Newsletter: John Stevenson MP - Issue 02
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On the 25th of October John Stevenson MP and Jim Paice MP (Minister of State for Agriculture and Food) visited Carlisle borderway’s Agri-Expo. During the visit both of them had the opportunity to meet with livestock breeders, members of the young farmers, exhibitors and sponsors. John also had a tour of the event accompanied by Jim.
John said ‘The Agri- Expo event is fantastic for Carlisle. It attracts people with an interest in farming and agriculture from all over the country, bringing together the best selection of livestock which Britain has to offer’. The event was hosted by H&H Auction Market.
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Carlisle borderway's Agri-Expo:
John Stevenson MP and Jim Paice MP at the Agri-Expo
John Stevenson MP welcomes Andrew Lansley MP (Secretary of State for Health) to Eden Valley Hospice
John Stevenson MP welcomed the Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley MP to his constituency when he visited Eden Valley Hospice on the 1st of December.
Andrew Lansley opened the new Sandra Fisher Centre at Eden Valley Hospice which provides a space for resident’s families, offering pastoral care and counselling.
John said ‘It is excellent that the outstanding work which is carried out in our area by Eden Valley Hospice is recognised at a national level. Not only does the hospice provide care for residents of the hospice it also provides families with an exceptional support network whilst they are dealing with often difficult circumstances.
I welcome the Secretary of State’s visit and am extremely proud that Eden Valley Hospice is based in my constituency and that it continues to provide care for those who require it in Carlisle and the surrounding areas.’
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Eden Valley Hospice:
John Stevenson MP with Andrew Lansley MP and Rory Stewart MP outside Eden Valley Hospice
John meets Princess Anne while she opens a New £1m Skills Centre
On the 15th September, John met with Princess Anne and the Mayor of Carlisle before she opened the new £1m skills centre at Carlisle Airport.
John and Princess Anne were then both given a tour of the building, where they met System Training staff and apprentices as well as representatives from companies who use the firm for training, including Tesco, Asda and the Stobart Group. They were given demonstrations by Cumbrian fire crews on how to cut people free from a crushed vehicle. Princess Anne then unveiled a plaque marking the opening of the centre.
John said ‘I am extremely proud of the work which is carried out at the skills centre and look forward to its future success. I am also delighted that the skills centre has received recognition nationally’.
Sayeeda Warsi, Co-chairman of the Conservative Party visits Tullie House
In November John invited the co-chairman of the Conservative party to Tullie House to visit the museum and the new Roman Frontier Gallery.
She said: “I’m here to visit this fantastic museum. It’s fascinating to walk around and see how much there is available for people to come and visit, not just in Carlisle but also the Roman Wall. That should be a great selling point for this region in difficult economic times. You don’t necessarily need to go abroad to have a great family holiday.”
During her visit she described John as an example of the “strong local champion” Cumbria needed to make the most of its assets.
John said ‘It’s good to have the party chairman up to see what’s happening. Tourism can help bring jobs in and we need to support it wherever possible.’
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Tullie House:
John Stevenson MP with Baroness Warsi and Hillary Wade at Tullie House
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Petteril Bank Archives:
John visits new 'Home of History', Petteril Bank Archives
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Gen II:
John visiting apprentices at Gen II, Carlisle
On Monday 11th of April John was appointed as Cumbrian scout ambassador, he joins Fred Story who also holds the post.
His latest scouting events involved a Reivers District annual raft race on the 25th of July at Talkin Tarn. At the event it was announced that John would be a new ambassador.
In June, John took the time to take a local scout group called Ayers Explorer scouts around Parliament. Half the group went to 10 Downing Street and the other half went up Big Ben. John then had a meeting with the group in Portcullis House where the scouts asked questions about issues concerning them.
Alex Bie (15) a member of the group said ‘It was a very interesting tour given by John, I am very thankful to him for taking the time to show me and my group around Westminster and also giving us the opportunity to ask him questions about various issues’;
Another member of the group Ashley Wilson (16) said ‘It’s great that John took the time to meet us, I will certainly remember my time visiting The Houses of Parliament.’
Eddie Ward the leader of the group said ‘I was delighted that John was able to host a visit by so many members of our Unit. As well as the visits to Downing Street, Big Ben and the tour of the Houses of Parliament, it was especially pleasing that he booked a committee room to make time to listen to issues being raised by our members on topics of not only local interest, but also national and international topics. The Scout Association has made great strides to give a voice to young people and empower them to act on issues of importance to them. They were able to have a constructive debate with John and were pleased to have their views heard’.
John then attended the Conservative Party Scout Speak Up Event. John was on a table with young scouts talking about issues facing them (as seen in picture above). Commenting on the event Abhay Ganga-Nair, a member of Ayers Explorers, aged 15 said, “Our table had several interesting debates on numerous topics. They were mainly centred on young people. We talked about voting age, riots and their consequences on the image of young people. The most heavily discussed topics were the state of education, politics and citizenship lessons in school’.
Ashley Wilson aged 16 said ‘It was pleasing to have MP’s listening to young people’s views and for us to put them out of their comfort zone.
It was very useful that my local MP was on my table as it meant that I could raise local issues too and get answers to questions that affect me.’
John has also attended the Cumbria Scouts Annual General Meeting to listen to how scouting in Cumbria has progressed throughout the year. At the event a group of scouts spoke about their time at the last World Scouting Jamboree, John said ‘I was very interested to hear about the experience which these young people had at the Jamboree, I am delighted that the young people had the chance to experience other cultures and have the opportunity to meet people from different countries’.
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Scout 'Speak Up' event:
John Stevenson MP at the Scout Speak Up event
John visits Local Primary Schools and answers Children’s Questions
In the last few months john has visited 19 primary schools within his constituency.
