Iain Wright

Hartlepool MP signs Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:12:49 +0000

Iain has signed the Holocaust memorial book as part of events to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The infamous concentration camp is one of the sites of the largest mass murder in history, where 6 million Jews and others classed as undesirable by the Nazis were murdered. Auschwitz was liberated on January 27th 1945.

The book has been placed in the House of Commons by the Holocaust Educational Trust to give MPs the opportunity to honour the memory of those persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust.

Iain said:

I pay tribute to the Holocaust Education Trust for educating the younger generation on the dangers of allowing hatred and persecution to take hold in society. International Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and is an important opportunity to remember the victims of both the Holocaust and of all genocides.

We must remember the lessons of the Holocaust and the years of hatred and persecution that preceded it. We should use this as an opportunity to renew our commitment to challenging all kinds of discrimination and prejudice, which sadly continues in our society to this day.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:08:33 +0000

As I write this, I am in Westminster waiting to vote on the Welfare Reform Bill, which is a piece of proposed legislation put forward by the Government to change provision on benefits.

How the country provides benefits for people considered to need help, the level of those benefits and for how long people can continue to claim those benefits naturally exercise a lot of people. I think I share the view of most people in the town: the welfare state is an important symbol of our countrys decency and concern for society as a whole, especially the vulnerable. If a person finds themselves out of work, or is sick or disabled, I think the state should play a part in assisting them in the costs of living. I wouldnt want to go back to a situation, which we certainly had in the past, where people starved or were sent to the workhouse once they found themselves out of work or became old.

But, equally, I wouldnt want to see people or families living on benefits for years at a time, or across the generations. There are a number of reasons for this: first, because people on benefits have a lower standard of living, and I believe everybody should have the opportunity to improve their quality of life. I also think, good old-fashioned puritan that I am, that hard work is good for the soul. I was brought up by my parents and grandparents to feel a sense of achievement from a job well done or to feel satisfied at the end of a hard days work. Im not suggesting for one minute that my job is hard physical work like a manual worker or someone going down the pit, but I do feel better about myself when I have worked hard.

I also live in the real world, and I know full well that people often fell very aggrieved when they see people who flout the system. There are many hard working people in Hartlepool, who rise early in the morning, often have two or three jobs to make ends meet, go to bed late at night exhausted and dont ask for any handouts. They often see people living in the same street who dont work but seem to have a great standard of living. I think often benefit scroungers are portrayed in the media as being far more widespread than they actually are, but they do exist and the whole notion of the welfare state breaks down when hard working taxpayers feel that their taxes are misused.

This is the context in which the Government is bringing forward its Welfare Reform Bill. The House of Lords has inflicted a series of defeats on the legislation, and now that today it has passed back to the Commons I will be voting to agree with the Lords. This is because I dont think the Bill tackles the problem properly. I believe unemployment is the biggest problem facing Hartlepool at the moment, and the Bill does not contain one single provision to help people into work. It seems ludicrous to me that the Government cuts demand, reduces expenditure and forces unemployment up to its highest level for 18 years, and then cuts the level of support available for people who have been made jobless. I want to see the Government concentrating on creating jobs. The Bill is also mean-spirited and vindictive towards people who are the most vulnerable in society and who are suffering from the most horrific illnesses. It cuts off Employment and Support Allowance after just 12 months for people recovering from cancer and mental health problems. It also cuts in half the support for disabled children. In a supposedly civilised society, that surely cant be right.

I dont oppose the need for welfare reform. But this is not the right type of legislation, and the Governments priorities, in the week when it agreed to Stephen Hesters bonus of £1 million at the same time as taking support from disabled children, seem simply wrong.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:35:29 +0000

It is a sad fact of life that peoples health in Hartlepool is not as good as the rest of the country. We tend to suffer more from ill-health, obesity, alcohol related issues and smoking and, as a result, endure heart attacks, cancer and strokes.

Life expectancy in Hartlepool is lower than other parts of the country a Hartlepool boy born today would be expected to live until he was 75.9 years old, some two years below the national average. A little girl from the town born today could expect to live until she was 81 years old which, although is better than a similar girl born in Middlesbrough, Gateshead, South Tyneside or Sunderland, would expect to live a full year shorter than the national average.

These figures have improved quite dramatically in the last fifteen years or so. This is because of significant increases in health funding, a greater emphasis on prevention, more investment focused on primary health care such as GPs and generally rising living standards as the economy grew.

However, the situation is actually much worse than those figures suggest. The information masks huge differences in life expectancy within the town. Someone living in Stranton, Dyke House or Owton Manor would expect to die up to 11 years earlier than somebody living close to Ward Jackson Park. That cant be right in a civilised society that where you live or your postcode can determine how long you live.

This week, there was a Parliamentary debate in the House of Commons to discuss health inequalities in the North East and I attended to champion Hartlepools case. There are a number of reasons why we suffer in Hartlepool from ill health and poor life expectancy. One of the reasons is our historical legacy as a place of heavy manufacturing, which means that we have more of a problem than other parts of the country with industrial diseases and injuries. I particularly wanted to highlight to Parliament my concern over the delay in helping people suffering from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

However, the biggest factor in terms of health is the economy. Being unemployed is often the same as being unwell and there is a very clear link between deprivation, low levels of income and ill health. I fear and this is something I emphasised in the Parliamentary debate that a worsening economic situation will make health matters much worse and that those poor life expectancy figures will deteriorate over the next few years.

The Ministers response in the debate was stunning in not answering any of the questions I asked, including on the future of Hartlepool Hospital. However, she and other Ministers cannot hide their heads in the sand. Economic problems will lead to further health problems, and peoples well being will suffer.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:15:00 +0000

How will you spend your pay bonus this year?

Chances are, in fact, that you wont have had a bonus, you probably havent had a pay increase and you are thinking about how to keep your job in the light of declining economic performance and rising unemployment.

This is in contrast to the pay experience of a band of people at the top of organisations which shape and define modern life. Take the new Chief Executive of Apple, Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs just before the latter died last year. Mr Cook received a pay package in 2011 of $378 million, or some £244,000,000. As my nana used to say, I wish I was a penny behind him.

In many respects, the example of Apple, certainly under the leadership of Steve Jobs, the previous chief executive, is not the best one to use. Steve Jobs came back to Apple in the late 1990s and turned around a poorly performing company that was looking old-fashioned and obsolete, into an organisation offering innovative, even beautiful products like the iPod and the iPhone which people eagerly wanted. As a result, Apples profits increased massively, as did its share price. Apple was worth about $17 a share in 2000 last time I looked, you could buy the same Apple share this week for over $425.

I dont think anybody would mind success being rewarded appropriately. We all have an interest in companies doing well: they provide employment and offer goods and services which make our lives easier or better. Better company performance will result in higher dividends and share prices, and as many of our pensions will be invested in these companies, our retirement provision should improve if companies do well. If executives produce sustainable growth that benefit their shareholders and the communities in which they operate, there is a case that their pay should reflect that.

I think what angers most people, quite rightly, is when executives are paid an obscene amount of money but there is no increase in success. There is no link between paying a huge amount of money and a successful performance by the organisation. In many respects, executives are failing and are being rewarded handsomely for it. The situation with the banks is an obvious example, but it is not confined to the financial sector. Take Cable & Wireless, an important and historic British company that spans the world. It is important for the UK economy that this British company does well. The top two executives were paid £9 million and £10 million, but in that time the company stopped paying a dividend because it couldnt generate enough cash, it imposed thousands of job losses, it took £650 million out of its accounts, and its share price fell from 90 pence two years ago to about 17 pence today. Last year, one of the executives quit and took about £650,000 in severance pay.

The other concern is the big difference between executive pay and the wages of ordinary workers. In 1980, the boss of Lloyds was paid £79,000, which was thirteen times higher than average pay. In 2010, his successor was paid £2 ½ million, which was 75 times the average pay packet. Such a growing gulf between the experiences of ordinary people, especially when they are experiencing cuts in standards of living, and the elite is simply unsustainable and morally questionable.

Greater curbs on executive pay, with more transparency, more effective reporting and greater representation of workers on committees that set these top levels of pay, are something which needs to be addressed quickly.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:01:00 +0000

I hope you have been able to have a peaceful and restful Christmas and wish you all the very best for the New Year. Looking back over the last twelve months across the world, it is amazing to think of the significant, even historic, events that took place in 2011. The world saw the Arab Spring, leading to the toppling of regimes in the likes of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. We saw the killing of both Colonel Gadaffi and Osama Bin Laden. We saw the collapse, more or less, of the Eurozone and the virtual bankruptcy of countries like Greece and Italy. Just before Christmas we saw the unexpected death of North Koreas leader Kim Jong-Il, and given the nature of the regime and the fact it has nuclear weapons, we should really take notice as to how his successor deals with the transition of power. Closer to home, we saw vicious and violent riots on the streets of Britain. In the last moments of 2011, we even saw the unexpected return of Neale Cooper to Pools. Strange and unexpected things have indeed happened! 2011 certainly will be studied by historians, and the repercussions of the events of last year will be with us for many years to come.

Although 2012 has a difficult act to follow, I think it will prove to be a significant year. There will be a presidential election in the United States this year, and that event always has an impact on the world. The eyes of the world will be on Britain as a result of London hosting the Olympics, as well as the Queens Diamond Jubilee.

The main focus of 2012 is and should be the economic performance of our country. I dont want to be the harbinger of doom, but I think 2012 will be even more difficult for the economy, particularly for towns like Hartlepool, than it was in 2011. The economy is weak and is getting weaker. All the evidence suggests that we are already in recession and I fear that unemployment, which is already far too high, will rise still further in 2012. People will cut back what they spend in shops, either because they simply do not have the money as a result of falling wages and standards of living and rising prices, or because they are concerned about the future. This will mean that more shops will close and more jobs in the retail industry will be lost.

In these difficult times, the Government should be doing all it can to promote economic growth and increases in employment. I think most people would recognise the need to reduce public debt, but to rush headlong into this in the fastest possible way is the wrong choice. In fact such a policy is counterproductive, not only because, as we start from a much lower base, it weakens still further the long term potential of the countrys economy, but also results in social problems, like long term unemployment, which are very expensive to deal with over many years. You only have to look at the experiences of Hartlepool in the 1980s, when a deep recession, caused in part by reductions in public investment and expenditure, helped to result in a much reduced economic base for the town and subsequent unemployment or low paid work for many people.

It seems far more sensible for the Government to concentrate on having as many people as possible in work in a growing economy. That approach would mean that the Government will take in more tax and therefore would be able to pay down the debt, as well as paying out less in unemployment benefits.

However, I am a positive sort of person. I think Hartlepool has remarkable determination and resilience, and some parts of our economy really do point to a prosperous future. There is the possibility of being a centre of excellence for energy, incorporating not only oil and gas but also nuclear and renewable. We have leading manufacturing firms that can, with appropriate support, help to pull Hartlepool and the wider country out of recession. Im so confident and positive about the future, I even think Ill soon see a home win for Hartlepool United. I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0000

The town lost a great man at the end of last year when Ken Johnson, the former Hartlepool United player, died. This week was Kens funeral at the beautiful church in Seaton Carew and, as I expected, the church was packed as many, many people wanted to pay their respects.

Ive been proud to know Ken Johnson, and his wife Olwen, or Olly, all of my life. My nana, Joyce Harland, worked for many years in the launderette at the Fens Shops. The launderette was next to Ken and Olly Johnsons fish shop, and as far back as I could remember and as soon as I could climb out of a pushchair, I recall running back and forth from the launderette to the fish shop, no doubt causing chaos and hassle to Ken, Olly and my nana as I did so. Ken stood at the back of the fish shop, frying the fish, and always had a kind word to say to me and to everybody else. In time, it dawned on me that this man was the same Kenny Johnson who was a Hartlepool United legend and who had played and scored against the likes of Manchester United. The demeanour of this kind and generous gentleman always seemed somewhat at odds with the egos and prima donnas that were even at that time starting to infect the beautiful game and were beginning to be seen on Match of the Day. I think many of todays Premiership footballers could learn a lesson or two from Kens passion for the game combined with manners, modesty and decency.

Every time I saw Ken, I always said something like: How do you think Pools are doing, Ken?, or words to that effect. Of course, it wasnt just me who said that people who met Ken everyday said something about Pools, expecting a comment or some analysis about our prospects for promotion (or, in Pools case in years gone by, re-election to the Football League), or what Ken thought about our latest centre forward or who we should sign. It must have been draining, somewhat similar to a comedian constantly being asked by strangers to tell a joke. In every case, however, Ken commented not just with great grace, insight and humour, but took an interest in the person asking the question.

I speak as I find, and I will always remember Ken Johnson, in my conversations with him spanning over thirty years, with affection and respect. I particularly admire the fact that he treated everybody the same, regardless of age or status. He was as polite, courteous and interested in me when I was a ten year old kid, blocking the entrance of his shop with my bike and no doubt stopping customers getting fish and chips, as when I became Member of Parliament, bringing a Secretary of State to Pools to watch a game. There were no airs and graces or false sides to Ken and I really admired that.

Since Kens death, Ive looked again at my copy of the official history of Hartlepool United, published a few years ago to celebrate the clubs centenary. There is a lovely picture (on page 166 please go and have a look if you have the book) of the team on the front page of the New Year edition of the Soccer Star of 1960. Ken Johnson is the first person you see when you look at the picture he dominates the shot in the same way he dominated a ball. This big lad sitting third from the left on the front row stares back at you with his back straight and pride oozes out of his body, some half a century after the photo was taken.

That pride and sense of service never left Ken Johnson. It is difficult to think of another individual who has served Hartlepool United so well for such a length of time. Im sure Ritchie Humphries, who has just achieved a remarkable 500 appearances for Pools, wont mind me saying that Kens 106 goals in 413 appearances, and then his commitment to the club for decades after his retirement, will never be bettered. Ken scored on his debut, 62 years almost to the day when 17 year-old Luke James scored a fantastic goal against Rochdale, which would have made Ken proud.

At the funeral, the Revd Captain Paul Allinson said that he would look to place a permanent memorial to Ken in the church. I think that is a touching gesture. But given the unparalleled level of service to Pools, I hope something will be done in Victoria Park. I think the club should formally re-name the Town End as the Kenny Johnson Stand. My love to Olly and the family.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:55:00 +0000

This is my final Mail column before Christmas. Last Friday I attended a ceremony to commemorate the 97th anniversary of the bombardment of the Hartlepools.

It strikes me every year just how close this atrocity took place to Christmas. Families getting ready for work and school in 1914 were really no different to families in 2011. Kids will have to have been roused from their beds whilst at the same being very excited about Christmas in little over a weeks time. People will have been very conscious of the First World War many husbands and sons may have joined up in the first flush of excitement, believing that the war would be over by Christmas but the battles in France would have been a long way from Hartlepool. It is difficult, if not downright impossible, for us to comprehend how bewildering, but above all how frightening, a direct attack on our town would have felt. In the attack, 118 people, including 37 children, the youngest being poor Benjamin Lofthouse, from Belk Street and aged just seven months, died.

