensure that in the run-up to polling day the civil service and other functions of Government remain neutral.
The Government initially gave way on the actual question to be asked in the Referendum. It will now be:
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
- Remain a member of the European Union
- Leave the European Union
I think the new question makes the choice much clearer. However I was concerned that the Government did not give enough ground on other details of the referendum, such as the purdah issue. I therefore voted against the Government (not something I make a habit of) and found myself in good company with at least 7 other former ministers and the vote was won. You can find a full account of the debate and the resulting terms of the Bill at http://goo.gl/xmPaHy.
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Police Youth Forum
Last year Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne launched a youth commission to work alongside the police to help them be more ‘youth friendly.’ It is a great idea and some very impressive young people have given up a lot of time to hold over 4000 conversations with young people across Sussex to see what they would like to see the police do.
It resulted in an event at the Amex last week, where some very accomplished young people, including some young offenders, made their pitch in front of the Chief Constable, Police Commissioner, councillors and many police officers. They have constructed a Police Youth Pact for police to take on board when dealing with young people. This very much mirrors the study I helped produce as Chairman of the Parliamentary Children’s Group, which found a lot of mistrust between police and young people.
Our report is available here:
http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/1150494/appgc_police_data_report_july_2014_final.pdf
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Getting Messy: Well done to Colin Frampton and the Sompting Community Church for a fantastic week of family activities on Sompting Green. There was a record turnout for the family sports day on August 22nd and I was delighted to go along and help hand out some of the prizes and join in the fun at first hand.
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Remembering our Canadian links
Canadian Roots is a charity set up by the late Chris Vowles. It helps the children of Canadian servicemen stationed in the UK during the Second World War trace links to their families across the Atlantic. So far no fewer than 127 families have been re-united. I am proud to be one of the charity’s patrons.
Chris’s widow, Pam, is carrying on his good work. This year she again helped organise a special service at the Canadian memorial stone, as part of the commemorations for the end of the War in Europe. We were blessed with a beautifully sunny day and a record turnout. You can find more details about the work of the charity here: www.canadianrootsuk.org/index.
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The Post Office announce
Broadway Post Office move
The Post Office have announced their decision to move the Broadway Post Office branch from its current location just along the road to Joyson News Off Licence, 401 Brighton Road, Lancing, BN15 8JX, where it will operate as a new local style Post Office branch.
The decision to relocate is part of the Post Office's modernisation and investment plans.
Adjustments will be made to the new site to improve access for customers and will carry out work at the entrance to provide level access into the premises.
The new local style Post Office will operate from a serving point located on the shop counter, enabling customers to carry out a wide range of Post Office products and services, alongside retail transactions.
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Aquarena Plan Thrown Out
It was a good night for ‘people power’ on September 22nd when Worthing’s Planning Committee discussed, in front of a crowd of over 200 people at the Assembly Rooms, the latest application by developers Roffey to build on the old Aquarena site.
The plans for 147 residential units including a 21 storey tower block overshadowing everything else in the town has rightly proved very controversial and led to a campaign from ‘Save our Seafront’ which I have been supporting. I am delighted to say that the proposal was roundly rejected by 5 votes to 1 on the grounds of being overbearing, out of keeping with the local area and conservation zone, too dense and singularly inappropriate.
As I have said before, I these plans would have been a wasted opportunity to further regenerate the ‘East Beach’. To attract more visitors into this neglected corner of Worthing we need a genuinely imaginative and attractive mixed use development. I joined in with the resounding cheers at the meeting when the result was announced.
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West Sussex MPs "encouraged" after schools funding meeting with Education Secretary
Along with other West Sussex MPs, I recently attended a meeting with the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, and Childcare Minister, Sam Gyimah, who is responsible for school funding at the House of Commons.
The purpose of the meeting was primarily to allow us to directly air our concerns to Nick Morgan about the unfairness of schools funding in the county.
We were joined by West Sussex County Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Cllr Jeremy Hunt, who has also raised concerns about the issue.
Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister and local MP for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, was also present.
