THANK YOU #SBETLabour

It is only right that my last blog of 2013 should be a big THANK YOU to all Labour Party members and supporters who have been involved in my general election campaign over the past six months.

The activism in the South Basildon and East Thurrock CLP has been highly impressive and the residents I have met along the way have been amazing. Thanks must also go to East of England regional officers and members of the CLPs in Basildon & Billericay, Thurrock and Brentwood & Ongar who have also worked hard across the constituency.

2014 will see local and euro elections held on May 22nd and I expect to see new Labour councillors in East Thurrock and South Basildon and well as returning a good team of Labour MEPs from the East of England to the European Parliament.

There are sixteen months to go until the next General Election in 2015. Labour will be working hard across Essex to regain seats lost in 2010 and win more. The campaign will be long and varied, lively and positive. So the best way to end the year is to highlight in pictures some great times we have had so far on the campaign trail and look forward to more in 2014 and beyond.................



Team #SBETLabour in Langdon Hills

Celebrating OUR NHS in Stanford-le-Hope

Supporting C&K Basildon Ladies FC

Freezing energy prices for 20 months

Team #SBETLabour in The Homesteads

On the Thames with Polly Billington

Supporting Prospects college with Gordon Marsden MP

Enjoying a fundraising dinner with Baroness Smith

Visiting DP World with Baroness Smith in East Thurrock

Meeting Pitsea residents with Harriet Harman MP

Hosting a street stall in Corringham

With Labour Party leader Ed Miliband

Meeting residents and traders in Basildon on Small Business Saturday

#TeamSBET on the streets of South Basildon and East Thurrock

Labour's New Year message for 2014

2014 is only a few days away and it is clearer than ever that the Tories, under David Cameron's failed leadership, do not have the answers to the questions facing us in the coming years. Cutting national and local support and funding to life-threatening levels has placed us on the brink of economic and societal collapse. 

In stark contrast, Ed Miliband's New Year message sets out a course for a challenging but positive future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoh4cQaIB7A&feature=player_embedded

Ed Miliband:

“Every morning I get up I’m going to be thinking about you, about how I can make your life better, your life easier - no easy answers - not an easy life - but how do we tip the balance towards hope and away from the struggles that you are facing.

The Tories want to change the conversation from the cost of living crisis. They will talk about anything else. Inherent in their vision is not a solution to the cost of living crisis, but the problem. I have a much more optimistic vision about what the country can achieve. People do not want the earth. They would much prefer some very specific promises, specific things about what a government will do - whether it’s freezing energy bills, taking action on pay day lenders, or tackling issues around childcare which lots of working parents face. All of this is adding up to a programme for how we can change things. It’s clearly costed, it’s credible and it’s real. We are going to show to people in 2014 how by standing up for the right people, by being willing to take on the powerful interests and make big changes in our economy, we can deal with the cost of living crisis both now and in the future so that we can earn and grow our way to a higher standard of living for people.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoh4cQaIB7A&feature=player_embedded

Tories stalling over Lower Thames Crossing

Mike Le-Surf on the Thames

Mike Le-Surf responds to further delays in Lower Thames Crossing indecision

"After nearly 4 years in government the Tories are still to make a decision regarding the need and location of a new crossing over the Thames. There has been no leadership nationally from the Conservatives as the local Tory MPs wait faithfully for transport minister Patrick McLouglin to show his hand. Last summer residents in East Thurrock, and especially Orsett, were asked to put their faith in their current MP to represent them at meetings with the minister. They are still waiting for a definitive response. Option B has been rejected so the odds are now stacked further against the residents of South Basildon and East Thurrock. The government needs to come clean about their real intentions and put an end to this indecision.". Thurrock Gazette story here:      http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/10901505.East_Thurrock_MP_candidate_angry_at_government_for_delay_in_Lower_Thames_Crossing_decision/                     

DPW opens Gateway to Unite

"I am delighted that DPWorld has opened the door to Unite and that a memorandum of understanding has been signed which gives access to workers at the port. As a firm supporter of union recognition in the workplace I hope that this is the beginning of a process that will support workers at the port for many years to come and bring more local jobs to the area."