The ceremony to commemorate the bombardment of the Hartlepools is an important event for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it affected Hartlepool and West Hartlepool deeply. The effects of the attack not only killed many of our townspeople, but left physical and mental strains on people and families for decades. The fact that Hartlepool was chosen by the enemy to direct the first attack on the British mainland for centuries gives an indication of the supreme importance of our town to the countrys manufacturing and industrial might. The German fleet was trying to destroy and dismantle the towns docks, shipyards and steelworks to hinder the war effort. And the first shots of the Bombardment killed Private Theo Jones of the 18th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. Private Theo Jones was a West Hartlepool lad his mother lived in Ashgrove Avenue and he had the sad distinction of becoming the first British soldier to be killed on British soil for nearly 200 years.

The centenary of the bombardment is fast approaching. 2014 will be an important year for the country to remember the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, but given Hartlepools significant role in the Great War, I want the Bombardment commemoration of 2014 to be recognised nationally rather than just locally. This Monday, it was Defence Questions in the House of Commons, and I asked a question to the Minister in terms of what the Government will do to support this important event for the town. I am also trying to secure a debate in the House of Commons for 16 December 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the Bombardment in Parliament on the actual day. I think it would be appropriate and fitting for the Secretary of State for Defence to attend the morning ceremony in 2014. I hope the Government will agree to this, given the significance of the day to the history of our country, not just the town.

As this is the last column before Christmas, I hope that everybody in Hartlepool is able to enjoy the holiday season. Hopefully people will have been good over the course of the year and that Father Christmas recognises this in their Christmas stocking. Im not sure I should be wistfully regretting this, but I am now at the age when I dont actually mind having socks for presents: a man cannot have too many pairs of socks. If Father Christmas is reading the Hartlepool Mail just before he sets off for his big work day, I hope he can deliver a copy of The Inbetweeners film on DVD, which I havent seen. Its been a difficult year for the town in one way or another, but I hope the people of Hartlepool can spend time with their friends, family and loved ones. Have a Merry Christmas.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:01:00 +0000

I hope youre more or less done for Christmas shopping by now. The speed at which Christmas has crept up on us has shocked me it only seems five minutes ago that it was October; now we have less than two weeks to go before the big day.

My only real task for Christmas shopping is to buy for Mrs Wright. I think she wants perfume, as she has been dropping some general hints in this direction, but I think the lovely patterned ironing board cover I have my eye on for her will be that much of a surprise when she unwraps it. I got her one last year too, so she really wont be expecting another this year.

The chances are that the way you shop for Christmas presents has changed significantly in just a few short years. The economic difficulties will mean that, for far too many people, Christmas will be something of a financial difficulty. The Governments increase in VAT to 20 per cent earlier this year wont help either. When people are faced with ever rising bills for food, petrol and energy costs, it cant be considered a surprise that our retailers are struggling.

But there are also longer term trends in shopping that are evolving. An increasing number of people now shop on-line: it is estimated that, despite the economic problems, an astonishing £7.5 billion will be spent on line this Christmas. There are also big shopping malls, such as the Metro Centre, which have changed the way we shop forever. It isnt just the Metro I was speaking to a group of ladies in Hartlepool a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised to hear that they had gone shopping to Sheffield Meadowhall for the day. There has also been an explosion of big supermarkets, where increasingly you can buy everything, including the kitchen sink.

This combination of economic difficulties and longer term changes in shopping habits have had an impact upon local shopping centres, including our own shopping centre of Middleton Grange. It was depressing to read earlier this year that Hartlepool had a higher than average number of vacant shop units. Given the struggle that the Hartlepool economy is facing, Im depressed but not surprised. It will also be increasingly difficult for the shopping centre to be at full capacity when the town has three very big supermarkets, offering not only the widest possible range of goods but also free parking.

This is certainly not a problem that is confined to Hartlepool. I was in Darlington a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in a very long time, and was shocked to see many vacant units in that towns shopping centre.

It is for this reason that the Government has commissioned Mary Portas to undertake a review of our local high streets. She presented Mary Queen of Shops on BBC, and is considered an expert on retail and shopping. Her report came out earlier this week, and made for interesting reading. I agree with her that local shopping centres and high streets should be at the heart of community, an area not merely for shopping, but for socialising, culture, health and creativity. She says in her report that: The new high streets wont just be about selling goods.

She is right. The last Labour Government tried to encourage vacant units to be handed over to community and creative groups. Given Hartlepools strong community spirit, why cant that happen more in our own shopping centre? Perhaps local businesses could be given a unit in the Middleton Grange to see how they get on? It would certainly be better than empty shop after empty shop.

Youll never get back to a so-called golden age where high streets hark back to a traditional look of butcher, baker and candlestick maker. Peoples lives and shopping habits have changed too much for that. But these places can reinvent themselves for the modern age and take on bold ideas to get people back shopping there again.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:12:00 +0000

I hope that youve had a good and relaxing Christmas and that you have been able to spend some time with your loved ones. I also hope that for those of who havent been able to see your loved ones, for whatever reason whether it is illness, distance, work commitments or the weather you have been able to have at least speak or communicate in some way.

At this time of year, I also want to pay particular tribute to those servicemen and women, who are serving in hostile and dangerous conditions on behalf of our country. There are many families in Hartlepool who are apart from sons, husbands, boyfriends and fathers who are serving in the Armed Forces. Christmas and New Year must inevitably feel empty without them. The bravery and dedication are recognised by the whole country, and I hope that will provide some comfort, as well as enormous pride to those families.

Its now the time of year when people assess the year thats gone and look forward to the year thats only a few days away. I think that 2010 has been a significant year: this country has seen a general election which brought in the first peacetime coalition government for 90 years. We are still suffering from the impact of the deepest global recession that the world has seen since the 1930s, and the negative connotations that this has in terms of collapsing businesses and job losses. Some countries economies Im thinking particularly of Ireland, although Spain, Italy and Portugal are not too far behind - are still dangerously teetering on the edge that will have an impact on our own country. On a more trivial nature, we saw England humiliated in the World Cup and Pools having to deal with the three-point deduction that almost saw us relegated. So, Englands football team was disappointed bitterly and its been a difficult year to be a Pools fan. Some things never change. For Hartlepool, we have seen the eyes of the world on us through the Tall Ships, with the town putting a smile on the worlds face for all the right reasons, thanks to the warmth of the welcome provided by you lot.

2011 will be difficult. As a town we have seen more than our fair share of job losses, and I fear that the coming year will see even more. I particularly worry that the imminent rise in VAT will hurt people. Not only will people see bills go up, they will probably have less disposable income to spend, which I think will have an impact on the retail industry. Less money spent in shops will mean more unemployment for shopworkers, more shop closures, and more gloom. The cuts in public spending will hit towns like Hartlepool the hardest, meaning that we will see a sharp contraction in the towns economy without any corresponding rise in an alternative economic model.

However, the New Year should be a time for a fresh start and resolutions to try harder. I dont want to start 2011 as a doom monger. Hartlepool has faced difficult times before and we have pulled through. We will do so again. The future economic prosperity for the town based on modern manufacturing and the different strands of the energy industry are tantalisingly within grasp. Most of all, the spirit of the Hartlepool people, founded on adversity and generosity, and with a healthy dash of cheekiness and irreverence, will overcome the difficulties of the next year and hopefully mean that 2011 will be better than this year. I hope you can raise a glass to the future, and wish for health, happiness, prosperity, and Pools being promoted. Happy New Year!

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:18:00 +0000

Many people in Britain will say that this country doesnt make things anymore. Our past as the planets manufacturing hub, where Britain was really the workshop of the world, has been lost forever, as this country either closed its factories permanently or exported them over to China. We now only make our money in this country through services, and it is because of this that were in the mess were in.

As with most arguments, theres some element of truth in this. Over the past thirty or forty years, successive governments have been far too keen on thinking that Britains economic future lay with the service industries as opposed to the more traditional manufacturing firms, and placed far too much emphasis on the prospects of services, rather than helping heavy industry endure the changes required to be competitive from the 1960s onwards. As a result, employment in the service industries grew hugely, usually at the expense of manufacturing employment.

Last week there was a debate in the House of Commons about the future of manufacturing in the UK. I think this a hugely important issue for the country, as well as for Hartlepool. I spoke in the debate in my new role as Shadow Minister for Competitiveness and Enterprise, and stressed the need to ensure that manufacturing has an important, even central, role in the British economy in the next few years.

We still make things in this country, much more than many people realise. We remain the seventh biggest manufacturing nation on earth. The value of goods we make and sell to the rest of the world have been on a steady increase since the Second World War, only falling during the big recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, and reached their peak of activity not in the Victorian era, but in 2007. We have in this country world-class industries that can compete with their counterparts anywhere on the planet. Sectors like aerospace, oil and gas, automotives and biotechnology are where we in Britain are leading the pack. Most people will not realise this, but we now build more cars in this country (about one million a year) and more car engines (about two million a year), than we have ever done in our history. We export about 75 per cent of them too, making a positive impact on our balance of trade figures. Nissan, just up the road, employing Hartlepool people and using Hartlepool businesses as part of their supply chain, is the most productive car manufacturing plant anywhere in Europe, producing more cars per worker than any other plant.

It is relatively easy for somebody like me, coming from Hartlepool, to pay tribute to our manufacturing tradition and look forward to the enormous potential that manufacturing still has for our economic future. I am very proud that Hartlepool, and the wider North East region, was at the very vanguard of the Industrial Revolution. Most of the time when it comes to manufacturing and industrial processes, it is the North East that was the first the Stockton and Darlington Railway being the first public railway in the world, Stephensons Rocket, the most advanced steam engine of its day, was built in the Forth Street Works in Newcastle, the first house in the world to be lit by a lightbulb was in Gateshead.

However, I dont want our manufacturing pride to be based on our past. I want us to be the best place anywhere in the world to do high value added manufacturing. In order to do this, we need an active and intelligent government policy, supporting and defending British manufacturers. I think sometimes British governments have not really batted for British companies, thinking its best to play the game fairly rather than win the match. I dont tend to take that view: I want Britain, and British manufacturing, to win the competitive game. I think the job of government is to support and help nurture the industrial firms of the future, those who will provide jobs and wealth and sell goods across the world. Its a cutthroat business in the modern world, but with decent and co-ordinated government support, British manufacturing can really thrive in the 21st century.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:10:00 +0000

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced his assessment of the British economy in the House of Commons this week.

In what is called the Autumn Statement, George Osborne set out his view as to the prospects for our economy, as well as updates regarding what he will need to do about public expenditure and borrowing. It is usually an update to Parliament following the annual budget, which takes place in the spring. This year, given the difficult economic conditions, this weeks Autumn Statement took on a more major role than is normally the case.

Ive read the Autumn Statement and was in the Chamber of the House of Commons when the Chancellor made his Autumn Statement and, frankly, its bleak. The health of the British economy has worsened over the last year, and economic prospects and associated public finances have sharply deteriorated over the past six months.

The Chancellors top economic priority since he came to the job 18 months ago has been rightly or wrongly to sharply cut the public deficit. He had an aim to cut the entire public deficit by the end of this Parliament, or 2015. He will fail to do this. The Autumn Statement states that he has revised this target back two years to 2017, but in the meantime, he will borrow an astonishing £158 billion more over this period than he forecast he would even just a year ago.

In many respects, the fact that the Chancellor has failed to meet his target is not surprising. By raising taxes like VAT to 20 per cent, cutting household incomes and taking demand out of the economy, he has added significantly to the problems of slow economic growth. Economic growth forecasts are sharply down for this year, next year and the year after: the independent Office for Budget Responsibility has cut these figures from 1.7 per cent growth this year to 0.9 per cent, and from 2.5 per cent in 2012 to 0.7 per cent.

An economy that is not growing or adding to employment numbers usually has to borrow more, and that is what is happening to the Chancellors figures. The government is taking in less tax receipts like income and corporation tax, because there is less activity in the economy, and paying out more in unemployment benefit. This is certainly the case with the Autumn Statement: unemployment is forecast to rise until 2014, with the OBR forecasting an increase of 300,000 people on the dole from its original projection just six months ago.

The North East and hard working families will bear the brunt of this, especially if you work in the public sector. The number of redundancies in the public sector are forecast to rise from 400,000 to 710,000, which will hit our region hard. For those public sector workers that still have a job, pay increases will be held at one per cent for the next couple of years.

Its not just public sector workers. The accompanying documents that were published alongside the Autumn Statement showed that the lowest paid workers those who do the right thing, go out and work for often low pay but who may be helped by a top up of tax credits, will be the hardest hit group of people as a result of these measures. Some elements of tax credits are to be frozen or cancelled altogether, meaning that, on top of rising energy and fuel bills, life will be tougher.

The Autumn Statement was pitched in the media as one for infrastructure, but the North East fares very badly in this regard. Only two projects were mentioned for our region: the Tees Freight Terminal, which, if memory serves me right, has been announced before, and the electrification of the Transpennine Express, which will tend to benefit Yorkshire and the North West more than it benefits us. The North South divide, which sees our regions ability to compete with other regions made difficult, has grown wider with these announcements.

Im sure I have depressed you as you might be reading this over a cup of tea. I was depressed myself as I read the figures on Tuesday afternoon. Its genuinely difficult to see any silver linings in these documents and figures. The deteriorating public finances are a result in part of the refusal to concentrate on economic growth and jobs. For the sake of the public finances and the wider British economy in the long term, the Chancellor really needs to think again before the Budget.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:12:00 +0000

There is a fine line between highlighting the problems in your area and making such a problem worse by drawing wider attention of the problem to a broader audience.

The issue of youth unemployment is a case in point. I want to highlight the fact that Hartlepool has one of the highest levels of unemployment for young people anywhere in the country, and that something has to be done about it. I am determined to challenge the Government, both in Parliament and in the media, that the economy policy it is pursuing is not helping the town, particularly in terms of getting young people into work.

At the same time, I dont want to give the impression that the town is a lost cause, because I firmly believe that it isnt. Hartlepool educates our children and young people to a higher standard than ever before, and young people have fantastic learning opportunities in a wide range of further education and sixth form colleges. We have huge potential in a diverse spectrum of manufacturing and industrial opportunities: we in the UK have to exploit our manufacturing expertise and capability much more than we have done in the last few years, and this is something I will return to in next weeks column. This town could have a bright and prosperous future, centred on utilising modern manufacturing, but only if, as in other countries, the government supports industry.

A journalist from the Sunday People newspaper spent some time with me last week to discuss youth unemployment. This was on the back of figures being published which showed that the number of young people unemployed had broken through the one million barrier for the first time ever in this countrys history. Hartlepool is one of the worst areas for youth unemployment, with nearly one in five young people not able to find a job. I have said before that this issue is the biggest social and economic problem facing the town and that we in Hartlepool will pay the price for decades to come, in respect of lower wages and higher benefit bills if it is not dealt with swiftly.

