Week in Westminster

The Long-awaited and much-trailed political event of the last week was to have been the Prime Minister’s speech about our relationship with the European Union. But events in North Africa have intervened and, quite rightly, Mr Cameron has postponed his speech.

The recent headlines focussing on the benefits and welfare system point to one of the difficulties politicians have to face up to - how to face making difficult decisions that, though the decision they have reached, is popular in broad outline, the detail is less so. One of two biggest issues on the doorstep at the last election was the welfare state, in particular abuse and what were considered over-generous benefits paid to those undeserving of the taxpayers’ largesse.

The polls indicate that voters still hold to those views, but of course feel less enthusiastic if their particular benefit is reduced or withdrawn. Perfectly understandable of course but governments have, as they are very fond of telling us, to make unpopular decisions and in the present financial circumstances that’s absolutely true and it would make no difference which party was in power – you can’t pay out what you haven’t got unless you’re foolish enough to borrow beyond what you have the means to repay as Gordon Brown seemed prone to do.

I was an article in one of Thursday’s morning papers that contained figures that show action must be taken and can’t be postponed. I quote the figures not to pass judgement as to whether or not they should exist merely to show how unsustainable the present system is.

In the early part of the Blair years there was, thanks in part to the financial position he inherited, a period of unprecedented growth and yet the number of people in work and receiving benefits rose from 700,000 in 1997 to 4.7 million on the equivalent entitlements in 2010 and that figure rises to well in excess of six million if you include housing benefit. Latest estimates indicate that the bill for this, excluding housing benefit to be £22.5 billion. A lone parent with one child must earn above £34,000 before they cease to qualify for benefits, other than child benefit. I hear the voice of John McEnroe saying ‘you can’t be serious.’ £34,000 a year and still receiving benefit paid for out of the taxes of those earning much much less.

So all politicians of all parties across the Western World are wrestling with massive problems and there will have to be a lot more of those difficult decisions I referred to before we get ourselves back on an even keel.

I even heard UKIP’s Nigel Farage say on Radio 4 a few days ago that paying the winter heating allowance to wealthy pensioners couldn’t carry on. It’s unusual for politicians who know they’re are not going to be in power state something that’s unpopular. Why should they?

Talking of unpopular decisions brings me to the future of Grimsby’s Scartho Baths. Having succeeded in getting an Adjournment debate at Westminster to highlight the Council’s folly it was encouraging to hear the minister‘s reply and a couple of sections stood out.

He said: “The Government believe that it is for local authorities, in consultation—I stress, in consultation—with their communities to decide how to make best use of their assets, including the relative benefits and costs of replacing or refurbishing assets, because they are best placed to know what works and what is most appropriate for their local area, in a way that central Government cannot. To do that, local authorities must consult and work with local residents and take their views on board.”

Secondly, “Local authorities should consider the most efficient way to use what are ultimately scarce resources and, most importantly, that they do so in genuine consultation with the communities that they serve.”

The minister is in the same Department that provides the Council with most of its income – not someone you would want to fall out with if you were in charge of the Council’s finances!

Will North East Lincolnshire Council pause, consult and think again? I suspect not. 

On the Move

I like travelling, land sea or air, just being on the move I find interesting and fascinating. Having to spend half the week in London it’s just as well. The journey back and forth to King’s Cross can occasionally be tiresome but  watching great swathes of humanity getting from A to B and imagining why they are on the move always holds my attention.

On Thursday evening I boarded the 19.03 from King’s Cross as I do most weeks. More often than not the person who sits next to you opens their laptop and taps out replies to their emails or they open a book or magazine leaving only the imagination to guess something about their lives. Today though was different. It didn't take much to work out that my fellow-passenger worked for the Underground; the logo on his jacket was a bit of a give-away!

I was reading a pamphlet from Network Rail that I’d picked up at a Westminster meeting earlier in the week. ‘Do you work for the railways?’ he asked. ‘No’ came my reply, ‘but you obviously work on the Underground’ I responded.