Previously John has visited the secondary schools in his constituency and his primary school visits started on the 22nd of September at Burgh by Sands Primary School.
John said ‘There are over 30 primary schools in my constituency, with most feeding into secondary schools in our city. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet the pupils and staff of the schools and provide them with the opportunity to raise any issues which they may have.’
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Primary Schools:
John Stevenson MP speaking to primary pupils at 19 different schools
John welcomes Increase in Funds for Pupil Premium
John has welcomed the announcement by the Department for Education to increase the amount spent on the Pupil Premium.
Pupil Premium is the money the government allocates to help support those pupils from disadvantaged areas and less well off families.
Next year the Pupil Premium fund will double from £625million to £1.25billion and it is then planned to rise to £2.5billion by 2014-2015. In addition, eligibility for Pupil Premium will be extended to pupils who have been entitled to free school meals at any point in the last 6 years and the amount per child will rise from £488 to £600 per year.
John said ‘I have seen firsthand examples of where the Pupil Premium has made a difference in schools across Carlisle. I believe that this is a very effective way of supporting those with fewer opportunities. The premium also gives flexibility to the schools to decide what is needed in their particular school. ’
John opened the recently completed development of affordable, eco-friendly homes at Low Meadow in Carlisle, built by Two Castles Housing Association. The scheme is made up of 29 homes – a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom properties for rent – with some boasting eco-friendly features such as solar panels and water butts to recycle rainwater.
John met the new residents when he toured the completed site.
‘As a city we have a need to build more quality homes for residents across all the sectors, both private and social, Low Meadow is an example of a high quality housing development which is a benefit to Carlisle’ he said.
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Low Meadow:
John at the newly opened eco-friendly homes in Low Meadow, Carlisle
John visits the Cumberland Infirmary to talk to Staff and Patients
John visited The Cumberland Infirmary on the 4th of November.
He was given a tour of a few of the wards by Richard Heaton (Head of Nursing), Elizabeth Klein (Divisional Nurse Lead) and Carole Jordan (patients’ panel representative). This gave him the opportunity to chat to nursing staff about new developments at the hospital. John had visited the hospital in 2010 and was pleased to see the progress which has been made over the past year.
John said ‘The Cumberland Infirmary is vital to the healthcare of residents living in Carlisle and North Cumbria. It is important that a high standard of healthcare continues to be achieved which in turn will allow patient trust in the Cumberland Infirmary to improve. During my visit I met with nurses working on wards. Since my previous visit, measures have begun to be implemented to deliver more efficient healthcare on hospital wards to improve patient care and reduce hospital stay for patients’.
The North Cumbria Acute trust is currently seeking a merger partner which will allow them to adopt Foundation Trust Status. John has been urging the current trust to find a merger partner as soon as possible which he believes will raise moral between the staff and create confidence in the hospital from patients and staff.
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Cumberland Infirmary:
John meeting with the staff at Cumberland Infrimary
John holds Education Meeting
John held an Education Meeting on 30th of September at Tullie House in Carlisle.
The meeting allowed education providers from both public and private sectors to engage with local businesses in and around Carlisle. Speakers at the event included Alan Mottershead (Head teacher of Trinity School), Moira Tattersall (Carlisle College), Peter Strike (University Of Cumbria) and Allan Wilson (Pirelli).
John’s aim for the meeting was to encourage an ongoing relationship between private business and education providers ensuring that the skills which are required by business are being provided by the education establishments.
John said ‘I am keen to promote the importance of education for business. By organising this meeting I hope that the education establishments and the business community of Carlisle can work together to retain our talented young people in the area.
Many senior schools in Carlisle are now academies, providing schools with more autonomy. Carlisle College provides many apprenticeship options and the University of Cumbria is now more stable than it has been for years. Carlisle now needs to explore how we use our education for the benefit of the individual and to support business in the area.’
Since the last newsletter John has spoken 11 times in 6 different debates in the House of Commons.
The issues have ranged from elected mayors, reform of the House of Lords, cuts in the BBC and the economy.Two areas where John has had a particular interest have been the Food and Drinks All Party Group and the Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform.
APPG on Food and Drink Manufacturing
John is the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on food and drink manufacturing. The group consider the many issues which affect the Food and Drinks Industry. The Industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK employing over 400,000 people directly. It also plays a major role in the local economy of Carlisle.
Next year the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander MP will be addressing one of the meetings. It is anticipated that there will be 20 leading executives from the industry together with 20 parliamentarians who will have the opportunity to question the Chief Secretary.
Additionally, John will be heading a small delegation of representatives from the industry to meet with Lord Green to discuss how we can improve our exports of Food and Drink products.
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APPG Food and Drink Showcase:
John Stevenson MP at Food and Drink showcase with Selga Speakman-Brown (FDF)
House of Lords Reform Committee
John is a member of the House of Lords reform committee. This is a joint committee with 13 members of the House of Commons and 13 members of the House of Lords. Its aim is to review the Government’s draft white paper and a draft Bill for the reform of the House of Lords.
When he was placed on the committee in June 2011 John said ‘I am delighted to have been asked to join this very important committee. Lords reform has been on the agenda for 100 years and it is about time it was settled once and for all.
I am keen to see an elected element to the House of Lords which will give it greater legitimacy. Over the next few months I will be debating the issues with other MPs and Peers to produce a sensible set of reforms.’
The committee must report by the end of March 2012 after which it is likely that a Bill will be included in the Queens speech for the next session of Parliament.
Contact Details
Contact John Stevenson MP:
Email: office@johnstevensonmp.co.uk
Phone: 01228 550684
Post: Suite 1, Carlyle's Court, St Mary’s Gate, Carlisle, CA3 8RY
Online: www.johnstevensonmp.co.uk
Twitter: @JohnStevensonMP
