Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin MP

It was disappointing to see this Liberal Democrat council introduce a rate rise of 3.7% when inflation is running at 0.1%. They unanimously voted against Labour’s proposal for a rise of 1.65%.

Even the majority of London boroughs levied increases of around 2.5%. Indeed next-door Liberal Democrat led Oldham Council set a rate of 2.5%. How can the Rochdale Liberal Democrats justify their well above inflation rise at a time when local people need to keep as much of their own money as possible in their pockets?

It is also worrying that we still have a major problem with teenage pregnancy figures and sadder still that in Rochdale Borough 41% of under 18 pregnancies end in abortion. There is something drastically wrong with the government’s sex education strategy when we continue to have the highest levels of teenage pregnancy in Europe. The policy appears to encourage sexual experimentation instead of reducing the trend.

It’s atrocious to see the disappearance of the traditional British Pub. I attended a packed meeting in the Commons where John Grogan the MP for Selby led a discussion with contributions from the Pub Trade around the country. The aim is to reduce the tax, or at least to stop any further tax rises in the Budget. I shall be lobbying the Chancellor to protect pubs from the unfair competition from the supermarkets. MP's from all the political parties will be supporting this campaign.

Having a baby is an exciting time for mums and families. There is always a lot of planning to do from buying a pram to stocking up on nappies and baby food, but there are always plenty of bills to pay. During the tough times we are facing at the moment, I’ve supported our Labour Government’s action to give real help now to families.

As part of this help we are giving a cash boost of £190 that mums to be can claim. From April this year mums will get a tax free payment to help if you are at least 25 weeks pregnant. The payment is called Health in Pregnancy Grant. The grant will be a one off payment of £190 for each pregnancy. It will not affect tax credits or other benefits and every mum in my constituency will get the same amount. The payment will go directly into the bank or building society.

To get the grant mothers will need to get a claim form from their midwife or doctor who must sign their part of the form. This cash boost will make a real difference to expectant families. As part of the governments efforts to support local businesses and jobs millions of pounds will be spent on School buildings and repairs. This will be extra funding this financial year. So I am delighted that every school in my constituency should benefit from this extra funding. The Tories oppose our plan to pursue this means or supporting local schools and local businesses.

On Friday 27 February I visited St Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Primary Castleton, and met Miss Aherne. The school of course is famous for its support to the Castleton Community and its support of local musical promotions. I had a tour of the school and saw the site of the additional classrooms that are being built as well as meeting some of the children.

At lunchtime I attended a mesothelioma rally in Albert Square and afterwards in Manchester Town Hall. We are of course familiar with this killer disease here in the borough associated with the Turner Newall site. It was good to see Jason Addy, our local campaigner, playing a prominent part in the meeting. He does a great job. I

n the evening I attended the sponsorship evening at Middleton cricket-club and chose to sponsor a game in July.

On the Saturday morning I was present to see Samia Smith from Coronation Street open the refurbished Heywood Library. A huge crowd of admirers turned out. She patiently signed many autographs and spent time talking to the local people. The library looks great and was worth waiting for.

As vice chairman of the All Party Group on Pneumococcal Vaccine for the prevention of Pneumococcal meningitis and other diseases I got a last minute invitation to Johannesburg to present a short paper on the political involvement of my group. I am familiar with the subject from my former career in microbiology at the Royal Oldham. There were 200 delegates made up of research scientists and medics, charities, and non-government organisations. I only spent around three hours in the City, arriving at 2:30 on Monday after a 10 hour flight via Paris, returning the same evening.

In all I spent 20 hours on the plane and was back in the Commons on Tuesday morning for a meeting with Geoff Hoon organised by Graham Stringer MP, my next door neighbour in Blackley. We were opening up a dialogue for a funding surcharge for improved transport in Greater Manchester following the collapse of the congestion charge debacle. We intend to continue lobbying the Secretary of State to honour the Government’s promised investment.

Crea Lavin, my Liberal Democrat opponent in 2005, visited the House of Commons with her mother and her aunt to attend Prime Minister’s Questions and have a look around the House. It was good to see them, and we were able to remember our political contest with a bit of light-hearted humour.

I enjoyed a round table breakfast discussion on sustainable housing organised by the House Magazine. I have been asked to write an article for the next edition of this House of Commons magazine on Housing Carbon Reduction and Climate Change. There is never a quiet moment. In the meantime I think I will go down to my local the Black Dog and support the traditional British Pub.

A reminder:- I have a surgery at Desmene Community Centre from 11-Noon on Friday 13 and in the Arena on Saturday 14 from 9-11am.