Subject: News

Bulletin from Aidan Burley MP #40 Date: Friday, 8 June 2012 00:54:33 United Kingdom Time From: To: Aidan Burley MP news@aidanburleymp.org

In this edition:
Aidan Burley MPs Diary Website of the week: Moorhill Primary School Photo news: Cannock Chase celebrates HM The Queens Diamond Jubilee Burley puts hospital bosses on red alert Aidan sees how business grows one stitch at a time MP urges would-be filmmakers in Cannock Chase to enter national film competition Photo news: Moorhill Primary School visit Westminster Aidan encourages local young people to contribute to national poetry project Nominate your favourite local business as deadline for awards looms! Aidan in the papers: Rugeley MP says A&E should re-open or board face the sack How to contact Aidan Burley MP

Issue 40 Friday 8th June 2012

Since the last edition, Aidan has:

Joined in and enjoyed visiting celebrations for Her Majesty The Queens Diamond Jubilee across Cannock Chase. Secured Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the Electrification of the Chase Line to be held in the House of Commons on Thursday 14th June. Welcomed Moorhill Primary School to Parliament for a tour and question and answer session. Visited local business Plum Logo. Attended the Marquis Court Jubilee Garden Party where he celebrated HM The Queens Diamond Jubilee with tea, cake and a sing-song! Hosted a reception in the House of Commons on behalf of VINCI Construction Ltd and Opus Land Ltd. Opus Land (Midlands) Ltd is developing a new 40,000 sq ft regional headquarters building for Veolia Environmental Ltd. Opus Land is also developing a new 140,000 sq ft National Sorting Centre for The Alternative Parcels Company at the Kingswood Lakeside site in Cannock creating local employment opportunities. Met with the Chief Executive of the Staffordshire Cluster of Primary Care Trusts Graham Urwin to discuss the situation with Stafford A&E and Primary Care Trust progress. Sent a letter to Transport Secretary the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP signed by 20 key stakeholders, including the Chairs of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Black Country and Staffordshire and Stoke Local Enterprise Partnerships, the leaders of all the Metropolitan, County and District local authorities on the route, private sector business leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and 6 MPs along the route, all giving their unequivocal support for Walsall-Rugeley Chase Line electrification, to be included as a named scheme and as a funded commitment, in the Governments High Level Output Statement for Control Period 5, 2014-19. Sat on and spoke during the Finance Bill Committee. Hosted the British Rifle Team Annual Dinner in Westminster. Questioned the Police Minister on part two of the Winsor Report on Police remuneration and conditions. Went for an Olympic Workout at BC ONE Gym with Steve Mallows from the BestofCannock, and Cannock Olympian James Fair.

Website of the week:

www.moorhill.staffs.sch.uk
The website of Moorhill Primary School who Aidan welcomed to Parliament recently for a tour and question and answer session. The website features their new school song which was sung by the Aidan and the pupils during their visit to the Houses of Parliament!

Photo news:

Cannock Chase celebrates HM The Queens Diamond Jubilee

Aidan and Simon Orme, Hednesford Traders Association 2011 Chairman, just after he had his head shaved for charity, at Jubilee celebration in Hednesford. HTA2011

Aidan joining in the fun at the Cannock Town Centre Jubilee celebrations with Trish Mellor (Soroptimist), Karol Jones and Doug Smith (Cannock Lions). The event was organised by the Cannock Lions, Soroptimists and the Rotary Club. This was a totally free event that included musical entertainment from Britains Got Talent contestant Jean Martyn, among others. There was an evening sing along of good traditional songs like Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia and during the day there was a bouncy castle for kids and face painting. There was also an excellent slide show of historical photographs of Cannock Chase, mostly from the 50s, which Aidan watched from start to finish!

Aidan with care workers at the Marquis Court Jubilee celebration party. The photo to the left shows John Beddows lighting the beacon at Norton Canes Jubilee Party. Mr Beddows had the privilege of lighting the beacon in front of a large crowd enjoying the music and stalls setup at the community centre. Sadly not everyone got into the spirit of celebrating Her Majesty The Queens Diamond Jubilee. Labour controlled Cannock Chase District Council barely did anything to celebrate the occasion no stalls or entertainment in our town centres, instead relying on volunteers to organise virtually ALL the events. They did remember to use some town hall staff though they kept their traffic wardens on the prowl to ticket people visiting the various events around the area, such as the one photographed below taking a break in Greggs in between ticketing cars...

