Welcome ...
Welcome to this my 78th electronic news bulletin.
This last week the Government continued apace with the rescue mission of our economy - dealing with the huge deficit we inherited is the single most important step towards recovery and growth. Now they must strive to be the most pro-growth Government in living memory. Over the next few months we must drive forward a programme with one purpose - creating jobs. Although there are currently around 500,000 job vacancies in the UK, there is still more to do. We must show we are on the side of enterprising business and enterprising people - and that there are no 'forgotten areas' of the nation when it comes to growth.
In Crewe and Nantwich, small and medium sized businesses play a vital role in that drive for growth and all those local businesses I have visited or spoken with in recent months have been clear that getting the bulging bureaucracy off their backs will go a long way in helping create the conditions they need to expand and prosper.
Please 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 regional representatives from Royal Mail to discuss postal services in Crewe & Nantwich
- Asked the Deputy Prime Minister what the government is doing to rebalance planning applications on wind turbines, phone masts & overdevelopment in Crewe & Nantwich
- Visited local business Boldon James - Qinetiq, in Crewe to meet with staff
- Visited Station House Nursing Home in Crewe to meet with staff and residents & present national carers awards
- Attended Looking After The Homeless group in Crewe to discuss support for homeless people in Crewe & Nantwich
- Attended Crewe Town Mayor's Annual Charity Ball, in Crewe
- Held a constituency surgery for local residents
- Met with Willaston Green Gap Group to support the campaign to protect greenspace
- Played in a charity football match with the Parliamentary Football team, in London
- Attended a reception for Rare Diseases UK with local representatives from CLIMB Cheshire, in Parliament
- Met with constituents attending Parliament for several events to lobby MPs
- Attended a reception for Missing People, in Parliament raising awareness of the difficulties they & their families face
- Attended the launch of '100% Proof CitizenCard' in Parliament
- Met with representatives from Action For Children in Parliament
Photos & Video ...
- Edward attends Rare Diseases UK reception with local representatives from CLIMB Cheshire
You can view all my photos and video at edwardtimpsonmp.com
North West Virtual Heads Network Meet Cheshire East MP
Cheshire East News
A Cheshire East MP loaned some of his unrivalled knowledge of fostering to the Council’s Virtual School for Cared for Children.
Conservative Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, addressed the gathering of more than 20 people at Dalton House in Middlewich about his role as chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for looked after children and care leavers. He also canvassed the views of the heads of the various North West councils virtual school heads present on the day.
The virtual school in Cheshire East is a new development which treats its pupils as one ‘school’, although they are educated in a variety of settings across and beyond the authority area. Mr Timpson has spent 30 years living with and working in the care system and is now leading an enquiry into cared for children’s education. His parents have fostered more than 80 children over the last 30 years, many of whom he grew up with.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, Cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “This was a very productive session for Cheshire East’s Virtual School for Cared for Children and I am extremely grateful to Mr Timpson for taking the time to address the group.
“This is a subject which is very close to his heart and is very much of concern to virtual heads in the North West. It was a useful exchange of information and ideas.
“The session is another example of Cheshire East working with others to improve life opportunities and health for everybody in the borough.”
Cared for children, of which there are more than 450 in Cheshire East, are those subject to care orders and those who are voluntarily accommodated, whether that be foster care or at home with their families. Cheshire East is responsible for their care and support and the virtual school takes the lead in ensuring they have the best educational opportunities possible and that there is consistency of approach across the authority.
The virtual school provides training, advice and support for foster carers, teachers and social workers as well as working closely with agencies that support the children. For more information email about the Virtual School for Cared for Children at Cheshire East, or ring 01606 271951.
© Cheshire East Council
Postal figures confirm South Cheshire was the worst over Christmas period
Crewe and Nantwich Chronicle
SOUTH Cheshire officially had the worst postal service in England over Christmas.
Royal Mail performance figures from December 6 last year to January 1 this year show the area’s service was significantly lower than the First Class Stamped target of 93% for mail arriving the next day.
The official figure was 79.3% making it the third worst service in the UK compared to Dundee which had a figure of 78.5%, and Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, which had a figure of 43.4% – but both those areas experienced large amounts of snow.
Steve Leach, Royal Mail’s regional operations director for the North West, said: “Despite doing everything possible to get the mail through in difficult circumstances, we were unable to deliver everything
“We apologise to our customers. We hope they understand how hard our staff worked.”
