Word from Westminster - July 2009

Word from Westminster - July 2009

There is no doubt the main topic of discussion over the past two months or so has been that of MPs' allowances and expenses, and the debate on this has centred quite rightly around reform and the independent review by Sir Christopher Kelly. However, some changes have already been made to make our parliamentary system -more transparent, such as the publication of those MPs' who have outside paid second jobs and the time spent on them. Surely the right move is to stop any MP from having outside paid work - I believe the job is, and should be, a full time position as it has been for me.

This issue has deflected attention away from the most serious recession we have ever known, and the Government policy of bringing forward capital projects to help stave off the worst of the effects of recession appears to be paying off. There is no doubting that some companies have suffered and people have lost their jobs, but having recently hosted the annual ANGLES (East Anglian Electronics Group) lunch at Westminster most of the businesses confirmed they were in a healthy state with some now hiring more people. I am not saying for one minute, however, that the recession is over and no doubt there will be losses in some quarters, but having lived in Great Yarmouth through the previous recession in the 80's we appear to be in a more healthy position than then and this week's announcement by the Prime Minister will add a further boost to the construction industry with the announcement of over 100,000 new homes being built. This is much different to the strategy of the Government of the 1980s that allowed 500,000 construction workers to lose their jobs.

The recent news that Norfolk is the safest county in England is surely to be welcomed - with record numbers of police along with Police Community Support Officers having an obvious effect. There is no doubt that this is not only down to Government commitment of resources, but also to the organisation of our forces by the police authority and the officers themselves.

Moving closer to home it was once again a pleasure to see the passing out parade of the Winterton 901 Marine Cadets at Martham. The youngsters are a credit to themselves and the Borough and it has now become the norm that they attend most, if not all Borough events. None of this would be achievable if it wasn't for the huge efforts put in by the volunteering adults who give their time freely, and regularly, to make this possible Well done to everyone involved in making this a success and also to the other cadet forces that give opportunities for our young citizens to participate in these activities.

There were two 40^th anniversaries celebrated recently. The first was that of the Gardline Group of companies which is now very highly regarded, not just in Yarmouth, but worldwide. Having read the brief history of the company it is clearly a huge achievement to come from its humble beginnings in 1969 to the worldwide company that it is today. This is mainly down to the late George Darling, whose commitment to the Borough was one hundred per cent, as it was with the many charities and organisations he supported. There is no doubt that George's family are very proud of what has been achieved over the past 40 years and the board of directors and employees alike will ensure continuing success.

The second anniversary is that of the Caister Lifeboat. Formed after the RNLI decided to close the station, it became the only active independent lifeboat station in the country - a position it held for many years - and again it was down to sheer determination by volunteers to continue the service and keep the station going. Tributes must be made to the crew members over the years, as it should for all lifeboat crews around our coastline who put their lives at risk when saving others, and we are rightly proud of them.