Burley puts hospital bosses on red alert

Aidan has questioned at length the Chief Executive of Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Lyn Hill-Tout, over the further delay to the re-opening of Stafford Hospital's A&E Department. In an hour long telephone conversation, Mr Burley questioned the reasons for the delay, what plans are in place to mitigate those risks going forward, and whether there was an alternative agenda to never re-open A&E at all. The new re-opening date is now set for October, after the hospital said that it needed to be sure that the Department could sustain the reopening and avoid any problems once open. This latest delay comes after the re-opening date had originally been set for March, and then subsequently delayed to June. Mr Burley said afterwards: "I am deeply disappointed and extremely frustrated by this further delay the third delay in just six months. If the A&E Department now opens in October, as planned, it will have been closed for at least 10 months an unacceptable length of time for my constituents to be without this vital local service, almost a year with no local 24 hour A&E. "I understand from the Chief Executive that patient safety was the reason for the last minute decision not to re-open in June, however I would question why the Clinical Director and his team did not inform the Trust Board earlier and left it to the last minute to pull the rug from under their feet. It appears that a bad case of 'last night nerves' got the better of the clinicians, who should have been mitigating risks such as too few middle grade Doctors running the Department after 10pm. It will not be acceptable for them to suddenly tell the Board at the last minute that they have cold feet in October resilience for the Department must be planned in over the coming five months. "Whilst I pay tribute to those doctors and nurses on the hospital floor who have worked hard to meet the stringent criteria for re-opening, the Trust Board are now on red alert. If the Hospital does not open in October, or earlier, the Governors should sack the Board who have had long enough to solve this problem. It should not take more than a year to make an A&E Department fit for purpose and clinically safe especially when they have received additional funds and assistance with staffing resources during the last two years."

Aidan sees how business grows one stitch at a time

Aidan at local business Plum Logo with Directors Graham and Viv Holtom. A Cannock business has received a visit from the Chase MP, to see how it has survived and thrived in the current economic climate. Aidan paid a fact-finding visit to Plum Logo on Friday 18th May 2012, to learn about how the business has experienced phenomenal business growth since its inception in 2006. The promotional clothing and embroidery company has increased sales year on year, and moved to larger premises last year as it needed extra manufacturing space. It has now invested an additional 40,000 to acquire another embroidery machine to provide the capacity needed to match the growing number of orders. This year the business has received its first order for export. Plum Logo's clients range from amateur sports enthusiasts and local SME's to large corporations across the UK who want logos and business details on clothing and other workwear. The company offers a range of quality clothing for various industry sectors, and can brand anything from polo-shirts and trousers through to hi-viz wear and hard hats. Commenting Aidan said: "I was very pleased to be able to visit Plum Logo and hear more about their phenomenal success. To increase sales year on year - even during tough economic times - is testament to the sheer hard work and dedication of both the management and staff. I was particularly interested to learn of their plans for the future which includes the recruitment of new staff. "It is businesses like Plum Logo who will grow our economy back to strength and so it is vital that as a government we listen to their concerns and do everything we can to support them." Owner and Managing Director of Plum Logo, Graham Holtom said, "We're proud that our local MP has shown an interest in our business. The benefits of the new machine are already exceeding the investment, in terms of increasing production time, enabling us to take on new work and turn jobs round faster. If the amount of work continues to increase, we'll need to look into employing more staff." As a family run company, the Plum Logo team believes their success in business has come by helping other business owners grow theirs. Fellow Director, Viv Holtom explains that "Success has come through building good relationships with other businesses in the region and offering good quality products at the right price, which has built Plum Logo a strong, loyal customer base and referral network. We don't differentiate by size of order - every customer receives the same excellent service and quality workmanship if they order just 1 item, or 10,000 items."

MP urges would-be filmmakers in Cannock Chase to enter national film competition

Aidan has called for local amateur film makers to enter FILM THE HOUSE, a national competition that celebrates upand-coming amateur film producers, directors and script writers across the UK. Film lovers of all ages are urged to get their creative juices flowing, and submit their amateur films to FILM THE HOUSE. Aidan will nominate his top film from the area for the national competition, which aims to also raise awareness of the importance of intellectual property rights, film and the creative industries. Founded by Mike Weatherley MP and supported by the British film industry, FILM THE HOUSE gives entrants the chance to win a screening of their film to film industry executives at the House of Commons. Commenting Aidan said: "FILM THE HOUSE is a great opportunity for aspiring film makers of any age looking to find a way into the industry. I am excited to see the films that the people of Cannock Chase can come up with and hope to see as many submissions as possible." The competition is designed to promote the wealth and variety of film in the UK. Categories include drama, thriller, action, comedy, music video, documentary, as well as a separate category for under 18s which can be any genre. The closing date for nominations is 30th June and the winners will be announced on the 30th October at a special reception and screening of the winning film at the House of Parliament. For more information on how to apply visit www.filmthehouse.com.

Photo news:

Moorhill Primary School visit Westminster

Aidan Burley MP answering questions from Year 6 pupils from Moorhill Primary School in Portcullis House, during their recent visit to the Palace of Westminster. Aidan gave out certificates to all the pupils and even surprised them by playing and singing along to their school song. Aidan had invited them to Parliament during his last visit to the school.

