Monday 26, March 2012
Welcome ...
Welcome to this my 116th news bulletin.
Binge drinking isn’t some fringe issue, it accounts for half of all alcohol consumed in this country. The crime and violence it causes drains resources in our hospitals, generates mayhem on our streets and spreads fear in our communities. Our message is simple: we can’t go on like this – we have to tackle the scourge of violence caused by binge drinking, and we have to do it now. Serious concerns have been raised over the implications of alcohol misuse in Cheshire, particularly among young people.
The cost to the taxpayer of people attending Leighton with injuries and illnesses caused by drink suggests Crewe is facing a major problem. Overall, Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT is spending £31.5m each year to deal with the problem – a number which is rising by £500,000 year on year.
The most recent statistics show there were 1,732 alcohol-attributable hospital admissions in the space of a year in Cheshire East. Worryingly, the problem seems to be rife among the younger generation. Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT is ranked 124th out of 151 PCTs across the country for alcohol-specific admissions of under 18s – with a rank of 151 being the worst.
So we’re going to attack it from every angle. More powers for pubs to stop serving alcohol to people who are already drunk. More powers for hospitals not just to tackle the drunks turning up in A&E – but also the problem clubs that send them there night after night. And a real effort to get to grips with the root cause of the problem, and that means coming down hard on cheap alcohol.
We are going to introduce a new minimum unit price – so for the first time it will be illegal for shops to sell alcohol for less than this set price per unit. This isn’t about stopping responsible drinking, adding burdens on business or some new kind of stealth tax – it’s about fast immediate action where universal change is needed. A 40p minimum unit price could mean 50,000 fewer crimes each year and 900 fewer alcohol related deaths per year by the end of the decade.
The effect of this will be to make the town centres of both Crewe and Nantwich more pleasant areas for all our community to enjoy.
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...
- Held a drop-in advice surgery in Nantwich
- Attended the Queen's address to both Houses of Parliament on the occaision of her Diamon Jubillee
- Met with Andrew Radford the new Chief Executive of Voice; a children’s charity that provides advocacy for children in care, in need and care leavers
- Met with Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister, to discuss the Crewe & Nantwich Jobs Fair that I am organising in partnership with John Dunning, Chief Executive of the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, which will be taking place at Crewe Alexandra FC on the 3rd May.
- Met with Cheshire East Council and other local MPs to discuss the issues facing our area.
- Re-opened the refurbished Regis hairstylists on Nantwich High Street
- Attended the Sweet Charity event held by the Crewe Amateur Musical Society of which I am Vice-President
- Ran the Wilmslow Half Marathon in prepartion for my 8th London Marathon which I will be running with my with Julia for local charity Climb. Sponsor Us Here
- Played in a charity football match against Liverpool at Nantwich FC
Westminster Report
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Photos & Video ...
Edward holding an On Your Street Surgery Session in Crewe
You can view all my photos and video at edwardtimpsonmp.com
Community News
Community & Voluntary Services Cheshire East
Looking to find opportunities to help out in the community? CVS (Community & Voluntary Services) Cheshire East is a Registered Charity whose aim is to be valued as the leading support and development organisation for the Voluntary and Community Sector in Cheshire East.
The CVS's volunteer team can support you in several ways:
- Help you to find a suitable volunteer role
- Help organisations to find suitable volunteers
- Encourage best practice in volunteer management
- To promote volunteering and the added value that it brings to our community
To find out more visit their website by clicking here
Do you have community news to share? Email me and it could be here too!
20:20 Mobile to create 100 jobs after landing ACE Group deal
The Sentinel
"We're looking forward to expanding the team and welcoming new staff."
20:20 Mobile managing director James Browning said: "This new contract reinforces the work we have been doing with O2 and our other insurance partners, and that our development strategies in both the call centre and insurance markets are sound, relevant and commercially appealing to our partners."
20:20 Mobile is a distributor for most leading mobile phone manufacturers, and is one of the world's largest distributors of mobile phone accessories.
It was formed in 2006 after Potteries-born mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell sold his empire's distribution and logistics businesses to private equity firm Doughty Hanson.
Although its headquarters are in Crewe, the business employs more than 1,300 people across Europe and in the Middle East.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson said: "More than half a million jobs have been created by businesses under this Government, and I am glad to say that a good number of them have come to Crewe and Nantwich through companies like 20:20 Mobile.
"I welcome the success that 20:20 Mobile has had and the jobs it will bring to the area, as well as its continued investment in its Crewe headquarters."
To inquire about the jobs, call 01270 412020.
MP attacks Cheshire East Council over cuts to Dial-A-Ride
Crewe Chronicle
CREWE and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has attacked Cheshire East Council for reducing transport grants for the elderly while paying its own staff above average mileage rates.
The Conservative MP has criticised the Tory-led council for making cuts which affect the elderly and vulnerable while allowing councillors and staff to claim mileage rates 7p above the maximum 45p recommended by HMRC.
He has now written to Cheshire East asking it to reconsider its decision.
“I have asked the council to reconsider the decision to reduce the grant. Older people are experiencing increases in utilities and costs of living, and an increase in transport charges may have an effect on their ability to access the town centre,” Mr Timpson told the Chronicle.
“Local pensioners rightly feel the council could look at their own transport costs as they award higher than average motor mileage payments to their staff.”
Dial-A-Ride has suffered a double-whammy with Cheshire East not only removing it from the concessionary travel scheme but also slashing its funding by 28%.
Last year the community transport scheme, which is a registered charity, was forced to introduce a £12 annual membership scheme to keep afloat.
Now vulnerable people who had always had free travel will be forced to dig deep to pay for their transport.
Hugh Emerson, secretary of the Northern Pensioners’ Association, said he didn’t know ‘how these councillors and managers can look at themselves in the mirror when they are forcing the vulnerable to pay for a bus journey, while at the same time paying themselves excessive mileage rates for use of their own cars on council business’.
Conservative MPs in call for fairer school funding deals
The Sentinel
CONSERVATIVE MPs have been lobbying their own Government to speed up plans for a fairer funding deal for schoolchildren in Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
Staffordshire Moorlands MP Karen Bradley, Congleton's Fiona Bruce, and Crewe and Nantwich's Edward Timpson, were among a delegation of nine politicians who met schools minister Nick Gibb last week. The talks came as the Government prepares to unveil its proposed new funding formula.
Although the announcement is expected before Easter, MPs fear it could take years for changes to be implemented.
Staffordshire, which has been one of the worst-funded education authorities for two decades, currently receives £4,653 per pupil. Cheshire East fares little better, with £4,695 per pupil. Yet Stoke-on-Trent gets £5,199 in basic funding and some London boroughs receive twice as much.
Mrs Bradley stressed it was important to put extra money into disadvantaged areas. But she added: "One school in Staffordshire could be just 200 yards from another school in Stoke-on-Trent, yet the difference in funding is phenomenal."
She also sought assurances small, rural Moorlands schools would be protected. One possibility is to give them a £95,000 lump sum, plus funding for every pupil on roll. But there have been fears this won't cover their running costs.
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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