UNITE PRESS RELEASE:

DPW opens Gateway to Unite

17 December 2013

Following Unite’s six-month campaign for recognition at London Gateway, owner Dubai Ports World (DPW) has opened the door for the union to recruit dockworkers at the new port, creating a route to eventual union recognition.  

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the company which gives us access to workers at the port,” said Vince Passfield, deputy regional secretary of Unite’s London & Eastern region. “We are cautiously optimistic as the campaign enters this new phase.”

Thanks to the agreement with DPW, Unite officials are now able to concentrate on a recruitment drive at the port. The goal is to grow membership to a level that secures recognition for Unite.

The region's lead officer for the docks sector, Jane Jeffery added, “Many of these dockworkers may have little or no experience of the long term benefits that union membership brings. This is particularly relevant within the docks where this union has a long and proud history of representing workers' interests in terms of health and safety improvements, as well as securing improved terms and conditions.”

DPW is developing London Gateway to handle 3.5 million containers a year. It opened to the first ship in November. Unite and its predecessors have organised British dockers for more than a century. It has negotiating rights at all established major container ports in the UK.
 
Contact the Unite 4 Gateway team: 
Email Jane Jeffery or Paul Constable
Follow @Unite4Gateway on Twitter 
Like Unite4Gateway Facebook group 
Visit the campaign website

Congratulations Gavin!

Basildon and Billericay parliamentary candidate Gavin Callaghan with local councillors

I was delighted to congratulate Cllr. Gavin Callaghan on his selection as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Basildon and Billericay today (Sunday 15th December) at the Basildon Community Resource Centre.

Gavin is a first class ward councillor in Pistea North West and I am delighted that he will be joining me in Basildon during the 2015 general election campaign. Congratulations Gavin!

Visteon statement from Mike Le-Surf

Statement from Mike Le-Surf regarding the on-going pensions issue for former Ford/Visteon workers:

 

"It is good to see that the issue and the work carried out by former Basildon MP Baroness Angela Smith has continued cross-party in Westminster. Former Ford employees who transferred their pensions to Visteon were told at the time that their terms and conditions of employment were guaranteed. They have been treated digracefully and I echo the request from parliament for Ford to do the right thing, show some corporate social responsibility and resolve this issue once and for all."

Tories claim "clarity" for residents over Lower Thames Crossing. Really?

Labour candidate's shock at Lower Thames Crossing "decision"

Tory "non-decision" leaves SBET residents in the dark

Labour's parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock, Mike Le-Surf, has slammed the lack of decision making by the Conservative government as residents are still kept in the dark over crossing location.
The government has thrown out Option B for a Lower Thames Crossing which was announced last week in Parliament by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin saying Option B, which would have connected the A2 with the A1089, had ‘the weakest case'. Options A and C remain open which puts more pressure on East Thurrock residents as their future is still undecided. If option C is approved it will be an environmental disaster for the area and especially for the residents of Orsett who will see their lives turned upside down.
Mike Le-Surf said: "The odds are now stacked further against the residents of the constituency and the government needs to come clean about their real intensions. This is no decision at all and will only add to resident distress as the cloud continues to hang over them during the festive period.
If the real decision is being kicked into the long grass until after the next general election constituents have the right to know."
He added: "How Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin can say that "ruling out the least attractive option now gives some clarity for local residents and businesses" is ridiculous and shows how out of touch this Tory government really is."
"Mr. McLoughlin also  stated that Option B had limited support as it would jeopardise major redevelopment of the Swanscombe Peninsula, in Kent. So who is standing up for residents in my prospective constituency in Essex? I attended a meeting in Orsett this summer where local councillor Mike Revell dissuaded residents from protesting against the crossing and told them that the matter was being dealt with via their MP. Really?"
"I remain heavily opposed to Option C and find it unbelievable that the need for any new crossing would be considered before the impact of free-flowing tolls is realised after their introduction in October 2014. I am also deeply concerned that the Highways Agency has begun preparations so that the crossing can be delivered quickly once the final location has been decided."

