Subject: News

Bulletin from Aidan Burley MP #37 Date: Thursday, 5 April 2012 15:32:48 United Kingdom Time From: To: Aidan Burley MP news@aidanburleymp.org

In this edition:
Aidan Burley MPs Diary Website of the Week: 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets Everyone welcome to see local rugby clubs take on Parliamentary team at Twickenham Supporting the 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets Aidan backs invaluable support service for victims of crime Aidan welcomes visiting European teachers to Gorsemoor Primary Statement on Stafford Accident and Emergency Department Tax cut for families and pensioners in Cannock Chase Everyone should have the chance to own their own home How to contact Aidan Burley MP

Issue 37 Thursday 5th April 2012

Since the last edition, Aidan has:

Visited Gorsemoor Primary School in Heath Hayes to meet visiting teachers from Poland, Italy, Greece and Belgium as part of a European cultural exchange project the school is participating in. Spent time meeting and talking to volunteers from Victim Support. They help support victims and witnesses of crime through the court processes, which can often be daunting and intimidating. Joined the 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets for a training session. Met with representatives of Chase CVS to discuss their upcoming events. Welcomed news that Cannock Chase will receive a 100,000 grant from the Government's High Street Innovation Fund to help being empty shops back to life. Met with Helen Lillis, the Federation of Small Businesses National Councillor for Staffordshire and the West Midlands, to discuss the Real Life Entrepreneur campaign, and how the FSB can support the upcoming Cannock Chase Business Awards and Aidans 2012 Jobs Fayres. Chaired the second Chase Line Stakeholder Meeting, where he continued lobbying strongly for the electrification of the Chase Line to be included as a named project in the High Level Output statement released by the Department for Transport this July. Met with the local head of the GP Commissioning Consortium, Dr Jonny McMahon, alongside Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy to discuss the way forward for GP services in Cannock Chase and how they can support local GPs and patients. Questioned the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on the issue of party funding, with particular respect to the Labour Partys use of taxpayer funded facilities for meetings with trade unions. Held an MPs help and advice surgery for local residents in Cannock.

Website of the Week:

www.1871squadron.co.uk
The website of the 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets, who Aidan joined for a training session this week.

Everyone welcome to see local rugby clubs take on Parliamentary team at Twickenham
Cannock and Rugeley Rugby Clubs will have a rare opportunity to play at Twickenham Stadium when they take on the Commons and Lords Parliamentary rugby team in a fundraiser for the RFU Injured Players Foundation on Tuesday 17th April 2012. The two rival clubs have been invited to field a combined XV at the home of English rugby by Aidan Burley MP, who played for Rugeley last season. What's more - all local residents are welcome to come and watch for free by just turning up at Twickenham in time for a midday kick-off. There are also a limited number of seats (15-20) still available on the players coach and for a small contribution you can travel down to London with them. If you are interested in this please contact Stuart Cheshire of Cannock Rugby Club on 07970908637 or via email at stuart@csmservices.plus.com. Commenting Aidan said, As Secretary of the Commons & Lords Rugby Club I had the privilege of being asked to organise the annual charity game at Twickenham this year, which will raise funds for the RFU approved charity, the Injured Players Foundation. The combined strength of the Rugeley and Cannock rugby clubs seemed a very strong local opposition to bring down to the home of English Rugby, and I am delighted that both clubs in my constituency will get this fantastic opportunity to play a full 80 minutes on the pitch. Having played for both Rugeley and the Parliament team, I think this will be a very close encounter. The Commons and Lords team has played a charity match at Twickenham for a number of years but it is the first time two grassroots rugby clubs have been invited to take part. The RFU Injured Players Foundation supports people who sustain a catastrophic injury (CI) whilst playing rugby. The charity provides help and support for both players and their families in the early months of these injuries as well as in the long term and incorporates the former SPIRE Rugby Trust charity. In addition to this support, the charity takes a more active approach to conducting and supporting research and education aimed at preventing injuries; and identifying how injured players can be helped more effectively. It is a dream for us to play a match at the home of rugby. To be honest, many of our players thought such an opportunity had passed them by so we are delighted that Aidan has been able to arrange this for us, said Stuart Cheshire, Cannocks club captain. The fact that we will also be raising money for a good cause makes it even more special. Martin de Ridder, Rugeleys director of rugby, welcomed the opportunity to join forces with a traditional rival. He said: I began my rugby playing career as a junior player with Cannock in the early 1990s so I perhaps will not find it as unusual as some of my club colleagues. I think the once in a lifetime opportunity to play on the Twickenham pitch will mean any inter-club rivalries will be quickly forgotten as we try and beat the Parliamentary Team. We are extremely grateful for Aidans continued support to our club. For us this is the icing on the cake after Aidan spoke at our annual dinner at two hours notice just days after he was elected and also pulled on a Rugeley shirt for our match against Birmingham Barbarians. The two clubs will also be joined by a school team from each of the towns in the form of the Year 7 teams Cannock Academy and Hagley Park Academy who will play in a warm up fixture on the pitch before the main event.

Supporting the 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets

Aidan with 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets helping them prepare for a Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Aidan spent time with the 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets this week, where he helped them with some of their projects and tasks. During his time with the cadets, Aidan helped them to prepare routes for a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, before participating in activities with the squadron including leading the way in an initiative exercise guiding blindfolded cadets through a "mine field". The cadets were all very impressed with the way Aidan got stuck in with all of the activities! After the visit Aidan said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time helping the Air Cadets with their planning and exercises. I totally support any young person who gets involved in any of our cadet forces, as they will not only have a huge amount of fun, but also learn key skills and discipline. Id also like to wish all the cadets taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme the best of luck.

