Welcome ...
Welcome to this my 84th electronic news bulletin.
Nine weeks ago, the Government announced a pause in the plans for the modernisation of the health service. The Future Forum is now working on its report for the Government. The NHS is the most important thing to Britain's families. We have an institution - a precious idea - that says we are in this together; looking out for each other.
I know this government will never, ever take risks with the NHS. That is why they are increasing investment in the health service by £11.5 billion over the next four years - investment opposed by Labour. The NHS will remain free at the point of delivery, and based on need, not ability to pay, no matter who you are.
But the NHS needs to change. It needs to change to make it work better today, and it needs to change to avoid a crisis tomorrow. With the pressures of an ageing and increasing population, new technologies and rising costs - the NHS has to adapt and improve.
Doing nothing is not an option.
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
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I have recently ...
- Held a constituency surgery at my office in Crewe
- Met with players and parents from Crewe Alexandra Girls Centre of Excellence to discuss the campaign against the FA's decision to end their licence
- Attended the Clarendon Court Care Home open day in Nantwich
- Met with local GP's to listen to their views on reform of the NHS
- Spoken to Redshift Radio, based in Crewe, about life as an MP and what I enjoy in my free time
- Met with the Leader of Cheshire East Council, Councillor Wesley Fitzgerald to discuss ongoing local council projects in Crewe and Nantwich
- Met with local Scouts at the House of Commons Speaker's reception in Parliament
- Spoken on the floor of the House of Commons during the Munro Report debate on securing outcomes for children in care. view here
...This weekend will be attending and throwing the opening pie at the Wybunbury Fig Pie challenge 2011
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COMING SOON: Community News
Coming soon...
I will be showcasing the best local news stories from your own community on my website, in my office and eNewsletter.
I invite you to send me your good news stories from your community, so we can highlight the hard work of our local Volunteers, Community Stars and Fundraisers!
Look out for new announcements at www.edwardtimpson.com
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Photos & Video ...
- Edward opens the new playground at Weston Village Primary School
You can view all my photos and video at edwardtimpsonmp.com
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Virgin London Marathon 2011
Raising money for Parkinson's UK in Crewe & Nantwich
In April I completed my 9th marathon, raising money for Parkinson's UK Crewe Branch. There's still time to sponsor me on my webpage and help support a great organisation!
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Edward Timpson MP Visits Scout Camp
Crewe & Nantwich Guardian
THE South West Cheshire Scout Group’s 25th anniversary camp in Blakenhall was attended by local MP Edward Timpson last week.
Mr Timpson received a guided tour of the weekend long camp celebrating the local organisation’s 25 years of scouting in Cheshire.
The event showcased South West Cheshire’s achievements over the last quarter of a century and had activity stands for all ages of Scouts.
Mr Timpson said: “Scouting is a great way for young people to get involved, meet people and learn new skills.
“The Scouting organisation is one of our nation’s great institutions and a leading example of the community in action. I’m always pleased to get involved and lend my support.”
A group of local Scouts from Crewe and Nantwich will be joining Mr Timpson at a special reception in the Houses of Parliament next month, hosted by the Commons Speaker John Bercow MP.
© 2011 Newsquest Media Group
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Crewe grave thefts prompt security review of cemeteries
BBC News
A review of security will be carried out at Cheshire cemeteries after items were stolen from young children's graves in Crewe.
It could lead to the introduction of CCTV cameras in many of the county's graveyards.
One mother told BBC Radio Stoke that thieves took two stone angels from her baby daughter's memorial.
The area's Conservative MP, Edward Timpson, called the perpetrators "mindless idiots".
Mr Timpson, the MP for Crewe and Nantwich, is now calling for the local community to work together to tackle the thefts.
"It's going to need some strong support from the council and the police, and from the wider community, to ensure that those mindless idiots who've done this - whether it's through stupidity or through vindictiveness - are deterred from doing it again."
'Way of coping'
Heidi Norman from Crewe was 34 weeks' pregnant when her baby, Jorgie Jasmine, was stillborn last September. She is buried in the Teddy Bear Garden at Crewe Cemetery.
"I come here every day to visit my little girl and bring her flowers, windmills, just to make it look nice. It's just a way of coping really," she told BBC Radio Stoke.
Natasha Nuttall, founder of the local arm of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Sands), said it was one of several thefts she had been informed of so far this year.
Councillors have now agreed to meet Ms Nuttall and other parents affected to discuss the possible installation of CCTV cameras.
Peter Hartwell, from Cheshire East Council, said: "We do need to survey visitors again about the use of CCTV and see what support there is for that now."
He also suggested that if the support is overwhelmingly in favour of cameras, there is a chance that they could find their way into many more of the county's cemeteries.