You can bandy figures like one million or one in five all you like, but showing the human face of youth unemployment can explain the appalling waste of talent and potential far better than any statistic. That is what the Sunday People has done with its article on youth unemployment in Hartlepool, by showing how it has impacted upon a young football team.

Woodcutter FC has lads playing for it between the ages of 17 and 26. It is managed by Jimmy Gillies. Every single lad who plays for the team is on the dole. The newspaper showed a picture of the team and highlighted each players story. Michael Angus, aged 19, is trained as a plumber but has been unable to find work for seven months. Paul Robson is 18 and believes that he will have to move away from Hartlepool in order to find work. Michael Stead, aged 20 is a self-employed fitter but hasnt seen any work for weeks.

What was striking about the article is that it confirmed, if confirmation was needed, that most young people in Hartlepool do not want to stay on the dole, but are keen to work if the opportunities were available. As Jimmy says in the article, most lads on the team are trained, have a trade and want to work, but are just wasting their skills and opportunities. That is why, for the good of the lads who play for the Woodcutter, and countless other young people in Hartlepool, the Government must change course and provide some hope, support and opportunity for the unemployed youth of the town.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:10:00 +0000

I wrote about the forthcoming Armistice Day in my Hartlepool Mail column last week, but after a weekend of poignant and moving tributes to our Armed Forces, tributes which showed our town at its very best, I felt the need to write about it again.

As I mentioned last week, the 11th of November fell on Friday. Every 11th November is special, and should be commemorated, but this year, with the date falling as 11/11/11, it made it a date unique in our lifetimes. I commemorated the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month at what I consider to be the jewel in our town, St Hildas Church. I was honoured to be joined by some of St Hildas congregation, who spend their free time making the church look even more beautiful than it normally is by displaying flowers. I commemorated the two minutes silence, and the remembrance of all those who had fallen on behalf of our country, with people who had been affected all too closely. One lady in St Hildas told me that her uncle her fathers brother had been killed in Mesopotamia, now part of modern Iraq, and is buried in a military cemetery there. The family only recently found out about their relatives final resting place, and so, unfortunately, her father had gone to his own grave unsure of his brothers destiny or whereabouts. It is detail like that, which have haunted families and generations for decades, which make Remembrance Sunday so important.

On Saturday, there was the now traditional service of remembrance held at the military part of Stranton Cemetery, organised by the Combined Services Association. I say traditional, because in recent years this Saturday has grown from strength to strength. This year saw the biggest crowd yet for this moving ceremony. The reason for its growth is not just the importance to remember, vital though that is, but also the quiet and dignified strength of Harry Hardy, who helps to organise the event. Harry is not too well at the moment and so missed the events on Saturday and Sunday. He was very sorely missed: he always recites the moving verse from For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon, which I quoted in my column last week. I hope you get well soon Harry we need you back next year.

The centrepiece of Remembrance Weekend is, of course, the ceremony at the Cenotaph on Sunday. This is, without exception, the single most important day for me as Member of Parliament. It is a huge and moving honour and privilege for me to be able to lay a wreath in tribute to all those who died whilst protecting our countrys traditions, values and freedoms. I take this very seriously, not least because I do see a very clear link between what they died for democratic freedom and my role as the towns democratic representative in Parliament.

This year saw the biggest crowd I have seen for the ceremony, as well as the biggest and smartest parade by former and current servicemen and women. I think about 2,000 people must have attended the event, despite drizzly weather, and the observance of the two minutes silence was immaculate, punctured only by the sound of the seagulls. The spontaneous round of applause when the parade moved off and during the march was especially moving this year and a real credit to the towns people.

Included in the parade this year were service men and women from the Yorkshire Regiment who had either just returned from or are about to go to Afghanistan. I spoke with some of them at an event at the TA on Easington Road after the ceremony, and they are a fantastic example of service, commitment and passion. They find it important that the country remembers their efforts a long way from home, and events like that on Sunday show that they are valued.

Remembrance Sunday is often looking to the past and commemorating the fallen in conflicts long since over. However, the conflicts of today put our troops in very real danger whilst they are protecting us. I think it is often the present, and not only the past, that people look to when they attend a ceremony on Remembrance Sunday or observe the silence. Its our tiny way we as a country can say thank you.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:09:02 +0000

Tomorrow is the 11th November, the eleventh day of the eleven month and for this year the eleventh year of the century. We wont see the date 11/11/11 again.

Of course, this date has significance and emotion far beyond the fact that this year there is a curiosity of all the elevens. We remember the brave men and women and pay tribute to their ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country.

The 11th November is used because, on that date in 1918, the First World War came to an end when the Armistice was signed. Just a year later, Armistice Day, as Remembrance Day used to be called, was commemorated to recall the end of hostilities. At the time, the reigning King, George V, took the unusual step of writing to a newspaper, The Times, and expressed his wish for a two minute silence. The King stated, in what I think is a rather beautiful phrase, that:

All locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead.

Over time, the importance and significance of the actual date of 11th November was eclipsed by Remembrance Sunday itself, on the grounds that in a busy and modern economy it is impractical to stop and remember. I do think, however, that over the past couple of years we have seen a rightful resurgence of respect shown on the actual day. I very much hope that tomorrow you will stop and give two minutes silence for all those brave servicemen and women, often not far out of childhood, who gave their everything for this country.

There is something very special about someone who has served their country at a time of war. I met a great example of that last week. I was in the West Midlands, making a speech in Birmingham, and I stopped off at Tamworth. There I met with Horace, who is 91 years old and has worked with the Royal British Legion for over half a century. Horace was at D Day, the Invasion of Normandy that took place on 6 June 1944 which was an essential turning point in the Second World War. Horace was on the Normandy beaches. The noise of the artillery on that day shattered both of his eardrums, making him deaf at the age of 24. Two of his mates with whom he was on the beaches were killed in front of him. On at least two occasions, his helmet was nicked with bullets from the German forces. As he was telling me this story, this brave, normal, very special but and I mean this in the best possible way ordinary man was reliving the horrors on that beach nearly seventy years ago. He has relived it every day since 6 June 1944. I think the very least we can offer Horace and the other brave lads is some respect for two minutes. In fact, I think the country agrees we should do a lot more.

I shook Horaces hand. Ive never shaken the hand of somebody who witnessed D Day before and I doubt, as the Second World War recedes from personal memory into history, that I will do so again. It was genuinely one of the most humbling and moving things Ive ever done. I had tears in my eyes speaking with that great man, and as I write this I have a huge lump in my throat. We owe our way of life to Horace and others like him.

Everybody in Hartlepool will know a Horace. Somebody who has served their country with bravery and gallantry. It could be your father or granddad. These days, far too tragically, it could be your son or grandson as British forces fight in Afghanistan. It is for that service a somewhat old-fashioned but still relevant and vitally important word that we should stop as a town, united wholly in our gratitude.

Last year, in my column, I quoted the verse from For the Fallen, written by Laurence Binyon, which is deeply moving and is now associated with Remembrance Sunday. I would like to do so again:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them.

Iain Wright takes on Great North Run for stroke charity

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:44:15 +0000

Iain Wright MP has completed the 2011 Great North Run in aid of the Stroke Association.
The Hartlepool MP joined his son Ben, 17, and thousands of others on the 13.1 mile run. The pair ran in aid of the Stroke Association, a cause which has been close to their hearts since Ben suffered a serious stroke in 2006. Iain completed the course in quite a respectable time of just two hours and fifty minutes, with Ben achieving a time of two hours thirty-five minutes.

Iain Wright MP said:

This is the fastest Ive ever finished and Im quite pleased with my time. However the fundraising is what is most important and Ben and I would like to thank everybody who supported us. The race was tough but running in aid of the Stroke association was a real motivator for me- and Im thrilled that we have raised over £1000 already. The Association does fantastic work in highlighting issues associated with stroke and with helping people who have suffered from a stroke and and Ben and I were very glad to support them.

You can still support Iain by visiting his online donation page at:

http://www.justgiving.com/Iain-Wright0

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:05:00 +0000

It is important that Parliament is at the centre of national life and that people feel connected to the work that goes on in the House of Commons.

To allow this to take place, it is equally important that people are aware of what happens in Parliament and how they can interact with me as the towns MP.

To help this to happen, the first ever national Parliament Week was launched on Monday, and throughout this week, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are hosting events which aim to raise awareness of the work of Parliament and the importance of Westminster in our democratic history.

This will include Question Time, being held, for the first time, in the historic Westminster Hall. This Hall is the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, being almost a thousand years old, and is the venue for state funerals and where the pope and the American president addressed both Houses of Parliament. Westminster Hall is my favourite part of the building, because of the unprecedented history that has been seen in the place. If the ancient statutes could talk it would be fascinating. Henry VIII used to use Westminster Hall as his personal tennis court, and when the roof was refurbished a couple of years ago they found Tudor shuttlecocks in the rafters, where the King had obviously been a bit energetic in trying to impress Anne Boleyn and hit a volley into the roof.

However, although I celebrate the tradition and history of Westminster, Parliament is far more than its past. It has a relevance to everybody who lives in this country because we debate the pressing issues of the day and pass laws which affect every citizen and business. Many people are put off by the arcane language and often apparently incomprehensible procedures we have in the House of Commons. However, it is important that people are aware of the work that takes place in this historic building. That is the objective of Parliament Week.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in my column that I receive many pieces of correspondence relating to proposed legislation passing through Parliament. I actively encourage such communication and would actually like to see a lot more. I think it is very important for people to engage in the legislative process, and I always make a point of keeping constituents informed with legislation which they have previously contacted me about.

I was pleased to meet politics students from Hartlepool Sixth Form College this week in Parliament, where they had me on the rack over such issues as opportunities for young people, the One Life Centre, the state of the shopping centre and the inadequacy of bus services in our town. On Friday, I will be meeting with students from St Hilds School and participating at a Parliament Week event at Hartlepool College with other MPs James Wharton from Stockton and Ian Swales from Redcar to outline how businesses in our region can play a role in the legislative process.

As part of Parliament Week I have been given ten sets of beautiful postcards and posters of the Clock Tower, which most people know as Big Ben. I would like to give these away to ten readers drawn at random who either e-mail me at iain.wright.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at 23 South Road, Hartlepool TS26 9HD by 10 November 2011.

I do encourage every citizen to take an interest in Westminster. Democracy is much the better with every single persons involvement. I hope Parliament Week is the start of an annual event to encourage this to take place.

Iain Wright MP visits Rolls-Royces principal UK facility

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:43:25 +0000

Iain Wright MP, Shadow Minister for Competitiveness and Enterprise, has visited Rolls-Royces principal UK facility in Derby along with a cross-party group of MPs. The MPs saw the work of the busy facility and had the opportunity to speak with Hamid Mughal, Rolls-Royces Executive Vice-President for Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology.

The Hartlepool MP met Civil Aerospace Engineering graduates and apprentices to hear about the Rolls-Royce Technology Exhibition Centres investment in education and training. Graham Schuhmacher, Head of Development Services, explained that the Centre invests £33 million annually to give apprentices the opportunity to train at the facility.

The future of the UK manufacturing sector was also high on the agenda. Iain discussed the competitiveness of UK manufacturing with Rolls-Royce Executives and heard that manufacturers want intelligent and active support from the British Government in the face of intense global competition from foreign governments wanting to see high value manufacturing in their own countries in order to help them grow and prosper.

Iain said:

I was delighted to visit Rolls-Royce to find out more about their apprenticeship scheme and listen to their views on the future of UK manufacturing.

One of the most interesting things for me was hearing about the companys long term plans for investment in research and development. The companys commitment to research and development is commendable and will help to bring about important technological advancements and significant productivity gains.

It is vital for the UKs future prosperity that the Government also has a long-term plan for encouraging innovation across the economy - the link between innovation and economic growth is clear. We need to ensure that Government policy focuses on long-term active support for the growth sectors of the future to allow those companies to compete in world markets.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:01:00 +0000

As you may imagine, I receive a huge amount of correspondence from constituents on all sorts of topics. People from the town come to my surgeries to discuss a range of problems that are not only policy-based but are often quite personal in their nature.

Its interesting to note the various topics, and the major themes, that people have contacted me about over the years. When I first became MP, the single biggest issue people contacted me about was crime and anti-social behaviour. Thankfully, I dont receive as much correspondence about this now, which I believe means that people feel more reassured. The need for housing then became the biggest issue that people contacted me about, although again this has recently gone relatively quiet.

There have been a couple of single issues about which many, many people have contacted me over the past twelve months or so. The growing economic difficulties that the town, and the entire country, are facing are obviously and distressingly seen in the correspondence I receive, with many people having problems finding a job, or not receiving benefits if they have been made unemployed. I have received a huge number of e-mails from women who are angry at the Governments plans to increase the state pension age for women faster than originally planned. The other big issue was the Governments plans to sell off the national forests, which prompted a reaction from constituents the likes of which Ive never seen before.

Throughout all the various ebbs and flows of single issue correspondence, a single and possibly surprising theme has been constant. I recall writing about this before, but the theme I receive most letters, postcards and e-mails from constituents about is that of trade justice and international development.

The reason for this is down to the enormous energy, ambition and determination of the Hartlepool for Global Peace and Justice Group. The Groups Chairwoman, Chris Eddowes, is a formidable lady with a soft centre who it is impossible to say no to. Chris is in the Hartlepool Mail more often than I am (and is a better columnist for the Mail than I am) and together with other volunteers and like-minded individuals such as her husband Richard, Sheila Deacon, Martin Green, Susan Atkinson and Bill White have ensured that many issues are brought to my attention. The Group aims to promote the need for justice for the worlds poor and campaign for help for developing countries and to mitigate the effect of climate change. As usual, Hartlepool punches above its weight, and the Group is considered as the leading and most prominent organisation in the North East for the Jubilee Debt Campaign and Make Poverty History North East. It was the Hartlepool for Global Peace and Justice Group who lobbied and made sure that Hartlepool became a FairTrade town.

The Group has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and I was delighted to cut the cake (FairTrade ingredients!) on Saturday. I have to say that the cake was delicious. I wish the Group all the very best wishes and look forward to receiving the cards and e-mails about such issues as tax secrecy, international development and climate change in the future.

There will be many people in the town who believe that charity begins at home, and that at a time of austerity and cuts it is wrong for the Government, when it is slashing public spending in every other part of its budget, to maintain the international aid spending. It is madness, I have heard, for us to send money to, say, India, when it is one of the fastest growing economies on earth and is now developing its own space programme. Why do we send aid to African nations when it is only gobbled up in corruption, spent on dictators Mercedes and doesnt get through to the people who need it most.

I think theres a lot of truth in all of those arguments. I dont think theres much point in simply sending aid. The old adage that you shouldnt give a man a fish a day, but give him a fishing rod and he can catch his own fish is very true. By allowing and helping these countries to stand on their own feet in a fair and just way means that hopefully, in a generation, such international development might not be necessary. I also think that will help our economy, because these countries, when they are not thinking on a day-to-day basis about basic human necessities such as food, clean water and shelter, will be able to import British goods and services. Both our economies benefit from decent and fair trade.