Aidan with 1871 Squadron Rugeley Air Cadets - leading the way in an initiative exercise guiding blindfolded cadets through a "mine field".

Aidan backs invaluable support service for victims of crime

Aidan alongside staff and volunteers at Victim Support Staffordshire. Aidan has paid tribute to the work of Victim Support during a recent visit to Victim Support Staffordshire. The visit comes just a few weeks after the Government launched a consultation on reform of victim support services entitled 'Getting it right for victims and witnesses'. This sets out the Government's proposed approach to ensuring that victims and witnesses get the support they need, both to overcome the consequences of crime and to participate fully in the criminal justice process. It also sets out the commitment to ensuring that offenders take greater responsibility for repairing the harm they have caused, through a combination of financial reparation and restorative justice. During his visit Aidan met with Divisional Manager Melina Hancox where he was told of the support provided by the charity. They also discussed the consultation document and what additional support Government should provide to both victims and witnesses of crime. Aidan was then introduced to an Anti-social behavior worker and met many of the volunteers who support victims and witnesses of crime through the court process. Commenting after the visit Aidan said: "I would like to pay tribute to Melina and the dedicated team of volunteers at Victim Support who provide such a valuable service to victims and witnesses of crime. "Without their support the experience of court would be far more daunting and intimidating for many witnesses and victims. They do valuable work in helping victims of crime, rather than the offenders who are supported by the system. "I was particularly pleased to discuss with Melina the government consultation and more importantly what more she thinks government should be doing to support charities such as Victim Support."

Aidan welcomes visiting European teachers to Gorsemoor Primary

Aidan Burley MP at Gorsemoor Primary School with visiting Italian teacher Marilene Barone, pupils Matteo Degasberis, Chiara Alonzoi, Ashleigh Pearson and Alfie Lee, plus Gorsemoor headteacher Paul Bennett and teacher Val Lomas. Aidan Burley MP has welcomed a delegation of teachers from Italy, Belgium, Poland and Greece to Cannock Chase during their visit to Gorsemoor Primary School in Heath Hayes. The visit is part of the Comenius programme, which is run by the British Council, encourages European countries to share educational experiences. After the visit, Aidan said, "They came over for four days to see what education at schools in the UK is all about, with the reciprocal arrangement in place for teachers from Gorsemoor. "I went down to show my support for the Comenius programme and chat to the visitors. They were asking me about what it's like to be an MP, and about Cannock Chase."

Statement on Stafford Accident and Emergency Department

Aidan Burley MP has released the following statement in response to the Mid Staffs Trust Board meeting of 29 March 2012: "I welcome the announcement today by Mid Staffs NHS Trust which recommends a reopening date of 11th June for Stafford Accident and Emergency Department. It is now vital the Trust do everything they can to ensure that this deadline is kept to. My constituents in Cannock Chase have already gone for too long without a proper, local 24-hour emergency healthcare service, and I am glad that a resolution is within reach. "Going forward, I will be pushing hard to see the plans they have for monitoring performance post opening, in order to ensure that the Hospital does not simply revert back to its old ways. It is also vital that Mid Staffs Trust set out clearly what steps are being taken to ensure the correct standards are maintained and what procedures they have in place to provide an early warning of potential difficulties in the future. "We all know that the previous crisis was caused because people who knew of the problems were too scared to speak out under the old management regime. It is therefore vital to find out what systems the current management team are introducing to ensure that in the future staff can raise their concerns without fear of retribution."

Tax cut for families and pensioners in Cannock Chase

Aidan has welcomed figures this week which reveal that residents in Cannock Chase will see a real terms cut in their council tax bills. After council tax spiralled out of control under Labour, Conservatives in Government repeated their council tax freeze initiative for a second year running. Commentating, Aidan said: "Under Labour, Council Tax in Cannock Chase rose by 122% hitting local people and these bills would have kept rising if they had clung onto power. "In contrast over the last two years with Conservatives in Government council tax has been frozen providing welcome relief to local residents. "I am sure that local people in Cannock Chase are thankful that the council tax freeze offered by Conservatives in Government has had the effect of cutting their bills in real terms. This will be a welcome saving for hardworking families and pensioners across the district."

Everyone should have the chance to own their own home

People across Cannock Chase are now a step closer to owning their own home thanks to new Government measures. This week the Government launched their reinvigorated Right to Buy scheme, which means that tenants could benefit from a discount of up to 75,000 on their council house. The Government is also helping first-time buyers get their foot on the housing ladder by launching an additional scheme, which guarantees mortgages of up to 95 per cent for new build houses in England. The NewBuy Guarantee means that instead of a typical buyer requiring a 40,000 deposit for 200,000 property, they will now only need 10,000. Commenting, Aidan, said: "I think that everyone in Cannock Chase should have the chance to own their own home, whether it is their first or the home they have shared for years. "Unlike Labour, this Government is committed to supporting those who aspire to own their own homes. "In Cannock Chase the current discount for social tenants is 26,000. This action by the Government will raise this to up to 75,000, empowering social tenants to make their council house their home."

5 ways to contact Aidan Burley MP:

By Phone: 01543 502 447 By email: aidan.burley.mp@parliament.uk By post: Aidan Burley MP 6 High Green Court, Newhall Street Cannock, WS11 1GR In person: Click here for details of how to book an appointment at Aidan Burley MPs regular help and advice surgeries.

www.aidanburleymp.org

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Aidan Burley MP Putting Cannock Chase First!

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