Welcome ...
Welcome to this my thirty-ninth electronic news bulletin.
Remember, you can always contact me directly if you have any questions for me.
You can forward the bulletin on to your friends and family, who can sign up themselves by clicking here for my website.
Best wishes,
Edward Timpson
Member of Parliament for Crewe & Nantwich
I have recently ...
- Met with Chief Superintendent of Cheshire Police regarding services in Crewe & Nantwich
- Met with representatives from South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, in Nantwich
- Visited local business, Return On Investment Ltd. to meet staff, in Nantwich
- Attended Royal British Legion 'Do Your Bit' campaign launch, in Parliament
- Attended Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service parliamentary briefing
- Met with National Federation of Roofing Contractors regarding members in Crewe & Nantwich
- Attended Campaign for Real Ale reception, in Parliament
- Attended North West Development Agency parliamentary briefing
- Sat on Children, Schools & Families Bill Committee, in Parliament
- Sat on Joint Committee on Human Rights, in Parliament
- Asked Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs about the Single Payment Scheme of the Rural Payment Agency, in Parliament
This weekend I will be...holding a Community Street Stall in Crewe & attending Nantwich Town Council Service in Nantwich
Photos & Video ...
You can view all my photos and video at edwardtimpsonmp.com
I have recently...
- Asked Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs about the Rural Payment Agency. view
Nantwich First Responder campaign wins two-year battle
Nantwichnews
Nantwich’s first responder service is to have its blue light reinstated.
It marks the end of a two-year battle by campaigners against North West Ambulance Service.
NWAS has confirmed Nantwich first responder Gavin Palin will be able to drive under a blue light again from next month.
He will also get extra training and there will be a new ambulance based in Nantwich to provide extra cover.
The decision to downgrade the first responder service two years ago sparked anger in the town.
Nantwich Town Cllr Bill McGinnis, MP Edward Timpson and residents who suffered from NWAS poor response times spearheaded the campaign.
Mr Timpson last week brought in a Bill to the House of Commons to force Ambulance Services to provide more accessible and localised reports of response times.
He said: “The Nantwich First Responders campaign has shown me how ambulance trusts need to be far more transparent.
“NWAS has admitted to me that local performance data can be provided at the touch of a button. We have already seen how that has helped us identify and resolve serious problems.”
Mr Palin thankedresidents for their support, especially Ann Ostridge for her 10,000 name petition.
NWAS chief executive Darren Hurrell said: “Nantwich people are passionate about the care they receive and in restoring Gavin’s ability to use blue lights, we recognise his unique and special skills.”
© 2010 Nantwichnews
MP Timpson to run London Marathon for local charities
Nantwichnews
Nantwich MP Edward Timpson is to run the London Marathon again this year to help raise cash for local South Cheshire charities.
Mr Timpson raised more than £3,000 for projects in Crewe and Nantwich when he completed the event last year in a personal best of 3 hours 58 minutes 36 seconds.
“The feeling that you’ve achieved something is one that never tires with age,” he said.
This year he is raising money for two local charities – Home-Start Central Cheshire and Supported Community Business Special Needs.
Home-Start is a voluntary organisation that has been giving key support to families in Crewe and Nantwich for over a decade.
Supported Community Business Special Needs runs a workshop based on Crewe gates industrial estate which encourages people with special needs to explore the world of work and business.
To sponsor Mr Timpson’s marathon run visit www.edwardtimpsonmp.com/marathon
© 2010 Nantwichnews
Campaigners win "battle of Nantwich" to restore first responders' emergency blue light
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
CAMPAIGNERS have won a two-year fight to reinstate the blue light first responder service in Nantwich – and have also secured extra ambulance cover.
North West Ambulance (NWAS) has confirmed Nantwich first responder Gavin Palin will be able to drive under a blue light again from next month and get extra training.
The decision to downgrade the first responder service two years ago sparked a massive outcry culminating in more than 1,000 Nantwich residents marching through the town in protest.
Among the campaigners were Cllr Bill McGinnis, MP Edward Timpson, resident Ann Ostridge and Rachael Broadhurst, whose husband Steve died in May 2008.
He lay critically injured in a road for 17 minutes awaiting an ambulance as NWAS did not call the first responders.
