Lancaster Castle - should it remain as a Prison?

Although Parliament may be in recess, that doesn’t mean that local MP Eric Ollerenshaw is off on his holidays! This week Eric has been out and about across Lancaster and Fleetwood, from Lifeboat Day at Fleetwood, Pilling Coffee Feast and the Maiden Bridge Arts Centre in Tatham up in the Lune Valley. Eric has also had meetings with local businesses in Lancaster, English Nature, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Department of Work and Pensions.

On Tuesday Eric, along with his Morecambe & Lunesdale colleague David Morris MP visited HMP Lancaster Castle. With the recent announcement from the Ministry of Justice regarding the potential closure of the Castle as a working Prison, Eric was keen to speak to the staff who work there.

Eric commented, “Although the prison may be deemed as unfit for the 21^st Century, it is actually an extremely high performing prison, graded 4th overall and the highest rated Category C Prison in the country.

The fact that the Castle performs so well despite it’s medieval conditions, is a credit to the staff who work there. There is a real community atmosphere and this helps with the rehabilitation of the prisoners, many of whom specifically request to come to Lancaster because of the successful rehabilitation programme.”

The opportunity to turn HMP Lancaster Castle into a visitor attraction would certainly place Lancaster on the international tourist trail and bring many more visitors to the City as well as being a major boost to the city’s economy. However there would be a substantial cost running into many millions of pounds to return the Castle to it’s original state as well as extremely high running costs required to simply maintain the Castle.

Eric will be meeting with the Prison’s Minister and the Duchy of Lancaster in the next few weeks to discuss the future plans for Lancaster Castle to hopefully be able to answer more fully, the many questions that we all have over Lancaster Castle’s future.

Eric campaigning against Canatxx back in 2008

The big news this week is that Canatxx are back with a new name,(Halite Energy Group) a new logo and a new PR campaign to convince residents of the benefits of storing gas under the River Wyre.

Eric Ollerenshaw, MP for  Lancaster and Fleetwood, is far from convinced.

 “They seem to think that they can have another attempt at gaining approval for this scheme by altering a few details and changing their name. I am certainly not convinced and I doubt Wyre residents will be either.”

“ Their last proposal was rejected after massive opposition from local residents, major concerns regarding safety and the suitability of the site, I myself helped to campaign against Canatxx’s proposals and I fail to see how this new plan would overcome the objections from Canatxx’s last failed attempt to gain planning permission and I will be raising in Parliament, alongside Ben Wallace MP, the principle of repeated planning applications of this nature.”

Elsewhere in  Lancaster & Fleetwood this week Eric has met with representatives from Job Centre Plus, Lancaster & District Homeless Action Service, the Chief Fire Officer for Lancashire and CancerCare Lancaster.

Eric in the House of Commons

Local  MP, Eric Ollerenshaw is worried that London academics seem to have lost Fleetwood and placed it in Blackpool. Eric put the record straight when speaking out in a debate on the future of coastal towns in Westminster Hall.

“a recent study somehow missed Fleetwood off and instead included it in something called Greater Blackpool ,anyone who has ever been to Fleetwood will know that Mr and Mrs Fleetwood do not regard Blackpool as either greater, or a part of them.”

Eric also spoke out in support of Fleetwood’s fisherman and the problems they are facing due to the increasing amounts of off shore windfarms.

“There is also a lack of any statutory compensation, and I find it incredible in this day and age that, even though fishermen are usually a one-man business, they have to negotiate compensation themselves when wind farms go up on their fishing grounds. I hope that that will be addressed nationally, and I know that other hon. Members feel the same way”

Eric also spoke about Fleetwood’s  transport problems, highlighting the tramline upgrades, the A585 and the rail link, calling for investment in local transport to bring extra jobs and release potential.

Eric being interviewed in Lancaster for the Politics Show

A busy few weeks have seen Eric Ollerenshaw, MP for Lancaster & Fleetwood criss-crossing the Constituency. As well as holding his regular surgeries for local residents, Eric has had meetings with representatives from the local Police, visited Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School as well as meeting with local businesses concerned about the future of the Heysham/M6 Link Road.

Eric also appeared on the Politics Show Northwest where he was asked about the proposed abolition of the North West Development Agency and finally, last weekend, while everyone was getting ready for the World Cup final between The Netherlands and Spain, Eric had the honour of attending the Lancaster City v Fleetwood Town match at Giant Axe in Lancaster.

