Week in Westminster

At this time of year it’s difficult to resist the temptation to look back over the previous twelve months or to look forward to the next twelve but I'm going to resist.

The week before Christmas saw one of the most bizarre debates I’ve taken part in since arriving at Westminster; you may have seen reports that the 2014 Tour de France is to start in Leeds. Putting aside whether it is a breach of the French equivalent of the Trades Description Act for this great French institution to start in Yorkshire and journey south before crossing the Channel the popularity of cycling following the Olympics offers real opportunity to boost the regional, and hopefully, the local economy.

As I pointed out there is no better way to get from Yorkshire into Lincolnshire than by crossing the Humber Bridge and to show this great piece of British civil engineering off to the scores of countries that will take the television coverage.

Last week also saw the Commons debating the Energy Bill; this is a major piece of legislation that will affect every household and business.

As the Prime Minister announced a few weeks ago the energy companies will be obliged to ensure that we are all placed on the cheapest available tariff.

Another part of the Bill will offer some help to businesses that rely heavily on energy; intensive energy users are vitally important to this area - Tata Steel, the chemicals sector and the refineries.

It also provides much-needed certainty about the levels of taxpayer support the industry will receive to develop the new technologies. Most sectors within the industry have welcomed the measures being proposed. Hopefully the much longed for investments to build and service the off-shore renewables sector will now follow. I stress off-shore wind - when will the developers accept that on-shore wind is not acceptable to our local communities and target industrial land rather than our beautiful open countryside. At least we have a Conservative Energy Minister in John Hayes who has very clear views on this.

One of those vital services that we can so easily take for granted is the Royal Mail and this is the time of year we can show our appreciation for their efforts to ensure that we all receive a daily delivery.

A couple of weeks before Christmas I visited the Barton sorting office to learn a little more about how they cope with the Christmas rush. The answer is very well. It's easy to assume that with email we can somehow, if not do without, certainly make do with a smaller mail service.

In actual fact it's the growth of on-line shopping via Amazon, Ebay and the like that has, to some extent compensated for the loss of the traditional items of mail such as those menacing brown envelopes from the tax man, or a gas bill.

Having seen the work in Barton and earlier in the year visited the Immingham depot and been out with one of the posties I can certainly say they all do a grand job and thank them for their efforts.

Christmas is also a time when those of us privileged to be a representative of our local community are invited to the many of the carol services and concerts that take place and, as on so many other occasions, it provides an opportunity to see the dedication that so many give to the community through our churches, schools and other organisations. It is they that are the glue that keeps our often disparate society together.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year but since this article won't appear until the new year, I can only hope that that you enjoyed it and wish you have a very happy 2013.