But there is also a wider and more fundamental point here. Im always struck by the fact that, when there is a natural disaster like an earthquake or flooding, it is British people - not the British Government, but individual citizens who are the biggest donors. This doesnt mean that Britain is a soft touch, but it does say a lot about the warmth and humanitarian spirit of the British people, who care about their neighbour, whether that neighbour is in Kilmarnock Road in Owton Manor or Mombasa in Kenya. The Hartlepool for Global Peace and Justice Group embodies that spirit. Happy 10th birthday.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:06:00 +0000

On Monday evening there was one of those big Parliamentary spectacles for which the House of Commons is rightly famous across the world. The debate and vote was on a subject which has exercised Parliament, governments and the people of this country for many years, if not centuries that of Britains relationship with Europe. On Monday, there was a vote in the House of Commons about whether we should have a referendum about Britains role in the European Union.

There has been much talk in the press and on TV about the splits within the Conservative Government. It is like history repeating itself, going back to the 1990s with a Tory Government tearing itself apart over Europe. 81 rebels voted against the Government on Monday night, which I think is the biggest rebellion seen against a Conservative Government in modern times.

I can imagine a number of people reacting to this by saying: good on em. We in this country havent had a chance to decide on whether we want to be in Europe since 1975, and Europe has changed since that time nearly 40 years ago. Some people will say we dont want to be part of Europe and citizens, the owners of democracy in this country, should have a say.

I am very proud of my country. I studied British history at university and I think of Britains history, tradition and impact upon global affairs and have enormous pride. We have always as a nation looked outwards and had a perspective that has always been global in its scope. We can never prosper as a nation if we become self-pitying and inward-looking, somehow frightened of foreigners or with a belief that other nations are doing better than us. Britain has always been best when it has engaged with foreign countries, rather than carping and criticising on the sidelines.

As a patriot, I would always want to do what is in the best interests of the nation. I think that Britains best interests are served by being a member of the European Union. Thats not to say that Britain should meekly be told what to do by Brussels (if I believed that there wouldnt really be much point wanting to be a Member of Parliament in Westminster) but by playing a role within Europe.

Despite the growing significance of the likes of China, India and Brazil, Europe still remains by far our biggest market for export. If we want our move into sustainable economic growth to be led by exports and this is the right approach it makes national sense for our companies to cut costs by having a level playing field so there are not expensive conversion costs to achieve common standards. It also makes sense that we as a trading nation want our biggest export market to be as economically healthy as possible. I want us to see economic growth based on manufacturing, which will directly help businesses in Hartlepool. I want the Government to be doing anything and everything which helps British manufacturers export and grow. Given the huge crises in the Eurozone, and the potential for real economic turbulence, I really want our Prime Minister, regardless of party, to be batting for Britains interests and ensuring that any resolution about the Eurozone and Greeces difficulties are not against our countrys interests.

Thats not to say that there shouldnt be a referendum on Europe at some stage in the future. I know it takes up a lot of time, attention and conspiracy for a small number of people, although from my e-mails in the last week or so, more people are concerned about job prospects for young people in our town than Europe. This is right - I think the pressing problems which we in this country should be addressing are the economy, public services and unemployment.

However, I think people should certainly have their say on this countrys engagement with Europe sometime in the future. This is especially true if that relationship changes through any significant treaty amendments. But should it be now? I dont think so. When David Cameron should be battling for Britain overseas in the biggest economic crisis we have seen in a century, he has been phoning Tory MPs over the weekend in an attempt to stop a rebellion in the House of Commons. This has been a distraction which could cost British jobs, and I dont just mean David Camerons.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:18:59 +0000

Another week, another publication of jobless figures and yet again more depressing confirmation that growing numbers of people in our country and in our part of the world are not working.

Unemployment in the UK rose again in the months from June to August, and has now reached a point where over two and a half million people are on the dole. This is the highest level of unemployment since the early 1990s.

As usual, our region has borne the brunt of this depressing news. The unemployment rate has gone up faster in the North East than in other parts of the country, so that now over one in ten people are looking for a job.

This is an inevitable consequence of stripping demand out of the local economy. It seems madness to me that for a Government whose primary (indeed only) economic objective is to pursue a deficit reduction programme, it seems to be cutting the means by which this country will be able to pay off the debt. By having more people in work and securing more economic growth, surely the Government would see more people and companies paying more tax, thereby cutting the deficit more quickly, as well as saving money on unemployment benefit?

However, amidst the deep and widening gloom, there is cause for some optimism in the local economy. This week Tata Steel announced that it would invest £2 million in its Hartlepool tube works and has negotiated a supply deal with a German steel tube producer to boost its ability to take advantage of the offshore renewable energy sector.

This is great news on a number of levels. First, it reinforces Tatas commitment to Hartlepool, safeguarding much needed jobs in the world class pipe mill for a number of years and holding out the prospect of more employment in the years to come. In the week of depressing news on jobless figures, this is sorely needed.

But perhaps even more significant is that it confirms Hartlepools growing reputation as the place to do business in the growing offshore renewable energy industry. We in Hartlepool have the skills, the infrastructure and the experience to embark upon large scale fabrication and engineering projects. We also have the ambition to secure this work and I will relentlessly bang the drum for Hartlepool to become the centre of excellence for offshore renewable energy, not only in this region, not even in the UK, but across the world.

This £2 million investment from Tata will not only boost its own company and its workforce, but will be repaid many times over from the great supply chain we have in the local area. Companies like PD Ports, Heerema and TAG Solutions will benefit from playing some part in the fabrication, manufacture and distribution process. I also hope that such positive news will demonstrate to Spanish firm Gamesa, who are looking to build a UK facility at either Hartlepool or Dundee, that our town is the place to do business.

The ability for a relatively small town to have the capability to do end-to-end stuff (I think that last world is a technical engineering term) in renewables is astonishing, and much commented upon in the industry, boosting still further Hartlepools reputation. In a small area, a wind turbine can be fabricated to a world class standard by a skilled local workforce, have its components built, as well as its related cables and jacket foundations, and then sent to its customer via a deepwater port. Not many areas can boast of such a co-ordinated system.

In a depressing week for news on unemployment, with growing confirmation that the Governments economic policies are hindering growth and increasing the numbers of those out of work, Tatas investment is a much needed silver lining in that black cloud, and a cause for optimism and celebration.

Iain Wright MP promoted in reshuffle

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:16:42 +0000

Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool, has been promoted in Labour Party Leader Ed Milibands reshuffle of his shadow ministers.

The towns MP has been made Shadow Minister for Competitiveness and Enterprise and will work alongside the newly-appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Chuka Umunna MP.

Iain Wright MP will have responsibility for holding the Government to account on its business and enterprise policy. He will lead on business sectors, including the low carbon economy, manufacturing, construction and the motor industry, competitiveness, economic growth and trade policy.

Iain Wright MP said:

It is an honour to be asked by Ed Miliband to take on this important role. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Chuka to highlight the fact that Britain needs a business strategy that rewards fairness and hard work and creates prosperity for all, both in Hartlepool and around the country.

Chuka Umunna MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:

I am delighted that Iain has agreed to join the team. His work in business prior to becoming an MP and outstanding work as a minister in Government will add real depth and experience.

Iain Wright takes on Great North Run for stroke charity

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:43:00 +0000

Iain Wright MP has completed the 2011 Great North Run in aid of the Stroke Association.

The Hartlepool MP joined his son Ben, 17, and thousands of others on the 13.1 mile run. The pair ran in aid of the Stroke Association, a cause which has been close to their hearts since Ben suffered a serious stroke in 2006. Iain completed the course in quite a respectable time of just two hours and fifty minutes, with Ben achieving a time of two hours thirty-five minutes.

Iain Wright MP said:

This is the fastest Ive ever finished and Im quite pleased with my time. However the fundraising is what is most important and Ben and I would like to thank everybody who supported us. The race was tough but running in aid of the Stroke association was a real motivator for me- and Im thrilled that we have raised over £1000 already. The Association does fantastic work in highlighting issues associated with stroke and with helping people who have suffered from a stroke and and Ben and I were very glad to support them.

You can still support Iain by visiting his online donation page at:

http://www.justgiving.com/Iain-Wright0

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:13:00 +0000

In my Hartlepool Mail column from last week, I wrote about cancer, and the importance of having good healthcare and support. The provision of health services in our town has been very much the subject of attention in the last few days.

Im afraid that there will be Hartlepool people this week suffering from cancer, and families and friends caring for their loved ones. Everybody will be in agreement that we want to see in the town (and I do stress, in the town), the best possible services, making sure that serious illnesses and diseases are diagnosed quickly and that patients receive safe and prompt treatment, to the highest quality available to the NHS.

That is why Hartlepool Borough Councils Health Scrutiny Forums investigation into cancer awareness and early diagnosis is very important. Today, I gave evidence to the Forum, stressing what I think to be the main areas for improvement.

Hartlepools health has improved over the last few years, but it is frustrating that other areas health have improved faster, meaning that differences in quality of life, illnesses and life expectancy are still far too wide. The reduction in heart disease and stroke in the town relative to the rest of the country, is welcome however cancer rates have not reduced. The town still suffers far more than the rest of the country in terms of suffering and dying from cancer.

Why is this? Much of it is to do with our lifestyle. Im afraid we in the town still smoke, drink too much and eat the wrong types of food. All of this contributes to higher cancer rates. Of significance is the high level of smoking rates in the town, despite the very clear link between smoking and lung cancer. In some parts of the town, half of the adult population still smoke. That is bound to have an impact upon cancer rates, especially lung cancer.

I worry that this will increase, especially amongst women. Walking around the town, you see a large number of young women carrying a cigarette. Im afraid that this is a health time bomb waiting to explode.

People contact me from time-to-time expressing concern about a possible links between the fact that we have a nuclear power station on our doorstep and a high level of cancer in the town. They say that we in Hartlepool have much higher-than-average levels of childhood cancer, and that this can be attributed to the power station. As a parent myself, I would certainly want to be reassured that no such link exists.
Thankfully, such a link is not true, and I would wish to put an end to such scaremongering. An international survey carried out about five years ago showed no link between nuclear facilities and childhood cancer, particularly those of leukaemia. In Hartlepool, despite the fact that we have higher than normal levels of cancer, the proportion of cases of cancer in childhood, as compared with the number of children in the town is on a par with the rest of the country.

One of the things that the Health Scrutiny Forum will wish to concentrate on is the way in which people identify problems early enough and go and see their doctor. If cancer is detected early enough, advances in modern techniques would mean that survival rates would be much better. Some people in Hartlepool are far too reluctant to go to their GP. This could be for a variety of reasons, whether it is people not wanting to bother their doctor, or being too busy, or being frightened by what they might hear.

But with a greater emphasis on prevention, early detection and screening of people as part of a general health check up, hundreds of lives in Hartlepool could be saved and millions of pounds saved for the NHS. I hope there is a concerted effort to emphasise early detection, prevention and screening, and the Councils Scrutiny Forum investigation into how this can be done is a very welcome step toward this, and ultimately towards saving lives in Hartlepool.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:02:00 +0000

Many people in the town will sadly be affected by cancer. Whether that is contracting the disease themselves, or seeing a family loved one or friend suffer from a form of cancer, every person in Hartlepool will have been touched by this terrible illness.

I have written about this before, but it is worth repeating. Advancing forms of medical technology and different treatments and medication has meant a revolution in cancer care and treatment. About one in three of us will get cancer in our lives, but it has moved in my lifetime from a virtual death sentence to something that for many is treatable, curable and something that can be lived with. Although those words Youve got cancer from a doctor to a patient are probably the most devastating that anybody will hear, and the fight against cancer is the toughest thing somebody will face, it is the job of all to help those people make life better.

The treatment and care that someone suffering from cancer receives is something which can genuinely make the difference between having a high or poor quality of life. In this, Macmillan nurses, and the wider Macmillan cancer support campaign, do so much for cancer sufferers and their families. They provide support thats not just based on medical grounds but also giving emotional, practical and financial support. As an MP, I have seen at first hand the great campaigns that Macmillan has led to fight for a better cancer care system. Whether it is fighting for free prescriptions, free car parking at hospitals for cancer patients and working for a better deal on fuel poverty or benefits, Macmillan have worked incredibly hard.

Macmillan has set up coffee mornings to highlight their campaigns over the past few years, and tomorrow (Friday 30 September) the charity is hoping to have the worlds biggest coffee morning in support of cancer care and support. Last week, there was a dress rehearsal at the Belle Vue centre, where Skills Share held a popular and well attended event. The quality of the coffee was fantastic, as was unfortunately for my waistline the homemade cakes and scones. I think the many people who attended the event had a good time, great conversation and all for a good cause.

Macmillan says that every mug counts, and thats certainly true. Last year, 43,000 people up and down the country signed up to hold a coffee morning, with over 2.5 million taking part and in so doing raised over £8 million for Macmillan and cancer support.

True to its strong community spirit, Hartlepool is hosting a number of Macmillan coffee mornings tomorrow. The Rainbow Café in Rossmere Childrens Centre is hosting one, as is Catcote School and St Hildas Church. I really hope that you feel able to pop in, have a cup of coffee, a biscuit and a chat to support the great work that Macmillan does in caring for cancer patients. I myself will be attending the coffee morning at Barclays Bank in York Road and Im looking forward to supporting this great campaign.

Cancer can be scary and devastate lives. The care that Macmillan provides helps make life for cancer patients that little bit easier. I really hope that you can have a nice cuppa and support the campaign.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:10:00 +0000

The news last week that Hartlepool has one of the highest levels of unemployment, with the town topping the league for youth unemployment is devastating.

The problem of unemployment in Hartlepool is the single biggest social and economic factor facing this town. Its consequences will affect Hartlepool families, their chances in life and their health for decades to come. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out that, the longer people in Hartlepool stay on the dole, the less likely it is that they will get a job. That is particularly true of youth unemployment, and I worry that we in Hartlepool face a lost generation of the towns youth if we dont act now. If people dont get a job, long term unemployment leads to higher rates of depression, more divorces, and more cases of alcoholism. If there is one single thing which contributes to a declining and depressingly low quality of life, it is not having a job.

We have, unfortunately, been here before. In the early 1960s, Hartlepool was one of the countrys unemployment blackspots. The BBC documentary, Waiting for Work, which was repeated and updated recently, highlighted the plight of men failing to find work and supporting their families. In 1963, in the local dole office, 40 men were chasing each job vacancy.

It got worse in the next 20 years as the shipyards, steelworks and heavy engineering firms started closing their doors. By 1981, an astonishing 20,000 jobs had been lost in Hartlepool as a result of that severe recession.

A community cant recover from that sort of intense economic shock lightly and, in truth, and in common with many other former mining and heavy industrial areas, we have never truly recovered. The town still bears the social and economic scars of the 1980s. Whereas before, in the 1950s and 1960s, many young men, even if they werent particularly keen on or good at school, could be assured of some sort of job certainty in the steelworks or in Richardson and Westgarth, by the 1980s that was no longer the case.

