17/04/2010 by Steve Barclay.

A busy and varied week, which has ranged from speaking to sixth form students in Wisbech, shop keepers in Whittlesey, and large firms like JDR Cable Systems in Littleport.  JDR Cable Systems employ just under 200 people here in their head office and R&D facility, producing underwater cables for the oil and gas industry and for offshore wind farms.  It is a successful local manufacturing firm which is well placed to benefit from the green economy.  I am keen to find out from those working at the heart of our firms how I can support them if I become the MP, so was grateful to Operations Director Colin Taylor who gave me an insightful tour of their plant on the Littleport Innovation Park. 

The week was rounded off today with over 30 people out in March for the first of our General Election campaign action days.   It was perfect weather, and with many helpers out it meant we could cover the ground much quicker.  So we had a good the excuse for a lunch time pint at the Rose and Crown, before finishing at 4pm and heading over to the Ship.  A good response on the doorstep, followed by a beer sat in the sun.  A great note on which to finish the week.

Pictured are some of the team enjoying the sun (and a beer)
at the Rose & Crown in March

Posted in Campaigning, General Election, March, Littleport, Whittlesey | No Comments »

28/03/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Election preparation gathers pace

Thurs night was our association AGM with a good turnout and an upbeat mood - everyone just wants to get on with the election now, put our message across, and prevent another five years of Gordon Brown.  I round off the meeting with a speech making clear what is at stake for our country at this election.  Am a little embarrassed to receive a standing ovation - clearly they are up for the battle ahead!

Friday morning I had a very interesting meeting with the Wisbech ADHD Support Group at the Oasis Centre in Wisbech, to discuss the challenges faced by families with a child with ADHD.  I learnt a lot about the practical issues faced, and it was impressive to see the mutual support and can do attitude of everyone there.  A fun day has been arranged for August 11th which they kindly asked me to open.  I then headed over to Regal Road in Wisbech to help open a new business unit of Rapid Employment, which is a thriving recruitment agency that has spotted a gap in the market and is expanding.  Travel back via the association office to catch up on correspondence, before heading over to Littleport to open the new IT suite at YPL Littleport.

Saturday morning I was back at the Whittlesey Conservative Club for their Easter Coffee morning, before joining our campaign team out in Sutton on Saturday afternoon to distribute our latest four page leaflet.

Steve Barclay meeting the Wisbech ADHD Support Group at the Oasis Centre

Steve Barclay opening the new internet room at the YPL, Littleport

This photo taken by Helen Drake of the Ely Standard.
Steve with members of the Whittlesey branch

Steve presenting a certificate to Cllr Kay Mayor
in recognition of 100% quota raised by the
Whittlesey branch

Posted in Conservative Party, Littleport, Whittlesey, Wisbech | No Comments »

27/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Chatting in the bakers in Littleport early Saturday morning is a great way to find out what is going on.  One issue mentioned is the war memorial opposite the church which needs cleaning.  I pop over to have a look and they are absolutely right.  It needs sorting out, not least with Remembrance Sunday only a month away.  Take a photo and email it to East Cambs Council asking if they would give it a clean.

Then join Littleport campaigners Debra Jordan and Louise Brighton who have a stall in the High Steet.  They are doing a great job in highlighting the cuts in our paramedic cover.  The East of England Ambulance Trust has a poor record - buying Ambulances that are too tall to go under the bridge at Ely Station is just one of their recent mistakes wasting money.  It is no wonder that the Healthcare Commission rates them one of the six worst NHS trusts in England.  Moving a paramedic car to Cambridge (which has a hospital) and away from a rural area (miles away from the nearest hospital) is another mistake.

Great response to the stall in the High Street where shoppers are asked to deliver the leaflet to the street they live in.  Louise phones me later in the day to say that all the leaflets went out within three and a half hours!  Thanks to everyone that helped.

Steve Barclay with Littleport campaigners
Debra Jordan (left) and Louise Brighton (right)

Then head over to the other end of the constituency for two more of my regular series of coffee meetings with residents I have not met before.  In both a key concern is planning.  The Government’s obsession with people building in back gardens is causing a lot of resentment (and adding to problems with flooding).  There is also concern that planning permission is being given to new buildings in architectural styles that do not fit with the other buildings.  We need to ensure we protect the charm of our Fenland towns and I share their concern. 

