Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth, has spoken on the decision that Virgin Trains will continue to run the West Coast Mainline franchise for the next nine months before a long-term decision is announced.
He said, “This is reassuring news for all rail users from Tamworth and local villages in Lichfield District as it provides service continuity whilst the mistakes made by Department of Transport officials are sorted out.
“However, it is still correct that the tender process is re-run to ensure that there is no doubt that the best provider available is chosen to run the line. Whoever is chosen as the long term operator, I will certainly ask detailed questions about their policies and plans to check local travellers will get the best possible service.”
Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council has said that wind farms should not be located in areas where they would damage the Staffordshire landscape or its economy, the county council’s environment leader has said.
In a report to be considered by cabinet on October 17, Mark Winnington says wind farm applications should be refused unless they can demonstrate real benefits to people living in the areas around them.
He adds that the county council’s position on wind turbine applications should also include the recommendation that large-scale wind energy developments should be 2km or further from residential areas.
County councillor Winnington said, “Staffordshire has some outstanding landscapes and architectural landmarks which cannot be compromised by large scale wind energy developments. Similarly, we do not want to see them anywhere where they could have a detrimental impact on the local economy, particularly our ever-expanding tourism industry.
“We understand the need for renewable energy sources and that wind turbines contribute to lowering carbon emissions. However they need to be in the right locations and have proper assessments and checks carried out during the planning process.
“Staffordshire is a predominantly rural county and we do not want to see the industrialisation of areas through such developments. The local economy and improving people’s quality of life are top priorities for the county council and we don’t want to see them negatively impacted upon as a result of wind turbine developments.”
The Government announced this week a new flagship scheme to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I and give thousands of schoolchildren the opportunity to visit the Great War battlefields.
Pupils and teachers from every maintained secondary school in England will have the chance to go on a tour of the great battlefields – such as the Somme, Verdun and Fromelles – and take part in remembrance ceremonies on the western front.
World War I study is already compulsory for children aged 11 to 14. This project, part of the Centenary Education Programme, will allow pupils to learn at first hand about the sacrifices made by the troops and the personal stories of those involved in the war effort.
Children who do not visit will also benefit when pupils and teachers who have taken part in the project pass on what they have learnt from their first-hand experience. This could involve establishing commemoration projects, like collecting photographs and uncovering local stories, in their schools and local communities.
Prime Minister David Cameron made the announcement on Thursday, 11 October, as he set out the Government’s plans to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War (WW1) in 2014.
Speaking at the Imperial War Museum, an institution founded in 1917 to record the then still-continuing conflict, Mr Cameron said that he wanted to build a truly national commemoration, worthy of this historic centenary.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said. “The men who gave their lives in the Great War will remain heroes forever. The last British Veteran has now died but their bravery and suffering must never be forgotten.
“This project will ensure that never happens by leaving a lasting legacy of this hugely significant period of our nation’s history and culture. Children will learn, at first hand, about the sacrifices made by individuals and communities to secure our nation and protect our liberty. This tangible experience will reinforce what they have learnt in the classroom.”
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said, “Wilfred Owen described World War One as the Winter of the world. The sacrifices of our forefathers are our shared heritage and the centenary will be commemorated across the nation and around the globe. We will remember them. It is vital that we help educate the next generation about this important part of our history so that it is never forgotten and I am delighted that my Department is helping this to happen.”
Pat Barker, author of the Regeneration trilogy of novels and a member of the centenary project advisory panel, said, “I have found it an incredibly moving and enlightening experience, especially the monument at Thiepval in Flanders and seeing the names of men who have no graves. I am sure that all children who go on these tours will benefit hugely.
Hew Strachan, Chichele Professor of the History of War at Oxford University, said, “As with the Olympics, so with the centenary of the Great War: the commemoration must bequeath to future generations a legacy that equips them with a deeper understanding of the war, its many meanings and its truly global significance.”