I believe strongly that the present Governments economic policy is making Hartlepools difficult job situation much, much worse. Public sector cuts lead inevitably to redundancies, and the slashing of government expenditure is now beginning to come through in the dole queue. The cancellation of contracts like Building Schools for the Future or housebuilding programmes has meant that private sector firms are having to lay off workers because public sector work has now tailed off.

It doesnt have to be like this. There is an alternative. Germany is fast becoming the only economic powerhouse in Europe, and its jobless figure is lower than it was at the start of the global financial crisis. It has done this with some cutting of public spending, it is true, but with a greater emphasis on spending on infrastructure projects, thus making its economy more efficient and productive, as well as job subsidies. As a result, Germanys economy grew by three per cent last year, and is expected to do the same this year. The British economy has bumped along with virtually no growth for the best part of nine months, and growth expectations are being slashed downwards on a weekly basis.

The Government cant keep pushing relentlessly on with a deficit reduction agenda when all the evidence is showing that its not working. I will keep making the case to Government Ministers that help and assistance must be given to get Hartlepool working. We need a change of policy that emphasises job creation, economic growth and improved infrastructure. If we dont, Hartlepool and its people wont be able to fulfil their potential.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:11:00 +0000

There has been a lot of discussion in the last couple of weeks over the fairness and consistency of jail sentences. In the wake of the riots last month, some people in the media expressed concern that criminals were receiving more severe sentences simply by being present in the looting, than would otherwise have been the case. Other people responded by saying that prison sentences are not tough enough, and swift and sharp prison sentences should be provided in all cases.

Whatever peoples view, I think it is vital that people have confidence in the justice system and that they feel that victims and their families are at the heart of the criminal justice system. I dont think people believe this is the case.

This is certainly the case with an issue I brought up in Parliament on behalf of a Hartlepool family.

Daryl Stevens was viciously attacked with a broken bottle and was hit in the face, neck and head. Doctors operated on him in a four-hour operation to remove glass shards in his back and spine, and told Daryl and his family that he was lucky not to face permanent paralysis or even death.

Most people would believe that common sense of justice would mean that a long and heavy prison sentence would result from such a violent attack. I would agree with that.

In our country, politicians and judges have different roles and responsibilities. Politicians make the law and set out the guidelines for sentences. Judges interpret the law and make rulings based upon the individual circumstances of the case. In cases of violent assault such as this, Parliament has recognised that the crime is so serious that it has stated that such attacks can warrant a sentence of life imprisonment. However, in this case, the person who attacked Daryl Stevens received a prison sentence of just three years.

Im confident that the vast majority of Hartlepool people will think that sentence is far too lenient. One person who certainly did was Daryls mother, Mrs Jacqueline Stevens, who has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of her son.

One aspect which particularly disturbed me about the case, and why I wanted to raise the matter in Parliament, is that Daryls attacker had breached the conditions of his license from a previous violent attacker. The sentencing guidelines laid down from Parliament states that a serious aggravating factor which should increase a sentence is when the offender breaches the terms of his or her license. This happened here and the fact that it doesnt seem to have been considered in this case, or least given greater prominence in the sentencing decision, means that Mrs Stevens understandably feels that justice has been done.

It is vital that people have confidence in the justice system. I have always worked as Hartlepools MP to ensure that the law falls on the side of the victim. Decent people like Mrs Stevens and her son Daryl deserve nothing less.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I wrote in this column a couple of weeks ago about buses in the town. I would like to write about them again like buses, you wait for a while for one and then two come along both at once!

Parliament returned this week and one of the first debates was about competition in the bus industry. It is clear that there is no effective competition in the bus market, in Hartlepool or elsewhere across the country. In the main, passengers cannot register their dissatisfaction with a particular bus operator, whether that is because of high fares, poor punctuality or dirty buses, by going to another bus company.

Most places across the country, including Hartlepool, tend to have one dominant bus company. In our town, it is Stagecoach which operates the vast majority of services. That is also the case in south Manchester, where Stagecoach has about 4 out of 5 of all bus services. It was stated in the Parliamentary debate that other big bus companies the likes of First and Go Ahead also tend to have about 80 per cent of market share in different areas like Oldham and Brighton. It is striking across the country that the big bus companies tend to respect each others territory and dont compete against one another on any significant term. Im not suggesting that bus companies collude with one another so competition is restricted I have no evidence that this is the case, and it would be illegal but it is odd that we dont see greater competition in even the profitable routes.

The Parliamentary debate also showed how the big bus companies often play the system. A Greater Manchester MP said how Stagecoach had altered a commercially viable bus route which was making a small profit. The company had split the route into two, and then had gone cap in hand to the council for not one public subsidy but two.

In the Parliamentary debate I reiterated the points that I have mentioned in this column before. There is acute market failure in the bus industry, and competition simply isnt working. The people of the Burbank Estate or the villagers in Dalton Piercy or Elwick dont see competition in the bus industry. Indeed, they dont see any buses at all, because there is no market in their area.

You have a situation in Hartlepool and elsewhere in the country where a single large company provides the bulk of bus services. This crowds out small and medium-sized bus companies. It allows the dominant company to cherry pick the commercially profitable routes, at the expense of providing a more integrated and socially responsible public transport system. The moment the taxpayer subsidy stops, the bus stops, and the current lack of regulation allows that to happen. The lack of competition also fails to see a rise in performance. Punctuality is very poor; the target for the number of buses being on time is 95 per cent, but in Hartlepool the figure is 81 per cent.

I certainly think it is time for the current system to end. I wonder whether some sort of franchising, like in the railways, should operate, so that a particular bus company wins a competition to provide all bus services in the town. In return for having the profitable routes, they must provide those vital social services as well. Whatever happens, buses should be run for the interests of passengers.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:51:32 +0000

On Tuesday evening the Borough Hall was packed for a meeting of Headland residents to discuss coastal and flooding plans for that part of town.

As a coastal town, Hartlepool has to be mindful of sea levels and the frequency and severity of storms from the North Sea. It is unlikely that we will experience the battering of the coast that the Eastern side of the United States took from Hurricane Irene. However, the evidence suggests that sea levels are rising and that weather conditions are becoming more turbulent. Storms and gales that only a few years ago were judged to be a one in a century event are now forecast to occur once every forty or fifty years. It is vital that work in our part of the world is carried out to safeguard the North East coast for the future.

It is in this context that studies have been undertaken to assess the condition of the existing sea wall defences on the Headland, calculate how they would withstand worsening conditions such as more frequent storms and floods, and consider the options that are available.

It is this latter point which has caused so much understandable concern on the Headland. The consultants put forward four possible options, and option 4 to demolish the sea wall and promenade next to the Town Moor and let nature take its course would leave much of the valued and historic part of the town under threat from the elements. The worst case scenario under this option would mean that upwards of 500 homes on Marine Drive and the surrounding area, the Heugh Gun Battery, St Begas Primary School, the Lighthouse and the memorial gardens close to Cliff and Radcliffe Terraces would be at risk of falling into the sea.

Quite understandably, this has caused real concern, even panic, amongst residents. They will have seen computer-generated pictures of Headland features like the lighthouse under water, felt that this scenario was inevitable and feared the worst.

The Mayor, Stuart Drummond, attended the event on Tuesday night at the Borough Council, together with Cllr Robbie Payne, the Cabinet Portfolio Holder with responsibility for finance, Jim Ainslie, Chairman of the Headland Parish Council, and Robert Price, Chairman of a local pressure group designed to ensure that Option 4.is not pursued. The Mayor stated that Hartlepool Borough Council and its Cabinet would not support Option 4 as a realistic option. I think that promise reassured people, and was welcomed by all in attendance.

It is important that an assessment of what is required is carried out professionally, promptly and effectively. In terms of using relevant intelligence, I would certainly include Headland residents in that category. There are many generations of families in the area, who have second-to-none knowledge of the daily routine of the North Sea, its tidal flows and what is needed. I would always bow down to the superior expertise of the residents of the Headland when deciding on coastal defences, and their analysis of the importance of the Heugh Breakwater and Sandwell Gate has been made clear to me many times, not least at Tuesdays meeting.

I would like to see a solution that lasts well into the future and which can reassure Headland residents for generations to come. There is little point in placing sticking plasters over the problem only to find more taxpayers money, as well as greater inconvenience, hassle and worry for residents, is required in five years time. I hope that the work done lasts for a century or more.

I have asked Parliamentary Questions to the Environment Secretary earlier this summer on the Governments policy on this important matter, as well as the availability of funding for the Headland, and will receive responses when Parliament returns on Monday. I have also today written to the Environment Agency asking for more information on flooding risk for the area. I want Headland residents to have as much information available to them as possible.

I hope people from the Headland feel more reassured as a result of Tuesdays meeting. I also hope that they will use their considerable expertise and knowledge of the local area to shape the solution.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:44:00 +0000

Last weeks A Level results showed once again that Hartlepool students are achieving well ahead of the national average.

The pass rate rose for the 29th year in a row from 97.6 per cent to 97.8 per cent. Hartlepool students, however, have exceeded this average. Hartlepool Sixth Form College showed a pass rate of 99.6 per cent, up from last year, Hartlepool College of Further Educations pass rate went up by a full percentage point from last year to reach 96 per cent, whilst English Martyrs Sixth Form had an impressive 99 per cent.

I would like to pass on my congratulations to all students who had taken their exams, who have worked hard and applied themselves, and now who, hopefully, are still feeling elated after achieving success.

Today is results day for GCSE, and I also want to wish those pupils who have sat these exams the very best of luck.

Ive heard in the past week the same old grumbles that exams are getting easier, and that pupils only need to turn up and write their name to get a grade A. I think such criticisms are hugely unfair; young people across the town and the country have worked incredibly hard, supported by parents and teachers. I can speak from experience about how some exams have stayed the same. I did A Level History at Hartlepool Sixth Form College twenty years ago, and my eldest son Benjamin is now doing the same. Some examination questions that he has brought home are remarkably similar, if not identical, to the questions I did.

I also often hear people say things along the lines, well in my day, we didnt have the soft subjects like media studies. No one takes the hard subjects like maths and physics anymore. Again, this is not true. The subjects in A level which attract the most entrants - by some considerable way, actually are biology, chemistry and physics. More young people are now doing science and maths subjects than ever before, which hopefully bodes well for this country being a leading player in science and engineering in the modern global economy and helps our town in being a major centre for manufacturing and energy in the next few decades.

The feelings of satisfaction and success that many young people will feel today will inevitably be tempered by the difficult situation in which they find themselves. I think everybody would agree that it is the hardest environment for young people for a generation. Youth unemployment is the highest it has been for 20 years, so many young people who might not wish to study further but instead get a job will find that very difficult. The big rise in tuition fees could stop young people from thinking that university is for them, whilst the ending of Education Maintenance Allowance could mean that it will be financially difficult for 16 year olds who have finished their GCSEs to go on to college for the next stage of their study. I want to see a rise in apprenticeships, with young people thinking that this could be an attractive alternative to university, but of course firms hire young talent on the basis of future economic prospects, and business confidence is very low.

It is tough for young people, and it may not often feel like it, but the best insurance they can get against economic uncertainty is a good education. For the young people who received their A levels last week, and for those who pick up their GCSEs today, I wish you all the very best for the future. Young people are one of the best assets for this country, and we need to make sure that we invest in them.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:47:10 +0000

I have written in the past about the inadequacy of bus services in the town, and how they can be improved.

Following the cuts to bus services earlier this year, I tabled a petition to the House of Commons. I was asked by Parliaments Transport Select Committee to respond to its investigation on bus services in England following the Governments financial plans. I was keen to provide my views, but more important than that, I was keen to see that people in Hartlepool who had been affected by the service cuts took the opportunity to make their views known.

The Transport Select Committee published its report last Thursday. It is pleasing that the views of Hartlepool residents are all over the report. They really rose to the challenge and I thank them for doing so. The Select Committee state, quite rightly, that bus services are vital to some people to enable them to have access to employment, education or social and caring work. The report is full of Hartlepool examples where access to college, or employment, is no longer possible. The Select Committee concludes its report by stating that The Government wills the end of better and cheaper bus services; there is not much evidence that it is willing to provide the means.

The Committees report states that by June 2011, over 70 per cent of English local authorities had decided to reduce funding for supported or subsidised bus services. In the main, rural, evening and Sunday bus services have been affected the most, which ties in with the experience of this town, although Hartlepool is one of only two councils in the country to withdraw all of its subsidised services.

Many people will blame the Council solely for this decision. I dont run the Council - the local authority will decide its own priorities as it sees fit. But in a harsh climate where central government funding to the local authority has been slashed by a quarter, there are no winners. The Transport Select Committees report recognises this, by concluding that: The Government cannot wash its hands of any responsibility for enabling this to happen. The Committee states that the Department for Transport has to put its full weight behind helping councils find solutions to the social and economic impacts of the disappearance like in Hartlepool - of the only public transport that might be available in some places.

But the whole business model of providing bus services is not working. Weve moved from a position 25 years ago when the red Corporation buses were dominant in our streets to a position where private companies now provide the service. The whole bus market was deregulated by Margaret Thatcher in 1985. The intention was to provide increased competition and raise standards and quality. But in the intervening quarter of a century it hasnt worked. Weve replaced one type of monopoly the local council running the buses with another, and whereas previously the council were concerned with the social good and the provision of a comprehensive bus service, Stagecoach are merely concerned with widening profit margins and enhancing shareholder value.

I dont have a problem with private companies and profit I would like to see more private companies in Hartlepool making greater profits and enhancing the wealth of the town. But the market in bus services clearly isnt working and, like the banks, when markets become reckless and break down, it should be the role of the state to intervene. Buses are not being run for the interests of passengers, a point I have raised with successive Governments. Re-regulation should be introduced.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:05:30 +0000

Parliament has been recalled today from its summer recess for the first time in nearly a decade to discuss the rising violence and riots in London and across other cities.

I think the last time the House of Commons was recalled was to debate the Iraq War in 2002. I believe there was a strong case for MPs to return to Westminster anyway to discuss the growing and ominous fate of stock markets around the world and the historic downgrading of Americas credit rating. This may be a long way away and seem very remote from day-to-day lives, but this unprecedented acknowledgement of Americas decline as the worlds economic superpower will affect us all.

As it is, it is certainly right for David Cameron as Prime Minister to ask the Speaker for a recall of Parliament to discuss the riots. Technically he doesnt need to do this to combat the lawlessness. Nevertheless, it is important that this should happen now for MPs both to condemn the appalling violence and to debate if more can be done to deal with the thuggish behaviour.

Let all decent people be under no illusion about what has been happening since Thursday. There is no possible justification for any of the violence on Tottenhams streets. There is certainly no justification for the copycat riots that have taken place this week across London and in other cities. Can anybody seriously suggest that the thugs in Manchester were protesting in sympathy with the death of Mark Duggan, the man who was shot dead in Tottenham on Thursday? I very much doubt they know who Mark Duggan is.