Osborne is a real turkey…and the public know it!

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls MP with Mike Le-Surf. Labour on your side.

After three years of a Tory led government people are on average are £1,600 a year worse off than when the government took office in 2010, while only the rich benefitting from a slightly improving economy. Rising bills and falling wages meant that most people in South Basildon and East Thurrock are no better off as a result.

The public’s reaction to the Tory/Lib Dem Autumn Statement is revealed in a snap poll carried out last night by Ipsos MORI showing  that 40% agree with Ed Balls that Gideon Osborne is "in denial about the cost of living crisis", compared to 24% who agree with Osborne that his "long-term plan for economic recovery is working".

Many people will have seen the Tories laugh, as Ed Balls pointed out the fact that living standards for most citizens are falling. The shadow chancellor highlighted George Osborne’s "breathtaking complacency" over Britain's economic recovery and said that the chancellor was in "complete denial" about the cost of living crisis facing hardworking families. He added:  “This Autumn Statement shows with the out of touch chancellor and prime minister hard-working people are worse off under the Tories. For most people in our country living standards aren't rising, they are falling year on year on year,"

Mr Balls stated people would be worse off in 2015 than in 2010, and accused the government of giving with one hand and taking more away with the other. He said cuts to tax credits and child benefit, and the VAT increase, had outweighed the benefits of the personal income tax allowance rise and fuel duty freeze. He called on Mr. Osborne to back Labour policies of levying banks and scrapping the winter fuel allowance for the richest pensioners to pay for jobs for young people, scrap the spare room subsidy, and expand free childcare.

A Labour government in 2015 will act immediately to begin to rectify the damage currently being caused by this Lib Dem supported Tory led government.

The Rise and Rise of Foodbanks

Just why has foodbank use become a lifeline for so many in the past three years?

 

I was doing some shopping today (Sunday 1st December) at Tesco in Langdon Hills, Basildon and noticed the stand set up by FareShare, The Trussell Trust and Tesco to collect donated food for distribution to some of the 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK.

This weekend food collections took place in Tesco stores across the country and every day many people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income.  The work of these organisations has to be praised but how has this been allowed to happen in  the UK?

The Trussell Trust foodbanks provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK.

In 2012-13 Trussell Trust foodbanks fed 346,992 people nationwide. Of those helped, 126,889 were children. Rising costs of food and fuel combined with static income, high unemployment and changes to benefits are causing more and more people to come to foodbanks for help.

It is absolutely shocking that The Trussell Trust has seen a 170% rise in the number of people using foodbanks in the past 12 months. In 2008/9 there were 26,000 people who received a minimum of three days emergency food. In 2012/13 this figure rose to 346,992 and 36.6% of these were children. April’s welfare reforms could see numbers increase again this year.

FairShare are asking customers to donate long life products like rice, pasta, tea and coffee, as these items rarely become surplus. This food will be combined with the surplus, fresh produce they receive daily from the food industry and redistributed to over 1,000 charities and community projects across the UK.

In the hands of the Tories and their Lib Dem supporters we are in a national crisis regarding the care of our most vulnerable citizens. A change of economic and political leadership is needed to make sure that foodbanks become a thing of the past.

I was happy to donate a few tins of produce from my shopping basket today but as the Labour MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock I will fight to make sure that foodbanks become a thing of the past in my constituency and across the UK.

 

More about the Trussell Trust here:

http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects

 

More about Fare Share here:

http://www.fareshare.org.uk/

 

Statistics from The Trussell Trust website:

Biggest ever increase in UK foodbank use:

170% rise in numbers turning to foodbanks in last 12 months

Trussell Trust foodbanks have seen the biggest rise in numbers given emergency food since the charity began in 2000. Almost 350,000 people have received at least three days emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks during the last 12 months, nearly 100,000 more than anticipated and close to triple the number helped in 2011-12.