Another issue raised is the George Hotel and the Old Post Office which is still boarded up.  This has gone on for far too long, and is an eyesore at the heart of Whittlesey.  I know Cllr Martin Curtis is working hard on this and shares my desire for action to sort it out.  I will find out what the latest is with Wetherspoons who own the George.

George Hotel which remains boarded up

Other ad hoc issues are raised in the meetings, and I will discuss this with local councillors to see if we can work together on a solution.  One example is cars parked around the Falcon pub, where the yellow lines could perhaps do with being extended and a mirror could be installed to help with visibility given the blind spot on the corner.

Finally on the way home I thought I should check whether the issue with the war memorial in Littleport also applies in Fenland.  The Whittlesey memorial does not look too bad although it would still benefit from a clean.  A call to the British Legion puts me in touch with Steve Napier at Fenland DC to flag this to him.

Whittlesey War Memorial

Posted in Littleport, Whittlesey | No Comments »

24/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Why is the decision to cut our paramedic cover being made by people who are both unelected themselves and not answerable to an elected body?  Why is there so much confusion over exactly who is making this decision and why?  Is it too much to ask that residents in Littleport, Sutton and Little Downham get a straight answer when their lives could be put a risk by a reduction in paramedic cover?

The East of England Ambulance Trust covers Essex, Sussex, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. It is so large nobody seems to know what is going on.  As one secretary just said to me on the phone, “we are so big now we don’t know everyone anymore and it does not always link up.“ 

Even a straightforward question as to where the Chief Executive is based does not get a straight answer.  The Head Office is in Bury St Edmonds (or at least that is where the Chief Executive‘s PA is located), but most of the time the senior managers I am told are travelling.  The Trust also has offices in Norwich, Bedford, and Essex.  Clearly the tight travel cost controls which apply to those of us working in the private sector don’t apply here.  Why not cut the travel budget and pay for paramedics instead?

Voters have no control over those making these decisions.  Nor do their elected representatives.  East Cambridgeshire District Council Leader Fred Brown is opposed to these cuts.  Our Member of Parliament Malcolm Moss is opposed.  No MEP from any political party has called for these cuts.  And yet a paramedic car has been taken from a rural area, which is a potentially life threatening journey away from the nearest hospital, and moved to Cambridge which has Addenbrooke‘s Hospital on its doorstop.

In theory the East of England Ambulance Trust answers to the Strategic Health Authority, but in practice their remit seems confused (staff at the Ambulance Trust again were unable to set out the grounds for where their respective remits start and stop).  The process is further complicated as their decision are also influenced by the various Primary Care Trusts.  Other decision making bodies are also involved, like Cambridgeshire Horizons.  So many officials and committees, yet still no answers.

Residents in East Cambridgeshire are right to be angry.  They deserve to know who is responsible.  It is easy for me to point to the Government, but the problem runs deeper than that.  Yes Labour‘s national targets play a part, and yes they are to blame for the crazy confused governance structure.  But what is worse is that senior and well paid managers in the Ambulance Trust appear to see accountability to taxpayers paying their salaries as a petty inconvenience treated with disdain. 

If the East of England Ambulance Trust thinks it is immune from effective accountability then they may have a shock after the General Election.  The next Government needs to ensure decisions like this affecting the public are taken by those elected directly by the public, or immediately answerable to elected figures held responsible on their behalf.

Posted in Paramedics, Little Downham, Sutton, Littleport | No Comments »

21/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.

More worrying news in terms of the cuts in paramedic cover in East Cambridgeshire. 

Thanks to campaigners Louise Brighton and Debra Jordan who flagged to me the figures from the Quality Care Commission.  Not only is the East of England Ambulance Trust failing to consult local people about these changes, but the official figures highlight their record as weak.  They compare badly with the East Midlands, London, and South Central - you can see the figures below and visit the Quality Care Commission website:

http://2008ratings.cqc.org.uk/findcareservices/informationabouthealthcareservices/overallperformance/compareorganisations.cfm?search_type=postcode&trust_type=AMB&postcode=CB6&widCall1=customWidgets.compareorgs_part_4a1

The Government have issued a 75% target for paramedic cars to arrive within 8 minutes.  Moving one of the two paramedic cars to Cambridge will help the East of England Ambulance Trust hit their target - but what about the other 25% of responses including Littleport?  The concern raised is whether Littleport is being left on a limb in order to hit the Government target in Cambridge.  Together with Cllr Fred Brown I am following this up, but to date there has been no clear answer despite our enquiries. 