These are not people who are protesting about poverty or political oppression, as we have seen in the Middle East earlier this year. Let us be completely honest these are criminals who want to loot and rob, and who couldnt care less about the consequences for their own communities, and for the image of our country in the eyes of the world, less than a year before we host the Olympics. They care more about robbing the flat screen telly from Currys or the latest pair of trainers than they do about their local community.

There are no excuses, and all participants in the riots should be identified, arrested and dealt with as severely as possible. We need the broadest possible condemnation, not merely from MPs in the House of Commons today, but from all decent and civic-minded people in this country.

In the last few days we have seen all possible aspects of human behaviour. We have seen the thuggish behaviour of some yobs across London and elsewhere. But we have also seen the bravery of police officers who have had to deal with the riots and try to restore law and order to our streets, alongside fire fighters, ambulance crews and many other public sector workers. We have definitely seen the best and most public-spirited elements of human behaviour, with many residents coming together, cleaning up the streets and reclaiming their communities. The spirit of the Blitz seems very much to be alive, repackaged for the 21st Century under the Twitter hashtag RiotWombles!

I support the Prime Minister in what he wants to do to tackle the rioters. As an MP I want to give him my help in whatever way I can, as Im sure other MPs wish to as well. That doesnt mean supporting him in an unquestioning way I think he was rather slow off the mark in recognising at the weekend that the Tottenham riots were something of enormous significance for British society. In the early part of the week it looked as if the Government didnt have a handle on the situation and the authorities were losing control of the streets. I also worry that impending police cuts, of which I spoke in Parliament before the recess, will make Police responses to such violence and lawlessness even harder.

The priority, after restoring law and order, even before dealing with the perpetrators, should be to help those decent people who have been affected by the riots. I hope the Prime Minister today in parliament will offer real help and support for individuals and business in a similar way to when the government offers help in the event of a natural disaster like a flood.

The events of this week cant be tolerated. They shame our country in the eyes of the world. It is right that Parliament, at the centre of national life, is recalled to discuss these matters.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:17:54 +0000

Im doing the Great North Run again this year. Ive done it a couple of times before, but the last time must have been about four years ago. If Im truly honest, I never really trained for the run last time, and Im much less fit now than I was then.

To make matters worse, Im doing the Great North Run with my son Benjamin. Hes now 17 and as fit as a fiddle. My competitive streak will mean that I will inevitably try to keep up with him, and that could make things tricky! Fingers crossed that I actually make it to the finish line!

It was Bens idea to do the Great North Run. Were doing it on behalf of the Stroke Association. Five years ago, when he was 12 years old, Ben suffered a stroke. Stroke is not something that you associate with young people, but its more common than you may think. About one in a thousand people who suffer a stroke will be under the age of 30, and many children suffer mini strokes.

Bens stroke was quite serious, affecting his whole left side and his ability to speak. Thankfully, hes made more or less a full recovery, although given that he is a teenager Im not entirely sure what normal is! The specialist team at Newcastle General Hospital provided an unbelievable standard of care for my son, and thanks to their expertise ensured that the damage that Bens brain endured was not more severe. I also have to say that Bens determination to improve was astounding in someone so young.

Benjamin particularly wants to raise money to fund research into young stroke and to raise awareness about the fact that this is not an old persons ailment. Im really proud that he wants to raise money for The Stroke Association in this way.

I appreciate that the economy is in difficult times, and that many people are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet. However, I would be grateful if you could consider making a donation for such a worthy cause as The Stroke Association. You can donate on the Just Giving website.

Note: the web address given in the Mail on 4 August was incorrect, this is the correct one.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Two things in the past few weeks have convinced me, if I needed convincing, that Hartlepool is a town that is sport mad.

The first was the great news that Hartlepool United had not only reached its target of 4,000 season tickets to ensure that every fan that bought one before 15 July paid £100, but smashed through the target, reaching almost 5,700. It got a bit hairy at times, and I often thought that we might not do it, but a good part of the Hartlepool character not parting with any money unless absolutely guaranteed of a bargain came shining through. Well done to Russ Green, the clubs Chief Executive, for this bold and stunning move. Well done also to Sharon Precious, the Manageress of the clubs ticket office. Sharon is a great ambassador for Pools, always friendly, always helpful. She coped with the welcome onslaught of customers extremely well. Victoria Park should be full every home game! Well done again to the towns club.

The second thing which convinced me was being able to show a young Hartlepool lad and his dad round the Olympic park last week. I had the opportunity for a quick tour of the Olympic facilities and wanted to take a young carer, because they do such a great job and often go unrecognised. I asked Hartlepool Carers if they would choose a worthy recipient and they selected Owen Baker. By chance, I went to school with his dad, Gary, and I remember playing football with him many, many years ago. Gary was always a much better player than me!

It was great to take Gary and Owen round Parliament, have a cup of tea and then see the development around the Olympic Park. The stadium and other buildings look complete the day we were there they were laying the athletic track but the rest of it looked very unfinished, and I suppose it is now a mad dash before the Olympics start in exactly a years time.

Sport is a big part of our culture and part of our history and shared memories. The sense of being English is now often tied up with 1966 and the World Cup. In Hartlepool, one of our strengths, which we dont shout about as much as we should, is sport. From athletics (and I really want to mention the great Alf Walsh, who has dedicated his long life to Burn Road Harriers), to boxing; from rugby to bowls, Hartlepool really does punch above its weight when it comes to sport.

This is helped by the strong sense of community that still exists in the town. Last week, Sport England launched a £50 million programme that is designed to refurbish and improve up to 1,000 community sports clubs across England.

The Inspired Facilities fund provides funding to breathe new life into tired facilities that can be unattractive to sports participants, expensive to run and difficult to maintain, putting these clubs right back at the heart of their local communities. There will also be money available to convert existing buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport.

Sport England have suggested that typical grants might include a sprung floor that converts an unused hall into a local multi-sport facility, new changing rooms so away teams no longer need to change in the car park and new floodlights, which mean that a facility could be used for more hours in the day.

At least £35 million of the £50 million pot will go to community and voluntary organisations, through grants of between £20,000 and £50,000. The remaining money will be open to a wider group of organisations, including councils and schools, with grants of up to £150,000 available.

I can think of many worthy community and voluntary sporting organisations throughout the town who could benefit from such money. I really hope that Hartlepool again punches above its weight for sport and is successful in securing funds. For more details, I hope people who run groups could either contact my constituency office or log onto the Sport England website.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:13:00 +0000

I spend half my week in London, and half the week back home in Hartlepool. Throughout my life this country has always struggled with the North South divide. For far too long, the UK economy has been dominated by the powerhouse of London and South East, and areas in the North and Midlands have often struggled. Ministers talk about rebalancing the economy away from services and financial industries I am determined to make the case that this also means helping rebalance regional variations in economic performance.

In my week, I see the differing performances of both North and South. I think it is fair to say that London has an economic confidence, even a swagger, which although it took a knock-back as a result of the recession is now back with a vengeance.

I dont get that sense back home, quite the reverse. I think the North is struggling, and although we should be at the forefront of any export-led recovery, given that our manufacturing industry is selling its goods to the rest of the world, the disproportionate cuts to public services is hitting this part of the world hard.

This looks set to get worse if a Government announcement this week goes ahead. The Government wants to change the way in which business rates are distributed. At the moment, local councils collect the tax from businesses and then pass it to the Treasury. All the rates are collated centrally and then redistributed back out across the country to areas based upon population, need and deprivation.

The Government wants to change this, so that councils are able to keep most of the money that they collect. The idea behind this is that it is localism in action, and it also incentivises local areas to make sure that their areas are growing.

The problem is that Hartlepool and the wider North East would lose out on millions of pounds. Our local council receives about £20 million each and every year from the redistribution of business rates. If this was stopped because councils in the more economically prosperous south kept their rates money, the effect on local services would make the present cuts to libraries and community centres look like a slight breeze compared to the storm that would erupt. Westminster City Council, in contrast, would stand to keep a billion pounds a year. The local authority would be able to pave the streets with gold plating and give everyone a holiday, whilst our communities would suffer and poverty would deepen. The North South divide would get even wider and the ability of our region to be the powerhouse of a modern national economy, through energy and high value manufacturing would be lost.

When Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced this in the House of Commons this week, I asked him whether he would guarantee that any changes wouldnt mean that Hartlepool would miss out on this £20 million a year, and that funds would definitely flow back to the town. He said yes. Lets see. It sort of defeats the objective of areas being able to keep the rates if the Government is then proposing to undertake a redistributive exercise. However, for the good of the town and to ensure the North South divide doesnt get any wider, the Government needs to firm up its guarantee.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:26:59 +0000

For the last few weeks every Friday afternoon, I - alongside Dyke House Ward Councillors Mary Fleet, Stephen Thomas and Linda Shields - have been meeting in the Rovers Quoit Club with residents from Hurworth, Perth, Grey and Grainger Streets who are affected by the compulsory purchase order of the properties.

This has provided an opportunity for residents, concerned at the level of information and uncertainty about their neighbourhood, to ask officers from both Hartlepool Borough Council and Housing Hartlepool for advice. I dont run the Council, and have no role in its administration, but I have to say that the officers, led by Assistant Director of Regeneration Damien Wilson, and assisted by Amy Waller and Helen Rooney from Housing Hartlepool, have gone out of their way and beyond the call of duty to help residents and provide them with information. The attendance by local residents was extremely high, as most people are naturally concerned about where they and their families will live. I wish them all the very best in securing new properties.

The Hurworth, Perth and Grainger demolitions are part of a regeneration scheme started in the last Government. The Housing Market Renewal programme aimed to breathe new life and hope into areas, particularly in the North, by knocking down some properties and building modern homes that are fit for 21st century living. Not only did it affect Hartlepool, but when I was a Housing Minister in the last Government, I had specific responsibility for it. The Government has halted the programme and in Parliament this week, there was a debate on the matter.

It is true that some of these schemes have proved controversial. Ive heard the arguments from some people: why would you pull down perfectly good houses given the scale of people requiring homes? Its not about the houses, its the people that are the problem, I was told by some commentators. I was also very sensitive to the notion that people had a lot of memories tied up into their properties some people had been born in their houses and had lived there for more than 50 years, and it is very difficult for people to leave homes in those circumstances.

In Hartlepool some 37 per cent of all the houses in the town not just in the centre, but throughout the entire Borough are two-up-two-down, terraced housing, a level that is surely not sustainable in a modern town. Terraced property is also frequently unsuited to modern life, with little or no off street parking and no garden. No amount of renovation of the existing housing stock can address these issues. The manner in which we live our lives is changing and this impacts on the type of housing that we choose to live in.

It also has to be said that, as a Minister, I tended to encounter often misty-eyed and rose tinted glasses view of the terraced homes and cobbled streets, as if all communities were some sort of fabled Coronation Street. This nostalgia tended to come from people who didnt actually live in the areas affected.

Hartlepool has made real progress in recent years with regeneration. I would defy anybody to suggest the houses on Trinity Square and on the Headway off Chester Road are not of the highest quality and provide much improved standards for housing in the centre of town. It has also attracted far more private sector investment into the town as a result. All these achievements are now under threat. I think it is a backwards step on the part of the Government to cut the Housing Market Renewal programme, and I fear that good and decent residents in the next few phases of the programme, like in Hopps and Carr Street, will now be left in limbo. I think Hartlepool, and other parts of the North, need a regeneration programme. Im not holding my breath, but I hope the Government took some notice of the debate in Parliament this week and will provide some help and investment to these communities.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:39:54 +0000

The Police in Hartlepool do a fantastic job, often against the odds. Any government, regardless of party politics, should have as its chief priority the security of our nation and, on our streets, the upkeep of law and order.

The police are facing some pressure at the moment. At a time of economic difficulty, it seems fairly obvious that crime might rise when people have no job or are concerned about their future, statistics show that crime tends to increase. In times like this, I hope every decent person in Hartlepool would agree that the police need help and support. It is at precisely this time that the police service is facing severe pressure and police officers are facing cuts to terms and conditions.

This week there was a debate in Parliament on the effect of government policies on police forces, and I wanted to contribute because the matter of law and order is important to me and to the town. I want Hartlepool to be a safe and welcoming town, and this is not possible if crime and anti social behaviour are affecting decent peoples quality of life.

When I was first elected the majority of correspondence I received from constituents was about crime and anti social behaviour. Thankfully, this is no longer the case in the past seven years, crime has come down by half. This means there have been 6,000 fewer people in Hartlepool who have been the victims of crime. This is a tremendous result, and thanks have to be given to the police for making this happen.

However, this is not something where you can say job done and then go home. You cant be complacent about crime. That is why you need a professional, well resourced and highly motivated workforce determined to tackle crime and anti social behaviour.

That is where I think the Governments reforms are mistimed. Im sure the Government would say in fact the Minister said it in the Parliamentary debate that the police service should take its fair share of the cuts like every other public service. He also said, which Im sure will not be welcomed by the council tax payers of this town, that central government money is not the only source of police funding, and that the local government police precept - the amount on your council tax bill that is provided to Cleveland Police Authority could be raised still further.

I dont think anyone wishes to see a cut in the number of police on our streets. That is what is being proposed. It makes the job of a police officer that bit harder when there is added risk of rising crime and cuts in terms and conditions on an unprecedented scale. That is why police officers tell me that morale is lower than in living memory. I havent had the volume of correspondence from police officers as I expected. Those who have contacted me have said that they are finding it difficult to carry out their job. That is not what the decent people of Hartlepool, and the police officers who serve the town, deserve.

Iain Wright MP tables motion in support of Grey Pride Week

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:00:32 +0000

Hartlepool MP Iain Wright has tabled a motion in support of Grey Pride Week which calls for a dedicated Government Minister for Older People.

Grey Pride Week, run by older peoples housing and care provider Anchor, aims to celebrate growing old and champion older people, giving them a voice at the highest level.

Older people are fast becoming one of the largest groups in the United Kingdom, but there is no Government minister dedicated to the well-being of older people. Iains Early Day Motion in Parliament calls for a Minister in Government that prioritises the needs of older people and ensures that their views and interests receive dedicated attention.

Iain Wright MP said:

Older people already make up 25 per cent of the population. It is expected that 10 million people living now will reach the age of 100, which will provide enormous social and economic challenges. I want to ensure that older people living in Hartlepool are represented at the highest political level in Government and enjoy dignity and respect in their later years. People who had served in our Armed Forces started having a much stronger voice when the Labour Government created a dedicated Minister for Veterans, and I can see the same thing working for older people. Launching Grey Pride is a step towards ensuring that.

Jane Ashcroft, Chief Executive of Anchor, added:

Within the Governments equality agenda there is a dedicated minister for women, the disabled and children, but none for older people, who represent nearly 25% of the population. Anchors Grey Pride campaign will redress the balance, reclaim growing old as a positive experience and break down the barriers preventing older people leading happy, fulfilling lives.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:31:01 +0000

I have said on numerous occasions that as the towns MP I want to encourage the enormous potential that we have in Hartlepool for modern manufacturing, particularly those industries based on energy. I will do all that I can to promote the town, particularly in terms of how we can play a leading role in energy in the next century. That is why I invited the Conservative Energy Minister, Charles Hendry MP, to Hartlepool to see for himself the enormous potential that the town can play in modern energy production.