His family say that, while the outcome might not have been different, he deserved to be given the chance.
Edward Timpson said: “We’re delighted that, finally, NWAS has managed to see sense and take a pragmatic approach towards emergency responding in Nantwich. Our campaign has achieved real results for local people.”
Nantwich’s Cllr Bill McGinnis said: “We’re delighted and congratulate the new NWAS chief executive Darren Hurrell for the swift review and its speedy conclusion.”
First responder Gavin Palin thanked townsfolk for their support – especially Ann Ostridge for her 10,000 name petition. “The lobbying has been invaluable. It’s great the new chief exec has restored my blue light,” he said.
MP Stephen O’Brien said the move should improve the “terrible” response times in rural parts of his constituency, like Audlem.
NWAS chief Mr Hurrell said: “We’ve always taken this issue extremely seriously. Nantwich people are passionate about the care they receive and in restoring Gavin’s ability to use blue lights, we recognise his unique and special skills.”
As part of the deal, a new ambulance will be based in Nantwich and response times will be reviewed at quarterly meetings.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
Royal Mail accused of lack of communication over Crewe jobs
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
ANGRY postal workers have blasted Royal Mail for the lack of communication over their jobs, even though the planned closure of Crewe sorting office is just months away.
Weston Road office staff are furious after the deadline for the decision on their futures was put off.
Steve Wright, branch secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union, said: “Royal Mail was supposed to have told us the decision at our one-to-one meetings on January 11, then it was January 18. We’re still waiting.
“It’s absolutely diabolical and an unethical way to treat people. They’ve had to suffer in limbo for over two years and they still don’t know any more than they knew at the beginning.”
Mail centre workers are still fighting to keep the Crewe site open.
Royal Mail plans to close the sorting office and transfer up to 600 jobs to Warrington.
Earlier this month Mr Wright and other union officials met Lord Young, the Minister for Postal Affairs, to discuss the situation.
Mr Wright said the switch would involve 490 cars commuting backwards and forwards – totting up millions of unnecessary miles in the process.
Last week Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson tabled an Early Day Motion in support of the Crewe workers. It has been signed by MPs from all the main parties.
It reads: “This House applauds the hard work and dedication of the 600 postal workers at the Crewe mail centre; deplores the inconsistent and disingenuous approach to changing their working conditions and location by Royal Mail; recognises the importance of the mail centre in Crewe as its second largest employer; and encourages Royal Mail to publish the results of its latest employee consultation exercise.”
Mr Timpson said: “This motion isn’t about postal politics, it’s about treating people and their families with the respect they deserve. Royal Mail has a lot to learn about fairness, and, ironically, communication.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The transfer of work from Crewe to Warrington is integral to our £51m modernisation programme and vital if we’re to compete effectively in the months and years ahead.”
He added: “There’s a job for all those who want to remain working for Royal Mail and we continue to work with everyone affected to help them through the change.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
South Cheshire's politicians and a children's charity give their views on Sarah's Law
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle (extract)
The Government is considering plans to extend Sarah’s Law across the country.
The scheme, which has been piloted in parts of England, allows parents to check whether child carers are convicted sex offenders.
Chronicle reporter Belinda Ryan spoke to local politicians, a children’s charity and a victim of child sex abuse about the scheme.
A children’s charity has welcomed the news Home Secretary Alan Johnson is considering rolling out Sarah’s Law sex offender checks across the country, saying the pilot scheme had already protected vulnerable youngsters.
Kidscape, set up 25 years ago to protect children and prevent bullying, says early indications from the scheme have been encouraging.
Under the new measures being considered for England and Wales, parents will be able to ask if a person with access to their child has sex convictions.
The move follows years of tireless campaigning by Sara Payne, whose eight-year-old daughter Sarah was kidnapped and murdered by a convicted sex offender in West Sussex in 2000.
Kidscape director Claude Knights said: “We do know upwards of 150 families used it during the pilot scheme and 10 to 15 children who might have been at risk have been saved. It is very, very encouraging.”
Mrs Knights said the scheme was considered very carefully to stop vigilantes taking the law into their own hands.