We then moved onto a discussion about the merits or otherwise of High Speed 2, Crossrail and which of the London airports should expand. Eventually I was forced to admit that I was the MP for Cleethorpes and he reminisced about a visit he’d made some fifteen years earlier. He remembered the train passing the docks and the football ground.

His next comment took me by surprise as being a politician isn't necessarily a guarantee of appreciation and admiration! ‘I don’t know how you put up with it’ he said, ‘no one’s ever satisfied, you’re criticised from all sides, and (I am not making this up) you’re underpaid.’

I expressed my surprise. It turns out that he earns £50,000 a year, gets cheap travel that makes it worthwhile commuting to Peterborough five days a week and the 45 minute journey means he gets home quicker than some of his workmates who live in outer London.

He liked Mayor Boris but thought he’d be disastrous as a Prime Minister, thought the LibDems were out of their depth and that Labour had no chance of winning the next election because people would remember the mess they’d left behind last time and, apart from that, Ed Miliband just didn't measure up to leading the country.

As you might imagine I was beginning to warm to him by now. ‘Do your workmates think the same about Miliband?’ I asked. ‘Even the Labour supporters won’t vote for Ed’ came the reply.

Conversation then moved on, we covered the Humber Bridge, memories of the Humber Ferry, the complexities of major infrastructure projects, petrol tax, how amazingly successful the Olympics had been and aid to India. By this time we were pulling into Peterborough.

So in a nutshell my travelling companion’s manifesto for the Conservatives at the next election would be: build on the Olympics success by getting on with some major infrastructure projects, develop Stansted airport, freeze petrol duty, get Boris into Parliament (but no further), limit foreign aid to obviously genuine cases – Ethiopia yes, India no. For Labour the message is change your leader, face up to economic reality and hope that voters have short memories.  . For the LibDems I guess it could be summed up by staying at home and saving the money it would cost to print the manifesto.

Was my travelling companion expressing the views of the majority? Do you agree with any or all of what he had to say?

To take one of the points raised by the train driver, petrol duty; as it happens only a few hours before my train journey I had been speaking in a debate in which MPs from all sides supported a motion put forward by Robert Halfon the Chairman of the All-Party Fair Fuel for Motorists Group of which I am the Deputy-Chairman supporting an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and the Financial Services Authority into the oil markets.

We all ask why, when oil prices go up, the price at the pump seems to rise almost overnight but when it falls it takes so much longer to go down? Is it an urban myth or is it true? The pressure is now on the oil companies to justify their position.       

Week in Westminster

A few weeks ago we passed the halfway point in this Parliament and I was reflecting on how quickly the political scene changes and the issues that had come and gone; some still with us, others. I suspect, forgotten by most if, in fact, they ever registered in the first place.

It is of course so easy nowadays to contact your MP. That in itself is good but an MPs postbag or inbox still represents only a tiny proportion of the electorate. One of the difficulties is that so many of the emails are generated by pressure groups. Of itself there is nothing wrong with that as they represent the senders opinion and I do my very best to respond to them all. But, are they representative of public opinion as a whole?

The biggest issues when measured by the volume of emails have been the level of Air Passenger Duty, Petrol Duty, NHS reforms, the takeover of BSkyB, the proposals to reform the Forestry Commission, Fish Discards, and a whole range of animal welfare issues of which the greatest number of emails have concerned the proposed badger cull and beak trimming of hens.

Does this mean that energy costs, our relationship with the EU, war and peace, crime and punishment, standards in education, climate change, civil liberties, housing, immigration and pensions – to name just a few – are not considered to be as important by my constituents. Clearly not and I suspect these issues, taken as a whole, will have a greater impact on the outcome of the next General Election than those in the first group.

So the inbox is not a guide to public opinion since, despite the ease of communication only a small proportion of the electorate ever contact their MP. I’m fortunate in being a local person and living locally as I still find the best measure of public opinion is the ‘feel’ you get from being part of the community. I rarely visit the shops, supermarket, football match or any other event without someone giving me the benefit of their opinion sometimes by accident as I was queuing up in the newsagent’s in Cleethorpes the other day and the woman in front of me, unaware that I was behind her, was castigating all politicians. But just like we all have opinions on who Roy Hodgson should pick for the England team we all have opinions on where this or any other government or council are going wrong – and rightly so. So keep the emails and letters coming and feel free to stop me in the street. It’s one of the precious blessings of our democracy that we can freely express our opinions.