“Everyone keeps asking if I was supporting Lancaster City or Fleetwood Town, however as MP for both Lancaster and Fleetwood, I have to support both teams! I was keeping my fingers crossed for a draw, but Fleetwood Town ran out the deserved 3-0 winners. I wish both teams the best of luck for the forthcoming season in their respective leagues.

Eric at Pisces Fish and Chip Shop in Fleetwood

Eric was delighted to be invited to present a 5 Star Fish Friers Quality Award to Charlie Cummins and Pisces Fish & Chip Restaurant on Poulton Road, Fleetwood.

The award is only given to shops that have extremely high standards. Shops holding the Seafish Friers Quality Award are nationally recognised for producing first class fish and chips in a first class environment.

An approved inspector checks the shop’s image, design and condition, selection of raw materials (fish, potatoes, oils, etc.), storage, hygiene and cleaning, product care, handling and temperature control, packaging, quality of the final product, management systems, training and skills.

Eric commented “Pisces has a really good reputation, Charlie has obviously worked very hard to build up his business, and the restaurant was full of satisfied customers, I wish him and his staff all the best for the future.”

Eric at the RNIB event

Eric recently met with the RNIB at a parliamentary reception designed to give MPs a first hand experience of the everyday challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people.

Wearing a blindfold, Eric tried to carry out some everyday tasks, like making a cup of tea and using a cash machine, within the kitchen and bank areas that had been set up in the House of Commons.

Eric said “It was a real challenge to carry out these simple everyday tasks without the use of sight. It made me aware of the need for support to be in place when someone loses their sight and is struggling to adjust, trying to remain independent in their own local area and home.”

There are nearly 2 million people living in the UK with sight loss, and every day another 100 people start to lose their sight. A shocking 23 per cent of people losing their sight leave the eye clinic without even being certain of the name of the condition that caused their sight loss. The majority are getting no support when they lose their sight – most receive no counselling and are left to cope with their diagnosis alone.

Steve Winyard, Head of Campaigns at RNIB, said “Every week in the UK hundreds of people begin to lose their sight. You might think that support services would be waiting to step in and help, but that’s not the reality many people experience. For example, we know that in the weeks after being registered as blind or partially sighted many people will not be visited by social services. A year after losing their sight only about a quarter of people will be offered mobility training to get out and about independently. RNIB is campaigning to ensure that everyone diagnosed with sight loss gets the practical and emotional support that they need to rebuild their lives.”

What an amazing 3 weeks – elected as your MP, rushed to Westminster, supporting the moves to a Coalition Government then ending up on the Government side supporting our first Coalition Government since the War in presenting its first steps to addressing our financial and debt crisis. All of this while still to date, amongst many others waiting to be allocated office space!

As any one can imagine this has been an extremley humbling and proud time for me and I am so gratefully to the people of Lancaster and Fleetwood who have put their trust in me. I hope to do my best and promise to represent everybody regardless of political affiliation in my time as your MP.

My surgeries begin this week with the first one in Lancaster and then Fleetwood next week. An appointment can be made by ringing 01995672977 or email the issue through this web site untill an office can be sorted in Parliament.

One of the nicest things that happened was the visit of pupils from Glassom Dock school who visited Parliament on May 19th – they were brilliant – interested in all they saw and put some really tough questions to me as they sat in one of Lords Committee rooms. They were a credit to our area, their staff and their Parents.

Eric Ollerenshaw celebrating with a local ale

Eric Ollerenshaw, the new MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, celebrated his election victory with a local ale at the Fuzzy Duck Brewery.

The beer was named ‘True Brew’ especially for the occasion, and Eric was joined by the Sales Manager, David Shaw (c), and the Head Brewer, Ben Coston (r).

Eric will work tirelessly to help all the people of this constituency and so if you have a problem or a query, Eric would love for you to get in touch. Click here to find out how.

What Britain needs is change – and only the Conservative Party has the energy, leadership and values to bring about that change and:

• get our economy moving.
• mend our broken society.
• rebuild trust in politics.

Key policies

Labour’s Manifesto contains a confused set of ideas that will not bring the change our country needs.

Five promises they don’t know how to pay for

In his foreword, Gordon Brown says “There are no big new spending commitments”, but the details show he is making a number of pledges he can’t afford:

·         We will create a new settlement in our country on how we care for the elderly through the creation of a National Care Service (0:5). This would cost up to £21 billion a year.

·         Advanced apprenticeships will be radically expanded, creating up to 70,000 places a year (3:6-7). This would cost up to £490 million a year.