Rising cost of living, static incomes, changes to benefits, underemployment and unemployment have meant increasing numbers of people in the UK have hit a crisis that forces them to go hungry. This dramatic rise in foodbank usage predates April’s welfare reforms, which could see numbers increase further in 2013-14. 

346,992 people received a minimum of three days emergency food from Trussell Trust foodbanks in 2012-13, compared to 128,697 in 2011-12 and up from 26,000 in 2008-09. Of those helped in 2012-13, 126,889 (36.6 percent) were children.

 The Trussell Trust has seen a 76 percent increase in the number of foodbanks launched since April 2012 but has seen a 170 percent increase in numbers of people given emergency food. Well-established foodbanks that have been running for several years are showing significant rises in numbers helped during the last 12 months. Christian charity The Trussell Trust is launching three new foodbanks every week to help meet demand and has launched 345 UK foodbanks in partnership with churches and communities to date.

Our Executive Chairman Chris Mould says:

 ‘The sheer volume of people who are turning to foodbanks because they can’t afford food is a wake-up call to the nation that we cannot ignore the hunger on our doorstep. Politicians across the political spectrum urgently need to recognise the real extent of UK food poverty and create fresh policies that better address its underlying causes. This is more important than ever as the impact of the biggest reforms to the welfare state since it began start to take effect. Since April 1^st we have already seen increasing numbers of people in crisis being sent to foodbanks with nowhere else to go.’

He continues:

‘Last year The Trussell Trust estimated that our foodbanks would help 250,000 people in 2012-13, we’ve helped 100,000 more than that. 2012-13 was much tougher for people than many anticipated. Incomes are being squeezed to breaking point. We’re seeing people from all kinds of backgrounds turning to foodbanks: working people coming in on their lunch-breaks, mums who are going hungry to feed their children, people whose benefits have beendelayed and people who are struggling to find enough work. It’s shocking that people are going hungry in 21^st century Britain.’

Only four per cent of people turned to foodbanks due to homelessness; 30% were referred due to benefit delay; 18% low income and 15% benefit changes (up from 11% in 2011-12). Other reasons included domestic violence, sickness, refused crisis loans, debt and unemployment. The majority of people turning to foodbanks were working age families.

Labour on the River Thames

Labour candidates take to the water and speak up for local people and local jobs.

I was delighted as Labour's parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock to take a trip on the Thames with the Port of London Authority on Monday.

I was accompanied by Thurrock parliamentary candidate Polly Billington and Mike Jones of Your Thurrock who filmed the journey and interviewed us on board the Port of London boat. (Video link at bottom of page) It was great to have an opportunity to view the constituency from the river and discuss issues affecting the lives of local residents living close to London Gateway.

The Thames is a working river and it must work for local residents. It offers many employment opportunities and I am keen to make sure that residents of South Basildon & East Thurrock are real beneficiaries. I support the recognition of Unite the Union at DP World as massive investment must bring increased employment, improved working conditions and new transport infrastructure to the area.

Your Thurrock video here:
http://www.yourthurrock.com/2013/11/19/labour-candidates-for-mp-take-to-the-water-to-discuss-opportunities-for-thurrock/

Public conveniences - a basic right

The blame game continues as DCLG attacks local councils for closing public toilets.

As an employee in the campaigns and activism team of learning disability charity Mencap, I work on a project called Changing Places which campaigns for, and supports people to provide, toilets in the community that are suitable for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and others who need extra equipment, time and support to use the facilities. www.changing-places.org There are currently 565 Changing Places across the UK with an increase of around 100 facilities per year for the past three years. This is in stark contrast to a survey which has found that one in seven public lavatories have closed in the past three years as councils attempt to cut costs.