The project will cost £5.3 million, from 2013 to 2019. Half the money is coming from the Department for Education and half from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A procurement process will be run to decide on a single tour operator before the visits start in spring 2014, running until spring 2019.
As part of the Department for Education’s £15 million investment in cultural education following the Henley Review, we are working with cultural education organisations, including Arts Council England and English Heritage, to develop proposals for schools to mark the commemoration.
The Conservative Party’s candidate who hopes to become Staffordshire’s first ever Police & Crime Commissioner says he’s pleased that recent technology trials in two UK Police Force areas have backed his claim that thousands of extra police hours could be freed up for front line policing across Staffordshire.
Matthew Ellis, the Conservative candidate for the 15th November PCC election, had his proposals rubbished as a ‘gimmick’ by Labour’s PCC candidate Joy Garner within hours of him announcing them eight weeks ago.
But now official Reports on technology trials by Hampshire and Avon & Somerset police forces have backed the Tory candidate’s claim that using iPads would release thousands more police officer hours to frontline policing in Staffordshire.
Mr Ellis says his priority is to use every means possible to get police officers back into the community and visible to local people, with fewer being burdened by clumsy processes and top-heavy bureaucracy.
He explained, “I wasn’t aware of the trials when I set out my ideas for policing here but experience has shown me that being more ambitious with the use of technology should free up police to do what they were trained to do. Fighting crime, being visible to the public and making Tamworth and rural communities across the area even safer.
“The Reports show that my plans to get 3,000 extra frontline police hours in communities every week are possible. In fact I’d want to be even more ambitious than that across the wider criminal justice system so that even more time is released to actual policing instead of being stuck behind desks.”
The two pilots looked at different elements of the policing process. In Hampshire, 500 statements were processed using iPad type devices including witnesses signing the screen rather than a paper version. Actually taking the 500 witness statements saved 125 hours with a further reduction of 83 hours admin time and 33 hours more saved in ‘handovers’.
Avon & Somerset’s model involved 326 statements with 81 hours saved in taking the statements, 53 hours less time in handing over and a further 404 hours saved in using electronic format for the Court.
Police in Staffordshire process in excess of 120,000 statements each year as well as many thousands of incident reports. The 120,000 statements alone equates to over 3,000 hours freed up each week based on the proven figures.
Mr Ellis continued, “Even though both Government and Labour say policing budgets will shrink for some time to come, my proposals for Staffordshire would mean real opportunities for visible front line policing hours to be maintained and, in time, increased further.
People across the Tamworth area will have a clear choice in November’s PCC election. It will be about who can most effectively spend £200million of public money and has the ideas, foresight and determination to free up police officers to do more policing. Simply campaigning to stop the cuts is not practical and anyway I’ve always believed that it’s not only how much money is spent on public services, but how effectively it’s used.”
Tamworth’s road commuters are set to get a boost following the Government’s announcement of £170m road plans across England with improvments to M42 junction 10.
The planned improvements will support the creation of 2,250 jobs and 1,685 homes by 2020. They also support movements to major gateways, such as Birmingham International Airport.
The new Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has told the Conservative Party conference the government plans to spend £170m on improving 57 problem points on roads in England.
He also said addressing the hall was “a little daunting”, as his last appearance was in 1984 when Mr McLoughlin, a former Staffordshire miner, told delegates he would continue working despite being called a “Tory scab”.
Reclaiming the one nation label used by Labour leader Ed Miliband in his conference speech last week, the transport secretary said, “I’m the son of a miner and the grandson of a miner.
“I want to make one point clear. If you want to understand one nation, Mr Miliband, I’ll show you one nation. He is standing at this podium. I am a one nation Tory.”
Announcing funding to fix “pinch points” on England’s roads, Mr McLoughlin said, “Let’s face it, we’ve under-invested as a country for years.
“There’s too much congestion, not enough new schemes. It’s madness and we are going to sort it out.”
He also insisted the government would press ahead with their plans for a high-speed rail link between London Birmingham.
The proposals have met with opposition from within the Conservative Party, although one former cabinet minister has described the planned line as “terrible”.