Hartlepool certainly the West Hartlepool part of the town was built on the back of engineering and manufacturing. The towns past glories have been built on the excellent combination of location, infrastructure and workforce. We have had since the 19th century the strengths of a good deepwater port, quick access to that port so that companies can transport their massive goods onto ships rapidly and relatively cheaply and good quality engineering skills, provided by a committed and professional workforce.

Although these points were virtues in the 19th century, Im convinced that the same qualities will stand us in good stead for the 21st century and will provide the means for good quality jobs for our town in the next few years. For location, we in Britain are blessed with an abundance of coastline and a place where it is windy quite a lot of the time. That means we can exploit the environment in and around the country more than other nations to generate electricity through wind and tidal energy. We still have several decades of oil and gas, which will remain an important, although declining part of our energy mix. In terms of infrastructure, the deepwater port means that massive components can be built and then exported by sea very quickly and relatively cheaply. In terms of workforce, our excellence in engineering, forged over many decades, can be adapted for the modern age. It is a huge matter of pride for me that we produce workers in engineering which are in high demand all over the world, and Poolies have gone to the four corners of the globe to work on prestigious engineering projects. I want to see them being able to work closer to home.

We have great companies in the likes of PD Ports, JDR Cables and Heerema Hartlepool who wish to see work come to the town, and I was very keen to get the Energy Minister to the town to allow senior managers of those first-class firms to talk about their concerns and articulate to the Minister some of the things that he and the Government can do to provide greater certainty and unblock some of the problems which are preventing investment.

The Energy Minister was hugely impressed, and I think a sign of this was news that his office wishes to put photos of the visit to Hartlepool on the Department for Energy and Climate Change website. This also provides another promotional boost for Hartlepool in the energy field, showing potential customers and investors across the world that Hartlepool is the best for energy and is open to business.

I disagree fundamentally with much of what this Government is doing. But I can work very well with Charles Hendry; it helps that the Energy Minister, who can do so much to advance Hartlepools case, is a thoroughly nice and decent man. I am pleased that he has seen for himself the enormous scale, potential and ambition of Hartlepool when it comes to energy, and Im sure from his comments to me this week he will use the town as a great example of Britain hopefully being the best place in the world to invest in renewable energy.

Ive said before that I think Hartlepool has huge potential, and I would hate to see this potential go to waste. The worst thing would be for us in Hartlepool to have regrets in ten or twenty years time by thinking that the huge opportunities for jobs and prosperity have gone to the likes of China, Indonesia or even closer to home in the Netherlands or Germany.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Sir Paul McCartney was 69 on Saturday.

As somebody who grew up with The Beatles music, although I hadnt even been born when they split up, the fact that Sir Paul is entering his seventh decade seems astonishing. It also only seems five minutes, rather than five years ago, that he was 64, which inevitably led to lots of headlines about When Im 64.

This does seem to indicate to me that time is speeding up in a frightening way. It also reinforces the fact that we are as a country getting older. Indeed, we are, in the nicest possible way, becoming very much an old nation. Due to medical advances and ongoing improvements to quality of life, we now have many more pensioners living in Britain than at any point in our countrys history. For the first time ever, there are more people aged over 60 than are aged under 16. This will have a big impact upon the future shape of employment and how young people get onto the property and job ladders.

This trend will only increase, as people continue to live longer. This seems truly remarkable to me, but it is forecast that there are 10 million people living today (one in six of people in our country) in Britain who can expect to live beyond the age of 100. A telegram from the Queen used to be an unusual event; now, you can buy a large range of Happy 100th Birthday cards in every card shop and supermarket in town.

Life expectancy has risen rapidly in the past 30 years. A girl being born in Britain in 1982 could expect to live until she was 73; now, a similar girl would have a life expectancy of almost 82.

This is naturally cause for celebration. We should all be thankful that we dont live in an earlier period in our countrys history, when people were old and expecting a call from the Grim Reaper when they werent much out of their 30s.

Despite the cause for optimism, the fact that Britain is ageing comes with some consequences. We have seen in the past few weeks the scandalous squalor and lack of dignity that some older people have to live in. The ticking age time bomb and limited financial resources will put enormous strain on local councils budgets. I can see, in a short space of time, councils doing little else but being social care agencies. The difficult task of financing retirement for many millions of people is still to be addressed in a fair way. We had on Monday the Pensions Bill, where 300,000 women in their 50s will have to work even longer than they had planned, but havent been given the time to plan alternative pension provision.

These huge social and economic challenges mean that I think we need a dedicated Minister for Older People, who acts in the interests of older people and co-ordinates Government policy across important areas like pensions, housing, employment and health and social care.

It was Sandra Belcher who put the idea in my head. Sandra is Manager of Lynton Court and the mother of Cllr Stephen Akers-Belcher and had asked me who had responsibility in government for older people. I had asked a Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister and received a really unsatisfactory answer. That is why I then tabled a motion in Parliament calling for a dedicated minister for older people.

I would like to see older people living in Hartlepool and elsewhere represented at the highest political level in Government and enjoy dignity and respect in their later years. People who had served in our Armed Forces started having a much stronger voice when the Labour Government created a dedicated Minister for Veterans, and I can see the same thing working for older people.

Ladybird books and Iain Wright MP donate books for children to Hartlepool library

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:24:34 +0000

In celebration of Fathers Story Week, run by the Fatherhood Institute, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood held an event on Monday 13th June in Parliament alongside BT, Ladybird books, the Fatherhood Institute and Family Lives to celebrate Fathers Day.

Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool, attended the event and received a package of books from Ladybird to donate to Hartlepool library for local families to enjoy.

Fathers Story Week offers a fantastic opportunity for schools, childrens centres, and libraries to get fathers and children working and spending time together in support of childrens learning and development. Fathers Story Week also provides fathers with the opportunity to become involved in their childrens education. The Fatherhood Institutes research shows that children with positively involved fathers and father-figures do better in all sorts of ways.

Iain Wright MP said:

Reading with your children can be very special and a great way for dads to develop a deeper bond with their kids, as well as helping support their learning and education. As a dad, I enjoy reading with my own children . I thank Ladybird books have donated such beautiful books for Hartlepool, where they will be enjoyed by children in the town for many years to come.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:48:00 +0000

Books are wonderful things. Ive always enjoyed reading from the youngest age, finding it incredibly stimulating that a book can take you anywhere, from the past to the future, and can make you think about something that you may not have thought of before.

Ive always been very fortunate in that my parents valued reading and the importance of books. I vividly remember as a child having lots of Ladybird books in our house. Nowadays, my wife complains about how books seem to clutter our entire house.

Ive always been keen to ensure that my children have access to books. Reading with your children can be one of lifes pleasures, although the interest and curiosity it can often spark in my youngest son Billy means that he asks questions incessantly, for far longer than you bargained for!

Having access to books and sharing books with your child is very important, which is why Bookstart is a welcome thing. Hartlepool has always played a large role in National Bookstart Week, and on Friday last week I had a great time with children from Stranton and Lynnfield Primary Schools at the Central Library where I enjoyed the activities and stories and was able to give free books for the children, courtesy of Bookstart. I was pleased with the model train I was able to colour in, but was frankly disappointed with my efforts with sticking paper on a picture of an aeroplane. Its odd what MPs sometimes have to do, and I know now that I could never get a job with Boeing or Airbus!

It is disappointing that the funding for such a worthwhile scheme, which will hopefully reap rewards for this country for years to come, has been cut in half by the Government, with the prospect of the scheme being cut altogether in two years time. I hope that this means that Hartlepool children will continue to receive some beautiful books, but such a drastic cut will inevitably mean that some areas, and some children, will miss out.

On a similar theme, I was able to attend an event to celebrate Fathers Day in Westminster this week, where Ladybird Books donated to me a beautiful pack of childrens books, which I would like to donate to Hartlepool libraries. I would really like to promote the idea of dads reading with their kids, and this was a great way of doing this. A love of reading is something that can stay with you for the rest of your life, and this love should start as early as possible.

The Headland was the talk of the twitter world last week not the social messaging site but birdwatchers. The white throated robin was apparently on the bowling green, when it should normally be resident in Asia.

Im afraid I wouldnt have a clue when it comes to identifying birds. The white throated robin could have been a small seagull as far as I could see. But the story put Hartlepool on the map in a positive way and the reaction of some Hartlepudlians made me smile. Apparently a roaring trade was made in the hiring out of ladders or even allowing people who had flocked to see the bird to stand on residents cars. With quick-witted entrepreneurial flair and skill like that, Im confident that Hartlepool will be the enterprise and business start-up capital of the country soon. I also heard a young woman on the radio selling teas and coffees, but confessing that if people didnt have the money she would give them the drinks anyway because theyd been awake for a long time. She gave all the money she made to charity. Not only do we Hartlepudlians seem to be an enterprising lot, we also seem to be a bit generous too!

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:40:35 +0000

I hope people had a chance to view Megacities with Andrew Marr on BBC 1 last week. Its a three-part documentary series I think the next one is on tonight which the BBC does very well. It reviews the impact on society and on the human spirit of cities that comprise of populations of over 10 million people.

I found it very interesting. Andrew Marr obviously had to get a new passport, as he travelled the globe looking at some of the largest cities. He spent the night in a Dhaka slum in Bangladesh and had to deal with rats the size of cats underneath his bed. He went to Shanghai in China and saw the fastest development in human history as hundreds of millions of Chinese people move from rural areas to cities with the prospect of work and some notion of a better life.

However, the bit of the programme I found most affecting was the time that Andrew Marr spent in Tokyo. The Japanese capital is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, with about 13 million people living in the central Tokyo area about the size of the old Cleveland County Council boundaries. Despite, or perhaps because of the huge overcrowding, the overwhelming sense from the city was one of loneliness. Residents of Tokyo hired a friend to spend time with because they didnt know anybody in the city.

It does seem curious that, very often, the more that people are surrounded by other people, the lonelier they become. The sense of community and the need for good neighbours are very strong in all of us. Andrew Marr concluded that villages are probably the ideal size for humans to live together.

When I watched the programme I was struck by how Hartlepool is very much a collection of villages, with a strong sense of identity and community in each one. People are fiercely proud of Hartlepool, quite rightly, but actually people also identify with their very local area, whether it is West View, the Headland, Owton Manor or living on the Fens.

That is why I really value Good Neighbours Day, which took place on Friday and was hosted at Belle Vue. In previous years the event has taken place in Burbank and on the central estate. This year, the sun shone, Kendal Road was closed for all of the stalls and events that were taking place, and I think all the people, young and old, who came along had a great time.

I was also really pleased to cut the ribbon, along with Bob Farrow, who has lived and worked in the area for all his life, for the new houses that are being built by Housing Hartlepool. I think everybody who had a look round the showhomes were really impressed with the quality of the finish of the new houses. They make a really welcome addition to the Belle Vue.

We are very fortunate in Hartlepool that we have extremely strong communities who in the main watch out for one another. The social and economic challenges that Hartlepool has faced would have been a lot worse had it not been for that sense of community that is a strong part of the Hartlepool character.

Other towns have lost that sense of neighbourhood and community. Once it is lost, it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get it back, and at the extreme version, you see the sense of isolation and loneliness that was portrayed on the Andrew Marr show last week. We should celebrate and nurture that sense of community we have in Hartlepool, and Good Neighbours Day is an excellent way to do this.

Iain Wright MP supports AGEnda a generational skills swap

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:42:00 +0000

Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool and Shadow Minister for Young People this week lent his support to Abbeyfield Week 2011 by taking part in a generational skills swap in Parliament. Mr Wright was joined by the well-known TV and stage actor and Abbeyfield patron Geoffrey Palmer in Parliament to raise awareness of this innovative scheme, which brings together older and younger people to encourage them to swap invaluable skills.

The events were spearheaded by Abbeyfield, a not-for-profit organisation which has over 700 houses and 80 care homes across the UK, as part of their annual Abbeyfield week. This years theme is AGEnda a generational skills swap which will see events hosted at a number of their local residential homes to encourage and improve greater understanding between generations. It will also enable residents to have a fun day interacting with young people to swap skills which are currently unknown to each other.

The parliamentary event was held ahead of Abbeyfield Week, which will take place between 10th-19th June.

Iain Wright MP said:

I am pleased to be able to support this innovative scheme to help raise awareness of the importance of skills swaps. Too often in modern life we overlook the need for different generations to get together and learn new skills such as IT, cooking, and reading. It also provides an excellent opportunity for generations to discuss the differences in their lifestyles to encourage better understanding.

Paul Allen, Chief Executive of Abbeyfield said:

We are delighted that Iain Wright MP is supporting this years Abbeyfield Week AGEnda: A generational skills swap. We would like to see more of these generational skills swaps in areas across the country to enable better understanding between different generations. Schemes such as this not only help alleviate loneliness amongst older people, but also teach younger generations skills that they might otherwise have missed.

Mail column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:26:00 +0000

One of my main priorities as Hartlepools MP is to encourage the enormous potential that we have in our area for modern industry, particularly one based on energy. This week in the House of Commons I had an opportunity to do that by speaking in the debate about the Energy Bill, a piece of legislation that will bring in opportunities for people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes through the so-called Green Deal.

The Energy Bill as it currently stands isnt particularly bad. As I mentioned in Parliament this week, it is difficult to oppose a piece of legislation that hopes to increase energy efficiency for people, improve our energy security so we become less dependent upon foreign energy from volatile parts of the world and increase our competitiveness.

But the Bill really doesnt grasp the huge potential that Britain as a whole has in the production of energy, particularly greener and cleaner forms of energy. I find it hugely frustrating that it could be a wasted opportunity.

That potential for newer forms of energy, with all the potential for more jobs and wealth creation, could be focused on Hartlepool, Teesside and the wider North East. We have the skills in terms of experienced engineers who are able to adapt those skills for the new technologies. We have the infrastructure the fourth largest port in the UK that is deep enough to be able to take the cables and other materials for export. And we have a cluster of ambitious companies in my speech in Parliament I mentioned JDR Cables, PD Ports, Heerema and Tatas world class pipe mills, who want to secure work from all around the globe.

I am convinced that with our engineering experience, infrastructure and location of oil and gas refining, nuclear, offshore wind as well as other renewable, Hartlepool and the wider Teesside area could be the world leader in this field.

It has been estimated in the last few weeks by a leading independent group that a mind boggling $2.3 trillion thats trillion, not billion could be invested in the next decade. It also forecast that, although a lot of the work in this field is now moving eastwards, particularly to China and the countries that face the western side of the Pacific Ocean, the three countries it identified as being able to benefit from this additional investment are the United States, India and us.

But worryingly, in the last year Britain has slipped down the league tables for investment in green and clean energy faster than Chelseas chances of winning the title. We were third in the world for investment in this area now, we are 13th, behind the likes of Mexico and Singapore, countries who are really itching to get this sort of technology.