Shadow DCLG minister Hilary Benn MP published the survey figures after making a freedom of information request to 326 local authorities in England. 218 district and borough councils responded and it was found that 13.5% of all council-run lavatories have been closed since 2010, while in 11 council areas including Liverpool, the City of Westminster and Wokingham there are no public lavatory facilities available anywhere. Hilary Benn said: “Pubilc loos aren’t just there to keep street clean after last orders. They are important for people with certain medical conditions, for older people, disabled people, pregnant mothers and families with children.”

Having attended the British Toilet Association AGM last week in Stratford upon Avon I met with managing director Raymond Martin who highlighted at the meeting and in today’s national press the issues now facing many people. The closures will impact on pensioners, people with disabilities, amputees, stroke victims and people with continence issues with many choosing to stay at home rather than risk trips out.

Cutting a basic need is a short sighted and narrow-minded false economy.

Mr. Martin said: “With the continuing lack of government directives and financial support we feel that the health and well-being of our residents and visitors is being greatly jeopardised each day. With diminishing footfall because shoppers and day trippers cannot properly relieve themselves, this significant increase in public toilet closures has perpetuated an economic decline in local business and community infrastructure."

However the DCLG put the blame firmly at the doorstep of local councils.

Brandon Lewis, the local government minister, criticised councils for the closures. He commented: "Public toilets are an important local service. If councils stopped flushing away taxpayers' money through bad procurement, bloated bureaucracy and fraud, they could find the savings to protect front-line services and keep council tax down."

Council provision of public toilets is a discretionary service that no administration should ever consider cutting. For health, community and business reasons it is a false economy to take away toilet provisions from local people.
This coming Tuesday 19^th November is World Toilet Day. Many people living in the mainstream of life are now suffering the indignities that people with disabilities have suffered for years. I hope this will lead to stronger protest against the decisions made at local council level to close public toilets which are forced on them by a short-sighted and narrow-minded Tory led government.

Supporting our Fire Service

Basildon Fire Station Strike
Proud to join our firefighters at Basildon Fire Station this morning.
Parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock, Mike Le-Surf joined Basildon firefighters today (Wed 13th Nov)  on the picket line in protest of reduced pensions and increased length of service.
 Mr. Le-Surf said: "Firefighters and their families across the country are suffering because of changes to their terms and conditions imposed on them by this Tory government.  No-one wants to go on strike but when the safety of citizens is compromised, action must be taken and I fully support the firefighters in my constituency.
We live in austere time but when the government are cutting taxes for the rich and hitting hard working families in this way they have got their priorities badly wrong.
Residents and workers have been badly let down by this government who were elected on false promises made prior to the last general election. We need to put this right in 2015 before its too late."

Message from the firefighters: "WE SAVE PEOPLE, NOT BANKS!"

Supporting Disability - Face 2 Face

Having working in the field of learning disability for over 20 years I have a great deal of experience in promoting advocacy and inclusion for people with learning disabilities and their families. 

"Face 2 Face" is a new befriending service supporting people with disabilities and their families in Thurrock to which I offer my full backing.  As the Labour MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock from 2015 I will fight to make sure that the most vulnerable members of our society receive the support they need to live fully inclusive lives in their local communities.

On Monday 4^th November I was delighted to be invited to the launch this week of Scope’s new befriending service “Face 2 Face” in North Stifford, Thurrock for parents who have children with additional support needs. It is a free and confidential service linking parents of disabled children with local parent befrienders. The Mayor of Thurrock Cllr. Tony Fish opened the service and a presentation was made by Shelley Johnson and Tony Greaves of Scope. With a professional background in learning disability I am aware of the pressures that families can sometimes be put under and “Face 2 Face” will help to support parents providing empathetic support.

For local information contact christine.jones@scope.org.uk or call 07767 111854 or go to the scope website at www.scope.org.uk/face2face  (0808 800 3333)

At the event I also had the chance to speak to a representative from “The Sunshine Centre” who run a range of clubs and activities for children with disabilities and their families including holiday breaks.
Check out their website for more information at www.sunshinecentre.org.uk  

Crime and Policing: Pitsea residents speak out

Frontline policing for South Basildon and East Thurrock cut as residents feel under threat.