We were keen to point out that West Sussex receives the lowest funding for schools of any county and is the fourth lowest funded local authority nationally.
The gap between the best and worst funded areas grew under the previous (Labour) government. The ten best funded areas receive an average of £6,297 per pupil per year, compared with an average of £4,208 in the ten worst funded areas, including West Sussex.
While the current Government has protected the national schools budget in cash terms, rising costs will put increasing pressure on local school budgets over the next few years and West Sussex schools will be least able to absorb the extra costs.
Local head teachers have raised their concerns about the situation with West Sussex MPs, warning that the impact would be reductions in levels of staffing.
We all urged the Education Secretary to redress the "manifest unfairness" in the way schools were funded, and adjust grants - if necessary over a period of time - to redress the balance.
Nicky Morgan said that she was sympathetic to the concerns we raised and recognised that West Sussex was unfairly funded. The Government was committed to moving to a national funding formula to making schools funding fairer.
Minimum Funding Levels in 2015-16 had been baselined for 2016-17 as an important step towards making funding fairer, although West Sussex received less than £1 million of the £390 million allocated for this.
The Conservative Party's Manifesto for the 2015 election committed to "make schools funding fairer". The Education Secretary said that the Government was currently reviewing the funding formula as part of the Spending Review and would come forward with proposals in due course. Fingers crossed.
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Voting System
Thank you to those who have written to me about changing our present voting system.
A few opinion polls and petitions were used by some to prove popular support for changing our voting system. You will understand my scepticism towards opinion polling and of course the numbers signing petitions represent substantially less than 10% of those UKIP and Green voters who were most aggrieved by the outcome of the general election this year. Nor do they represent the majority of Conservative, Labour, UKIP and Lib Dem voters - in fact it only represents a majority of the small numbers included in the opinion poll.
The largest test of public opinion on this issue of course happened in May 2011, when we held a referendum on the following question:
'At present, the UK uses the "first past the post" system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the "alternative vote" system be used instead?'
- 19.1m people voted in the second UK-wide referendum in history - a higher than expected turnout of 41%.
- The final result put the Yes vote at 32.1% and the No vote at 67.9%.
- According to the Electoral Commission, 6,152,607 voted Yes to the Alternative Vote, while 13,013,123 voted No.
I would prefer to stick with the resounding view of 13,013,123 British people expressed very clearly only 4 years ago.
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Environment Agency submit plans to abolish the
Internal Drainage Districts (IDDs) in Sussex
The Environment Agency (EA) has submitted plans to abolish four Internal Drainage Districts (IDDs) in Sussex. These are the River Adur IDD, River Ouse IDD, River Arun IDD and the South West Sussex IDD.
IDDs are public authorities established in areas of special drainage need to manage water levels, including work to reduce flood risk to people and property.
The plans seek to enable action to be effectively taken and the outcomes local communities want to see achieved, by moving responsibility for managing local watercourses from the EA to local councils and individuals.
The EA will be placing notices to advertise the Draft Scheme in local papers during September and October 2015. In addition, anyone wishing to comment or view the Draft Scheme can do so by following this link: www.gov.uk/environment-agency.
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Seb Tucknott wins Healthy Living TalkTalk Digital Hero award
Shoreham constituent, Seb Tucknott, has won the Healthy Living TalkTalk Digital Hero award. He will attend the awards ceremony in the House of Lords on November the 5th.
Seb, who suffers from ulcerative colitis, started IBDrelief, a support and information platform, in early 2015, after searching for many years for a platform to help him manage his condition. After struggling to find anything suitable he decided to set up his own. IBDrelief supports sufferers of IBD, helping them to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
The Digital Heroes Awards is a unique countrywide scheme that recognises inspirational people using digital technology to benefit their communities.
You can read more here: http://goo.gl/VavH4A
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Nominations for this year’s ‘’Inspire the House’’ Awards will be on
Monday 5th October.