I do fear that in 10 or 20 years time, we could be looking back at this time and really regretting not grasping the opportunity unprecedented in my lifetime that the green and clean industrial revolution could provide. I fear that we would miss out on jobs and wealth creation if our Government doesnt match the ambition of our area with investment and certainty.

On a completely separate matter, I mentioned football earlier on in this column. I want to congratulate Hartlepool United on a fantastic, ambitious and very innovative scheme which could mean that season tickets for next year could cost £100 if 4,000 supporters sign up. The most affordable season tickets in League one.

This is a great idea which, speaking to people across the town, has got people really fired up. I know that £100 is a lot of money, especially in the current economic climate and when jobs are being lost. But I really hope that as many people as possible show their support for Pools the towns club by backing them and getting a season ticket. Even Mrs Wright, who hates football with a passion, is threatening to get one, but I think I may be making that bit up. Please go and support Pools.

Mail column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:28:00 +0000

On Monday I asked a question in the House of Commons about Britains military capability. Government has a range of tasks to perform, but I think most people would recognise that a primary function is to keep our country safe and maintain a defence that is capable of doing that.

Recent decommission of the Harrier jump jet whilst continuing to bring into service two new aircraft carriers before the Harriers replacement, leaves the somewhat ludicrous situation that we have aircraft carriers with no planes to fly. The cuts in defence, of which this is just one example, mean that the British military machine is being stretched significantly and the recent intervention in Libya inevitably stretches our armed forces still further. You cant have it all, as I mentioned in my Question to the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, following the cuts to the defence budget he should either reduce British military capability and some of our countrys influence across the world, or he should try to secure a better deal from the Chancellor. The Government has to decide what sort of country and what sort of armed forces it wants us to have.

People will have very strong and often conflicting views on Britains military position. Many will believe that we should maintain our proud tradition of military capability in this country which goes back hundreds of years and that some of the respect and influence that we have throughout the world which ultimately leads to better economic prosperity and more jobs for Britain stems from that military capability. Others will argue that Britain has no justification for being in areas like Afghanistan and Libya and should bring our brave troops back home. I envisage that there will always be division of opinion on such matters.

One subject, on which I feel that we would all agree, would be the notion that our armed forces deserve the best possible support. Our troops are often called upon to make personal sacrifices including, the ultimate sacrifice of laying down their life for their country. In return, British soldiers should expect fair treatment for themselves and their families, and be provided with help and support for matters like housing, health and employment after they have left the service. This mutual obligation the so-called Military Covenant has been in place for decades but was made more formal in the year 2000.

Regardless of party politics, I support what Liam Fox announced on Monday in Parliament; making the Military Covenant even more formal, by placing it in law. Credit must be given to the Royal British Legion, who campaigned hard on this matter.

The British Legion has a Time to do your bit campaign, where people can show their support for the Armed Forces. This is accessible via the Legions website at http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/. Last year I pledged to use my time in Parliament to advance the aims of the British Legion and Armed Forces, and I would urge everyone in Hartlepool to do their bit too.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:31:00 +0000

Theres such a lot of talent and potential in our town, and its great to see people wish to push themselves forward, and other people willing to challenge, help, support and motivate them to achieve their potential.

On Friday evening I was privileged to be able to attend two fantastic events which showcased some of the talent on offer in Hartlepool.

It was Adult Learners Week last week, and on Friday there was a celebration in the Borough Hall. I was honoured to be able to hand out certificates to those learners who had worked hard and succeeded. Some of the stories I heard on Friday about overcoming barriers, bad news or doubts about their abilities to achieve and succeed were truly fantastic.

Manor Residents Association and Angie Wilcox, the new Councillor for the Owton Ward, had worked incredibly hard with Hartlepool Borough Council for the event. I enjoyed speaking with everybody, but was particularly taken with Eva Shipley. I hope Eva doesnt mind me mentioning her age, but she is 80 and, despite being originally scared of computers is now downloading and e-mailing better than people half her age. It was a delight to meet her and other winners.

What was also good to hear was how many adult learners, after achieving their qualification, were keen to give something back to their local community by becoming teachers or mentors themselves. Success can breed success, and it was fantastic to celebrate such success in Hartlepool.

After the Borough Hall it was a jaunt to the Corporation Club in Whitby Street, where the Red Dreams Charity was hosting its annual awards. Red Dreams was set up under tragic and harrowing circumstances, when Dawn and Ian McManus lost their talented son Kyle to a brain haemorrhage at the age of only 16. Dawn and Ian, as well as Peter Davies, have turned Red Dreams into an exciting and professional forum for artists of all types musicians, songwriters, photographers and filmmakers to showcase their talents.

I had been a judge for some of the categories in the awards, and I have to say that the quality of talent and creativity is truly and genuinely astonishing. I would recommend people to listen to some of the Red Dreams artists for an old indie kid like me, Up! Down! Strange!, Hand of Aces and Lost State of Dance are great, as is We Are The People and Coalition, although Im not so happy on that last name, as it reminds me of something else! Id also recommend listening to Chloe Gibson, Anthony Clark and Nick Dixon.

On the night I presented the Hall of Fame Award for the Solo Artist, and I was delighted that Ellie Liston won it. Ellie has a real talent with that indefinable star quality and I was really impressed, when I was judging, with her rendition of Upside Down by Paloma Faith.

For a relatively small town Hartlepool has a huge mine of creative talent to be tapped. The Hartlepool Mails Tracy Walker, who presented a couple of awards, said on the night that very often young people get a bad press for being lazy or violent, but the Red Dreams awards showed the better argument how many of the towns young people are genuinely talented and show real creativity. For both Adult Learners Celebration and the Red Dreams event it shows what enormous potential and talent there is in Hartlepool. We should celebrate that a bit more.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:32:00 +0000

For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by women in my family who have gone out to work and worked really hard. My earliest memories are of my Nana working in the launderette at the Fens Shops. Later she enjoyed working at Manor School. My mother was a hairdresser, working at Glorias on Wynyard Road, and is still working behind the bar at events at the Borough Hall and the Town Hall Theatre. I enjoy shocking people and seeing the reaction on their faces when, like at the Hartlepool Business Awards and Adult Learners Week celebration at the Borough Hall, I shout at one of the bar staff The service in here is a disgrace! You should be sacked! and then giving her a big kiss. Little do people realise its my mother.

Ive always had drilled into me since the earliest possible age the merits of hard work, and I have people like my mother and nana to thank for that. Despite this, I want my mother to enjoy a well-earned retirement, something that sadly did not happen for my nana, who died whilst she was still working. One of my big regrets in life is that I never had the opportunity to show her round Westminster she was always too committed to her work at Manor to come down when Parliament was sitting.

Ive written in the past about this country ageing as a population, and that relatively good health in old age is far more prevalent than it was a generation ago. I always think about the difference between my dad, who is as fit as a fiddle at 68 and who should really be getting a Pools season ticket for £100, and his father, my granddad, who was dead at the age of 58 and who was an old and sick man when he died.

Nevertheless, going back to the strong women of this town, I am concerned that many who are now in their 50s, will have to work up to two years longer before claiming their state pension. The Government is bringing forward the date for State Pension entitlement for women at the age of 65, rather than 60, to the year 2018 rather than 2020. All women born between 6th April 1953 and 5th April 1960 will be affected.

This has been brought in far too quickly, and without consultation by the Government, and its rapid announcement means that it is virtually impossible for many women in Hartlepool to plan for alternative pension arrangements.

Ive had many women in Hartlepool write to me about this matter, but I havent seen much in the media. I think this is a real shame, because the decision from the Government is unfair and will affect a third of a million women in this country.

There was a chance for this decision to be stopped in the House of Lords, but the motion was defeated with a majority of only 12. However, I detect a growing head of steam about the matter and I hope that when the proposed decision comes to the House of Commons later in the year, us MPs will be able to throw it out. For women who have worked all their lives in one way or another, whether it is bringing up a family, working in a job or, like my mother and nana, doing both, I think that is only fair.

Iain Wright MP presents bus petition to Parliament

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:33:17 +0000

Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool, has presented a petition signed by hundreds of Hartlepool people to the House of Commons regarding the loss of bus services in the town and surrounding areas.

Iain said:

Im unhappy with the quality of bus services in Hartlepool operated by private bus companies. I was determined to highlight to the House of Commons the need to have a better bus service for Hartlepool and the surrounding villages. Many people will be left isolated as a result of these cuts and services and businesses in the town will close.

The response to the petition was fantastic, with many hundreds of people signing the petition in a matter of days. For example, people from the village of Elwick spent their weekend knocking on doors asking their neighbours to sign the petition. I am very grateful for their efforts and hopefully the response from the Secretary of State for Transport will provide some additional support so that passengers in the town can receive a better bus service.

The specific wording of the Parliamentary petition presented to the House of Commons is:

To the House of Commons

The petition of residents of the borough of Hartlepool.

Declares concern that residents in areas of the borough such as The Headland and Burbank, as well as villagers in Dalton Piercy, Elwick and Greatham, have been left isolated and without transport following the decision of Hartlepool Borough Council to cut public subsidy to private bus companies.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Secretary of State for Transport to work with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, residents of the borough, Hartlepool Borough Council and bus operators immediately to reinstate the services and then to secure a financial settlement and a regulatory framework which provides a comprehensive, reliable and cheap system of bus transport in Hartlepool, designed to address the social and economic needs of passengers in both the urban and rural areas of the borough, rather than the narrow interests of private bus companies.

And the petitioners remain, etc.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:39:25 +0000

This morning I attended the funeral of Bob Flintoff. On a beautiful spring morning, it was pleasing to see so many people wishing to pay their respects to a wonderful and gentle man. I hope Kath, his widow, and his family gained some comfort from the fact that many, many people wanted to say goodbye to Bob.

Bobs politics were different to my own, but Id like to think of him as a good friend, with whom I was able to work to try to do the best for the people we both represented. It was very clear that Bob loved Hartlepool, particularly areas in the south of the town like Rossmere, where he lived, Owton Manor and the Fens. He was always pleasant, and Ill miss that twinkle in his eye and the cigarette in his hand.

What I wont miss, however, is the gruesome and excruciating detail about a particular operation that Bob once had and delighted in telling me all about. I think he took great delight in revealing, in almost surgical detail, what happened in the operation and witnessing my squeamish reaction.

Bob was simply, a lovely, lovely man. Ill miss him, and Hartlepool Borough Council is much the poorer for his passing.

Bobs death occurred just a few short weeks after Cliffy Stubbs funeral. Cliff was devoted to the Headland, an area in which he was a councillor for over 30 years. He wanted to see the people he represented receive the best possible service.

Cliffy was the first Labour Councillor I met when I first attended meetings of the St Hilda Labour Party branch and asked, somewhat tentatively, if I could become more active in the Party. He wasnt highhanded or aloof in any way to this snotty young kid who had come into the party but instead he and his wife Rose showed me nothing but kindness and consideration, and provided me with important advice which I still use to this day. This advice, when it came, invariably used football as a metaphor for life, and we usually ended up talking about Hartlepool United. His passion for sport, for providing young people the opportunity to use sport to grow and mature, and his ability as a footballer, was second to none. Young lads on the Headland who could have gone off the rails will have been given a great education in the lessons of life through sport thanks to Cliffy.

He also raised a lovely (and socialist!) family. His daughter Maxine is a trade union official, and if I needed good solid political advice I would always go to Maxine. Cliffys granddaughter Collette is a teacher in the town, and made a moving and sensitive tribute to her granddad at his funeral.

Cliffy and Bob were decent men, driven to public service through a love of their communities. We need more people like Cliff and Bob to stand up for residents. At a time when local politics is often and incorrectly viewed as irrelevant, the importance of your ward councillor is more significant than ever. With a month to go before the local elections in Hartlepool, and in the week when candidates are putting themselves forward for election in May, I hope that you will respect the memory of the public service provided by Cliff Stubbs and Bob Flintoff by voting on May 5th.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0000

I was proud to join about 100 other people from Hartlepool, and about half a million others from across the country, to march in central London last Saturday against the drastic cuts to public services.

It was an early start on Saturday morning, and a bit of a late finish, but the day flashed by remarkably quickly. The coach from Hartlepool had been organised by the trade union Unison, and it was great to see the banners celebrating the town and the trade union movement, being used in the march. Many thanks to the likes of Edwin Jeffries and Michael Hill from Unison who made the day, certainly for those from Hartlepool, run so smoothly and allowing people from the town to register their concern and demonstrate peacefully. It was also good to see Hartlepool councillors Stephen and Christopher Akers-Belcher, Ann and John Marshall and Stephen Thomas on the march. I didnt see Councillors Carl Richardson and Sarah Maness on the day, but I know they were there I think they were at the front!

The atmosphere on the march was very positive. People were angry, certainly, but the demonstration was carried out in a good-natured and polite manner. Police on the day actually described the trade union march as having a carnival atmosphere. The march was conducted in a very civilised manner, a very, if I may say so, British manner. This was demonstrated by my favourite sign on the march a young woman holding a hand-written placard stating that she was an angry young library assistant. In terms of revolution, it was hardly Che Guevara.

But I think that is precisely the point. What struck me on the march was how it comprised of ordinary, hard working, decent men, women and children of our country. These are people who provide the essential public services, such as the Police and the NHS, or ordinary and decent citizens who rely upon them. These are people and they comprise of millions up and down the country who have genuine fear about what the Government is proposing in terms of cutting public spending so quickly and so harshly.

The essential decency and peaceful nature of the trade union demonstration made the violent protests and the destruction of and vandalism to property all the more nauseating. This had nothing to do with the trade union demonstration. This small group of cowardly hooligans simply came to London to cause trouble. The fact that they felt the need to cover their faces with scarves and balaclavas confirms they are nothing other than thugs intent on criminal activity.

It was an important day, but the opposition to the cuts simply cannot end with one mass demonstration. Hartlepool, for a variety of historical, social and economic reasons, relies heavily upon public services, and as a town we will suffer are suffering from such a drastic and sharp drop in government support. We have already seen the loss of valuable public services, and if the Government doesnt change its course, we will lose still more. It also hinders the possibility of our private sector to grow, hindering further economic progress.

If anything, I hope that the peaceful trade union march demonstrates to Government the scale of feeling about its economic policy. It doesnt have to be like this cuts dont have to be so far and so fast.

Iain Wright

Hartlepool MP signs Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment

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Iain Wright takes on Great North Run for stroke charity

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Iain Wright MP visits Rolls-Royces principal UK facility

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Iain Wright MP promoted in reshuffle

Iain Wright takes on Great North Run for stroke charity

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Iain Wright MP tables motion in support of Grey Pride Week

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Ladybird books and Iain Wright MP donate books for children to Hartlepool library

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Iain Wright MP supports AGEnda  a generational skills swap

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Iain Wright MP presents bus petition to Parliament

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Iain Wright MP visits Rolls-Royces principal UK facility

Iain Wright MP supports AGEnda a generational skills swap