Latest news
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Community nurseries in Birmingham under threat (26 July 2010)
Community nurseries in Birmingham under threat - Community nurseries look like being early targets for cuts by Birmingham City Council. A consultation document put out this month by the Council says they want to slash £1.4m from the nurseries budget this year with a cut of £2.5m more next year. Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with the City reviewing whether it has the right mix of Early Years provision for children. There have been big changes in recent years - including valuable Labour initiatives like Sure Start and Children’s Centres. So it’s right to take stock. But this...
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Government's insult to the West Midlands (20 July 2010)
Government’s insult to the West Midlands - In the last Parliament, watchdog committees were established to keep an eye on government performance in different English regions and to give regions a stronger voice at Westminster. I was the Chair of the West Midlands Committee. The new government has scrapped the committees and last week issued a brief ministerial statement in response to recent inquires by the East Midlands, South East and West Midlands Select Committees, rather than respond to the Committees’ recommendations in detail in line with usual practice. The West Midlands Committee published two reports on 8th April 2010:...
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Budget: neither unavoidable nor fair (23 June 2010)
The Coalition Budget: neither unavoidable not fair - There is no question that difficult choices had to be made in yesterday’s Budget. But George Osborne made the wrong ones. Conservative / Lib Dem claims that the rich will bear most of the pain are shallow. It is people on low and modest incomes who will suffer most. Those on the lowest incomes will gain least from the increase in the income tax personal allowance and will suffer most from the cuts in public spending. The VAT increase will also have most impact on those with the least money. David Miliband...
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Labour Party Leadership (9 June 2010)
Labour Leadership Election - At lunchtime today the nominations for the Labour leadership election were announced. Five candidates have been nominated: Diane Abbott, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, David Miliband and Ed Miliband. Earlier today I backed David Miliband’s nomination to be the next Leader of the Labour Party. I left it until this week to submit my nomination because I wanted to listen to what all potential candidates had to say before making my own nomination. A number of party members have also contacted me and I wanted to think too about what they were saying about the role of...
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The 2010 General Election (9 June 2010)
Thank you - As this is my first online update since the election I want to start by saying thank you to the people of Northfield constituency for re-electing me as your local MP. The second thing I want to say is welcome to people who live in Kings Norton ward who have become my constituents as a result of boundary changes at this election. In Lynne Jones, Kings Norton has had a talented and hard working MP for many years. I want to continue Lynne’s good work and extend it to meet the new challenges of the coming years....
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Labour Leadership (8 June 2010)
Where can I find out about the leadership election and the candidates? You can read information about the Labour Party leadership election below and more information is available online at www2.labour.org.uk/leadership-2010. How can I get a vote in these elections? By joining the Labour Party now. Members of the Labour Party or members of affiliated Trade Unions or Socialist Societies are able to vote in the elections for Labour’s next Leader. Fully paid up party members and those members who are less than six months in arrears will be able to take part in these elections. How can...
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MGR Trust Fund (3 May 2010)
MG Rover Trust Fund – bank wrangles no excuse for delay Payments due to former MG Rover workers should not be delayed by contractual wrangles between Lloyds/HBOS and the Phoenix Four. The Phoenix Directors still have it in their power to end the delay and to get money into the Trust Fund for their former employees. They have already had to wait five years – and that’s five years too long. I met with Lloyds/HBOS over three months ago and told them that I thought they should use money coming to them from deals with the Phoenix Directors to help...
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MG Rover 5 years on (8 April 2010)
5 years on: Phoenix 4 must do the right thing by former Rover workers - This week is the 5th year anniversary of the closure of MG Rover. I am calling on the Phoenix Directors to finally end the delay on the trust fund and do the right thing by their former employees. Will you join me in calling for an end to the delay? If so, please pledge your support below. After the company collapsed in April 2005, the Phoenix Directors promised to put the money raised from the remaining assets of Phoenix Venture Holdings into a trust fund...
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Repairing our roads (31 March 2010)
Plugging the potholes - I know a lot of local residents are concerned about the pothole damage caused by the big freeze that hit Britain this winter. Snow, ice and plummeting temperatures not only made it the severest winter in 30 years, they also left potholed roads to be repaired up and down the country. That’s why I was pleased that in last week’s Budget, the Labour government announced an extra £100m of funding for local authorities to help put the damage right – including over £9m for the West Midlands. Rapid and decisive action to ensure that our roads...
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Neighbourhood Watch (27 March 2010)
A vital link between police and local communities - I've just got back from meeting Neighbourhood Watch coordinators in the Northfield area. Held at Colmers Farm School and Sports College in Longbridge, the event also heard presentations from the Police, magistrates, the Probation Service and Victim Support. A local journalist from the Birmingham Mail was also on hand to talk about some of the ways – good and bad – in which the media reports on community safety issues in our area. Around fifteen per cent of the cases I take up for local residents each year are about crime...
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