Siôn Simon MP

Siôn Simon, Member of Parliament for Erdington met participants in a British Council project called Inclusion and Diversity in Education at the Birmingham City Council house this week.

The British Council is the UK’s international body for cultural relations. It works to build trust and understanding between the UK and other countries through the arts, education and training.

Erdington’s College High School is one of a number of schools taking part in the project aimed at identifying and training young leaders in intercultural understanding. Those taking part in the project have formulated a European Charter in Inclusion and Diversity in Education.

Mr Simon said, “I found it interesting to hear first hand how these children consulted and debated amongst themselves to produce a mature and considered document. I know that they have benefited from the experience personally. The charter that they have produced should mean that others will also benefit from their conclusions on how to promote social cohesion and cultural inclusivity in our schools”.

Erdington MP Siôn Simon met Accord Housing Association’s Director of Regeneration, Alan Yates on Friday.

The meeting took place at the organisation’s offices in West Bromwich, from where Accord provides a wide range of homes and services to about 35,000 people across the Midlands. Those services include affordable homes for families and supported housing for homeless people. Mr Simon asked for the meeting so that he could raise the concerns of tenants of a ‘self-build’ project in Castle Vale. Mr Simon said, “The meeting with Mr Yates was productive. Hopefully we can now move forward and resolve the concerns of the residents. Self-build projects do after all play a role in providing an alternative way onto the housing ladder for some people. In some cases the training involved can give benefit self-builders and give them skills to improve their employability”.

Siôn Simon, MP for Birmingham Erdington and Chair of the Labour Party Manifesto Group on Law and Order is asking members of the community to share their ideas on tackling crime as part of the Government’s Crime and Communities Review.

The review will look at ways communities and crime-fighting agencies can work together to tackle crime more effectively and reduce the fear of crime.

Siôn Simon MP said:

“Nobody knows more about the needs of an area than the people who live there. This review puts power back in the hands of the people by asking how police and other organisations can work with communities to cut crime, how best to police local neighbourhoods and how to ensure the justice system has the public’s full support by being more open and responsive”.

The Review team is assembling hundred of community activists at a series of interactive public events in Sheffield, Birmingham and Manchester in March.

As well as these events the Review team is also organising nationwide visits, police walkabouts and meetings with resident groups.

Anyone who wants to feed in their views can do so on a Have Your Say form, available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/crime or by writing to:

FREE POST

PO BOX 1748

Croydon

Surrey

CR9 4XR

Siôn Simon MP added:

“I urge people to contribute to the review. It’s our community and people deserve to have their say”.

The Government is pushing for GPs to extend their opening hours after a recent survey revealed that nearly six and a half million patients were dissatisfied with the opening hours of their GP practice.

Government investment has seen average GP pay rising my 55% since 2002/03, however the increase in investment has not been matched by improved access for many patients.

Siôn Simon, MP for Erdington commenting today said:

“The Government has set out a bold ambition to ensure that at least half of all GP practices will open each weekend or on one or more evenings each weak which I welcome. The first priority is that patients can get swift access to their family doctor at times that are convenient for them. All too often people delay going to the Doctors because they are worried about taking time off work, peoples health comes first, but in reality people are reluctant to take time off work for what they consider to be small problems. Extending opening hours and increasing access for thousands will help ensure that these small problems do not become bigger ones later on”.

The Government is currently working with the British Medical Association to agree a package for the extended opening times in return for these changes the Government has offered an increased 1.5% increase in primary care investment. On average GP practices that agree to extend opening hours could receive an extra £12,000 a year with those that refuse seeing their overall income reduced by £6,000 per year.