“A lot of good thinking has gone into it and that is why Kidscape supports it,” she said. “Any information -disclosed must be treated as confidential. Indeed, the police may take action against anyone who discloses this without their consent, which could include civil or criminal proceedings. This is not a nosey neighbour’s charter. It’s about protecting children.”
The pilot scheme formally ended in September and the final evaluation report is due back shortly. The Government will roll out the scheme nationally if it concludes the pilot has been a success.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: “Protecting children and families from sex offenders is one of my top priorities and the UK already has one of the most robust systems of managing sex offenders in the world. The development of this scheme is a major step forward in our ability to protect children from sex offenders.
“Early results are extremely encouraging and the pilot has provided crucial protection for children who might otherwise be at risk.
“We are still evaluating the results from the year-long pilot and are talking to the police and children’s charities before a final decision on rolling out the scheme is made shortly.”
Local politicians also appear supportive of the scheme – depending on the outcome of the evaluation.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson said: “I am very sympathetic to what the Home Office is trying to achieve and if the pilots have worked properly we would be happy to see the scheme extended.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
Words from Westminster
Edward Timpson, Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Last Friday I was out on the beat with the police in Crewe town centre, seeing first hand what officers have to cope with on a daily basis.
I want to put on record my thanks to the police officers who guided me through a busy and, at times, eye-opening evening. My experience prompted me to write this week a little about crime and policing.
Violent offences have risen sharply under this Government, with knife and gun crime higher than in 1997. Yet police officers spend 50 per cent more time on paperwork than they do out on patrol.
The Government’s obsession with bureaucratic targets and box-ticking has hindered the fight against crime. They have launched endless initiatives and top-down schemes which have made little difference.
The string of broken promises has undermined people’s trust. We can’t go on with the police filling in forms instead of fighting crime.
Our aim should be to restore responsibility and discretion to the police – getting them out of police stations and out onto the street fighting crime – while making them truly accountable to the people they serve.
I know the Conservatives will do that by giving people the power to elect an individual who will set the policing priorities for their community, and by providing detailed data about crime in their area.
By giving people robust information and real power, they will be able to force the police to focus on the crime that affects their communities.
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
Sunbed 'ban' backed
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
Local MP Edward Timpson is backing calls to protect children from sunbeds at a Cancer Research UK event in Parliament.
He’s given his support to a Private Member’s Bill to prevent under 18s from using sunbeds.
He was among dozens of MPs who heard how children raise their risk of skin cancer by using sunbeds – recently upgraded to a top class carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Using sunbeds on your skin can increase the risk of skin cancer by 75%
Mr Timpson said: “It’s shocking to see the statistics showing how damaging sunbeds are for children’s health – and how many under 18s are using them.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
Nantwich mail workers backed by MP's Early Day Motion
Nantwichnews
Workers at South Cheshire’s Royal Mail office have been backed by Nantwich MP Edward Timpson’s Early Day Motion.
Mr Timpson tabled the motion as the Mailcentre, on Weston Road, Crewe is threatened with closure by the Royal Mail.
More than 600 people, including many from Nantwich, work at the centre.
The Royal Mail recently carried out a 1-to-1 employee consultation exercise about relocating staff to Warrington.
Mr Timpson’s motion has been signed by MPs from all the main parties.
It reads: “This House applauds the hard work and dedication of the 600 postal workers at the Crewe Mailcentre; deplores the inconsistent and disingenuous approach to changing their working conditions and location by Royal Mail; recognises the importance of the Mailcentre in Crewe as its second largest employer; and encourages Royal Mail to publish the results of its latest employee consultation exercise.”
Mr Timpson added: “This motion isn’t about postal politics, much as the Government has utterly failed in that regard.
“It is about treating individual people and their families with the respect they deserve.
© 2010 Nantwichnews
Crewe And Nantwich MP Edward Timpson Hits Out At Rising Council Tax Bills
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson expressed his concern this week at new figures which have revealed the soaring use of court orders and bailiffs to collect council tax.
He said that council tax bills have more than doubled across the country under Labour.
Liability orders allow councils to seize money from wage packets and benefits or commence bailiff proceedings.
The new statistics show that in Cheshire East bills have risen by 101% since 1997.