But the transport secretary said today, “We can’t afford not to build it. Our competitors around the world are investing in the best transport and we must too.”
He promised that those whose homes and communities are effected by the new line will be properly compensated.
And he said the government wants to reduce journey times from London to Scotland to under three hours.
The funding for road improvements is intended to remove bottlenecks and boost the economy by improving access to local enterprise zones.
The man who is vying to become Staffordshire’s first Police & Crime Commissioner has announced new proposals which he says could see policing in the Tamworth area rooted more in local communities… but with a modern twist.
Matthew Ellis, the Conservative PCC candidate for the 15th November election, believes that police officers need to be more visible than they currently are. He says his policy initiative launched this week gets back, to some extent, to policing the way it used to be when the local bobby policed an area where he or she lived.
Mr Ellis said, “My plan is to recruit between 150 and 200 new Special Constables across Staffordshire. But importantly, rather than being part of a large ‘pool’ of officers who are sent all over the wider area they’d be recruited to police the specific community where they live whether it be rural areas of Tamworth or the town.”
He explained, “It’s not about replacing the PCSOs or Police Officers there already, it is about extra uniformed presence in the community to give reassurance and a sense of permanence for local people.”
Special Constables are fully trained and have the same powers, including arrest, as full time police officers but do it on a part time voluntary basis. Mr Ellis says the local knowledge and stake in the area because they live there would be invaluable and believes that communities will welcome once again seeing ‘the thin blue line’ more obviously than it’s been for years.
“I think the role of Police & Crime Commissioner is about bringing fresh ideas as well as new thinking to make our area safer. It’s also about ensuring every pound of public money is spent more effectively because it’s not just how much is spent but how well it is.”
He is encouraging residents to share their views about the new proposals at www.tellmatthew.org where there is also more information on his key policies and other initiatives such as plans to bring back young Police Cadets to Staffordshire but at no cost to the taxpayer.
Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council is to keep some of the additional money raised from the sale of council homes to tenants in Tamworth to fund the building of new affordable homes to rent, following the Government’s reform of the Right To Buy scheme.
Under a new agreement with the government, which was approved by Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet last week, a proportion of any additional capital receipts from the sale of council homes to tenants under Right to Buy legislation will now remain in Tamworth, rather than being allocated to the national affordable housing programme by central government.
This means that Tamworth Borough Council will be able to invest available funds in new affordable housing in the borough.
Cllr Michael Greatorex, Cabinet member for Housing, said, “The changes in the rules allow us to use keep a greater proportion of the money raised by the sale of council homes here in Tamworth than would otherwise have been the case. In turn, this could allow us to build more affordable housing for the people who really need it.”
This change follows the introduction to new rules regarding Right To Buy by central government, including increases in the level of discount available to tenants who buy their council homes.
The government has pledged to replace each extra home sold under Right To Buy with a new affordable home.
Housing need in Tamworth remains high, with more than 2,000 households on the Housing Register and an increasing number threatened with homelessness.
Tamworth Borough Council, working with its partners, is seeking to increase the supply of affordable housing by building new homes, bringing empty homes back into use and encouraging private renting to meet the need.
Christopher Pincher was first elected MP for Tamworth in May 2010 with a majority of 6,090. Christopher was re-elected in 2015 with an increased majority of 11,302.
Born and bred in Staffordshire, and a Midlander through and through, Christopher is committed to representing Tamworth residents.
Christopher believes strongly in the power of local communities where people look after one another, support their local schools and hospitals and post offices, respect common traditions and stand together against the threat of crime and anti-social behaviour.
After becoming MP in 2010, Christopher worked conscientiously to get Britain back on track. Along with advocating issues relevant to Tamworth, Christopher specialized in national issues, including: energy, climate change, and defence. He was appointed to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and also served on the Armed Forces Bill Committee.
Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth, has spoken on the decision that Virgin Trains will continue to run the West Coast Mainline franchise for the next nine months before a long-term decision is announced.
