Saturday 21, January 2012
Welcome ...
Welcome to this my 108th news bulletin and can I take this opportunity to wish you a happy New Year.
Health and safety at work is important, but should be proportionate. Many local businesses have raised the unnecessary time and financial burden of some health and safety measures with me.
At the Federation of Small Businesses candidates debate during the general election campaign, there was a clear desire from members and candidates present to see common sense brought to the fore where health and safety is concerned.
The government is determined that we do everything possible to take the brakes off business: cutting taxes; slashing red tape; putting billions into big infrastructure projects; making it much easier for British firms to get out there and trade with the world.
And there is something else they are doing: waging war against the excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British businesses.
Talk of ‘health and safety’ can too often sound farcical or marginal. But for British businesses - especially the smaller ones that are so vital to the future of our economy - this is a massively important issue. Every day they battle against a tide of risk assessment forms and face the fear of being sued for massive sums. The financial cost of this culture runs into the billions each year, so the measures we are taking include:
• Businesses no longer having to report minor accidents in the workplace. From 6 April, an accident will now only have to be reported if an employee is off work for seven days or more;
• Completely exempting from health and safety regulation up to a million self-employed workers whose activities pose no risk of harm to others. This will free them from bureaucracy and needless assessments;
• A new panel giving firms the right to challenge controversial inspection decisions; and
• The Health and Safety Executive abolishing or consolidating up to half of all existing regulations.
So the coalition has a clear New Year’s resolution: to kill off the health and safety culture for good. We want 2012 to go down in history not just as Olympics year or Diamond Jubilee year, but the year we get a lot of this pointless time-wasting out of the British economy and British life once and for all.
Please remember, you can always contact me directly if you have any questions for me.
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Best wishes
Edward Timpson
Member of Parliament for Crewe & Nantwich
I have recently ...
- Opened the new Tesco supermarket in Crewe
- Visited the Olympic Park with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Emergency Services to see the impressive progress of the construction and to hear about the emergency contigencies in place
- Met with Business in the Community to hear about their campaign to support care leavers with their journey towards sustainable employment
- Attended the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity launch of thier report Preventing Babies’ Deaths
- Met with Heler Cheese to discuss how I can help to promote Cheshire cheese across the UK
- Officically opened the new Orthopaedic Out-Patients and Fracture Clinic at Leighton Hospital
- Accompanied Chris Grayling MP, Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, on a visit to the Crewe JobCentre
- Joined the Looking After the Homless (LATH) Group to dispense free soup and rolls in the Market Square, Crewe
This weekend I will be...
- Inspecting the troops and laying a wreath at the Holly Holy Day for the 40th anniversary of commemorations
- Attending a charity event for Cancer Research UK at the Koconut Grove
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Community News
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Grand opening of Crewe's Tesco Extra attracts scores of shoppers
Crewe Chronicle
HUNDREDS of shoppers descended on Crewe’s Tesco Extra store as it opened its doors for the first time on Monday.
The 64,000sq ft superstore, based on Vernon Way, replaces a smaller store on the same site and celebrated its grand opening by making a £1,000 donation to Crewe and Nantwich Gymnastics Club.
MP Edward Timpson and Crewe mayor Cllr Roy Cartlidge were guests of honour and helped store manager Natalie Salt cut the ribbon to declare the store officially open for business.
Eager shoppers who were keen to get their first look at the store were also treated to complimentary champagne, cake and orange juice.
Store manager Natalie Salt said: “It was great to see so many members of the local Crewe community joining in the celebrations with us.
“We really hope that as a store we will become a key part of the local community.”
Senior coach at Crewe and Nantwich Gymnastics Club Candy Lakin accepted a giant cheque from Natalie on behalf of the club. She said: “The club would like to thank Tesco for this generous donation. As a club we are always trying to raise money and are very grateful for donations such as this.
“Our roof currently needs repairing and the equipment we use for our gymnasts is very specialist and expensive, this donation will help to fix the roof and provide the latest equipment needed to aid our gymnast’s progress.”
The new store, which benefits from extended opening hours, offers customers a new phone shop, Tesco Direct desk and family café serving Costa coffee. In addition, the store has an extended food and counter range including an olive bar, fresh meat and fish counter as well as larger clothing, home and electrical departmentsŠincluding an electrical advice desk.
