Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

Photo: Journeaux

Jim Dobbin MP

This Christmas and New Year period is a time for family. The impact of family life generally shows the benefits of the support and strength that family offers. When parents, grandparents and grandchildren socialise and celebrate together, families find a confidence to face issues that may be a concern.

In my family there were 17 of us together for Christmas and they have now returned to their homes in various parts of the country but the visit was a cheerful, fulfilling experience for us all.

I believe strongly in the family unit and believe that it should be at the centre of society influencing everything we do and every decision we take within the home and within the working and social environment.

It’s time now to focus on family values including the need for individual members of each family to be accountable and responsible for their actions and conscious of how these affect everyone both in the family and outside.

I do think that much of the trauma in society at the moment including greed, anti-social behaviour and violence often originates in the deterioration in parenting and family responsibilities.

The past week or so we have seen unprecedented winter weather and despite the efforts of the workforce, I have to take issue with the Council’s decision to grit only the main roads and town centres. Many constituents have registered their complaints. Access for the elderly around the town should be a priority factor in the gritting decision. The sick and disabled have to be cared for and they require access for their carers.

The decision to contract out direct services is in my view fraught with problems. I understand that Balfour Beattie are the contractors responsible for the gritting service. I have never been happy with the arms length contracting system.

There is a deficit inherent in the system where the democratic control is weak and very often missing. The loser is always the local community and council tax payer. I experience this lack of accountability in many of my dealings with the local authority departments.

The delivery of public services needs re-examined in order to put the customers in control and get them more involved in local decisions.

Consideration should be given to a mutual model along the lines of the co-operative movement where the shareholders are the public and in return for their contribution to the local system they can influence what services they want and to what level the services should be delivered.

The poor service delivered on gritting this year demonstrates what is wrong with the present system.

On Friday 11 December I visited Alkrington Primary School where I met the newly elected school council. They questioned me for 15 minutes on my work as an MP and then I said a few words at the school assembly and was shown round each classroom by the school council. It was a most enjoyable morning.

I moved on to my Desmesne Advice Surgery which was fairly quiet.

On Saturday I was at the Shopping Centre in Middleton for another advice surgery and I then opened the refurbished library at Darnhill in my old council ward. It looks well and will be a huge benefit for the people of Darnhill.

In the evening I attended the Rochdale Youth Orchestra Christmas concert. As always Sue Verity produced an inspiring musical evening.

On Sunday I went to the Mayor’s Carol Service and then drove to London for an early meeting in the House of Commons. The Salvation Army Carol Service in Westminster Hall was excellent with everyone in full voice.

At the AGM of the all Party Group on Cleaning and Hygiene I was elected Chairman. This group supports the industry of which McBride’s Middleton is a member.

We then had our staff Christmas lunch followed by a meeting at the Ministry of Defence about the future of Nimrod.

In the evening I did a reading at the Westminster Cathedral Carol Service and ended the day at a British Red Cross reception.

On Wednesday as Chairman of the relevant All Party Group, I had a meeting with Sir Liam Donaldson Chief Medical Officer to ask him to lobby the Director General of the United Nations, Margaret Chan, to put the need for pneumococcal vaccines on the next agenda meeting of the World Health Organisation in order to encourage countries to vaccinate children against pneumococcal meningitis, a massive killer. I gave talks on this vaccine a few months ago in Johannesburg and Taiwan.

Back at home for the Christmas break I did my last surgery of 2009 in Norden and Bamford, and in Castleton. I had to make apologies as the weather prevented me getting to the Carol Services at St John’s RC, Salvation Army and St Michael’s Alkrington.

On the 22 I attended a school Mass at St Joseph’s Primary School in Heywood celebrated by Father Paul Daly who was in good form. I had the great pleasure of presenting the Bene Merenti Medal to former Head teacher Mrs Byrne. This honour was authorised by Pope Benedict to recognise her huge contribution locally.

As I finish writing this I have just heard of the death of a good friend and colleague, David Taylor MP for North West Leicestershire, from a heart attack. He was an extremely effective MP and richly deserved the accolade of Parliamentarian of the Year last year. He was due to retire at the next election. He will be sadly missed in parliament and his untimely death will be a huge loss to his wife and family.

I wish all of my constituents the very best for 2010.

There will be no surgery in Heywood this Saturday 2 January but the next Heywood Surgery will be on first Saturday in February.