Aidan encourages local young people to contribute to national poetry project

Aidan has written to every secondary school in Cannock Chase to encourage students to answer the question "What does representation mean to you in 2012?" for a chance to contribute to REPRESENT, a collaborative poem which will be created as part of the Arts in Parliament programme this summer. REPRESENT is about you and your connection to Parliament. Your response could be about making your voice heard, or about getting others to listen. It might be about how you are represented now or how you would like that to be changed. Or it might be about your identity and how that affects how you are represented in 2012. Whatever it is you'd like to say, you can do it with lyrics, rhyme, prose, or even just a couple of sentences. "I think REPRESENT offers an exciting opportunity to talk about representation and what it means to get your voice heard. I am delighted that the poem will be shown in the historic setting of Westminster Hall during the Arts in Parliament programme this summer, and I would encourage everyone in Cannock Chase to get involved," said Aidan. "I have written to the local secondary schools in particular because I believe we need to engage more youngsters in the political process, and I hope this project might get them thinking about how they can influence Parliament." Using the responses from across the UK, award-winning poet and performer Inua Ellams will create a single poem which will be shown as a film online and in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament between 1 6 August 2012. To participate, include your first name, age and city or town you live in, and submit your short contributions via: email to represent@parliament.uk, Twitter using the hashtag #represent2012 or YouTube. Submissions must be received by Monday 25 June 2012. For full rules and details visit: www.parliament.uk/artsinparliament. REPRESENT is a partnership project between Arts in Parliament, an innovative and unique programme which brings visual art, music, dance and poetry into the iconic setting of the Houses of Parliament in the Olympic year, and the UK's leading spoken word organisation, Apples & Snakes.

Nominate your favourite local business as deadline for awards looms!

Aidan has urged local people and businesses to get involved in Cannock Chase's first ever Business Awards. His call comes ahead of the deadline for nominations on 14th June 2012 now just a few days away. Nominations have been flowing in but there is still time to put forward your favourite local business for one of the prestigious awards, and to buy a ticket for the awards dinner and ceremony in the Premier Suites. The awards, which are being organised by The Best of Cannock and the Cannock Chase MP, will be a chance for local business success stories and achievements to be recognised. The Award Ceremony itself will be held on Friday 6th July at the Premier Suite in Cannock and hosted by TV presenter Llewela Bailey. Up to 250 local people are expected to attend. Anyone is welcome to nominate businesses by completing a short online form at www.cannockchasebusinessawards.co.uk. Local businesses are also able to nominate themselves using the same website, where they will be able to detail their achievements and successes. Awards up for grabs on the night include Most Innovative Business, Promising New Business, Family Owned Business and Notable Charity with all the winners decided by a panel of respected local community members. Commenting Aidan said: "We have already had a fantastic response from businesses and charities - all of whom are hoping to win one of the prestigious awards. However, in order to ensure more businesses are represented, I would urge all local people to get involved before the deadline on 14 June by nominating a local firm or charity they feel deserves recognition. "The Cannock Chase Business Awards are my attempt to highlight the unsung businesses in Cannock Chase which are the life blood of our economy. Local people are welcome to attend the event and can easily purchase tickets online." The Cannock Chase Business Awards are open to any company located within the Cannock Chase area including Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley, Norton Canes and everywhere between.

Aidan in the papers:

Rugeley MP says A&E should re-open or board face the sack

Staffordshire Newsletter Thursday 17th May 2012 Rugeley MP Aidan Burley has taken his disappointment at the delay to the reopening of Staffords A&E right to the top. And he called for members of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trusts board to be sacked if the October re-opening date slipped again, saying they had had long enough to solve any problems. Mr Burley said he had grilled trust Chief Executive, Lyn Hill-Tout, in an hour-long phone call, demanding reasons for the delay, asking what plans were in place to mitigate the risks of the town still not having an overnight A&E service and lastly if there was an unspoken agenda to never re-open the A&E at all. I am deeply disappointed and extremely frustrated by this further delay the third delay in just six months. He said if the department did re-open in Ocotober it would have been shut for 10 months a length of time he considered unacceptable for his constituents to be deprived of a vital service. I understand from the Chief Executive that patient safety was the reason for the last minute decision not to re-open in June, however I would question why the Clinical Director and his team did not inform the Trust Board earlier and left it to the last minute to pull the rug from under their feet, said Mr Burley. It appears that a bad case of last night nerves got the better of the clinicians, who should have been mitigating risks such as too few middle grade Doctors running the Department after 10pm. He said it would not be acceptable for those nerves to re-emerge prior to October and that resilience must be planned over the following months to ensure there were no further delays. Mr Burley added that he felt praise was due to the doctors and nurses on the hospital floor who had worked hard to achieve the stringent criteria set for re-opening. The Trust Board are now on red alert, he said. If the Hospital does not open in October, or earlier, the Governors should sack the Board who have had long enough to solve this problem. It should not take more than a year to make an A&E Department fit for purpose and clinically safe especially when they have received additional funds and assistance with staffing resources during the last two years.

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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