Crewe mayor Cllr Roy Cartlidge added: “I’m delighted that Tesco has decided to expand its store in Crewe. I hope it brings another shopping experience for the people of Crewe and the surrounding area along with job security to Tesco employees.
“I’m impressed by the architecture of the new buildings, it’s quite magnificent – more like a railway building than a supermarket!”
Opening celebrations will continue on Saturday, January 21 between 11am and 4pm as the store will welcome another special guest – Peppa Pig.
The cartoon character will be the guest of honour at a free family fun day where shoppers will be treated to complimentary face painting as well as burgers and snacks from a barbecue.
The store is open from 12.01am on Mondays and remains open until midnight on Saturdays. It is open from 10am until 4pm on Sundays.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson tells of his experience growing up with foster children
Crewe Chronicle
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson grew up with foster children. He talked to reporter Belinda Ryan about his childhood and what he gained from the experience.
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson can’t really remember a time growing up when his parents’ home wasn’t full of foster children.
Mr Timpson was only five when his mum and dad, John and Alex, began fostering.
During the 30 years they acted as foster carers, they looked after nearly 90 children.
Mr Timpson says it was this positive experience which motivated him into practising family law and taking on the position of chairman of the all-party group on fostering and adoption.
“One of the things that really motivated me to do what I’m doing now is to try to help those children who find themselves in care, through no fault of their own, to get a better life and have a better chance to make something of themselves,” said the Conservative MP.
With more than 60,000 children in care, thousands of carers are needed up and down the country.
More than 1,200 extra foster carers need to be found across the north west of England in the next 12 months, according to the Fostering Network.
Mr Timpson still bumps into people who were fostered by his parents.
During last year’s election campaign he told how he met a man at a public meeting who was about seven years younger than himself who was fostered by his parents.
“When you talk to them and find out what they’re doing now and what they’ve made of their lives, it really hits home what my parents did and how much it’s played a part in these peoples’ lives,” said Mr Timpson.
The Tory MP admits his initial reaction when he discovered his parents had started fostering wasn’t as charitable as it might have been.
“I was nearly six and I came skipping home from school one day to find these two fairly loud children, aged five and three, downstairs in the kitchen,” he said. “As the youngest of three I was used to having my mother’s undivided attention and on finding I was to have to share her my reaction was to run upstairs in a huff, run into my bedroom, slam the door and refuse to come out until they left.”
His reaction didn’t last long.
“As I grew older I started to take on more of a caring role myself, helping to do late-night bottles, that sort of thing, and I could start to see what my parents were doing it for and it was quite rewarding,” he said.
“You could see the change in many of these children. They started to thrive under routine, their personalities came out and the resentment I had at the start just evaporated.”
Crewe and Nantwich MP set to fight Gypsy site plans at council meeting
Crewe Chronicle
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson aims to scupper plans for a Gypsy camp in Coppenhall.
The Conservative MP is expected to clash with Tory-led Cheshire East Council when the matter is considered by its strategic planning board.
The council wants the Gypsy camp on a field at the junction of Parkers Road and Kent Lane.
It is unusual for MPs to address council committees but no date has yet been set for the planning board meeting. If Mr Timpson is unavoidably kept in London on affairs of State when it does come up, he will send a senior staff member to represent him and the views of his constituents.
The MP, who was with members of Crewe Against Travellers Sites (CATS) when they presented a 5,500 signature petition to Downing Street in November, said: “I’ve written to the chief executive and council leader to inform them that I, with members of CATs, presented a copy of the petition at 10 Downing Street.
“To ensure my support for my constituents is heard loud and clear, I intend to speak at the planning committee when the future of the site is determined.”
CATS has also presented the petition to Cheshire East.
CATS secretary Wendy Middleton said: “The number of signatures gathered in a short space of time shows the strength of feeling against this camp. Our aim is to trigger a full council debate on this ill-thought plan.”
CATS chairman, Glenn Perris, said: “Cheshire East are delaying because they say they are trying to get it right. ŠThat’s impossible as it’s fundamentally flawed in so many aspects.”
The group stresses it is a non-racist organisation and is fighting to find a site ‘fair’ to Travellers, residents and the council tax payers.
“How much more of our money are they prepared to waste until the application finally fails?
“We will win this campaign,” said Mr Perris.
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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