What will be the biggest issues in 2013, of course the ever-present concerns will dominate but the unexpected always happens in politics – that is the only certainty.

                 

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.

Week in Westminster

Commissioners, Bishops and petrol duty – these rather diverse issues seem to have dominated the recent headlines until this last weekend when, once again, Europe reared its head.

Since I’m writing this article on Thursday evening any thoughts on the outcome of this weekend’s EU summit will be for another day though my vote against an increase to the EU budget a couple of weeks ago shows clearly where I stand.  

You’ll recall that the week before last was polling day for the new Police & Crime Commissioner. As an enthusiastic supporter of the idea of an elected representative to ensure democratic oversight of our police I was, of course, disappointed with the low turnout but am confident that the public will come to appreciate the role. It was particularly good to see that Matthew Grove spent his first day in office in Grimsby rather than Hull and I'm looking forward to welcoming him back into my constituency in the near future.

I recognise that many opposed the introduction of elected commissioners believing that it was in some way ‘politicising’ the police. I don’t share that view. The old system of a police authority made up of local councillors and independent members did not amount to anything that could be described as real accountability.

These police authorities were often chaired by councillors; couldn’t that be equally described as political oversight?

The new commissioner will not have any operational responsibility which remains with the chief constable but will set priorities, after proper consultation with the public, allocate resources and have power to hire and fire the chief. In the case of the Humberside force he will set about recruiting a new chief as Tim Hollis will be retiring in the spring. Mr Hollis took over when the force was at a low ebb and has done an excellent job.

I know that there was considerable support for ex-police officers who put themselves forward for election. Without being in anyway critical of them as individuals I feel that an ex-officer is entirely the wrong person for the job. The post is to be the public’s representative and however hard they may try a former officer will tend to view things from the police perspective rather than the public’s.

 Another criticism was that it was introducing another level of bureaucracy and therefore increasing costs. It has been well reported that the Commissioner will receive a salary of £75,000 p.a. but, are you aware that the eighteen members who were members of the old police authority were each entitled to a basic annual allowance of £8,993 (18 x 8993 = 161,874) plus special responsibility allowances. The full details of the Humberside authority’s budget can be seen at  www.humberside-pa.org.uk

Many hard-working, dedicated people have served on police authorities but the time had come for change.

Last Wednesday, in my capacity as Vice-Chairman of Parliament's All-Party Fair Fuel for Motorists Group I spent a few hours taking evidence from various organisations including the RAC, the Road Haulage and Freight Transport Associations and Fair Fuel UK, who have done so much to highlight the impact of high fuel duty on individuals and businesses.

The evidence will be passed to the Treasury ahead of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. Petrol is already 10p a litre less than had we kept the increases scheduled by Gordon Brown's government in place but our Group are working hard to persuade George Osborne that this issue is even more significant than some of the many others he is considering.

One of the ways of bringing to the attention of the House of Commons an issue that hits the headlines is by way of an urgent question, usually a Government minister will be summoned to reply but on Thursday it was the Second Church Estates Commissioner. This is the MP Tony Baldry who speaks for the Church of England who was facing hostile questions from everyone who spoke.

The C of E as the Established Church is ultimately governed by Parliament. The rejection of proposals to allow women bishops has caused a potential clash between Church and State. Parliament has devolved its powers of governance to the General Synod. Some MPs were suggesting that Parliament should introduce legislation to overule the Synod. I'm a supporter of women bishops and will be following developments with interest.

As a footnote to my opening story and the last is that John Prescott  received more first preference votes but lost and more people at the Synod voted in favour of women bishops than against but lost.

Isn't democracy wonderful. 

Week in Westminster

My week has been dominated by the proposed closure of the Kimberly-Clark factory in Barton-upon-Humber and the hundreds of redundancies that will result. No amount of words from me or anyone else will make those affected feel any better.

