13 December 2007

New play areas and youth clubs for Birmingham Hall Green

 The Children’s Plan, announced by Children’s Secretary Ed Balls in Parliament on Wednesday, sets out what the Government will do to back parents as they bring up their children, tackle all the barriers that hold children back and unlock the talents of all our young people and not just some.

Hall Green could see new or improved play areas for children and places for young people to go, as part of the Government’s Children’s Plan.

I want parents, young people and community groups in Hall Green to come together to bid for some of the new funding.

Labour’s Children’s Plan announced £225 million to build or upgrade 3,500 play areas across the country – an average of 23 in every local authority.

And £160 million will be available over the next two years for new youth facilities, which will be shaped by young people themselves.

Play is a vital part of children growing up, developing, learning and exploring and I want to see more good quality facilities where children can play safely.

I will be asking local parents where new play facilities are needed or where existing ones need to be upgraded – so that our community can come together and start bidding for the new funding announced in the Children’s Plan.

And I also want new things to do and places to go for young people in our area. This could include facilities for sport, music, drama or art – but it will be down to young people themselves to shape what’s provided.

So I want to hear from young people and the local community about what facilities they would like to see and start putting together our plans.  If you want to get involved - contact me on 0121 622 4408.

Other announcements in the Children’s Plan include more support for families with new measures to help parents take a more active role in their children’s education, a review of the primary curriculum, a move towards ‘testing when ready’ and more catch-up support for children falling behind.

I want us make the most of the new investment and make the Children’s Plan a reality in Hall Green.

Extra £520 million to transform care for older and disabled people

Labour’s Health Secretary Alan Johnson has announced an extra £520 million to transform Social Care over the next three years through the introduction of Personal Care budgets.

I think that support for individuals and families when they need it, is of vital importance. Everyone, irrespective of their illness or disability has the right to maximum control over their own lives. 

Key elements of the proposals  include:

- Giving the vast majority of people who receive funded care their own personal budgets so they can choose the support services they want for themselves of a family member.

- High quality care homes, home care and day services to be rewarded, with poor performers who fail to respect people's dignity no longer used by local councils and the NHS.

- Initiatives such as first-stop shops becoming common place so that everyone, including people who don't have support from social services, will have access to advice and advocacy about community services.

- Investing in support that keeps older people healthy and tackles loneliness and isolation

- Closer collaboration between the NHS and local government so that people receive more coordinated and efficient support in the community.

These proposals for personal budgets will allow all those who would benefit from a personal budget to receive one, putting real control into the hands of those in care and their carers, leading to far more personal and responsive care.  Get in touch if you would like to know more.

Unemployment continues to fall

Number claiming unemployment benefit fall for the fourteenth month in a row to reach its lowest level for over thirty years

New figures out this week show unemployment continuing to fall, with 11,000 fewer people claiming unemployment benefit than this time last month, record numbers in work and the number of vacancies in the UK economy swelling to 680,000.

At the same time over 250 businesses have now committed to working with government to form Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs), helping longer term benefit claimants move off welfare and into work.

It’s great to see the number claiming unemployment benefit fall for the fourteenth month in a row to reach its lowest level for over thirty years.  Work is the best route out of poverty and with over 250 companies
working with us, more long-term benefit claimants can fill some of the 680,000 job vacancies.

Under the Tories too many people were being written off, their talents wasted and skills ignored.  Now these people are among the record numbers in work, contributing to the economy and supporting their families.

Remember, The Tories are the party of mass unemployment.  When they were in office, unemployment doubled and hit three million twice.  Yet they have learnt nothing from their failed past.  Today, they are opposing the very measures that have helped move people from benefit and into work such as tax credits and the New Deal.