A Cheshire Police spokesman said there had been only one reported theft incident from the cemetery but urged people to contact the force if they had been affected
© BBC 2011
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Sky's the limit for Nantwich business
Crewe & Nantwich Chronicle
A FAST-EXPANDING Nantwich business has officially opened its new premises with the help of Edward Timpson MP.
The Green Electrician, a Solar PV specialist, welcomed the Crewe and Nantwich MP to its site on Green Lane in Wardle to give him a tour of the new offices and warehouse.
The business has increased its work force from four employees to 30 in just over a year and is supported by a fleet of vehicles and a training facility.
Operations director David Young OBE said: “This is a very exciting time for the business and the solar industry in the UK.
“Since the launch of the Government’s feed-in tariff incentive in April last year, we have seen installations in this region more than triple.
“The returns of over 10% make solar panels a great financial and environmental investment for businesses and homeowners.
“We’re currently growing at a rate of one new job every week and are employing local electricians, roofers, surveyors as well as office staff.”
For details visit www.thegreenelectrician.co.uk or call 01829 261 765.
© 2011 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd.
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Bench unveiled in Nantwich town centre
Crewe & Nantwich Chronicle
A DIABETES UK support group has installed a bench near to St Mary’s Church in Nantwich.
The bench has been positioned on Monks Lane and was unveiled by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson on behalf of the Crewe and South Cheshire Voluntary Group.
Group president Sheena Sambrook said: “The suggestion of a bench came about when a group of elderly people making their way from the market area to the Bowling Green car park were overheard commenting on the fact that there were many seats on the other side of the church but none where they were that they could rest on the way back to their cars.”
The cost of the bench, which has been dedicated to the group and its late members, was raised by a group supporter who competes in marathons.
Sheena added: “We’re very grateful to Edward and the people of South Cheshire for all of their support.
“In 2010 we sent £5,000 to Diabetes UK Research Projects and supported recently diagnosed young people and their families to attend either residential holidays or support weekends.
“In 2011 we’ve already supported seven youngsters to the sum of £2,440.”
© 2011 Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Ltd.
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Crewe And Nantwich MP Backs School Fundraiser
Crewe & Nantwich Guardian
LOCAL MP Edward Timpson has helped fundraisers at Haslington Primary School in Crewe raise money for McDonald House at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
The Crewe and Nantwich MP joined staff, pupils and parents at the event to raise money for the facility at the world famous children’s hospital. Mr Timpson was accompanied by his children and met with pupils and parents helping to raise cash.
McDonald House was opened in 1993 to accommodate families of critically ill children at the hospital.
Over the past 18 years the unit has accommodated 13,000 families completely free of charge and relies on voluntary donations for all its funding.
Mr Timpson said: “McDonald House is an absolutely incredible institution and I’m proud to see everyone at Haslington Primary School doing their bit to help support their work.”
© 2011 Newsquest Media Group
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Children's Minister takes fostering questions at APPG
Family Law Week
Minister marks the start of Foster Care Fortnight
Young people with experience of care put questions about foster care to a panel of experts and politicians at the All Party Parliamentary Group on young people last week.
Children's Minister Tim Loughton, Chief Executive of the Fostering Network, Robert Tapsfield, two care experienced young people and a foster carer responded to questions and issues raised.
The APPG, chaired by Edward Timpson MP, takes place every month and is organised by the Who Cares? Trust, a charity supporting children in care. The focus of this month's meeting was on foster care as it fell during Foster Care Fortnight, the Fostering Network's annual awareness campaign to raise the profile of fostering and encourage more people to foster.
Robert Tapsfield said:
"There are more and more children coming into care and thousands more foster carers with the right skills and experience are needed across the UK, particularly to look after teenagers."
To mark the start of Foster Care Fortnight, Children's Minister Tim Loughton said:
"Foster carers are the unsung heroes of our care system. They do a fantastic, selfless job helping children build stable relationships that last into adulthood. The shortage of foster carers is a particular concern, especially for teenage children. We support and fund Foster Care Fortnight to help get more people to come forward to be foster parents.
"We have also developed a new Foster Carers' Charter this year so that foster parents know what help and support they can expect from local authorities. I encourage all local areas to sign up, use it to recruit more foster carers and improve local fostering services."
© Law Week Limited 2011
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Diversity Is Key For Crewe Live Festival
Crewe & Nantwich Guardian
CREWE Live 11 promises to be the most diverse celebration of music ever staged in the town.
Organisers are expecting the biggest ever turnout for the event, which takes place over four days (May 27 to 30) in 12 venues across the town on the Bank Holiday Weekend.
The festival will feature around 130 shows with an exciting mix of upcoming acts and headliners including Funeral For A Friend, Twisted Wheel, Jettblack and Kid British.