MP Edward Timpson, added: “Obviously we have no data to prove how they’re currently performing, but the number of complaints I’ve received has tailed off significantly, and Royal Mail have been a lot more communicative about the problem following pressure from me.”
© 2011 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd.
South Cheshire has second-worst postal service in Christmas run-up
The Sentinel
RESIDENTS and businesses in South Cheshire continued to suffer the second-worst postal service in mainland Britain before Christmas.
Latest Royal Mail figures show posties in the CW area delivered 79.3 per cent of first-class mail on time between September 6 and December 5, down from 89.1 per cent during the previous quarter.
Only residents in Dundee had a worse service.
Nationally an average of 89.2 per cent of first-class post arrived on time, against Royal Mail's target of 93 per cent.
In Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, 87.9 per cent of first-class mail was delivered on time.
Residents and firms in South Cheshire say the postal service has gone downhill since Crewe's sorting office closed last August.
Royal Mail admitted last year it suffered "teething problems" since operations were transferred to Warrington, but insisted the issues had been ironed out.
Cheshire East councillor Margaret Simon, who represents Rope ward, said: "Up to Christmas and beyond the service has been appalling, but it has got better in recent weeks.
"I understand the weather has been bad, but I've been receiving council papers for meetings well after the meetings have taken place.
"I feel sorry for those actually doing the job, because if people stop using the service then jobs will be at risk."
Nantwich resident Jenny O'Brien, aged 32, said: "Last year there was a big delay, the post used to come in the morning but it just got later and later. But recently it seems to have got back on track."
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, pictured left, has been meeting with Royal Mail to help resolve the issue.
He said: "This report shows just how bad the situation became in the run-up to Christmas. However, Royal Mail seems to have improved its service.
"We have no data to prove how it is currently performing, but the number of complaints I have received has tailed off, and Royal Mail has been a lot more communicative."
Royal Mail said the severe weather towards the end of the quarter had a "significant" affect on the performance figures. Nationally just 33.7 per cent of first-class mail was delivered on time between December 6 and January 1.
Steve Leach, North West regional operations director, said: "Despite doing everything possible to get the mail through in exceptionally difficult circumstances, we were unable to deliver everything to our usual high standards. We apologise to our customers."
© 2011 The Sentinel
All-Stars Charity Match Raises Money For Wingate Centre
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
AN all-star charity eleven travelled to London last week to take on the UK Parliamentary Football Club.
The match - which finished a 3-3 draw - raised money for South Cheshire's Wingate Centre and featured a number of former professional players and members of Parliament.
Former Crewe Alexandra players Callum Carey and Mark Roberts were on the team sheet, as well as players from Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle.
Barry Donegan, who put together the All Stars team, said: “We’ve had a great time down here in London.
"It’s a pity the MPs managed to sneak one back at the end, but what’s really important is coming together to try to raise money for local charities.
“The Wingate Centre does great work for disabled children in South Cheshire, and it’s great that we had such a good turnout of ex pros and MPs to help raise money for them.”
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, who often plays for the All-Stars, helped organise the game and this time was up front for the Parliamentary side, which included four other MPs.
For much of the first half the charity team looked the more dangerous, but the UKPFC team defended doggedly, and attempted to expose a high defensive line on the break.
UKPFC took the lead on the half hour against the run of play with a well struck long range effort.
But they didn’t hold the lead for long as the All-Star team moved up a gear and scored two in quick succession to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
Further goals were exchanged leaving the All-Star XI 3-2 ahead going into the final quarter hour.
Mr Timpson had dropped back and started playing ‘in the hole’ allowing him to orchestrate the attack as the team went looking for an equaliser.
And this seemed to work as he got the assist on the equaliser five minutes from time.
The All-Star Charity XI was set up 12 years ago by Barry Donegan and has raised over £200,000 for local charities since then.
They have recently played teams of former Liverpool and Crewe players, as well as one from the cast of Hollyoaks.
The team is currently raising money for the Wingate centre, which has been helping young people with disabilities participate in gymnastics since 1988.
They said the money raised would go towards upgrading existing facilities.
Afterwards Mr Timpson said: “Huge congratulations to Barry for managing to organise the game.
"I know the money he raises for the Wingate Centre and other local charities really makes a difference to them.
“It’s great to be able to take part. MPs aren’t well known for being good at football but I think we just about deserved the draw.”
© 2001 - 2011 Newsquest Media Ltd.
Upbringing fostered MP's sense of justice
The Sentinel
EDWARD Timpson was just six-years-old when he got his first glimpse of the care system, an experience which later inspired him to become an MP. Two little boys had arrived at his family's home in Cheshire in need of fostering.