It was with great scepticism that I read the comments of the current MP for Basildon in last week’s Enquirer. The Tory MP claimed it was really positive news that recorded crime had dropped in South Basildon and East Thurrock although far below the national average. A view I find most complacent.

Having spoken with many residents over the summer about local crime, and being aware that crimes such as shoplifting and mugging are on the increase, it was of no surprise to hear from residents attending the Pitsea Community Panel this week that community policing and crime were high on their agenda. The meeting was also attended by Labour’s local and Essex county councillors who listened to a range of issues showing clearly that the reality for people living in Pitsea is far from the picture being painted by the Tories who have cuts police funding by 20%.

As the PCSO’s and officer who attended spoke about their increasing workload including burglaries and anti-social behaviour it was disappointing to see that although invited, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Nick Alston, was not there to hear residents' legitimate concerns. One of the main concerns was that the 101 number to be used for non-emergencies is not, at times, being picked up due to lack of staffing. A frustrating experience for citizens that goes some way to explain a perceived reduction in reported crime. If you can’t report crime in the first place, figures are bound to be lower! I was impressed by the PSCO’s and officer who attended the meeting although it was clear that without the PCSOs there would be virtually no community police presence on the streets of Pitsea, another real reason why resident feel that crime is such an issue in the area.
Labour will address these issues and I was delighted to be able to speak to residents after the meeting with Labour councillors to offer further support.
Thanks to the Tory-led government’s attack on our policing levels, Essex Police are struggling to provide a service that will keep people safe and with Essex County Council’s foolhardy plans to turn out the lights at night in a few weeks time the situation can only get worse for residents who deserve far better. A highly visible police presence would be welcomed by residents and something I will continue to campaign for.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock, Mike Le-Surf, slams the government as Essex County Council’s plans to cut services to children’s centres across the county.

Essex County Council is starting a consultation (17 October) on the future of children’s centre services across the county.

Mike Le-Surf said: “The Tories and Lib Dems should be ashamed of themselves. In spite of promises before the last general election that SureStart would be protected, the Conservative led government have lifted the ring-fence and therefore passed the decision for cuts down to local authorities. Due to Eric Pickles' massive cuts to local authority grants ECC needs to save over £215m by 2016-17 and admit they cannot deliver current services.”

“Austere times mean councils have difficult decision to make. ECC are proposing to cut £2.5m from the children’s centre budget between 2014 and 2016 which will have a direct effect on the people that need the most support. Is this really the right thing to do while the council sits on millions of pounds worth of assets and reserves? If the cuts are agreed, there will be an overall reduction of 11 premises countywide.”

“The consultation runs until the 5^th December and I encourage all residents to engage with the consultation to let the council know why children’s centres are a vital support for families in our communities.”

One Nation Labour: Protecting our workforce

Labour’s Mike Le-Surf calls on the Government to give greater protection to shop workers threatened with violence

Last year 4% of retail staff across the country were attacked at work and 34% were threatened with violence. Currently these kinds of assaults are sentenced under Common Assault guidelines. Under these guidelines it  is an aggravating factor to assault a public sector worker. However this does not apply to the thousands of people working in the private sector in South Basildon and East Thurrock who are threatened with violence at work.

As the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill returns to the House of Commons today, Labour’s Mike Le-Surf is calling on the government to protect all public facing workers in South Basildon and East Thurrock both those in the public and private sector. He is calling on the Government to introduce simpler and stiffer sentencing guidelines to deter people from committing a crime in the first place. Mike Le-Surf, Labour’s General Election candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock, said:

“The thousands of people who work in shops, cafes, restaurants and petrol stations in South Basildon and East Thurrock need to feel safe at work and they need to feel adequately protected if they challenge a shoplifter.

“Hardworking people deserve the same protection from violence whether they work in the public or the private sector and suggesting otherwise just shows how out of touch this Government is.

