Below are my priorities and campaigns between Sept 2007 and Sept 2008 (see my Annual Report 2007 for more details). Last updated on March 29, 2008.
PRIORITIES FOR 2007/08 (September to September)
CASEWORK: My constituency office deals with around 2,000 cases a year 1) Answer all correspondence within five working days. We are achieving this about 95 per cent of the time at the moment.
COMMUNICATIONS
1) Increase the number of people receiving my e-newsletter. I write a regular e-newsletter which explains my work and views to people living in and connected to my constituency. My aim is to
double the number of subscribers. The figures in September 2007 stood at 87 so I need to increase this to at least 174 by next September. At the moment 151 people are on the list. To get the
e-newsletter, people can click on the subscribe function on this website or contact my constituency office.
2) To stage more community events.
I held a school dinners' event in Hilton on January 19. The aim was to give parents information about school meals as well as it being an opportunity for residents to discuss issues with me.
I held a meeting in Coton-in-the-Elms in September to discuss energy issues with mobile home dwellers. In October, we also staged a meeting in Moira to help former miners who may have been
double-charged under the coal health compensation schemes. I am aiming to hold another school dinners' event in the Summer and also stage energy meetings with other mobile home owners.
3) Produce an annual report
My 2008 annual report will be delivered in September.
CRIME
1) Continue my campaign to reduce cash-in-transit crimes following a series of incidents in South
Derbyshire.
I have focused on getting continuing support for the East Midlands Special Operations Unit - a Derbyshire-based police team which was involved in bringing one group of these criminals to justice.
Its funding from the Home Office has now been extended.
2) Push for fair funding for Derbyshire Police.There has been a slight increase relative to other forces for 2008/09 and that will increase further next year.
ENVIRONMENT:
1)Move forward with plans for flood defences I have asked questions in the House and have met with the Environment Agency. I have been told that work should take place in at least one
area - around Hatton, Egginton and Scropton - over the next three years.
FINANCIAL
1) Cash machines
One of my priorities for this year is to get more free-access cash machines. This follows a report by the Treasury Select Committee which identified that there were not enough
free-access machines across the country including the postcode areas DE11 0 and DE11 7 in Swadlincote. It was then announced that 600 machines would be set up nationwide as part of a financial
inclusion programme. I nominated three stores. One store in Goseley Avenue, Hartshorne has already received a machine. I also hope to get more free-access cash machines in other
areas of South Derbyshire.
HEALTH:
1) Push for more NHS dentistry in South Derbyshire.
The Swadlincote Health Centre is now taking people who need treatment and keeping them on as patients. The Primary Care Trust is also tendering for extra dentists in the area.
YOUNG PEOPLE
1) Secondary education: In September, I promised to push for the three secondary schools in Swadlincote to be rebuilt as part of plans for Government money under the Building Schools for the
Future project plus improve post-16 education. The county council is considering two options - to build a school on the Newhall side of the Nadin's site in Swadlincote half a mile from Pingle
School which would mean shutting William Allitt Schol and Granville Community School but keeping Pingle open. The second option is to keep Granville open and expand its facilities and William
Allitt would still close. William Allitt is facing closure as there is limited space to expand the school and it is very run down. In March, the council decided to defer the decision to explore the
option of retaining the three schools because of expected population growth. I support this decision.
2) Youth provision: One of my priorities for the next year is to argue for better youth facilities in South Derbyshire which was prompted by the announcement in July that the Government was
spending £679m from April (for three years) in all areas of the country in addition to the budgeted spend of about £1.8bn per year. I am pursuing this to find out how the money will
be allocated locally.
3) Primary schools. I want the Reading Recovery scheme to be introduced in more schools. This scheme targets pupils in Year One who have struggled to learn to read. At the moment, the
county is receiving national funding for 10 training schools with a further six being funded by the education authority and a further two that are self-funding. There is only one teacher leader who
can support a maximum of 40 teachers. The Government is funding an extra five schools from September but I am hoping that extra money can be made available for more schools to get the
programme.
4) Healthy eating. I staged a school meals' event at Hilton Primary School to encourage more children to opt for school dinners. My team is starting to do some work on free fruit in schools.
I asked a parliamentary question on the subject last year and discovered that there were no plans to offer fruit to schoolchildren younger or older than the four to six-year-olds in the scheme.
We hope to launch a campaign to get the scheme extended. Initial research shows that schools can use some of their health promotion budget for this scheme.
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