As National Parks week gets underway Erdington MP Siôn Simon urges people to make the most of the green spaces we live in and around.
Erdington is blessed with many parks and open green spaces, which offer a wide variety of activities, you can go sailing or fishing in Brookvale Park, Play Tennis in Pype Hayes Park, enjoy the fantastic gardens at Rookery House or just take the kids and a picnic to your local park.
Whatever we do, National Parks Weeks offer an opportunity to enjoy are local parks and remember how important they are. The great civic fathers who built Birmingham through the industrial period recognised the value of leisure time and the great outdoors.
Siôn Simon said:
“I regularly use most the parks in Erdington and believe we are really lucky with the facilities on offer, true they could use a bit more investment, but if we are top encourage the council to spend money we must make sure we use them as much as possible. Green space is essential in an urban environment and I am always delighted when I see ours being used to its full potential.
I am especially proud of all the work the Friends of parks groups have done, without them our parks would not be a patch on what we currently have.”
Notes:
National Park week runs from the 28th July to the 4th Aug and celebrates the great national parks and green spaces of the UK.
Member of Parliament Siôn Simon met a group of concerned GPs from his Erdington constituency this week. The meeting was held to discuss their fears about plans for health centres in each primary care trust.
The government wants to introduce over 150 health centres that will be open from 8am to 8 pm seven days a week. They would be GP led, and would be new services in addition to existing GP practices.
The GPs were concerned that patients would lose the benefit of the kind of relationship and continuity of care that is provided by a family practitioner. There were also concerns voiced that some might find the centres inaccessible or hard to get to.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Simon said:
“I know the GPs I met this week have their patients concerns at heart. I have visited a number of them in previous years and am aware of the quality of service they provide. But patients have pointed out that they want to see doctor’s surgery’s open in the evening and at weekends. Some people would sometimes find it more convenient to see a GP in a central location simply because it may be more convenient than seeing their own GP close to home. The plan for these new health centres is about convenience and choice for the patients
Some of the additional £250m that is being invested will be used to provide additional GP practices in areas that are under served, like for instance the Kingstanding area. I will of course be taking the concerns of local GPs to the Minister for Health and monitoring the situation closely. It is of great importance that patients continue to enjoy the excellent services provided by our committed and experienced local GPs.”
Following a personal invitation from Local MP Sion Simon, residents of the Erdington Hall Estate along with Local Councillor Lynda Clinton, joined him recently at the new Children’s Centre on Ryland Road to discuss concerns they had and the future of the neighbourhood.
During the meeting a number of issues were raised, ranging from residents who not happy with police responses to their calls, to concerns that full use was not being made of CCTV cameras in the area.
The amount of rubbish on the streets and the standard of refuse collection was also an important issue that many people wanted to raise, along with the lack of youth of provision they feel there is in the area.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Simon said:
“The residents of Erdington Hall have made theirs view very clear; they want action and an improvement to the area they live in.
The Local Councillors have already been working very hard in this area, but the council need to pull their finger out and ensure the people of Erdington Hall get the service they deserve.”
With more strike action looming over Council Pay and Pensions, Erdington MP Siôn Simon this week questioned how legislation designed to equalise the pay of the lowest earners at Birmingham City Council was being wrongly implemented.
Asking the question of Harriet Harmon last Thursday during business questions in the House of Commons, Mr Simon drew attention to what he termed ‘The cynical abuse and misapplication of single status legislation by Birmingham City Council.’
Harriet Harmon shared Mr Simon’s concerns and urged him to raise the matter again the following week in a different forum.
Speaking afterwards Siôn said:
“It is really important that we get the facts straight here, this is not about greedy employees wanting more money, it is about Birmingham City Council misrepresenting Government Legislation designed to equalise pay, and actually making wage cuts .
