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.