With the town’s carnival not happening this year organisers hope the event, which is mostly free, will fill the void left in Crewe’s calendar.
The venues involved include The Bank, The Box, The Brunswick, Dantes, The Duke of Bridgewater, The Express, The Imp, Oddies, Square One, The Stage Door, The Waldron and Woodies Bar.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson said: “I realise that the carnival is unlikely to go ahead which will be a disappointment to a lot of people.
“However I am sure this event will be a great success and will demonstrate Crewe can put on an event to match more established ones in the area.”
Volume spokesman Toby Robinson said: “We’ve got something like 130 shows over the four days – which rivals any festival in the country.
“Obviously it’s taking place in the town’s pubs and clubs instead of in a field, but that holds its own benefits for the town and its visitor economy.
“And hopefully it’ll be a cracking atmosphere throughout the four days, with people touring from venue to venue.
“That’s the main concept behind the event, very much like the Camden Crawl event in London – basically it’s like any other festival but it happens in your local pub and you get to sleep in your own bed!”
© 2011 Newsquest Media Group
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Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson is interviewed on RedShift Radio
Crewe Chronicle
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson paid local radio station RedShift Radio a visit.
He was interviewed by Dr Gav and Bizzy Lizzy and spoke fondly of his number one role as a dad and huge passion for marathon running and fundraising.
Coming from a family which have fostered more than 90 children during the last 30 years, Edward talked about his cross-party enquiry into the educational attainment of looked-after children.
Insights were also shared about the typical week of an MP both in Westminster and at home in his constituency.
© 2011 Crewe Chronicle
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Official figures show Crewe had worst postal service in mainland Britain last year
Crewe Chronicle
CREWE had the worst postal service in mainland Britain over an entire year – according to Royal Mail’s own report.
Figures just released reveal between March 2010 and March this year, an average of 85.4% of first class post in the CW postcode area reached its destination the next day, compared to a national average of 93%.
Only the remote Scottish island regions of Hebrides and Lerwick came off worse.
The figures have come as no shock to union bosses who had always argued the closure of the Crewe sorting office and implementation of new working practices would have a devastating effect on the town.
A union source said: "There was no doubt there was going to be an impact with the mail centre closure. We warned Royal Mail. Coupled with new delivery methods, which are very stressful because of the way they were implemented, it was obvious Royal Mail would struggle."
The company says the conditions were challenging given ‘the worst weather in living memory’ and the ‘operational changes’ at the Crewe delivery office last year, and says if exceptional conditions are taken into account then 87.4% was delivered in Crewe.
It claims the introduction of new collection and delivery practices will help improve the statistics.
But Royal Mail workers fear the poor service could be repeated in Crewe.
"The new system was based on quiet weeks so when we get to busy periods we could see the same sort of problems again," said the union spokesman.
Although there was a slight improvement in delivery rates over the last quarter (January to March), they are still considerably worse than this time last year.
It is residents and businesses in Crewe who have had to bear the brunt of the ‘unacceptable service’ over the last year.
South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce manager Paul Colman said: "The Chamber received many complaints from its members during this period and the disappointing results come as no surprise.
"Businesses rely heavily on the Royal Mail service and any delays in receiving cheques through the post can cause enormous cashflow problems, specifically for small businesses.
"However, we’ve not received any complaints recently, so we hope the delays in the postal service from Royal Mail have now been rectified."
MP Edward Timpson was also disappointed with the figures and said: "This represents a period of unacceptable service by Royal Mail locally, as I have been quick to point out to them at regular intervals.
"However, it’s historical data, and I very much hope the drastically reduced number of complaints that I receive about the Royal Mail is representative of an overall improvement in service. Time will tell.In the meantime, constituents should contact me if they have concerns."
Royal Mail’s North West regional operations director Steve Leach said: "Royal Mail is currently undertaking one of the largest transformations in UK industry. The implementation of these changes is challenging and we’re learning some valuable lessons."
He added Royal Mail was "committed to delivering a high quality to all customers in this area", and said: "We’re sorry for any difficulties experienced by our customers."
© 2011 Crewe Chronicle
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Hundreds turn up for Haslington Fun Day
Crewe Chronicle
HUNDREDS of people attended this year’s Haslington Fun Day to make it one of the most successful events yet.
The fun day, which is organised by the Neighbours Charity, is now in its eighth year.
Judy McNeill said: “It all came out of what we did for the millennium celebrations. That was so successful we decided to do something each year. We started a couple of years after that.”
The event was officially opened at 11am on Saturday by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson.
Music was provided by the Winterley Brass Band and one of the highlights of the day was the ever-popular dog show which, this year, was won by Coal, a Newfoundland.
Several stalls were on display.
