April 2012

This week I chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group’s inquiry into Social Care

Submitted by Heather on 19 April 2012 - 12:41pm

On Tuesday the 17^th of April I chaired the first of three evidence session into social care. The inquiry comes in advance of the government’s White Paper on Social Care, and aims to look in more detail at how local Government can best provide care and establish the principles that should inform the adult social care system of the future.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Local Government, brings together MPs and Peers with local government to promote dialogue and inform policymaking and I am its chairman. The groups work focuses on the shared priorities of central and local government, through regular meetings, events and reports. This current inquiry is supported by the LGiU and Partnership and will explore local government’s role in enabling citizens to lead independent lives and be financially independent, and how the Government shapes markets for the delivery of adult social care.

During the inquiry the All Party Parliamentary Group will hear evidence from social care experts and local Councils, feeding into a final report, which will become a significant cross-party contribution to the debate about the role of local government in delivering care in the next decade.

I think this inquiry is really important. At a local level social care is a massive issue both because of the quality of care delivered, but also the cost of care. People know a lot more because of the Dilnot Report, but there are still so many unanswered questions. This Inquiry gives us the opportunity to explore this area, hear from experts, and lead the responses to the White Paper.

The evidence sessions, are being held in public in the House of Commons Committee Room 15, and the next two will be on Tuesday the 24^th of April and Tuesday the 1^st of May.

Well done to Staunton Harold Sailing Club for securing £50,000 of Olympic legacy funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund

Submitted by Heather on 13 April 2012 - 10:50am

Caption: Heather and the Staunton Harold Sailing Club members welcoming the investment in the club

The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.

The project aims to improve the current male and female changing rooms, which have been in existence since 1974. Refurbishing the current change areas will double the capacity of both and meet the regular needs of the clubs expanding activities.

Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “This investment will create will be a fantastic sporting legacy for Staunton Harold.

“This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Derbyshire. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”

I am delighted by this news. As London is gearing up for the Olympics, I think it is fantastic that this Olympic legacy funding provided by Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund is available to local clubs across the country, allowing 2012 to really mark an improvement not just to national, but also to local sports facilities.

The Staunton Harold Sailing Club is a real asset to the area and I know this funding will really make a difference to the facilities. With improved facilities I hope more and more people will get involved in this excellent sailing club. I would like to congratulate all the volunteers for the hours they spend supporting the club and I am so pleased that their hard work has paid off with this excellent Grant.

This project is one of 350 local community sports groups who have been offered a total of £17.4 million in Olympic legacy funding through the Inspired Facilities Fund.

Well done to Melbourne Community Centre for winning a share of Local Action Energy Assessment Funding!

Submitted by Heather on 5 April 2012 - 2:35pm

I am delighted to report that a funding application made by Melbourne Community Centre Ltd to improve energy efficiency has successfully won a share of £10million from the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) Local Action Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF).

LEAF was announced by DECC on the 7^th of December 2011 and has a total budget of £10 million to support communities develop their understanding of local energy use and identify opportunities to reduce energy requirements through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy schemes. Over 500 communities applied to LEAF.

I am really pleased that the Government is providing opportunities to local communities to help them improve and transform the way energy is perceived and used locally. I would like to congratulate Melbourne Community Centre for successfully winning this funding.

If you would like more information about LEAF please visit the following website http://www.greencommunitiescc.org.uk/.

Campers remember the risks of Carbon Monoxide and Barbecues

Submitted by Heather on 3 April 2012 - 3:08pm

As we approach the holiday season I am urging campers to remember the danger that barbecues bring with Carbon Monoxide emissions.

In the past there have been several tragedies in which camper’s have lost their lives after taking lit barbecues into tents or caravans for warmth. Carbon monoxide (CO) is difficult to detect because it is colourless and has no taste or smell. People often don’t realise that they are being overcome by fumes until it is too late.

Currently the founder of the charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness, Lynn Griffiths, is calling for manufacturers of barbecue grills to put warning notices about the danger of carbon monoxide on them to stop the public from taking them into tents, caravans or campervans.

Lynn Griffiths said: “No one should ever take a barbecue indoors. To do so is courting disaster and sadly there have been a number of tragedies and several near misses in recent years. Please don’t let this happen again.”

Exposure to the gas reduces the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, thereby causing the vital organs to fail. Early symptoms are similar to flu, but these worsen as more of the gas is breathed in and Carbon monoxide concentrations in the blood increase.

Anyone who suspects that they may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning should turn off all appliances, go outside and seek help from a qualified healthcare professional.

Lynn will be holding a meeting on Friday 30th March in Halton, Cheshire to discuss carbon monoxide safety during caravan and camping events at music festivals and during holiday breaks. The charity is already working with one fire and rescue after several incidents in their area last year. Four other fire and rescue services have agreed to attend this very small meeting. Anyone representing a music festivals, camp and/or caravan sites are welcome to attend the charities next meeting and should contact Lynn Griffiths by emailing LynnCoAwareness@aol.com for more information.

Lynn is keen to take the "Be Carbon monoxide Aware Camping and Caravan Sites Register" national due to the latest incident just ten days ago. Lynn says that with the support of local and national press and media she can do this.

General advice

A lit or smouldering barbecue should never be taken into a tent, caravan or campervan.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) powered appliances should be serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified to work with LPG.
Solid fuel appliances should be serviced by a solid fuel HETAS registered engineer.
Oil fuelled appliances should be serviced by an OFTEC registered engineer.
For their personal safety, holiday-makers should buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm that meets British or European Standards (EN 50291).

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Welcome to my Parliamentary Website, particularly for those of you visiting for the first time, I hope you drop in regularly in the future. I hope this website allows you to see how I am representing your interests locally and nationally, working to improve South Derbyshire. This would not have been possible without your support and I thank the people of SD for electing me.