"I'd been told somebody was coming to play with us for a bit," he recalled.
"When these two boys, who were five and three, arrived, my reaction was to run upstairs to my bedroom and refuse to come out until they left. It took a bit of getting used to.
"People often forget families who foster have their own natural children. But it became part of my childhood.
"As I got older, I played a more active role in things like bottle-feeding and nappy-changing. It also gave me a sense of social justice."
Edward's parents John and Alex went on to foster almost 90 children over three decades. They also adopted two sons, who grew up alongside Edward and his brother and sister.
Sometimes there would be an emergency call from social services. A youngster would arrive that night with a bundle of pent-up emotions and a traumatic history.
But the family also offered respite care, longer term placements, and even cared for triplets.
It left an indelible impression. Soon Edward was training to become a family lawyer, representing young people at hearings in Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe.
"Although I got a lot out of it, I felt frustrated," he said. "By the time I got involved in these children's lives, the damage had already been done.
"More often, you weren't reuniting families, you were looking at permanent placements. I felt if I was going to make a real impact, I needed to affect policy."
It was the trigger for entering politics. As MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Edward occasionally encounters people his family used to foster.
And the 37-year-old Conservative, who lives in South Cheshire, has now found himself at the forefront of trying to improve the lives of other young people in Britain's care system.
He is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for looked after children and care leavers. Edward is currently leading a national inquiry into the education of young people in care.
It's set against some stark statistics.
He said: "Half of all prisoners under 25, and half of prostitutes, have been in care. There is also a vast attainment gap between looked after children and their peers.
"Even factoring in that they are likely to have suffered from neglect or abuse, they still underachieve. There's a huge amount to do."
He believes early support for families is crucial and also wants clearer accountability structures within local authorities.
One welcome step has been the growth in 'virtual' headteachers, who champion the needs of looked after children to ensure they make good progress at school.
Edward recently met Cheshire East's virtual head and others from across the North West. Other issues include what happens when young people leave care. "There's a cliff edge when the support finishes," he added.
On the back of horrific cases like Baby Peter's death, significantly more children are also being taken into care, fuelling the shortage in social workers and foster parents.
Edward is keen for the Government to extend to social work the philosophy behind its Teach First programme, where top graduates are encouraged to go into teaching.
He's come across other innovative ideas too. In Staffordshire, social workers supporting teenagers from Newcastle and the Moorlands have set up their own GP-style practice to trial running services at arm's length from a local authority. It has helped reduce bureaucracy.
Edward, a father-of-three himself, said: "There's no quick fix. But I'd like to think we will improve children's lives."
© 2011 The Sentinel
Help for families before they reach breaking point
The Sentinel
THERE are more than 450 children in care across Cheshire East.
Now a radical shake-up of the way vulnerable youngsters are supported is under way.
It will revolve around small social work units covering different local patches. Each frontline team will be led by a practice consultant. The emphasis is on helping families much earlier, before they reach breaking point.
The idea is similar to a scheme pioneered in the London borough of Hackney.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson said: "In Hackney, the vacancy rates for social workers have fallen, sickness levels have been reduced, and each team can't go beyond having 45 children. Cheshire East is right to learn from this.
"Crewe does have a disproportionate share of looked after children. There is more call for support."
Cheshire East Council has also created a new children's assessment team, which will manage all incoming referrals.
Cath Knowles, head of safeguarding and specialist services, said the ultimate aim was to reduce the number of youngsters needing public care.
In a report to councillors, she highlights how Cheshire East Council has come a long way since 2009, when it inherited serious problems in children's social care.
At the time, a series of reviews found social workers were managing excessive workloads, with individual staff overseeing as many as 40 cases. They were bombarded with child protection referrals and struggled to prioritise.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, cabinet member for children and families, pictured below, said they were now working hard to "improve life opportunities" for young people.
She is particularly pleased with the progress in setting up a new 'virtual' school. It tracks the progress of looked after children in their own schools and also offers training and advice to foster carers, teachers and social workers.
Children in care across South Cheshire have also played a pivotal role in writing a new council pledge. Their suggestions include:
Actively involving them in decisions affecting their daily lives;
Not moving children from placements where they are happy and settled unless it's absolutely necessary;
Helping them stay in touch with their birth families and keeping photos of their personal histories;
Supporting them to learn money skills so they can make the transition to adult life.
© 2011 The Sentinel
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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