Single Status was designed to ensure those who had been underpaid compared to colleagues over the years had a fairer deal. It was meant to raise the incomes of those people not cut it. Because the Conservative led council have failed to prepare for Single Status, despite receiving increased revenue grants payments from the Government over recent years in preparation, they are now trying to robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Many employees not only face a drop in wages but also their pensions will be affected in the long run. I thought it was time someone brought the gross misuse of legislation to the attention of the Government and Public.
I certainly intend to raise the matter again next week, and will keep raising it until council employees get the deal they deserve.”
Notes:
Full details of the questions and response from Ms Harmon can be found below and on Hansard
Mr Sion Simon: Will the leader if the House start talks on a new kind of Opposition day, on which the House can scrutinise the abuse and misapplication by Tory, Liberal Democrat and Nationalist Councils throughout the country of Labour Government legislation? This could include, for example, the cynical abuse and misapplication of progressive single status legislation by the Tory – Liberal Democrat council in Birmingham in order to cut the pay of low paid workers and clobber the pensions of low paid council employees.
Ms Harmon: My hon. friend makes a very good point. Perhaps he can speak more about the matter in the Opposition day debate next Wednesday.
- Sion on walk about with Perry Common Community Watch
As part of his ongoing work into Crime and Order for a report commissioned by the Prime Minister, Sion was this week hitting the streets with Perry Common Community Watch.
The Scheme has been running for five years and has received many awards over this time, for unique and inventive way it operates. They recently received two awards from the West Midlands County Neighbourhood Watch, they won an award in the Community Safety Category and there was personal recognition for Linda Hines who was awarded a lifetime achievement award. The group have also been commissioned to help establish other groups across Birmingham.
Siôn and Kingstanding Councillors, Catherine Grundy, Peter Kane and Zoe Hopkins, met the group to discuss how community policing and resident involvement can help make our homes and neighbourhoods safer.
Some of the issues and projects discussed included neighbourhood Policing, street cleaning, community tasking and how members of the public can take ownership of their own streets.
Following the meeting Sion went out on patrol with members of the Community Watch and Police Community Support Officers, knocking on doors and generally finding out what was going on in the area.
Speaking after the patrol Siôn said:
“It has been excellent to be see how community watch works. People in the area generally feel safer because of this scheme. It is essential that residents and communities feel part of where they live, and this is an excellent way to help that. The scheme has received many awards and national acknowledgment and I am really proud that it started here in Erdington, with the hard work of residents.”
Erdington MP Siôn Simon today welcomed the news that the planned 2p increase on fuel duty would be frozen for the next six months.
Speaking after the announcement Siôn said:
This will be a huge relief to local residents as well as haulage companies, several of which are based in the Erdington Area.
The huge increase in fuel prices caused by doubling of the price of a barrel of oil to $146, is having an impact on every aspect of peoples lives, and the Government are committed to assisting those most effected in any way we can.
Everyone is feeling the pressure at the moment, and I know this measure will have people breathing a sigh of relief.
When the announcement was made the Chancellor, Alistair Darling said:
“The global credit crunch and sharp rises in world oil prices have pushed up prices at the pump. Today’s decision will help motorists and businesses get through what is a difficult time for everyone.”
Notes:
As a result of this decision, main road fuel duty rates will remain at 50.35 pence per litre after 1 October this year. This is 17 per cent lower in real terms than in 1999.
Consequential, planned increases in road fuel gases, biofuel duty rates and rebated oils rates will also be postponed.
This measure is taken in response to sharp rises in world commodity prices, with the price of oil almost doubling over the past year to reach a real-terms record high of $146 a barrel recently. This has inevitably had significant knock-on effects on the price of road fuels, which the Government is committed to taking into account when considering decisions on fuel duties.
Postponing the planned increase in fuel duty is also consistent with the Government’s commitment to support the Bank of England in maintaining low inflation.
Local Erdington MP Siôn Simon was this week seeking the views of local Police and Community Safety workers on how law and order should be dealt with in future.