“Being threatened with violence while you do your job is completely unacceptable wherever you work. That is why I am calling on the Tory-led Government to make sure the same sentencing guidelines apply if you are threatened with violence at work in the public or private sector.”

Beating Cancer in South Basildon and East Thurrock

Labour’s parliamentary candidate Mike Le-Surf is campaigning to beat cancer in South Basildon and East Thurrock by raising awareness and support for cancer research in the UK.

Mr. Le-Surf is supporting the standardising of cigarette packaging to deter young people from taking up the habit while also promoting awareness of prostate cancer which will affect one in eight men during their lifetime. Mr. Le-Surf met with Cancer Research UK and Prostate Cancer UK at the Labour Party conference in Brighton last month and is encouraging residents to get involved with their campaigns to beat cancer.

Mr. Le-Surf said:

“My campaigning will focus on three areas: plain packaging for cigarettes, awareness of prostate cancer and encouraging residents to become ambassadors for Cancer Research UK and volunteers for Prostate Cancer UK. Hundreds of children take up smoking in South Basildon and East Thurrock every year so it was a disgrace that David Cameron and the Tories dropped proposals to bring in plain packaging. I urge residents to write to Mr. Cameron and put him straight on the need to beat cancer in the constituency. Research kills cancer and I am sure that residents will join me to help beat cancer in South Basildon and East Thurrock.”

Contact Mike Le-Surf on 07958 015048 or @Mike4SBET on twitter.

 

Standardised Packaging

Setting the Standard is Cancer Research UK’s campaign for plain, standardised cigarette packaging.
Every year in the UK 207,000 11-15 year olds take up smoking. Addiction keeps them smoking into adulthood, where it then kills one in two long-term users. Evidence shows that removing all branding and design from the packs makes cigarettes less attractive for both adults and children. Since tobacco advertising became illegal in the UK in 2002, tobacco companies have invested a fortune in branded packaging to attract new smokers. Most of these new smokers are children, with more than 80% starting by the age of 19.

 

Prostate Cancer Awareness

In the UK, about 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Older men, men with a family history of prostate cancer and men of black African and black Caribbean descent are more at risk.

Prostate cancer mainly affects men over the age of 50 and your risk increases with age. The average age for men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer is between 70 and 74 years. If you are under 50 then your risk of getting prostate cancer is very low. Younger men can be affected, but this is rare. If you are having problems urinating this could be a sign of a problem in your prostate. Go to the website below and make some checks and contact your GP for a check or call Prostate Cancer UK Specialist Nurses on the confidential helpline 0800 0748383.

http://prostatecanceruk.org/

 

Become an Ambassador or a Volunteer

You can apply to be an ambassador here:

For an application form, please contact 07795 334929 or email campaigning@cancer.org.uk

If you have any questions, Cancer Research UK  would be happy to discuss them with you, or for more information and FAQs please visit www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/ambassadors

More information here:

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/home/

Volunteer for Prostate Cancer UK here: http://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/volunteer

 

Sign Dame Tessa Jowell MP's Early Childhood Development Petition

Early Childhood Development Petition to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Member States: Put early childhood development at the heart of the new post-2015 development framework with targets that promise all children care, support and services which work together for the best start in life.

Dame Tessa Jowell MP and Ivan Lewis MP

Please sign Tessa Jowell's petition to request that the UN put early childhood development at the heart of the new post-2015 development framework. Click on the link at the bottom of this blog.