This morning I have been told that a young football player from Littleport broke his leg in three places on Saturday in a match, but the paramedic car that arrived was not staffed by a fully trained paramedic.  As a result it took 1½ hours before he received any morphine to help with the pain.  So there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty and confusion about these changes.  The Ambulance Trust must explain why these changes are taking place and what impact they will have in East Cambridgeshire.

I will be in Littleport on Saturday morning with Debra and Louise to support their campaign and find out more about recent developments.  If you want to come and discuss the changes in paramedic cover please do pop along to see us on the High Street. 

Posted in Paramedics, Littleport | No Comments »

21/08/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Should it really be so difficult to get a sign?  I have posted previously on the frustration of tourist attractions like Elgoods Brewery in Wisbech trying to obtain a sign to direct visitors.  Another example came to light today on a visit to Dogsthorpe Star Pit near Peterborough which is a site of special scientific interest in disused clay pits beside the A47.  I met up with Brian Eversham, the Conservation Director and Chief Executive Designative of the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants, who took me on a tour of the site and provided a fascinating insight into the unique wildlife there.  It is a wonderful place, yet we saw just one family in the whole time we were at the site.  As you will see from the photos, a road sign is allowed outside this site but there is no sign to tell local families that this place is open to them to visit.  We need to address this sort of frustrating bureaucracy as it would be great if more people enjoyed it.

A visit also today to Young People Littleport which is a great centre catering for all ages, from youngsters playing on the trampoline dug into the garden to a 98 year old I chatted to who attends to play bingo.  A warm and welcoming place, Phil Malkin who runs the centre explained their exciting plans for the future, including showing me the building work upstairs where they aim to put a music studio.  This will be great in helping cater to the 13 to 17 year old age group as I am trying to promote better facilities for them.

Littleport was also hit by a significant fire today at the tyre recycling plant off the A10 Wisbech road.  It could be seen for miles, and was even more dramatic at close quarters.

A road sign is allowed but not a sign to tell
visitors that, on the right, is a site of special scientific
interest open to the public to enjoy free of charge.

Learning from wildlife expert Brian Eversham
of The Wildlife Trust.

A view of the special scientific site at Dogsthorpe
Star Pit (disused clay pits) beside the A47
- for those able to find it.

10 fire crews were called to the blaze which
involved 200 tonnes of tyres.

Posted in Littleport, Wisbech | No Comments »

28/07/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Useful discussion last night at Littleport Village Hall with good representation from the police, fire service, trading standards, district council and parish council, all very well chaired by East Cambs District Council Leader Fred Brown who kept proceedings moving to time.  One notable omission - for the second time a representative of the Ambulance Service failed to turn up despite promising to be there.  This was particularly disappointing to a number of people who wanted to discuss the proposed cut in paramedic cover from two cars to one (see previous blog) with one of the cars being moved to Cambridge.  It seems the Trust are intent on making this cut without any local consultation - more on this in due course as intend to follow this up.

Key issues highlighted at the Panel meeting were:

-       speeding in Millfield School (the proposed class expansion makes this potentially more significant)
-       parking and speeding in Victoria Street
-       drunken behaviour in Main Street, both in an evening and also at 8am some mornings
-       rubbish in the medical centre pond which fills up again quickly even when it is cleared
-       speeding on Wisbech road
-       a children‘s play area at Woodfen Road

Volunteers were sought to use the Speedwatch equipment which is now available, and there was also a request for Environment Champions (to find out more get in touch with Darren Hughes at ECDC).

Three snippets I found particularly interesting. 

On the positive side, one was that my earlier call for better youth facilities across the constituency, and in Littleport in particular where there needs to be a dedicated facility for 13 to 17year olds, seems to be hitting the right note.  Unprovoked there was a call from a number of speakers for more to be done for youths in this age group.  One for further discussion with Fred Brown and others.

A second point was on value for money, with several speakers questioning whether money was being wasted.  Did the recent residents survey by trading standards into under age drinking tell us anything we did not already know?  The top two issues from the survey were that under aged drinking caused anti social behaviour and litter - we could no doubt have predicted this response.  The justification for spending the money was that it came from a government grant.  I am sure it was not the intention, but it sounded almost like it is fine to waste money so long as it is Government money - surely we have still paid through our taxes!