·         Legally binding guarantees for patients including the right to cancer test results within one week of referral (11:2). This would cost up to £300 million a year.

·         A new Toddler Tax Credit (11:3). This would cost up to £180 million a year.

·         Transform the Post Office into a People’s Bank (2:6). This would cost up to 180 million a year.

Five promises they’ve broken before

In his speech at the launch of the Manifesto, Gordon Brown said: “I am confident in the team I lead and the policies we promise”. But we know how Labour’s promises end.

1. We will not raise the basic, higher and new top rates of tax in the next Parliament (p. 1:3). Labour promised this in the past: ‘We will not raise the basic or top rates of income tax in the next Parliament’ (Labour Manifesto, 2005); ‘not raise the basic or top rate of income tax and extend the 10p band’ (Labour Manifesto, 2001); ‘There will be no increase in the basic or top rates of income tax’ (Labour Manifesto, 1997). Yet Labour scrapped the 10p tax rate, introduced a new 50p tax rate and are planning to impose a jobs tax from 2011 (Budget 2007; Budget 2009). As the IFS said of Labour’s NICs reforms since 1997: “These changes mean that, even more so than in 1997, NI is now effectively a second income tax on earned income”.

2.      Tough choices for £15 billion efficiency savings in 2010-11 (0:6). But the National Audit Office found that only a quarter of Labour’s first round of efficiency savings “fairly represent efficiencies made” (National Audit Office, The Efficiency Programme, A Second Review of Progress, February 2007).

3.      Every child leaving primary school secure in the basics (3:2). In their 2005 Manifesto, Labour promised to ‘intensify our literacy and numeracy programme to help an extra 50,000 pupils achieve high standards at age 11, reaching our targets of 85 per cent of pupils succeeding at the basics’ (p.35) But in the 2009 Key Stage 2 exams, just 62 per cent of 11-year-olds achieved the expected standard or better in reading, writing and maths (DCSF, National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2009 (Revised), 1 December 2009).

4.      Every young person guaranteed education or training until 18, with 75 per cent going on to higher education (11:2). In 1999 Tony Blair set ‘a target of 50 per cent of young adults going into higher education in the next century’ (Speech to the Labour Party Conference, 28 September 1999). But the official measure of university participation is still only 45 per cent (BIS, Statistical First Release: Participation Rates In Higher Education, 31 March 2010).

5.      Neighbourhood police teams in every area, spending 80 per cent of their time on the beat (5:2). This is a claim that was banned on 31 March 2010 by the Advertising Standards Authority as ‘misleading’ (Advertising Standards Authority website, 31 March 2010).

Five promises they’ve stolen from us

Labour’s Manifesto claims that ‘we stand as the people with the … ideas to help our country through the next phase of national renewal’ (0:5). But the details show they have borrowed many of their ideas from us:

1.      Any government-controlled appointment involving a salary over £150,000 will require ministerial sign-off. (1:4). Announced by George Osborne: ‘In the current climate, anyone who wishes to pay a public servant more than the Prime Minister will have to put it before the Chancellor’ (George Osborne, Conference Speech, 6 October 2009)

2.      Pay as you save home energy insulation (8:3). In January 2009 the Conservatives launched plans to give every household the right to have home energy efficiency improvements worth up to £6,500. The upfront costs would be financed by the commercial sector; and repaid over a period of up to 25 years through the savings on energy bills (Low Carbon Economy green paper, 16 January 2009).

3.      No stamp duty for first-time buyers on all house purchases below £250,000 for two years (11:1). Announced by George Osborne: ‘So I can tell you now: the next Conservative government will abolish stamp duty for almost all first time buyers. Anyone who buys their first home for under £250,000 will pay no stamp duty. We will take 200,000 people a year out of stamp duty altogether; that’s one million people over a Parliament’ (George Osborne, Conference Speech, 1 October 2007).

4.      A new national 111 telephone number…for non-emergency services (4:4). We proposed this in an NHS policy paper published on 28 September 2007 (Conservative Party, The patient will see you now, doctor, 28 September 2007).

5.      We will promote the transfer of buildings and land to the ownership or control of voluntary and community groups (7:5). Conservatives launched a ‘Community Right to Buy ‘last year to help residents save and protect local community facilities under threat (Daily Mail, 20 November 2009). Last month, we outlined additional plans to allow neighbourhoods to bid to take over the running of community amenities, ‘such as parks and libraries’ (Conservatives, Big Society not Big Government, March 2010).

Labour still isn’t working and only a Conservative Government can bring the change we need to Britain.