Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin MP

Despite all the adverse weather conditions and the accompanying hardships that people are experiencing, I wish all my constituents a Happy New Year hoping that as the economy improves and we are out of recession everyone will feel the benefit and that we can look forward in hope once again.

I have made my views known in no uncertain terms to Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt who attempted to unseat the Prime Minister last week. Thankfully it was an amateurish attempt at a time when David Cameron is flaky and keeps putting his foot in it and has to be pulled back into line by his party. The Prime Minister showed Cameron’s inexperience at Question time on 6 January by highlighting his different policy changes on Marriage Tax policy. Nick Clegg as usual made very little or no impact.

During this severe winter period I have received many complaints from constituents about the lack of gritting throughout the constituency. The worry ofcourse is that the elderly and infirm are struggling. At my Middleton surgery in the Shopping precinct people described some very serious incidents that raise concerns. I shall be taking the whole management strategy to the Chief Executive to ensure that this is not repeated and I do accept that this has been an extraordinary cold spell but nevertheless change needs to be introduced.

Can I say to vulnerable families in the constituency not to worry about turning up the heating for the Government is paying out millions in cold weather payments. There are two ways this is being done –

Winter fuel payments of £250 or £400 for the over 80s and 328,700 people in our weather station areas are getting the increased Cold Weather Payments of £25. The payments are automatic so everyone entitled will get them. People on certain qualifying benefits are automatically eligible. Who can get them? The following groups are entitled:

If you are on Pension credits you are eligible.

If you get Income Support and receive a Disability Premium, a Child Disability Premium or have a Child under 5 you are eligible.

If you are on Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance and have a Disability Premium, a Child Disability Premium or have a child under 5 you are eligible.

If you are on Income-related Employment Support Allowance and have the Support Component or the Work–related Activity component or a Severe or Enhanced Disability Premium or a Pensioner Premium or have a child who is disabled or a child under 5 you are eligible.

The payment is £25 per week for any seven consecutive days when the temperature is zero or below from 1 November to 31 March as recorded by our two weather stations.

The government’s main grant funded programme of tackling fuel poverty is the Warm Front Scheme which should provide a package of tailored insulation and heating improvements for private sector households determined by receipt of certain means tested and disability benefits.

Another piece of good news is that the government has announced plans to develop the biggest expansion of wind energy ever seen in the world - around 6000 off shore wind turbines with an investment of £75 billion to create up to 70,000 clean energy jobs. These are all high value in manufacturing, research and engineering, just what the country needs just now. Of course the Tories don’t agree. David Cameron scoffs at the creation of off shore wind farms. How much more short sighted can he get?

I managed to pay a short visit to Scotland to wish my three sisters and their families a Happy New Year before returning to Parliament on 5 January. I decided to leave my car in London and come back by train as the driving conditions were so poor.

Its been difficult of course to move round the constituency because of the snow. I managed to get to Bolton Town Hall for the annual lunch with the Showman’s Guild last Friday. I am an honorary member of the guild, an organisation I have supported over the years.

The weather forecast does not look promising as I write this article but I hoped to get to London on Monday for another busy week.

My next surgery is Saturday 16 January in Norden St Paul’s Church Hall 9-10 and in Castleton Community Centre 11-12noon.