I myself was made redundant many years ago when the Richardson & Coppin print factory in Ladysmith Road, of which many older readers will remember, closed and moved its operations to Loughborough. So it’s not a new phenomenon that big companies rationalise their activities. In the case of Kimberly-Clark they are pulling out of, not just the production of their ‘Huggies’ nappies but of their sales operation in Europe, except for some rather strange reason Italy.

 Westminster this week I took part in a debate about the future of Glenfield Children’s Heart Surgery Unit in Leicester and next week there will be another focussing on the Leeds unit. It is the Leeds unit that has featured more in the local media but I have also been approached by constituents whose children or grandchildren have received life-saving treatment at Glenfield.

I have to say that I wasn’t encouraged by the junior Health minister’s reply to the debate though it was to be fair making the case that many of the health professionals put forward and as she said it is now possible to operate on young babies with a heart the size of a walnut and this sort of expertise can only be made available in a limited number of larger units. However this was countered by a masterly summing up by my colleague Edward Garnier who really put the minister on the spot and if and when the final decision is taken ministers, if they do not reprieve at least some of the centres proposed for closure are going to have a very hard time. 

Week in Westminster

The Government is entering that phase in its five year existence when some of the complex pieces of legislation are being hotly debated in the House of Lords. Such was the fate of the Welfare Reform Bill which became law last Wednesday and the Health and Social Care Bill.

Possibly the most reported part of the Welfare Bill is the £26,000 per household a year cap on benefits which equates to £35,000 before deductions. Most constituents that contacted me about it have complained about its generosity and when set against an average wage in this area of around £20,000 you can see why.

At the General Election the two most mentioned subjects on the doorstep were what was repeatedly described as the far too generous benefits system and immigration. The Government has now brought in caps on both.

The Health Bill is still in the Upper House. What matters to most people is not which group of people commission the treatments they require but will it get me better again. Nothing will change in that treatment will still be free. The arguments have become too bogged down in structures rather than in why change is needed and how the proposals will best cater for the challenges that face the NHS over coming years.

I mentioned the House of Lords that the Government is set to reform into a mostly-elected assembly. It's interesting the amount of space this has covered in the press and how much airtime when most of the reports say that it's a subject that most people are not interested in.

Of course it doesn't reckon alongside tax, jobs, energy prices, schools and the Health Service in most people's day-to-day concerns. But, ask your neighbour whether he or she would rather be ruled by an unelected quango such as the European Commission or someone they can vote in and out and I rather suspect the EU commission wouldn't get too many votes.

As you may well have seen from last week’s Government minister, Greg Clark visited North East Lincolnshire. His responsibilities include decentralisation and regeneration – something that is urgently needed in this area. It is something that must be led by the private sector, co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Partnership but it will need Government resources and the minister was able to offer some valuable advice when he met local business leaders on what assistance is on offer and the help that is available from his Department in preparing bids to, for example, the Regional Growth Fund.

We’ve been fortunate in recent months to have a succession of ministerial visits over the last eight or nine months. These can often appear irrelevant and brief and only touching on the area’s problems but it’s only possible to fully appreciate these problems if you can relate to the area. After a drive down Freeman Street and Grimsby/Cleethorpe Roads he can now clearly picture some of the issues facing North East Lincolnshire. Readers may recall that the same minister also visited the Killingholme/East Halton in North Lincolnshire only a few months ago so his knowledge and appreciation of both the problems and possibilities for the area are imprinted on his mind.

Incidentally, he enjoyed a fish and chip lunch in Cleethorpes for which he was full of praise!

Finally just an observation on some of the recent Telegraph correspondence about regeneration that included talk of moving railway stations, Moving both Grimsby and Cleethorpes stations has been talked about over the years. Apart from the fact that neither is feasible because of the costs involved it needs to be recognised that one of the biggest plus points Cleethorpes has is a railway station right in the heart of the Town alongside the beach. What could be better. The resort was developed because the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Company extended the line from Grimsby and, in effect, created the resort. They got it right what is needed is to improve the journey into the Town and the area around the station. It’s fanciful to think that finance exists for grandiose schemes. It doesn’t.