The aim of the event is to give local groups and charities the chance to promote awareness of what they do, as well as to help them raise funds.
Lee Allen said: “It was a super day with lots of people attending. The winner of the best stall was the Croft Preschool with its clown theme.”
© 2011 Crewe Chronicle
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Hundreds enjoy South West space camp
Cheshire Scouts
The South West Cheshire District Scout camp might have taken place in Blakenhall, but more than 900 participants were transported to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
This bi-annual event had a Space theme this year, and Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders enjoyed a fantastic weekend with glorious camping conditions allowing everyone to take part in a wide range of varied activities during the fun-packed weekend.
Activities included an aerial runway, gun run, caving simulator, backwoodscooking, merry go round and a slippery slope as well as exhilarating inflatables, climbing, archery and a 'science blast lab' for all manner of experiments.
The camp was visited over the weekend by Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson and East Cheshire Mayor & Mayoress Gordon and Felicity Baxendale who were keen to get in on the fun.
Carl Shore, Camp Leader and Organiser said: "It was a fantastic weekend
and I hope everyone had a much fun as myself and the rest of the organising team. I'd also like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the camp such a success."
© 2011 Cheshire Scouts
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Olympic Torch Bearers From Crewe And Nantwich Wanted
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson is urging residents to nominate local champions in the search for Olympic torchbearers, announced by the London Olympic Organising Committee.
The Organising Committee, chaired by Lord Coe, this week launched a search for 8,000 torchbearers to carry the flame to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.
The flame will travel over 8,000 miles for 70 days with 90% of the torchbearers being members of the general public.
Nominees are required to provide 150 words on why they are nominating an individual and evidence about how someone has gone beyond their ‘personal best’ in any walk of life.
Nominees can be as young as 12 and will be considered by regional judging panels across the country.
Mr Timpson said: “The search for London 2012 torchbearers is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Britain and best of Cheshire.
“I hope lots of people from Crewe and Nantwich will nominate people they know who have truly given their personal best and may be a leading light in the community.
“I want to encourage everyone to participate in this once in a lifetime moment.”
Crewe’s MMU Campus has been approved as a pre-games training camp for national teams.
The nomination process will be open until June 29 and is available via www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay or by calling 0800 111 6448.
© 2011 Newsquest Media Group
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Residents suffered worst postal service in Britain last year
The Sentinel
RESIDENTS and businesses in South Cheshire suffered the worst postal service in mainland Britain last year.
Latest Royal Mail figures show postal workers in the CW area delivered 85.4 per cent of first-class mail on time during the year to March.
That is even worse than the KW postcode in the far north-east of Scotland, which is exempt from Royal Mail's targets because it is so remote. There, 86.5 per cent of first-class post was delivered on schedule.
Nationally, an average of 91.4 per cent of first-class post arrived on time, against a Royal Mail target of 93 per cent.
In Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, 90.1 per cent of first-class post was delivered on time during the year.
Royal Mail bosses said the "extraordinary" combination of the coldest December in 100 years and the "unprecedented" closure of UK airspace because of volcanic ash hit delivery performance.
In Crewe, the town's sorting office was closed last year and the firm has admitted that such "operational changes" also played a part.
Steve Leach, regional operations director for the North West, said: "Royal Mail is currently undertaking one of the largest transformations in UK industry and introducing new practices to our collection, processing and delivery operations. The implementation of these changes is challenging.
"The latest quality of service figures in the CW postcode area over the past year indicate that we are delivering 87.4 per cent of first-class items the next day if the exceptional conditions of last year are taken into account."
The Crewe sorting office was closed in August and operations from the Weston Road depot were transferred to Warrington, along with 600 jobs.
Both Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson and South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce wrote to Royal Mail to complain about postal delays since the office was shut.
Last night Mr Timpson said: "This represents a period of unacceptable service by Royal Mail locally, as I have been quick to point out at regular intervals.
"However, it is historical data, and I hope the drastically reduced number of complaints I've recently received about the Royal Mail is representative of an overall improvement in service."
Royal Mail said it achieved its national 93 per cent on-time first-class delivery target with the impact of the severe weather and the volcanic ash cloud stripped out.
Both Mr Leach and Paul Jobling, regional operations director for the Midlands, paid tribute to employees' work during a challenging year.
In a joint statement, they said: "Royal Mail's performance in the face of exceptional challenges last financial year is a tribute to the determination and dedication of our postmen and women.
"We are sorry for any difficulties experienced by customers. We did everything possible to deliver their mail in the face of prolonged spells of extreme winter weather and the unprecedented closure of UK airspace."
The firm invested £20 million in additional transport, 20,000 extra recruits 18,000 additional deliveries during the winter weather.
© 2011 Associated Newspapers Limited
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5 ways to contact Edward Timpson