‘’Inspire the House’’ Awards celebrate inspirational young people and community groups that have excelled and made a real difference to the lives of others. Nominations are made by MPs and give us the opportunity to recognise the outstanding work of young people and community groups in our local area. If there is anyone you would like to nominate, please do get in touch.
The Kids Count Inspiration Awards have been hosted in the House of Commons for almost a decade and the Awards have previously recognised some of the most inspirational young people in the country, including the late Stephen Sutton MBE, who raised over £5 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
For further information, please contact Kinds Count’s Founder and Director Linda Lawrence, either by phone 07863200751 or via awards@kidscount.org.uk.
The awards themselves are being held on Monday 9th November at 7.30pm in the Terrace Marquee at the House of Commons.
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Friends of Sussex Hospices - Hospice Hymnathon 2015
On Saturday 19th through to Sunday 20th, Friends of Sussex Hospices took part in a Hymnathon at Lancing College Chapel. The 30 hour, joyous musical journey was almost two years in the planning. The event brought together 29 choirs, 400 choristers, a host of organists and soloists, and a team of of over 50 volunteers.
Hospice care, although expensive, is provided free to those who need it. Today, the largest part of that care is delivered in patients' homes, in accordance with the desire of those patients who prefer to remain at home as long as practicable, and includes support for patients' loved ones both during the illness and bereavement.
Friends of Sussex champions and supports the work all twelve hospice care providers across Sussex. Founded in 1995, and run entirely by colunteeers, the charitty has raised and distributed over £1.3m to date. Events like the Hymnathon raise vital funds as well as awareness of the invaluable contribution of our hospices.
You can visit www.friendsofsussexhospices.org.uk for more information. |
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Eco Summit Workshop - 'Eco Snail'
Eco Summit Workshop leaders ‘Creative Waves’ have been working with schools involved in the Eco Summit to construct the ‘Eco Snail’, which is currently being displayed at Beach House Gardens.
Creative Waves created the eco snail from recycled wheels decorated by pupils in their workshops at the 8th Eco Summit held at Shoreham College on 13th July.
Creative Waves are also running Art on the Pier, an enterprising platform for the promotion of local artists. The annual exhibition, now in its 4th year, is open daily until April 2016. Free and Open Daily - May 2015 - April 2016
The West Gallery features 50 local artists, whilst the East Gallery is featuring a variety of different artworks from local artists, studios and art collectives.
You may also like to look at galleries page which displays a number of photos from the Eco Summit. Here is the link: Galleries showing photos from the 8th Eco Summit at Shoreham College.
E.Y.E. Project website home address: http://www.eyeproject.co.uk/
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Latest Eco, Young and Engaged (E.Y.E.) Newsletter
E.Y.E. is a project designed for local schools and young people within those schools who want to make a difference to their environment. You can see their latest newsletter below:
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Rail update
Network Rail has published the Sussex route study, which can be found here:
www.networkrail.co.uk/long-term-planning-process/south-east-route-sussex-area-route-study
The study sets out options for rail expansion to cope with passenger growth in south London, Surrey and Sussex over the next 30 years. The report explores the ways that the infrastructure could be enhanced to allow the number of trains running in the busiest peak hours to increase by one-third on the fast lines into London. This would provide space for an extra 10,000 passengers, building on the benefits that will be delivered by the Thameslink Programme in 2018.
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Are you the governor?
A number of local schools have vacancies for governors – have you considered giving up some of your time to help a local school?
Most schools want someone who is a professional or ex professional with time to commit and would bring useful skills to the board e.g. accountancy, admin, managing etc. Ideally a school needs a cross section of skill sets but also someone that has time. If you want further details have a look here: www.nga.org.uk/Be-a-Governor.aspx, get in touch with West Sussex Education Department, or let me know
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Fight is on to stop HSBC closure
I have asked for an urgent meeting to be arranged with HSBC and local bodies to discuss why the bank has decided to close two of its branches in Lancing and Broadwater.
The closures are a further body blow for the communities in Broadwater and Lancing and the local traders who rely on banks to do their business and bring more of their customers into their neighbouring shops.