Dame Tessa Jowell DBE MP: "We know that you make the biggest difference in a child’s life by investing at the earliest years – from conception through the first five years. The evidence from programmes like Sure Start in the UK, supported by what we now know about the neurological development of young children, prove the long term social and economic benefits of this policy. I believe we have an opportunity to extend those benefits to some of the poorest children in the world. Last July I travelled to Malawi with Ivan Lewis MP, the UK’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, to learn both how early childhood programmes can be delivered effectively in countries that lack the resources we have in developed countries, and how they can benefit some most disadvantaged and marginalised children in the world. This visit reinforced my conviction in the principles that an integrated approach to early childhood development would bring practical benefits to the poorest children and their families in all countries. We are working in the UK through an All Party Parliamentary Group set up by Andrea Leadsom MP and a group of MPs of all political persuasions to champion an integrated approach to early childhood development. If the new post-2015 development framework is truly to be a new global covenant developed in partnership with developing, development and middle income countries, we need to prove that we are doing all we can at home to tackle inequality, poverty and lack of opportunity. But now we need your support - we need to build alliances with G8 countries and other developing countries to ensure that early childhood development is not just a side issue – it should be right at heart of civil society, our fight for social justice and economic development. We cannot afford to squander the talents of so many of the world's people. Help us build support by sharing this petition with your friends and networks who believe children should be at the heart of our future development strategy. If this approach is right for our children, surely it is right for some of the poorest children in the world. That is why I believe this policy should be at the heart of the new post-2015 framework." Sign here.....
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/un-secretary-general-ban-ki-moon-and-un-member-states-put-early-childhood-development-at-the-heart-of-the-new-post-2015-development-framework-with-targets-that-promise-all-children-care-support-and-services-which-work-together-for-the-best-start-in-l

Labour leading the way in SBET..........

Ed Miliband setting the agenda

There's no doubt who's been setting the agenda as we leave Party Conference season. Ed Miliband and Labour have identified the real problem of living standards facing families around the country and in South Basildon & East Thurrock, and laid out policies to help deal with them – including a tax cut for small businesses, childcare help for families and a pledge to freeze your energy bills until January 2017. And David Cameron and the Conservatives have realised they've got a problem, but have no new ideas to deal with the cost of living crisis that's happening on their watch.

Harriet Harman in Basildon

Since David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, life has got tougher for too many people. We've seen the slowest recovery from recession in 100 years. Nearly a million young people are unemployed. Prices have risen faster than wages in a staggering 38 out of 39 months while David Cameron has been in Downing Street. And working people are an average of nearly £1,500 worse off. The truth is that year after year, you’ve been working harder, for longer, for less.

Yet at the same time, bankers' bonuses went up by 82 per cent this April, and David Cameron's tax priority has been to give a tax cut to people earning over £150,000 – wages most people here in South Basildon & East Thurrock can only dream of. Help for a privileged few, nothing for ordinary families. No wonder people think that our Prime Minister, who admits that he doesn't know the price of a loaf of bread, is completely out of touch.

Mike Le-Surf at Basildon Hospital

Families and businesses need help, and Labour is setting out plans to help them. Ed Miliband announced that Labour will cut business rates in 2015 and freeze them again in 2016 – prioritising a tax cut for 1.5 million small businesses over a tax cut for 80,000 large businesses. We will support working parents, by expanding free childcare for 3 and 4-year-olds from 15 to 25 hours a week for working parents, paid for by an £800 million rise in the bank levy. We will increase the number of apprenticeships, by insisting that every medium-sized or large company that hires a skilled worker from outside the EU must do their bit to train the next generation, by taking on an apprentice.

One of the biggest problems families and businesses face right now is rising bills. Energy bills have gone up by an average £300 since David Cameron became Prime Minister, while energy companies’ profits have shot up. Businesses say that energy bills are the second biggest cost they face. When wholesale prices rise, the energy companies pass the costs on to consumers – but when they fall, bills stay high.

That’s why Ed Miliband set out bold plans to reset the energy market and make prices more competitive, forcing them to introduce a simple new tariff structure and creating a tough new energy regulator. And in the time it takes to make these reforms, Labour will freeze your energy bills from the next election until January 2017 – saving a typical household £120 and the average business £1,800. You can see how much you could save by visiting www.freezethatbill.com.

We can only tackle the cost of living crisis with an economy that works for working people. The more David Cameron boasts about saving the economy, the more out of touch he looks. Britain can do better than this, with a Labour Government that fights for you.