Some 1.4 million households had bailiffs knocking at their door for unpaid council tax last year – up nearly 70% since 1997.
The figures also reveal that that a record 3.1 million households are now in severe council tax difficulties and face liability orders for unpaidtax, including 34,811 in Cheshire.
Mr Timpson said: “Thanks to Gordon Brown doubling council tax bills, a record number of families in Crewe and Nantwich and across the country are struggling to make ends meet.
"More people now face the threat of menacing bailiffs knocking at their door.
“The fact that ministers have blocked a council tax freeze for England shows how out of touch Gordon Brown is with the plight of hard-working families and pensioners.
“Only a Conservative government will work with Cheshire East to help fund a council tax freeze and bring real help to low and middle income families.
© 2001-2009 Newsquest Media Group
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson Introduces A New Bill In The House Of Commons
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
SOUTH Cheshire MP Edward Timpson has brought in a Bill to the House of Commons to ensure people have better access to local ambulance response times.
This follows his successful joint campaign with Nantwich politicians and residents to achieve better ambulance services for the town and its surrounding villages.
Currently ambulance trusts are only required to give regional statistics for their performance, but Mr Timpson's Bill would require them to publish these statistics by postcode on the web.
This is as a result of very poor response times, uncovered by Mr Timpson through Freedom of Information requests, for places like Audlem, being masked by good response times in major urbean areas when an average is taken.
Identifying these gaps in service can help residents and ambulance trusts direct future ambulance services to better meet their needs, as with the new ambulance for the Nantwich area from March this year.
Mr Timpson said: “The Nantwich First Responders campaign has shown me how ambulance trusts need to be far more transparent, so that the public know how they are really performing in their area.
"NWAS has admitted to be that this local performance data can be provided at the touch of a button, and we have already seen how that has helped us identify and resolve serious problems.
"The rest of the country should now benefit from our experience in Nantwich."
© 2001-2009 Newsquest Media Group
Crewe and Nantwich MP introduces ambulance response Bill
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson brought a Bill to the House of Commons “to introduce requirements for ambulance services to provide more accessible and localised reports of ambulance response times”.
This follows his successful joint campaign with Nantwich politicians and residents to achieve better ambulance services for Nantwich.
Currently ambulance trusts are only required to give regional statistics for their performance, but Mr Timpson’s Bill would require them to publish these statistics by postcode on the web.
The Conservative MP says this is as a result of very poor response times he uncovered through Freedom of Information requests, for places like Audlem, being masked by good response times in major urban areas when an average is taken.
Mr Timpson said: “The Nantwich First Responders campaign has shown me how ambulance trusts need to be far more transparent, so that the public know how they are really performing in their area.
“NWAS has admitted to me that this local performance data can be provided at the touch of a button, and we have already seen how that has helped us identify and resolve serious problems.
“The rest of the country should now benefit from our experience in Nantwich.”
© 2010 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd
Crewe And Nantwich MP Backs Local Mail Workers
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
AN Early Day Motion in support of workers at Crewe mail centre has been tabled by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson.
The sorting office on Weston Road, employs 600 local people, and is threatened with closure by the Royal Mail.
Mr Timpson said that the Government-owned company has refused to publish the results of a one-to-one employee consultation exercise about relocating staff to Warrington.
The Tory MP was keen to achieve cross party support for his motion, and it has been signed by MPs form all the main parties.
The motion reads: “This House applauds the hard work and dedication of the 600 postal workers at the Crewe Mail Centre.
“It deplores the inconsistent and disingenuous approach to changing their working conditions and location by Royal Mail; recognises the importance of the Mailcentre in Crewe as its second largest employer; and encourages Royal Mail to publish the results of its latest employee consultation exercise.”
Mr Timpson commented: “This motion isn't about postal politics, much as the Government has utterly failed in that regard.
“It is about treating individual people and their families with the respect they deserve.
"Royal Mail have a lot learn about fairness, and, ironically, communication."
© 2001-2009 Newsquest Media Group
5 ways to contact Edward Timpson
- By email: timpsone@parliament.uk
- On the web: edwardtimpsonmp.com
- By phone: 01270 501 725
- By post: 30 Victoria Street, Crewe CW1 2JE
- In person: Click here to see surgery times
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