November 2009 - Newsletter from Margot James
Dear Supporter, This week we welcome the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, to Stourbridge. Crime and anti-social behaviour are always among the top issues of concern cited by Stourbridge residents in all the surveys I conduct. This Government have passed 35 pieces of criminal justice legislation since 1997, compared to an average of one per decade for most of the last century. Yet police spend only an average of 7 hours a week on the street. Their response to most reports of anti-social behaviour is to just move offenders on rather than make arrests. The public are starting to wake up to the fact that those few people who are actually charged and sent to prison will, as a matter of course, serve half or even less of the jail term imposed by the courts as a result of Labour’s early release scheme. Meanwhile the Crown Prosecution Service are targeted on successful prosecutions so they apply pressure on the police to drop cases they don’t consider watertight. Or even more insidiously, to reduce the severity of the charge so as to make it easier to get a conviction. Despite all of Labour’s new laws and systems and targets it is quite clear to our residents who has the upper hand when it comes to anti-social behaviour. And it is not the police, the courts or the law abiding public! I will be challenging Chris Grayling on how his policies will start to put right the dysfunctional system of criminal justice this Government will leave in its wake if we are elected.
- A ward newsletter has been distributed in Amblecote and Norton,
- We have all but completed delivery of a survey to all homes in the constituency.
- We have received a huge response to our survey.
- We have started to contact by telephone all homes for which we have telephone numbers.
- Two students have joined our office to support Mike; this will help our firepower as the election approaches. Welcome and thank you Gary and Tom.
Out and About
I spent the first week of October up at our party conference in- I met with the Adult and Social Care team at Dudley Council for a briefing on Older People’s Services. Homecare and care of people with dementia is already overstretched so I am concerned that this part of the Council’s service does not have to find more than its fair share of savings this year. Read more
- I met with the acting Police Chief for Stourbridge, Brian Quiney, who is standing in for Inspector Galloway who is on a secondment elsewhere. I reported various hotspot crime and anti-social behaviour issues and asked a series of questions about police strategy in one particular area to which I am still awaiting answers.
- The deputy Chief Executive of Advantage West Midlands came to give me a briefing on Regional Development. There is a role for regional strategy and implementation of course, but too much money is spent on the infrastructure behind these regional Quangos and this will have to be tackled by the next government. Read more
- I visited Jobcentre Plus again. Several professionals who have been recently unemployed have complained that they don’t seem to fit the Jobcentre’s profile when it comes to getting help. But things are improving now the Jobcentre have taken on extra staff from more diverse backgrounds including the private sector. Read more
Since I received a letter from a couple who have a child with severe learning disabilities I have been focussing on this important area about which I previously knew little. I continued with my research this month by visiting an excellent school for children with learning disabilities,- Lunch with a small group of bankers, business leaders and media people at the invitation of Michael Spencer, Chief Executive of ICAP, gave me an interesting perspective on the challenges of regulating the financial services sector. It was inspiring (and luxurious!) to be back in the corporate world but I have absolutely no regrets about leaving it behind.
One in nine women will be diagnosed at some point with breast cancer so I was pleased to support the ‘Wear it Pink’ day at Lye Community Centre in support of fundraising for breast cancer. A new scanner is required at- I attended a very successful coffee morning to raise money for the Coach House. Regular readers will know that the Coach House does fantastic work for adults with learning disabilities but recently have come under threat as they received a significant amount of their funding from the Learning & Skills Council; one of the government’s more spectacular disasters.
- I was joined by Liz Walker on a trip to
Media
The Politics Show screened my interview and question time with the Stourbridge Motorcycle Club who were really wonderful guests for dinner. I enjoyed this very much and thank you to all of you who e mailed or called me afterwards. Watch it here.
Click here to link to BBC's Stourbridge Battleground feature.
- The Stourbridge News has covered my objection to a late bar license for the Old Bank on the High Street, my concern about unemployment and I had two articles printed on the economy and immigration.
Feedback
Please forward this campaign update on to any fellow Conservatives in our area who you think would be interested. If there is any further information you would like, or if there is something you would like to let me know about, please do get in touch.
If you would like to help the campaign in Stourbridge then please do contact me: margot@stourbridgeconservatives.com. We are always grateful for support.
Best wishes
Margot