The third point linked to the ‘value for money‘ issue and concerned another area where the Labour Government is throwing money around without thinking through the detail.  We have received a £400,000 grant to improve derelict houses locally.   The idea of tackling derelict houses is a good one, and there are 65 such houses in Littleport.  Whilst the numbers did not stack up - at an average of £6K a house it is not going to be enough for a builder to do up each derelict houses - it is a start.  Yet the Government plans to give this money to the same owners who let the houses go derelict in the first place.  There is no intention to use existing powers such as under the empty dwelling order to take action against these owners, nor is this grant means tested.  So instead of giving the money to local first time buyers for them to take on some of these houses and benefit from any improvements, Labour are paying £400K in Littleport (and similar sums in towns up and down the country) to reward the irresponsible owners who caused the problem. 

This £400,000 gift to irresponsible owners of derelict houses contrasts with another Government announcement today.  The Ministry of Defence has gone to court to seek to reduce the compensation paid to injured war veterans.  One of the two cases concerns a Corporal shot in the leg in Iraq who initially received less than £10,000 for an injury that has required 11 operations so far.  His compensation was increased to £46K by the Courts, which the Government think is too much.  It now wants to take this money back off him.  As the Falklands war veteran Simon Weston said, it is car crash politics.  So as I sit in the Littleport Village Hall, I reflect on two events on the same day - Labour giving £400,000 to dodgy landlords whilst going to court to take almost £40,000 from a seriously injured war veteran who has endured 11 operations.

Posted in Littleport | No Comments »

11/07/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Head over to Littleport for one of my regular coffee mornings this Saturday. This is part of a programme I have set up where local association members host coffee and a chat at their homes with 8 to 10 friends or neighbours who I have not met before. It does not matter which political party they support, or even whether they usually vote. There is no set agenda, it is just an open forum where people can raise any issue of concern whether local or national, or ask questions about the Conservatives or about me personally.

Today Christine and David Ambrose-Smith have kindly agreed to act as host and once again a wide range of issues quickly surface. One such issue is that the two paramedic cars currently covering East Cambridgeshire are being reduced to one car, on the basis that the PCT thinks this will improve the service by being 24/7. Residents are concerned at this cut and the lack of information about it.

As so often is the case, there seems to have been little or no consultation and so there is confusion as to exactly what changes are being proposed, what the timescales are, and why it is being done. I offer to follow this up, and after a chat with Malcolm Moss MP in the afternoon we agree to dispatch a letter to the PCT for an urgent ‘on the record’ update.

It is an upbeat and engaging discussion over the hour and a half we are chatting and I depart with a fuller notebook and a number of calls to follow up on. On leaving I discover it is Christine’s birthday - she gives so much to the community in Littleport that it is little surprise to see her working this morning looking after us all when she could be putting her feet up for a special day off.

If you live in the constituency and would like to attend one of our future coffee chats please do get in touch.

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28/06/2008 by Steve Barclay.

Out on the streets in Littleport this Saturday as we continue our push to get leaflets out across the constituency. Cllr Christine Ambrose-Smith skilfully co-ordinated the various groups and things started out positively when at the third house I went to, some visitors arriving from Sutton thanked us for the leaflet through their door last week.

Another resident then asked if their was an election on and seemed quite surprised, and pleased, that we were out and about when no election is expected for another 18 months.  I thought people only came out when there is an election she said.  We managed to cover quite a lot of ground, notwithstanding my stop to visit the library in Littleport.  I feel strongly that libraries are a key local asset and must be treasured, and welcomed the chance to share that message with those working there.  After pounding the streets we finished off with lunch locally and a chance to discuss the Littleport masterplan.  There is much still to do on this, but with Christine involved at the heart of the planning it is clearly in good hands.

Posted in Libraries, Littleport | No Comments »

16/03/2008 by Steve Barclay.

Dinner in Littleport last night and a chance to discuss issues from the East Cambridgeshire part of the constituency.  Cllr Christine Ambrose-Smith (a fellow Barclays employee!) and husband David were fantastic hosts.

In fact the dinner was so good it could not be contained on one table - instead guests were assembled on two tables providing a wonderful chance for me to chat with a wide range of local figures. It worked incredibly well and was such a lovely way to meet people and find out more about the area - a truly memorable evening.

Posted in Littleport | No Comments »