It formed part of his work for the pending Law and Order review he was asked to draw up by the Prime Minister some months ago.
Siôn said:
“I was very much looking forward to getting the views of the people on the front line of law enforcement. It is a very difficult job and I wanted to know what they thought the government could be doing centrally to make it easier.
Some of the issues discussed included the courts system, the important role of Police Community Support Officers, how to deal with youth offenders and the huge impact alcohol and drug related crime has on our communities.
We know that great work has been done in Erdington by the police and local residents which have seen a consistent fall in levels of crime over recent years. However we must also face up to the fact that much more still needs to be done, especially to reassure the public.”
Siôn has also met neighbourhood watch schemes and various other organisations over recent weeks to discuss the future of law and order, and will next week be out and about in Perry Common with the Local Community Watch.
Siôn Simon MP this week welcomed the opening of the new Neighbourhood Library at the Lyndhurst Committee Shop, Erdington.
At the opening event were Councillor Mike Sharpe Constituency Chair, other local Councillors and residents.
Facilities at the library include a kinder box with books for babies and toddlers, free internet access for help with homework and book loan for local residents.
The library is the second Neighbourhood Library to open in Erdington, the first being at Kingsbury Leisure Centre, and is part of a roll out of more localised library facilities by co locating them with pre-existing facilities.
Siôn today said:
“This is very exciting for the residents of the Lyndhurst estate, basing library facilities with other community projects can only enhance their accessibility and the service offered to residents. This library is right on the doorstep of the people it is meant to serve, located as it is in the Community Shop, it provides a safe and welcoming venue for reading, internet access and homework studies.”
Local MP, Siôn Simon, has today welcomed Government plans to get tough on rogue estate agents who fail to belong to a redress scheme.
Mr Simon said:
“Buying or selling a house is a stressful experience at the best of times but when you’re dependent on bad or unprofessional estate agents it can make your life a misery. The Government is doing the right thing for both buyers and sellers by ensuring all estate agents belong to a redress scheme and that those that do not are punished”.
Research from the Office of Fair Trading shows that 21% of sellers and 23% of buyers experience problems with estate agents.
Consumer Minister, Gareth Thomas, has now brought forward policy requiring all residential estate agents to belong to a redress scheme by 1st October. If rogue estate agents do not comply with the requirement to rejoin a redress scheme, then in the first instance there will be a penalty charge of £1,000.
New measures will also come to force in October 2008 that enables the Office of Fair trading greater powers in removing rogue estate agents from the market and increase the investigatory powers of enforcement officers. This generally will reduce the problems faced by buyers and sellers.
Mr Simon added:
“”People who experience problems with an estate agent will soon have access to a free, easy to use ombudsman. The scheme will be transparent, independent and fair. It will speedily resolve complaints and will have the power to award compensation. This is good news for buyers and sellers”
Erdington MP Siôn Simon made room in his diary this week to help younger members of his Constituency get to grips with democracy in action.
He visited the school council at Chivenor Primary School in Castle Vale; during his visit he also met members of the school’s governing body.
He then went on to lead a special assembly of all the year 5 and 6 children in a discussion of Parliament and the impact of politics on their everyday lives.
Chivenor Primary School is a happy and stimulating environment for its pupils and educates over 300 pupils from the surrounding area. Their achievements in English, maths and science have recently been recognised by Ofsted as being very good.
Mr Simon said:
“I was delighted with the way the school also puts so much effort into the pupils’ personal and cultural development as well their academic attainment.
I very much enjoyed being questioned by the members of the school council, we had a very good discussion about my role as a Member of Parliament. We had a great session in which all the older children joined in with a discussion of our system of elected democracy, which was well timed as some pupils will soon be seeking election to the school council. I also enjoyed the song they performed for me from the upcoming school musical Oliver.
I was really impressed with levels of concentration and engagement they showed in what is a pretty difficult topic for children of this age. It was a real pleasure.”