It seems a particularly selfish and complacent act with not even a hint of bothering to consult with local people. This has come as a bolt out of the blue. Only a few years ago, I joined a large demonstration of constituents from Findon Valley when faced with the closure of the last bank branch in the Valley which happened to be owned by HSBC.
We were assured then that the Broadwater branch was a viable alternative and would cater for their needs. It would appear that an HSBC bank manager’s promises don’t last very long.
Meanwhile in Lancing, my constituents are told there will be no problems accessing their Worthing town centre branch only 3 miles away. Unfortunately they are not laying on a bus service to make it possible. It seems that the ‘World’s local bank’ operates a very different definition of ‘local’ and just got too big for its boots.
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Wearing it pink in Westminster in aid of Breast Cancer Now
Right now, breast cancer is at a tipping point. Every year in the UK, around 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and sadly nearly 12,000 women still lose their lives to the disease. This is why we all must come together to support Breast Cancer Now’s cutting-edge research, and, in wear it pink, there is a fun and simple way for everyone to get involved.
As a Breast Cancer Ambassador, I am particularly passionate about standing up for the women and families affected by the disease in East Worthing and Shoreham and I am very proud to take part in wear it pink. It is always a good opportunity to look ridiculous for good cause. I hope everyone in the local community will join me in wearing it pink on Friday 23 October and show their support for Breast Cancer Now.
Launched in June 2015 with the ambition of ensuring that no one dies from the disease by 2050, Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, created by the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
This is a day when we stand out, stand together and stand for something: wear it pink on Friday 23 October to support Breast Cancer Now’s life-saving research. For more information or to register for wear it pink visit www.wearitpink.org.
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Polls open for young people to vote on UK Youth Parliament policies
As the former Minister for Children, I was happy to join 56 other MPs in attending the launch of the UK Youth Parliament’s ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign, outside Parliament, on College Green last week. I have been a long-term advocate of the great work our young people do up and down the country.
The campaign will encourage young people (aged 11-18 years old) to take part in the UK Youth Parliament’s annual ballot of young people living in the UK.
The ballot will contain 10 policies voted for by Members of Youth Parliament including poverty, mental health, curriculum, climate change and votes at 16 , which will reflect their election pledges in local elections across the UK.
The campaign will see Members and Volunteer Campaigners across the country inviting young people in schools and youth clubs to take this opportunity to have their say to Government and society.
Voting closes on Friday 9th October 2015, so I would certainly encourage anyone interested to head to: www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/makeyourmark to vote.
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If you ever need extra support following a power cut, please call the hotline number: 0800 31 63 105.
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Local Stroke Services
Local stroke services have improved over the last two years but there is much more to do to bring the whole pathway to the standard our patients deserve.
The Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Governing Body recently discussed the latest work to improve local health services for patients experiencing a stroke in Sussex.
The CCG, and its partners, have been speaking to local stroke groups, community groups and members of the public, and has heard from more than 400 people about their priorities for local services. This feedback will directly influence the options for improving the local pathway from prevention, to acute, and rehabilitation.
You can find above a one-page summary about current local stroke services.
In addition the CCG have provided a new animation that describes how patients should experience stroke services in Coastal West Sussex.
The animation sets out how a patient should receive seamless care from a wide range of expert health professionals from the moment they start to experience a stroke. You can see the animation below.
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Fundraising Event for the Shoreham Airshow Fund
I was very happy to sponsor Carrie Robson two years ago when she shaved off her hair donated it to the Little Princess Trust to be made into a wig.
Now her father, Phil, aged 67, is doing something similar - he is going to shave his beard & hair off on the 10th October 2015 at Wiseguys Barbers, Broadwater. Phil has had a beard for over 30 years and has always had his hair fairly long. He is fundraising for the Shoreham Airshow fund to help the victims families from that tragic day
If you would like to sponsor Phil, details can be found below:
Text SHOR67 £5 to 70070 or by the following Just Giving link.
www.justgiving.com/philrobsonbaldyday
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Follow Tim on Twitter, like his Facebook page or visit his website here:
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